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4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) On Sept. 19, the imaging spectrometer on the Carbon Mapper Coalition’s Tanager-1 satellite detected this methane plume in Karachi, Pakistan, extending nearly 2½ miles (4 kilometers) from a landfill. The spectrometer was designed at NASA JPL.Carbon Mapper/Planet Labs PBC Extending about 2 miles (3 kilometers) from a coal-fired power plant, this carbon dioxide plume in Kendal, South Africa, was captured Sept. 19 by the imaging spectrometer on the Carbon Mapper Coalition’s Tanager-1 satellite.Carbon Mapper/Planet Labs PBC This methane plume was captured south of Midland, Texas, in the Permian Basin, one of the world’s largest oil fields. The imaging spectrometer on the Carbon Mapper Coalition’s Tanager-1 satellite made the detection on Sept. 24.Carbon Mapper/Planet Labs PBC The imaging spectrometer aboard the Carbon Mapper Coalition’s Tanager-1 satellite identified methane and carbon dioxide plumes in the United States and internationally. Using data from an instrument designed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the nonprofit Carbon Mapper has released the first methane and carbon dioxide detections from the Tanager-1 satellite. The detections highlight methane plumes in Pakistan and Texas, as well as a carbon dioxide plume in South Africa. The data contributes to Carbon Mapper’s goal to identify and measure greenhouse gas point-source emissions on a global scale and make that information accessible and actionable. Enabled by Carbon Mapper and built by Planet Labs PBC, Tanager-1 launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Aug. 16 and has been collecting data to verify that its imaging spectrometer, which is based on technology developed at NASA JPL, is functioning properly. Both Planet Labs PBC and JPL are members of the philanthropically funded Carbon Mapper Coalition. “The first greenhouse gas images from Tanager-1 are exciting and are a compelling sign of things to come,” said James Graf, director for Earth Science and Technology at JPL. “The satellite plays a crucial role in detecting and measuring methane and carbon dioxide emissions. The mission is a giant step forward in addressing greenhouse gas emissions.” The data used to produce the Pakistan image was collected over the city of Karachi on Sept. 19 and shows a roughly 2.5-mile-long (4-kilometer-long) methane plume emanating from a landfill. Carbon Mapper’s preliminary estimate of the source emissions rate is more than 2,600 pounds (1,200 kilograms) of methane released per hour. The image collected that same day over Kendal, South Africa, displays a nearly 2-mile-long (3-kilometer-long) carbon dioxide plume coming from a coal-fired power plant. Carbon Mapper’s preliminary estimate of the source emissions rate is roughly 1.3 million pounds (600,000 kilograms) of carbon dioxide per hour. The Texas image, collected on Sept. 24, reveals a methane plume to the south of the city of Midland, in the Permian Basin, one of the largest oilfields in the world. Carbon Mapper’s preliminary estimate of the source emissions rate is nearly 900 pounds (400 kilograms) of methane per hour. In the 1980s, JPL helped pioneer the development of imaging spectrometers with AVIRIS (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer), and in 2022, NASA installed the imaging spectrometer EMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation), developed at JPL, aboard the International Space Station. A descendant of those instruments, the imaging spectrometer aboard Tanager-1 can measure hundreds of wavelengths of light reflected from Earth’s surface. Each chemical compound on the ground and in the atmosphere reflects and absorbs different combinations of wavelengths, which give it a “spectral fingerprint” that researchers can identify. Using this approach, Tanager-1 will help researchers detect and measure emissions down to the facility level. Once in full operation, the spacecraft will scan about 116,000 square miles (300,000 square kilometers) of Earth’s surface per day. Methane and carbon dioxide measurements collected by Tanager-1 will be publicly available on the Carbon Mapper data portal. More About Carbon Mapper Carbon Mapper is a nonprofit organization focused on facilitating timely action to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Its mission is to fill gaps in the emerging global ecosystem of methane and carbon dioxide monitoring systems by delivering data at facility scale that is precise, timely, and accessible to empower science-based decision making and action. The organization is leading the development of the Carbon Mapper constellation of satellites supported by a public-private partnership composed of Planet Labs PBC, JPL, the California Air Resources Board, Arizona State University, and RMI, with funding from High Tide Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, and other philanthropic donors. 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 2024-136 Share Details Last Updated Oct 10, 2024 Related TermsEarthEarth ScienceEarth Science DivisionGreenhouse GasesJet Propulsion Laboratory Explore More 5 min read NASA-Funded Study Assesses Pollution Near Los Angeles-Area Warehouses Article 1 day ago 3 min read Connected Learning Ecosystems: Educators Learning and Growing Together On August 19-20, 53 educators from a diverse set of learning contexts (libraries, K-12 classrooms,… Article 2 days ago 9 min read Systems Engineer Noosha Haghani Prepped PACE for Space Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

NASA/Wanmei Liang, USGS On June 10, 2023, the Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8 acquired this image of Mount Taranaki, a snow-capped mountain in New Zealand that is ringed by a dark green forest. Two older and extinct volcanoes, Kaitake and Pouakai, lie to the northwest of its peak. Learn more about Mount Taranaki. Image Credit: NASA/Wanmei Liang, USGS View the full article

4 Min Read Lunar Autonomy Mobility Pathfinder Workshop: A NASA Chief Technologist Sponsored Workshop OVERVIEW The NASA chief technologist’s team, within the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS), is hosting a Lunar Autonomy Mobility Pathfinder (LAMP) workshop on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, to provide a community forum to discuss modeling and simulation testbeds in this domain. The workshop is in coordination with NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. With the Artemis campaign, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. Technologies like trusted autonomy are necessary to support these types of sustained operations. Trusted autonomy is a more robust level of autonomy designed for long-term operational use. The LAMP workshop will be held on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Black Fire Innovation Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Black Fire Innovation Center Building is located at 8400 W. Sunset Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89113, approximately 20 minutes from the UNLV main campus. This workshop has been designed to coincide with the 2024 Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium fall meeting (also taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada). The OTPS solver-in-residence is the main organizer and facilitator for this workshop. PROGRAM The LAMP workshop will provide a forum for a discussion on topics that include: A modeling and simulation (M&S) pathfinder to explore an integrated sim environment for lunar stakeholders from commercial industry, other U.S. government agencies, international partners and academia, to simulate their systems that would eventually operate in the lunar environment and to test interoperability between systems.   How to leverage the planned rover missions to 1) calibrate and improve this M&S environment over time, and 2) potentially use them as autonomy testbeds to safely mature algorithms in a relevant environment. Please RSVP for in-person or virtual attendance by registering at the following site: https://nasaevents.webex.com/weblink/register/rdf4dd38bc3bf176dc32d147513f7b77c *Please note registration is on an individual basis. If attending with multiple guests, each guest must register for the event separately. LAMP Workshop Agenda (All times listed are in PST and subject to change) 10:00 a.m. – 12:00p.m.Modeling and Simulation (M&S) showcase (In-person only & optional) This is an opportunity for interested participants to show their lunar simulation capabilities inside of UNLV’s Blackfire Innovation esports arena. Space is limited. Please indicate if you are interested in participating when you register, and we will reach out with additional information. 1:00 –2:00p.m.Challenges to Developing Trusted Autonomy NASA will discuss the challenges of maturing autonomy that can be trusted to operate over long periods of time and how we can work together to overcome those challenges.2:00 –3:00p.m.Pre-Formulation Discussion of a Lunar Autonomy Mobility Pathfinder Modeling and Simulation Environment Subject matter experts (SMEs) from NASA will layout thoughts on what a digital transformation pathfinder would look like that benefits lunar autonomy efforts across the globe. 3:00 – 3:15p.m.Break3:15 – 4:15p.m.Lunar Testbeds Discussion This will be a discussion focused on how assets on the moon could be used as testbeds to generate truth data for Earth-based simulations and to validate that autonomy can be trusted in the lunar environment.4:15 – 5:00p.m.Polling and Discussions Audience feedback will be solicited on various topics. This will include a pre-formulated series of questions and real time polls. CONTACT For questions, please email: Dr. Adam Yingling 2024 OTPS Solver-in-Residence Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS) NASA Headquarters Email: adam.j.yingling@nasa.gov The Solver-in-Residence (SiR) program is a one-year detail position with the chief technologist in NASA’s Office of Technology Policy and Strategy. The program enables a NASA civil servant to propose a one-year investigation on a specific technology challenge and then work to identify solutions to address those challenges. Share Details Last Updated Oct 10, 2024 EditorBill Keeter Related TermsOffice of Technology, Policy and Strategy (OTPS)Space Technology Mission Directorate View the full article

8 Min Read Kathryn Sullivan: The First American Woman to Walk in Space Astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan checks the latch of the SIR-B antenna in the space shuttle Challenger's open cargo bay during her historic extravehicular activity (EVA) on Oct. 11, 1984. Earlier, America's first woman to perform an EVA and astronaut David C. Leestma, participated in an in-space simulation of refueling a spacecraft in orbit. Credits: NASA Forty years ago, in October 1984, Kathryn D. Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space. But being the first presented several challenges that started well before she took those historic steps. Things got complicated just after she learned of her assignment. Questions of Physiology Biomedical researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) raised what they believed was a serious issue with women walking in space and alerted George W.S. Abbey, the head of the Flight Crew Operations Directorate. Females, he learned, were more likely than their male counterparts to develop the bends in the low-pressure environment of the extravehicular mobility unit (EMU), the spacesuit she would wear. To alleviate the possibility of developing decompression syndrome, all spacewalkers had to breathe pure oxygen before a spacewalk to eliminate nitrogen from their bloodstream. Researchers insisted Sullivan (and any future women spacewalkers) spend more time than their male counterparts breathing pure oxygen before going outside of the space shuttle. Sullivan quickly learned that there were flaws in the research, which she countered, and Abbey ended up approving the same requirements for men and women doing an extravehicular activity (EVA). Setting the Record After the STS-41G crew had been named in the fall of 1983, a colleague—flush with excitement over the recent flight announcement — congratulated Sally K. Ride and Sullivan on their new titles: Ride being the first woman to fly in space twice and Sullivan the first woman to walk in space. Both shook their heads and explained that it would be many months before launch and that a Soviet woman would fly and do a spacewalk well before the space shuttle Challenger and her crew made it to orbit. As expected, the Soviets assigned cosmonaut Svetlana Y. Savitskaya to a second mission in 1983, less than a month after NASA’s crew announcement. In July 1984, Savitskaya, not Ride, went on to become the first woman to enter space twice and earned the distinction of being the first female to walk in space. Astronauts Sally K. Ride (right) and Kathryn D. Sullivan, two of three mission specialists, synchronize their watches prior to ingressing the Space Shuttle Challenger on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center on October 5, 1984.NASA Sullivan was not disappointed at losing the title. As she recalled in an oral history interview, being selected for an EVA was an “extraordinary opportunity,” and it did not matter where she was in the queue. She could not understand how people arrived at the idea that the “seventh, tenth, or thirteenth … is [any] less meaningful … than some historical first.” Others at the Johnson Space Center still thought there was a way they could best the Soviets. Sullivan’s trainers took note of how short Savitskaya’s EVA was. It was only about three and a half hours. “A little bit more than that,” they explained, and “you’ll get the duration record!” But the idea of breaking her record by a few minutes seemed ludicrous. “I’m certainly not going to go tromping around on dinner speeches … saying, ‘Well yes, but I have the duration record.’” “Hello, I’m right here!” While the issue of breaking and setting records remained of interest at NASA more than twenty years after the Soviets sent cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into space, Sullivan found herself grappling with other matters she found equally frustrating. First, there was the sexist media. No journalist asked how she was feeling about her role in the mission. Flying women in space was still new to the American news media in 1983—Ride had only flown her first mission in June, and while Judith A. Resnik had been named to a mission, she had not yet been in orbit. But Ride had not completed an EVA; only men had walked in space, and some found the activity challenging. Astronaut Eugene A. Cernan described his first EVA as the “spacewalk from hell.” Spacewalks can be physically demanding, and it was assumed that women might not have the strength to do so. Reporters asked commander Robert L. Crippen and Ride, “Do you think Kathy can do this?” Sitting at the preflight press conference she reminded reporters that she could speak for herself. “Hello, I’m right here! Hello. Hello.” The crew assigned to the STS-41G mission included (seated left to right) Jon A. McBride, pilot; mission specialists Sally K. Ride, Kathryn D. Sullivan, and David C. Leestma. Standing in the rear, left to right, are payload specialist Paul D. Scully-Power, mission commander Robert Crippen, and payload specialist Marc Garneau. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on October 5, 1984, the STS-41G mission marked the first flight to include two women.NASA There was also the matter of why her spacewalking partner, David C. Leestma, led the EVA. She had two years seniority in the Astronaut Office, arriving in 1978; NASA named Leestma to the corps in 1980. She also worked on spacesuit issues and the mission’s payload longer than he had, but both were rookies on this mission. Sullivan did not think Crippen and Abbey thought she was incapable, but for traditional norms to have been breached in this instance she could not explain why she—the senior ranking astronaut—was playing a support role instead of leading. If anyone asked why, Sullivan told Crippen he—not she—would have to answer the tough questions. Space Suit Fit As she prepared for the flight, she began training in the shuttle EMU, which never quite fit her body. The suit’s elbow did not align with hers so when she bent her arm, she had to use extra force. The lower portion of the suit was misaligned, making it difficult to bend her knee. Being the first American woman to do a spacewalk, she decided what was most important was to perform the EVA and demonstrate the EMU worked for women. “I reckoned the wrong thing to do was to turn the first evolution of a woman doing a spacewalk into a controversy. … I just sucked it up and dealt with it.” The suit techs knew the EMU was not quite her size, but she made it work. Later, when assigned to STS-45, one of the techs noticed how poorly the suit fit. “We ought to do something about it. It ought to fit you,” he said. Sullivan responded, “We can start that conversation now, but if you think I was going to make that the conversation on the first EVA you’re crazy.” Astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan, STS-41G mission specialist, gets some help with her extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) prior to participating in an underwater simulation of an extravehicular activity (EVA) scheduled for her flight aboard the Columbia in October 1984. Dr. Sullivan and David C. Leestma (out of frame) participated in the rehearsal in NASA’s weightless environment training facility (WET-F) at the Johnson Space Center.NASA A Walk to Remember Two days after Sullivan’s thirty-third birthday, STS-41G launched on October 5, 1984. Once in orbit, the flight plan changed quickly. A problem with a malfunctioning Ku-band antenna meant that the EVA had to be pushed back to the day before reentry. Sullivan worried that the walk might be scrapped, but when they finally began the pre-breathing protocol, she relaxed. “Challenger, Houston: You are GO for EVA,” Sullivan recalled, “were the sweetest words I had ever heard.” Sullivan and Leestma’s EVA was short—only three hours and twenty-nine minutes—but busy. Leestma demonstrated it was possible to refuel satellites in orbit, while Sullivan monitored his work. When he wrapped up his task, Sullivan finally had the opportunity to “do something, not just watch things.” She stowed the malfunctioning antenna and before they went back inside the shuttle, they filmed a scene for an IMAX film, The Dream is Alive—where the two spacewalkers rose from the bottom of the space shuttle’s windows and waved at the crew inside, mimicking the “Kilroy Was Here” meme. When filming concluded, Sullivan and Leestma returned to Challenger. “My first spacewalking adventure,” Sullivan wrote in her memoir, “was over all too soon.” The next day, President Ronald Reagan called to ask Sullivan about her experience. “Kathy, when we met at the White House, I know you were excited about walking in space. Was it what you expected?” he asked. Sullivan responded affirmatively and added, “I think it was the most fantastic experience of my life.” I think it was the most fantastic experience of my life. Kathryn Sullivan NASA Astronaut When she returned to JSC she learned that the EVA flight team had tried to figure out how to send her a diplomatic message to stay outside longer to beat Savitskaya’s record. There ended up being a “five-or six-minute difference” between Sullivan and Savitskaya, “and in the wrong direction as far as they were concerned.” Despite all the challenges she faced as the first American woman to walk in space, Sullivan called the EVA “a fabulously cool experience.” She hoped to do another, but she never received another assignment to walk in space. She recognized what a unique opportunity she had—very few people have flown in space, and even fewer “get to sneak outside. I’m not going to diminish one dose of sneaking outside just because I didn’t get two, three, or four.” Watch Suit Up – 50 Years of Spacewalks About the AuthorJennifer Ross-NazzalNASA Human Spaceflight HistorianJennifer Ross-Nazzal is the NASA Human Spaceflight Historian. She is the author of Winning the West for Women: The Life of Suffragist Emma Smith DeVoe and Making Space for Women: Stories from Trailblazing Women of NASA's Johnson Space Center. Share Details Last Updated Oct 07, 2024 Related TermsNASA HistoryAstronautsFormer AstronautsHumans in SpaceKathryn D. SullivanSTS-41GWomen at NASA Explore More 4 min read The Iconic Photos from STS-41B: Documenting the First Untethered Spacewalk Article 8 months ago 5 min read Eileen Collins Broke Barriers as America’s First Female Space Shuttle Commander Article 3 months ago 10 min read 35 Years Ago: STS-41G – A Flight of Many Firsts Article 5 years ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Explore NASA’s History Women at NASA Space Shuttle International Space Station Spacewalks View the full article

