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March 5, 2026 – March 13, 2026
Whether it qualifies as a “superbloom” is in the eye of the beholder, but there is no doubt that California’s Carrizo Plain and the neighboring mountain ranges were awash with color as wildflowers put on their annual show in spring 2026.
Landsat satellites began to show the early signs of color in February. By early March, flowers had turned areas around Soda Lake a bright shade of yellow, and by mid-month, they had spread even farther. Yellow wildflower blooms are visible amid the dendritic network of streams flanking the alkaline lake, which dries out completely during drought years. Colors were particularly vibrant across the Carrizo Plain National Monument, even decorating meadows along the zipper-shaped San Andreas Fault with splashes of purple due to blooms of Phacelia ciliata.
Winter 2025-2026 brought bouts of rain and variable conditions that benefited wildflowers. Soaking rains saturated soils in November and December, bringing rainfall totals to nearly twice the usual level, according to a report from the California Department of Water Resources. NASA data cited in the report showed soil moisture remained well above average for the month of February.
The pulse of early rains helped kick-start wildflowers because many seeds need at least a half-inch of rain to wash off their protective coating to germinate, according to the National Park Service. The warm, dry periods that followed also helped. Once established, wildflowers benefit from intermittent rainfall rather than constant soaking.
The Wild Flower Hotline reported that west-facing slopes of the Temblor Range were the first places to come alive with hillside daisies (Monolopia lanceolata) accompanied by California goldfields (Lasthenia californica) and forked fiddlenecks (Amsinckia furcata) in March. The display in the Caliente Range was enhanced by a lack of grass thatch, which was burned off in the Madre fire in July 2025.
Reports from experts on the ground indicate that common goldfield (Lasthenia gracilis), also called the needle goldfield, is responsible for the expanse of yellow near Soda Lake. Individual plants are small, but they often grow in disturbed areas just centimeters apart and bloom simultaneously, creating expansive blankets of color.


March 5, 2026 – March 13, 2026
In an article for Flora magazine, Bryce King, lead field botanist for the California Native Plant Society, described the Lasthenia blooms there as one of many “seemingly unending stretches of color” across the valley bottom. Lasthenia is a “staple” of vernal pools and seasonally wet areas, he wrote, but the synchronicity of blooms on the valley floor and surrounding hills during a March visit was “beyond anything” he had expected.
Teams of NASA scientists are using remote sensing to study wildflower blooms and flowering plants, aiming to develop techniques for tracking blooms over broad areas and tools that can support farmers, beekeepers, and resource managers. Fruit, nuts, honey, and cotton are among the many crops and commodities produced by flowering plants.
“I would certainly consider this a superbloom,” said Yoseline Angel, a scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “It’s hard to describe how stunning these wildflowers were from the ground.”
Angel and Goddard colleague Andres Baresch were in the field in Carrizo Plain National Monument on March 13 taking spectral measurements of blooming wildflowers as Landsat acquired one of the images shown above. They are in the process of developing a global flower monitoring system that will integrate observations from the ground with those from space-based sensors such as OLI on Landsat 8 and 9 and EMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation) on the International Space Station to track the progression of blooms.
“This was the perfect opportunity to test how well our models scale between the ground and satellites,” she said. “We were fortunate to have a huge number of seeds germinate and bloom simultaneously because last year was so dry and this winter was so wet.”
NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Photos courtesy of Erin Berkowitz and Andres Baresch. Story by Adam Voiland.
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2026-03-22 18:59
1 min read
2026-03-20 23:27
NASA’s quiet supersonic X-59 aircraft made its second flight on Friday, kicking off a series of dozens of test flights in 2026.
Although the flight duration was abbreviated due to a technical issue, the team was able to collect information that will inform future tests.
“Despite the early landing, this is a good day for the team. We collected more data, and the pilot landed safely,” said Cathy Bahm, project manager for NASA’s Low-Boom Flight Demonstrator at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, in Edwards, California. “We’re looking forward to getting back to flight as soon as possible.”
The aircraft took off at 10:54 a.m. PDT from Edwards Air Force Base, near NASA Armstrong. Several minutes into the flight, pilot Jim “Clue” Less saw a vehicle system warning in the aircraft’s cockpit. Following flight procedures, the aircraft landed at 11:03 a.m. after a return-to-base was called.
“As we like to say, it was just like the simulator – and that’s what we like to hear,” Less said. “This is just the beginning of a long flight campaign.”
