Space Sciences Laboratory
@ucbssl.bsky.social
The Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) at UC Berkeley is a preeminent university lab for space research and has participated in 50+ NASA missions since 1959.
Pinned
Scientists with @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social's SSL, @berkeleylab.lbl.gov and NASA discovered compounds in Asteroid Bennu samples not known to occur in nature, showing how molecules thought necessary for life may have first emerged in cryogenic environments.👇
www.ssl.berkeley.edu/berkeley-sci...
www.ssl.berkeley.edu/berkeley-sci...
Our director of mission operations, Abhishek Tripathi, provided @sfgate.com some context on the return of Crew-11 aboard the SpaceX dragon capsule that streaked across Northern California skies early this morning.
www.sfgate.com/bayarea/arti...
www.sfgate.com/bayarea/arti...
Why NASA astronauts just splashed down off San Diego
The crew returned to Earth earlier than expected.
www.sfgate.com
January 15, 2026 at 8:06 PM
Our director of mission operations, Abhishek Tripathi, provided @sfgate.com some context on the return of Crew-11 aboard the SpaceX dragon capsule that streaked across Northern California skies early this morning.
www.sfgate.com/bayarea/arti...
www.sfgate.com/bayarea/arti...
The @gaps-experiment.bsky.social 's landing only miles from its launch point is an amazing accomplishment! Looking forward to learning more about the data it gathered.
After 25 days and two full circumnavigations at high-altitude, GAPS has landed just miles from its launch point. GAPS Flight 1 is in the books!!
January 14, 2026 at 11:00 PM
The @gaps-experiment.bsky.social 's landing only miles from its launch point is an amazing accomplishment! Looking forward to learning more about the data it gathered.
The Carruthers mission, led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Lara Waldrop and managed by SSL, has arrived at an L1 orbit between the Earth and the Sun. Its 2-year science mission observing Earth's exosphere begins in March.
January 12, 2026 at 9:00 PM
The Carruthers mission, led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Lara Waldrop and managed by SSL, has arrived at an L1 orbit between the Earth and the Sun. Its 2-year science mission observing Earth's exosphere begins in March.
Reposted by Space Sciences Laboratory
🚀 “It’s about this unbelievable, gigantic, aspirational, inspirational moment in human history.” Planetary scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton shares NASA’s goals for a crewed mission to Mars. Plus, the irresistible endeavor to learn more about the Psyche asteroid: buff.ly/O5osV30
January 11, 2026 at 11:12 PM
🚀 “It’s about this unbelievable, gigantic, aspirational, inspirational moment in human history.” Planetary scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton shares NASA’s goals for a crewed mission to Mars. Plus, the irresistible endeavor to learn more about the Psyche asteroid: buff.ly/O5osV30
ESCAPADE's Gold spacecraft executed a near-perfect burn on Jan 6, putting it on the kidney bean path that will bring both spacecraft back to Earth for interplanetary slingshot in November. Instrument commissioning activities begin next week.🙏to @rocketlabcorp.com and Blue Origin.
January 9, 2026 at 11:17 PM
ESCAPADE's Gold spacecraft executed a near-perfect burn on Jan 6, putting it on the kidney bean path that will bring both spacecraft back to Earth for interplanetary slingshot in November. Instrument commissioning activities begin next week.🙏to @rocketlabcorp.com and Blue Origin.
SSL Director Lindy Elkins-Tanton spoke with @scifri.bsky.social on science objectives for Mars exploration, NASA's
@missiontopsyche.bsky.social and how to build teams that perform under pressure.
@missiontopsyche.bsky.social and how to build teams that perform under pressure.
Planetary scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton talks about what humans might do when they first set foot on Mars (after the selfie, obviously). 📸
Plus, an update on the mission to survey the Psyche asteroid.
Plus, an update on the mission to survey the Psyche asteroid.
What Should Astronauts Do First When They Reach Mars?
