NASA

NASA astronaut Andre Douglas poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.Credits: NASA/Josh Valcarcel NASA has selected astronaut Andre Douglas as its backup crew member for the agency’s Artemis II test flight, the first crewed mission under NASA’s Artemis campaign. Douglas will train alongside NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen. In the event a NASA astronaut is unable to take part in the flight, Douglas would join the Artemis II crew. “Andre’s educational background and extensive operational experience in his various jobs prior to joining NASA are clear evidence of his readiness to support this mission,” said Joe Acaba, chief astronaut at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “He excelled in his astronaut candidate training and technical assignments, and we are confident he will continue to do so as NASA’s backup crew member for Artemis II.” The CSA announced Jenni Gibbons as its backup crew member in November 2023. Gibbons would step into the mission to represent Canada should Hansen not be available. “Canada’s seat on the historic Artemis II flight is a direct result of our contribution of Canadarm3 to the lunar Gateway. Jenni Gibbons’ assignment as backup is of utmost importance for our country,” said CSA President Lisa Campbell. “Since being recruited, Jenni has distinguished herself repeatedly through her work with NASA and the CSA. She is also a tremendous role model for Canada’s future scientists, engineers, and explorers.” The selection of Douglas and Gibbons as backup crew members for Artemis II is independent of the selection of crew members for Artemis III. NASA has not yet selected crew members for Artemis flights beyond Artemis II. All active NASA astronauts are eligible for assignment to any human spaceflight mission. The approximately 10-day Artemis II test flight will launch on the agency’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, prove the Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems, and validate the capabilities and techniques needed for humans to live and work in deep space. More on Artemis II backup crew Douglas graduated from NASA’s astronaut candidate training program in March 2024. He is a Virginia native and earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, as well as four post-graduate degrees from various institutions, including a doctorate in Systems Engineering from George Washington University in Washington. Douglas served in the U.S. Coast Guard as a naval architect, salvage engineer, damage control assistant, and officer of the deck. He also worked as a staff member at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, working on maritime robotics, planetary defense, and space exploration missions for NASA. Douglas participated in the Joint EVA and Human Surface Mobility Test Team 5, working with a specialized group that develops, integrates, and executes human-in-the-loop tests, analog missions, and Moonwalks. Most recently, Douglas worked with teams on the development of the lunar terrain vehicle, pressurized rover, lunar Gateway and lunar spacesuit. Gibbons was recruited as a CSA astronaut in 2017 and completed her basic training in 2020. Since then, Gibbons has continued to serve Canada’s space program and has worked in different positions, including Mission Control as a capsule communicator (CAPCOM) during spacewalks, and commercial spacecraft and daily International Space Station operations. Gibbons holds an honors bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University in Montreal. While at McGill, she conducted research on flame propagation in microgravity in collaboration with CSA and Canada’s National Research Council Flight Research Laboratory in Ontario. She holds a doctorate in engineering from Jesus College at the University of Cambridge, England. Under NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency is establishing the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon, land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all. Learn more about NASA’s Artemis campaign at: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis -end- Rachel Kraft/Madison Tuttle Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov/madison.e.tuttle@nasa.gov Courtney Beasley Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Jul 03, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsArtemis 2Andre DouglasArtemisAstronautsHumans in Space View the full article

The Goldstone Solar System Radar, part of NASA’s Deep Space Network, made these observations of the recently discovered 500-foot-wide (150-meter-wide) asteroid 2024 MK, which made its closest approach — within about 184,000 miles (295,000 kilometers) of Earth — on June 29.NASA/JPL-Caltech The Deep Space Network’s Goldstone planetary radar had a busy few days observing asteroids 2024 MK and 2011 UL21 as they safely passed Earth. Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California recently tracked two asteroids as they flew by our planet. One turned out to have a little moon orbiting it, while the other had been discovered only 13 days before its closest approach to Earth. There was no risk of either near-Earth object impacting our planet, but the radar observations taken during these two close approaches will provide valuable practice for planetary defense, as well as information about their sizes, orbits, rotation, surface details, and clues as to their composition and formation. Passing Earth on June 27 at a distance of 4.1 million miles (6.6 million kilometers), or about 17 times the distance between the Moon and Earth, the asteroid 2011 UL21 was discovered in 2011 by the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey, in Tucson, Arizona. But this is the first time it has come close enough to Earth to be imaged by radar. While the nearly mile-wide (1.5-kilometer-wide) object is classified as being potentially hazardous, calculations of its future orbits show that it won’t pose a threat to our planet for the foreseeable future. Because close approaches by asteroids the size of 2024 MK are relatively rare, JPL’s planetary radar team gathered as much information about the near-Earth object as possible. This mosaic shows the spinning asteroid in one-minute increments about 16 hours after its closest approach with Earth.NASA/JPL-Caltech Using the Deep Space Network’s 230-foot-wide (70-meter) Goldstone Solar System Radar, called Deep Space Station 14 (DSS-14), near Barstow, California, JPL scientists transmitted radio waves to the asteroid and received the reflected signals by the same antenna. In addition to determining the asteroid is roughly spherical, they discovered that it’s a binary system: A smaller asteroid, or moonlet, orbits it from a distance of about 1.9 miles (3 kilometers). “It is thought that about two-thirds of asteroids of this size are binary systems, and their discovery is particularly important because we can use measurements of their relative positions to estimate their mutual orbits, masses, and densities, which provide key information about how they may have formed,” said Lance Benner, principal scientist at JPL who helped lead the observations. These seven radar observations by the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone Solar System Radar shows the mile-wide asteroid 2011 UL21 during its June 27 close approach with Earth from about 4 million miles away. The asteroid and its small moon (a bright dot at the bottom of the image) are circled in white.NASA/JPL-Caltech Second Close Approach Two days later, on June 29, the same team observed the asteroid 2024 MK pass our planet from a distance of only 184,000 miles (295,000 kilometers), or slightly more than three-quarters of the distance between the Moon and Earth. About 500 feet (150 meters) wide, this asteroid appears to be elongated and angular, with prominent flat and rounded regions. For these observations, the scientists also used DSS-14 to transmit radio waves to the object, but they used Goldstone’s 114-foot (34-meter) DSS-13 antenna to receive the signal that bounced off the asteroid and came back to Earth. The result of this “bistatic” radar observation is a detailed image of the asteroid’s surface, revealing concavities, ridges, and boulders about 30 feet (10 meters) wide. Close approaches of near-Earth objects the size of 2024 MK are relatively rare, occurring about every couple of decades, on average, so the JPL team sought to gather as much data about the object as possible. “This was an extraordinary opportunity to investigate the physical properties and obtain detailed images of a near-Earth asteroid,” said Benner. This sunset photo shows NASA’s Deep Space Station 14 (DSS-14), the 230-foot-wide (70-meter) antenna at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California.NASA/JPL-Caltech The asteroid 2024 MK was first reported on June 16 by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) at Sutherland Observing Station in South Africa. Its orbit was changed by Earth’s gravity as it passed by, reducing its 3.3-year orbital period around the Sun by about 24 days. Although it is classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid, calculations of its future motion show that it does not pose a threat to our planet for the foreseeable future. The Goldstone Solar System Radar Group is supported by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations Program within the Planetary Defense Coordination Office at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. Managed by JPL, the Deep Space Network receives programmatic oversight from Space Communications and Navigation program office within the Space Operations Mission Directorate, also at NASA Headquarters. More information about planetary radar and near-Earth objects can be found at: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroid-watch News Media Contact Ian J. O’Neill Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-2649 ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov 2024-097 Share Details Last Updated Jul 03, 2024 Related TermsNear-Earth Asteroid (NEA)AsteroidsDeep Space NetworkJet Propulsion LaboratoryPlanetary DefensePlanetary Defense Coordination OfficePotentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)Space Communications & Navigation Program Explore More 3 min read NASA’s ECOSTRESS Maps Burn Risk Across Phoenix Streets Article 19 hours ago 5 min read NASA Asteroid Experts Create Hypothetical Impact Scenario for Exercise Article 23 hours ago 5 min read NASA’s NEOWISE Infrared Heritage Will Live On Article 2 days ago View the full article

It may seem remarkable that no American spent the Fourth of July holiday in space for the first 21 years of human spaceflight. Not until 1982 and the 35th U.S. human spaceflight did Americans awaken in space on Independence Day, and then bring their spacecraft back to Earth later in the day to a rousing welcome by the President of the United States. Another 10 years elapsed before more Americans found themselves in orbit on July 4. But as flight rates and crew sizes increased, and as Americans began living and working aboard space stations, spending the holiday in orbit turned into an annual event, celebrated with crew members from other nations. Through 2024, 73 Americans have celebrated Independence Day in space, eight of them twice, each in a unique style. July 4, 1982 – A tale of three shuttles. Left: Space shuttle Columbia makes a touchdown at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California to end the STS-4 mission. Middle: With space shuttle Enterprise as a backdrop, President Ronald W. Reagan, First Lady Nancy Reagan, and NASA Administrator James M. Beggs welcome home STS-4 astronauts Thomas K. “TK” Mattingly and Henry W. Hartsfield. Right: Space shuttle Challenger departs Edwards AFB atop its Shuttle Carrier Aircraft on its way to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For the first 21 years of human spaceflight, no American astronaut had spent a Fourth of July in space. That all changed with the STS-4 mission. On July 4, 1982, the final day of their flight, astronauts Thomas K. ‘TK’ Mattingly and Henry W. “Hank” Hartsfield guided space shuttle Columbia to its first concrete runway landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. President Ronald W. Reagan, who two years later instructed NASA to develop a space station, and First Lady Nancy Reagan greeted Mattingly and Hartsfield on the runway as they disembarked from Columbia. Shortly thereafter, the President led a celebration in front of space shuttle Enterprise, saying, “TK and Hank, you’ve just given the American people a Fourth of July present to remember.“ To cap off the event attended by 45,000 people and broadcast live on television, President Reagan gave the signal for the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft carrying Challenger, NASA’s newest space shuttle orbiter, to take off to begin its transcontinental ferry flight to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Left: The STS-50 crew in July 1992. Right: The international STS-71 crew in July 1995. Ten years passed before American astronauts once again celebrated the Fourth of July holiday in space. The seven astronauts of STS-50 had completed about half of their 14-day USML-1 mission on July 4, 1992, but the busy pace of the science flight allowed little time for celebrations. Three years later, 10 people orbited the Earth during the historic STS-71 first shuttle docking mission to the Mir space station. In fact, on July 4, 1995, space shuttle Atlantis undocked from Mir, returning NASA astronaut Norman E. Thagard and his two cosmonaut colleagues from a four-month mission aboard Mir. By coincidence, for NASA astronauts Bonnie J. Dunbar and Ellen S. Baker, this marked their second Fourth of July in space as they both served on the STS-50 crew three years earlier. The day’s undocking activities left little time for celebrating, although Mission Control played “America the Beautiful” as the wake-up song that morning. To satisfy Thagard’s request, following their landing at KSC, ground teams treated him and his colleagues to some belated Fourth of July fare of hot dogs, hamburgers, and hot fudge sundaes. July 4, 1996. Left: Shannon W. Lucid aboard the space station Mir. Right: Susan J. Helms in the Spacelab module during the STS-78 mission. Following Thagard, six other NASA astronauts completed long-duration missions aboard Mir. From March to September 1996, Shannon W. Lucid spent six months aboard the Russian station and as the lone American on the Mir 21 crew, she celebrated the Fourth of July by wearing distinctive Stars-and-Stripes socks. Elsewhere in low Earth orbit, with much of their 17-day Life and Microgravity Sciences mission behind them, the international crew of STS-78 celebrated the Fourth of July holiday aboard space shuttle Columbia. By sheer coincidence, astronaut Susan J. Helms wore Stars-and-Stripes socks identical to Lucid’s. July 4, 1997. Left: C. Michael Foale aboard the space station Mir. Right: The STS-94 crew aboard space shuttle Columbia. In 1997, C. Michael Foale took his turn as the resident NASA astronaut aboard Mir. On June 25, a Progress cargo vehicle collided with the station, depressurizing its Spektr module, the one Foale used as sleeping quarters and as a laboratory. On July 4, Foale and his two cosmonaut colleagues, still dealing with the accident’s aftermath and preparing to receive a new cargo craft with critical supplies, did not have time for celebrations. Foale spoke with NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin, who called to check on his status and wish him a happy holiday. Concurrently, the seven-member all-NASA STS-94 crew also spent July 4, 1997, in space during the Microgravity Science Laboratory mission aboard space shuttle Columbia. With eight NASA astronauts in orbit, although aboard two spacecraft, this still holds the record as the largest number of Americans off-planet on a Fourth of July. Left: July 4, 2001. Expedition 2 crew members NASA astronauts Susan J. Helms, left, and James S. Voss. Middle: July 4, 2006. The crew of STS-121 wave American (and one German) flags as they depart crew quarters for their Fourth of July launch. Right: July 4, 2010. NASA astronauts Douglas H. Wheelock, Tracy Caldwell Dyson, and Shannon Walker of Expedition 24. The start of continuous human habitation aboard the International Space Station in November 2000 has meant that every year since, at least one American astronaut has spent the Independence Day holiday in space. James S. Voss and Susan J. Helms of Expedition 2, the first NASA astronauts to spend the Fourth of July aboard the space station in July 2001, sent an “out of this world” birthday message to America, played during “A Capitol Fourth” celebration in Washington, D.C. For Helms, this marked her second July 4 spent in space in five years. For each of the next eight years, crew rotations and other factors resulted in only one NASA astronaut residing aboard the space station during the Fourth of July holiday. Celebrations tended to be low key, but the entire crew regardless of nationality had the day off from their regular duties. July 4, 2006, marked the first and so far only time that an American crewed spacecraft launched on Independence Day, the liftoff like a giant birthday candle. As they left crew quarters for the ride to the launch pad, the seven-member crew of STS-121 waved flags, six American and one German, for the European Space Agency astronaut. With Jeffery N. Williams working aboard the space station, once the STS-121 crew reached orbit, the seven NASA astronauts comprised the largest number of Americans in space on Independence Day since 1997. In 2010, Expedition 24 marked the first time that three NASA astronauts, Douglas H. Wheelock, Tracy Caldwell Dyson, and Shannon Walker, celebrated the Fourth of July aboard the space station. Wheelock marked the holiday by posting a message on social media about a Congressional Medal of Honor belonging to a soldier killed in action in Vietnam that he took to space. July 4, 2013. Left: Expedition 36 astronaut Christopher J. Cassidy wears a T-shirt from the Four on the Fourth race in York, Maine. Right: Fellow Expedition 36 astronaut Karen L. Nyberg displays her Fourth of July creation of a cookie she iced in the colors of the American flag. For Independence Day 2013, Expedition 36 astronaut Christopher J. Cassidy chose to run in the Four on the 4th road race in his hometown of York, Maine. The fact that he lived and worked aboard the space station did not stop him from participating. Wearing the race’s T-shirt, he videotaped a message for the runners in York, and ran on the station’s treadmill, watching a video of the previous year’s race. At the end of the video message, Cassidy encouraged everyone to “celebrate our nation’s birthday with family and friends.” Cassidy and fellow Expedition 36 astronaut Karen L. Nyberg celebrated Independence Day by icing cookies in the colors of the American flag. Left: July 4, 2015. NASA astronaut Scott J. Kelly records a Fourth of July message during Expedition 44. Right: July 4, 2017. During Expedition 52, NASA astronauts Jack D. Fischer and Peggy A. Whitson show off their patriotic outfits. On July 4, 2015, NASA astronaut Scott J. Kelly, in the fourth month of his nearly one-year mission aboard the space station, recorded a Fourth of July message for Earthbound viewers. He wished everyone a Happy Independence Day and hoped that he would be able to see some of the fireworks around the country from his lofty perch, orbital mechanics permitting. As crew size aboard the space station increased and crew rotations changed, NASA astronaut Jeffrey N. Williams, celebrating his second Fourth of July in orbit during Expedition 48, holds the distinction as the last American to spend Independence Day alone in space on July 4, 2016. The following year, Expedition 52 astronauts Jack D. Fischer and Peggy A. Whitson recorded a whimsical video, posting it on social media, showing their patriotic attire in various poses. Left: July 4, 2018. The Expedition 56 crew found the American flag originally flown aboard STS-1 and brought to the space station by STS-135. Right: July 4, 2019. Expedition 60 astronauts Christina H. Koch and Tyler N. “Nick” Hague in their finest patriotic outfits. For Independence Day 2018, Expedition 56 astronauts Andrew J. “Drew” Feustel, Richard R. “Ricky” Arnold, and Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor retrieved a very special flag from stowage. The 8-by-12-inch American flag first flew into space aboard STS-1, the space shuttle’s inaugural flight, in April 1981. One of a thousand flags flown, it ended up in storage for 20 years until retrieved and flown to the space station on the space shuttle’s final mission, STS-135, in July 2011. The label on the Legacy Flag, “Only to be removed by crew launching from KSC,” referred to the next launch of American astronauts from American soil aboard an American spacecraft, anticipated sometime after the shuttle’s retirement aboard a commercial provider. More on this flag’s incredible journey below. For Independence Day 2019, Expedition 60 astronauts Tyler N. “Nick” Hague and Christina H. Koch, in the fourth month of her record-breaking 11-month mission, to date the longest single flight by a woman, recorded a video message for Earthbound viewers. In particular, they thanked servicemen deployed around the world and reflected on the bright future for America’s human spaceflight program. Left: July 4, 2020. Expedition 63 astronauts Christopher J. Cassidy, left, Douglas G. Hurley, and Robert L. Behnken, hold the Legacy Flag flown on STS-1 and STS-135. Right: July 4, 2021. The Expedition 65 crew, K. Megan McArthur, left, Mark T. Vande Hei, and R. Shane Kimbrough, tapes a Fourth of July message. During their Independence Day video message on July 4, 2020, Expedition 63 astronauts Christopher J. Cassidy, Douglas G. Hurley, and Robert L. Behnken wished Americans a happy Fourth of July, and looked ahead to future missions to the Moon and beyond. Behnken, holding the Legacy Flag that had waited for them aboard the station for nine years, added that he and Hurley would return it to the ground since they had arrived aboard the first American crewed vehicle to launch from American soil following the retirement of the space shuttle. He indicated that the flag would later return to space aboard the first American crewed flight to the Moon as part of the Artemis program. In their video message on July 4, 2021, Expedition 65 astronauts K. Megan McArthur, R. Shane Kimbrough, and Mark T. Vande Hei wished everyone a Happy Fourth of July and looked forward to future exploration missions to the Moon. July 4, 2022. Left: Expedition 67 NASA astronauts Robert T. Hines, left, and Kjell N. Lindgren during their recorded Fourth of July message. Right: The Expedition 67 crew photographed the American flag and its patches in the space station’s Cupola. On July 4, 2022, Expedition 67 NASA astronauts Kjell N. Lindgren, Robert T. Hines, and Jessica A. Watkins spent the holiday aboard the space station. Lindgren and Hines recorded a video message wishing everyone a happy Fourth of July holiday. Hines posted on Twitter, now X, “Happy Birthday America! The crew of [Crew Dragon] Freedom and Expedition 67 wishes everyone back home a happy Independence Day!” Left: July 4, 2023. Expedition 69 NASA astronauts Francisco “Frank” C. Rubio, left, Stephen G. Bowen, and Warren W. “Woody” Hoburg send an Independence Day greeting. Right: July 4, 2024. Six NASA astronauts onboard the space station for Independence Day. In 2023, Expedition 69 NASA astronauts Francisco “Frank” C. Rubio, Stephen G. Bowen, and Warren W. “Woody” Hoburg recorded a Fourth of July greeting from the space station, played during “A Capitol Fourth” celebration in Washington, D.C., wishing everyone a Happy Independence Day. July 4, 2024, finds six NASA astronauts, the largest number of Americans in space on the Fourth of July since 2006, aboard the space station, having arrived by three different vehicles – Matthew S. Dominick, Michael R. Barratt, and Jeanette J. Epps by Crew Dragon, Tracy Caldwell Dyson by Soyuz, and Barry E. “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita L. Williams by Starliner. For Barratt and Dyson, this marked their second July 4 holiday in space. In the coming years, more American astronauts will celebrate Independence Day aboard the space station, and one day we can look forward to some of them celebrating the holiday on or near the Moon. Explore More 9 min read 40 Years Ago: STS-41D – First Space Shuttle Launch Pad Abort Article 7 days ago 5 min read The 1998 Florida Firestorm and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Article 7 days ago 15 min read 55 Years Ago: One Month Until the Moon Landing Article 2 weeks ago View the full article

