NASA

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) A digital rendering of the Starlab, which includes a large habitation and laboratory module with a smaller service module for power and propulsion.Credits: Starlab A NASA-funded commercial space station, Starlab, recently completed four key developmental milestones, marking substantial progress in the station’s design and operational readiness. The four milestones are part of a NASA Space Act Agreement awarded in 2021 and focused on reviews of the habitat structural test article preliminary design, systems integration, integrated operations, and a habitat structural test plan. “These milestone achievements are great indicators to reflect Starlab’s commitment to the continued efforts and advancements of their commercial destination,” said Angela Hart, program manager for NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program. “As we look forward to the future of low Earth orbit, every successful milestone is one step closer to creating a dynamic and robust commercialized low Earth orbit.” The commercial space station is designed to launch on a single flight and includes a large habitation and laboratory module with a smaller service module for power and propulsion. Earlier this year, Starlab Space completed a structural test article preliminary design review, supported by NASA. The structural test article is an engineering development unit of the station’s habitation module, which is where astronauts will spend most of their time living and working aboard the future commercial destination. An engineering development unit is a physical model that is used to test and verify the design of a project, such as a space station. A digital rendering of the Starlab free-flying commercial destination, which continues to be developed as part of a Space Act Agreement with NASACredits: Starlab Starlab also recently shared a test plan for the structural test article, which included defining qualification tests of the development unit from welding verifications to proof pressure and static load testing, among others. During proof pressure tests, a spacecraft component or system is pressurized to a significantly higher than normal operating pressure to verify its structural integrity, and a static load test measures the response of a component or system under an applied load. In addition, Starlab completed integration operations and systems integration reviews. These reviews included updates on system and station architecture, segment interfaces, and program goals, as well as a comprehensive look into the program’s requirements. Starlab also is set to complete a preliminary design review and phase 1 safety review by the end of the year. This review is meant to demonstrate that the station’s design meets system requirements, including human spaceflight verification, with acceptable risk. The safety review will summarize the current design and general safety approach for the destination. NASA is supporting the design and development of multiple commercial space stations, including Starlab, through funded and unfunded agreements. The current design and development phase will be followed by the procurement of services from one or more companies, where NASA aims to be one of many customers for low Earth orbit destinations. NASA’s low Earth orbit microgravity strategy builds on the agency’s extensive human spaceflight experience to advance future scientific and exploration goals. As the International Space Station nears the end of operations, NASA plans to transition to a new low Earth orbit model to continue leveraging microgravity benefits. Through commercial partnerships, NASA aims to maintain its leadership in microgravity research and ensure continued benefits for humanity. Learn more about NASA’s low Earth orbit microgravity strategy at: https://www.nasa.gov/leomicrogravitystrategy News Media Contacts: Claire O’Shea Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov Anna Schneider Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Commercial Destinations in Low Earth Orbit Low Earth Orbit Economy Commercial Space Commercial Use of the International Space Station View the full article

Caption: An artist’s concept of the International Space Station orbiting Earth. In the distance is the Moon, and a red star representing Mars.Credit: NASA As part of the agency’s efforts to enable broader use of space, NASA has released its final goals and objectives for low Earth orbit, defining the long-term approach toward advancing microgravity science, technology, and exploration for the benefit of all. Developed with input from a wide range of stakeholders, NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Microgravity Strategy will guide the agency toward the next generation of continuous human presence in orbit, enable greater economic growth, and maintain international partnerships. “As we near the retirement of the International Space Station in 2030, these objectives are a pivotal next step in solidifying U.S. leadership in space,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “Our consultation with industry, academia, and international partners has helped refine a visionary roadmap for our future in low Earth orbit, which will be enabled by a continuous human presence. Together, we are ensuring that the benefits of exploring space continue to grow – advancing science, innovation, and opportunities for all, while preparing for humanity’s next giant leap of exploring the Moon, Mars and beyond.” In early 2024, NASA initiated a planning process that included drafting an initial set of goals and objectives for the low Earth orbit microgravity environment and seeking feedback from its workforce, government partners, industry, academia, international space agencies, and the public. The agency reviewed more than 1,800 comments and hosted two workshops, resulting in essential adjustments to the goals and objectives to better align with its partners. The final framework includes 13 goals and 44 objectives across seven key areas: commercial low Earth orbit infrastructure, operations, science, research and technology development for exploration, international cooperation, workforce development and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) engagement, and public engagement. The agency’s efforts in low Earth orbit are integral to its broader ambitions for deep space exploration. The microgravity environment in low Earth orbit provides a cost-effective, easily accessible proving ground for technologies and research necessary for human missions to explore the solar system. With most of the journey to Moon and Mars occurring in microgravity, the objectives give the opportunity to continue vital human research, test future exploration systems, and retain the critical skills needed to operate in the microgravity environment. “These finalized objectives represent a clear path forward as NASA transitions from the International Space Station to a new era of commercial space stations,” said Robyn Gatens, director of the International Space Station and acting director of commercial spaceflight. “Low Earth orbit will remain a hub for scientific discovery, technological advancement, and international cooperation, while making strategic investments in a commercial space ecosystem that benefits not just NASA, but the entire space community.” The low Earth orbit microgravity goals and objectives, combined with significant stakeholder engagement, drive NASA’s need to maintain an unbroken, continuous heartbeat of humans in the commercial low Earth orbit destinations era. NASA requires long-duration flights to mitigate risk for future trips to the Red Planet. To ensure reliable access to and use of low Earth orbit, a diversity of providers operating on a regular cadence is essential. The objectives will also guide the development of requirements for future commercial space stations that will support NASA’s missions, while reducing risk for human missions to Mars, preserving operational skills, advancing critical scientific research, and sustaining engagement with international and commercial partners. “Collaboration and consultation remain a cornerstone of our low Earth orbit strategy,” said John Keefe, director of cross-agency strategy integration at NASA. “The objectives we’ve established will help NASA craft a work plan that ensures NASA is positioned to meet current and future needs and prioritizes the development of critical capabilities for low Earth orbit.” The low Earth orbit microgravity goals and objectives are available online at: https://go.nasa.gov/3DsMtNI -end- Amber Jacobson Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 amber.c.jacobson@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsPamela A. Melroy View the full article

4 Min Read Celebrating 20 Years: Night Sky Network 2023 Partial Solar Eclipse Viewing at Camino Real Marketplace with the View the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit. Credits: Photo by Chuck McPartlin by Vivan White & Kat Troche of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific NASA’s Night Sky Network is one of the most successful and longstanding grassroots initiatives for public engagement in astronomy education. Started in 2004 with the PlanetQuest program out of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and currently supported by NASA’s Science Activation, the Night Sky Network (NSN) plays a critical role in fostering science literacy through astronomy. By connecting NASA science and missions to support amateur astronomy clubs, NSN leverages the expertise and enthusiasm of club members, who bring this knowledge to schools, museums, observatories, and other organizations, bridging the gap between NASA science and the public. Now in its 20th year, NSN supports over 400 astronomy clubs dedicated to bringing the wonder of the night sky to their communities across the US, connecting with 7.4 million people across the United States and its territories since its inception. International Observe the Moon Night, September 2024 Credit: Oklahoma City Astronomy Club Humble Beginnings It all started with an idea – astronomy clubs already do great outreach, and club members know a lot of astronomy (shown definitively by founder Marni Berendsen’s research), and they love to talk with the public – how could NASA support these astronomy clubs in sharing current research and ideas using informal activities designed for use in the places that amateur astronomers do outreach. Thanks to funding through NASA JPL’s PlanetQuest public engagement program, the Night Sky Network was born in 2004, with more than 100 clubs joining the first year. Raynham Public Observing Night, February 2004 Credit: Astronomical Society of Southern New England/Mark Gibson As quoted from the first NSN news article, “NASA is very excited to be working closely with the amateur astronomy community,” said Michael Greene, current Director for Communications and Education and former head of public engagement for JPL’s Navigator Program and PlanetQuest initiatives, “Amateurs want more people to look at the sky and understand astronomy, and so do we. Connecting what we do with our missions to the sense of wonder that comes when you look up at the stars and the planets is one of our long-term objectives. We have a strong commitment to inspiring the next generation of explorers. Lending support to the energy that the amateur astronomy community brings to students and the public will allow NASA to reach many more people.” Taking off like a rocket, Night Sky Network had over 100 clubs registered on their website within the first year. The Toolkits Outreach Toolkits were developed to assist clubs with their endeavors. These kits included educational materials, hands-on activities, and guides to explaining topics in an accessible way. So far, 13 toolkits have been created with topics ranging from the scale of the universe to how telescopes work. To qualify for these free Toolkits, clubs must be active in their communities, hosting two outreach events every three months or five outreach events within a calendar year. Supplemental toolkits were also created based on special events, such as the solar eclipses and the 50th anniversary of Apollo’s Moon landing. A new toolkit is in development to teach audiences about solar science, and NSN is on track to support clubs well into the future. Rye Science Day, October 2014 Credit: Southern Colorado Astronomical Society/Malissa Pacheco NSN also hosts archived video trainings on these toolkits and other topics via its YouTube channel and a monthly webinar series with scientists from various institutions worldwide. Lastly, a monthly segment called Night Sky Notes is produced for clubs to share with their audiences via newsletters and mailing lists. Sharing the Universe In 2007, a National Science Foundation grant provided funding for further research into astronomy club needs. From that came three resources for clubs – the Growing Your Astronomy Club and Getting Started with Outreach video series, as well as an updated website with a national calendar and club and event coordination. Now you can find hundreds of events each month across the country, including virtual events that you can join from anywhere. Night Sky Network: Current and Future Map of Night Sky Network clubs within the United States, as of November 2024 Credit: Night Sky Network/Google Maps View the full article