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) This artist’s concept depicts a potential volcanic moon between the exoplanet WASP-49 b, left, and its parent star. New evidence indicating that a massive sodium cloud observed near WASP-49 b is produced by neither the planet nor the star has prompted researchers to ask if its origin could be an exomoon.NASA/JPL-Caltech The existence of a moon located outside our solar system has never been confirmed but a new NASA-led study may provide indirect evidence for one. New research done at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory reveals potential signs of a rocky, volcanic moon orbiting an exoplanet 635 light-years from Earth. The biggest clue is a sodium cloud that the findings suggest is close to but slightly out of sync with the exoplanet, a Saturn-size gas giant named WASP-49 b, although additional research is needed to confirm the cloud’s behavior. Within our solar system, gas emissions from Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io create a similar phenomenon. Although no exomoons (moons of planets outside our solar system) have been confirmed, multiple candidates have been identified. It’s likely these planetary companions have gone undetected because they are too small and dim for current telescopes to detect. The sodium cloud around WASP-49 b was first detected in 2017, catching the attention of Apurva Oza, formerly a postdoctoral researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and now a staff scientist at Caltech, which manages JPL. Oza has spent years investigating how exomoons might be detected via their volcanic activity. For example, Io, the most volcanic body in our solar system, constantly spews sulfur dioxide, sodium, potassium, and other gases that can form vast clouds around Jupiter up to 1,000 times the giant planet’s radius. It’s possible that astronomers looking at another star system could detect a gas cloud like Io’s even if the moon itself were too small to see. Exomoons — moons around planets outside our solar system — are most likely too small to observe directly with current technology. In this video, learn how scientists tracked the motion of a sodium cloud 635 light-years away and found that it could be created by volcanos on a potential exomoon. NASA/JPL-Caltech Both WASP-49 b and its star are composed mostly of hydrogen and helium, with trace amounts of sodium. Neither contains enough sodium to account for the cloud, which appears to be coming from a source that is producing roughly 220,000 pounds (100,000 kilograms) of sodium per second. Even if the star or planet could produce that much sodium, it’s unclear what mechanism could eject it into space. Could the source be a volcanic exomoon? Oza and his colleagues set out to try to answer that question. The work immediately proved challenging because from such a great distance, the star, planet, and cloud often overlap and occupy the same tiny, faraway point in space. So the team had to watch the system over time. A Cloud on the Move As detailed in a new study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, they found several pieces of evidence that suggest the cloud is created by a separate body orbiting the planet, though additional research is needed to confirm the cloud’s behavior. For example, twice their observations indicated the cloud suddenly increased in size, as if being refueled, when it was not next to the planet. New NASA-led research suggests a sodium cloud seen around the exoplanet WASP-49 b might be created by a volcanic moon, which is depicted in this artist’s concept. Jupiter’s fiery moon Io produces a similar cloud. NASA/JPL-Caltech They also observed the cloud moving faster than the planet in a way that would seem impossible unless it was being generated by another body moving independent of, and faster, than the planet. “We think this is a really critical piece of evidence,” said Oza. “The cloud is moving in the opposite direction that physics tells us it should be going if it were part of the planet’s atmosphere.” While these observations have intrigued the research team, they say they would need to observe the system for longer to be sure of the cloud’s orbit and structure. A Chance of Volcanic Clouds For part of their sleuthing, the researchers used the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile. Oza’s co-author Julia Seidel, a research fellow at the observatory, established that the cloud is located high above the planet’s atmosphere, much like the cloud of gas Io produces around Jupiter. They also used a computer model to illustrate the exomoon scenario and compare it to the data. The exoplanet WASP-49 b orbits the star every 2.8 days with clocklike regularity, but the cloud appeared and disappeared behind the star or behind the planet at seemingly irregular intervals. Using their model, Oza and team showed that a moon with an eight-hour orbit around the planet could explain the cloud’s motion and activity, including the way it sometimes seemed to move in front of the planet and did not seem to be associated with a particular region of the planet. “The evidence is very compelling that something other than the planet and star are producing this cloud,” said Rosaly Lopes, a planetary geologist at JPL who co-authored the study with Oza. “Detecting an exomoon would be quite extraordinary, and because of Io, we know that a volcanic exomoon is possible.” A Violent End On Earth, volcanoes are driven by heat in its core left over from the planet’s formation. Io’s volcanoes, on the other hand, are driven by Jupiter’s gravity, which squeezes the moon as it gets closer to the planet then reduces its “grip” as the moon moves away. This flexing heats the small moon’s interior, leading to a process called tidal volcanism. If WASP-49 b has a moon similar in size to Earth’s, Oza and team estimate that the rapid loss of mass combined with the squeezing from the planet’s gravity will eventually cause it to disintegrate. “If there really is a moon there, it will have a very destructive ending,” said Oza. News Media Contact Calla Cofield Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 626-808-2469 calla.e.cofield@jpl.nasa.gov 2024-135 Share Details Last Updated Oct 10, 2024 Related TermsExoplanetsAstrophysicsExoplanet DiscoveriesGas Giant ExoplanetsJupiterJupiter Moons Explore More 4 min read NASA’s Hubble Watches Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Behave Like a Stress Ball Astronomers have observed Jupiter’s legendary Great Red Spot (GRS), an anticyclone large enough to swallow… Article 22 hours ago 2 min read Hubble Observes a Peculiar Galaxy Shape This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image reveals the galaxy, NGC 4694. Most galaxies fall into… Article 6 days ago 4 min read Via NASA Plane, Scientists Find New Gamma-ray Emission in Storm Clouds There’s more to thunderclouds than rain and lightning. Thunderclouds can produce intense bursts of gamma… Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