The first CHAPEA mission crew members who have been living and working inside NASA’s first simulated yearlong Mars habitat mission are set to exit their ground-based home on Saturday, July 6. The four volunteers who have been living and working inside NASA’s first simulated yearlong Mars habitat mission are set to exit their ground-based home on Saturday, July 6. NASA will provide live coverage of the crew’s exit from the habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston at 5 p.m. EDT. NASA will stream the activity, which will include a short welcome ceremony, on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, the agency’s website, and NASA Johnson’s X and Facebook accounts. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms, including social media. The first Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission began in the 3D printed habitat on June 25, 2023, with crew members Kelly Haston, Anca Selariu, Ross Brockwell, and Nathan Jones. For more than a year, the crew simulated Mars mission operations, including “Marswalks,” grew and harvested several vegetables to supplement their shelf-stable food, maintained their equipment and habitat, and operated under additional stressors a Mars crew will experience, including communication delays with Earth, resource limitations, and isolation. In addition to the CHAPEA crew, participants include: Steve Koerner, deputy director, NASA Johnson Kjell Lindgren, NASA astronaut and deputy director, Flight Operations Grace Douglas, principal investigator, CHAPEA Judy Hayes, chief science officer, Human Health and Performance Directorate Julie Kramer White, director of engineering Due to facility limitations and crew quarantine requirements, NASA is unable to accommodate requests to attend the event in person. Media interested in speaking with the mission’s crew members in the days following the conclusion of their mission must send a request by 4 p.m. July 6, to the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@nasa.gov. NASA is leading a return to the Moon for long-term science and exploration through the Artemis campaign. Lessons learned on and around the Moon will prepare NASA for the next giant leap – sending the first astronauts to Mars. Learn more about CHAPEA: https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/chapea/ -end- Rachel Kraft Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov Laura Sorto Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 laura.g.sorto@nasa.gov View the full article

Credits: NASA NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for the COSI (Compton Spectrometer and Imager) mission. The firm-fixed-price contract has a value of approximately $69 million, which includes launch services and other mission related costs. The COSI mission currently is targeted to launch August 2027 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This wide-field gamma-ray telescope will study energetic phenomena in the Milky Way and beyond, including the creation and destruction of matter and antimatter and the final stages of the lives of stars. NASA’s COSI mission will probe the origins of the Milky Way’s galactic positrons, uncover the sites of nucleosynthesis in our galaxy, perform studies of gamma-ray polarization, and find counterparts to multi-messenger sources. The compact Compton telescope combines improved sensitivity, spectral resolution, angular resolution, and sky coverage to facilitate groundbreaking science. The mission is a collaboration between the University of California, Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory, the University of California, San Diego, the Naval Research Laboratory, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and Northrop Grumman. The COSI principal investigator-led project management team is located at the University of California, Berkeley. NASA’s Astrophysics Explorers Program at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, supports development of the project for the Astrophysics Division within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. NASA’s Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for program management of the launch services. For more information about COSI, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/cosi/ -end- Tiernan Doyle Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 tiernan.doyle@nasa.gov Patti Bielling Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-501-7575 patricia.a.bielling@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Jul 02, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsCOSI (Compton Spectrometer and Imager)Astrophysics DivisionAstrophysics Explorers ProgramScience Mission DirectorateSpace Operations Mission Directorate View the full article

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s ECOSTRESS instrument on June 19 recorded scorching roads and sidewalks across Phoenix where contact with skin could cause serious burns in minutes to seconds, as indicated in the legend above. NASA/JPL-Caltech Roads and sidewalks in some areas get so hot that skin contact could result in second-degree burns. Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California have mapped scorching pavement in Phoenix where contact with skin — from a fall, for example — can cause serious burns. The image shows land surface temperatures across a grid of roads and adjacent sidewalks, revealing how urban spaces can turn hazardous during hot weather. Data for this visualization of the Phoenix area — the fifth most populous city in the United States — was collected at 1:02 p.m. local time on June 19, 2024, by a NASA instrument aboard the International Space Station. Called ECOSTRESS (short for the Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station), the instrument measures thermal infrared emissions from Earth’s surface. The Image shows how miles of asphalt and concrete surfaces (colored here in yellow, red, and purple, based on temperature) trap heat. The surfaces registered at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) to the touch — hot enough to cause contact burns in minutes to seconds. The image also shows cooling effects of green spaces in communities like Encanto and Camelback East, in contrast to the hotter surface temperatures seen in Maryvale and Central City, where there are fewer parks and trees. “We create these maps to be intuitive to users and help make data more accessible to the public and citizens scientists,” said Glynn Hulley, a JPL climate researcher. “We see them as a vital tool for planning effective heat interventions, such as tree planting, that can cool down the hottest roads and sidewalks.” Homing in on Heat At the lower right of the image is Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport, where ECOSTRESS recorded some of the hottest land surface temperatures within the city —around 140 F (60 C). The air temperature on June 19 at the airport reached 106 F (43 C). Air temperature, which is measured out of direct sunlight, can differ significantly from the temperature at the land surface. Streets are often the hottest surfaces of the built environment due to dark asphalt paving that absorbs more sunlight than lighter-colored surfaces; asphalt absorbs up to 95% of solar radiation. These types of surfaces can easily be 40 to 60 degrees F (22 to 33 degrees C) hotter than the air temperature on a very hot day. Launched to the International Space Station in 2018, ECOSTRESS has as its primary mission the identification of plants’ thresholds for water use and water stress, giving insight into their ability to adapt to a warming climate. But the instrument is also useful for documenting other heat-related phenomena, like patterns of heat absorption and retention. To produce the image of Phoenix, scientists used a machine learning algorithm that incorporates data from additional satellites: NASA/USGS Landsat and Sentinel-2. The combined measurements were used to “sharpen” the surface temperatures to a resolution of 100 feet (30 meters) by 100 feet (30 meters). More About the Mission JPL built and manages the ECOSTRESS mission for the Earth Science Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. ECOSTRESS is an Earth Venture Instrument mission; the program is managed by NASA’s Earth System Science Pathfinder program at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. More information about ECOSTRESS is available here: https://ecostress.jpl.nasa.gov/. News Media Contacts Jane J. Lee / Andrew Wang Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-0307 / 626-379-6874 jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov / andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov Written by Sally Younger 2024-096 Share Details Last Updated Jul 02, 2024 Related TermsEcostress (ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station)Earth ScienceExtreme Weather EventsJet Propulsion LaboratoryWeather and Atmospheric Dynamics Explore More 5 min read NASA’s NEOWISE Infrared Heritage Will Live On Article 22 hours ago 2 min read NASA@ My Library and Partners Engage Millions in Eclipse Training and Preparation The Space Science Institute, with funding from the NASA Science Mission Directorate and Gordon and… Article 4 days ago 4 min read NASA Parachute Sensor Testing Could Make EPIC Mars Landings Article 5 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

NASA/Matthew Dominick NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick captured this image of Hurricane Beryl in the Caribbean on July 1, 2024, while aboard the International Space Station, and posted it to X. The Category 4 hurricane had winds of about 130 mph (215 kph). Hurricanes – tropical cyclones that form over the Atlantic Ocean or the eastern Pacific ocean – use warm, moist air as fuel. The warm, moist air over the ocean rises upward from near the surface, causing an area of lower air pressure below. Air from surrounding areas with higher air pressure pushes into the low pressure area. Then that “new” air becomes warm and moist and rises, too. As the warm air continues to rise, the surrounding air swirls in to take its place. As the warmed, moist air rises and cools off, the water in the air forms clouds. The whole system of clouds and wind spins and grows, fed by the ocean’s heat and water evaporating from the surface. NASA studies hurricanes from space through photos like this one, as well as observations from satellites. This vantage point helps scientists understand how climate change impacts hurricanes and learn how communities can better prepare for tropical cyclones in a warmer world. Learn more about how hurricane first responders use NASA resources and data. Image Credit: NASA/Matthew Dominick View the full article

