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This article is for students grades K-4. Artemis is a new NASA program to explore the Moon. These missions will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon. With the Artemis program, NASA will study the Moon in new and better ways. Why Is This Program Called Artemis? The first astronauts landed on the Moon in 1969. The missions were called Apollo. The name Apollo came from stories told by Greek people long ago. In the stories, Apollo was a god. Apollo had a twin sister. Her name was Artemis. She was the goddess of the Moon in the Greek stories. The first crew will land on the Moon’s South Pole. What Spacecraft Will Be Used for the Artemis Program? NASA has a new rocket. It is the Space Launch System. It is called SLS for short. It is the most powerful rocket in the world. SLS will carry the Orion spacecraft on top. Orion can carry up to four astronauts. Orion will fly around, or orbit, the Moon. A spaceship will be orbiting the Moon like the Moon orbits Earth. The spaceship will be called the Gateway. Orion will connect to the Gateway. Astronauts will go from Orion to the Gateway. This is where astronauts will live as they orbit the Moon. The crew will take trips in spacecraft called landers to get to work on the surface of the Moon. Then they will return to Gateway. When all of their work is finished, the crew will return to Earth aboard Orion. When Will Artemis Go to the Moon? The first Apollo missions were tests. NASA launched the rocket to be sure it was safe for people and work as planned. Artemis will be tested first, too: Artemis 1 will launch SLS and Orion with no astronauts. Artemis 2 will have a crew. They will circle past the Moon and return to Earth. Artemis 3 will send a crew with the first woman and the next man to land on the Moon. What Will Artemis Astronauts Do on the Moon? The Artemis 3 crew will visit the Moon’s South Pole. No one has ever been there. At the Moon, astronauts will: Search for the Moon’s water and use it. Study the Moon to discover its mysteries. Learn how to live and work on a different planet or moon from Earth. Test the new tools NASA will need before sending astronauts on missions to Mars. A mission to Mars will take up to three years from Earth and back. Why Is the Artemis Program Important? The Moon is a good place to learn new science. NASA will learn more about the Moon, Earth and even the Sun. The Moon is also a place to learn how astronauts can one day live and work on Mars. The Artemis missions will need new tools. Many companies will make these new tools that NASA will use. This will mean new jobs and new businesses that are good for people and companies on Earth. Other countries will be NASA’s partners for the new Moon missions. They will work on Artemis to bring the world together for a mission to Earth’s nearest neighbor in space. More About Artemis Puzzle Book Pencil and Paper Puzzles: Orion Activities and Coloring Sheets For Kids Space Launch System Coloring Book (PDF) Story: What Is the Space Launch System? Story: What Is Orion? Story: What Was the Apollo Program? Read What Is the Artemis Program? (Grades 5-8) Explore More For Students Grades K-4 View the full article

2 min read SaSa NASA Partners NASA Langley NASA Langley Aerosol Research Group (LARGE) LARGE specializes in making in situ aerosol and cloud measurements and conducting research to improve understanding of atmospheric aerosols and their interactions with water vapor. LARGE aims to contribute directly to NASA and the Langley Science Directorate goals of translating atmospheric discovery into better solutions to protect the Earth and its people. This is accomplished through investments in people and infrastructure, technology development, and stewardship/dissemination of high-quality data during scientific missions like DISCOVER-AQ and SEAC4RS. To learn more, check out the LARGE website. Research Group The research group supporting the SaSa program includes: Ali Omar Richard Moore Luke Ziemba NASA Langley Aerosol Research Group (LARGE) Members Instrumentation Below is a snapshot of instruments and tools Langley uses to support SaSa student projects and the summer airborne science campaigns. More information can be found on the NASA Langley Aerosol Research Group (LARGE) Instruments page. NASA Goddard NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has unique assets – aircraft, aircraft sensors and experts – to help create an effective learning environment for students. Research group GSFC scientists and engineers support the SaSa program, especially in the maintenance of the CAR instrument. The CAR was designed and operated at NASA GSFC until August 2022, when it was transferred to NASA Ames Research Center. This team is lead by: Dong Wu, NASA Goddard co-I for the SaSa program Research team including Mariel Frieberg. Share Details Last Updated Nov 21, 2023 Related Terms General View the full article

This article is for students grades 5-8 A black hole is a region in space where the pulling force of gravity is so strong that light is not able to escape. The strong gravity occurs because matter has been pressed into a tiny space. This compression can take place at the end of a star’s life. Some black holes are a result of dying stars. Because no light can escape, black holes are invisible. However, space telescopes with special instruments can help find black holes. They can observe the behavior of material and stars that are very close to black holes. How Big Are Black Holes? Black holes can come in a range of sizes, but there are three main types of black holes. The black hole’s mass and size determine what kind it is. The smallest ones are known as primordial black holes. Scientists believe this type of black hole is as small as a single atom but with the mass of a large mountain. The most common type of medium-sized black holes is called “stellar.” The mass of a stellar black hole can be up to 20 times greater than the mass of the sun and can fit inside a ball with a diameter of about 10 miles. Dozens of stellar mass black holes may exist within the Milky Way galaxy. The largest black holes are called “supermassive.” These black holes have masses greater than 1 million suns combined and would fit inside a ball with a diameter about the size of the solar system. Scientific evidence suggests that every large galaxy contains a supermassive black hole at its center. The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy is called Sagittarius A. It has a mass equal to about 4 million suns and would fit inside a ball with a diameter about the size of the sun. How Do Black Holes Form? Primordial black holes are thought to have formed in the early universe, soon after the big bang. Stellar black holes form when the center of a very massive star collapses in upon itself. This collapse also causes a supernova, or an exploding star, that blasts part of the star into space. Scientists think supermassive black holes formed at the same time as the galaxy they are in. The size of the supermassive black hole is related to the size and mass of the galaxy it is in. If Black Holes Are “Black,” How Do Scientists Know They Are There? A black hole can not be seen because of the strong gravity that is pulling all of the light into the black hole’s center. However, scientists can see the effects of its strong gravity on the stars and gases around it. If a star is orbiting a certain point in space, scientists can study the star’s motion to find out if it is orbiting a black hole. When a black hole and a star are orbiting close together, high-energy light is produced. Scientific instruments can see this high-energy light. A black hole’s gravity can sometimes be strong enough to pull off the outer gases of the star and grow a disk around itself called the accretion disk. As gas from the accretion disk spirals into the black hole, the gas heats to very high temperatures and releases X-ray light in all directions. NASA telescopes measure the X-ray light. Astronomers use this information to learn more about the properties of a black hole. Could a Black Hole Destroy Earth? Black holes do not wander around the universe, randomly swallowing worlds. They follow the laws of gravity just like other objects in space. The orbit of a black hole would have to be very close to the solar system to affect Earth, which is not likely. If a black hole with the same mass as the sun were to replace the sun, Earth would not fall in. The black hole with the same mass as the sun would keep the same gravity as the sun. The planets would still orbit the black hole as they orbit the sun now. Will the Sun Ever Turn Into a Black Hole? The sun does not have enough mass to collapse into a black hole. In billions of years, when the sun is at the end of its life, it will become a red giant star. Then, when it has used the last of its fuel, it will throw off its outer layers and turn into a glowing ring of gas called a planetary nebula. Finally, all that will be left of the sun is a cooling white dwarf star. How Is NASA Studying Black Holes? NASA is learning about black holes using spacecraft like the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Swift satellite and the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Fermi launched in 2008 and is observing gamma rays – the most energetic form of light – in search of supermassive black holes and other astronomical phenomena. Spacecraft like these help scientists answer questions about the origin, evolution and destiny of the universe. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Words to Know mass: the measurement for the amount of matter in an object red giant star: a star that is larger than the sun and red because it has a lower temperature white dwarf star: a small star, about the size of Earth; one of the last stages of a star’s life _________________________________________________________________________________________ More About Black Holes Space Place in a Snap: What Is a Black Hole? Black Hole Rescue Fall Into a Black Hole Black Holes: By the Numbers Slideshow Black Hole Travel Postcards Read What Is a Black Hole? (Grades K-4) Explore More for Students Grades 5-8 View the full article

This article is for students grades K-4. A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out. The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This can happen when a star is dying. Because no light can get out, people can’t see black holes. They are invisible. Space telescopes with special tools can help find black holes. The special tools can see how stars that are very close to black holes act differently than other stars. How Big Are Black Holes? Black holes can be big or small. Scientists think the smallest black holes are as small as just one atom. These black holes are very tiny but have the mass of a large mountain. Mass is the amount of matter, or “stuff,” in an object. Another kind of black hole is called “stellar.” Its mass can be up to 20 times more than the mass of the sun. There may be many, many stellar mass black holes in Earth’s galaxy. Earth’s galaxy is called the Milky Way. The largest black holes are called “supermassive.” These black holes have masses that are more than 1 million suns together. Scientists have found proof that every large galaxy contains a supermassive black hole at its center. The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy is called Sagittarius A. It has a mass equal to about 4 million suns and would fit inside a very large ball that could hold a few million Earths. How Do Black Holes Form? Scientists think the smallest black holes formed when the universe began. Stellar black holes are made when the center of a very big star falls in upon itself, or collapses. When this happens, it causes a supernova. A supernova is an exploding star that blasts part of the star into space. Scientists think supermassive black holes were made at the same time as the galaxy they are in. If Black Holes Are “Black,” How Do Scientists Know They Are There? A black hole can not be seen because strong gravity pulls all of the light into the middle of the black hole. But scientists can see how the strong gravity affects the stars and gas around the black hole. Scientists can study stars to find out if they are flying around, or orbiting, a black hole. When a black hole and a star are close together, high-energy light is made. This kind of light can not be seen with human eyes. Scientists use satellites and telescopes in space to see the high-energy light. Could a Black Hole Destroy Earth? Even if a black hole the same mass as the sun were to take the place of the sun, Earth still would not fall in. The black hole would have the same gravity as the sun. Earth and the other planets would orbit the black hole as they orbit the sun now. Black holes do not go around in space eating stars, moons and planets. Earth will not fall into a black hole because no black hole is close enough to the solar system for Earth to do that. The sun will never turn into a black hole. The sun is not a big enough star to make a black hole. How Is NASA Studying Black Holes? NASA is using satellites and telescopes that are traveling in space to learn more about black holes. These spacecraft help scientists answer questions about the universe. More About Black Holes Space Place in a Snap: What Is a Black Hole? Black Hole Rescue Fall Into a Black Hole Read What Is a Black Hole? (Grades 5-8) Explore More For Students K-4 View the full article