30 Min Read The Marshall Star for October 9, 2024 Marshall Lends Insight, Expertise to Auburn Aerospace Industry Day Event By Rick Smith Nearly 500 students and faculty of Auburn University gathered on campus Sept. 30-Oct. 2 to hear lectures from leading NASA propulsion and engineering experts and to talk careers goals and opportunities with representatives of the U.S. space program and various aerospace industry firms. The Aerospace Industry Day event, exclusively focused on careers supporting rocketry and space exploration, was the first of its kind at Auburn. University spokespersons said they hope to make it an annual expo – and team members from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center helped ensure the kickoff was a success. Heather Haney, center, test and verification subsystem manager in the Space Launch System Program Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, discusses aerospace career options with Auburn University faculty and students during Aerospace Industry Day events. Photo courtesy of Auburn University/John Sluis “The event marked a significant milestone for our organization and the university as a whole,” said Austin Miranda, an Auburn aerospace engineering undergraduate and president of Auburn’s chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. “We deeply appreciate NASA’s participation, which significantly enriched the experience for our attendees.” Marshall managers and engineers in the Space Launch System and Human Landing System programs, the Engineering Directorate, and the Space Nuclear Propulsion Office presented guest lectures, staffed exhibit booths, and met informally with students. The event also included a pair of intensive focus sessions on propulsion engineering, face-to-face networking opportunities between students and NASA and industry leaders, and a career fair with Marshall, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, and more than a dozen leading aerospace industry companies. “As an Auburn alum, it’s always great to be able to return to the plains and engage in activities on campus,” said Josh Whitehead, associate manager of the SLS Stages Element at Marshall. “I was impressed not only with the outstanding faculty who engaged from multiple engineering departments, but also with the engineering students who asked informed, insightful questions about NASA, our missions, and the new technologies we are developing to enable exploration of space.” Mike Houts, nuclear research manager for NASA’s Space Nuclear Propulsion Office at Marshall, also was struck by students’ enthusiasm. “The students’ depth of interest and understanding was impressive,” he said. “Many of them stayed to talk long after events were officially over, and several have already followed up by email. I foresee lots of ‘win-win’ potential moving forward.” Alex Ifkovits, left, a Marshall liquid engine systems engineer, talks with an Auburn University student during Aerospace Industry Day events, which ran Sept. 30-Oct. 2. The event was the first of its kind at Auburn and is expected to become a perennial mainstay for the engineering curriculum. Photo courtesy of Auburn University/John Sluis Among the aerospace industry participants were representatives from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Jacobs Technology, Lockheed Martin, Relativity Space, Reliable Microsystems, RTX subsidiaries Pratt & Whitney and UTC Aerospace Systems, and Technology Service Corp. “Everyone was impressed with the level of knowledge and interest from Auburn students, many of whom waited in long lines to ask questions and talk about career opportunities,” said Heather Haney, SLS Program test and verification subsystem manager. “NASA has a great history of collaborating with Auburn to support our nation’s space program, and that was reflected by the excitement on so many faces during the event.” Auburn has contributed to a number of key Marshall endeavors in recent years, including support for Marshall’s RAMPT (Rapid Analysis and Manufacturing Propulsion Technology) project, refining a variety of additive manufacturing processes, and for a new laser-ablation technology study to develop multi-material 3D printers for use in microgravity. The latter is set to begin testing in spring 2025. Additive manufacturing research at Auburn was pivotal to development of NASA’s 2024 Invention of the Year, an innovative rocket engine thrust chamber liner and fabrication method. Auburn students also are perennial contenders in annual NASA STEM events, including the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge and the Student Launch rocketry competition. The Aerospace Industry Day event was hosted by Auburn’s Office of Career Development and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. Smith, an Aeyon employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. › Back to Top NASA, SpaceX Secure Europa Clipper Ahead of Hurricane NASA and SpaceX are standing down from the Oct. 10 launch attempt of the agency’s Europa Clipper mission due to anticipated hurricane conditions in the area. Hurricane Milton is expected to move east to the Space Coast after making landfall on Florida’s west coast. High winds and heavy rain are expected in the Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island regions on Florida’s east coast. Launch teams have secured NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft in SpaceX’s hangar at Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center ahead of the severe weather, and the center began hurricane preparations Oct. 6. Technicians encapsulated NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft inside payload fairings Oct. 2 in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center.NASA/Ben Smegelsky “The safety of launch team personnel is our highest priority, and all precautions will be taken to protect the Europa Clipper spacecraft,” said Tim Dunn, senior launch director at NASA’s Launch Services Program. On Oct. 4, workers transported NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft from the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy to the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in the hangar as part of final launch preparations ahead of its journey to Jupiter’s icy moon. While Europa Clipper’s launch period opens Oct. 10, the window provides launch opportunities until Nov. 6. Once the storm passes, recovery teams will assess the safety of the spaceport before personnel return to work. Then launch teams will assess the launch processing facilities for damage from the storm. “Once we have the ‘all-clear’ followed by facility assessment and any recovery actions, we will determine the next launch opportunity for this NASA flagship mission,” Dunn said. Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. The main spacecraft body was designed by APL in collaboration with JPL and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, manages the launch service for the Europa Clipper spacecraft. › Back to Top Crew Departure Preps Continue Aboard Space Station The seven NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station relaxed and took a break Oct. 8 before the SpaceX Crew-8 mission leaves. Mission managers are monitoring weather conditions off the coast of Florida with Hurricane Milton. Expedition 72 flight engineers Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps of NASA and Alexander Grebenkin from Roscosmos are now targeting departure from the orbital outpost aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft for no earlier than 2:05 a.m. CDT on Oct. 13, pending weather. The Commercial Crew Program (CCP) crew is scheduled to call down to Mission Control Center for farewell remarks Oct. 10 at 8:15 a.m. Watch live coverage of both events on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. Category 5 Hurricane Milton, packing winds of 175 miles per hour, is viewed in the Gulf of Mexico from the space station as it orbited overhead.NASA Space biology and physics were the focus of research operations for the Expedition 72 crew Oct. 7. NASA flight engineer Nick Hague worked in the Columbus laboratory module swapping filters inside the BioLab’s incubator. BioLab supports the observation of microbes, cells, tissue cultures and more to understand the effects of weightlessness and radiation on organisms. NASA flight engineer Don Pettit set up a laptop computer on the Cell Biology Experiment Facility, a research incubator with an artificial gravity generator, located in the Kibo laboratory module. Station Commander Suni Williams explored space physics mixing gel samples and observing with a fluorescence microscope how particles of different sizes gel and coarsen. Results are expected to benefit the medicine, food, and cosmetic industries. NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, who has been aboard the station with Williams since June 6, trained to operate advanced life support gear installed in the Microgravity Science Glovebox for a different space physics experiment then relaxed the rest of the day. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center provides engineering and mission operations support for the space station, the CCP, and Artemis missions, as well as science and technology demonstration missions. The Payload Operations Integration Center within HOSC operates, plans, and coordinates the science experiments onboard the space station 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. › Back to Top Dave Reynolds Named Manager of Space Launch System Booster Office Dave Reynolds has been named to the Senior Executive Service position of manager of the Space Launch System (SLS) Booster Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, effective immediately. In his role, Reynolds is responsible for the design, development, and flight of the solid rocket boosters for the SLS rocket, NASA’s deep-space flagship rocket, designed for a new era of science and exploration. Dave Reynolds has been named to the Senior Executive Service position of manager of the Space Launch System (SLS) Booster Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.NASA/Danielle Burleson Reynolds began his NASA career in Marshall’s propulsion systems department in 2004 as a rocket engines component designer. Since 2020, Reynolds has served as the deputy program manager for the SLS Boosters Office. In this role, he was responsible for the execution of two major contracts with a combined value of $7.6 billion. He also served as an alternate to the manager for overseeing the performance, budget, schedule, and discretionary spending for developing, fabricating, and flying the SLS Boosters. Reynolds supervised a team of 31 civil servants and contractors and acted as the representative for the booster element in key SLS program reviews decision boards, milestones, and budget risk assessments. Reynolds’ previous roles include leading the development program for the SLS Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension effort starting in 2016, officially being selected as the development program manager in 2019. In this role he was responsible for creating the strategic plan and initiating the early development phases for the SLS Block II Booster. He also served as a SLS Booster subsystem manager from 2013-2019 where he was responsible for the management of the SLS motor cases, igniters, and small motors. From 2012-2013, Reynolds participated in a temporary rotational assignment with the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Missile and Space Intelligence Center where he acted as the NASA liaison as a propulsion subject matter expert and supported military intelligence assessments of foreign weapon systems. From 2002-2004, Reynolds was a design engineer at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake, California, where he served as a propulsion designer specializing in the design, fabrication, and testing of U.S. Navy weapons propulsion systems. Reynolds holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration and Management from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He holds two patents for additive manufacturing technologies and has received numerous NASA awards including the Outstanding Leadership Medal, the Exceptional Achievement Medal, and the Silver Snoopy. › Back to Top NASA Announces Teams to Compete in International Rover Challenge By Wayne Smith NASA has selected 75 student teams to begin an engineering design challenge to build rovers that will compete next spring at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center near the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The competition is one of the agency’s Artemis Student Challenges, encouraging students to pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). A team competes in the 2024 Human Exploration Rover Challenge as supporters cheer them on.NASA Recognized as NASA’s leading international student challenge, the 31st annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) aims to put competitors in the mindset of NASA’s Artemis campaign as they pitch an engineering design for a lunar terrain vehicle which simulates astronauts piloting a vehicle, exploring the lunar surface while overcoming various obstacles. Participating teams represent 35 colleges and universities, 38 high schools, and two middle schools from 20 states, Puerto Rico, and 16 other nations from around the world. The 31st annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) is scheduled to begin on April 11, 2025. The challenge is managed by NASA’s Southeast Regional Office of STEM Engagement at Marshall. Following a 2024 competition that garnered international attention, NASA expanded the challenge to include a remote-control division, Remote-Operated Vehicular Research, and invited middle school students to participate. The 2025 HERC Handbook includes guidelines for the new remote-control division and updates for the human-powered division. NASA’s Artemis Student Challenges reflects the goals of the Artemis campaign, which seeks to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon while establishing a long-term presence for science and exploration. More than 1,000 students with 72 teams from around the world participated in the 2024 challenge as HERC celebrated its 30th anniversary as a NASA competition. Since its inception in 1994, more than 15,000 students have participated in HERC – with many former students now working at NASA, or within the aerospace industry. Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. › Back to Top Agency Selects Teams for 2025 Student Launch Challenge By Wayne Smith NASA has selected 71 teams from across the U.S. to participate in its 25th annual Student Launch Challenge, one of the agency’s Artemis Student Challenges. The competition is aimed at inspiring Artemis Generation students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for the benefit of humanity. As part of the challenge, teams will design, build, and fly a high-powered amateur rocket and scientific payload. They also must meet documentation milestones and undergo detailed reviews throughout the school year. Students celebrate after a successful performance in the 2024 Student Launch competition at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama.NASA The nine-month-long challenge will culminate with on-site events starting on April 30, 2025. Final launches are scheduled for May 3, at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, just minutes north of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Teams are not required to travel for their final launch, having the option to launch from a qualified site. Details are outlined in the Student Launch Handbook. Each year, NASA updates the university payload challenge to reflect current scientific and exploration missions. For the 2025 season, the payload challenge will again take inspiration from the Artemis missions, which seek to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, and pave the way for future human exploration of Mars. As Student Launch celebrates its 25th anniversary, the payload challenge will include reports from STEMnauts, non-living objects representing astronauts. The STEMnaut crew must relay real-time data to the student team’s mission control via radio frequency, simulating the communication that will be required when the Artemis crew achieves its lunar landing. University and college teams are required to meet the 2025 payload requirements set by NASA, but middle and high school teams have the option to tackle the same challenge or design their own payload experiment. Student teams will undergo detailed reviews by NASA personnel to ensure the safety and feasibility of their rocket and payload designs. The team closest to their target will win the Altitude Award, one of multiple awards presented to teams at the end of the competition. Other awards include overall winner, vehicle design, experiment design, and social media presence. In addition to the engineering and science objectives of the challenge, students must also participate in outreach efforts such as engaging with local schools and maintaining active social media accounts. Student Launch is an all-encompassing challenge and aims to prepare the next generation for the professional world of space exploration. The Student Launch Challenge is managed by Marshall’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM). Additional funding and support are provided by NASA’s OSTEM via the Next Gen STEM project, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, Northrup Grumman, National Space Club Huntsville, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Association of Rocketry, Relativity Space, and Bastion Technologies. Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. › Back to Top NASA’s Laser Comms Demo Makes Deep Space Record, Completes First Phase NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration broke yet another record for laser communications this summer by sending a laser signal from Earth to NASA’s Psyche spacecraft about 290 million miles away. That’s the same distance between our planet and Mars when the two planets are farthest apart. Soon after reaching that milestone on July 29, the technology demonstration concluded the first phase of its operations since launching aboard Psyche on Oct. 13, 2023. NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is depicted receiving a laser signal from the Deep Space Optical Communications uplink ground station at JPL’s Table Mountain Facility in this artist’s concept. The DSOC experiment consists of an uplink and downlink station, plus a flight laser transceiver flying with Psyche.NASA/JPL-Caltech “The milestone is significant. Laser communication requires a very high level of precision, and before we launched with Psyche, we didn’t know how much performance degradation we would see at our farthest distances,” said Meera Srinivasan, the project’s operations lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “Now the techniques we use to track and point have been verified, confirming that optical communications can be a robust and transformative way to explore the solar system.” Managed by JPL, the Deep Space Optical Communications experiment consists of a flight laser transceiver and two ground stations. Caltech’s historic 200-inch aperture Hale Telescope at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California, acts as the downlink station to which the laser transceiver sends its data from deep space. The Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory at JPL’s Table Mountain facility near Wrightwood, California, acts as the uplink station, capable of transmitting 7 kilowatts of laser power to send data to the transceiver. By transporting data at rates up to 100 times higher than radio frequencies, lasers can enable the transmission of complex scientific information as well as high-definition imagery and video, which are needed to support humanity’s next giant leap when astronauts travel to Mars and beyond. As for the spacecraft, Psyche remains healthy and stable, using ion propulsion to accelerate toward a metal-rich asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The technology demonstration’s data is sent to and from Psyche as bits encoded in near-infrared light, which has a higher frequency than radio waves. That higher frequency enables more data to be packed into a transmission, allowing far higher rates of data transfer. Even when Psyche was about 33 million miles away – comparable to Mars’ closest approach to Earth – the technology demonstration could transmit data at the system’s maximum rate of 267 megabits per second. That bit rate is similar to broadband internet download speeds. As the spacecraft travels farther away, the rate at which it can send and receive data is reduced, as expected. This 45-second ultra-high-definition video was streamed via laser from deep space by NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration June 24, when the Psyche spacecraft was 240 million miles from Earth. On June 24, when Psyche was about 240 million miles from Earth – more than 2½ times the distance between our planet and the Sun – the project achieved a sustained downlink data rate of 6.25 megabits per second, with a maximum rate of 8.3 megabits per second. While this rate is significantly lower than the experiment’s maximum, it is far higher than what a radio frequency communications system using comparable power can achieve over that distance. The goal of Deep Space Optical Communications is to demonstrate technology that can reliably transmit data at higher speeds than other space communication technologies like radio frequency systems. In seeking to achieve this goal, the project had an opportunity to test unique data sets like art and high-definition video along with engineering data from the Psyche spacecraft. For example, one downlink included digital versions of Arizona State University’s “Psyche Inspired” artwork, images of the team’s pets, and a 45-second ultra-high-definition video that spoofs television test patterns from the previous century and depicts scenes from Earth and space. The technology demonstration beamed the first ultra-high-definition video from space, featuring a cat named Taters, from the Psyche spacecraft to Earth on Dec. 11, 2023, from 19 million miles away. (Artwork, images, and videos were uploaded to Psyche and stored in its memory before launch.) “A key goal for the system was to prove that the data-rate reduction was proportional to the inverse square of distance,” said Abi Biswas, the technology demonstration’s project technologist at JPL. “We met that goal and transferred huge quantities of test data to and from the Psyche spacecraft via laser.” Almost 11 terabits of data have been downlinked during the first phase of the demo. The flight transceiver is powered down and will be powered back up on Nov. 4. That activity will prove that the flight hardware can operate for at least a year. “We’ll power on the flight laser transceiver and do a short checkout of its functionality,” said Ken Andrews, project flight operations lead at JPL. “Once that’s achieved, we can look forward to operating the transceiver at its full design capabilities during our post-conjunction phase that starts later in the year.” This demonstration is the latest in a series of optical communication experiments funded by the Space Technology Mission Directorate’s Technology Demonstration Missions Program managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the agency’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program within the Space Operations Mission Directorate. Development of the flight laser transceiver is supported by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, L3 Harris, CACI, First Mode, and Controlled Dynamics Inc. Fibertek, Coherent, Caltech Optical Observatories, and Dotfast support the ground systems. Some of the technology was developed through NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research program. Psyche is the 14th mission selected as part of NASA’s Discovery Program, which is managed by Marshall. › Back to Top Ancient Oort Cloud Comet to Make First Documented Pass by Earth in Mid-October By Rick Smith An ancient celestial traveler will make its first close pass by Earth in mid-October. Mark those calendars – because it won’t be back for another 80,000 years. The Oort Cloud comet, called C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, was discovered in 2023, approaching the inner solar system on its highly elliptical orbit for the first time in documented human history. It was identified by observers at China’s Tsuchinshan – or “Purple Mountain” – Observatory and an ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) telescope in South Africa. The comet was officially named in honor of both observatories. Comets with long, elliptical orbits around the Sun may reach perihelion – their closest point to our star – too rarely to observe more than once in a lifetime. This comet, Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2), reached perihelion in early February 2015, and isn’t expected to do so again until 2633. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which is expected to come within approximately 44 million miles of Earth on Oct. 12, will not enter the inner solar system again for some 80,000 years.NASA/Damian Peach The comet successfully made its closest transit past the Sun on Sept. 27. Scientists surmised it might well break up during that pass, its volatile and icy composition unable to withstand the intense heat of our parent star, but it survived more or less intact – and is now on track to come within approximately 44 million miles of Earth on Oct. 12. “Comets are more fragile than people may realize, thanks to the effects of passing close to the Sun on their internal water ice and volatiles such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide,” said NASA astronomer Bill Cooke, who leads the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. “Comet Kohoutek, which reached the inner solar system in 1973, broke up while passing too close to the Sun. Comet Ison similarly failed to survive the Sun’s intense heat and gravity during perihelion in 2013.” Though Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be ideally positioned to view from the Southern Hemisphere, spotters above the equator should have a good chance as well. Peak visibility will occur Oct. 9-10, once the half-moon begins to move away from the comet. Choose a dark vantage point just after full nightfall, Cooke recommended. Looking to the southwest, roughly 10 degrees above the horizon, identify the constellations of Sagittarius and Scorpio. Tsuchinshan-ATLAS should be visible between them. By Oct. 14, the comet may remain visible at the midway point between the bright star Arcturus and the planet Venus. “And savor the view,” Cooke advised – because by early November, the comet will be gone again for the next 800 centuries. It’s highly unlikely Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be visible in daylight hours, except perhaps at twilight, Cooke said. In the past 300 years of astronomical observation, only nine previous comets have been bright enough to spot during the day. The last were Comet West in 1976 and, under ideal conditions, Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997. The brightness of comets is measured on the same scale we use for stars, one that has been in use since roughly 150 B.C., when it was devised by the ancient scholar Hipparchus and refined by the astronomer Ptolemy. Stellar magnitude is measured on a logarithmic scale, which makes a magnitude 1 star exactly 100 times brighter than a magnitude 6 star. The lower the number the brighter the object, making it more likely to be clearly seen, whether by telescope or the naked eye. Comets traveling through the inner solar system aren’t uncommon, but many never survive a close pass by the Sun. Icy comet ISON, photographed here on Nov. 19, 2013, reached solar perihelion later that month – but couldn’t endure the punishing heat and gravity so close to Earth’s parent star and disintegrated. NASA/Aaron Kingery “Typically, a comet would have to reach a magnitude of –6 to –10 to be seen in daylight,” Cooke said. “That’s extremely rare.” At peak visibility in the northern hemisphere, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS’s brightness is estimated at between 2 and 4. In comparison, the brightest visible star in the night sky, Sirius, has a magnitude of –1.46. At its brightest, solar reflection from Venus is a magnitude of –4. The International Space Station sometimes achieves a relative brightness of –6. Comets are often hard to predict because they’re extended objects, Cooke noted, with their brightness spread out and often dimmer than their magnitude suggests. At the same time, they may benefit from a phenomenon called “forward scattering,” which causes sunlight to bounce more intensely off all the gas and debris in the comet’s tail and its coma – the glowing nebula that develops around it during close stellar orbit – and causing a more intense brightening effect for observers. “If there is a lot of forward scattering, the comet could be as bright as magnitude –1,” Cooke said. That could make it “visible to the unaided eye or truly spectacular with binoculars or a small telescope.” What will become of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS? Cooke noted that it is not expected to draw too near the planetary giants of our system, but eventually could be flung out of the solar system – like a stone from a sling – due to the gravitational influence of other worlds and its own tenuous bond with the Sun. But the hardy traveler likely still has miles to go yet. “I learned a long time ago not to gamble on comets,” Cooke said. “We’ll have to wait and see.” Smith, an Aeyon employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. › Back to Top Via NASA Plane, Scientists Find New Gamma-ray Emission in Storm Clouds There’s more to thunderclouds than rain and lightning. Along with visible light emissions, thunderclouds can produce intense bursts of gamma rays, the most energetic form of light, that last for millionths of a second. The clouds can also glow steadily with gamma rays for seconds to minutes at a time. NASA’s high-flying ER-2 airplane carries instrumentation in this artist’s impression of the ALOFT mission to record gamma rays (colored purple for illustration) from thunderclouds. Oscar van der Velde Researchers using NASA airborne platforms have now found a new kind of gamma-ray emission that’s shorter in duration than the steady glows and longer than the microsecond bursts. They’re calling it a flickering gamma-ray flash. The discovery fills in a missing link in scientists’ understanding of thundercloud radiation and provides new insights into the mechanisms that produce lightning. The insights, in turn, could lead to more accurate lightning risk estimates for people, aircraft, and spacecraft. Researchers from the University of Bergen in Norway led the study in collaboration with scientists from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and Goddard Space Flight Center, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and multiple universities in the U.S., Mexico, Colombia, and Europe. The findings were described in a pair of papers in Nature, published Oct. 2. The international research team made their discovery while flying a battery of detectors aboard a NASA ER-2 research aircraft. In July 2023, the ER-2 set out on a series of 10 flights from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The plane flew figure-eight flight patterns a few miles above tropical thunderclouds in the Caribbean and Central America, providing unprecedented views of cloud activity. The scientific payload was developed for the Airborne Lightning Observatory for Fly’s Eye Geostationary Lightning Mapper Simulator and Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (ALOFT) campaign. Instrumentation in the payload included weather radars along with multiple sensors for measuring gamma rays, lightning flashes, and microwave emissions from clouds. The researchers had hoped ALOFT instruments would observe fast radiation bursts known as terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs). The flashes, first discovered in 1992 by NASA’s Compton Gamma Ray Observatory spacecraft, accompany some lightning strikes and last only millionths of a second. Despite their high intensity and their association with visible lightning, few TGFs have been spotted during previous aircraft-based studies. “I went to a meeting just before the ALOFT campaign,” said principal investigator Nikolai Østgaard, a space physicist with the University of Bergen. “And they asked me: ‘How many TGFs are you going to see?’ I said: ‘Either we’ll see zero, or we’ll see a lot.’ And then we happened to see 130.” However, the flickering gamma-ray flashes were a complete surprise. NASA’s high-flying ER-2 airplane carries instrumentation in this artist’s impression of the ALOFT mission to record gamma rays (colored purple for illustration) from thunderclouds. NASA/ALOFT team “They’re almost impossible to detect from space,” said co-principal investigator Martino Marisaldi, who is also a University of Bergen space physicist. “But when you are flying at 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) high, you’re so close that you will see them.” The research team found more than 25 of these new flashes, each lasting between 50 to 200 milliseconds. The abundance of fast bursts and the discovery of intermediate-duration flashes could be among the most important thundercloud discoveries in a decade or more, said University of New Hampshire physicist Joseph Dwyer, who was not involved in the research. “They’re telling us something about how thunderstorms work, which is really important because thunderstorms produce lightning that hurts and kills a lot of people.” More broadly, Dwyer said he is excited about the prospects of advancing the field of meteorology. “I think everyone assumes that we figured out lightning a long time ago, but it’s an overlooked area … we don’t understand what’s going on inside those clouds right over our heads.” The discovery of flickering gamma-ray flashes may provide crucial clues scientists need to understand thundercloud dynamics, he said. Turning to aircraft-based instrumentation rather than satellites ensured a lot of bang for research bucks, said the study’s project scientist, Timothy Lang of Marshall. “If we had gotten one flash, we would have been ecstatic – and we got well over 100,” he said. This research could lead to a significant advance in our understanding of thunderstorms and radiation from thunderstorms. “It shows that if you have the right problem and you’re willing to take a little bit of risk, you can have a huge payoff.” › Back to Top NASA SPoRT’s Sea Surface Temperature Data Driving Forecast Accuracy, Timely Weather Support By Paola Pinto NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center’s sea surface temperature (SST) product is a pivotal resource for enhancing weather analysis, forecasting, and marine safety at the National Weather Service (NWS) and within the coastal/marine user community. NASA SPoRT’s viewer displaying the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) product for the continental U.S. NASA Its real-world applications range from improving weather forecasts to enhancing marine safety. What sets this SST product apart from others is its integration of data from multiple satellites, generating a high-resolution 7-day composite at a 2 km resolution. By combining observations from five satellites – three VIIRS and two AVHRR on polar-orbiting satellites like SNPP and MetOp – it achieves around 80% coverage of SST data that are less than two days old, ensuring timely and accurate insights for remote ocean areas, coastal regions, and large lakes. This advanced system supports critical functions such as tropical storm monitoring, visibility forecasts, and ice formation predictions. David Marsalek, a meteorologist with NOAA’s NWS in Cleveland, Ohio, highlights the value of SST data for the safety of the Great Lakes, particularly for shipping and recreational activities. Marsalek, who has been focused on marine conditions, notes the dual role of SST data in both summer and winter. “For us at WFO Cleveland, SST data is vital year-round,” Marsalek said. During winter, Marsalek emphasizes the role of SST data in forecasting ice formation. He indicates that in Lake Erie, during colder months, the SST product from NASA SPoRT is crucial for predicting ice formation for Great Lakes interests. “Our office relies heavily on this data to issue ice outlooks for the pre-ice season in fall and early winter and advisories for situations such as rapid ice growth,” he said. “Without it, we would struggle to provide accurate long-term forecasts, especially as buoys are often removed before ice forms.” The SPoRT SST product helps his team bridge this gap, enabling them to make informed predictions about ice development. Brian LaMarre, a meteorologist with NWS in Tampa Bay, Florida, said SPoRT SST data, introduced through a pilot project from 2012 to 2015, has become essential for Tampa Bay’s 24/7 forecasting and warnings. The high-resolution SST data is crucial for maritime navigation, particularly in improving marine channel forecasts and helping forecasters anticipate visibility restrictions due to fog in the Port of Tampa Bay. By integrating the SPoRT SST product with air and dewpoint temperature forecasts, forecasters can diagnose when fog will form due to warm, moist air flowing over cooler SSTs in the channel, especially during the Florida fog season from late fall into early spring. This accurate forecasting is essential for Tampa Bay’s largest port, which handles $18 billion in trade annually. Unanticipated port closures due to fog can have a significant economic impact, halting shipping operations and causing costly delays. “This data supports decision making for the Coast Guard and harbor pilots,” LaMarre said. From August, NOAA/NWS/NHC’s predicted track and intensity forecasts and cone of uncertainty for Tropical Storm Ernesto overlaid on top of the latest NASA SPoRT SST Composite in the nowCOAST. NASA/NWS/nowCOAST Additionally, SPoRT SST data aids in assessing water temperature impacts during major weather events like hurricanes, further ensuring the safety and economic viability of the region. LaMarre also highlighted how SST data provides timely temperature forecasts to local organizations focused on marine life rescue. This helps them quickly deploy rescue missions for wildlife, such as sea turtles and manatees, affected by cold water stunning events. John Kelley and his nowCOAST Team at NOAA’s National Ocean Service Coastal Marine Modeling Branch within the Coast Survey Development Lab have made NASA SPoRT SST composites available via nowCOAST’s web mapping services and GIS-based map viewer for the past nine years. On average, nowCoast receives around 400,000 monthly hits and even higher web traffic during severe weather events; some users include state agencies, the Coast Guard, and marine industry professionals. “The SPoRT SST composite is integrated with a variety of data and information from NOAA, such as tropical cyclone track and intensity forecasts, lightning strike density maps, and marine weather warnings, to support critical operations like marine navigation, coastal resiliency, and disaster preparedness and response,” Kelley said. Accurate SST data plays a key role in helping vessels navigate safely through shifting ocean temperatures and currents, which can affect fuel efficiency, weather conditions, and route planning. It also supports coastal communities by providing timely data to anticipate severe weather events, such as hurricanes, which can impact ecosystems and infrastructure. Kelley said SPoRT SST is also used to evaluate the accuracy of short-range predictions from the National Ocean Service operational numerical oceanographic forecast models for both coastal oceans and the Great Lakes. Recently, the composites have been crucial in evaluating lake surface temperature predictions for large, non-Great Lakes inland lakes, where in-situ water temperature observations are often unavailable. “The SPoRT SST composites provide critical verification data for large lakes where in-situ water temperature observations are not available,” Kelley said. The SPoRT center was established in 2002 at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center to transition NASA satellite products and capabilities to the operational weather community to improve short-term weather forecasting. Pinto is a research associate at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, specializing in communications and user engagement for NASA SPoRT. › Back to Top View the full article