6 Min Read Lagniappe for July 2024 Explore the July 2024 issue, featuring NASA Stennis Achieves Primary Success for Historic In-Space Mission, NASA at the Mississippi Comic Convention, NASA Stennis Take Our Children to Work Day, and more! Explore Lagniappe for July 2024 featuring: NASA Stennis Achieves Primary Success for Historic In-Space Mission Mississippi Comic Convention Experiences NASA NASA Stennis Hosts Take Our Children to Work Day Gator Speaks Conversations filled the room with anticipation for the day ahead. NASA’s Stennis Space Center hosted Take Our Children to Work Day on June 27 with a day set aside for children of employees to see up close the work carried out at NASA Stennis by its diverse workforce. A video featuring NASA Stennis Associate Director Rodney McKellip welcomed the enthusiastic crowd. He shared about the different hats worn by the more than 5,000 employees throughout the NASA Stennis federal city. There are engineers who help make the south Mississippi NASA center the premier rocket engine test facility in the country. NASA Stennis, the place that tested rocket stages to put the first humans on the Moon, remains on the frontlines of preparing NASA and the United States for its return to the Moon through the Artemis campaign to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. Those attending Take Our Children to Work Day learned how NASA Stennis has many rocket scientists and test engineers carrying out this work, but that is not all. Gator SpeaksNASA/Stennis A team of folks, including accountants, lawyers, environmental specialists, educators, and public affairs specialists, wear the NASA hat to ensure mission success too. There also are teams climbing on test stands, installing rocket engines into the stands, working with piping, electrical, welding, construction projects, safety inspections, and more. In addition to being the premier propulsion test site supporting NASA’s mission, NASA Stennis is where commercial companies experience success and benefit from the expertise of NASA personnel. Companies like Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, and Evolution Space have established ongoing operations at NASA Stennis as the commercialization of space continues. The NASA Stennis federal city also includes a range agencies, universities, and companies sharing costs and carrying out individual missions. It is the command site for the largest collection of oceanographers in the world and where Navy Seals train. Participants learned about such operations from a panel of employees from NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3 Harris Technologies company, Lockheed Martin, and Relativity Space. They toured NASA Stennis and participated in activities facilitated by NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne, and the National Data Buoy Center. The NASA Stennis associate director left them with a final thought before their day started: If you hear something loud during the day, just know that is the sound of progress at the nation’s premier rocket propulsion test facility and federal city known as NASA Stennis. Sure enough, that afternoon, the unmistakable sound of engine testing could be heard across the site. For this ol‘ Gator, it sounds like music to the ears. NASA Stennis Top News NASA Stennis Achieves Primary Success for Historic In-Space Mission NASA’s Stennis Space Center and partner Sidus Space Inc. announced primary mission success July 2 for the center’s historic in-space mission – an autonomous systems payload aboard an orbiting satellite. Read More About Mission Success Mississippi Comic Convention Experiences NASA Science fiction fans at the Mississippi Comic Convention were provided an out-of-this world experience, while learning about NASA, during the two-day event in Jackson, Mississippi, thanks to employees from NASA’s Stennis Space Center. “I’ve never been to an outreach activity that you reached so many people and from such a wide spectrum of people, from grade schoolers to retired grandparents,” said Troy Frisbie, NASA Stennis legislative affairs officer and chief of staff. “We interacted with a wide audience and really shared how NASA and NASA Stennis benefit all. It was a really, really good experience.” The NASA booth, at an event that attracted 18,000 people to the Mississippi Trade Mart and Coliseum on June 22-23, featured an immersive experience with virtual reality goggles. Participants were able to view an engine test conducted at NASA Stennis, take a virtual spacewalk while visiting the International Space Station, and experience a simulated rocket launch to Mars. One group enjoying the interaction with NASA was the Star Trek fan club from Jackson, Mississippi. “They were real big supporters of NASA,” Frisbie said. “They loved the virtual reality experience and encouraged others at the convention to come by and visit with us.” NASA Stennis budget analyst Rebecca Mataya and engineers Paul Fuller, Steven Helmstetter, and Chris Barnett-Woods volunteered with Frisbie. The center employees talked to college students majoring in engineering, graphic design, architecture, education, and healthcare. “The assumption is everybody has to be an engineer to work at NASA, and that is not the case,” Frisbie said. “There are all kinds of opportunities, and that was an eye opener for many.” Conversations centered on job opportunities and careers with NASA, as well as work conducted at NASA Stennis. The volunteers also fielded general questions about NASA’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and the agency’s Artemis campaign of returning astronauts to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation. “We enjoyed telling the NASA story and how NASA Stennis on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi serves as an economic engine that contributes to this nation’s space dreams,” Frisbie added. Jackson, Mississippi, Star Trek fan club, USS Haise member, volunteers to be the first user of the virtual reality experience provided by NASA Stennis before the Mississippi Comic Convention begins.NASA/Rebecca Mataya NASA Stennis budget analyst Rebecca Mataya, right, and NASA Stennis engineer Paul Fuller assist young space fans with the NASA virtual reality experience at the Mississippi Comic Convention in Jackson, Mississippi, on June 22 at the Mississippi Trade Mart and Coliseum.NASA/Troy Frisbie A Mississippi Comic Convention worker, an advocate for children with disabilities, speaks with NASA Stennis budget analyst Rebecca Mataya, right, during the event in Jackson, Mississippi, on June 22, about community outreach events and INFINITY Science Center’s ability to host children with special needs interested in learning more about NASA.NASA/Troy Frisbie NASA engineer Steve Helmstetter, center, gives a thumbs up on June 22 at the Mississippi Comic Convention in Jackson, Mississippi, as a young fan has a virtual reality experience in space.NASA/Rebecca Mataya NASA Stennis legislative affairs specialist and chief of staff Troy Frisbie discusses his appearance in Star Trek Explorer magazine with a member of the Jackson, Mississippi, Star Trek fan club, USS Haise. NASA/Rebecca Mataya A Darth Vader character visits with NASA Stennis legislative affairs specialist and chief of staff Troy Frisbie at the NASA booth on June 23 at the Mississippi Comic Convention in Jackson, Mississippi.NASA/Rebecca Mataya Center Activities NASA Stennis Breaks Ground with Rolls-Royce on New Testing Area NASA’s Stennis Space Center continues to support commercial companies and benefit the aerospace industry. The latest example comes as officials from NASA Stennis and Rolls-Royce break ground for the E-1 Hydrogen Test Pad, located at the NASA Stennis E-Complex Test Facility, during a June 27 ceremony. The site will be where Rolls-Royce conducts hydrogen testing for the Pearl 15 engine. The Pearl 15 engine helps power the Bombardier Global 5500 & 6500 aircraft and enables top speeds of Mach 0.90. Groundbreaking participants include (left to right): Adam Newman, Rolls-Royce chief engineer of hydrogen technology; Deborah Robinson, Rolls-Royce director of test and experimental engineering; Troy Frisbie, NASA Stennis legislative affairs specialist and chief of staff; Dan Lyon, Rolls-Royce North America general manager; and Steven Blake, Rolls-Royce North America indirect purchasing, global commodity manager. NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis Hosts NASA Mission Support Directorate Members of NASA’s Mission Support Directorate met with leaders from NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center during an onsite visit June 3. The group also participated in an in-depth tour of the NASA Stennis facilities. Pictured (left to right) are Ron Bald, chief counsel for the Office of the General Counsel at NASA Stennis and NASA Shared Services Center; Dinna Cottrell, chief information officer for the NASA Stennis and NASA Shared Services Center Office of the Chief Information Officer; Eli Ouder, procurement officer for NASA Stennis and NASA Shared Services Center; Stacy Houston, executive officer for NASA’s Mission Support Directorate; Michael Tubbs, acting director for the NASA Stennis Center Operations Directorate; Michael Hess, deputy associate administrator for NASA’s Mission Support Directorate; Rodney McKellip, associate director for NASA Stennis; Nichole Pinkney, program manager for NASA’s Mission Support Directorate; Duane Armstrong, manager for the NASA Stennis Strategic Development Office; Gary Benton, director for the NASA Stennis Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate; and Alison Butsch, associate chief financial officer for the External Business Operations Division within the NASA Stennis Office of the Chief Financial Officer. NASA/Danny Nowlin Space Force Students Visit NASA Stennis United States Space Force training students and professors stand at the Thad Cochran Test Stand on June 4 during a tour of NASA’s Stennis Space Center. NASA Stennis is preparing the test stand to test the exploration upper stage, which will fly on future SLS (Space Launch System) missions as NASA continues its mission of exploring the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all. The upper stage is being built at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans as a more powerful second stage to send the Orion spacecraft to deep space. It is expected to fly on the Artemis IV mission. Before that, it will be installed on the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-2) at NASA Stennis to undergo a series of Green Run tests of its integrated systems to demonstrate it is ready to fly. The Space Force, established in 2019, organizes, trains, and equips personnel to protect U.S. and allied interests in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint forces. NASA/Danny Nowlin Louisiana STEM Academy Visits NASA Stennis Rising high school juniors and seniors from Ascension Parish, Louisiana, visit the Thad Cochran Test Stand on June 6 during a tour of NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The students are part of the week-long BASF Tech Academy, in coordination with River Parishes Community College, where participants learn about technical careers and education. NASA Stennis is preparing the test stand to test the exploration upper stage, which will fly on future SLS (Space Launch System) missions as NASA continues its mission of exploring the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all. The upper stage is being built at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans as a more powerful second stage to send the Orion spacecraft to deep space. It is expected to fly on the Artemis IV mission. Before that, it will be installed on the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-2) at NASA Stennis to undergo a series of Green Run tests of its integrated systems to demonstrate it is ready to fly. NASA/Danny Nowlin Florida A&M STEM Group Visits NASA Stennis Members of the Florida A&M University Program of Excellence in STEM attend a presentation June 21 during a visit to NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The NASA Office of STEM Engagement provided information on grants and student activities during the presentation about NASA Stennis and the work conducted at the unique federal city. The group also visited the Thad Cochran Test Stand and Relativity Space test complex during a site tour. The Program of Excellence in STEM summer academy aims to enhance student knowledge of opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.NASA/Danny Nowlin Aerospace States Association Visits NASA Stennis Members of the Aerospace States Association stand at the Thad Cochran Test Stand on June 25 during a visit to NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The group came to the south Mississippi NASA center during the Aerospace States Association conference in New Orleans June 24-27. NASA Stennis will use the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-2) to test the exploration upper stage, a more powerful second stage to send the Orion spacecraft to deep space on NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, ahead of its expected flight on the Artemis IV mission. NASA/Danny Nowlin Arkansas-Pine Bluff STEM Summer Institute Visits NASA Stennis Participants in the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Summer Institute stand in front of the Roy Estess Building at NASA’s Stennis Space Center during a site tour on June 25. The students viewed multiple areas of the federal city, including a visit to the Thad Cochran Test Stand, where students learned about NASA Stennis’ role in the Artemis campaign. NASA is going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation. The agency will use what is learned on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars. The Arkansas at Pine Bluff STEM program started in 2003 and is designed to help increase the number and diversity of well-prepared STEM graduates. NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis Hosts Take Our Children to Work Day NASA’s Stennis Space Center inspired the Artemis Generation during the 2024 Take Our Children to Work Day on June 27. Participants are shown in the StenniSphere auditorium following a site tour and full day of hands-on activities to promote interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and the variety of work conducted at NASA Stennis. NASA is returning to the Moon through the Artemis campaign for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers. NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis Associate Director Rodney McKellip provides a video welcome to participants in the 2024 Take Our Children to Work Day event June 27 at NASA’s Stennis Space Center.NASA/LaToya Dean Take Our Children to Work Day participants join NASA Stennis federal city employees for a career panel discussion on June 27. The career panel discussion included (left to right): Rebecca Mataya, NASA Stennis budget analyst; Madison Rundell, Aerojet Rocketdyne information technology specialist; Troy Chivers, COLSA/All In Solutions representative; Clyde Conerly, Lockheed Martin quality engineer; Andy Guymon, Relativity Space test engineer; and moderator Apolonia Acker, NASA Stennis public affairs specialist. NASA/LaToya Dean Christopher Sherman, NASA ASTRO CAMP Community Partners Program education specialist (left), conducts an activity with Take Our Children to Work Day participants on June 27 at NASA’s Stennis Space Center.NASA/LaToya Dean Morgan Necaise, NASA ASTRO CAMP Community Partners Program education specialist (left), conducts an activity with Take Our Children to Work Day participants on June 27 at NASA’s Stennis Space Center.NASA/LaToya Dean Danny Griffin, NASA ASTRO CAMP Community Partners Program logistics coordinator (left), conducts an activity with Take Our Children to Work Day participants on June 27 at NASA’s Stennis Space CenterNASA/LaToya Dean A group of Take Our Children Day participants watch a cryogenic demonstration led by Allen Forsman of Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company, on June 27 at the Aerojet Rocketdyne Engine Assembly Facility at NASA Stennis. NASA/Danny Nowlin Take Our Children to Work Day participants learn about the ocean’s ecosystem on June 27 during an activity conducted by representatives with Mississippi State University, Northern Gulf Institute, and the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence.NASA/LaToya Dean Take Our Children to Work Day participants learn about buoys on June 27 during an activity conducted by Brandon Elsensohn, Amentum software engineer, for the National Data Buoy Center at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. NASA/LaToya Dean NASA in the News NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test NASA to Change How It Points Hubble Space Telescope – NASA Science NASA Astronauts Practice Next Giant Leap for Artemis – NASA Moon Tree Planted at U.S. Capitol Marks Enduring NASA, Artemis Legacy – NASA Employee Profile Chris Barnett-Woods is shown at the E-1 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where NASA Stennis accelerates the exploration and commercialization of space and innovates to benefit NASA and industry.NASA/Danny Nowlin Chris Barnett-Woods’ favorite movie growing up – Back to the Future – led him to dream of one day building a DeLorean automobile. Instead, the electrical engineer is doing something never imagined as he helps NASA support the commercialization of space for the benefit of all. Read More About Chris Barnett-Woods Looking Back 20 Years Ago This Month: NASA Stennis Moon Tree Honors Apollo 11 An image from July 20, 2004, shows Astro Camp participants planting a sycamore Moon tree at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The tree, planted 20 years ago this month, honors the 35th anniversary of Apollo 11 and the first lunar landing on July 20, 1969. NASA/Stennis The Moon tree, planted on July 20, 2004, at NASA Stennis, is a descendant of seeds carried to the Moon and back by the late Apollo 14 astronaut and longtime Mississippi Coast resident, Stuart Roosa, as he orbited the Moon in the command module, nicknamed “Kitty Hawk.” NASA/Stennis An image from Jan. 7, 2011, shows Rosemary Roosa, daughter of the late Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa, standing beside the Moon tree outside of StenniSphere, the previous museum and visitor center at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The Moon tree is grown from seeds carried into space by astronaut Stuart Roosa on the Apollo 14 mission.NASA/Stennis A 2023 image shows the sycamore Moon tree at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The tree, planted 20 years ago this month, honors the 35th anniversary of Apollo 11 and the first lunar landing on July 20, 1969. NASA/Stennis Additional Resources Good Things with Rebecca Turner – SuperTalk Mississippi Certifying Artemis Rocket Engines – NASA NASA Stennis Overview – Going Further Subscription Info Lagniappe is published monthly by the Office of Communications at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The NASA Stennis office may be contacted by at 228-688-3333 (phone); ssc-office-of-communications@mail.nasa.gov (email); or NASA OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS, Attn: LAGNIAPPE, Mail code IA00, Building 1111 Room 173, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (mail). The Lagniappe staff includes: Managing Editor Lacy Thompson, Editor Bo Black, and photographer Danny Nowlin. To subscribe to the monthly publication, please email the following to ssc-office-of-communications@mail.nasa.gov – name, location (city/state), email address. Explore More 7 min read Lagniappe for April 2024 Article 3 months ago 5 min read Lagniappe for May 2024 Explore the NASA Stennis newsletter, Lagniappe for May 2024. This issue features NASA’s announcement of… Article 2 months ago 9 min read Lagniappe for June 2024 Explore the Lagniappe for June 2024 issue, featuring an innovative approach to infrastructure upgrades, how… Article 4 weeks ago View the full article

Chris Barnett-Woods is shown at the E-1 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where NASA Stennis accelerates the exploration and commercialization of space and innovates to benefit NASA and industry.NASA/Danny Nowlin Chris Barnett-Woods’ favorite movie growing up – Back to the Future – led him to dream of one day building a DeLorean automobile. Instead, the electrical engineer is doing something never imagined as he helps NASA support the commercialization of space for the benefit of all. “If there is any interest, always apply to work at a place like NASA because you never know where it will take you,” said Barnett-Woods, who is approaching two decades of work at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. “In college, I never thought I would work for NASA. I thought it was a far-off fantasy and could not be a reality. Turns out, it was closer than I thought.” The Diamondhead, Mississippi, resident is in his 10th year as a NASA engineer and 17th overall at NASA Stennis, following seven years as a contractor before joining NASA. Barnett-Woods is the electrical lead and instrumentation engineer at the E-1 Test Stand. It has four test cell positions and is a part of the versatile four-stand E Test Complex at NASA Stennis. Overall, the complex includes 12 active test cell positions capable of various component, engine, and stage test activities. He describes the customer-focused approach at E-1 as a fast-paced workflow in a constant phase of testing while always keeping safety at the forefront. “Safety is priority number one, followed by collecting data to help our customers,” said Barnett-Woods. “We ensure everyone goes home in the condition they entered. There is no hesitation that if we are entering an unsafe process or configuration, we will stop right there and make sure we are doing it the right way.” A typical day for the engineer includes running a system calibration, which ensures all sensors on the facility and test article are reading accurately, followed by red line checks. The red line checks help maintain a safe work environment in the event a pressure or temperature goes too high. If that were to happen, this process will safely shut down the engine. Once checks are complete, the hot fire test begins with flowing fuel and oxidizer through the test article to facilitate firing and record data. The data tells the story of performance and allows for design analysis as engineers determine the most optimal way to run the test article. “It is a fun environment,” the NASA engineer said. “We have a lot of very dedicated people that know the job, love the job, and would do nearly anything for it. We are one big, happy team, like family.” A hot fire can range between one second to 200 seconds, depending on what is tested. The 2023 NASA Silver Achievement Medal recipient has supported hundreds of hot fires for commercial customers, including companies brand new to the aerospace industry and those more experienced that are looking for specific parameters. “NASA Stennis is a one-of-a-kind facility in the world,” Barnett-Woods said. “This is the only place where we can do a ground level test of an actual engine hot fire and if you like rockets, this is the place to be.” For information about NASA’s Stennis Space Center, visit: Stennis Space Center – NASA Learn more about the people who work at NASA Stennis View the full article

