NASA Astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore Retires

After 25 years at NASA, flying in four different spacecraft, accumulating 464 days in space, astronaut and test pilot Butch Wilmore has retired from NASA.

The Tennessee native earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technological University and a master’s degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee.

Wilmore is a decorated U.S. Navy captain who has flown numerous tactical aircraft operationally while deploying aboard four aircraft carriers during peacetime and combat operations. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, he went on to serve as a test pilot before NASA selected him to become an astronaut in 2000.

“Butch’s commitment to NASA’s mission and dedication to human space exploration is truly exemplary,” said Steve Koerner, acting director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “His lasting legacy of fortitude will continue to impact and inspire the Johnson workforce, future explorers, and the nation for generations. On behalf of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, we thank Butch for his service.”

During his time at NASA, Wilmore completed three missions launching aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, Roscosmos Soyuz, and Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station. Wilmore also returned to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Additionally, he conducted five spacewalks, totaling 32 hours outside the orbital laboratory.  

“Throughout his career, Butch has exemplified the technical excellence of what is required of an astronaut. His mastery of complex systems, coupled with his adaptability and steadfast commitment to NASA’s mission, has inspired us all,” said Joe Acaba, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson. “As he steps into this new chapter, that same dedication will no doubt continue to show in whatever he decides to do next.”

Most recently, Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024, for its first crewed flight test mission, arriving at the space station the following day. While aboard the station, Wilmore completed numerous tasks, including a spacewalk to help remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss and collected samples and surface material for analysis from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock.

“From my earliest days, I have been captivated by the marvels of creation, looking upward with an insatiable curiosity. This curiosity propelled me into the skies, and eventually to space, where the magnificence of the cosmos mirrored the glory of its creator in ways words can scarcely convey,” said Wilmore. “Even as I ventured beyond Earth’s limits, I remained attuned to the beauty and significance of the world below, recognizing the same intricate design evident among the stars is also woven into the fabric of life at home.”

Learn more about how NASA explores the unknown and innovates for the benefit of humanity at:

https://www.nasa.gov/

Courtney Beasley

Johnson Space Center, Houston

281-910-4989

courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov

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Wendy K. Avedisian

Curiosity Looks Back Toward Its Landing Site

NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a view of its tracks on July 26, 2025. The robotic scientist is now exploring a region of lower Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain. The pale peak of the mountain can be seen at top right; the rim of Gale Crater, within which the mountain sits, is on the horizon at top left. Curiosity touched down on the crater floor 13 years ago.

Recently, the rover rolled into a region filled with boxwork formations. Studying these formations could reveal whether microbial life could have survived in the Martian subsurface eons ago, extending the period of habitability farther into when the planet was drying out. Read more about the detective work Curiosity is doing on Mars.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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Monika Luabeya

Mississippi Attorney Serves NASA and the Nation

Before Nathan Jermyn could dig into the legal frameworks at NASA, he had to answer a different call.

Jermyn participated in a one-day orientation in the summer of 2023 to begin work as an attorney-advisor supporting NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

However, the Biloxi, Mississippi, native shipped out just a week later with the Mississippi Army National Guard to provide military legal counsel for nearly six months in support of Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve.

The decorated military veteran returned to NASA in January 2024 to fully immerse himself as a member of the contract and procurement practice group for the NASA Office of the General Counsel.

“Even though I have been working here for two years, sometimes it does not feel real,” Jermyn said.

As a member of the contract and procurement law team, Jermyn assists with contract- and procurement-related topics for NASA Stennis and the NASA Shared Services Center to ensure taxpayer funds are used responsibly.

He also is a member of NASA’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) team and provides legal reviews and advice for FOIA requests as the agency creates a cohesive and effective knowledge-sharing environment.

The most interesting thing about his work is seeing how the big picture comes together, how each small detail and decision adds up to something more meaningful.  

“Our office is a small piece, and it is amazing to see how our efforts intertwine with NASA Stennis and the NASA Shared Services Center operations and NASA,” he said. “It is also amazing the lengths everyone will go to help each other accomplish the mission.”

Before joining NASA, Jermyn graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a law degree from Mississippi College School of Law.

The Gulfport, Mississippi, resident initially practiced criminal law. Jermyn credits the team he works with at NASA for helping him navigate the complexities of government contract law.

“Having a team that supports you and teaches you every day really expedites the learning process,” he said. “Our team puts a heavy emphasis on learning, development, and teamwork.”

Jermyn is most excited to see how NASA continues to explore the universe moving forward, which includes the Artemis campaign of exploring the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. Artemis II is scheduled for 2026.

“I wholeheartedly believe humanity is destined for the stars and NASA is in prime position to lead that charge,” he said.

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LaToya Dean

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4618-4619: The Boxwork Structures Continue to Call to Us

Written by Ashley Stroupe, Mission Operations Engineer and Rover Planner at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 1, 2025.

Now that we have reached August, our “landiversary” (anniversary of landing — Aug. 5 PDT) is less than a week away! The team is looking forward to being able to celebrate the milestone of our rover becoming a teenager at 13. Today’s image is a beautiful back-lit late afternoon image of the nearby mountains and the distant crater rim. These views make working on Mars never get old!

The first sol of today’s plan is very busy because we will only have data from the first sol down in time for planning on Monday. Today I was working as a Rover Planner, supporting both arm and drive activities. We start first thing with arm activities; we DRT brush and do APXS integration on the target “San Cristóbal,” which is a bedrock target, and the only place in the workspace smooth and flat enough for us to brush. 

