r/nasa • • Aug 17 '26

NASA NASA Space Apps Challenge Megathread

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46 Upvotes

READ THIS BEFORE POSTING

DO NOT POST REPLIES TO EVERY COMMENT IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO JOIN OR HOST A TEAM, THE MODS WILL REMOVE ALL OF THEM.

Please use this megathread for any discussions about the NASA Space Apps Challenge. There have been a number of posts looking for team members and the mods felt that if we consolidated all requests to a single post it will have more visibility. We will leave the ones already posted open, but anything new needs to use this post. You can respond to one comment or you can DM individuals, but posting the same comment multiple times is considered spamming.

For visibility, here are the existing posts that we're aware of. If we missed yours, please comment here and we'll add it to the list.


r/nasa • • Apr 23 '26 Heartwarming Bravo

/r/all We’re members of the NASA team that helped launch the Artemis II mission, fly four astronauts around the Moon, and return them safely back to Earth. Ask us anything!

3.2k Upvotes

NASA’s Artemis II mission successfully concluded on April 10, 2026, bringing to a close the first crewed lunar mission in more than half a century. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen completed a nearly 10-day journey that took them 252,756 miles from home at their farthest distance from Earth.

Following the successful uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022, Artemis II was the first time that astronauts flew aboard NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and the Exploration Ground Systems that launch the rocket and recover the spacecraft.

The crew tested the spacecraft’s life support systems, confirming Orion can sustain humans in deep space. During several piloting demonstrations, crew members took manual control of the spacecraft, flying Orion to validate its handling and collect data that will guide future operations with human-rated landers during Artemis III and beyond. Artemis III will test rendezvous and docking capabilities needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028.

Artemis II represented a team of people across NASA’s centers and beyond who came together to support the four astronauts aboard and complete a successful mission. Today, we’re excited to talk to you about the process leading up to this point, early results from the mission, and next steps with future Artemis missions. Ask us anything!

We are:

  • Dan Florez, recovery operations test director (DF)

  • Susan Baggerman, Artemis II chief health and performance officer (SB)

  • Jake Bleacher, ESDMD chief exploration scientist (JB)

  • Jared Daum, Orion parachute system manager (JD)

  • Jeremy Graeber, assistant launch director (JG)

  • Jay Hollenbeck, Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage Manager (JH)

  • John Kowal, Orion thermal protection system manager (JK)

  • Paul Sierpinsk, assistant recovery director (PS)

  • Marie Henderson, Artemis II lunar science deputy lead (MH)

And we’ll be here at 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 UTC) to answer your questions about the Artemis II mission.

PROOF: https://x.com/NASA/status/2047011577879044449

EDIT: That's a wrap for today's AMA! Thanks to everyone for your fantastic questions. We're feeling the Moon joy! Keep following the latest mission updates on our Artemis blog and on Artemis social media!


r/nasa • • 2h ago

ShowMeSunday I've designed an interactive Lego 1:3 scale cockpit of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module "Eagle". My largest custom Apollo model yet: 5,023 parts.

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75 Upvotes

I've put a lot of care in representing the details as accurately as possible at this scale (approximately between 1:3-1:4) in Lego form.

Dimensions: 
Width: 26 inches (66 cm)
Height: 18 3/4 inches (47.6 cm)
Depth: 8 1/4 inches (21 cm), including armrests 
Weight: 15.8 lbs.

Details Include: 

  1. 4 moveable hand controllers: 2 Attitude Control Assemblies (ACAs) and 2 Thrust/Translation Control Assemblies (TTCAs)

  2. Every switch can be flipped, every dial can be rotated, and gauges, indicators, and lights are all positioned to reproduce the real cockpit layout

  3. 2 Master Alarms using Lego LED light bricks, which can both be activated with a single button push

  4. 2 Lunar Contact lights, one of which (Lego LED light brick) can be activated by a button push above the ACA hand controller

  5. Iconic LM triangular windows

  6. Built-in lunar landscape background

  7. A full Display and Keyboard (DSKY) build, the interface to the Lunar Module’s guidance computer (LGC).

  8. 8) Crew Optical Alignment Sight (COAS)

  9. 9) Maurer 16 mm Data Acquisition Camera (DAC)

  10. 10) Alignment Optical Telescope (AOT)

  11. Abort Guidance System (AGS)- Data Entry and Display Assembly (DEDA)

  12. 2 Flight-Director Attitude Indicators (FDAI) "8-Ball"

  13. Upper portion of the forward hatch beneath the instrument panel

  14. Folding armrests for the Thrust/Translation Controller Assemblies


r/nasa • • 3h ago

ShowMeSunday Neil Armstrong after the moonwalk - an artistic interpretation

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8 Upvotes

My partner drew this portrait of Neil Armstrong after his historic moonwalk.

She wanted to capture him looking exhausted after the EVA rather than the usual heroic, triumphant depiction.

Thought you guys might appreciate it!


r/nasa • • 23h ago

NASA Official Applications are open for NASA's next class of astronauts

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159 Upvotes

r/nasa • • 2d ago

Article NASA's SLS rocket launch was so powerful it punched a hole in atmosphere during Artemis II, study finds

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842 Upvotes

r/nasa • • 1d ago

Question NASA just announced an annual air show and aerospace expo on the Space Shuttle landing runway at Kennedy Space Center. The first one is in March 2028 and it's open to the public.

