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NASA/Joel Kowsky The New York-based artist team Geraluz, left, and WERC, right, pose in front of their mural “To the Moon, and Back” with their son Amaru, 5. The community mural was created as part of the reimagined NASA Art Program, which aims to inspire and engage the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation – in new and unexpected ways, including through art. The NASA Headquarters photo team chose this image as one of their best from 2024. See more of the top 100 from last year on Flickr. Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky View the full article

Learn Home NASA eClips Educator Receives… Science Activation Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science 2 min read NASA eClips Educator Receives 2024 VAST Science Educator Specialist Award On November 14, 2024, NASA eClips team member, Betsy McAllister, was recognized with the prestigious Virginia Association of Science Teachers (VAST) Science Educator Specialist Award at the 2024 VAST Annual Professional Development Institute. McAllister is an educator with Hampton City Schools in Virginia and Educator-in-Residence (EIR) at the National Institute of Aerospace’s Center for Integrative STEM Education (NIA-CISE). Betsy earned this honor for her significant contributions to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, having educated learners in formal and informal settings for over 30 years, 22 of those in the classroom. She taught 5th and 6th grade science, life and physical science, and gifted resource; she also served as a Science Teacher Specialist and STEM Teacher Specialist prior to her current position as EIR. In her EIR role with NIA, she is a key member of the NASA eClips team and works to bring NASA resources into the K-12 classroom while designing and aligning eClips resources with current curricula and pacing. She has been instrumental in creating strong collaborations between NASA and STEM-related organizations with Hampton City Schools and organizing community engagement experiences, such as their annual STEM Exploration Community Event. In addition to her professional work with students, McAllister brings real-world learning opportunities to the public through volunteer roles as Commissioner with the Hampton Clean City Commission, a Peninsula Master Naturalist, and a Hampton Master Gardener. Congratulations, Betsy! The NASA eClips project provides educators with standards-based videos, activities, and lessons to increase STEM literacy through the lens of NASA. It 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 Betsy McAllister was presented with the Virginia Association of Science Teacher’s Science Educator Specialist Award at the November 2024 VAST Conference. VAST Share Details Last Updated Jan 07, 2025 Editor NASA Science Editorial Team Related Terms Science Activation Explore More 2 min read NASA Workshops Culturally Inclusive Planetary Engagement with Educators Article 5 days ago 3 min read Astronomy Activation Ambassadors: A New Era Article 1 week ago 3 min read Integrating Relevant Science Investigations into Migrant Children Education Article 2 months 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

Internal view of LignoSat’s structure shows the relationship among wooden panels, aluminum frames, and stainless-steel shafts.Credit: Kyoto University In December 2024, five CubeSats deployed into Earth’s orbit from the International Space Station. Among them was LignoSat, a wooden satellite from JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency) that investigates the use of wood in space. Findings could offer a more sustainable alternative to conventional satellites. A previous experiment aboard station exposed three species of wood to the space environment to help researchers determine the best option for LignoSat. The final design used 10 cm long honoki magnolia wood panels assembled with a Japanese wood-joinery method. Researchers will use sensors to evaluate strain on the wood and measure its responses to temperature and radiation in space. Geomagnetic levels will also be monitored to determine whether the geomagnetic field can penetrate the body of the wooden satellite and interfere with its technological capabilities. Investigating uses for wood in space could lead to innovative solutions in the future. A traditional Japanese wooden joining method, the Blind Miter Dovetail Joint, is used for LignoSat to connect two wooden panels without using glue or nails.Credit: Kyoto University Three CubeSats are deployed from space station, including LignoSat. Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Latest News from Space Station Research Space Station Technology Demonstration Space Station Research Results Space Station Research and Technology Resources View the full article

This photomontage shows tubes containing samples from Mars, as collected by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. The agency’s Mars Sample Return Program plans to bring these samples back to study them in state-of-the-art facilities on Earth.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS To maximize chances of successfully bringing the first Martian rock and sediment samples to Earth for the benefit of humanity, NASA announced Tuesday a new approach to its Mars Sample Return Program. The agency will simultaneously pursue two landing architectures, or strategic plans, during formulation, encouraging competition and innovation, as well as cost and schedule savings. NASA plans to later select a single path forward for the program, which aims to better understand the mysteries of the universe, and to help determine whether the Red Planet ever hosted life. NASA is expected to confirm the program – and its design – in the second half of 2026. “Pursuing two potential paths forward will ensure that NASA is able bring these samples back from Mars with significant cost and schedule saving compared to the previous plan,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “These samples have the potential to change the way we understand Mars, our universe, and – ultimately – ourselves. I’d like to thank the team at NASA and the strategic review team, led by Dr. Maria Zuber, for their work.” In September 2024, the agency accepted 11 studies from the NASA community and industry on how best to return Martian samples to Earth. A Mars Sample Return Strategic Review team was charged with assessing the studies and then recommending a primary architecture for the campaign, including associated cost and schedule estimates. “NASA’s rovers are enduring Mars’ harsh environment to collect ground-breaking science samples,” said Nicky Fox, who leads NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “We want to bring those back as quickly as possible to study them in state-of-the-art facilities. Mars Sample Return will allow scientists to understand the planet’s geological history and the evolution of climate on this barren planet where life may have existed in the past and shed light on the early solar system before life began here on Earth. This will also prepare us to safely send the first human explorers to Mars.” During formulation, NASA will proceed with exploring and evaluating two distinct means of landing the payload platform on Mars. The first option will leverage previously flown entry, descent, and landing system designs, namely the sky crane method, demonstrated with the Curiosity and Perseverance missions. The second option will capitalize on using new commercial capabilities to deliver the lander payload to the surface of Mars. For both potential options, the mission’s landed platform will carry a smaller version of the Mars Ascent Vehicle. The platform’s solar panels will be replaced with a radioisotope power system that can provide power and heat through the dust storm season at Mars, allowing for reduced complexity. The orbiting sample container will hold 30 of the sample tubes containing samples the Perseverance lander has been collecting from the surface of Mars. A redesign of the sample loading system on the lander, which will place the samples into the orbiting sample container, simplifies the backward planetary protection implementation by eliminating the accumulation of dust on the outside of the sample container. Both mission options rely on a capture, containment and return system aboard ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) Earth Return Orbiter to capture the orbiting sample container in Mars orbit. ESA is evaluating NASA’s plan. For more information on NASA’s exploration of Mars, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/mars -end- Meira Bernstein / Dewayne Washington Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 meira.b.bernstein@nasa.gov / dewayne.a.washington@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Jan 07, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsMissionsMars Sample Return (MSR) View the full article

Earth Observer Earth Home Earth Observer Home Editor’s Corner Feature Articles Meeting Summaries News Science in the News Calendars In Memoriam More Archives 3 min read AAS Hyperwall Schedule NASA Science at AAS Hyperwall Schedule, January 12-16, 2025 Join NASA in the Exhibit Hall (Booth #505) for Hyperwall Storytelling by NASA experts. Full Hyperwall Agenda below. SUNDAY, JANUARY 12 7:00 – 7:15 PM NASA Cosmic Pathfinders Program: Transforming the Early-Career Experience in STEM Ronald Gamble 7:15 – 7:30 PM The Hubble Space Telescope: A New Era of Powerful Discovery Jennifer Wiseman 7:30 – 7:45 PM Unveiling High-Redshift Galaxies Using JWST-MIRI Macarena Garcia 7:45 – 8:00 PM NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory Megan Ansdell 8:00 – 8:15 PM Get Ready for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Dominic Benford 8:15 – 8:30 PM TESS and the Extended Mission Rebekah Hounsell MONDAY, JANUARY 13 9:00 – 9:15 AM Effective Approaches to Making NASA Science Accessible to All Tim Rhue 9:15 – 9:30 AM AXIS: The Next-Generation X-ray Imaging Probe Mission Erin Kara 9:30 – 9:45 AM 25 Years of Science with the Chandra X-ray Observatory Rudy Montez, Jr 9:45 – 10:00 AM Pandora SmallSat: Mission Update Tom Greene 5:30 – 5:45 PM Two Years of Exoplanets with JWST Knicole Colon 5:45 – 6:00 PM LISA Laser Interferometer Space Antenna Ira Thorpe 6:00 – 6:15 PM Roman Coronagraph Julien Girard 6:15 – 6:30 PM TBD Olivier Dore TUESDAY, JANUARY 14 9:00 – 9:15 AM 25 Years and Beyond with XMM-Newton Kim Weaver 9:15 – 9:30 AM US Archival Science with Euclid Shoubaneh Hemmati 9:30 – 9:45 AM HWO & the Story of Life in the Universe Giada Arney 9:45 – 10:00 AM NASA’s Office of the Chief Science Data Officer: Creating a Culture of Innovation and Collaboration Steven Crawford 12:30 – 12:45 PM Jdaviz, the JWST Data Analysis and Visualization Tool Camilla Pacifici 12:45 – 1:00 PM SPHEREx Instrument Integration and Pre-launch Calibration Chi Nguyen 1:00 – 1:15 PM NASA-PEER: Maximizing the Post-bac Experience and Preparing the Next Generation for Grad School NASA-PEER 1:15 – 1:30 PM Roman Galactic Plane Survey Bob Benjamin 1:30 – 1:45 PM Roman Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey Jessie Christiansen 1:45 – 2:00 PM Galaxy Formation with SPHEREx Jordan Mirocha 5:30 – 5:45 PM Roman Wide Field Instrument: From Ground Tests to Science Jennie Paine 5:45 – 6:00 PM Extraordinary New Views of Nearby Galaxies with JWST Janice Lee 6:00 – 6:15 PM A NICER View of Astrophysics and Exploration from the ISS Elizabeth Ferrara 6:15 – 6:30 PM PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) Overview Elisabeth (Betsy) Mills WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15 9:00 – 9:15 AM Machine Learning Adventures in Chandra’s X-Ray Universe Victor Samuel Perez Diaz 9:15 – 9:30 AM You Were Here: The Visionary Scientific Goals of the Habitable Worlds Observatory Jason Tumlinson 9:30 – 9:45 AM JWST and Planetary Science Stefanie Milam 9:45 – 10:00 AM Science Explorer: Accelerating the Discovery of NASA Science Alberto Accomazzi 12:30 – 12:45 PM What to expect for Galaxy Evolution with Roman: Lessons from JWST Vihang Mehta 12:45 – 1:00 PM The Rocky Worlds DDT: exploring rocky exoplanet atmospheres with 500 JWST hours and 250 HST orbits Hannah Diamond-Lowe 1:00 – 1:15 PM NASA’s Astrophoto Challenge: Engage the Public with Opportunities to Create their Own Images with NASA Data Brandon Lawton 1:15 – 1:30 PM Roman Core Community Survey-High Latitude Time Domain Survey Roman Speaker 1:30 – 1:45 PM Understanding the Sun’s Magnetic Cycle with COFFIES Chris Lombardi 1:45 – 2:00 PM Our Dynamic Solar Neighborhood Jackie Faherty 5:30 – 5:45 PM Astrophysics at NASA Peter Kurczynski 5:45 – 6:00 PM NewAthena: Heading towards the next X-ray Flagship Kristin Madsen 6:00 – 6:15 PM Pandora SmallSat: Mission Update Lindsey Wiser 6:15 – 6:30 PM Cloud Science Platforms in the Era of Big Data Thomas Dutkiewicz THURSDAY, JANUARY 16 9:00 – 9:15 AM Looking at Exoplanets with the Chandra X-ray Observatory Scott Wolk 9:15 – 9:30 AM Educational Outreach with NASA Science Activation Ana Aranda 9:30 – 9:45AM SPHEREx In-Orbit Commission and Data Products Howard Hui 9:45 – 10:00 AM Roman Core Community Survey- High Latitude Wide Area Survey Roman Speaker 10:00 AM Livestream NICER repair 12:30 – 12:45 PM Overlapping Galaxy Pairs with Hubble and JWST Benne Holwerda 12:45 – 1:00 PM Top 5 Chandra Discoveries Rudy Montez, Jr 1:00 – 1:15 PM What is Webb Looking At Now? Quyen Hart 1:15 – 1:30 PM Pandora SmallSat: Enabling Early Career Opportunities Knicole Colon 1:30 – 1:45 PM Roman Coronagraph Roman Speaker Share Details Last Updated Jan 07, 2025 Related Terms Earth Science View the full article

NASA’s 2024 AI Use Case inventory highlights the agency’s commitment to integrating artificial intelligence in its space missions and operations. The agency’s updated inventory consists of active AI use cases, ranging from AI-driven autonomous space operations, such as navigation for the Perseverance Rover on Mars, to advanced data analysis for scientific discovery. AI Across NASA NASA’s use of AI is diverse and spans several key areas of its missions: Autonomous Exploration and Navigation AEGIS (Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science): AI-powered system designed to autonomously collect scientific data during planetary exploration. Enhanced AutoNav for Perseverance Rover: Utilizes advanced autonomous navigation for Mars exploration, enabling real-time decision-making. MLNav (Machine Learning Navigation): AI-driven navigation tools to enhance movement across challenging terrains. Perseverance Rover on Mars – Terrain Relative Navigation: AI technology supporting the rover’s navigation across Mars, improving accuracy in unfamiliar terrain. Mission Planning and Management ASPEN Mission Planner: AI-assisted tool that helps streamline space mission planning and scheduling, optimizing mission efficiency. AWARE (Autonomous Waiting Room Evaluation): AI system that manages operational delays, improving mission scheduling and resource allocation. CLASP (Coverage Planning & Scheduling): AI tools for resource allocation and scheduling, ensuring mission activities are executed seamlessly. Onboard Planner for Mars2020 Rover: AI system that helps the Perseverance Rover autonomously plan and schedule its tasks during its mission. Environmental Monitoring and Analysis SensorWeb for Environmental Monitoring: AI-powered system used to monitor environmental factors such as volcanoes, floods, and wildfires on Earth and beyond. Volcano SensorWeb: Similar to SensorWeb, but specifically focused on volcanic activity, leveraging AI to enhance monitoring efforts. Global, Seasonal Mars Frost Maps: AI-generated maps to study seasonal variations in Mars’ atmosphere and surface conditions. Data Management and Automation NASA OCIO STI Concept Tagging Service: AI tools that organize and tag NASA’s scientific data, making it easier to access and analyze. Purchase Card Management System (PCMS): AI-assisted system for streamlining NASA’s procurement processes and improving financial operations. Aerospace and Air Traffic Control NextGen Methods for Air Traffic Control: AI tools to optimize air traffic control systems, enhancing efficiency and reducing operational costs. NextGen Data Analytics: Letters of Agreement: AI-driven analysis of agreements within air traffic control systems, improving management and operational decision-making. Space Exploration Mars2020 Rover (Perseverance): AI systems embedded within the Perseverance Rover to support its mission to explore Mars. SPOC (Soil Property and Object Classification): AI-based classification system used to analyze soil and environmental features, particularly for Mars exploration. Ethical AI: NASA’s Responsible Approach NASA ensures that all AI applications adhere to Responsible AI (RAI) principles outlined by the White House in its Executive Order 13960. This includes ensuring AI systems are transparent, accountable, and ethical. The agency integrates these principles into every phase of development and deployment, ensuring AI technologies used in space exploration are both safe and effective. Looking Forward: AI’s Expanding Role As AI technologies evolve, NASA’s portfolio of AI use cases will continue to grow. With cutting-edge tools currently in development, the agency is poised to further integrate AI into more aspects of space exploration, from deep space missions to sustainable solutions for planetary exploration. By maintaining a strong commitment to both technological innovation and ethical responsibility, NASA is not only advancing space exploration but also setting an industry standard for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in scientific and space-related endeavors. View the AI Inventory View the full article