A new report lays out the objectives for a crewed mission to Mars. Plus, an update on the NASA mission to survey the asteroid Psyche.
buff.ly
January 7, 2026 at 6:09 PM
SSL Director Lindy Elkins-Tanton spoke with @scifri.bsky.social on science objectives for Mars exploration, NASA's
@missiontopsyche.bsky.social and how to build teams that perform under pressure.
@missiontopsyche.bsky.social and how to build teams that perform under pressure.
The ESCAPADE mission was among the top @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social stories of 2025!
news.berkeley.edu/2025/12/15/n...
news.berkeley.edu/2025/12/15/n...
Nobel wins, psychedelic lilies and a mission to Mars: UC Berkeley's top stories of 2025 - Berkeley News
A look at some of the campus's biggest stories chronicled by UC Berkeley News.
news.berkeley.edu
December 29, 2025 at 10:23 PM
The ESCAPADE mission was among the top @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social stories of 2025!
news.berkeley.edu/2025/12/15/n...
news.berkeley.edu/2025/12/15/n...
Physics World's Top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year for 2025 includes research by SSL's Zack Gainsforth on Asteroid Bennu samples. Congratulations Zack!
physicsworld.com/a/top-10-bre...
physicsworld.com/a/top-10-bre...
Top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year in physics for 2025 revealed – Physics World
A molecular superfluid, high-resolution microscope and a protein qubit are on our list
physicsworld.com
December 19, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Physics World's Top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year for 2025 includes research by SSL's Zack Gainsforth on Asteroid Bennu samples. Congratulations Zack!
physicsworld.com/a/top-10-bre...
physicsworld.com/a/top-10-bre...
SSL Director Lindy Elkins-Tanton co-chaired a @nationalacademies.org committee that identified 11 science goals for human exploration of Mars. Seeking past/present life tops the list. “This is the millennia-old question: Are we alone in the universe?” said Elkins-Tanton spacenews.com/report-ident...
Report identifies science objectives of human Mars exploration
The search for past or present life should be the top science objective of future human missions to Mars, a new National Academies report concludes.
spacenews.com
December 11, 2025 at 6:22 PM
SSL Director Lindy Elkins-Tanton co-chaired a @nationalacademies.org committee that identified 11 science goals for human exploration of Mars. Seeking past/present life tops the list. “This is the millennia-old question: Are we alone in the universe?” said Elkins-Tanton spacenews.com/report-ident...
Scientists with @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social's SSL, @berkeleylab.lbl.gov and NASA discovered compounds in Asteroid Bennu samples not known to occur in nature, showing how molecules thought necessary for life may have first emerged in cryogenic environments.👇
www.ssl.berkeley.edu/berkeley-sci...
www.ssl.berkeley.edu/berkeley-sci...
December 2, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Scientists with @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social's SSL, @berkeleylab.lbl.gov and NASA discovered compounds in Asteroid Bennu samples not known to occur in nature, showing how molecules thought necessary for life may have first emerged in cryogenic environments.👇
www.ssl.berkeley.edu/berkeley-sci...
www.ssl.berkeley.edu/berkeley-sci...
Commissioning of NASA's twin ESCAPADE spacecraft, currently operated by @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social and @rocketlabcorp.com, is proceeding smoothly. ESCAPADE snapped this selfie in visible and infrared light. 👇
ssl.berkeley.edu/escapade-sen...
ssl.berkeley.edu/escapade-sen...
November 24, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Commissioning of NASA's twin ESCAPADE spacecraft, currently operated by @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social and @rocketlabcorp.com, is proceeding smoothly. ESCAPADE snapped this selfie in visible and infrared light. 👇
ssl.berkeley.edu/escapade-sen...
ssl.berkeley.edu/escapade-sen...
Our associate director for planetary science Robert Lillis spoke with the @nytimes.com about the long journey getting the trailblazer ESCAPADE mission into space. "This mission has nine lives," Lillis said. The story also features @missiontopsyche.bsky.social. 👇
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/s...
