Congratulations, Alex, and thank you for your years of accomplished service at @NASA. We look forward to continuing our partnership and building an exciting future in space and on the Moon together!
The Government of Canada announced that Alexander MacDonald has been appointed President of the Canadian Space Agency and will join us on November 16, 2026. We look forward to welcoming him!🚀 canada.ca/en/innovation-scie…
ALT Aerial view of the CSA building.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman retweeted
We’re taking quantum communications to new heights! ✈️
Late last month, @NASA researchers made history when they successfully sent tiny light particles, or photons, between an aircraft and a ground station over a quantum channel, the first time this has been achieved in the U.S. (1/3)
ALT Side view of a white and blue NASA aircraft (tail number N606NA) on a paved runway taxiway under a clear sky. Credit: NASA
ALT Three NASA team members inside a communications operations room monitoring real-time flight tracking software, maps, and system telemetry across multiple computer screens and rack-mounted server hardware next to an open exterior doorway. Credit: NASA
ALT Optical tracking and laser communication equipment set up on an outdoor rooftop platform under a clear blue sky, and a blue hydraulic scissor lift cart supporting additional sensors and electronic control hardware. Credit: NASA
Very pleased to announce our newest X-plane, the X-70 Fractal, is joining the @NASAaero fleet to research and develop advanced flight control technology far beyond anything tested in a crewed aircraft. She will take flight under the @NASA banner within the next two years. The science fiction future we imagined as children is ours to build... and I promise, there will be more 🇺🇸
🚨 BREAKING: Introducing X-70 Fractal, @NASA's newest experimental aircraft!
This crewed, modular aircraft will allow the agency to rapidly swap out internal & external payloads to help keep pushing the frontiers of aviation technology! @nasaadmin
Details: go.nasa.gov/4kAeM0d
ALT Generated image of NASA’s new X-70 Fractal experimental aircraft, a crewed, rapidly reconfigurable research platform for advanced aviation technologies.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman retweeted
It’s Touch and
…GO TIME🔥🔥🚀
#TomcatTuesday
📹 grumman.f14.tomcat
If you’re under 26, you have never lived a day without someone orbiting above you.
26 years ago today, the first resident crew arrived at the ISS. Humanity has had a home in space ever since.
The research and advances made possible by our crews, teams on the ground and international partners have helped prepare us to live and work on the Moon and Mars.
As we transition to the next era of our presence in low Earth orbit, we build on everything they have made possible.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman retweeted
26 years ago, today, Expedition 1 began our continuous habitation of space with NASA astronaut Bill Shepard and cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev. Earth is just as stunning and station is still a platform that opens the doors to our future on the moon and, eventually, Mars. In this orbit, on this day, we passed by the blue fishing boats and, in the end, even a little aurora. See if you can spot the landmarks from the map. You’re looking out of the port window of the cupola, so to the left of the line.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman retweeted
Caught a ride with @rookisaacman at the Houston Air Show.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman retweeted
I still don’t know what Luke was supposed to be but, hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! 🎃 😜
Director Kratsios @mkratsios47 is a brilliant leader, a real talent behind the scenes of this Administration, and an architect of the Golden Age. Among many things, his @WHOSTP47 team is responsible for the national space policy that we are executing at NASA.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman retweeted
We're bringing Moon Base updates to MAX POWER! 🚀 Join us Nov. 7 as NASA leadership shares the latest progress and new developments in our efforts to establish a sustained human presence on the lunar surface. nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-r…
ALT A blue-and-white F-5 aircraft bearing NASA and United States of America markings flies over NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Vehicle Assembly Building, surrounding facilities, roads, and waterways are visible below, with part of another aircraft’s blue wing in the foreground. Clouds stretch across the sky above the space center. Credit: NASA/John Kraus
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman retweeted
There’s a lot taking shape at @NASA_Marshall, from hardware for Artemis III to nuclear technologies that will help us explore farther into space.
I got to spend time with the teams behind that work and recognized some of the people whose contributions make it possible. Hearing them walk through what they’re building, testing, and solving gives you a real appreciation for the expertise here.
Thank you to the Marshall team for the time and the work you put into our missions every day.