Xinchuan Huang Let’s start with your childhood, where you were born, where you’re from, your young years, your family at the time, what your parents did, and how early it was in your life that you decided you’d like to pursue a career like the one you’re pursuing now? I was born in a small town in Sichuan, China. It is not far from the famous Emei Mountain, and the beautiful Qingyi river runs through it. At the beginning, I lived with my grandmother’s family in a small village on the riverbank, called “Pond in heaven”. After I left there at four years old, I lived with my parents in Sichuan and Xinjiang provinces, alternatively, as my parents had been working apart. Luckily their reunion came after three years, and finally there was a real “home” for us. My parents were both high school teachers, they worked in the school system opened by a research institute for the children of their employees. It has elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. That’s where I grew up and received my pre-college education. The Emei Mountain lookout. In China, it is the holy site of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva in Buddhism. Many monkeys live there. Family photo when Xinchuan was 2 yrs. old The Qingyi river runs through Xinchuan’s home village. Since I was young, my mother has taught me enlightenment and urged my study. While my father was not quite involved in my academics, he valued the importance of reading and cultivated my interest in books. Every time we walked into a bookstore together, I was just purely happy because it simply meant one or two new books were coming home with me. He encouraged me to keep expanding my knowledge and horizons by also subscribing to many educational magazines and newspapers for kids, among which I remember two of my most favorite magazines. Before elementary school it was the “Children’s Science Pictorial”, and in elementary school it was the “Youth Science”. Those magazines started and nurtured my interest in science and the universe. In middle school, there was an advertisement for a simple and cheap monocular telescope. I told my dad about it and he helped me order one, even though all it could show was the craters on the moon. But I was so excited, I could lay on the cold ground, watching the moon for hours, as if a new world was unfolding in front of me. Seeing how much I enjoyed it, my father later ordered for me the astronomy volume of the Chinese Encyclopedia. It cost 20 Yuan, which was not a small amount at that time. I was so thrilled to have the book. Holding that hardcover book, I felt that I was holding the universe in my arms. I can imagine! But most contents in that encyclopedia were still too advanced for me at the time, so I was more obsessed with the colorful photos in the book. Along with my interest in space and the universe, I was also interested in the topics of UFOs and extraterrestrial civilizations. For example, I read a book called “The Mystery of Flying Saucers”, which was a collection of reports and discussions translated from French. In that book, it mentioned the Drake equation for estimating the likelihood of civilizations in the universe. It deeply impressed me. In 2009, after my postdoc at Ames, I had an opportunity to meet with Dr. Drake. He’s the author of the equation and the founder of the SETI Institute. I must say that not everyone has the opportunity or the luck to meet an idol from their childhood and truly chat with him. Good luck indeed! However, when I told Dr. Drake that my first time reading about his equation was in a book of UFOs, he laughed and said “(it) was in a wrong story!” (laughs) Dr. Drake (left) and Xinchuan at SETI Institute (2010) When I graduated from high school, I did consider a major in astronomy, but there were very few undergraduate astronomy majors in China universities. The only few available that year were either not recruiting in Sichuan or in a city I didn’t like. The famous Peking University did have astrophysics major, but each year they only recruited about 10 undergraduate students from the whole country, and few from Sichuan. Otherwise, I could have enrolled there thirty years ago. Any idea why they didn’t place more emphasis on astronomy? China, as you know, has a strong reputation in space exploration. There is tradition for astronomy in China, and people know of ancient records and scientists, but it likely wasn’t the focus at that time. The astronomy and astrophysics research of Peking university and other China institutions have expanded significantly in last 30 years. That’s for sure. Anyway, I was admitted to the Fudan University in Shanghai, to major in Applied Chemistry II. That’s an interesting name. Usually you see chemistry, applied chemistry, materials chemistry, etc. What does the “II” mean? Previously, it was the Radiochemistry major, but people adjusted its content to keep up with the growth of economy, and to make it easier for their students to find jobs. There was already a major of “Applied Chemistry” in the Chemistry department, so it became “Applied Chemistry II”. My undergraduate thesis was done in the Institute of Laser Chemistry at Fudan, on the UV dissociation of a small organic molecule under cryogenic matrix isolation conditions. Well, you certainly were well served by both your parents, as they helped direct your focus and your education. I also looked it up because I had not remembered that you came to Ames as a postdoc when I was associated with the NPP program as the Ames representative. Yes. In Tim’s Office. From Left to Right: Ryan Fortenberry, Timothy Lee, Xinchuan Huang, and Partha Bera (03/2011) I don’t remember all of them of course as there were quite a few over that period of time, but I hope that was a good experience for you. You were working with Tim Lee as your advisor and I’d known him for a very long time. I appreciated and enjoyed the opportunity of doing my postdoc at Ames. I had been thinking of other career choices right before Tim sent an email to Joel (my PhD advisor) asking if there was any student suited for a research project at Ames, about ammonia’s Infrared spectrum calculations. The target was to generate a complete IR line list which people can utilize to characterize the NH3 related celestial environments and eliminate all the NH3 features from the astronomical observations, such as those in Titan’s atmosphere. It was a very good match to my Ph.D. background on the potential energy surface and vibrational dynamics of water cluster ions. You had another postdoc before you came to Ames? At Emory University? Yes, that was more like a one-year extension after the thesis defense, to finish up my Ph.D. projects. How did you get from China to the United States? Was it because of your educational pursuits? During my undergraduate study, I had some interest in laser chemistry and spectroscopy. For example, photodissociation products were detected and characterized by their infrared spectrum, and we know the spectroscopic fingerprints of molecules are determined by their nature, or internal properties. After college, I became a graduate student at the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Science, in Beijing. Supposedly I should learn how to use a femtosecond laser system to investigate some ultra-fast processes in chemical reactions, but my supervisor left the institute unexpectedly. So, I applied to some graduate programs in United States, and later enrolled in the chemistry department of Emory University in Atlanta. The admission could be related to my background in laser chemistry labs, but I didn’t continue that path. Instead, I changed to theoretical chemistry and vibrational dynamics studies. But I always admired our colleague experimental spectroscopists working in the laboratories, perhaps because I have myself witnessed how difficult an experimental study could become. It may include sample preparation, optical path platform construction, vacuum pumps, laser tuning, circuit of detectors, hardware interface and software development, etc., so requiring a variety of knowledge and skills from chemistry, physics, to mechanics, electronics, and even materials and computer science. Compared to that, it is relatively simpler to do theoretical spectroscopic studies. But from our perspective, our work still belongs to the laboratory astrophysics. Our lab is set up inside computers, and our equipment and devices are computing programs and algorithms. Did you come to Emory because of a connection or a contact with them? Or did they just have a good program in what you were studying? I applied to several graduate programs in the US, and received admissions including Emory, but I had no connections with them before. I chose the physical chemistry graduate program at Emory, for their reputation in both experimental and theoretical research. So, you applied to several programs and you chose and got admitted to Emory. And then what was your route to Ames? Was it your postdoc? You got a postdoc here and then you stayed? Yes. That’s very straightforward. Straight and simple. Did you know Tim at all beforehand? From a conference or something like that? Not personally, except that he was an expert in Coupled Cluster theory. After Tim contacted my advisor in the summer of 2005, I met him later that year in the ACS meeting at D.C. You were going to tell us something about the work that you are doing, which I found very complicated. It had to do with something called a “potential energy surface” and some other things which I don’t even know what they are, but let’s go ahead because one of the reasons we asked this question is because we want to know why it is important enough that taxpayers should fund research into it. Our research focuses on the Infrared and microwave spectrum ranges, provides high quality spectroscopic constants, or highly accurate Infrared line list predictions for small molecules in outer space. Those molecules play important roles in the interstellar medium, atmospheres of solar system objects, like Venus and Titan, and atmospheres of brown dwarfs and exoplanets. The IR spectroscopic constants and line lists will facilitate the detection of those molecules, help characterize the physical conditions of related environments, determine column densities or atmospheric concentrations, and improve the chemistry evolution models. Since a large part of the astronomical research involves spectrum data analysis and modeling, naturally more reliable and more accurate reference data will be needed to better support NASA strategic goals, help maximize the scientific output of various NASA missions, and eventually help us better understand what’s going on in the universe. Inside SOFIA flight as a Guest Investigator (09/2015) EXES observation towards Orion KL/IRc2 (09/2015) Sgr B2, looking for c-C3H3+ IR features (09/2015) In the last two decades, the generation of more accurate reference data and predictions has required us to combine the advantages of experiments and theories. Our colleagues in Europe adopted similar strategies. For example, the latest Infrared line list we computed for hot carbon dioxide up to 3000 K has several components: high quality ab initio potential energy surface refined using reliable, high resolution experimental data or models, and the best dipole moment surfaces with accuracy already verified by recent highly accurate experiment IR intensities, and the most accurate line positions from the experiment based effective Hamiltonian models. In this way, the spectral line position and intensity accuracy from existing experiment data are integrated with the completeness, reliability and consistency from theoretical predictions. We hope the line list can improve the accuracy of CO2 analysis and modeling for brown dwarf and hot exoplanet atmospheres, which include, but not limited to the recent CO2 discoveries that JWST made on exoplanets. Hot CO2 IR Simulation at 1980 K using our AI-3000K line list, compared to experiment, UCL-4000, and HITEMP2010. See details in “AI-3000K Infrared line list for hot CO2” (Huang et al, 2023, JMSpec) open access. On the other hand, like I mentioned earlier, some molecules, like methyl cyanide, SO2, and ammonia, generate a plethora of spectral lines, appearing like wild grasses. That’s why some molecules were called “weeds”. They’re the “weeds” in the field of spectrum and may overshadow other important signals. Once I looked at a small segment of SOFIA EXES spectrum at 20 mm. Although I already knew it contained hundreds of sulfur dioxide bending mode transitions, I did not expect that so many very weak oscillations and tiny bumps in the observed spectrum could be excellently explained and reproduced until I ran the simulations by myself using SO2 line lists. Without a reliable and complete line list, many weak features may go unnoticed and treated as noises. But when you have a good line list, you can identify all the features of a specific molecule, then try to remove them, like removing weeds, so more interesting features or molecules can be found. We may call them the “flowers”. From this angle, we are like farmers in the spectroscopy field, or treasure hunters in the jungle of spectrum. That’s a good way of putting it. And this leads to a greater understanding of what elements of the NASA mission? How does this fit in with what NASA is trying to accomplish, which could be just exploration, or the search for life, or some of the other great questions that NASA is trying to help answer? There are several potential impacts from the basic scientific research we have been doing. One is to identify those molecules for their existence in the universe, where they are, and how many they are. Second is to figure out what their environment looks like, e.g., the pressure and temperature. An accurate reference line list can help to extract that information from observed spectrum data. The third impact is about some potential biosignature molecules for habitable exoplanets. Like the one we worked on recently, the nitrous oxide or laughing gas, N2O, it is one of those molecules contributing to the transit spectrum of Earth. Another impact is on chemical evolution models. Because our reliable predictions have very high consistency across isotopologues, higher than experiments, we can help to determine more accurate isotopic ratios and evolution history in outer space. In summary, and in the larger picture, we are contributing to the exploration of the universe and the search for habitable planets by providing basic reference data and tools for all NASA missions related to Infrared astronomy, from past Herschel, SOFIA, to JWST, and future ARIEL and other missions. You mentioned biosignatures, which caught my attention because we’re hoping to find some evidence that we’re not alone in the universe, that there is other biology going on somewhere out there. Almost all of our research focuses on trying to address that, at some level. And it has a lot of popular support, taxpayer support, because they want the answer to that question perhaps most of all. The IR spectra based astronomical research involves many models and datasets from different sources, like the spectra modeling on the JWST observations of exoplanet atmospheres. Every piece of work has its own uncertainties, which will add up model by model, database by database. A recent study published in Nature Astronomy revealed that the abundance errors resulting from the opacity inaccuracies can be about one order of magnitude larger than those brought on from JWST-quality observations. This is a bottleneck. From this perspective, our study can help to reduce, or to minimize those uncertainties and errors associated with the opacity data. Compared to experimental measurements under certain conditions, we are trying to provide a complete picture for molecules in the full range of IR and MW spectra. The computed line lists can be used to generate more reliable opacity data at different target temperatures. Having more accurate opacity data with uncertainty reduced or minimized, scientists can determine more accurate properties for exoplanets and other objects in the universe. Have there been any surprising or breakthrough findings or discoveries or something not expected that has come from your work? Not expected? Let me think. We should be careful about the claims on the strengths and limitations of our work. On one side we should have enough confidence, but every molecule is unique, we also need to properly estimate the limitation of our line list predictions. With the synergy between experimental data and high-quality theoretical calculations, many improvements actually can be expected. If we know clearly what we can do and what our limits are, they are not real surprises. Some predictions may look surprising, but they need verifications from future experiments. If verified, the agreement is still expected. If rejected, it means something we need to explain or fix, not real breakthrough or findings. If we really want to talk about “surprises”, I can name two kinds of them. One is that we find surprisingly good agreement or high accuracy verification between predictions and experiments. For example, our room temperature CO2 line list. The IR intensity agreement with the best experiment measurement has reached the level of sub-half percent, for both accuracy and uncertainty, and towards 0.1 %, or permille level, 1‰. It was the best level ever achieved for CO2. That’s kind of a surprise because we were targeting a major upgrade, we knew we were doing better, but we didn’t know the improvements would be so good. That is a good surprise, but there could also be an opposite kind of surprise: a similar molecule or band, similar studies following the same track, so we had assumed it should come out as satisfactory as other molecules or bands, but it did not work out. Then we must figure out what’s going on, what we forgot or missed, or what’s the difference. For example, is that due to some unknown electronic state interference, sensitive resonances, potential defects in potential energy surface, or program bugs, etc.? That is the science part of it. Those are really the surprises. You’re a very impressive and accomplished NASA research scientist, that’s obvious. And you’ve pursued that from youth, really, that line of work. Have you ever given any thought to, if you weren’t doing what you’re doing now, is there another dream job that you might like to have pursued if you had gone another way? When people talk about a dream job, it usually means something that cannot be realized, except in our dreams. Maybe a contractor scientist without the need to worry about funding? But still a scientist? OK, that’s good too. But what things would interest you if you couldn’t be a research scientist anymore? This is just to get into your personality and find out more about you. Oh, if I forget the astronomer or scientist dream from childhood? My dream job has changed several times. Right now, I think it would be interesting to be a local tourist guide. It would indeed. I like that. It is also good for me, not only helps to get familiar with my neighborhood, community, the natural environment, but also gives me some good exercise! (laughs) Right! What advice might you give to a young aspiring student who would like to have a career like yours? When I graduated from high school and went to Fudan University to study chemistry, I had never thought that one day I could still have the opportunity to work for NASA and become a scientist at SETI, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute. I also met Dr. Drake and talked to him. In a way this was already infinitely close to my childhood dreams. In this life, I could not become a real astronomer, the most I can do is some basic and auxiliary research work in the field of astrochemistry and theoretical spectroscopy. But looking back from my childhood and my college, I can’t help thinking of a phrase that I read from Steve Jobs, the Apple founder. What he said was something like: “many seemingly unrelated and even useless points in your life may someday eventually connect together to form a path to your dreams. Every piece of past experience will have its meaning and function and role in your career. It Is only then that we can realize their meaning and their role”. This statement roughly applies to me, though of course my experience has been much simpler. I like that quote because we don’t always realize as we’re living and moving forward, the significance of various things that happen. Something that’s just a coincidence can have quite an impact on one’s life or direction. Yes. The universe is infinite, and all the Earth’s science and technology can be found useful in space explorations, sooner or later. If you are interested in the universe, in space sciences, but at the moment you cannot see how your specialty skills or major can be connected to space, don’t worry and don’t give up. Work hard on what you are doing now, whether it’s learning, research, or work, so that when the opportunity comes, you will be ready. My second piece of advice was borrowed from Professor Yuan-Tseh Lee, a Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry. About 20 years ago I met him at a conference. At that time, people were talking about innovations everywhere, but I could not find out how to innovate at all, no matter where I looked, so I asked him for advice. Professor Lee said innovation is not like that; innovation comes from years of continuous accumulation and improvements. He said first you need to get very familiar with what you have at hand, get to the bottom, fully understand principles and techniques of what you are doing, and then try to make improvements. There is always room for improvements, and even a tiny improvement will count and will help. Keep improving, a little bit here, a little bit there. Over time, this will eventually lead to real innovation and breakthroughs. My understanding or take away from his replies, is just like the ancient Chinese saying: “No accumulation of steps, no distance to thousands of miles; no accumulation of small streams, there will be no rivers and seas.” That’s it. Very good answer, thought provoking and true. Thank you for sharing that. Would you like to tell us anything about your family? Are you married? Do you have children? Yeah, I’m married, and my wife was also from the Chemistry Department of Emory. But she works in the field of organic chemistry, which I could never figure out since my college years. (laughs) And we have two daughters, one in elementary school and the older one in high school. Our daily lives are kind of routine. Like driving the kids to school, back home doing my work, sometimes accompanying kids doing their homework, taking them to extra-curricular activities, cooking, etc. Rainbow at Ke’e beach (2007) Moreton Bay fig trees and “dinosaur egg” in Allerton Garden (2021) We have a favorite travel destination, the Kauai Island in Hawai’i. Our first visit to Kauai was in 2007, and we really, really like it. I went there more often than my family: I have been there seven times! (laughs) I enjoyed looking out to the west of Pacific Ocean at the end of the Waimea canyon and walking on the Ke’e beach at the east end of the Na Pali Trail. If there is a chance, I may think about living there after retirement. You could do worse than that! In fact, that might be the answer to the next question, which is: with all your work and family responsibilities, and everything that you are involved in, what do you do for fun? My interests include reading, like history, literature, and sci-fi books. I like sci-fi fictions and TV shows, such as “The Expanse” series, “The Peripheral” from last year, and the “Three-Body” TV series from China. For fun, I like Chinese Crosstalk, which is a comic dialogue between two people. Every year I also like to pick cherries and nectarines from farms in Brentwood. Cherries and nectarines we picked from Brentwood farms. Because I use my phone or camera like a recorder, I took too many photos here and there, far more than truly memorable moments. Those photos are a big headache when compiling a family yearbook. After our first child was born, it’s great fun to make annual photobooks for each year. It’s wonderful that you do that. That will pay dividends in the future, for sure. Before the pandemic, I also liked to have lunch together with a few colleagues every couple of weeks in some Chinese restaurants nearby, and most of the time we order spicy Chinese food. You like that? I like that too, although not too spicy! What has been a prime inspiration for you in your life? Something that motivated you to accomplish all that you’ve accomplished so far. Is there a person that you particularly liked? Drake, for example, and his work, that helped to inspire you going forward? A major motivation has been my curiosity about nature and stars. For inspirational figures, there were many – yes, Dr. Drake was one, because his work inspired people to think more seriously about the relation between life and the universe, and motivated me to make my own contributions. There was also inspiration from Professor Lee. After he won the chemistry Nobel Prize in 1986, there was a lot of laser chemistry related research going on in China. That’s what inspired me too, and why I asked him for advice. This has been wonderful. I’ve learned a lot about you and that is the whole purpose of this series. Thank you very much. We’ve enjoyed chatting with you. Thank you. It is great to have this opportunity to chat with you, I enjoyed it too. View the full article

