NASA

In the heart of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, a team of photographers, imagery acquisition specialists, analytic scientists, and graphic designers work together to create visual narratives that capture the defining moments of space exploration with creativity and precision. From the Apollo missions to the Artemis campaign, these images, videos, and graphics chronicle NASA’s rich history and the people behind its monumental missions. Official portrait of the Artemis II crew.NASA/Josh Valcarcel Each team at Johnson within Mission Imagery, the ISAG (Image Science and Analysis Group), and NASA’s OCOMM (Office of Communications) plays a role in this effort, ensuring the accuracy and artistry of visual narratives that have inspired generations. “Behind every great leap for mankind, there is the courage, determination, and teamwork of people committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible,” said NASA photographer Josh Valcarcel. Space Shuttle Enterprise atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft as it flies over New York City on April 27, 2012. NASA/Robert Markowitz “We consider ourselves exceptionally fortunate to contribute our passion to an esteemed agency, aiming to evoke joy and enduring memories through our imagery,” said NASA photographer Robert Markowitz. Operating eight camera systems, the imagery acquisition group captures a range of visuals, from HD video and high-speed digital motion pictures to spherical 360 panoramas. These visuals document everything from engineering tests to astronaut training and mission control operations. The team is certified to fly on parabolic flights, T-38 jets, and helicopters, capturing pivotal moments in space exploration history. “The duty to bear witness to events or conversations and preserve these moments in time – not only for those who cannot, but for the record books – is a noble cause,” said NASA photographer Helen Arase Vargas. After capturing the imagery, the photo operations team processes these visuals using advanced software to enhance quality, perform color correction, and ensure they meet NASA’s high standards. Every frame is meticulously archived, including photos taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station, preserving them for future generations. “None of what we deliver would be possible without the work of the photo laboratory,” said Mark Sowa, the imagery acquisition group lead who brings over three decades of experience in scientific photography to his role. The team also manages the care and handling of original Apollo mission films, which are preserved in a specially built cold storage vault. The goal is to preserve Apollo era spaceflight films – in both the digital and physical formats – for generations to come. The cold storage film vault at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.NASA/Robert Markowitz The ISAG is charged with a different but equally critical mission. This team of scientists performs complex and in-depth analysis of engineering imagery. Their work involves evaluating space vehicle performance, dynamic events, and anomalies by measuring distances, sizes, motion, and hardware conditions to uncover crucial mission insights. Their data visualization techniques bring these analyses to life, contributing to successful mission execution. “At NASA we often say ‘the camera is the mission’ because in every image, there’s a story to be told – whether it’s one of engineering analysis or human inspiration,” said Dr. Kenton Fisher, the ISAG lead. “Our work helps ensure crew safety and provides insights that drive the next giant leap in space exploration.” The Artemis I test flight marks the safe return of the Orion spacecraft to Earth.NASA/Josh Valcarcel NASA’s Orion spacecraft for Artemis I after splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2022.NASA/James Blair NASA’s OCOMM graphics team works closely with the imagery acquisition group, astronauts, and subject matter experts to create visuals that symbolize NASA’s missions and values. From patches to educational infographics, their art reaches museums and schools nationwide, inspiring future generations and showcasing NASA’s commitment to exploration, innovation, and education. A compilation of NASA’s graphics team highlights from 2023. “Every design we create is a piece of a larger narrative, helping to tell the story of space exploration in a way that’s engaging and accessible to everyone,” said Sean Collins, Johnson’s lead graphic designer. The collaborative efforts of these teams ensure that NASA’s achievements are not just recorded but celebrated worldwide. NASA team members participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Game opening flag ceremonies on January 8, 2024, at NRG Stadium. NASA/Helen Arase Vargas NASA photographer Bill Stafford recalls a moment of awe when capturing the Moon juxtaposed with the U.S. flag above the Mission Control Center, a symbol of America’s space achievements. “I feel a weight because my job is important,” he said. “I want people to look at my pictures and see what I was able to see.” The Moon juxtaposed with the U.S. flag above the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA/Bill Stafford A T-38 formation flyover as NASA’s Space Launch System rocket sits on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.NASA/Josh Valcarcel Space Shuttle Endeavour is ferried by NASA’s Shuttle Carrier Aircraft over Ellington Field on September 20, 2012.NASA/Bill Stafford Neil Armstrong speaks at the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement dinner in Houston, Texas. NASA/Bill Stafford Expedition 1 crew members (from left) William Shepherd, Yuri Gudzenko and Sergei Krikalev train in the building 9 shuttle Crew Compartment Trainer on May 12, 2000. NASA/James Blair NASA T-38 aircraft are parked on the flight line at Ellington Field during sunrise, May 7, 2005.NASA/James Blair A NASA engineer installs VIPER’s (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) starboard radiator in Johnson’s clean room. NASA/Helen Arase Vargas Engineers work in the VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) clean room at Johnson Space Center. NASA/Helen Arase Vargas The cast members from the Apollo 13 movie in zero gravity aboard NASA’s KC-135 aircraft.NASA/Robert Markowitz NASA astronaut John Glenn on his second spaceflight as part of the STS-95 crew.NASA/Robert Markowitz View the full article

This artist’s concept depicts one of the Carbon Mapper Coalition’s Tanager satellites, the first of which launched on Aug. 16. Tanager-1 will use imaging spectrometer technology developed at JPL to measure greenhouse gas point-source emissions.Planet Labs PBC Developed by the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the imaging spectrometer will provide actionable data to help reduce emissions that contribute to global warming. Tanager-1, the Carbon Mapper Coalition’s first satellite, which carries a state-of-the-art, NASA-designed greenhouse-gas-tracking instrument, is in Earth orbit after lifting off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 11:56 a.m. PDT Friday, Aug. 16. Ground controllers successfully established communications with Tanager-1 at 2:45 p.m. PDT the same day. The satellite will use imaging spectrometer technology developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California to measure methane and carbon dioxide point-source emissions, down to the level of individual facilities and equipment, on a global scale. Tanager-1 was developed as part of a philanthropically funded public-private coalition led by the nonprofit Carbon Mapper. Planet Labs PBC, which built Tanager-1, and JPL are both members of the Carbon Mapper Coalition and plan to launch a second Tanager satellite equipped with a JPL-built imaging spectrometer at a later date. “The imaging spectrometer technology aboard Tanager-1 is the product of four decades of development at NASA JPL and truly in a class of its own,” said JPL Director Laurie Leshin. “The data that this public-private partnership provides on sources of greenhouse gas emissions will be precise and global, making it beneficial to everyone.” Once in operation, the spacecraft will scan about 50,000 square miles (130,000 square kilometers) of Earth’s surface per day. Carbon Mapper scientists will analyze data from Tanager-1 to identify gas plumes with the unique spectral signatures of methane and carbon dioxide — and pinpoint their sources. Plume data will be publicly available online at the Carbon Mapper data portal. Methane and carbon dioxide are the greenhouse gases that contribute most to climate change. About half of methane emissions worldwide result from human activities — primarily from the fossil fuel, agriculture, and waste management industries. Meanwhile, there is now 50% more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than there was in 1750, an increase largely due to the extraction and burning of coal, oil, and gas. “The Carbon Mapper Coalition is a prime example of how organizations from different sectors are uniting around a common goal of addressing climate change,” said Riley Duren, Carbon Mapper CEO. “By detecting, pinpointing, and quantifying super-emitters and making this data accessible to decision-makers, we can drive significant action around the world to cut emissions now.” The imaging spectrometer aboard the satellite measures hundreds of wavelengths of light that are reflected by Earth’s surface. Different compounds in the planet’s atmosphere — including methane and carbon dioxide — absorb different wavelengths of light, leaving spectral “fingerprints” that the imaging spectrometer can identify. These infrared fingerprints can enable researchers to pinpoint and quantify strong greenhouse gas emissions, potentially accelerating mitigation efforts. Tanager-1 is part of a broader effort to make methane and carbon dioxide data accessible and actionable. That effort includes using measurements provided by NASA’s EMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation), an imaging spectrometer developed by JPL and installed on the International Space Station. More About Carbon Mapper Carbon Mapper is a nonprofit organization focused on facilitating timely action to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Its mission is to fill gaps in the emerging global ecosystem of methane and carbon dioxide monitoring systems by delivering data at facility scale that is precise, timely, and accessible to empower science-based decision making and action. The organization is leading the development of the Carbon Mapper constellation of satellites supported by a public-private partnership composed of Planet Labs PBC, JPL, the California Air Resources Board, the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and RMI, with funding from High Tide Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, and other philanthropic donors. News Media Contacts Andrew Wang / Jane J. Lee Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 626-379-6874 / 818-354-0307 andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov / jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov Kelly Vaughn Carbon Mapper, Pasadena, Calif. 970-401-0001 kelly@carbonmapper.org 2024-109 Share Details Last Updated Aug 16, 2024 Related TermsClimate ChangeEarthEarth ScienceGreenhouse Gases Explore More 3 min read New TEMPO Cosmic Data Story Makes Air Quality Data Publicly Available On May 30th, 2024, NASA and the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian announced… Article 3 days ago 3 min read Earth Educators Rendezvous with Infiniscope and Tour It At the Earth Educator’s Rendezvous, held July 15-19, 2024, NASA’s Infiniscope project from Arizona State… Article 4 days ago 3 min read NASA Aircraft Gathers 150 Hours of Data to Better Understand Earth Article 1 week ago View the full article

2 Min Read Orville Wright and National Aviation Day This mural by famed aviation and space artist Bob McCall was created to celebrate the achievements of Wilbur and Orville Wright and to commemorate a century of powered flight. Central to the composition is the 1903 Wright Flyer. Credits: <br> Orville Wright wasn’t sure exactly how long his first flight lasted. He and his brother, Wilbur, think it was about 12 seconds, but according to what Orville wrote in his diary of that December day in 1903 at Kill Devil Hills, N.C., the time is “not known exactly as watch was not promptly stopped.” It’s perhaps a minor detail given the historic significance of what had just transpired on those wind-swept, sandy dunes along the Outer Banks – namely the first ever controlled flight of a heavier-than-air machine rising by its own power. But there is much we do know about the first flight of an airplane. With Orville at the controls, the Wright Flyer took off at 10:35 a.m. EST and flew a distance of 120 feet, about 10 feet off the ground, at a top speed of about 6.8 mph. Three more flights followed that day, with Wilbur and Orville taking turns at the controls, the last flight by Wilbur lasting 59 seconds and covering a distance of 852 feet. The fourth flight ended hard, damaging the airplane enough to halt any more attempts. But it was Orville who made the first flight. In honor of that fact, President Franklin Roosevelt declared in 1939 that August 19, Orville’s birthday, would be National Aviation Day – an annual occasion to celebrate the importance of aviation. Orville was still alive when FDR issued the directive, which called on all federal buildings and installations to display the U.S. flag. The proclamation also invited citizens to observe the day with activities that promote interest in aviation. The proclamation was codified (36 U.S. Code § 118), allowing future sitting U.S. presidents to proclaim Aug. 19 as National Aviation Day. Although not every president since FDR has issued the proclamation every year, the broad aviation community nevertheless recognizes the day as a means to honor the legacy of Orville Wright — and his brother — and celebrate the many ways aviation touches all of our lives. Wilbur and Orville Wright Wilbur, left, and Orville Wright Celebrate National Aviation Day by Getting to Know our Faces of Flight NASA / Maria Werries In honor of National Aviation Day, we’ve put together a collection of pictures, videos, and stories that showcase some of NASA Aeronautics’ aeronautical innovators who are working to safely transform aviation for the 21st century. See, watch, and read their stories with this up close and personal look, Enjoy this special feature here! About the AuthorJim BankeManaging Editor/Senior WriterJim Banke is a veteran aviation and aerospace communicator with more than 35 years of experience as a writer, producer, consultant, and project manager based at Cape Canaveral, Florida. He is part of NASA Aeronautics' Strategic Communications Team and is Managing Editor for the Aeronautics topic on the NASA website. Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More 3 min read NASA’s X-59 Progresses Through Tests on the Path to Flight Article 5 days ago 3 min read NASA Aircraft Gathers 150 Hours of Data to Better Understand Earth Article 1 week ago 4 min read Collegiate Teams to Focus on Aviation Solutions for Agriculture in 2025 Gateways to Blue Skies Competition Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Artemis Aeronautics STEM Explore NASA’s History Share Details Last Updated Aug 18, 2024 EditorJim BankeContactJim Bankejim.banke@nasa.gov Related TermsAeronautics View the full article

