NASA

5 min read To Study Atmosphere, NASA Rockets Will Fly into Oct. Eclipse’s Shadow A NASA sounding rocket mission will launch three rockets during the 2023 annular eclipse in October to study how the sudden drop in sunlight affects our upper atmosphere. On Oct. 14, 2023, viewers of an annular solar eclipse in the Americas will experience the Sun dimming to 10% its normal brightness, leaving only a bright “ring of fire” of sunlight as the Moon eclipses the Sun. Those in the vicinity of the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, however, might also notice sudden bright streaks across the sky: trails of scientific rockets, hurtling toward the eclipse’s shadow. A NASA sounding rocket mission will launch three rockets to study how the sudden drop in sunlight affects our upper atmosphere. The mission, known as Atmospheric Perturbations around the Eclipse Path or APEP, is led by Aroh Barjatya, a professor of engineering physics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he directs the Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Lab. Some 50 miles up and beyond, the air itself becomes electric. Scientists call this atmospheric layer the ionosphere because it is where the UV component of sunlight can pry electrons away from atoms to form a sea of high-flying ions and electrons. The Sun’s constant energy keeps these mutually attracted particles separated throughout the day. But as the Sun dips below the horizon, many recombine into neutral atoms for the night, only to part ways again at sunrise. During a solar eclipse, the sunlight vanishes and reappears over a small part of the landscape almost at once. In a flash, ionospheric temperature and density drop, then rise again, sending waves rippling through the ionosphere. “If you think of the ionosphere as a pond with some gentle ripples on it, the eclipse is like a motorboat that suddenly rips through the water,” Barjatya said. “It creates a wake immediately underneath and behind it, and then the water level momentarily goes up as it rushes back in.” The animation shows the changes in the number of electrons (total electron content or TEC) in the ionosphere over the US during the 2017 eclipse. Overlaid on the measurements are the contours that represent location of the outer shadow of the eclipse as it moves across the sky. Credit: Mrak, S., Semeter, J., Drob, D., & Huba, J. D. (2018). Direct EUV/X-Ray Modulation of the Ionosphere During the August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse. Geophysical Research Letters, 45(9), 3820-3828. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017GL076771 During the 2017 total solar eclipse visible across North America, instruments many hundreds of miles outside the eclipse’s path detected atmospheric changes. So did critical infrastructure like GPS and communications satellites that we rely on every day. “All satellite communications go through the ionosphere before they reach Earth,” Barjatya said. “As we become more dependent on space-based assets, we need to understand and model all perturbations in the ionosphere.” Aroh Barjatya, of Embry-Riddle Aeronautic University in Daytona Beach, Florida, leads the APEP mission. Here, Barjatya inspects the subpayloads, which will eject from the rocket mid-flight. The subpayloads carry the plasma density, neutral density, and magnetic field sensors. Credit: NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility/Berit Bland Mechanical technician John Peterson of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and Barjatya check the six booms carrying the sensitive science sensors after a successful spin deployment testing. Credit: NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility/Berit Bland Mechanical technician John Peterson of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and Barjatya check the six booms carrying the sensitive science sensors after a successful spin deployment testing. Credit: NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility/Berit Bland To this end, Barjatya designed the APEP mission, choosing the acronym because it is also the name of the serpent deity from ancient Egyptian mythology, nemesis of the Sun deity Ra. It was said that Apep pursued Ra and every so often nearly consumed him, resulting in an eclipse. The APEP team plans to launch three rockets in succession – one about 35 minutes before local peak eclipse, one during peak eclipse, and one 35 minutes after. They will fly just outside the path of annularity, where the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun. Each rocket will deploy four small scientific instruments that will measure changes in electric and magnetic fields, density, and temperature. If they are successful, these will be the first simultaneous measurements taken from multiple locations in the ionosphere during a solar eclipse. Barjatya chose sounding rockets to answer the team’s science questions because they can pinpoint and measure specific regions of space with high fidelity. They can also measure changes that happen at different altitudes as the suborbital rocket ascends and falls back to Earth. The APEP rockets will take measurements between 45 and 200 miles (70 to 325 kilometers) above the ground along their trajectory. “Rockets are the best way to look at the vertical dimension at the smallest possible spatial scales,” said Barjatya. “They can wait to launch at just the right moment and explore the lower altitudes where satellites can’t fly.” While the in-situ rocket instruments are all being built by Embry-Riddle and Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, a host of ground-based observations will also support the mission. Co-investigators from the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will collect ionospheric density and neutral wind measurements. Co-investigators from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Haystack Observatory in Westford, Massachusetts, will run their radar to measure ionospheric perturbations farther away from the eclipse path. Finally, a team of students from Embry-Riddle will deploy high-altitude balloons (reaching 100,000 feet) every 20 minutes to measure weather changes as the eclipse passes by. All of these measurements will aid ionosphere modeling efforts led by scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder and Embry-Riddle. This won’t be the only APEP launch. The APEP rockets launched in New Mexico will be recovered and then relaunched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on April 8, 2024, when a total solar eclipse will cross the U.S. from Texas to Maine. The April launches are farther from the eclipse path than for the October annular eclipse, but will present an opportunity to measure just how widespread the effects of an eclipse are. This map details the path the Moon’s shadow will take as it crosses the contiguous U.S. during the annular solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023, and total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Credit: NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio/Michala Garrison; eclipse calculations by Ernie Wright After these two eclipses, the next total solar eclipse over the contiguous U.S. is not until 2044, and the next annular eclipse is not until 2046. “We have to make hay while the Sun shines … or, I suppose for eclipse science, while it doesn’t,” Barjatya joked. “In all seriousness though, this data set will reveal the widespread effects that eclipses have on the ionosphere at the smallest spatial scales.” Read More APEP mission fact sheet Learn more about the upcoming eclipses View the full article

Psyche Launches to a Metal Asteroid (Official NASA Broadcast)

5 min read To Study Atmosphere, NASA Rockets Will Fly into Oct. Eclipse’s Shadow On Oct. 14, 2023, viewers of an annular solar eclipse in the Americas will experience the Sun dimming to 10% its normal brightness, leaving only a bright “ring of fire” of sunlight as the Moon eclipses the Sun. Those in the vicinity of the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, however, might also notice sudden bright streaks across the sky: trails of scientific rockets, hurtling toward the eclipse’s shadow. A NASA sounding rocket mission will launch three rockets to study how the sudden drop in sunlight affects our upper atmosphere. The mission, known as Atmospheric Perturbations around the Eclipse Path or APEP, is led by Aroh Barjatya, a professor of engineering physics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he directs the Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Lab. Some 50 miles up and beyond, the air itself becomes electric. Scientists call this atmospheric layer the ionosphere because it is where the UV component of sunlight can pry electrons away from atoms to form a sea of high-flying ions and electrons. The Sun’s constant energy keeps these mutually attracted particles separated throughout the day. But as the Sun dips below the horizon, many recombine into neutral atoms for the night, only to part ways again at sunrise. During a solar eclipse, the sunlight vanishes and reappears over a small part of the landscape almost at once. In a flash, ionospheric temperature and density drop, then rise again, sending waves rippling through the ionosphere. “If you think of the ionosphere as a pond with some gentle ripples on it, the eclipse is like a motorboat that suddenly rips through the water,” Barjatya said. “It creates a wake immediately underneath and behind it, and then the water level momentarily goes up as it rushes back in.” The animation shows the changes in the number of electrons (total electron content or TEC) in the ionosphere over the US during the 2017 eclipse. Overlaid on the measurements are the contours that represent location of the outer shadow of the eclipse as it moves across the sky.Credit: Mrak, S., Semeter, J., Drob, D., & Huba, J. D. (2018). Direct EUV/X-Ray Modulation of the Ionosphere During the August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse. Geophysical Research Letters, 45(9), 3820-3828. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017GL076771 During the 2017 total solar eclipse visible across North America, instruments many hundreds of miles outside the eclipse’s path detected atmospheric changes. So did critical infrastructure like GPS and communications satellites that we rely on every day. “All satellite communications go through the ionosphere before they reach Earth,” Barjatya said. “As we become more dependent on space-based assets, we need to understand and model all perturbations in the ionosphere.” Aroh Barjatya, of Embry-Riddle Aeronautic University in Daytona Beach, Florida, leads the APEP mission. Here, Barjatya inspects the subpayloads, which will eject from the rocket mid-flight. The subpayloads carry the plasma density, neutral density, and magnetic field sensors.Credit: NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility/Berit Bland Mechanical technician John Peterson of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and Barjatya check the six booms carrying the sensitive science sensors after a successful spin deployment testing. Credit: NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility/Berit Bland Mechanical technician John Peterson of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and Barjatya check the six booms carrying the sensitive science sensors after a successful spin deployment testing. Credit: NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility/Berit Bland To this end, Barjatya designed the APEP mission, choosing the acronym because it is also the name of the serpent deity from ancient Egyptian mythology, nemesis of the Sun deity Ra. It was said that Apep pursued Ra and every so often nearly consumed him, resulting in an eclipse. The APEP team plans to launch three rockets in succession – one about 35 minutes before local peak eclipse, one during peak eclipse, and one 35 minutes after. They will fly just outside the path of annularity, where the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun. Each rocket will deploy four small scientific instruments that will measure changes in electric and magnetic fields, density, and temperature. If they are successful, these will be the first simultaneous measurements taken from multiple locations in the ionosphere during a solar eclipse. Barjatya chose sounding rockets to answer the team’s science questions because they can pinpoint and measure specific regions of space with high fidelity. They can also measure changes that happen at different altitudes as the suborbital rocket ascends and falls back to Earth. The APEP rockets will take measurements between 45 and 200 miles (70 to 325 kilometers) above the ground along their trajectory. “Rockets are the best way to look at the vertical dimension at the smallest possible spatial scales,” said Barjatya. “They can wait to launch at just the right moment and explore the lower altitudes where satellites can’t fly.” While the in-situ rocket instruments are all being built by Embry-Riddle and Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, a host of ground-based observations will also support the mission. Co-investigators from the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will collect ionospheric density and neutral wind measurements. Co-investigators from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Haystack Observatory in Westford, Massachusetts, will run their radar to measure ionospheric perturbations farther away from the eclipse path. Finally, a team of students from Embry-Riddle will deploy high-altitude balloons (reaching 100,000 feet) every 20 minutes to measure weather changes as the eclipse passes by. All of these measurements will aid ionosphere modeling efforts led by scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder and Embry-Riddle. This won’t be the only APEP launch. The APEP rockets launched in New Mexico will be recovered and then relaunched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, on April 8, 2024, when a total solar eclipse will cross the U.S. from Texas to Maine. The April launches are farther from the eclipse path than for the October annular eclipse, but will present an opportunity to measure just how widespread the effects of an eclipse are. This map details the path the Moon’s shadow will take as it crosses the contiguous U.S. during the annular solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023, and total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Credit: NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio/Michala Garrison; eclipse calculations by Ernie Wright After these two eclipses, the next total solar eclipse over the contiguous U.S. is not until 2044, and the next annular eclipse is not until 2046. “We have to make hay while the Sun shines … or, I suppose for eclipse science, while it doesn’t,” Barjatya joked. “In all seriousness though, this data set will reveal the widespread effects that eclipses have on the ionosphere at the smallest spatial scales.” Read More APEP mission fact sheet Learn more about the upcoming eclipses About the AuthorMiles Hatfield Share Details Last Updated Sep 29, 2023 Related Terms 2023 Solar EclipseEclipsesGeneralGoddard Space Flight CenterHeliophysics DivisionIonosphereSolar EclipsesSounding RocketsSounding Rockets ProgramWallops Flight Facility Explore More 2 min read Honoring Hispanic Heritage Month: Patriot Construction Supports NASA Ames Research Center Article 20 mins ago 3 min read Two NASA Goddard Earth Scientists Receive AGU Awards Dr. Dalia Kirschbaum and Dr. John Bolten, both of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in… Article 49 mins ago 1 min read Huntsville Symphony String Quartet Performs at Marshall Article 4 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the NASA Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) is highlighting the contributions made by Hispanic-owned businesses to NASA’s mission. Through collaborative efforts, Patriot Construction, Inc. has played a pivotal role in the enhancement and maintenance of NASA’S Ames Research Center in California. They have worked on the N244 Seismic Risk Reduction, Restore Reliability of Main Switchboard for Agency Telecom Gateway N254, Historic Preservation of Building 025 Phase 2 of 2, and the N258 Hyperwall Room Remodeling. This outdoor display of the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT), on DeFrance Ave at Ames Research Center, was updated in August 2023. The display will inform the visiting public of the contributions this National Historic Landmark has made to the Nation’s aeronautical research. The projects Patriot have been involved in, Buildings N244, N254, N258 are critical buildings to NASA missions. The Restore Reliability of Main Switchboard for Agency Telecom Gateway N254 project is an upgrade to their main switchboard. This building is an essential 24/7 operation that holds the Security Operations Center (SOC) which is the nerve center for detection and monitoring of security incidents for the Agency. The N258 Hyperwall Room Remodeling is a dedicated space equipped with a hyperwall, accessible to all users NASA Supercomputer users. The Supercomputer is available to every mission directorate in NASA. Additionally, the hyperwall significantly increases efficiency, allowing wind tunnel personnel to conduct analyses more quickly. The Historic Preservation of Building 025 Phase 2 of 2 is a historical building which NASA is restoring to make it ready for occupancy. Building 025 has not received maintenance since the Navy’s departure in 1998. In accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), NASA, as a federal agency, has a responsibility to preserve and maintain the historical integrity of all properties under its jurisdiction. The N244 Seismic Risk Reduction project is a proactive initiative aimed at ensuring the safety of all personnel within building N244 during earthquakes. As we honor Hispace heritage, Patriot’s partnership with NASA exemplifies the incredible achievements that can be realized when diverse talents unite in pursuit of technological advancement. Editor: Maliya Malik, NASA Office Of Small Business Programs Intern Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

