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Science and HealthNASA’s SR-1 Freedom Advances with Progress on Nuclear Power ModuleNASA News · 3 min readDestined for Mars and beyond, NASA’s Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) Freedom will be humanity’s first fission-powered spacecraft to travel outside Earth’s orbit. Announced during NASA’s “Ignition” event, this mission will demonstrate nuclear electric propulsion in deep space, and progress is underway on its key element: the nuclear power module. To expedite development of the spacecraft, NASAScience and HealthNASA Provides Progress Update on Moon Base RoversNASA News · 3 min readAs NASA works to build the Moon Base, crewed and robotic lunar rovers will play a crucial role during early development through technology demonstrations, astronaut transport, terrain mapping, scientific investigations, and resource prospecting. Data from these early missions will inform future mobility systems and infrastructure needed for astronauts to live and work on the Moon.Science and HealthArtemis II Heat Shield After SplashdownNASA News · 3 min readS. Navy divers captured underwater imagery of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield. In the months after, the agency measured whether the thermal protection system effectively safeguarded the crew and Orion systems as the spacecraft reentered Earth’s atmosphere. This rigorous analysis confirmed that theScience and HealthNASA Welcomes All Ages, Experience Levels for Space Apps ChallengeNASA News · 3 min readRegistration is open for the 2026 NASA Space Apps Challenge, a two-day global event on Saturday, Nov. 14 and Sunday, Nov. 15, where teams work to create solutions inspired by NASA’s most ambitious exploration goals and making use of the agency’s free and open data. The annual challenge, often called a hackathon, is an intensive,Science and HealthRigorous Analysis Confirms NASA’s Artemis II Heat Shield PerformanceNASA News · 3 min readNASA’s Artemis II mission sent four astronauts around the Moon and brought them safely back to Earth, laying a foundation for crewed flights to the Moon’s surface. Additional engineering data analysis of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield confirmed initial data showing the heat shield performed as expected. In particular, NASA measured whether the thermal protectionCreative JoyMeet the Lap Easel, a Portable Companion for Taking Creativity AnywhereColossal · 3 min readThe ingenious device is an adjustable support that sits comfortably on your lap or tabletop. From birch plywood and select solid maple, birch, cherry, and other native hardwoods, Chicago maker and designer Bill Groot crafts handmade Lap Easels in small batches.Creative JoyPre-Columbian Archaeology Meets Science Fiction in Max Lehman’s Quirky SculpturesColossal · 3 min readIn archaeology, discoveries typically prompt more questions than answers. For Max Lehman , who studies Pre-Columbian art history, what we don’t know—and may never—about ancient peoples and civilizations is what makes the discipline so compelling.Science and HealthPomegranates, Walnuts and Berries Could Unlock Heart Failure Treatment By Producing Urolithin AGood News Network · 3 min readA compound produced in the body after eating pomegranates improves heart function by up to 80%, particularly for a type of heart failure with limited treatment options. Scientists at King’s College London have discovered that urolithin A – a natural compound produced in the body after consuming foods such as pomegranates, walnuts and some berriesCreative JoyIn Jewel-Like Paintings, Wiley Wallace Conjures Enchantment in the DesertColossal · 3 min readWallace's glowing acrylic paintings feature crystals, enigmatic energy forces, starlight, and specters. From mysterious lights and malevolent mists to ghosts and spirits like the Diné’s skinwalkers, the desert has long spawned myths and tales of the supernatural.Good EarthTotal Solar Eclipse in Sunflower FieldNASA News · 3 min readThis composite image shows the progression of a total solar eclipse over San Millán de los Caballeros, Spain on, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. A total solar eclipse swept across parts of Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain, and a small corner of Portugal. ,Science and HealthLion Nebula Roars in Webb’s SightsNASA News · 3 min readObserving across the starry “plains” of space, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has taken new images of NGC 2392, nicknamed the Lion Nebula. The nebula’s “mane” is clear and detailed in this image released on Aug. 10, 2026, due to Webb’s high-resolution imaging. See more images of the Lion Nebula from Webb. Image: NASA, ESA,Creative JoySpark Inspiration and Creativity with a Milwaukee Art EscapeColossal · 3 min readExplore the city with your Milwaukee Art Escape Passport between August 21 and October 6. Discover world-class museums, public art, sculpture gardens, local dining, and unforgettable cultural experiences, all within one vibrant, walkable city during the Milwaukee Art Escape .Creative Joy‘Remember Me’ Highlights Black Americans’ Self-Expression in Early PhotographyColossal · 3 min readThe exhibition of around 70 historical photographs opens at the National Gallery of Art in November. In our era of screens and proliferous imagery, it strains the imagination to comprehend a time before photography. Two centuries ago, an inventor named Nicéphore Niépce took the very first picture of his courtyard in France by fitting a pewter plate into a camera obscura.Good EarthDo-Good Doggies Fight Invasive Mussels on Team ‘Conservation Canines’Good News Network · 3 min readInvasive species of Asian mussels have met their match in Alberta’s riverine sniffer dogs. These K9 conservationists have been employed by the provincial government for over a decade to help catch zebra and golden mussels from colonizing the rivers and lakes of Alberta. Hilo, Jane, and Winnie, 2 black labs and a black-lab cross, areGood EarthMars Rover Discovers Mysterious Field of Honeycomb Textures on Red Planet: ‘Took Our Breath Away’Good News Network · 3 min readAs NASA’s Curiosity rover ascended the Martian valley named Valle Grande back in June, it sent back images of a landscape covered in honeycomb-like textures. “We’ve seen a lot of fascinating landscapes through Curiosity’s eyes, but this sea of polygons took our breath away,” said the mission’s project scientist, Ashwin Vasavada of NASA’s Jet PropulsionHuman KindnessVolunteers’ Tiny Bamboo Bridges Have Helped Double Migratory Crab Populations on TaiwanGood News Network · 3 min readLast year, GNN reported on the toolkit of patience and garden rakes needed to get through the 100 million-strong crab migration season on Christmas Island. Taiwan, itself also an island, has found that a healthy dose of compassion and basic materials can protect its own crabs during migration, running from July to September. The mangroveHuman KindnessIt’s a Record Breeding Year for National Bird of Serbia: The Eastern Imperial EagleGood News Network · 3 min readProtection and conservation programs have recorded a banner year for the eastern imperial eagle, as majestic a bird as you’re likely to see in Europe, and the national bird of Serbia. Emblazoned on the flag of the Balkans nation, 29 breeding pairs were counted out of which 16 helped 25 chicks to hatch and fledge.Good EarthDid Scientists Just Detect the First Known ‘Exo-Moon’?Good News Network · 3 min readAs soon as Aleksander Wolszczan confirmed the observation of the first planet outside of our solar system, he immediately reasoned that thousands more would be discovered in the coming decades. On that prediction the astronomer, now 80, was eminently correct, and the trend has expanded to the point that recent observation seems to include theAnimal RescueVanished Hornbill Species is Breeding Again Among the Old Trees After 60 YearsGood News Network · 3 min readFor the 4th year in a row, Indian grey hornbills have successfully bred in Gujarat state where they’d been absent for more than 50 years. Despite being listed as a species of “Least Concern” by the IUCN, the animal has habitat requirements that can see it quickly succumb to displacement. Indeed even Gir National Park,Good EarthNew genetic approaches raise hopes for restoring the American chestnut to its former gloryPhys.org Biology · 3 min readThe American chestnut tree was a dominant and iconic species in many Appalachian forests until it was devastated by an introduced fungus from Asia called chestnut blight.