Ohio State football ‘trending’ for high-level quarterback recruit: Buckeye Breakfast  Cleveland.com

Predictions: Clemson, Auburn trending as two 2028 QBs near decisions  On3

3 Browns players trending up and 3 trending down entering training camp  dawgpounddaily.com

Why Kriti Sanon Is Trending  Rediff

These American cities are trending toward a buyer's market  Fox Business

1. DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Lab Test: Rolling Shutter, Dynamic Range and Exposure Latitude  CineD
2. A second lens makes DJI’s Osmo Pocket 4P my new favorite video camera  The Verge
3. DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Review: The Best Gimbal Camera Money Can't Buy  Engadget
4. DJI's Osmo Pocket 4P has launched globally. But it still isn't coming to the U.S.  Mashable
5. Drone Maker DJI Rolls Out Osmo Pocket 4P Camera Outside of China  Bloomberg.com

1. iPhone 18 Pro: Twelve Changes Coming to Apple's Next Flagship  MacRumors
2. iPhone 18 Release Date: Spring Delay Boosts Autumn iPhone 18 Pro Sales  Forbes
3. How much will Apple’s next iPhone cost?  MarketWatch
4. iPhone 18 Pro could be a no-brainer upgrade for lots of users  9to5Mac
5. The iPhone 18 Pro Max could be the first iPhone fans don't buy on day one  PhoneArena

1. The best Galaxy Z Fold 8 deal is at Amazon — boosted trade-in plus $350 gift card  9to5Google
2. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8: Foldables, Perfected for Every Way of Living  Samsung Global Newsroom
3. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Makes Folding Phones More Appealing Than Ever  Popular Mechanics
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5. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 ‘Passport’ Design Is the Next Big Smartphone Trend  Bloomberg.com

1. Lenovo’s Yoga 9n Is The First 2-In-1 Laptop To Ship With NVIDIA’s RTX Spark, Comes With A Crisp PureSight Pro OLED, Stylus Support And More  Wccftech
2. Tech enthusiast finds RTX Spark-powered Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra, delivers first 'review'  TweakTown
3. Mystery reviewer 'finds' Nvidia RTX Spark prototype laptop and puts it through its paces — Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra with Nvidia N1X chip shows promise, though prototype warts are still quite visible  Tom's Hardware
4. Nvidia RTX Spark Debuts: 128GB Memory, 1 Petaflop AI [2026]  tech-insider.org
5. NVIDIA N1X chip set to power new PCs in 2027  A News

Exclusive: Lenovo's new IdeaCentre All-in-One is its answer to the iMac, and it finally has the colors to prove it  Windows Latest

In this July 6, 2026, image, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) reveals the nearby galaxy Centaurus A, exposing the dusty structures and hidden activity that shape this unusual system.

Centaurus A is 11 million light-years away from Earth, relatively close in cosmic terms. Yet, unlike most nearby galaxies, it is very active, making it a powerful laboratory for understanding how galaxies and black holes grow and evolve together.

Explore the galaxy through an interactive map.

Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Macarena Garcia Marin (ESA Office at STScI)

NASA interns at Johnson Space Center are applying their talents to real-world projects while working alongside the engineers, scientists, communicators, and innovators advancing human spaceflight. Learn how these students are gaining hands-on experience, contributing to real missions, and preparing to join the nation’s highly skilled and competitive aerospace workforce.  

Meet the students behind the work and discover what inspired them to pursue careers at NASA. 

Macie Landon — Moon Base Program Strategic Communications 

Macie Landon is helping tell the story of humanity’s first outpost on the lunar surface. Using graphic design, 3D modeling, video production, and other multimedia tools, she creates visual content that supports public outreach and internal communications for the Moon Base Program. 

Landon’s path to NASA began with a lifelong interest in space, science fiction, art, and video games. While studying visualization at Texas A&M University, she planned to pursue a career in gaming or feature animation before discovering she could apply those same creative skills at NASA. 

Her first internship was with the Graphics and Visualization Lab at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, where she created 3D models for virtual reality simulations. 

“I had no idea I could pursue multimedia design at NASA,” Landon said. “I loved it and was so inspired by the creative force across all NASA centers.” 

After building connections at Glenn, Landon applied for a summer internship at Johnson, where she continues using design to help communicate NASA’s human space exploration goals. 

“Everyone at NASA is so smart, helpful, and willing to share their stories,” she said. “Almost every day I have at least one memorable and surprising moment.” 

Landon has also gained an appreciation for the collaboration behind NASA’s missions.  