9 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Research pilot Greg Slover “spreads his wings” at NASA’s Langley Research Center. On August 19, tag your posts with #SpreadYourWings or #NationalAviationDay.NASA / David C. Bowman It was in 1939 that President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the first presidential proclamation designating Aug. 19 – Orville Wright’s birthday – as a day in which citizens are encouraged to participate in activities that promote interest in aviation. So how will you be a good citizen and observe the day as indicated by the President? Here are ten suggestions — plus one bonus idea at the end that is a “must do!” — for you and your family and friends to consider: 1. “Spread Your Wings.” Have someone take a picture of you and your friends or loved ones stretching out your arms like the wings of an airplane. (For extra brownie points use your hands to make winglets – one of NASA’s many contributions to aviation.) Tell us how you’re celebrating flight on August 19. Post your photo to X, Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media. Be sure and tag it with #NationalAviationDay so we see it! 2. Remember that NASA is with you when you fly. Are you traveling by air today or anytime soon? After you settle into your assigned seat buckle up, make sure your seatback and folding tray are in their full upright positions, and then take a moment and think about NASA. Why? Well it might not be immediately visible to you, but every U.S. aircraft and air traffic control tower in operation today uses some kind of NASA-developed technology. Before you take off and the pilots shut the door, glance into the cockpit. See all the electronic displays? They make up what’s called the “glass cockpit.” NASA did early testing on using the displays to replace heavier and outdated dials and gauges. Now, look out your window. See the vertical extension on the tip of your airplane’s wing? That’s a “winglet.” It was originally tested and developed by NASA as a way to reduce drag. In use for many, many years now, winglets have saved billions of gallons of fuel, according to industry. And they even reduce aircraft noise a bit. Then there are the things you won’t see. It may be a piece of technology buried deep within your jet engine to help it run more efficiently, or it could be computer software installed in air traffic control centers to help controllers manage your flight, gate-to-gate, more efficiently with reduced delays, all in a way that’s more sustainable and friendly to our planet Earth. 3. Visit your local science museum or NASA visitor center. Exhibits about aviation and on how an airplane flies are popular staples of local science museums. Check out your local science center to see if they’re open and if they have any exhibits on aviation. And even if they don’t, it never hurts to spend some time learning about science. And if you live within a short drive from Norfolk, VA; Cleveland, OH; or San Francisco, CA, you might consider checking out the visitors centers associated with NASA’s Langley Research Center, Glenn Research Center, or Ames Research Center, respectively. These major NASA field centers play host to the majority of NASA’s aeronautics research. (NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, the fourth of NASA’s aeronautics centers, is located within the restricted area of Edwards Air Force Base, CA, so they do not have a public visitor’s center.) 4. Watch an aviation-themed movie. There’s no shortage of classic aviation-themed movies available to watch in whatever format (DVD, streaming online, in the theater, etc.), from whatever source (Red Box, Netflix, your own library, etc.), and with whatever snacks (popcorn, nachos, Sno-Caps, etc.) are your favorite. We dare not attempt a comprehensive list because we wouldn’t be able to satisfy everyone’s tastes, but a few NASA aeronautics staff favorites include Jimmy Stewart’s “The Spirit of St. Louis” and “Strategic Air Command,” John Wayne’s “Jet Pilot” (featuring the last time Chuck Yeager flew the X-1 rocket plane), National Geographic’s “Living in the Age of Airplanes,” and Disney’s animated “Planes.” Movies that combine aviation and space can be fun, such as “The Right Stuff” or the documentary “One More Orbit,” which tells how former NASA astronaut Terry Virts attempts to break the speed record for circling Earth over the poles in a business jet. 5. Take an introductory flight lesson. Pilots will tell you there is a wonderful sense of freedom in flying, not to mention the incredible views and the personal sense of accomplishment that comes from mastering the skills required to fly. At the same time being a pilot is not for everyone – but you won’t know unless you try! Most general aviation airports in the nation have a flight school that offers an introductory flight lesson at a discounted price. Many airports have flying clubs that will introduce you to flight. You also might check to see if there is a Civil Air Patrol in your area. And if you want a taste of flight from the cockpit without leaving the ground, commercial computer desktop flight simulators such as X-Plane or Microsoft’s Flight Simulator are popular choices and can get you into the virtual sky in short order. 6. Build an airplane Why not? It doesn’t have to be big enough to actually fly in – although homebuilt airplane kits are available if you have the money, time and perseverance to complete the job. Putting together a smaller plastic model kit of one of the world’s most historic aircraft can be just as rewarding and just as educational, especially for younger kids who might be thinking about a career as an engineer or aerospace technician. In fact, many astronauts will tell you their love of aviation and space began with putting models together as a child. Another idea: Grab some LEGO bricks and build the airplane of your dreams, or perhaps one based on real NASA work like these folks did. Or make it easy on yourself: fold a paper airplane like this one of NASA’s X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology aircraft and shoot it across the room. Sometimes simple works best. 7. Tell us about your first flight Ten years ago, for National Aviation Day in 2014, we asked some fellow NASA workers for stories about their first flights. We received some great ones, and we’d love to hear from you about the first time you ever flew in a plane. Post your story online and be sure to use #NationalAviationDay so we find you. Tell us about the first time you took to the air. Where were you traveling? Why? Do you remember what kind of airplane it was? Were you thrilled, or a little scared? Let us know! 8. Follow what we’re doing to transform aviation. NASA’s aeronautical innovators are working to transform air transportation to meet the future needs of the global aviation community. Sounds like a big job, right? It is and there are many ways in which NASA is doing this. Improving an airplane’s aerodynamics, reducing the amount of fuel used by airplanes, making airplanes of all sizes quieter, decreasing the amount of harmful emissions released into the atmosphere, working with the Federal Aviation Administration to improve the efficiency of air traffic control – the list could go on for many thousands of more words. Bookmark our NASA Aeronautics home page and follow us on Twitter @NASAaero. There’s also some great education resources that not only help you learn about NASA’s aeronautics research, but about aviation in general. Visit our Aeronautics STEM page to download activities, fact sheets, coloring pages for kids, and much more. Even more fun things to do at home can be found here. 9. Visit your local library or download a NASA e-book Aviation-themed books, whether fact or fiction, are all over the shelves of your local library – literally. That’s because there’s no single Dewey Decimal number for aviation. A book about aviation history will be in a different section of the library than a book about how to design an airplane. And fictional books such as the Arthur Hailey classic “Airport,” or autobiographies such as Chuck Yeager’s “Yeager,” are off on yet another shelf. Don’t hesitate to ask your reference librarian for help. And when you get back from the library, or while still there, jump online and check out the NASA e-books you can download and own for free. 10. Have a plane spotting picnic near an airport. At Washington DC’s Ronald Reagan airport it’s Gravelly Point. In Minneapolis it’s a new viewing location right in the middle of the airport. If you live near a major international airport, chances are you know the best place where the locals can go to watch aircraft take off and land. Be sure to take heed of any security restrictions about where you can and can’t go. But once you have your spot picked out then load up your picnic basket with lots of goodies and camp out next to the airport for an afternoon of plane spotting. See how many different types of airplanes you can count or identify. For a truly up-close and personal experience, bring a scanner radio and listen in on air traffic control. Helpful plane spotting tips, as well as livestreams of airport activity, are easily found online with the help of your favorite search engine. BONUS IDEA: Get to Know our Faces of Flight NASA / Maria Werries In honor of National Aviation Day, we’ve put together a collection of pictures, videos, and stories that showcase some of NASA Aeronautics’ aeronautical innovators who are working to safely transform aviation for the 21st century. See, watch, and read their stories with this up close and personal look, Enjoy this special feature here! About the AuthorJim BankeManaging Editor/Senior WriterJim Banke is a veteran aviation and aerospace communicator with more than 35 years of experience as a writer, producer, consultant, and project manager based at Cape Canaveral, Florida. He is part of NASA Aeronautics' Strategic Communications Team and is Managing Editor for the Aeronautics topic on the NASA website. Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More 2 min read Orville Wright and National Aviation Day Article 2 days ago 3 min read NASA’s X-59 Progresses Through Tests on the Path to Flight Article 5 days ago 3 min read NASA Aircraft Gathers 150 Hours of Data to Better Understand Earth Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Artemis Aeronautics STEM Explore NASA’s History Share Details Last Updated Aug 18, 2024 EditorLillian GipsonContactJim Bankejim.banke@nasa.gov Related TermsAeronauticsAeronautics Research Mission Directorate View the full article