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts (from top) Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station’s Harmony module and the Starliner spacecraft (Credits: NASA). Media are invited to hear from NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts discussing their mission during an Earth to space call at 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday, July 10. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will participate in the news conference from aboard the International Space Station in low Earth orbit. NASA will stream the event on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media. Media interested in participating must RSVP no later than 5 p.m., Tuesday, July 9, to the newsroom at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston at 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. To ask questions, reporters must dial into the news conference no later than 10 minutes before the start of the call. Wilmore and Williams have been living and working aboard the station since docking on June 6, contributing to the expedition crew’s research and maintenance activities, while helping ground teams collect critical data for long-duration Starliner flights to the orbiting complex. Learn more about space station operations at: https://www.nasa.gov/station -end- Josh Finch / Jimi Russell Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov Courtney Beasley Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov View the full article

What to Look for in July The scorpion’s star clusters, and Mars reveals elusive Uranus Follow the tail of Scorpius to locate star clusters M6 and M7, let Mars guide you to observe planet Uranus, and see the Moon gather a group of planets in the morning. Highlights All month – Two easy-to-spot star clusters – M7, aka Ptolemy’s Cluster, and M6, the Butterfly Cluster – are both located about 5 degrees east of the the bright stars that mark the “stinger” end of the scorpion’s tail. They reach their highest point in the sky around 10 or 11 pm local time. July 2 & 3 – The crescent Moon will join Jupiter and Mars in the east before sunrise. Looking for them before the sky starts to brighten, you’ll also find the Pleiades star cluster above Jupiter, and bright stars Capella and Aldebaran nearby. July 5 – New moon July 7 & 8 – Those with an unobstructed view of the western horizon can spot Mercury shining brightly, low in the sky with a slim crescent Moon. Look for them starting 30 to 45 minutes after the Sun sets. July 13 – For the first few hours after dark, look to the southwest to find the first-quarter Moon snuggled up to bright bluish-white star Spica. For much of the lower 48 U.S. and most of Mexico, the Moon will appear to pass in front of Spica – an event called an occultation. Check your favorite skywatching app for the view from your location. July 14-16 – Grab your binoculars and have a look at Mars in the early morning before the sky starts to brighten, and you’ll find the distant planet Uranus quite close by. July 21 – Full moon July 30 – Look for a close gathering of Jupiter, Mars, and the Moon with the bright stars of the constellation Taurus in the a.m. sky before dawn. Sky chart showing the position of Uranus relative to Mars on July 15. NASA/JPL-Caltech Transcript What’s Up for July? The Moon gets the band back together, find planet Uranus with some help from Mars, and the star clusters that feel the Scorpion’s sting. All month in July, as in June, the planetary action is in the a.m. sky. Find Saturn rising around midnight, and climbing high into the south by sunrise. Mars rises a couple of hours later, with Jupiter trailing behind it, and shifting higher in the sky each day. On July 2nd and 3rd before sunrise, the crescent Moon will join Jupiter and Mars in the east. Looking for them before the sky starts to brighten, you’ll also find the Pleiades star cluster above Jupiter, as well as bright stars Capella and Aldebaran. As the Moon swings around the planet in its orbit, this same group gets back together at the end of the month, but as a much tighter gathering of Jupiter, Mars, and the Moon with the bright stars of the constellation Taurus. Sky chart showing the pre-dawn sky on July 30, with Jupiter, Mars, and the crescent Moon, plus several bright stars in the constellation Taurus. NASA/JPL-Caltech Then on the evening of July 7th and 8th, those with an unobstructed view of the western horizon can spot Mercury shining brightly, low in the sky with a slim crescent Moon. Look for them starting 30 to 45 minutes after the Sun sets. Observers in the Southern Hemisphere will find Mercury a good bit higher in the northwest sky all month after sunset. On July 13, for the first few hours after dark, look to the southwest to find the first quarter Moon snuggled up to bright bluish-white star Spica. For much of the lower 48 United States and most of Mexico, the Moon will appear to pass in front of Spica – an event called an occultation. Next, over three days in mid-July, grab your binoculars and have a look at Mars in the early morning before the sky starts to brighten, and you’ll find the distant planet Uranus quite close by. Uranus is not too difficult to see with binoculars or a small telescope anytime it’s reasonably high above the horizon at night, but you really need to know where to look for it, or use an auto-guided telescope. But occasionally the Moon or one of the brighter planets will pass close to Uranus in the sky, making for a great opportunity to find it with ease. This sky chart shows the evening sky in July, with constellation Scorpius low in the south. The locations of star clusters M6 and M7 are indicated near the mythical scorpion’s tail. NASA/JPL-Caltech The winding form of constellation Scorpius, adorned with the bright red star Antares, is a feature of the night sky around the world this time of year. And at the tip of the scorpion’s tail are two well-known star clusters that are well placed for viewing at this time of year. M7, aka Ptolemy’s Cluster, and M6, the Butterfly Cluster, are both located about 5 degrees east of the the bright stars that mark the “stinger” end of the scorpion’s tail. They reach their highest point in the sky around 10 or 11 pm local time. To find M7, imagine a line toward the east through the “stinger stars,” Lesath and Shaula, and it will lead you straight to the star cluster. M6 is just a couple of degrees above M7. Both are “open star clusters,” meaning they’re loose groupings of stars that formed together, in the same region of space, and they’re only loosely bound together by gravity, so they’ll eventually go their separate ways. Zoomed sky chart showing where M7 and M6 are located relative to the bright stars that form the stinger of the scorpion constellation. Both are 5-6 degrees west of Shoala and Lesath, with M6 being placed about 5 degrees above, or north of, M7. NASA/JPL-Caltech M7 is just visible to the unaided eye under dark skies as a hazy patch just left of the tip of the scorpion’s tail. But it’s best seen with binoculars or a telescope with a wide field of view. Its stars are located at a distance of about 1000 light years from us, and they formed about 200 million years ago. The cluster was discovered by Greek-Roman astronomer Ptolemy in the year 130, hence its other name. M6 is about half the apparent size of M7, and contains fewer stars. It’s also a bit farther away from us, at around 1600 light years. It’s estimated to be about half as old as M7, at an age of around 100 million years. It was discovered by Italian astronomer and contemporary of Galileo, Giovanni Battista Hodierna, in 1654. These two clusters are easy to observe in July, and their location in Scorpius makes them pretty straightforward to locate on a clear night. So there’s no reason to fear of this scorpion’s sting. Instead, let it guide you to two distant star clusters, and see for yourself two little families of stars in the process of spreading out into the Milky Way. Here are the phases of the Moon for July. The phases of the Moon for July 2024. NASA/JPL-Caltech Stay up to date on NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond at science.nasa.gov. I’m Preston Dyches from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that’s What’s Up for this month. Skywatching Resources​ NASA’s Night Sky Network NASA’s Watch the Skies Blog Daily Moon Observing Guide About the ‘What’s Up’ Production Team “What’s Up” is NASA’s longest running web video series. It had its first episode in April 2007 with original host Jane Houston Jones. Today, Preston Dyches, Christopher Harris, and Lisa Poje are the space enthusiasts who produce this monthly video series at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Additional astronomy subject matter guidance is provided by JPL’s Bill Dunford, Gary Spiers, Lyle Tavernier, and the Night Sky Network’s Kat Troche. View the full article

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) This artist’s concept depicts an asteroid drifting through space. Many such objects frequently pass Earth. To help prepare for the discovery of one with a chance of impacting our planet, NASA leads regular exercises to figure out how the international community could respond to such a threat.NASA/JPL-Caltech The fifth Planetary Defense Interagency Tabletop Exercise focused on an asteroid impact scenario designed by NASA JPL’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies. A large asteroid impacting Earth is highly unlikely for the foreseeable future. But because the damage from such an event could be great, NASA leads hypothetical asteroid impact “tabletop” exercises every two years with experts and decision-makers from federal and international agencies to address the many uncertainties of an impact scenario. The most recent exercise took place this past April, with a preliminary report being issued on June 20. Making such a scenario realistic and useful for all involved is no small task. Scientists from the Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which specializes in the tracking and orbital determination of asteroids and comets and finding out if any are hazards to Earth, have played a major role in designing these exercises since the first 11 years ago. “These hypothetical scenarios are complex and take significant effort to design, so our purpose is to make them useful and challenging for exercise participants and decision-makers to hone their processes and procedures to quickly come to a plan of action while addressing gaps in the planetary defense community’s knowledge,” said JPL’s Paul Chodas, the director of CNEOS. The Impact Scenario This year’s scenario: A hypothetical asteroid, possibly several hundred yards across, has been discovered, with an estimated 72% chance of impacting Earth in 14 years. Potential impact locations include heavily populated areas in North America, Southern Europe, and North Africa, but there is still a 28% chance the asteroid will miss Earth. After several months of being tracked, the asteroid moves too close to the Sun, making further observations impossible for another seven months. Decision-makers must figure out what to do. Explore asteroids and near-Earth objects in real-time 3D Leading the exercise was NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), the Federal Emergency Management Agency Response Directorate, and the Department of State Office of Space Affairs. Over the course of two days in April, participants gathered at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, which hosted the event, to consider the potential national and global responses to the scenario. “This was a very successful tabletop exercise, with nearly 100 participants from U.S. government agencies and, for the first time, international planetary defense experts,” said Terik Daly from APL, who coordinated the exercise. “An asteroid impact would have severe national and international ramifications, so should this scenario play out for real, we’d need international collaboration.” Reality Informs Fiction In real life, CNEOS calculates the orbit of every known near-Earth object to provide assessments of future potential impact hazards in support of NASA’s planetary defense program. To make this scenario realistic, the CNEOS team simulated all the observations in the months leading up to the exercise and used orbital determination calculations to simulate the probability of impact. “At this point in time, the impact was likely but not yet certain, and there were significant uncertainties in the object’s size and the impact location,” said Davide Farnocchia, a navigation engineer at JPL and CNEOS, who led the design of the asteroid’s orbit. “It was interesting to see how this affected the decision-makers’ choices and how the international community might respond to a real-world threat 14 years out.” Options to Deflect Preparation, planning, and decision-making have been key focal points of all five exercises that have taken place over the past 11 years. For instance, could a reconnaissance spacecraft be sent to the asteroid to gather additional data on its orbit and better determine its size and mass? Would it also be feasible to attempt deflecting the asteroid so that it would miss Earth? The viability of this method was recently demonstrated by NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), which impacted the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos on Sept. 26, 2022, slightly changing its trajectory. Other methods of deflection have also been considered during the exercises. But any deflection or reconnaissance mission would need many years of preparation, requiring the use of advanced observatories capable of finding hazardous asteroids as early as possible. NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor, or NEO Surveyor, is one such observatory. Managed by JPL and planned for launch in late 2027, the infrared space telescope will detect light and dark asteroids, including those that orbit near the Sun. In doing so, NEO Surveyor will support PDCO’s objectives to discover any hazardous asteroids as early as possible so that there would be more time to launch a deflection mission to potential threats. To find out the outcome of the exercise, read NASA’s preliminary summary. For more information about CNEOS, visit: https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/ NASA Study: Asteroid’s Orbit, Shape Changed After DART Impact NASA Program Predicted Impact of Small Asteroid Over Ontario, Canada Classroom Activity: Modeling an Asteroid News Media Contacts Ian J. O’Neill Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-2649 ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov Karen Fox / Charles Blue NASA Headquarters 202-358-1600 / 202-802-5345 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / charles.e.blue@nasa.gov 2024-094 Share Details Last Updated Jul 02, 2024 Related TermsAsteroidsNEA Scout (Near Earth Asteroid Scout)NEO Surveyor (Near-Earth Object Surveyor Space Telescope)Planetary DefensePlanetary Defense Coordination OfficePotentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) Explore More 5 min read NASA’s NEOWISE Infrared Heritage Will Live On Article 18 hours ago 6 min read Surprising Phosphate Finding in NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Article 6 days ago 3 min read NASA Selects Participating Scientists to Join ESA’s Hera Mission NASA has selected 12 participating scientists to join ESA’s (European Space Agency) Hera mission, which… Article 7 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

NASA astronaut Mike Barratt processes brain organoid samples inside the life science glovebox for a neurodegenerative disorder study. NASA plans to use future commercial low Earth orbit destinations for the continuation of scientific research.NASA NASA hosted a meeting to share knowledge with companies developing future commercial destinations at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The discussion could aid in developing safe, reliable, innovative, and cost-effective space stations. Industry representatives from more than 20 companies attended. The program focused on NASA’s planned use of commercial destinations, draft utilization requirements, and the payload life cycle. A primary interest for the use of commercial stations includes the continuation of scientific research in low Earth orbit, such as human research, technology demonstrations, biological and physical science, and Earth observation. David Caponio from Vast Space presents a five-minute lightning talk on the company’s capabilities during the program NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Vast is working with NASA under the second Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities initiative for technologies and operations required for its microgravity and artificial gravity stations, including the Haven-1 commercial destination.NASA/Josh Valcarcel “NASA has benefited from the unique microgravity environment of low Earth orbit to conduct important science investigations and technology demonstrations for more than two decades,” said Dr. Kirt Costello, utilization manager for NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program. “As commercial companies make progress in the design and development of their own space stations, it is important that we share NASA’s needs and requirements as well as foster an open dialogue between government and private industry.” The program builds on a request for information released last year, seeking feedback from industry as the agency refines its requirements for new commercial space destinations. Vergel Romero of Sierra Space speaks with representatives from other commercial companies during a networking opportunity. Sierra Space is working with Blue Origin on the development of Orbital Reef, and also holds an unfunded Space Act Agreement with NASA for the development of its commercial low Earth orbit ecosystem.NASA/Josh Valcarcel Since then, the feedback has helped develop and refine a utilization requirements strategy, including a concept of operations, basic laboratory capabilities, and common payload standards for heritage hardware. NASA will continue to refine its future requirements and incorporate future low Earth orbit needs of other U.S. government agencies and international partners. NASA uses a two-phase strategy to support the development of commercial destinations and enable the agency to purchase services as one of many customers. Phase 1 efforts extend through 2025, before NASA plans to transition to Phase 2, which will be to certify commercial destinations and purchase services. Eleasa Kim, payload operations lead for NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program, presents on NASA’s planned utilization activities for commercial destinations and expectations for provider support.NASA/Josh Valcarcel The agency’s commercial strategy for low Earth orbit will provide the government with reliable and safe services at a lower cost and enable the agency to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars while also continuing to use low Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions. Learn more about NASA’s commercial space strategy at: https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/ Keep Exploring Discover More Topics Low Earth Orbit Economy Commercial Space Artemis In Space Production Applications View the full article