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions The Solar System The Sun Mercury Venus Earth The Moon Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto & Dwarf Planets Asteroids, Comets & Meteors The Kuiper Belt The Oort Cloud 2 min read Sols 4393-4395: Weekend Work at the Base of Texoli Butte Caption: NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Left Navigation Camera on Dec. 12, 2024, at 23:15:47 UTC — sol 4391, or Martian day 4,391, of the Mars Science Laboratory mission. NASA/JPL-Caltech Earth planning date: Friday, Dec. 13, 2024 Curiosity continues to make great progress over the Mount Sharp bedrock and will spend the weekend investigating the northern base of the “Texoli” butte. The science team back on Earth enjoyed taking in the beautiful views of nearby “Wilkerson” butte and “Gould Mesa” while digging into the workspace in front of us to create a hefty to-do list for our roving geologist on Mars. The rocks at the rover’s wheels today consisted of dusty, pale-colored bedrock that had a range of textures. We used the dust removal tool (DRT), MAHLI, and APXS instruments to characterize lighter, smooth bedrock at “Calabasas Peak,” and slightly darker, rougher bedrock at “Triunfo Canyon.” The ChemCam team used the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) to analyze the composition of the rougher bedrock at “Chilao” and a vein that cuts through the bedrock at “Ojai,” and Mastcam provided the supporting documentation images of each target. The Mastcam team assembled a variety of images and mosaics in the workspace and beyond. Two stereo mosaics documented the network of fractures in the bedrock at “Fern Dell” while a stereo mosaic of “Amir’s Garden” will be used to observe possible deformation in the rocks. A few single-frame images of troughs in the workspace will be used to investigate active surface processes. Further in the distance, Mastcam created a stereo mosaic of “Jawbone Canyon” to image potential aeolian ripples, and supported a ChemCam long-distance RMI image of a crater in the drive direction called “Grant Lake.” Lastly, ChemCam planned a long-distance RMI image to get a closer look at the structures within Gould Mesa. Curiosity will drive 44 meters (about 144 feet) to the west over the weekend as we continue to close in on the intriguing boxwork structures. Lastly, the environmental group rounded out the plan with activities including cloud observations, dust-devil monitoring, and surveys of the amount of dust in the atmosphere. Written by: Sharon Wilson Purdy, Planetary Geologist at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Share Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2024 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 3 min read Sols 4391-4392: Rounding the Bend Article 4 days ago 3 min read Sols 4389-4390: A Wealth of Ripples, Nodules and Veins Article 5 days ago 2 min read Looking Out for ‘Lookout Hill’ Article 6 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four… View the full article

From left to right, Thailand’s Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Supamas Isarabhakdi, Executive Director of GISTDA Pakorn Apaphant, U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Robert Godec, and Pol. Gen. Suwat Jangyodsuk, Chairman of GISTDA, pose for a photo after the signing of the Artemis Accords at a signing ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. Credit: U.S. State Department Following a signing ceremony Monday in Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, NASA congratulates Thailand as the 51st nation to commit to the safe and responsible exploration of space that benefits humanity. “Thailand’s commitment to the Artemis Accords will enhance the country’s engagement with NASA and the international community,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “By signing the accords, Thailand builds upon an important foundation and shows great leadership for the open, responsible and peaceful exploration of space.” Pakorn Apaphant, the executive director of Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of Thailand. Thailand’s Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Supamas Isarabhakdi and U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Robert Godec also participated in the ceremony. Nelson contributed the final remarks in a pre-recorded video message. “Thailand will enter the golden age of space exploration in full force,” said Apaphant of the country’s signing. In 2020, the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, and seven other initial signatory nations established the Artemis Accords, a set of principles promoting the beneficial use of space for humanity. The Artemis Accords are grounded in the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements including the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices and norms of responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data. On Dec. 11, NASA celebrated 50 countries signing the Artemis Accords at NASA Headquarters with the signing of Austria. More countries are expected to sign in the weeks and months ahead. Learn more about the Artemis Accords at: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords -end- Meira Bernstein / Elizabeth Shaw Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 meira.b.bernstein@nasa.gov / elizabeth.a.shaw@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsOffice of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR) View the full article

Portrait, Elaine Ho, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani) NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced Monday Elaine P. Ho will serve as the next associate administrator of NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM), where she will lead the agency’s efforts to inspire Artemis Generation students and educators in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The role, based out of the agency’s headquarters in Washington, is effective immediately. Ho also will remain the associate administrator for the agency’s Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity while a permanent replacement is sought. She will succeed Mike Kincaid, who retired from the agency in November after 37 years with NASA. Kris Brown, who has been serving as acting associate administrator for OSTEM, will return to her position as the office’s deputy associate administrator for strategy and integration. “At NASA, we know STEM education is critical for building a strong and competent future workforce,” said Nelson. “Under Elaine’s leadership, we will continue to empower students, educators, and communities to reach for the stars and tackle the challenges of tomorrow.” In her role as associate administrator for NASA’s Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, she played an instrumental part in fostering a NASA culture that values the unique backgrounds of our workforce to bolster innovation and drive mission success. Prior to that role, she served as NASA’s deputy associate administrator for OSTEM, responsible for leading and managing a wide-ranging portfolio of projects and initiatives that benefit students, universities, and educational institutions across the country. Before joining NASA, Ho held several roles at the White House, including senior policy advisor for the Let Girls Learn initiative in the Office of the First Lady and chief of staff of the U.S. Digital Service. In 2021, she returned to the White House on a year-long detail, serving as deputy chief of staff for workforce in the Office of Science and Technology Policy and director of Space STEM Policy for the Vice President’s National Space Council. Prior to her federal service career, Ho was a practicing attorney, specializing in employment law. She also served four years of active duty as a criminal prosecutor in the U.S. Air Force and continues her service as a colonel in the Air Force Reserves. Ho holds a civil engineering degree from Duke University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida. For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov -end- Abbey Donaldson Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 abbey.a.donaldson@nasa.gov View the full article

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Seen at the center of this image, NASA’s retired InSight Mars lander was captured by the agency’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter using its High-Resolution Imagine Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on Oct. 23, 2024.NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona New images taken from space show how dust on and around InSight is changing over time — information that can help scientists learn more about the Red Planet. NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) caught a glimpse of the agency’s retired InSight lander recently, documenting the accumulation of dust on the spacecraft’s solar panels. In the new image taken Oct. 23 by MRO’s High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, InSight’s solar panels have acquired the same reddish-brown hue as the rest of the planet. After touching down in November 2018, the lander was the first to detect the Red Planet’s marsquakes, revealing details of the crust, mantle, and core in the process. Over the four years that the spacecraft collected science, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which led the mission, used images from InSight’s cameras and MRO’s HiRISE to estimate how much dust was settling on the stationary lander’s solar panels, since dust affected its ability to generate power. NASA retired InSight in December 2022, after the lander ran out of power and stopped communicating with Earth during its extended mission. But engineers continued listening for radio signals from the lander in case wind cleared enough dust from the spacecraft’s solar panels for its batteries to recharge. Having detected no changes over the past two years, NASA will stop listening for InSight at the end of this year. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video NASA’s InSight Mars lander acquires the same reddish-brown hue as the rest of the planet in a set of images from 2018 to 2024 that were captured by the agency’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter using its High-Resolution Imagine Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera.NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona Scientists requested the recent HiRISE image as a farewell to InSight, as well as to monitor how its landing site has changed over time. “Even though we’re no longer hearing from InSight, it’s still teaching us about Mars,” said science team member Ingrid Daubar of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. “By monitoring how much dust collects on the surface — and how much gets vacuumed away by wind and dust devils — we learn more about the wind, dust cycle, and other processes that shape the planet.” Dust Devils and Craters Dust is a driving force across Mars, shaping both the atmosphere and landscape. Studying it helps scientists understand the planet and engineers prepare for future missions (solar-powered and otherwise), since dust can get into sensitive mechanical parts. When InSight was still active, scientists matched MRO images of dust devil tracks winding across the landscape with data from the lander’s wind sensors, finding these whirling weather phenomena subside in the winter and pick up again in the summer. The imagery also helped with the study of meteoroid impacts on the Martian surface. The more craters a region has, the older the surface there is. (This isn’t the case with Earth’s surface, which is constantly recycled as tectonic plates slide over one another.) The marks around these craters fade with time. Understanding how fast dust covers them helps to ascertain a crater’s age. Another way to estimate how quickly craters fade has been studying the ring of blast marks left by InSight’s retrorocket thrusters during landing. Much more prominent in 2018, those dark marks are now returning to the red-brown color of the surrounding terrain. HiRISE has captured many other spacecraft images, including those of NASA’s Perseverance and Curiosity rovers, which are still exploring Mars, as well as inactive missions, like the Spirit and Opportunity rovers and the Phoenix lander. “It feels a little bittersweet to look at InSight now. It was a successful mission that produced lots of great science. Of course, it would have been nice if it kept going forever, but we knew that wouldn’t happen,” Daubar said. More About MRO and InSight The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. A division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL manages the MRO project and managed InSight for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The InSight mission was part of NASA’s Discovery Program, managed by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supported spacecraft operations for the mission. A number of European partners, including France’s Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), supported the InSight mission. CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument to NASA, with the principal investigator at IPGP (Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris). Significant contributions for SEIS came from IPGP; the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany; the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in Switzerland; Imperial College London and Oxford University in the United Kingdom; and JPL. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain’s Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) supplied the temperature and wind sensors. For more about the missions: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/insight science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter News Media Contacts Andrew Good Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-393-2433 andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov Karen Fox / Molly Wasser NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov 2024-175 Share Details Last Updated Dec 16, 2024 Related TermsInSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport)Jet Propulsion LaboratoryMarsMars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) Explore More 5 min read NASA’s Perseverance Rover Reaches Top of Jezero Crater Rim Article 4 days ago 5 min read NASA’s Juno Mission Uncovers Heart of Jovian Moon’s Volcanic Rage Article 4 days ago 5 min read NASA-DOD Study: Saltwater to Widely Taint Coastal Groundwater by 2100 Article 5 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