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions The Solar System The Sun Mercury Venus Earth The Moon Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto & Dwarf Planets Asteroids, Comets & Meteors The Kuiper Belt The Oort Cloud 3 min read Sols 4327-4328: On the Road Again This image was taken by NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity using its Left Navigation Camera on sol 4326 — Martian day 4,326 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — on Oct. 7, 2024, at 01:16:16 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Earth planning date: Monday, Oct. 7, 2024 After successfully completing investigations within Gediz Vallis, Curiosity is back on the road through the Mg-sulfate (magnesium sulfate) bearing unit. The terrain under our wheels is a familiar collection of broken up blocks, and we’re keeping our rover eyes on the more distant stratigraphy and the deposits within the Gediz Vallis channel (as seen in the above Navcam image). Our traverse along this side of the channel is a great chance to understand the erosional and depositional history of Gediz Vallis from a different perspective, and to characterize variations in the sulfate unit. I was on shift as Long-Term Planner today, and it was a pretty straightforward two-sol plan, with contact science on the first sol and driving on the second sol. The team planned a great collection of measurements to characterize the rocks in our workspace and more distant features. The plan starts with remote sensing, including ChemCam LIBS on a gray, smooth slab at “Paloma Meadows,” followed by two long-distance RMI mosaics to assess the thickness and distribution of white clasts in Gediz Vallis. Then Mastcam will document Paloma Meadows and a distant dark clast at “Sky Parlor Meadow” to understand the variety of rock types and where they might have come from. The remote sensing block also includes a Navcam observation to search for dust devils. Later in the afternoon Mastcam will acquire a mosaic looking back towards “Whitebark Pass” including the white clasts (some of which were previously tied to observations of high sulfur) and the distribution of deposits within “Pinnacle Ridge.” Then Curiosity will use the instruments on the arm to assess one of the blocks in our workspace at “Pincushion Peak.” We’ll use the DRT, MAHLI, and APXS to assess the grain size, textures, and composition of a nodular block of bedrock. On the second sol Curiosity will acquire ChemCam LIBS and Mastcam of Pincushion Peak, which will make for a nice set of coordinated observations. The second sol also includes a long-distance RMI mosaic of an interesting dark block to assess sedimentary structures, and two Navcam observations to characterize atmospheric opacity and the movement of fines on the rover deck. Then Curiosity will continue driving, and take post-drive imaging to prepare for a similar plan on Wednesday. Looking forward to continuing to explore what’s under our wheels and on the horizon! Written by Lauren Edgar, Planetary Geologist at USGS Astrogeology Science Center Share Details Last Updated Oct 09, 2024 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 3 min read Sols 4325-4326: (Not Quite) Dipping Our Toes in the Sand Article 2 days ago 2 min read Perseverance Matters It is an important and exciting juncture in Mars exploration and astrobiology. This year, the… Article 2 days ago 2 min read Sols 4323-4324: Surfin’ Our Way out of the Channel Article 6 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four… View the full article

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA astronaut Yvonne Cagle and former astronaut Kenneth Cockrell pose with Eli Toribio and Rhydian Daniels at the University of California, San Francisco Bakar Cancer Hospital. Patients gathered to meet the astronauts and learn more about human spaceflight and NASA’s cancer research efforts.NASA/Brandon Torres Navarrete NASA astronauts, scientists, and researchers, and leadership from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) met with cancer patients and gathered in a discussion about potential research opportunities and collaborations as part of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative on Oct. 4. Roundtable discussions centered conversation around the five hazards of human spaceflight: space radiation, isolation and confinement, distance from Earth, gravity, and closed or hostile environments. Many of these hazards have direct correlations to a cancer patient’s lived experience, like the isolation of a hospital room and long-term effects of radiation. During the visit with patients at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco, NASA astronaut Yvonne Cagle and former astronaut Kenneth Cockrell answered questions about spaceflight and life in space. Patients also received a video message from NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station, and met with Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Eugene Tu, director of NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, and other agency leaders. Leadership from NASA and the University of California, San Francisco gathered for an informal luncheon before a collaborative roundtable discussion of research opportunities. From left to right, Alan Ashworth, president of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Eugene Tu, director of NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, David Korsmeyer, deputy director of Ames, Sam Hawgood, chancellor of UCSF, and Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. By connecting the dots between human space research and cancer research, NASA and the University of California hope to open doors to innovative new research opportunities. NASA is working with researchers, institutions, and agencies across the federal government to help cut the nation’s cancer death rate by at least 50% in the next 25 years, a goal of the Cancer Moonshot Initiative. Learn more about the Cancer Moonshot at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/cancermoonshot Share Details Last Updated Oct 09, 2024 Related TermsHuman Research ProgramAmes Research CenterAstronautsGeneralJohnson Space Center Explore More 4 min read Project Engineer Miranda Peters Flips the Script on Neurological Differences Article 31 mins ago 3 min read Artemis I Radiation Measurements Validate Orion Safety for Astronauts Article 2 hours ago 2 min read How Do Astronauts Get in Shape? – New “Ask SME” from NASA eClips The NASA Science Activation program’s NASA eClips project, led by the National Institute of Aerospace… Article 4 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Ames Research Center Johnson Space Center International Space Station Human Research Program View the full article

In her six years working with NASA, Miranda Peters has filled a variety of roles. She trained in flight control for the International Space Station, worked as a safety engineer in the station’s program office, and served as a project engineer working on next-generation spacesuit assembly and testing. She has also embraced an unofficial duty: speaking openly and honestly about her neurodivergence. “I used to hide it or avoid talking about it. I used to only see it as an impediment, but now I see how I can also do things or think about things in a unique way because of my disability,” she said. Peters said that when her neurodivergence impacts her ability to do something, she is honest about it and seeks help from her colleagues. “My hope is that when I talk about it openly, I am creating an environment where others with disabilities also feel comfortable being their true selves, in addition to humanizing the disabled community for those who are not a part of it.” Miranda Peters stands inside one of Johnson Space Center’s testing chambers in Houston with an Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) in the background.NASA Over time, Peters has also shifted her self-perception. “I’m an anxious person and was made to feel self-conscious about that in the past, but that anxiety also makes me transparent about what I’m doing and where the gaps in my knowledge are, which has earned praise from team leadership,” she said. Similarly, while Peters once saw her sensitivity as a weakness, she learned to appreciate her ability to empathize with and anticipate the needs of others. “That makes me a good mentor and leader,” she said. Learning to filter feedback has been another important lesson. “Advice and criticism are both useful tools, but not all of the time,” she explained. “I found myself tightly holding on to all of the criticism I received. It was easier to determine which advice didn’t work for me.” When Peters stopped to ask herself if she would take advice from the same person who was critiquing her, it became easier to take their feedback “with a pinch of salt.” Miranda Peters (center) with the SxEMU Chamber C testing team.NASA Peters applies these lessons learned as a design verification and test hardware lead within the Spacesuit and Crew Survival Systems Branch at Johnson Space Center in Houston. She currently supports tests of the Portable Life Support System (xPLSS) that will be integrated into the new spacesuits worn by astronauts on future missions to explore the lunar surface. She is responsible for assembling and disassembling test units, making hardware and software updates, and integrating the xPLSS with various components of the spacesuit, known as the xEMU. Peters’ most recent prior position was assembly and integration engineer within the same branch. She had an opportunity to serve as the interim xPLSS hardware lead when a colleague went on leave for several months, and suddenly found herself managing a major project. “We got a lot done in a short amount of time without loss of procedural integrity, even when we encountered unexpected changes in schedule,” she said. “I also used this large amount of lab work as an opportunity to train new hires and interns in assembly processes.” When the colleague returned, Peters was promoted to the newly created role overseeing design verification and testing. “I really love how universal spacesuits are in their ability to excite and draw wonder from across the human spaceflight community and the general public,” she said. “Working on the xEMU project has affirmed for me that human surface mobility is the field that I want to make my career.” That realization inspired Peters to pursue a graduate degree in space architecture from the University of Houston, which she expects to complete in May 2026. Miranda Peters (center) with members of the Portable Life Support System team during an assembly activity in 2021.Miranda Peters Peters looks forward to a future where NASA’s astronaut classes include individuals with different abilities. She encourages agency leaders, contractors, and others to have open conversations about workplace accommodations early in their hiring and performance review processes. “I think if we provide the opportunity to talk about accommodations and how to request them, employees would be more empowered to ask for what they need to be successful,” she said. Educating managers about available accommodations and allocating resources to expand the accessibility of those accommodations would also be helpful. Peters hopes to pass that feeling of empowerment on to the Artemis Generation. “Empowerment to be themselves, to do the hard things, and to not limit themselves,” she said. “We need to take advantage of all the opportunities we can, and not let the fear of failure or not being ‘good enough’ stop us from going where we want to.” View the full article