4 min read NASA Selects 11 Space Biology Research Projects to Inform Biological Research During Future Lunar Exploration Missions NASA announces the award of eleven grants or cooperative agreements for exciting new Space Biology research that will advance NASA’s understanding of how exposure to lunar dust/regolith impact both plant and animal systems. As human exploration prepares to go beyond Earth Orbit, Space Biology is advancing its research priorities towards work that will enable organisms to Thrive In DEep Space (TIDES). The ultimate goal of the TIDES initiative is to enable long-duration space missions and improve life on Earth through innovative research. Space Biology supported research will enable the study of the effects of environmental stressors in spaceflight on model organisms, that will both inform future fundamental research, as well as provide valuable information that will better enable human exploration of deep space. Proposals for these eleven projects were submitted in response to ROSES-2022 Program Element E.9 “Space Biology Research Studies” (NNH22ZDA001N-SBR). This funding opportunity solicited ground studies using plant or animal models (or their associated microbes) to characterize the responses of these organisms to lunar regolith simulant similar to that found at NASA candidate landing sites for future lunar exploration missions. This funding opportunity represents a collaboration between the Space Biology Program and NASA’s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Division within the Exploration Architecture, Integration, and Science (EAIS) Directorate at the NASA Johnson Space Center, who will be supplying the lunar regolith simulant required for these studies. Selected studies include (but are not limited to) efforts to 1) test the ability of lunar regolith to act as a growth substrate for crop-producing plants including grains, tomatoes and potatoes, 2) understand how growth in lunar regolith influences plant and microbial interactions, and how in turn, these interactions affect plant development and health, 3) identify and test bioremediation methods/techniques to enhance the ability of regolith to act as a growth substrate, and 4) understand how lunar dust exposure impacts host/microbial interactions in human-analogous model systems under simulated microgravity conditions. Eleven investigators will conduct these Space Biology investigations from ten institutions in nine states. Eight of these awards are to investigators new to the Space Biology Program. When fully implemented, approximately $2.3 million will be awarded in fiscal years 2024-2027. Plant Research Investigations Simon Gilroy, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Madison Tailoring Lunar Regolith to Plant Nutrition Aymeric Goyer, Ph.D. Oregon State University Growth, physiology and nutrition dynamics of potato plants grown on lunar regolith simulant medium Christopher Mason, Ph.D. Weill Medical College of Cornell University Leveraging the microbes of Earth’s extreme environments for sustainable plant growth in lunar regolith Thomas Juenger, Ph.D. University of Texas, Austin Engineering plant-microbial interactions for improved plant growth on simulated lunar regolith Plant Early Career Research Investigations Miranda Haus, Ph.D. Michigan State University The sources and extent of root stunting during growth in lunar highland regolith and its impact on legume symbioses Joseph Lynch, Ph.D. West Virginia University The metabolomic impact of lunar regolith-based substrate on tomatoes Jared Broddrick, Ph.D. NASA Ames Research Center Phycoremediation of lunar regolith towards in situ agriculture Shuyang Zhen, Ph.D. Texas A&M AgriLife Research Investigating the impact of foliar and root-zone exposure to lunar regolith simulant on lettuce growth and stress physiology in a hydroponic system Plant Small Scale Research Investigations Kathryn Fixen, Ph.D. University of Minnesota The impact of lunar regolith on nitrogen fixation in a plant growth promoting rhizobacterium Animal Research Investigations Cheryl Nickerson, Arizona State University Effects of Lunar Dust Simulant on Human 3-D Biomimetic Intestinal Models, Enteric Microorganisms, and Infectious Disease Risks Afshin Beheshti, Ph.D. NASA Ames Research CenterSpaceflight and Regolith Induced Mitochondrial Stress Mitigated by miRNA-based Countermeasures Share Details Last Updated Nov 21, 2023 Related Terms Biological & Physical Sciences Space Biology View the full article

Connect your sci-fi fandom and learn about how NASA explores the unknown in space for all humanity! Join experts and engagement team members from NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley at FAN EXPO San Francisco 2023. Visit the exhibit, panels, and more to hear about NASA’s plans for human exploration at the Moon and missions to Mars from NASA roboticists, engineers, and educators. The FAN EXPO San Francisco convention will be held Nov. 24-26, 2023, at Moscone Center West in San Francisco. NASA Booth The NASA booth can be found by the main entrance of the convention show floor, at booth #607. Stop by to talk to our experts, learn about upcoming missions, and much more! Event attendees will also have a chance to take a photo with a full-size model of VIPER, NASA’s first robotic Moon rover. Shared posts on X, Facebook, and Instagram using the tag #MoonRoverAndMe may appear on NASA social media accounts during or after the event! NASA Panel Schedule Bots Before Boots: VIPER – NASA’s First Robotic Moon Rover Mission 1:45 p.m. PST Saturday, Nov. 24 Theater #5 (Room 2006) Launching in late 2024, VIPER will explore ancient craters at the lunar South Pole to unravel the mysteries of the Moon’s water and inform future human exploration of the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis missions. Panelists: Loretta Falcone, Lead Mission Planner Terry Fong, Director of the Intelligence Robotics Group Ryan Vaughan, Systems Engineer Moderator: Cara Dodge, Public Engagement Lead Boots on the Moon! NASA’s Next Step in Human Exploration 2:45 p.m. PST Saturday, Nov. 24 Theater #5 (Room 2006) With the Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers. Panelists: Parul Agrawal, Ames Lead for Orion Spacecraft Operations    Lara Lash, Aerospace Engineer    Seth Schisler, Technology Manager  Moderator: Arezu Sarvestani, Public Affairs Specialist For News Media Members of the news media interested in covering this topic should reach out to the NASA Ames newsroom. View the full article

JAXA / Koichi Wakata NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 flight engineer Nicole Mann is pictured during a fit check of her spacesuit on Jan. 12, 2023, ahead of a planned spacewalk to upgrade the International Space Station’s power generation system. Selected as an astronaut candidate in June 2013, Mann is the first Native American woman from NASA in space. In 2018, she was chosen as one of the nine astronauts to crew the first flight tests and missions of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon. In her first spaceflight, she launched to the International Space Station as commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on Oct. 5, 2022. While aboard the orbital laboratory, Mann executed two spacewalks totaling 14 hours and two minutes. She also supported two spacewalks as the robotic arm operator and captured the NG-18 cargo resupply spacecraft, S.S. Sally Ride. View our Native American Heritage Month gallery. Image Credit: JAXA/Koichi Wakata View the full article

6 min read Bethany Theiling: Researching Oceans on Earth and Beyond Name: Bethany Theiling Formal Job Classification: Planetary research scientist Organization: Planetary Environment Laboratory, Science Directorate (Code 699) Bethany Theiling is a planetary research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.NASA/Rebecca Roth What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission? I am an ocean worlds geochemist, which combines chemistry and geology. I study oceans across the solar system including those on Earth. What is your educational background? I have a B.A. in anthropology and linguistics from Florida State University, a Master of Science in geology from the University of Georgia, and a Ph.D. in Earth and planetary sciences from the University of New Mexico. Where did you learn the techniques that make you successful? I ran the stable isotope lab at Purdue University. I was responsible for maintaining the facility and mentoring the students. I had to be very flexible and have a very deep understanding of all the equipment and everyone’s projects. I then did a postdoc at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. That was my introduction to planetary science. I fell in love with Europa and icy ocean worlds. What drew you to being a geology professor at the University of Tulsa? I always wanted to be a professor. I love everything about it; that you can teach, do research and mentor students. I thought that being a professor gave you total freedom over anything you wanted to explore. I loved it, but I had an abundance of research ideas and did not have the time and resources to pursue them. How did you come to Goddard? What was your impression? I started working at Goddard in August 2019 as a planetary research scientist. I did not know that a place like Goddard existed – a place that is truly supportive of the people who work there. The employees and management have an incredible positivity. Within the planetary science guideposts, I have the freedom to pursue almost any line of research I am able to get funded. What is your favorite part about laboratory work? Field work? In my laboratory work, I get to create other worlds in the lab. Just over a year ago, I completed fieldwork exploring lava caves on volcanos in Hawaii. We were trying to evaluate the atmosphere inside the lava cave to create a method for astronauts to determine environmental conditions in caves on Mars or the Moon. We also used isotopes in the air to identify life, which hopefully can also be used in a future mission. What is the most exciting research you are doing? I am very excited about my work developing an autonomous science agent. My team recognizes that for these planetary ocean worlds, it will be very challenging to explore and return data. We are hoping to develop artificial intelligence (AI) that can act as a scientist aboard a spacecraft. Many of the current autonomous functions of a spacecraft are robotic. We are trying to develop what we are terming “science autonomy.” We want multiple instruments to be able to collect data on board, that the science agent can analyze and make decisions about, including returning this information to Earth. This includes prioritizing, transmitting, and deciding where and when to take the next samples. The advantage of an AI agent is that we can avoid the sometimes 12-plus-hour delay in communicating with the spacecraft. We are hoping to do “opportunistic science,” meaning respond to real-time events. We have a series of capability demonstrations, but an AI science agent is a few years away. We can already do simple tasks, but cannot yet do opportunistic science. Ultimately no person can be on these spacecraft. We are trying to create an AI science agent to find “eureka moments” in real time on its own. We are trying to create AI independence through multiple observations. What advice do you give the people you mentor? Although I customize my advice, I am often asked what characteristics make someone successful and able to get through tough times. I always say: creativity and tenacity. I constantly come up with ideas, some better than others, and I explore them. I think about problems in creative ways. I stick with whatever I am thinking about until I figure it out, but sometimes you need to know when enough is enough. Creativity comes from myself, but also from listening to the people on my team. These traits also describe Goddard’s culture, which is another reason why I love Goddard so much. What do you do for fun? So many things! Here’s just a few. I paint abstract art and impressionism in acrylics and watercolors. In the past, I had a costuming company for belly dancers and regular costumes. I also trained in opera and am getting back into it. I also love gardening and hiking. Who inspires you? My astrophysicist husband, who is a professor of physics and astronomy, is the most wonderful person. He has supported every wild idea I have ever had and helps me edit them. I can be up in the clouds and he brings me back down to earth, which I sometimes need. He has inspired most of my ideas in some way. He’s my best friend, and we have been together for over two decades. My vocal coach is incredibly supportive and wants to cultivate each of his students to find their own unique voice and not emulate someone else’s voice. That “voice” – perspective – is something I nurture in my hobbies and career. What is your “three-word memoir”? Opportunity is everywhere. This applies to me personally and also one I cultivate in our AI science agent. NASA Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage. By Elizabeth M. Jarrell NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Share Details Last Updated Nov 21, 2023 Editor Jamie Adkins Contact Rob Garnerrob.garner@nasa.gov Location Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Goddard Space Flight CenterPeople of GoddardPeople of NASA Explore More 3 min read NASA to Highlight Inclusion During Bayou Classic Event Article 1 day ago 4 min read NASA’s Webb Reveals New Features in Heart of Milky Way Article 1 day ago 3 min read NASA Researcher Honored by Goddard Tech Office for Earth Science Work Goddard researcher Dr. Antonia Gambacorta the 2023 IRAD Innovator of the Year for her work… Article 4 days ago View the full article

