NASA Invites Media to See Roman Space Telescope Arrive at Kennedy

Registration is open for media to cover the arrival of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the coming weeks.

The observatory will arrive aboard NASA’s Pegasus barge from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, where teams completed its construction, assembly, and testing. Credentialed media will be able to witness the arrival and unloading of the space telescope in its transport container at NASA Kennedy’s turn basin. From there, technicians will move the telescope to the center’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for launch processing.

NASA subject matter experts will be available on site to answer questions about the arrival.

Media interested in participating must apply for credentials at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

To receive credentials, media must apply by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 4. This opportunity is open to U.S. citizens only.

Once approved, credentialed media will receive a confirmation email. Additional information, including the specific date of arrival activities, will follow. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. For questions about accreditation, please email ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. For other questions, please contact Kennedy’s newsroom at: 321-867-2468.

Named after NASA’s first chief astronomer, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will have a deep, panoramic view of the cosmos, generating never-before-seen pictures that will revolutionize our understanding of the universe. The observatory will usher in a new era of cosmic surveys, unveiling troves of celestial objects, and shedding light on some of the universe’s most profound mysteries, including phenomena we can’t see. Roman also will showcase a test of the most advanced technology ever flown in space to directly image planets around nearby stars, a key step in NASA’s search for life on other worlds.

The Roman telescope is managed at NASA Goddard with participation by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, California; the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore; and a science team of scientists from various research institutions. The primary industrial partners are BAE Systems Inc., L3Harris Technologies, and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging. Contributions to Roman also are made by ESA (European Space Agency), JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), the French space agency CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales), and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany.

The agency’s Launch Services Program, based at NASA Kennedy, manages the launch service for the Roman Space Telescope, which will lift off as soon as early September on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A.

For more information about NASA’s Roman telescope, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/roman

-end-

Karen Fox / Alise Fisher
Headquarters, Washington
202-385-1287 / 202-358-2546
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov

Leejay Lockhart / Danielle Sempsrott
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-747-8310 / 321-298-8990
leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov / danielle.c.sempsrott@nasa.gov

Claire Andreoli
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-1940
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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Jessica Taveau

NASA to Conduct Low-Altitude Flights Near Houston 

Five research aircraft will support a Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) mission out of Ellington Field in Houston. Flights are expected from Wednesday, June 3 to Saturday, June 13. During the mission, select maneuvers will be conducted at low altitudes over the Houston area. 

Pilots will fly remote sensing payloads in raster patterns, or parallel back-and-forth lines. The instruments flown could help researchers map the movement of the gases and particles that make up Earth’s atmosphere, changes to the lowest part of the atmosphere near the coastline, and the natural processes affecting the land and water in that area. The flights will primarily take place in the Houston area, with some extending over the Gulf of America.  

While many of the flights will operate at higher altitudes, a WP-3D Orion will conduct maneuvers as low as 1,000 feet above ground level. Owned and operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this aircraft is used as a hurricane hunter and has supported several airborne science missions for NASA. It is equipped with a multitude of scientific instrumentation, radars, and recording systems for both in-flight and remote sensing measurements of the atmosphere, the Earth, and its environment. 

The NASA-operated aircraft participating in the mission also are equipped with a variety of remote sensing instruments, including two lidars, a synthetic-aperture radar, an imaging spectrometer, and two spectrometers. 

The operations will involve the agency’s Gulfstream V (N95NA), Gulfstream C-20A (N802NA), and Gulfstream III (N520NA), as well as NOAA’s WP-3D Orion (N43RF) and a King Air B200 aircraft (N46L) owned by Dynamic Aviation and contracted by NASA. The flights can be tracked in real time at NASA Airborne Science Program Tracker. 

The SARP effort is an eight-week summer internship program that provides undergraduate students with hands-on experience by engaging in field research and data analysis and with access to one or more NASA Airborne Science Program flying science laboratories. 

For more information about the NASA Airborne Science program, visit: 

https://airbornescience.nasa.gov

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What’s Up: June 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA

Venus and Jupiter meet after sunset, the Moon passes in front of Venus, summer begins, and deep-sky treasures rise into view.

Skywatching Highlights

• June 9: Venus and Jupiter conjunction
• June 11–15: Mercury joins Venus and Jupiter after sunset
• June 17: Moon passes in front of Venus &  close Moon and Venus pairing
• June 21: June solstice &  start of astronomical summer
• June: Summer Triangle and deep-sky observing targets rise into view

Transcript

Planets gather after sunset, the Moon passes in front of Venus, summer officially begins and deep sky treasures rise into view. That’s What’s Up for June.

Early this month, look west shortly after sunset to see Venus and Jupiter. They are two of the brightest planets in our sky and around June 9th, they’ll appear close together after sunset. This is called a planetary conjunction—when two planets appear near each other from our point of view on Earth, even though they’re still millions of miles apart in space.

From June 11th through June 15th, Mercury joins the scene, creating a mini parade of planets low in the western sky. This happens because the planets orbit the sun along nearly the same path in our sky, called the ecliptic. So from our point of view on Earth, they sometimes appear to gather in the same part of the sky.

Venus will be the brightest and easiest to spot with Jupiter nearby. Mercury will sit lower toward the horizon, so you will need a clear view to the west to catch it in the glow of twilight.

On June 17th, from some locations the Moon will pass in front of Venus. This is called a lunar occultation. For viewers in the right viewing path, Venus will look like it disappears behind the Moon, then reappears later. The event will be visible from parts of the United States, Canada, Brazil and Venezuela. Outside of the exact viewing path, many skywatchers may still see a close pairing of the Moon and Venus, but this comes with an important safety note. For many viewers this will happen during the daytime.