Almost Everything About NASA’s Latest Mission to Mars Is Unusual
www.nytimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Our associate director for planetary science Robert Lillis spoke with the @nytimes.com about the long journey getting the trailblazer ESCAPADE mission into space. "This mission has nine lives," Lillis said. The story also features @missiontopsyche.bsky.social. 👇
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/s...
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket has successfully launched NASA’s ESCAPADE mission to Mars from Cape Canaveral. ESCAPADE is the first UC Berkeley–led planetary mission, using two twin satellites, Blue and Gold, to map Mars’ magnetic field and atmosphere in 3D.
November 17, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket has successfully launched NASA’s ESCAPADE mission to Mars from Cape Canaveral. ESCAPADE is the first UC Berkeley–led planetary mission, using two twin satellites, Blue and Gold, to map Mars’ magnetic field and atmosphere in 3D.
John Tomsick, PI of NASA's COSI mission, describes the practical applications resulting from gamma ray detectors. From PET scans to radiation monitoring to protecting astronauts, Compton imaging technology has a profound impact on our health and safety.
October 10, 2025 at 5:56 PM
John Tomsick, PI of NASA's COSI mission, describes the practical applications resulting from gamma ray detectors. From PET scans to radiation monitoring to protecting astronauts, Compton imaging technology has a profound impact on our health and safety.
Reposted by Space Sciences Laboratory
With sadness and gratitude, we honor George F. Smoot III—Berkeley Lab scientist since 1974 and 2006 Nobel Laureate in Physics—who has passed away at 80. His “baby picture” of the universe changed cosmology. https://elements.lbl.gov/news/honoring-the-legacy-of-george-smoot/
@nobelprize.bsky.social
@nobelprize.bsky.social
September 29, 2025 at 3:14 PM
With sadness and gratitude, we honor George F. Smoot III—Berkeley Lab scientist since 1974 and 2006 Nobel Laureate in Physics—who has passed away at 80. His “baby picture” of the universe changed cosmology. https://elements.lbl.gov/news/honoring-the-legacy-of-george-smoot/
@nobelprize.bsky.social
@nobelprize.bsky.social
The Carruthers mission and SSL were featured by KQED. Of the mission, our director Lindy Elkins-Tanton said, “Our big strength over time has been space weather...How does it affect our Earth’s atmosphere?... And that’s exactly what we’re going to be looking at."
www.kqed.org/science/1998...
www.kqed.org/science/1998...
A New Eye on Earth's Edge: UC Berkeley-Guided Space Telescope Has Liftoff | KQED
A UC Berkeley lab is controlling a NASA mission to study the farthest reaches of Earth’s atmosphere from afar using the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory.
www.kqed.org
September 27, 2025 at 3:29 PM
The Carruthers mission and SSL were featured by KQED. Of the mission, our director Lindy Elkins-Tanton said, “Our big strength over time has been space weather...How does it affect our Earth’s atmosphere?... And that’s exactly what we’re going to be looking at."
www.kqed.org/science/1998...
www.kqed.org/science/1998...
Scenes from our Mission Operations Center during launch of NASA's Carruthers, IMAP and SWFO-L1 on Sept 24. SSL operates Carruthers, built the instrumentation and contributes to the science. We also built an instrument for SWFO-L1 and lead an experiment on IMAP.
September 25, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Scenes from our Mission Operations Center during launch of NASA's Carruthers, IMAP and SWFO-L1 on Sept 24. SSL operates Carruthers, built the instrumentation and contributes to the science. We also built an instrument for SWFO-L1 and lead an experiment on IMAP.
NASA's Carruthers mission launched this morning and is communicating with the Mission Operations Center at the @UCBerkeley
Space Sciences Laboratory.
Read more 👇
ssl.berkeley.edu/nasas-carrut...
Space Sciences Laboratory.
Read more 👇
ssl.berkeley.edu/nasas-carrut...
September 24, 2025 at 4:57 PM
NASA's Carruthers mission launched this morning and is communicating with the Mission Operations Center at the @UCBerkeley
Space Sciences Laboratory.
Read more 👇
ssl.berkeley.edu/nasas-carrut...