4 Min Read The Macroeconomics of Space Symposium NASA technicians lift the James Webb Telescope Join OTPS and NASA’s Agency Chief Economist at the Macroeconomics of Space Symposium on September 5, 2024 NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy invites you to join us at the “Macroeconomics of Space Symposium” happening on Thursday, September 5, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT in the James Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters and virtually via WebEx. OTPS is bringing together civil servants and leading researchers on the economic impacts of public R&D spending, to discuss the macroeconomics of space investments. This symposium will will feature academic presentations, a panel discussion, highlights from the upcoming FY23 NASA Economic Impact Report, and a keynote speech from Heather Boushey of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers—the first ever CEA appearance at NASA! We’ll explore multiple perspectives, from annual economic impacts to decades-long effects on aggregate productivity, to offer a new level of integrated insight into the macroeconomic impacts of NASA investments. For more information, a preview at our agenda, and to RSVP, see details below. We hope to see you there! Register to attend in-person or virtually through WebEx: https://nasaevents.webex.com/weblink/register/r87edd3ab76a8929e05115dc74063e295 Background The macroeconomic implications of space-related government spending have long been a topic of interest within NASA and the Federal government more broadly. While NASA programs often focus on scientific and exploration goals, questions of NASA’s economic impacts and benefits to American society at large are frequent topics of interest from members of Congress and the general public. Toward this end, NASA publishes a biannual Economic Impact Report to assess economic benefits of NASA spending across the country. While this is of substantial interest to the US space community – as evidenced by media attention the previous report received – there remain open questions about long-run impacts through channels like NASA-developed technologies proliferating through the economy, NASA-funded methods of production enhancing output over time, and NASA-incentivized activities spurring further private investments in productive activity. A recent wave of economic research provides new evidence on these long-run impacts. Their magnitude creates macroeconomic implications for national space policy. By some estimates, non-defense R&D spending – the bulk of which has historically been NASA spending – accounts for about one quarter of business productivity growth in the postwar period, with long-run social returns – the cumulative benefit to American society per dollar spent – of about 200%. For comparison, the social rate of return on overall US R&D investment is about 67%. As Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently noted: “… there is ample evidence [government research and development] is undersupplied, including due to a significant decline in federal R&D spending.” Paired with the evidence from the Economic Impact Report regarding annual employment effects generated by NASA spending around the country, these results suggest NASA offers a unique mechanism to promote American economic resilience, opportunity, and growth. This symposium convenes leading researchers on the economic impacts of public R&D spending and civil servants to discuss the macroeconomics of space investments. It bridges multiple perspectives, from annual employment impacts to decades-long effects on aggregate productivity, to offer an unprecedented level of comprehensive insight into the macroeconomic impacts of NASA investments. Event highlights (All times listed are in EDT and subject to change) 8:30 -9 a.m. In-person arrival and check-in 9-9:15 a.m. Introduction to workshop 9:15-9:30 a.m. Keynote speaker Heather Boushey, Council of Economic Advisers 9:30-10:45 a.m. Presentations: Andrew Fieldhouse/Karel Mertens, The Returns to Government R&D: Evidence from U.S. Appropriations Shocks Measuring the causal impact of government R&D on business-sector productivity, using postwar changes in federal R&D appropriations to estimate long-term economic returns to non-defense R&D. Arnaud Dyèvre, Public R&D Spillovers and Productivity Growth Quantifying the impact of declining public R&D funding on U.S. productivity growth using 70 years of firm-level patent and balance-sheet data to compare public and private R&D spillovers. Shawn Kantor/Alexander Whalley, Moonshot: Public R&D and Growth Examining the Space Race to assess the impacts of windfall R&D spending on manufacturing and regional economies using declassified National Intelligence Estimates of technologies needed for space missions, detailed Census data, and data on patent funding. 10:45-11 a.m. Coffee break 11-11:20 a.m. NASA Economic Impact Report with Alex MacDonald 11:20-11:50 p.m. Closing panel, “Space in the Federal R&D portfolio” with Alex MacDonald, Arnaud Dyèvre, Andrew Fieldhouse, and Shawn Kantor. Akhil Rao as moderator. Share Details Last Updated Aug 16, 2024 EditorBill Keeter Related TermsOffice of Technology, Policy and Strategy (OTPS) View the full article

3 Min Read Rescuers at the Ready at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett If there’s an emergency at the launch pad during a launch countdown, there’s a special team engineers at Kennedy Space Center teams can call on – the Pad Rescue team. Trained to quickly rescue personnel at the launch pad and take them to safety in the event of an unlikely emergency, NASA’s Pad Rescue team at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida has been in place since the Apollo Program. Today they help support crewed missions launching from Launch Complex 39A and B, as well as Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. NASA/Frank Michaux Stationed in mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles, or MRAPs, the Pad Rescue team stands poised near the launch pad to assist with any emergency requiring the personnel to quickly leave the pad. If needed, they will head to the pad and break up into two separate teams – one that heads up the launch tower to aid personnel and another that is stationed at the perimeter of the pad for when crews come down the emergency escape or egress system. Once everyone is on the ground and inside the MRAPs, Pad Rescue will drive teams to one of the triage site locations at Kennedy. They’re spaceflight knights in shining armor. Except instead of saving crew from a fire breathing dragon, it’s from a fully loaded skyscraper-sized rocket that’s getting ready to lift off. "Pad Rescue isn’t going up to fight fire or troubleshoot anything. This is a snatch and grab operation. We’re going up there to assist people and get them out as quickly as possible. CHRISTOPHER YOUNG NASA Kennedy Fire Protection Chief and Pad Rescue Program Operational Lead The team is made up of approximately 25 firefighters and fire officers, with 10 pad rescuers assigned per mission. Since the team supports a diverse range of launches – Artemis, the Commercial Crew Program and some private commercial crew launches – part of their training requires learning the differences between the launch pads, the emergency egress systems, the spacecraft, and even the spacesuits. “The hatch itself can be very complex,” said Dylan Reid, Pad Rescue program manager. “The seats are different. The suits are completely different and the connections on the suits are different. As we expand Pad Rescue to support different programs, our teams are absorbing all of the highly technical and different needs.” Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team and the Exploration Ground Systems Program practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.NASA/Frank Michaux Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team and the Exploration Ground Systems Program practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.NASA/Frank Michaux Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team and the Exploration Ground Systems Program practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.NASA/Kim Shiflett Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team and the Exploration Ground Systems Program practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.NASA/Kim Shiflett Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team, and the Exploration Ground Systems Program – who also suited up as astronauts – practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.NASA/Kim Shiflett Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team, and the Exploration Ground Systems Program – who also suited up as astronauts – practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.NASA/Kim Shiflett Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team, and the Exploration Ground Systems Program – who also suited up as astronauts – practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.NASA/Kim Shiflett Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team, and the Exploration Ground Systems Program – who also suited up as astronauts – practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.NASA/Kim Shiflett Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team and the Exploration Ground Systems Program practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers. NASA/Kim Shiflett Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team and the Exploration Ground Systems Program practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.NASA/Frank Michaux Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team and the Exploration Ground Systems Program practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.NASA/Frank Michaux Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team and the Exploration Ground Systems Program practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.NASA/Frank Michaux Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team and the Exploration Ground Systems Program practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.NASA/Frank Michaux Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team and the Exploration Ground Systems Program practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers. NASA/Kim Shiflett When the launch team sent in the red crew during the Artemis I launch countdown to help fix a hydrogen leak, the Pad Rescue team was nearby to help in case anything went wrong. Now as teams train for Artemis II – the first crewed Artemis mission – they’re learning all the new additions at Launch Complex 39B that come with having astronauts onboard. This includes learning the Artemis emergency egress system. Before Artemis II launches, the Pad Rescue team – along with other teams like the Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Program responsible for launching the Artemis missions, and the closeout crew who are responsible for helping the astronauts get inside the Orion spacecraft – will thoroughly train for all kinds of emergency procedures that can occur during the launch countdown. The most recent training ahead of Artemis II included practicing several emergency egress situations such as helping aid the closeout and the simulated flight crew off of the launch tower after a simulated hydrogen leak occurred during a launch countdown. “It’s a sense of pride for all of us that are on this team. They step up and they volunteer to be a part of this. Working with EGS, the Commercial Crew Program, and other commercial space companies makes me feel really involved with the space program. This is a one-of-a-kind rescue team.” CHRISTOPHER YOUNG NASA Kennedy Fire Protection Chief and Pad Rescue Program Operational Lead Artemis II will send four astronauts – commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency – around the Moon on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the lunar surface for science and exploration through Artemis. The 10-day flight will test NASA’s foundational human deep space exploration capabilities, the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, Orion spacecraft, for the first time with astronauts. About the AuthorAntonia Jaramillo Share Details Last Updated Aug 16, 2024 Related TermsExploration Ground SystemsArtemis 2Kennedy Space Center Explore More 4 min read NASA Teams Change Brakes to Keep Artemis Crew Safe Article 1 week ago 4 min read Artemis Emergency Egress System Emphasizes Crew Safety Article 1 week ago 4 min read NASA Sends More Science to Space, More Strides for Future Exploration Biological and physical investigations aboard the Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply mission NG-21 included experiments studying… Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

ESA/Hubble & NASA, I. Chilingari The subject of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is situated in the Perseus Cluster, also known as Abell 426, 320 million light-years from Earth. It’s a barred spiral galaxy known as MCG+07-07-072, seen here among a number of photobombing stars that are much closer to Earth than it is. MCG+07-07-072 has quite an unusual shape for a spiral galaxy, with thin arms emerging from the ends of its barred core to draw a near-circle around its disk. It is classified as an SBc(r) galaxy: the c denotes that its two spiral arms are loosely wound, each only performing a half-turn around the galaxy, and the (r) is for the ring-like structure they create. Rings in galaxies come in quite a few forms, from merely uncommon, to rare and scientifically important! Lenticular galaxies are a type that sit between elliptical and spiral galaxies. They feature a large disk, unlike an elliptical galaxy, but lack any spiral arms. Lenticular means lens-shaped, and these galaxies often feature ring-like shapes in their disks. Meanwhile, the classification of “ring galaxy” is reserved for peculiar galaxies with a round ring of gas and star formation, much like spiral arms look, but completely disconnected from the galactic nucleus — or even without any visible nucleus! They’re thought to be formed in galactic collisions. Finally, there are the famous gravitational lenses, where the ring is in fact a distorted image of a distant, background galaxy, formed by the ‘lens’ galaxy bending light around it. Ring-shaped images, called Einstein rings, only form when the lensing and imaged galaxies are perfectly aligned. Media Contact: Claire Andreoli NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD claire.andreoli@nasa.gov View the full article

NASA Science Live: Climate Edition - Extreme Weather

Earth as viewed from the International Space Station.Credit: NASA The NASA-funded Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) announced its selections for the institute’s 2024 postdoctoral fellowship, a space health program intended to launch the careers of a new generation of researchers tackling various challenges involved with human space exploration. The program supports early-career scientists pursuing research with the potential to reduce the health risks associated with spaceflight. Selected fellows will participate in TRISH’s Academy of Bioastronautics, a mentorship community for space health professionals, and receive a two-year salary stipend. Fellows were selected based on the strengths of the various projects they proposed. Projects are expected to begin in September. “Our TRISH program has always prioritized providing the next generation with the tools to further human health in space,” said Dr. Rihana Bokhari, acting TRISH chief scientific officer and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “As space becomes more accessible to more people, investing in these early-career scientists is necessary to develop solutions to mitigate the health risks that life in space may pose. We are eager to have this group join our postdoctoral fellowship program and enhance their research for spaceflight.” The following fellows were selected: Carolyn Chlebek, Ph.D. MaineHealth Mentor: Clifford Rosen, M.D. Project: Bone Metabolism is Altered by Skeletal Unloading and Nutrient Limitation During Long-duration Spaceflight Katharyn Flickinger, Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh Mentor: Clifton Callaway, M.D., Ph.D. Project: Metabolic Measurement, Manipulation, and Countermeasure Strategies Patrick Opdensteinen, M.Sc., Ph.D. University of California, San Diego Mentor: Nicole Steinmetz, Ph.D. Project: Streamlined Molecular Farming of Virus-Like Particle (VLP) Therapeutics in Space The institute is supported by NASA’s Human Research Program to solve the challenges of human deep space exploration. Led by Baylor College of Medicine’s Center for Space Medicine, the consortium leverages partnerships with Caltech in Pasadena, California and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. NASA’s Human Research Program pursues the best methods and technologies to support safe, productive human space travel. Through science conducted in laboratories, ground-based analogs, and missions to the International Space Station, the program scrutinizes how spaceflight affects human bodies and behaviors. Such research continues to drive NASA’s mission to innovate ways that keep astronauts healthy as space exploration expands to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. -end- Kelly Humphries / Laura Sorto Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 kelly.o.humphries@nasa.gov / laura.g.sorto@nasa.gov View the full article