After a brief nap, we have an extensive imaging campaign. We take Mastcam images of the AEGIS target from the previous plan and two potential vein targets “Rio Satja” and “Río Ichilo.”  We then take Mastcam stereo mosaics of boxwork targets “Pontezuelo” and “Catedrales de Tara.”  Additionally we have stereo mosaics of “Llanos de Challe,” a transition between the bedrock in the boxwork hollow and the boxwork ridge, a nearby light-toned exposure, and some additional troughs and ridges. ChemCam then takes a LIBS observation of “Airport Domes,” which is another hollow in the boxworks. Finally, we take a ChemCam RMI and a Mastcam of Pontezuelo.

After finishing all the imaging, we continue with the rest of the arm activities. We split the arm activities to accommodate conflicting constraints — both APXS and ChemCam both need to be as early as possible. In this set of arm activities, we begin with MAHLI imaging of the two targets, San Cristóbal and “Salar de Agua Amara,” which consists of delicate branching structures likely made by groundwater. 

After another short nap, we do a small adjustment in our position to get another interesting piece of bedrock ridge in our workspace. In order to approach it at a good angle, we first drive parallel to the ridge to be lined up with the target, and then we turn and drive straight to it. Due to constraints on how we like to park at targets, sometimes these shorter drives can be more complicated than longer ones — but today it was simpler. After completing the drive, we unstow the arm to get a clear view of our workspace for Monday’s planning as well as our standard post-drive imaging and then Curiosity goes to sleep for the night. 

The second sol of the plan is a bit more leisurely. Around midday, Curiosity will be taking some atmospheric observations, including a Navcam dust-devil survey and a south-facing suprahorizon movie, followed by an AEGIS activity where the rover gets to pick targets and observe them herself. Then, early the next morning, Curiosity will wake up to take some additional atmospheric observations, including Navcam zenith and suprahorizon movies, Navcam line-of-sight toward the crater rim, and a Mastcam solar tau to measure dust in the atmosphere. Finally, she’ll get a short nap before waking up to start the next plan.

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NASA Selects Six Companies to Provide Orbital Transfer Vehicle Studies

NASA has selected six companies to produce studies focused on lower-cost ways to launch and deliver spacecraft of various sizes and forms to multiple, difficult-to-reach orbits.

The firm-fixed-price awards comprise nine studies with a maximum total value of approximately $1.4 million. The awardees are:

• Arrow Science and Technology LLC, Webster, Texas
• Blue Origin LLC, Merritt Island, Florida
• Firefly Aerospace Inc., Cedar Park, Texas
• Impulse Space Inc., Redondo Beach, California
• Rocket Lab, Long Beach, California
• United Launch Services LLC, Centennial, Colorado

“With the increasing maturity of commercial space delivery capabilities, we’re asking companies to demonstrate how they can meet NASA’s need for multi-spacecraft and multi-orbit delivery to difficult-to-reach orbits beyond current launch service offerings,” said Joe Dant, orbital transfer vehicle strategic initiative owner for the Launch Services Program at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “This will increase unique science capability and lower the agency’s overall mission costs.”

Each of the six companies will deliver studies exploring future application of orbital transfer vehicles for NASA missions:

Arrow will partner with Quantum Space for its study. Quantum’s Ranger provides payload delivery service as a multi-mission spacecraft engineered for rapid maneuverability and adaptability, enabling multi-destination delivery for missions from low Earth orbit to lunar orbit.

Blue Origin will produce two studies, including one for Blue Ring, a large, high-mobility space platform providing full-service payload delivery, on-board edge computing, hosting, and end-to-end mission operations. It uses hybrid solar-electric and chemical propulsion capability to reach geostationary, cislunar, Mars, and interplanetary destinations. The second is a New Glenn upper stage study.

Firefly’s line of Elytra orbital vehicles offers on-demand payload delivery, imaging, long-haul communications, and domain awareness across cislunar space. Firefly’s Elytra Dark is equipped to serve as a transfer vehicle and enable ongoing operations in lunar orbit for more than five years.

Impulse Space will produce two studies. The company provides in-space mobility with two vehicles, Mira and Helios. Mira is a high-thrust, highly maneuverable spacecraft for payload hosting and deployment, while Helios is a high-energy kick stage to rapidly deliver payloads from low Earth to medium Earth orbits, geostationary orbits and beyond.

Rocket Lab’s two studies will feature the upper stage of the company’s Neutron rocket, as well as a long-life orbital transfer vehicle based on its Explorer spacecraft. Both vehicles are equipped with their own propulsion systems and other subsystems for missions to medium Earth and geosynchronous orbit and deep space destinations like the Moon, Mars, and near-Earth asteroids.

United Launch Alliance will assess the cislunar mission capabilities of an extended-duration Centaur V upper stage. Centaur would be capable of directly delivering multiple rideshare spacecraft to two different orbital destinations in cislunar space, avoiding the need for an additional rocket stage or orbital transfer vehicle.

The studies will be complete by mid-September. NASA will use the findings to inform mission design, planning, and commercial launch acquisition strategies for risk-tolerant payloads, with a possibility of expanding delivery services to larger-sized payloads and to less risk-tolerant missions in the future.

NASA’s Launch Services Program selected providers through the agency’s VADR (Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare Launch Services) contract, which helps foster growth of the U.S. commercial launch market, enabling greater access to space at a lower cost for science and technology missions.

For more information about NASA’s Launch Services Program, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/launch-services-program

-end-

Josh Finch
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov

Leejay Lockhart
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-747-8310
leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov

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Lauren E. Low