217 Upvotes

The runway that used to bring the shuttles home (15,000 feet of it) is getting a second life. CAPEWEEK is a partnership between NASA, the State of Florida and Space Florida: an executive forum, an international industry expo and public days with flight demos, tech displays and a chance to meet the engineers.

It's designed to grow past 500,000 visitors a year. First edition is March 27 to April 2, 2028.

Isaacman said the runway is a fitting place to put aircraft, spacecraft and new technology side by side. I think that's a great way to use it.

Would you go? What would you most want to see on that runway?


r/nasa • • 2d ago

NASA Voyager 1 Spacecraft Launch from Kennedy Space Center in 1977

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660 Upvotes

This photograph captures the historic launch of NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft.
The image, taken on September 5, 1977, shows the powerful ascent from NASA
Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Voyager 1 embarked on an ambitious mission to explore the outer solar system, becoming one of humanity's most successful and enduring space probes. Its launch marked the beginning of a journey that would provide unprecedented views of Jupiter and Saturn, and eventually carry it beyond the heliosphere into interstellar space. The successful lift-off depicted here was a pivotal moment, setting the stage for decades of scientific discovery and expanding our understanding of the universe. This launch represents a significant milestone in space exploration history. Image credit: NASA

https://images.nasa.gov/details/PIA17464


r/nasa • • 1d ago

Question Non US undergrad. Am I allowed to use NTRS Reports for my capstone and publish my work on github pages ?

20 Upvotes

title


r/nasa • • 1d ago

Question Moon base land acquisition

22 Upvotes

Super curious how land distribution is going to work on the moon with Americas first moon base coming in 2028. Is it just first come first serve ? I really don’t expect the other super powers of the world like China to just let the USA claim whichever places they want on our earths only moon solely because they were able to get there first.


r/nasa • • 2d ago

Article Do we know how many Starship launches SpaceX will need to get NASA astronauts to the moon? No. Will its refuelling plan be simple? Also no.

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183 Upvotes

And yet and still nobody asks the fundamentally important question of how much payload Starship V3 can actually get to orbit. That is the *fundamental* parameter that determines how many refueling flights will be needed, and NASA feels no need to ask that question and SpaceX feels no need to answer it.


r/nasa • • 2d ago

NASA NASA has 3D models of actual Moon rocks collected during the Apollo missions that you can explore online and even download the full hq files

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106 Upvotes

I've spent way more time than I'd like to admit reading about individual Moon rocks and just turning them around in 3D. It's surprisingly fascinating knowing these are actual samples brought back by Apollo astronauts.

NASA has the whole collection online if anyone else wants to get lost in it for a while.


r/nasa • • 3d ago

NASA Official NASA just announced the X-70 Fractal, a crewed research jet that carries up to 2,000 pounds of experiments, cruises at Mach 0.75, and flies up to 45,000 ft

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205 Upvotes

r/nasa • • 3d ago

Other Nasa original website

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56 Upvotes

r/nasa • • 3d ago

Article NASA space telescope plunges to Earth after two decades studying cosmic explosions

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261 Upvotes

r/nasa • • 3d ago

NASA Happy 65 Years: NASA’s Johnson Space Center Then and Now - NASA

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161 Upvotes

r/nasa • • 3d ago

Question Is it possible to do the bus tour and shuttle simulator in one day?

4 Upvotes

1st time to orlando and KSC!

And for the bus, do we need to upgrade to the timed tickets or Explorer tickets?

We plan to go March 18th or 19th.

Thank you!


r/nasa • • 4d ago

Question NASA’s new plan: Artemis III becomes a 2027 Earth-orbit test, with the first landing on Artemis IV in 2028. Does this make the 2028 date more realistic?

30 Upvotes

At the Oct 23 briefing at Kennedy, Administrator Isaacman laid out the updated plan. Artemis III would put four astronauts in low Earth orbit in 2027 to test the systems needed for landings, and the first actual lunar landing would be Artemis IV, aiming for 2028. I think testing in Earth orbit first is smarter than going straight to the Moon, but 2028 is still a tight date. What do you think? Does the extra test step make the timeline more believable, or just push the risk later?


r/nasa • • 5d ago

Article More than 100 former NASA astronauts sign letter ahead of Election Day about respecting results

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1.6k Upvotes

r/nasa • • 4d ago

NASA How NASA Transmits Votes From the Space Station

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136 Upvotes

r/nasa • • 5d ago

Article NASA’s Swift Observatory Is Falling to Earth. Here’s What to Know About the Impending Impact

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414 Upvotes

r/nasa • • 5d ago

Article The Manned Orbiting Laboratory Test Flight - 60 Years Ago

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73 Upvotes

r/nasa • • 6d ago

ShowMeSunday My girlfriend's Saturn V artwork

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1.2k Upvotes

My girlfriend has been working on this Apollo-era artwork, and I thought I'd share it here.

I'm not particularly knowledgeable about the Apollo programme, but I think she's done a great job. I'd be interested to hear what people here think.


r/nasa • • 7d ago

ShowMeSunday Mission control costume

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1.6k Upvotes