NASA

NASA’s Wildfire Climate Tech Challenge, part of the MSI Incubator initiative, seeks innovative solutions for wildfire prevention and climate technology. NASA invites students and employees of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to address the escalating issues caused by wildfires exacerbated by climate change. Successful participants will have the opportunity to join a startup incubator program and compete for a prize of $100,000. Additionally, this initiative offers a platform for participants to present their ideas to venture capitalists and NASA experts, furthering the development of technology in the fields of wildfire prevention and climate change, while promoting inclusivity and diversity. Award: $300,000 in total prizes Open Date: December 11, 2023 Close Date: February 2, 2024 For more information, visit: https://www.nasa-climate-tech.org/wildfires/home View the full article

Commander Jeff Williams poses for a photo in the Quest Airlock (A/L) with all of his mission patches. The patches are, from left, STS-101, Soyuz TMA-8, Expedition 13, Soyuz TMA-16, Expedition 21, Expedition 22, Soyuz TMA-20M, Expedition 47, and Expedition 48.Credit NASA Dec. 11, 2023 RELEASE: J23-007 NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Army Col. Jeffrey Williams, who played a key role in the design, construction, and operation of the International Space Station, is retiring on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, after more than 27 years of service at the agency. The two-time station commander spent 534 cumulative days in space spanning four trips to the space station. He spent nearly 32 hours outside of the orbital laboratory on five spacewalks. “Jeff’s dedication and commitment to advancing NASA’s mission for the benefit of all humanity is truly admirable,” said NASA Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche. “His willingness to go above and beyond has impacted several generations and will continue to inspire future generations to come.” In addition to his time in space, he tested and evaluated the space station’s U.S. laboratory module Destiny during its final assembly at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, led the development of a space shuttle cockpit upgrade, worked in legislative affairs at NASA Headquarters in Washington, commanded a nine-day NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) mission in the Aquarius undersea habitat off the coast of Florida, and worked extensively in spacewalk development. Since 2017, he has been assistant director of Flight Operations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Among his many accomplishments, he served as chair of the Multinational Crew Operations Panel, responsible for International Space Station crew assignments, qualifications, and training. Most recently, he served on a review board overseeing development of lunar surface projects for the Moon to Mars architecture. “I had the pleasure of working with Jeff from the very beginning of our careers – first in the earliest days of the space station, and now working together to put the next humans on the Moon,” said Norm Knight, director of flight operations, NASA Johnson. “Over the course of his 27 years with us, I’ve always admired his leadership, mentorship, and passion for all things spaceflight. He will be so missed, and I’m excited to see what comes next for him.” The Wisconsin native joined NASA Johnson on a four-year Army assignment supporting the Space Shuttle Program in 1987. He was selected to join the NASA astronaut class of 1996. His first mission was on the crew of STS-101, launching on space shuttle Atlantis for the third mission devoted to station construction. His first long duration mission was Expedition 13, launching in March 2006 on Soyuz TMA-8 and lasting six months as station construction resumed with the shuttle return-to-flight after the Columbia accident. For his third flight, Expeditions 21/22, Williams launched in October 2009 aboard Soyuz TMA-16 for another six-month stay – this time to integrate the station’s Tranquility module and its cupola to complete station construction. Williams’ final spaceflight launched in March 2016 on Soyuz TMA-20M for Expeditions 47/48 which saw the arrival of the station’s Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, the integration of an international docking adaptor for commercial crew spacecraft, and the continuation of science and technology demonstrations. “It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to work with the best team in the world here at NASA,” Williams said, “and to share in what has to be the greatest technological and operational achievement in human history – the International Space Station – designed and built in many different places and countries on the planet, assembled and integrated off the planet, and continually operated for now more than 25 years, all in the context of international partnership. I am incredibly grateful to the many friends, mentors, and coworkers I’ve been privileged to labor with, who span three generations and range from those who worked in the Apollo Program all the way to the newest team members now dedicated to returning to the Moon.” Overall, Williams lived and worked with 56 different individuals from eight different countries aboard the orbital outpost. His flights spanned 16 years of the space station’s assembly, construction, and emerging operational capability. He contributed to hundreds of scientific experiments and a broad spectrum of technology development projects. Prior to becoming an astronaut, Williams attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Applied Science and Engineering, the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, where he earned a master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering, and the U.S. Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, where he earned a master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies. He served in the 3rd Armored Division’s 503rd Aviation Battalion as an Army aviator in West Germany. He attended Naval Test Pilot School, graduating first in his class in 1992 and then served as an experimental test pilot before becoming an astronaut. He retired from Army active duty in 2007 with more than 27 years of military service and 3,100 hours in more than 50 different aircraft. His experience has spanned more than 47 years. Learn more about how NASA explores the unknown and innovates for the benefit of humanity at: https://www.nasa.gov/ -end- Chelsey Ballarte Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 Chelsey.n.ballarte@nasa.gov View the full article

“There’s this thing called the overview effect: Space has this effect on people that you could probably call almost spiritual. Everyone returns from spaceflight changed in one way or another. … They see the Earth from space, and that’s how they continue to see it after flight. “… The more people travel to space and have the experience of seeing the Earth, the less chance of wars and conflict and separation we have. Life becomes more hopeful. “I read [‘The Last Man on the Moon’] by Gene Cernan, and he was describing how he felt looking at the Earth from the surface of the Moon. I was like, ‘Yeah, there’s something there.’… I feel like we go to space not to learn more about space but to learn more about ourselves.” — Margarita Sampson, Branch Chief, NASA’s Johnson Space Center Image Credit: NASA / William Stafford Interviewer: NASA / Michelle Zajac Check out some of our other Faces of NASA. View the full article

Call for Papers Date: August 13–14, 2024 Location: Washington, D.C. Jointly organized by the NASA History Office and the Earth Science Division, this workshop seeks to document the important contributions of airborne campaigns implemented on NASA’s DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratory. The workshop will be a combination of keynote talks, panel discussions, and roundtables. The intention is to publish an anthology of selected papers of key presentations. NASA’s DC-8 aircraft recently completed nearly four decades of service to NASA with its retirement in early 2024 following the completion of the ASIA-AQ campaign. The DC-8, which NASA acquired in 1985, was a workhorse aircraft for NASA’s Airborne Science Program of NASA’s Earth Science Division (ESD), serving as the primary platform—or one of several platforms—of many airborne campaigns. Its contributions are legendary from flying as part of the first polar stratospheric ozone campaigns in the late 1980s, through campaigns focused on ice sheets, sea ice, terrestrial ecology, greenhouse gases, and air quality that continued throughout its lifetime. DC-8 Airborne Laboratory in flight Besides the process knowledge that the DC-8 provided, it served as an important proving ground for new instrumentation and techniques that helped pave the way for their eventual use in ESD’s space flight program, a source of calibration/validation data for ESD’s satellite instruments, and as a flying laboratory for students, post-docs and early career professionals to design, build, and test instruments, acquire data, and analyze it. It also was the primary platform for NASA’s now 15-year-old Student Airborne Research Program (SARP), which has provided hands-on opportunities for well over 400 young scientists and has an outstanding “STEM retention rate” for its past participants. NASA Student Airborne Research Program students, mentors and faculty pose in front of NASA’s DC-8 on December 7, 2021 at Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703. In this workshop, the ESD and related investigator communities are invited to share examples of the scientific, programmatic, and human achievement of the DC-8 over its nearly four decades of service to NASA. Besides descriptions of the science accomplished, workshop planners invite discussion of “lessons learned” about operation of a large airborne research laboratory that can be used as NASA moves ahead with furnishing and outfitting the DC-8’s successor, a B-777 that NASA acquired in 2023 in response to a strong recommendation from a 2021 report by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine that ESD needed to have such a platform following the retirement of the DC-8 (Airborne Platforms to Advance NASA Earth System Science Priorities: Assessing the Future Need for a Large Aircraft ). Workshop planners are seeking proposals for papers from ESD, related investigator communities—including academia, interagency and international partners, and private sector/non-profit entities—that detail scientific and programmatic results, lessons learned, and personal examples of how the DC-8 advanced science, informed decisions, and provided training opportunities for several generations of NASA. If you wish to present a paper or have questions, please send an abstract of no more than 250 words and a short biography or curriculum vitae, including affiliation by March 31, 2024 to Dr. Brian C. Odom. For more information on the DC-8 program Share Details Last Updated Dec 11, 2023 Related TermsNASA HistoryAirborne ScienceDC-8Earth ScienceEarth Science DivisionNASA Aircraft Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Earth Your home. Our Mission. And the one planet that NASA studies more than any other. NASA History Student Airborne Research Program An eight-week immersive summer internship for undergraduates to gain hands-on research experience. Explore Earth Science From its origins, NASA has studied our planet in novel ways, using a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based… View the full article