3 min read 2023 Entrepreneurs Challenge Winner Skyline Nav AI: Revolutionizing GPS-Independent Navigation with Computer Vision NASA sponsored Entrepreneurs Challenge events in 2020, 2021, and 2023 to identify innovative ideas and technologies from small business start-ups with the potential to advance the agency’s science goals. To help leverage external funding sources for the development of innovative technologies of interest to NASA, SMD involved the venture capital community in Entrepreneurs Challenge events. Challenge winners were awarded prize money, and in 2023 the total Entrepreneurs Challenge prize value was $1M. Numerous challenge winners have subsequently received funding from both NASA and external sources (e.g., other government agencies or the venture capital community) to further develop their technologies. Skyline Nav AI, a winner of the 2023 NASA Entrepreneurs Challenge, is pioneering GPS-independent navigation by leveraging cutting-edge computer vision models, artificial intelligence (AI), and edge computing. Skyline Nav AI’s flagship technology offers precise, real-time geolocation without the need for GPS, Wi-Fi, or cellular networks. The system utilizes machine learning algorithms to analyze terrain and skyline features and match them with preloaded reference datasets, providing up to centimeter-level accuracy in GPS-denied environments. This capability could enable operations in areas where GPS signals are absent, blocked, degraded, spoofed, or jammed, including urban canyons, mountainous regions, and the Moon. Skyline Nav AI’s flagship technology at work in New York to provide precise location by matching the detected skyline with a reference data set. The red line shows detection by Skyline Nav AI technology, the green line marks the true location in the reference satellite dataset, and the orange line represents the matched location (i.e., the location extracted from the satellite dataset using Skyline Nav AI algorithms). Skyline Nav’s visual navigation technology can deliver accuracy up to five meters, 95% of the time. The AI-powered visual positioning models continuously improve geolocation precision through pixel-level analysis and semantic segmentation of real-time images, offering high reliability without the need for GPS. In addition to its visual-based AI, Skyline Nav AI’s software is optimized for edge computing, ensuring that all processing occurs locally on the user’s device. This design enables low-latency, real-time decision-making without constant satellite or cloud-based connectivity, making it ideal for disconnected environments such as combat zones or space missions. Furthermore, Skyline Nav AI’s technology can be integrated with various sensors, including inertial measurement units (IMUs), lidar, and radar, to further enhance positioning accuracy. The combination of visual navigation and sensor fusion can enable centimeter-level accuracy, making the technology potentially useful for autonomous vehicles, drones, and robotics operating in environments where GPS is unreliable. “Skyline Nav AI aims to provide the world with an accurate, resilient alternative to GPS,” says Kanwar Singh, CEO of Skyline Nav AI. “Our technology empowers users to navigate confidently in even the most challenging environments, and our recent recognition by NASA and other partners demonstrates the value of our innovative approach to autonomous navigation.” Skyline Nav AI continues to expand its influence through partnerships with organizations such as NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the commercial market. Recent collaborations include projects with MIT, Draper Labs, and AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory), as well as winning the MOVE America 2024 Pitch competition and being a finalist in SXSW 2024. Sponsoring Organization: The NASA Science Mission Directorate sponsored the Entrepreneurs Challenge events. Project Leads: Kanwar Singh, Founder & CEO of Skyline Nav AI Share Details Last Updated Jan 07, 2025 Related Terms Artificial Intelligence (AI) Science-enabling Technology Technology Highlights Explore More 7 min read Very Cold Detectors Reveal the Very Hot Universe and Kick Off a New Era in X-ray Astronomy Article 3 weeks ago 9 min read Towards Autonomous Surface Missions on Ocean Worlds Article 1 month ago 4 min read NASA-developed Technology Supports Ocean Wind Speed Measurements from Commercial Satellite Article 2 months ago View the full article

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Danah Tommalieh, commercial pilot and engineer at Reliable Robotics, inputs a flight plan at the control center in Mountain View, California, ahead of remotely operating a Cessna 208 aircraft at Hollister municipal airport in Hollister, California.NASA/Don Richey NASA recently began a series of flight tests with partners to answer an important aviation question: What will it take to integrate remotely piloted or autonomous planes carrying large packages and cargo safely into the U.S. airspace? Researchers tested new technologies in Hollister, California, that are helping to investigate what tools and capabilities are needed to make these kinds of flights routine. The commercial industry continues to make advancements in autonomous aircraft systems aimed at making it possible for remotely operated aircraft to fly over communities – transforming the way we will transport people and goods. As the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) develops standards for this new type of air transportation, NASA is working to ensure these uncrewed flights are safe by creating the required technological tools and infrastructure. These solutions could be scaled to support many different remotely piloted aircraft – including air taxis and package delivery drones – in a shared airspace with traditional crewed aircraft. “Remotely piloted aircraft systems could eventually deliver cargo and people to rural areas with limited access to commercial transportation and delivery services,” said Shivanjli Sharma, aerospace engineer at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. “We’re aiming to create a healthy ecosystem of many different kinds of remotely piloted operations. They will fly in a shared airspace to provide communities with better access to goods and services, like medical supply deliveries and more efficient transportation.” During a flight test in November, Reliable Robotics, a company developing an autonomous flight system, remotely flew its Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft through pre-approved flight paths in Hollister, California. Although a safety pilot was aboard, a Reliable Robotics remote pilot directed the flight from their control center in Mountain View, more than 50 miles away. Cockpit of Reliable Robotics’ Cessna 208 aircraft outfitted with autonomous technology for remotely-piloted operations.NASA/Brandon Torres Navarrete Congressional staffers from the United States House and Senate’s California delegation joined NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Carol Caroll, Ames Aeronautics Director, Huy Tran, and other Ames leadership at Reliable Robotics Headquarters to view the live remote flight. Researchers evaluated a Collins Aerospace ground-based surveillance system’s ability to detect nearby air traffic and provide the remote pilot with information in order to stay safely separated from other aircraft in the future. Initial analysis shows the ground-based radar actively surveilled the airspace during the aircraft’s taxi, takeoff, and landing. The data was transmitted from the radar system to the remote pilot at Reliable Robotics. In the future, this capability could help ensure aircraft remain safely separated across all phases of fight. A Reliable Robotics’ modified Cessna 208 aircraft flies near Hollister Airport. A Reliable Robotics pilot operated the aircraft remotely from the control center in Mountain View.NASA/Brandon Torres Naverrete While current FAA operating rules require pilots to physically see and avoid other aircraft from inside the cockpit, routine remotely piloted aircraft will require a suite of integrated technologies to avoid hazards and coordinate with other aircraft in the airspace. A radar system for ground-based surveillance offers one method for detecting other traffic in the airspace and at the airport, providing one part of the capability to ensure pilots can avoid collision and accomplish their desired missions. Data analysis from this testing will help researchers understand if ground-based surveillance radar can be used to satisfy FAA safety rules for remotely piloted flights. NASA will provide analysis and reports of this flight test to the FAA and standards bodies. “This is an exciting time for the remotely piloted aviation community,” Sharma said. “Among other benefits, remote operations could provide better access to healthcare, bolster natural disaster response efforts, and offer more sustainable and effective transportation to both rural and urban communities. We’re thrilled to provide valuable data to the industry and the FAA to help make remote operations a reality in the near future.” Over the next year, NASA will work with additional aviation partners on test flights and simulations to test weather services, communications systems, and other autonomous capabilities for remotely piloted flights. NASA researchers will analyze data from these tests to provide a comprehensive report to the FAA and the community on what minimum technologies and capabilities are needed to enable and scale remotely piloted operations. This flight test data analysis is led out of NASA Ames under the agency’s Air Traffic Management Exploration project. This effort supports the agency’s Advanced Air Mobility mission research, ensuring the United States stays at the forefront of aviation innovation. Share Details Last Updated Jan 07, 2025 Related TermsAmes Research CenterAdvanced Air MobilityAeronauticsAeronautics Research Mission DirectorateAir Traffic Management – ExplorationAirspace Operations and Safety ProgramDrones & You Explore More 3 min read How a NASA Senior Database Administrator Manifested her Dream Job Article 2 weeks ago 16 min read NASA Ames Astrogram – December 2024 Article 3 weeks ago 5 min read NASA’s Ames Research Center Celebrates 85 Years of Innovation Article 3 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet conduct a spacewalk to complete work on the International Space Station on June 25, 2021.Credit: NASA Two NASA astronauts will venture outside the International Space Station, conducting U.S. spacewalk 91 on Thursday, Jan. 16, and U.S. spacewalk 92 on Thursday, Jan. 23, to complete station upgrades. NASA also will discuss the pair of upcoming spacewalks during a news conference at 2 p.m. EST Friday, Jan. 10, on NASA+ from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. Participants in the news conference from NASA Johnson include: Bill Spetch, operations integration manager Nicole McElroy, spacewalk flight director Media interested in participating in person or by phone must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no later than 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8, at: 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. To ask questions, media must dial in no later than 15 minutes before the start of the news conference. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is online. Questions also may be submitted on social media using #AskNASA. The first spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. on Jan. 16, and last about six and a half hours. NASA will provide live coverage beginning at 5:30 a.m. on NASA+. NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams will replace a rate gyro assembly that helps provide orientation control for the station, install patches to cover damaged areas of light filters for an X-ray telescope called NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer), and replace a reflector device used for navigational data on one of the international docking adapters. Additionally, the pair will check access areas and connector tools that will be used for future maintenance work on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. Hague will serve as spacewalk crew member 1 and will wear a suit with red stripes. Williams will serve as spacewalk crew member 2 and will wear an unmarked suit. This will be the fourth for Hague and the eighth for Williams. It will be the 273rd spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. The second spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. on Jan. 23, and last about six and a half hours. NASA will provide live coverage beginning at 5:30 a.m. on NASA+. Astronauts will remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss, collect samples of surface material for analysis from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock to see whether microorganisms may exist on the exterior of the orbital complex, and prepare a spare elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm in the event it is needed for a replacement. Following completion of U.S. spacewalk 91, NASA will name the participating crew members for U.S. spacewalk 92. It will be the 274th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at: https://www.nasa.gov/station -end- Claire O’Shea Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov Sandra Jones Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Jan 07, 2025 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsInternational Space Station (ISS)Humans in SpaceJohnson Space Center View the full article

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) An equal collaboration between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation, NISAR will offer unprecedented insights into Earth’s constantly changing land and ice surfaces using synthetic aperture radar technology. The spacecraft, depicted here in an artist’s concept, will launch from India.NASA/JPL-Caltech A Q&A with the lead U.S. scientist of the mission, which will track changes in everything from wetlands to ice sheets to infrastructure damaged by natural disasters. The upcoming U.S.-India NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission will observe Earth like no mission before, offering insights about our planet’s ever-changing surface. The NISAR mission is a first-of-a-kind dual-band radar satellite that will measure land deformation from earthquakes, landslides, and volcanoes, producing data for science and disaster response. It will track how much glaciers and ice sheets are advancing or retreating and it will monitor growth and loss of forests and wetlands for insights on the global carbon cycle. As diverse as NISAR’s impact will be, the mission’s winding path to launch — in a few months’ time — has also been remarkable. Paul Rosen, NISAR’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, has been there at every step. He recently discussed the mission and what sets it apart. NISAR Project Scientist Paul Rosen of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory first traveled to India in late 2011 to discuss collaboration with ISRO scientists on an Earth-observing radar mission. NASA and ISRO signed an agreement in 2014 to develop NISAR. NASA/JPL-Caltech How will NISAR improve our understanding of Earth? The planet’s surfaces never stop changing — in some ways small and subtle, and in other ways monumental and sudden. With NISAR, we’ll measure that change roughly every week, with each pixel capturing an area about half the size of a tennis court. Taking imagery of nearly all Earth’s land and ice surfaces this frequently and at such a small scale — down to the centimeter — will help us put the pieces together into one coherent picture to create a story about the planet as a living system. What sets NISAR apart from other Earth missions? NISAR will be the first Earth-observing satellite with two kinds of radar — an L-band system with a 10-inch (25-centimeter) wavelength and an S-band system with a 4-inch (10-centimeter) wavelength. Whether microwaves reflect or penetrate an object depends on their wavelength. Shorter wavelengths are more sensitive to smaller objects such as leaves and rough surfaces, whereas longer wavelengths are more reactive with larger structures like boulders and tree trunks. So NISAR’s two radar signals will react differently to some features on Earth’s surface. By taking advantage of what each signal is or isn’t sensitive to, researchers can study a broader range of features than they could with either radar on its own, observing the same features with different wavelengths. Is this new technology? The concept of a spaceborne synthetic aperture radar, or SAR, studying Earth’s processes dates to the 1970s, when NASA launched Seasat. Though the mission lasted only a few months, it produced first-of-a-kind images that changed the remote-sensing landscape for decades to come. It also drew me to JPL in 1981 as a college student: I spent two summers analyzing data from the mission. Seasat led to NASA’s Shuttle Imaging Radar program and later to the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. What will happen to the data from the mission? Our data products will fit the needs of users across the mission’s science focus areas — ecosystems, cryosphere, and solid Earth — plus have many uses beyond basic research like soil-moisture and water resources monitoring. We’ll make the data easily accessible. Given the volume of the data, NASA decided that it would be processed and stored in the cloud, where it’ll be free to access. How did the ISRO partnership come about? We proposed DESDynI (Deformation, Ecosystem Structure, and Dynamics of Ice), an L-band satellite, following the 2007 Decadal Survey by the National Academy of Sciences. At the time, ISRO was exploring launching an S-band satellite. The two science teams proposed a dual-band mission, and in 2014 NASA and ISRO agreed to partner on NISAR. Since then, the agencies have been collaborating across more than 9,000 miles (14,500 kilometers) and 13 time zones. Hardware was built on different continents before being assembled in India to complete the satellite. It’s been a long journey — literally. More About NISAR The NISAR mission is an equal collaboration between NASA and ISRO and marks the first time the two agencies have cooperated on hardware development for an Earth-observing mission. Managed for the agency by Caltech, JPL leads the U.S. component of the project and is providing the mission’s L-band SAR. NASA is also providing the radar reflector antenna, the deployable boom, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder, and payload data subsystem. Space Applications Centre Ahmedabad, ISRO’s lead center for payload development, is providing the mission’s S-band SAR instrument and is responsible for its calibration, data processing, and development of science algorithms to address the scientific goals of the mission. U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru, which leads the ISRO components of the mission, is providing the spacecraft bus. The launch vehicle is from ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, launch services are through ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre, and satellite mission operations are by ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network. National Remote Sensing Centre in Hyderabad is primarily responsible for S-band data reception, operational products generation, and dissemination. To learn more about NISAR, visit: https://nisar.jpl.nasa.gov 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 2025-001 Share Details Last Updated Jan 06, 2025 Related TermsNISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar)Climate ChangeEarthEarth ScienceEarth Science DivisionIce & GlaciersJet Propulsion LaboratorySeasatShuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)SIR-C/X-SAR (Shuttle Imaging Radar-C / X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar) Explore More 27 min read Summary of the Third Annual AEOIP Workshop Introduction The Applied Earth Observations Innovation Partnership (AEOIP) was established in 2018 to facilitate knowledge… Article 3 days ago 5 min read NASA’s LEXI Will Provide X-Ray Vision of Earth’s Magnetosphere A NASA X-ray imager is heading to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign,… Article 3 days ago 2 min read Science Done by Volunteers Highlighted at December’s American Geophysical Union Meeting More than 30,000 scientists gathered in Washington, D.C. during the second week of December –… Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

