NASA’s technical workforce put boots on the Moon, tire tracks on Mars, and the first reusable spacecraft in orbit around the Earth. Learn what’s next as they build missions that redefine the future with amazing discoveries and remarkable innovations.

Small Steps, Giant Leaps Podcast

IXPE, or the Infrared X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, is NASA’s first space telescope dedicated to studying X-ray polarization from extreme objects like black holes and quasars.

Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 156: A New Era of X-ray Astronomy with IXPE

Fighting wildland fires by air at night is especially hazardous. NASA’s ACERO Project aims to make firefighting safer – day or night – with drones and smarter airspace management.

As wildland fires grow more intense and unpredictable, NASA is helping first responders gain the upper hand. In this episode, we explore the ACERO Project, the team developing an airspace management system to enable drones and other aircraft to safely monitor and suppress wildland fires 24 hours a day. The system will increase aerial response capabilities for responders during low-visibility conditions in a way that is not currently possible. Firefighters in California are already using this technology. We speak with Patrick Hill, chief of uncrewed aircraft systems training at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia.

Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 157: Fighting Wildland Fires with Drones

The Hubble Space Telescope has changed humanity’s understanding of the universe. Now in orbit for 35 years, it remains a remarkable feat of engineering.

Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 159: Hubble: An Engineering Marvel

NASA’s StarBurst mission, a satellite about the size of a washing machine, is set to launch in 2027 to detect the initial blasts of these cosmic fireworks. By studying gamma-ray bursts in unprecedented detail, StarBurst will help scientists probe the extreme physics of neutron star collisions and shed light on one of the most powerful events in astrophysics. We’re talking about it today with Dr. Dan Kocevski, principal investigator for StarBurst, out of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 160: StarBurst: Gamma-ray Hunter

From black holes to star clusters, NASA is turning space data into audible sounds with a process called sonification. Dr. Kimberly Arcand, visual scientist with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, joins us to explore how data sonification lets more people experience the cosmos and give researchers a new way to interpret science one note at a time. 

Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 160: Turning Space Data Into Sound

Hello, we’re NASA. You may have seen our astronauts, rocket launches, or Mars rovers — but have you heard our sounds? From interviews with astronauts and engineers to stories that take you on a tour of the galaxy, NASA’s audio offerings let you experience the thrill of space exploration without ever leaving Earth.