NASA/Sam Lott The elements of the super-heavy lift SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis II mission are undergoing final preparations before shipment to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for stacking and pre-launch activities in 2024. Teams at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, recently rotated the Orion stage adapter– a ring structure that connects NASA’s Orion spacecraft to the SLS rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) – in preparation for the installation of its diaphragm. The installation Nov. 30 marks one of the final steps for the adapter before it is readied for shipment to Kennedy via NASA’s Super Guppy cargo aircraft. “The diaphragm is a composite, dome-shaped structure that isolates the volume above the ICPS from that below Orion,” said Brent Gaddes, lead for the Orion stage adapter, in the Spacecraft/Payload Integration & Evolution Office for the SLS Program at Marshall. “It serves as a barrier between the two, preventing the highly flammable hydrogen gas that could escape the rocket’s propellant tanks from building up beneath the Orion spacecraft and its crew before and during launch.” At five feet tall and weighing in at 1,800 pounds, the adapter is the smallest major element of the SLS rocket that will produce more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust to launch four Artemis astronauts inside Orion around the Moon. The adapter is fully manufactured by engineering teams at Marshall. NASA is working to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with Orion and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. For more on NASA SLS visit: https://www.nasa.gov/sls Corinne Beckinger Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256.544.0034 corinne.m.beckinger@nasa.gov View the full article

Unos técnicos trabajan en el procesamiento del observatorio de plancton, aerosoles, nubes y ecosistemas oceánicos (PACE, por sus siglas en inglés) de la NASA en una plataforma elevada del Centro de Operaciones Espaciales Astrotech, cerca del Centro Espacial Kennedy de la agencia en Florida, el lunes 4 de diciembre de 2023.NASA Read this release in English here. Ya está abierta la acreditación para los medios de comunicación para el próximo lanzamiento de la misión científica de observación de la Tierra PACE (acrónimo inglés para Plancton, Aerosoles, Nubes y Ecosistemas Oceánicos) de la NASA. La NASA y SpaceX planean poner en órbita PACE no antes del martes 6 de febrero a bordo de un cohete Falcon 9 desde el Complejo de Lanzamiento Espacial 40 de la Estación Espacial de Cabo Cañaveral, en Florida. Los plazos de solicitud de acreditación de medios de comunicación para el lanzamiento de PACE son los siguientes: – Los medios de comunicación estadounidenses y los ciudadanos estadounidenses que representen a medios de comunicación internacionales deberán presentar su solicitud antes de las 5 p.m. EST 9 (hora del Este) del miércoles 17 de enero. – Los periodistas de medios de comunicación internacionales sin ciudadanía estadounidense deberán presentar su solicitud antes de las 5 p.m. del martes 2 de enero. Las solicitudes de acreditación de los medios de comunicación deben enviarse en línea en: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov La política de acreditación de medios de comunicación de la NASA está disponible en línea. Para preguntas sobre la acreditación, o para solicitar necesidades logísticas especiales, envíe un correo electrónico a: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov . Para otras preguntas sobre la misión, póngase en contacto con la sala de prensa de la NASA en Kennedy: 321-867-2468. La misión PACE ampliará y mejorará el registro de 20 años de observaciones por satélite de la biología oceánica mundial, los aerosoles y las nubes. Los datos de la misión ayudarán a la NASA a entender cómo el océano y la atmósfera intercambian dióxido de carbono, medir variables atmosféricas clave asociadas con la calidad del aire y el clima de la Tierra, y vigilar la salud del océano, en parte mediante el estudio del fitoplancton, las diminutas plantas y algas que sostienen la red alimentaria marina. La NASA publicará actualizaciones sobre los preparativos de lanzamiento para preparar la nave espacial en el blog de PACE (en inglés). Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo at: antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov, 321-501-8425, o Messod Bendayan, 256-930-1371. Para más información sobre PACE (en inglés), visite: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/pace -fin- María José Viñas Sede, Washington 240-458-0248 maria-jose.vinasgarcia@nasa.gov Laura Aguiar / Leejay Lockhart Centro Espacial Kennedy, Florida 321-867-2468 laura.aguiar@nasa.gov / leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Dec 11, 2023 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsEarthMissionsOceansPACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem) View the full article

Technicians work to process the NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) observatory on an Aronson Tilt Table in a high bay at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023.NASA Lee esta nota de prensa en español aquí. Media accreditation is open for the upcoming launch of NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud ocean Ecosystem) Earth observing science mission. NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Tuesday, Feb. 6, for a Falcon 9 rocket to launch PACE to orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Media accreditation application deadlines for the PACE launch are as follows: U.S. media and U.S. citizens representing international media must apply by 5 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 17. International media without U.S. citizenship must apply by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 2. Media accreditation requests must be submitted online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. For questions about accreditation, or to request special logistical needs, please email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. For other mission questions, please contact NASA Kennedy’s newsroom: 321-867-2468. The PACE mission will continue and improve NASA’s 20-year record of satellite observations of global ocean biology, aerosols, and clouds. Data from the mission will help NASA understand how the ocean and atmosphere exchange carbon dioxide, measure key atmospheric variables associated with air quality and Earth’s climate, and monitor ocean health, in part by studying phytoplankton, tiny plants and algae that sustain the marine food web. NASA will post updates on launch preparations to prepare the spacecraft on the PACE blog. Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo at: antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov, 321-501-8425, o Messod Bendayan, 256-930-1371. For more information about PACE, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/pace -end- Alise Fisher / Erin Morton Headquarters, Washington 202-358-2546 / 202-805-9393 alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov / erin.morton@nasa.gov Laura Aguiar / Leejay Lockhart Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-867-2468 laura.aguiar@nasa.gov / leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Dec 11, 2023 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsEarthMissionsOceansPACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem) View the full article

NASA In this image from Dec. 8, 1993, astronaut Kathryn C. Thornton works with equipment during a spacewalk. The spacewalk was part of an 11-day mission, Servicing Mission 1, to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Shortly after Hubble was launched in 1990, NASA discovered a flaw in the observatory’s primary mirror that affected the clarity of the telescope’s early images. Fortunately, Hubble’s design allowed astronauts to perform repairs, replace parts, and update its technology with new instruments while in orbit. Watch an exclusive interview with Thornton, where she shares a firsthand account of the groundbreaking mission, unveiling the challenges, triumphs, and the incredible journey that revitalized Hubble. Image credit: NASA View the full article