A member of the winning team of NASA’s 2023’s BIG Idea Challenge working on their Lunar Forge project, Production of Steel from Lunar Regolith through Carbonyl Iron Refining (CIR).University of Utah Through Artemis, NASA plans to conduct long-duration human and robotic missions on the lunar surface in preparation for future crewed exploration of Mars. Expanding exploration capabilities requires a robust lunar infrastructure, including practical and cost-effective ways to construct a lunar base. One method is employing in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) – or the ability to use naturally occurring resources – to produce consumables and build structures in the future, which will make explorers more Earth-independent. An ISRU process that NASA wants to learn more about is forging metals from lunar minerals to create structures and tools in the future. Through its 2023 Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Lunar Forge Challenge, NASA sought innovative concepts from university students to design an ISRU metal production pipeline on the Moon. The year-and-a-half-long challenge, funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) and Office of STEM Engagement, supports NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative in developing new approaches and novel technologies to pave the way for successful exploration on the surface of the Moon. Finalist teams presented their research, designs, prototypes, and testing results to a panel of NASA and industry judges at a culminating forum on Nov. 16, in Cleveland, Ohio. The University of Utah team, partnering with Powder Metallurgy Research Laboratory, earned the Artemis Award, which represents top honors in the 2023 BIG Idea Challenge. Their lunar forge project, Production of Steel from Lunar Regolith through Carbonyl Iron Refining (CIR), represents a promising avenue to extract iron from reduced lunar regolith and refine it into a high purity powder product in a two-stage process. The Artemis Award is given to the team whose concept has the best potential to contribute to and be integrated into an Artemis mission. There were multiple times we came close to scrapping the concept, but each time we found the strength to go a little farther. Our small group was driven by a genuine belief in the concept and curiosity of what would happen. This honor has validated the perseverance, effort, and dedication of exploring an innovative and applied idea. Participating in this challenge has allowed us to gain a tremendous and unique experience in technical and collaboration skills. We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity and for the friends we made along the way! Collin Andersen, Team Lead University of Utah and Powder Metallurgy Research Laboratory The University of Utah team, partnering with Powder Metallurgy Research Laboratory, earned the Artemis Award, which represents top honors in the 2023 BIG Idea Challenge. Credit: National Institute of Aerospace Teams could select to address technologies needed along any point in the lunar metal production pipeline, including, but not limited to: Metal detecting Metal refining Forming materials for additive manufacturing Testing and qualifying 3D printed infrastructure for use on the Moon In January, teams submitted proposal packages, from which seven finalists were selected in March 2023 for funding of up to $180,000, totaling nearly $1.1 million across all teams. The finalists then worked for nine months designing, developing, and demonstrating their concepts. The 2023 BIG Idea program concluded at its annual forum, where teams presented their results and answered questions from judges, followed by an interactive poster session. Experts from NASA and other aerospace companies evaluated the student concepts based on technical innovation, credibility, management, and teams’ verification testing. In addition to the presentation, the teams provided a technical paper and technical poster detailing their proposed metal production pipeline. This was a fantastic experience for both the student and NASA participants. The university concepts for how to forge metal on the Moon were inspiring and resulted in diverse, novel approaches for the agency to consider, as well as an extensive learning experience for students. The BIG Idea Challenge proves time and time again that engaging the academic community in complex technology challenges is a worthwhile endeavor for everyone involved. Niki werkheiser Director of technology maturation within STMD In addition to the top spot, several teams were recognized in other categories, including: Edison Award: Missouri University of Science & Technology Path-to-Flight Award: University of North Texas with Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Processes Institute at UNT; Enabled Engineering Systems Engineering: Northwestern University with Wearifi, Inc. Best Verification Demonstration: Colorado School of Mines BIG Picture Award: Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Honeybee Robotics Innovation Award: Pennsylvania State University with RFHIC & Jacobs Space Exploration Group The 2023 BIG Idea Challenge is sponsored by NASA through a collaboration between STMD’s Game Changing Development program and the Office of STEM Engagement’s Space Grant project. The Challenge is managed by a partnership between the National Institute of Aerospace and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). Students from Northwestern University with Wearifi, Inc., winners of the 2023 BIG Idea Challenge System’s Engineering award.Credit: Northwestern University Colorado School of Mines team members are shown submerging the housing into a furnace holding simulated regolith melt > 1,300°C in the 2023 BIG Idea Challenge.Credit: Colorado School of Mines An image of MIT’s floating zone furnace set up for the unbeneficiated small-scale experiment. Credit: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Missouri University of Science & Technology’s team members are shown working on their lunar forge project in the 2023 BIG Idea Challenge.Credit: Missouri University of Science & Technology An image of furrowed soil created by ACRE’s plow in Northwestern’s BIG Idea Challenge project. Credit: Northwestern University Penn State University’s SMELT system is shown during experiments with 20-g samples during the 2023 BIG Idea Challenge. Credit: Penn State University Student from Missouri University of Science and Technology working on the team’s lunar forge project in the 2023 BIG Idea Challenge.Credit: Missouri University of Science and Technology An overview image depicts how University of North Texas’s SIMPLE project works, in the 2023 BIG Idea Challenge. Credit: University of North Texas Colorado School of Mines team members pouring regolith slag into tile sandcasting molds to review applicability for use as building products in the 2023 BIG Idea Challenge. Credit: Colorado School of Mines An image of one step in the process of reducing anorthite to alumina in Missouri University of Science & Technology’s BIG Idea Challenge project. Credit: Missouri University of Science and Technology Penn State University’s SMELT system is shown during experiments with 20-g samples during the 2023 BIG Idea Challenge. Credit: Penn State University The University of Utah team, partnering with Powder Metallurgy Research Laboratory, earned the Artemis Award, which represents top honors in the 2023 BIG Idea Challenge. Pictured here with Dave Moore, Program Manager for NASA’s Game Changing Development program. Credit: Amy McCluskey, National Institute of Aerospace BIG Idea Challenge winners of the Best Verification Demonstration, Colorado School of MinesAmy McCluskey, National Institute of Aerospace 2023 BIG Idea Challenge winners of the BIG Picture Award, Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Honeybee Robotics Amy McCluskey, National Institute of Aerospace 2023 BIG Idea Challenge winners of the Edison Award, Missouri University of Science & TechnologyAmy McCluskey, National Institute of Aerospace 2023 BIG Idea Challenge winners of the Innovation Award, Pennsylvania State University with RFHIC & Jacobs Space Exploration GroupAmy McCluskey, National Institute of Aerospace 2023 BIG Idea Challenge winners of the Path to Flight Award, University of North Texas with Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Processes Institute at UNT; Enabled EngineeringCredit: Amy McCluskey, National Institute of Aerospace 2023 BIG Idea Challenge winners of the Systems Engineering Award, Northwestern University with Wearifi, Inc.Credit: Amy McCluskey, National Institute of Aerospace NASA sponsors the 2023 BIG Idea Challenge through its Game Changing Development program and the Office of STEM Engagement’s Space Grant project. The National Institute of Aerospace and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland managed the challenge for NASA. Team presentations, technical papers, and digital posters are available on the BIG Idea website.     For full competition details, visit: https://bigidea.nianet.org/2023-challenge/      NASA’s 2023 annual Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Challenge asks college students to design technologies that will support a metal production pipeline on the Moon – from extracting metal from lunar minerals to creating structures and tools. NASA/Advanced Concepts Lab Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative Game Changing Development Projects NASA STEM Opportunities and Activities For Students   View the full article

7 Min Read Deformable Mirrors in Space: Key Technology toDirectly Image Earth Twins PROJECT: Deformable Mirror Technology development SNAPSHOT Deformable mirrors enable direct imaging of exoplanets by correcting imperfections or shape changes in a space telescope down to subatomic scales. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video d Finding and studying Earth-like planets orbiting nearby stars is critical to understand whether we are alone in the universe. To study such planets and assess if they can sustain life, it is necessary to directly image them. However, these planets are difficult to observe, since light from the host star hides them with its glare. A coronagraph instrument can be used to remove the glare light from the host star, enabling reflected light from the planet to be collected. A deformable mirror is an essential component of a coronagraph, as it can correct the tiniest of imperfections in the telescope and remove any remaining starlight contamination. Detecting an Earth-like planet poses significant challenges as the planet is approximately 10 billion times fainter than its parent star. The main challenge is to block nearly all of the star’s light so that the faint light reflected from the planet can be collected. A coronagraph can block the starlight, however, any instability in the telescope’s optics—such as misalignment between mirrors or a change in the mirror’s shape—can result in starlight leakage, causing glare that hides the planet. Therefore, detecting an Earth-like planet using a coronagraph requires precise control of both the telescope and the instrument’s optical quality, or wavefront, to an extraordinary level of 10s of picometers (pm), which is approximately on the order of the size of a hydrogen atom. Deformable mirrors will enable future space coronagraphs to achieve this level of control. These devices will be demonstrated in space on a coronagraph technology demonstration instrument on NASA’s Roman Space Telescope, which will launch by May 2027. This technology will also be critical to enable a future flagship mission after Roman recommended by the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics, provisionally called the “Habitable Worlds Observatory” (HWO). What is a deformable mirror and how do they work? Deformable Mirrors (DM) are devices that can adjust the optical path of incoming light by changing the shape of a reflective mirror using precisely controlled piston-like actuators. By adjusting the shape of the mirror, it is possible to correct the wavefront that is perturbated by optical aberrations upstream and downstream of the DM. These aberrations can be caused by external perturbations, like atmospheric turbulence, or by optical misalignments or defects internal to the telescope. DM technology originated to enable adaptive optics (AO) in ground-based telescopes, where the primary goal is to correct the aberrations caused by atmospheric turbulence. The main characteristics of a DM are: 1) the number of actuators, which is proportional to the correctable field of view; 2) the actuators’ maximum stroke – i.e., how far they can move; 3) the DM speed, or time required to modify the DM surface; 4) the surface height resolution that defines the smallest wavefront control step, and (5) the stability of the DM surface. Ground-based deformable mirrors have set the state-of-the-art in performance, but to lay the groundwork to eventually achieve ambitious goals like the Habitable Worlds Observatory, further development of DMs for use in space is underway. For a space telescope, DMs do not need to correct for the atmosphere, but instead must correct the very small optical perturbations that slowly occur as the space telescope and instrument heat up and cool down in orbit. Contrast goals (the brightness difference between the planet and the star) for DMs in space are on the order of 10-10 which is 1000 times deeper than the contrast goals of ground-based counterparts. For space applications total stroke requirements are usually less than a micrometer; however, DM surface height resolution of ~10 pm and DM surface stability of ~10 pm/hour are the key and driving requirements. Another key aspect is the increased number of actuators needed for both space- and ground-based applications. Each actuator requires a high voltage connection (on the order of 100V) and fabricating a large number of connections creates an additional challenge. Deformable Mirror State-of-the-Art Two main DM actuator technologies are currently being considered for space missions. The first is electrostrictive technology, in which an actuator is mechanically connected to the DM’s reflective surface. When a voltage is applied to the actuator, it contracts and modifies the mirror surface. The second technology is the electrostatically-forced Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) DM. In this case, the mirror surface is deformed by an electrostatic force between an electrode and the mirror. Several NASA-sponsored contractor teams are working on advancing the DM performance required to meet the requirements of future NASA missions, which are much more stringent than most commercial applications, and thus, have a limited market application. Some examples of those efforts include improving the mirror’s surface quality or developing more advanced DM electronics. MEMS DMs manufactured by Boston Micromachines Corporation (BMC) have been tested in vacuum conditions and have undergone launch vibration testing. The largest space-qualified BMC device is the 2k DM (shown in Fig. 2), which has 50 actuators across its diameter (2040 actuators in total). Each actuator is only 400 microns across. The largest MEMS DM produced by BMC is the 4k DM, which has 64 actuators across its diameter (4096 actuators in total) and is used in the coronagraph instrument for the Gemini ground-based observatory. However, the 4k DM has not been qualified for space flight. Fig. 2: The Boston Micromachines Corporation 2k DM that has 2040 actuators with 400 um pitch. Credit: Dr. Eduardo Bendek Electrostrictive DMs manufactured by AOA Xinetics (AOX) have also been validated in vacuum and qualified for space flight. The AOX 2k DM has a 48 x 48 actuator grid (2304 actuators) with a 1 mm pitch. Two of these AOX 2k DMs will be used in the Roman Space Telescope Coronagraph (Fig. 3) to demonstrate the DM technology for high-contrast imaging in space. AOX has also manufactured larger devices, including a 64 x 64 actuator unit tested at JPL. Fig. 3: The Roman Space Telescope Coronagraph during assembly of the static optics at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Credit: NASA Preparing the technology for the Habitable Worlds Observatory Deformable Mirror technology has advanced rapidly, and a version of this technology will be demonstrated in space on the Roman Space Telescope. However, it is anticipated that for wavefront control for missions like the HWO, even larger DMs with up to ~10,000 actuators would be required, such as 96 x 96 arrays. Providing a high-voltage connection to each of the actuators is a challenge that will require a new design. The HWO would also involve unprecedented wavefront control requirements, such as a resolution step size down to single-digit picometers, and a stability of ~10 pm/hr. These requirements will not only drive the DM design, but also the electronics that control the DMs, since the resolution and stability are largely defined by the command signals sent by the controller, which require the implementation of filters to remove any noise the electronics could introduce. NASA’s Astrophysics Division investments in DM technologies have advanced DMs for space flight onboard the Roman Space Telescope Coronagraph, and the Division is preparing a Technology Roadmap to further advance the DM performance to enable the HWO. Author: Eduardo Bendek, Ph.D. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. The research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004). ACTIVITY LEADS Dr. Eduardo Bendek (JPL) and Dr. Tyler Groff (GSFC), Co-chairs of DM Technology Roadmap working group; Paul Bierden (BMC); Kevin King (AOX). SPONSORING ORGANIZATION Astrophysics Division Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) Program, and the NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Share Details Last Updated Nov 20, 2023 Related Terms Astrophysics Science-enabling Technology View the full article