Webb Webb News Latest News Latest Images Blog (offsite) Awards X (offsite – login reqd) Instagram (offsite – login reqd) Facebook (offsite- login reqd) Youtube (offsite) Overview About Who is James Webb? Fact Sheet Impacts+Benefits FAQ Science Overview and Goals Early Universe Galaxies Over Time Star Lifecycle Other Worlds Observatory Overview Launch Orbit Mirrors Sunshield Instrument: NIRCam Instrument: MIRI Instrument: NIRSpec Instrument: FGS/NIRISS Optical Telescope Element Backplane Spacecraft Bus Instrument Module Multimedia About Webb Images Images Videos What is Webb Observing? 3d Webb in 3d Solar System Podcasts Webb Image Sonifications Team International Team People Of Webb More For the Media For Scientists For Educators For Fun/Learning 7 Min Read NASA’s Webb Finds Planet-Forming Disks Lived Longer in Early Universe This is a James Webb Space Telescope image of NGC 346, a massive star cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy that is one of the Milky Way’s nearest neighbors. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Olivia C. Jones (UK ATC), Guido De Marchi (ESTEC), Margaret Meixner (USRA) NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope just solved a conundrum by proving a controversial finding made with the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope more than 20 years ago. In 2003, Hubble provided evidence of a massive planet around a very old star, almost as old as the universe. Such stars possess only small amounts of heavier elements that are the building blocks of planets. This implied that some planet formation happened when our universe was very young, and those planets had time to form and grow big inside their primordial disks, even bigger than Jupiter. But how? This was puzzling. To answer this question, researchers used Webb to study stars in a nearby galaxy that, much like the early universe, lacks large amounts of heavy elements. They found that not only do some stars there have planet-forming disks, but that those disks are longer-lived than those seen around young stars in our Milky Way galaxy. “With Webb, we have a really strong confirmation of what we saw with Hubble, and we must rethink how we model planet formation and early evolution in the young universe,” said study leader Guido De Marchi of the European Space Research and Technology Centre in Noordwijk, Netherlands. Image A: Protoplanetary Disks in NGC 346 (NIRCam Image) This is a James Webb Space Telescope image of NGC 346, a massive star cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy that is one of the Milky Way’s nearest neighbors. With its relative lack of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, the NGC 346 cluster serves as a nearby proxy for studying stellar environments with similar conditions in the early, distant universe. Ten, small, yellow circles overlaid on the image indicate the positions of the ten stars surveyed in this study. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Olivia C. Jones (UK ATC), Guido De Marchi (ESTEC), Margaret Meixner (USRA) A Different Environment in Early Times In the early universe, stars formed from mostly hydrogen and helium, and very few heavier elements such as carbon and iron, which came later through supernova explosions. “Current models predict that with so few heavier elements, the disks around stars have a short lifetime, so short in fact that planets cannot grow big,” said the Webb study’s co-investigator Elena Sabbi, chief scientist for Gemini Observatory at the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab in Tucson. “But Hubble did see those planets, so what if the models were not correct and disks could live longer?” To test this idea, scientists trained Webb on the Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy that is one of the Milky Way’s nearest neighbors. In particular, they examined the massive, star-forming cluster NGC 346, which also has a relative lack of heavier elements. The cluster served as a nearby proxy for studying stellar environments with similar conditions in the early, distant universe. Hubble observations of NGC 346 from the mid 2000s revealed many stars about 20 to 30 million years old that seemed to still have planet-forming disks around them. This went against the conventional belief that such disks would dissipate after 2 or 3 million years. “The Hubble findings were controversial, going against not only empirical evidence in our galaxy but also against the current models,” said De Marchi. “This was intriguing, but without a way to obtain spectra of those stars, we could not really establish whether we were witnessing genuine accretion and the presence of disks, or just some artificial effects.” Now, thanks to Webb’s sensitivity and resolution, scientists have the first-ever spectra of forming, Sun-like stars and their immediate environments in a nearby galaxy. “We see that these stars are indeed surrounded by disks and are still in the process of gobbling material, even at the relatively old age of 20 or 30 million years,” said De Marchi. “This also implies that planets have more time to form and grow around these stars than in nearby star-forming regions in our own galaxy.” Image B: Protoplanetary Disks in NGC 346 Spectra (NIRSpec) This graph shows, on the bottom left in yellow, a spectrum of one of the 10 target stars in this study (as well as accompanying light from the immediate background environment). Spectral fingerprints of hot atomic helium, cold molecular hydrogen, and hot atomic hydrogen are highlighted. On the top left in magenta is a spectrum slightly offset from the star that includes only light from the background environment. This second spectrum lacks a spectral line of cold molecular hydrogen. On the right is the comparison of the top and bottom lines. This comparison shows a large peak in the cold molecular hydrogen coming from the star but not its nebular environment. Also, atomic hydrogen shows a larger peak from the star. This indicates the presence of a protoplanetary disk immediately surrounding the star. The data was taken with the microshutter array on the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrometer) instrument. Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI) A New Way of Thinking This finding refutes previous theoretical predictions that when there are very few heavier elements in the gas around the disk, the star would very quickly blow away the disk. So the disk’s life would be very short, even less than a million years. But if a disk doesn’t stay around the star long enough for the dust grains to stick together and pebbles to form and become the core of a planet, how can planets form? The researchers explained that there could be two distinct mechanisms, or even a combination, for planet-forming disks to persist in environments scarce in heavier elements. First, to be able to blow away the disk, the star applies radiation pressure. For this pressure to be effective, elements heavier than hydrogen and helium would have to reside in the gas. But the massive star cluster NGC 346 only has about ten percent of the heavier elements that are present in the chemical composition of our Sun. Perhaps it simply takes longer for a star in this cluster to disperse its disk. The second possibility is that, for a Sun-like star to form when there are few heavier elements, it would have to start from a larger cloud of gas. A bigger gas cloud will produce a bigger disk. So there is more mass in the disk and therefore it would take longer to blow the disk away, even if the radiation pressure were working in the same way. “With more matter around the stars, the accretion lasts for a longer time,” said Sabbi. “The disks take ten times longer to disappear. This has implications for how you form a planet, and the type of system architecture that you can have in these different environments. This is so exciting.” The science team’s paper appears in the Dec. 16 issue of The Astrophysical Journal. Image C: NGC 346: Hubble and Webb Observations Image Before/After The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for over three decades and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt manages the telescope and mission operations. Lockheed Martin Space, based in Denver also supports mission operations at Goddard. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, conducts Hubble science operations for NASA. Downloads Right click any image to save it or open a larger version in a new tab/window via the browser’s popup menu. View/Download all image products at all resolutions for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute. View/Download the science paper from the The Astrophysical Journal. Media Contacts Laura Betz – laura.e.betz@nasa.gov NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Ann Jenkins – jenkins@stsci.edu, Christine Pulliam – cpulliam@stsci.edu Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Related Information Past releases on NGC 346: Webb NIRCam image and MIRI image Article: Highlighting other Webb Star Formation Discoveries Simulation Video: Planetary Systems and Origins of Life Animation Video: Exploring star and planet formation (English), and in Spanish More Images of NGC 346 on AstroPix More Webb News More Webb Images Webb Science Themes Webb Mission Page Related For Kids What is a planet? What is the Webb Telescope? SpacePlace for Kids En Español ¿Qué es un planeta? Ciencia de la NASA NASA en español Space Place para niños Keep Exploring Related Topics James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the… Stars Galaxies Universe Share Details Last Updated Dec 15, 2024 Editor Marty McCoy Contact Laura Betz laura.e.betz@nasa.gov Related Terms Astrophysics Galaxies Galaxies, Stars, & Black Holes Goddard Space Flight Center James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Science & Research Stars The Universe View the full article

5 Min Read NASA DAVINCI Mission’s Many ‘Firsts’ to Unlock Venus’ Hidden Secrets The surface of Venus is an inferno with temperatures hot enough to melt lead. This image is a composite of data from NASA’s Magellan spacecraft and Pioneer Venus Orbiter. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA’s DAVINCI — Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging — mission embodies the spirit of innovation and exploration that its namesake, Leonardo da Vinci, was famous for. Scheduled to launch in the early 2030s, DAVINCI will explore Venus with both a spacecraft and a descent probe. DAVINCI’s probe will be the first in the 21st century to brave Venus’ atmosphere as it descends from above the planet’s clouds down to its surface. Two other missions, NASA’s VERITAS and ESA’s (European Space Agency) Envision, will also explore Venus in the 2030s from the planet’s orbit. The DAVINCI spacecraft will study Venus’ clouds and highlands during two flybys. It also will release a spherical probe, about 3 feet wide, that will plunge through the planet’s thick atmosphere and corrosive clouds, taking measurements and capturing high-resolution images of the Venusian surface as it descends below the clouds. Here are some of DAVINCI’s coming “firsts” in Venus exploration: Exploring Solar System’s One-of-a-Kind Terrain The DAVINCI mission will be the first to closely explore Alpha Regio, a region known as a “tessera.” So far found only on Venus, where they make up about 8% of the surface, tesserae are highland regions similar in appearance to rugged mountains on Earth. Previous missions discovered these features using radar instruments, but of the many international spacecraft that dove through Venus’ atmosphere between 1966 and 1985, none studied or photographed tesserae. Thought to be ancient continents, tesserae like Alpha Regio may be among the oldest surfaces on the planet, offering scientists access to rocks that are billions of years old. By studying these rocks from above Alpha Regio, DAVINCI scientists may learn whether ancient Venus had continents and oceans, and how water may have influenced the surface. Photographing One of the Oldest Surfaces on Venus The DAVINCI probe will capture the first close-up views of Alpha Regio with its infrared and optical cameras; these will also be the first photos of the planet’s surface taken in more than 40 years. With surface temperatures reaching 900° F and air pressure 90 times that of Earth’s, Venus’ harsh environment makes exploration challenging, while its opaque atmosphere obscures direct views. Typically, scientists rely on radar instruments from Earth or Venus-orbiting spacecraft to study its terrain. But DAVINCI’s probe will descend through the atmosphere and below the clouds for a clear view of the mountains and plains. It will capture images comparable to an airplane’s landing view of Earth’s surface. Scientists will use the photos to compile 3D maps of Alpha Regio that will provide more detail than ever of Venus’ terrain, helping them look for rocks that are usually only made in association with water. Unveiling Secrets of Venus’ Mysterious Lower Atmosphere The DAVINCI mission will be the first to analyze the chemical composition of Venus’ lower atmosphere through measurements taken at regular intervals, starting from approximately 90,000 feet above the surface and continuing until just before impact. This region is critical because it contains gases and chemical compounds that may originate from Venus’ lower clouds, surface, or even subsurface. For example, sulfur compounds detected here could indicate whether Venusian volcanoes are currently active or were active in the recent past. Noble gases (like helium or xenon), on the other hand, remain chemically inert and maintain stable concentrations, offering invaluable clues about Venus’ ancient history, such as the planet’s past water inventory. By comparing Venus’ noble gas composition with that of Earth and Mars, scientists can better understand why these planets — despite forming from similar starting materials — evolved into dramatically different worlds. Moreover, DAVINCI’s measurements of isotopes and trace gases in the lower atmosphere will shed light on Venus’ water history, from ancient times to the present, and the processes that triggered the planet’s extreme greenhouse effect. State-of-the-Art Technology to Study Venus in Detail Thanks to modern technology, the DAVINCI probe will be able to do things 1980s-era spacecraft couldn’t. The descent probe will be better equipped than previous probes to protect the sensitive electronics inside of it, as it will be lined on the inside with high-temperature, multi-layer insulation — layers of advanced ceramic and silica fabrics separated by aluminum sheets. Venus’ super thick atmosphere will slow the probe’s descent, but a parachute will also be released to slow it down further. Most Earth-friendly parachute fabrics, like nylon, would dissolve in Venus’ sulfuric acid clouds, so DAVINCI will have to use a different type of material than previous Venus missions did: one that’s resistant to acids and five times stronger than steel. Read More: Old Data Yields New Secrets as NASA’s DAVINCI Preps for Venus Trip By Lauren Colvin, with Lonnie Shekhtman NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is the principal investigator institution for DAVINCI and will perform project management for the mission, provide science instruments, as well as project systems engineering to develop the in-situ probe flight system that will enter the atmosphere of Venus. Goddard also leads the overall science for the mission with an external science team from across the United States. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver, Colorado, will build the carrier/relay spacecraft. DAVINCI is a mission within the Discovery Program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. View the full article