4 Min Read NASA’s Webb Captures Celestial Fireworks Around Forming Star L1527, shown in this image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument). The colors within this mid-infrared image reveal details about the central protostar’s behavior. The cosmos seems to come alive with a crackling explosion of pyrotechnics in this new image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Taken with Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), this fiery hourglass marks the scene of a very young object in the process of becoming a star. A central protostar grows in the neck of the hourglass, accumulating material from a thin protoplanetary disk, seen edge-on as a dark line. The protostar, a relatively young object of about 100,000 years, is still surrounded by its parent molecular cloud, or large region of gas and dust. Webb’s previous observation of L1527, with NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera), allowed us to peer into this region and revealed this molecular cloud and protostar in opaque, vibrant colors. Image A: L1527 – Webb/MIRI L1527, shown in this image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), is a molecular cloud that harbors a protostar. It resides about 460 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus. The more diffuse blue light and the filamentary structures in the image come from organic compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), while the red at the center of this image is an energized, thick layer of gases and dust that surrounds the protostar. The region in between, which shows up in white, is a mixture of PAHs, ionized gas, and other molecules. This image includes filters representing 7.7 microns light as blue, 12.8 microns light as green, and 18 microns light as red. Both NIRCam and MIRI show the effects of outflows, which are emitted in opposite directions along the protostar’s rotation axis as the object consumes gas and dust from the surrounding cloud. These outflows take the form of bow shocks to the surrounding molecular cloud, which appear as filamentary structures throughout. They are also responsible for carving the bright hourglass structure within the molecular cloud as they energize, or excite, the surrounding matter and cause the regions above and below it to glow. This creates an effect reminiscent of fireworks brightening a cloudy night sky. Unlike NIRCam, however, which mostly shows the light that is reflected off dust, MIRI provides a look into how these outflows affect the region’s thickest dust and gases. The areas colored here in blue, which encompass most of the hourglass, show mostly carbonaceous molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The protostar itself and the dense blanket of dust and a mixture of gases that surround it are represented in red. (The sparkler-like red extensions are an artifact of the telescopes’s optics). In between, MIRI reveals a white region directly above and below the protostar, which doesn’t show as strongly in the NIRCam view. This region is a mixture of hydrocarbons, ionized neon, and thick dust, which shows that the protostar propels this matter quite far away from it as it messily consumes material from its disk. As the protostar continues to age and release energetic jets, it’ll consume, destroy, and push away much of this molecular cloud, and many of the structures we see here will begin to fade. Eventually, once it finishes gathering mass, this impressive display will end, and the star itself will become more apparent, even to our visible-light telescopes. The combination of analyses from both the near-infrared and mid-infrared views reveal the overall behavior of this system, including how the central protostar is affecting the surrounding region. Other stars in Taurus, the star-forming region where L1527 resides, are forming just like this, which could lead to other molecular clouds being disrupted and either preventing new stars from forming or catalyzing their development.The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). The 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). Downloads Right click any image to save it or open a larger version in a new tab/window via the browser’s popup menu. View/Download all image products at all resolutions for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute. Media Contacts Laura Betz – laura.e.betz@nasa.gov, Rob Gutro – rob.gutro@nasa.gov NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Hanna Braun hbraun@stsci.edu Christine Pulliam – cpulliam@stsci.edu Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Related Information ARTICLE/IMAGE: Webb’s previous observation of L1527, with NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) VIDEO: Fly-through the star-forming Pillars of Creation INTERACTIVE: Explore star formation via a multi-wavelength view of Herbig-Haro 46/47 POSTER: L1527 NIRCam poster VIDEO: Science Snippets Video: Dust and the formation of Planetary Systems More Webb News More Webb Images Webb Mission Page Related For Kids What is a nebula? What is the Webb Telescope? SpacePlace for Kids En Español ¿Qué es una nebulosa? Ciencia de la NASA NASA en español Space Place para niños Keep Exploring Related Topics James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the… Galaxies Stars Universe Share Details Last Updated Jul 02, 2024 Editor Stephen Sabia Contact Laura Betz laura.e.betz@nasa.gov Related Terms Astrophysics James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Nebulae Protostars Science & Research Star-forming Nebulae Stars The Universe View the full article

Bente Eegholm is an optical engineer working to ensure missions like the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope have stellar vision. When it launches by May 2027, the Roman mission will shed light on many astrophysics topics, like dark energy, which are currently shrouded in mystery. Bente’s past work has included Earth-observing missions and the James Webb Space Telescope. Name: Bente Eegholm Title: Goddard Optics Lead for Roman Space Telescope OTA (Optical Telescope Assembly) Formal Job Classification: Optical Engineer Organization: Optics Branch (Code 551) Bente Eegholm stands by the NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s primary mirror at L3Harris in Rochester, New York, in 2022, before telescope integration. (The black lines are resistor wires. They will be obscured by the secondary mirror struts). NASA/Chris Gunn What do you do and what is most interesting about your role at Goddard? I am an optical engineer, and I work on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope as the Goddard optics lead on the observatory’s OTA (Optical Telescope Assembly). My work is a combination of optical systems work, technical meetings, and hands-on work in the labs and integration facilities. The most interesting part is that we are creating unique, one-of-a-kind instruments, which enable NASA, as well as anyone around the world, to become more knowledgeable about our universe, including our own planet. How will your current work influence the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s future observations? The quality of Roman’s future observations is directly tied to the telescope’s optical quality. As an optical engineer I am involved with providing the best imaging possible for the telescope and its science instruments. I work closely with the OTA management, and optical and system engineers at Goddard and at L3Harris in Rochester, New York, a mission partner that is building the OTA. The OTA consists of a series of total 10 mirrors. I am frequently on site in Rochester, most recently for the very important first light test and ensuing alignment process of the telescope. We are striving to get every photon possible delivered to Roman’s two instruments, the WFI (Wide Field Instrument) and coronagraph technology demonstration. What motivates you as an engineer? And what was your path to your current role? It motivates me to support a great purpose, pioneer technology for spaceflight, and to conquer the challenges that inevitably occur along the way. I also enjoy being a mentor for newer engineers, as well as giving Roman tours and presentations to Goddard visitors. I received my M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in my native Denmark. The path to my current role really started in 2004 after I had obtained my green card and gotten a position with Swales Aerospace, supporting NASA Goddard’s Optics Branch, Code 551. I was a contractor for eight years, supporting the James Webb Space Telescope. This was a magnificent project to work on; it was very rewarding in terms of the optical technology to accomplish this mission, as well as the amazing and talented people with whom I was working. I supported the development and test of a speckle interferometer which we used to prove the stability of the backplane structure for Webb’s primary mirror. Bente stands in front of the James Webb Space Telescope’s primary mirror in the clean room overlook at Goddard.Photo courtesy of Bente Eegholm After becoming a U.S. citizen, I obtained a civil servant position in 2012. I was appointed the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) telescope product development lead for the ICESat-2 mission, an Earth-observing mission to measure sea ice thickness from space. Both a flight and a spare telescope were built, and after successful testing and delivery of the ATLAS flight telescope, the ATLAS spare telescope was a perfect match for GEDI (the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation), a mission to measure forest canopies from the International Space Station. That naturally led to me to continue to GEDI, where I was the alignment lead. GEDI launched in December 2018. In 2019 I started working on the Roman Space Telescope and was thrilled to work on a large astronomy mission again, and in two capacities to boot. Concurrently with my role on the telescope I was optics lead on the prism assembly (a slitless spectrometer which helps enable the WFI’s study of dark energy) from 2019 until its completion and delivery to the WFI in September 2022. I feel very fortunate to have experience from both astronomy and Earth-observing missions! It definitely widens your technical experience. Often, the telescopes and science instruments for astronomy missions typically take longer to develop and implement than the ones for Earth-observing missions. With the shorter time to launch, you have the opportunity to see the fruits of your labor fly into space within a few years, and it is beneficial to go through the steps of an entire development and launch cycle. How do you stay updated on the latest technological advancements? How do you apply that knowledge to your work? I enjoy learning something new every day, either by individual research or via professional organizations. I use it in my own work and in working with many optics vendors, and being a reviewer on projects and proposals. Bringing new technology to Goddard is important, and we must approve each technology for space flight before we can use it in our next missions. Bente with the GEDI (Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation) telescope at Goddard.NASA/Desiree Stover What is your favorite project or challenge you’ve worked on so far in your career? That is a really hard question. Just like you can’t choose between your children! All four of the missions I have worked on have been awesome experiences. A recent amazing event, though, was on Roman, watching the first fringes emerge on the OTA interferometer screen at the “first light” session in the integration facility. This was the result of several years of hard work for many people, and it indicated that all the 10 telescope mirrors were well-positioned, boding well for the successful final alignment, which we achieved. What do you like best about working for NASA? I enjoy working on unique projects, always reaching for the stars, and using new technology and methods. NASA is a unique organization, known by everyone around the globe. For example, it has been a great honor to hear from many people who follow our work how much they appreciate Webb. NASA’s work is very visible, and that commits us and holds us accountable. And we are up to the challenge! What hobbies fill your time outside of work? I love yoga, and hiking in nature. I also love singing in choir, especially classical music. The magnificent sound we can achieve with 75 singers, and how the different types of voices merge to convey the music, is an example of collaboration that is a bit like succeeding in a flight mission. All the different people, tasks and parts synchronized and coming together to make it work! What advice do you have for others who are interested in working in engineering? Maybe I am a bit biased, since both my husband and I are engineers, my son is in grad school for engineering, and my daughter is in grad school for ocean science. In my opinion, an engineering degree offers highly transferable skills, and is a great path for everyone who enjoys math and physics. People skills are also important in engineering, as most projects are performed in teams. Make sure to select math and science classes in high school, and aim for internships in college. An engineering degree requires effort and dedication, but it’s worth it! By Ashley Balzer NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage. Share Details Last Updated Jul 02, 2024 Related TermsPeople of GoddardCareersDark EnergyGlobal Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI)Goddard Space Flight CenterICESat (Ice, Clouds and Land Elevation Satellite)James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)Nancy Grace Roman Space TelescopePeople of NASATech Demo MissionsTechnologyWomen at NASA Explore More 8 min read Joshua Schlieder: Feet on the Ground, Head in the Stars Goddard astrophysicist Dr. Joshua Schlieder supports NASA's Roman Space Telescope and Swift Observatory with creativity,… Article 6 months ago 7 min read Jeffrey Kruk Helping the World See the Big Picture in the Sky Article 4 years ago 4 min read Sanetra Bailey – The Brains Behind the Brains of the Roman Mission Article 2 years ago View the full article

NASA Stennis Autonomous Systems Laboratory Project Engineer Travis Martin monitors successful data delivery from the center’s ASTRA payload aboard the orbiting Sidus Space LizzieSat-1 satellite. The ASTRA autonomous systems hardware/software payload represents the first-ever in-space mission for NASA Stennis. NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA’s Stennis Space Center and partner Sidus Space Inc. announced primary mission success July 2 for the center’s historic in-space mission – an autonomous systems payload aboard an orbiting satellite. “Our ASTRA (Autonomous Satellite Technology for Resilient Applications) payload is active and operational,” NASA Stennis Center Director John Bailey said. “This is an incredible achievement for Stennis, our first-ever in-space mission flying on a new state-of-the-art satellite. We are all celebrating the news.” ASTRA is the on-orbit payload mission developed by NASA Stennis and is an autonomous systems hardware/software payload. The NASA Stennis ASTRA technology demonstrator is a payload rider aboard the Sidus Space premier satellite, LizzieSat-1 (LS-1) small satellite. Partner Sidus Space is responsible for all LS-1 mission operations, including launch and satellite activation, which allowed the NASA Stennis ASTRA team to complete its primary mission objectives. LS-1 launched into space on the SpaceX Transporter 10 rideshare mission March 4 and deployed the same day. The LS-1 satellite commissioning began after deployment and was completed on May 12. Sidus Space’s next step was to begin activation of payloads, including ASTRA. After the payload was activated, the NASA Stennis Autonomous Systems Laboratory (ASL) team confirmed they had established a telemetry link to send and receive data in the ASTRA Payload Operation Command Center. The ASL team continued to checkout and verify operation of ASTRA and has confirmed that ASTRA primary mission objectives have been successfully achieved. “This is just a remarkable and inspiring accomplishment for the entire team,” said Chris Carmichael, NASA Stennis ASL branch chief. “So many people put in a tremendous effort to bring us to this point. It is a great demonstration of the team’s vision and capabilities, and I am excited to see what the future holds.” The NASA Stennis ASL works to create safe-by-design autonomous systems. ASTRA demonstrates technology that is required by NASA and industry for upcoming space missions. The ASTRA computer on the satellite runs a digital twin of satellite systems, which detects and identifies the causes of anomalies, and autonomously generates plans to resolve those issues. Ultimately, ASTRA will demonstrate autonomous operations of LS-1. “Achieving ASTRA’s primary mission objectives underscores our dedication and commitment to driving innovation while advancing space technology alongside NASA, our trusted partner,” said Carol Craig, Founder and CEO of Sidus Space. “We are proud to support such groundbreaking projects in our industry and eagerly anticipate the continued progress of our LizzieSat-1 mission.” The success of the ASTRA mission comes as NASA Stennis moves forward with strategic plans to design autonomous systems that will help accelerate development of intelligent aerospace systems and services for government and industry. For information about NASA’s Stennis Space Center, visit: Stennis Space Center – NASA Share Details Last Updated Jul 02, 2024 EditorNASA Stennis CommunicationsContactC. Lacy Thompsoncalvin.l.thompson@nasa.gov / (228) 688-3333LocationStennis Space Center Related TermsStennis Space Center Explore More 9 min read Lagniappe for June 2024 Explore the Lagniappe for June 2024 issue, featuring an innovative approach to infrastructure upgrades, how… Article 4 weeks ago 12 min read NASA’s Stennis Space Center Employees Receive NASA Honor Awards Article 4 weeks ago 4 min read NASA Stennis Helps Family Build a Generational Legacy Article 1 month ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Stennis About NASA Stennis NASA Stennis Front Door Autonomous Systems NASA Stennis Media Resources View the full article

Four dedicated explorers—Jason Lee, Stephanie Navarro, Shareef Al Romaithi, and Piyumi Wijesekara—just returned from a 45-day simulated journey to Mars, testing the boundaries of human endurance and teamwork within NASA’s HERA (Human Exploration Research Analog) habitat at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Their groundbreaking work on HERA’s Campaign 7 Mission 2 contributes to NASA’s efforts to study how future astronauts may react to isolation and confinement during deep-space journeys. NASA’s HERA (Human Exploration Research Analog) Campaign 7 Mission 2 crew members outside the analog environment on June 24, 2024. From left: Piyumi Wijesekara, Shareef Al Romaithi, Jason Lee, and Stephanie Navarro. Credit: NASA/James Blair Credit: NASA/James Blair Throughout their mission, the crew conducted operational tasks and participated in 18 human health studies. These studies focused on behavioral health, team dynamics, and human-system interfaces, with seven being collaborative efforts with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the European Space Agency. These experiments assessed the crew’s physiological, behavioral, and psychological responses in conditions designed to be similar to a mission to Mars. The HERA Campaign 7 Mission 2 crew experience a simulated landing on their return home. Credit: NASA/James Blair As their mission concluded, the HERA crew watched real footage from the Artemis I mission to simulate their landing. HERA operations lead Ted Babic rang the bell outside the habitat nine times to celebrate the crew’s egress—seven for the campaign and two for the mission—saying, “All in a safe passage to Mars and a safe return to Earth. May this vessel be a safe home to future HERA crews.” Babic then presented the crew with their mission patch, which they placed on the door of the HERA habitat. The HERA Campaign 7 Mission 2 crew members place their mission patch on the habitat’s airlock door after egress. Credit: NASA/James Blair The crew expressed their gratitude to everyone involved in the mission, including NASA and MBRSC, the HERA mission control center, NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP) team, Analog Mission Control, medical teams, and their family and friends. Wijesekara shared, “This was one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life. I’d like to thank my crewmates for making this experience memorable and enjoyable.” The HERA Campaign 7 Mission 2 crew members at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston after their 45-day simulated mission to Mars. From left: Piyumi Wijesekara, Shareef Al Romaithi, Jason Lee, and Stephanie Navarro.Credit: NASA/James Blair Connecting With Students On June 21, three days before crew egress, about 200 people gathered at Space Center Houston’s theater for a live Q&A session where students had the opportunity to share their questions with crew members Al Romaithi and Wijesekara. They discussed team dynamics, adapting to unexpected circumstances, and coping with isolation. When asked about what prompted her to apply for the mission, Wijesekara emphasized the importance of helping NASA collect data that could help future long-duration space flights, saying, “This will be very useful when we get to the Moon with Artemis missions and even beyond that when we go to Mars.” The HERA Campaign 7 Mission 2 crew members Piyumi Wijesekara and Shareef Al Romaithi join a groundlink Q&A with students at Space Center Houston on June 21, 2024. Credit: Space Center Houston/Jennifer Foulds Inside HERA, mealtimes were bonding moments where the crew shared stories, laughed, and supported each other. When a student asked about building stronger teams, Wijesekara advised, “Spend time with your crewmates, get to know them deeply, and be a good listener.” Al Romaithi, who hails from the UAE, shared that his academic background in aerospace engineering and aviation helped him stand out in the application process. In addition, this HERA campaign is focused on cultural diversity, which opened the opportunity for him to apply through a partnership between HERA and MBRSC. Discussing the mental effects of isolation, Al Romaithi highlighted the comfort provided by personal items, books, and board games. Wijesekara noted that the white noise of instruments running became their constant companion that her senses adjusted to over time. Wijesekara told the audience her favorite experience was performing spacewalks and “flying drones on Mars,” via virtual reality, which allowed them to observe Martian landscapes and even lava caves. Through the habitat’s window screens, they could see simulated views of space and Martian landscapes. The crew addressed the challenges they faced inside the analog environment, such as communication delays, which taught them teamwork, patience, and precise planning. They utilized a 3D printer aboard HERA to address equipment issues. A curious student asked what happens to the crew and the mission in case of an outside emergency, like a hurricane. Both crew members explained that HERA provided them with step-by-step emergency instructions. Medical evaluations and nutrition-specific meal plans were crucial for the mission, Al Romaithi and Wijesekara noted, with daily monitoring of the crew’s physical and mental health. The crew also grew lettuce hydroponically and had four pet triops shrimp named Buzz, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. When a student asked what food he missed most, Al Romaithi replied, “Home-cooked meals.” Wijesekara shared the first thing she plans to do post-mission is see her family and visit a list of restaurants with her crewmates. She also looks forward to running on the beach. Reflecting on their experience, Al Romaithi noted, “We’ve become more disciplined and efficient in our daily activities.” What was the most valuable lesson learned? “The importance of teamwork and communication,” he said. Both crewmembers also gave students in the audience some advice. “Never hesitate or be shy to ask for help,” Al Romaithi said. “Always push for your biggest dreams, don’t let self-doubt slow you down, and believe in yourself.” “And keep studying!” added Wijesekara. Students ask HERA crew members questions at the Space Center Houston theater. Credit: Space Center Houston/Jennifer Foulds Credit: Space Center Houston/Jennifer Foulds Students ask HERA crew members questions at the Space Center Houston theater. Credit: Space Center Houston/Jennifer Foulds View the full article

