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After launching to the International Space Station on March 2, 2023, NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission is wrapping up its time in orbit, with a return to Earth in early September 2023. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev spent their months on the orbiting lab conducting scientific investigations and technology demonstrations, including running a student robotic challenge, studying plant genetic adaptations to space, and monitoring human health in microgravity to prepare for exploration beyond low Earth orbit and to benefit life on Earth. The astronauts also released Saskatchewan's first satellite, which tests a new radiation detection and protection system derived from melanin. Learn more: https://go.nasa.gov/3OOOR3l Credit: NASA

Meet Meena Sreekantamurthy, a power electronics engineer on NASA’s Psyche mission, which will be the first to explore a metal-rich asteroid, also named Psyche. In this video, Sreekantamurthy, from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, explains how power is critical for gathering the mission’s science data. She also talks about her passion for painting and drawing. Whether the asteroid Psyche is the partial core of a planetesimal (a building block of the rocky planets in our solar system) or primordial material that never melted, scientists expect the mission to help answer fundamental questions about Earth’s own metal core and the formation of our solar system. This is the second episode in a weekly, five-part video series called “Behind the Spacecraft.” Each Psyche team member will tell the story of how they came to the mission. Join us on this channel on Sept. 13 and 20 for livestreamed Q&As with team members as well. Psyche’s launch period opens Oct. 5, 2023. The spacecraft will begin orbiting the asteroid Psyche in 2029. Learn all about our first-of-its-kind #MissionToPsyche at: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/psyche Credit: NASA Produced by: NASA 360 Productions

Greenhouse gas emissions decreased a little during the first year of COVID, but not enough to make a lasting impact. Less travel and cars on the road meant improved air quality. But greenhouse gases that cause climate change only decreased a little because we were still heating and cooling our homes, so these gases continued to build up in our atmosphere. NASA climate change scientist Lesley Ott tells us more about what scientists discovered. Explore more about the unexpected effects the pandemic had on our atmosphere: https://go.nasa.gov/3D1MoO5 Producers: Scott Bednar, Jessica Wilde Editor: Daniel Salazar Credit: NASA

NASA’s SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov autonomously docked to the space-facing port of the Harmony module of the International Space Station at 9:16 a.m. EDT on Aug. 27 following a launch the day before on the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Following docking, the quartet opened the hatch and floated onboard the orbital outpost before providing welcoming remarks as their mission aboard the space station began. The four crew members will conduct a long-duration science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.

NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov launched aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft on Aug. 26 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The four crew members are scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station on Aug. 27 where they will conduct a six-month mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov makes his first trip to space and serves as a mission specialist on Crew-7, working to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and entry phases of flight. He entered the Roscosmos Cosmonaut Corps as a test cosmonaut candidate in 2018 and will serve as a flight engineer for Expedition 69/70.

Meet your Crew-7 commander, Jasmin Moghbeli, the New York native making her first trip into space after being selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017. Moghbeli earned her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering with information technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a master of science in aerospace engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. A helicopter and Marine Corps test pilot, Moghbeli has more than 150 combat missions and 2,000 hours of flight time in over 25 different aircraft. She is also a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland.

Crew-7’s pilot is Andreas Mogensen, the Copenhagen, Denmark native who was selected as an ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut in 2009 and became the first Danish citizen in space after launching aboard a Soyuz for a 10-day mission to the space station in 2015. He completed undergraduate studies and received a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Imperial College London in England before gaining his doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Mogensen has since served as a crew member for NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) missions and was the European astronaut liaison officer to NASA's Johnson Space Center from 2016-2022, working as a CAPCOM for astronauts aboard the station and as ground support for spacewalks, relaying tasks and direction from mission control to the spacewalkers.

Meet Satoshi Furukawa, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut from Kanagawa, Japan, making his second trip to space as a mission specialist on Crew-7. Furukawa was selected as a JAXA astronaut in 1999 and has 165 days aboard the space station under his belt as part of Expeditions 28 and 29 in 2011. He is a physician and received his medical degree from the University of Tokyo, and later a doctorate in medical science from the same university. Furukawa served as a crewmember on the 13th NEEMO mission, and later, was appointed head of JAXA’s Space Biomedical Research Group.

Video released by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation)

