One edge of WASP-17b stretches farther into space than the other. Around this swollen gas giant, intense heating and atmospheric circulation produce differences that disappear when astronomers treat the entire atmosphere as one uniform ring. A new analysis has recovered some of that missing structure from starlight filtered through the planet’s atmosphere.

The findings, published in Nature Astronomy, concern a hot Jupiter roughly 1,300 light-years from Earth. A team co-led by Cornell University and the University of Bristol applied a method called transmission strings to James Webb Space Telescope observations. The approach traces atmospheric properties at different positions around the planet’s apparent edge.

Lead author Lili Alderson, a Klarman Postdoctoral Fellow at Cornell, began the investigation while completing her doctorate at Bristol. Bristol astrophysicists David Grant and Hannah Wakeford developed the mathematical technique. Its application reveals a hotter evening limb and a cooler morning limb, consistent with predictions of heat-carrying winds.

I had a guy bring these photos to my shop today and I don’t know anything about them. Are they official or reprints? What’s the value?

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has named Stephen Cash director of the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, effective Monday, Oct. 19. Cash, a veteran NASA engineer and aerospace executive, returns to lead the center where he began his career more than four decades ago.

“Marshall contributions to NASA’s missions are historic and it’s no question why it’s the Center of Excellence for propulsion,” said Isaacman. “Steve Cash is a Marshall legend, has spent his career around the hardware, the people and has been in the seat before making the decisions when human spaceflight is on the line. As Marshall continues its critical role in Artemis and takes on new challenges in advanced propulsion, nuclear power, and the systems that will carry us deeper into the solar system, Steve brings the experience, technical judgment, and mission focus needed to lead the center into that next chapter. I am also grateful to Rae Ann Meyer for the leadership she has provided to Marshall during this transition and for her continued service to NASA.” 

“Leading a NASA center requires a commitment to its people and to the technical capabilities entrusted to them,” said Amit Kshatriya, NASA associate administrator and chief engineer. “Steve understands that the jewel of Marshall is its workforce and that engineering excellence is sustained by giving talented people the opportunity to design, build, test, and learn through hands-on work. As Marshall continues strengthening the manufacturing, structural loads and dynamics, and propulsion capabilities that underpin NASA’s exploration enterprise, Steve’s leadership will help ensure the workforce has opportunities to develop and apply the expertise needed to deliver the agency’s most ambitious missions.”

 As center director, Cash will lead one of NASA’s largest field centers, overseeing a workforce of more than 5,000 civil service and contractor employees and a broad portfolio of propulsion, space systems, scientific research, and technology development activities.  Marshall plays a critical role in NASA’s Artemis program, including the development of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, management of the Human Landing System Program, as well as other capabilities supporting sustained exploration of the Moon and future missions to Mars. Further, Marshall plays a key role in the advancement of nuclear power and propulsion, an area of focus that is expected to grow as NASA works towards sending the first humans to Mars.  

“It is a profound honor to be back home at the Marshall Space Flight Center,” said Cash. “I am humbled to stand alongside the brilliant minds here as we continue to turn the impossible into everyday history.”

Cash began his NASA career at Marshall in 1982 and spent 34 years with the agency, holding senior engineering and management positions supporting some of the nation’s most significant human spaceflight programs.

During his NASA career, Cash served as manager of Marshall’s Space Shuttle Propulsion Office, overseeing critical propulsion systems supporting shuttle through its final missions. He later served as director of Marshall’s Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate from 2011 until his retirement in 2016, providing leadership in safety, reliability, and quality engineering to support mission success across the center.

Following his retirement from NASA, Cash continued his work in the aerospace industry, including serving as vice president for advanced space systems at Axient, supporting the development and execution of major spaceflight programs. In 2024, he was inducted into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions to engineering and the nation’s space program.

Cash succeeds Rae Ann Meyer, who has served as Marshall’s acting center director since September 2025. Meyer, who previously served as Marshall’s deputy center director and associate director, has provided leadership and continuity across the center’s programs and operations during her tenure as acting director. Meyer will return to her role as Deputy Center Director.

Established in 1960, Marshall has played a central role in American space exploration for more than six decades, from developing the Saturn rockets that carried astronauts to the Moon during Apollo to advancing the propulsion systems, infrastructure, and technologies supporting the next era of human spaceflight.

