NASA and ESA's Hubble Space Telescope has confirmed a 10-sided shape, called a decagon, formed on Saturn's south pole no later than 2023, and the structure may be strengthening. Amateur astronomers collaborating with professional researchers first spotted hints of it. The decagon joins Saturn's famous hexagon at the north pole, which has persisted for at least 40 years. The hexagon shifted from blue to yellow-gold as Saturn moved in its orbit and its north pole received more sunlight, altering the atmospheric chemistry there.
NASA announced it is reducing requirements for the AxEMU spacesuits that Axiom Space is building for Artemis astronauts. The streamlined approach addresses concerns that the project is advancing too slowly and the final product will be too heavy. Early Artemis lunar landings may now involve shorter moonwalks, with later missions using more complete suits.
The Artemis II heat shield solution proved effective. After the heat shield showed unexpected damage during Artemis I, NASA kept the same shield for Artemis II but flew on a different reentry trajectory. An independent panel reported that Artemis II's heat shield sustained around 90% less damage than Artemis I.
Congress passed a bill temporarily funding the government that includes a mandatory pause on proposed changes to how NASA and the National Science Foundation award research grants. The pause, set to expire December 11, prevents political appointees from deciding grant approval regardless of scientific merit.