3 min read NASA’s New Horizons to Continue Exploring Outer Solar System NASA has announced an updated plan to continue New Horizons’ mission of exploration of the outer solar system. Beginning in fiscal year 2025, New Horizons will focus on gathering unique heliophysics data, which can be readily obtained during an extended, low-activity mode of operations. While the science community is not currently aware of any reachable Kuiper Belt object, this new path allows for the possibility of using the spacecraft for a future close flyby of such an object, should one be identified. It also will enable the spacecraft to preserve fuel and reduce operational complexity while a search is conducted for a compelling flyby candidate. “The New Horizons mission has a unique position in our solar system to answer important questions about our heliosphere and provide extraordinary opportunities for multidisciplinary science for NASA and the scientific community,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “The agency decided that it was best to extend operations for New Horizons until the spacecraft exits the Kuiper Belt, which is expected in 2028 through 2029.” This new, extended mission will be primarily funded by NASA’s Planetary Science Division and jointly managed by NASA’s Heliophysics and Planetary Science Divisions. NASA will assess the budget impact of continuing the New Horizons mission so far beyond its original plan of exploration. As a starting point, funding within the New Frontiers program (including science research and data analysis) will be rebalanced to accommodate extended New Horizons operations, and future projects may be impacted. Launched on January 18, 2006, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has helped scientists understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by visiting the dwarf planet Pluto (its primary mission) and then venturing farther out for a flyby of the Kuiper belt object Arrokoth, a double-lobed relic of the formation of our solar system, and other more remote observations of similar bodies. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, designed, built and operates the New Horizons spacecraft, and manages the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. The Marshall Space Flight Center Planetary Management Office provides the NASA oversight for the New Horizons. Southwest Research Institute, based in San Antonio, directs the mission via Principal Investigator Stern, and leads the science team, payload operations and encounter science planning. New Horizons is part of the New Frontiers Program managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Facebook logo @NASA@New Horizons @NASA@NASANewHorizons Instagram logo @NASA Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More 4 min read 45 Years Ago: Astronomers Discover Pluto’s Moon Charon Article 3 months ago 2 min read New Horizons Team Discusses Discoveries from the Kuiper Belt New Horizons continues to shed light on the mysterious planets and smaller bodies of the… Article 7 months ago 4 min read New Horizons Team Adds AI Smarts to Its Kuiper Belt Object Search Article 7 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Our Solar System Overview Our planetary system is located in an outer spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy. We call it the… Kuiper Belt Overview Both Pluto and Arrokoth are in the Kuiper Belt, the doughnut-shaped region of icy bodies extending far beyond the… Solar System Exploration Overview Since 1998, NASA’s Solar System Exploration hub has served as a real-time, living encyclopedia of the scientific exploration of… Share Details Last Updated Sep 29, 2023 Editor Tricia Talbert Related Terms New HorizonsPlutoThe Kuiper Belt View the full article

3 min read Two NASA Goddard Earth Scientists Receive AGU Awards The American Geophysical Union (AGU) announced this month that two Earth scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, were receiving medals from the organization. Dr. Dalia Kirschbaum was awarded a Joanne Simpson Medal for Mid-Career Scientists, and Dr. John Bolten received the AGU International Award. Kirschbaum is director of Goddard’s Earth Sciences Division, and Bolten leads the center’s Hydrological Sciences Lab. Dr. Dalia Kirschbaum, director of the Earth Science Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., is one of three recipients of the American Geophysical Union’s 2023 Simpson Medal. Credit: NASANASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center “To receive an award named after such a prolific and impactful woman is a true honor,” Kirschbaum said. Dr. Joanne Simpson was the first woman to receive a doctorate in meteorology. As a tribute to her, AGU awards the medal to individuals with exceptional leadership qualities and an unwavering passion for scientific advancement for public service. Like Simpson’s groundbreaking research on tropical clouds and hurricanes, this award highlights mid-career scientists who have also made significant scientific breakthroughs. Kirschbaum is one of three recipients of AGU’s Simpson medal this year. “When I was an intern and Ph.D. researcher, I was fortunate enough to work at NASA and actually sit in Joanne Simpson’s office,” Kirschbaum said. “She had since retired but I was surrounded by her awards, her publications, and her contributions to NASA. She was one of the key scientific leaders to campaign for the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and after the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, which is still flying today. I have worked on TRMM and then GPM for my entire scientific career, which was all enabled by her tenacity, creativity, intelligence, and insight.” The award highlights the achievements of a broad Earth science team working to benefit humanity, Kirschbaum said. TRMM and GPM data, for example, has helped communities around the globe estimate where rainfall-triggered landslides may occur. Bolten’s award likewise commemorates work with a global impact. AGU selected Bolten for their International Award “for dedication to improving lives in Southeast Asia and Africa through development and training in the use of hydrological datasets and tools,” according to their citation. Dr. John Bolten, who leads NASA Goddard’s Hydrological Sciences Lab, received AGU’s 2023 International Award.NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Bolten has developed several research products to aid in water resources management around the world. Much of the work has been supported by NASA’s Applied Science Program, which enables the agency’s data products to deliver societal benefits. Bolten served as the associate program manager for water resources in the program from 2014 to 2022. “It is an incredible honor to serve the international community and to be recognized in this way,” Bolten said. “Thanks and kudos should be shared with the numerous NASA colleagues and collaborators I’ve had the privilege to work with. I am grateful for their contributions and am thrilled to be a part of the NASA family and make a positive impact in the world.” Kirschbaum echoed the globally minded mentality: Among her priorities as director of Goddard’s Earth Sciences Division is to “bring together the best of what NASA provides for societal benefit,” she said. “Our team will continue to innovate and improve these capabilities to support the agency, the nation, and the world.” Kirschbaum, who also received fellowship in AGU as part of her award, and Bolten will be recognized during the organization’s annual meeting in December. Learn more about NASA’s landslide research at https://landslides.nasa.gov, and Goddard’s hydrology lab at https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/earth/hydrology/. By Angel Kumari NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Share Details Last Updated Sep 29, 2023 Editor Rob Garner Contact Rob Garnerrob.garner@nasa.gov Related Terms Goddard Space Flight CenterPeople of GoddardPeople of NASA Explore More 3 min read NASA’s Webb Receives IAF Excellence in Industry Award Article 4 hours ago 5 min read Living on the Edge: Supernova Bubble Expands in New Hubble Time-Lapse Movie Though a doomed star exploded some 20,000 years ago, its tattered remnants continue racing into… Article 9 hours ago 3 min read Hubble Views a Glistening Red Nebula Just in time for the fall foliage season, this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space… Article 9 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli works on microbe samples aboard the International Space Station. Studies newly funded by NASA’s Human Research Program aim to assess how astronauts adjust to spaceflight. Credit: NASA NASA is funding eight new studies aimed at better understanding how the human body reacts to spaceflight. These studies will be done on Earth without the need for samples and data from astronauts. Collectively, these studies will help measure physiological and psychological responses to physical and mental challenges that astronauts may encounter during spaceflight. With this information, NASA may be better able to mitigate risks and protect astronaut health and performance during future long-duration missions to the International Space Station, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The selected research projects were chosen from 60 proposals submitted in response to the 2023 Human Exploration Research Opportunities, Appendix A solicitation. They will address numerous spaceflight risks related to muscle and bone health, sex differences, crew autonomy and behavior, balance and disorientation, and inflammation of the brain or spinal cord. Proposals were independently reviewed by subject matter experts in academia, industry, and government using a dual anonymous peer review process to assess scientific merit. Top scoring proposals were assessed by NASA for relevance to the agency’s Human Research Roadmap before final selections were made. The cumulative award totals about $1.2 million in funding, spread across the projects. Funding for each project will last up to one year. The selected investigators and their teams are: Heather Allaway, Louisiana State University and A&M College, “A time course of bone microarchitectural and material property changes in male and female mice during simulated unloading and spaceflight.” Kelly Crowe, Xavier University, “Assessment of Sialylation in Skeletal Muscle Atrophy due to Simulated Microgravity.” Anthony Lau, College of New Jersey, “Effects of Acute and Protracted Proton Radiation Exposure on Bone Health.” Ranjana Mehta, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, “Characterizing and mitigating the interactive impacts of fatigue- and altered gravity-related stressors on sensorimotor, behavioral, and operational outcomes.” Kathleen Mosier, Teamscape LLC, “Negotiating Crew Autonomy during Space Operations.” Talmo Pereira, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, “Automated deep learning for spaceflight rodent behavior quantification and health phenotyping.” Shubhankar Suman, Georgetown University, “Senescent cell targeting to alleviate space radiation-induced neuroinflammation.” Danyal Turkoglu, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation – Space, “Radioisotope to Enable X-Ray Based Inflight Space Radiology.” ______ NASA’s Human Research Program, or HRP, pursues the best methods and technologies to support safe, productive human space travel. Through science conducted in laboratories, ground-based analogs, and the International Space Station, HRP scrutinizes how spaceflight affects human bodies and behaviors. Such research drives HRP’s quest to innovate ways that keep astronauts healthy and mission-ready as space travel expands to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Explore More 4 min read Science in Space: Week of Sept. 29, 2023 – Fire Safety in Space Article 1 hour ago 5 min read Life Encapsulated: Inside NASA’s Orion for Artemis II Moon Mission Article 1 hour ago 3 min read Government and Industry Collaboration Leads to First Air Taxi Delivery  Article 4 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Living in Space Artemis Human Research Program Space Station Research and Technology View the full article

Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted a variety of scientific investigations during the week ending Sept. 29, 2023, including FLARE. This JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) investigation explores the flammability of materials in microgravity. Current tests of materials that are used in crewed spacecraft do not consider gravity, which significantly affects combustion phenomena. The ability for flames to spread over solid materials, for example, is affected by the forces of buoyancy, which are absent in microgravity. Removing the effects of buoyancy by conducting combustion experiments in microgravity also gives researchers a better understanding of specific flame behaviors. JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa sets up hardware for the FLARE investigation. NASA Other investigations on the space station have examined the behavior, spread, and growth of fire. This work helps guide selection of spacecraft cabin materials, improve understanding of early fire growth behavior, validate models used to determine material flammability, and identify optimal fire suppression techniques. Developing ways to prevent and extinguish fire is of critical importance to the safety of crew members and vehicles in space and in confined spaces such as aircraft on Earth. These settings limit the options for suppressing fires and can be difficult to evacuate from. Burning and Suppression of Solids (BASS) was one of the first investigations to examine how to extinguish a variety of fuels burning in microgravity. Putting out fires in space must consider the geometry of the flame and characteristics of the materials and methods used to extinguish it, as those used on the ground could be ineffective or even make the flame worse. Analysis of 59 BASS burn tests provided data on heat flow, flame size, effects of fuel mixture flow, and other important parameters. BASS-II examined the burning and extinction characteristics of a variety of fuel samples to test the hypothesis that materials burn as well if not better in microgravity than in normal gravity, given adequate ventilation and identical conditions such as pressure, oxygen concentration, and temperature. A number of papers have been published based on results from BASS-II, with findings including a report on the differences between flame spread and fuel regression and comparison of flame spread rates. Image of a flame burning during the BASS experiments on extinguishing burning fuels. NASA Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction – Growth and Extinction Limit (SoFIE-GEL), a research collaboration between NASA and Roscosmos, analyzes how the temperature of a fuel affects material flammability. Researchers report that experimental observations agree with trends predicted by the models. This investigation is the first in a series using the SoFIE insert for the station’s Combustion Integrated Rack. ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti works on the SoFIE-GEL investigation of materials flammability.NASA Saffire is a series of experiments conducted aboard uncrewed Cygnus cargo spacecraft after they depart the station. Using these cargo vehicles provides distance from the crewed station and enables tests of larger fires. Results have shown that a flame spreading over thin fabrics in microgravity reaches a steady spread rate and a limiting length, which can be used to establish the rate of heat release in a spacecraft, and found that reducing pressure slows down the flame spread. A sample of fabric burns inside an uncrewed Cygnus cargo craft for the Saffire-IV experiment. NASA Confined Combustion, sponsored by the ISS National Lab, examines the behavior of flame spread in confined spaces of different shapes. Confinement has been shown to have significant effects on fire characteristics and hazards. Researchers report specifics on interactions between a flame and its surrounding walls and the fate of the flame, such as growth or extinction. These data provide guidance for design of structures and fire safety codes and response in space and on Earth. Other results suggest that confinement can increase or decrease solid fuel flammability depending on conditions. Researchers also demonstrated that color pyrometry – capturing flame emission simultaneously at three broad spectral bands – can determine the temperature of a flame without disrupting its spread. Flame studies help keep crews in space and people on Earth safe. This research also can lead to more efficient combustion, reducing impurities and producing greener and more efficient flames for uses on Earth such as heating and transportation. Facebook logo @ISS @ISS@ISS_Research Instagram logo @ISS Linkedin logo @company/NASA Keep Exploring Discover More Topics Latest News from Space Station Research ISS National Laboratory Station Science 101: Physical Science International Space Station View the full article

5 min read Life Encapsulated: Inside NASA’s Orion for Artemis II Moon Mission Artemis II crew members, shown inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, stand in front of their Orion crew module on Aug. 8, 2023. From left are: Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; Victor Glover, pilot; Reid Wiseman, commander; and Christina Hammock Koch, mission specialist. On NASA’s upcoming Artemis II mission, four astronauts will fly inside the Orion spacecraft and venture around the Moon, becoming the first to lay their eyes on our celestial neighbor at a relatively close distance in more than 50 years. Orion will be home for NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen during their 600,000-mile, nearly 10-day journey. They will live and work in Orion’s crew module while its service module provides the essential commodities astronauts need to stay alive, including potable water and nitrogen and oxygen to breathe. As the first time astronauts will fly aboard Orion, Artemis II will include several objectives to check out many of the spacecraft’s life support systems operating in space for the first time. The crew will provide valuable feedback for future Artemis missions to the Moon. Artemis II crew members inspect their Orion crew module inside the high bay of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Aug. 7, 2023. Spacecraft Life Orion’s cabin has a habitable volume of 330 cubic feet, giving the crew about as much living space as two minivans. After their ride to space atop NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, the crew will stow Koch and Hansen’s seats until the day of return, giving them more room to move around during the flight. The backs of Wiseman and Glover’s seats, as commander and pilot respectively, will remain out but their foot pans will be stowed. Orion has nearly 60 percent more space than the Apollo command module’s 210 cubic feet. A view of the interior of the Orion spacecraft medium-fidelity mockup used for astronaut training and systems familiarization at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. What’s on the Menu? Food scientists in the Space Food Systems Laboratory at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston are working with the crew to pre-select their meals long before departing Earth. While they won’t have the day-to-day options that a space station crew has during their expeditions, the Artemis II astronauts will have a set menu based on their personal preferences and nutritional needs. Orion is outfitted with a water dispenser and food warmer to rehydrate and heat food, and the crew will have dedicated meal times in their schedule to refuel. Artemis II crew members undergo food testing in the Space Food Systems Laboratory at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where they rate and choose foods that they want to bring with them on their journey around the Moon.NASA/James Blair Fit for Flight Each astronaut will dedicate 30 minutes daily to exercise, minimizing the muscle and bone loss that occurs without gravity. Orion is equipped with a flywheel, a small device installed directly below the side hatch used to enter and exit Orion and will conveniently be used as a step when the crew get inside Orion on launch day. The flywheel is a simple cable-based device for aerobic exercises like rowing and resistance workouts like squats and deadlifts. It works like a yo-yo, giving astronauts as much load as they put into it, maxing out at 400 pounds. On the International Space Station, astronauts have several exercise machines that collectively weigh more than 4,000 pounds and occupy about 850 cubic feet. While effective for space station crew members, Orion’s exercise equipment must accommodate more stringent mass and volume constraints. The flywheel weighs approximately 30 pounds and is slightly smaller than a carry-on suitcase. The Artemis II crew will exercise on Orion using a flywheel, a simple cable-based device for aerobic exercises like rowing and resistance workouts like squats and deadlifts. It works like a yo-yo, giving astronauts as much load as they put into it, maxing out at 400 pounds. Keeping it Clean The hygiene bay includes doors for privacy, a toilet, and space for the crew to bring in their personal hygiene kits. The kits typically include items like a hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste, soap, and shaving supplies. Astronauts can’t shower in space but use liquid soap, water, and rinseless shampoo to remain clean. When nature inevitably comes calling, crew members will use Orion’s toilet, the Universal Waste Management System, a feature Apollo crews did not have. Nearly identical to a version flying on NASA’s space station, the system collects urine and feces separately. Urine will be vented overboard while feces are collected in a can and safely stowed for disposal upon return. Should the toilet malfunction, the crew will be able to use collapsible contingency urinals, a system that collects urine in a bag and interfaces with the venting system to send the urine overboard. With two different styles designed to accommodate both females and males, the bags hold about a liter of urine each. Should the UWMS fail, the crew will still use the toilet for fecal collection, only without the fan that helps with fecal separation. A team member at Johnson Space Center in Houston demonstrates lifting the urine hose of the Universal Waste Management System out of its cradled position like a crew member would for use. A funnel (not shown) is attached to the open end of this hose and can then be easily replaced or removed for disinfection. Medical Care In case of minor medical needs during the mission, Orion will have a medical kit on board that includes everything from basic first aid items to diagnostic tools, such as a stethoscope and an electrocardiogram, that can be used to provide data to physicians on the ground. The crew will also have regular private medical conferences with flight surgeons in mission control to discuss their health and well-being. Catching Some Shuteye With a jam-packed schedule, the Artemis II crew will have a full eight hours of sleep built into their schedule to ensure they’re well rested and can make the most of their mission. For most of the mission, all four crew will sleep at the same time, attaching sleeping bags to Orion’s walls for some shuteye. Artemis II crew sleeping bag configurations are tested in the Orion spacecraft medium-fidelity mockup at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, used for astronaut training and systems familiarization. Keeping in Touch Inside Orion, the astronauts will use a handheld microphone and speaker or wear a headset to communicate with mission controllers, conduct medical checks with flight physicians, and catch up with their families. The crew will also have tablets and laptops they can use to review procedures and load entertainment onto before launch. Artemis II will confirm all Orion’s systems operate as designed with crew aboard in the actual environment of deep space. The mission will pave the way for future lunar surface missions, including by the first woman and first person of color, establishing long-term lunar science and exploration capabilities, and inspire the next generation of explorers – The Artemis Generation. About the AuthorErika Peters Share Details Last Updated Sep 29, 2023 Related Terms ArtemisArtemis 2Orion Multi-Purpose Crew VehicleOrion Program Explore More 2 min read Artemis II SLS Rocket Booster Segments Arrive to Kennedy Space Center The 10 booster motor segments for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will help… Article 4 days ago 3 min read New NASA Report Looks at Societal Considerations for Artemis Article 1 week ago 6 min read NASA Kennedy Ready for Artemis II Moon Mission Ground Systems Testing Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