In October 1604, a new star appeared in the sky, puzzling astronomers of the day. First observed on Oct. 9, German astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) began his observations on Oct. 17 and tracked the new star for over a year. During that time, it brightened to magnitude -2.5, outshining Jupiter, and for several weeks remained visible in the daytime. Publication of his detailed observations in 1606 led astronomers to call the star Kepler’s Supernova, today formally designated as supernova SN 1604. Astronomers of the day did not know what caused the star’s sudden appearance and eventual disappearance, but the phenomenon helped shape European cosmology toward the heliocentric model proposed by Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus half a century earlier. Today, astronomers designate SN 1604 as a Type Ia supernova, resulting from the explosion of a white dwarf star, and use ground-based and space-based telescopes to study its remnants. Left: Portrait of Johannes Kepler by August Köhler. Middle: Kepler’s book about his observations of the 1604 supernova open to the page depicting the location of the new star. Right: Closeup of Kepler’s illustration of the location of the new star, designated N, in the constellation Ophiuchus near the right foot of the serpent-bearer. Italian astronomer Lodovico delle Colombo first observed the supernova in the constellation Ophiuchus on Oct. 9. Kepler, then working in Prague, heard rumors of the new star but did not observe it until Oct. 17. He continued to monitor the star for over a year, inspired by the earlier work of Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe’s observations of a similar phenomenon, the 1572 supernova. The new star quickly brightened to magnitude -2.5, outshining Jupiter, and for three weeks could be seen in the daytime before finally fading into obscurity in March 1606. Kepler could only make naked eye observations, since Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei didn’t turn his newly invented telescope to the skies for another four years after SN 1604 faded from view. Later in 1606, Kepler summarized his observations in his book De Stella nova in pede Serpentarii (On the New Star in Ophiuchus’ Foot), published in Prague. SN 1604 is believed to be about 20,000 light years away, near the edge of a dark nebula complex. Kepler and his contemporaries observed not only the last known supernova to occur in the Milky Way Galaxy but also the last supernova visible to the naked eye until 1987. That one, Supernova 1987A, appeared in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. A Type Ia supernova results from a white dwarf drawing in material from a nearby red giant star, the additional mass leading to a runaway thermonuclear explosion. Astronomers today understand that what Kepler and others believed as the birth of a new star actually represented the violent death of a star. Astronomers today classify supernovas according to their characteristics, and SN 1604 belongs to the group known as Type Ia supernovas, typically found in binary star systems composed of a white dwarf and a red giant. The gravitation force of the white dwarf draws in material from its larger less dense companion until it reaches a critical mass, around 1.4 times the mass of our Sun. At that point, a runaway thermonuclear chain reaction begins, causing a release of tremendous amounts of energy, including light, that we see as a sudden brightening of an otherwise dim star. Images of Kepler’s supernova remnants in different portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Left: X-ray image from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Middle: Visible image from the Hubble Space Telescope. Right: Infrared image from the Spitzer Space Telescope. Supernova explosions leave remnants behind and those of SN 1604 remain visible today. Ground-based and space-based instruments using different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum study these remnants to gain a better understanding of their origins. The remnants of SN 1604 emit energy most strongly in the radio and X-ray parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. In recent years, astronomers have used Type Ia supernovas to determine the rate of expansion of the universe. Because Type Ia supernovas all occur in stars of about 1.4 solar masses, they give out about the same amount of light. This makes them useful as distance indicators – if one Type Ia supernova is dimmer than another one, it is further away by an amount that astronomers can calculate. Based on this information, astronomers believe that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, possibly caused by the presence of a mysterious substance called dark energy. Events in world history in 1604: January 1 – First performance of William Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream. March 22 – Karl IX begins his rule as King of Sweden. August 5 – Sokolluzade Mehmed Pasha becomes the new Ottoman Grand Vizier in Constantinople. August 18 – England and Spain sign the Treaty of London, ending their 20-year war. September 1 – Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Sikhism’s religious text, is installed at Hamandir Sahib in Amritsar, India. October 4 – Emperor of Ethiopia Za Dengel is killed in battle with the forces of Za Sellase, who restores his cousin Yaqob to the throne. November 1 – First performance of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello. December 29 – A magnitude 8.1 earthquake shakes the Taiwan Strait causing significant damage. Explore More 13 min read 40 Years Ago: STS-41G – A Flight of Many Firsts and Records Article 2 days ago 12 min read 30 Years Ago: STS-68 The Second Space Radar Lab Mission Article 1 week ago 15 min read 55 Years Ago: Celebrations for Apollo 11 Continue as Apollo 12 Prepares to Revisit the Moon Article 3 weeks ago View the full article

Hubble Space Telescope Home NASA’s Hubble, New… Hubble Space Telescope Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact on Human Spaceflight Astro Community Impacts Science Hubble Science Science Themes Science Highlights Science Behind Discoveries Hubble’s Partners in Science Universe Uncovered Explore the Night Sky Observatory Hubble Observatory Hubble Design Mission Operations Missions to Hubble Hubble vs Webb Team Hubble Team Career Aspirations Hubble Astronauts News Hubble News Hubble News Archive Social Media Media Resources Multimedia Multimedia Images Videos Sonifications Podcasts E-books Lithographs Fact Sheets Glossary Posters Hubble on the NASA App More Online Activities 6 min read NASA’s Hubble, New Horizons Team Up for a Simultaneous Look at Uranus NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (left) and NASA’s New Horizon’s spacecraft (right) images the planet Uranus. NASA, ESA, STScI, Samantha Hasler (MIT), Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC), New Horizons Planetary Science Theme Team; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Joseph Olmsted (STScI) Download this image NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and New Horizons spacecraft simultaneously set their sights on Uranus recently, allowing scientists to make a direct comparison of the planet from two very different viewpoints. The results inform future plans to study like types of planets around other stars. Astronomers used Uranus as a proxy for similar planets beyond our solar system, known as exoplanets, comparing high-resolution images from Hubble to the more-distant view from New Horizons. This combined perspective will help scientists learn more about what to expect while imaging planets around other stars with future telescopes. “While we expected Uranus to appear differently in each filter of the observations, we found that Uranus was actually dimmer than predicted in the New Horizons data taken from a different viewpoint,” said lead author Samantha Hasler of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and New Horizons science team collaborator. In this image, two three-dimensional shapes (top) of Uranus are compared to the actual views of the planet from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (bottom left) and NASA’s New Horizon’s spacecraft (bottom right). Comparing high-resolution images from Hubble to the smaller view from New Horizons offers a combined perspective that will help researchers learn more about what to expect while imaging planets around other stars with future observatories. NASA, ESA, STScI, Samantha Hasler (MIT), Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC), New Horizons Planetary Science Theme Team; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Joseph Olmsted (STScI) Download this image Direct imaging of exoplanets is a key technique for learning about their potential habitability, and offers new clues to the origin and formation of our own solar system. Astronomers use both direct imaging and spectroscopy to collect light from the observed planet and compare its brightness at different wavelengths. However, imaging exoplanets is a notoriously difficult process because they’re so far away. Their images are mere pinpoints and so are not as detailed as the close-up views that we have of worlds orbiting our Sun. Researchers can also only directly image exoplanets at “partial phases,” when only a portion of the planet is illuminated by their star as seen from Earth. Uranus was an ideal target as a test for understanding future distant observations of exoplanets by other telescopes for a few reasons. First, many known exoplanets are also gas giants similar in nature. Also, at the time of the observations, New Horizons was on the far side of Uranus, 6.5 billion miles away, allowing its twilight crescent to be studied—something that cannot be done from Earth. At that distance, the New Horizons view of the planet was just several pixels in its color camera, called the Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera. On the other hand, Hubble, with its high resolution, and in its low-Earth orbit 1.7 billion miles away from Uranus, was able to see atmospheric features such as clouds and storms on the day side of the gaseous world. “Uranus appears as just a small dot on the New Horizons observations, similar to the dots seen of directly-imaged exoplanets from observatories like Webb or ground-based observatories,” added Hasler. “Hubble provides context for what the atmosphere is doing when it was observed with New Horizons.” The gas giant planets in our solar system have dynamic and variable atmospheres with changing cloud cover. How common is this among exoplanets? By knowing the details of what the clouds on Uranus looked like from Hubble, researchers are able to verify what is interpreted from the New Horizons data. In the case of Uranus, both Hubble and New Horizons saw that the brightness did not vary as the planet rotated, which indicates that the cloud features were not changing with the planet’s rotation. However, the importance of the detection by New Horizons has to do with how the planet reflects light at a different phase than what Hubble, or other observatories on or near Earth, can see. New Horizons showed that exoplanets may be dimmer than predicted at partial and high phase angles, and that the atmosphere reflects light differently at partial phase. NASA has two major upcoming observatories in the works to advance studies of exoplanet atmospheres and potential habitability. “These landmark New Horizons studies of Uranus from a vantage point unobservable by any other means add to the mission’s treasure trove of new scientific knowledge, and have, like many other datasets obtained in the mission, yielded surprising new insights into the worlds of our solar system,” added New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute. This illustration shows NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft’s view of our solar system from deep in the Kuiper Belt. New Horizons is currently at an estimated distance of more than 5 billion miles from Earth. The probe was 6.5 billion miles away from Uranus when it recently observed the planet. In this study, researchers used the gas giant as an exoplanet proxy, comparing high-resolution images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to the smaller view from New Horizons to learn more about what to expect while imaging planets around other stars. NASA, ESA, Christian Nieves (STScI), Ralf Crawford (STScI), Greg Bacon (STScI) Download this image NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, set to launch by 2027, will use a coronagraph to block out a star’s light to directly see gas giant exoplanets. NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory, in an early planning phase, will be the first telescope designed specifically to search for atmospheric biosignatures on Earth-sized, rocky planets orbiting other stars. “Studying how known benchmarks like Uranus appear in distant imaging can help us have more robust expectations when preparing for these future missions,” concluded Hasler. “And that will be critical to our success.” Launched in January 2006, New Horizons made the historic flyby of Pluto and its moons in July 2015, before giving humankind its first close-up look at one of these planetary building block and Kuiper Belt object, Arrokoth, in January 2019. New Horizons is now in its second extended mission, studying distant Kuiper Belt objects, characterizing the outer heliosphere of the Sun, and making important astrophysical observations from its unmatched vantage point in distant regions of the solar system. The Uranus results are being presented this week at the 56th annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences, in Boise, Idaho. The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for over three decades and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope and mission operations. Lockheed Martin Space, based in Denver, Colorado, also supports mission operations at Goddard. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, conducts Hubble science operations for NASA. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, built and operates the New Horizons spacecraft and manages the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. Southwest Research Institute, based in San Antonio and Boulder, Colorado, directs the mission via Principal Investigator Alan Stern and leads the science team, payload operations and encounter science planning. New Horizons is part of NASA’s New Frontiers program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Facebook logo @NASAHubble @NASAHubble Instagram logo @NASAHubble Media Contacts: Claire Andreoli NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD claire.andreoli@nasa.gov Hannah Braun, Ray Villard Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD Science Contacts: Samantha Hasler Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA Share Details Last Updated Oct 09, 2024 Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Astrophysics Division Goddard Space Flight Center Hubble Space Telescope New Horizons Planetary Science Planetary Science Division Planets The Solar System Uranus Keep Exploring Explore More Hubble Space Telescope Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe. New Horizons New Horizons was the first spacecraft to explore Pluto and its five moons up close and, later, made the first… Studying the Outer Planets and Moons Hubble Online Activities View the full article

On flight day 13, Orion reached its maximum distance from Earth during the Artemis I mission when it was 268,563 miles away from our home planet. Orion has now traveled farther than any other spacecraft built for humans.Credit: NASA NASA’s Orion spacecraft is designed to keep astronauts safe in deep space, protecting them from the unforgiving environment far from Earth. During the uncrewed Artemis I mission, researchers from NASA, along with several collaborators, flew payloads onboard Orion to measure potential radiation exposure to astronauts. Radiation measurements were taken inside Orion by 5,600 passive sensors and 34 active radiation detectors during its 25.5-day mission around the Moon and back, which provided important data on exposure within the Earth’s Van Allen radiation belt. These detailed findings were published in a recent scientific article through a collaborative effort by NASA’s Space Radiation Analysis Group, the DLR (German Space Center), and ESA (European Space Agency). The measurements show that while radiation exposure can vary depending on location within Orion, the spacecraft can protect its crew from potentially hazardous radiation levels during lunar missions. Space radiation could pose major risks to long-duration human space flights, and the findings from the Artemis I mission represent a crucial step toward future human exploration beyond low Earth orbit, to the Moon, and eventually to Mars. NASA’s HERA (Hybrid Electronic Radiation Assessor) and Crew Active Dosimeter, which were tested previously on the International Space Station, and ESA’s Active Dosimeter, were among the instruments used to measure radiation inside Orion. HERA’s radiation sensor can warn crew members need to take shelter in the case of a radiation event, such as a solar flare. The Crew Active Dosimeter can collect real-time radiation dose data for astronauts and transmit it back to Earth for monitoring. Radiation measurements were conducted in various areas of the spacecraft, each offering different levels of shielding. This high-resolution image captures the inside of the Orion crew module on flight day one of the Artemis I mission. At left is Commander Moonikin Campos, a purposeful passenger equipped with sensors to collect data that will help scientists and engineers understand the deep-space environment for future Artemis missions. Credit: NASA In addition, the Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment, a collaboration between NASA and DLR, involved radiation sensors placed on and inside two life-sized manikin torsos to simulate the impact of radiation on human tissue. These manikins enabled measurements of radiation doses on various body parts, providing valuable insight into how radiation may affect astronauts traveling to deep space. Two manikins are installed in the passenger seats inside the Artemis I Orion crew module atop the Space Launch System rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2022. As part of the Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment (MARE) investigation, the two female manikins – Helga and Zohar – are equipped with radiation detectors, while Zohar also wears a radiation protection vest, to determine the radiation risk on its way to the Moon. Credit: NASA Researchers found that Orion’s design can protect its crew from potentially hazardous radiation levels during lunar missions. Though the spacecraft’s radiation shielding is effective, the range of exposure can greatly vary based on spacecraft orientation in specific environments. When Orion altered its orientation during an engine burn of the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, radiation levels dropped nearly in half due to the highly directional nature of the radiation in the Van Allen belt. “These radiation measurements show that we have an effective strategy for managing radiation risks in the Orion spacecraft. However, key challenges remain, especially for long-duration spaceflights and the protection of astronauts on spacewalks,” said Stuart George, NASA’s lead author on the paper. NASA’s long-term efforts and research in mitigating space radiation risks are ongoing, as radiation measurements on future missions will depend heavily on spacecraft shielding, trajectory, and solar activity. The same radiation measurement hardware flown on Artemis I will support the first crewed Artemis mission around the Moon, Artemis II, to better understand the radiation exposure seen inside Orion and ensure astronaut safety to the Moon and beyond. For more information on NASA’s Artemis campaign, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis View the full article

