NASA

An Historic Delivery to the Moon’s South Pole on This Week @NASA – March 1, 2024

6 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Illustration showing multiple future air transportation options NASA researchers are studying or working to enable.NASA This ARMD solicitations page compiles the opportunities to collaborate with NASA’s aeronautical innovators and/or contribute to their research to enable new and improved air transportation systems. A summary of available opportunities with key dates requiring action are listed first. More information about each opportunity is detailed lower on this page. University Student Research Challenge Key date: March 21, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET (This is a change from Feb. 22.) AAVP Fellowship Key date: April 30, 2024 University Leadership Initiative Key date: May 29, 2024 Advanced Air Mobility Key date: Feb. 1, 2025, at 6 p.m. EST Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations is using this request for information to identify technologies that address current challenges facing the wildland firefighting community. NASA is seeking information on data collection, airborne connectivity and communications solutions, unmanned aircraft systems traffic management, aircraft operations and autonomy, and more. This will support development of a partnership strategy for future collaborative demonstrations. Interested parties were requested to respond to this notice with an information package no later than 4 pm ET, October 15, 2023, that shall be submitted via https://nari.arc.nasa.gov/acero-rfi. Any proprietary information must be clearly marked. Submissions will be accepted only from United States companies. View the full RFI Announcement here. Advanced Air Mobility Mission GENERAL ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY ANNOUNCEMENT OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION This request for information (RFI) is being used to gather market research for NASA to make informed decisions regarding potential partnership strategies and future research to enable Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). NASA is seeking information from public, private, and academic organizations to determine technical needs and community interests that may lead to future solicitations regarding AAM research and development. This particular RFI is just one avenue of multiple planned opportunities for formal feedback on or participation in NASA’s AAM Mission-related efforts to develop these requirements and help enable AAM. The current respond by date for this RFI is Feb. 1, 2025, at 6 p.m. EST. View the full RFI announcement here. NASA Research Opportunities in Aeronautics NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) uses the NASA Research Announcement (NRA) process to solicit proposals for foundational research in areas where ARMD seeks to enhance its core capabilities. Competition for NRA awards is open to both academia and industry. The current open solicitation for ARMD Research Opportunities is ROA-2023 and ROA-2024. Here is some general information to know about the NRA process. NRA solicitations are released by NASA Headquarters through the Web-based NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES). All NRA technical work is defined and managed by project teams within these four programs: Advanced Air Vehicles Program, Airspace Operations and Safety Program, Integrated Aviation Systems Program, and Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program. NRA awards originate from NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, Ames Research Center in California, Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, and Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. Competition for NRA awards is full and open. Participation is open to all categories of organizations, including educational institutions, industry, and nonprofits. Any updates or amendments to an NRA is posted on the appropriate NSPIRES web pages as noted in the Amendments detailed below. ARMD sends notifications of NRA updates through the NSPIRES email system. In order to receive these email notifications, you must be a Registered User of NSPIRES. However, note that NASA is not responsible for inadvertently failing to provide notification of a future NRA. Parties are responsible for regularly checking the NSPIRES website for updated NRAs. ROA-2024 NRA Amendments Amendment 1 NEW FEB. 29, 2021 (Full text here.) Amendment 1 to the NASA ARMD Research Opportunities in Aeronautics (ROA) 2024 NRA has been posted on the NSPIRES web site at https://nspires.nasaprs.com. The announcement solicits proposals from accredited U.S. institutions for research training grants to begin the academic year. This NOFO is designed to support independently conceived research projects by highly qualified graduate students, in disciplines needed to help advance NASA’s mission, thus affording these students the opportunity to directly contribute to advancements in STEM-related areas of study. AAVP Fellowship Opportunities are focused on innovation and the generation of measurable research results that contribute to NASA’s current and future science and technology goals. Research proposals are sought to address key challenges provided in Elements of Appendix A.8. Notices of Intent (NOIs) are not required. A budget breakdown for each proposal is required, detailing the allocation of the award funds by year. The budget document may adhere to any format or template provided by the applicant’s institution. Two pre-proposal teleconferences for potential proposers will be held and meeting links will be posted on NSPIRES. Proposals are due by April 30, 2024, at 5 PM ET. Amendment 2 NEW FEB. 29, 2024 (Full text here.) University Leadership Initiative (ULI) provides the opportunity for university teams to exercise technical and organizational leadership in proposing unique technical challenges in aeronautics, defining multi-disciplinary solutions, establishing peer review mechanisms, and applying innovative teaming strategies to strengthen the research impact. Research proposals are sought in six ULI topic areas in Appendix D.4. Topic 1: Safe, Efficient Growth in Global Operations (Strategic Thrust 1) Topic 2: Innovation in Commercial High-Speed Aircraft (Strategic Thrust 2) Topic 3: Ultra-Efficient Subsonic Transports (Strategic Thrust 3) Topic 4: Safe, Quiet, and Affordable Vertical Lift Air Vehicles (Strategic Thrust 4) Topic 5: In-Time System-Wide Safety Assurance (Strategic Thrust 5) Topic 6: Assured Autonomy for Aviation Transformation (Strategic Thrust 6) This NRA will utilize a two-step proposal submission and evaluation process. The initial step is a short mandatory Step-A proposal due May 29, 2024. Those offerors submitting the most highly rated Step-A proposals will be invited to submit a Step-B proposal. All proposals must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES at https://nspires.nasaprs.com. An Applicant’s Workshop will be held on Thursday April 3, 2024; 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET (https://uli.arc.nasa.gov/applicants-workshops/workshop8) ROA-2023 NRA Amendments Amendment 5 UPDATED JAN. 30, 2024 (Full text here) Amendment 5 to the NASA ARMD Research Opportunities in Aeronautics (ROA) 2023 NRA has been posted on the NSPIRES web site. University Student Research Challenge (solicitation NNH23ZEA001N-USRC) seeks to challenge students to propose new ideas/concepts that are relevant to NASA Aeronautics. USRC will provide students, from accredited U.S. colleges or universities, with grants for their projects and with the challenge of raising cost share funds through a crowdfunding campaign. The process of creating and implementing a crowdfunding campaign acts as a teaching accelerator – requiring students to act like entrepreneurs and raise awareness about their research among the public. The solicitation goal can be accomplished through project ideas such as advancing the design, developing technology or capabilities in support of aviation, by demonstrating a novel concept, or enabling advancement of aeronautics-related technologies. Notices of Intent (NOIs) are not required for this solicitation. Three-page proposals for the next USRC cycle were due November 9, 2023. Proposals also can be submitted later and evaluated during the third (due March 21, 2024 — this is a date change from Feb. 22) and fourth (due June 20, 2024) cycles. Amendment 4 (Expired) (Full text here) Amendment 3 (Expired) (Full text here) Amendment 2 (Expired) (Full text here) Amendment 1 (Expired) (Full text here) Keep Exploring See More About NASA Aeronautics Aeronautics STEM Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Aeronáutica en español Share Details Last Updated Mar 02, 2024 EditorJim BankeContactJim Bankejim.banke@nasa.gov Related TermsAeronauticsAeronautics Research Mission Directorate View the full article

NASA Science Live: Our First Commercial Science Delivery to the Moon

For the first time in more than 50 years, NASA was able to collect data from new science instruments and technology demonstrations on the Moon. The data comes from the first successful landing of a delivery through NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign. The six instruments ceased science and technology operations eight days after landing in the lunar South Pole region aboard Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus, meeting pre-launch projected mission operations. Known as IM-1, this was the first U.S. soft landing on the Moon in decades, touching down on Feb. 22, proving commercial vendors can deliver instruments designed to expand the scientific and technical knowledge on the Moon. Aboard the lunar lander, NASA science instruments measured the radio noise generated by the Earth and Sun. Technology instruments, aided Intuitive Machines in navigating to the Moon and gathered distance and speed (velocity) of the lander as touched down on the lunar surface. “This mission includes many firsts. This is the first time in over 50 years that an American organization has landed instruments on the surface of the Moon,” said Joel Kearns, deputy association administrator for exploration of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “This mission also provides evidence of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services model, that NASA can purchase the service of sending instruments to the Moon and receiving their data back. Congratulations to the entire Intuitive Machines team and our NASA scientists and engineers for this next leap to advance exploration and our understanding of Earth’s nearest neighbor.” During transit from Earth to the Moon, all powered NASA instruments received data and completed transit checkouts. During descent, the Radio Frequency Mass Gauge and Navigation Doppler Lidar collected data during the lander’s powered descent and landing. After landing, NASA payload data was acquired consistent with the communications and other constraints resulting from the lander orientation. During surface operations, the Radio-wave Observations at the Lunar Surface of the Photoelectron Sheath and Lunar Node-1 were powered on, performed surface operations, and have received data. The Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies was powered on and captured images during transit and several days after landing but was not successfully commanded to capture images of the lander rocket plume interaction with the lunar surface during landing. The Laser Retroreflector Array is passive and initial estimates suggest it is accessible for laser ranging from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter to create a permanent location marker on the Moon. “The bottom line is every NASA instrument has met some level of their objectives, and we are very excited about that,” said Sue Lederer, project scientist for CLPS. “We all worked together and it’s the people who really made a difference and made sure we overcame challenges to this incredible success – and that is where we are at today, with successes for all of our instruments.” NASA and Intuitive Machines co-hosted a news conference non Feb. 28 to provide a status update on the six NASA instruments that collected data on the IM-1 mission. Mission challenges and successes were discussed during the briefing, including more than approximately 500 megabytes of science, technology, and spacecraft data downloaded and ready for analysis by NASA and Intuitive Machines. The first images from this historical mission are now available and showcase the orientation of the lander along with a view of the South Pole region on the Moon. Odysseus is gently leaning into the lunar surface, preserving the ability to return scientific data. After successful transmission of images to Earth, Intuitive Machines continues to gain additional insight into Odysseus’ position on the lunar surface. All data gathered from this mission will aid Intuitive Machines in their next two CLPS contracts that NASA has previously awarded. For more information about the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/clps Odysseus’ landing captured a leg, as it performed its primary task, absorbing first contact with the lunar surface. With the lander’s liquid methane and liquid oxygen engine still throttling, it provided stability.Credit: Intuitive Machines Taken on Tuesday, Feb. 27, Odysseus captured an image using its narrow-field-of-view camera.Credit: Intuitive Machines Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services Artemis Commercial Space Humans In Space View the full article