3 min read NASA’s Perseverance Captures Dust-Filled Martian Whirlwind NASA’s Perseverance rover captured this Martian dust devil moving east to west at a clip of about 12 mph (19 kph) along “Thorofare Ridge” on Aug. 30. The video, which was sped up 20 times, is composed of 21 frames taken four seconds apart. It was enhanced in order to show maximal detail.NASA/JPL-Caltech The six-wheeled geologist spotted the twister as part of an atmospheric exploration of Jezero Crater. The lower portion of a Martian dust devil was captured moving along the western rim of Mars’ Jezero Crater by NASA’s Perseverance rover on Aug. 30, 2023, the 899th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The video, which was sped up 20 times, is composed of 21 frames taken four seconds apart by one of the rover’s Navcams. Much weaker and generally smaller than Earth’s tornadoes, dust devils are one of the mechanisms that move and redistribute dust around Mars. Scientists study them to better understand the Martian atmosphere and improve their weather models. Using data from the imagery, mission scientists determined that this particular dust devil was about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) away, at a location nicknamed “Thorofare Ridge,” and moving east to west at about 12 mph (19 kph). They calculated its width to be about 200 feet (60 meters). And while only the bottom 387 feet (118 meters) of the swirling vortex are visible in the camera frame, the scientists could also estimate its full height. “We don’t see the top of the dust devil, but the shadow it throws gives us a good indication of its height,” said Mark Lemmon, a planetary scientist at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and a member of the Perseverance science team. “Most are vertical columns. If this dust devil were configured that way, its shadow would indicate it is about 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) in height.” Dust devils, which occur on Earth as well, form when rising cells of warm air mix with descending columns of cooler air. The Martian versions can grow to be much larger than those found on Earth. And while they are most prominent during the spring and summer months (Mars’ northern hemisphere, where Perseverance is located, is currently in summer), scientists can’t predict when they’ll appear at a specific location. So Perseverance and its fellow NASA Mars rover Curiosity routinely monitor in all directions for them, taking images in black-and-white to reduce the amount of data sent to Earth. More About the Mission A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust). Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis. The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ DC Agle Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-393-9011 agle@jpl.nasa.gov Karen Fox / Alana Johnson NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0668 / 202-672-4780 alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov / karen.c.fox@nasa.gov 2023-138 Share Details Last Updated Sep 29, 2023 Related Terms Jet Propulsion LaboratoryMarsMars Sample Return (MSR)Perseverance (Rover)PlanetsThe Solar System Explore More 5 min read NASA-Led Study Pinpoints Areas of New York City Sinking, Rising Article 2 days ago 5 min read New Simulations Shed Light on Origins of Saturn’s Rings and Icy Moons Article 3 days ago 1 min read Meet the Creators, Part 2 By Miles HatfieldNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Two solar eclipses will cross the United States… Article 3 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

1 min read Huntsville Symphony String Quartet Performs at Marshall By Jessica Barnett NASA Marshall Space Flight Center team members were treated to a special 30-minute performance by musicians from the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra inside Activities Building 4316 on Sept. 21. The string quartet included two violinists, a violist, and a cellist performing several recognizable classical compositions, including Gershwin’s “Summertime” and Mouret’s “Rondeau.” A string quartet of musicians from the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra performs in Marshall’s Activities Building 4316 on Sept. 21. The musicians are, from left, Jennifer Whittle, Joe Lester, Charles Hogue, and Ariana Arcu. Credits: NASA/Christopher Blair The performance was part of “Symphony in the City,” an educational and outreach campaign providing free live performances throughout North Alabama. The string quartet performed earlier that afternoon inside the Java Café for Redstone Arsenal personnel. The Huntsville Symphony Orchestra originally began performing in 1955 and today serves as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering concerts, educational programs and more with leading musicians from around the world. Barnett, a Media Fusion employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. Share Details Last Updated Sep 29, 2023 Related Terms General Explore More 2 min read NASA Publishes Beta Flagship, Science Websites as Improvements Continue Article 22 hours ago 4 min read Eleasa Kim: Supporting NASA’s Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development Program Article 22 hours ago 5 min read Marshall Teams Combine to Make Space Station Science Reality Article 23 hours ago View the full article

3 min read NASA’s Webb Receives IAF Excellence in Industry Award The International Astronautical Federation (IAF) has awarded its Excellence in Industry Award to NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The award will be presented at the 2023 International Astronautical Congress, taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 2 through Oct. 6, 2023. Artist Concept for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.NASA The IAF Excellence in Industry Award is intended to distinguish organizations worldwide for introducing innovative space technologies to the global marketplace. NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy will accept the award on behalf of NASA. The award recognizes the contributions of the team that designed, developed, and now operates Webb, which also includes ESA (European Space Agency), CSA (Canadian Space Agency), NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and Northrop Grumman. “The James Webb Space Telescope continues to astound us,” said Melroy. “We are only a little over a year into Webb’s science mission, and already it has solved longstanding mysteries about the early universe and opened up exciting new questions in the search for habitable worlds. These transformative discoveries are only possible thanks to the massive, international team that worked for decades to make Webb a reality. I can’t wait to see where Webb’s mission to explore the secrets of the universe takes us next.” Launched Dec. 25, 2021, after more than a decade of preparation, Webb successfully performed a complex series of deployments shortly after leaving Earth orbit. About a month later, the telescope reached its working orbit at the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point, a stable orbit in space well beyond that of the Moon. Once there and fully commissioned, the 21-foot (6.5-meter) telescope began its record-breaking work. Webb operates at infrared wavelengths. The combination of sensitive instrumentation with its large primary mirror allows the telescope to see farther and more clearly than any previous observatory of its kind. Discoveries from existing and newly identified targets began to accumulate almost immediately. The first images were unveiled on July 12, 2022. The ever-growing list of Webb discoveries includes direct imaging of exoplanets and the identification of key molecules in their atmospheres; tracking clouds on Saturn’s moon Titan; identifying new details in a cluster of galaxies; imaging the incredibly faint rings around Uranus; capturing the galactic merger of Arp 220; discovering sand-bearing clouds on a remote exoplanet; measuring the temperature of a rocky exoplanet; detecting the most distant active supermassive black hole to date; and observing galaxies seen in their earliest years, when the universe was just 350 million years old – about two percent of its current age. Founded in 1951, the International Astronautical Federation is a space advocacy body with members in 75 countries, including all leading space agencies, companies, research institutions, universities, societies, associations, institutes, and museums worldwide. The Federation advances knowledge about space, supporting the development and application of space assets by promoting global cooperation. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s largest, most powerful, and most complex space science telescope ever built. Webb will solve mysteries in our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency. Rob Gutro NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Share Details Last Updated Sep 29, 2023 Editor Jamie Adkins Location Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Goddard Space Flight CenterJames Webb Space Telescope (JWST) View the full article

3 min read NASA Prize Targets Inclusive Community Building for Tech Development Howard University student Miles Phillips gives NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins a demonstration of his work with lasers during a tour of the Laser Spectroscopy Laboratory at Howard University, Friday, March 31, 2023, in Washington.NASA/Aubrey Gemignani Revolutionary space technology research and development relies on novel ideas across America. To that end, NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) is rolling out an innovative engagement strategy to help enhance outreach efforts, reduce barriers to entry, and attract high-quality proposals from a diverse pool of researchers. A new NASA Space Tech Catalyst Prize sets out to expand the agency’s network of proposers and foster effective engagement approaches within NASA’s Early-Stage Innovations and Partnerships (ESIP) portfolio. Through this prize, NASA will recognize U.S. individuals and/or organizations that share effective best practices on approaches and methods for how they successfully engage underrepresented and diverse space technology innovators, researchers, technologists, and entrepreneurs. “Diversity leads to greater innovation in space technology, better research, deeper discoveries, and achievements in human spaceflight,” said Shahra Lambert, senior advisor for engagement and equity at NASA. “We won’t discover new possibilities alone – it will take the best of all of us to get us there. When we enable more people to participate, we provide space for all possible talent, perspectives, and innovations. This empowers NASA to achieve the greatest success in discovering and expanding knowledge for the benefit of all humanity.” Numerous individuals and/or teams will each be awarded $25,000, and the cohort of winners will be invited to an in-person event at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. During the event, NASA aims to learn industry best practices for engaging and building a diverse community of space technology research and development professionals to inform future NASA plans and grow partnership potential. Applicants may include teachers, mentors, and other individuals. Universities, non-profits, businesses, and other organizations are also encouraged to apply. Interested and eligible individuals and organizations should register and fill out the submission form on the competition website, provide references, and submit a short video. Applicants will be asked to describe the groups they currently engage with, what barriers their engagement approaches have addressed, an explanation of how NASA investment will further their work, and more. “We want to create a network of NASA space technology champions that bring our funding opportunities to their communities and new ideas to NASA,” said Jenn Gustetic, the Early-Stage Innovation and Partnerships director in NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. “The agency can learn a lot from individuals and organizations already doing successful outreach to and engagement with underrepresented groups to inform our future engagement and capacity building efforts to researchers and businesses that haven’t worked with NASA ESIP.” Interested applicants should register online by Feb. 8, 2024. Applications must be completed and submitted by Feb. 22, 2024. For more information about the NASA Space Tech Catalyst Prize and details on eligibility criteria and how to participate, visit: www.spacetechcatalystprize.org The Space Technology Mission Directorate and ESIP annually invests in more than 700 early-stage projects and activities through six programs. Facebook logo @NASATechnology @NASA_Technology Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate NASA Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing NASA bridges its expertise with the ingenuity of industry experts, universities, and the public to help advance space technology solutions. Get Involved Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Share Details Last Updated Sep 29, 2023 Editor Loura Hall Related Terms Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing ProgramSpace Technology Mission Directorate View the full article

4 min read Living on the Edge: Supernova Bubble Expands in New Hubble Time-Lapse Movie NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, ESA, Ravi Sankrit (STScI) Though a doomed star exploded some 20,000 years ago, its tattered remnants continue racing into space at breakneck speeds – and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has caught the action. The nebula, called the Cygnus Loop, forms a bubble-like shape that is about 120 light-years in diameter. The distance to its center is approximately 2,600 light-years. The entire nebula has a width of six full Moons as seen on the sky. Astronomers used Hubble to zoom into a very small slice of the leading edge of this expanding supernova bubble, where the supernova blast wave plows into surrounding material in space. Hubble images taken from 2001 to 2020 clearly demonstrate how the remnant’s shock front has expanded over time, and they used the crisp images to clock its speed. By analyzing the shock’s location, astronomers found that the shock hasn’t slowed down at all in the last 20 years, and is speeding into interstellar space at over half a million miles per hour – fast enough to travel from Earth to the Moon in less than half an hour. While this seems incredibly fast, it’s actually on the slow end for the speed of a supernova shock wave. Researchers were able to assemble a “movie” from Hubble images for a close-up look at how the tattered star is slamming into interstellar space. “Hubble is the only way that we can actually watch what’s happening at the edge of the bubble with such clarity,” said Ravi Sankrit, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. “The Hubble images are spectacular when you look at them in detail. They’re telling us about the density differences encountered by the supernova shocks as they propagate through space, and the turbulence in the regions behind these shocks.” A very close-up look at a nearly two-light-year-long section of the filaments of glowing hydrogen and ionized oxygen shows that they look like a wrinkled sheet seen from the side. “You’re seeing ripples in the sheet that is being seen edge-on, so it looks like twisted ribbons of light,” said William Blair of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. “Those wiggles arise as the shock wave encounters more or less dense material in the interstellar medium.” The time-lapse movie over nearly two decades shows the filaments moving against the background stars but keeping their shape. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Video Credit: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, ESA, STScI; Acknowledgment: NSF's NOIRLab, Akira Fujii , Jeff Hester , Davide De Martin , Travis A. Rector , Ravi Sankrit (STScI), DSS “When we pointed Hubble at the Cygnus Loop we knew that this was the leading edge of a shock front, which we wanted to study. When we got the initial picture and saw this incredible, delicate ribbon of light, well, that was a bonus. We didn’t know it was going to resolve that kind of structure,” said Blair. Blair explained that the shock is moving outward from the explosion site and then it starts to encounter the interstellar medium, the tenuous regions of gas and dust in interstellar space. This is a very transitory phase in the expansion of the supernova bubble where invisible neutral hydrogen is heated to one million degrees Fahrenheit or more by the shock wave’s passage. The gas then begins to glow as electrons are excited to higher energy states and emit photons as they cascade back to low energy states. Further behind the shock front, ionized oxygen atoms begin to cool, emitting a characteristic glow shown in blue. The Cygnus Loop was discovered in 1784 by William Herschel, using a simple 18-inch reflecting telescope. He could have never imagined that a little over two centuries later we’d have a telescope powerful enough to zoom in on a very tiny slice of the nebula for this spectacular view. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, in Washington, D.C. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Video Credits: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, ESA, STScI; Acknowledgment: NSF's NOIRLab, Akira Fujii , Jeff Hester , Davide De Martin , Travis A. Rector , Ravi Sankrit (STScI), DSS Share Details Last Updated Sep 29, 2023 Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Contact Related Terms Astrophysics Division Goddard Space Flight Center Hubble Space Telescope Missions Nebulae Science Mission Directorate The Universe Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Stars Stories Galaxies Stories James Webb Space Telescope Our Solar System View the full article