Skywatching Home Skywatching The Next Full Moon is the Wolf… Skywatching Home What’s Up Eclipses Explore the Night Sky Night Sky Network More Tips and Guides FAQ 27 Min Read The Next Full Moon is the Wolf Moon The Moon sets over Homestead National Historic Park in Nebraska. Credits: National Park Service/Homestead The next full Moon is the Wolf Moon; the Ice or Old Moon; the Moon after Yule; the start of Prayag Kumbh Mela; Shakambhari Purnima; Paush Purnima; the Thiruvathira, Thiruvathirai, or Arudhra Darisanam festival Moon; and Duruthu Poya. The phases of the Moon for January 2025. NASA/JPL-Caltech The next full Moon will be Monday evening, Jan. 13, 2025, appearing opposite the Sun (in Earth-based longitude) at 5:27 p.m. EST. This will be Tuesday from the South Africa and Eastern European time zones eastward across the remainder of Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, etc., to the International Date Line in the mid-Pacific. The Moon will appear full for about three days around this time, from Sunday evening (and possibly the last part of Sunday morning) into Wednesday morning. On the night of the full Moon, for most of the continental USA as well as parts of Africa, Canada, and Mexico, the Moon will pass in front of the planet Mars. The Maine Farmers’ Almanac began publishing Native American names for full Moons in the 1930s. Over time these names have become widely known and used. According to this almanac, as the full Moon in January this is the Wolf Moon, from the packs of wolves heard howling outside the villages amid the cold and deep snows of winter. European names for this Moon include the Ice Moon, the Old Moon, and (as the full Moon after the winter solstice) the Moon after Yule. Yule was a three to 12-day festival near the winter solstice in pre-Christian Europe. In the tenth century King Haakon I associated Yule with Christmas as part of the Christianization of Norway, and this association spread throughout Europe. The exact timing of this pre-Christian celebration is unclear. Some sources now associate Yule with the 12 days of Christmas, so that the Moon after Yule is after Twelfth Night on January 6. Other sources suggest that Yule is an old name for the month of January, so the Moon after Yule is in February. In the absence of more reliable historic information, I’m going with the full Moon after the winter solstice as the Moon after Yule. This full Moon corresponds with the start of the 44-day festival Prayag Kumbh Mela, also known as Maha Kumbh. This Hindu pilgrimage and festival is held every 12 years in the Indian city of Prayagraj at the confluence of three rivers, the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati. It is expected to draw around 400 million visitors. Similar Kumbh celebrations are held approximately every 12 years at the convergence of three rivers in three other Indian cities, Nashik (upcoming in 2027), Ujjain (in 2028), and Haridwar (in 2033). In the Hindu calendar, this full Moon is Shakambhari Purnima, the last day in the 8-day Shakambari Navratri holiday that celebrates the goddess Shakambhari. In the Purnimanta tradition that ends months on the full Moon day, this full Moon is Paush Purnima, the last day of the Hindu month of Paush. The day after Paush Purnima is the start of the month of Magha, a period of austerity. Bathing in the holy waters of India is an important activity for both Shakambari Navratri and Magha. This full Moon corresponds with the Thiruvathira, Thiruvathirai, or Arudhra Darisanam festival, celebrated by Hindus in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. For the Buddhists of Sri Lanka, this is Duruthu Poya, which commemorates Siddhartha Gautama Buddha’s first visit to Sri Lanka. In many lunar and lunisolar calendars the months change with the new Moon and full Moons fall in the middle of the lunar month. This full Moon is in the middle of the 12th and final month of the Chinese Year of the Rabbit. The new Moon on January 29 will be Chinese New Year, the start of the Year of the Snake. This full Moon is in the middle of Tevet in the Hebrew calendar and Rajab, the seventh month of the Islamic calendar. Rajab is one of the four sacred months in which warfare and fighting are forbidden. As usual, the wearing of suitably celebratory celestial attire is encouraged in honor of the full Moon. Take care in the cold weather and take advantage of these early sunsets to enjoy and share the wonders of the night sky. And avoid starting any wars. Here are the other celestial events between now and the full Moon after next, with times and angles based on the location of NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.: As winter continues in the Northern Hemisphere, the daily periods of sunlight continue to lengthen. Our 24-hour clock is based on the average length of a day with the solar days near the solstices longer than those near the equinoxes. For Washington, D.C. and similar latitudes (I’ve not checked for other areas) the latest sunrise of the year (ignoring Daylight Saving Time) occurred on January 4. Monday, January 13 (the day of the full Moon), morning twilight will begin at 6:24 a.m. EST, sunrise will be at 7:26 a.m., solar noon will be at 12:17 p.m. when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 29.8 degrees, sunset will be at 5:08 p.m., and evening twilight will end at 6:11 p.m. By Wednesday, February 12 (the day of the full Moon after next), morning twilight will begin at 6:04 a.m., sunrise will be at 7:03 a.m., solar noon will be at 12:23 p.m. when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 37.7 degrees, sunset will be at 5:43 p.m., and evening twilight will end at 6:41 p.m. This should be a good time for planet watching, especially with a backyard telescope. Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, and Uranus will all be in the evening sky. Brightest will be Venus, appearing in the southwestern sky. With a telescope you should be able to see it shift from half-full to a 29% illuminated crescent during this lunar cycle as it brightens and moves closer to the Earth. Venus will reach its brightest for the year just after the full Moon after next. Second in brightness will be Jupiter in the eastern sky. With a telescope you should be able to see Jupiter’s four bright moons, Ganymede, Callisto, Europa, and Io, noticeably shifting positions in the course of an evening. Jupiter was at its closest and brightest in early December. Third in brightness will be Mars low in the east-northeastern sky. Mars will be at its closest and brightest for the year a few days after this full Moon. Fourth in brightness will be Saturn, appearing near Venus in the southwestern sky. With a telescope you should be able to see Saturn’s bright moon Titan and maybe its rings. The rings are appearing very thin and will be edge-on to the Earth in March 2025. We won’t get the “classic” view of Saturn showing off its rings until 2026. Saturn was at its closest and brightest in early September and will appear its closest to Venus (2.2 degrees apart) the evening of January 18. Fifth in brightness and technically bright enough to see without a telescope (if you are in a very dark location and your eyesight is better than mine) will be Uranus high in the southeastern sky. Uranus was at its closest and brightest in mid-November. During this lunar cycle these planets will be rotating westward around the pole star Polaris (with Venus shifting more slowly) making them easier to see earlier in the evening, and friendlier for backyard stargazing, especially if you have young ones with earlier bedtimes. Comets As mentioned in my last posting, the sungrazing comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) will be passing very near the Sun on January 13. There is a chance that this comet will break up and vanish from view as it approaches the Sun, much as comet C/2024 S1 (ATLAS) did in October. In addition, its visual magnitude might not be bright enough to see in the daytime due to the glow of the nearby Sun. If it does not break up and is bright enough, Northern Hemisphere viewers will have the best viewing near its closest approach. For the Washington, D.C. area, it could be brightest the evening of January 12 before it sets on the southwestern horizon. You will need to find a distant object to block direct sunlight so you can safely look about 5 degrees to the upper right of the Sun. If the horizon is very clear, your best chance might be after sunset at 5:07 p.m. EST, but before the comet sets about 10 minutes later. Southern Hemisphere viewers will have the best viewing after closest approach, immediately after sunset from mid-January on (dimming each evening as it moves away from the Sun and the Earth). You may need binoculars or a telescope to see it, although comets are hard to predict. Meteor Showers Two minor meteor showers, the γ-Ursae Minorids (404 GUM) and α-Centaurids (102 ACE), will peak during this lunar cycle. The light of the waning Moon will interfere with the γ-Ursae Minorids peak on January 18. The α-Centaurids, only visible from the Southern Hemisphere, are expected to peak on February 8. In recent years the average peak has been 6 visible meteors per hour (under ideal conditions), although this shower showed bursts of 20 to 30 meteors per hour in 1974 and 1980. The best viewing conditions will likely be after the waxing gibbous Moon sets in the early mornings around the peak. Evening Sky Highlights On the evening of Monday, Jan. 13, 2025 (the evening of the full Moon), as twilight ends (at 6:11 p.m. EST), the rising Moon will be 13 degrees above the east-northeastern horizon with the bright planet Mars (the third brightest planet) 2 degrees to the lower left and the bright star Pollux (the brighter of the twin stars in the constellation Gemini, the twins) 3 degrees to the upper left of the Moon. The brightest planet visible will be Venus at 29 degrees above the southwestern horizon, with the planet Saturn (fourth brightest) 6 degrees to the upper left of Venus. The second brightest planet, Jupiter, will be 47 degrees above the eastern horizon. The bright star closest to overhead will be Capella at 50 degrees above the east-northeastern horizon. Capella is the 6th brightest star in our night sky and the brightest star in the constellation Auriga (the charioteer). Although we see Capella as a single star it is actually four stars (two pairs of stars orbiting each other). Capella is about 43 light years from us. As this lunar cycle progresses, the planets and the background of stars will appear to rotate westward around the pole star Polaris each evening, with Venus initially shifting the other direction. Mars will be at its closest and brightest on January 15. Venus and Saturn will appear closest to each other on January 18. Mars and Pollux will appear nearest each other on January 22 and 23. Venus will appear at its highest above the horizon (as twilight ends) on January 27, after which it will start shifting toward the horizon again. Jupiter and Aldebaran will appear at their closest on January 31. The waxing Moon will pass by Saturn on January 31; Venus on February 1; the Pleiades star cluster on February 5; and Mars and Pollux on February 10. By the evening of Wednesday, February 12 (the evening of the full Moon after next), as twilight ends (at 6:41 p.m. EST), the rising Moon will be 7 degrees above the east-northeastern horizon with the bright star Regulus 2 degrees to the right. The brightest planet in the sky will be Venus at 28 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon, appearing as a crescent through a telescope. Next in brightness will be Jupiter at 71 degrees above the south-southeastern horizon. Third in brightness will be Mars at 48 degrees above the eastern horizon. Saturn will be 11 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon. Uranus, on the edge of what is visible under extremely clear, dark skies, will be 68 degrees above the south-southwestern horizon. The bright star closest to overhead will still be Capella at 75 degrees above the northeastern horizon. Also high in the sky will be the constellation Orion, easily identifiable because of the three stars that form Orion’s Belt. This time of year, we see many bright stars in the sky at evening twilight, with bright stars scattered from the south-southeast toward the northwest. We see more stars in this direction because we are looking toward the Local Arm of our home galaxy (also called the Orion Arm, Orion-Cygnus Arm, or Orion Bridge). This arm is about 3,500 light years across and 10,000 light years long. Some of the bright stars we see from this arm are the three stars of Orion’s Belt, as well as Rigel (860 light years from Earth), Betelgeuse (548 light years), Polaris (about 400 light years), and Deneb (about 2,600 light years). Facing toward the south from the northern hemisphere, to the upper left of Orion’s Belt is the bright star Betelgeuse (be careful not to say this name three times). About the same distance to the lower right is the bright star Rigel. Orion’s belt appears to point down and to the left about seven belt lengths to the bright star Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Below Sirius is the bright star Adara. To the upper right of Orion’s Belt (at about the same distance from Orion as Sirius) is the bright star Aldebaran. Nearly overhead is the bright star Capella. To the left (east) of Betelgeuse is the bright star Procyon. The two stars above Procyon are Castor and Pollux, the twin stars of the constellation Gemini (Pollux is the brighter of the two). The bright star Regulus appears farther to the left (east) of Pollux near the eastern horizon. Very few places on the East Coast are dark enough to see the Milky Way (our home galaxy), but if you could see it, it would appear to stretch overhead from the southeast to the northwest. Since we are seeing our galaxy from the inside, the combined light from its 100 billion to 400 billion stars make it appear as a band surrounding the Earth. Morning Sky Highlights On the morning of Monday, Jan. 13, 2025 (the morning of the full Moon), as twilight begins (at 6:23 a.m. EST), the setting full Moon will be 11 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon. This will be the last morning the planet Mercury will rise before morning twilight begins, although it will be bright enough to see in the glow of dawn after it rises for another week or so. This will leave Mars at 18 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon as the only planet in the sky. The bright star appearing closest to overhead will be Arcturus at 69 degrees above the south-southeastern horizon. Arcturus is the brightest star in the constellation Boötes (the herdsman or plowman) and the 4th brightest star in our night sky. It is 36.7 light years from us. While it has about the same mass as our Sun, it is about 2.6 billion years older and has used up its core hydrogen, becoming a red giant 25 times the size and 170 times the brightness of our Sun. One way to identify Arcturus in the night sky is to start at the Big Dipper, then follow the arc of the dipper’s handle as it “arcs toward Arcturus.” As this lunar cycle progresses Mars and the background of stars will appear to rotate westward around the pole star Polaris by about 1 degree each morning. The waning Moon will appear near Mars and Pollux on January 13 and 14, Regulus on January 16, Spica on January 21, Antares on January 24 and 25, and (rising after morning twilight begins) Mercury on January 28. January 22 will be the last morning the planet Mercury will be above the horizon 30 minutes before sunrise. Mars and Pollux will be near their closest to each other the morning of January 23. February 4 will be the last morning the planet Mars will be above the northwestern horizon as morning twilight begins. The waxing Moon will appear near Pollux on February 9 (setting before twilight begins) and 10. By the morning of Wednesday, February 12 (the morning of the full Moon after next), as twilight begins (at 6:04 a.m. EST), the setting full Moon will be 13 degrees above the western horizon. No planets will appear in the sky. The bright star appearing closest to overhead will still be Arcturus at 65 degrees above the southeastern horizon. Detailed Daily Guide Here is a day-by-day listing of celestial events between now and the full Moon on Feb. 12, 2025. The times and angles are based on the location of NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and some of these details may differ for where you are (I use parentheses to indicate times specific to the D.C. area). If your latitude is significantly different than 39 degrees north (and especially for my Southern Hemisphere readers), I recommend using an astronomy app set for your location or a star-watching guide from a local observatory, news outlet, or astronomy club. Tuesday evening, January 7 At 7:07 p.m. EST, the Moon will be at perigee, its closest to the Earth for this orbit. Thursday evening, January 9 The waxing gibbous Moon will pass in front of the Pleiades star cluster. This may be viewed best with binoculars, as the brightness of the Moon will make it hard to see the stars in this star cluster. As evening twilight ends at 6:07 p.m. EST, the Pleiades will appear 1 degree to the lower left of the full Moon. Over the next few hours, including as the Moon reaches its highest for the night at 8:37 p.m., the Moon will pass in front of the Pleiades, blocking many of these stars from view. By about midnight the Pleiades will appear about 1 degree below the Moon, and the Moon and the Pleiades will separate as Friday morning progresses. Also on Thursday night, January 9, the planet Venus will reach its greatest angular separation from the Sun as seen from the Earth for this apparition (called greatest elongation). Because the angle between the line from the Sun to Venus and the line of the horizon changes with the seasons, the date when Venus and the Sun appear farthest apart as seen from Earth is not always the same as when it appears highest above the west-southwestern horizon as evening twilight ends, which occurs on January 27. Friday evening, January 10 The bright planet Jupiter will appear near the waxing gibbous Moon. As evening twilight ends at 6:08 p.m. EST, Jupiter will be 5 degrees to the lower right. As the Moon reaches its highest for the night at 9:37 p.m., Jupiter will be 6 degrees below the Moon. The pair will continue to separate until Jupiter sets Saturday morning at 4:45 a.m. Sunday afternoon, January 12 There is a slight chance that the sungrazing comet, C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) might be visible near the setting Sun. Most likely, this comet will not be bright enough to see in the daytime or will break up and vanish from view like comet C/2024 S1 (ATLAS) did in October. The odds are low, but if the sky is clear, find an object to block direct sunlight (the farther away the object the better) so you can safely look about 5 degrees to the upper right of the Sun. If the west-southwestern horizon is clear, your best chance might be after sunset at 5:07 p.m. EST, but before the comet sets about 10 minutes later. This will only be visible from the Northern Hemisphere. Southern Hemisphere viewers may be able to see this comet from mid-January on immediately after sunset (dimming each evening as it moves away from us). Monday morning, January 13 This is the morning of the full Moon. It will be the last morning Mercury will rise before morning twilight begins, although it will be bright enough to see in the glow of dawn after it rises for another week or so. The Moon will be full Monday evening at 5:27 p.m. EST. This will be on Tuesday from the South Africa and Eastern European time zones eastward across the rest of Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, etc., to the International Date Line in the mid-Pacific. The Moon will appear full for about three days around this time, from Sunday evening (and possibly the last part of Sunday morning) into Wednesday morning. On Monday night the full Moon will appear near and pass in front of the bright planet Mars, with the bright star Pollux above the pair. As evening twilight ends at 6:11 p.m. EST, the three will form a triangle, with Mars 2 degrees to the lower left and Pollux 3 degrees to the upper left of the Moon. For most of the continental USA as well as parts of Africa, Canada, and Mexico, the Moon will pass in front of Mars. Times will vary for other locations, but for NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., Mars will vanish behind the bottom of the Moon at about 9:16 p.m. and reappear from behind the upper right of the Moon at about 10:31 p.m. By the time the Moon reaches its highest for the night early on Tuesday morning at 12:37 a.m., Mars will be 1 degree to the right of the Moon and Pollux 5 degrees to the upper right. As morning twilight begins at 6:23 a.m., Mars will be 4 degrees and Pollux 8 degrees to the lower right of the Moon. Wednesday night January 15 The planet Mars will be at opposition, so called because it will be opposite the Earth from the Sun, effectively a “full” Mars. Near opposition Mars will be at its closest and brightest for the year. On Wednesday night, as evening twilight ends at 6:13 p.m. EST, Mars will be 14 degrees above the east-northeastern horizon. Mars will reach its highest in the sky early Thursday morning at 12:21 a.m., and will be 15 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon as morning twilight begins at 6:23 a.m. Only planets that orbit farther from the Sun than the Earth can be seen at opposition from the Earth. Wednesday night into Thursday morning, January 15 to 16 The bright star Regulus will appear near the waning gibbous Moon. As Regulus rises on the east-northeastern horizon at 7:52 p.m. EST, it will be more than 8 degrees below the Moon. By the time the Moon reaches its highest for the night on Thursday morning at 2:17 a.m. Regulus will be 5.5 degrees to the lower left of the Moon. As morning twilight begins at 6:23 a.m. Regulus will be 4 degrees to the left of the Moon. Saturday evening, January 18 Venus and Saturn will appear nearest to each other. As evening twilight ends at 6:15 p.m. EST, Venus will be 30 degrees above the southwestern horizon with Saturn 2.2 degrees to the lower left. Saturn will set first on the western horizon almost 3 hours later at 9:04 p.m. Monday night, January 20 At 11:53 p.m. EST, the Moon will be at apogee, its farthest from the Earth for this orbit. Tuesday morning, January 21 The bright star Spica will appear near the waning gibbous Moon. As the Moon rises on the east-southeastern horizon at 12:11 a.m. EST Spica will be 1 degree above the Moon. By the time the Moon reaches its highest for the night at 5:41 a.m., Spica will be 3.5 degrees to the upper right, with morning twilight beginning 40 minutes later at 6:21 a.m. For parts of Western Africa and the Atlantic Ocean the Moon will pass in front of Spica. Tuesday afternoon, the waning Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its last quarter at 3:31 p.m. EST (when we can’t see it). Wednesday morning, January 22 This will be the last morning Mercury will be above the horizon 30 minutes before sunrise, an approximation of the last morning it might be visible in the glow of dawn. Throughout this lunar cycle, Mars and the bright star Pollux will appear near each other, with Wednesday night into Thursday morning and Thursday night into Friday morning (January 22, 23, and 24) the nights when they will be at their closest, 2.5 degrees apart. They will be up all night for both nights, with Mars at its highest on Wednesday night at 11:41 p.m. EST, and Thursday night at 11:36 p.m. Friday morning, January 24 The bright star Antares will appear to the lower left of the waning crescent Moon. As Antares rises on the southeastern horizon at 3:54 a.m. EST, it will be 8 degrees from the Moon. By the time morning twilight begins less than 2.5 hours later at 6:19 a.m., Antares will be 6.5 degrees from the Moon. For part of the Indian Ocean the Moon will actually pass in front of Pollux. Saturday morning, January 25 The Moon will have shifted to the other side of Antares. As the Moon rises at 4:20 a.m. EST, Antares will be 6 degrees to the upper right of the Moon. By the time morning twilight begins 2 hours later at 6:19 a.m., Antares will be 7 degrees from the Moon. Monday evening, January 27 Venus will be at its highest above the west-southwestern horizon (31 degrees) as evening twilight ends at 6:25 p.m. EST, appearing as a 41% illuminated crescent through a telescope. Wednesday morning, January 29 At 7:36 a.m. EST there will be a new Moon, when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, and the Moon will not be visible from the Earth. The day of, or the day after, the New Moon marks the start of the new month for most lunisolar calendars. The first month of the Chinese calendar starts on Wednesday, January 29, making this Chinese New Year, the start of the Year of the Snake! Chinese New Year and related celebrations throughout much of Asia and in areas with significant Chinese populations celebrate the end of winter and start of spring. Traditional festivities start on the eve of Chinese New Year and continue until the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Sundown on Wednesday, January 29 This marks the start of Shevat in the Hebrew calendar. Sundown on Thursday, January 30 In the Islamic calendar, the months traditionally start with the first sighting of the waxing crescent Moon. Many Muslim communities now follow the Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia, which uses astronomical calculations to start months in a more predictable way. Using this calendar, sundown on Thursday, January 30, will probably mark the beginning of Shaʿbān, the eighth month of the Islamic year and the month before Ramadan. Friday evening, January 31 Saturn will appear 4 degrees to the upper left of the waxing crescent Moon. The Moon will be 17 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon as evening twilight ends at 6:29 p.m. EST, and will set on the western horizon 99 minutes later at 8:08 p.m. For part of Asia the Moon will actually pass in front of Saturn. Throughout this lunar cycle the bright star Aldebaran will appear below the bright planet Jupiter, with Friday, January 31 the evening they appear at their closest, about 5 degrees apart. As evening twilight ends at 6:29 p.m. EST, Jupiter will be 65 degrees above the southeastern horizon with Aldebaran to the lower right. Jupiter will reach its highest for the night, 73 degrees above the southern horizon at 8:01 p.m., with Aldebaran below Jupiter. As Aldebaran sets on the west-northwestern horizon almost 7 hours after that at 2:56 a.m. it will be to the lower left of the Moon. Saturday evening, February 1 Venus will appear near the waxing crescent Moon. The Moon will be 30 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon as evening twilight ends at 6:30 p.m. EST, with Venus 2.5 degrees to the upper right. Venus will be 2.5 degrees to the lower right as it sets first on the western horizon 2.75 hours later at 9:15 p.m. Saturday night, at 9:38 p.m. EST, the Moon will be at perigee, its closest to the Earth for this orbit. Saturday also is Imbolc or Imbolg, and the next day (Sunday, February 2) is Candlemas or Groundhog’s Day. We currently divide the year into four seasons based upon the solstices and equinoxes, with spring starting on the vernal equinox. This approximates winter as the quarter of the year with the coldest temperatures. Much of pre-Christian northern Europe celebrated “cross-quarter days” halfway between the solstices and equinoxes, dividing the seasons on these days. Using this definition, winter was the quarter of the year with the shortest daily periods of daylight, and spring started on Imbolc (the middle of our winter). The tradition in some European countries was to leave Christmas decorations up until February 1st, the eve of Candlemas, and it was considered bad luck to leave decorations up past this date. Robert Herrick (1591-1674) starts his poem “Ceremonies for Candlemas Eve” with “Down with the rosemary and bays, down with the mistletoe; Instead of holly, now up-raise the greener box (for show).” We have a tradition in the United States that winter will end on Groundhog Day if the groundhog sees its shadow. If not, winter will last six weeks more (ending around the time of the spring equinox). Groundhog Day appears to tie back to European lore about whether or not badgers, wolves, or bears (instead of groundhogs) see their shadows. Many believe that these Groundhog Day and Candlemas traditions tie back to these earlier celebrations for the start of spring. It seems plausible to me that it was confusing to have two competing dates for the end of winter. Perhaps it was best to let a natural event such as an animal’s shadow decide which definition to use, rather than arguing with your neighbors for the next six weeks. Tuesday morning, February 4 This will be the last morning Mars will be above the northwestern horizon as morning twilight begins. Wednesday morning, February 5 The Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its first quarter at 3:02 a.m. EST (when we can’t see it). Wednesday evening the waxing gibbous Moon will appear near the Pleiades star cluster. As evening twilight ends at 6:34 p.m. EST, this star cluster will be 5 degrees to the upper left of the Moon. The Pleiades will shift closer toward the Moon until the Moon sets on the west-northwestern horizon less than 8 hours later at 2:16 a.m. Some North American locations farther west will actually see the Moon pass in front of some of the stars in the Pleiades. Sunday morning, February 9 Mars will appear to the upper left of the waxing gibbous Moon. In the early morning at about 2 a.m. EST, Mars will be 8 degrees from the Moon. By the time the Moon sets on the northwestern horizon at 5:58 a.m., Mars will have shifted to 6 degrees from the Moon. For parts of Asia and Northern Europe the Moon will pass in front of Mars. Also Sunday morning, Mercury will be passing on the far side of the Sun as seen from the Earth, called superior conjunction. Because Mercury orbits inside of the orbit of Earth it will be shifting from the morning sky to the evening sky and will begin emerging from the glow of dusk on the west-southwestern horizon after about February 17 (depending upon viewing conditions). Sunday evening into Monday morning, February 9 to 10 The waxing gibbous Moon will have shifted to the other side of Mars (having passed in front of Mars in the afternoon when we could not see them). As evening twilight ends at 6:38 p.m. EST, the Moon will be between Mars and the bright star Pollux, with Mars 3 degrees to the upper right and Pollux 3 degrees to the lower left. By the time the Moon reaches its highest for the night at 10:27 p.m., Mars will be 4.5 degrees to the right of the Moon and Pollux 2.5 degrees to the upper left of the Moon. Mars will set first on the northwestern horizon Monday morning at 5:44 a.m. just 22 minutes before morning twilight begins at 6:06 a.m. Wednesday morning, February 12 The full Moon after next will be at 8:53 a.m. EST, with the bright star Regulus nearby. This will be on Thursday morning from Australian Central Time eastward to the International Date Line in the mid-Pacific. The Moon will appear full for about three days around this time, from Monday night into early Thursday evening. Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Skywatching Solar System Exploration Planets Asteroids, Comets & Meteors View the full article