NASA’s EMIT produced its first global maps of hematite, goethite, and kaolinite in Earth’s dry regions using data from the year ending November 2023. The mission collected billions of measurements of the three minerals and seven others that may affect climate when lofted into the air as dust storms.NASA/JPL-Caltech EMIT delivers first-of-a-kind maps of minerals in Earth’s dust-source areas, enabling scientists to model the fine particles’ role in climate change and more. NASA’s EMIT mission has created the first comprehensive maps of the world’s mineral dust-source regions, providing precise locations of 10 key minerals based on how they reflect and absorb light. When winds loft these substances into the air, they either cool or warm the atmosphere and Earth’s surface, depending on their composition. Understanding their abundance around the globe will help researchers predict future climate impacts. Launched to the International Space Station in 2022, EMIT – short for Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation – is an imaging spectrometer developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The mission fills a crucial need among climate scientists for more detailed information on surface mineral composition. Surveying Earth’s surface from about 250 miles (410 kilometers) above, EMIT scans broad areas that would be impossible for a geologist on the ground or instruments carried by aircraft to survey, yet it does this while achieving effectively the same level of detail. EMIT, a NASA mission launched to the International Space Station in 2022, mapped hematite, goethite, and kaolinite in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The three minerals are among 10 key substances the mission studied that are thought to influence climate change.NASA/JPL-Caltech To date, the mission has captured more than 55,000 “scenes” – 50-by-50-mile (80-by-80-kilometer) images of the surface – in its study area, which includes arid regions within a 6,900-mile-wide (11,000-kilometer-wide) belt around Earth’s mid-section. Taken together, the scenes comprise billions of measurements – more than enough to create detailed maps of surface composition. The mission has also demonstrated a range of additional capabilities in its 17 months in orbit, including detecting plumes of methane and carbon dioxide being emitted by landfills, oil facilities, and other infrastructure. “Wherever we need chemistry to understand something on the surface, we can do that with imaging spectroscopy,” said Roger Clark, an EMIT science team member and senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona. “Now, with EMIT, we’re going to see the big picture, and that’s certainly going to open some eyes.” Dust and Climate Scientists have long known that airborne mineral dust affects the climate. They know that darker, iron oxide-rich substances absorb the Sun’s energy and warm the surrounding air, while non-iron-based, brighter substances reflect light and heat, cooling the air. Whether those effects have a net warming or cooling impact, however, has remained uncertain. Researchers have an idea of how dust travels through the atmosphere, but the missing piece has been the composition – the color, essentially – of the surface in the places dust typically originates, which until now was derived from fewer than 5,000 sample sites around the world. Based on billions of samples, EMIT’s maps offer much more detail. “We’ll take the new maps and put them into our climate models,” said Natalie Mahowald, EMIT’s deputy principal investigator and an Earth system scientist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. “And from that, we’ll know what fraction of aerosols are absorbing heat versus reflecting to a much greater extent than we have known in the past.” Dust and Ecosystems Beyond harnessing EMIT’s mineral data to improve Earth climate modeling, scientists can use the information to study dust’s impact on the ecosystems where it lands. There’s strong evidence that particles settling in the ocean can spur phytoplankton blooms, which can have implications for aquatic ecosystems and the planet’s carbon cycle. Scientists also have shown that dust originating in the Andes of South America, as well as in parts of northern and sub-Saharan Africa, provides nutrients for rainforest growth in the Amazon basin. EMIT data can enable researchers to pinpoint the sources of mineral dust and get a more detailed look at its composition, helping estimate the travel of key elements such as phosphorus, calcium, and potassium, which are thought to factor into this long-distance fertilization. “EMIT could help us to build more intricate and finely resolved dust-transport models to track the movement of those nutrients across long distances,” said Eric Slessarev, a soil researcher at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. “That will help us to better understand the chemistry of soils in places very far from the dust-generating regions.” A New Generation of Science Aside from tracking 10 key minerals that are part of its primary mission, EMIT data is being used to identify a range of other minerals, types of vegetation, snow and ice, and even human-produced substances at or near Earth’s surface. And with vastly more measurements at their disposal, researchers will be able to find statistical relationships between surface characteristics and other features of interest. For example, they might spot signals in EMIT data that correspond with the presence of rare-earth elements and lithium-bearing minerals, said Robert Green, a senior research scientist at JPL and EMIT’s principal investigator. This new information could be used to look for those substances in previously unknown places. “To this point we simply haven’t known the distribution of surface minerals over huge swaths of the planet,” said Phil Brodrick, a JPL data scientist who spearheaded the creation of the mineral maps. With the EMIT data, “there will likely be a new generation of science that comes out that we don’t know about yet, and that’s a really cool thing.” More About the Mission EMIT was selected from the Earth Venture Instrument-4 solicitation under the Earth Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and was developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California. The instrument’s data is available at the NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center for use by other researchers and the public. To learn more about the mission, visit: https://earth.jpl.nasa.gov/emit/ See a visualization of EMIT in space News Media Contacts Andrew Wang / Jane J. Lee Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 626-379-6874 / 818-354-0307 andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov / jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov 2023-180 Share Details Last Updated Dec 11, 2023 Related TermsEMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation)Dust StormsEarthEarth Science DivisionInternational Space Station (ISS)Jet Propulsion Laboratory Explore More 3 min read Students Create Elaborate Homemade Machines for JPL Competition Article 3 days ago 6 min read NASA Helps Study One of the World’s Most Diverse Ecosystems Article 3 days ago 5 min read NASA Laser Reflecting Instruments to Help Pinpoint Earth Measurements Article 3 days ago View the full article

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced Monday that after more than 30 years of service, the agency’s Stennis Space Center Director Richard Gilbrech will retire on Saturday, Jan. 13. Stennis Deputy Director John Bailey will serve as acting center director after Gilbrech’s departure, and a permanent successor will be identified following a search and competition. Nelson also announced Chief of Staff Susie Perez Quinn will transition to a senior advisor role at the end of the year, and Bale Dalton will succeed her beginning Monday, Jan. 1. “Please join me in welcoming new leadership across NASA, who will continue leading our agency to unparalleled success,” said Nelson. “I’m thankful for Rick’s, Susie’s, and Bale’s leadership and wish Rick all the best in his new adventure.” Gilbrech has served as center director at Stennis for more than a decade and in leadership and engineering roles at NASA since 1991. He has led teams at Stennis in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and NASA Headquarters in Washington, focusing on propulsion test technology, the space shuttle, and the X-33 in various roles, including as associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate and deputy center director at both Stennis and Langley. Most recently, Gilbrech has been instrumental in the growth of commercial partnerships at Stennis, leveraging the center’s unique capabilities and expertise as America’s largest rocket propulsion test site. Quinn has served as chief of staff since 2021, working with Nelson and senior staff to shape the strategic direction of the agency, while overseeing and articulating various policies and programs, with a focus climate change. In addition to his experience at NASA as deputy chief of staff, Dalton is a captain in the U.S. Navy Reserves. He received his bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, and Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School. “With new transitions and the end of the calendar year approaching, it’s a time to pause and reflect on all that NASA has achieved this year. We’re living through the golden era of space exploration, and it’s because of our world-class workforce that we continue to lead the world in air and space – and I can’t wait to see what’s to come,” added Nelson. Learn more about NASA’s missions online at: https://www.nasa.gov -end- Jackie McGuinness / Cheryl Warner Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 jackie.mcguiness@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov C. Lacy Thompson Stennis Space Center, Bay St. Louis, Miss. 228-688-3050 calvin.I.thompson@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Dec 11, 2023 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsLeadershipNASA Centers & FacilitiesPeople of NASAStennis Space Center View the full article

Clare Luckey, an engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, has been named one of Forbes’ 30 under 30 Class of 2024. The other NASA honoree is Katie Konans, audio and podcasting lead at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list is a selection of young, creative, and bold minds the magazine’s experts consider revolutionaries, changing the course of business and society. Forbes evaluated more than 20,000 nominees to decide on 600 business and industry figures, with 30 selected in each of 20 industries. Official portrait of Clare Luckey. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel “To be honored with such an award is truly humbling,” Luckey said. “This is a list of insanely talented people who are shaping the future, and I’m fortunate to be a part of it.” Clare Luckey is the co-lead of crew transit operations within the Mars Architecture Team, which is working on the first crewed mission to Mars. In addition to her work on Mars missions, she regularly does outreach in underserved communities to encourage students to pursue careers in STEM and space. Clare began her NASA career as an intern in Johnson’s Center Operations Directorate, then was hired full-time as an integration lead for cargo resupply flights to the International Space Station. Luckey grew up in Southfield, Michigan. She earned her Bachelor of Science in space weather engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 2017, and her Master’s in space architecture from the University of Houston in 2019. Clare Luckey, an engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford “One of my earliest STEM memories was in middle school, when a group of my friends and I participated in a Future Cities competition to design a city on Mars,” Luckey said. “We didn’t win – not even close – but it challenged us to think critically and creatively. I’m extremely fortunate that’s essentially what I get to do that in real life now! I think all kids deserve to have experiences like that, that inspire them to imagine a future beyond themselves. My parents worked hard to ensure that I’d have opportunities like that, especially coming from a place where not many people end up in engineering, let alone at NASA. I’m grateful to them for that.” “To that end, I think it’s important to have a support system of people cheering you on,” she continued. “I don’t know where I’d be without the many people who have mentored, encouraged, and pushed me since I started as an intern in 2018. I hope to do that for others someday.” View the full article