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Mars Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions All Planets Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto & Dwarf Planets 5 min read Sols 4232-4233: Going For a Ride, Anyone? This image shows some of the sand ripples we spot all around the rover between the rocks. It was taken by Mast Camera (Mastcam) onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 4225 (2024-06-25 01:10:39 UTC). Earth planning date: Monday, July 1, 2024 Have you ever wondered what it might look like to ride along with the rover? Probably not as much as we have here on the planning team, where we are looking at the images on a daily basis. I always wish I could walk around there myself, or drive around in a vehicle, maybe. As you likely know, we don’t even get video, “just” images. But of course those images are stunning and the landscape is unique and – apart from being scientifically interesting – so very, very beautiful. And some cameras record images so often that it’s actually possible to create the impression of a movie. The front hazard camera is among them. And that can create a stunning impression of looking out of the front window! If you want to see that for yourself, you can! If you go to the NASA interactive tool called “Eyes on the Solar System” there is a Curiosity Rover feature that allows you to do just that: simulate a drive between waypoints and look out of the window, which is the front hazard camera. Here is the link to “Experience Curiosity.” The drive there is a while back, but the landscape is just so fascinating, I can watch and rewatch that any number of times! Now, after reminiscing about the past, what did we do today? First of all: change all plans we ever had. We don’t have – as scheduled – the SAM data on Earth just yet. But we have a good portion of the sample still in the drill, and if SAM gets their data and wants to do more analysis with that sample, then we can’t move the arm as we originally had planned. Why didn’t we consider that to begin with? Normally, there isn’t enough sample for all the analysis; you may have seen this blog post: “Sols 4118-4119: Can I Have a Second Serving, Please? Oh, Me Too!” But it’s the sample that dictates how much we get to begin with, and how much we need, which only becomes clear as the data come in. And there is an unusually lucky combination here that would avoid us having to drill a second hole for getting the second helping. Instead, we just sit here carefully holding the arm still so we do not lose sample. That saves a lot of rover resources. But then, once we had settled how we adjust to keeping our current position, we also learnt that the uplink time might shift from the original slot we had been allocated to a later one… And all of this with a pretty new-to-the-role Science Operations Working Group (SOWG) chair (me) and a similarly new Geology and Mineralogy theme group science lead. Well, we managed, with lots of help from the great team around us. Those sudden-change planning days are so tricky because there is so much more to remember. It’s not, “This is what we came to do…,” and it had been carefully pre-planned, and it is all in the notes. Instead, the pre-planning preparation doesn’t fit the new reality anymore, and all that work has to be redone. So we have to do all the pre-planning work, and the actual planning work, and sometimes also account for some “if… then…” scenarios in the same amount of time we usually have to do the planning on the basis of all the pre-planning work. Sounds stressful? Yes, I can tell you it is! Once we had changed all the skeleton plans, the team got very excited about the extra time. This is such an interesting area, there are rocks that are almost white, there are darker rocks, very interesting sand features with beautiful ripples, so much to look at! Mars has much to offer here, so the team got to work swiftly and the plan filled up with a great set of observations. ChemCam used LIBS on the target “Tower Peak,” which is one of those white-ish rocks, and on “Quarry Peak.” Mastcam delivers all the pictures to go along with these two activities and gets its own science, too. These are mainly so-called “change detection” images, where the same area is pictured repeatedly to see what particles might move in the time between the two images. ChemCam uses its long-distance imaging capability to add to the stunning images they are getting from faraway rocks. They have two mosaics on a target called “Edge Bench.” There is also a lot of atmospheric science in the plan; looking for dust devils and the opacity of the atmosphere are just two examples. REMS and DAN are also active throughout, to assess the wind, and the water underground, respectively. And as if that weren’t enough, CheMin also performs another night of analysis. We get to uplink a full plan, and we’ll see what the data say and what decisions we’ll make for next Wednesday. Written by Susanne Schwenzer, Planetary Geologist at The Open University Share Details Last Updated Jul 02, 2024 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 2 min read Sols 4229-4231: More Analyses of the Mammoth Lakes 2 Sample! Article 11 hours ago 2 min read Sols 4226-4228: A Powerful Balancing Act Article 4 days ago 2 min read Interesting Rock Textures Galore at Bright Angel Article 4 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is no place for the faint-hearted. It’s dry, rocky, and bitter cold. The fourth planet from the Sun, Mars… All Mars Resources Rover Basics Mars Exploration Science Goals View the full article

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Mars Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions All Planets Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto & Dwarf Planets 2 min read Sols 4229-4231: More Analyses of the Mammoth Lakes 2 Sample! The inlet into to the SAM instrument open and awaiting sample delivery. This image was taken by Right Navigation Camera onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 4226 (2024-06-26 11:06:46 UTC). Earth Planning Date: Friday, June 28, 2024 After reviewing results from the Evolved Gas Analysis (EGA) experiment that were downlinked yesterday afternoon (Sols 4226-4228: A Powerful Balancing Act), the SAM team decided they’d like to go ahead with a second experiment to analyze the Mammoth Lakes 2 drilled sample. This experiment is known as the Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) experiment. SAM, whose full name is Sample Analysis at Mars, is actually a suite of three different analytical instruments that are used to measure the composition of gases which come off drilled samples as we bake them in SAM’s ovens. The three analytical instruments are called a gas chromatograph, quadrupole mass spectrometer, and tunable laser spectrometer. Each one is particularly suited for measuring specific kinds of compounds in the gases, and these include things like water, methane, carbon, or organic (carbon-containing) molecules. In the EGA experiment that we ran in our last plan, we baked the Mammoth Lakes 2 sample and measured the gas compositions using the tunable laser spectrometer and quadrupole mass spectrometer. In this plan, we’ll deliver a new pinch of sample to the SAM oven and then measure the composition of the gases that are released using the gas chromatograph and quadrupole mass spectrometer. By running both experiments, we’ll have a more thorough understanding of the materials that are in this rock. The SAM GCMS experiment takes a lot of power to run, so it will be the focus of today’s three-sol plan. However, we still managed to fit in some other science activities around the experiment, including a ChemCam RMI mosaic of some far-off ridges, a ChemCam LIBS observation of a nodular target named “Trail Lakes,” environmental monitoring activities, and a couple Mastcam mosaics to continue imaging the terrain around the rover. Should be another fun weekend of science in Gale crater! Written by Abigail Fraeman, Planetary Geologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Share Details Last Updated Jul 01, 2024 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 2 min read Sols 4226-4228: A Powerful Balancing Act Article 4 days ago 2 min read Interesting Rock Textures Galore at Bright Angel Article 4 days ago 2 min read Sol 4225: Sliding Down Horsetail Falls Article 6 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is no place for the faint-hearted. It’s dry, rocky, and bitter cold. The fourth planet from the Sun, Mars… All Mars Resources Rover Basics Mars Exploration Science Goals View the full article

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Moving across a background of stars, the six red dots in this composite picture indicate the location of six sequential detections of the first near-Earth object discovered by NEOWISE after the spacecraft came out of hibernation in 2013: the asteroid 2013 YP139. The inset shows a zoomed-in view of one of the detections.NASA/JPL-Caltech Observed by NASA’s WISE mission, this image shows the entire sky seen in infrared light. Running through the center of the image and seen predominantly in cyan are the stars of the Milky Way. Green and red represent interstellar dust.NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA NASA’s near-Earth-object-hunting mission NEOWISE is nearing its conclusion. But its work will carry on with NASA’s next-generation infrared mission: NEO Surveyor. After more than 14 successful years in space, NASA’s NEOWISE (Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission will end on July 31. But while the mission draws to a close, another is taking shape, harnessing experience gained from NEOWISE: NASA’s NEO Surveyor (Near Earth Object Surveyor), the first purpose-built infrared space telescope dedicated to hunting hazardous near-Earth objects. Set for launch in late 2027, it’s a major step forward in the agency’s planetary defense strategy. “After developing new techniques to find and characterize near-Earth objects hidden in vast quantities of its infrared survey data, NEOWISE has become key in helping us develop and operate NASA’s next-generation infrared space telescope. It is a precursor mission,” said Amy Mainzer, principal investigator of NEOWISE and NEO Surveyor at the University of California, Los Angeles. “NEO Surveyor will seek out the most difficult-to-find asteroids and comets that could cause significant damage to Earth if we don’t find them first.” Seen here in a clean room at the Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah, the WISE mission’s telescope is worked on by engineers. Avionics hardware and solar panels would later be attached before the spacecraft’s launch on Dec. 14, 2009. SDL WISE Beginnings NEOWISE’s end of mission is tied to the Sun. About every 11 years, our star experiences a cycle of increased activity that peaks during a period called solar maximum. Explosive events, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, become more frequent and heat our planet’s atmosphere, causing it to expand. Atmospheric gases, in turn, increase drag on satellites orbiting Earth, slowing them down. With the Sun currently ramping up to predicted maximum levels of activity, and with no propulsion system for NEOWISE to keep itself in orbit, the spacecraft will soon drop too low to be usable. The infrared telescope is going out of commission having exceeded scientific objectives for not one, but two missions, beginning as WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer). Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, WISE launched in December 2009 with a six-month missionto scan the entire infrared sky. By July 2010, WISE had achieved this with far greater sensitivity than previous surveys, and NASA extended the mission until 2011. During this phase, WISE studied distant galaxies, outgassing comets, exploding white dwarf stars, and brown dwarfs. It identified tens of millions of actively feeding supermassive black holes. It also generated data on circumstellar disks — clouds of gas, dust, and rubble spinning around stars — that citizen scientists continue to mine through the Disk Detective project. In addition, it excelled at finding main belt asteroids, as well as near-Earth objects, and discovered the first known Earth Trojan asteroid. What’s more, the mission provided a census of dark, faint near-Earth objects that are difficult for ground-based telescopes to detect, revealing that these objects constitute a sizeable fraction of the near-Earth object population. Comet NEOWISE was discovered by its namesake mission on March 27, 2020, and became a dazzling celestial object visible in the Northern Hemisphere for several weeks that year. It was one of 25 comets discovered by the mission.SDL/Allison Bills Infrared Heritage Invisible to the naked eye, infrared wavelengths are emitted by warm objects. To keep the heat generated by WISE itself from interfering with its infrared observations, the spacecraft relied on cryogenic coolant. By the time the coolant had run out, WISE had mapped the sky twice, and NASA put the spacecraft into hibernation in February 2011. Soon after, Mainzer and her team proposed a new mission for the spacecraft: to search for, track, and characterize near-Earth objects that generate a strong infrared signal from their heating by the Sun. “Without coolant, we had to find a way to cool the spacecraft down enough to measure infrared signals from asteroids,” said Joseph Masiero, NEOWISE deputy principal investigator and a scientist at IPAC, a research organization at Caltech in Pasadena, California. “By commanding the telescope to stare into deep space for several months, we determined it would radiate only enough heat to reach lower temperatures that would still allow us to acquire high-quality data.” NASA reactivated the mission in 2013 under the Near-Earth Object Observations Program, a precursor to the agency’s current planetary defense program, with the new name NEOWISE. By repeatedly observing the sky from low Earth orbit, NEOWISE has made 1.45 million infrared measurements of over 44,000 solar system objects to date. That includes more than 3,000 NEOs, 215 of which the space telescope discovered. Twenty-five of those are comets, among them the famed comet NEOWISE that was visible in the night sky in the summer of 2020. “The spacecraft has surpassed all expectations and provided vast amounts of data that the science community will use for decades to come,” said Joseph Hunt, NEOWISE project manager at JPL. “Scientists and engineers who worked on WISE and through NEOWISE also have built a knowledge base that will help inform future infrared survey missions.” The space telescope will continue its survey until July 31. Then, on Aug. 8, mission controllers at JPL will send a command that puts NEOWISE into hibernation for the last time. Since its launch, NEOWISE’s orbit has been dropping closer to Earth. NEOWISE is expected to burn up in our planet’s atmosphere sometime between late 2024 and early 2025. More About the Mission NEOWISE and NEO Surveyor support the objectives of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The NASA Authorization Act of 2005 directed NASA to discover and characterize at least 90% of the near-Earth objects more than 140 meters (460 feet) across that come within 30 million miles (48 million kilometers) of our planet’s orbit. Objects of this size can cause significant regional damage, or worse, should they impact the Earth. JPL manages and operates the NEOWISE mission for PDCO within the Science Mission Directorate. The Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah, built the science instrument. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colorado, built the spacecraft. Science data processing, archiving, and distribution is done at IPAC at Caltech. Caltech manages JPL for NASA. For more information about NEOWISE, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/neowise NASA’s NEOWISE Celebrates 10 Years, Plans End of Mission Classroom Activity: How to Explore an Asteroid Mission: Near-Earth Object Surveyor Media Contacts Ian J. O’Neill Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-2649 ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov Karen Fox / Charles Blue NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 / 202-802-5345 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / charles.e.blue@nasa.gov 2024-094 Share Details Last Updated Jul 01, 2024 Related TermsNEOWISECometsJet Propulsion LaboratoryNear-Earth Asteroid (NEA)NEO Surveyor (Near-Earth Object Surveyor Space Telescope)Planetary DefensePlanetary Defense Coordination OfficeWISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) Explore More 4 min read NASA Parachute Sensor Testing Could Make EPIC Mars Landings Article 4 days ago 5 min read NASA’s Mars Odyssey Captures Huge Volcano, Nears 100,000 Orbits Article 4 days ago 5 min read Detective Work Enables Perseverance Team to Revive SHERLOC Instrument Article 5 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft captured this last “eyeful” of Saturn and its rings on March 27, 2004, as it continued its way to orbit insertion. This natural color image shows the color variations between atmospheric bands and features in the southern hemisphere of Saturn, subtle color differences across the planet’s middle B ring, as well as a bright blue sliver of light in the northern hemisphere – sunlight passing through the Cassini Division in Saturn’s rings and being scattered by the cloud-free upper atmosphere. Cassini-Huygens, at 12,593 pounds one of the heaviest planetary probes ever, was launched on Oct. 15, 1997, on a Titan IVB/Centaur rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Although that was the most powerful expendable launch vehicle available, it wasn’t powerful enough to send the massive Cassini-Huygens on a direct path to Saturn. Instead, the spacecraft relied on several gravity assist maneuvers to achieve the required velocity to reach the ringed planet. This seven-year journey took it past Venus twice, the Earth once, and Jupiter once, gaining more velocity with each flyby for the final trip to Saturn. On July 1, 2004, with the Huygens lander still attached, Cassini fired its main engine for 96 minutes and entered an elliptical orbit around Saturn, becoming the first spacecraft to do so. Thus began an incredible 13-year in-depth exploration of the planet, its rings and its satellites, with scores of remarkable discoveries. The Cassini mission ended on Saturn in 2015, when operators deliberately plunged the spacecraft into the planet to ensure Saturn’s moons remain pristine for future exploration. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute View the full article