Expedition 71 Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick and Tracy C. Dyson, both NASA astronauts, pose for a fun portrait as Dominick tests portable breathing gear aboard the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory module. (Credit: NASA) Students from Topeka, Kansas, will have the opportunity Wednesday, Aug. 21, to have NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick and Tracy C. Dyson answer their prerecorded questions aboard the International Space Station. The 20-minute space-to-Earth call with students from Mose J. Whitson Elementary, Most Pure Heart Catholic School, and Aviation Explorers Post 8, will stream live at 10:30 a.m. EDT Aug. 21, on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through various platforms, including social media. Media interested in covering the event must RSVP no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 19, by contacting Aaron Gray at agray@tps501.org or 785-295-2900. In preparation for the event, students from Whitson Elementary joined high school members of Aviation Explorers Post 8 for a local airport control tower tour and a pre-flight inspection demonstration. The Lawrence Amateur Astronomy Club, University of Kansas graduate students, and other astronomy enthusiasts provided presentations for the Whitson Starry Night Astronomy Title I family night. On the day of the event more than five schools from across the community will tune in. For more than 23 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network. Important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the International Space Station benefit people on Earth and lays the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars; inspiring Artemis Generation explorers and ensuring the United States will continue to lead in space exploration and discovery. See videos and lesson plans highlighting space station research at: https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation -end- Abbey Donaldson / Gerelle Dodson Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 Abbey.a.donaldson@nasa.gov / gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov Sandra Jones Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov View the full article

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image reveals the galaxy LEDA 857074. ESA/Hubble & NASA, I. Chilingari The subject of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is situated in the Perseus Cluster, also known as Abell 426, 320 million light-years from Earth. It’s a barred spiral galaxy known as MCG+07-07-072, seen here among a number of photobombing stars that are much closer to Earth than it is. MCG+07-07-072 has quite an unusual shape for a spiral galaxy, with thin arms emerging from the ends of its barred core to draw a near-circle around its disk. It is classified as an SBc(r) galaxy: the c denotes that its two spiral arms are loosely wound, each only performing a half-turn around the galaxy, and the (r) is for the ring-like structure they create. Rings in galaxies come in quite a few forms, from merely uncommon, to rare and scientifically important! Lenticular galaxies are a type that sit between elliptical and spiral galaxies. They feature a large disk, unlike an elliptical galaxy, but lack any spiral arms. Lenticular means lens-shaped, and these galaxies often feature ring-like shapes in their disks. Meanwhile, the classification of “ring galaxy” is reserved for peculiar galaxies with a round ring of gas and star formation, much like spiral arms look, but completely disconnected from the galactic nucleus — or even without any visible nucleus! They’re thought to be formed in galactic collisions. Finally, there are the famous gravitational lenses, where the ring is in fact a distorted image of a distant, background galaxy, formed by the ‘lens’ galaxy bending light around it. Ring-shaped images, called Einstein rings, only form when the lensing and imaged galaxies are perfectly aligned. Download Image Explore More Hubble’s Galaxies Facebook logo @NASAHubble @NASAHubble Instagram logo @NASAHubble Media Contact: Claire Andreoli NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD claire.andreoli@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 16, 2024 Related Terms Astrophysics Astrophysics Division Galaxies Goddard Space Flight Center Hubble Space Telescope Missions Science & Research Science Mission Directorate The Universe Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Hubble News Galaxies Hubble Space Telescope Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe. Universe View the full article

Brad Flick, center director at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, presents a 2024 NASA College Scholarship Award to Sabrina Redifer. From left to right are Sabrina Redifer’s parents Matthew and Saynne Redifer, Flick, Sabrina Redifer, and her sister Samantha Redifer.NASA/Steve Freeman Sabrina Redifer, a 2024 graduate of Quartz Hill High School in Lancaster, California, won a NASA College Scholarship Award. Redifer plans to major this fall in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She earned a 4.0 grade-point average – a weighted GPA of 5.29 – and ranked fourth academically out of a class of 794 students. “My dream of becoming a physician stems from a love of science, innovation, and equality,” she said. “I want to develop new treatments through molecular and cellular research, and I want to make those treatments accessible to all people, regardless of their economic status or where they live.” Redifer won the scholarship following an agency-wide application for NASA employee dependents planning to pursue a science, technology, engineering, or math degree. The scholarship is $2,000 per year for up to four years. She is the daughter of Matthew Redifer, who is X-59 aircraft flight systems lead at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, and Saynne Redifer, of Palmdale, California. “I didn’t think I was going to win,” Sabrina Redifer said. “I was super excited when I did!” Sabrina Redifer is a valedictorian, received a 2023 and a 2024 Advanced Placement Scholar Award with Distinction, and the Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma, a special two-year course conducted in tandem with Advanced Placement classes. Redifer was president of Quartz Hill High School’s National Honor Society, the varsity girls golf team president, and co-president of the Asian Student Union. She qualified for California Interscholastic Federation golf tournaments multiple times and ranked top six in the Golden League all four years. In her community, she volunteered for two years at the Antelope Valley Medical Center in the gift shop and emergency room and at the Quartz Hill Food Pantry, where she helped pack food for distribution. In addition, she shadowed physicians this summer, following and observing as they met with patients. For more about NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong – End – For more information, contact: Jay Levine NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center (661) 276-3459 jay.levine-1@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 15, 2024 EditorDede DiniusContactJay Levinejay.levine-1@nasa.govLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related TermsArmstrong Flight Research CenterPeople of Armstrong Explore More 3 min read NASA’s X-59 Progresses Through Tests on the Path to Flight Article 2 days ago 3 min read NASA Aircraft Gathers 150 Hours of Data to Better Understand Earth Article 1 week ago 2 min read NASA Prepares for Air Taxi Passenger Comfort Studies Article 2 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center People of NASA Armstrong People Women’s History Month View the full article

2 min read Geospatial AI Foundation Model Team Receives NASA Marshall Group Achievement Award Rahul Ramachandran of NASA IMPACT, left, Elizabeth Fancher of NASA IMPACT, Ankur Kumar of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), Sujit Roy of UAH, Raghu Ganti of IBM Research, David McKenzie of NASA, Muthukumaran Ramasubramanian of UAH, Iksha Gurung of UAH, and Manil Maskey of NASA IMPACT, right, accept the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Group Achievement Award on Thursday, August 15, 2024 at NASA Marshall. NASA NASA’s science efforts aim to empower scientists with the tools to perform research into our planet and universe. To this end, a collaborative effort between NASA and IBM created an AI geospatial foundation model, which was released as an open-source application in 2024. Trained on vast amounts of NASA Earth science data, the foundation model can be adapted for Earth science applications such as flood, burn scar, and cropland studies. Tailoring the model for a specific task takes far less data than the original training set, providing an easy path for researchers to perform AI-powered studies. For their groundbreaking work on this project, the development team behind the foundation model has received the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Group Achievement Award. Their success with the model showcases their commitment to advancing AI and scientific research and will inspire progress in this field for years to come. The team members from NASA’s Marshall Space Fight Center /IMPACT (Interagency Implementation and Advanced Concepts Team) are: Rahul Ramachandran Manil Maskey Elizabeth Fancher The team members from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) are: Sujit Roy Ankur Kumar Christopher Phillips Iksha Gurung Muthukumaran Ramasubramanian The team members from IBM are: Ranjini Bangalore Juan Bernabe-Moreno Dario Augusto Borges Oliveira Linsong Chu Blair Edwards Paolo Fraccaro Carlos Gomes Raghu Ganti Adnan Hoque Johannes Jakubik Levente Klein Devyani Lambhate Gabby Nyirjesy Naomi Simumba Johannes Schmude Mudhakar Srivatsa Harini Srinivasan Daniela Szwarcman Rob Parkin Kommy Weldemariam Campbell Watson Bianca Zadrozny The team members from Clark University are: Hamed Alemohammad Michael Cecil Steve Li Sam Khallaghi Denys Godwin Maryam Ahmadi Fatemeh Kordi To learn more about the NASA projects improving accessible science discovery for the benefit of all, visit the Open Science at NASA page. Share Details Last Updated Aug 15, 2024 Related Terms Open Science Explore More 5 min read How NASA Citizen Science Fuels Future Exoplanet Research Article 1 week ago 3 min read Meet NASA Interns Shaping Future of Open Science Article 3 weeks ago 4 min read Mapping the Red Planet with the Power of Open Science Article 2 months ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

NASA This Dec. 27, 2023 image of the São Francisco River in southeast Brazil showcases the range of vibrant colors in the area including blues, reds, greens, and yellows. Much of the unvegetated land, such as unplanted fields and unpaved roads, appears in bright shades of red and yellow. This coloration comes from the underlying clays and soils of Brazil’s state of Minas Gerais. The photo focuses on the Três Marias Reservoir, a human-made waterbody fed by the São Francisco River. Access to freshwater for irrigation enables agriculture around the reservoir. Red- and green-toned areas can be distinguished as fields with center-pivot irrigation or straight-edged plots. An orange-tan contour line tracing the shoreline of the reservoir marks where water levels have been higher. The lighter shades of blue on the reservoir’s surface are due to sunglint, an optical effect that occurs when sunlight reflects off smooth water at the same angle a sensor views it. Text credit: Andrea Wenzel Image credit: NASA View the full article

4 min read NASA Citizen Scientists Spot Object Moving 1 Million Miles Per Hour This artist’s concept shows a hypothetical white dwarf, left, that has exploded as a supernova. The object at right is CWISE J1249, a star or brown dwarf ejected from this system as a result of the explosion. This scenario is one explanation for where CWISE J1249 came from. W.M. Keck Observatory/Adam Makarenko Most familiar stars peacefully orbit the center of the Milky Way. But citizen scientists working on NASA’s Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project have helped discover an object moving so fast that it will escape the Milky Way’s gravity and shoot into intergalactic space. This hypervelocity object is the first such object found with the mass similar to or less than that of a small star. Backyard Worlds uses images from NASA’s WISE, or Wide Field Infrared Explorer, mission, which mapped the sky in infrared light from 2009 to 2011. It was re-activated as NEOWISE (Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) in 2013 and retired on Aug. 8, 2024. A few years ago, longtime Backyard Worlds citizen scientists Martin Kabatnik, Thomas P. Bickle, and Dan Caselden spotted a faint, fast-moving object called CWISE J124909.08+362116.0, marching across their screens in the WISE images. Follow-up observations with several ground-based telescopes helped scientists confirm the discovery and characterize the object. These citizen scientists are now co-authors on the team’s study about this discovery published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters (a pre-print version is available here). “I can’t describe the level of excitement,” said Kabatnik, a citizen scientist from Nuremberg, Germany. “When I first saw how fast it was moving, I was convinced it must have been reported already.” CWISE J1249 is zooming out of the Milky Way at about 1 million miles per hour. But it also stands out for its low mass, which makes it difficult to classify as a celestial object. It could be a low-mass star, or if it doesn’t steadily fuse hydrogen in its core, it would be considered a brown dwarf, putting it somewhere between a gas giant planet and a star. Ordinary brown dwarfs are not that rare. Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 volunteers have discovered more than 4,000 of them! But none of the others are known to be on their way out of the galaxy. This new object has yet another unique property. Data obtained with the W. M. Keck Observatory in Maunakea, Hawaii, show that it has much less iron and other metals than other stars and brown dwarfs. This unusual composition suggests that CWISE J1249 is quite old, likely from one of the first generations of stars in our galaxy. Why does this object move at such high speed? One hypothesis is that CWISE J1249 originally came from a binary system with a white dwarf, which exploded as a supernova when it pulled off too much material from its companion. Another possibility is that it came from a tightly bound cluster of stars called a globular cluster, and a chance meeting with a pair of black holes sent it soaring away. “When a star encounters a black hole binary, the complex dynamics of this three-body interaction can toss that star right out of the globular cluster,” says Kyle Kremer, incoming assistant professor in UC San Diego’s Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Scientists will look more closely at the elemental composition of CWISE J1249 for clues about which of these scenarios is more likely. This discovery has been a team effort on multiple levels—a collaboration involving volunteers, professionals, and students. Kabatnik credits other citizen scientists with helping him search, including Melina Thévenot, who “blew my mind with her personal blog about doing searches using Astronomical Data Query Language,” he said. Software written by citizen scientist Frank Kiwy was also instrumental in this finding, he said. The study is led by Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 science team member Adam Burgasser, a professor at the University of California, San Diego, and includes co-authors Hunter Brooks and Austin Rothermich, astronomy students who both began their astronomy careers as citizen scientists. Become a citizen scientist Want to help discover the next extraordinary space object? Join the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 now — participation is open to anyone in any country worldwide. Podcast Check out this NASA’s Curious Universe podcast episode to hear personal stories from citizen scientists engaged NASA-related projects. Media contact Elizabeth Landau Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0845 elandau@nasa.gov View the full article