2 min read NASA One Step Closer to Fueling Space Missions with Plutonium-238 Close-up of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover as it looks back at its wheel tracks on March 17, 2022, the 381st Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Credit: NASA The recent shipment of heat source plutonium-238 from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Oak Ridge National Laboratory to its Los Alamos National Laboratory is a critical step toward fueling planned NASA missions with radioisotope power systems. This shipment of 0.5 kilograms (a little over 1 pound) of new heat source plutonium oxide is the largest since the domestic restart of plutonium-238 production over a decade ago. It marks a significant milestone toward achieving the constant rate production average target of 1.5 kilograms per year by 2026. Radioisotope power systems, or RPS, enable exploration of some of the deepest, darkest, and most distant destinations in the solar system and beyond. RPS use the natural decay of the radioisotope plutonium-238 to provide heat to a spacecraft in the form of a Light Weight Radioisotope Heater Unit (LWRHU), or heat and electricity in the form of a system such as the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG). The DOE has produced the heat source plutonium oxide required to fuel the RPS for missions such as NASA’s Mars 2020. The first spacecraft to benefit from this restart, the Perseverance rover, carries some of the new plutonium produced by DOE. An MMRTG continuously provides the car-sized rover with heat and about 110 watts of electricity, enabling the exploration of the Martian surface and the gathering of soil samples for possible retrieval. “NASA’s Radioisotope Power Systems Program works in partnership with the Department of Energy to enable missions to operate in some of the most extreme environments in our solar system and interstellar space,” said Carl Sandifer, RPS program manager at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. For over sixty years, the United States has employed radioisotope-based electrical power systems and heater units in space. Three dozen missions have explored space for decades using the reliable electricity and heat provided by RPS. NASA and DOE are continuing their long-standing partnership to ensure the nation can enable future missions requiring radioisotopes for decades to come. Kristin Jansen NASA’s Glenn Research Center Explore More 5 min read Indigenous Student Brings Skills, Perspective to NASA Internship Article 1 week ago 1 min read NASA’s new streaming service is here. More space. More science. More NASA. Article 2 weeks ago 1 min read Purdue University Honors Dr. Kenyon Article 2 weeks ago View the full article

Teams with Astrobotic install the NASA meatball decal on Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.NASA/Isaac Watson NASA will host a What’s on Board media teleconference at 2 p.m. EST Wednesday, Nov. 29, to discuss the science payloads flying aboard the first commercial robotic flight to the lunar surface as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative under the Artemis program. Carrying NASA and commercial payloads to the Moon, Astrobotic Technologies will launch its Peregrine lander on ULA’s (United Launch Alliance) Vulcan rocket. Liftoff of the ULA Vulcan rocket is targeted no earlier than Sunday, Dec. 24, from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Peregrine lunar lander will touch down on the Moon in early 2024. Audio of the call will stream on the agency’s website at: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv Briefing participants include: Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for Exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington Ryan Watkins, program scientist, Exploration Science Strategy and Integration Office, NASA Headquarters Chris Culbert, program manager, CLPS, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston John Thornton, CEO, Astrobotic, Pittsburgh To participate by telephone, media must RSVP no later than two hours before the briefing to: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov. NASA awarded a task order for the delivery of scientific payloads to Astrobotic in May 2019. Among the items on its lander, the Peregrine Mission One will carry NASA payloads investigating the lunar exosphere, thermal properties of the lunar regolith, hydrogen abundances in the soil at the landing site, and magnetic fields, as well as radiation environment monitoring. Through Artemis, NASA is working with multiple CLPS vendors to establish a regular cadence of payload deliveries to the Moon to perform experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the lunar surface. This pool of companies may bid on task orders to deliver NASA payloads to the Moon. Task orders include payload integration and operations, launching from Earth, and landing on the surface of the Moon. The indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity CLPS contracts have a cumulative maximum value of $2.6 billion through 2028. With CLPS, as well as with human exploration near the lunar South Pole, NASA will establish a long-term cadence of Moon missions in preparation for sending the first astronauts to Mars. For more Artemis updates, follow along at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/ -end- Karen Fox / Alise Fisher Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 / 202-358-2546 karen.fox@nasa.gov / alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov Nilufar Ramji Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov Antonia Jaramillo Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-501-8425 antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Nov 20, 2023 Location NASA Headquarters Related Terms ArtemisCommercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)Commercial SpaceHumans in Space View the full article

A team of engineers participate in simulation training for the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The purpose of the training is to get the integrated PRIME-1 team – engineers with PRIME-1’s MSOLO (Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations) and Honeybee Robotics’ TRIDENT (The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain) drill – prepared to operate the instrument on the lunar surface. The team commanded the PRIME-1 hardware, located at Intuitive Machines in Houston, to operate MSOLO and TRIDENT. “While the MSOLO and TRIDENT teams have been independently training extensively, it’s exciting to have both teams in the room together operating our hardware concurrently,” said Pri Johnson, one of the MSOLO systems engineers. “There’s a tangible energy in the room this week as we all work together for this mission simulation. It all started to feel very real!” PRIME-1 is scheduled to launch through NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service) initiative and will be the first in-situ resource utilization demonstration on the Moon, with MSOLO and TRIDENT making up its two primary components. Through Artemis missions, CLPS deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human deep space exploration missions. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux View the full article

The NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s reveals a portion of the Milky Way’s dense core in a new light. An estimated 500,000 stars shine in this image of the Sagittarius C (Sgr C) region, along with some as-yet unidentified features. A large region of ionized hydrogen, shown in cyan, contains intriguing needle-like structures that lack any uniform orientation.NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, and S. Crowe (University of Virginia) A star-forming region, named Sagittarius C (Sgr C), is seen in exceptional detail in this image from Nov. 20, 2023, thanks to the Near-Infrared Camera instrument on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. An estimated 500,000 stars shine in this image of the Sgr C region, along with some never-before-seen features astronomers have yet to explain. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, and S. Crowe (University of Virginia) View the full article

A Journey of Support and Community Impact Small Business Saturday is an annual holiday that encourages shoppers to support local businesses. Taking place on the Saturday following Thanksgiving, it stands as a dedicated day to celebrate and rally support for the contributions small businesses make to their communities. This year, amid the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, the emphasis on supporting small businesses is more crucial than ever as they navigate and adapt to evolving circumstances. The History and Evolution: As of 2013, communities actively embraced the holiday, expressing solidarity by pledging support for their local businesses and organizations. The timeline of Small Business Saturday is marked by the following key milestones: 2010: Small Business Saturday was launched 2011: The U.S. Senate unanimously passes a resolution endorsing the day 2013: Over 1400 individuals become “Neighborhood Champions,” organizing local events 2015: The Small Business Administration (SBA) becomes a co-sponsor of Small Business Saturday 2020: Americans set a record by spending $19.8 billion on Small Business Saturday 2021: Shoppers surpass the previous year’s record, contributing over $20 billion Today, Small Business Saturday has the unwavering support from private sectors, the SBA, and Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), and NASA. For small business owners, their enterprises transcend mere commercial endeavors — they are extensions of their identities. Supporting local businesses in your community not only ensures their survival but also fosters thriving communities, establishing a symbiotic relationship between these businesses and the people they serve. This year, Small Business Saturday is on November 25, 2023. Historically, the NASA Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) has celebrated this annual holiday by launching a Small Business Saturday Campaign. Now, in 2023, NASA OSBP developed a comprehensive Small Business Saturday Digital Toolkit. This toolkit comprises of digital posters and a virtual background designed to serve as a call-to-action for small business program specialists to integrate it into meetings for a whole week. Our outreach extended beyond the toolkit, urging followers to embrace the theme of “Shop, Support and Sustain!” We invited everyone to display their support by shopping small and tagging us in their posts on social media. We continue to invite all individuals to help to make this movement a success! Keep an eye out for our upcoming social media posts, where we will be sharing informative strategy guides and an engaging Small Biz Bingo game. Your participation is key to amplifying the impact of this movement, and we look forward to having you on board for another year of supporting and celebrating local businesses. NASA OSBP is dedicated to championing and uplifting local businesses making an impact on Small Business Saturday and beyond! Editor: Maliya Malik, NASA Office of Small Business Programs Intern View the full article

3 min read NASA to Highlight Inclusion During Bayou Classic Event NASA Logo.NASA NASA is bringing a clear message to the 50th Annual Bayou Classic Friday, Nov. 24 and Saturday, Nov. 25 – while exploring the universe for the benefit of all, it is equally invested in ensuring the participation of all in the agency and its discovery work. The commitment will be on full display during NASA’s outreach and engagement activities at the Bayou Classic weekend in New Orleans. “Our message is simple – there’s space for everybody at NASA,” said Pamela Covington, Office of Communications director at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, which is leading the agency’s Bayou Classic planning. “We need everyone involved if we hope to accomplish our shared mission and truly benefit all humanity.” The annual Bayou Classic event, which features a football game and a spirited Battle of the Bands, typically attracts more than 200,000 students and supporters from two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) – Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana – to New Orleans. In addition to signage and social media messaging, NASA Stennis representatives will be on hand during Fan Fest activities Nov. 25 to interact and visit with event participants. Alumni and others will staff a NASA booth at Champions Square next to the Caesars Superdome from 9 a.m. CDT to 12 p.m., to talk about their career paths with the agency and to promote current internship and employment opportunities for minority students and others. The outreach and engagement effort is part of an agencywide commitment to advance equity and reach deeper into underrepresented and underserved segments of society and is in support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to advance racial equity in the federal government. NASA’s 2022 Equity Plan outlines the agency’s efforts to increase participation in areas such as procurements and contracts, as well as grants and cooperative agreements. The agency also is working to eliminate visible and invisible barriers to full participation, and to increase NASA outreach to underserved communities. The agency is scheduled to update the plan and its progress by year’s end. Frontline evidence of the agency’s commitment to inclusion also is seen in its plan to return humans, including the first woman and the first person of color, to the Moon through Artemis missions, powered by NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. That is just one aspect of the agency’s across-the-board diversity work. The NASA Minority University Research and Education Project is another example. Through the initiative, NASA provides financial awards to minority-serving institutions, including HBCUs, to assist faculty and students alike in STEM-related research efforts. The initiative also focuses on providing internship opportunities and career paths for minority members. NASA also has launched a Science Mission Directorate Bridge Program to develop partnerships with underserved institutions such as HBCUs and to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility within the agency. The primary focus is to help transition science and engineering students from undergraduate studies into graduate schools and/or employment by NASA or related institutions. Along the same lines, a new NASA Space Tech Catalyst Prize seeks to recognize individuals and/or organizations that share effective best practices on ways to engage underrepresented and diverse space technology innovators, researchers, technologists, and entrepreneurs. The initiative is built on the premise that diversity leads to greater innovation, research, and mission success. Social Media Stay connected with the mission on social media, and let people know you’re following it on X, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtags #Artemis, #BayouClassic50, #NASA_HBCUs. Follow and tag these accounts: Facebook logo @NASAStennis @NASAStennis Instagram logo @NASAStennis Share Details Last Updated Nov 20, 2023 Editor Contact Location Stennis Space Center Related Terms Mission EquityStennis Space Center Explore More 9 min read Lagniappe Article 6 days ago 2 min read NASA Conducts 1st Hot Fire of New RS-25 Certification Test Series Article 1 month ago 7 min read Lagniappe Article 1 month ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics About NASA Stennis STEM Engagement at Stennis Space Center Minority University Research & Education Project SMD Bridge Program Planning Information Science Mission Directorate Bridge Program Call for ProposalsAnticipated ROSES-22 Amendment or ROSES-23 New Program This page contains Planning… View the full article