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) In December 2022, NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) mission observed the dramatic and unexpected “disappearance” of a stream of charged particles constantly emanating off the Sun, known as the solar wind. This was caused by a special type of solar event that was so powerful, it created a void in its wake as it traveled through the solar system. Learn about the “disappearance” of the solar wind at Mars that was witnessed by MAVEN – an event last seen nearly a quarter-century ago at Earth. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Download high-resolution video and images from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio. Due to this event, MAVEN’s measurements at Mars showed that the number of particles making up the solar wind dropped significantly. Without the pressure of the solar wind, the Martian atmosphere and magnetosphere expanded by thousands of kilometers. MAVEN is the only asset currently at Mars able to simultaneously observe both the Sun’s activity and the response of the Martian atmosphere to these solar influences. “When we first saw the data, and how dramatic the drop in the solar wind was, it was almost unbelievable,” said Jasper Halekas, professor at the University of Iowa and the lead author on a new study on the event. “We formed a working group to study the event, and we have found this time period to be rich with incredible findings.” Mars, like all the planets in our solar system, is constantly immersed in the solar wind. The solar wind exerts pressure on the Martian magnetosphere and ionosphere, and drives much of the escape of the atmosphere. The solar event in December 2022 was caused by faster-moving solar wind that overtook slower moving solar wind, which acted like a broom, sweeping and compressing the two regions together. This interaction, called a stream interaction region, left behind a rare void of extremely low-density solar wind in its wake, which was observed by MAVEN. This “disappearance” of the solar wind led to some incredible interactions within Mars’ magnetosphere and ionosphere. As the density of the solar wind dropped by a factor of 100, it caused the pressure to decrease and the magnetosphere and ionosphere of the planet were able to expand by thousands of kilometers­—more than tripled the typical size—and dramatically changed in character. The Sun’s magnetic field that typically is embedded within the Martian ionosphere was pushed outwards, which transformed the ionosphere from a magnetized to unmagnetized state. At the same time, the layer between the solar wind and the magnetosphere became unusually electromagnetically quiet. MAVEN’s observations of this dramatic event and subsequent transformation and expansion of the whole system is important to better understand the physics that drive atmospheric and water loss at Mars. “We are really getting to see how Mars responds when the solar wind is effectively removed,” Halekas added. “It makes for a great outlier study on what Mars would be like if it were orbiting a less ‘windy’ star.” Disappearing solar wind events on this scale are extremely rare and are produced at a time of increasing solar activity, so this was the first time the MAVEN mission had the opportunity to observe such a phenomenon. While other spacecraft at Mars and Earth also observed aspects of this event, only MAVEN was able to simultaneously take measurements from both the Sun and the Martian atmosphere’s response to it. “Observing extreme conditions is always scientifically invaluable,” said Shannon Curry, principal investigator for MAVEN at the University of California, Berkeley. “MAVEN was designed to observe these types of interactions between the Sun and the Martian atmosphere, and the spacecraft provided exceptional data during this truly anomalous solar event.” As the Sun moves toward solar maximum, the peak of its 11-year activity cycle, the MAVEN mission could have an even bigger impact on our understanding of extreme solar events. “This really shows the cross-divisional role that MAVEN plays at Mars,” said Gina DiBraccio, MAVEN deputy principal investigator and deputy director of the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “MAVEN is not only observing the dynamics of the Martian atmosphere, it is also monitoring solar inputs to enhance our understanding of the Sun.” The study is being presented at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco. MAVEN’s principal investigator is based at the University of California, Berkeley, while NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the MAVEN mission. Lockheed Martin Space built the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California provides navigation and Deep Space Network support. The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder is responsible for managing science operations and public outreach and communications. The MAVEN team is preparing to celebrate the spacecraft’s 10th year at Mars in September 2024. Willow Reed Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder Media Contacts: Nancy Neal Jones NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Share Details Last Updated Dec 11, 2023 Related TermsMAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN)Goddard Space Flight CenterHeliophysicsMarsSolar WindSpace WeatherThe Solar SystemThe Sun Explore More 6 min read NASA’s Webb Stuns With New High-Definition Look at Exploded Star Article 16 hours ago 5 min read NASA Laser Reflecting Instruments to Help Pinpoint Earth Measurements Article 3 days ago 3 min read NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope Returns to Science Operations Updated, Dec. 8, 2023 NASA restored the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope to science operations Friday,… Article 3 days ago View the full article

“I was on console as a part of the primary launch team [for Artemis I]. I was the Orion system specialist for Guidance, Navigation, and Control. … In a few missions, we’re sending astronauts to the Moon again, so being a part of the very, very first mission [was memorable]. … I wasn’t here in 2017 when they first began discussions, but [I can’t even explain how it felt] that within just the four-year journey, I could see how far we had come: from when we were talking about getting the hardware here, to the hardware arriving, and then [to realize] ‘Oh, it’s going today, we’re going!’ “… From a personal standpoint, I’m a person of faith, so for me, it was like: We launched at night — it was in the darkest part of the [night]. … Once the rocket launched, [I saw] how it illuminated such a dark space. So even when you’re in a dark space, you can let your light shine. And it won’t just shine for you and those that are immediately around you, but even people that you don’t know will notice it, even people that you will never see will notice your light shining and be inspired.” — Ales-Cia Winsley, Lead Space Launch System Avionics Engineer, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Image Credit: NASA / Cory S Huston Interviewer: NASA / Michelle Zajac Check out some of our other Faces of NASA. View the full article

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center’s DC-8 aircraft flew from California to Everett, Washington on Oct. 10 to conduct research on aircraft condensation trails. The contrails emitted from a Boeing 737-10 plane involved in the testing are visible as it flies past.NASA / Jim Ross In a collaboration between multiple partners in the aviation industry, NASA is helping determine if the latest advances in aircraft engines and fuels can reduce atmospheric warming from condensation trails. Those condensation trails can trap heat in our atmosphere under specific conditions and increase the impact the aviation industry has on global warming. NASA partnered with the Boeing ecoDemonstrator Explorer Program and others including General Electric Aerospace, the Federal Aviation Administration, the German Aerospace Center, United Airlines, and World Energy. Their goal was to see if sustainable aviation fuels and advanced engine technology can decrease contrail formation. Rich Moore, NASA’s principal investigator for ecoDemonstrator, watches the livestream of footage from a camera located under the belly of the DC-8 on Oct. 10. The contrails from the Boeing plane are visible on his laptop monitor.NASA / Jim Ross In October, NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center’s DC-8 aircraft flew behind a Boeing ecoDemonstrator Explorer, a 737-10 passenger jet that the company plans to turn over to United Airlines, to capture and measure its emissions. Scientists outfitted the DC-8 with instruments to collect data that will compare the emissions from sustainable aviation fuel to the emissions from conventional jet fuel. In its fifth decade of flying science missions, the DC-8 is the largest flying science laboratory in the world and served as an ideal platform for experts from the Advanced Air Transport Technology project in NASA’s Advanced Air Vehicles Program, and other scientific partners. Innovative technologies like sustainable aviation fuel and more efficient engine designs require state-of-the-art test models and exhaustive research methods performed by the most qualified experts in the world. That is what the ecoDemonstrator Explorer Program as a collaboration provided. Results from this collaborative study will be publicly available within a year to help the aviation sector improve its environmental impact worldwide. NASA’s DC-8 overlooked the Cascade Mountain range in northwestern United States as it headed to Everett, Washington on Oct. 10 to conduct research on aircraft condensation trails. The white peak of Mount Rainier glows in the distance beyond a foggy mountain landscape.NASA / Jim Ross Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More 6 min read NASA Helps Study One of the World’s Most Diverse Ecosystems Article 3 days ago 2 min read NASA, Moog Humming Along on Air Taxi Noise Tests Article 4 days ago 4 min read Aero Engineer Brings NASA into Hawaii’s Classrooms Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans In Space Solar System Exploration Solar System Overview Our solar system has one star, eight planets, five officially recognized dwarf planets, at least 290 moons,… Explore NASA’s History Share Details Last Updated Dec 08, 2023 EditorLillian GipsonContactJim Bankejim.banke@nasa.gov Related TermsAdvanced Air Transport TechnologyAdvanced Air Vehicles ProgramAeronauticsAirborne ScienceArmstrong Flight Research CenterGreen Aviation Tech View the full article