3 min read Hubble Views a Glistening Red Nebula NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, ESA/Hubble, R. Sahai Just in time for the fall foliage season, this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features a glistening scene in red. It reveals a small region of the nebula Westerhout 5, which lies about 7,000 light-years from Earth. Suffused with bright red light, this luminous image hosts a variety of interesting features, including a free-floating Evaporating Gaseous Globule (frEGG). The frEGG in this image is the small tadpole-shaped dark region in the upper center-left. This buoyant-looking bubble is lumbered with two names – [KAG2008] globule 13 and J025838.6+604259. FrEGGs are a particular class of Evaporating Gaseous Globules (EGGs). Both frEGGs and EGGs are denser regions of gas that photoevaporate less easily than the less dense gas surrounding them. Photoevaporation occurs when gas is ionized and dispersed away by an intense source of radiation – typically young, hot stars releasing vast amounts of ultraviolet (UV) light. EGGs were identified fairly recently, most notably at the tips of the iconic Pillars of Creation captured by Hubble in 1995. FrEGGs were classified even more recently and are distinguished from EGGs because they are detached and have a distinct ‘head-tail’ shape. FrEGGs and EGGs are of particular interest because their density makes it more difficult for intense UV radiation, found in regions rich in young stars, to penetrate them. Their relative opacity means that the gas within them is protected from ionization and photoevaporation. Astronomers think this is important for the formation of protostars, and that many FrEGGs and EGGs play host to the birth of new stars. FrEGGs are a particular class of Evaporating Gaseous Globules (EGGs). Both frEGGs and EGGs are denser regions of gas that photoevaporate less easily than the less dense gas surrounding them. Photoevaporation occurs when gas is ionized and dispersed away by an intense source of radiation – typically young, hot stars releasing vast amounts of ultraviolet (UV) light. EGGs were identified fairly recently, most notably at the tips of the iconic Pillars of Creation captured by Hubble in 1995. FrEGGs were classified even more recently and are distinguished from EGGs because they are detached and have a distinct ‘head-tail’ shape. FrEGGs and EGGs are of particular interest because their density makes it more difficult for intense UV radiation, found in regions rich in young stars, to penetrate them. Their relative opacity means that the gas within them is protected from ionization and photoevaporation. Astronomers think this is important for the formation of protostars, and that many FrEGGs and EGGs play host to the birth of new stars. The frEGG in this image is a dark spot in the sea of red light. The red color is a type of light emission known as H-alpha emission. H-alpha occurs when a very energetic electron within a hydrogen atom loses a set amount of its energy, releasing this distinctive red light as it becomes less energetic. Text credit: European Space Agency (ESA) Media Contact: Claire Andreoli NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD claire.andreoli@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Sep 29, 2023 Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Contact Related Terms Astrophysics Division Goddard Space Flight Center Hubble Space Telescope Missions Nebulae Science Mission Directorate The Universe Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Stars Stories Galaxies Stories Exoplanets Our Solar System View the full article

NASA’s Psyche Mission to a Metal-Rich Asteroid (Teaser Trailer)

NASA has switched its primary World Wide Web addresses to a beta version of the new NASA.gov and science.nasa.gov websites, continuing the long-term development and consolidation of its public web presence. The new sites will offer visitors an improved, intuitive web design and elevated user experience. The ongoing work on the agency’s upgraded website is the first step to a broad new digital experience from NASA, which will include a new on-demand streaming service called NASA + and an updated NASA app. This enhanced digital presence will allow the space agency to share science, research, exploration, and innovation with the world through cohesive platforms, encouraging users to spend more time experiencing the universe through the eyes of NASA. This new site will be the foundation of a one-stop-shop for the agency’s missions and research, climate data, Artemis updates and more. The new, topic-driven experience will ensure easier, integrated access to NASA information currently found across the agency’s many websites. Design features of the new site include enlarged image formats and NASA’s collection of imagery covering all agency research and programs. NASA will continue to update and improve the site on a rolling-basis as it receives feedback from website visitors. This is the eighth significant update for NASA’s website, which first launched in 1993. The site won the Webby Award for best government website four times, and received the People’s Voice, voted on by the public 10 times. The agency will continue to connect NASA websites and multimedia libraries into this new digital experience to further streamline the information shared across its centers, missions, and programs. Share Details Last Updated Sep 28, 2023 Related Terms General View the full article

The following resources relevant to the Commercial Law Practice Group are available on this site. Note: the information below is updated annually, and users of this web page will need to verify the accuracy of the citations and the information contained in the web links: 1. Statutes A. Commercial Commercial Space Competitiveness Act: Definitions — 51 U.S.C. § 50501 Anchor Tenancy and Termination Liability — 51 U.S.C. § 50503 Title 51 Chapter 509, formerly the Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984– Commercial Space Act of 1998, Title II — P.L. 105-303 Commercial Use of Government Facilities –15 U.S.C. § 5807 Cross-Waiver/Indemnification Authority (user of space vehicle) — 42 U.S.C.§ 2458b Cross-Waiver/Indemnification Authority (developer of experimental aerospace vehicle) — 42 U.S.C. § 2458c Launch Voucher Demonstration Program — 15 U.S.C. § 5803 Shuttle Pricing Policy — 42 U.S.C. § 2466 Space Shuttle Use Policy — 51 U.S.C. § 70102 B. Miscellaneous Acquisition of Space Science Data — 51 U.S.C. § 50113 Charges for Use of Government Services — 31 U.S.C.§ 9701 Disclosure of Confidential Information — 18 U.S.C. § 1905 Joint Development of NASA Wind Tunnels – 50 U.S.C. Chapter 20 Landsat — 51 U.S.C. § § 60111-113 Special Maritime & Territorial Jurisdiction of US — 18 U.S.C. § 7 Sources of Earth Science Data — 51 USC § 50115 Stevenson Wydler Act — 15 U.S.C. § 3701 et seq. V2 2. Presidential Directives Convergence of U.S. Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite Systems (PDDNSTC-2) Landsat Remote Sensing Strategy U.S. National Space Policy (NSPD-49)(PDF) U.S. Space Transportation Policy (NSPD-40)(PDF) National Space Policy of the United States (June 28, 2010)(PDF) 3. Relevant Regulations Cross-Waiver of Liability — 14 CFR Part 1266 (PDF) Cooperative Agreements with Commercial Firms — 14 CFR Part 1274 (PDF) Duty-Free Entry of Space Articles — 14 CFR Part 1217 (PDF) Space Flight — 14 CFR Part 1214 (PDF) 4. Relevant NASA Policies and Management Instructions Authority to Enter into Space Act Agreements (NPD 1050) 5. Relevant NASA Web Sites NASA Export Control Program (ECP) Office of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR) 6. Relevant Federal and Other Web Sites FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Export Enforcement Department of Justice Office of Information Policy (OIP) FOIA View the full article

Navigate Space: Space Communications and Navigation Workbook Grades 8 – 12 NASA navigates throughout the solar system and beyond, revealing the mysteries of the universe. In this workbook, you’ll use basic mathematics concepts to explore space navigation. We’ll use simplified, real-world examples supplied by navigation engineers to delve deep into the exciting world of space exploration. As NASA goes forward to the Moon and journeys on to Mars, maybe you could be the one to plan our next big mission! Navigate Space Workbook Workbook Answers NASA’s Search and Rescue Coloring Book Grades K – 3 Satellite-aided search and rescue is a collaborative effort involving a number of national and international organizations. The international Cospas-Sarsat Programme was founded in 1979 to provide timely, accurate and reliable location data to first responders. The U.S. serves on the Cospas-Sarsat Council and a number of U.S. agencies are instrumental in ensuring the robustness of the search and rescue network. NASA lends its expertise in technology development through their Search and Rescue (SAR) office. NASA’s SAR office is based out of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and is a project of their Exploration and Space Communications projects division. Programmatic oversight is provided by NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program office at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Search and Rescue Coloring Book SCaN Student Zone Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) View the full article