“Through my two internships, I’ve learned how thousands of people from different backgrounds work together toward the same goal of benefiting humanity,” she said.  

Working in strategic communications has changed the way Landon views STEM careers. 

“Without someone sharing the stories of NASA’s work, much of it would go unseen,” she said. “The creatives at NASA are key to inspiring the next generation.” 

In addition to creating multimedia products, Landon regularly engages with the public at outreach events, answering questions from audiences of all ages and backgrounds. 

“I’ve learned a lot about how to have meaningful and impactful conversations with people,” she said.  

Looking ahead, Landon hopes to continue using design and storytelling to help people better understand NASA’s missions while inspiring future explorers. 

“I hope that through my work as a NASA intern, I continue to inspire the next generation of scientists, creatives, explorers, and more to be part of NASA’s mission in bettering humanity,” she said. 

For students considering careers in STEM, Landon encourages them to follow what genuinely interests them. 

“Explore what you truly love. You may discover there’s a place for your skills at NASA, too.”  

John Graham Reynolds — AI and Machine Learning

John Graham Reynolds develops generative artificial intelligence systems in NASA’s Advanced Operations Concepts Lab that help improve mission support and engineering operations for NASA’s Orion Program and other aspects of human spaceflight. 

Before joining NASA, Reynolds worked for four years as a professional engineer. Looking for an opportunity to make a greater impact, he returned to graduate school and sought work that aligned with his passion for meaningful innovation. 

“NASA is the greatest symbol of American ingenuity and a beacon for public progress,” Reynolds said. “Applying here was a no-brainer.” 

As a graduate intern, Reynolds has contributed to technologies that support NASA’s human spaceflight missions. 

One achievement he is especially proud of came during the Artemis II mission, when his team’s flagship AI system provided engineering support for the Orion spacecraft. 

The system provided operators of the Orion Flight Software console in the Orion Mission Evaluation Room with an AI-powered interface to quickly access and summarize internal engineering documentation, allowing engineers to analyze faults, troubleshoot issues, and contribute to Orion operations during Artemis II. 

“Helping support a mission that carried humans farther from Earth than ever before was an incredible experience,” he said. 

Working alongside NASA engineers has also changed the way Reynolds thinks about a career in STEM. 

“NASA is filled with smart people, but above all else, it is filled with people who are passionate about what they do,” he said. “That overwhelming sense of passion and purpose regularly reminds me of the value STEM careers provide.” 

Reynolds says one of the biggest lessons he has learned is that innovation depends on collaboration. 

“Always be open to the ideas of others, and they will be open to you,” he said. “No one can solve every problem. Teamwork, collaboration, and consideration are the greatest agents of improvement.” 

Mentorship and networking have also played an important role in his internship experience. 

“Connecting with full-time staff and other interns has opened many doors for me,” Reynolds said. “I know those connections will support me for the rest of my life, inside and outside of NASA.” 

Looking ahead, Reynolds hopes to continue developing technologies that strengthen NASA’s missions and advance the future of space exploration. 

For students considering a career at NASA, Reynolds encourages them to stay curious and follow what genuinely interests them. 

“Find what you love, even if it isn’t STEM,” he said. “Explore anything and everything that interests you. Never stop.” 

Morgan Gridley — Photography 

Morgan Gridley is helping document the next chapter of human spaceflight as a photography intern at Johnson. From astronaut portraits and crew training to major mission announcements, her photographs help tell the story of NASA’s missions. Now in her second summer internship, Gridley is building on the experience that first sparked her passion for documenting exploration. 

“Working alongside so many talented photographers, engineers, scientists, astronauts, and creatives has shown me how many different ways people contribute to NASA’s mission,” Gridley said. 

Gridley learned about the internship after NASA photographer Bill Stafford, an East Texas A&M University alumnus, shared the opportunity with faculty. Her professor passed it along to the class, and Gridley immediately applied. 

“I’ve always loved space and exploration, so it seemed like an incredible experience,” she said. 

Gridley’s work included photographing one of NASA’s WB-57 aircraft during takeoff. Those images later supported news coverage highlighting the aircraft’s role in aerial imaging during the Texas floods. 

She also served as one of the photographers covering the Artemis III crew announcement, with some of her images appearing in news coverage of the historic milestone. 

Gridley credits her mentors with helping her grow throughout both internships. 

“I consider every member of my team to be one of my mentors,” she said. “Even after my first internship ended, I stayed in touch by sharing my work and receiving feedback on my photos.” 

Photographing astronauts in the studio has become one of Gridley’s favorite assignments. 