4 Min Read NASA’s Webb Reveals New Features in Heart of Milky Way Sagitarius C (NIRCam) Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, and S. Crowe (University of Virginia). The latest image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows a portion of the dense center of our galaxy in unprecedented detail, including never-before-seen features astronomers have yet to explain. The star-forming region, named Sagittarius C (Sgr C), is about 300 light-years from the Milky Way’s central supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*. Image: Sagitarius C (NIRCam) The NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s reveals a portion of the Milky Way’s dense core in a new light. An estimated 500,000 stars shine in this image of the Sagittarius C (Sgr C) region, along with some as-yet unidentified features. A large region of ionized hydrogen, shown in cyan, contains intriguing needle-like structures that lack any uniform orientation.NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, and S. Crowe (University of Virginia). “There’s never been any infrared data on this region with the level of resolution and sensitivity we get with Webb, so we are seeing lots of features here for the first time,” said the observation team’s principal investigator Samuel Crowe, an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. “Webb reveals an incredible amount of detail, allowing us to study star formation in this sort of environment in a way that wasn’t possible previously.” “The galactic center is the most extreme environment in our Milky Way galaxy, where current theories of star formation can be put to their most rigorous test,” added professor Jonathan Tan, one of Crowe’s advisors at the University of Virginia. Protostars Amid the estimated 500,000 stars in the image is a cluster of protostars – stars that are still forming and gaining mass – producing outflows that glow like a bonfire in the midst of an infrared-dark cloud. At the heart of this young cluster is a previously known, massive protostar over 30 times the mass of our Sun. The cloud the protostars are emerging from is so dense that the light from stars behind it cannot reach Webb, making it appear less crowded when in fact it is one of the most densely packed areas of the image. Smaller infrared-dark clouds dot the image, looking like holes in the starfield. That’s where future stars are forming. Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument also captured large-scale emission from ionized hydrogen surrounding the lower side of the dark cloud, shown cyan-colored in the image. Typically, Crowe says, this is the result of energetic photons being emitted by young massive stars, but the vast extent of the region shown by Webb is something of a surprise that bears further investigation. Another feature of the region that Crowe plans to examine further is the needle-like structures in the ionized hydrogen, which appear oriented chaotically in many directions. “The galactic center is a crowded, tumultuous place. There are turbulent, magnetized gas clouds that are forming stars, which then impact the surrounding gas with their outflowing winds, jets, and radiation,” said Rubén Fedriani, a co-investigator of the project at the Instituto Astrofísica de Andalucía in Spain. “Webb has provided us with a ton of data on this extreme environment, and we are just starting to dig into it.” Image: Sagitarius C Features Approximate outlines help to define the features in the Sagittarius C (Sgr C) region. Astronomers are studying data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to understand the relationship between these features, as well as other influences in the chaotic galaxy center.NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Samuel Crowe (UVA) Around 25,000 light-years from Earth, the galactic center is close enough to study individual stars with the Webb telescope, allowing astronomers to gather unprecedented information on how stars form, and how this process may depend on the cosmic environment, especially compared to other regions of the galaxy. For example, are more massive stars formed in the center of the Milky Way, as opposed to the edges of its spiral arms? “The image from Webb is stunning, and the science we will get from it is even better,” Crowe said. “Massive stars are factories that produce heavy elements in their nuclear cores, so understanding them better is like learning the origin story of much of the universe.” 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. Leah Ramsay lramsay@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. Related Information Star Formation Piercing the Dark Birthplaces of Massive Stars with Webb Our Milky Way Webb Mission – https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/ Webb News – https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/latestnews/ Webb Images – https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/multimedia/images/ Related For Kids What Is a Nebula? What Is a Galaxy? 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 Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is typical: it has hundreds of billions of stars, enough gas and dust to make… Galaxies Overview Galaxies consist of stars, planets, and vast clouds of gas and dust, all bound together by gravity. The largest… Share Details Last Updated Nov 20, 2023 Editor Steve Sabia Contact Related Terms GalaxiesGalaxies, Stars, & Black HolesGoddard Space Flight CenterJames Webb Space Telescope (JWST)ProtostarsStarsThe Milky WayThe Universe View the full article

Science and Supplies Delivered to the Space Station on This Week @NASA – November 17, 2023

4 min read Minority Serving Institution Partners Coppin State University Coppin State University (CSU) is a public, historically black university located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is part of the University System of Maryland. CSU is a model urban, residential liberal arts university located in the northwest section of the City of Baltimore that provides academic programs in the arts and sciences, teacher education, nursing, graduate studies, and continuing education. As an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), Coppin has a culturally rich history as an institution providing quality educational programs and community outreach services. Coppin offers 53 majors and nine graduate-degree programs. A fully accredited institution, Coppin serves Baltimore residents as well as students from around the world, with flexible course schedules that include convenient day, evening, and weekend classes and distance learning courses. Hampton University Hampton University (HU), a private, non-profit, non-sectarian, co-educational institution that was founded 1868 in Hampton, Virginia. It is a Historically Black College University (HBCU) dedicated to the promotion of learning, character building, and preparation of promising students for the positions of leadership and service. The HU Department of Atmospheric and Planetary Science (APS) provides a program in graduate education leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees with concentration either in Atmospheric Sciences or in Planetary Sciences. Howard University Howard University is a private, federally chartered, historically black university in Washington, D.C. The university has a highly productive and well-reputed graduate Program in Atmospheric Sciences (HUPAS) that has trained 50% of African Americans and 30% of Latinx with PhDs in Atmospheric Sciences in the US over the last decade. This interdisciplinary program was established in 1998 as a cooperative effort between the Departments of Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, and Mechanical Engineering. The University leads the NOAA Cooperative Science Center in Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology (NCAS-M), which is a 13-member academic and research consortium of international reputation that supports NOAA mission science in atmospheric sciences, weather, and climate. Morgan State University Morgan State University (MSU) is a public, historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland’s HBCUs. Morgan attracts students from each state and many foreign countries. It is one of the leading institutions nationally in the number of applications received from African-American high school graduates. The University awards more bachelor’s degrees to African-American students than any campus in Maryland. In many fields, but particularly in engineering and the sciences, Morgan accounts for large percentages of degrees received by African-Americans from Maryland institutions. An above-average percentage of Morgan graduates enter graduate and professional school. Historically, the university has ranked among the top public campuses nationally in the number of black graduates receiving doctorates. University of Maryland Baltimore County The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a public research university in Baltimore County, Maryland. UMBC is a designated Minority Serving Institution: an AANAPISI (Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANPISI) with 59 baccalaureate, 24 post-baccalaureate certificate, 39 masters, and 24 doctoral degree programs. Student enrollment in 2018 was approximately 11260 undergraduate and 2507 are in graduate or professional programs. Demographically, 45% of the undergraduate students are minority (Asian American, African American, and Hispanic). UMBC’s vision is to redefine “… excellence in higher education through an inclusive culture that connects innovative teaching and learning, research across disciplines, and civic engagement.” (See: https://diversity.umbc.edu/) University of Maryland Eastern Shore The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is a Historically Black 1890 Land-Grant Institution. UMES has five schools, one of which is the School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences (SANS). The Department of Natural Sciences (DNS) within the SANS offers M.S. degrees in Chemistry and Biology, Professional Science Master’s degree in Quantitative Fisheries and Resource Economics, and a five-year combined BS/MS degree in Marine Science. It also offers M.S./Ph.D. degrees in Marine, Estuarine and Environmental Science with specializations in Fisheries Science, Oceanography, Ecology, Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, and Environmental Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, and M.S./Ph.D. degree in Toxicology. At the undergraduate level, DNS offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Environmental Science (with concentrations in marine science, and environmental chemistry), and minor programs in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. The University offers the only four year Aviation Science Bachelor’s degree program in the state of Maryland, with concentrations in Aviation Electronics, Aviation Management, Aviation Software, and Professional Pilot. Share Details Last Updated Nov 17, 2023 Related Terms General Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