“A bird cannot fly with one wing only. Human space flight cannot develop any further without the active participation of women.” – Valentina Tereshkova “If we want scientists and engineers in the future, we should be cultivating the girls as much as the boys.” – Sally Ride “International cooperation is very necessary. Chinese have a saying, ‘When all the people collect the wood, you will make a great fire.’” – Liu Yang As of Feb. 29, 2024, 75 women have flown in space. Of these, 47 have worked on the International Space Station as long-duration expedition crewmembers, as visitors on space shuttle assembly flights, as space flight participants, or as commercial astronauts. This article recognizes the significant accomplishments of these women from many nations as well as the pioneering women who preceded them into space. Many other women contributed to the assembly of the station and the research conducted aboard on a daily basis, including those on the ground who served as center directors, managers, flight directors, and in many other roles to pursue the exploration of space. Their achievements will contribute to NASA’s efforts to land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon and possibly send the first crews to Mars in the coming decades. Left: The five women selected for training to be the first woman in space, Soviet cosmonaut-candidates Valentina L. Ponomareva, left, Tatiana D. Kuznetsova, Irina B. Soloveva, Valentina V. Tereshkova, and Zhanna D. Yorkina, with an unidentified woman at far right. Right: Tereshkova just before boarding her Vostok 6 capsule for her historic spaceflight. The era of women in space began on June 16, 1963, when Soviet cosmonaut Valentina V. Tereshkova launched aboard the Vostok 6 spacecraft. Chosen from a group of five women selected for training, Tereshkova completed a three-day mission and entered the history books as the first woman to orbit the Earth. Nearly 20 years passed before another woman flew in space. In January 1978, NASA announced the selection of 35 new astronauts including six women for the space shuttle program. In response, the Soviet Union secretly selected a group of nine women cosmonauts in 1980. On Aug. 19, 1982, one of these women, Svetlana Y. Savitskaya, launched with her two crewmates aboard Soyuz T-7 for a week-long mission. The next day, they joined the two long-duration resident crewmembers aboard Salyut 7, marking the first time a space station hosted a mixed-gender crew. Ten months later, on June 18, 1983, astronaut Sally K. Ride made history as the first American woman in space, spending seven days aboard space shuttle Challenger during the STS-7 mission. Left: The six women astronauts selected by NASA in 1978, Shannon M. Lucid, left, M. Rhea Seddon, Kathryn D. Sullivan, Judith A. Resnik, Anna L. Fisher, and Sally K. Ride, pose with an Apollo-era space suit. Right: Ride aboard space shuttle Challenger during the STS-7 mission. Savitskaya made history again on July 25, 1984, as the first woman to participate in a spacewalk during her second flight to Salyut 7. Less than three months later, on Oct. 11, Kathryn D. Sullivan completed the first spacewalk by an American woman from space shuttle Challenger during the STS-41G mission. With Ride as one of Sullivan’s crewmates, the flight marked the first time a space crew included two women. Left: Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Y. Savitskaya during her historic spacewalk outside the Salyut 7 space station. Right: NASA astronauts Kathryn D. Sullivan, left, and Sally K. Ride aboard space shuttle Challenger during the STS-41G mission. Helen P. Sharman has the distinction as not only the first person from the United Kingdom in space but also the first woman to visit the Russian space station Mir. During her eight-day privately funded Juno mission in May 1991, Sharman conducted a series of life sciences experiments and talked to British schoolchildren. The next month marked the first time that a space crew included three women – NASA astronauts M. Rhea Seddon, Tamara E. Jernigan, and Millie E. Hughes-Fulford – during the STS-40 Spacelab Life Sciences 1 mission. Left: Helen P. Sharman, the United Kingdom’s first astronaut, aboard the space station Mir in 1991. Right: The first time a space crew included three women – NASA astronauts Tamara E. Jernigan, back row middle, M. Rhea Seddon, and Millie R. Hughes-Fulford – the STS-40 mission in 1991. Selected in 1983 as one of the six members of the initial cadre of the Canadian Astronaut Program – later incorporated into the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) – Dr. Roberta L. Bondar became the first Canadian woman in space during the STS-42 flight of Discovery in January 1992. As a payload specialist and the first neurologist in space, she performed and participated in more than 40 experiments during the eight-day International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1) mission. NASA selected Dr. Mae C. Jemison as an astronaut in 1987. In September 1992, she became the first African American woman in space as a crew member of Endeavour’s STS-47 Spacelab-J mission. During the eight-day flight, she conducted numerous life and materials sciences experiments. Selected in NASA’s 1990 class of astronauts, Ellen Ochoa became the first Hispanic woman in space in April 1993 as a mission specialist on the STS-56 flight of Discovery, the second Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science mission. An accomplished flautist, she played the flute during her spare time during the mission. Ochoa completed three more space shuttle flights and served as the first Hispanic director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston from 2013 to 2018. Selected in 1985 as an astronaut by the National Space Development Agency of Japan, now the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Dr. Chiaki Mukai became the first Japanese woman in space in July 1994 when she spent 15 days as a payload specialist on the STS-65 IML-2 mission aboard Columbia. She became the first Japanese astronaut to make two spaceflights when she returned to space in 1998 aboard STS-95. Left: Dr. Roberta L. Bondar, the first Canadian woman in space, participates in a neuro-vestibular experiment during the STS-42 International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1) mission. Middle left: Dr. Mae C. Jemison, the first African American woman in space, works in the Spacelab module during the STS-47 Spacelab-J mission. Middle right: Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman in space, enjoys playing the flute in her spare time during the STS-56 mission. Right: Dr. Chiaki Mukai, the first Japanese woman in space, floats into the Spacelab module during the STS-65 IML-2 mission. The honor of the first woman to complete a long-duration mission belongs to Russian cosmonaut Elena V. Kondakova. She launched aboard Soyuz TM20 on Oct. 3, 1994, and spent 169 days aboard the space station Mir as a member of Expedition 17, returning to Earth on March 22, 1995. The first American woman to complete a long-duration mission, NASA astronaut Shannon W. Lucid, launched aboard space shuttle Atlantis on March 22, 1996, as part of the STS-76 crew. The second NASA astronaut to fly as part of the Shuttle-Mir Program, Lucid spent 188 days aboard Mir, setting a new record for the longest single flight by a woman, as a member of Expeditions 21 and 22, returning to Earth with STS-79 on Sep. 26. Left: Russian cosmonaut Elena V. Kondakova, second from right, aboard Mir during the handover between Expedition 16 and 17 in 1994. Right: NASA astronaut Shannon W. Lucid, left, with her Mir Expedition 21 crewmates in 1996. With Lucid still onboard Mir, the August 1996 flight of Claudie André-Deshays, France’s first woman astronaut visiting the station during her Cassiopée research mission, marked the first time that two women lived aboard any space station. After marrying fellow French astronaut and Mir veteran Jean-Pierre Haigneré, she returned to space in October 2001, this time during her eight-day Andromède research mission to the International Space Station, becoming the first woman to live and work aboard two different space stations. Left: Claudie André-Deshays, left, France’s first female astronaut, with Russian cosmonaut Yuri V. Usachev and NASA astronaut Shannon M. Lucid aboard Mir in 1996. Right: Claudie (André-Deshays) Haigneré in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station in 2001. When on-orbit assembly of the International Space Station commenced in 1998, female astronauts took part from the very beginning. As the first woman to reach the new facility, NASA astronaut Nancy J. Currie participated in the first assembly mission, STS-88 in December 1998. She used the shuttle’s robotic arm to precisely join the American Unity Node 1 module to the Russian-built Zarya module, launched three weeks earlier. Left: NASA astronaut Nancy J. Currie, front row right, the first woman to reach the International Space Station, with her STS-88 crewmates in 1998. Right: Currie at work in the Zarya module. The second space station assembly mission, STS-96 in May 1999, included three women on the crew – NASA astronauts Jernigan and Ellen Ochoa, and CSA’s Julie Payette. Jernigan became the first woman to participate in a spacewalk at the space station to install crane equipment for future assembly tasks, with Ochoa as the robotic arm operator. Payette became the first Canadian of any gender to visit the space station and became the first Canadian to return to the space station during STS-127 in 2009. Left: In 1999, the STS-96 crew in the Unity Node 1 module, with NASA astronaut Tamara E. Jernigan and Julie Payette of the Canadian Space Agency in the top row and NASA astronaut Ellen Ochoa at bottom right. Middle: Jernigan during the STS-96 spacewalk. Right: Payette in the Unity Node 1 module. NASA astronaut Pamela A. Melroy served as the first female pilot on a shuttle flight to the space station, the STS-92 mission in October 2000 that added the Z1 truss, control moment gyros, and a Pressurized Mating Adapter to the growing station. She returned to the station as pilot of STS-112 in October 2002 and as commander of STS-120 in October 2007. NASA astronaut Susan J. Helms holds several distinctions for women. As a member of Expedition 2, she became the first woman to complete a long-duration mission on the space station, a 167-day flight between March and August of 2001. She had previously flown to the station during STS-101, making her the first woman to visit the facility twice. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s first woman-inclusive class of 1980, Helms was the first woman with a military background to visit the station. She co-holds the record for the longest spacewalk to date, 8 hours 56 minutes, completed with her Expedition 2 crewmate NASA astronaut James S. Voss. Left: STS-92 Pilot NASA astronaut Pamela A. Melroy shortly after reaching orbit in 2000. Right: Expedition 2 Commander Yuri V. Usachev of Roscosmos, left, coaxing a reluctant Flight Engineer NASA astronaut Susan J. Helms to leave the International Space Station at the end of their mission in 2001. NASA astronaut Eileen M. Collins had already made history three times before, first in 1995 as the first female pilot of a space shuttle mission (STS-63), the second time in 1997 when she served as the first female shuttle pilot to dock with a space station (STS-84 and Mir), and again in 1999 as the first woman shuttle commander (STS-93). In 2005, Collins became the first woman to command a shuttle mission to the space station, the Return to Flight STS-114 mission, the first after the Columbia accident two years previously. NASA astronaut Heidemarie M. “Heidi” Stefanyshyn-Piper conducted the first spacewalk by a woman from the station’s Quest Joint Airlock on Sep. 12, 2006, during the STS-115 mission that installed the P3/P4 truss segment on the station. Left: In 2005, STS-114 Commander NASA astronaut Eileen M. Collins, left, with Pilot NASA astronaut James M. “Vegas” Kelly on the flight deck of Discovery. Right: NASA astronaut Heidemarie M. “Heidi” Stefanyshyn-Piper working on the P3/P4 truss segment during an STS-115 spacewalk in 2006. On Sept. 18, 2006, Anousheh Ansari became the first Iranian-born American in space when she launched with her Expedition 14 crew mates aboard Soyuz TMA9. Flying as a spaceflight participant through a commercial agreement with the Russian government, Ansari conducted four experiments on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) during her nine-day mission. She returned to Earth with the Expedition 13 crew. Eighteen months later, through a joint agreement between the governments of Russia and the Republic of Korea, Yi So-yeon, a researcher at the Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), became the first Korean in space when she launched aboard Soyuz TMA12 with her Expedition 15 crew mates on April 8, 2008. During her 10-day mission aboard the space station, Yi carried out 18 experiments for KARI. She returned to Earth with Expedition 16 crew members NASA astronaut Peggy A. Whitson and Roscosmos cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko, enduring a strenuous ballistic reentry caused by a spacecraft malfunction. The event marked the first time that women outnumbered men during a spaceflight landing. Left: Spaceflight participant Anousheh Ansari, center, with her Expedition 13 and 14 crew mates during a press conference. Middle left: Ansari holds a plant grown in the Lada greenhouse in the Zvezda Service Module. Middle right: Korean spaceflight participant Yi So-yeon with her Expedition 16 crew mates. Right: Yi conducts an experiment in the Pirs Docking Compartment. Whitson holds the distinction as the first female commander of the space station during Expedition 16 in 2007, her second long-duration mission to the orbiting lab. The busy expedition included the addition to the station of the Harmony Node 2 module, ESA’s Columbus research module, the first of the JAXA elements, and the arrival of the first of ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle cargo resupply vehicles. As noted above, Melroy commanded STS-120, the October 2007 mission that brought Columbus to the station, marking the first and only time that women commanded both the space station and the visiting space shuttle. In 2017, during Expedition 51 Whitson became the first woman to command the station for a second time. During this third flight, she spent 289 days in space, at the time the longest single flight by a woman. As of March 2024, Whitson holds the record for the most cumulative spaceflight time for a woman as well as for any American astronaut – o er the course of three long-duration missions aboard the space station, she spent a total of 675 days or about 1.8 years in space. She also holds the record for the most spacewalk time for a woman – during 10 spacewalks, she spent 60 hours, 21 minutes outside the station. Left: During the change of command ceremony, Expedition 16 Commander NASA astronaut Peggy A. Whitson, top right, hangs the crew’s patch in the Destiny module. Right: STS-120 Commander NASA astronaut Pamela A. Melroy, left, and Expedition 16 Commander Whitson meet at the hatch between the two vehicles. The first time four women flew aboard the space station at one time occurred between May 16 and 23, 2010. Expedition 23 Flight Engineer NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson had been living and working aboard since April when STS-131 arrived, with NASA astronauts Dorothy M. “Dottie” Metcalf-Lindenburger and Stephanie D. Wilson, and Naoko Yamazaki of JAXA as members of the shuttle crew – Yamazaki became the first Japanese woman to visit the space station. The mission brought four new research facilities to the station. Three weeks after the shuttle’s departure, Dyson and her crewmates welcomed a new trio of long-duration crew members including NASA astronaut Shannon Walker, making Expedition 24 the first to include two women. The next two-woman expedition took place between November 2014 and March 2015 – Expedition 42 included Roscosmos cosmonaut Elena O. Serova, the first Russian woman to make a long-duration flight aboard the space station, and Samantha Cristoforetti from Italy, the first female ESA astronaut on a long-duration mission, spending 199 days in space, a then-record as the longest by an international partner astronaut. Left: Four women aboard the International Space Station – NASA astronauts Dorothy M. Metcalf-Lindenburger, top left, Tracy C. Dyson, and Stephanie D. Wilson, and Naoko Yamazaki of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Middle: Caldwell Dyson, middle, and NASA astronaut Shannon Walker with their Expedition 24 crewmate NASA astronaut Douglas H. “Wheels” Wheelock, left. Right: Elena O. Serova, left, of Roscomos and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti in the Automated Transfer Vehicle-5 Georges Lemaître cargo vehicle during Expedition 42. Expedition crews including two women have recently become more common. During Expedition 57, NASA astronauts Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor and Anne C. McClain overlapped by about three weeks in December 2018. Between March and June 2019, McClain and NASA astronaut Christina H. Koch were aboard as part of Expedition 59, and NASA astronaut Jessica U. Meir joined Koch in September of that year during Expedition 61. Koch returned to Earth in February 2020, completing a flight of 329 days, the longest single mission to date by a woman. Left: NASA astronauts Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor, left, and Anne C. McClain work together in the Kibo module during Expedition 57. Right: McClain, left, and NASA astronaut Christina H. Koch demonstrate weightlessness during Expedition 59. The Expedition 61 crew conducted a record nine spacewalks between October 2019 and January 2020. Koch and Meir made history on Oct. 18 when they floated outside the space station to carry out the first all-woman spacewalk, one of several to replace the station’s batteries. The capsule communicator (capcom), the person in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston who communicates with the astronauts in space, for this historic spacewalk was three-time space shuttle veteran Wilson (who as noted above took part in the first four-woman gathering on the space station). “As much as it’s worth celebrating the first spacewalk with an all-female team, I think many of us are looking forward to it just being normal,” astronaut Dyson said during live coverage of the spacewalk. As if to prove her point, Koch and Meir conducted two more all-woman spacewalks in January 2020. Meir’s return to Earth marked the end of the longest period up to that time of a continuous female presence aboard the space station – 682 days (one year and 10 months) from June 8, 2018, to April 17, 2020. Left: Space suited NASA astronauts Jessica U. Meir, left, and Christina H. Koch, assisted by their Expedition 61 crewmates, prepare for the first all-woman spacewalk. Right: Capsule communicators NASA astronauts Stephanie D. Wilson, left, and Mark T. Vande Hei assist Meir and Koch during the first all-woman spacewalk from the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The arrival of NASA astronaut Kathleen H. “Kate” Rubins on Oct 14, 2020, began the longest continuous period to date with at least one woman living and working aboard the space station. On Nov. 16, as a member of NASA’s Crew-1 mission aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft, NASA astronaut Walker became the first woman to travel on a commercial crew vehicle. When she and her three crewmates joined the Expedition 64 crew abord the space station, they comprised the station’s first-ever seven-member resident crew. With Rubins already onboard, for the next five months two women once again called the space station home. NASA astronaut K. Megan McArthur, the first woman to pilot a commercial crew vehicle, arrived in April 2021 as a member of NASA’s Crew-2 mission, followed by Crew-3’s NASA astronaut Kayla S. Barron in November 2021. Left: NASA astronaut Shannon Walker, the first woman to fly on a commercial crew vehicle, looks out the window of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft Resilience. Middle: NASA astronauts Kathleen H. “Kate” Rubins, left, and Walker working inside the International Space Station. Right: The space station’s first seven-member crew including Walker, left, and Rubins, third from left, pose in the Kibo module. Left: NASA astronaut K. Megan McArthur wearing her SpaceX launch and entry suit in the Destiny U.S. Laboratory module in preparation for return to Earth in October 2021. Right: NASA astronaut Kayla S. Barron inspects chili peppers grown aboard the space station prior to harvest in November 2021. In April 2022, when Crew Dragon Freedom lifted off, Crew-4 included first-time space flyer NASA astronaut Jessica A. Watkins and ESA’s Cristoforetti on her second long-duration flight, marking the first time two women flew aboard a commercial crew vehicle to the space station. Once they joined Expedition 67, Watkins became the first African American woman to join a long-duration crew. With Barron already aboard the station, this marked the first time three women on long-duration spaceflights lived and worked aboard the orbiting laboratory. Left: Crew-4 astronauts Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency, left, and NASA astronaut Jessica A. Watkins aboard Crew Dragon Freedom. Right: Cristoforetti, left, and Watkins, right, bid farewell to NASA astronaut Kayla S. Barron wearing her SpaceX launch and entry suit as she prepares for her return to Earth with her fellow Crew-3 team mates. In September 2022, Cristoforetti assumed command of the space station, a first for a European woman. When Crew-5 launched aboard Crew Dragon Endurance in October 2022, NASA astronaut Nicole A. Mann became the first Native American woman in space and the first woman to command a Crew Dragon mission, and Anna Y. Kikina of Roscosmos became the first Russian cosmonaut to fly aboard a U.S. commercial vehicle. For the second time, two women commanders, Cristoforetti and Mann, greeted each other as Crew-5 arrived to join Expedition 68. The launch of Crew-5 also marked the first time that five women lived and worked in space at the same time – the four women aboard the space station and Liu Yang aboard China’s Tiangong space station on her second space mission. The launch of Crew-6 in February 2023 marked the first all-male long-duration crew aboard a commercial crew vehicle. The return of Mann and Kikina marked the end of the longest time period with at least one woman living and working in space, 879 days, or 2 years and 5 months. Left: Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency assumes command of the International Space Station. Right: Space station Commander Cristoforetti greets Crew-5 Commander NASA astronaut Nicole A. Mann and her crew mates. The hiatus in women in space lasted less than six months, during which two women on the Ax-2 mission spent eight days aboard the space station (see below). Renewing a female presence in space, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli arrived aboard the station in August 2023 as part of Crew-7. NASA astronaut Loral A. O’Hara joined her three weeks later when she arrived as part of the Soyuz MS-24 crew and they together conducted research as part of Expedition 70 as the only two Americans in space. On Nov. 21, 2023, they conducted an all-woman spacewalk, only the second pair of women to do so. Left: NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli, front row center, and Loral A. O’Hara, front row right, and their Expedition 70 crew mates chat with space station program managers to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the orbiting laboratory. Right: O’Hara, left, and Moghbeli, right, prepare for their spacewalk as Roscosmos cosmonaut Nikolai A. Chub assists. The presence of women in space will continue uninterrupted when NASA astronaut Jeannette J. Epps and her fellow Crew 8 crew mates launch to the space station on March 1 for an expected six-month mission. The March 21 launch of Soyuz MS-25 will mark a milestone in spaceflight history as the first time women will form the majority of a crew at launch. Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg V. Novitskiy will command the flight, accompanied by NASA astronaut Dyson and the first citizen from Belarus to fly in space, Marina V. Vasilevskaya. Dyson, on her second long-duration flight, will remain aboard the station as part of Expedition 71 while Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya return to Earth after 12 days, accompanied by O’Hara who will have spent more than six months aboard the orbiting laboratory. Left: NASA astronaut Jeanette J. Epps, left, and her Crew 7 crew mates during training. Middle: NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson with her Soyuz MS-25 crewmates. Right: Epps, left, and Dyson during preflight training for Expedition 71. The story of women in space would not be complete without mention of the two women from the People’s Republic of China who have flown in space. China’s first female astronaut, Liu Yang, launched on June 16, 2012, aboard the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft with her two crewmates, docking with the Tiangong-1 experimental space station two days later. The trio returned to Earth after a 13-day mission. One year later, on June 11, 2013, Wang Yaping and her two crewmates launched aboard Shenzhou-10 for a 14-day visit to Tiangong-1. She conducted science experiments and taught a live physics lessons to school children from aboard the station. Wang returned to space on Oct. 15, 2021, aboard Shenzhou-13 as the first woman to live and work aboard the Tiangong China Space Station. She also conducted the first spacewalk by a Chinese woman. Liu completed her second flight, a six-month mission aboard Tiangong as a member of the Shenzhou-14 crew. Left: Liu Yang, the People’s Republic of China’s first woman in space, aboard the Tiangong-1 space station. Middle: Wang Yaping teaching a physics lesson live from Tiangong-1. Right: Wang during the first spacewalk by a Chinese woman astronaut. Image credits: courtesy of CNSA. Women have been at the forefront of commercial spaceflights. In September 2021, two of the four crew members of the private space mission Inspiration4 were women – Sian H. Proctor, the first African American woman to pilot a spacecraft, and Hayley Arceneaux. They conducted science experiments during their three-day mission aboard the Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft. The next month, Russian actress Yulia S. Peresild and her director spent 11 days aboard the space station filming scenes for a film entitled “The Challenge” that premiered in April 2023. The second Private Astronaut Mission to the space station, the May 2023 Ax-2 flight included a crew of four spending nine days aboard the orbiting laboratory conducting experiments. Making her fourth visit to the space station, former NASA astronaut Whitson and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space commanded the Ax-2 flight, becoming the first woman commander of a private space mission. Two mission specialists from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s inaugural astronaut program, including Rayyanah Barnawi, the first Saudi woman in space, served on the crew. Private astronaut missions to the space station represent precursors to privately funded commercial space stations as part of NASA’s efforts to develop a thriving low-Earth orbit ecosystem and marketplace. Left: Sian H. Proctor, left, and Hayley Arceneaux during the Inspiration4 private space mission. Image credit: courtesy Inspiration4. Middle: Russian actress Yulia S. Peresild arrives at the space station. Right: The Ax-2 mission crew includes Mission Specialist Rayyanah Barnawi from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, left, and Commander Peggy A. Whitson of Axiom Space, right. The story continues… Explore More 4 min read NASA Center Boosted YF-12 Supersonic Engine Research Article 1 week ago 11 min read 55 Years Ago: Five Months Until the Moon Landing Article 1 week ago 7 min read 30 Years Ago: Clementine Changes Our View of the Moon Article 2 weeks ago View the full article