Official portrait of Adam Schlesinger.NASA/Bill Stafford NASA has selected Adam Schlesinger as manager for CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services). Schlesinger previously served as the Gateway Program habitation and logistics outpost project lead engineer at Johnson Space Center. “I am honored and tremendously excited to take on this new role as NASA continues to enable a growing lunar economy while leveraging the entrepreneurial innovation of the commercial space industry,” Schlesinger said. Schlesinger brings more than 20 years’ experience to NASA human space flight programs. Prior to supporting Gateway, Mr. Schlesinger managed the Advanced Exploration Systems Avionics and Software Project, leading a multi-center team to develop and advance several innovative technologies that were targeted for future NASA exploration missions. Mr. Schlesinger also established and led a variety of key public/private partnerships with commercial providers as part of the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-2 activities. Mr. Schlesinger began his NASA career as a co-op in the Avionic Systems Division and has served in multiple positions within the Engineering and Exploration Architecture, Integration, and Science Directorates, each with increasing technical leadership responsibilities. Mr. Schlesinger earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. “Adam is an outstanding leader and engineer, and I am extremely pleased to announce his selection for this position,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. “His wealth of experience in human spaceflight, commercial partnerships, and the development and operations of deep-space spacecraft will be a huge asset to CLPS.” Throughout his career, Schlesinger has been recognized for outstanding technical achievements and leadership, including multiple NASA Exceptional Achievement Medals, Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Early Career Stellar Award and Middle Career Stellar Award nominee, JSC Director’s Commendation Award, Advanced Exploration Systems Innovation Award, and NASA Early Career Achievement Medal. View the full article