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Science in Space: August 2024 Life on the International Space Station is quite different from life on the ground. Crew members experience multiple sunrises and sunsets each day, spend their time in a confined space, have packed schedules, and deal with microgravity. These and other conditions during spaceflight can negatively affect the performance and well-being of crew members. Many studies on the space station work to characterize and understand those effects and others try out new technologies and practices to help counter them. Light Up My Life A current investigation from ESA (European Space Agency), Circadian Light tests a new lighting system to help astronauts maintain a more normal daily or circadian rhythm. An LED panel automatically and gradually changes the light spectrum and varies from day to day to better mimic natural conditions on Earth. The study seeks insight into this system’s effect on circadian rhythm regulation, sleep, stress, and overall well-being of crew members. The findings also could reveal ways to improve lighting for shift workers and those in extreme or remote environments. Circadian Light experiment installed inside a crew cabinESA Daily Rhythms An earlier ESA investigation, Circadian Rhythms, examined how daily rhythms change during long-duration spaceflight and its non-24-hour cycles of light and dark. This understanding could support countermeasures to improve performance and health on future missions. A well-established way to determine circadian rhythms is by continuously recording core body temperature, but methods to do so can be invasive and inconvenient. For this investigation, researchers developed non-invasive skin sensor technology for measuring body core temperature over extended periods of time. CSA astronaut Chris Hadfield is wearing a forehead sensor for the Circadian Rhythms experiment.NASA Astronaut, Phone Home Missions to the Moon or Mars will experience delays in communications with Earth – as much as 30 minutes each way from Mars. The Comm Delay Assessment investigation looked at how such delays might affect crew members handling medical and other emergencies to help psychologists develop ways to manage the stress of completing these critical tasks without immediate advice from Earth. Results showed that the space station could provide a platform to test communications delay countermeasures. The research also confirmed that communication delays increased individual stress and frustration and reduced task efficiency and teamwork, and suggested that enhanced training, teamwork, and technology could mitigate or prevent these problems. This is Your Brain in Space NeuroMapping studied changes to brain structure and function, motor control, and multi-tasking abilities during spaceflight and measured how long it took crew members to recover after a mission. Results published from this work include a study that found no effect on spatial working memory from spaceflight but that did identify significant changes in brain connectivity. Another paper reported substantial increases in brain volume that increased with mission duration and with longer intervals between missions. The researchers suggest that intervals of less than 3 years between missions may not be sufficient for full recovery. NASA Astronaut Kate Rubins performs operations for the NeuroMapping investigation. NASA Dear Diary For the Journals investigation, crew members wrote daily entries that researchers analyzed to identify issues related to well-being. The study provided the first quantitative data for ranking the behavioral issues associated with spending lengthy time in space. Most journal entries dealt with ten categories: work, outside communications, adjustment, group interaction, recreation/leisure, equipment, events, organization/management, sleep, and food. The report provided insight into how these factors affect human performance and included recommendations to help crews prepare for spaceflight and to improve living and working in space. Don’t Throw Away This Shot Crew members on the space station take photographs of their home planet for Crew Earth Observations (CEO). These images record how humans and natural events change Earth over time and support a wealth of research on the ground, including studies of urban growth, natural systems such as coral reefs and icebergs, land use, and ocean events. Over time, researchers realized that taking these photographs also improves the mental well-being of crew members. Many of them spend much of their free time shooting from the station’s cupola. Almost like Being There ESA’s VR Mental Care tests the use of virtual reality (VR) technology to provide mental relaxation and better general mental health for astronauts during their missions. Participating crew members use a headset to view 360-degree, high-quality video and sound scenarios and fill out questionnaires about the experience. In addition to helping astronauts, this tool could be used to deal with psychological issues such as stress, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder on Earth. ESA astronaut Andreas Mogenson wears a VR headset.ESA Melissa Gaskill International Space Station Research Communications Team NASA’s Johnson Space Center Search this database of scientific experiments to learn more about those mentioned in this article. Keep Exploring Discover More Topics Space Station Research and Technology Station Science 101: Human Research Living in Space Space Station Research Results View the full article

Live High-Definition Views from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream)

4 Min Read The Summer Triangle’s Hidden Treasures The ‘Dumbbell nebula,’ also known as Messier 27, pumps out infrared light in this image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. Planetary nebulae are now known to be the remains of stars that once looked a lot like our sun. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA August skies bring the lovely Summer Triangle asterism into prime position after nightfall for observers in the Northern Hemisphere. Its position high in the sky may make it difficult for some to observe its member stars comfortably, since looking straight up while standing can be hard on one’s neck! While that isn’t much of a problem for those that just want to quickly spot its brightest stars and member constellations, this difficulty can prevent folks from seeing some of the lesser known and dimmer star patterns scattered around its informal borders. The solution? Lie down on the ground with a comfortable blanket or mat or grab a lawn or gravity chair and sit luxuriously while facing up. You’ll quickly spot the major constellations about the Summer Triangle’s three corner stars: Lyra with bright star Vega, Cygnus with brilliant star Deneb, and Aquila with its blazing star, Altair. As you get comfortable and your eyes adjust, you’ll soon find yourself able to spot a few constellations hidden in plain sight in the region around the Summer Triangle: Vulpecula the Fox, Sagitta the Arrow, and Delphinus the Dolphin! You could call these the Summer Triangle’s “hidden treasures” – and they are hidden in plain sight for those that know where to look! Mid-August offers views of the Summer Triangle with stars Deneb, Vega and Altair in the constellations Cygnus, Lyra, Aquila respectively. Constellations Vulpecula, Sagitta, and Delphinus are also visible, along with some of jewels – namely Messier 27, Messier 71, Caldwell 42 and Caldwell 47. Stellarium Web Vulpecula the Fox is located near the middle of the Summer Triangle, and is relatively small, like its namesake. Despite its size, it features the largest planetary nebula in our skies: M27, aka the Dumbbell Nebula! It’s visible in binoculars as a fuzzy “star” and when seen through telescopes, its distinctive shape can be observed more readily – especially with larger telescopes. Planetary nebulae, named such because their round fuzzy appearances were initially thought to resemble the disc of a planet by early telescopic observers, form when stars similar to our Sun begin to die. The star will expand into a massive red giant, and its gases drift off into space, forming a nebula. Eventually the star collapses into a white dwarf – as seen with M27 – and eventually the colorful shell of gases will dissipate throughout the galaxy, leaving behind a solitary, tiny, dense, white dwarf star. You are getting a peek into our Sun’s far-distant future when you observe this object! This spectacular NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows a bright scattering of stars in the small constellation of Sagitta (the Arrow). This is the centre of the globular cluster Messier 71, a great ball of ancient stars on the edge of our galaxy around 13 000 light-years from Earth. M71 is around 27 light-years across. Globular clusters are like galactic suburbs, pockets of stars that exist on the edge of major galaxies. These clusters are tightly bound together by their gravitational attraction, hence their spherical shape and their name: globulus means “little sphere” in Latin. Around 150 such globular clusters are known to exist around our Milky Way, each one of them containing several hundred thousand stars. Messier 71 has been known for a long time, having been first spotted in the mid eighteenth century by Swiss astronomer Jean-Philippe de Cheseaux. Cheseaux discovered a number of nebulae in his career, and also spent much time studying religion: one posthumously published work attempted to derive the exact date of Christ’s crucifixion from astronomical events noted in the Bible. Despite being a familiar object, Messier 71’s precise nature was disputed until recently. Was it simply an open cluster, a loosely bound group of stars? This was for many years the dominant view. But in the 1970s, astronomers came to the view that it is in fact a relatively sparse globular cluster. The stars in Messier 71, as is usual in such clusters, are relatively old, at around 9 to 10 billion years, and consequently are low in elements other than hydrogen and helium. This picture was created from images taken with the Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys on Hubble. It is a combination of images taken through yellow (F606W — coloured blue) and near-infrared (F814W — coloured red) filters. The exposure times were 304 s and 324 s respectively. The field of view is about 3.4 arcminutes across. ESA/Hubble and NASA Sagitta the Arrow is even smaller than Vulpecula – it’s the third smallest constellation in the sky! Located between the stars of Vulpecula and Aquila the Eagle, Sagitta’s stars resemble its namesake arrow. It too contains an interesting deep-sky object: M71, an unusually small and young globular cluster whose lack of a strong central core has long confused and intrigued astronomers. Your own views very likely won’t be as sharp or close as this. However, this photo does show the cluster’s lack of a bright, concentrated core, which led astronomers until fairly recently to classify this unusual cluster as an “open cluster” rather than as a “globular cluster.” Studies in the 1970s proved it to be a globular cluster after all – though an unusually young and small one! It’s visible in binoculars, and a larger telescope will enable you to separate its stars a bit more easily than most globulars; you’ll certainly see why it was thought to be an open cluster! Delicate Delphinus the Dolphin appears to dive in and out of the Milky Way near Aquilla and Sagitta! Many stargazers identify Delphinus as a herald of the fainter water constellations, rising in the east after sunset as fall approaches. The starry dolphin appears to leap out of the great celestial ocean, announcing the arrival of more wonderful sights later in the evening. With a large telescope and dark skies, you can pick out globular clusters Caldwell 42 and Caldwell 47. Want to hunt for more treasures? You’ll need a treasure map, and the Night Sky Network’s “Trip Around the Triangle” handout is the perfect guide for your quest! Originally posted by Dave Prosper: August 2022 Last Updated by Kat Troche: April 2024 View the full article

