California · Regional Lead · 2026-10-14
Ames prepares electronics for NASA’s experimental lunar batteries
California’s NASA center is contributing flight-support hardware to the SPEARS development effort.
NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley is developing test boards and electronics for the agency’s SPEARS solid-state battery project, NASA reported October 14.
The work is intended to prepare experimental batteries for spaceflight and testing in space environments. Glenn Research Center in Ohio leads the project, while Langley in Virginia has performed thermal-vacuum tests of small cells.
NASA’s reported results distinguish operation from survival: prototypes could operate at very low temperatures, but after more severe cold they would need to be warmed before supplying power.
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Nation · 2026-10-16
New satellite analysis maps power disruption and returning lights in Florida
NASA’s October 16 review compares observations after Hurricane Isaias with pre-storm nighttime conditions.
NASA published a new analysis October 16 showing how nighttime lighting changed along the Florida Panhandle after Hurricane Isaias. The review uses Black Marble HD satellite products to examine areas around Pensacola and the coastal corridor toward Destin.
The analysis compares typical lighting in an August composite with October 11 observations. Large reductions in visible nighttime lights suggest widespread power disruption after the storm’s October 9 landfall.
Read articleEnvironment · 2026-10-15
NASA combines ocean height, heat and colour data to track El Niño
A new satellite review describes changes across the equatorial Pacific without turning them into a local weather forecast.
NASA’s October 15 update brings together satellite measurements of ocean height, surface temperature and ocean colour to examine the developing 2026 El Niño. The climate pattern involves unusually warm water in parts of the equatorial Pacific.
Sentinel-6 altimetry helps researchers follow movements of warm water and changes in sea level. NASA describes warm-water pulses moving eastward across the Pacific and a weakening or reversal of the trade winds that normally move in the opposite direction.
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