Astronaut Jessica Meir Assists With Hardware Updates for NASA’s Cold Atom Lab

2 Min Read Astronaut Jessica Meir Assists With Hardware Updates for NASA’s Cold Atom Lab PIA26725 Credits: NASA Photojournal NavigationScience Photojournal Astronaut Jessica Meir Assists… Photojournal Home Photojournal Search Latest Content Galleries Feedback RSS About Downloads Astronaut Jessica Meir Assists With Hardware Updates for NASA’s Cold Atom Lab JPEG (4.91 MB) Description NASA astronaut Jessica Meir inspects optical fibers while installing hardware updates to the agency’s Cold Atom Lab, or CAL, aboard the International Space Station on May 8, 2026. About the size of a minifridge and operated from Earth, CAL chills atoms to temperatures below minus 459 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 273.15 degrees Celsius), so close to absolute zero that they form a large quantum object called a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) — a fifth state of matter distinct from solids, liquids, gases, and plasma. In a BEC, scientists can observe the quantum properties of atoms at a scale visible to the naked eye. For instance, atoms and particles sometimes behave like solid objects and sometimes behave like waves, a quantum property called “wave-particle duality.” Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory designed, built, and operates Cold Atom Lab, which is sponsored by the Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. The BPS division pioneers scientific discovery and enables exploration by using space environments to conduct investigations that are not possible on Earth. Studying biological and physical phenomena under extreme conditions allows researchers to advance the fundamental scientific knowledge required to go farther and stay longer in space, while also benefiting life on Earth.  To learn more about Cold Atom Lab, visit: https://coldatomlab.jpl.nasa.gov/ Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Photojournal Photojournal Search Photojournal Photojournal’s Latest Content Feedback The post Astronaut Jessica Meir Assists With Hardware Updates for NASA’s Cold Atom Lab appeared first on NASA Science.