NASA launched a state-of-the-art space telescope on 2026-08-30 to search for exoplanets - planets beyond the solar system. ^[1] The Aurigid meteor shower is an astronomical phenomenon expected to be visible in September, originating from Comet Kiess. ^[2] NASA's ROSES-2050 Amendment 71, posted on or about 2026-09-01, releases A.16 Cryosphere as a new solicitation opportunity focused on high-impact research on sea ice, ice sheets, and glaciers. ^[3] The telescope carries many optical components supplied by midsize Japanese manufacturers, including Sankyo Optical and Kogakugiken. ^[4] NASA states that Comet Kiess was discovered in 1935 by American astronomer Carl Clarence Kiess. ^[5] The viewing window for the Aurigid meteor shower runs from August 31 to September 5. ^[6] Examination after landing revealed that the snails' statoconia, dense calcium carbonate stones used to signal gravity direction, grew substantially larger than those of size-matched snails reared on Earth. ^[7] NASA researchers reported in 2003 that freshwater snails carried into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle had mated and reproduced during their mission. ^[8] Researchers concluded that the growth of otoliths and statoconia is not fixed but is regulated to reach an appropriate functional weight, compensating for lower effective weight in microgravity. ^[9] The total statoconia volume in space-reared snails increased by roughly 50% relative to the ground-reared control group. ^[10] A.16 Cryosphere expects proposed investigations to use data from NASA satellites and airborne campaigns to address the most urgent topics in cryospheric science identified in the National Academy of Sciences Decadal Survey 'Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space' (2018). ^[11] For the A.16 Cryosphere solicitation, mandatory Notices of Intent are due on 2026-10-16, and proposals are due on 2026-12-04. ^[12]