NASA In this Dec. 11, 1963, image, technicians prepare a test subject for studies on the Reduced Gravity Walking Simulator at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. This position meant that a person’s legs experienced only one sixth of their weight, which was the equivalent of being on the Moon’s surface. The simulator was used to study the subject while walking, jumping, or running; it also was used to train Apollo astronauts for completing tasks in the unfamiliar lunar environment. The effect was quite realistic. When asked what it was like to land on the Moon, Neil Armstrong replied, “Like Langley.” Image credit: NASA View the full article

NASA White Sands Test Facility Las Cruces, New Mexico Soil Remediation at the 600 Area Off-Site Pile Origins of the 600 Area Off-Site Pile The NASA White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) is crucial for supporting space exploration and technology development. Located in New Mexico, it provides a controlled environment for testing and evaluating spacecraft, propulsion systems, and other aerospace technologies. The facility is instrumental in conducting critical tests such as engine firings, thermal and environmental testing, and materials research. Its role in ensuring the safety, reliability, and performance of spacecraft and systems makes it a key asset in NASA’s mission to explore space and advance scientific knowledge. Unfortunately, past practices associated with the execution of its mission adversely impacted soil and groundwater resources. From June 1974 to December 1979, sludge and soil removed from a domestic and industrial wastewater lagoon was stockpiled on Bureau of Land Management land west of the NASA White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) facility boundary, less than a mile from the lagoon. When accumulation of material ceased, the sludge/soil debris pile lay dormant with no boundary identification. In 1993, during a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act field investigation the debris pile was identified and reported to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and designated as Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 16. Investigation Summary Initial investigations were completed at SWMU 16 in 2015 and 2018 to characterize the stockpiled sludge/soil and native soils beneath the stockpile to a depth of 30 feet. Analysis of soil sample data indicated the contaminants in the pile posed a risk to human health and the environment due to identified concentrations of nitrates, metals, volatile and semi-volatile organics, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and dioxins and furans. The NMED agreed to the removal and off-site disposal of New Mexico Special Waste in 2021. Removal, Disposal, Confirmation Sampling Excavation of the stockpile and the upper 6 inches of native soil was completed in January 2024. Excavation of native soils extended approximately 10 ft beyond the extent of the pile. A total of 1,072.7 tons of sludge and soil were disposed at the Corralitos Landfill. In February 2024, confirmatory soil samples were collected from 38 locations on a 30-foot grid established across SWMU 16, encompassing the location of the removed stockpile and all areas potentially affected by site operations. These samples were submitted for laboratory chemical analyses to determine if NASA had met is remedial objectives and eliminated the exposure risk to human health and the environment. Risk Assessment The results showed that NASA had succeeded. The site was restored. Results of soil sample analyses did not identify site contaminants remain at the site, and a risk assessment did not identify elevated risk to receptors or to groundwater beneath the site. NASA concluded that site contaminants have been removed, the risk to human health and the environment are below regulatory targets. NASA recommended a change in site status from “Requiring Corrective Action” to “Corrective Action Complete without Controls”. The report of results is currently under review by the NMED. Visit nasa.gov/emd to learn more about NASA’s Environmental Management Division (EMD)! View the full article

1 Min Read Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) The SBIR/STTR programs provide an opportunity for small, high technology companies and research institutions (RI) to participate in Government sponsored research and development (R&D) efforts in key technology areas. NASA SBIR Phase I contracts have a period of performance for 6 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts have a period of performance up to 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000. The STTR Phase I contracts last for 13 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts last for 24 months with the maximum contract value of $750,000. SBIR/STTR Status Search SBIR.NASA.GOV Home Page SBIR/STTR Extension Request Form SBIR/STTR Electronic Handbook SBA – SBIR/STTR Policy Directive View the full article

To put boots on the Moon—and keep them there—will require bold thinkers ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. That’s why NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement at Johnson Space Center in Houston is on a mission to empower the next generation of explorers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Through the High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) program, Texas juniors have the opportunity to immerse themselves in space exploration through interactive learning experiences. “HAS is such an important program because we introduce students to the multitude of careers and experiences that contribute to space exploration,” said NASA HAS Activity Manager Jakarda Varnado. “We go beyond asking students who they want to be when they grow up and ask what problems they want to solve.” Meet Former HAS Student Madeline King Madeline King always knew she wanted a career in STEM, with a dream of working at NASA influencing her decision to pursue a degree in Engineering. Before joining HAS, King thought scientists mainly worked in labs and engineers focused on design. But the HAS program revealed a different reality—scientists and engineers often collaborated on interdisciplinary projects, sometimes even sharing roles. Official portrait of Madeline King.NASA The program broadened King’s perspective on the diverse paths a STEM degree can lead to. It showed her that careers at NASA offer opportunities across various fields and disciplines. King said participating in HAS helped to strengthen her problem-solving skills and ability to think creatively. The program required students to tackle complex technical tasks independently, emphasizing self-directed learning. King describes HAS as fun, challenging, and engaging, which helped her excel in technical roles. “Learning to digest and internalize this information is a skill I continue to use when getting up to speed in new groups or taking on projects outside my current skill set,” said King. Though King joined HAS during COVID-19, which limited in-person interactions, the experience still made an impact. Her mentors also offered insights into graduate school options, helping her weigh the benefits of advanced degrees against gaining hands-on experience at NASA. The program opened doors to internships at Johnson in the Engineering Robotics and the Avionics Systems Integration Division. Now, she is studying mechanical engineering at the University of Houston, bringing passion and experience in electronics, robotics, education, project management, and aviation. “Early on in my internship journey, HAS shined on my resume,” she said. “It demonstrated that I already had experience with NASA’s culture, values, and mission.” Looking forward, King envisions herself as a flight controller, contributing to both the International Space Station Program and the Artemis campaign. Driven by her passion for NASA’s mission, King is just beginning her journey and is eager to be part of the future of space exploration. “My internships since HAS have allowed me to make small contributions to both of these missions, and I’m excited to specialize as a full-time engineer,” said King. Meet Caroline Vergara As a first-generation student, Caroline Vergara lacked the resources to fully explore her interests in aerospace engineering, let alone envision what that career might look like. That all changed when she was accepted into NASA’s HAS program. “The exposure to real-world innovation ignited my desire to be part of something bigger, something that pushes the boundaries of human knowledge and capability,” she said. Caroline Vergara announces the launch of the model rocket she built during her time in the HAS program. NASA/David DeHoyos Touring NASA facilities and watching engineers work on projects opened her eyes to the possibilities in STEM. Today, Vergara is a propulsion design engineering intern at United Launch Alliance, contributing to the Vulcan rocket as a Brooke Owens Fellow. Vergara initially thought working in STEM was mostly about writing equations or running simulations but HAS showed her it is so much more. “A STEM career is about curiosity, collaboration, and the power to change the world,” she said. During the program, Vergara joined a team of students to tackle a mission simulation project. They called themselves “Charlie and the Rocket Factory” and designed a prototype rocket together. Working with peers from all over the country showed her the power of diverse perspectives. She experienced firsthand what it was like to be part of a team with a shared vision, working toward something bigger than themselves. Vergara also discovered her love for 3D printing and computer-aided design through HAS. She spent hours fine-tuning designs, fascinated by the process of turning digital models into physical reality. Her experience with HAS also sparked a desire to give back. She returned to her hometown to share her story and encourage other students to pursue STEM. Partnering with Johnson Community Engagement Lead Jessica Cordero, she organized video conferences with NASA engineers on International Women in Engineering Day to inspire a new wave of students to be part of space exploration. “The aerospace industry is entering a new space age, and we have the unique opportunity to put humans back on the Moon and explore beyond,” she said. Her advice to the Artemis Generation is: “Go for it! You could be part of the generation that changes humanity’s destiny.” Caroline Vergara, University of Houston Class of 2025. As a mechanical engineering honors student at the University of Houston and chief engineer of Space City Rocketry, Vergara envisions contributing to the Artemis campaign and advancing NASA’s mission to explore the cosmos. “My dream is to contribute to space exploration efforts that put humans back on the Moon and beyond, and to one day work in Mission Control Center, where I can help guide those historic missions into the future.” Meet Iker Aguirre For Iker Aguirre, the spark that ignited his journey toward a career in aerospace was lit by a passing conversation during his freshman year of high school. A senior classmate described the HAS program as a once-in-a-lifetime experience that cemented his passion for aerospace. That moment stayed with Aguirre, and when the opportunity arose, he did not hesitate to apply. Iker Aguirre inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “HAS showed me that in order to accomplish something as complex as Artemis, you need a well-rounded set of teams and individuals,” he said. “You don’t need to study aerospace to be in the aerospace industry!” In 2020, Aguirre participated during the remote-only version of HAS, but he recalls that the program still gave him a much deeper understanding of the spaceflight industry. Despite already being interested in aerospace, Aguirre says HAS broadened his horizons, showing him the diverse pathways into the field. Through collaborative projects with peers across Texas, he discovered that solving the challenges of space exploration requires more than just aerospace engineers. The program’s emphasis on teamwork left a lasting impression. During his time with HAS, Aguirre found himself working alongside students from different backgrounds, each bringing unique perspectives to problem-solving. It introduced him to dedicated and passionate people with various personalities and cultures who all shared similar dreams and aspirations as him. Aguirre credits HAS with not only refining his technical skills but also shaping his approach to innovation and teamwork. That experience paid off as he moved through his academic and professional journey, including Pathways program internships with NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “Getting connections at NASA through HAS helped me open many doors so far,” said Aguirre. “I met many good friends through HAS and my internship at Johnson, which I value to this day.” Now pursuing a degree in rocket propulsion, with a focus on turbomachinery design, Aguirre remains committed to advancing space exploration. He hopes to contribute to humanity’s mobility in space, tackling challenges in rocket engine feed systems. Iker Aguirre at NASA’s Johnson Space Center during his HAS internship. Through HAS, Aguirre found not just an educational program, but a community and a purpose. “My journey will forever be interlinked with NASA’s core values of benefiting humanity on and off the Earth,” he said. “I hope to inspire others just as much as the people who inspired me through my journey!” View the full article

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) A Boeing 777-300ER aircraft is being inspected by one of Near Earth Autonomy’s drones Feb. 2, 2024, at an Emirates Airlines facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.Near Earth Autonomy A small business called Near Earth Autonomy developed a time-saving solution using drones for pre-flight checks of commercial airliners through a NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and a partnership with The Boeing Company. Before commercial airliners are deemed safe to fly before each trip, a pre-flight inspection must be completed. This process can take up to four hours, and can involve workers climbing around the plane to check for any issues, which can sometimes result in safety mishaps as well as diagnosis errors. With NASA and Boeing funding to bolster commercial readiness, Near Earth Autonomy developed a drone-enabled solution, under their business unit Proxim, that can fly around a commercial airliner and gather inspection data in less than 30 minutes. The drone can autonomously fly around an aircraft to complete the inspection by following a computer-programmed task card based on the Federal Aviation Administration’s rules for commercial aircraft inspection. The card shows the flight path the drone’s software needs to take, enabling aircraft workers with a new tool to increase safety and efficiency. “NASA has worked with Near Earth Autonomy on autonomous inspection challenges in multiple domains,” says Danette Allen, NASA senior leader for autonomous systems. “We are excited to see this technology spin out to industry to increase efficiencies, safety, and accuracy of the aircraft inspection process for overall public benefit.” The photos collected from the drone are shared and analyzed remotely, which allows experts in the airline maintenance field to support repair decisions faster from any location. New images can be compared to old images to look for cracks, popped rivets, leaks, and other common issues. The user can ask the system to create alerts if an area needs to be inspected again or fails an inspection. Near Earth Autonomy estimates that using drones for aircraft inspection can save the airline industry an average of $10,000 per hour of lost earnings during unplanned time on the ground. Over the last six years, Near Earth Autonomy completed several rounds of test flights with their drone system on Boeing aircraft used by American Airlines and Emirates Airlines. NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer program, managed by the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, aims to bolster American ingenuity by supporting innovative ideas put forth by small businesses to fulfill NASA and industry needs. These research needs are described in annual SBIR solicitations and target technologies that have significant potential for successful commercialization. Small business concerns with 500 or fewer employees, or small businesses partnering with a non-profit research institution such as a university or a research laboratory can apply to participate in the NASA SBIR/STTR program. Share Details Last Updated Jan 03, 2025 EditorDede DiniusContactTeresa Whitingteresa.whiting@nasa.govLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related TermsArmstrong Flight Research CenterAdvanced Air MobilityAmes Research CenterDrones & YouFlight InnovationGlenn Research CenterLangley Research CenterSBIR STTR Explore More 3 min read How a NASA Senior Database Administrator Manifested her Dream Job Article 2 weeks ago 16 min read NASA Ames Astrogram – December 2024 Article 2 weeks ago 5 min read NASA’s Ames Research Center Celebrates 85 Years of Innovation Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center Aeronautics Drones & You Sky for All View the full article

Credit: NASA NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EST, Tuesday, Jan. 7, to provide an update on the status of the agency’s Mars Sample Return Program. The briefing will include NASA’s efforts to complete its goals of returning scientifically selected samples from Mars to Earth while lowering cost, risk, and mission complexity. Audio of the media call will stream live on the agency’s website. Media interested in participating by phone must RSVP no later than two hours prior to the start of the call to: dewayne.a.washington@nasa.gov. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is online. The agency’s Mars Sample Return Program has been a major long-term goal of international planetary exploration for more than two decades. NASA’s Perseverance rover is collecting compelling science samples that will help scientists understand the geological history of Mars, the evolution of its climate, and prepare for future human explorers. The return of the samples also will help NASA’s search for signs of ancient life. For more information about NASA’s Mars exploration, visit: https://nasa.gov/mars -end- Meira Bernstein / Dewayne Washington Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 meira.b.bernstein@nasa.gov / dewayne.a.washington@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Jan 03, 2025 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsMars Sample Return (MSR)Science Mission Directorate View the full article

This letter from SARA is to issue a waiver for NASA grantees attending the 2025 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC), allowing them to be reimbursed out of their grants for their actual lodging, although it’s expected to be above the approved GSA amount. This waiver does not supersede the travel policy of your institution if it is more restrictive. Note: I have specified grants (including cooperative agreements). This may also apply to those traveling on NASA contracts, but they should communicate with their contracting officers. The host hotel for the 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference on March 10–14, 2025, is The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. Hotel information for this conference may be found at https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2025/plan/. The GSA-allowed daily lodging expense for March 2025 for zip code 77380 (for The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center) is $128 per night. Many of the hotels may be significantly higher than the GSA allowed $128. Grantee travelers may need a waiver to cover lodging in excess of the GSA value, depending on the travel policy of your organization. This waiver does not supersede the travel policy of your institution if it is more restrictive. By the power vested in me by the NSSC to issue approval of the actual lodging costs for a conference in “bulk” instead of individual approvals, I hereby affirm that for the 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference NASA, SMD grants may be charged up to $266/night plus taxes and fees, consistent with the average actual cost of the conference hotel, even though this exceeds the $128 allotted for lodging by GSA for The Woodlands for March 2025. Share Details Last Updated Jan 03, 2025 Editor NASA Science Editorial Team Related Terms For Researchers Grants & Opportunities Lunar Science Planetary Science Science Mission Directorate Explore More 5 min read NASA’s LEXI Will Provide X-Ray Vision of Earth’s Magnetosphere Article 3 hours ago 2 min read NASA Workshops Culturally Inclusive Planetary Engagement with Educators Article 23 hours ago 3 min read Astronomy Activation Ambassadors: A New Era Article 3 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