Some 74,000 years ago, the Toba volcano in Indonesia exploded with a force 1,000 times more powerful than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. The mystery is what happened after that – namely, to what degree that extreme explosion might have cooled global temperatures. Crew aboard the International Space Station photographed the eruption of Mount Etna in Sicily in October 2002. Ashfall was reported more than 350 miles away. When it comes to explosive power, however, no eruption in modern times can compare with a super eruption – which hasn’t occurred for tens of thousands of years. NASA When it comes to the most powerful volcanoes, researchers have long speculated how post-eruption global cooling – sometimes called volcanic winter – could potentially pose a threat to humanity. Previous studies agreed that some planet-wide cooling would occur but diverged on how much. Estimates have ranged from 3.6 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 8 degrees Celsius). In a new study in the Journal of Climate, a team from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and Columbia University in New York used advanced computer modeling to simulate super-eruptions like the Toba event. They found that post-eruption cooling would probably not exceed 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) for even the most powerful blasts. “The relatively modest temperature changes we found most compatible with the evidence could explain why no single super-eruption has produced firm evidence of global-scale catastrophe for humans or ecosystems,” said lead author Zachary McGraw, a researcher at NASA GISS and Columbia University. To qualify as a super eruption, a volcano must release more than 240 cubic miles (1,000 cubic kilometers) of magma. These eruptions are extremely powerful – and rare. The most recent super-eruption occurred more than 22,000 years ago in New Zealand. The best-known example may be the eruption that blasted Yellowstone Crater in Wyoming about 2 million years ago. Small Particles, Big Questions McGraw and colleagues set out to understand what was driving the divergence in model temperature estimates because “models are the main tool for understanding climate shifts that happened too long ago to leave clear records of their severity.” They settled on a variable that can be difficult to pin down: the size of microscopic sulfur particles injected miles high into the atmosphere. In the stratosphere (about 6 to 30 miles in altitude), sulfur dioxide gas from volcanoes undergoes chemical reactions to condense into liquid sulfate particles. These particles can influence surface temperature on Earth in two counteracting ways: by reflecting incoming sunlight (causing cooling) or by trapping outgoing heat energy (a kind of greenhouse warming effect). Over the years, this cooling phenomenon has also spurred questions about how humans might turn back global warming – a concept called geoengineering – by intentionally injecting aerosol particles into the stratosphere to promote a cooling effect. The researchers showed to what extent the diameter of the volcanic aerosol particles influenced post-eruption temperatures. The smaller and denser the particles, the greater their ability to block sunlight. But estimating the size of particles is challenging because previous super eruptions have not left reliable physical evidence. In the atmosphere, the size of the particles changes as they coagulate and condense. Even when particles fall back to Earth and are preserved in ice cores, they don’t leave a clear-cut physical record because of mixing and compaction. By simulating super-eruptions over a range of particle sizes, the researchers found that super-eruptions may be incapable of altering global temperatures dramatically more than the largest eruptions of modern times. For instance, the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines caused about a half-degree drop in global temperatures for two years. Luis Millán, an atmospheric scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California who was not involved in the study, said that the mysteries of super-eruption cooling invite more research. He said the way forward is to conduct a comprehensive comparison of models, as well as more laboratory and model studies on the factors determining volcanic aerosol particle sizes. Given the ongoing uncertainties, Millán added, “To me, this is another example of why geoengineering via stratospheric aerosol injection is a long, long way from being a viable option.” The study, titled “Severe Global Cooling After Volcanic Super-Eruptions? The Answer Hinges on Unknown Aerosol Size,” was published in the Journal of Climate. By Sally Younger Earth Science News Team NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. sally.m.younger@jpl.nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Mar 01, 2024 LocationJet Propulsion Laboratory Related TermsEarthEarth's AtmosphereGeneral View the full article

The ISRU Pilot Excavator is tested in a blacked out facility with minimal lighting that mimics the harsh, feature-less terrain of the Moon.NASA The ISRU Pilot Excavator is tested in a blacked out facility with minimal lighting that mimics the harsh, feature-less terrain of the Moon.NASA Harsh, low-angle sunlight, long and dark shadows, and a featureless terrain will make navigation difficult when NASA’s ISRU Pilot Excavator (IPEx) is sent to the Moon. Because of this, the IPEx team has begun testing various approaches to autonomously drive the excavator in a specially constructed rock yard that mimics these environmental conditions. The team plans to publish the data sets from these unique tests later this year. View the full article

Manil Maskey (ST1) co-authored a position paper entitled “Data-centric Machine Learning Research — Past, Present and Future.” The pre-print of the paper is available at https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.13028. This work represents a joint effort by experts in artificial intelligence from industry, government, and academic sectors, dedicated to emphasizing and enhancing the importance of data in machine learning. View the full article

ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Sarajedini This densely populated group of stars is the globular cluster NGC 1841, which is part of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way galaxy that lies about 162,000 light-years away. Satellite galaxies are bound by gravity in orbits around a more massive host galaxy. We typically think of the Andromeda Galaxy as our galaxy’s nearest galactic companion, but it is more accurate to say that Andromeda is the nearest galaxy that is not in orbit around the Milky Way galaxy. In fact, dozens of satellite galaxies orbit our galaxy and they are far closer than Andromeda. The largest and brightest of these is the LMC, which is easily visible to the unaided eye from the southern hemisphere under dark sky conditions away from light pollution. The LMC is home to many globular clusters. These celestial bodies fall somewhere between open clusters – which are much less dense and tightly bound – and small, compact galaxies. Increasingly sophisticated observations reveal the stellar populations and characteristics of globular clusters are varied and complex, and we have yet to fully understand how these tightly packed groups of stars form. However, there are certain consistencies across all globular clusters: they are very stable and hold their shape for a long time, which means they are generally very old and contain large numbers of very old stars. Globular clusters are akin to celestial ‘fossils.’ Just as fossils provide insight into the early development of life on Earth, globular clusters such as NGC 1841 can provide insights into very early star formation in galaxies. Text credit: European Space Agency (ESA) Media Contact: Claire Andreoli NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD claire.andreoli@nasa.gov View the full article