6 Min Read NASA’s Webb Stuns With New High-Definition Look at Exploded Star NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s new view of Cassiopeia A (Cas A) Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, D. Milisavljevic (Purdue University), T. Temim (Princeton University), I. De Looze (University of Gent) Mysterious features hide in near-infrared light Like a shiny, round ornament ready to be placed in the perfect spot on a holiday tree, supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A) gleams in a new image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. As part of the 2023 Holidays at the White House, First Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden debuted the first-ever White House Advent Calendar. To showcase the “Magic, Wonder, and Joy” of the holiday season, Dr. Biden and NASA are celebrating with this new image from Webb. While all is bright, this scene is no proverbial silent night. Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) view of Cas A displays this stellar explosion at a resolution previously unreachable at these wavelengths. This high-resolution look unveils intricate details of the expanding shell of material slamming into the gas shed by the star before it exploded. Cas A is one of the most well-studied supernova remnants in all of the cosmos. Over the years, ground-based and space-based observatories, including NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, and retired Spitzer Space Telescope have assembled a multiwavelength picture of the object’s remnant. However, astronomers have now entered a new era in the study of Cas A. In April 2023, Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) started this chapter, revealing new and unexpected features within the inner shell of the supernova remnant. Many of those features are invisible in the new NIRCam image, and astronomers are investigating why. Image: Cassiopeia A (NIRCam) NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s new view of Cassiopeia A (Cas A) in near-infrared light is giving astronomers hints at the dynamical processes occurring within the supernova remnant. Tiny clumps represented in bright pink and orange make up the supernova’s inner shell, and are comprised of sulfur, oxygen, argon, and neon from the star itself. A large, striated blob at the bottom right corner of the image, nicknamed Baby Cas A, is one of the few light echoes visible NIRCam’s field of view. In this image, red, green, and blue were assigned to Webb’s NIRCam data at 4.4, 3.56, and 1.62 microns (F444W, F356W, and F162M, respectively). NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, D. Milisavljevic (Purdue University), T. Temim (Princeton University), I. De Looze (University of Gent) ‘Like Shards of Glass’ Infrared light is invisible to our eyes, so image processors and scientists translate these wavelengths of light to visible colors. In this newest image of Cas A, colors were assigned to different filters from NIRCam, and each of those colors hints at different activity occurring within the object. At first glance, the NIRCam image may appear less colorful than the MIRI image. However, this simply comes down to the wavelengths in which the material from the object is emitting its light. The most noticeable colors in Webb’s newest image are clumps represented in bright orange and light pink that make up the inner shell of the supernova remnant. Webb’s razor-sharp view can detect the tiniest knots of gas, comprised of sulfur, oxygen, argon, and neon from the star itself. Embedded in this gas is a mixture of dust and molecules, which will eventually become components of new stars and planetary systems. Some filaments of debris are too tiny to be resolved by even Webb, meaning they are comparable to or less than 10 billion miles across (around 100 astronomical units). In comparison, the entirety of Cas A spans 10 light-years across, or 60 trillion miles. “With NIRCam’s resolution, we can now see how the dying star absolutely shattered when it exploded, leaving filaments akin to tiny shards of glass behind,” said Danny Milisavljevic of Purdue University, who leads the research team. “It’s really unbelievable after all these years studying Cas A to now resolve those details, which are providing us with transformational insight into how this star exploded.” Image: Cassiopeia A NIRCam/MIRI This image provides a side-by-side comparison of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A) as captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument). Objects in space reveal different aspects of their composition and behavior at different wavelengths. The outskirts of Cas A’s main inner shell, which appeared as a deep orange and red in the MIRI image, look like smoke from a campfire in the NIRCam image. The dust in the circumstellar material being slammed into by the shockwave is too cool to be detected directly at near-infrared wavelengths, but lights up in the mid-infrared. Also not seen in the near-infrared view is the loop of green light in the central cavity of Cas A that glows in mid-infrared, nicknamed the Green Monster by the research team. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, D. Milisavljevic (Purdue University), T. Temim (Princeton University), I. De Looze (University of Gent) Hidden Green Monster When comparing Webb’s new near-infrared view of Cas A with the mid-infrared view, its inner cavity and outermost shell are curiously devoid of color. The outskirts of the main inner shell, which appeared as a deep orange and red in the MIRI image, now look like smoke from a campfire. This marks where the supernova blast wave is ramming into surrounding circumstellar material. The dust in the circumstellar material is too cool to be detected directly at near-infrared wavelengths, but lights up in the mid-infrared. Researchers say the white color is light from synchrotron radiation, which is emitted across the electromagnetic spectrum, including the near-infrared. It’s generated by charged particles traveling at extremely high speeds spiraling around magnetic field lines. Synchrotron radiation is also visible in the bubble-like shells in the lower half of the inner cavity. Also not seen in the near-infrared view is the loop of green light in the central cavity of Cas A that glowed in mid-infrared, nicknamed the Green Monster by the research team. This feature was described as “challenging to understand” by researchers at the time of their first look. While the ‘green’ of the Green Monster is not visible in NIRCam, what’s left over in the near-infrared in that region can provide insight into the mysterious feature. The circular holes visible in the MIRI image are faintly outlined in white and purple emission in the NIRCam image – this represents ionized gas. Researchers believe this is due to the supernova debris pushing through and sculpting gas left behind by the star before it exploded. Image: Cassiopeia A Features This image highlights several interesting features of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A as seen with Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera): NIRCam’s exquisite resolution is able to detect tiny knots of gas, comprised of sulfur, oxygen, argon, and neon from the star itself; Circular holes visible in the MIRI image within the Green Monster are faintly outlined in white and purple emission in the NIRCam image; An example of a light echo – when light from the star’s long-ago explosion has reached, and is warming, distant dust, which is glowing as it cools down; A particularly intricate and large light echo, nicknamed Baby Cas A by researchers. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, D. Milisavljevic (Purdue University), T. Temim (Princeton University), I. De Looze (University of Gent). Baby Cas A Researchers were also absolutely stunned by one fascinating feature at the bottom right corner of NIRCam’s field of view. They’re calling that large, striated blob Baby Cas A – because it appears like an offspring of the main supernova. This is a light echo, where light from the star’s long-ago explosion has reached and is warming distant dust, which is glowing as it cools down. The intricacy of the dust pattern, and Baby Cas A’s apparent proximity to Cas A itself, are particularly intriguing to researchers. In actuality, Baby Cas A is located about 170 light-years behind the supernova remnant. There are also several other, smaller light echoes scattered throughout Webb’s new portrait. The Cas A supernova remnant is located 11,000 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia. It’s estimated to have exploded about 340 years ago from our point of view. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing 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. Media Contacts Laura Betz – laura.e.betz@nasa.gov, Rob Gutro– rob.gutro@nasa.gov NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, , Greenbelt, Md. Hannah Braun – hbraun@stsci.edu , Christine Pulliam – cpulliam@stsci.edu Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Downloads Download full resolution images for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute. View/download a video tour of Cassiopeia A from the Space Telescope Science Institute. Right click the images in this article to open a larger version in a new tab/window. Related Information Lifecycle of Stars More Webb News – https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/latestnews/ More Webb Images – https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/multimedia/images/ Webb Mission Page – https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/ Related For Kids What is a supernova? What is a nebula? What is the Webb Telescope? SpacePlace for Kids En Español Ciencia de la NASA NASA en español Space Place para niños Keep Exploring Related Topics James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the… Stars Overview Stars are giant balls of hot gas – mostly hydrogen, with some helium and small amounts of other elements.… Galaxies Overview Galaxies consist of stars, planets, and vast clouds of gas and dust, all bound together by gravity. The largest… Universe Explore the universe: Learn about the history of the cosmos, what it’s made of, and so much more. Share Details Last Updated Dec 10, 2023 EditorSteve SabiaContactLaura Betz Related TermsJames Webb Space Telescope (JWST)Goddard Space Flight CenterMissionsNebulaeStarsSupernovaeThe Universe View the full article