“When I first started photography, I mostly focused on landscapes and didn’t enjoy taking portraits,” she said. “Now, portrait photography is my favorite part of what I do.” 

Looking ahead, Gridley hopes to continue documenting NASA’s work as part of the photography team.  

“Being able to capture moments that are part of NASA’s history has been an amazing experience, and I’d love the opportunity to continue telling those stories through photography,” she said. 

For students considering careers in STEM and the creative arts, Gridley encourages them to stay curious and embrace new opportunities. 

“Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone,” she said. “Staying open to new experiences can lead you to opportunities and interests you never expected.” 

Learn more about NASA internship programs.  

Stewart Island/Rakiura is the third-largest island in New Zealand, diminutive in comparison to the country’s North Island and South Island. Yet it hosts a population of one of the largest of the kiwi: the Stewart Island tokoeka. This flightless bird, a subspecies of the Southern brown kiwi (Apteryx australis), numbers in the thousands on the island, dwarfing its human population of approximately 500.

The avian national icon is just one slice of the natural riches on Stewart Island/Rakiura, a roughly triangular piece of land about 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of the South Island. Rakiura National Park covers about 85 percent of the bright green island. And as the Māori name—Rakiura, meaning “glowing skies”—suggests, it’s a prime location for viewing the aurora australis.

On the northern half of the island, podocarp and hardwood forests featuring coniferous trees with ancient lineages blanket the land. Other areas are covered in shrublands and wetlands, as well as coastal dunes such as those lining Mason Bay. A diversity of birdlife, including the kiwi, populates these relatively untouched ecosystems. The tall trees of the podocarp forests produce various fruits attractive to avian inhabitants, such as bellbirds, with their pure-toned calls, and the rare kākāpō, the world’s heaviest and only flightless parrot species.

One notable haven for birds lies on Ulva Island, located within the inlet near Halfmoon Bay (Oban). Rats, which once preyed on bird eggs and chicks there, were deemed eradicated in 1997, and the island has mostly remained free of non-native predators. Conservationists have since embarked on a project on the much larger Stewart Island/Rakiura to eliminate rats, possums, feral cats, and hedgehogs.

When darkness falls, Stewart Island/Rakiura’s human denizens can look skyward for the chance to observe stars, auroras, nearby dwarf galaxies, and other features of the Southern Hemisphere night sky. In 2019, the remote and sparsely inhabited island was designated an International Dark Sky Sanctuary.

Amateur astronomers there and in other places with good night-sky views might search for objects of interest through Hubble’s Night Sky Challenge. In May, when this image was acquired, targets imaged by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope that were also visible from Earth’s southern latitudes included a star cluster called the Jewel Box and a peculiar elliptical galaxy known as Centaurus A, which may have resulted from two galaxies colliding.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Photo and story by Lindsey Doermann.

References & Resources

• DarkSky International (2019, January 3) Stewart Island / Rakiura. Accessed July 29, 2026.
• The Guardian (2022, July 6) New Zealand to embark on world’s largest feral predator eradication. Accessed July 29, 2026.
• New Zealand Department of Conservation, Birds. Accessed July 29, 2026.
• New Zealand Department of Conservation, Podocarp-hardwood forests. Accessed July 29, 2026.
• New Zealand Department of Conservation, Stewart Island/Rakiura. Accessed July 29, 2026.

The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program has created 18 new awards to support visionary ideas to improve aerospace technologies in areas ranging from the exploration of the solar system to understanding the universe.

The 18 NIAC Phase I awards total $3.2 million. Each award provides up to $175,000 for a nine-month initial investigation. The NIAC projects are about early-stage concept development and are not considered official NASA missions.

“NASA has outlined an ambitious vision for the future of space exploration, we’re returning the Moon to stay, advancing to Mars, and pushing to deepen our understanding of space,” said Greg Stover, director of the Advanced Research and Technology division within the Research and Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Achieving that will require more than incremental technological advancement. It means we need great leaps. These awards are the kinds of innovation the world needs NASA to help foster.”

As an innovation incubator, NIAC funds early development of potential breakthrough technologies. Concepts for award consideration must have both transformative potential and possible feasibility for eventual implementation.

“Every innovation, every leap in technology, starts with a seed of an idea,” said Phillip Williams, NIAC’s acting program executive. “The NIAC program allows NASA to germinate those seeds and determine if there’s something that could be grown to benefit future space missions and our nation’s aerospace economy.”