If you’re trying to observe the occultation, do not point binoculars, a telescope, or a camera near the sun unless you’re using proper solar safety equipment. Looking at or near the sun through optics can cause serious eye injury.

June also brings the summer solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere, the June solstice marks the start of the astronomical summer. In Pacific time, it happens on Sunday, June 21st at 1:24 a.m.

Around the solstice, the Northern Hemisphere gets its longest days and shortest nights of the year.

But here’s a fun fact, the longest day does not usually line up exactly with the earliest sunrise or latest sunset. For example, in Los Angeles, the earliest sunrise comes before the solstice, while the latest sunset comes after it.

And once the sky gets dark, summer brings some favorite targets for telescope users and astrophotographers. First, look for the Summer Triangle, formed by the bright stars Vega, Altair, and Deneb. Inside and around this region are deep sky objects like the Dumbbell Nebula, the Ring Nebula, the North America Nebula, and the Veil Nebula. The Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 27, was the first planetary nebula ever discovered.

These objects are not bright like planets, but with telescopes or long exposure photography, they reveal glowing gas, dying stars, and stellar nurseries in our galaxy.

Here are the phases of the Moon for June. You can stay up to date on all of NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond at science.nasa.gov. I’m Raquel Villanueva from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that’s What’s Up this month.

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Flight Log—About Pilots

Introduction

From the first glider flight to the first powered flight, aviation pioneers have paved the way for remarkable innovations in flight. At NASA, our pilots conduct research, study wildfires, and support unmanned aircraft missions. In fact, out of the 360 astronauts who have been selected, 191 of them have been pilots!  

The History of Pilot Certificates

In 1804, Sir George Cayley, known by some as the “Father of Aviation,” successfully flew the first glider with a pilot. Years later in 1903, the Wright Brothers became the first to achieve powered manned flight in North Carolina.  

In 1927 the U.S. Government introduced pilot certificates, or licenses, to regulate flying and keep people safe. The first license was given to Willam P. MacCracken Jr.  

Not everyone was allowed receive a U.S. pilot’s license in the early days. In 1919 Bessie Coleman was denied flight training due to both her skin color and gender. She moved to Paris after learning that there were flight training opportunities for her there. In 1921, she became the first African American woman to obtain an international pilot’s license.  

In June of 1927, Phoebe Omlie became the first woman to obtain a U.S. pilot’s license. Six months later James Banning became the first African American to get a U.S. license. These pilots paved the way for a future where everyone, regardless of their gender or skin color, is allowed to fly.

What makes a pilot?

Flying takes focus, determination, and commitment to lifelong learning.

To become a pilot, you must pass flight tests and a medical exam to make sure you are fit to fly. Certain medical conditions may disqualify someone from obtaining a license, but in some cases special permits are issued that allow those with certain health challenges to fly in specific planes or conditions. 

In 2008 Jessica Cox became the first licensed pilot to fly without arms. She was born with a rare birth defect but did not let that stop her from flying with her feet! In 2009, Capt. Ryan McGuire became the first airman to complete Air Force pilot training after losing a leg. There are even options for the deaf, allowing them to pursue flight training.

How does flight training work?

Flight training takes place on the ground and in the air. Ground school teaches students how the plane works and the flight rules. In-the-air training teaches students how to fly the plane. Students fly specific hours long distance, at night, and by themselves (solo). Additional flight training qualifies pilots to fly using instruments only, more complex and larger aircraft, specialty aircraft, and to become flight instructors themselves.   

After training some pilots, like commercial airline pilots, wear uniforms that display their rank. Business pilots and military pilots wear special uniforms, too.  

Airline pilots wear stripes on the wrist of their coats, and stripes on the shoulders of their shirts. Below are the typical markings that show airline pilot levels of command:

• Captains are the highest in command and wear four stripes. They sit in the left seat and are in charge of making decisions. Sitting in the left seat of the aircraft puts them in charge of the aircraft.
• First officers are second in command, and wear three stripes. They sit in the right seat and have their own tasks to complete. They assist the Captain and also fly the aircraft at times. They can also take over if needed.
• Second officers are third in command, often working very long flights. When they fly they wear two stripes.  
• Third officers or training pilots are fourth-in-command, and they wear one stripe. 

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Pilot Flight Logs

Pilot Flight Logs

Pilot flight logs, which have been around in one form or another since the beginning of flight, have served several purposes. Today, pilot logbooks are used by aviators to provide a record of their flights, including current and accumulated flight time, number and locations of takeoffs and landings, as well as unique operating conditions and certifications. For the pilot in training, a flight log shows accumulated practice, certifications, and special endorsements. In the early days of flight, flight logs were also used by air mail carriers, barnstormers, and others to make sure they were paid properly.

The Wright brothers kept fastidious notes and records of all flights and aircraft developments, mostly in the form of notebooks, diaries, and drawings. Britain’s Royal Corps utilized a more formal flight log format in 1912, adapted from ship logs, to record flight details. In the United States, official guidelines for flight, including logging flights, were first introduced with the Air Commerce Act of 1926. Whatever format is used, details such as aircraft flown, time aloft, distance flown, route, weather conditions, and other details about the flight are included, along with any problems faced along the way.

As flight and requirements increased in complexity, logbooks split into separate logbooks for pilots and the aircraft itself: today you will find both pilot logbooks, which are personal logs of a pilot’s flights, and aircraft logbooks which contain details about the aircraft’s flight, no matter who flies the craft.

Modern day flight logs are digital, although some pilots still prefer to keep records in a paper logbook. NASA’s Mars Ingenuity helicopter flights, the first flights on another planet, are recorded in the “Nominal Pilot’s Logbook for Planets and Moons.” If you want to keep up-to-date on Ingenuity’s flight log entries, you can find them here: https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/#Flight-Log

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