NASA Science Live: Parker Solar Probe Nears Historic Close Encounter with the Sun

Credit: NASA NASA has selected FedSync-BFS, LLC of Alexandria, Virginia, to provide administrative services for multiple NASA centers. The Multi-Center Administrative Support Services Contract is a firm-fixed-price and indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a value not to exceed $200 million during a five-year ordering period. The performance period begins April 1, 2025. Contracted work will take place in six NASA centers and facilities, including Johnson Space Center in Houston, Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and the White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The contract will provide administrative support including, but not limited to, general office services, data management services, travel coordination, time and labor collection, property coordination, move coordination, training coordination, information services coordination, customer service, special events coordination, and miscellaneous activities. For information about NASA and other agency programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov -end- Tiernan Doyle Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 tiernan.doyle@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Dec 13, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsJohnson Space CenterKennedy Space CenterMarshall Space Flight CenterMichoud Assembly FacilityNASA Centers & FacilitiesStennis Space CenterWhite Sands Test Facility View the full article

NASA/Steve Freeman On Oct. 22, 2024, the latest iteration of an atmospheric probe developed by researchers at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, successfully completed a test flight. Building on NASA 1960s research on lifting body aircraft, which use the aircraft’s shape for lift instead of wings, the concept could offer future scientists a potentially better and more economical way to collect data on other planets. Testing demonstrated the shape of the probe works. The atmospheric probe flew after release from a quad-rotor remotely piloted aircraft above Rogers Dry Lake, a flight area adjacent to NASA Armstrong. “I’m ecstatic,” said John Bodylski, atmospheric probe principal investigator at NASA Armstrong. “It was completely stable in flight. We will be looking at releasing it from a higher altitude to keep it flying longer and demonstrate more maneuvers.” See more photos from the test flight. Image credit: Steve Freeman View the full article

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Un detalle de la sonda de detección de impactos de la NASA resalta sus puertos de presión, diseñados para medir los cambios de presión del aire durante el vuelo supersónico. La sonda se montará en el F-15B de la NASA para realizar vuelos de calibración, validando su capacidad de medir las ondas de choque generadas por el X-59 para la misión Quesst de la NASA.NASA/Lauren Hughes Un F-15B de la NASA realiza un vuelo de calibración de una sonda de detección de impactos sobre Edwards, California, el 6 de agosto de 2024. La sonda medirá las ondas de choque del X-59 de la NASA.NASA/Steve Freeman Un F-15B de la NASA realiza un vuelo de calibración de una sonda de detección de impactos sobre Edwards, California, el 6 de agosto de 2024. La sonda medirá las ondas de choque del X-59 de la NASA.NASA/Steve Freeman Un F-15B de la NASA realiza un vuelo de calibración de una sonda de detección de impactos sobre Edwards, California, el 6 de agosto de 2024. La sonda medirá las ondas de choque del X-59 de la NASA.NASA/Steve Freeman Un F-15B de la NASA realiza un vuelo de calibración de una sonda de detección de impactos sobre Edwards, California, el 6 de agosto de 2024. La sonda medirá las ondas de choque del X-59 de la NASA.NASA/Steve Freeman Read this story in English here. La NASA pronto pondrá a prueba los avances realizados en una herramienta clave para medir los singulares ‘golpes sónicos’ que su avión supersónico silencioso de investigación X-59 producirá durante el vuelo. Una sonda de detección de impactoses una sonda de datos de aire en forma cónica desarrollada con características específicas para capturar las singulares ondas de choque que producirá el X-59. Investigadores del Centro de Investigación de Vuelo Armstrong de la NASA en Edwards, California, desarrollaron dos versiones de la sonda para recopilar datos precisos de presión durante el vuelo supersónico. Una de las sondas está optimizada para mediciones de campo cercano, capturando las ondas de choque que se producen muy cerca de donde las generará el X-59. La segunda sonda de detección de impactos medirá el centro del campo y recopilará datos a altitudes de entre 5.000 y 20.000 pies por debajo del avión. Cuando un avión vuela a velocidades supersónicas, genera ondas de choque que viajan a través del aire circundante, produciendo fuertes estampidos sónicos. El X-59 está diseñado para desviar esas ondas de choque, reduciendo los fuertes estampidos sónicos a golpes sónicos más silenciosos. Durante los vuelos de prueba, un avión F-15B con una sonda de detección de impactos acoplada a su morro volará con el X-59. La sonda, de aproximadamente 1,80 metros (6 pies), recolectará continuamente miles de muestras de presión por segundo, captando los cambios de presión del aire mientras vuela a través de ondas de choque. Los datos de los sensores serán vitales para validar los modelos informáticos que predicen la fuerza de las ondas de choque producidas por el X-59, la pieza central de la misión Quesst de la NASA. “Una sonda de detección de impactos actúa como fuente de la verdad, comparando los datos previstos con las mediciones del mundo real”, dijo Mike Frederick, investigador principal de la NASA para la sonda. Para la sonda de campo cercano, el F-15B volará cerca del X-59 a su altitud de crucero de aproximadamente 18.000 metros (55.000 pies), utilizando una configuración de “seguir al líder” que permitirá a los investigadores analizar ondas de choque en tiempo real. La sonda de campo medio, destinada para misiones separadas, recopilará datos más útiles a medida que las ondas de choque viajen más cerca al suelo. La capacidad de las sondas para captar pequeños cambios de presión es especialmente importante para el X-59, ya que se espera que sus ondas de choque sean mucho más débiles que las de la mayoría de los aviones supersónicos. Al comparar los datos de las sondas con las predicciones de modelos de computadora avanzados, los investigadores pueden evaluar con mayor precisión. “Las sondas tienen cinco puertos de presión, uno en la punta y cuatro alrededor del cono”, explica Frederick. “Estos puertos miden los cambios de presión estática a medida que el avión vuela a través de las ondas de choque, lo que nos ayuda a comprender las características de choque de un avión en particular”. Estos puertos combinan sus mediciones para calcular la presión local, la velocidad y la dirección del flujo de aire. Los investigadores pronto evaluarán actualizaciones de la sonda de detección de impactos de campo cercano a través de vuelos de prueba, en los que la sonda, montada en un F-15B, recopilará datos persiguiendo a un segundo F-15 durante un vuelo supersónico. Las actualizaciones de la sonda incluyen la colocación de los transductores de presión – dispositivos que miden la presión del aire en el cono – a sólo 5 pulgadas de sus puertos. Los diseños anteriores colocaban esos transductores a casi 3 metros (12 pies) de distancia, lo que retrasaba el tiempo de grabación y distorsionaba las mediciones. La sensibilidad a la temperatura de los diseños anteriores también presentó un desafío, ya que provocó fluctuaciones en la precisión cuando cambiaban las condiciones. Para solucionar esto, el equipo diseñó un sistema de calefacción para mantener los transductores de presión a una temperatura constante durante el vuelo. “La sonda cumplirá los requisitos de resolución y precisión de la misión Quesst”, afirmó Frederick. “Este proyecto muestra cómo la NASA puede tomar tecnología existente y adaptarla para resolver nuevos desafíos”. Share Details Last Updated Dec 13, 2024 EditorDede DiniusContactNicolas Cholulanicolas.h.cholula@nasa.gov Related TermsAdvanced Air Vehicles ProgramAeronáuticaAeronauticsAeronautics Research Mission DirectorateArmstrong Flight Research CenterCommercial Supersonic TechnologyLow Boom Flight DemonstratorNASA en españolQuesst (X-59)Supersonic Flight Explore More 3 min read Atmospheric Probe Shows Promise in Test Flight Article 2 days ago 3 min read NASA Moves Drone Package Delivery Industry Closer to Reality Article 3 days ago 3 min read Learn More About NASA’s UTM BVLOS Subproject Article 4 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center Aeronautics Supersonic Flight NASA en español Explora el universo y descubre tu planeta natal con nosotros, en tu idioma. View the full article