As NASA and its partners push for sustained lunar presence, some of the 2026 awardees focused on ways to help explore the Moon and build infrastructure there. These include a system to support hovering robots to explore lava tubes under the Moon’s surface, a method to manage temperatures for small mobile exploration robots, and a way to incorporate radioisotopic heat sources into suits to help keep astronauts warm when operating in the Moon’s nearly two-week-long lunar nights.

Other concepts focus on exploring some of the solar system’s most remarkable features. Venus, with its hot atmosphere, presents an imposing challenge for research vehicles, so one NIAC awardee explores methods for hardening instruments for longer missions.

Two other concepts could help study planetary rings. One would use a swarm of 10,000 tiny satellites to map and analyze the rings of Saturn, while another would create a system for collecting samples from rings such as those circling Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Some NIAC awardees will look far beyond the solar system, exploring ways to power interstellar spacecraft, map out continents on exoplanets, observe the photon rings around black holes, and detect subtle gravitational waves to explain how galaxies formed. Others will work to answer questions directly related to life on Earth, like the potential use of spaceborne dust to reduce solar radiation, and awareness about the debris orbiting Earth.

Researchers, known as NIAC Fellows, will investigate their concepts and identify potential challenges and opportunities for further development.

The 18 selections for 2026 NIAC Phase 1 grants are:

• Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California: Dimming the Sun Using Controllable Dust Cloud to Reduce Solar Insolation (DimSun)  

• David Bugby, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Combinatory Architecture offering Neomobility, on-Venus Adaptability, and Survivability (CANVAS)

• A.C. Charania, Zeno Power Systems, Inc., Washington:
  Extended Astronaut Radioisotope-EVA in Nighttime and Deep-space Icy Landscapes (EARENDIL)

• Anish Damodaran, University of Central Florida, Orlando: PS21: Transforming Submillimeter Space Interferometry with Photonic Technologies

• Artur Davoyan, University of California, Los Angeles: Coilable Stacked Solar Sails for Very High delta-V Missions

• Daniel Drew, University of Hawaii, Honolulu: Solid-state Propulsion for Autonomous Reconnaissance of Karst (SPARK)

• Gilly Elor, Stone Aerospace, Inc., Del Valle, Texas: Power-over-Fiber to Enable a Lunar Underground eXplorer (LUX)

• Zhaoyan Liu, NASA Ames Research Center, California’s Silicon Valley: Quantum Wind Lidar Applications for Planetary and Earth Science Missions

• Jeff Nosanov, Orbital Velocity, LLC, Decatur, Georgia: OBLIVIAN: Observing Black hole LIght Via Intensity cOrrelatioN (OBLIVIAN)

• Keunhan Park, University of Utah, Salt Lake City: Plasmon-Enhanced Radioisotope Thermophotovoltaic (PRTPV) Power Generation for Interstellar Missions

• Austin Phoenix, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia: Efficient variable Conductivity Lunar Insulator for Passive Surveyor Environmental Control (ECLIPSE)

• Marco Quadrelli, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory: PRAXIS: Planetary Rings Autonomous EXploration with In-situ Sampling (PRAXIS)

• Michael Rubenstein, Northwestern University, Chicago: Actively Steerable Femtosat Constellations for In-situ Exploration of Saturn’s Rings, Atmosphere, and Magnetosphere

• Benjamin Schafer, Rarefied Technologies Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico: : Photophoretic Tracers for Near-Space Remote Sensing at 30-100 km Altitudes

• David Smith, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina: Robotically Assembled Electromagnetic Metamaterials for Long-Range Space Situational Awareness

• Pablo Sobron, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute, Mountain View, California: Interworld Slingshot Resource Surveys

• Paul Stankus, Brookhaven Science Associates, Upton, New York: Mapping Alien Continents: Achieving Optical VLBI for Exoplanet Imaging

• Paul Stankus, Brookhaven Science Associates, Upton, New York: Precision Astrometry Using Optically Independent Spacecraft for Gravitational Wave Detection

To learn more about NASA’s NIAC program, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/about-niac

-end-

Rob Margetta
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0918
robert.j.margetta@nasa.gov 

There are fresh signs that fusion power startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems will list in the next two to three years.

Meta says AI is making it dramatically easier to build and launch new consumer apps, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg telling investors the company has more new consumer products on the way following a recent wave of releases for Facebook Groups, Marketplace sellers, Instagram, and gaming.

Netflix just signed a massive new licensing agreement worth $500 million to bring The Walking Dead Universe to international markets.

British AI neocloud Nscale is buying software startup Anyscale, which helps companies scale their AI workloads across data centers and servers.

Commonwealth Fusion Systems raised $1 billion as the startup moves toward its first commercial fusion power plant.