An extra-tropical cyclone seen in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan on March 10, 2014, by NASA’s GPM Microwave Imager.Credit: NASA NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement Mission: 10 years, 10 stories From peering into hurricanes to tracking El Niño-related floods and droughts to aiding in disaster responses, the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission has had a busy decade in orbit. As the GPM mission team at NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) commemorates its Feb. 27, 2014 launch, here are 10 highlights from the one of the world’s most advanced precipitation satellites. First Images Available from NASA-JAXA Global Rain and Snowfall Satellite Less than a month after launch, NASA and JAXA released the first images captured by the GPM Core Observatory. It measured precipitation falling inside a March 10, 2014, cyclone over the northwest Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,000 miles east of Japan. Read the Full Article NASA Releases First Global Rainfall and Snowfall Map from New Mission Combining data from a constellation of satellites that together observe every part of the world roughly every three hours, the GPM team mapped how rain and snow storms move around the planet. As scientists have worked to understand all the elements of Earth’s climate and weather systems – and how they could change in the future – GPM has provided comprehensive and consistent measurements of precipitation. Read the Full Article GPM Satellite Sees First Atlantic Hurricane The GPM Core Observatory flew over Hurricane Arthur five times between July 1 to 5, 2014 – the first time a precipitation-measuring satellite was able to follow a hurricane through its full life cycle with high-resolution measurements. In the July 3 image, Arthur was just off the coast of South Carolina. GPM data showed that the hurricane was asymmetrical, with spiral arms (rain bands) on the eastern side of the storm but not on the western side. Read the Full Article NASA Working with Partners to Provide Response to Harvey In 2017, NASA used assets and expertise from across the agency to help respond to Hurricane Harvey in southern Texas. The agency’s GPM mission team produced rainfall accumulation graphics and unique views of the structure of Harvey during various phases of development and landfall. Read the Full Article Predicting Floods Predicting floods is notoriously tricky, as the events depend on a complex mixture of rainfall, soil moisture, the recent history of precipitation, and much more. Snowmelt and storm surges can also contribute to unexpected flooding. With funding from NASA, researchers developed a tool that maps flood conditions across the globe. Read the Full Article NASA, Pacific Disaster Center Increase Landslide Hazard Awareness A NASA-based team built a new tool to examine the risk of landslides. They developed a machine learning model that combines data on ground slope, soil moisture, snow, geological conditions, distance to faults, and the latest near real-time precipitation data from NASA’s IMERG product (part of the GPM mission). The model has been trained on a database of historical landslides and the conditions surrounding them, allowing it to recognize patterns that indicate a landslide is likely. Read the Full Article NASA Measures Raindrop Sizes From Space to Understand Storms For the first time, scientists collected three-dimensional snapshots from space of raindrops and snowflakes around the world. With this detailed global dataset, scientists started to improve rainfall estimates from satellite data and in numerical weather forecast models. This is particularly helpful for understanding and preparing for extreme weather events. This is a conceptual image showing how the size and distribution of raindrops varies within a storm. Blues and greens represent small raindrops that are 0.5-3mm in size. Yellows, oranges, and reds represent larger raindrops that are 4-6mm in size. A storm with a higher ratio of yellows, oranges, and reds will contain more water than a storm with a higher ratio of blues and greens.Credit: NASA Goddard Read the Full Article NASA Maps El Niño’s Shift on U.S. Precipitation The GPM team amassed and analyzed data to show the various changes in precipitation across the United States due to the natural weather phenomenon known as El Niño. Read the Full Article Using Satellites to Predict Malaria Outbreaks University researchers turned to data from NASA’s fleet of Earth-observing satellites to track environmental events that typically precede a malaria outbreak. With NASA funding and a partnership with the Peruvian government, they worked to develop a system to help forecast potential malaria outbreaks down to the neighborhood level and months in advance. This gave authorities a tool to help prevent outbreaks from happening. Read the Full Article Two Decades of Rain, Snowfall from NASA’s Precipitation Missions NASA’s Precipitation Measurement Missions (PMM) – including GPM and the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission ­– have together collected rain and snowfall from space for more than 20 years. Since 2019, scientists have been able to access PMM’s multi-satellite record as one dataset. Read the Full Article View the full article

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Following an in-depth, independent project review, NASA has decided to discontinue the On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing 1 (OSAM-1) project due to continued technical, cost, and schedule challenges, and a broader community evolution away from refueling unprepared spacecraft, which has led to a lack of a committed partner. Following Congressional notification processes, project management plans to complete an orderly shutdown, including the disposition of sensitive hardware, pursuing potential partnerships or alternative hardware uses, and licensing of applicable technological developments. NASA leadership also is reviewing how to mitigate the impact of the cancellation on the workforce at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Media Contact: Jimi Russell NASA Headquarters View the full article

5 min read Night-Shining Cloud Mission Ends; Yields High Science Results for NASA NASA’s Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) mission, seen in this visualization, contributed to NASA’s understanding of the region that borders between Earth’s atmosphere and space. NASA After 16 years studying Earth’s highest clouds for the benefit of humanity – polar mesospheric clouds – from its orbit some 350 miles above the ground, NASA’s Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere, or AIM, mission has come to an end. Initially slated for a two-year mission, AIM was extended numerous times due to its high science return. While AIM has faced hurdles over the years – from software hiccups to hardware issues – an incredibly dedicated team kept the spacecraft running for much longer than anyone could have anticipated. On March 13, 2023, the spacecraft’s battery failed following several years of declining performance. Multiple attempts to maintain power to the spacecraft were made, but no further data could be collected, so the mission has now ended. “AIM was dedicated to studying the atmospheric region that borders between our atmosphere and space,” said AIM mission scientist Diego Janches, of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “AIM’s help understanding this region has been of critical importance to providing insights on how the lower atmosphere affects space weather.” Known as night-shining or noctilucent clouds, they are seen at twilight in the summer months, typically at high latitudes near the North and South Poles. Before the mission, scientists knew these types of clouds varied with latitude, season, and solar activity, but didn’t know why. This mission was launched to understand the variations and study why the clouds form and their links to climate change by measuring the thermal, chemical, and other properties of the environment in which the clouds form. Noctilucent clouds appeared in the sky above Edmonton, Alberta, in Canada on July 2, 2011. NASA/Dave Hughes “NASA’s AIM has been an incredibly successful mission,” said Scott Bailey, AIM principal investigator and professor at Virginia Tech. “It has answered core questions that have helped us understand how noctilucent clouds and atmospheric gravity waves vary over time and location.” Over the years, AIM made many big discoveries. Data from the mission has thus far led to nearly 400 peer-reviewed publications. This includes findings on how these clouds can be created by meteor smoke and water vapor from rocket exhaust, how events near Earth’s surface can trigger changes in the clouds, and how ice high in the atmosphere can cause mysterious radar echoes, which are created in certain regions of the atmosphere during the summer. As the mission progressed, scientists realized AIM’s data could also be used to study undulations in the air called atmospheric gravity waves. These waves transfer momentum and energy as they travel through the atmosphere. They link weather events at Earth’s surface with atmospheric disturbances that occur far away from the initial event, including in the uppermost part of the atmosphere where they can disrupt GPS signals. “We’ve had many difficulties, but we’ve still gotten an incredible amount of data from AIM because of our really excellent, heroic, and hardworking team that comes through every time,” Bailey said. AIM’s first hurdles started only months after launch in 2007, when the telecommunication receiver started to malfunction intermittently. With a clever use of radio signals, the team was able to reprogram the spacecraft to communicate in Morse code, which allowed it to maintain communications even after the receiver stopped working. While communication with the spacecraft became thousands of times slower than planned, AIM was still able to make its measurements and send home 99% of the data it collected. Shortly thereafter, the spacecraft again encountered a mission-threatening issue. The spacecraft repeatedly sent itself into safe mode, which effectively shut down the spacecraft and required a time-consuming series of tasks to reboot. But again, the engineers were able to upload new software to the spacecraft to circumvent the issue and keep AIM functional. The new software patch has prevented over a thousand such incidents on the spacecraft since. In 2019, AIM’s battery started to decline, but through great effort and ingenuity, the mission operations team maintained the battery power, enabling the spacecraft to continue returning data. In early 2023, the battery experienced a significant drop-off in performance which meant the spacecraft could not regularly receive commands or collect data. Unfortunately, this hardware issue was not one that could be repaired remotely, and the satellite finally ceased collecting data in March 2023. “We’re saddened to see AIM reach the end of its lifetime, but it’s been amazing how long it has lasted,” Bailey said. “It’s given us more data and insight into noctilucent clouds and atmospheric gravity waves than we could ever have hoped for.” Though the spacecraft has seen its last night-shining clouds, scientists will continue to study AIM’s data for years to come. As for the spacecraft itself, it will slowly lose orbital height and burn up upon atmosphere re-entry in 2026. “There are still gigabytes upon gigabytes of AIM data to study,” said Cora Randall, AIM deputy principal investigator and senior research scientist at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder, Colorado. “And as our models and computational capabilities continue to improve, people will make many more discoveries using the AIM datasets.” For more information about the mission, visit: https://go.nasa.gov/3TgIDwD By Mara Johnson-Groh NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Share Details Last Updated Mar 01, 2024 Related Terms AIM (Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere) Goddard Space Flight Center Heliophysics Heliophysics Division Mesosphere Science & Research The Sun Explore More 2 min read Hubble Uncovers a Celestial Fossil Article 4 hours ago 5 min read The CUTE Mission: Innovative Design Enables Observations of Extreme Exoplanets from a Small Package Article 3 days ago 1 min read Hubble Views an Active Star-Forming Galaxy Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

2 min read Hubble Uncovers a Celestial Fossil This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a densely populated group of stars, the globular cluster NGC 1841. ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Sarajedini This densely populated group of stars is the globular cluster NGC 1841, which is part of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way galaxy that lies about 162,000 light-years away. Satellite galaxies are bound by gravity in orbits around a more massive host galaxy. We typically think of the Andromeda Galaxy as our galaxy’s nearest galactic companion, but it is more accurate to say that Andromeda is the nearest galaxy that is not in orbit around the Milky Way galaxy. In fact, dozens of satellite galaxies orbit our galaxy and they are far closer than Andromeda. The largest and brightest of these is the LMC, which is easily visible to the unaided eye from the southern hemisphere under dark sky conditions away from light pollution. The LMC is home to many globular clusters. These celestial bodies fall somewhere between open clusters – which are much less dense and tightly bound – and small, compact galaxies. Increasingly sophisticated observations reveal the stellar populations and characteristics of globular clusters are varied and complex, and we have yet to fully understand how these tightly packed groups of stars form. However, there are certain consistencies across all globular clusters: they are very stable and hold their shape for a long time, which means they are generally very old and contain large numbers of very old stars. Globular clusters are akin to celestial ‘fossils.’ Just as fossils provide insight into the early development of life on Earth, globular clusters such as NGC 1841 can provide insights into very early star formation in galaxies. Text credit: European Space Agency (ESA) Download this image Media Contact: Claire Andreoli NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD claire.andreoli@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Feb 29, 2024 Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Location Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Astrophysics Astrophysics Division Goddard Space Flight Center Hubble Space Telescope Missions Star Clusters Stars Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Hubble Space Telescope Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe. Galaxies Stories Stars Stories NASA Astrophysics View the full article

2 min read March’s Night Sky Notes: Constant Companions: Circumpolar Constellations, Part II by Kat Troche of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific As the seasons shift from Winter to Spring, heralding in the promise of warmer weather here in the northern hemisphere, our circumpolar constellations remain the same. Depending on your latitude, you will be able to see up to nine circumpolar constellations. This month, we’ll focus on: Lynx, Camelopardalis, and Perseus. The objects within these constellations can all be spotted with a pair of binoculars or a small to medium-sized telescope, depending on your Bortle scale – the darkness of your night skies. In the appearance of left to right: constellations Perseus, Camelopardalis, and Lynx in the night sky. Also featured: Cassiopeia as a guide constellation, and various stars. Credit: Stellarium Web Double Stars: The area that comprises the constellation Lynx is famous for its multiple star systems, all of which can be separated with a telescope under dark skies. Some of the notable stars in Lynx are the following: 12 Lyncis – a triple star that can be resolved with a medium-sized telescope. 10 Ursae Majoris – a double star that was once a part of Ursa Major. 38 Lyncis – a double star that is described as blue-white and lilac. Kemble’s Cascade: This asterism located in Camelopardalis, has over 20 stars, ranging in visible magnitude (brightness) and temperature. The stars give the appearance of flowing in a straight line leading to the Jolly Roger Cluster (NGC 1502). On the opposite side of this constellation, you find the asterism Kemble’s Kite. All three objects can be spotted with a pair of binoculars or a telescope and require moderate dark skies. A ground-based image from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) in the upper left shows Caldwell 14, the Double Cluster in Perseus, with an outline of the region imaged by Hubble’s Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). Ground-based image: Digitized Sky Survey (DSS); Hubble image: NASA, ESA, and S. Casertano (Space Telescope Science Institute); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America) Double Cluster: The constellation Perseus contains the beautiful Double Cluster, two open star clusters (NGC 869 and 884) approximately 7,500 light-years from Earth. This object can be spotted with a small telescope or binoculars and is photographed by amateur and professional photographers alike. It can even be seen with the naked eye in very dark skies. Also in Perseus lies Algol, the Demon Star. Algol is a triple-star system that contains an eclipsing binary, meaning two of its three stars constantly orbit each other. Because of this orbit, you can watch the brightness dim every two days, 20 hours, 49 minutes – for 10-hour periods at a time. For a visual representation of this, revisit NASA’s What’s Up: November 2019. From constellations you can see all year to a once in a lifetime event! Up next, find out how you can partner with NASA volunteers for the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse with our upcoming mid-month article on the Night Sky Network page through NASA’s website! View the full article