4 min read Eleasa Kim: Supporting NASA’s Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development Program Eleasa Kim is a payload project integrator in Marshall’s Human Exploration Development and Operations Division.Credits: NASA/MIck Speer For Eleasa Kim, being part of NASA’s Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development Program, also known as CLDP, is the perfect combination of working with technology and helping people. As the payload project integrator for CLDP supporting NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s Human Exploration Development and Operations Division, Kim supports NASA and commercial entities that want to be part of the agency’s burgeoning commercial low Earth orbit economy. As NASA works to transition science operations from the International Space Station to commercial space stations, Kim is working to ensure a smooth transition for the science being conducted in microgravity for the benefit of humanity. “What inspires me every day is being trusted by CLDP and Marshall to represent payloads operations in these critical stages of commercial space station development,” Kim said. “I get a front row seat as I offer my expertise and passion to help further this mission in making the spaceflight team operating in low Earth orbit even bigger and more sustainable with commercial partnerships.” Kim’s path to NASA began with an aptitude test taken at her high school in Opelika, Alabama, that revealed she would do well working in public service. She also enjoyed anatomy and biology classes and had an interest in technology. During her sophomore year, a teacher suggested she would make a great engineer. Stem cell research was beginning to make headlines, and she decided to pursue her bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering at Vanderbilt University. She also earned a master’s degree in biotech research from Northwestern University. When evaluating the next step in her journey, she evaluated Ph. D. programs and industry jobs. “I love people, technology, and teams – working on a team and having a shared goal,” Kim said. “And I like results.” In 2007, Kim landed a job on a NASA contract at Johnson Space Center, working for Wyle Laboratories as a biomedical engineer flight controller in Mission Control supporting the hardware for astronauts in space. “Until then, NASA had not been on my radar at all, but I thought, ‘Wow, that’s a cool opportunity,’ and it aligned with those things that are most fulfilling to me,” she said. Kim supported the operations for crew health and medical equipment on the space station. This included medications, exercise hardware, and environmental sampling equipment. For Space Shuttle mission STS-119 and Increments 27 and 28, she managed the full mission complement of activities and hardware resupply and return. She also trained new biomedical engineer flight controllers. “It was very hard, but I love challenges and working hard,” Kim said. “And I like working on a team. And that’s exactly what it was. It had the hardware side of things – the building and fixing of things, because the space station was being assembled and hardware rarely works exactly how you think it will in microgravity. And it also had the human aspect of supporting crew health.” Kim joined the Marshall team in 2014 and has worked as a science payload planner for station and worked a short time on the safety team supporting payloads for the Artemis I mission. She also did systems integration for the Microgravity and Life Science Glovebox teams. After working on various support contracts for about 15 years, she was hired by NASA as a civil servant in 2020. During the first few years as a civil servant, Kim provided technical leadership for the mission planning branch of the Payload and Mission Operations Division at Marshall. While in this role, one of the part-time tasks she fulfilled was providing subject matter expert support for CLDP. In spring of this year, that part-time role became a full-time position. Kim said she is looking forward to seeing the commercial low Earth orbit economy develop in the years to come. NASA is working with commercial teams to develop commercial space stations and the services that will be needed to support them. “When the space station retires, the plan is for us to continue to fly and get our astronauts experience in microgravity and low-Earth orbit as well as execute science in microgravity and low-Earth orbit,” she said. “We want to be one of many users of commercial space stations. “What I’m most excited for now is that NASA is leveling up by supporting the creation of commercial space stations and destinations. I have a lot of passion for our mission – me in this role is where I’m meant to be right now.” Share Details Last Updated Sep 28, 2023 Related Terms General Explore More 2 min read NASA Publishes Beta Flagship, Science Websites as Improvements Continue Article 6 hours ago 5 min read Marshall Teams Combine to Make Space Station Science Reality Article 7 hours ago 4 min read Marshall Bids Farewell to Former Center Director with Retirement Ceremony Article 7 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

5 min read Marshall Teams Combine to Make Space Station Science Reality By Gina Hannah and Jonathan Deal For more than 20 years, astronauts aboard the International Space Station have worked diligently on science experiments that benefit humanity on Earth and in deep space. Getting these experiments to and from space is a multi-faceted effort across the agency. Teams at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center have combined their world class capabilities – before and after these experiments return from the space station – to make that cutting-edge science a reality. One experiment that recently returned from station is a perfect example of how the teams work together. The experiment titled “Growth of Ternary Compound Semiconductors” seeks to study crystal growth in microgravity, specifically focusing on ZnSe (zinc selenide) compounds and one of their potential applications in high-powered lasers operating in the infrared wavelengths. Chris Honea, a NASA Marshall Space Flight Center technician supporting payloads, unwraps a payload Aug. 18 for semiconductor research that recently arrived from the International Space Station. The experiment studied crystal growth in microgravity.NASA Six SCAs (Sample Cartridge Assemblies) launched to the space station as part of the SpaceX Commercial Resupply Service Mission-24. Using the Materials Science Laboratory on station, it aimed to cultivate crystals of zinc selenide, zinc selenide telluride, and chromium-doped zinc selenide using the physical vapor transport method. But what set this experiment apart was its core objective: to discern how gravity-driven fluid flows influenced the structural, electrical, and optical characteristics of these crystals when compared to their counterparts grown on Earth. As the crystals began to form, scientists, personnel from space station project office, and the thermal team of Marshall’s Test Lab, monitored their progress. In the unique environment of microgravity, fluid dynamics took on a new dimension, and the crystals flourished under those conditions. “Without gravity, we have better control because weight itself can cause defects and affect the growth pattern,” said Dr. Ching Hua Su, the experiment’s principal investigator. “Our main goal is to study the effect of gravity on vapor transport crystal growth. When dealing with materials that melt at higher temperatures, vapor growth lowers the temperature and contributes fewer defects. That’s why we chose zinc selenide for our applications.” Su is a member of the Materials Science and Metallurgy Branch in Marshall’s Materials and Processing Lab. That team also works on the engineering projects ranging from additive manufacturing, welding to metallurgy for fuel tanks and engines. On Earth, quality ZnSe-based crystals are used in various optical applications, with implications for cutting edge-technologies such as optical windows, infrared lasers, and optical wavelength conversion devices. Being able to conduct the experiment in a microgravity environment, scientists have gained insights that could enhance the quality of these crystals, thus paving the way for revolutionary advances in optical technology. “We are now on the brink of completing our sixth flight experiment,” Su said. We are eager to compare our space-grown samples with those from the ground, conducting two more runs on this duplicate furnace in the test lab at Marshall to facilitate direct comparisons.Take time to debrief after success or conflict. Listen, then restate messages to make sure they're understood. Dr. Ching Hua Su Materials Science and Metallurgy Branch in Marshall’s Materials and Processing Lab Ensuring the science conducted on the payload is successful is a team effort, and work on the mission begins years before the payload launches. “We have a payload operation integration specialist and a payload activity requirement coordinator who work with the payload developer to write procedures and document timing constraints,” said Jennifer McMillian, payload operations manager for the International Space Station Increment 69 management team. Those procedures include determining the length of the experiment, proper installation of the cartridge, and defining the type of ground support needed. Planners then work those activities into the mission timeline so the payload can be scheduled into the workflow on the Materials Science Research Rack after it arrives on the space station. Scheduling the work takes into consideration both crew time and station resources, including power, water, and the vacuum exhaust system. “We’re involved in all of the planning. We have the whole increment team that is working on building a plan, say, six months out, and then refining that plan daily as we get closer to execution,” McMillian said. Once the payload enters the rack, the team’s work is round-the-clock. “When we get to real-time execution, the payload rack officers here are responsible for commanding to the rack, applying all of the resources to that rack to enable the science,” she said. The astronauts will use the instructions written by the payload operations integration specialist to process the run, usually for about a week. The process is repeated for each of the samples in the payload before being returned to Earth. The work is an international effort. As payloads are being processed, a team at Marshall monitors the rack, and a European Space Agency team in Munich, Germany, adjusts parameters for each specific investigation in the rack, McMillian said. “When we’re in the middle of execution, we’re in the monitoring phase, and react to any anomalous situation we may see,” she said. With the crystals now back on Earth, Su and his team are hoping the experiment will lead to new frontiers in crystal growth and the endless possibilities it holds for both space and terrestrial applications. Hannah, a Media Fusion employee, supports Marshall’s Office of Communications and Strategic Analysis, and Deal, a public affairs officer, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. Share Details Last Updated Sep 28, 2023 Related Terms General Explore More 2 min read NASA Publishes Beta Flagship, Science Websites as Improvements Continue Article 6 hours ago 4 min read Eleasa Kim: Supporting NASA’s Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development Program Article 7 hours ago 4 min read Marshall Bids Farewell to Former Center Director with Retirement Ceremony Article 7 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

4 Min Read Marshall Bids Farewell to Former Center Director with Retirement Ceremony Former Center Director Jody Singer, left, hugs Acting Center Director Joseph Pelfrey after being presented with a plaque honoring her 38 years with NASA and Marshall. The plaque was made with wood from Building 4200, which Singer decided to have demolished during her tenure, and flags that flew on the last Challenger mission and Artemis I. Credits: NASA/Charles Beason By Jessica Barnett Hundreds filled Activities Building 4316 on Sept. 21 to offer their best wishes to former NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Director Jody Singer as she takes on her next big adventure: retirement. Marshall team members brought gifts, recorded messages, and lined up for a hug or handshake with Singer as part of the celebration. A select few were invited to stand on stage and speak about Singer’s many career accomplishments, as well as how deeply she would be missed. We have SLS (Space Launch System) in part because of the hard work of Jody, and that’s pretty amazing. Bob Cabana NASA Associate Administrator “All that she did led up to her being the deputy director at Marshall, and from there, an amazing five-year tenure as the director.” added Cabana. Singer joined NASA in 1985 as an engineer and then supported the Space Shuttle program in 1986. In all, she was involved in 110 shuttle missions. She was named the first female project manager for the Reusable Solid Rocket Booster Project in 2002 and was holding three deputy positions simultaneously just eight years later. Eight years after that, in 2018, she became Marshall’s first female center director, overseeing 7,000 employees, a $5 billion budget, and one of NASA’s largest field installations. Singer retired July 29. Joseph Pelfrey, who took over as Marshall’s acting center director, said he’s learned just how heavy a load Singer carried in his few weeks in the role. “It can’t be overstated the impact that Jody had on our center, on our agency, and especially me, personally,” Pelfrey said. “To believe in me, to believe in the people that followed you – it’s your way of paying it forward, as you always said, and it can’t be overstated how much we appreciate that.” Singer received numerous awards during her 38-year career with NASA, and the recognition continued at her retirement ceremony. Cabana joined NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails in presenting Singer with the Distinguished Service Medal, NASA’s highest honor, along with pins from 68 International Space Station missions, plus an Alabama flag and U.S. flag that flew on the Orion spacecraft for Exploration Flight Test-1 and Artemis I. Singer, far left, stands next to a portrait of herself after its unveiling at her retirement ceremony Sept. 21. Joining behind her, from left, are Pelfrey, Marshall Associate Director Rae Ann Meyer, and Marshall Associate Director, Technical, Larry Leopard.Credits: NASA/Charles Beason Pelfrey, along with Marshall Associate Director, Technical, Larry Leopard, who emceed the ceremony, presented Singer with a plaque honoring her time at Marshall. The plaque was made with wood from Building 4200, which Singer decided to have demolished during her tenure, and flags that flew on the last Challenger mission and Artemis I. “Jody has inspired countless young people, especially young women, to pursue careers in STEM, and she has personally dedicated her career to mentoring the next generation of explorers and leaders,” Leopard said. “I can personally say she left Marshall better than she found it.” ‘Who we are’ When it was her turn at the microphone, Singer offered thanks to the long list of team members-turned-friends she has worked with and received support from over the years. “It makes a big difference, having folks you can call up and rely on,” she said. “You can’t do it by yourself. It has to be a team, and I couldn’t have had better partners in this journey.” She said despite multiple reassurances that she would know when the time was right to retire, the decision was far from easy. Singer, center right, poses for a selfie with her former coworkers Sept. 21 during her retirement ceremony. Joining her, from left, are Pelfrey, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails, and NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana.NASA/Charles Beason I’m not a quitter, and I love what we do. I love the passion for our mission, I love all the folks, and it’s really, really hard to decide when it is time. Jody Singer Former Marshall Space Flight Center Director “But then I look around and I see the teams, I see the leadership we have, and when you see such talent and passion, and knowing there are people that could do it a lot better than I ever thought about doing it, that’s when I know it’s time,” said Singer. Singer said she’s looking forward to seeing what Marshall accomplishes under the next director’s leadership, and she offered this bit of advice to team members: “Don’t forget who we are at Marshall. Where else can you say you’re a center that launches, you land, you live in space, you help people learn, you have science, leading-edge technology and manufacturing? There is nothing wrong with being proud of the expertise that Marshall brings to the game. It just doesn’t get any better.” Meanwhile, she added, “I’ll always be counting on you, fighting for you, and most of all, being so proud to be part of a team like this.” Barnett, a Media Fusion employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. About the AuthorBeth Ridgeway Share Details Last Updated Sep 28, 2023 Related Terms General Explore More 2 min read NASA Publishes Beta Flagship, Science Websites as Improvements Continue Article 6 hours ago 4 min read Eleasa Kim: Supporting NASA’s Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development Program Article 7 hours ago 5 min read Marshall Teams Combine to Make Space Station Science Reality Article 7 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