The First Images From Our Psyche Spacecraft on This Week @NASA – December 8, 2023

Oakwood School’s Team Pink won first place in the Invention Challenge at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Paul MacNeal (left) has run the competition since 1998.NASA/JPL-Caltech The homemade devices built by competing teams relied on catapults, crossbows, small motors, and more to accomplish seven consecutive steps to sink a crumpled piece of paper into a wastebasket.NASA/JPL-Caltech To compete in a race against the clock and each other, 18 student teams built complicated contraptions for the annual Invention Challenge at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Some 250 students hauled homemade machines they’d spent weeks honing to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on Friday, Dec. 8, for the 24th annual JPL Invention Challenge. The rules for the creative engineering competition change every year, but the overall goal is the same: Build a device capable of accomplishing a specified task within 60 seconds. This year, teams needed to come up with machines that could accomplish seven consecutive steps, ultimately dropping a crumpled piece of paper in a wastebasket. Students employed trebuchet catapults, crossbows, small motors, and “things with a bit of oomph,” said mechanical systems engineer Paul MacNeal, who has been organizing the competition since it began in 1998. “The Mouse Trap game from when I was a little kid is what it’s patterned after,” MacNeal said, referring to the board game in which players would construct elaborate traps for each other’s plastic rodents. “It was such a tough competition this year. It’s almost like unfolding the James Webb Space Telescope: Every action has to go right.” JPL’s Paul MacNeal started the Invention Challenge so that students could experience the fun of hands-on engineering and of STEM learning while developing team-building skills.NASA/JPL-Caltech And in this competition, fast. Every team that completed the task did so in under five seconds. Team Pink, the winning student team from Oakwood High School in North Hollywood, California, sank its paper ball in the basket in just 1.25 seconds, using a launcher at the start to knock over a series of five dominoes. The last domino hit a switch that turned on a conveyor belt to push the paper ball into the basket. “I was a little nervous at the beginning,” said Team Pink member and Oakwood High senior Midori Bonner. “There are a lot of good teams that were going really fast, but we’ve been training so hard for almost four months, I had faith in our team and the work we had put in.” Team Roman Bridge from Los Angeles Senior High School and Team Green from Oakwood High School took second and third place, respectively. Eighteen of the student teams competing in Friday’s finals had survived two regional events in November involving 40 school teams from Los Angeles and Orange counties. Four JPL-sponsored teams of professional engineers separately battled it out. Having professional engineers compete is part of MacNeal’s larger goal of inspiring students: He started the free competition so that they could experience the fun of hands-on engineering and of STEM learning while developing team-building skills along the way. He provides participants with nothing but the rules; teams have to figure out the rest themselves. “Even if they don’t do well, they worked hard to get where they were,” MacNeal said. “It’s just satisfying to see all the inventions they come up with.” News Media Contact Melissa Pamer Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 626-314-4928 melissa.pamer@jpl.nasa.gov 2023-179 View the full article

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy will discuss the agency’s Artemis program during her keynote remarks at the upcoming American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2023 annual meeting.Credits: NASA Annual Science Conference to Feature NASA Leadership, Research NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy will discuss the agency’s Artemis program during her keynote remarks in mid-December at the upcoming American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2023 annual meeting in San Francisco. Through Artemis, NASA will establish a long-term presence at the Moon for exploration and scientific discovery to understand more about the universe and our place in it as well as to prepare for a human mission to Mars. Researchers from across the agency also will present findings throughout the week on Earth sciences, planetary science, and heliophysics beginning on Monday, Dec. 11. Melroy will help close out the conference with her remarks on Friday, Dec. 15. New NASA science results from Mars, ice dynamics in Antarctica, and how to determine habitable zones for exoplanets, are among other topics. Throughout the conference, in-depth roundtable chats with NASA scientists discussing air pollution monitoring, NASA’s upcoming PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission, and the 2024 total eclipse in North America, also are set to take place. Several AGU media events will feature NASA scientists. News Briefings, Events with NASA Participation (All Times EST) Monday, Dec. 11 4:30 p.m.: Media roundtable: The Heliophysics Big Year: Solar Eclipses, Exciting Missions, Collaborative Science, and More 6:30 p.m.: Media roundtable: Disappearing Solar Wind: New Results from NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) Mission Tuesday, Dec. 12 1 p.m.: Media availability: Mapping the World’s Water: New Satellite Provides Game-Changing Data 4:30 p.m.: Media briefing: 1000 Sols and Counting: Perseverance Rover’s Latest Science and Future Plans 5:30 p.m.: Media availability: Monitoring the Air We Breathe from Space: How NASA’s TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) Instrument Will Revolutionize Air Quality Forecasts Wednesday, Dec. 13 1 p.m.: Media availability: Earth Science at a Rapid PACE: A preview of NASA’s new ocean and atmospheres mission 5:30 p.m.: Media availability: Understanding Open Science: NASA’s Role and Real-world Insights Friday, Dec. 15 4 p.m.: Melroy plenary speech discussing the Artemis program 5 p.m.: Media availability with Melroy Media can register on AGU’s website to participate in live briefings online. All briefings will be posted afterward on AGU’s YouTube channel. For those attending the meeting, 50 hyperwall talks at the NASA Exhibit will highlight the current state of NASA Earth, planetary, and heliophysics science. In addition, 40 data demonstrations will highlight how to use NASA’s free and openly available data, NASA’s sea level rise portal, and HelioViewer’s imagery of our Sun. For more information on NASA Earth and climate science, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/earth -end- Karen Fox / Amber Jacobson Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 karen.fox@nasa.gov / amber.c.jacobson@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Dec 08, 2023 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsWhat We DoPamela A. Melroy View the full article

Engineers and technicians process the right forward center segment of the Space Launch System solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2023. Inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians process the right forward center segment of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket on Nov. 28, 2023. The ongoing processing of the segments is the first step before stacking operations begin and the segments will form the twin solid rocket boosters for the SLS rocket that will power NASA’s Artemis II mission. After arriving via rail in September, the team has been inspecting each segment one-by-one and lifting them to a vertical position to ensure the solid propellant and segment are ready for integration and launch. Engineers and technicians process and inspect the propellant of the right forward center segment of the Space Launch System solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. Once processing is complete for all 10 segments, they will be moved one at a time to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking atop the mobile launcher. Standing 17 stories tall and burning approximately six tons of propellant every second, each booster generates more thrust than 14 four-engine jumbo commercial airliners. Together, the twin boosters provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust at launch. The Artemis II mission will send four astronauts around the Moon as part of the agency’s effort to establish a long-term science and exploration presence at the Moon, and eventually Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett View the full article