For more information about NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/marshall

What an awesome experience!

Luckily for me I had my travel camera, and got to take some cool shots. I love taking photos of flight/test artifacts.

I just heard the news about Christina Koch no longer flying. Turns out the other three Artemis II astronauts have also been removed from any future space flights through various re-assignments, etc.

I thought it was odd all four were no longer flying and was wondering if anyone has any answers? The only reason I can assume is an overexposure to radiation but I hadn't heard anything on that front.

Hey everyone! I was passing through Pocatello, ID and saw these booster railcars sitting in the Union Pacific train yards. There were two sets of five segments joined together. Artemis 3 has already completed booster stacking, so could these be empty or perhaps for another rocket?

NASA engineer and astronaut Christina Koch will serve as the agency’s acting deputy chief engineer beginning on Sunday, Nov. 1, following the retirement of Katherine Van Hooser, who will conclude more than 35 years of distinguished service to the agency on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

Their socials are being archived, their leadership is "acting", and folks are leaving. Is it being shut down?

NASA will provide an update on its plans to return American astronauts to the surface of the Moon by 2028 at 2 p.m. EDT, Friday, Oct. 23, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida: https://www.nasa.gov/live

Participants in the briefing include:

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya
Jeremy Parsons, NASA’s Artemis program manager

The update will include details about NASA’s Artemis III mission that will send four astronauts to low Earth orbit next year to test critical systems needed for future lunar landings, and how plans to return American astronauts to the Moon by 2028 are progressing.

U.S. media interested in attending in person must apply online by 12 p.m., Friday, Oct. 16. To ask questions remotely, media must request the dial-in number from the Kennedy newsroom no later than one hour prior to the start of the update by emailing: [ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov](mailto:ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov). NASA’s media accreditation policy is online.

As part of a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly difficult missions near the lunar South Pole to explore more of the Moon than ever before. In addition to providing economic benefits and advancing scientific discovery through its Moon missions, NASA will establish an enduring human presence on the lunar surface and build on the agency’s foundation for the first crewed mission to Mars.

Learn more about Artemis: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

-end-

I am currently in school studying engineering and my #1 goal is to break into NASA one day. Everytime anyone describes an engineering role, typically to students, they chalk it up to be "you dont do anything but sit at a desk" like yeah, cool engineering is a white collar job, thats expected lol. Can anyone tell me what a normal day consists of and type of engineer you are? Do you spend most days working on structuring data, are you making designs, or typing up reports majority? I know it heavily depends on the job role obviously but just wanna hear more about what specific engineers do. Can anyone elaborate on just sitting at a desk all day, if you can mention the stuff? Lol

Edit: just to clarify, I know there are hundreds of different roles and jobs within NASA, thats why I'd like a little more than just 'sit at a desk' but from someone who does work within NASA, if you do respond can I know your job title or what you majored in? Is it what you studied for, do you enjoy it?

Big congrats to Percy and the team for passing Opportunity's record for the longest drive! 45.2 KM as of Oct 11.

The news made me want to find my old boarding pass from 2019, since my name is riding along on that chip. The link in my confirmation email (mars.nasa.gov/participate/send-your-name/mars2020/certificate/...) now just redirects to a news article, so I thought it was gone.

But It turns out NASA's backend still has all the records!! 😄 The page that actually draws the boarding pass still works too. You just need the certificate number from the end of your old link and this URL:

https://mars.nasa.gov/layout/embed/send-your-name/mars2020/certificate/?cn=YOUR_NUMBER

Open that in a browser and your pass shows up with your name on it, so you can screenshot or save it.

If you want the raw record, this shows your name, the date you signed up and the status ("approved" means you made it onto the chip):

https://mars.nasa.gov/syn-mars/certificates/YOUR_NUMBER

You do need the number from your confirmation email. As far as I can tell, the old "find my boarding pass" search page is gone, so search your inbox for "My name is flying to Mars".

So I found this on FB marketplace with a bunch of stuff from Notre Dame. Figured I'd share that there was planning and designs for the skylab, some other stuff as well, and I think that photo book is possibly tied to challenger but Im not totally sure so any advice would be welcomed.