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions The Solar System The Sun Mercury Venus Earth The Moon Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto & Dwarf Planets Asteroids, Comets & Meteors The Kuiper Belt The Oort Cloud 2 min read Sols 4275-4276: A Familiar View NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Left Navigation Camera on sol 4272 — Martian day 4,272 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission – on Aug. 12, 2024 at 12:06:27 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Earth planning date: Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024 The star of today’s plan is SAM’s GCMS, which continues our analysis of the “Kings Canyon” drill sample. As Natalie mentioned, this is a relatively energy-hungry activity, but luckily our last plan left us in a good position to not only complete the GCMS experiment but also fit in some other science around it. Having spent a good deal of time in this location for our drill campaign, we’re getting really familiar with this area in a way we don’t get the opportunity to when we’re driving more often. This means lots of geology targets both near and far — a collection to which we’re adding in today’s plan. Nearby, we have two targets for ChemCam’s laser spectrometer, “Meysan Lake” and “Washburn Lake.” Further afield, ChemCam has long-distance mosaics of “Milestone Peak” and our constant companion for many sols, the Kukenan Butte. Mastcam will also be getting a mosaic of the Wilkerson Butte. While the atmosphere is always with us, staying in one spot can also grant us good opportunities for keeping an eye on the current environment. We currently have a great view of a nearby sand patch, which you can see in the image above, and we’ve been taking full advantage with lots of dust devil movies, including one in today’s plan. We can also look out for wind-driven movement closer to home, which we’re doing with a Mastcam observation of the drill hole tailings and a Navcam observation of the dust that’s accumulated on the rover deck. It’s not just near-surface dust we want to keep an eye on, though. The amount of dust suspended in the atmosphere varies throughout the year, and we’re continuing to keep track of that with regular tau observations. The optical depth, which is usually denoted by the Greek letter tau (hence our observation’s name), is a measure of how opaque or transparent the atmosphere is. At this time of year, in the midst of the dusty season, there tends to be more dust suspended in the atmosphere, meaning we cannot see quite as far, and we say the optical depth, or tau, is higher. Written by Alex Innanen, Atmospheric Scientist at York University Share Details Last Updated Aug 14, 2024 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 2 min read Sols 4273-4274: Prep Rally Article 1 hour ago 2 min read Sols 4270-4272: Sample for SAM Article 2 days ago 2 min read Sols 4268-4269: Admiring Kings Canyon Article 3 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

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions The Solar System The Sun Mercury Venus Earth The Moon Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto & Dwarf Planets Asteroids, Comets & Meteors The Kuiper Belt The Oort Cloud 2 min read Sols 4273-4274: Prep Rally This image from NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity shows the open inlet No. 2 on the rover’s SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) instrument suite, where Curiosity delivered a sample from the “Kings Canyon” drill hole, for study using SAM’s Evolved Gas Analysis (EGA) mode. This image was taken by Mastcam Right (Mast Camera) aboard Curiosity on sol 4270 — Martian day 4,270 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — on Aug. 10, 2024 (at 14:16:21 UTC). NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Earth planning date: Monday, Aug. 12, 2024 The SAM EGA over the weekend was successful, and that means we’re well on our way to planning the GCMS (Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometry) on our “Kings Canyon” drill sample! GCMS is an energy-intensive activity, so we’ll be using today’s two-sol plan mainly for recharging our battery and prepping SAM by cleaning its GC column with high temperatures (like you’d clean your own oven!). We can still afford about 75 minutes of remote sensing over both sols this plan and are using it for our usual ChemCam, Mastcam, and Navcam activities. On the first sol, ChemCam is kicking things off with a LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectrometer) on “The Major General” — some crunchy light-toned bedrock about 9 feet away (about 2.8 meters) — then will capture a long-distance 10-frame RMI of the Gediz Vallis channel floor to the south. Mastcam finishes off the first sol’s 72-minute science block with an M100 image of The Major General LIBS spots and a 68-frame stereo mosaic of the midfield terrain to fill in what’s left of the midfield with M100. We’ll nap until about 15:15, when we’ll wake back up to take just two M100 images near the RSM hardstop at the same timing as a previous mosaic to make sure we have continuous coverage across the hardstop. SAM’s GC column clean is planned between 21:00 and 01:00; overnight between our two sols. On the second sol, we’ll have our second remote sensing block around 11:00 for 73 minutes. ChemCam is planning a second LIBS target on “Dewey Point” — a slab of light-toned bedrock about 13 feet away (about 3.9 meters) — a passive-spectrum observation of a dark float block named “Waller Minaret,” and another long-distance four-frame RMI of southern Kukenan butte to the southeast. Mastcam has just a single M100 image of Dewey Point’s LIBS spots this sol so that Navcam can complete some environmental movies to hopefully capture some dust devils and maybe even some clouds! Written by Natalie Moore, Mission Operations Specialist at Malin Space Science Systems Share Details Last Updated Aug 14, 2024 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 2 min read Sols 4270-4272: Sample for SAM Article 2 days ago 2 min read Sols 4268-4269: Admiring Kings Canyon Article 3 days ago 3 min read Sols 4266-4267: Happy ‘Landiversary,’ Curiosity Article 7 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

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) A fire burns in Fishlake National Forest, as part of the Fall 2023 FASMEE prescribed burn. NASA/ Grace Weikert Background Fire is a natural occurrence in many ecosystems and can promote ecological health. However, wildfires are growing in scope and occurring more often than in the past. Among other causes this is due to human-caused climate impacts and the expansion of communities into areas with wildland vegetation. These blazes continue to significantly harm communities, public health, and natural ecosystems. NASA is leveraging cutting-edge science and technology to better understand wildland fire behavior and provide valuable tools for fire policy, response, and mitigation. NASA’s Stake in Wildfire NASA’s contributions to wildland fire management span decades. This includes research to better understand the role fire plays in Earth’s dynamic atmosphere, and airborne and spaceborne sensors to analyze fire lifecycles. Much of this research and technology is still used by wildfire agencies across the globe today. NASA is building on this research and technology development with the Wildland Fire Management Initiative (WMI). WMI leverages expertise across the Agency in space technology, science, and aeronautics to improve wildfire research and response. Through this effort, NASA and its partners will continue to provide tools and technologies for improved predictive fire modeling, risk assessment, fire prevention, suppression and post-fire recovery operations. NASA’s WMI aims to equip responders with improved tools for managing these fires How NASA is Tackling Wildfire NASA is collaborating with other government agencies, academia, and commercial industries to build a concept of operations for the future of wildland fire management. This means identifying gaps in current wildland fire technologies and procedures and laying out clear solutions to address those challenges. NASA will perform a demonstration of wildland fire technologies – including X – in the coming years. To provide a well-rounded toolkit for improving wildland operations, NASA and is tackling every aspect of wildland fire response. These efforts include: Pre-Fire Fuel fire maps with improved accuracy Tools that identify where and when safe, preventative burn treatments would be most effective Airspace management and safety technologies to enable mainstream use of uncrewed aircraft systems in prescribed burns Active Fire Fire detection and tracking imagery Improved fire information management systems Models for changing fire conditions, including fire behavior, and wind and atmospheric tracking for quality forecasts Uncrewed aircraft and high-altitude balloons for real-time communications for fighting fires in harsh environments Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) to expand use of uncrewed aircraft systems in fire response, particularly in environments where traditional air traffic control technologies aren’t available An airspace awareness and communications system to enable remotely piloted aircraft to identify, monitor, and suppress wildfires 24 hours a day Post-Fire Improved fire impact assessments, including fire severity, air and water quality, risks of landslides, debris flows, and burn scars Ground-based, airborne, and spaceborne observations to develop monitoring systems for air quality and map burn severity and develop and enhance models and predictions of post-fire hazards NASA’s Disasters Response Coordination System (DRCS) supports all three fire response aspects listed above. The DRCS, developed under the Agency’s Earth Science Division’s Disasters Program, provides decisional support to international and domestic operational response agencies. This support includes products for understanding wildfire movement and potential pathways, burn-area maps, and impacts of fire, ash, and smoke to population and critical infrastructure. DCRS tools also provide assessments of post-fire flooding and debris flow susceptibility. NASA’s Investment in New Wildland Fire Technologies NASA’s WMI offers grants, contracts, and prizes to small businesses, research institutions, and other wildland technology innovators. Some related technology development activities underway include: Testing communications technologies for incident response teams in areas with no cellphone coverage via a high-altitude balloon 60,000 feet above ground level Developing wildfire detection systems and instruments for crewed and uncrewed aircraft Funding early-stage technology development for remote sensing instruments and sensor systems Developing and flight testing integrated, compact systems for small spacecraft and other platforms for autonomous detection, location tracking, and data collection of transient smoke plumes, early wildfires and other events Licensing technologies relevant to wildland fire management and hosting wildland fire webinars to promote NASA technology licensing Partners The NASA Wildland Fire Management Initiative team collaborates with industry, academia, philanthropic institutions, and other government agencies for a more fire-resilient future. These include: U.S. Forest Service The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The Federal Aviation Administration The Department of Homeland Security The Department of Defense The National Wildfire Coordinating Group WMI Deliverables Through these combined efforts, NASA aims to address urgent wildland fire management challenges and ensure communities are better prepared for wildland fires. NASA will continue to expand partnerships within wildland fire management agencies for technology development and adoptions. For more information, email: Agency-WildlandFiresInitiative@mail.nasa.gov View the full article