5 Min Read NASA Technologies Aim to Solve Housekeeping’s Biggest Issue – Dust This artist rendering of Electrostatic Dust Lofting (EDL) examines the lofting of lunar dust when electrostatic charging occurs after exposure to ultraviolet light. If you thought the dust bunnies under your sofa were an issue, imagine trying to combat dust on the Moon. Dust is a significant challenge for astronauts living and working on the lunar surface. So, NASA is developing technologies that mitigate dust buildup enabling a safer, sustainable presence on the Moon. A flight test aboard a suborbital rocket system that will simulate lunar gravity is the next step in understanding how dust mitigation technologies can successfully address this challenge. During the flight test with Blue Origin, seven technologies developed by NASA’s Game Changing Development program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate will study regolith mechanics and lunar dust transport in a simulated lunar gravity environment. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The technologies featured in this animation are Electrostatic Dust Lofting (EDL), Electrodynamic Regolith Conveyor (ERC), Hermes Lunar-G, ISRU Pilot Excavator (IPEx), Clothbot, Duneflow, and Vertical Lunar Regolith Conveyor (VLRC). Each of these technology payloads will advance our understanding of regolith mechanics and lunar dust transport through flight testing in space with simulated lunar gravity.NASA / Advanced Concepts Lab Why Is Lunar Dust a Problem? With essentially no atmosphere, dust gets lofted, or lifted by the surface, by a spacecraft’s plumes as it lands on the lunar surface. But it can also be lofted through electrostatic charges. Lunar dust is electrostatic and ferromagnetic, meaning it adheres to anything that carries a charge. Kristen John, NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative technical integration lead at Johnson Space Center said, “The fine grain nature of dust contains particles that are smaller than the human eye can see, which can make a contaminated surface appear to look clean.” Although lunar dust can appear smooth with a powder like finish, its particles actually have a jagged shape. Lunar dust can scratch everything from a spacesuit to human lungs. Dust can also prevent hardware from surviving the lunar night when it accumulates on solar panels causing a reduction in available power. A buildup of dust coats thermal radiators, increasing the temperature of the equipment. Lunar dust can also accumulate on windows, camera lenses, and visors leading to obscured vision. Dirty Moon? Clean It Up. The projects being tested on the lunar gravity flight with Blue Origin include ClothBot, Electrostatic Dust Lofting (EDL), and Hermes Lunar-G. ClothBot When future astronauts perform extra-vehicular activities on the lunar surface they could bring dust into pressurized, habitable areas. The goal of the ClothBot experiment is to mimic and measure the transport of lunar dust as releases from a small patch of spacesuit fabric. When agitated by pre-programmed motions, the compact robot can simulate “doffing,” the movement that occurs when removing a spacesuit. A laser-illuminated imaging system will capture the dust flow in real-time, while sensors record the size and number of particles traveling through the space. This data will be used to understand dust generation rates inside a lander or airlock from extra-vehicular activity and refine models of lunar dust transport for future lunar and potential Martian missions. Electrostatic Dust Lofting This technology will examine the lofting of lunar dust when electrostatic charging occurs after exposure to ultraviolet light. The EDL’s camera with associated lights will record and illuminate for the duration of the flight. During the lunar gravity phase of the flight, a vacuum door containing the dust sample will release and the ultraviolet light source will illuminate the substance, charging the grains until they electrostatically repel one another and become lofted. The lofted dust will pass through a sheet laser as it rises up from the surface. When the lunar gravity phase ends, the ultraviolet light source disables, and the camera will continue recording until the end of the flight. This data will inform dust mitigation modeling efforts for future Moon missions. Hermes Lunar-G NASA partnered with Texas A&M and Texas Space Technology Applications and Research (T STAR) to develop Hermes Lunar-G, technology that utilizes flight-proven hardware to conduct experiments with regolith simulants. Hermes was previously a facility on the International Space Station. Hermes Lunar-G repurposed Hermes hardware to study lunar regolith simulants. The Hermes Lunar-G technology uses four canisters to compress the simulants during flight, takeoff, and landing. When the technology is in lunar gravity, it will decompress the contents of the canisters while high-speed imagery and sensors capture data. Results of this experiment will provide information on regolith mechanics that can be used in a variety of computational models. The results of Hermes Lunar-G will be compared to microgravity data from the space station as well as similar data acquired from parabolic flights for lunar and microgravity flight profiles. The Future of Dust Mitigation As a primary challenge of lunar exploration, dust mitigation influences several NASA technology developments. Capabilities from In-Situ Resource Utilization to surface power and mobility, rely on some form of dust mitigation, making it a cross-cutting area. Learning some of the fundamental properties of how lunar dust behaves and how lunar dust impacts systems has implications far beyond dust mitigation and environments. Advancing our understanding of the behavior of lunar dust and advancing our dust mitigation technologies benefits most capabilities planned for use on the lunar surface." Kristen John NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative Technical Integration Lead Engineering teams perform a variety of tests to mitigate dust, ensuring it doesn’t cause damage to hardware that goes to the Moon. NASA’s Game Changing Development program, created a reference guide for lunar dust mitigation to help engineers build hardware destined for the lunar surface. NASA’s Flight Opportunities program funded the Blue Origin flight test as well as the vehicle capability enhancements to enable the simulation of lunar gravity during suborbital rocket flight for the first time. The payloads are managed under NASA’s Game Changing Development program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. To learn more visit: https://www.nasa.gov/stmd-game-changing-development/ View the Flight Summary Page Share Details Last Updated Dec 13, 2024 Related TermsSpace Technology Mission DirectorateFlight Opportunities ProgramGame Changing Development Program Explore More 3 min read NASA Gives The World a Brake Article 1 day ago 3 min read Atmospheric Probe Shows Promise in Test Flight Article 2 days ago 1 min read NASA TechLeap Prize: Space Technology Payload Challenge Article 3 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate Game Changing Development Flight Opportunities NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative View the full article

An artist’s concept of the Earth, Moon, and Mars.Credit: NASA As NASA develops a blueprint for space exploration throughout the solar system for the benefit of humanity, the agency released several new documents Friday updating its Moon to Mars architecture. The roadmap sets NASA on course for long-term lunar exploration under the Artemis campaign in preparation for future crewed missions to Mars. Following an Architecture Concept Review, the 2024 updates include a revision of NASA’s Architecture Definition Document which details technical approaches and processes of the agency’s exploration plans, an executive overview, and 12 new white papers on key Moon to Mars topics. “NASA’s Architecture Concept Review process is critical to getting us on a path to mount a human mission to Mars,” said NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free. “We’re taking a methodical approach to mapping out the decisions we need to make, understanding resource and technological trades, and ensuring we are listening to feedback from stakeholders.”   One newly released white paper highlights NASA’s decision to use fission power as the primary source of power on the Martian surface to sustain crews — the first of seven key decisions necessary for human Mars exploration. Fission power is a form of nuclear power unaffected by day and night cycles or potential dust storms on Mars. New additions this year also include a broader, prioritized list of key architecture decisions that need to be made early in NASA’s plans to send humans to the Red Planet. Two new elements are now part of the agency’s Moon to Mars architecture — a lunar surface cargo lander and an initial lunar surface habitat. The lunar surface cargo lander will deliver logistics items, science and technology payloads, communications systems, and more. The initial surface habitat will house astronauts on the lunar surface to extend the crew size, range, and duration of exploration missions and enable crewed and uncrewed science opportunities. The newest revision of the Architecture Definition Document adds more information about NASA’s decision road mapping process — how the agency decides which decisions must be made early in the planning process based on impacts to subsequent decisions — and a list of architecture-driven opportunities that help technology development organizations prioritize research into new technologies that will enable the Moon to Mars architecture. “Identifying and analyzing high-level architecture decisions are the first steps to realizing a crewed Mars exploration campaign,” said Catherine Koerner, associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Each yearly assessment cycle as part of our architecture process is moving us closer to ensuring we have a well thought out plan to accomplish our exploration objectives.” NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture approach incorporates feedback from U.S. industry, academia, international partners, and the NASA workforce. The agency typically releases a series of technical documents at the end of its annual analysis cycle, including an update of the Architecture Definition Document and white papers that elaborate on frequently raised topics.  Under NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon, land the next Americans and first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all.  For NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture documents, visit:  https://www.nasa.gov/moontomarsarchitecture -end- Rachel Kraft / Kathryn Hambleton Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov / kathryn.a.hambleton@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Dec 13, 2024 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsExploration Systems Development Mission DirectorateArtemisEarth's MoonMars View the full article

Hubble Space Telescope Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact on Human Spaceflight Astro Community Impacts Science Hubble Science Science Themes Science Highlights Science Behind Discoveries Hubble’s Partners in Science Universe Uncovered Explore the Night Sky Observatory Hubble Observatory Hubble Design Mission Operations Missions to Hubble Hubble vs Webb Team Hubble Team Career Aspirations Hubble Astronauts News Hubble News Hubble News Archive Social Media Media Resources Multimedia Multimedia Images Videos Sonifications Podcasts E-books Online Activities Lithographs Fact Sheets Glossary Posters Hubble on the NASA App More 35th Anniversary 2 min read Hubble Images a Grand Spiral This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the spiral galaxy NGC 5643. ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Riess, D. Thilker, D. De Martin (ESA/Hubble), M. Zamani (ESA/Hubble) This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the glorious spiral galaxy NGC 5643, which is located roughly 40 million light-years away in the constellation Lupus, the Wolf. NGC 5643 is a grand design spiral, which refers to the galaxy’s symmetrical form with two large, winding spiral arms that are clearly visible. Bright-blue stars define the galaxy’s spiral arms, along with lacy reddish-brown dust clouds and pink star-forming regions. As fascinating as the galaxy appears at visible wavelengths, some of NGC 5643’s most interesting features are invisible to the human eye. Ultraviolet and X-ray images and spectra of NGC 5643 show that the galaxy hosts an active galactic nucleus: an especially bright galactic core powered by a feasting supermassive black hole. When a supermassive black hole ensnares gas from its surroundings, the gas collects in a disk that heats up to hundreds of thousands of degrees. The superheated gas shines brightly across the electromagnetic spectrum, but especially at X-ray wavelengths. NGC 5643’s active galactic nucleus isn’t the brightest source of X-rays in the galaxy, though. Researchers using ESA’s XMM-Newton discovered an even brighter X-ray-emitting object, called NGC 5643 X-1, on the galaxy’s outskirts. What could be a more powerful source of X-rays than a supermassive black hole? Surprisingly, the answer appears to be a much smaller black hole! While the exact identity of NGC 5643 X-1 is unknown, evidence points to a black hole that is about 30 times more massive than the Sun. Locked in an orbital dance with a companion star, the black hole ensnares gas from its stellar companion, creating a superheated disk that outshines the NGC 5643’s galactic core. NGC 5643 was also the subject of a previous Hubble image. The new image incorporates additional wavelengths of light, including the red color that is characteristic of gas heated by massive young stars. Explore More Hubble’s Galaxies Science Behind the Discoveries: Black Holes Hubble’s Black Holes Hubble Focus E-Book: Galaxies through Space and Time Facebook logo @NASAHubble @NASAHubble Instagram logo @NASAHubble Media Contact: Claire Andreoli (claire.andreoli@nasa.gov) NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD Share Details Last Updated Dec 12, 2024 Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Astrophysics Astrophysics Division Galaxies Goddard Space Flight Center Hubble Space Telescope Spiral Galaxies Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Hubble Hubble Space Telescope Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble’s Night Sky Challenge Hubble Posters Hubble by the Numbers View the full article

ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Windhorst, W. Keel This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a spiral galaxy, named UGC 10043. We don’t see the galaxy’s spiral arms because we are seeing it from the side. Located roughly 150 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Serpens, UGC 10043 is one of the somewhat rare spiral galaxies that we see edge-on. This edge-on viewpoint makes the galaxy’s disk appear as a sharp line through space, with its prominent dust lanes forming thick bands of clouds that obscure our view of the galaxy’s glow. If we could fly above the galaxy, viewing it from the top down, we would see this dust scattered across UGC 10043, possibly outlining its spiral arms. Despite the dust’s obscuring nature, some active star-forming regions shine out from behind the dark clouds. We can also see that the galaxy’s center sports a glowing, almost egg-shaped ‘bulge’, rising far above and below the disk. All spiral galaxies have a bulge similar to this one as part of their structure. These bulges hold stars that orbit the galactic center on paths above and below the whirling disk; it’s a feature that isn’t normally obvious in pictures of galaxies. The unusually large size of this bulge compared to the galaxy’s disk is possibly due to UGC 10043 siphoning material from a nearby dwarf galaxy. This may also be why its disk appears warped, bending up at one end and down at the other. Like most full-color Hubble images, this image is a composite, made up of several individual snapshots taken by Hubble at different times, each capturing different wavelengths of light. One notable aspect of this image is that the two sets of data that comprise this image were collected 23 years apart, in 2000 and 2023! Hubble’s longevity doesn’t just afford us the ability to produce new and better images of old targets; it also provides a long-term archive of data which only becomes more and more useful to astronomers. View the full article

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:06 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. SpaceX From sending crew members to the International Space Station to launching a spacecraft to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa to determine if it could support life, 2024 was a busy record setting year for NASA and its partners at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. JANUARY First Lunar Lander Takes Flight The first flight of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative lifted off with Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission One lunar lander aboard the inaugural launch of United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan rocket on Jan. 8 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to study the lunar exosphere, thermal properties, and magnetic fields on the Moon’s surface. This mission became the first U.S. commercial lander to launch to the lunar surface; however, the spacecraft experienced a propulsion issue that prevented the landing on the Moon. A United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket carrying Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander lifts off at 2:18 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024.NASA/Kim Shiflett JANUARY Third Private Mission to Space At the world’s premier multi-user spaceport, the four-person crew of Axiom Mission 3 became the third private astronaut mission to launch to the International Space Station on Jan. 18 from Launch Complex 39A. The crew completed more than 30 research experiments developed for microgravity in collaboration with organizations across the globe. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft for Axiom Space’s Mission 3 to the International Space Station lifts off at 4:49 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. NASA/Chris Swanson JANUARY Food and Supplies Delivered to the International Space Station Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for the first time on Jan. 30 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The company’s 20th resupply mission brought 8,200 pounds of science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. Commercial Resupply Mission to space station YouTube FEBRUARY Understanding Earth’s Climate NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) is a mission to observe and explore what makes Earth so different from every other planet we study – life itself. Three-quarters of our home planet is covered by water, and PACE’s advanced instruments provide new ways to study life at the ocean’s surface by measuring the abundances and distributions of microscopic algae known as phytoplankton. The observations are helping researchers better monitor ocean health, air quality, and climate change. PACE launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 on Feb. 8. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft stands vertical at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. SpaceX FEBRUARY Intuitive Machines First Mission Lands on Moon NASA’s CLPS initiative with Intuitive Machines’ made history when the Nova C-class lunar lander launched from Kennedy and later arrived on the Moon’s South Pole region known as Malapert A on Feb. 22. IM-1, the first NASA Commercial Launch Program Services. launch for Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander, will carry multiple payloads to the Moon, including Lunar Node-1, demonstrating autonomous navigation via radio beacon to support precise geolocation and navigation among lunar orbiters, landers, and surface personnel. NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center FEBRUARY Artemis II Practice Procedures Artemis II NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, NASA’s Exploration Ground System’s Landing and Recovery Team, and partners from the Department of Defense participated in the Underway Recovery Test 11 off the coast of San Diego. The operation mimicked procedures that will be used to recover the Artemis II crew and the Orion spacecraft after their return from the Moon, with the crew exiting a mockup of Orion into a boat and then ferried to a U.S. Navy ship. During sunrise over the Pacific Ocean, members of NASA’s Exploration Ground System’s Landing and Recovery team and partners from the Department of Defense aboard the USS San Diego practice recovery procedures using the Crew Module Test Article during Underway Recovery Test 11 (URT-11) off the coast of San Diego on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. NASA/Kenny Allen MARCH NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Quartet Launches to Space Station NASA astronauts Matt Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin launched March 3 from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A on an eight-month science mission aboard the International Space Station. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft launches NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station on Sunday, March 3, 2024, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA/Cory S Huston MARCH NASA’s SpaceX 30th Commercial Resupply Mission Research and technology demonstrations, along with food and other supplies launched to the International Space Station aboard NASA’s SpaceX commercial resupply mission. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon spacecraft launched March 21 from Space Launch Complex 40. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars after its liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 4:55 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 21, on the company’s 30th Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. NASA/Glenn Benson APRIL Solar Eclipse Captivates Nation A total solar eclipse moved across North America, passing over Mexico, United States, and Canada on April 8. Kennedy provided coverage on air and online from every city’s point of totality for viewers at home. Solar prominences are seen during a total solar eclipse in Dallas, Texas on Monday, April 8, 2024. NASA/Keegan Barber MAY NASA Welcomes New Commercial Resupply Spacecraft Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser arrived at Kennedy on May 18 following testing at the agency’s Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. The uncrewed spaceplane is scheduled to launch aboard a ULA Vulcan rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in 2025, delivering thousands of pounds of cargo to the orbiting laboratory. Dream Chaser Tenacity, Sierra Space’s uncrewed cargo spaceplane is lifted and moved by crane inside the Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, May 20, 2024. Sierra Space/Shay Saldana MAY Historic Marker Honors Original Headquarters Location Officials unveiled a large bronze historical plaque on May 28 to mark the location of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s original headquarters building just west of the current Central Campus Headquarters Building on NASA Parkway. From the left, NASA Kennedy Space Center’s, Maui Dalton, project manager, engineering; Katherine Zeringue, cultural resources manager; Janet Petro, NASA Kennedy Space Center director; and Ismael Otero, project manager, engineering, present a large bronze historical marker plaque at the location of NASA Kennedy’s original headquarters building on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. NASA/Mike Chambers JUNE NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Launches First Crew NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams became the first crew to fly aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Starliner launched on June 6 atop ULA’s Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 as part of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard launches from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Florida. NASA/Joel Kowsky JUNE Final NASA, NOAA GOES-R Launch NOAA’s (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) GOES-U (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U) launched June 25 from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy. The GOES-U satellite is the last of NOAA’s GOES-R Series, and it carries seven instruments that collect advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements, provide real-time mapping of lightning activity, and detect approaching space weather hazards. Technicians prepare NOAA’s (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-U) for encapsulation inside payload fairing halves on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA/Ben Smegelsky JULY Barge Carries Artemis II Core Stage to Kennedy NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket that will power humans to the Moon arrived July 24 at Kennedy. NASA’s Pegasus barge ferried the 212-foot-tall core stage from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The core stage remains at the Vehicle Assembly Building awaiting integration ahead of the Artemis II launch. Artemis II core state arrives at Kennedy YouTube AUGUST NASA, Northrop Grumman Launch Supplies to Space Station NASA science investigations, supplies, and equipment launched on Aug. 24 aboard a Cygnus spacecraft from Space Launch Complex 40 as part of Northrop Grumman’s 21st commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. Launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station.SpaceX SEPTEMBER NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Spacecraft Safely Lands An uncrewed Boeing Starliner spacecraft undocked from the space station and landed on Sept. 7 at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, completing a three-month flight test to the orbiting laboratory. Boeing and NASA teams work around NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Starliner spacecraft after it landed uncrewed.NASA/Aubrey Gemignani SEPTEMBER NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Duo Heads to Space NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov launched to the International Space aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on Sept. 28 for a roughly five-month mission as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission. The launch was the first crewed mission from Space Launch Complex 40. Hague, Gorbunov, along with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, are slated to return to Earth in early 2025. NASA astronaut Nick Hague (left) and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov walk through the crew access arm connecting the launch tower to the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. SpaceX OCTOBER Mobile Launcher on the Move NASA’s mobile launcher 1 made the 4.2-mile trek on Oct. 4 from Launch Complex 39B to the Vehicle Assembly Building in preparation for stacking the Artemis II Moon rocket. The mobile launcher had been at the launch pad since August 2023 undergoing integrated testing and upgrades. NASA’s crawler-transporter 2 also achieved a milestone reaching 2,500 miles traveled since its construction in 1965. Mobile launcher rolls back to Vehicle Assembly Building YouTube OCTOBER Jupiter Moon Mission Takes Flight NASA’s Europa Clipper is the agency’s first mission to study Jupiter’s icy moon Europa to see if the ocean beneath the moon’s crust has the ingredients to support life. The spacecraft launched Oct. 16 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A. The Europa Clipper spacecraft will reach Europa in 2030. A reflection in the water shows NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft atop SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket at Launch Pad 39A on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX OCTOBER NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Back on Earth NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, splashed down in their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, on Oct. 25, completing a seven-month science mission aboard the International Space Station. The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft is seen as it lands Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. NASA/Joel Kowsky NOVEMBER New Science and Supplies Sent to Space Station A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket carrying more than 6,000 pounds of supplies launched Nov. 4, from Launch Complex 39A bound for the space station. The commercial resupply mission delivered essential supplies and supports dozens of research experiments during Expedition 72. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 4, on the company’s 31st commercial resupply services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. SpaceX NOVEMBER NASA’s Artemis II Booster Segments Take Shape Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program began stacking on Nov. 20, the first segment of the Artemis II SLS solid rocket boosters onto mobile launcher 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. Down the transfer aisle from the Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) core stage, an overhead crane hoists the left aft assembly, or bottom portion of the solid rocket boosters for the SLS Moon rocket inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. NASA/Kevin Davis DECEMBER Record-Setting Year of Launches More than 80 launches roared into space from Kennedy and Cape Canaveral in 2024, and 2025 promises to bring even more government and commercial missions to the Eastern Range. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:06 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. SpaceXView the full article