5 min read Take 5 with Brad Zavodsky Brad Zavodsky is the mission manager for NASA’s Psyche Asteroid Mission for the Planetary Missions Program Office at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center.Credits: NASA/Brian Mulac By Wayne Smith Brad Zavodsky’s interest in science piqued at a young age. Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, both of his parents were teachers and they instilled in him a sense of curiosity about the world. “My dad was a middle school science teacher and he was great at communicating science and helping others understand how the world works,” said Zavodsky, the mission manager of NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission for the Planetary Missions Program Office at Marshall Space Flight Center. “I like to say that working in the program office takes me back to being a student, staring in wonder at pictures of the planets in textbooks. Now, I get to work on projects that are re-writing those same books! I really enjoy sharing the planetary missions’ scientific discoveries with my family and giving back to those who first cultivated my scientific interest.” The Psyche mission – a journey to a unique metal-rich asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter – is scheduled to launch Oct. 5 on a Falcon Heavy from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. What makes the asteroid Psyche unique is that it appears to be the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet, one of the building blocks of our solar system. Psyche is part of NASA’s Discovery Program, also managed by Marshall. Zavodsky’s sense of curiosity continues to drive him. He is also motivated and shares the enthusiasm of PIs (principal investigators) and science teams in the Planetary Missions program. “Our PIs are extraordinary leaders in their scientific disciplines and have worked their whole careers to get to the point where they are leading a mission for NASA,” Zavodsky said. “It is exciting to be able to help them achieve their goals and objectives.” Just being a small part of the revolutionary science data that our projects collect pushes me to do my best every day. Brad Zavodsky Mission manager of NASA’s Psyche Question: What are your primary responsibilities as program manager for the Psyche mission? Zavodsky: I am responsible for ensuring the project has the resources necessary to successfully accomplish the mission. I am also responsible for overseeing the technical, cost, and schedule aspects of the project and ensuring that stakeholders within NASA are informed about any risks in those areas. The goal is to enhance the probability of mission success through providing this oversight. Additionally, I help the project navigate NASA processes and procedures, specifically the NASA Space Flight Program and project management requirements to confirm that they are compliant with all the necessary requirements to prepare them for gate reviews and decisional meetings. Question: What excites you most about the future of human space exploration and your team’s role in it? Zavodsky: The planetary bodies we target are unique, and many times, the first time humans have visited a location in our solar system. Psyche is humanity’s first visit to a metal asteroid. We have visited rocky bodies like Mercury and asteroids, icy bodies like comets, and gas bodies like Jupiter and Saturn, but this will be the first time we have visited a metal body. One of Psyche’s objectives is to identify whether the Psyche asteroid is a remnant planet core like Earth’s core, which could teach us about the early history of our own planet. Some of our other projects are targeting Jupiter’s moon, Europa, and Saturn’s moon, Titan, to identify environments that may sustain or once may have sustained life. It is exciting to have a front row seat for these types of exploration projects that are helping to solve some of humanity’s longest-standing questions about the universe. Question: What has been the proudest moment of your career and why? Zavodsky: I had the opportunity to support the acquisition process for the 2019 Discovery Program Announcement of Opportunity. I assisted the program scientist in preparing the panels that reviewed the various mission concepts, managing the review process, and communicating the results of the review to decision makers at NASA Headquarters. Being in that role allowed me to participate in several decisional meetings at headquarters, which provided incredible insight into how NASA selects missions and the types of programmatic considerations that are required when making such decisions. This Announcement of Opportunity ultimately led to the selection of the DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) and VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) missions to Venus, the first NASA missions to our neighbor planet in over three decades. When those missions were announced by the NASA administrator, I was extremely proud to have played a role in the process. Question: What advice do you have for employees early in their NASA career or those in new leadership roles? Zavodsky: When presented with new work or training opportunities, say yes. Trust that your supervisor is putting you in a position to learn a valuable skill and setting you up to succeed. If you are not getting those opportunities, communicate to your supervisor about your willingness to learn new skills or try a new role. Taking stretch assignments or accepting a new role can be intimidating, but every job requires some on-the-job training, so you can never expect to be an expert on day one. While you may not feel like you have all the experience needed, if you identify others who have experience, establish good relationships, and ask lots of good questions, you can accomplish anything. Question: What do you enjoy doing with your time while away from work? Zavodsky: I enjoy watching sports during my time away from work. Having grown up in Cincinnati, I am a lifelong Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals, and University of Cincinnati Bearcats basketball fan. Since moving to Huntsville in 2005, I have also become a big University of Alabama football fan.” Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. Share Details Last Updated Sep 28, 2023 Related Terms General Explore More 2 min read NASA Publishes Beta Flagship, Science Websites as Improvements Continue Article 6 hours ago 4 min read Eleasa Kim: Supporting NASA’s Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development Program Article 7 hours ago 5 min read Marshall Teams Combine to Make Space Station Science Reality Article 7 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

5 min read Countdown to Psyche: Marshall Aids Preparations for Asteroid Mission, Key Technology Payload By Rick Smith When the Psyche spacecraft lifts off Oct. 5 to rendezvous with a distant, metal-rich asteroid – and test an innovative new communications system on the way – management teams at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center will be watching keenly. Psyche is the 14th planetary exploration mission in NASA’s Discovery program, which is managed for the agency by Marshall – as is the TDM (Technology Demonstration Missions) program, which funds the DSOC (Deep Space Optical Communications) project. Brad Zavodsky, left, Psyche mission manager in Marshall’s Planetary Missions Program Office, and Joel Robinson, Deep Space Optical Communications mission manager at Marshall, ponder a scale model of the Psyche spacecraft, which will be launched Oct. 5 on a mission to study a metal-rich asteroid deep in our solar system and will test innovative laser-based communications during the spacecraft’s transit around the Sun.Credits: NASA/Mick Speer “We ensure the project teams have all the resources they need to execute the project, monitor costs and schedules to keep the project on track and on time, and work closely with the payload and launch teams throughout the flight mission,” said Brad Zavodsky, Psyche mission manager in Marshall’s Planetary Missions Program Office. Joel Robinson, DSOC mission manager at Marshall, concurs. He and Zavodsky serve as “conduits,” he said, between directorate-level technology and science leadership at NASA Headquarters and the Psyche and DSOC project leadership – both of which, serendipitously, are managed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The program office teams at Marshall include program planning and control personnel, independent technical authorities, and procurement and acquisition specialists. These technical experts provide the Psyche and DSOC missions with all necessary guidance and direction throughout their respective development and programmatic life cycles. “That means a number of presentations, weekly telecons, and periodic reviews,” Robinson said, “but it’s all worth it as we count down to launch. All that oversight helps facilitate delivery of a robust payload – one that’s ready for launch and ready to extend humanity’s reach into the solar system.” Led by principal investigator Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton at Arizona State University, Psyche is set to be lofted to space on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy – the first interplanetary launch of that rocket – from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 9:34 a.m. CDT on Oct. 5. Powered by solar electric propulsion, Psyche’s flight to the asteroid will take six years; it will reach its destination in 2029 and begin a 26-month period of scheduled scientific observations, gathering images and data to shed new light on the asteroid’s history and composition. The Psyche asteroid, orbiting the Sun in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, measures roughly 173 miles at its widest point. Researchers are keen to determine whether it may have been the core of a planetesimal, part of an early planet. “We know a good deal about Earth’s core, but we can’t study it directly because of its depth below the crust and mantle,” Zavodsky said. “Investigating Psyche is perhaps the closest we can come. Studying its composition and structure is an exciting opportunity to learn more about such objects in space – and perhaps a little something about our own planet as well.” Should the Psyche spacecraft encounter challenges during flight, Zavodsky’s team will assist mission managers at JPL and Arizona State University, for whom Marshall oversees the project management and principal investigator contracts. “We’ll maintain direct engagement with the project team and NASA decision-making authorities,” he said. “Should an issue arise, the project will be prepared to stand up anomaly response teams to understand and resolve those challenges. Our program office will support that effort as needed.” Meanwhile, the DSOC technology demonstrator is set to pursue its own mission, sending and receiving test data from Earth using a near-invisible infrared laser and sensitive photon-counting camera. It will mark NASA’s farthest-ever test of high-bandwidth optical communications – paving the way for broadband communications when NASA sends astronauts to Mars. “We’re tackling the twin issues of bandwidth and transmission rate to expand and refine our data-gathering ability from missions beyond the Moon,” Robinson said. “We can’t transmit data faster than the speed of light, but we can do far more with advanced optical systems of the same size and power requirements as traditional radio systems.” Building on the Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration mission flown on the International Space Station in 2013 and the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, launched to geostationary orbit above Earth in 2021, the DSOC effort is the first to experiment with ultra-long-range, laser-based communications. “It’s exciting to take optical communications capabilities into deep space for the first time,” Robinson said. DSOC could deliver 10 to 100 times the data current radio systems are capable of transmitting, with far greater precision and clarity. Joel Robinson DSOC mission manager at Marshall DSOC will test its optical transmission capabilities at and beyond a range of 1 astronomical unit, which is about 93 million miles – or the distance from the Sun to Earth. Psyche proves to be the perfect means to that end, requiring a gravity-assisting pass around the Sun in order to accelerate on its journey to the Psyche asteroid. JPL laser researchers in California will send optical data to the DSOC payload during pre-conjunction – the period before the spacecraft is blocked by the Sun itself – and again during post-conjunction. Smith, a Manufacturing Technical Solutions employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. Share Details Last Updated Sep 28, 2023 Related Terms General Explore More 2 min read NASA Publishes Beta Flagship, Science Websites as Improvements Continue Article 6 hours ago 4 min read Eleasa Kim: Supporting NASA’s Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development Program Article 7 hours ago 5 min read Marshall Teams Combine to Make Space Station Science Reality Article 7 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

