Science Mission Directorate

NASA has opened applications for the next class of flight directors, the people who lead mission control teams during human spaceflight operations at the Johnson Space Center. The announcement invites candidates from engineering, science and aviation backgrounds to apply for one of the most senior operational roles in the space agency.

NASA's Science Mission Directorate has put out a call for volunteer reviewers to evaluate research proposals. The agency regularly relies on scientists from universities and research institutions to assess grant applications across its science programs, and this notice invites qualified experts to take part in the peer review process. It is aimed at researchers willing to contribute time to reviewing upcoming science submissions.

The Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate has reorganized its research capabilities, according to AFCEA International. The restructure affects how the agency organizes and delivers its research and development work in support of homeland security missions. Details on the specific units involved or the stated rationale have not been made widely available, and public reaction to the change has so far been limited.

NASA reports that the James Webb Space Telescope has delivered new observations of massive planetary collisions, described as planet-shattering impacts. The findings, published by NASA's science mission directorate, offer insight into how such violent events shape planetary systems. Interest centres on what Webb's infrared instruments reveal about debris and atmospheric effects following giant impacts.