Earth Observer Earth Home Earth Observer Home Editor’s Corner Feature Articles Meeting Summaries News Science in the News Calendars In Memoriam More Archives 27 min read Summary of the Third Annual AEOIP Workshop Introduction The Applied Earth Observations Innovation Partnership (AEOIP) was established in 2018 to facilitate knowledge coproduction and optimization of NASA Earth observations that can be used by natural resource managers for decision making. Through continued iteration and reflection, coproduction brings together stakeholders to share responsibilities and the completion of activities towards a common goal. AEOIP enables strong collaborations between NASA and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), along with growing participation from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and other federal land management agencies. AEOIP has held several previous meetings: the first was a Joint Applications Workshop on Satellite Data for Natural Resource Management held April 29–May 2, 2019, reported in an Earth Observer article, “Summary of the USFS–NASA Joint Applications Workshop on Satellite Data for Natural Resource Management.” The group met again virtually in 2020 during PitchFest. In 2022, a virtual workshop on Integrating Remote Sensing Data for Land Management Decision-Making took place March 23–24, 2022. In 2023, the AEOIP workshop took place April 25–27, 2023, with a hybrid format – the in-person participants met at the USFS Geospatial Technology and Applications Center (GTAC) in Salt Lake City, UT. The 2023 workshop focused on Addressing Land & Water Monitoring Needs Using Remote Sensing Data. These workshops have been designed to build connections between participants across the research-to-applications spectrum with subject matter experts from a variety of federal agencies and other affiliations to continue to promote interagency collaboration within the Earth Observations (EO) applications field. This goal is accomplished using interactive panels and guided discussion sessions that highlight new tools and techniques, promote NASA EO data product uptake, and foster connections between data providers and data users. 2024 Workshop Overview The most recent AEOIP workshop took place April 23–25, 2024, with a hybrid format. The in-person participants met in Ann Arbor, MI. The three-day event had a similar structure to its predecessors but with a wildland fire management theme. Altogether, 135 people participated in the workshop, with 77 attending in person and 58 virtually – see Photo 1. Photo 1. Participants at the 2024 AEOIP workshop. Photo credit: AEOIP Meeting Objectives The workshop objectives were to: meet AEOIP’s mission by providing a forum for building new relationships among Earth observations data providers, users, and stakeholders; gather and/or codevelop “shovel-ready” ideas to better leverage Earth observations to meet science and management priorities of U.S. land and natural resource management agencies; gather needs for and/or develop educational materials to support the use of existing EO training resources for fire management; and gather ideas for the 2025 workshop and other AEOIP activities. Breakout Sessions A large segment of this workshop was dedicated to four concurrent topical breakout sessions – referred to in this report as Breakout Sessions A–D. The topics covered in each breakout session are listed below, along with the name(s) of those who facilitated discussion. Breakout Session A: Fuels, Wildland Fire Emissions, Carbon & Climate – Andy Hudak [USFS] and Edil Sepulveda Carlo [NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)/Science Systems and Applications Inc. (SSAI)]; Breakout Session B: Prescribed Fire Planning & Management – Nancy French [Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI)], Birgit Peterson [USGS], and Jessica Meisel [University of Idaho]; Breakout Session C: Fractional Vegetation Cover Products & Decision Making – Tim Assal and Jake Slyder [both U.S. Department of Interior, BLM], and Liz Hoy and Amanda Armstrong [both at GSFC]; and Alexis O’Callahan [University of Arkansas]. Breakout Session D: Post-fire Effects & Recovery: Assess, Predict, Remediate, and Monitor – Mary Ellen Miller [MTRI]. All of the breakout groups met on each day of the meeting. On the morning of the first day, the facilitators of each group gave brief “elevator pitches” about each breakout topic, and participants selected a topic for focus. After that, a block of time each day was dedicated to breakout activities and discussions. Participants were asked to focus on different aspects of the topic each day. In the afternoon of the first day, each group focused on identifying needs and challenges in the area being discussed – with a brief report-out at the end of the day. On the afternoon of the second day, the focus was on data availability and solutions – i.e., finding ways to overcome obstacles to making data more readily available to users – again with a brief report- out at the end of the day. On the morning of the third day, there were topical presentations. Each group worked to synthesize their three days of discussions and chose a representative to give a summary report during the closing plenary later that morning. Workshop Summary The remainder of this article presents highlights from each day of the workshop. This includes the most important presentations given during the meeting and those given during the breakout sessions. The report also includes highlights from training breakouts given on the second day of the workshop and a summary of a prescribed fire field trip, which took place the day before the workshop and visited two locations – see Optional “Field Trip” for AEOIP Workshop Participants to learn more. Optional “Field Trip” for AEOIP Workshop Participants On April 22, 2024, an optional field trip was offered that featured two sites demonstrating prescribed fire in Michigan. For the first stop on the trip, Kevin Butler [Washtenaw County—Natural Areas Preservation Program Stewardship Supervisor] gave a tour of a prescribed fire site in Park Lyndon, a county park in the northwest part of Washtenaw County, MI. The park is being restored to maintain native species using prescribed fire as invasive species control. The intent of these efforts is to restore oak meadows and preserve over 500 species of plants across fens, marshes, ponds, forest, and prairie lands. On the second leg of the trip, Tina Stephens [City of Ann Arbor—Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator] led a tour of Furstenberg Nature Area, in the city of Ann Arbor, MI. She highlighted the importance of prescribed burning to achieve ecological benefits. The 0.15-km2 (38-acre) park contains wetlands, woodlands, prairie, and oak savanna. Since the mid-1990’s, Natural Area Preservation staff and volunteers have maintained those ecosystems through controlled burns and invasive shrub removal. The second tour stop included a small prescribed fire demonstration – see Photo 2. Photo 2. Ann Arbor park staff conduct a prescribed fire demonstration for workshop participants during the Furstenberg Nature Area tour portion of the AEOIP field trip. Photo credit: Joseph Paki DAY ONE On the first day, Kira Sullivan-Wiley [Pew Institute] gave a plenary presentation, in which she discussed the value of coproduction, which in the context of AEOIP can be described as honoring the generative capacity of others as a means of optimizing the use of Earth by natural resource managers for decision making – see Photo 3. The benefits of this approach include cost reduction, tracking new ideas, and empowering marginalized voices. The first block of breakout sessions also occurred during the afternoon of the first day, along with a short report-out. In light of the keynote discussion on coproduction, deliverables from this meeting’s breakout sessions can be seen as coproduced, new or improved conduits between NASA and land-managing entities. After the keynote, representatives of government agencies (NASA, USFS, and BLM) presented their respective agency’s perspectives. The manager of a nearby state park in Michigan followed with a local perspective. A series of short presentations in the late afternoon featured various program highlights from NASA’s Earth Science Division, which are not detailed in this report – see workshop agenda for list of programs and speakers. Notable Presentations In addition to Kira Sullivan–Wiley’s keynote (described above), Christina Moats-Xavier [NASA Headquarters, Earth Action Program—Program Manager for Mission Engagement] shared NASA’s perspective, focusing on NASA’s Earth Science-to-Action strategy, which aims to increase the impact of scientific data. NASA’s Applied Science Program is now included under the broader umbrella of the new Earth Action program element of NASA’s Earth Science Division. This strategy has three pillars: 1) scaling existing efforts; 2) building bridges; and 3) focusing on the user. By collaborating with NASA, AEOIP can address real-world challenges to develop solutions that benefit society. Overall, the presentations on the first day highlighted the importance of collaborative, user-centered approaches and community engagement in addressing environmental challenges. Everett Hinkley and Frenchy Morisette [both USFS] provided a practitioner’s perspective. They discussed USFS efforts to address climate adaptation, wildfire management, and incorporation of Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge. They also emphasized the application of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) for mapping and remote sensing tools. Both Jake Slyder and Tim Assal described their respective government agency’s management of vast (mostly western) land areas and use of remote sensing for post-fire emergency stabilization and integration with the Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) program. Kevin Butler offered more of a local perspective as he discussed land stewardship in Michigan. He emphasized the importance of community involvement and respecting natural ecosystems, especially fire-dependent ones, at the local level. Photo 3. Kira Sullivan-Wiley [Pew Institute] presents on co-production of knowledge during the first day’s plenary session. Photo credit: AEOIP DAY TWO The presentations on the second day of the workshop highlighted the opportunities that Earth observing satellite data presents for natural resource management applications. Five presenters contributed to the panel discussion, titled “Communicating and Soliciting End User Needs: Past, Present and Future.” The second – longer – block of breakout sessions also occurred with a short report-out at the end of the day. A poster session ran concurrently with the report-outs. While this session is not described in this report, it afforded participants an opportunity to showcase their Earth observation related projects and/or interact with their peers. Highlights from the day follow below. Notable Presentations Pontus Olafsson [NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center] and Natasha Sadoff [NASA HQ—Satellite Needs Program Manager] presented on the Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG), which provides a coordinated approach to identify and communicate federal satellite Earth observation needs and develop solutions based on Earth observation data. The speakers explained that as part of this effort, SNWG facilitates a biannual survey to all civilian federal agencies. SNWG provides federal agencies a path to coordinate Earth observing needs and a mechanism to develop actionable solutions for decision makers. Solutions cover thematic areas, including air quality, land use/land cover, and water resources. They noted that NASA is also making a greater effort to engage with agency partners in the co-development of new solutions that are useful, accessible, and actionable. Alison York [University of Alaska Fairbanks] spoke about the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) and Fire Science Exchange Network (FSEN). JFSP’s main function is to maintain and grow a data repository and community based on fuels, fire behavior, fire ecology, and human dimensions. The goal is to help enable informed, actionable change by policy makers and land managers with the best available scientific support. York then discussed the FSEN, which acts as a mechanism to collate research needs from a collection of regional fire exchanges. The syntheses of data and data needs provides more effective understanding and management of fire. Training Breakout Session Takeaways On the second day, the four breakout sessions met, beginning with four short (25-minute) trainings. The speakers each gave half-hour presentations, which they repeated twice during the hour dedicated to the training breakouts, allowing participants to engage in two of the training breakouts if desired. Pete Robichaud [USFS] discussed training opportunities for modeling post-fire hydrological response using the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP). Soil burn severity is first assessed with remote sensing and then field verified. A subsequent soil burn severity map can be created to give details on physical features, e.g., ash color, ash depth, fine roots, soil structure, water repellency, and ground cover. This resource can be used to create a risk assessment table of probability and consequence parameters. Following the risk assessment, the Forest Service Water WEPP suite of tools can be used to model the landscape. The WEPP suite includes both hillslope and watershed modeling tools. The final step in the Burned Area for Emergency Response (BAER) program is to implement and monitor solutions. Rupesh Shretha [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC)] discussed the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) DAACs, which are collocated with centers of science discipline expertise and archive and distribute NASA Earth Science data products. The ORNL DAAC archives and distributes terrestrial ecology data, particularly data from field and airborne campaigns. The Terrestrial Ecology Subsetting & Visualization Services (TESViS) – formerly MODIS–VIIRS subsets tool – provide subsets of satellite data in easy-to-use formats that are particularly valuable for site-based field research. The Ecological Spectral Information System (ECOSIS) integrates spectral data with measurements of vegetation functional traits (i.e., species, foliar chemistry). ECOSIS allows users to submit spectral data and return a citable DOIs. ECOSIS also provides users application programming interface (API)-based methods to retrieve thousands of field spectra. Jake Slyder discussed the use of remote sensing for efficient resource management over vast tracts of land with limited human and financial resources. He explained that while the vast collection of remotely sensed data makes it challenging to effectively exploit, Google Earth Engine (GEE) has become an important tool in leveraging remotely sensed information to address BLM management questions. The Change and Disturbance Event Detection Tool (CDEDT), a GEE-based application, allows users to detect and develop vector geospatial products to identify changes and disturbances to surface cover between two dates of observations [10 m (~33 ft) resolution] from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission. Slyder said that the Version 2 (V2) beta product includes the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) and ESA Copernicus Sentinel-1 SAR Imagery. CDEDT supports a range of BLM monitoring applications, including disaster events, energy development, forest disturbances, and seasonal patterns and processes (e.g., vegetation, water cover). The CDEDT tool is publicly available and does not require any license or special software. DAY THREE The third day was dedicated to the final block of the breakout sessions and a final plenary, where a representative from each breakout group gave five to seven minute summaries of their discussions throughout the meeting. The overview was followed by a meeting wrap-up and adjournment. The sections below summarize the topical presentations given on day three and encapsulate the three days of discussions. Breakout Session A: Focus on Carbon The carbon breakout aimed to inform participants about carbon-related EO initiatives and spark discussion about user needs. Aaron Piña [USFS] spoke about the Forest Service’s broad base of applied research that spans wildfire weather and behavior to dynamics of the smoke produced – see Photo 2. Recent assessments have been made for wildland fire, controlled burn smoke, and remote air monitors. Piña spoke about Bluesky Playground, a community-driven tool aimed at providing the public with information on fuels and smoke modeling. These data have been used to identify important indicators for fires and fuels (e.g., vertical plume structure). Piña then discussed a fusion Fire Radiative Power (FRP) data product [MOD19A2] that combines data from four sources – the Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS) on the former Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra and Aqua platforms, and the Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) aerosol product. A group discussion followed Piña’s presentation, during which several participants expressed concerns about the continuity of VIIRS and the other observations that are used in the fusion FRP product. Another topic of discussion was the potential of remotely sensed data to improve the characterization of duff (decaying vegetation) in satellite data products. NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) mission data have also been used to characterize the vertical structure of smoke plumes; however, these efforts have thus far been limited by personnel knowledge gaps as well as raw data formats. Chris Woodall [USFS] discussed the growing emphasis on carbon metrics for a variety of sectors and applications. The USFS wants to work in tandem with other entities, especially federal organizations, to maximize efforts and workstream. USFS is seen as the in-situ carbon observer, while NASA is the remote sensor, and USGS is the lateral flux assessor. The coproduction of knowledge and data regarding carbon among these agencies is an iterative process. The USFS investment in improved Measurement, Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MMRV) of greenhouse gas (GHG), for example, can expand soil and land-use inventories to improve alignment with remote-sensing platforms. Challenges to implementing this cooperative approach to collecting carbon metrics include creating a workflow that incorporates a wealth of existing resources and accruing data from multiple federal agencies concerned with ecosystem carbon management to create scalable GHG knowledge. The coproduction, iteration, and dissemination