Artemis Accords: Celebrating 50 Country Signatories

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover used its right-front navigation camera to capture this first view over the rim of Jezero Crater on Dec. 10, 2024, the 1,354th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The camera is facing west from a location nicknamed “Lookout Hill.”NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover captured this scene showing the slippery terrain that’s made its climb up to the rim of Jezero Crater challenging. Rover tracks can be seen trailing off into the distance, back toward the crater’s floor.NASA/JPL-Caltech The road ahead will be even more scientifically intriguing, and probably somewhat easier-going, now that the six-wheeler has completed its long climb to the top. NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has crested the top of Jezero Crater’s rim at a location the science team calls “Lookout Hill” and rolling toward its first science stop after the monthslong climb. The rover made the ascent in order to explore a region of Mars unlike anywhere it has investigated before. Taking about 3½ months and ascending 1,640 vertical feet (500 vertical meters), the rover climbed 20% grades, making stops along the way for science observations. Perseverance’s science team shared some of their work and future plans at a media briefing held Thursday, Dec. 12, in Washington at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting, the country’s largest gathering of Earth and space scientists. “During the Jezero Crater rim climb, our rover drivers have done an amazing job negotiating some of the toughest terrain we’ve encountered since landing,” said Steven Lee, deputy project manager for Perseverance at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “They developed innovative approaches to overcome these challenges — even tried driving backward to see if it would help — and the rover has come through it all like a champ. Perseverance is ‘go’ for everything the science team wants to throw at it during this next science campaign.” A scan across a panorama captured by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover shows the steepness of the terrain leading to the rim of Jezero Crater. The rover’s Mastcam-Z camera system took the images that make up this view on Dec. 5. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS Since landing at Jezero in February 2021, Perseverance has completed four science campaigns: the “Crater Floor,” “Fan Front,” “Upper Fan,” and “Margin Unit.” The science team is calling Perseverance’s fifth campaign the “Northern Rim” because its route covers the northern part of the southwestern section of Jezero’s rim. Over the first year of the Northern Rim campaign, the rover is expected to visit as many as four sites of geologic interest, take several samples, and drive about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers). “The Northern Rim campaign brings us completely new scientific riches as Perseverance roves into fundamentally new geology,” said Ken Farley, project scientist for Perseverance at Caltech in Pasadena. “It marks our transition from rocks that partially filled Jezero Crater when it was formed by a massive impact about 3.9 billion years ago to rocks from deep down inside Mars that were thrown upward to form the crater rim after impact.” This animation shows the position of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover as of Dec. 4, 2024, the 1,347th Martian day, or sol, of the mission, along with the proposed route of the mission’s fifth science campaign, dubbed Northern Rim, over the next several years. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/University of Arizona “These rocks represent pieces of early Martian crust and are among the oldest rocks found anywhere in the solar system. Investigating them could help us understand what Mars — and our own planet — may have looked like in the beginning,” Farley added. First Stop: ‘Witch Hazel Hill’ With Lookout Hill in its rearview mirror, Perseverance is headed to a scientifically significant rocky outcrop about 1,500 feet (450 meters) down the other side of the rim that the science team calls “Witch Hazel Hill.” “The campaign starts off with a bang because Witch Hazel Hill represents over 330 feet of layered outcrop, where each layer is like a page in the book of Martian history. As we drive down the hill, we will be going back in time, investigating the ancient environments of Mars recorded in the crater rim,” said Candice Bedford, a Perseverance scientist from Purdue University in West Layfette, Indiana. “Then, after a steep descent, we take our first turns of the wheel away from the crater rim toward ‘Lac de Charmes,’ about 2 miles south.” Lac de Charmes intrigues the science team because, being located on the plains beyond the rim, it is less likely to have been significantly affected by the formation of Jezero Crater. After leaving Lac de Charmes, the rover will traverse about a mile (1.6 kilometers) back to the rim to investigate a stunning outcrop of large blocks known as megabreccia. These blocks may represent ancient bedrock broken up during the Isidis impact, a planet-altering event that likely excavated deep into the Martian crust as it created an impact basin some 745 miles (1,200 kilometers) wide, 3.9 billion years in the past. More About Perseverance A key objective of Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including caching samples that may contain signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, to help pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet and as the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. NASA’s Mars Sample Return Program, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), is designed to send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis. The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. For more about Perseverance: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance News Media Contacts DC Agle Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-393-9011 agle@jpl.nasa.gov Karen Fox / Molly Wasser NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov 2024-174 Share Details Last Updated Dec 12, 2024 Related TermsPerseverance (Rover)AstrobiologyJet Propulsion LaboratoryMarsMars 2020 Explore More 5 min read NASA’s Juno Mission Uncovers Heart of Jovian Moon’s Volcanic Rage Article 21 mins ago 5 min read NASA-DOD Study: Saltwater to Widely Taint Coastal Groundwater by 2100 Article 22 hours ago 4 min read NASA Study: Crops, Forests Responding to Changing Rainfall Patterns Earth’s rainy days are changing: They’re becoming less frequent, but more intense. Vegetation is responding. Article 22 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Current brake system technology cool disc brakes with air pulled from inside the vehicle’s body to prevent overheating. The channels cut into the exterior of the disc brakes developed by Orbis Brakes draw in external air, which is cooler, ensure the brakes work more efficiently.Credit: Orbis Brakes Inc Just as NASA needs to reduce mass on a spacecraft so it can escape Earth’s gravity, automotive manufacturers work to reduce weight to improve vehicle performance. In the case of brake rotors, lighter is better for a vehicle’s acceleration, reliable stopping, and even gas mileage. Orbis Brakes Inc. licensed a NASA-patented technology to accomplish that and more. This revolutionary brake disc design is at least 42% lighter than conventional cast iron rotors, with performance comparable to carbon-ceramic brakes. Jonathan Lee, structural materials engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, uses his skills as a mechanical designer backed with material science training on multiple projects including the Space Launch System and the International Space Station. Interested in supporting NASA’s other mission to advance technology to improve life on Earth, he was looking for an innovative way to design a better automobile disc brake. He started with a single disc with a series of small fins around the central hub. As they spin, these draw in air and push it across the surface of the disc, where the brake pads make contact. This cools the rotor, as well as the brake pads and calipers. He then added several long, curved depressions around the braking surfaces, radiating from the center to create the regular, periodic pattern that gives the new technology, known as Orbis, its PeriodicWave brand name. The spinning fins and the centrifugal force of the wheel push air into trenches, causing a turbulent airflow that draws away heat. These trenches in the braking surfaces also increase the available surface for air cooling by more than 30% and further reduce the weight of the disc. They also increase friction in the same way that scoring concrete makes steps safer to walk on – the brake pads are less likely to slip, which makes braking more reliable. The troughs draw away more than just heat, too. Water and road debris getting between the pad and rotor are equally problematic, so the grooves provide a place for the air vortex to push any substance out of the way. A small hole machined at the end of each one creates an opening through which unwanted material can escape. The expertise developed while solving problems in space has proven useful on Earth, too. Orbis’s brakes are sold as aftermarket modifications for high performance cars like the Ford Mustang, as well as some Tesla models. Read More Share Details Last Updated Dec 12, 2024 Related TermsTechnology Transfer & SpinoffsSpinoffsTechnology Transfer Explore More 3 min read An Electronic Traffic Monitor for Airports Ground traffic management program saves passengers and airlines time while cutting fuel costs Article 2 weeks ago 2 min read Super Insulation Requires Super Materials NASA researchers helped create an insulation coating that blocks heat and sunlight Article 3 weeks ago 2 min read From Mars Rovers to Factory Assembly Lines NASA-funded AI technology enabling autonomous rovers and drones now keeps an eye on conveyor belts Article 1 month ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Materials Science Metals | Semiconductors | Polymers and Organics | Glasses and Ceramics | Granular Materials The Microgravity Materials Science Discipline conducts… Climate Change Astromaterials Inside world-class laboratories, scientists perform research on planetary materials and the space environment to investigate the origin and evolution of… View the full article