Screenshot of Copernicus with the Artemis I trajectoryNASA/JSC Copernicus, a generalized spacecraft trajectory design and optimization system, is capable of solving a wide range of trajectory problems such as planet or moon centered trajectories, libration point trajectories, planet-moon transfers and tours, and all types of interplanetary and asteroid/comet missions. Latest News January 21, 2022: Copernicus Version 5.2 is now available. This update includes many bug fixes and various new features and refinements. June 17, 2021: Copernicus was selected as winner of the 2021 NASA Software of the Year Award. March 4, 2021: Copernicus Version 5.1 is now available. This updates includes many bug fixes and various new features and refinements. June 26, 2020: Copernicus Version 5.0 is now available. This is a significant update to Copernicus and includes: A new modern Python-based GUI that is now cross-platform and fully functional on Windows, Linux, and macOS, 3D graphics upgrades including antialiasing and celestial body shadowing, a new Python scripting interface, many other new features and options, and bug fixes. May 1, 2018: Copernicus Version 4.6 is now available. The release includes the following changes: a new cross-platform JSON kernel file format, various new reference frame features, including new capabilities for user-defined reference frame plugins, and numerous bug fixes and other minor enhancements. January 24, 2018: Copernicus Version 4.5 is now available. The new version includes a new experimental Mac version, faster exporting of segment data output files (including the addition of a new binary HDF5 format), some new GUI tools, new plugin capabilities, and numerous other new features and bug fixes. October 1, 2016: Copernicus Version 4.4 is now available. The new version includes 3D graphics improvements and various other new features and bug fixes. February 8, 2016: Copernicus Version 4.3 is now available. The new version includes updates to the plugin interface, a new differential corrector solution method, updated SPICE SPK files, updates to the Python interface, new training videos, as well as numerous other refinements and bug fixes. July 21, 2015: Copernicus Version 4.2 is now available. The update includes further refinements to the new plugin feature, as well as various other new features and some bug fixes. April 13, 2015: Copernicus Version 4.1 is now available. This update includes a new plugin architecture to enable extending Copernicus with user-created algorithms. It also includes a new Python interface, as well as various other new features and bug fixes. August 13, 2014: Copernicus Version 4.0 is now available. This is an update to version 3.1, which was released in June 2012. The new release includes many new features, bug fixes, performance and stability improvements, as well as a redesigned GUI, a new user guide, and full compatibility with Windows 7. The update is recommended for all Copernicus users. Development The Copernicus Project started at the University of Texas at Austin in August 2001. In June 2002, a grant from the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) was used to develop the first prototype which was completed in August 2004. In the interim, support was also received from NASA’s In Space Propulsion Program and from the Flight Dynamics Vehicle Branch of Goddard Spaceflight Center. The first operational version was completed in March 2006 (v1.0). The initial development team consisted of Dr. Cesar Ocampo and graduate students at the University of Texas at Austin Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics. Since March 2007, primary development of Copernicus has been at the Flight Mechanics and Trajectory Design Branch of JSC. Request Copernicus The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 and a series of subsequent legislation recognized transfer of federally owned or originated technology to be a national priority and the mission of each Federal agency. The legislation specifically mandates that each Federal agency have a formal technology transfer program, and take an active role in transferring technology to the private sector and state and local governments for the purposes of commercial and other application of the technology for the national benefit. In accordance with NASA’s obligations under mandating legislation, JSC makes Copernicus available free of charge to other NASA centers, government contractors, and universities, under the terms of a US government purpose license. Organizations interested in obtaining Copernicus should click here. For Copernicus-based analysis requests or specific Copernicus modifications that would support your project, please contact Gerald L. Condon (gerald.l.condon@nasa.gov) at the NASA Johnson Space Center. Current Version The current version of Copernicus is 5.2 (released January 21, 2022). References Publications about Copernicus C. A. Ocampo, “An Architecture for a Generalized Trajectory Design and Optimization System”, Proceedings of the International Conference on Libration Points and Missions, June, 2002. C. A. Ocampo, “Finite Burn Maneuver Modeling for a Generalized Spacecraft Trajectory Design and Optimization System”, Annals of the New York Academy of Science, May 2004. C. A. Ocampo, J. Senent, “The Design and Development of Copernicus: A Comprehensive Trajectory Design and Optimization System”, Proceedings of the International Astronautical Congress, 2006. IAC-06-C1.4.04. R. Mathur, C. A. Ocampo, “An Architecture for Incorporating Interactive Visualizations into Scientific Simulations”, Advances in the Astronautical Sciences, Feb. 2007. C. A. Ocampo, J. S. Senent, J. Williams, “Theoretical Foundation of Copernicus: A Unified System for Trajectory Design and Optimization”, 4th International Conference on Astrodynamics Tools and Techniques, May 2010. J. Williams, J. S. Senent, C. A. Ocampo, R. Mathur, “Overview and Software Architecture of the Copernicus Trajectory Design and Optimization System”, 4th International Conference on Astrodynamics Tools and Techniques, May 2010. J. Williams, J. S. Senent, D. E. Lee, “Recent Improvements to the Copernicus Trajectory Design and Optimization System”, Advances in the Astronautical Sciences, 2012. J. Williams, “A New Architecture for Extending the Capabilities of the Copernicus Trajectory Optimization Program”, Advances in the Astronautical Sciences, 2015, volume 156. J. Williams, R. D. Falck, and I. B. Beekman. “Application of Modern Fortran to Spacecraft Trajectory Design and Optimization“, 2018 Space Flight Mechanics Meeting, AIAA SciTech Forum, (AIAA 2018-1451) J. Williams, A. H. Kamath, R. A. Eckman, G. L. Condon, R. Mathur, and D. Davis, “Copernicus 5.0: Latest Advances in JSC’s Spacecraft Trajectory Optimization and Design System”, 2019 AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Portland, ME, August 11-15, 2019, AAS 19-719 Some studies that have used Copernicus C. L. Ranieri, C. A. Ocampo, “Optimization of Roundtrip, Time-Constrained, Finite Burn Trajectories via an Indirect Method”, Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol. 28, No. 2, March-April 2005. T. Polsgrove, L. Kos, R. Hopkins, T. Crane, “Comparison of Performance Predictions for New Low-Thrust Trajectory Tools”, AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, August, 2006. L. D. Kos, T. P. Polsgrove, R. C. Hopkins, D. Thomas and J. A. Sims, “Overview of the Development for a Suite of Low-Thrust Trajectory Analysis Tools”, AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, August, 2006. M. Garn, M. Qu, J. Chrone, P. Su, C. Karlgaard, “NASA’s Planned Return to the Moon: Global Access and Anytime Return Requirement Implications on the Lunar Orbit Insertion Burns”, AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference and Exhibit, August, 2008. R. B. Adams, “Near Earth Object (NEO) Mitigation Options Using Exploration Technologies”, Asteroid Deflection Research Symposium, Oct. 2008. J. Gaebler, R. Lugo, E. Axdahl, P. Chai, M. Grimes, M. Long, R. Rowland, A. Wilhite, “Reusable Lunar Transportation Architecture Utilizing Orbital Propellant Depots”, AIAA SPACE 2009 Conference and Exposition, September 2009. J. Williams, E. C. Davis, D. E. Lee, G. L. Condon, T. F. Dawn, “Global Performance Characterization of the Three Burn Trans-Earth Injection Maneuver Sequence over the Lunar Nodal Cycle”, Advances in the Astronautical Sciences, Vol. 135, 2010. AAS 09-380 J. Williams, S. M. Stewart, D. E. Lee, E. C. Davis, G. L. Condon, T. F. Dawn, J. Senent, “The Mission Assessment Post Processor (MAPP): A New Tool for Performance Evaluation of Human Lunar Missions”, 20th AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting, Feb. 2010. J. W. Dankanich, L. M. Burke, J. A. Hemminger, “Mars sample return Orbiter/Earth Return Vehicle technology needs and mission risk assessment”, 2010 IEEE Aerospace Conference, March 2010. A. V. Ilin, L. D. Cassady, T. W. Glover, M. D. Carter, F. R. Chang Diaz, “A Survey of Missions using VASIMR for Flexible Space Exploration”, Ad Astra Rocket Company, Document Number JSC-65825, April 2010. J. W. Dankanich, B. Vondra, A. V. Ilin, “Fast Transits to Mars Using Electric Propulsion”, 46th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit, July 2010. S. R. Oleson, M. L. McGuire, L. Burke, J. Fincannon, T. Colozza, J. Fittje, M. Martini, T. Packard, J. Hemminger, J. Gyekenyesi, “Mars Earth Return Vehicle (MERV) Propulsion Options”, 46th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit, July 2010, AIAA 2010-6795. J. S. Senent, “Fast Calculation of Abort Return Trajectories for Manned Missions to the Moon”, AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, August 2010. D. S. Cooley, K. F. Galal, K. Berry, L. Janes, G. Marr. J. Carrico. C. Ocampo, “Mission Design for the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS)”, AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, August, 2010. A. V. Ilin, L. D. Cassady, T. W. Glover, F. R. Chang Diaz, “VASIMR Human Mission to Mars”, Space, Propulsion & Energy Sciences International Forum, March 15-17, 2011. J. Brophy, F. Culick, L. Friedman, et al., “Asteroid Retrieval Feasibility Study,” Technical Report, Keck Institute for Space Studies, California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, April 2012. A. V. Ilin, “Low Thrust Trajectory Analysis (A Survey of Missions using VASIMR for Flexible Space Exploration – Part 2), Ad Astra Rocket Company, Document Number JSC-66428, June 2012. P. R. Chai, A. W. Wilhite, “Station Keeping for Earth-Moon Lagrangian Point Exploration Architectural Assets”, AIAA SPACE 2012 Conference & Exposition, September, 2012, AIAA 2012-5112. F. R. Chang Diaz, M. D. Carter, T. W. Glover, A. V. Ilin, C. S. Olsen, J. P. Squire, R. J. Litchford, N. Harada, S. L. Koontz, “Fast and Robust Human Missions to Mars with Advanced Nuclear Electric Power and VASIMR Propulsion”, Proceedings of Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, Feb. 2013. Paper 6777. J. Williams, “Trajectory Design for the Asteroid Redirect Crewed Mission”, JSC Engineering, Technology and Science (JETS) Contract Technical Brief JETS-JE23-13-AFGNC-DOC-0014, July, 2013. J.P. Gutkowski, T.F. Dawn, R.M. Jedrey, “Trajectory Design Analysis over the Lunar Nodal Cycle for the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) Exploration Mission 2 (EM-2)”, Advances in the Astronautical Sciences Guidance, Navigation and Control, Vol. 151, 2014. AAS 14-096. R. G. Merrill, M. Qu, M. A. Vavrina, C. A. Jones, J. Englander, “Interplanetary Trajectory Design for the Asteroid Robotic Redirect Mission Alternate Approach Trade Study”, AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, 2014. AIAA 2014-4457. J. Williams, G. L. Condon. “Contingency Trajectory Planning for the Asteroid Redirect Crewed Mission”, SpaceOps 2014 Conference (AIAA 2014-1697). J. Williams, D. E. Lee, R. J. Whitley, K. A. Bokelmann, D. C. Davis, and C. F. Berry. “Targeting cislunar near rectilinear halo orbits for human space exploration“, AAS 17-267 T. F. Dawn, J. Gutkowski, A. Batcha, J. Williams, and S. Pedrotty. “Trajectory Design Considerations for Exploration Mission 1“, 2018 Space Flight Mechanics Meeting, AIAA SciTech Forum, (AIAA 2018-0968) A. L. Batcha, J. Williams, T. F. Dawn, J. P. Gutkowski, M. V. Widner, S. L. Smallwood, B. J. Killeen, E. C. Williams, and R. E. Harpold, “Artemis I Trajectory Design and Optimization”, AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, August 9-12, 2020, AAS 20-649 View the full article