of knowledge should be a major focus with all interested parties – not just the aforementioned federal agencies. Sydney Neugebauer [NASA’s Langley Research Center] and Melanie Follette-Cook [GSFC] discussed NASA’s capacity building initiatives, which are aimed at developing and strengthening an organization or community’s skills, abilities, processes, and resources to enable them to survive, adapt, and thrive in a fast changing world. The DEVELOP, Indigenous Peoples Initiative, and SERVIR programs (all under the Earth Action program element) work towards capacity building through co-development projects, collaborative training, and data availability. The NASA Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) program has offered over 100,000 training sessions since it was created in 2009 – primarily to international participants. The trainings are free and virtual for individuals interested in using remotely sensed data in a diverse suite of environmental applications. All content is archived. NASA’s Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA), which has contributed to global carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration datasets for the past 30-years, will be upgraded to incorporate CO2 fluxes. The NASA cooperative interagency U.S. Greenhouse Gas Center is also looking for feedback on its beta portal. The group discussions that followed identified and addressed AEOIP needs and questions (e.g., obtaining carbon and smoke emission estimates from prescribed wildfires and ensuring global satellite fire record continuity). Participants also identified the need for near real-time active fire and burned area mapping at medium scale and for continuity of these measurements. The group is interested in engaging federal agency end users to obtain feedback on their capacity to facilitate and elucidate capacity needs. Prominent challenges going forward include preparing for the end of the Terra and Aqua missions, which will include the decommissioning of MODIS, and ensuring the continuity of VIIRS, which is being used to allow for continuity of MODIS data products. One of the greatest unknowns identified was being able to determine wildfire fuel conditions in near-real time, and the ability to constrain estimates of fuel attributes to a focused fire event. Andy Hudak discussed the diverse coalition of practitioners who manage more than just carbon (e.g., forest health, harvest, fires). Of the diverse group of stakeholders, Indigenous Tribes are at the cutting edge using lidar for carbon assessment. While Forest Inventory and Analysis plots are used for bias correction, they do not provide synoptic coverage for accurate carbon assessments. Lidar and other passive remote sensing satellite data provide a way to address this need. Tree lists are also highly valuable to carbon and forest managers for diverse applications. Application-specific metrics (e.g., timber volume, basal area, and density) can be weighted based on stakeholder priorities, as quantified from stakeholder surveys, to optimize data products. Sarah Lewis [USFS] explained the needs and applications of Earth observations in a post-fire environment. The information needs to be available quickly, integrated into effective decision-making tools, and delivered in a functional product. Information is needed on water, soils, vegetation recovery, and habitat – all major metrics of interest in a data product. Areas of concern during post-fire management for water quality and erosion control include ash and soil–water transport. In addition, major concerns exist for timely data acquisition and processing, along with the fate and transport mapping of post-fire ash. Data products would benefit from end-user input to optimize relevance and accessibility of decision ready maps, models, and trusted recommendations. The group identified the need for heavy carbon fuels and duff estimates for ecological modeling, which is critical to achieving a better understanding of smoke and carbon emissions. The heavy carbon fuel and duff estimates may be achieved through multiple means but may be most accessible currently through a new layer in the LANDFIRE database. They also identified the need for more post-fire data for model training and integration of active remote sensing data. Finally, the group identified the need for more regulation and research on prescribed fire emissions and disturbance. Breakout Session B: Prescribed Fire This breakout session focused on prescribed fires. Some of the major objectives and needs that emerged from this session were improved access to data, cultivating deeper public trust in the practice, creating networks of future coproduction, and assessing end-user needs, burn maps, and securing funding. The discussions emphasized knowledge and awareness gaps as a major impediment to prescribed fire implementation. Uniform capacity building is an ideal approach to engage stakeholders at a reference level appropriate to their background to optimize equity and efficacy. Another issue that came up during discussion is that land management professionals do not have the time or resources to stay current with data sources and analysis techniques. The participants suggested the creation of a “Fire Science Library” as an iterative data tool to organize and present fire knowledge in an actionable and streamlined manner for public land managers. The interface would allow practitioners to filter unique categories (e.g., role, scope, region, ecosystem type, weather, agency affiliation) to provide the ability to search, modify, and maintain fire science knowledge as it evolves. This interface would also provide provenance through references to papers, justification for methods, and case studies. The library would guide and streamline data collection, analyses, and interpretation workflows that are needed for holistic prescribed fire planning and monitoring based on tangible needs from fire professionals. The virtual library tool would provide a user with a fire-science knowledge graph, which is an organized representation of real-world entities and their relationships that could quickly connect fire-related management with current research questions concerning data products, processing methods, and data sources along with references and case studies. Information provided in the knowledge graph would need to be context specific but not overly prescriptive to avoid constraining users to a rigid workflow that is more common in basic data portals. Knowledge graphs are associated with semantic web technology that forms a modern version of a database. The tool establishes relationships between entities that promote new relationship discovery, search, and modification. It also provides a foundation on which other applications can be built, such as prescribed fires in the southeast and incorporating drone data. Focusing on prescribed fire may help to bound the initial product development but leave the door open for eventual expansion for wildfire. The group identified objectives moving forward, including the need to finalize the main set of prescribed fire management questions (e.g., planning, implementation, pre/post monitoring), establish user personas based on known representatives and gaps, engage the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP), identify cluster members (e.g., subject matter experts from local and federal agencies, private industry, and academia/research), and investigate additional funding sources. (Clusters are agile working groups within ESIP formed to focus on specific topics.) Breakout Session C: Fractional Vegetation Cover This breakout session focused on fractional vegetation cover (FVC) – see Photo 4. The presenters introduced three large FVC assessment efforts, and the participants contributed to a Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis of FVC products intended to improve the use of this data by decision makers – see Table. Photo 4. [left to right] Amanda Armstrong, Elizabeth Hoy [both at Goddard Space Flight Center], and Timothy Assal [Bureau of Land Management] collaborating during the Fractional Vegetation Cover Breakout. Photo credit: AEOIP Tim Assal discussed the BLM’s Assessment Inventory and Monitoring (AIM) strategy. He explained that AIM has nearly 60,000 monitoring locations across the terrestrial uplands, aquatic systems, and riparian and wetland habitat of the U.S., and the data collected are being used for monitoring and restoration activities. Assai added that integration of remote sensing data with field plot data enables the generation of continuous datasets (e.g., FVC that can relate field plot-level indicators to those based on remote-sensing). He also reported that FVC data are currently being used to address numerous management decisions. Sarah McCord [USDA] discussed V3 of the Rangeland Analysis Platform (RAP). McCord explained that V3 uses vegetation cover and rangeland production data to monitor these parameters. The model also uses species composition data. She explained that there are approximately 85,000 training/validation locations across the U.S. that have been incorporated into the modeling process. She said that enhancements to future versions of RAP are expected as data from new satellite instruments, field plots, and deep learning (i.e., application of AI/ML techniques) are all incorporated into the model. McCord chairs a working group that is actively investigating sources of error and uncertainty within individual and across different FVC products. Matt Rigge [USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center] discussed V3 of the Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection (RCMAP), which will provide current and future condition using Landsat time series. Data available includes cover maps and potential cover. The platform uses various training data in addition to AIM plot data. In the future RCMAP plans to incorporate data from synthetic NASA-Indian Space Research Organization Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), from NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source (EMIT) mission, and from convolution neural network-based (CNN) algorithms. Bo Zhou [University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)] discussed V2 of the Landscape Cover Analysis and Reporting Tool (LandCART). V3 will be different and coming in the future. He explained that the BLM uses V3 to make legally defensible decisions. He then discussed the training data, which come mostly from AIM. The training dataset includes 71 Level-4 (L4) Ecoregions, as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with at least 100 observations. Zhou noted that these training data are used to define spatial extent, the temporal extent is defined by available satellite imagery, and uncertainty estimates are based on CNN and random forest (RF) machine-learning algorithms. Eric Jensen [Desert Research Institute] discussed how ClimateEngine.org uses cloud-based tools, such as GEE, to access, visualize, and share Earth observation datasets to overcome computational limitations of big data in a real-time environment. It encompasses over 85 datasets, including RAP and RCMAP, and the group is working to add LandCART. Two core functionalities of the ClimateEngine app are producing maps and making graphs. Jensen provided a brief demonstration of the app using a juniper removal project in sage grouse habitat in southern Idaho. Strengths • Tools available for accessing and processing data are user-friendly and widely accessible, making it easy to compile, use, and display data for users of all expertise levels across a range of management activities. • Tools provide a comprehensive view of an area, offering both current and retrospective insights that are highly regarded by the restoration community. • Tool format supports integration of new datasets, ensuring inclusivity and consistency over time and space. Weaknesses • Training data exhibits spatial and temporal biases. • Training data is biased towards federal data, lacking global representation. • Sensors have limitations for both temporal and spatial accuracy. Opportunities • Managers can use these tools to make informed decisions and evaluate the effectiveness of their treatments. • Additional training (e.g., training in how to process new data types, such as hyperspectral data) could institutionalize remote sensing and reach more end users. • Future expansion of AI/ML techniques and cloud-based services could reduce error, enhance data quality, and increase user reach. Threats • Stability of funding could threaten continuity of measurements. • Falling into a “one size fits all” mentality could stifle innovation. • Variation in land management organizations’ willingness to update data and lack of cohesion could prevent obtaining full potential of FVC. • Transition from research to operations could hinder collaboration and tool development and weaken the community of practice. • Poor performance, misuse of information, and data sovereignty could diminish the community’s trust in the tools. • Rapid technological advancements could displace smaller businesses. Table. Results of a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis of the current state of Fractional Vegetation Cover (FVC) data analysis tools and techniques. Breakout Session D: Post-fire Effects and Recovery This session focused on assessing, predicting, remediating, and monitoring areas in the aftermath of fires. The focus was on “shovel-ready” ideas, such as improving operational soil burn severity maps to connect post-fire ground conditions and soil properties. The participants highlighted the need to leverage information (e.g., active fire thermal data) to better detect changes in post-fire cover and soil properties. Such information would be beneficial to USFS’s Burned Area for Emergency Response (BAER) program as well as to researchers, data providers, decision makers, and community leaders. The group discussed steps that would aid in this collaboration (e.g., incorporating thermal imagery into mapping soil burn severity, developing and validating products, getting first-look data to field teams, monitoring threats by conducting rapid burn severity assessment before official soil burn severity maps are made available, and sharing outputs quickly with decision makers). The breakout participants also noted the challenge of ash load mapping, which they suggested might be constrained by using information on pre-fire fuels (e.g., biomass, understory, and canopy vegetation) to constrain potential ash production. Derived information products [e.g., Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Leaf Area Index (LAI), LANDFIRE fuels layers, and RAP] may improve this process. The group noted the limitations of the VIIRS instrument for mapping fire duration and soil heating. The group proposed adding supplemental data through the use of National Infrared Operations (NIROPS) raw infrared imagery – see Figure 1. Fire tools currently available – and under consideration for improving maps – include VIIRS active fire data through NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS), fire event tracking through NASA’s Earth Information System Fire Event Data Suite (FEDS), the burn severity prediction model at MTRI, and Rapid Differenced Normalized Burn Ratio Mapping at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The group identified VIIRS L1 image capture to detect smoldering fires as a potential improvement in wildfire characterization. The group also suggested more frequent observations of moderate resolution satellites, GOES Integration [0.5–2 km (0.3–1.2 mi) spatial resolution], and comprehensive field data. They identified possible ways to improve post-fire soil burn severity maps (e.g., information on pre-fire fuels, soil characteristics, and thermal properties, such as fire heating, residence time, spread rate), optical characteristic (e.g., vegetation mortality, ash production), and lidar canopy metrics. Presently, burn severity is assessed using a simple spectral index derived from remote sensing data, driven by necessity, data access, and computing power. The group presented the need to break this single number into ecologically meaningful components for better post-fire assessment and remediation. Improvements could involve incorporating additional information (e.g., peak soil temperature, heat residence time, and fuel moisture). Coupling atmospheric fire behavior models could address temporal gaps, necessitating high-spatial and temporal resolution thermal data sets. The participants agreed that future strategies should include monitoring warmer areas and smoldering zones instead of just flaming fronts, as well as exploring temperature differences across burn severities. Additionally, post-fire assessments would benefit from using other spectral bands and post-fire Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) products. They also added that access to more field information is crucial for scientific post-fire observations. Efforts are underway to make the SBS S123 survey system a national standard, though surveys currently reside with local units that have good record-keeping practices. Figure 1. Optical [left and right] and thermal [right, overlay] images of participants at the 2024 AEOIP workshop obtained by an unpiloted aerial vehicle (UAV). Image credit: Colin Brooks Conclusion The 2024 AEOIP workshop addressed a wide range of geospatial data tool and training needs and forums. The meeting centered on coproduction of knowledge and community-of-practice building as key needs for the geospatial data topics. Participants identified capacity building – through awareness, accessibility, and utility of data and tools – as the top priority for processing and technological advancement initiatives. The breakout session topics selected (e.g., carbon concentrations, wildfires, prescribed fires, and landscape dynamics) were chosen to promote dialogue between data users and scientists, leading to plans for action and change in data and tool utility in four areas of interest for land managers. Following the meeting, the organizers submitted a spreadsheet detailing the data and tool needs identified during the breakouts to the Earth Action Program. The SNWG has also been made aware of the most compelling needs that participants identified. The AEOIP believes that by bridging two groups – data users and research and development – it will be possible to bolster user provenance and efficacy of NASA resources moving forward. Severin Scott Washington State University severin.scott@wsu.edu Alan B. Ward NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)/Global Science and Technology (GST) alan.b.ward@nasa.gov Alexis O’Callahan University of Arkansas aocallah@uark.edu Share Details Last Updated Jan 03, 2025 Related Terms Earth Science View the full article