17 Min Read The Marshall Star for August 14, 2024 Marshall Director Joseph Pelfrey Addresses Space and Missile Defense Symposium NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Director Joseph Pelfrey gives a keynote address during the 2024 Space and Missile Defense Symposium on Aug. 8 at the Von Braun Center in downtown Huntsville. Pelfrey shared updates on programs and projects that Marshall is leading for the agency, and highlighted strategic partnerships that have used Marshall’s deep technical expertise. More than 7,000 people attended this year’s symposium, including leaders and stakeholders from across the aerospace industry and Department of Defense. “Many of our partners are in this room, and I want to reiterate the importance of our current collaborations – as well as those that are to come,” Pelfrey said. “Marshall is committed to building relationships and sharing resources to further the aerospace industry and aid national security.” (NASA) NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center hosted Gen. Stephen Whiting, Commander, U.S. Space Command, and his team Aug. 7. The USSPACECOM team was in Huntsville for the 2024 Space and Missile Defense Symposium. Marshall Director Joseph Pelfrey, center right, talks with Gen. Whiting, left, while on a tour of Marshall’s Additive Manufacturing Lab. The group also toured the Payload Operations Integration Center and heard presentations from Marshall team members on data science/management and space nuclear propulsion. (NASA/Charles Beason) › Back to Top Artemis I Lessons Learned Focus of Mission Success Forum; Charlie Adams Receives Golden Eagle Award By Wayne Smith Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager and mission management team chair, reflected on Artemis I challenges during the Shared Experiences Forum at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center on Aug. 8. The event was part of the Mission Success is in Our Hands safety initiative and held in Activities Building 4316. Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager and mission management team chair, discusses Artemis I challenges during the Shared Experiences Forum at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center on Aug. 8. The event was part of the Mission Success is in Our Hands safety initiative and held in Activities Building 4316.NASA/Charles Beason Sarafin discussed lessons learned from Artemis I, highlighting the importance of communicating quickly and effectively with team members and using risk informed decision-making tools. After some initial delays that included lightning strikes, the Artemis I mission began with a successful liftoff of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket Nov. 16, 2022, from Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Over the course of 25.5 days, NASA tested the Orion spacecraft in the harsh environment of deep space before flying astronauts on Artemis II. Sarafin said it was his first time in the “hot seat,” and stressed the importance for anyone leading a mission management team to prepare for it by talking with those who have been in the same role, naming the individuals who supported him as team chair. “You have got to find somebody who has walked a mile in those shoes, who understands the dynamics, who understands the cultural aspects of it,” Sarafin said. “They were fantastic team members, fantastic partners to work with, and I am proud to be a part of that team. These guys walked alongside me and kept me out of trouble.” As Artemis mission manager for the Moon to Mars Program Office at NASA Headquarters, Sarafin provides oversight and responsibility for critical decisions across all flight phases (launch, in-space, and recovery), with support from team members and advisers with technical expertise in various areas. Prior to flight, he acts as a senior technical leader integrating mission requirements, planning, operations, and flight readiness leading to mission execution. Sarafin said lessons learned from the mission management team for Artemis I included training both a prime and alternate for each position. He also pointed out the importance of training for logistics, and daily effective communications for all team members. Bill Hill, left, director of Safety and Mission Assurance at Marshall, presents Sarafin with a certificate of appreciation following the Shared Experiences Forum. At right is Jeff Haars, Jacobs vice president and program manager for Jacobs Space Exploration Group. NASA/Charles Beason “In summary, have the right team, do your party planning, (and) set clear expectations,” Sarafin said. “Take care of yourself and your team, and use good tools to make decisions.” Mission Success is in Our Hands is a safety initiative collaboration between NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and Jacobs Engineering. The initiative’s goal is to help team members make meaningful connections between their jobs and the safety and success of NASA and Marshall missions. Charlie Adams Presented with Golden Eagle Award As part of the forum, Mission Success is in Our Hands presented the 40th Golden Eagle Award to Charlie Adams of the Jacobs Space Exploration Group. Adams was the mission manager for NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID). Charlie Adams, center, of Jacobs Space Exploration Group, displays the Golden Eagle Award presented to him during the Shared Experiences Forum. He is joined by Haars, left, and Hill, right. NASA/Charles Beason Bill Hill, director of Safety and Mission Assurance at Marshall, said Adams was recognized for leading the project throughout LOFTID’s life cycle, which culminated with a successful flight in 2022. Hill said LOFTID’s success as a heat shield will benefit NASA’s future missions. The Golden Eagle Award promotes awareness and appreciation for flight safety, as demonstrated through the connections between employees’ everyday work, the success of NASA and Marshall’s missions, and the safety of NASA astronauts. Management or peers can nominate any team member for the award. Honorees are typically recognized at Shared Experiences forums. The next Shared Experiences Forum is scheduled for Sept. 5, featuring Dave Dykhoff, former vice president and general manager of the Jacobs Missile Defense Group and the North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) Operations Group. The forum will be held in Building 4203, Conference Room 1201 for Marshall team members, and available to the public via Teams. Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. › Back to Top Marshall Team Members Participate in Space Night with Rocket City Trash Pandas NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center participated in Space Night at the Rocket City Trash Pandas game Aug. 10. Several team members represented the center, talking with fans about Marshall’s cutting-edge technologies and missions. The event featured special giveaways, astronaut food samples, and photo opportunities. (NASA/Corinne Beckinger) Dave Greeson, center, an aerospace engineer with the Space Nuclear Propulsion Office at Marshall, talks with fans during Space Night with the Rocket City Trash Pandas. (NASA/Daniel Boyette) Daniel Boyette, communications specialist for the Space Nuclear Propulsion Office at Marshall, sets up for Space Night. (NASA/Corinne Beckinger) Dustin McMullen, lead ground systems engineer for the Human Landing System Program at Marshall, displays some astronaut food samples at Space Night. (NASA/Corinne Beckinger) › Back to Top I Am Artemis: Julia Khodabandeh Unlike most of her friends in the 80s who covered their walls with posters of bands, Julia Khodabandeh plastered hers with posters of rockets and fighter jets. Khodabandeh’s interest in aerospace and aeronautics developed at a young age. Her parents were avid fans of the Apollo Program and were heavily invested in her education. Khodabandeh’s father always encouraged her to tackle math and science problems without fear. She recalls him telling her that “you can take any problem and break it into smaller pieces.” It’s a philosophy she still uses in solving problems today. Julia Khodabandeh once adorned her walls with rockets, fighter jets, and Air Force pilots. Now, she is the solid rocket motor lead for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System).NASA/Sam Lott “When I was growing up, my dad would make practice tests the night before my exams,” she said. “It helped me feel more prepared. The confidence I developed for math and science and my passion for aeronautics and aerospace, led me to a NASA career.” The better part of her 24-year career with NASA has been dedicated to solid rocket boosters at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Over the past 10 years, she helped develop the twin solid rocket boosters for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, which are the largest and most powerful solid propellant boosters ever flown. They stand at 177 feet tall, and individually generate a maximum thrust of 3.6 million pounds. Together, the twin boosters provide more than 75% of the total thrust to launch SLS for NASA’s Artemis campaign to the Moon. Khodabandeh graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in computational fluid dynamics. Early in her career, her work focused on Space Station microgravity material processing furnaces and the Space Shuttle Return-to-Flight Program. She went on to support the Ares rocket solid rocket booster team as part of the Constellation Program preceding SLS. Her work on the Ares booster helped guide her to her current position on SLS. Khodabandeh is the motor and pyrotechnic team lead for the SLS Booster Element Office. She supports design, development, certification, production, and operation of the solid rocket motors, booster separation motors, and pyrotechnics for the twin boosters on SLS. Most days, she manages schedules and helps resolve issues with the help of her team. “The flight hardware and test hardware are all tremendous accomplishments for the team, and behind these accomplishments are hours, weeks, and months of working together to resolve issues and deliver results,” Khodabandeh said. “It’s the people that make us successful, and teamwork is my favorite part of what we do. Someone once said, ‘You have to build a successful team before you can build successful hardware.’ I couldn’t agree more!” In her spare time, Khodabandeh volunteers at a local rescue mission, where she provides aid to women struggling with substance abuse. She also mentors students in the Huntsville community, where she hopes to pass on the confidence her dad instilled in her, inspiring them to one day be a part of NASA and the Artemis Generation. As the girl who grew up with posters of rockets on her walls, Khodabandeh says she is incredibly excited to be one of the many who are responsible for sending astronauts around the Moon on Artemis II. “The incredible success of Artemis I is something that I will never forget,” she said. “We have demonstrated what we’re capable of, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish going forward on the Artemis Program.” NASA is working to land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Read other I am Artemis features. › Back to Top ‘Legacy of the Invisible’ Event to Celebrate Marshall’s Contributions to Astrophysics The public is invited to join NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center for a special celebration of art and astronomy in downtown Huntsville on Aug. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. The event will include a dedication of Huntsville’s newest art installation, “No Straight Lines,” by local artist Float. The celebratory event, “Legacy of the Invisible,” will take place at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Washington Street, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Chandra X-ray Observatory launch on July 23, 1999. Attendees will have a chance to meet and hear from NASA experts, as well as meet Float, the artist behind “No Straight Lines,” which aims to honor Huntsville’s rich scientific legacy in astrophysics and highlight the groundbreaking discoveries made possible by Huntsville scientists and engineers. Enjoy live music, art vendors, food, and more. Learn more about Chandra’s 25th Anniversary. › Back to Top A ‘FURST’ of its Kind: Sounding Rocket Mission to Study Sun as a Star Editor’s Note: NASA and partners scrubbed the first launch attempt of the FURST Sounding Rocket Mission on Aug. 11 due to issues with the cooling systems. This story will be updated as soon as the next launch attempt is determined. By Jessica Barnett From Earth, one might be tempted to view the Sun as a unique celestial object like no other, as it’s the star our home planet orbits and the one our planet relies on most for heat and light. But if you took a step back and compared the Sun to the other stars NASA has studied over the years, how would it compare? Would it still be so unique? The Full-sun Ultraviolet Rocket SpecTrograph (FURST) undergoes testing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in preparation for launch. The instrument was designed and built at Montana State University. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center provided the camera, supplied avionics, and designed and built its calibration system.Montana State University The Full-sun Ultraviolet Rocket SpecTrograph (FURST) aims to answer those questions. when it launches aboard a Black Brant IX sounding rocket at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. “When we talk about ‘Sun as a star’, we’re treating it like any other star in the night sky as opposed to the unique object we rely on for human life. It’s so exciting to study the Sun from that vantage point,” said Adam Kobelski, institutional principal investigator for FURST and a research astrophysicist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. FURST will obtain the first high-resolution spectra of the “Sun as a star” in vacuum ultraviolet (VUV), a light wavelength that is absorbed in Earth’s atmosphere meaning it can only be observed from space. Astronomers have studied other stars in the vacuum ultraviolet with orbiting telescopes, however these instruments are too sensitive to be pointed to the Sun. The recent advancements in high-resolution VUV spectroscopy now allow for the same observations of our own star, the Sun. “These are wavelengths that Hubble Space Telescope is really great at observing, so there is a decent amount of Hubble observations of stars in ultraviolet wavelengths, but we don’t have comparable observations of our star in this wavelength range,” said Kobelski. Marshall was the lead field center for the design, development, and construction of the Hubble Space Telescope. Because Hubble is too sensitive to point at Earth’s Sun, new instruments were needed to get a spectrum of the entire Sun that is of a similar quality to Hubble’s observations of other stars. Marshall built the camera, supplied avionics, and designed and built a new calibration system for the FURST mission. Montana State University (MSU), which leads the FURST mission in partnership with Marshall, built the optical system, which includes seven optics that will feed into the camera that will essentially create seven exposures, covering the entire ultraviolet wavelength range. Charles Kankelborg, a heliophysics professor at MSU and principal investigator for FURST, described the mission as a very close collaboration with wide-ranging implications. Montana State University alumnus Jake Davis, left, Professor Charles Kankelborg, and doctoral students Catharine “Cappy” Bunn and Suman Panda, pose at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.Montana State University “Our mission will obtain the first far ultraviolent spectrum of the Sun as a star,” Kankelborg said. “This is a key piece of information that has been missing for decades. With it, we will place the Sun in context with other stars.” Kobelski echoed the sentiment. “How well do the observations and what we know about our Sun compare to our observations or what we know of other stars?” Kobelski said. “You’d expect that we know all this information about the Sun – it’s right there – but it turns out, we actually don’t. If we can get these same observations or same wavelengths as we’ve observed from these other sources, we can start to connect the dots and connect our Sun to other stars.” FURST will be the third launch led by Marshall for NASA’s Sounding Rocket Program within five months, making 2024 an active year for the program. Like the Hi-C Flare mission that launched in April, the sounding rocket will launch and open during flight to allow FURST to observe the Sun for approximately five minutes before closing and falling back to Earth’s surface. Marshall team members will be able to calibrate the instruments during launch and flight, as well as retrieve data during flight and soon after landing. Kobelski and Kankelborg each said they’re grateful for the opportunity to fill the gaps in our knowledge of Earth’s Sun. The FURST mission is led by Marshall in partnership with Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, with additional support from the NASA’s Sounding Rockets Office and the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research’s High Altitude Observatory. Launch support is provided at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico by NASA’s Johnson Space Center. NASA’s Sounding Rocket Program is managed by the agency’s Heliophysics Division. Barnett, a Media Fusion employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. › Back to Top NASA Challenge Seeks ‘Cooler’ Solutions for Deep Space Exploration NASA’s Human Lander Challenge, or HuLC, is now open and accepting submissions for its second year. As NASA aims to return astronauts to the Moon through its Artemis campaign in preparation for future missions to Mars, the agency is seeking ideas from college and university students for evolved supercold, or cryogenic, propellant applications for human landing systems. As part of the 2025 HuLC competition, teams will aim to develop innovative solutions and technology developments for in-space cryogenic liquid storage and transfer systems as part of future long-duration missions beyond low Earth orbit. “The HuLC competition represents a unique opportunity for Artemis Generation engineers and scientists to contribute to groundbreaking advancements in space technology,” said Esther Lee, an aerospace engineer leading the navigation sensors technology assessment capability team at NASA’s Langley Research Center. “NASA’s Human Lander Challenge is more than just a competition – it is a collaborative effort to bridge the gap between academic innovation and practical space technology. By involving students in the early stages of technology development, NASA aims to foster a new generation of aerospace professionals and innovators.” Through Artemis, NASA is working to send the first woman, first person of color, and first international partner astronaut to the Moon to establish long-term lunar exploration and science opportunities. Artemis astronauts will descend to the lunar surface in a commercial Human Landing System. The Human Landing System Program is managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Cryogenic, or super-chilled, propellants like liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen are integral to NASA’s future exploration and science efforts. The temperatures must stay extremely cold to maintain a liquid state. Current state-of-the-art systems can only keep these substances stable for a matter of hours, which makes long-term storage particularly problematic. For NASA’s HLS mission architecture, extending storage duration from hours to several months will help ensure mission success. “NASA’s cryogenics work for HLS focuses on several key development areas, many of which we are asking proposing teams to address,” said Juan Valenzuela, a HuLC technical advisor and aerospace engineer specializing in cryogenic fuel management at Marshall. “By focusing research in these key areas, we can explore new avenues to mature advanced cryogenic fluid technologies and discover new approaches to understand and mitigate potential problems.” Interested teams from U.S.-based colleges and universities should submit a non-binding Notice of Intent (NOI) by Oct. 6, and submit a proposal package by March 3, 2025. Based on proposal package evaluations, up to 12 finalist teams will be selected to receive a $9,250 stipend to further develop and present their concepts to a panel of NASA and industry judges at the 2025 HuLC Forum in Huntsville, near Marshall, in June 2025. The top three placing teams will share a prize purse of $18,000. Teams’ potential solutions should focus on one of the following categories: On-Orbit Cryogenic Propellant Transfer, Microgravity Mass Tracking of Cryogenics, Large Surface Area Radiative Insulation, Advanced Structural Supports for Heat Reduction, Automated Cryo-Couplers for Propellant Transfer, or Low Leakage Cryogenic Components. NASA’s Human Lander Challenge is sponsored by the Human Landing System Program within the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate and managed by the National Institute of Aerospace. Learn more about NASA’s 2025 Human Lander Challenge, including how to participate. › Back to Top Webb Sees Gassy Baby Stars NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured a phenomenon for the very first time. The bright red streaks at top left of this June 20 image are aligned protostar outflows – jets of gas from newborn stars that all slant in the same direction. In this image of the Serpens Nebula from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers found a grouping of aligned protostellar outflows within one small region (the top left corner). Serpens is a reflection nebula, which means it’s a cloud of gas and dust that does not create its own light, but instead shines by reflecting the light from stars close to or within the nebula.NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Klaus Pontoppidan (NASA-JPL), Joel Green (STScI) This image supports astronomers’ assumption that as clouds collapse to form stars, the stars will tend to spin in the same direction. Previously, the objects appeared as blobs or were invisible in optical wavelengths. Webb’s sensitive infrared vision was able to pierce through the thick dust, resolving the stars and their outflows. 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). Several NASA centers contributed to the project, including NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. › Back to Top View the full article