Hubble Space Telescope Home NASA’s Hubble Watches… Missions Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact on Human Spaceflight Astro Community Impacts Science Hubble Science Science Themes Science Highlights Science Behind Discoveries Hubble’s Partners in Science Universe Uncovered Explore the Night Sky Observatory Hubble Observatory Hubble Design Mission Operations Missions to Hubble Hubble vs Webb Team Hubble Team Career Aspirations Hubble Astronauts News Hubble News Hubble News Archive Social Media Media Resources Multimedia Multimedia Images Videos Sonifications Podcasts E-books Lithographs Fact Sheets Glossary Posters Hubble on the NASA App More Online Activities 4 Min Read NASA’s Hubble Watches Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Behave Like a Stress Ball Hubble Space Telescope data of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot spanning approximately 90 days. Credits: NASA, ESA, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI) Astronomers have observed Jupiter’s legendary Great Red Spot (GRS), an anticyclone large enough to swallow Earth, for at least 150 years. But there are always new surprises – especially when NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope takes a close-up look at it. Hubble’s new observations of the famous red storm, collected 90 days between December 2023 to March 2024, reveal that the GRS is not as stable as it might look. The recent data show the GRS jiggling like a bowl of gelatin. The combined Hubble images allowed astronomers to assemble a time-lapse movie of the squiggly behavior of the GRS. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This time-lapse movie is assembled from Hubble Space Telescope observations spanning approximately 90 days (between December 2023 and March 2024) when the giant planet Jupiter ranged from 391 million to 512 million miles from the Sun. Astronomers measured the Great Red Spot’s size, shape, brightness, color, and vorticity over a full oscillation cycle. The data reveal that the Great Red Spot is not as stable as it might look. It was observed going through an oscillation in its elliptical shape, jiggling like a bowl of gelatin. The cause of the 90-day oscillation is unknown. NASA, ESA, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC); Video: Joseph DePasquale (STScI) Download this video “While we knew its motion varies slightly in its longitude, we didn’t expect to see the size oscillate. As far as we know, it’s not been identified before,” said Amy Simon of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, lead author of the science paper published in The Planetary Science Journal. “This is really the first time we’ve had the proper imaging cadence of the GRS. With Hubble’s high resolution we can say that the GRS is definitively squeezing in and out at the same time as it moves faster and slower. That was very unexpected, and at present there are no hydrodynamic explanations.” Hubble monitors Jupiter and the other outer solar system planets every year through the Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy program (OPAL) led by Simon, but these observations were from a program dedicated to the GRS. Understanding the mechanisms of the largest storms in the solar system puts the theory of hurricanes on Earth into a broader cosmic context, which might be applied to better understanding the meteorology on planets around other stars. Using Hubble Space Telescope data spanning approximately 90 days (between December 2023 and March 2024) when the giant planet Jupiter ranged from 391 million to 512 million miles from the Sun, astronomers measured the Great Red Spot’s size, shape, brightness, color, and vorticity over one full oscillation cycle. The data reveal that the Great Red Spot is not as stable as it might look. It was observed going through an oscillation in its elliptical shape, jiggling like a bowl of gelatin. The cause of the 90-day oscillation is unknown. NASA, ESA, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI) Download this image Simon’s team used Hubble to zoom in on the GRS for a detailed look at its size, shape, and any subtle color changes. “When we look closely, we see a lot of things are changing from day to day,” said Simon. This includes ultraviolet-light observations showing that the distinct core of the storm gets brightest when the GRS is at its largest size in its oscillation cycle. This indicates less haze absorption in the upper atmosphere. “As it accelerates and decelerates, the GRS is pushing against the windy jet streams to the north and south of it,” said co-investigator Mike Wong of the University of California at Berkeley. “It’s similar to a sandwich where the slices of bread are forced to bulge out when there’s too much filling in the middle.” Wong contrasted this to Neptune, where dark spots can drift wildly in latitude without strong jet streams to hold them in place. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot has been held at a southern latitude, trapped between the jet streams, for the extent of Earth-bound telescopic observations. Using Hubble Space Telescope data spanning approximately 90 days (between December 2023 and March 2024) when the giant planet Jupiter ranged from 391 million to 512 million miles from the Sun, astronomers measured the Great Red Spot’s size, shape, brightness, color, and vorticity over a full oscillation cycle. The data reveal that the Great Red Spot is not as stable as it might look. It was observed going through an oscillation in its elliptical shape, jiggling like a bowl of gelatin. The cause of the 90-day oscillation is unknown. The observation is part of the observing programs led by Amy Simon of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. NASA, ESA, STScI, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI) Download this image The team has continued watching the GRS shrink since the OPAL program began 10 years ago. They predict it will keep shrinking before taking on a stable, less-elongated, shape. “Right now it’s over-filling its latitude band relative to the wind field. Once it shrinks inside that band the winds will really be holding it in place,” said Simon. The team predicts that the GRS will probably stabilize in size, but for now Hubble only observed it for one oscillation cycle. The researchers hope that in the future other high-resolution images from Hubble might identify other Jovian parameters that indicate the underlying cause of the oscillation. The results are being presented at the 56th annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences, in Boise, Idaho. Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot, a storm larger than Earth, has fascinated astronomers for over 150 years. But thanks to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, we’re now seeing this legendary storm in a whole new light. Recent observations show that the Great Red Spot is wobbling and fluctuating in size. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center; Lead Producer: Paul Morris The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for over three decades and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope and mission operations. Lockheed Martin Space, based in Denver, Colorado, also supports mission operations at Goddard. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, conducts Hubble science operations for NASA. Learn More Hubble Shows Winds in Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Are Speeding Up Telescopes and Spacecraft Join Forces to Probe Deep into Jupiter’s Atmosphere Hubble’s Grand Tour of the Outer Solar System Facebook logo @NASAHubble @NASAHubble Instagram logo @NASAHubble Media Contacts: Claire Andreoli NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD claire.andreoli@nasa.gov Ray Villard Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD Science Contacts: Amy Simon NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD Michael H. Wong University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA Share Details Last Updated Oct 09, 2024 Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Astrophysics Division Goddard Space Flight Center Hubble Space Telescope Jupiter Missions Planetary Science Planets The Solar System Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Hubble Hubble Space Telescope Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe. Studying the Outer Planets and Moons Hubble Focus: Our Amazing Solar System Studying the cosmos for over a quarter century, the Hubble Space Telescope has made more than a million observations and… Hubble Posters View the full article

4 Min Read NASA Terminal Transmits First Laser Communications Uplink to Space NASA's LCOT (Low-Cost Optical Terminal) located at the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Credits: NASA NASA’s LCOT (Low-Cost Optical Terminal), a ground station made of modified commercial hardware, transmitted its first laser communications uplink to the TBIRD (TeraByte Infrared Delivery), a tissue box-sized payload formerly in low Earth orbit. During the first live sky test, NASA’s LCOT produced enough uplink intensity for the TBIRD payload to identify the laser beacon, connect, and maintain a connection to the ground station for over three minutes. This successful test marks an important achievement for laser communications: connecting LCOT’s laser beacon from Earth to TBIRD required one milliradian of pointing accuracy, the equivalent of hitting a three-foot target from over eight American football fields away. The test was one of many laser communications achievements TBIRD made possible during its successful, two-year mission. Prior to its mission completion on Sept. 15, 2024, the payload transmitted at a record-breaking 200 gigabits per second. In an actual use case, TBIRD’s three-minute connection time with LCOT would be sufficient to return over five terabytes of critical science data, the equivalent of over 2,500 hours of high-definition video in a single pass. As the LCOT sky test demonstrates, the ultra-high-speed capabilities of laser communications will allow science missions to maintain their connection to Earth as they travel farther than ever before. Measurement data of the power, or “fluency,” of the connection between NASA’s LCOT (Low-Cost Optical Terminal) laser beacon and TBIRD’s (TeraByte Infrared Delivery) receiver provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT-LL). LCOT and TBIRD maintained a sufficient connection for over three minutes — enough time for TBIRD to return over five terabytes of data. NASA/Dave Ryan NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program office is implementing laser communications technology in various orbits, including the upcoming Artemis II mission, to demonstrate its potential impact in the agency’s mission to explore, innovate, and inspire discovery. “Optical, or laser, communications can transfer 10 to 100 times more data than radio frequency waves,” said Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator and SCaN program manager. “Literally, it’s the wave of the future, as it’ll enable scientists to realize an ever-increasing amount of data from their missions and will serve as our critical lifeline for astronauts traveling to and from Mars.” To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A recording of TBIRD’s (TeraByte Infrared Delivery) successful downlink from NASA’s LCOT (Low-Cost Optical Terminal) Wide Field Camera. The light saturation from the downlink caused a secondary reflection in the upper right of the video.NASA Historically, space missions have used radio frequencies to send data to and from space, but with science instruments capturing more data, communications assets must meet increasing demand. The infrared light used for laser communications transmits the data at a shorter wavelength than radio, meaning ground stations on Earth can send and receive more data per second. The LCOT team continues to refine pointing capabilities through additional tests with NASA’s LCRD (Laser Communications Relay Demonstration). As LCOT and the agency’s other laser communications missions continue to reach new milestones in connectivity and accessibility, they demonstrate laser communications’ potential to revolutionize scientists’ access to new data about Earth, our solar system, and beyond. “It’s a testament to the hard work and skill of the entire team,” said Dr. Haleh Safavi, project lead for LCOT. “We work with very complicated and sensitive transmission equipment that must be installed with incredible precision. These results required expeditious planning and execution at every level.” NASA’s LCOT (Low-Cost Optical Terminal) at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, uses slightly modified commercial hardware to reduce the expense of implementing laser communications technology. NASA Experiments like TBIRD and LCRD are only two of SCaN’s multiple in-space demonstrations of laser communications, but a robust laser communications network relies on easily reconfigurable ground stations on Earth. The LCOT ground station showcases how the government and aerospace industry can build and deploy flexible laser communications ground stations to meet the needs of a wide variety of NASA and commercial missions, and how these ground stations open new doors for communications technology and extremely high data volume transmission. NASA’s LCOT is developed by the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. TBIRD was developed in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT-LL) in Lexington. TBIRD was flown and operated as a collaborative effort among NASA Goddard; NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley; NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; MIT-LL; and Terran Orbital Corporation in Irvine, California. Funding and oversight for LCOT and other laser communications demonstrations comes from the (SCaN) Space Communications and Navigation program office within the Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. About the AuthorKorine PowersSenior Writer and Education LeadKorine Powers, Ph.D. is a writer for NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program office and covers emerging technologies, commercialization efforts, education and outreach, exploration activities, and more. Share Details Last Updated Oct 09, 2024 EditorKorine PowersContactKatherine Schauerkatherine.s.schauer@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related TermsSpace Communications TechnologyCommunicating and Navigating with MissionsGoddard Space Flight CenterSpace Communications & Navigation ProgramSpace Operations Mission DirectorateTechnologyTechnology Demonstration View the full article

Learn Home How Do Astronauts Get in… Astronauts Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science 2 min read How Do Astronauts Get in Shape? – New “Ask SME” from NASA eClips The NASA Science Activation program’s NASA eClips project, led by the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA), aims to increase Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM) literacy and inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists by providing effective web-based, standards-aligned, in-school and out-of-school learning and teaching resources through the lens of NASA. As a part of this work, NASA eClips professionally produces the Ask SME: Close-up With a NASA Subject Matter Expert video series to capture a glimpse of NASA SME’s personal interests and career journeys. Each video can be used to spark student interest and broaden their ideas of who the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce might include (everyone!) and the kinds of work they do. On September 19, 2024, NASA eClips released the most recent video in the Ask SME series, featuring Corey Twine from NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Twine is an Astronaut Strength and Conditioning Specialist who works with astronauts to keep them physically fit for work on Earth and while they are in space. He shares insights about how he helps the astronauts and what inspired him to pursue this career. Watch the Video NASA eClips is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AB91A and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn SME Corey Twine, Astronaut Strength & Conditioning Specialist Share Details Last Updated Oct 09, 2024 Editor NASA Science Editorial Team Location Johnson Space Center Related Terms Astronauts For Educators People of Johnson Science Activation Explore More 3 min read Connected Learning Ecosystems: Educators Learning and Growing Together Article 23 hours ago 3 min read GLOBE Eclipse and Civil Air Patrol: An Astronomical Collaboration Article 2 days ago 5 min read Science Activation’s PLACES Team Facilitates Third Professional Learning Institute Article 5 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the… Perseverance Rover This rover and its aerial sidekick were assigned to study the geology of Mars and seek signs of ancient microbial… Parker Solar Probe On a mission to “touch the Sun,” NASA’s Parker Solar Probe became the first spacecraft to fly through the corona… Juno NASA’s Juno spacecraft entered orbit around Jupiter in 2016, the first explorer to peer below the planet’s dense clouds to… View the full article