NASA/Kim Shiflett From left, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jenni Gibbons, NASA astronaut Andre Douglas, CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman participate in a media day event on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Gibbons and Douglas are Artemis II backup crew members. The Artemis II test flight will be NASA’s first mission with crew under the Artemis campaign, sending astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back. Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett View the full article

NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Don Pettit points a camera outside a window on the International Space Station’s Poisk module for a sun photography session. (Credit: NASA) Students from Hawthorne Elementary School in Boise, Idaho, will have the chance to hear NASA astronaut Don Pettit answer their prerecorded science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) related questions from aboard the International Space Station. Watch the 20-minute space-to-Earth call at 12:30 p.m. EST Friday, Jan. 10, on NASA+ and learn how to watch NASA content on various platforms, including social media. Media interested in covering the event must RSVP by 5 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 7, to Dan Hollar at dan.hollar@boiseschools.org or 208-854-4064. For more than 24 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN’s (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network. Important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the space station benefit people on Earth and lays the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars; inspiring Artemis Generation explorers and ensuring the United States continues to lead in space exploration and discovery. See videos and lesson plans highlighting space station research at: https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation -end- Abbey Donaldson Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 Abbey.a.donaldson@nasa.gov Sandra Jones Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov View the full article

5 min read NASA’s LEXI Will Provide X-Ray Vision of Earth’s Magnetosphere A NASA X-ray imager is heading to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, where it will capture the first global images of the magnetic field that shields Earth from solar radiation. The Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager, or LEXI, instrument is one of 10 payloads aboard the next lunar delivery through NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative, set to launch from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than mid-January, with Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Lander. The instrument will support NASA’s goal to understand how our home planet responds to space weather, the conditions in space driven by the Sun. NASA’s next mission to the Moon will carry an instrument called LEXI (the Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager), which will provide the first-ever global view of the magnetic environment that shields Earth from solar radiation. This video can be freely shared and downloaded at https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14739. Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Once the dust clears from its lunar landing, LEXI will power on, warm up, and direct its focus back toward Earth. For six days, it will collect images of the X-rays emanating from the edges of our planet’s vast magnetosphere. This comprehensive view could illustrate how this protective boundary responds to space weather and other cosmic forces, as well as how it can open to allow streams of charged solar particles in, creating aurora and potentially damaging infrastructure. “We’re trying to get this big picture of Earth’s space environment,” said Brian Walsh, a space physicist at Boston University and LEXI’s principal investigator. “A lot of physics can be esoteric or difficult to follow without years of specific training, but this will be science that you can see.” What LEXI will see is the low-energy X-rays that form when a stream of particles from the Sun, called the solar wind, slams into Earth’s magnetic field. This happens at the edge of the magnetosphere, called the magnetopause. Researchers have recently been able to detect these X-rays in a patchwork of observations from other satellites and instruments. From the vantage point of the Moon, however, the whole magnetopause will be in LEXI’s field of view. In this visualization, the LEXI instrument is shown onboard Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, which will deliver 10 Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) payloads to the Moon. Firefly Aerospace The team back on Earth will be working around the clock to track how the magnetosphere expands, contracts, and changes shape in response to the strength of the solar wind. “We expect to see the magnetosphere breathing out and breathing in, for the first time,” said Hyunju Connor, an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the NASA lead for LEXI. “When the solar wind is very strong, the magnetosphere will shrink and push backward toward Earth, and then expand when the solar wind weakens.” The LEXI instrument will also be poised to capture magnetic reconnection, which is when the magnetosphere’s field lines merge with those in the solar wind and release energetic particles that rain down on Earth’s poles. This could help researchers answer lingering questions about these events, including whether they happen at multiple sites simultaneously, whether they occur steadily or in bursts, and more. These solar particles streaming into Earth’s atmosphere can cause brilliant auroras, but they can also damage satellites orbiting the planet or interfere with power grids on the ground. “We want to understand how nature behaves,” Connor said, “and by understanding this we can help protect our infrastructure in space.” The LEXI team packs the instrument at Boston University. Michael Spencer/Boston University The CLPS delivery won’t be LEXI’s first trip to space. A team at Goddard, including Walsh, built the instrument (then called STORM) to test technology to detect low-energy X-rays over a wide field of view. In 2012, STORM launched into space on a sounding rocket, collected X-ray images, and then fell back to Earth. It ended up in a display case at Goddard, where it sat for a decade. When NASA put out a call for CLPS projects that could be done quickly and with a limited budget, Walsh thought of the instrument and the potential for what it could see from the lunar surface. “We’d break the glass — not literally — but remove it, restore it, and refurbish it, and that would allow us to look back and get this global picture that we’ve never had before,” he said. Some old optics and other components were replaced, but the instrument was overall in good shape and is now ready to fly again. “There’s a lot of really rich science we can get from this.” Under the CLPS model, NASA is investing in commercial delivery services to the Moon to enable industry growth and support long-term lunar exploration. As a primary customer for CLPS deliveries, NASA aims to be one of many customers on future flights. NASA Goddard is a lead science collaborator on LEXI. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the development of seven of the 10 CLPS payloads carried on Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander, including LEXI. Learn more about CLPS and Artemis at: https://www.nasa.gov/clps By Kate Ramsayer NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Share Details Last Updated Jan 03, 2025 Editor Abbey Interrante Related Terms Artemis Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Earth’s Magnetic Field Earth’s Moon Goddard Space Flight Center Heliophysics Heliophysics Division Magnetosphere Science & Research The Sun Explore More 2 min read NASA Workshops Culturally Inclusive Planetary Engagement with Educators Article 20 hours ago 3 min read Astronomy Activation Ambassadors: A New Era Article 3 days ago 5 min read NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Makes History With Closest Pass to Sun Article 7 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

This map depicts global temperature anomalies for meteorological summer in 2024 (June, July, and August). It shows how much warmer or cooler different regions of Earth were compared to the baseline average from 1951 to 1980. (Credit: NASA/NOAA) Climate researchers from NASA and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) will release their annual assessments of global temperatures and discuss the major climate trends of 2024 during a media briefing at 12 p.m. EST Friday, Jan. 10. NASA will share the briefing on the agency’s website at: https://www.nasa.gov/live. Participants will include: Gavin Schmidt, director, NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies Russ Vose, chief, Monitoring and Assessment Branch, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information Media interested in participating must RSVP to NOAA by the time of the event. NASA and NOAA are stewards of global temperature data and independently produce a record of Earth’s surface temperatures and changes based on historical observations over land and ocean. For more information about NASA’s Earth science programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/earth -end- Liz Vlock Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov Peter Jacobs Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 301-286-0535 peter.jacobs@nasa.gov View the full article

4 Min Read Lagniappe for January 2025 Explore the January 2025 issue, highlighting the year in review at NASA Stennis, and how to become a NASA test conductor at the official visitor center and more! Explore Lagniappe for January 2025 featuring: NASA Stennis Celebrates Key Testing, Operations Milestones in 2024 NASA Exhibit Puts Visitors in Test Conductor Seat NASA Stennis Hosts Mississippi Kween Gator Speaks Gator SpeaksNASA/Stennis This time of year is one Gator enjoys. The ending of one year and beginning of another provides the opportunity to reflect, reset, and refocus. This is true at NASA Stennis, a place that powers space dreams, or for someone who enjoys staying up to date with all the happenings around NASA Stennis – you! In 2024, Gator witnessed the legacy of excellence continue at the south Mississippi NASA center. There were milestones reached with RS-25 engine testing and preparations for testing NASA’s new exploration upper stage for future Artemis missions, the center continued to fuel the space market with its support of commercial companies at the E Test Complex, and it was announced the historic in-space payload mission for the NASA Stennis Autonomous Systems Laboratory team would continue. Another bright spot at NASA Stennis is range operations. The partnership between NASA Stennis and Skydweller Aero represents the first big step in this area. In 2024, NASA Stennis entered into an agreement with Skydweller Aero for the company to operate its solar-powered autonomous aircraft in the site’s restricted airspace. It marks the first agreement between NASA Stennis and a commercial company to use the center’s unique capabilities to support testing and operation of uncrewed systems. The future is indeed bright. The new year is like the NASA Stennis buffer zone. The 125,000-plus acre buffer zone enables many opportunities for site achievement and advancement, much like a new year does. We all can make 2025 the best year to date by building on what we have accomplished and setting bold, new goals. Here is to 2025 – a year of focus, ambition, and collaboration. Together, we can turn our goals into achievements and make this year one of our best yet. Happy New Year! > Back to Top NASA Stennis Top News NASA Stennis Celebrates Key Testing, Operations Milestones in 2024 NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, celebrated propulsion testing and site operations milestones in 2024, all while inspiring the Artemis Generation and welcoming new leadership that will help NASA Stennis innovate and grow into the future. Read more about key milestones from 2024 NASA Exhibit Puts Visitors in Test Conductor Seat NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, is helping the Artemis Generation learn how to power space dreams with an interactive exhibit at INFINITY Science Center. Read more about the engine test simulator exhibit > Back to Top Center Activities NASA Stennis Hosts Mississippi Kween Cookbook author and culinary content creator Caroline Davis, popularly known as Mississippi Kween, and her family enjoy touring facilities and learning about NASA Stennis and its frontline work during a site visit Dec. 18. Davis, husband Joe, and children Zeke and Zoey, met with NASA Stennis leadership before touring the L3Harris (formerly Aerojet Rocketdyne) Engine Assembly Facility, Thad Cochran Test Stand, Autonomous Systems Laboratory, and the NASA Stennis rocket engine garden. The tour highlighted the NASA Stennis story and how the south Mississippi NASA center has the ingredients for a recipe that accelerates the exploration and commercialization of space, innovates to benefit NASA and industry, and leverages assets to stimulate the economy.NASA/Danny Nowlin Cookbook author and culinary content creator Caroline Davis, popularly known as Mississippi Kween, and her family enjoy touring facilities and learning about NASA Stennis and its frontline work during a site visit Dec. 18. Davis, husband Joe, and children Zeke and Zoey, met with NASA Stennis leadership before touring the L3Harris (formerly Aerojet Rocketdyne) Engine Assembly Facility, Thad Cochran Test Stand, Autonomous Systems Laboratory, and the NASA Stennis rocket engine garden. The tour highlighted the NASA Stennis story and how the south Mississippi NASA center has the ingredients for a recipe that accelerates the exploration and commercialization of space, innovates to benefit NASA and industry, and leverages assets to stimulate the economy.NASA/Danny Nowlin Cookbook author and culinary content creator Caroline Davis, popularly known as Mississippi Kween, and her family enjoy touring facilities and learning about NASA Stennis and its frontline work during a site visit Dec. 18. Davis, husband Joe, and children Zeke and Zoey, met with NASA Stennis leadership before touring the L3Harris (formerly Aerojet Rocketdyne) Engine Assembly Facility, Thad Cochran Test Stand, Autonomous Systems Laboratory, and the NASA Stennis rocket engine garden. The tour highlighted the NASA Stennis story and how the south Mississippi NASA center has the ingredients for a recipe that accelerates the exploration and commercialization of space, innovates to benefit NASA and industry, and leverages assets to stimulate the economy.NASA/Danny Nowlin Cookbook author and culinary content creator Caroline Davis, popularly known as Mississippi Kween, and her family enjoy touring facilities and learning about NASA Stennis and its frontline work during a site visit Dec. 18. Davis, husband Joe, and children Zeke and Zoey, met with NASA Stennis leadership before touring the L3Harris (formerly Aerojet Rocketdyne) Engine Assembly Facility, Thad Cochran Test Stand, Autonomous Systems Laboratory, and the NASA Stennis rocket engine garden. The tour highlighted the NASA Stennis story and how the south Mississippi NASA center has the ingredients for a recipe that accelerates the exploration and commercialization of space, innovates to benefit NASA and industry, and leverages assets to stimulate the economy.NASA/Danny Nowlin Cookbook author and culinary content creator Caroline Davis, popularly known as Mississippi Kween, and her family enjoy touring facilities and learning about NASA Stennis and its frontline work during a site visit Dec. 18. Davis, husband Joe, and children Zeke and Zoey, met with NASA Stennis leadership before touring the L3Harris (formerly Aerojet Rocketdyne) Engine Assembly Facility, Thad Cochran Test Stand, Autonomous Systems Laboratory, and the NASA Stennis rocket engine garden. The tour highlighted the NASA Stennis story and how the south Mississippi NASA center has the ingredients for a recipe that accelerates the exploration and commercialization of space, innovates to benefit NASA and industry, and leverages assets to stimulate the economy.NASA/Danny Nowlin SLS Rocket on Display at Governor’s Mansion A model of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket is part of the holiday display in the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion in Jackson, the official residence of state Gov. Tate Reeves. The model symbolizes the longtime relationship and shared history between the state of Mississippi and NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, the nation’s largest rocket propulsion test site. Built in the 1960s, NASA Stennis tested Apollo rocket stages that carried humans to the Moon and every main engine that helped launch 135 space shuttle missions. It now is testing engines and systems for NASA’s Artemis missions and operates as a powerful aerospace and technology hub for the region and state. “We are grateful for our ongoing relationship with the state of Mississippi,” NASA Stennis Director John Bailey said. “We appreciate every opportunity to highlight the role NASA Stennis and the state play in helping to power the nation’s human space exploration program. We look forward to 2025 and continuing our work to test engines and systems that will help launch Artemis missions back to the Moon and beyond.” NASA Stennis/Troy Frisbie NASA Stennis Director Hosts Java with John NASA Stennis Director John Bailey hosts a Java with John session on Dec. 10 with employees representing the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of STEM Engagement, Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer, and the center’s Autonomous Systems Laboratory team. Java with John is an employee-led discussion in a casual environment aimed at fostering a culture in which employees are welcome to share what matters most to them at work. NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Assistant Administrator for Procurement Visits NASA Stennis The NASA assistant administrator for procurement stands with leaders of NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center during a visit to the south Mississippi site Dec. 11 to deliver an agency update, highlighting key initiatives and priorities across NASA’s procurement activities. The visit focused on fostering open communications and collaboration, and included an opportunity for Jackson to engage with procurement staff, provide updates, and respond to questions. The assistant administrator met with NASA leadership to align on strategic goals, discuss procurement-related challenges and opportunities, and reinforce support for the NASA Stennis mission. The visit highlighted NASA’s continued commitment to innovation, efficiency, and mission success through effective procurement strategies. Pictured (left to right) are James Bailey, NASA Shared Services Center/NASA Stennis deputy procurement officer; NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell; NASA Stennis Director John Bailey; Karla Smith, NASA assistant administrator for procurement; Eli Ouder, NASA Shared Services Center/NASA Stennis procurement officer; and Jamiel Charlton, NASA executive officer. Photo Credit: NASA/Danny Nowlin > Back to Top NASA in the News Artemis II Core Stage Vertical Integration Begins at NASA Kennedy – NASA New Commercial Artemis Moon Rovers Undergo Testing at NASA – NASA NASA Accelerates Space Exploration, Earth Science for All in 2024 – NASA Space Meets Sound: NASA Lands in 2024 Spotify Wrapped – NASA Artemis Accords Reach 50 Signatories as NASA Welcomes Panama, Austria – NASA > Back to Top Employee Profile: Heather Seagren Heather Seagren grew up near NASA’s Stennis Space Center and visited for field trips as a child. Now, as a financial management specialist, Seagren coordinates work trips for NASA employees at the south Mississippi NASA center. NASA/Danny Nowlin A leap of faith for Heather Seagren eight years ago brought the Gulf Coast native to something new, yet also returned her to a familiar place at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Read More About Heather Seagren > Back to Top Additional Resources Good Things with Rebecca Turner – SuperTalk Mississippi (interview with NASA Stennis Director John Bailey) Subscription Info Lagniappe is published monthly by the Office of Communications at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The NASA Stennis office may be contacted by at 228-688-3333 (phone); ssc-office-of-communications@mail.nasa.gov (email); or NASA OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS, Attn: LAGNIAPPE, Mail code IA00, Building 1111 Room 173, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (mail). The Lagniappe staff includes: Managing Editor Lacy Thompson, Editor Bo Black, and photographer Danny Nowlin. To subscribe to the monthly publication, please email the following to ssc-office-of-communications@mail.nasa.gov – name, location (city/state), email address. 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