The X-59 is designed to fly supersonic – or faster than the speed of sound – while generating only a quiet thump instead of a loud sonic boom. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which is working to make commercial supersonic flight over land a reality.
The aircraft is set to accelerate testing in 2026, demonstrating performance and airworthiness during a process known as envelope expansion, where it will gradually fly faster and higher, on its way to supersonic speeds.
2026-03-20 20:53
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on April 25, 2022 and has been updated to reflect changes including the completion of Hangar One’s restoration.
Restoration has been completed on Hangar One, a historic landmark in the San Francisco Bay Area and a key part of the region’s early aviation history.
In December 2025, Planetary Ventures completed restoration of the Hangar One landmark at Moffett Federal Airfield, located at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. Work focused on modernizing the structure while maintaining its original visual characteristics as closely as possible. The restoration work included the remediation, clean-up, and recladding of the siding and roof, as well as a variety of structural upgrades. Hangar One — now more than 90 years old — was restored according to U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation of historical buildings.
This project started years ago when the U.S. Navy removed all the hangar’s roof, siding, windows, doors, and other materials, which were contaminated with toxic chemicals. The Navy then sealed the hangar’s structural frame with epoxy to ensure the chemicals would not pose a health risk, leaving it intact until further work could be completed.
In 2014, NASA signed a lease with Planetary Ventures to operate Moffett Federal Airfield and rehabilitate Hangar One.
In 2022, Planetary Ventures removed the remaining toxic chemicals from the hangar. First, working section by section, areas of Hangar One were surrounded with scaffolding and encased to keep contaminated materials inside. Only then were they carefully removed and stored in the vicinity of the hangar until being taken off-site for proper disposal. After the contaminated materials were removed, the steel frame was primed and repainted to protect it from the elements until siding, windows, and doors were added.
The team also made several structural upgrades — as well as other mechanical, plumbing, electrical, landscape, and hardscape improvements — to ensure the hangar’s long-term operational integrity for generations to come.
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2026-03-20 19:30
NASA selected 14 university teams from across the nation as finalists in the 2026 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) Competition. This NASA challenge tasks students to design innovative concepts that could further human life and work on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The competition links academia and the aerospace community, fostering innovation, collaboration, and workforce development in support of NASA’s long-term exploration goals.
“The innovation and technical depth demonstrated this year are exemplary of the next generation of aerospace leaders,” said Daniel Mazanek, RASC-AL program sponsor and senior space systems engineer from NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. “The strongest teams demonstrated not only creativity, but also the disciplined analysis and systems engineering required to develop credible solutions for space exploration challenges facing the agency.”
The 2026 RASC-AL competition invited university teams to develop technically rigorous proposals addressing one of four mission themes: Communications, Position, Navigation, and Time (CPNT) Architectures for Mars Surface Operations; Lunar Surface Power and Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) Architectures; Lunar Sample Return Concepts; and Lunar Technology Demonstrations Leveraging Common Infrastructure. Each topic reflects relevant areas of exploration technology development aligned with NASA’s Artemis program and long-term human missions to Mars.
The 2026 RASC-AL Finalists are:
CPNT Architectures for Mars Surface Operations
Lunar Surface Power and Power Management and PMAD Architectures
Lunar Sample Return Concept
Lunar Technology Demonstrations Leveraging Common Infrastructure
Each team submitted an initial proposal paper and a two-minute video presentation, which were evaluated by a review panel of NASA and aerospace industry experts.
“The RASC-AL competition challenges students to address many of the same technical and operational questions we encounter working on Artemis, from surface infrastructure to mobility and resource utilization,” added Dr. Christopher Jones, RASC-AL program sponsor and chief technologist for the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate at NASA Langley. “The concepts developed through the competition help expand NASA’s thinking as we plan and refine future exploration missions.”
As finalists, each team will further develop their concept into a comprehensive technical paper and oral presentation, culminating in an in-person showcase beginning on June 2 at the 2026 RASC-AL Forum in Cocoa Beach, Florida. During the Forum, students will present their work to NASA leaders, industry professionals, and fellow finalist teams, gaining valuable feedback and professional experience in systems-level mission design. The top-performing teams at the forum will be recognized for technical merit, innovation, and presentation excellence.
NASA’s RASC-AL Competition is administered by the National Institute of Aerospace. The RASC-AL Competition is sponsored by NASA’s Strategy and Architecture Office within the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, and by the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate at NASA Langley. The NASA Tournament Lab, part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate, manages the challenge.
For more information about RASC-AL, visit RASCAL.nianet.org.
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