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) A recent NASA-funded study quantified higher levels of fine particulate air pollution near Southern California warehouses, a result of emissions from diesel trucks that transport goods to and from such facilities. Inhalation of these tiny particles can cause serious health problems.Adobe Stock/Matt Gush Satellite-based data offers a broad view of particulate air pollution patterns across a major West Coast e-commerce hub. As goods of all shapes and sizes journey from factory to doorstep, chances are they’ve stopped at a warehouse along the way — likely several of them. The sprawling structures are waypoints in the logistics networks that make e-commerce possible. Yet the convenience comes with tradeoffs, as illustrated in a recent NASA-funded study. Published in the journal GeoHealth, the research analyzes patterns of particulate pollution in Southern California and found that ZIP codes with more or larger warehouses had higher levels of contaminants over time than those with fewer or smaller warehouses. Researchers focused on particulate pollution, choosing Southern California because it is a major distribution hub for goods: Its ports handle 40% of cargo containers entering the country. The buildings themselves are not the major particulate sources. Rather, it’s the diesel trucks that pick up and drop off goods, emitting exhaust containing toxic particles called PM2.5. At 2.5 micrometers or less, these pollutants can be inhaled into the lungs and absorbed into the bloodstream. Although atmospheric concentrations are typically so small they’re measured in millionths of a gram per cubic meter, the authors caution that there’s no safe exposure level for PM2.5. “Any increase in concentration causes some health damage,” said co-author Yang Liu, an environmental health researcher at Emory University in Atlanta. “But if you can curb pollution, there will be a measurable health benefit.” A data visualization shows the average concentration of PM2.5 particulate pollution in the Los Angeles region from 2000 to 2018, along with the locations of nearly 11,000 warehouses. Darker red indicates higher concentration of these toxic particles; small black circles represent warehouse locations.NASA Earth Observatory Growing Air Quality Research Particulate pollution has been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, some cancers, and adverse birth outcomes, including premature birth and low infant birth weight. The new study is part of a broader effort funded by the NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team to use satellite data to understand how air pollution disproportionately affects underserved communities. As the e-commerce boom of recent decades has spurred warehouse construction, pollution in nearby neighborhoods has become a growing area for research. New structures have often sprouted on relatively inexpensive land, which tends to be home to low-income or minority populations who bear the brunt of the poor air quality, Liu said. Another recent NASA-funded study analyzed satellite-derived nitrogen dioxide (NO2) measurements around 150,000 United States warehouses. It found that concentrations of the gas, which is a diesel byproduct and respiratory irritant, were about 20% higher near warehouses. Distribution Hub For the GeoHealth paper, scientists drew on previously generated datasets of PM2.5 from 2000 to 2018 and elemental carbon, a type of PM2.5 in diesel emissions, from 2000 to 2019. The data came from models based on satellite observations, including some from NASA’s MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) instruments. The researchers also mined a real estate database for the square footage as well as the number of loading docks and parking spaces at nearly 11,000 warehouses across portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, and all of Orange County. They found that warehouse capacity correlated with pollution. ZIP codes in the 75th percentile of warehouse square footage had 0.16 micrograms per cubic meter more PM2.5 and 0.021 micrograms per cubic meter more elemental carbon than those in the 25th percentile. Similarly, ZIP codes in the 75th percentile of number of loading docks had 0.10 micrograms per cubic meter more PM2.5 and 0.014 micrograms per cubic meter more elemental carbon than those in the 25th percentile. And ZIP codes in the 75th percentile of truck parking spaces had 0.21 micrograms per cubic meter more PM2.5 and 0.021 micrograms per cubic meter more elemental carbon than those in the 25th percentile. “We found that warehouses are associated with PM2.5 and elemental carbon,” said lead author Binyu Yang, an Emory environmental health doctoral student. Although particulate pollution fell from 2000 to 2019 due to stricter emissions standards, the concentrations in ZIP codes with warehouses remained consistently higher than for other areas. Researchers also found that the gaps widened in the holiday shopping season, up to 4 micrograms per cubic meter — “a significant difference,” Liu said. Satellites Provide Big Picture Satellite observations, the researchers said, were essential because they provided a continuous map of pollution, including pockets not covered by ground-based instruments. It’s the same motivation behind NASA’s TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) mission, which launched in April 2023 and measures air pollution hourly during daylight over North America. The release of TEMPO’s first maps showed higher concentrations of NO2 around cities and highways. Meanwhile, NASA and the Italian Space Agency are collaborating to launch the MAIA (Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols) in 2026. It will be the first NASA satellite mission whose primary goal is to study health effects of particulate pollution while distinguishing between PM2.5 types. “This mission will help air quality managers and policymakers conceive more targeted pollution strategies,” said Sina Hasheminassab, a co-author and science systems engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Hasheminassab, like Liu, is a member of the MAIA science team. 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 2024-134 Share Details Last Updated Oct 09, 2024 Related TermsEarthEarth ScienceEarth Science DivisionJet Propulsion LaboratoryMAIA (Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols) Explore More 3 min read Connected Learning Ecosystems: Educators Learning and Growing Together On August 19-20, 53 educators from a diverse set of learning contexts (libraries, K-12 classrooms,… Article 23 hours ago 9 min read Systems Engineer Noosha Haghani Prepped PACE for Space Article 23 hours ago 3 min read GLOBE Eclipse and Civil Air Patrol: An Astronomical Collaboration The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a volunteer organization that serves as the official civilian… Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

X-ray: NASA/CXC/Queen’s Univ. Belfast/M. Nicholl et al.; Optical/IR: PanSTARRS, NSF/Legacy Survey/SDSS; Illustration: Soheb Mandhai / The Astro Phoenix; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes have identified a supermassive black hole that has torn apart one star and is now using that stellar wreckage to pummel another star or smaller black hole, as described in our latest press release. This research helps connect two cosmic mysteries and provides information about the environment around some of the bigger types of black holes. This artist’s illustration shows a disk of material (red, orange, and yellow) that was created after a supermassive black hole (depicted on the right) tore apart a star through intense tidal forces. Over the course of a few years, this disk expanded outward until it intersected with another object — either a star or a small black hole — that is also in orbit around the giant black hole. Each time this object crashes into the disk, it sends out a burst of X-rays detected by Chandra. The inset shows Chandra data (purple) and an optical image of the source from Pan-STARRS (red, green, and blue). In 2019, an optical telescope in California noticed a burst of light that astronomers later categorized as a “tidal disruption event”, or TDE. These are cases where black holes tear stars apart if they get too close through their powerful tidal forces. Astronomers gave this TDE the name of AT2019qiz. Meanwhile, scientists were also tracking instances of another type of cosmic phenomena occasionally observed across the Universe. These were brief and regular bursts of X-rays that were near supermassive black holes. Astronomers named these events “quasi-periodic eruptions,” or QPEs. This latest study gives scientists evidence that TDEs and QPEs are likely connected. The researchers think that QPEs arise when an object smashes into the disk left behind after the TDE. While there may be other explanations, the authors of the study propose this is the source of at least some QPEs. In 2023, astronomers used both Chandra and Hubble to simultaneously study the debris left behind after the tidal disruption had ended. The Chandra data were obtained during three different observations, each separated by about 4 to 5 hours. The total exposure of about 14 hours of Chandra time revealed only a weak signal in the first and last chunk, but a very strong signal in the middle observation. From there, the researchers used NASA’s Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) to look frequently at AT2019qiz for repeated X-ray bursts. The NICER data showed that AT2019qiz erupts roughly every 48 hours. Observations from NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and India’s AstroSat telescope cemented the finding. The ultraviolet data from Hubble, obtained at the same time as the Chandra observations, allowed the scientists to determine the size of the disk around the supermassive black hole. They found that the disk had become large enough that if any object was orbiting the black hole and took about a week or less to complete an orbit, it would collide with the disk and cause eruptions. This result has implications for searching for more quasi-periodic eruptions associated with tidal disruptions. Finding more of these would allow astronomers to measure the prevalence and distances of objects in close orbits around supermassive black holes. Some of these may be excellent targets for the planned future gravitational wave observatories. The paper describing these results appears in the October 9, 2024 issue of the journal Nature. The first author of the paper is Matt Nicholl (Queen’s University Belfast in Ireland) and the full list of authors can be found in the paper, which is available online at: https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.02181 NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts. Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Learn more about the Chandra X-ray Observatory and its mission here: https://www.nasa.gov/chandra https://chandra.si.edu Visual Description This release features an artist’s rendering that illustrates the destructive power of a supermassive black hole. The digital image depicts a disk of stellar material surrounding one such black hole. At its outer edge a neighboring star is colliding with and flying through the disk. The black hole sits halfway down our right edge of the vertical image. It resembles a jet black semicircle with a domed cap of pale blue light. The bottom half of the circular black hole is hidden behind the disk of stellar material. In this illustration, the disk is viewed edge on. It resembles a band of swirling yellow, orange, and red gas, cutting diagonally from our middle right toward our lower left. Near our lower left, the outer edge of the stellar debris disk overlaps with a bright blue sphere surrounded by luminous white swirls. This sphere represents a neighboring star crashing through the disk. The stellar disk is the wreckage of a destroyed star. An electric blue and white wave shows the hottest gas in the disk. As the neighboring star crashes through the disk it leaves behind a trail of gas depicted as streaks of fine mist. Bursts of X-rays are released and are detected by Chandra. Superimposed in the upper left corner of the illustration is an inset box showing a close up image of the source in X-ray and optical light. X-ray light is shown as purple and optical light is white and beige. News Media Contact Megan Watzke Chandra X-ray Center Cambridge, Mass. 617-496-7998 Lane Figueroa Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama 256-544-0034 lane.e.figueroa@nasa.gov View the full article

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) This video shows IPEx in the digital simulation environment.Credit: Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben/Beverly Jensen Space is hard, but it’s not all hardware. The new Lunar Autonomy Challenge invites teams of students from U.S. colleges and universities to test their software development skills. Working entirely in virtual simulations of the Moon’s surface, teams will develop an autonomous agent using software that can accomplish pre-defined tasks without help from humans. These agents will be used to navigate a digital twin of NASA’s ISRU Pilot Excavator (IPEx) and map specified locations in the digital environment. The IPEx is an autonomous mobility robot engineered to efficiently collect and transport lunar regolith, the loose rocky material on the Moon’s surface. Autonomous systems allow spacecraft, rovers, and robots to operate without relying on constant contact with astronauts or mission control. Before hardware is trusted to operate independently on location, which for Artemis missions includes the Moon, it must be tested virtually. High-fidelity virtual simulations allow NASA to anticipate and improve how systems, both software and hardware, will function in the physical world. Testing in virtual simulations also allows technologists to explore different mission scenarios, observe potential outcomes, and reduce risks. In the Lunar Autonomy Challenge, students will develop their knowledge of autonomous systems by working with the same simulation tools created in-house by Caterpillar Inc. of Irving, Texas, over decades of research and development. Teams will need to utilize the IPEx digital twin’s cameras and orientation sensors to accurately map surface elevation and identify obstacles. Like with real lunar missions, teams must also manage their energy usage and consider the Moon’s harsh terrain and low-light conditions. Through the competition, participants will learn more about autonomous robotic operation, surface mapping, localization, orientation, path planning, and hazard detection. Eligibility Teams must be comprised of at least four undergraduate and/or graduate students and a faculty advisor at a U.S. college or university. Challenge Timeline & Structure The challenge will take place between November 2024 and May 2025 and will include both a qualifying round and a final round. Interested teams must apply by Thursday, Nov. 7. Round 1: Selected teams will develop and train their agent using provided virtual environments. Teams will have three opportunities to submit their agent to run in a qualification environment. For each submission, their agent will be scored based on performance. The top scoring teams will be invited to continue. Round 2: Teams will work to further refine the agents. Teams will have multiple opportunities in total to submit their agents to the competition environment. The top three teams will be named challenge winners. Challenge Guidelines Interested teams should carefully review the Challenge Guidelines and the Lunar Autonomy Challenge site for more details, including proposal requirements, FAQs, and additional technical guidance. Prizes The top three highest-scoring teams on the leaderboard in the finals will be awarded cash prizes: First Place: $10,000 Second Place: $5,000 Third Place: $3,000   Application Submissions Applications must be submitted to NASA STEM Gateway by Nov. 7, 2024. Learn more about the challenge: https://lunar-autonomy-challenge.jhuapl.edu The Lunar Autonomy Challenge is a collaboration between NASA, The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), Caterpillar Inc., and Embodied AI. APL is managing the challenge for NASA. NASA’s ISRU Pilot Excavator (IPEx) during a flight-like demonstration at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s Swamp Works testing facility. Credit: NASA Authored by: Stephanie Yeldell, Education Integration Lead Space Technology Mission Directorate NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative ISRU Pilot Excavator Get Involved View the full article

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir conducts cardiac research using tissue chip platforms in the Life Sciences Glovebox aboard space station in March of 2022.NASA The International Space Station offers a unique microgravity environment where cells outside the human body behave similarly to how they do inside the human body. Tissue chips are small devices containing living cells that mimic complex functions of specific human tissues and organs. Researchers can run experiments using tissue chips aboard space station to understand disease progression and provide faster and safer alternatives for preparing medicine for clinical trials. Researchers placed engineered heart tissues on tissue chips sent to study how microgravity impacts cardiac functions in space. Data collected by the chips showed these heart tissues experienced impaired contractions, subcellular structural changes, and increased stress, which can lead to tissue damage and disease. Previous studies conducted on human subjects have displayed similar outcomes. In the future, engineered heart tissues could accurately model the effects of spaceflight on cardiac function. Another investigation used muscle-on-a-chip technology to evaluate whether engineered muscle tissues can mimic the characteristics of reduced muscle regeneration in microgravity. Researchers found that engineered muscle-on-a-chip platforms are viable for studying muscle-related bioprocesses in space. In addition, samples treated with drugs known to stimulate muscle regeneration showed partial prevention of the effects of microgravity. These results demonstrate that muscle-on-chip can also be used to study and identify drugs that may prevent muscle decline in space and age-related muscle decline on Earth. NASA astronaut Megan McArthur works on the Cardinal Muscle investigation in the Life Sciences Glovebox aboard the space station in August of 2021.NASA Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Benefits to Humanity Humans In Space International Space Station Space Station Research and Technology View the full article

Engineered heart tissues in space showed impairments that led to increased arrhythmias and loss of muscle strength, changes similar to cardiac aging. This finding suggests that the engineered tissues, essentially an automated heart-on-a-chip platform, can be used to study cardiac issues in space and aging-related cardiovascular disease on Earth. Microgravity exposure is known to cause changes in cardiovascular function similar to those seen with aging on Earth. Engineered Heart Tissues assessed these changes using 3D cultured cardiac muscle tissue. The 3D cultures, grown with special scaffolds and derived from human cells, are better at reproducing the behavior of actual tissues than previous models. Results could support development of countermeasures for crew members on future long-duration space missions and development of drugs to treat cardiac diseases on Earth. A crew member conducts a media exchange in the tissue chambers for the Engineered Heart Tissue investigation.NASA A space-based and an airborne imaging spectrometer together make it possible to attribute the source of methane and carbon dioxide plumes to specific sectors, such as oil and gas or agriculture. Methane and carbon dioxide emissions are primary drivers of human-caused climate change. This finding could improve greenhouse gas budget and inform mitigation strategies. The space station’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) instrument was designed to determine the type and distribution of minerals in the dust of Earth’s arid regions, but researchers found that EMIT data also can identify specific sources of methane and carbon dioxide emissions. The space-based instrument can identify emissions over large areas and provide repeat observations that reduce uncertainty. The Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer-3, a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory instrument, can quantify smaller emissions sources. Combining these observations provides more information on emission sources. A cluster of methane plumes detected by the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation over approximately 150 square miles.NASA Even short periods of higher relative humidity can increase growth of fungi in spacecraft dust and change the diversity of species present. This finding suggests that moisture conditions can predict changes in fungal growth and composition in spacecraft and space habitats, helping to protect astronaut health and structure integrity. The space station contains a unique community of microbes, including many that reside in dust, much like in indoor environments on Earth. Aerosol Sampler collected airborne particles in the station’s cabin air, including dust, for examination on the ground. There are many potential sources of daily elevated moisture conditions on the space station and scientists need to understand how this affects the fungal and bacterial communities in spacecraft dust. The model described in the paper also could assess how other environmental factors such as microgravity and elevated carbon dioxide affect these microbes. An Aerosol Sampler collection device aboard the International Space Station. NASAView the full article

NASA/Bill Ingalls NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Kirk Johnson, Sant Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, preview the agency’s new Earth Information Center exhibit on Monday, Oct. 8, 2024. This new exhibit is the Earth Information Center’s second physical location. The exhibit at the Smithsonian includes a 32-foot-long, 12-foot-high video wall displaying Earth science data visualizations and videos, interpretive panels showing Earth’s connected systems, information on our changing world, and an overview of how NASA and the Smithsonian study our home planet. It opens to the public Tuesday, Oct. 8, and will remain on display through 2028. Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls View the full article