Astrogram banner Into the Belly of the Rover: VIPER’s Final Science Instrument Installed by Rachel Hoover TRIDENT, designed and developed by engineers at Honeybee Robotics in Altadena, California, is the fourth and final science instrument to be installed into VIPER. NASA engineers have already successfully integrated VIPER’s three other science instruments into the rover. These include: the MSOLO (Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations), NIRVSS (Near-Infrared Volatiles Spectrometer System), and NSS (Neutron Spectrometer System). A team of engineers prepares to integrate TRIDENT – short for The Regolith Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain – into the belly of NASA’s first robotic Moon rover, VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover). A team of engineers prepares to integrate TRIDENT – short for The Regolith Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain – into the belly of NASA’s first robotic Moon rover, VIPER – short for the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover.Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford Shortly after TRIDENT was integrated in the clean room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the team also successfully tested its ability to power on, release the locks that hold the drill in place during launch, extend to its full depth of more than three feet (one meter), perform percussive drilling, and return to its stowed position inside the rover. TRIDENT will dig up soil from below the lunar surface using a rotary percussive drill – meaning it both spins to cut into the ground and hammers to fragment hard material for more energy-efficient drilling. In addition to being able to measure the strength and compactedness of the lunar soil, the drill also carries a temperature sensor to take readings below the surface. VIPER will launch to the Moon aboard Astrobotic’s Griffin lunar lander on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. It will reach its destination at Mons Mouton near the Moon’s South Pole. Scientists will work with these four instruments to better understand the origin of water and other resources on the Moon, which could support human exploration as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign. NASA Unveils the X-59 Supersonic Aircraft On January 12, in Palmdale, California, the NASA unveiled the X-59, a quiet supersonic aircraft, to the world. The aircraft is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, the agency, and Lockheed Martin. Quesst is NASA’s mission to demonstrate how the X-49 can fly supersonic without generating loud sonic booms and then survey what people hear when it flies overhead. Reaction to the quieter sonic “thumps” will be shared with regulators who will then consider writing new sound-based rules to lift the ban on the faster-than-sound flight over land. . NASA Quesst’s Mission’s X-59 Supersonic Aircraft. Members of the Quesst mission team are located at all four NASA field centers, all of which have traditionally been associated with the agency’s historic aeronautical research. The team at Ames has spent many hours working on computational fluid dynamics simulations, wind tunnel testing, systems engineer, and test component manufacturing, helping to shape not just the ingenuity of the aircraft, but the Quesst mission entirely. To learn more about the X-59’s impact on the future of aviation and the tradition of rollout ceremonies at NASA, click here Nahum Alem Receives Modern Day Technology Leader Award Nahum Alem received a 2024 Modern-Day Technology Leader Award at the 2024 BEYA STEM DTX Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. This is one of the industry’s most important honors in science, technology, enginering, and math (STEM). Alem was recognized at the Technology Recognition Luncheon featuring Modern-Day Technology Leaders and Science Spectrum Trailblazers on Feb. 16. This year’s theme was, “People, Process, Technology.” Nahum Alem with the Black Engineer of the Year Modern Day Technology Leaders Award during the BEYA STEM DTX Conference in Baltimore, Maryland on Feb. 16. The BEYA STEM DTX Conference recognition program is more critical than ever before. One landmark study projects the number of jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the United States is set to increase in the coming years. According to the National Science Foundation, underrepresented minorities—Hispanic, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native individuals—made up a higher share of the skilled technical workforce (32%) in 2021 than of workers who were employed in STEM occupations with at least a bachelor’s degree (16%). The conference highlights the importance of not only celebrating the achievements of STEM leaders and professionals but shifting the narrative towards an action-driven strategy to increase the number of minorities with STEM educations and careers. Nahum Alem award announcement on the digital sign in front of NASA Ames as one drives into the gate. According to Tyrone D. Taborn, chairman of the BEYA STEM DTX Conference, “Nahum was selected because he is among an extraordinary group of forward-thinking STEM experts. This year the candidates were the strongest and represented the most diverse collection of executive professionals we have had the pleasure of evaluating. From machine learning to medical breakthroughs, this year’s BEYA STEM awardees stand out as superior authorities in their respective fields.” For nearly four decades, awards presented at the BEYA STEM Conference have honored excellence in STEM and underscored the serious under-representation of minorities in STEM and at senior levels in all disciplines. For 38 years, employers committed to inclusion have chosen the BEYA STEM Conference to exchange best practices and strategies on how to attract and keep diverse talent in scientific and technical fields. The 2024 BEYA STEM DTX Conference hosted multiple award presentation events throughout the conference, where Nahum was recognized in addition to all 2024 award recipients for their significant accomplishments in STEM. Over the three-day event, the conference provided forums on the retention of diverse talent in STEM, continuous improvement, and networking. The BEYA STEM Awards is a prestigious recognition platform that celebrates the accomplishments of engineers in the STEM fields. For nearly four decades, BEYA has empowered, mentored, and inspired countless individuals, solidifying its position as a beacon of excellence and innovation. https://www.beya.org Cast of Broadway’s ‘The Wiz’ “Ease on Down the Road” Visits NASA Ames Members of the cast and crew of “The Wiz” pose inside the National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex 40 by 80 foot wind tunnel at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.Credit: NASA Ames/Brandon Torres Members of the cast and crew of Broadway production “The Wiz,” currently on tour at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Theatre, visited NASA Ames on Jan. 29 to learn more about the center’s work in air and space. The group met with center leadership and members of Ames employee advisory groups and toured the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS), the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC), and observed progress on the Automated Reconfigurable Mission Adaptive Digital Assembly Systems (ARMADAS) robots, which use pre-fabricated modular blocks to build structures autonomously, before following the yellow brick road back “home” to Oz. NASA Leader Casey Swails Learns About Wildfire Work at NASA Ames by Abby Tabor NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails views a demonstration on screen in the Airspace Operations Laboratory at NASA Ames. Researchers presented the diverse, long-running efforts in aeronautics at Ames that have helped lay the foundation for agency work related to wildfire response. NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails These include a project to help integrate drones into the airspace with Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management, their application to disaster response with the Scalable Traffic Management for Emergency Response Operations project, and how those informed NASA’s newest effort to make wildfire response more targeted and adaptable, the Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations project. Michael Falkowski, program manager for the Applied Sciences Wildland Fire program at NASA Headquarters presented wildfire efforts happening under NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, such as the FireSense project, led out of Ames. The importance of collaborations within NASA and with partner agencies was also highlighted. Wildfires are complex phenomena and tackling their challenges will require the work of many, for the benefit of all. NASA Astronomer Sees Power in Community, Works to Build More by Abby Tabor Science is often portrayed as a solitary affair, where discoveries are made by lone geniuses toiling in isolation. But Dr. Natasha Batalha, an astronomer at NASA Ames says solving problems with the people around her is one of the best parts of her job. Dr. Natasha Batalha, an astronomer at NASA Ames says collaborating with her teams is one of the best parts of her job. “Oh, man, working with people is all I do!” said Batalha, whose current research involves using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to study exoplanets, planets outside our solar system that orbit other stars. Batalha’s work explores hot, Jupiter-like exoplanets; smaller, rocky exoplanets more similar to Earth; and brown dwarfs, mysterious objects smaller than a star but huge compared to the biggest planets. A single question has driven her since she was a kid: “Does life exist beyond Earth?” It’s a lofty question, bigger than any one scientist. And that’s the point. “I love being part of a larger community,” she said, “We’re working together to try to solve this question that people have been asking for centuries.” However, the particular joy of belonging wasn’t always present in Batalha’s life. When she was 10, her family moved from Brazil to the U.S., where she was met with culture shock, pressure to assimilate, and a language barrier. She thinks the latter is partly why she gravitated toward the universal language of math. Eventually, her interests and strengths took shape around astronomy. When she chose to study physics in college, followed by a dual PhD in astronomy and astrobiology, her parents – who are also scientists – helped fill in for the community she was otherwise lacking. “In high school, I watched female students drop out of my physics classes,” Batalha said. “The honors physics track in college was devoid of women and people of color. I didn’t feel I had a community in my college classes.” Her mother, Natalie Batalha, is an astronomer who served as project scientist for NASA’s Kepler space telescope– the mission that taught us there are more planets than stars. Natasha’s father is a LatinX physicist. Both her parents had already faced similar challenges in their careers, and having their example to look at of people who had successfully overcome those barriers helped her push on. “I identify as female and LatinX, which are both underrepresented groups in STEM,” she said, “but I also have a ton of privilege because my parents are in the field. That gave me a dual perspective on how powerful community is.” Dr. Natasha Batalha has been hooked on the search for life beyond Earth since elementary school. UC Santa Cruz, UC Regents Since then, empowering her own science community has been a focus of Batalha’s work. She builds open-source tools, like computer programs for interpreting data, that are available to all. They help scientists use Webb’s exoplanet data to study what climates they may have, the behavior of clouds in their atmospheres, and the chemistry at work there. “I saw how limiting closed toolsets could be for the community, when only an ‘inner circle’ had access to them,” Batalha said. “So, I wanted to create new tools that would put everyone on the same footing.” Batalha herself recently used Webb to explore the skies of exoplanet WASP-39 b, a hot gas giant orbiting a star 700 light-years away. She is part of the team that found carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide there, marking the first time either was detected in an exoplanet atmosphere. Now, she is turning to the difficult-to-discern characteristics of smaller, cooler planets. Batalha says she’s exactly where her 6th-grade self imagined she would be. In elementary school, she read a biography of NASA astronaut Sally Ride and was hooked by an idea it contained: that in 20 years the kids reading those words could be the ones pioneering the search for life on Mars. Today’s youth belong to the Artemis Generation, who will explore farther than people have ever gone before. The Artemis program will send the first woman and first person of color to the lunar surface. Missions over time will build a presence at the Moon to unlock a new era of science and prepare for human missions to Mars and beyond. Along the way, scientists will continue to search for signs of life beyond Earth, an endeavor building on the work of many generations and relying on those in the future to carry on the search. “That’s something really rewarding about my work at NASA,” she said. “These questions have been asked throughout human history and, by joining the effort to answer them, you’re taking the baton for a while, before passing it on to someone else.” Ames Employees Gather for Day of Remembrance Ceremony by Abby Tabor On Thursday, Jan. 25, Ames employees gathered for the center’s in-person Day of Remembrance Ceremony in front of N200. Also in attendance were former Center Director Scott Hubbard, and former Deputy Center Director Bill Berry. Every year, we take this important opportunity to honor the memories of those who bravely gave their lives in the pursuit of exploration and discovery and to celebrate their contribution to NASA’s missions. This is a solemn moment to reflect and learn from our history and consider our strong culture of safety as we pursue bold advances in our work here at Ames. NASA Ames employees gather at the flagpole in front of N200 to honor the lives lost in human spaceflight and the 17 fallen crew members from Apollo I, the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia.Credit: NASA Ames/Don Richey We honor those lost in test flights, missions, and research throughout our history: the Apollo 1 crew – Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee – who lost their lives at the start of NASA’s pursuit of landing humans on the moon, on January 27, 1967. We remember the determination of the Challenger crew, who tragically perished 73 seconds into their flight on January 28, 1986 – Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Elison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnick, and Christa McAuliffe, the first “teacher in space” who leaves a legacy of STEM education that continues today. We remember the bravery and inspiration of the crew of Columbia – Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, Ilan Ramon, David Brown, Laurel Clark, and Ames’ own Kalpana Chawla, friend and coworker of many here, who we lost during a failed shuttle reentry on February 1, 2003. We also honor the others who gave their lives pursuing the missions of N-A-C-A and NASA research in aerospace and space exploration, whose commitment and courage leave a lasting legacy across our agency and nation. During the ceremony, Scott Hubbard, who served on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB), spoke about how the accident changed him and what he learned. When sharing a key takeaway from the CAIB report, Hubbard said, “NASA must be a learning agency, and we can’t shy away from our failures or tragedies. We can’t assign them to history so we must learn from them so that [accidents] never occur.” As we work to return humans to the moon, and onto Mars, we must reflect on the importance and value of the work we do here at Ames to help ensure the health and safety of those who risk their lives for exploration and the pursuit of knowledge. One example, after the successful return of the Orion capsule from the Artemis 1 test flight a little over a year ago, we discovered that we needed to learn more about the heat shield and its performance during Earth entry from the Moon. Our aero-thermal-dynamics, thermal protection systems, and other experts, along with our arc jet testing team have worked tirelessly to prepare for the first crewed flight of Artemis 2 coming up in 2025. Many in our current workforce were not working at the agency when we experienced these unfortunate losses. But we continue to carry the memory of our fallen colleagues and the lessons we’ve learned through our work today. When we look back on the tragedies of the past, we have an opportunity to apply lessons we’ve learned and continue to enforce a safety culture that encourages every voice to be heard and keeps everyone safe. Safety is one of NASA’s core values and there’s a reason why it’s listed as NASA’s first core value. We are committed to sustaining a culture that encourages speaking out and sharing concerns. On or off duty, we have a responsibility to keep safety at the center of our work and daily lives – owning and learning from our mistakes and being open to speaking up about concerns with others – to protect our employees, our community, and ourselves. Thank you to all those who were able to join us in this moment of reflection. Please take time to look back on NASA’s history, remember our fallen, and consider your health and safety. We cannot do the work that we do without you and your well-being is important us. Know that we have resources available to support you through things that happen at work and beyond. Our community is strong, and let’s continue to care for one another. Thank you to those who helped to put our ceremony together, including Lynda Haines, our communications team, and our protective services professionals who keep us safe and secure each and every day. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Leader Visits Ames to Discuss Space Science and Spaceflight by Abby Tabor Left to right: Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) Management and Integration Department Mr. Nobuhiro Takahashi, Center Director Dr. Eugene Tu, and Vice President and Director General (ISAS) Dr. Hitoshi Kuninaka in the N200 Committee Room following an overview of the history and accomplishments of Ames Research Center.Credit: NASA Ames/Don Richey Daniel Andrews, project manager for NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) (left), stands next to a full-scale model of the rover alongside visitors from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA): Dr. Hitoshi Kuninaka, Vice President of JAXA and Director General of JAXA’s Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS); Nobuhiro Takahashi of the ISAS Management and Integration Department; and Shintaro Chofuku, a JAXA engineer on detail to NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley (right), during a visit to Ames on Feb. 1, 2024. Left to Right: Project Manager of the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) Dan Andrews, Vice President and Director General, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Dr. Hitoshi Kuninaka, ISAS Management and Integration Department Nobuhiro Takahashi, and Shintaro Chofuku with the VIPER model in the lobby of N232.Credit: NASA Ames/Don Richey Following briefings about both agencies’ space science and spaceflight missions, Kuninaka toured several Ames facilities supporting NASA and JAXA’s exploration of the solar system. The heat shield for JAXA’s Hayabusa2 mission, which delivered a sample of an asteroid to Earth in 2020, was tested in the center’s arc jet facility, and a portion of that sample is now being studied by Ames researchers. An upcoming JAXA mission to study the two moons of Mars, called Martian Moons eXploration (MMX), was also tested in the arc jet. Present and future exploration of the Moon was a focus of the day, including a stop at Ames’ Lunar Imaging Lab following the VIPER briefing. Representatives from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) visited Ames on Feb. 1. Here they are seen with the Black Swift S2 UAS in the lobby of N232. Left to right: Vice President and Director General Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) and JAXA Dr. Hitoshi Kuninaka; Associate Director for Science and Strategy of the Science Directorate at NASA Ames Ryan Spackman; and ISAS Management and Integration Department Nobuhiro Takahashi.Credit: NASA Ames/Don Richey VIPER will be delivered to Mons Mouton near the Moon’s South Pole in late 2024 to map water and other potential resources and explore the characteristics of the lunar environment where NASA plans to send future astronauts as part of the Artemis campaign. Last month, JAXA’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) arrived on the lunar surface, after reaching its targeted landing site with great accuracy. The mission aimed to demonstrate accurate lunar landing techniques by a small explorer, to help accelerate study of the Moon and planets using lighter exploration systems. Japan is a significant partner for NASA and for Ames, specifically,” said Center Director Eugene Tu. “From testing with our teams the X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft design to JAXA’s contributions to Artemis and Gateway, where astronauts on future lunar missions will stay, our work together runs broad and deep. We look forward to many more fruitful collaborations.” Faces of NASA Rodney Martin – Deputy Discovery & Systems Health Technical Area Lead at Ames “[In] everyone’s life, they have a pivotal moment when they ask the question, ‘What am I really doing? What am I here for?’ … I’m reminded of a credo that I came up [with] through the evolution of my engagement of a whole bunch of recreational pursuits [including being a marathoner, ultrarunner, and Ironman triathlete] … as well as my professional pursuits. It’s threefold, and here’s what it is: “[First,] I’m here because I want to be able to challenge myself, to see how much I can squeeze out of me – whatever that is, whatever ‘me’ is. [For example,] I applied to the astronaut candidate program twice, but I failed to make it to the second round. I figured I’d give a go at throwing my hat in the ring! Like with [an earlier career experience of failing out of] the Navy Nuclear Power Training Program, failure in one domain just means that you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and find a new direction – often pursuing stretch goals that are outside of your comfort zone. Dr. Rodney Martin, Deputy Discovery and Systems Health Technical Area Lead, NASA’s Ames Research CenterCredit: NASA Ames/Brandon Torres “[Second,] I want to serve others. I want to find a way to be of use to others, whether it’s in a structured manner or unstructured manner, whether it’s volunteering or just being a civil servant. I really focus on this service aspect; I did become a supervisor about three years ago, and I really take that role seriously. I really have a service-based leadership philosophy. … That’s why I think [mentoring student interns] represented such a [career] highlight for me, because I felt like I was serving their needs. I was helping to really educate them and [provide] knowledge that I want to … transfer to them, to really inspire that next generation of folks. “… And the third – which I think NASA fits beautifully – is, ‘How do I build the future? How do I help build the future?’ “So again, it’s challenge, service, and building the future. If I don’t do anything else in my entire life except for those three things, I’m at least getting something right. I might be getting everything else entirely wrong, but I can at least work toward those three things.” Math, Mentorship, Motherhood: Behind the Scenes with NASA Engineers by Arezu Sarvestani Engineering is a huge field with endless applications. From aerospace to ergonomics, engineers play an important role in designing, building, and testing technologies all around us. We asked three engineers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley to share their experiences, from early challenges they faced in their careers to the day-to-day of being a working engineer. Give us a look behind the curtain – what is it like being an engineer at NASA? In her early days at NASA, Diana Acosta visited her aeronautics research and development team during her maternity leave and her daughter got her first introduction to flight simulation technology. Diana Acosta: I remember working on my first simulations. We were developing new aircraft with higher efficiency that could operate in new places, such as shorter runways. My team was putting together control techniques and introducing new algorithms to help pilots fly these new aircraft in a safer way. We were creating models and testing, then changing things and testing again. We had a simulator that worked on my laptop, and we had a lab with a pilot seat and controls. Every week, I made it my goal to finish my modeling or controls work and put that into the lab environment so that I could fly the aircraft. Every Friday afternoon, I would fly the aircraft in simulation and try out the changes I’d made to see if we were going in a good direction. We’d later integrate that into the Vertical Motion Simulator at Ames (which was used to train all the original space shuttle pilots) so that we could do a full motion test with a collection of pilots to get feedback. When simulation time came around, it was during my maternity leave and my team had to take the project to simulation without me. It’s hard to get out of the house with a newborn, but sometimes I’d come by with my daughter and bring brownies to the team. I have two daughters now, and they’ve both been in simulators since a young age. Diana Acosta is Chief of the Aerospace Simulation and Development Branch at NASA’s Ames Research Center. She has worked at NASA for 17 years. What’s a challenge you’ve overcome to become an engineer? Savvy Verma (standing) reviews simulation activity with Gus Guerra in the Terminal Tactical Separation Assured Flight Environment at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.Credit: NASA Ames/Dominic Hart Savvy Verma: One of the biggest challenges when I started working was that I was sometimes the only woman in a group of men, and I was also much younger. It was sometimes a challenge to get my voice through, or to be heard. I had mentors who taught me to speak up and say things the way I saw them, and that’s what helped me. A good mentor will back you up and support you when you’re in big meetings or giving presentations. They’ll stand up and corroborate you when you’re right, and that goes a long way toward establishing your credibility. It also helped build my confidence, it made me feel like I was on the right track and not out of line. I had both male and female mentors. The female mentor I had always encouraged me to speak my mind. She said the integrity of the experimental result is more important than trying to change things because someone doesn’t like it or doesn’t want to express it a certain way. I have a lot more women coworkers now, things have changed a lot. In my group there are four women and three men. Savvy Verma is an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Ames Research Center. She has worked at NASA for 22 years. Can you become an engineer if you struggle with math in school? Dorcas Kaweesa Dorcas Kaweesa: When I introduce myself as an engineer, people always say, “You must be good at math,” and I say, “Oh, I work at it.” When you want to become an engineer, you must remain adaptable, hardworking, and always willing to learn something new. We’re constantly learning, critically thinking, and problem solving. Most of the time we apply mathematical concepts to the engineering problems we’re solving and not every problem is the same. If you struggle with math, my advice is to maintain the passion for learning, especially learning from your mistakes. It comes down to practicing and challenging yourself to think beyond the immediate struggle. There are so many types of math problems and if you’re not good at one, maybe you’re good at another. Maybe it’s just a hiccup. Also, seek help when you need it, there are instructors and peers out there willing to support you. Personally, I sought help from my instructors, peers, and mentors, in the math and engineering classes that I found challenging. I also practiced a great deal to improve my problem solving and critical thinking skills. In my current role, I am constantly learning new things based on the task at hand. Learning never ends! If you’re struggling with a math concept, don’t give up. Keep trying, keep accepting the challenge, and keep practicing, you’ll steadily make progress. Dorcas Kaweesa is mechanical engineer and structures analyst at NASA’s Ames Research Center. She has worked at NASA for more than two years. SMA Spotlight: Mission Support Creates Career Satisfaction for Zarchi Each month, the NASA Safety Center profiles a member of the Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) community, providing insight into their background and highlighting the ways they contribute to the NASA mission. The SMA workforce is made up of a diverse group of professionals who operate across a range of disciplines to assure the safety of NASA personnel and enhance the success of the agency’s portfolio of programs and projects. In January, Kerry Zarchi, division chief, System Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA Ames earned the SMA spotlight recognition. Zarchi has worked in her SMA role for nearly three years but has been a member of the NASA family for 18 years. Prior to her SMA duties, Zarchi was a computational analyst and supervisor working on heat shields in Ames’ Entry Systems and Technology division. Zarchi’s supervisory and engineering background has served her well in her SMA role at Ames, which she describes as a “jack-of-all-trades” facility. Kerry Zarchi, division chief, System Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA Ames earned the SMA spotlight recognition in January. “I am never bored! Because Ames is small, we kind of do it all,” she said. “We have a lot of ‘do-no-harm’ missions, as well as high-risk missions, and we have a lot of critical facilities here.” Zarchi’s group supports a varied roster of Ames projects, including Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER), Arc Jet Modernization, HelioSwarm, the creation of a procurement Quality Assurance capability, and facilities like wind tunnels and the Vertical Motion Simulator. In addition to her supervisory duties, Zarchi is enjoying the long-term work of building new leadership roles within her division to give her staff more opportunities. “I want to see them go in the different directions they choose,” she said. “Enabling them in their careers is my proudest achievement.” Throughout her career in multiple roles and levels of responsibility, Zarchi said the best learning experiences she’s had are failures. “Any time there’s some kind of adversity or challenge, it requires reflection and homework,” she said. She advises early career employees to embrace those hard situations and not be afraid to ask questions to expand their skills and knowledge. “The best way to get understanding is by asking questions and speaking up,” she said. “A vital ability that we all need to have, regardless of our role, is the ability to communicate.” Zarchi believes the SMA community will continue to see funding challenges as well as requirements tailoring support. “Reliance on funding from projects is a challenge,” she said. “A lot of thought needs to go into making sure we are maintaining our independence, even though we are charging to projects. There’s also a lot of work to be done codifying the tailoring of SMA support to high-risk projects.” Throughout these challenges, Zarchi encourages her SMA colleagues to understand just how important their roles are to the NASA community. “I want SMA to know that they’re crucial to NASA’s mission, even if they don’t hear it often or get that feeling,” she said. “It’s vital that this community stays healthy and supportive of each other. I love how everyone I encounter in SMA is so supportive. I admire that and want to embody that as well.” Zarchi said that the opportunity to have a direct impact on NASA missions is what made her SMA role most appealing. “What we do is really important, and I appreciate the gravity of the role,” she said. “We touch nearly everything. I want to help spread the word on the importance of SMA and why people should care about it.” Robot Team Builds High-Performance Digital Structure for NASA by Gianine Figliozzi Greater than the sum of its parts: NASA tests the capability of a system that includes simple robots, structural building blocks, and smart algorithms to build functional, high-performance large-scale structures, ultimately enabling autonomous deep-space infrastructure. Research engineer Christine Gregg inspects a Mobile Metamaterial Internal Co-Integrator (MMIC-I) builder robot. These simple robots are part of a hardware and software system NASA researchers are developing to autonomously build and maintain high-performance large space structures comprised of building blocks. MMIC-I works by climbing though the interior space of building blocks and bolting them to the rest of the structure during a build or unbolting during disassembly.Credit: NASA Ames/Dominic Hart If they build it, we will go – for the long-term. Future long-duration and deep-space exploration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond will require a way to build large-scale infrastructure, such as solar power stations, communications towers, and habitats for crew. To sustain a long-term presence in deep space, NASA needs the capability to construct and maintain these systems in place, rather than sending large pre-assembled hardware from Earth. NASA’s Automated Reconfigurable Mission Adaptive Digital Assembly Systems (ARMADAS) team is developing a hardware and software system to meet that need. The system uses different types of inchworm-like robots that can assemble, repair, and reconfigure structural materials for a variety of large-scale hardware systems in space. The robots can do their jobs in orbit, on the lunar surface, or on other planets – even before humans arrive. Researchers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley recently performed a laboratory demonstration of the ARMADAS technology and analyzed the system’s performance. During the tests, three robots worked autonomously as a team to build a meters-scale shelter structure – roughly the size of a shed – using hundreds of building blocks. The team published their results today in Science Robotics. Research engineer Taiwo Olatunde, left, and intern Megan Ochalek, right, observe as robots move and assemble composite building blocks into a structure. The robots worked on their own to complete the structure in a little over 100 hours of operations. To facilitate the team’s watchful monitoring of the robots’ performance, the demonstration was split over several weeks of regular working hours.Credit: NASA Ames/Dominic Hart “The ground assembly experiment demonstrated crucial parts of the system: the scalability and reliability of the robots, and the performance of structures they build. This type of test is key for maturing the technology for space applications,” said Christine Gregg, ARMADAS chief engineer at NASA Ames. The high strength, stiffness, and low mass of the structural product is comparable to today’s highest-performance structures, like long bridges, aircraft wings, and space structures – such as the International Space Station’s trusses. Such performance is a giant leap for the field of robotically reconfigurable structures. A Scaling Omnidirectional Lattice Locomoting Explorer (SOLL-E) builder robot carries a soccer ball-sized building block called a voxel – short for volumetric pixel – during a demonstration of NASA’s Automated Reconfigurable Mission Adaptive Digital Assembly Systems (ARMADAS) technology at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. The voxels are made of strong and lightweight composite materials formed into a shape called a cuboctahedron.Credit: NASA Ames/Dominic Hart A Reliable System Relies on Building Blocks Building blocks are also key to the robotic system autonomy and reliability. “Generally, it’s very hard to develop robust autonomous robots that can operate in unstructured environments, like a typical construction site. We turn that problem on its head by making very simple and reliable robots that operate in an extremely structured lattice environment,” said Gregg. For the demonstration, the ARMADAS team provided plans for the structure, but they didn’t micromanage the robots’ work. Software algorithms did the job of planning the robots’ tasks. The system practiced the build sequence in simulation before the actual run started. While in operation, two robots – stepping inchworm style – walked on the exterior of the structure, moving one soccer ball-sized voxel at a time. One robot fetched the voxels from a supply station and passed them to the second robot that, in turn, placed each voxel on its target location. A third robot followed these placements, climbing though the interior space of the voxels and bolting each new voxel to the rest of the structure. Screenshot from a time-lapse showing robots working autonomously as a team, to assemble a meters-scale shelter structure using hundreds of building blocks during a technology demonstration at NASA’s Ames.Credit: NASA “Because the robots align each small step to the structure in what is essentially a 3D grid, simple algorithms with low computation and sensing requirements can achieve high-level autonomy goals. The system builds and error-corrects on its own with no machine vision or external means of measurement,” said Gregg. Future work will expand the library of voxel types that the robots work with, to include solar panels, electrical connections, shielding, and more. Each new module type will dramatically expand the possible applications because the robots can mix and match them to meet specific needs and locations. The ARMADAS team is also working on new robot capabilities, such as inspection tools, to ensure that autonomously constructed facilities are safe and sound before astronauts arrive. ARMADAS’ technology approach increases what we can do with equipment sent for most deep space exploration missions, and how long we can use them. When a mission completes, robots can disassemble space structures, repurpose the building blocks, and construct designs of the future. This artist’s concept shows the autonomous assembly of critical infrastructure needed for a long-duration human presence on the Moon. Here robots are using modular building blocks to construct structures (left, center) that can protect crew, science facilities, or equipment from space radiation and micrometeoroids. Robots are building a large antenna atop a tower (right) as part of a lunar communications network.NASA In Memoriam … Senior Research Scientist Dr. Andrzej Pohorille Dies It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of our friend and colleague Dr. Andrzej (Andrew) Pohorille, on January 6, 2024. Andrew was a member of the Exobiology Branch at Ames for more than 27 years. Dr. Andrzej (Andrew) Pohorille Andrew received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics (with specialty in biophysics) from the University of Warsaw. He did his postdoctoral work with Professor Bernard Pullman at the Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique in Paris. In 1992, he became a professor of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California San Francisco, and in 1996 he joined the staff at NASA Ames, where he directed the NASA Center for Computational Astrobiology. In 2000, he received a NASA Group Award for Astrobiology, and in 2002 he was awarded the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal. In 2005, he was named Distinguished Lecturer at the Centre for Mathematical Modeling and the National Centre for Space Research in the U.K., and the H. Julian Allen Award at Ames in 2010. Most recently, in December 2023, Andrew was awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal for “distinguished service and sustained contributions to NASA’s establishment of Astrobiology as a vibrant, rigorous, and accessible scientific discipline.” Andrew’s main interests were focused on modeling the origins of life, computer simulations of biomolecular systems, modeling genetic and metabolic networks, and statistical mechanics of condensed phases. He also worked on the development of novel computational methods for parallel and distributed computing. Andrew had worked on developing concepts and designing instruments for microbiology experiments on small satellites and in the lunar environment, and on new ways to organize scientific information. In recent years, Andrew has served as a co-lead on two large projects: Evolutionary processes that drove the emergence and early distribution of life (EPDEL) and Center for Life Detection Research and Service (CLD/RS). In the latter, his main accomplishment was to lead the design, deployment, and upgrades of the Life Detection Knowledge Base. Andrew coauthored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications. The nomination for Andrew’s Exceptional Service Medal included the statement, “Through his wide-ranging technical contributions, tireless community organizing, and one-on-one mentorship of many, he exemplifies the meaning of “exceptional service”. Andrew will be truly missed by all of us. Statistical Summary of Activities of the Protective Service Division’s Security/Law Enforcement and Fire Protection Services Units for Period Ending December 2023 Oct-Dec2023SecurityChart Oct-Dec2023FireChartView the full article