This article is from the 2024 Technical Update. Multiple human spaceflight programs are underway at NASA including Orion, Space Launch System, Gateway, Human Landing System, and EVA and Lunar Surface Mobility programs. Achieving success in these programs requires NASA to collaborate with a variety of commercial partners, including both new spaceflight companies and robotic spaceflight companies pursuing crewed spaceflight for the first time. It is not always clear to these organizations how to show their systems are safe for human spaceflight. This is particularly true for avionics systems, which are responsible for performing some of a crewed spacecraft’s most critical functions. NASA recently published guidance describing how to show the design of an avionic system meets safety requirements for crewed missions. Background The avionics in a crewed spacecraft perform many safety critical functions, including controlling the position and attitude of the spacecraft, activating onboard abort systems, and firing pyrotechnics. The incorrect operation of any of these functions can be catastrophic, causing loss of the crew. NASA’s human rating requirements describe the need for “additional rigor and scrutiny” when designing safety-critical systems beyond that done for uncrewed spacecraft [2]. Unfortunately, it is not always clear how to interpret this guidance and show an avionics architecture is sufficiently safe. To address this problem, NASA recently published NASA/TM−20240009366 [1]. It outlines best practices for designing safety-critical avionics, as well as describes key artifacts or evidence NASA needs to assess the safety of an avionics architecture. Failure Hypothesis One of the most important steps to designing an avionics architecture for crewed spacecraft is specification of the failure hypothesis (FH). In short, the FH summarizes any assumptions the designers make about the type, number, and persistence of component failures (e.g., of onboard computers, network switches). It divides the space of all possible failures into two parts – failures the system is designed to tolerate and failures it is not. One key part of the FH is a description of failure modes the system can tolerate – i.e., the behavior exhibited by a failed component. Failure modes are categorized using a failure model. A typical failure model for avionics splits failures into two broad categories: Value failures, where data produced by a component is missing (i.e., an omissive failure) or incorrect (i.e., a transmissive failure). Timing failures, where data is produced by a component at the wrong time. Timing failures can be further divided into many sub-categories, including: Inadvertent activation, where data is produced by a component without the necessary preconditions. Out-of-order failures, where data is produced by a component in an incorrect sequence. Marginal timing failures, where data is produced by a component slightly too early or late. In addition to occurring when data is produced by a component, these failure modes can also occur when data enters a component. (e.g., a faulty component can corrupt a message it receives). Moreover, all failure modes can manifest in one of two ways: Symmetrically, where all observers see the same faulty behavior. Asymmetrically, where some observers see different faulty behavior. Importantly, NASA’s human-rating process requires that each of these failure modes be mitigated if it can result in catastrophic effects [2]. Any exceptions must be explicitly documented and strongly justified. In addition to specifying the failure modes a system can tolerate, the FH must specify any limiting assumptions about the relative arrival times of permanent failures and radiation-induced upsets/ errors or the ability for ground operator to intervene to safe the system or take recovery actions. For more information on specifying a FH and other artifacts needed to evaluate the safety of an avionics architecture for human spaceflight, see the full report [1]. View the full article

This article is from the 2024 Technical Update. In 2015, the NESC released benchmark Earth-based check-cases for well specified, rigid-body, six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) aero/spacecraft models to promote consistent and accurate flight simulations across multiple Agency tools and facilities. Recently, the NESC expanded upon that effort to add Lunar-based check-cases to support new lunar exploration initiatives. This study produced a smaller, focused set of cases that exercise new and unique features of missions in the lunar environment in comparison with 8 high-fidelity NASA simulation tools and provides a measure of validation for simulations supporting Human Landing Systems. Results The primary output of the check-cases is a time history of each output variable, which can then be plotted with any data plotting software. For simulation comparison, the results from multiple simulations are plotted together. A static website was developed as a tool for the simulation groups to perform quick data comparison using interactive plots,access scenario specifications, and catalogue the results. Example Comparisons: Case 5 (HLO) Sun Pointing Angle (pitch component) Regarding Vehicle FrameThe Initial Comparison plots show the simulations were not implementing Check Case 5 correctly, or had other issues. The Final Comparison plots show identical results once corrections were implemented to the simulations, indicating the importance of using check cases.” Benefits for the FM Community Utilizing benchmarking check-cases improves the simulations being assessed, reduces errors, builds confidence in solutions, and serves to build credibility of simulation results per NASA Standard 7009A Standard for Models and Simulations. Simulation comparisons can benefit from utilizing common standards for defining parameters and sharing models and elevates the validation for critical simulations used to support insight or requirement compliance through analysis. View the full article

Curiosity NavigationCuriosity HomeMission OverviewWhere is Curiosity?Mission UpdatesScienceOverviewInstrumentsHighlightsExploration GoalsNews and FeaturesMultimediaCuriosity Raw ImagesImagesVideosAudioMosaicsMore ResourcesMars MissionsMars Sample ReturnMars Perseverance RoverMars Curiosity RoverMAVENMars Reconnaissance OrbiterMars OdysseyMore Mars MissionsThe Solar SystemThe SunMercuryVenusEarthThe MoonMarsJupiterSaturnUranusNeptunePluto & Dwarf PlanetsAsteroids, Comets & MeteorsThe Kuiper BeltThe Oort Cloud 3 min read Sols 4391-4392: Rounding the Bend NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Left Navigation Camera on sol 4389 — Martian day 4,389 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — on Dec. 10, 2024, at 21:03:54 UTC.NASA/JPL-Caltech Earth planning date: Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024 For planning today, we have a beautiful view of the northern tip of Texoli, as seen in the image foreground. Unfortunately, the rocks that make the view so pretty also made it unsafe to unstow the arm for contact science. Instead we are doing a lot of imaging and a drive. Our primary remote science target for ChemCam LIBS and Mastcam stereo is “Backbone Trail,” a block with multiple veins, to measure the composition and orientation of the layers. We also have ChemCam RMI targets of “Wilkerson” butte and “Grant Lake” crater to the north. Mastcam is also taking several other mosaics of “Gould Mesa,” a butte that is newly in view, and some sedimentary ripple features in the “Dry Lake,” and “Jawbone Canyon” bedrock targets. And, since we are as close to the northern point of Texoli as we will get, we of course also take a Mastcam mosaic of the spectacular layered blocks there. After a nap, we’re ready to drive! I got to plan the drive today as Mobility Rover Planner, but the complex terrain really required all of the Rover Planners on shift today. While we want to head southwest, we had to divert a bit to the north (right of the image shown) to avoid some big blocks and high tilt. The path is very constrained in order to avoid driving over some smaller pointy rocks, scraping wheels along the sides of blocks, or steering into the side of blocks that might cause the steering to fail. And we also needed to worry about our end-of-drive heading to be sure the antenna will be clear to talk to Earth for the next plan. We ended up relying on the onboard behavior to help us optimize everything by implementing a really interesting and curvy 24-meter path (about 79 feet). Finally, after the drive we are taking a sun observation to help reduce error in the rover’s onboard attitude estimate. Hopefully this drive will get us past the occlusion created by Texoli and allow us to see a long way southwest for our next series of drives. The second sol of the plan, the untargeted observations after the drive, focuses primarily on atmospheric observations, including Mastcam solar tau, and a long series of Navcam suprahorizon and dust-devil images and movies. We also let Curiosity choose her own target using AEGIS. Can’t wait to see what she picks! Written by Ashley Stroupe, Mission Operations Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Share Details Last Updated Dec 12, 2024 Related TermsBlogs Explore More 3 min read Sols 4389-4390: A Wealth of Ripples, Nodules and Veins Article 17 hours ago 2 min read Looking Out for ‘Lookout Hill’ Article 2 days ago 3 min read Sols 4386-4388: Powers of Ten Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four… View the full article

This article is from the 2024 Technical Update. The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) has developed an analytical model that predicts diffusion between two gases during piston purging of liquid hydrogen (LH2) tanks. This model helps explain dramatic helium savings seen in a recent Kennedy Space Center (KSC) purge, shows that undesired turbulent mixing occurred in Space Shuttle External Tank purges, and is applicable to future helium purges of the Space Launch System Core Stage LH2 tanks. Background In 2023, work was completed on a new 1.3-million-gallon (174,000 standard cubic feet (scf)) liquid hydrogen tank at KSC in support of the Space Launch System[1], see Figure 1. Per contract, the vendor delivered this tank filled with gaseous nitrogen, leaving KSC ground operations the task of replacing the nitrogen with helium: a necessary step prior to introducing liquid hydrogen, which would freeze the nitrogen. Prior helium/nitrogen purges on the Apollo/Space Shuttle era 850,000-gallon (114000 scf) LH2 tanks were performed by pumping out the nitrogen, introducing helium, drawing samples, and then repeating if necessary. However, the new tank did not have a vacuum port, so instead, it was decided to introduce the helium from the top of the tank and push the nitrogen out of the bottom. Two million scf of helium was obtained and made ready for fear the two gases would mix, resulting in a long and expensive purge. Surprisingly, this top-down, or piston purge, resulted in a rapid replacement of the nitrogen with helium, using only 406,000 scf of helium, about 1.6 million scf less than planned (at $1/scf this is a $1.6 million dollar savings). To better understand this remarkable result, the NESC was asked to address the questions; why did this work so well and can it be improved further? Figure 1: The new 1.3-million-gallon LH2 tank Upon realizing that the purge was diffusion limited and could be modelled, variations were studied, leading to three important conclusions. The flow rate should be increased until the onset of turbulent mixing; once started, the purge should not be stopped because this allows additional diffusion to occur; and trying to improve the purge by varying temperature or pressure has little benefit. Purging of the huge LH2 spheres is rare, but purging of flight tanks is common. In 2008, purge data from three Space Shuttle External Tanks was measured using a mass spectrometer and the NESC was asked to apply the diffusion model to this data. Doing this showed evidence that turbulent mixing occurred indicating that the flow rates needed to be decreased. Having such a model has provided insight into the use of piston-type helium purges at KSC, with the goal of saving helium and manpower. This work is now directly applicable to purging the LH2 tank on the Space Launch System Core Stage. The Binary Gas Sensor During past purges, gas samples were taken to a lab to indicate the status of the purge but doing that for a piston purge would introduce time delays, allowing unwanted diffusion to take place. Fortuitously, an independent NESC assessment[4] was evaluating a binary gas sensor, with an excellent combination of cost, size, power, and weight to implement in the field, providing rapid real-time monitoring of the purge gas ratio. Using this sensor made the piston purging of the new LH2 tank successful. References Fesmire, J.; Swanger, A.; Jacobson, J; and Notardonato, W.: “Energy efficient large-scale storage of liquid hydrogen,” In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, vol. 1240, no. 1, p. 012088. IOP Publishing, 2022. Youngquist, R.; Arkin C.; Nurge, M.; Captain, J.; Johnson, R.; and Singh, U.: Helium Conservation by Diffusion Limited Purging of Liquid Hydrogen Tanks, NASA/TM-20240007062, June 2024. Singh, U.: Evaluation and Testing of Anaerobic Hydrogen Sensors for the Exploration Ground Systems Program, NASA/TM-20240012664, Sept. 2024. View the full article