Learn Home Connected Learning Ecosystems:… Earth Science Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science 3 min read Connected Learning Ecosystems: Educators Learning and Growing Together On August 19-20, 53 educators from a diverse set of learning contexts (libraries, K-12 classrooms, 4-H afterschool clubs, outdoor education centers, and more) gathered in Orono, Maine for the Learning Ecosystems Northeast (LENE) biannual Connect, Reflect, & Plan Connected Learning Ecosystems (CLEs) Gathering. These gatherings are meant to foster meaningful connections and collaborations and shared knowledge and confidence building amongst educators within the LENE network. NASA Science Activation’s Learning Ecosystems Northeast (LENE) is a network of education partners across the Northeastern United States, led by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. These partners are dedicated to creating and linking communities of in and out of school educators, Connected Learning Ecosystems (CLEs), who are committed to empowering the next generation of climate stewards. The focus of this gathering was to provide educators the time, experiences, connections, and space to explore ways they can prepare the youth and communities they work with to build resilience in the face of climate change. Educators participated in sessions around local asset mapping, climate mental health, positive youth development, building STEM skills through games and fieldwork, and planning forward around coastal flooding and sea level rise. Each session was followed by time to debrief, reflect, and plan both in their regional CLEs as well as with statewide partners. The value of NASA assets and connection to local issues was woven throughout many experiences during this gathering. LENE’s CLE Resource Drive has a growing list of phenomena-based NASA assets that has been curated based on the interests of their network over time. The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program’s GLOBE Observer tree height app was part of the Ash Protection community science protocol and many NASA assets enhance the educator-guided planning forward experience guide that youth practice the difficult, real-life conversations about the consequences of sea level rise as they think about ways they can plan for a resilient future in the face of rising seas and coastal flooding. Sara King from the Rural Aspirations Project (Hancock/Midcoast CLE) had this to say: “Before I first joined the CLE, I viewed STEM professionals to be separate from myself for the most part because I did not feel very confident in my abilities in all parts of STEM. I feel more comfortable with data and technology, engineering, and science practices now.” One educator said that their highlight from the gathering was, “[o]pportunities to meet with other teachers and educators and librarians to share ideas about how we can pool our resources and reach more students.” These educators left with draft learning projects ready for refinement and review, renewed dedication and motivation for the school year, and new perspectives to lead them into continued conversations and partnership with their CLE peers as they meet throughout the year. Learn more about Learning Ecosystem Northeast’s efforts to empower the next generation of environmental stewards at https://www.learningecosystemsnortheast.org. The Learning Ecosystems Northeast project is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AB94A and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn The August 2024 Connect, Reflect & Plan Connected Learning Ecosystem Gathering crew (educators and project partners from across Maine and even one California partner). Share Details Last Updated Oct 08, 2024 Editor NASA Science Editorial Team Related Terms Earth Science Opportunities For Educators to Get Involved Science Activation Explore More 3 min read GLOBE Eclipse and Civil Air Patrol: An Astronomical Collaboration Article 1 day ago 5 min read Science Activation’s PLACES Team Facilitates Third Professional Learning Institute Article 4 days ago 2 min read Culturally Inclusive Planetary Engagement in Colorado Article 5 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the… Perseverance Rover This rover and its aerial sidekick were assigned to study the geology of Mars and seek signs of ancient microbial… Parker Solar Probe On a mission to “touch the Sun,” NASA’s Parker Solar Probe became the first spacecraft to fly through the corona… Juno NASA’s Juno spacecraft entered orbit around Jupiter in 2016, the first explorer to peer below the planet’s dense clouds to… View the full article

Throughout the life cycles of missions, Goddard engineer Noosha Haghani has championed problem-solving and decision-making to get to flight-ready projects. Name: Noosha Haghani Title: Plankton Aerosol Clouds and Ecosystem (PACE) Deputy Mission Systems Engineer Formal Job Classification: Electrical engineer Organization: Engineering and Technology Directorate, Mission Systems Engineering Branch (Code 599) Noosha Haghani is a systems engineer for the Plankton Aerosol Clouds and Ecosystem (PACE) mission at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Credit: NASA What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? As the PACE deputy mission systems engineer, we solve problems every day, all day long. An advantage I have is that I have been on this project from the beginning. Why did you become an engineer? What is your educational background? I was always very good at math and science. Both of my parents are engineers. I loved building with Legos and solving puzzles. Becoming an engineer was a natural progression for me. I have a BS in electrical engineering and a master’s in reliability engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park. I had completed all my course work for my Ph.D. as well but never finished due to family obligations. How did you come to Goddard? As a freshman in college, I interned at Goddard. After graduation, I worked in industry for a few years. In 2002, I returned to Goddard because I realized that what we do at Goddard is so much more unique and exciting to me. My mother also works at Goddard as a software engineer, so I am a second-generation Goddard employee. Early on in my career, my mother and I met for lunch occasionally. Now I am just too busy to even schedule lunch. Describe the advantages you have in understanding a system which you have worked on from the original design through build and testing? I came to the PACE project as the architect of an avionics system called MUSTANG, a set of hardware electronics that performs the function of the avionics of the mission including command and data handling, power, attitude control, and more. As the MUSTANG lead, I proposed an architecture for the PACE spacecraft which the PACE manager accepted, so MUSTANG is the core architecture for the PACE spacecraft. I led the team in building the initial hardware and then moved into my current systems engineering role. Knowing the history of a project is an advantage in that it teaches me how the system works. Understanding the rationale of the decision making we made over the years helps me to better appreciate why we built the system way we did. How would you describe your problem-solving techniques? A problem always manifests as some incorrect reading or some failure in a test, which I refer to as evidence of the problem. Problem solving is basically looking at the evidence and figuring out what is causing the problem. You go through certain paths to determine if your theory matches the evidence. It requires a certain level of understanding of the system we have built. There are many components to the observatory including hardware and software that could be implicated. We compartmentalize the problem and try to figure out the root cause systematically. Sometimes we must do more testing to get the problem to recreate itself and provide more evidence. As a team lead, how do you create and assign an investigation plan? As a leader, I divide up the responsibilities of the troubleshooting investigation. We are a very large team. Each individual has different roles and responsibilities. I am the second-highest ranking technical authority for the mission, so I can be leading several groups of people on any given day, depending on the issue. The evidence presented to us for the problem will usually implicate a few subsystems. We pull in the leads for these subsystems and associated personnel and we discuss the problem. We brainstorm. We decide on investigation and mitigation strategies. We then ask the Integration and Test team to help carry out our investigation plan. As a systems engineer, how do you lead individuals who do not report to you or through your chain of command? I am responsible for the technical integrity of the mission. As a systems engineer, these individuals do not work for me. They themselves answer to a line manager who is not in my chain of command. I lead them through influencing them. I use leadership personality and mutual respect to guide the team and convince them that the method we have chosen to solve the problem is the best method. Because I have a long history with the project, and was with this system from the drawing board, I generally understand how the system works. This helps me guide the team to finding the root cause of any problem. How do you lead your team to reach consensus? Everything is a team effort. We would be no where without the team. I want to give full credit to all the teams. You must respect members of your team, and each team member must respect you as a leader. I first try to gather and learn as much as possible about the work, what it takes to do the work, understanding the technical aspects of the work and basically understanding the technical requirements of the hardware. I know a little about all the subsystems, but I rely on my subsystem team leads who are the subject matter experts. The decision on how to build the system falls on the Systems Team. The subject matter experts provide several options and define risks associated with each. We then make a decision based on the best technical solution for the project that falls within the cost/schedule and risk posture. If my subject matter experts and I do not agree, we go back and forth and work together as a team to come to a consensus on how to proceed. Often we all ask many questions to help guide out path. The team is built on mutual respect and good communication. When we finally reach a decision, almost everyone agrees because of our collaboration, negotiation and sometimes compromise. What is your favorite saying? Better is the enemy of good enough. You must balance perfectionism with reality. How do you balance perfectionism with reality to make a decision? Goddard has a lot of perfectionists. I am not a perfectionist, but I have high expectations. Goddard has a lot of conservatism, but conservatism alone will not bring a project to fruition. There is a level of idealism in design that says that you can always improve on a design. Perfection is idealistic. You can analyze something on paper forever. Ultimately, even though I am responsible for the technical aspects only, we still as a mission must maintain cost and schedule. We could improve a design forever but that would take time and money away from other projects. We need to know when we have built something that is good enough, although maybe not perfect. In the end, something on paper is great, but building and testing hardware is fundamental in order to proceed. Occasionally the decisions we make take some calculated risk. We do not always have all the facts and furthermore we do not always have the time to wait for all the facts. We must at some point make a decision based on the data we have. Ultimately a team lead has to make a judgement call. The answer is not in doing bare minimum or cutting corners to get the job done, but rather realizing what level of effort is the right amount to move forward. Why is the ability to make a decision one of your best leadership qualities? There is a certain level of skill in being able to make a decision. If you do not make a decision, at some point that inability to make a decision becomes a decision. You have lost time and nothing gets built. My team knows that if they come to me, I will give them a path forward to execute. No one likes to be stuck in limbo, running in circles. A lot of people in a project want direction so that they can go forward and implement that decision. The systems team must be able to make decisions so that the team can end up with a finished, launchable project. One of my main jobs is to access risk. Is it risky to move on? Or do I need to investigate further? We have a day-by-day risk assessment decision making process which decides whether or not we will move on with the activities of that day. As an informal mentor, what is the most important advice you give? Do not give up. Everything will eventually all click together. What do you like most about your job? I love problem solving. I thrive in organized chaos. Every day we push forward, complete tasks. Every day is a reward because we are progressing towards our launch date. Who inspires you? The team inspires me. They make me want to come to work every day and do a little bit better. My job is very stressful. I work a lot of hours. What motivates me to continue is that there are other people doing the same thing, they are amazing. I respect each of them so much. What do you do for fun? I like to go to the gym and I love watching my son play sports. I enjoy travel and I love getting immersed in a city of a different country. By Elizabeth M. Jarrell NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 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. Share Details Last Updated Oct 08, 2024 EditorMadison OlsonContactRob Garnerrob.garner@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related TermsPeople of GoddardEarthGoddard Space Flight CenterPACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem)People of NASA Explore More 6 min read Astrophysicist Gioia Rau Explores Cosmic ‘Time Machines’ Article 7 days ago 8 min read Julie Rivera Pérez Bridges Business, STEM to ‘Make the Magic Happen’ Article 2 weeks ago 5 min read Rob Gutro: Clear Science in the Forecast Article 3 weeks ago View the full article

Illustration of logistics elements on the lunar surface. NASA NASA is asking U.S. industry to submit innovative architecture solutions that could help the agency land and move cargo on the lunar surfaced during future Artemis missions. Released in September, the agency’s request for proposal also supports NASA’s broader Moon to Mars Objectives. Previously, NASA published two white papers outlining lunar logistics and mobility gaps as part of its Moon to Mars architecture development effort that augmented an earlier white paper on logistics considerations. The current ask, Lunar Logistics and Mobility Studies, expects proposing companies to consider these publications, which describe NASA’s future needs for logistics and mobility. “NASA relies on collaborations from diverse partners to develop its exploration architecture,” said Nujoud Merancy, deputy associate administrator, strategy and architecture in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Studies like this allow the agency to leverage the incredible expertise in the commercial aerospace community.” Lunar Logistics Drivers, Needs Logistics items, including food, water, air, and spare parts, comprise a relatively large portion of the cargo NASA expects to need to move around on the Moon, including at the lunar South Pole where the agency plans to send crew in the future. The Lunar Logistics Drivers and Needs white paper outlines the importance of accurately predicting logistics resupply needs, as they can heavily influence the overall architecture and design of exploration missions. As the agency progresses into more complex lunar missions, NASA will require more and more lunar logistics as the agency increases mission frequency and duration. This current proposal seeks industry studies that could help inform NASA’s approach to this growing need. Lunar Mobility Drivers, Needs The white paper discusses the transportation of landed cargo and exploration assets from where they are delivered to where they are used, such as to locations with ideal lighting, away from ascent vehicle landing sites, or near other assets. These distances can range from yards to miles away from landing locations, and the ability to move around landing sites easily and quickly are key to exploring the lunar surface efficiently. NASA’s current planned lunar mobility elements, such as the Lunar Terrain Vehicle and Pressurized Rover, have a capability limit of about 1,760 pounds (800 kilograms) and will primarily be used to transport astronauts around the lunar surface. However, future missions could include a need to move cargo totaling around 4,400 to 13,000 pounds (2,000 to 6,000 kg). To meet this demand, NASA must develop new mobility capabilities with its partners. Lunar Surface Cargo The Lunar Surface Cargo white paper characterizes lunar surface cargo delivery needs, compares those needs with current cargo lander capabilities, and outlines considerations for fulfilling this capability gap. While cargo delivery capabilities currently included in the Moon to Mars architecture — like CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) and human-class delivery landers — can meet near-term needs, there are substantial gaps for future needs. Access to a diverse fleet of cargo landers would empower a larger lunar exploration footprint. A combination of international partnerships and U.S. industry-provided landers could supply the concepts and capabilities to meet this need. The request for proposals doesn’t explicitly seek new lander concepts but does ask for integrated assessments of logistics that can include transportation elements. “We’re looking for industry to offer creative insights that can inform our logistics and mobility strategy,” said Brooke Thornton, industry engagement lead for NASA’s Strategy and Architecture Office. “Ultimately, we’re hoping to grow our awareness of the unique capabilities that are or could become a part of the commercial lunar marketplace.” This is the latest appendix to NASA’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP-2). Solicitations under NextSTEP seek commercial development of capabilities that empower crewed exploration in deep space. NASA published the latest NextSTEP omnibus, NextSTEP-3, on Sept. 27. Request for Proposals https://sam.gov/opp/2291c465203240388302bb1f126c3db9/view View the full article

A preview image of the Minecraft world inspired by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: Minecraft NASA invites gamers, educators, and students to grab their pickaxe and check out its latest collaboration with Minecraft exploring a new world inspired by the agency’s James Webb Space Telescope. The partnership allows creators to experience NASA’s discoveries with interactive modules on star formation, planets, and galaxy types, modeled using real Webb images. The James Webb Space Telescope Challenges were developed to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and technicians. Through the game, students can immerse themselves in the science and technology behind Webb, deepening their understanding of NASA’s mission and sparking an interest in the real-world applications of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). “We’re thrilled to bring the wonders and science of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope into the hands of the Artemis Generation through this exciting Minecraft collaboration,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “This collaboration is yet another way anyone can join NASA as we explore the secrets of the universe and solve the world’s most complex problems, making space exploration engaging for learners of all ages.” NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope launched to space Dec. 25, 2021, and has gone on to make detailed observations of the planets within our own solar system, peer into the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars outside our solar system, and capture images and spectra of the most distant galaxies ever detected. “NASA’s collaboration with Minecraft allows players to experience the excitement of one of the most ambitious space missions ever,” said Mike Davis, Webb project manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “No matter where Webb looks, it sees something intriguing, setting the stage for amazing discoveries yet to come. As people explore the Minecraft world of Webb, we hope they will be inspired to carry that interest further and maybe someday help NASA build future space telescopes.” Webb is the world’s premier space science observatory. The space telescope 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 CSA (Canadian Space Agency). NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement provides unique opportunities for students to learn about STEM. In 2023, NASA partnered with Minecraft on an Artemis Challenge where users could build and launch a rocket, guide their Orion spacecraft, and even establish a lunar base alongside their team. Through collaboration with partners such as Microsoft, NASA can share the excitement of space exploration with even more students who are part of the Artemis Generation. Learn more about how NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement is inspiring the next generation of explorers at: https://www.nasa.gov/stem View the full article