Space Sciences Laboratory.
Read more 👇
ssl.berkeley.edu/nasas-carrut...
Carruthers and ESCAPADE were featured in this @berkeleyside.org story on SSL's many contributions to space science and exploration.
UC Berkeley is about to go to Mars
From a Berkeley Hills control room, a team from Cal’s Space Sciences Laboratory is set to lead the first university-run mission to Mars.
www.berkeleyside.org
September 24, 2025 at 4:23 AM
Carruthers and ESCAPADE were featured in this @berkeleyside.org story on SSL's many contributions to space science and exploration.
It's a big week here at SSL. We built instruments for all three of the spacecraft that are scheduled to launch this week and expand our understanding of harmful space weather (IMAP, SWFO-L1 and Carruthers).
www.nasa.gov/news-release...
www.nasa.gov/news-release...
NASA Sets Launch Coverage for Space Weather Missions - NASA
NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for an observatory designed to study space weather and explore and map the boundaries of
www.nasa.gov
September 22, 2025 at 6:43 PM
It's a big week here at SSL. We built instruments for all three of the spacecraft that are scheduled to launch this week and expand our understanding of harmful space weather (IMAP, SWFO-L1 and Carruthers).
www.nasa.gov/news-release...
www.nasa.gov/news-release...
Space science benefits every American. University space science programs are part of a vast aerospace economy that boosts local economies in every state in the country.
#SpeakUp4Science #StandUpForUC
#SpeakUp4Science #StandUpForUC
September 10, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Space science benefits every American. University space science programs are part of a vast aerospace economy that boosts local economies in every state in the country.
#SpeakUp4Science #StandUpForUC
#SpeakUp4Science #StandUpForUC
Space science is important for all Americans. Private aerospace ventures benefit immensely from the training pipeline made possible by university space science programs. #SpeakUp4Science
September 9, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Space science is important for all Americans. Private aerospace ventures benefit immensely from the training pipeline made possible by university space science programs. #SpeakUp4Science
NASA's PADRE mission, led and built by SSL, measures X-rays emitted by solar flares at a fraction of the cost of previous missions. Its launch marks 45 years of SSL missions aimed at understanding the Sun and harmful space weather. #SpeakUp4Science
www.ssl.berkeley.edu/padre-aims-t...
www.ssl.berkeley.edu/padre-aims-t...
PADRE aims to reveal secrets of solar flares
NASA’s PADRE mission will measure hard X-rays emitted during solar flares. It is poised to unlock the secrets of solar flares at a fraction of the cost of previous missions.
www.ssl.berkeley.edu
September 8, 2025 at 5:12 PM
NASA's PADRE mission, led and built by SSL, measures X-rays emitted by solar flares at a fraction of the cost of previous missions. Its launch marks 45 years of SSL missions aimed at understanding the Sun and harmful space weather. #SpeakUp4Science
www.ssl.berkeley.edu/padre-aims-t...
www.ssl.berkeley.edu/padre-aims-t...
Big thank you to Lara Waldrop for the talk at SSL. Lara leads the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory. It will orbit the Sun to capture UV images of Earth’s exosphere. SSL built many of the instruments and will contribute to the research and operate the spacecraft.
August 28, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Big thank you to Lara Waldrop for the talk at SSL. Lara leads the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory. It will orbit the Sun to capture UV images of Earth’s exosphere. SSL built many of the instruments and will contribute to the research and operate the spacecraft.
Reposted by Space Sciences Laboratory
Our next #MFAUM25 speaker is Zack Gainsforth from the UC Berkeley Soace Sciences Laboratory, telling us about their work at the Foundry studying samples from the OSIRIS-REX mission to the asteroid Bennu! @ucbssl.bsky.social @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social
August 14, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Our next #MFAUM25 speaker is Zack Gainsforth from the UC Berkeley Soace Sciences Laboratory, telling us about their work at the Foundry studying samples from the OSIRIS-REX mission to the asteroid Bennu! @ucbssl.bsky.social @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social