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NAS visualization & data sciences lead Chris Henze demonstrates the newly upgraded hyperwall visualization system to Ames center director Eugene Tu, deputy center director David Korsmeyer, and High-End Computing Capability manager William Thigpen.NASA/Brandon Torres Navarette In May, the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) facility, located at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, celebrated the newest generation of its hyperwall system, a wall of LCD screens that display supercomputer-scale visualizations of the very large datasets produced by NASA supercomputers and instruments. The upgrade is the fourth generation of hyperwall clusters at NAS. The LCD panels provide four times the resolution of the previous system, now spanning across a 300-square foot display with over a billion pixels. The hyperwall is one of the largest and most powerful visualization systems in the world. Systems like the NAS hyperwall can help researchers visualize their data at large scale, across different viewpoints or using different parameters for new ways of analysis. The improved resolution of the new system will help researchers “zoom in” with greater detail. The hyperwall is just one way researchers can utilize NASA’s high-end computing technology to better understand their data. The NAS facility offers world-class supercomputing resources and services customized to meet the needs of about 1,500 users from NASA centers, academia and industry. Share Details Last Updated Jul 01, 2024 Related TermsAmes Research CenterAmes Research Center's Science Directorate Explore More 4 min read Doing More With Less: NASA’s Most Powerful Supercomputer Article 2 years ago 5 min read 5 Ways Supercomputing is Key to NASA Mission Success Article 2 years ago 4 min read Rocket Exhaust on the Moon: NASA Supercomputers Reveal Surface Effects Article 8 months ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics About Ames Technology Computing Core Area of Expertise: Supercomputing View the full article

A photo of MPLAN principal investigator awardees from various minority-serving institutions at the 2023 NASA Better Together conference in San Jose, California.Credits: NASA NASA has selected 23 minority-serving institutions to receive $1.2 million to grow their research and technology capabilities, collaborate on research projects, and contribute to the agency’s missions for the benefit of humanity. Through NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Partnership Learning Annual Notification (MPLAN) award, selected institutions will receive up to $50,000 each for a six-month period to work directly on STEM projects with subject matter experts in NASA’s mission directorates. “As NASA looks to inspire the next generation, the Artemis Generation, we are intentional in increasing access for all,” said Shahra Lambert, NASA senior advisor for engagement and equity. “It’s a daring task to return to the Moon then venture to Mars, but NASA is known to make the impossible possible. By funding partnerships such as MPLAN, and tapping into all pools of STEM resources, including MSIs, we are ensuring the future of our missions are in good hands.” The awards will contribute to research opportunities in preparation for larger funding programs such as NASA’s annual Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer solicitation, the Space Technology Research Grant Program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, the University Leadership Initiative within the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, and the Human Research Program within NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate. “These awards will help unlock the full potential of students traditionally underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics research and careers,” said Torry Johnson, deputy associate administrator of STEM Engagement Projects at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Through this award, universities receive support, resources, and guidance directly from NASA experts, which can be a game changer for the work they do to develop technological innovations that contribute to NASA missions and benefit all of humanity.” The awardees are as follows: Arizona State University Drones for Contact-inclusive Planetary Exploration California State University-Dominguez Hills Bioinspired Surface Design for Thermal Extremes California State University-Fresno Human-Centric Digital Twins in NASA Space Missions California State University-Northridge Repurposing Lander Parts into Geodesic Assemblies California State University, Monterey Bay Crafting Biofuels via Molecular Insights CUNY New York City College of Technology Polyethylene Glycol Diacrylate for Seed Growth: Microgreens in Space Delgado Community College, New Orleans, Louisiana Freshmen Access to CubeSat Education Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, North Carolina New Tech for Storm Tracking with Machine Learning Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia Sustained Approach for Energetic Lunar Operation New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Information-Theoretic Multi-Robot Exploration Portland State University, Portland, Oregon Robot Leg Design for Lunar Exploration Regents of New Mexico State University Extreme Aerodynamics Over Small Air Vehicles San Diego State University Enhanced Aero-Composites: Reinforcement Innovation San Francisco State University Early Non-invasive Diagnosis of Heart Diseases San Jose State University Designing Resilient Battery System for Space Southern University and A & M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana X-Ray 3D Printing of Nanocomposites for AME Plant Antimicrobial in Space Exploration using AI Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia Non-contact Optical Sensor for Biomedicine The Research Foundation of CUNY on behalf of City College, New York Soft Tendril-inspired Robot for Space Exploration The University of Texas at San Antonio Hydrodynamic Stability of Jets via Neural Networks Low-SWaP Water Electrolyzer for Lunar/Martian In-Situ Resource Utilization The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Tuneable NanoEnergetic Microthruster Cartridges University of California, Irvine Flexible Modular Robots for Extreme Access University of Hawaii at Manoa Ultrasound methods for monitoring carcinogenesis University of New Mexico All-climate and Ultrafast Aluminum Ion Batteries The awarded institutions and their partners are invited to meet with NASA researchers and MUREP representatives throughout the remainder of 2024. The meetings serve as training sessions to pursue future NASA opportunities. These trainings focus primarily on fostering collaboration, enhancing technical skills, and providing insights into NASA’s research priorities to better prepare participants for future opportunities. To learn more about MPLAN, visit: https://go.nasa.gov/49gsZ9X -end- Gerelle Dodson Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Jul 01, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsSTEM Engagement at NASAGet InvolvedGrants & OpportunitiesMUREP View the full article

9 Min Read Behind the Scenes of a NASA ‘Moonwalk’ in the Arizona Desert NASA astronauts Kate Rubins (left) and Andre Douglas. Credits: NASA/Josh Valcarcel NASA astronauts Kate Rubins and Andre Douglas recently performed four moonwalk simulations to help NASA prepare for its Artemis III mission. Due to launch in September 2026, Artemis III will land two, yet-to-be-selected, astronauts at the Moon’s South Pole for the first time. Traveling to space requires immense preparation, not just for the astronauts, but for the hundreds of people who work in the background. That’s why Earth-based simulations are key. They allow spacesuit and tool designers to see their designs in action. Flight controllers who monitor spacecraft systems and the crew’s activities get to practice catching early signs of technical issues or threats to astronaut safety. And scientists use simulations to practice making geologic observations from afar through descriptions from astronauts. Between May 13 and May 22, 2024, Rubins and Douglas trudged through northern Arizona’s San Francisco Volcanic Field, a geologically Moon-like destination shaped by millions of years of volcanic eruptions. There, they made observations of the soil and rocks around them and collected samples. After the moonwalks, the astronauts tested technology that could be used on Artemis missions, including a heads-up display that uses augmented reality to help with navigation, and lighting beacons that could help guide a crew back to a lunar lander. Dozens of engineers and scientists came along with Rubins and Douglas. Some were in the field alongside the crew. Others joined remotely from a mock mission control center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in a more realistic imitation of what it’ll take to work with a crew that’s some 240,000 miles away on the lunar surface. Here’s a look behind the scenes of a “moonwalk.” My experience in Arizona was incredible! I worked with several teams, explored an exotic landscape, and got a taste of what it’s like to be on a mission with a crew. Andre Douglas NASA Astronaut Practice to Prepare In this May 13, 2024, photo, Rubins (left), a molecular biologist who has done several expeditions to the space station, and Douglas, an engineer and member of the 2021 astronaut class, prepared for moonwalk rehearsals. During the May 14 moonwalk, above, Rubins and Douglas worked to stay in the simulation mindset while a cow looked on. They wore backpacks loaded with equipment for lighting, communication, cameras, and power for those devices. There are, of course, no cows on the Moon. But there is a region, called Marius Hills, that geologically resembles this Arizona volcanic field. Like the Arizona site, Marius Hills was shaped by ancient volcanic eruptions, so the composition of rocks at the two locations is similar. The Arizona simulation site also resembles the Moon’s south polar region in the subtle changes in the size, abundance, and groupings of rocks that can be found there. Noting such faint differences in rocks on the Moon will help reveal the history of asteroid collisions, volcanic activity, and other events that shaped not only the Moon, but also Earth and the rest of our solar system. “So this ‘landing site’ was a good analog for the types of small changes in regolith astronauts will look for at the lunar South Pole,” said Lauren Edgar, a geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Ariz., who co-led the science team for the simulation. To the delight of Edgar and her colleagues, Rubins and Douglas correctly identified faint differences in the Arizona rocks. But, despite their accomplishment, the day’s moonwalk had to be cut short due to strong winds. As with cows, there’s no wind on the mostly airless Moon. Science at the Table Earth and planetary scientists at NASA Johnson followed the moonwalks via a live video and audio feed broadcast in the Science Evaluation Room, pictured above. These experts developed detailed plans for each simulated moonwalk and provided geology expertise to mission control. Everyone in the room had a role. One person communicated information between the science team and the flight control team. Others monitored the crew’s science tasks to ensure the astronauts stayed on track. A small group analyzed images of rocks, soil, and outcrops sent back by the crew on the ground in Arizona. The information they gleaned helped determine whether the crew’s science tasks for each traverse needed to change. The decision to update tasks or not was made by a small group of experts from NASA and other institutions. Known as the “scrum,” this group of scientists, who are sitting around the table in the picture above, represented disciplines such as volcanology and mineralogy. They evaluated the information coming in from the crew and analyses from the science team to quickly decide whether to change the day’s science tasks because of an unplanned discovery. Serving at the scrum table was a high-pressure job, as updating the plan to spend more time at one intriguing site, for instance, could mean giving up time at another. The Arizona moonwalks also gave scientists an opportunity to test their skills at making geologic maps using data from spacecraft orbiting many miles above the surface. Such maps will identify scientifically valuable rocks and landforms at the South Pole to help NASA pick South Pole landing sites that have the most scientific value. Scientists will use data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to map the geology around the Artemis III landing site on the Moon. But to map the Arizona volcanic field, they relied on Earth satellite data. Then, to test whether their Arizona maps were accurate, a couple of scientists compared the crew’s locations along their traverses — self-reported based on the land features around them — to the geologic features identified on the maps. Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene A. Cernan, wearing a green and yellow cap, and Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, during geology training at Cinder Lake Crater Field in Flagstaff, Ariz. In this 1972 image the NASA astronauts are driving a geologic rover, or “Grover,” which was a training replica of the roving vehicle they later drove on the Moon. In the months leading up to the Arizona moonwalks, scientists taught Rubin and Douglas about geology, a discipline that’s key to deciphering the history of planets and moons. Geology training has been commonplace since the Apollo era of the 1960s and early ’70s. In fact, Apollo astronauts also trained in Arizona. These pioneer explorers spent hundreds of hours in the classroom and in the field learning geology. Artemis astronauts will have similarly intensive training. Operating in Moon-Like Conditions In the image above, Douglas stands to Rubins’ left reviewing procedures, while Rubins surveys instruments on the cart. Both are wearing 70-pound mockup planetary spacesuits that make moving, kneeling and grasping difficult, similar to how it will feel to do these activities on the Moon. A NASA team member, not visible behind the cart in the foreground, is shining a spotlight toward the astronauts during a one-and-a-half-hour nighttime moonwalk simulation on May 16. The spotlight was used to imitate the lighting conditions of the Moon’s south polar region, where the Sun doesn’t rise and set as it does on Earth. Instead, it just moves across the horizon, skimming the surface like a flashlight lying on a table. This visualization shows the unusual motions of Earth and the Sun as viewed from the South Pole of the Moon. Credit: NASA/Ernie Wright The position of the Sun at the Moon has to do with the Moon’s 1.5-degree tilt on its axis. This slight tilt means neither of the Moon’s northern or southern hemispheres tips noticeably toward or away from the Sun throughout the year. In contrast, Earth’s 23.5-degree tilt allows the northern and southern hemispheres to lean closer (summer) or farther (winter) from the Sun depending on the time of year. Thus, the Sun appears higher in the sky during summer days than it does during winter days. Compared to the daytime moonwalks, when the astronauts could easily see and describe the conditions around them, the crew was relatively quiet during the night expedition. With their small helmet lights, Rubins and Douglas could see just the area around their feet. But the duo tested supplemental portable lights and reported a big improvement in visibility of up to 20 feet around themselves. Night simulations show us how tough it is for the astronauts to navigate in the dark. It’s pretty eye opening. Cherie achilles Mineralogist from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who co-led the simulation science team. The Science Evaluation Room during the nighttime moonwalk simulation on May 16. Scientists sit at their workstations while a screen at the front of the room presents live video and audio of the astronauts in the field. Engineers pictured above, in Houston’s mock mission control area, tested custom-designed software for managing moonwalks. One program automatically catalogs hours of audio and video footage, plus hundreds of pictures, collected during moonwalks. Another helps the team plan moonwalks, keep track of time and tasks, and manage limited life-support supplies such as oxygen. Such tracking and archiving will provide contextual data for generations of scientists and engineers.   It’s important that we make software tools that allow flight controllers and scientists to have flexibility and creativity during moonwalks, while helping keep the crew safe. Ben Feist Software engineer in NASA Johnson’s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science division, pointing in the image above. Learning a Common Language The audio stream used by the Houston team to communicate during spacewalks is a dizzying cacophony of voices representing all the engineering and science roles of mission control. A well-trained mission control specialist can block out the noise and focus only on information they need to act on. One of the goals of the simulations, then, was to train scientists how to do this. “On the science side, we’re the newbies here,” Achilles said. During the Arizona moonwalks, scientists learned how to communicate their priorities succinctly and clearly to the flight control team, which then talked with the astronauts. If scientists needed to change the traverse plan to return to a site for more pictures, for instance, they had to rationalize the request to the flight director in charge. If the director approved, a designated person communicated the information to the crew. For this simulation, that person was NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, pictured above, who’s a geologist by training. NASA’s strict communication rules are meant to limit the distractions and hazards to astronauts during physically and intellectually demanding spacewalks. Coming Up Next In the weeks after the May moonwalk simulations, flight controllers and scientists have been debriefing and documenting their experiences. Next, they will revisit details like the design of the Science Evaluation Room. They’ll reconsider the roles and responsibilities of each team member and explore new tools or software upgrades to make their jobs more efficient. And at future simulations, still in the planning stages, they’ll do it all again, and again, and again, all to ensure that the real Artemis moonwalks — humanity’s first steps on the lunar surface in more than 50 years — will be perfectly choreographed. View More Images from the Recent Moonwalk Simulations By Lonnie Shekhtman NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Share Details Last Updated Jul 01, 2024 Editor Lonnie Shekhtman Contact Lonnie Shekhtman lonnie.shekhtman@nasa.gov Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Artemis Artemis 3 Artemis Campaign Development Division Astronauts Candidate Astronauts Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate Goddard Space Flight Center Humans in Space Johnson Space Center Johnson’s Mission Control Center Missions NASA Centers & Facilities NASA Directorates Planetary Science Planetary Science Division Science & Research Science Mission Directorate Spacesuits The Solar System xEVA & Human Surface Mobility Explore More 4 min read What is Artemis? With Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on… Article 5 years ago 5 min read Moon’s South Pole is Full of Mystery, Science, Intrigue Lee esta historia en español aquí. NASA has its sights set on the lunar South Pole… Article 2 years ago 4 min read How Data from a NASA Lunar Orbiter is Preparing Artemis Astronauts As astronauts prepare to head back to the Moon for the first time since 1972,… Article 10 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article