Meet one of the Martian samples that has been collected and is awaiting return to Earth as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign. As of early August 2023, NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has collected and sealed 20 scientifically selected samples inside pristine tubes. The next stage is to get them back for study. Considered one of the highest priorities by the scientists in the Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032, Mars Sample Return would be the first mission to return samples from another planet and provides the best opportunity to reveal the early evolution of Mars, including the potential for ancient life. NASA is teaming with ESA (European Space Agency) on this important endeavor. Learn more about Sample No. 19 – “Melyn,” the first sample the rover collected after climbing up onto the ancient delta formation in Mars’ Jezero Crater. The rocks in this area were deposited in an ancient river environment, as opposed to the rover’s earlier samples from the ancient lakebed. Due to a type of mineral called carbonate found in this rock, scientists believe this sample could be well-suited to record the signatures of past water history on Mars. Read about all the carefully selected samples: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-rock-samples Learn more about the Mars Sample Return campaign: https://mars.nasa.gov/msr A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover characterizes the planet's geology and past climate, paves the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and is the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. Got a question or comment? Use #AskNASA to talk to us. Learn more about the important research being operated on Station: https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science For more information about STEM on Station: https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Watch this video to learn more about XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission), a collaboration between JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and NASA. Music Credits: Universal Production Music Lights On by Hugh Robert Edwin Wilkinson Dreams by Jez Fox and Rohan Jones Changing Tide by Rob Manning Wandering Imagination by Joel Goodman In Unison by Samuel Sim Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio Sophia Roberts (AIMM): Lead Producer Jeanette Kazmierczak (University of Maryland College Park): Lead Writer Adriana Manrique Gutierrez (KBRwyle): Lead Animator Scott Wiessinger (KBRwyle): Animator Rob Andreoli (AIMM): Videographer Harrison Bach (Intern): Videographer John D. Philyaw (AIMM: Videographer Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET): Technical Support Francois Mernier (University of Maryland College Park): Research Astrophysicist Takashi Okajima (GSFC): Research Astrophysicist

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission will carry NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Konstantin Borisov of Roscosmos to the International Space Station. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft will launch from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the company’s seventh crew rotation mission for NASA.

Where are the Moon rocks from the Apollo missions kept? When they’re not being studied by institutions or enjoyed by museumgoers, NASA has a specialized Lunar Sample Curation Laboratory at NASA’s Johnson Space Center to store and keep these otherworldly samples safe. Studying these samples helps us learn more about the origin of not only our moon, but our planet. Deputy Apollo Sample Curator (Sept 2019 – Dec 2022) Dr. Juliane Gross explains more about lunar sample curation. Producers: Scott Bednar, Jessica Wilde Editor: David Shelton

Is there oxygen on Mars? Technically yes, but it’s nothing like the amount we have on Earth. So breathing is out of the question. However, there IS a lot of carbon dioxide (CO2) on Mars. Now a new technology — MOXIE — has proven that we can convert Martian CO2 into oxygen for use by future explorers. NASA engineer Asad Aboobaker tells us more. Learn more about MOXIE: https://go.nasa.gov/37ujwOl Producers: Jessica Wilde & Scott Bednar Editor: Matthew Schara

NASA astronaut Anne McClain launched on her first spaceflight to the International Space Station. In this episode of “Down to Earth – What Else is Out There?” Anne recalls her first spacewalk and how it changed her perception of Earth. The shift in worldview is inspired by space philosopher Frank White.

An international crew is preparing to launch to the International Space Station aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov of Roscosmos will perform research technology demonstrations, science experiments, and maintenance activities aboard the microgravity laboratory. Crew-7 is targeted to launch no earlier than 3:49 a.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 25 from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy. As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, Crew-7 marks the eighth human spaceflight mission supported by a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and the seventh crew rotation mission to the space station since 2020 for NASA. You can watch the launch live on NASA TV, NASA.gov, the NASA app, and on social media (@NASA). Learn more about the Crew-7 mission here: https://blogs.nasa.gov/crew-7/ Credit: NASA Video Producer: Sonnet Apple Music: Universal Production Music

NASA astronaut Don Pettit explains how his perception of the Earth changed during his time aboard the space station.

Lagrange points are places around a planet where the pull of its gravity, the Sun's gravity and the motion of the orbit are balanced. Things at these points take very little energy to stay in place. NASA’s Lucy mission will visit Lagrange points where "Trojan asteroids" have been trapped for billions of years, holding clues to the formation of our solar system. NASA’s Dr. Adriana Ocampo has more. Learn more about Lagrange Points: https://go.nasa.gov/3jzTNti All about the Lucy mission: nasa.gov/lucy All about the James Webb Space Telescope: https://webb.nasa.gov/ Credits: NASA Producer: Scott Bednar Producer/Editor: Jessica Wilde

"I never imagined in my entire life getting to see something that beautiful." In this episode of “Down to Earth – It’s Alive,” NASA Astronaut Reid Wiseman explains how seeing Earth from space compared to his expectations during his time aboard the space station. #SpaceStation20th

In October 2023, NASA is launching the Heliophysics Big Year – a global celebration of solar science and the Sun’s influence on Earth, our solar system, and beyond. Modeled after the “Big Year” concept from citizen scientists in the bird-watching community, the Heliophysics Big Year challenges everyone to get involved with fun Sun-related activities. Visit https://go.nasa.gov/HelioBigYear to learn more! Credits: Music: “Nanofiber” by Andrew Michael Britton [PRS], David Stephen Goldsmith [PRS]; “Climbing the Ladder” by Jose Tomas Novoa Espinosa [BMI] via Universal Production Music Video credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Producer: Beth Anthony (KBRwyle), Joy Ng (KBRwyle), Lacey Young (KBRwyle) Writer: Denise Hill (ADNET Systems) Editor: Beth Anthony (KBRwyle)

Did Mars ever look like Earth? We think it did! Ancient Mars may have been wetter and warmer — similar to our home planet. So what happened? Scientists like Dr. Becky McCauley Rench are trying to find out. Keep up with our Martian exploration efforts: www.nasa.gov/Mars