35 min read SaSa Class of 2022 Annalyse Belton What is your current major and university? My name is Annalyse Belton and I am a 2nd-year Biology major at Coppin State University. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I applied to SaSa to gain more experience in the scientific field and build on my foundational knowledge. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? Over this summer I would like to gain hands-on experience in innovative research. I also want to collaborate with peers, graduates, and other staff to develop skills in teamwork and communication. What are your three favorite things about yourself? My three favorite things about myself would have to be my resilience, the ability to give perspective in situations, and my cheery personality. Who is someone you admire and why? Someone that I admire is my mother. One of the most important messages she has told me is to always have an inquisitive mind. To always expand my knowledge and research questions that I have on my own. She is a strong, educated woman in my life who has shaped me into the woman I am today. Shanell Bush What is your current major and university? I am currently completing my second year of my bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering at Hampton University. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I decided to apply to SASA because this opportunity will grant me the chance to engage with professional NASA engineers and scientists through interdisciplinary research in earth and geological sciences, and provide a networking opportunity for more internships similar to this one. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? Over the summer I hope to have advanced my understanding of geological science and skills on experimental instrumentation to allow me to master designing and conducting experiments while working with a team of future scientists and engineers. What are your three favorite things about yourself? My favorite attributes about myself are my witty personality, problem solving skills, and determination. Who is someone you admire and why? Someone I admire would be Vice President Kamala Harris. I admire her mainly due to her success as a black woman in American politics. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, also known as HBCUs, are overlooked by Ivy league colleges, they are stigmatized. And yet, HBCUs produce the most successful and intelligent people into society today. VP Harris attended Howard University in Washington D.C, also an HBCU, and has a successful political career in a white-male dominated field of profession. Throughout all struggles and doubts, she became the first VP lady of power in American history. I relate to her story because I am also attending an HBCU and I’m planning a career in a white-male dominated field. Stories similar to VP Harris motivates me to keep pushing through all odds; you never know what you can be unless you believe in yourself. Muyang Chunga What is your current major and university? I am Muyang Chunga, a Biology major with a Pre-PA concentration at Coppin State University. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I applied to SaSa as I am currently one of the lead researchers of my undergraduate university’s Laboratory of Environmental Containments, which has led to profound interests in the specialty of environmental sciences. This opportunity will provide first-hand experience in an area of study I am considering pursuing. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? Over the span of the summer I hope to solidify my educational studies in the area of environmental sciences, as well as develop the skills necessary to successfully complete my studies, build connections, and mentorship that I can carry for the rest of my journey. What are your three favorite things about yourself? Three things I can deeply admire about myself are: my compassion, my passion for knowledge, and my ability to keep myself grounded when challenging circumstances arise. Who is someone you admire and why? Someone I hold deep admiration for is my mom. From Cameroon, to where I am now, she has always been my number one supporter and the best role model. From repeating her bachelor’s education to be able to continue her education after moving to the United States — while caring for young children — to now having a high paying job with the government that was not in her original field of studies. My mom showed me a sliver of what I could achieve and how to get there. She deserves all my praise and more. Neima Dedefo What is your current major and university? My major is Aviation Science at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I enjoy learning new things by getting hands-on experience and engaging with others. SaSa was a great option for me because it provides participation in fundamental lectures in Earth, Atmospheric, and Airborne Sciences as well as engaging and hands-on research opportunities. I was also drawn to this program because it includes flying on-board a NASA research aircraft. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? I would like to learn and work alongside other students as well as professors and mentors. I hope to make lifelong connections and network with like-minded people. What are your three favorite things about yourself? Three things I admire about myself has to be my calmness, resilience, and kindness. Who is someone you admire and why? The person I admire most is my dad. I admire his work ethic, hard work, and dedication to every part of his life. He has passed many challenges in his life to get to where he is today. Hearing his childhood story makes me believe that hard work goes a long way. Isaiah Dornelus What is your current major and university? My major is Industrial Engineering and I go to Morgan State University. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I applied to to SaSa because I wanted to try something new. I enjoy using different kinds of equipment, so being part of SaSa is an opportunity to see what equipment NASA engineers use daily. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? I hope to find something I can see myself doing in the future. I also want to meet new people from NASA and other universities. What are your three favorite things about yourself? I enjoy opportunites to use diffferent equipment/tools such as woodworking. When I work onsomething, I stay organized because it’s easier to find what I need. Lastly, I learn things very quickly. Who is someone you admire and why? Someone I admire is George Washington Carver. He was born into slavery around Civil War. His father died in an accident before he was born. He lost both his mother and sister to slave raiders. Carver was also to frail to work in the fields. Despite all this, he became the first African-American with a Bachelor of Science degree and invented many agriculture products. Eric Ekey What is your current major and university? I am a rising sophomore pursuing a degree in Computer Engineering at University of Maryland: Baltimore County. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I heard about the SaSa opportunity through one of my university professors. I decided to apply because atmospheric and earth science is a field of study I haven’t looked much into. I see this as a unique chance to expose myself to the field and to explore new possibilities for what to do with my degree in the future. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? This summer, I want to get to know a lot of unique people in our SaSa cohort. I would like to spend this summer making meaningful connections with my peers and with the mentors and researchers I will work with. I’d also like to get to know the kind of work aligning myself with NASA in the future would entail. Finally, I’m looking forward to working on a research project for the first time. What are your three favorite things about yourself? My favorite things about myself are my craftiness, sense of humor, and calm temperament. Those three qualities often get me smoothly through tricky situations. Who is someone you admire and why? One of the people I admire most is my dad. Though he isn’t with us anymore, I can always look around and see the fruits of his many years of hard work to get through a really difficult life. I admire all he has done for me and the impact he had on many other people, and I aspire to be like him in that aspect. Trisha Joy Utulo Francisco What is your current major and university? I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I decided to apply to SaSa because it is an amazing opportunity to immerse myself in the research world. I get to learn how engineering and the geoscience communities interact with one other. The opportunity to work with instruments, like satellites and disaster monitoring is exciting for me, because I get hands-on experience. I also loved that SaSa offers mentorship, because having guidance and wisdom of a mentor is valuable. I would be lucky to have that as I’m taking my first steps in forming my engineering career. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? Over the summer, I would like to learn how the Direct Broadcast System works and learn how to analyze and interpret the data from these instruments. I want to gain understanding of the research SaSa is doing and be able to present it in a way that excites others. What are your three favorite things about yourself? My three favorite things about myself are my optimism, my appreciation of the relationships I form with others, and my motivation — which stems from my curiosity for the future. I like being curious and optimistic because it encourages me to explore outside my comfort zone and grow as a person. I also enjoy meeting people because friendships creates a path to gain a new perspective of the world. Who is someone you admire and why? I admire my parents because they have sacrificed so much just to give me the opportunity to go to college. They taught me the value of education and how I can use it to navigate my way through the world. I admire my parents because despite the struggles we have faced, they remain optimistic for our future and have shown me that failures and struggles act as a catalyst for a great story. Michelle García What is your current major and university? I am a second year student at UC Davis as an Environmental Science and Management major and a Spanish minor. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I have always had a fascination with NASA and space exploration. As far back as I remember my dad and I would always watch Carl Sagan’s Cosmos together. A goal of mine is to work for NASA eventually. When I saw the SaSa program I knew I had to apply. As more of my interests have shifted to the realm of environmentalism, I am extremely excited to be collecting and analyzing measurements aboard the aircraft regarding climate data. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? Through this program I hope to familiarize myself with the advanced technology used to conduct Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric research. Additionally I would like to gain a deep understanding of the research process and am thrilled at the opportunity to create and research a subject of my own choosing. What are your three favorite things about yourself? My three favorite things about myself are that I am friendly, hardworking, and curious. Who is someone you admire and why? I admire my parents as they are very hardworking, supportive and compassionate. They have taught me to challenge myself and are always there for me. David Goba What is your current major and university? I am a Mechanical Engineering Major at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I decided to apply to SaSa because of how it stood out from other programs with their focus on hands-on research and individual mentorship. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? This summer I would like to learn skills that will prepare me for graduate research and what a career as a research engineer entails. What are your three favorite things about yourself? My three favourite things about myself are that I am a fast learner, I learn from my mistakes, and when I have a goal I am committed to achieving it. Who is someone you admire and why? One person I admire is my abuela because she believed in the power of education and she sacrificed so much so that I can have the opportunities that I have today. Jonathan Hale What is your current major and university? I am currently double majoring in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Davis. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I decided to apply to SaSa because I was fascinated by the amazing opportunities that the program offered, such as working with NASA scientists and professors from prestigious universities. The research aspect drew me in as well because I have been wanting to get my hands on a research project and gain knowledge on what it’s like. SaSa’s mission to increase the number of STEM graduates from underrepresented backgrounds is also what gained my attention to the program, as I too believe that there is a need for a diverse group of people in the STEM field. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? Over the summer, I would like to make new connections with professors/researchers and my peers that will be working alongside me. Everyone will be coming from different backgrounds and has their own areas of interest, which would make for a great time getting to know everyone. Another thing I’d like to accomplish is presenting my research to a group of people. This is something I have never done and I am looking forward to the process of creating my presentations. Finally, I’d also like to explore some of the cities on the East Coast that we will be traveling to and see all that they have to offer. What are your three favorite things about yourself? My three favorite things about myself are my sense of humor, my willingness to help others, and my ability to communicate well with others. I like to laugh a lot and having a good sense of humor can brighten anyone’s day up, as laughter is contagious. I also like to help others. There are times when I need help, and there is always someone for me. Why not return the favor? Helping someone even just one time might just change their life forever. Moving on to communicating, laughter and helping can’t be done without communication. Communication is vital to everyday life. Without it, nothing will get done. By communicating well, I can make people laugh, help them, and even ask for help myself. Who is someone you admire and why? Someone who I admire would have to be Tanya Whitlow. I admire her because she gave me the best advice that I will never forget. Her advice was to “learn how to learn”. I heard this during my first year of college. Tanya was the Program Director for a UC Davis program called Leadership in Engineering Advancement, Diversity and Retention (LEADR). She was a mentor of mine and was always preparing me for what is to come as an engineering student. Unfortunately, Tanya passed away earlier this year due to cancer. Although Tanya is gone, her legacy will not be forgotten. I will continue to use her advice all throughout college and in life. Daniel Harrison What is your current major and university? I am currently at Morgan State University, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a minor in French. Simultaneously, I’m also pursuing a Private Pilot License at Middle River Flight Center. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I was looking for opportunities that will benefit my future and opportunities closely related to my passions – engineering and aviation. Working with NASA, no matter the position, is undoubtedly a dream for many, myself included. I could not let this opportunity pass. My career goal is to be both electrical engineer and a professional pilot. Applying to this internship puts me one step closer to achieving this goal. I have often heard the phrase: “Do something today that your future self will thank you for.” I can undoubtedly picture a future in which I will thank myself for applying to this internship. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? Throughout this program I hope to develop the necessary skills, knowledge, and experiences that will aid in my success as an electrical engineer and a professional pilot. Engineering is a skill that requires time and patience to master. As such, engaging in activities which revolves around the professional development of students, as well as focusing on NASA specific skills, is the best way to ensure that I am receiving the best training to prepare me to work with NASA in the future as an engineer. What are your three favorite things about yourself? My three favorite things about myself are: my determination to achieve my goals; my curiosity, as I always seek to learn new things and expand my horizon; and my ambition. Who is someone you admire and why? The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, indeed. I owe all my accomplishments to my parents, the characteristics that define me the most I inherited from them. I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for the sacrifices of my parents, I have undying love and admiration for them. Vanessa Hua What is your current major and university? I am currently an Environmental Sciences major at the University of California, Riverside. I hope to declare a concentration in Atmospheric Sciences in my third year of university. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I decided to apply to SaSa because I was interested in conducting field research in the geosciences and learning about everything it entails. As an aspiring environmental scientist, my goal is to gain as much technical experience as possible as I prepare for graduate studies and, hopefully, mitigating environmental issues as a whole. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? I would like to work on a research project that I will be proud of and explore the different aspects of earth/atmospheric/oceanic sciences in depth. I also look forward to forming valuable connections with my peers and mentors throughout my journey at SaSa. What are your three favorite things about yourself? My three favorite things about myself are: my curiosity for understanding the universe we live in, my attention to detail, and my willingness to take initiative. Who is someone you admire and why? My parents are people who I greatly admire. Despite having immigrated to the United States during times of hardship, they were both able to accomplish many incredible things throughout their lives. They have shown me nothing but resilience and have inspired me to reach greater heights in all aspects of my life. Kailyn Hyman What is your current major and university? Aviation Management from Hampton University. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I love anything environmental, and I want to travel and be around like-minded individuals. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? I would like to develop professional skills such as public speaking and research skills. What are your three favorite things about yourself? My three favorite things about me are my personality, hair, and food choices. Who is someone you admire and why? My mom because she is working full time and getting her doctorates at the same time. Tochi Iwuji What is your current major and university? I am a biology major at Coppin State University. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I’m used to working in labs so data collection is nothing new to me. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone more. NASA seemed like an interesting opportunity to see if I could develop a new passion for something I had never tried before. Also getting to fly on a NASA aircraft is a huge plus! What would you like to accomplish over the summer? Aside from this internship, I want to accomplish relaxation. Working non-stop in school, even on the weekends, is stressful. I would appreciate a break. I want to see if I can start learning sign language again. What are your three favorite things about yourself? I like that even though I procrastinate at times I still never fail to get my work done by deadlines. I also like that I can look at things optimistically. Lastly, I like that I value my sleep. Who is someone you admire and why? I admire my parents for being able to come to a foreign country and make their own lives. I cannot imagine doing what they did at my age. Mya Johnson What is your current major and university? I am a sophomore majoring in Aerospace Engineering at The University of Maryland Eastern Shore. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I’ve decided to apply to SaSa because I believed it would be a good opportunity to get more exposure to the field of engineering. Plus, this is my first time applying for an internship. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? I would like to gain knowledge in the engineering field and I would like to accomplish personal goals for myself, such as getting a car. What are your three favorite things about yourself? My three favorite things about myself are I am caring, I make sure that everyone else around me is okay; my perseverance, I try to figure things out even if I get frustrated I never give up; lastly, my enthusiasm towards things I do. I believe I am a perfectionist which I am okay with because I like to do the best that I can. I love learning new things. Who is someone you admire and why? My mom is someone who I admire a lot because she is a hard worker. I witnessed her raise my siblings and myself as a single mother for a few years. We all are becoming successful as we continue our lives. She raised us well and taught us to love one another, as she didn’t grow up with any siblings. Daniel Khan What is your current major and university? University of California-Riverside in Statistics. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I applied to SaSa to build a portfolio that will hopefully land me into a fully-funded graduate program. I aspire to become part of the NASA Pathways Program and hope this program will help me in pursuit of a career at NASA. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? My hometown San Bernardino, in California, has a lot of pollution. I am curious about aerosol particles. I am not sure of what I’ll be working on this summer, but I hope to expand my knowledge in this field. What are your three favorite things about yourself? Three qualities I like about myself are: my interest in helping others find meaning, creativity in designing solutions, and my love for cats! Who is someone you admire and why? The person who I admire the most is my mother. After high school I went straight to work in my family’s restaurant. After a while I became miserable, having no free time for myself. I wanted to give up on school and dedicate more time at the shop, but my mother believed in me and encouraged me to strive for something greater. Camila Hernández Pedraza What is your current major and university? My current major is Natural Sciences with a Concentration in Biology at the University of Puerto Rico Cayey Campus. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I have always been interested in participating in all possible internships related to scientific exploration to gain knowledge and academic and professional preparation. It will help me acquire new skills and expertise in terms of research work. In addition, it will provide education and experiences that I will carry with me both professionally and personally. My stated goals entail much experience; therefore, ideally before pursuing a master’s degree and Ph.D. in science is for me to gain prior research knowledge. I do not doubt that this opportunity will open doors to achieve what I have longed for. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? What I would like to accomplish over the summer is to obtain different skills and abilities with scientific instrumentation, data analysis, communication, and teamwork. Furthermore, to connect, implement and work with what I have learned previously, putting into practice what I have studied and acquiring a more complete learning. Also, this would be a great chance to expand my curiosity and investigate NASA’s career opportunities for my future as a professional. What are your three favorite things about yourself? Persistent, Hard-Working, and Empathic. Who is someone you admire and why? I admire Marcos Gabriel Berríos, a 37-year-old Puerto Rican chosen as one of ten astronaut candidates to work on future missions in space. It is an honor to have a Puerto Rican representing the Latinos and demonstrating that persistence and hard work is capable of fulfilling every dream. Gabriel is a mentor and role model for anyone who has dreamed of making it to NASA, as I do. He demonstrates that persistence is the key to success. Sophia Ramirez What is your current major and university? I am currently a Biology major at Cal State Polytechnic University, Pomona. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? The wonderful Science Educational Enhancement Services at Cal Poly Pomona informed me of the SaSa program. After learning more about it, I knew a program like this that focused on young scientists from minority communities was perfect for me and I could not let the opportunity pass me by. The idea of spending the summer developing myself as a researcher beside students like myself and professionals that I aspire to be like intrigued me. Immersing myself in a hands-on research experience is exactly what I need after my first year of college. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? Over the summer I hope to learn more about myself and my abilities, develop long-lasting connections with those I meet through this program, and become a more confident scientist. I believe through the experience that this program will give me I will learn more about what I want to dedicate my career to and how to pursue it confidently. What are your three favorite things about yourself? My three favorite things about myself are my willingness to consider new ideas, my enthusiasm towards learning since I was young, and my creativity that I always try to find a way to convey. Who is someone you admire and why? I admire both of my parents immensely. They are hard workers that have faced and overcome all of the obstacles that life has put in their way. Establishing a life in a foreign country at a young age is extremely difficult but they were able to do so successfully and provide me with a comfortable and loving life. They teach me to seek out opportunities and to not let any setbacks be the end of my story. My parents inspire me to dream and to work to make those dreams come true. Stephanie Marie Ortiz Rosario What is your current major and university? I am a second-year Theoretical Physics major from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? What first caught my attention to apply to SaSa was the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fly onboard of a NASA aircraft to collect atmospheric measurements. Aviation interests me as well, and the ability to combine it with Meteorology is not an opportunity that is tended to be offered, especially to undergraduates. My decision was reaffirmed when I learned that I would receive lectures on topics such as data analysis, atmospheric dynamics, and scientific communication. Those are topics that during the first two years of college are not emphasized in depth yet, but I am eager to learn as early as I can in my professional career, as it will give me the confidence to succeed in the program. Finally, my decision persisted knowing about the commitment of SaSa to support and mentor students while embracing diversity, which is very important to me as a Latina. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? This summer is all about stepping out of my comfort zone. I would like to apply all that I have learned during the lectures into a project that I can be proud of, create meaningful connections with my mentors and peers, and communicate the science I have learned to my community. I know that all the experiences that I will gain during SaSa will further contribute to my interest and motivation to continue seeking opportunities in the research field, and, eventually, to apply to graduate school. What are your three favorite things about yourself? Some of my favorite things about myself are that I live independently, and enjoy my own company; that I strive to grow everyday as a person and student, despite all the mental challenges I may encounter; and, that I am determined to continue working towards my aspirations and dreams, one of them being to become an Atmospheric Scientist. Who is someone you admire and why? Someone who I admire is Ada Monzón. Her commitment as a meteorologist is not limited to her on-air forecasts; she elevates her commitment to contribute to the future of Puerto Rico, advocating for the importance of the education on the Island and its students. For instance, she leads the “EcoExploratorio, Museum of Puerto Rico”, as its founder, and continuously supports Puerto Rican meteorology students in the AMS Local Student Chapter as a mentor. Her definition of safeguarding lives is beyond admirable. Angelica Stewart What is your current major and university? I attend Howard University, my current major is Computer Science. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? Growing up, I have always looked towards the Earth’s resources to enhance the life I live. The first reason I applied to SaSa is because I believe that SaSa will provide me the opportunity to feed my desire and curiosity of utilizing the Earth’s resources for scientific advancement. The Earth’s resources are all we have and understanding the composition on a molecular level can further advance scientific insights to help the proliferation of the tech world. Second, the program is an opportunity to grow in a practical research environment. The SaSa program will provide practical experience to be prepared for PhD programs. And lastly, SaSa will provide the opportunity to bring what I have to the table. With my ongoing passion for research and innovation and using the Earth’s resources, I wanted to be a part of an environment where I can contribute to a cause greater than myself. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? Over the summer, I am looking forward to gaining hands-on research experience, learning more about geoscience and connecting the subject to computer science. What are your three favorite things about yourself? My three favorite things about myself is that I am creative, committed, and well-balanced. As a Computer Science major, I am often thought of as more logical. But behind that rationale, there is a foundational creativity that vitalizes my pursuits. “Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough” is a quote by Og Mandino that I live by. I have an pragmatic commitment making a positive impact on society. My favorite thing about myself is that I am well-balanced. With all my endeavors, I find that I am rarely drained because there is equal passion and energy with all my pursuits. Who is someone you admire and why? Someone I admire is Dr. Jamila Cocchiola, my high school Computer Science teacher. Dr. Cocchiola has accomplished so much in her life, especially in the STEM field. She is very passionate about what she does in Computer Science and is a very prodigious person overall. Her work ethic continues to invigorate me, even when I am away at college. Ananda Turner What is your current major and university? I am currently majoring in Biology on the cellular/molecular track at Hampton University. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I applied to SaSa because I heard about the hands-on activities and immersion around NASA professionals that could provide a well rounded experience where I could learn what it is like to work at NASA. Beforehand, I did internships that were completely virtual where I only worked on coding skills. I also applied because I wanted to branch out and do research in a different field outside of Biology, which could help me learn more about what I am interested in. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? By the end of the summer I want to improve my programming skills in R and learn new hands-on skills using remote sensing and other atmosphere data recording instruments. I also want to build relationships with members of the SaSa staff, including my mentor, so that we can possibly reconnect in the future. Lastly, I want to complete a research paper or poster that I will present at a symposium. What are your three favorite things about yourself? The three qualities I like the most about myself are my creativity, curiosity, and attention to detail. Who is someone you admire and why? I admire Paul Stamets. I have respect for the high level of curiosity he has for his research in fungi. Even after years of research and accomplishments he continues to think about the possibilities there are with using fungi to treat diseases and heal our ecosystems. I also admire his commitment to finding ways of keeping natural ecosystems healthy. Romina Cano Velasquez What is your current major and university? I am pursuing a major in Mechanical Engineering at the Honors College at Miami Dade College. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I am interested in the aerospace industry field and I hope to become part of the engineering team working at NASA. The SaSa program seemed to be an ideal opportunity to grant me first access to hands-on experiences, NASA procedures, and specialists in scientific research. Furthermore, as part of an underrepresented community, I was delighted to know about a program that would bring me closer to my goals. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? This summer, I would like to acquire fundamental knowledge for my professional growth as a researcher and engineer. I am also looking forward to establishing new connections with my peers and mentors and getting the most out of this unique experience. What are your three favorite things about yourself? My three favorite things about myself are my curiosity for learning new things, my willingness to constantly help others, and my decisiveness to focus on solutions to a problem. Who is someone you admire and why? I deeply admire my mom. After suffering an accident in her twenties, she struggled and overcame it to become a professional and build a family. I have always said that my mom’s resilience and courage made her succeed, and her fearlessness and determination made her live. She is my principal role model, and she has inspired me to become who I am now. Kennedi White What is your current major and university? I currently attend Howard University where I am a Mechanical Engineering major and Physics, Math, and English triple minor. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I’ve always been infatuated working with NASA and being a part of the driving force behind space, Earth, and atmospheric exploration. Coupling this with my childhood history and interest in marine science, marine exploration and the relationship it has with engineering, applying to SaSa became the culmination of all of my past and present interests. When I read up on it my interest in the program progressed. Applying to the program was a necessity! What would you like to accomplish over the summer? Over the summer I would like to build a better understanding of carrying out scientific research along with learning how to collect data and interpret it to make concrete conclusions on how the Earth is doing. What are your three favorite things about yourself? My three favorite things about myself are my curiosity, tenacity, and humor. Who is someone you admire and why? I admire Dr. Modibo Kadalie because Dr. Kadalie has been a powerful force that helped shape my view on the world and how African Americans, specifically, fit in it. The most notable contribution Dr. Kadalie has had in my life was this lesson: respect from anyone, regardless of age, is earned not given. Dr. Kadalie drove this lesson home by not requiring me to refer to him using honorifics; in most settings I referred to Dr. Kadalie as ‘Modibo’. Dr. Kadalie has consistently listened to what I had to say, not to respond, but for understanding and comprehension. He has shown me that influencing the younger generation doesn’t have to come at the expense of the knowledge from past generations and for that I’ll forever be grateful. Kiara Wilson What is your current major and university? My name is Kiara Wilson and I’m a Computer Science & Mathematics major with a minor in Biology attending Virginia State University. What made you decide to apply to SaSa? I decided to apply to the SaSa program for the experience and expansion on scientific knowledge. As a computer science major, my classes center around programming — lacking other sciences, especially Earth-related. I knew this would be a great opportunity to enjoy an experience in a relatively unfamiliar field. What would you like to accomplish over the summer? Over the summer I’d like to grow socially (I’m an introvert), and I would love to find some new interests as well. I believe this opportunity will improve my academic and professional engagement skills as well. What are your three favorite things about yourself? I like that I’m hardworking and I’m always willing to take on a challenge. I also enjoy the arts. I played two instruments throughout high school, and I participated in theater arts as well. I also am a loc enthusiast and am in love with locs overall. (I’ve had mine since my sophomore year of high school.) Who is someone you admire and why? While I admire many people, I look up to my father the most. He’s very hard-working and he manages to spend time with myself and all of my siblings. He’s also extremely kind-hearted and one of the most gentle people in my life. Share Details Last Updated Nov 17, 2023 Related Terms General View the full article