Crews are preparing to move a key adapter for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket out of Marshall Space Flight Center’s Building 4708 to the agency’s Pegasus barge. The cone-shaped launch vehicle stage adapter connects the rocket’s core stage to the upper stage and helps protect the upper stage’s engine that will help propel the Artemis II mission around the Moon.Credits: Sam Lott/NASA To mark progress toward the first crewed flight test around the Moon in more than 50 years for the benefit of humanity, NASA will welcome media Wednesday, Aug. 21, to see a key adapter for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket at its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The cone-shaped launch vehicle stage adapter connects the rocket’s core stage to the upper stage and helps protect the upper stage’s engine that will help propel the Artemis II mission around the Moon. The event includes seeing the adapter on the move as it prepares for shipment to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Media will have the opportunity to capture images and video and speak to subject matter experts as crews move the adapter out of NASA Marshall’s Building 4708 to the agency’s Pegasus barge. The barge will ferry the adapter first to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, where it will pick up additional SLS hardware for future Artemis missions, and then travel to NASA Kennedy. In Florida, teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems will prepare the adapter for stacking and launch. This event is open to U.S. media, who must RSVP by 5 p.m. CDT on Monday, Aug. 19, to Jonathan Deal at jonathan.e.deal@nasa.gov. Additional details about timing and other details for the event are forthcoming to registered media. Manufactured by prime contractor Teledyne Brown Engineering and the Jacobs Space Exploration Group’s ESSCA contract using NASA Marshall’s self-reacting friction-stir robotic and vertical weld tools, the launch vehicle stage adapter is the largest SLS component for Artemis II that is made at the center. Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon. The rocket is part of NASA’s deep space exploration plans, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. For more on SLS, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/sls –end– Madison Tuttle/Rachel Kraft Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 madison.e.tuttle@nasa.gov/rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov Jonathan Deal Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-0034 jonathan.e.deal@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 14, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsArtemis 2Exploration Systems Development Mission DirectorateKennedy Space CenterMarshall Space Flight CenterMichoud Assembly FacilitySpace Launch System (SLS) View the full article

NASA/Kim Shiflett In preparation for NASA’s Artemis II crewed mission, teams at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice getting out of the emergency escape, or egress, basket on Aug. 9, 2024. The baskets, similar to gondolas on ski lifts, are used in the case of a pad abort emergency to enable astronauts and other pad personnel a way to quickly escape from the mobile launcher to the base of the pad and where waiting emergency transport vehicles will then drive them away. Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett View the full article

NASA/CXC/M.Weiss By using new data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory as well as ESA’s XMM-Newton, a team of researchers have made important headway in understanding how — and when — a supermassive black hole obtains and then consumes material, as described in our latest press release. This artist’s impression shows a star that has partially been disrupted by such a black hole in the system known as AT2018fyk. The supermassive black hole in AT2018fyk — with about 50 million times more mass than the sun — is in the center of a galaxy located about 860 million light-years from Earth. Astronomers have determined that a star is on a highly elliptical orbit around the black hole in AT2018fyk so that its point of farthest approach from the black hole is much larger than its closest. During its closest approach, tidal forces from the black hole pull some material from the star, producing two tidal tails of “stellar debris”. The illustration shows a point in the orbit soon after the star is partially destroyed, when the tidal tails are still in close proximity to the star. Later in the star’s orbit, the disrupted material returns to the black hole and loses energy, leading to a large increase in X-ray brightness occurring later in the orbit (not shown here). This process repeats each time the star returns to its point of closest approach, which is approximately every 3.5 years. The illustration depicts the star during its second orbit, and the disk of X-ray emitting gas around the black hole that is produced as a byproduct of the first tidal encounter. Researchers took note of AT2018fyk in 2018 when the optical ground-based survey ASAS-SN detected that the system had become much brighter. After observing it with NASA’s NICER and Chandra, and XMM-Newton, researchers determined that the surge in brightness came from a “tidal disruption event,” or TDE, which signals that a star was completely torn apart and partially ingested after flying too close to a black hole. Chandra data of AT2018fyk is shown in the inset of an optical image of a wider field-of-view. X-ray: NASA/SAO/Kavli Inst. at MIT/D.R. Pasham; Optical: NSF/Legacy Survey/SDSS When material from the destroyed star approached close to the black hole, it got hotter and produced X-ray and ultraviolet (UV) light. These signals then faded, agreeing with the idea that nothing was left of the star for the black hole to digest. However, about two years later, the X-ray and UV light from the galaxy got much brighter again. This meant, according to astronomers, that the star likely survived the initial gravitational grab by the black hole and then entered a highly elliptical orbit with the black hole. During its second close approach to the black hole, more material was pulled off and produced more X-ray and UV light. Based on what they had learned about the star and its orbit, a team of astronomers predicted that the black hole’s second meal would end in August 2023 and applied for Chandra observing time to check. Chandra observations on August 14, 2023, indeed showed the telltale sign of the black hole feeding coming to an end with a sudden drop in X-rays. The researchers also obtained a better estimate of how long it takes the star to complete an orbit, and predicted future mealtimes for the black hole. A paper describing these results appears in the August 14, 2024 issue of The Astrophysical Journal and is available online. The authors are Dheeraj Passam (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Eric Coughlin (Syracuse University), Muryel Guolo (Johns Hopkins University), Thomas Wevers (Space Telescope Science Institute), Chris Nixon (University of Leeds, UK), Jason Hinkle (University of Hawaii at Manoa), and Ananaya Bandopadhyay (Syracuse). NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science from Cambridge Massachusetts and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts. Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. For more Chandra images, multimedia and related materials, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/chandra-x-ray-observatory/ Visual Description: In this digital illustration, a star sheds stellar debris as it orbits a supermassive black hole. This artist’s impression represents the center of a galaxy about 860 million light-years from Earth. The supermassive black hole sits at our upper left. It resembles an irregular, pitch-black sphere at the heart of an almond-shaped pocket of swirling sand and dirt. Though gritty in texture, the swirling brown and grey pocket is actually a disk of hot gas. Near our lower right is the orbiting star. In this illustration, the star is relatively close to us, with the black hole far behind it. The star is a blue-white ball that, from this perspective, appears slightly larger than the distant black hole. Two tapered streaks peel off of the glowing star like the pulled-back corners of a smile. These streaks represent tidal tails of stellar debris; material pulled from the surface of the star by the gravity of the black hole. This partial destruction of the star occurs every 3.5 years, when the star’s orbit brings it closest to the supermassive black hole. During the orbit, the stellar debris from the tidal tails is ingested by the black hole. A byproduct of this digestion is the X-ray gas which swirls in a disk around the black hole. At the upper left of the grid is an image of the distant galaxy cluster known as MACS J0416. Here, the blackness of space is packed with glowing dots and tiny shapes, in whites, purples, oranges, golds, and reds, each a distinct galaxy. Upon close inspection (and with a great deal of zooming in!) the spiraling arms of some of the seemingly tiny galaxies are revealed in this highly detailed image. Gently arched across the middle of the frame is a soft band of purple; a reservoir of superheated gas detected by Chandra. News Media Contact Megan Watzke Chandra X-ray Center Cambridge, Mass. 617-496-7998 Lane Figueroa Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-0034 View the full article