NASA NASA and the American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation (ACMI) signed an agreement Thursday, Feb. 29 to lease underutilized land in a 240-acre Exploration Park at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. ACMI will enable the development of facilities to enable commercial and defense space manufacturing. The agreement is the second such public/private lease agreement to allow industry and academia to use NASA Johnson land to create facilities for a collaborative development environment that increases commercial access and enhances the United States’ commercial competitiveness in the space and aerospace industries. NASA signed a similar lease with the Texas A&M University System earlier this month. Calling it the Space Systems Campus, ACMI plans to incorporate an applied research facility partnered with multiple stakeholders across academia, state and local government, the Department of Defense and regional economic development organizations. “For more than 60 years, NASA Johnson has been the hub of human space exploration,” said NASA Johnson Director Vanessa Wyche. “This Space Systems Campus will be a significant component within our objectives for a robust and durable space economy that will benefit not only the nation’s efforts to explore the Moon, Mars and the asteroids, but all of humanity as the benefits of space exploration research roll home to Earth.” As the home of Mission Control Center for the agency’s human space missions, astronaut training, robotics, human health and space medicine, NASA Johnson leads the way for the human exploration. Leveraging this unique role and location, Exploration Park will play a key role in helping the human spaceflight community attain U.S. goals for the commercialization and development of a robust space economy by creating an infrastructure that fosters a multi-use environment where academic researchers, aerospace companies and entrepreneurs can collaborate with NASA. Exploration Park will create an infrastructure that allows for a multi-use space hardware development environment, where academic researchers, aerospace companies and entrepreneurs can collaborate on space exploration’s greatest challenges. “ACMI Properties will develop this Campus to serve the needs of our future tenants, aerospace industry, the Department of Defense and other significant stakeholders that comprise our ecosystem approach,” said Simon Shewmaker, head of development for ACMI Properties. “Our aim is to support human spaceflight missions for the next 40 years and beyond.” NASA issued an announcement for proposals for use of the undeveloped and underutilized land near Saturn Lane on June 9, 2023, and has just completed negotiations with ACMI to formalize the lease agreement. The parcel is outside of Johnson’s controlled access area and adjacent to its main campus. NASA will lease the land for 20 years with two 20-year extention options, for a potential of up to 60 years. In the coming years, NASA and its academic, commercial, and international partners will see the completion of the International Space Station Program, the commercial development of low Earth orbit, and the first human Artemis campaign missions establishing sustainable human presence on the Moon in preparation for human missions to Mars. Johnson already is leading the commercialization of space with the commercial cargo and crew programs and private astronaut missions to the space station. The center also is supporting the development of commercial space stations in low Earth orbit, and lunar-capable commercial spacesuits and lunar landers that will be provided as services to both NASA and the private sector to accelerate human access to space. Through the development of Exploration Park, the center will broaden the scope of the human spaceflight community that is tackling the many difficult challenges ahead. -end- Kelly Humphries Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 kelly.o.humphries@nasa.gov View the full article