Everything we do at @NASA better pass the “What would Gene Kranz think of this?” test... and that is going to be especially important as we build the Mission Control of the Future to manage operations in LEO, the Moon Base and Beyond.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman retweeted
Congratulations to Vietnam on the 78th signing the Artemis Accords!
Vietnam joins a growing community of like-minded nations committed to transparency and responsible exploration. We look forward to working together as we expand opportunities for science and discovery on the Moon and beyond.
For generations, @NASAArmstrong has been at the center of American flight research, testing experimental aircraft, advancing new aviation technologies, and operating some of the most unique aircraft anywhere in the world.
Today I spent time with the workforce, answering their questions and recognizing several employees whose recent contributions have made a real impact across the center. I was also proud to announce Troy Asher as the center’s permanent director. Troy has spent his career flying experimental aircraft, solving hard engineering problems, and leading the teams that make ambitious flight research possible.
We are rebuilding NASA’s X-plane portfolio, restoring flight-test capabilities, and putting Armstrong in position to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the air.
The most demanding real estate project in history: building a Moon Base.
@POTUS wants to know the people, the hardware, and how we’re tracking against the schedule. Artemis III is an incredibly demanding test mission, and a critical step toward an enduring American presence on the Moon.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman retweeted
NASA Names Troy Asher @NASAArmstrong Flight Research Center Director
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has named Troy Asher director of the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Asher, a veteran test pilot and aerospace engineer with decades of experience in flight research and operations, has served as the center’s acting director since March.
“Troy has spent his career pushing the boundaries of flight, both at the controls of experimental aircraft and leading the teams that make these missions possible,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “He understands what it takes to turn ambitious ideas into successful flight tests, and his experience will be invaluable as Armstrong leads the way in rebuilding NASA’s X-plane portfolio, restoring our flight-test capabilities, and flying higher, farther, and faster than we have in decades.”
“Flight testing demands a rare combination of technical excellence, operational judgment, and trust in the teams that make every mission possible,” said NASA Associate Administrator and Chief Engineer Amit Kshatriya. “Troy’s service to America, from his distinguished career as an Air Force test pilot to his leadership of some of NASA’s most challenging flight research missions, embodies those qualities. Few people better understand the art and discipline of flight testing, and he brings a deep understanding of both the aircraft and the teams behind every successful mission. As director, Troy will help us revolutionize how we develop, evaluate, and fly new technologies, strengthening the capabilities that keep NASA at the forefront of aerospace research.”
Asher will oversee Armstrong’s workforce and operations, leading NASA’s efforts to advance flight research, aircraft operations, and the development of new aviation technologies. As NASA’s Flight Test and Aircraft Operations Center of Excellence, Armstrong plays a central role in the agency’s efforts to rebuild and expand its X-plane portfolio, pushing the boundaries of high-speed flight and developing experimental aircraft and technologies that will shape the future of aviation. The center also supports airborne science missions and flight research across the agency.
Prior to becoming acting center director, Asher served as director of Flight Operations at Armstrong, overseeing the center’s pilots, engineers, maintainers, and fleet of specialized aircraft supporting aeronautics research and scientific missions around the world.
Asher joined NASA in 2008 as a research test pilot and aerospace engineer. During his time as a NASA pilot, he conducted flight research aboard aircraft, including the F-15, F/A-18, Gulfstream III, and X-56A unmanned aircraft system. He served as the lead test pilot for the development of NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and flew scientific research missions aboard the agency’s DC-8 aircraft, supporting airborne science campaigns around the globe.
Before joining NASA, Asher completed a 24-year career in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. His military service included assignments as an instructor at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, commander of the 419th Flight Test Squadron, and director of the Bomber Combined Test Force. In 2003, he set 25 world speed records flying the B-1B bomber.
Asher earned a bachelor’s degree in astronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from California State University, Fresno.
Asher succeeds Bradley Flick, who retired in March following nearly 40 years of NASA service.
Established in 1946, Armstrong has been at the forefront of American flight research for eight decades, from the first supersonic flight aboard the Bell X-1 to today’s work advancing quiet supersonic flight through NASA’s X-59 aircraft. The center continues to push the boundaries of aviation while providing critical flight research and operational capabilities in support of NASA’s science, technology, and exploration missions.
For more information about NASA Armstrong, visit:nasa.gov/armstrong/