Researchers with the BioSCape campaign collect vegetation data from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. The field work, which took place in October and November, was part of an international collaboration that could help inform the capabilities of future satellite missions aimed at studying plants and animals.Adam Wilson NASA satellite and airborne tools aid an international team studying biodiversity on land and in the water around South Africa. An international team of researchers spent October and November 2023 in the field studying one of the world’s most biologically diverse areas – South Africa’s Greater Cape Floristic Region. As part of the effort, researchers used NASA airborne and space-based instruments to gather complementary data to better understand the unique aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in this region. Their findings will inform the capabilities of future satellite missions aimed at studying plants and animals. “The food we eat, the clean water that we drink, and the air we breathe comes from the diversity of life on planet Earth,” said Erin Hestir of the University of California, Merced, and the campaign’s lead aquatic researcher. “As we lose species, we’re potentially losing Earth’s ability to sustain healthy human societies and provide healthy food and clean water for all.” Known as the Biodiversity Survey of the Cape (BioSCape), the effort is a large collaboration led in the U.S. by NASA, the University at Buffalo in New York, and the University of California, Merced. It is led in South Africa by the University of Cape Town and the South African Environmental Observation Network. The Greater Cape Floristic Region, where the BioSCape field work took place, is outlined in dark green in this map of the southwestern tip of South Africa. The region is a biodiversity hotspot that includes environments dominated by a shrubland called fynbos.NASA Earth Observatory The Greater Cape Floristic Region covers about 2.5 million acres (1 million hectares) on South Africa’s southwestern tip. Home to many plant and animal species found nowhere else on Earth, the biodiversity hotspot is recognized as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The area also includes several UNESCO Biosphere reserves to protect unique terrestrial and aquatic environments. The BioSCape team is testing how well airborne and satellite remote sensing can characterize the region’s terrestrial, freshwater, and marine biodiversity. Space- and airplane-based instruments can cover more ground – and do so faster as well as more frequently – than crews in the field. This has a wide range of practical applications, from mapping the presence of invasive plants to better understanding the drivers of harmful algal blooms. A Challenging Area “South Africa is a hugely biodiverse place, but it’s a very challenging environment in which to do remote sensing research,” said Anabelle Cardoso, BioSCape science team manager at the University at Buffalo and the University of Cape Town. “With so many plant and animal species packed into a relatively small area, using remote sensing instruments to differentiate between species living in close proximity can be difficult.” Three of the BioSCape aircraft sensors are imaging spectrometers, which observe different wavelengths of visible and infrared light reflected or emitted by various materials on Earth’s surface and in the atmosphere. Each material has its own spectral fingerprint, enabling researchers to tell what they are observing. A researcher attaches a sensor to a tree as part of the BioSCape campaign in the Greater Cape Floristic Region in South Africa.Adam Wilson Scientists collect biological samples from South Africa’s Walker Bay as part of the BioSCape campaign. The information from the samples will help to quantify the biodiversity of the bay.Otto Whitehead (Fishwater Films) For example, the dominant vegetation in the Greater Cape Floristic Region is a type of shrubland known as fynbos, which contains thousands of plant species. “We want to know whether the spectral signatures from these closely related fynbos variations are different enough that we can tell them apart in the data,” said Kerry Cawse-Nicholson, a research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “The discrimination of the biodiversity of phytoplankton in coastal and inland waters with imaging spectrometer data would advance science on aquatic ecosystem dynamics,” said Liane Guild, a research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. It would do this by offering new insights on land-water interactions, including riverine plumes, runoff, sedimentation, and algae blooms in coastal and inland waters that could have impacts on food security. Remote sensing capabilities like these will be vital for future satellites, such as the Surface Biology and Geology mission being planned for NASA’s Earth System Observatory. A More Complete Picture BioSCape crews collected data on land and in the water, efforts that include conducting plant and animal surveys and taking environmental DNA samples. Their findings will both augment and help confirm species information gathered by four NASA airborne instruments and two of the agency’s space-based instruments. Mounted on airplanes, the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer – Next Generation, the Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer, and the Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer are managed by JPL. Their detection of spectral fingerprints ranges from the ultraviolet part of the spectrum through the visible and into the infrared. Combined, their data provides information to help differentiate species and study water quality in reservoirs, among other things. Managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, the fourth airborne instrument is the Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor, which uses laser technology, known as lidar, to construct a 3D representation of the land surface and vegetation. That data can provide information on the structure of vegetation – including tree and plant height and the internal layers of forests – as well as the ground topography beneath tree cover. This data will also help calibrate and inform current and future space-based lidars, such as the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation currently operating on the International Space Station and a potential mission to study surface topography and vegetation. In addition, the BioSCape team is using observations from two JPL-managed instruments on the space station. NASA’s ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station measures land surface temperature and can be used to assess plant stress due to temperature or water availability. The imaging spectrometer EMIT, short for Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation, gathers data on surface minerals, among other things, lending insight into the geology of the Greater Cape Floristic Region. “One of the really exciting things is that when we combine the spectroscopy and the 3D structure, we can get a detailed biochemical and structural picture of the ecosystem,” said Adam Wilson of the University at Buffalo and one of the campaign’s lead researchers. This could help identify which plant species live in various environments, the presence of invasive plants, and how vegetation recovers after a wildfire. The data collected by BioSCape has the potential for wide-ranging research and applications, particularly for the people of South Africa. The project was designed in collaboration with several South African institutions, as well as national and provincial park systems, which plan to incorporate data and analyses from BioSCape into management of natural resources. To learn more about BioSCape, visit: https://www.bioscape.io/home News Media Contacts Jane J. Lee / Andrew Wang Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-0307 / 626-379-6874 jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov / andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov 2023-178 Share Details Last Updated Dec 08, 2023 Related TermsAirborne ScienceAnimal BiologyEarth System Observatory (ESO)Ecostress (ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station)EMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation)International Space Station (ISS)Jet Propulsion LaboratoryPlant Biology Explore More 3 min read 25 Years Ago: NASA, Partners Begin Space Station Assembly Article 2 days ago 5 min read NASA’s Psyche Delivers First Images and Other Data Article 3 days ago 7 min read Counteracting Bone and Muscle Loss in Microgravity Article 1 week ago View the full article

NASA has announced the 2023 winners of the NASA Entrepreneurs Challenge, which recognizes and supports entrepreneurs working on technology that advances the agency’s science goals. NASA NASA is announcing final winners of the 2023 NASA Entrepreneurs Challenge, which focused this year on lunar exploration and climate science. Entrepreneurs from across the United States came together at the Defense TechConnect Innovation Summit and Expo in Washington to pitch their ideas to a panel of NASA judges and venture experts. Winning organizations will be awarded an $85,000 grand prize for technologies that advance the agency’s science goals. “Science and technology work hand in hand,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Our science goals are advanced by creative new technologies, and challenges like this open doors to innovative ideas from entrepreneurs around the country. We are always looking for the brightest, cutting-edge ideas to help NASA move forward its visionary research regarding Earth, the Moon, and the entire universe.” The 2023 NASA Entrepreneurs Challenge sought solutions in two areas: to provide ideas for lunar payloads that may attract non-governmental funding for delivery to the surface of the Moon by a commercial provider; and climate science to obtain high quality data from small, hosted instruments, as well as new business models for using existing climate data to address climate and environmental problems. Earlier this year, 11 challenge participants were selected as Round 1 winners, and received $16,000 each to advance to the final, second round of the challenge. The Round 2 Winners are as follows: Visual-Inertial Position & Navigation for Moon by Skyline Nav AI Lunar Anti-Dust Microgrid Payload by Front Range Deep Detection of Methane in Satellite Data by GeoLabe Cislune Lunar Fuel Refinery and Exporter by Cislune Ringside Seats: Mote Lunar Landing Support System by Space Initiatives Robotic Utility Transmission Infrastructure by BlinkSpace PRISM: Personal RealTime Insight from Spatial Maps by Pegasus Intelligence and Space In addition to the monetary prize, the challenge provided winners with exposure to external funders and investors, and offered insight into how entrepreneurs can work with NASA in the future. NASA emphasized reaching entrepreneurs from historically underrepresented communities. To learn more about the award, visit: https://www.nasaentrepreneurchallenge.org -end- Karen Fox Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 karen.fox@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Dec 08, 2023 LocationNASA Headquarters View the full article

Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (left), signs the Memorandum of Agreement for Space Weather alongside Ken Graham, assistant administrator for NOAA’s Weather Services (right). This quad-agency agreement will further research and operations of space weather to improve space weather predictions and preparedness while also mitigating its impacts. NOAA / Robert Hyatt On Dec. 7, 2023, Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, signed on behalf of the agency the Memorandum of Agreement for Space Weather Research-To-Operations-To-Research Collaboration. This quad-agency agreement is between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Air Force. The memorandum outlines the responsibilities for collaboration across the federal government to enhance the country’s preparedness for space weather – the environmental changes caused in space by the constant outflow of solar wind from the Sun. In addition to improving our ability to protect satellites and GPS signals from space weather, NASA’s heliophysics division works closely with our Artemis program to support the human exploration of deep space in a variety of ways including learning how to measure the radiation environment on and around the moon. These measurements will aid in the prediction and validation of the radiation environment that our astronauts will experience. View the full article