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Clayton P. Turner serves as the Director of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. His career at NASA Langley has spanned 33 years. Clayton P. Turner serves as the Director of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. His career at NASA Langley has spanned 33 years. His experiences prior to his career with NASA include three years of military service. He graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y. with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.   Who or what inspired you to choose your career and why?   A snowstorm in western New York inspired me to go back to college. An interest in engineering inspired me to pursue an engineering degree. The work of others behind the scenes brought me to NASA. When I graduated from high school, I went to college to study what all my friends were studying. I didn’t have the proper motivation, so that didn’t go well. I went into the service and was in the military for three years. I worked as a recording engineer for about ten years. I worked repairing pinball machines and video games. It was in the last career piece where I was in a blizzard, outside on the back of a pickup truck when I decided to go back to college, significantly more motivated! I think my story highlights the story of many people: there’s not a storybook path to get to NASA. Everybody’s path will be their own path.  What do you find most rewarding about working with NASA?   I find it rewarding that we get to reach for new heights to reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind. We get to change the lives of people in a positive way. We get to impact the country. I have a saying on my board that reads, “We have the privilege to serve our country and the power to unite it.” That’s what’s exciting about being at NASA for me.  What do you enjoy doing outside of work?    I enjoy traveling. The thing I’ve enjoyed the most over the last two years was going to visit my grandson, who is my first grandchild. What advice would you give to someone who might be interested in pursuing a career at NASA?   Once you find your passion and the thing that excites you, you need to come and talk with us at NASA! Yes, we need scientists and engineers, but we need accountants, lawyers, and communications specialists. We have a great need right now for technicians. There is a wide range of fields where you can come and do exactly what I described: reach for new heights to reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind.   How does your background and heritage contribute to your perspective and approach in your role at NASA?   I think what was poured into me as I was growing up and was in the people who surrounded me was a desire and energy to serve and the insistence on making life better for others. That has been a big influence in me. I tend to be a bit of an introvert but because of my culture and because of my background I recognize it’s not actually about me, it’s about what you’re going to do for someone else. The 2024 theme for Black History Month is “African Americans and the Arts,” spanning the many impacts that Black Americans have had on visual arts, music, cultural movements and more. How have the arts played a role in your life?    The arts have pulled me out of my shell a bit and allowed me to try new things, experience new things, and listen to new things. If you listen to my playlist on my phone, you’d be surprised at what’s on there, but there are songs that come from a wide range of cultures that just light up my heart and make me think deeply. Being exposed to those things has made a big difference in my life. Facebook logo @NASALaRC @NASA_Langley Instagram logo @NASA_Langley Linkedin logo @NASA-Langley-Research-Center Explore More 8 min read Langley Celebrates Black History Month: Matthew Hayes Article 2 days ago 6 min read Langley Celebrates Black History Month: Brittny McGraw Article 2 days ago 5 min read Langley Celebrates Black History Month: Brandon Sells Article 2 days ago Share Details Last Updated Feb 29, 2024 Related TermsLangley Research CenterBlack History MonthDiversity at NASAPeople of NASA View the full article

3 Min Read Student Teams to Help Fill the Inflatable Void with Latest Student Challenge This year will be a “BIG” year for several college and university teams as they research, design, and demonstrate novel inflatable systems configured for future lunar operations through a NASA-sponsored engineering competition. NASA’s Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Challenge asked student innovators to propose novel inflatable component and system concepts that could benefit future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. The Inflatable Systems for Lunar Operations theme allowed teams to submit various technology concepts such as soft robotics, deployable infrastructure components, emergency shelters or other devices for extended extravehicular activities, pressurized tunnels and airlocks, and debris shields and dust protection systems. Inflatable systems could greatly reduce the mass and stowed volume of science and exploration payloads, critical for lowering costs to deep-space destinations. Award values vary between ~$100,000 and $150,000 and are based on each team’s prototype and budget. The 2024 BIG Idea Challenge awardees are: Arizona State UniversityTempe, ArizonaAegis – Inflatable Lunar Landing Pad SystemAdvisors: Tyler Smith, Dr. James Bell, James Rice, Josh ChangBrigham Young University Provo, UtahUntethered and Modular Inflatable Robots for Lunar OperationsAdvisors: Dr. Nathan Usevitch, Dr. Marc KillpackCalifornia Institute of Technology, with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cislune and VJ TechnologiesPasadena, CaliforniaPILLARS: Plume-deployed Inflatable for Launch and Landing Abrasive Regolith ShieldingAdvisors: Dr. Soon-Jo Chung, Kalind CarpenterNorthwestern University, with National Aerospace CorporationEvanston, Illinois METALS: Metallic Expandable Technology for Artemis Lunar StructuresAdvisors: Dr. Ian McCue, Dr. Ryan TrubyUniversity of Maryland College Park, MarylandAuxiliary Inflatable Wheels for Lunar RoverAdvisor: Dr. David AkinUniversity of MichiganAnn Arbor, MichiganCargo-BEEP (Cargo Balancing Expandable Exploration Platform)Advisor: Dr. John Shaw Once funded, finalist teams continue designing, building, and testing their concepts, which could lead to NASA innovations that augment technology currently in development. Work performed by the teams culminates in a final technical paper, prototype demonstration, and potential opportunity to present in front of a diverse panel of NASA and industry experts. As a program affiliated with NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (LSII), the BIG Idea Challenge incubates new ideas from the future workforce. Through the challenge, student teams aid LSII’s mission to advance transformative capabilities for lunar surface exploration across NASA’s Space Technology portfolio. We truly love engaging with the academic community and incorporating the students’ novel ideas into our approaches to technology development. We need cutting-edge and groundbreaking technologies for successful space exploration missions, so it’s important that we continue to push the envelope and ignite innovation. I can’t think of a better way to do that than collaborating with bright, creative minds who will comprise our future workforce. Niki Werkheiser Director of Technology Maturation at NASA Since its inception in 2016, the challenge has invited students to think critically and creatively about several defined aerospace topics, including extreme terrain robotics, lunar metal production, Mars greenhouse development, and more. Each year, the theme is tied directly to a current aerospace challenge NASA is working on. Through the BIG Idea Challenge, we enhance the university experience by providing students and faculty with more opportunities to engage in meaningful NASA projects. This not only enables a multitude of networking opportunities for the students but also gives them a real sense of accomplishment and lets them know that their ideas are important. Through the BIG Idea Challenge, we enhance the university experience by providing students and faculty with more opportunities to engage in meaningful NASA projects. This not only enables a multitude of networking opportunities for the students but also gives them a real sense of accomplishment and lets them know that their ideas are important. Tomas Gonzalez-Torres NASA’s Space Grant project manager The BIG Idea Challenge is one of several Artemis student challenges sponsored through NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate’s Game Changing Development (GCD) program and the agency’s Office of STEM Engagement Space Grant Project. It is managed by a partnership between the National Institute of Aerospace and The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. BIG Idea supports GCD’s efforts to rapidly mature innovative and high-impact capabilities and technologies for possible infusion in future NASA missions, while creating a rewarding student and faculty experience. The 16-month intensive project-based program supports innovations initiated and furthered by the student teams that can possibly be adopted by NASA, and it works to endeavor ambitious new missions beyond Earth. Learn more about this year’s BIG Idea Challenge AMA Advanced Concepts Lab Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate Game Changing Development NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative Get Involved View the full article

NASA's 2024 Astronaut Graduation (Official NASA Trailer)

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA/Genaro Vavuris NASA Artemis II astronaut Victor Glover met with Edwards Air Force Base school-age children at a joint NASA and Air Force Black Employee Resource Group event at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Feb. 15. Share Details Last Updated Feb 29, 2024 EditorDede DiniusContactTeresa Whitingteresa.whiting@nasa.gov Related TermsArmstrong Flight Research CenterArtemisAstronautsJohnson Space CenterVictor J. Glover Explore More 4 min read NASA Signs Agreement with Nikon to Develop Lunar Artemis Camera Article 4 hours ago 4 min read Splashdown 101: Joint Team to Recover Crew, Orion After Moon Missions Article 23 hours ago 5 min read Groundbreaking Results from Space Station Science in 2023 Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center Artemis NASA Astronaut: Victor J. Glover Former Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong View the full article

Following a launch on Feb. 15, Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lander touched down in the Moon’s south polar region on Feb. 22 and has since transmitted valuable scientific data back to Earth. Odysseus took six NASA payloads along for the ride and their data will prepare us for future human exploration of the Moon under Artemis. This landing marked the United States’ first lunar landing since Apollo 17, as well as the first landing as part of our Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, which aims to expand the lunar economy to support future crewed Artemis missions. Read the latest updates about Intuitive Machines’ first mission to the Moon. View the full article