3 min read 2022 SaSa Graduate Student Mentors Emily Faber Emily is an Atmospheric Physics Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is finishing her 3rd year and works in the Laboratory for Atmospheric Studies and Particle Light Interaction under the guidance of Dr. Adriana Rocha Lima. She is interested in improving the physical parameterization of climate models through a better understanding of physical processes that drive the climate. Her thesis work sits in the space between physical measurements and climate modeling and seeks to improve the physical parameterization of surface wind speed and aerosolized dust, which is part of the general goal of improving aerosol physics parameterization in global climate models. She also enjoys advocating for women and underrepresented students in STEM and in her free time, you’ll find her exploring everything Maryland and D.C. have to offer or learning new roller-skating tricks. Alicia Hoffman Alicia is a 3rd year Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin – Madison in the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences department working with Dr. Tracey Holloway. In her research, she uses the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model to understand how nighttime N2O5 chemistry impacts daytime ozone concentration and particle composition. Both ozone and PM2.5 are important aspects of air quality to study because of their impacts on human health and the environment. Prior to attending UW Madison, she worked with Dr. Don Blake at University of California – Irvine studying landfill emissions for her Master of Science (M.S). She earned her Bachelor of Science (B.S) in Chemistry and Anthropology from Beloit College. Kylie Hoffman Kylie Hoffman is a fourth-year graduate student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She earned her undergraduate degree in Meteorology in 2017 and is currently working towards her Ph.D. in Atmospheric Physics. Kylie’s current research interests include working with active and passive remote sensing observations to analyze the lowest layer of the atmosphere, the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL). Her thesis topic is investigating the influence of converging air masses on PBL dynamics and thermodynamics in the Southern Great Plains region to improve the prediction of thunderstorms. David Moore David is currently a first-year Ph.D. student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with a concentration in tropical cyclogenesis on terrestrial and aqua-covered exoplanets. In Spring 2021, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Atmospheric Science at the University at Albany, SUNY. Fun Fact: Before he joined SaSa, he was previously a NASA Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) student during Summer 2020 (Go AeroSOULS!). Maurice Roots Maurice is pursuing a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Physics from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. His research focuses on using observational datasets to study air pollution in coastal regions. He works with remote sensing instruments, like LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and Spectrometers, as well as in-situ instruments, like Sondes and Air Samplers, to better understand how concentrations of pollutants like ozone and nitrogen dioxide change in location and time. He also uses Python for data analysis and tool development. Share Details Last Updated Nov 17, 2023 Related Terms General View the full article

Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., attired in his Mercury pressure suit, poses for a photo on May 5, 1961, prior to his launch in a Mercury-Redstone 3 spacecraft from Cape Canaveral on a suborbital mission – the first U.S. manned spaceflight.NASA Born barely 20 years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight, Alan Shepard grew up to fly combat missions in World War II, test multiple new aircraft, become the first American in space, and ultimately hit the first golf shot on the Moon. Born on Nov. 18, 1923, Shepard lifted off in the Freedom 7 spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 5, 1961, beginning 62 years of Americans’ journeys into space. During the 15-minute suborbital flight, Shepard reached an altitude of 115 miles and traveled 302 miles. Grounded soon after by an inner-ear disorder, Shepard served as head of the astronaut office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Corrective surgery returned him to flight status, and in 1971, he commanded Apollo 14, the third lunar landing mission. Image Credit: NASA View the full article

NASA / Michael DeMocker Artemis II NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch of NASA, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen view the core stage for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket at the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on Nov. 16. The three astronauts, along with NASA’s Victor Glover, will launch atop the rocket stage to venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed flight for Artemis. The SLS core stage, towering at 212 feet, is the backbone of the Moon rocket and includes two massive propellant tanks that collectively hold 733,000 gallons of propellant to help power the stage’s four RS-25 engines. NASA, Boeing, the core stage lead contractor, along with Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company and the RS-25 engines lead contractor, are in the midst of conducting final integrated testing on the fully assembled rocket stage. At launch and during ascent to space, the Artemis astronauts inside NASA’s Orion spacecraft will feel the power of the rocket’s four RS-25 engines producing more than 2 million pounds of thrust for a full eight minutes. The mega rocket’s twin solid rocket boosters, which flank either side of the core stage, will each add an additional 3.6 million pounds of thrust for two minutes. NASA / Michael DeMocker The astronauts’ visit to Michoud coincided with the first anniversary of the launch of Artemis I. The uncrewed flight test of SLS and Orion was the first in a series of increasingly complex missions for Artemis as the agency works to return humans to the lunar surface and develop a long-term presence there for discovery and exploration. 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 the Orion spacecraft, advanced spacesuits and rovers, 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 mission. News Media Contact Corinne Beckinger Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256.544.0034 corinne.m.beckinger@nasa.gov View the full article

5 min read NASA Mission Excels at Spotting Greenhouse Gas Emission Sources Flaring, in which excess natural gas is intentionally burned into the air, is one way methane is released from oil and gas facilities. NASA’s EMIT mission, in more than a year in operation, has shown a proficiency at spotting emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases from space.Adobe Stock/Ilya Glovatskiy Since launching 16 months ago, the EMIT imaging spectrometer aboard the International Space Station has shown an ability to detect more than just surface minerals. More than a year after first detecting methane plumes from its perch aboard the International Space Station, data from NASA’s EMIT instrument is now being used to identify point-source emissions of greenhouse gases with a proficiency that has surprised even its designers. Short for Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation, EMIT was launched in July 2022 to map 10 key minerals on the surface of the world’s arid regions. Those mineral-related observations, which are already available to researchers and the public, will help improve understanding of how dust that gets lofted into the atmosphere affects climate. Detecting methane was not part of EMIT’s primary mission, but the instrument’s designers did expect the imaging spectrometer to have the capability. Now, with more than 750 emissions sources identified since August 2022 – some small, others in remote locations, and others persistent in time – the instrument has more than delivered in that regard, according to a new study published in Science Advances. “We were a little cautious at first about what we could do with the instrument,” said Andrew Thorpe, a research technologist on the EMIT science team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and the paper’s lead author. “It has exceeded our expectations.” EMIT identified a cluster of 12 methane plumes within a 150-square-mile (400-square-kilometer) area of southern Uzbekistan on Sept. 1, 2022. The instrument captured the cluster within a single shot, called a scene by researchers. NASA/JPL-Caltech By knowing where methane emissions are coming from, operators of landfills, agriculture sites, oil and gas facilities, and other methane producers have an opportunity to address them. Tracking human-caused emissions of methane is key to limiting climate change because it offers a comparatively low-cost, rapid approach to reducing greenhouse gases. Methane lingers in the atmosphere for about a decade, but during this span, it’s up to 80 times more powerful at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, which remains for centuries. Surprising Results EMIT has proven effective at spotting emission sources both big (tens of thousands of pounds of methane per hour) and surprisingly small (down to the hundreds of pounds of methane per hour). This is important because it permits identification of a greater number of “super-emitters” – sources that produce disproportionate shares of total emissions. The new study documents how EMIT, based on its first 30 days of greenhouse gas detection, can observe 60% to 85% of the methane plumes typically seen in airborne campaigns. In a remote corner of southeastern Libya, EMIT on Sept. 3, 2022, detected a methane plume that was emitting about 979 pounds (444 kilograms) per hour. It’s one of the smallest sources detected so far by the instrument.NASA/JPL-Caltech From several thousand feet above the ground, methane-detecting instruments on aircraft are more sensitive, but to warrant sending a plane, researchers need prior indication that they’ll detect methane. Many areas are not examined because they are considered too remote, too risky, or too costly. Additionally, the campaigns that do occur cover relatively limited areas for short periods. On the other hand, from about 250 miles (400 kilometers) altitude on the space station, EMIT collects data over a large swath of the planet – specifically the arid regions that fall between 51.6 degrees north and south latitude. The imaging spectrometer captures 50-mile-by-50-mile (80-kilometer-by-80-kilometer) images of the surface – researchers call them “scenes” – including many regions that have been beyond the reach of airborne instruments. This time-lapse video shows the Canadarm2 robotic arm of the International Space Station maneuvering NASA’s EMIT mission onto the exterior of the station. Extraction from the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft began around 5:15 p.m. PDT on July 22 and was completed at 10:15 a.m. PDT on July 24. Portions of the installation have been omitted, while others have been speeded up. Credit: NASA “The number and scale of methane plumes measured by EMIT around our planet is stunning,” said Robert O. Green, a JPL senior research scientist and EMIT’s principal investigator. Scene-by-Scene Detections To support source identification, the EMIT science team creates maps of methane plumes and releases them on a website, with underlying data available at the joint NASA-United States Geological Survey Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC). The mission’s data is available for use by the public, scientists, and organizations. Since EMIT began collecting observations in August 2022, it has documented over 50,000 scenes. The instrument spotted a cluster of emissions sources in a rarely studied region of southern Uzbekistan on Sept. 1, 2022, detecting 12 methane plumes totaling about 49,734 pounds (22,559 kilograms) per hour. In addition, the instrument has spotted plumes far smaller than expected. Captured in a remote corner of southeastern Libya on Sept. 3, 2022, one of the smallest sources so far was emitting 979 pounds (444 kilograms) per hour, based on estimates of local wind speed. 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 EMIT in 3D on the International Space Station with NASA's Eyes on the Earth 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 2023-172 Share Details Last Updated Nov 17, 2023 Related Terms Dust StormsEarthEarth Science DivisionEMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation)Greenhouse GasesJet Propulsion Laboratory Explore More 7 min read NASA’s Cold Atom Lab Sets Stage for Quantum Chemistry in Space Article 2 days ago 10 min read Satellite Data Can Help Limit the Dangers of Windblown Dust Dust storms present a growing threat to the health and safety of U.S. populations. Article 2 days ago 6 min read NASA Data Reveals Possible Reason Some Exoplanets Are Shrinking Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

Earth science researcher Dr. Antonia Gambacorta earned the 2023 Goddard IRAD Technology Leadership award for pioneering new ways to measure lower layers of Earth’s atmosphere from space. The award from the chief technologist of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, recognizes Gambacorta’s work demonstrating how hyperspectral microwave sounding, the measurement of hundreds of thousands of wavelengths of microwave light, could dissect Earth’s atmospheric planetary boundary layer (PBL). She also conceptualized a microwave photonics radiometer instrument to reveal these measurements. NASA / Christopher Gunn The part of Earth’s atmosphere people live in, and have the most experience studying, is the hardest to measure from space due to the volume and complex behavior of the air above it, Gambacorta said. Developing the ability to probe and measure the boundary layer on a global, routine basis is important to better understanding its connections to the rest of our atmosphere, the land surface, and the oceans. “The unique challenge of the PBL requires a novel path forward that will bring together traditionally disparate observing system components in order to enable transformative scientific advances in Earth system science,” said fellow researcher Joseph Santanello. “To that end, Dr. Gambacorta’s efforts extend beyond individual technology developments, and are represented in her aspirational vision of PBL sounding as ‘the tie that binds.’ Just as notably, Dr. Gambacorta’s passion, enthusiasm, and respect for her colleagues has been evident through each of stage of the project’s development.” In seeking solutions to measure the boundary layer, Gambacorta stepped up to lead Goddard’s hyperspectral microwave projects and became the face of the center’s Decadal Survey Incubation (DSI) efforts. Through multiple Internal Research and Development, or IRAD grants, she and her team performed fundamental research to show the effectiveness of hyperspectral microwave sounding, conceptualized a microwave photonics radiometer instrument, and more recently began developing a framework to integrate data from multiple sensors for boundary layer science observations. Photonics Integrated Chips like this one being tested in a Goddard Lab will be able to translate microwave signals into infrared light for more efficient processing of more wavelengths than current technology. This chip can process thousands of microwave bandwidths compared to existing, much larger processors. NASA / Christopher Gunn “Antonia’s innovation rises above her individual successes as a capable and creative innovator,” said Goddard Chief Technologist Peter Hughes. “She capitalized on multiple programs to incubate new technology while engaging expertise from across agencies and around the world to connect to other resources.” Her cutting-edge innovations and research earned support from NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office and from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Specifically, Gambacorta built on her IRAD successes to secure an Earth Science Technology Office Instrument Incubator Program (IIP) project award to further develop her team’s microwave photonics radiometer concept and DSI funding to advance the multi-sensor fusion framework. Additionally, her momentum enabled a DSI-funded airborne instrument project attempting to transform CoSMIR, Goddard’s Conical Scanning Millimeter-wave Radiometer, into a hyperspectral sensor. That project is led by up-and-coming instrument scientist Rachael Kroodsma. This entire portfolio that Gambacorta now manages also culminated in a successful NOAA Broad Agency Announcement proposal to demonstrate hyperspectral microwave radiometry. Through her engagement with colleagues in ESTO, NOAA, and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, Hughes said Goddard’s hyperspectral microwave and PBL initiatives are regarded globally as the trusted strategy for understanding the planetary boundary layer. Goddard is widely viewed as a pioneer in the use of integrated photonics for Earth remote sensing due to Gambacorta’s leadership, he added. “Antonia serves as a true inspiration to the technologists and scientists on her teams,” her colleague Santanello added. “Her innovation and contribution to Goddard and the larger community can also be measured in each of these ways.” By Karl B. Hille NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Share Details Last Updated Nov 17, 2023 Related Terms Goddard Space Flight CenterOffice of Technology, Policy and Strategy (OTPS)People of GoddardPeople of NASAScience & ResearchScience-enabling TechnologyTechnologyTechnology Research Explore More 3 min read Hubble Images Galaxy with an Explosive Past This image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope features the spiral galaxy NGC 941, which lies about 55… Article 6 hours ago 2 min read Backyard Worlds Volunteers Complete Ten Million Classifications in an Epic Search for New Objects Among the Nearest Stars The Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 and Backyard Worlds: Cool Neighbors projects invite members of the public to search images… Article 24 hours ago 4 min read NASA’s Hubble Measures the Size of the Nearest Transiting Earth-Sized Planet NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has measured the size of the nearest Earth-sized exoplanet that passes… Article 1 day ago View the full article