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The best known use of GPS satellites is to help people know their location whether driving a car, navigating a ship or plane, or trekking across remote territory. Another important, but lesser-known, use is to distribute information to other Earth-viewing satellites to help them pinpoint measurements of our planet. NASA and several other federal agencies, including the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Space Command, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency are improving the location accuracy of these measurements down to the millimeter with a new set of laser retroreflector arrays, or LRAs. Reflection of the laser retroreflector array through the testing apparatus.NASA/Zach Denny “The primary benefit of laser ranging and LRAs is to improve the geolocation of all of our Earth observations,” said Stephen Merkowitz, project manager for NASA’s Space Geodesy Project at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. A team of scientists and engineers with the project tested these arrays earlier this year to ensure they were up to their task and they could withstand the harsh environment of space. Recently the first set of these new laser retroreflector arrays was shipped to the U.S. Space Force and Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colorado, to be added to the next generation of GPS satellites. How do Laser Retroreflector Arrays Work? Laser retroreflector arrays make it possible to do laser ranging – using small bursts of laser light to detect distances between objects. Pulses of laser light from a ground station are directed toward an orbiting satellite, which then reflect off the array and return to the station. The time it takes for the light to travel from the ground to the satellite and back again can be used to calculate the distance between the satellite and the ground. Laser ranging and laser retroreflector arrays have been part of space missions for decades, and they are currently mounted on and essential to the operation of Earth-viewing satellites like ICESat-2 (Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation satellite 2), SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography), and GRACE-FO (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow On). LRAs for laser ranging were even deployed on the surface of the Moon during the Apollo missions. “The LRAs are special mirrors,” said Merkowitz. “They’re different from a normal mirror because they bounce back light directly towards its original source.” For laser ranging, scientists want to direct light beams back to the original source. They do this by placing three mirrors at right angles, essentially forming an inside corner of a cube. The laser retroreflector arrays are made up of an array of 48 of these mirrored corners. “When light enters the array, due to those 90-degree angles, the light will bounce and take a series of reflections, but the output angle will always come out at the same angle as the one that came in,” said Zach Denny, optical engineer for the Space Geodesy Project at Goddard. LRAs in testing at Goddard, captured by Zach Denny. The blue reflecting from the retroreflectors – which are 3.5 inches in diameter – are reflections of the gloves Denny was wearing while the black color is the reflection of his phone lens.NASA/Zach Denny What Will Laser Retroreflector Arrays Help? Geodesy is the study of Earth’s shape, as well as its gravity and rotation, and how they all change over time. Laser ranging to laser retroreflector arrays is a key technique in this study. The surface of Earth is constantly changing in small ways due to shifting tectonic plates, melting ice, and other natural phenomena. With these constant shifts – and the fact that Earth is not a perfect sphere – there must be a way to define the measurements on Earth’s surface. Scientists call this a reference frame. Not only do these arrays and laser ranging help to precisely locate the satellites in orbit, but they also provide accurate positioning information for the ground stations back on Earth. With this information, scientists can even go so far as to find the center of the mass of Earth, which is the origin, or zero point, of the reference frame. Geodetic measurements – laser ranging to reference satellites like LAGEOS (Laser Geodynamic Satellites) – are used to constantly determine the location of Earth’s center of mass down to a millimeter. These measurements are critical for enabling scientists to assign a longitude and latitude to satellite measurements and put them on a map. Significant events like tsunamis and earthquakes can cause small changes to the Earth’s center of mass. Scientists need accurate laser ranging measurements to quantify and understand those changes, said Linda Thomas, a research engineer at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington. Satellite measurements of subtle but important Earth phenomena, such as sea level rise, rely on an accurate reference frame. The long-term global trend of sea level rise, as well as its seasonal and regional variations, occur at rates of just a few millimeters a year. The reference frame needs to be more accurate than such changes if scientists want to accurately measure them. “Geodesy is a fundamental part of our daily lives because it tells us where we are and it tells us how the world is changing,” said Frank Lemoine, project scientist for NASA’s Space Geodesy Project. By Erica McNamee NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Share Details Last Updated Dec 08, 2023 EditorErica McNameeContactErica McNameeerica.s.mcnamee@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related TermsGoddard Space Flight CenterEarth Explore More 3 min read Hubble Captures a Cluster in the Cloud This striking Hubble Space Telescope image shows the densely packed globular cluster known as NGC 2210, which… Article 6 hours ago 3 min read NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to Resume Science Operations Soon Updated, Dec. 7, 2023 NASA plans to restore the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope to science… Article 1 day ago 3 min read NASA Engineers Push Limits of Physics to Focus Light Photon sieves focus extreme ultraviolet light and can enable Sun science. Article 3 days ago View the full article

The astronaut crew for Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) to the International Space Station. From left to right, Ax-3 crew members are Michael López-Alegría, Axiom Space’s chief astronaut, Walter Villadei, an Italian Air Force colonel and pilot for the mission, Mission Specialist Alper Gezeravci from Türkiye, and ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt.Credits: Axiom Space NASA experts will join a virtual news conference hosted by Axiom Space at 10 a.m. EST Wednesday, Dec. 13, to discuss the launch of Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3), the third private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. The Ax-3 launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft is targeted no earlier than January 2024 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During the mission, which includes about 14 days aboard the space station, the four-person multi-national crew will complete more than 30 research experiments developed for microgravity in collaboration with organizations across the globe. Briefing participants are: Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Angela Hart, manager, Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program, NASA Matt Ondler, president, Axiom Space Michael López-Alegría, chief astronaut and Ax-3 commander, Axiom Space Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX Col. Valerio Anastasi, chief of space programs and capabilities office, Italian Air Force Yusuf Kıraç, president, TUA (Turkish Space Agency) Frank De Winne, head of the European astronaut center, ESA (European Space Agency) Media must register for the mission overview news conference by 1 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 12, at: https://bit.ly/46J3Q5T In addition to former NASA astronaut López-Alegría commanding the private mission, Walter Villadei of Italy will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are Alper Gezeravci of Turkey and ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Marcus Wandt of Sweden. NASA’s goal is to enable a strong, commercial marketplace in low Earth orbit where the agency is one of many customers for private industry. The agency recently released its third request for information with proposed requirements for commercial space station services and awarded agreements to advance additional capabilities. Learn how NASA is fostering a robust commercial low Earth orbit economy at: https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/ -end- Joshua Finch Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov Rebecca Turkington Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 rebecca.turkington@nasa.gov Alexis DeJarnette Alexis@axiomspace.com Share Details Last Updated Dec 08, 2023 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsHumans in SpaceCommercial SpaceInternational Space Station (ISS)The Future of Commercial Space View the full article

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope can resolve individual stars in the densely-packed cores of globular clusters like NGC 2210.ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Sarajedini This striking Hubble Space Telescope image shows the densely packed globular cluster known as NGC 2210, which is situated in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The LMC lies about 157,000 light-years from Earth and is a so-called satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, meaning that the two galaxies are gravitationally bound. Globular clusters are very stable, tightly bound clusters of thousands or even millions of stars. Their stability means that they can last a long time, and therefore globular clusters are often studied to investigate potentially very old stellar populations. In fact, 2017 research using some of the data that were also used to build this image revealed that a sample of LMC globular clusters were incredibly close in age to some of the oldest stellar clusters found in the Milky Way’s halo. They found that NGC 2210 specifically probably clocks in at around 11.6 billion years old. Even though this is only a couple of billion years younger than the universe itself, it made NGC 2210 by far the youngest globular cluster in their sample. All other LMC globular clusters studied in the same work were found to be even older, with four of them over 13 billion years old. This tells astronomers that the oldest globular clusters in the LMC formed contemporaneously with the oldest clusters in the Milky Way, even though the two galaxies formed independently. As well as being a source of interesting research, this old-but-relatively-young cluster is also extremely beautiful, with its highly concentrated population of stars. The night sky would look very different from the perspective of an inhabitant of a planet orbiting one of the stars in a globular cluster’s center: the sky would appear to be stuffed full of stars, in a stellar environment that is thousands of times more crowded than our own. LEARN MORE: Related science paper in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Text credit: European Space Agency Media Contact: Claire Andreoli NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD claire.andreoli@nasa.gov View the full article