NASA Remembers Astronaut Richard Truly

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) When NASA sends astronauts to the South Pole region of the Moon for the first time with its Artemis campaign, they will capture photos with a handheld camera to help advance scientific research and discovery for the benefit of all. NASA and Nikon Inc. recently signed a Space Act Agreement that outlines how they will work together to develop a handheld camera that can operate in the harsh lunar environment for use beginning with Artemis III. Photographing the lunar South Pole region requires a modern camera with specialized capabilities to manage the extreme lighting conditions and temperatures unique to the area. The agreement enables NASA to have a space-rated camera ready for use on the lunar surface without needing to develop one from scratch. Prior to the agreement, NASA performed initial testing on a standard Nikon Z 9 camera to determine the specifications a camera would need to operate on the lunar surface. With the agreement in place, teams at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, along with Nikon, have started working to implement the necessary adjustments and develop the HULC (Handheld Universal Lunar Camera), the agency’s next-generation camera astronauts will use on the Moon. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Drew Feustel practice using an early design of the Handheld Universal Lunar Camera during the Joint Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Test Team (JETT) Field Test 3 in Arizona. NASA / Bill Stafford The resulting design consists of a modified Nikon Z 9 camera and Nikkor lenses, NASA’s thermal blanket, which will protect the camera from dust and extreme temperatures, and a custom grip with modified buttons developed by NASA engineers for easier handling by suited crewmembers wearing thick gloves during a moonwalk. In addition, the camera will incorporate the latest imagery technology and will have modified electrical components to minimize issues caused by radiation, ensuring the camera operates as intended on the Moon. The camera will be the first mirrorless handheld camera used on the Moon, designed for capturing imagery in low-light environments. Prior to Artemis missions, the camera will be used at the International Space Station to demonstrate its capabilities. For over 50 years, NASA has used a variety of cameras in space, including the cameras crewmembers currently use at the International Space Station to take photos of science experiments, day-to-day operations, and during spacewalks while they orbit about 250 miles above Earth. NASA astronaut Jessica Wittner uses an early design of the Artemis lunar camera to take photos during planetary geological field training in Lanzarote, Spain.European Space Agency / A. Romero During the Apollo program, crewmembers took over 18,000 photos using modified large-format, handheld cameras. However, those cameras didn’t have viewfinders, so astronauts were trained to aim the camera from chest-level where it attached to the front of the spacesuit. In addition, Apollo crewmembers had to use separate cameras for photos and video. The new lunar camera will have a viewfinder and video capabilities to capture both still imagery and video on a single device. To ensure camera performance on the lunar surface, NASA has begun thermal, vacuum, and radiation testing on the lunar camera to see how it behaves in a space-like environment. Suited NASA crewmembers have used the camera to capture imagery of geology tasks during simulated moonwalks in Arizona, and an international crew of astronauts from NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), and JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency) used it during geology training in Lanzarote, Spain. NASA crewmembers will use the camera during the Joint Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Test Team Field Test #5, an upcoming analog mission in Arizona where teams will conduct simulated moonwalks in the desert to practice lunar operations. Through NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will land the first woman, the first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone to send the first astronauts to Mars. For more information about Artemis, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis -end- Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Humans In Space Artemis Gateway Space Station Commercial Space View the full article

Science in Space February 2024 Instruments on the exterior of the International Space Station provide data on astrophysical phenomena that are helping scientists better understand our universe and its origins. Crew members install and maintain these instruments robotically and scientific teams operate them remotely. One of the instruments, the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), measures X-rays emitted by neutron stars and other cosmic objects to help answer questions about matter and gravity. Neutron stars, the densest measurable objects in the universe, are the remains of massive stars that exploded into supernovae. Some are called pulsars because they spin, sweeping bright X-ray beams across the sky like lighthouse beacons. NICER is located on the space station because the X-rays emitted by neutron stars do not penetrate Earth’s atmosphere. A view of NICER on the exterior of the International Space Station.NASA In May 2023, NICER developed a “light leak,” with unwanted sunlight entering the instrument. As a result, the team limits daytime observations to objects far from the Sun’s position in the sky and lowers NICER’s sensitivity during the orbital day. Nighttime observations are not affected. Even with these limitations, NICER’s recent observations continue to generate results and papers, many published in top-tier journals. Neutron Star Cores Scientists suspect that neutron stars grow denser toward their cores, but the form of matter in their centers remains unknown. NICER’s precise measurements of the size and mass of these stars are providing more insight. In 2021, two teams used different approaches to model the size of PSR J0740+6620, the heaviest known pulsar at 2.1 times the Sun’s mass, and produced measurements that are essentially in agreement.1,2 This star is almost 50% more massive than a previous pulsar measured by NICER, J0030+0451, but is essentially the same diameter.3,4 Scientists are investigating how this finding might change popular models of neutron star core composition. X-ray Binaries NICER has advanced understanding of X-ray binaries, systems where superdense objects such as neutron stars are paired with normal stars. X-ray binaries produce gravitational waves, invisible ripples in space-time also produced by exploding stars and merging black holes. Data from gravitational wave signals are being used to map the galaxy’s binaries. Joint observations by NICER and NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) revealed specific properties of an X-Ray binary, 4U 0614+091, that increase understanding of these phenomena.5 A joint NICER and NuSTAR observation of an ultra-compact X-ray binary (UCXB), 4U 1543-624, is helping scientists fine tune models of gravitational waves from these sources.6 The behavior of UCXBs suggests that the superdense object of the pair takes material from its companion star. Analysis of NICER observations of the gamma-ray binary LS 5039 found its X-ray emissions vary, perhaps because of winds from its companion.7 Gamma-ray binaries include a normal and a collapsed star. This observation helps astronomers study the nature of these stars and some of the most extreme conditions in the universe. Pulsar Outbursts Similar behaviors in outbursts from the pulsar PSR J1846-0258 monitored by NICER in 2020 and 2006 suggest there is a continuum of neutron star types.8 At one end of the continuum are rotation-powered pulsars (RPPs), which shine from energy generated by a slowing rotation, and at the other, magnetars, which have magnetic fields up to a thousand times stronger than typical neutron stars. Astrophysicists also compared NICER data on X-ray outbursts in 2021 and 2006 from RS Ophiuchi.9 This system is a recurrent nova, a binary system with a white dwarf that is taking material from its companion star. This collected material eventually undergoes a thermonuclear explosion, blasting out a mushroom cloud. Scientists used NICER data to probe the chemical content of the cloud and the white dwarf’s hot surface. Animation of a spinning pulsar.NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab More Astrophysics Tools CALET, an instrument developed by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), measures the electron spectrum of cosmic rays to search for signatures of dark matter. Data from CALET validated a method for measuring changes in the solar magnetic field, which affects weather and radio communications on Earth.10 JAXA’s Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) investigation scans 95% of the sky for X-ray sources with each orbit of the space station. MAXI has observed hundreds of outbursts, including five between 2016 and 2020 from the X-ray binary Aquila X-1.11 Observing such systems reveals the dynamics of the high-energy processes fueled by the transfer of matter between stars. MAXI also observed, for the first time, a massive black hole swallowing a star in the center of a galaxy 3.9 billion light years away.12 Multiple instruments attached to the Kibo module of the International Space Station. MAXI is barely visible behind the end of the robot arm.NASA When MAXI detects an object that brightens suddenly, the Orbiting High-energy Monitor Alert Network (OHMAN) alerts NICER so it can observe the object. By directly connecting the two instruments, OHMAN cut the response time from hours or days to minutes and could enable new discoveries about the physics behind some of the most powerful events in the universe. View of the AMS-02 on the exterior of the International Space Station.NASA Crew members traveling to the Moon or Mars need protection from cosmic rays, high energy particles from distant stars. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) detects cosmic ray particles and determines their charge. Among the many papers using AMS-02 data is one reporting distinct differences in duration and strength of daily electron and proton flows in cosmic rays.13 These data help scientists better understand cosmic rays and could help protect astronauts on future missions. John Love, ISS Research Planning Integration Scientist Expedition 70 Search this database of scientific experiments to learn more about those mentioned above. Citations: 1 Miller MC, Lamb FK, Dittmann AJ, Bogdanov S, Arzoumanian Z, Gendreau KC, et al. The Radius of PSR J0740+6620 from NICER and XMM-Newton Data. The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 2021 September; 918(2). DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ac089b. 2 Riley TE, Watts AL, Ray PS, Bogdanov S, Guillot S, et al. A NICER View of the Massive Pulsar PSR J0740+6620 Informed by Radio Timing and XMM-Newton Spectroscopy. The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 2021 September. 918(2). DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ac0a81 3 Miller MC, Lamb FK, Pittman AJ, Bogdanov S, Arzoumanian Z, et al. PSR J0030+0451 Mass and Radius from NICER Data and Implications for the Properties of Neutron Star Matter. The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 2019 December. 887(1). DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ab50c5. 4 Riley TE, Watts AL, Bogdanov S, Ray PS, Ludlam RM, et al. A NICER View of PSR J0030+0451: Millisecond Pulsar Parameter Estimation. The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 2019 December. 887(1). DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ab481c. 5 Moutard DL, Ludlam RM, Garcia JA, Altamirano D, Buisson DJ, et al. Simultaneous NICER and NuSTAR observations of the ultracompact X-ray binary 4U 0614+091. The Astrophysical Journal. 2023 November; 957(1): 27. DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/acf4f3. 6 Ludlam RM, Jaodand AD, Garcia JA, Degenaar N, Tomsick JA, et al. Simultaneous NICER and NuSTAR observations of the ultracompact X-Ray binary 4U 1543–624. The Astrophysical Journal. 2021 April; 911(2): 123. DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/abedb0. 7 Yoneda H, Bosch-Ramon V, Enoto T, Khangulyan D, Ray PS, et al. Unveiling properties of the nonthermal X-ray production in the gamma-ray binary LS 5039 using the long-term pattern of its fast X-ray variability. The Astrophysical Journal. 2023 May; 948(2): 77. DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/acc175. 8 Hu C, Kuiper LM, Harding AK, Younes GA, Blumer H, et al. A NICER view on the 2020 magnetar-like outburst of PSR J1846−0258. The Astrophysical Journal. 2023 August; 952(2): 120. DOI 10.3847/1538-4357/acd850. 9 Orio M, Gendreau KC, Giese M, Luna GJ, Magdolen J, et al. The RS Oph outburst of 2021 monitored in X-Rays with NICER. The Astrophysical Journal. 2023 September; 955(1): 37. DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ace9bd. 10 Adriani O, Akaike Y, Asano K, Asaoka Y, Berti E, et al, CALET Collaboration. Charge-sign dependent cosmic-ray modulation observed with the Calorimetric Electron Telescope on the International Space Station. Physical Review Letters. 2023 May 25; 130(21): 211001. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.211001. 11 Niwano M, Murata KL, Ito N, Yatsu Y, Kawai N. Optical and X-ray variations during five outbursts of Aql X-1 in 3.6 yr from 2016. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 2023 November 1; 525(3): 4358-4366. DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stad2561. 12 Burrows DN, Kennea JA, Ghisellini G, Mangano V, Zhang BB, et al. Relativistic jet activity from the tidal disruption of a star by a massive black hole. Nature. 2011 August 25; 476421-424. DOI: 10.1038/nature10374. 13 Aguilar-Benitez M, Ambrosi G, Anderson H, Arruda MF, Attig N, et a;. Temporal structures in positron spectra and charge-sign effects in galactic cosmic rays. Physical Review Letters. 2023 October 13; 131(15): 151002. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.151002. Keep Exploring Discover More Topics Latest News from Space Station Research Station Science 101: Earth and Space Science Astrophysics Programs The Astrophysics Division has three focused programs (Physics of the Cosmos, Cosmic Origins and Exoplanet Exploration) which provide an intellectual… Space Station Research Results View the full article

Former NASA Administrator and astronaut, Richard Truly.NASA The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on former NASA Administrator and astronaut Richard Truly, who passed away Feb. 27, 2024, at his home in Genesee, Colorado, at the age of 86. “NASA is the place it is today because of people of character, vision, and a spirit of service – people like the great man we lost Feb. 27, former NASA administrator, associate administrator, and astronaut Richard Truly. “In his decades of service – to the Navy, to NASA, to his country – Richard lifted ever higher humanity’s quest to know the unknown and to achieve the impossible dream. “Across his 30 years in the Navy, Richard served as a test pilot and naval aviator, making more than 300 aircraft carrier landings. Richard rose from the role of ensign to vice admiral. “As an astronaut, Richard was part of the crew for the Approach and Landing Tests of the space shuttle Enterprise. He piloted space shuttle Columbia during STS-2, the first piloted spacecraft reflown in space, and commanded space shuttle Challenger during STS-8 – the first night launch and landing of its era. “As associate administrator, after the Challenger crisis, Richard brought NASA to its first liftoff and return to flight. He led the Space Shuttle Program to once again take to the skies and reach for the stars. He understood no matter what difficulties we endure, there is only one direction for humanity and NASA: forward. “As NASA administrator, it also was under Richard’s leadership and judgment that Voyager 1turned Earthward and took a final picture of our beautiful planet as it floated 3.7 billion miles away. It was the picture that became known as the “Pale Blue Dot.” This is to say that as administrator, Richard’s vision was bold and broad. Humanity is all the better for that vision. “Woven through these accolades, tests, and triumphs was Richard’s poise as a leader and vision as a pioneer. “Richard had the makings of someone who understood that we choose to do great things not because they are easy, but because they are hard. He was a personal friend and a mentor to so many of us. I share my deep condolences with Richard’s wife, Cody, and their three children. I invite all those who care for humanity’s quest to reach ever higher to join me in saying farewell to a great public servant.” For more information about Truly’s NASA career, and his agency biography, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/people/richard-h-truly/ -end- Faith McKie / Cheryl Warner Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 faith.d.mckie@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Feb 29, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsNASA HeadquartersAstronautsFormer AstronautsHumans in SpaceRichard H. Truly View the full article