NASA

Jennifer Scott Williams embodies leadership, innovation, and excitement for life. Her career has been a testament to her unwavering passion and versatility, navigating through various roles and significantly contributing to the agency’s milestones and evolution. In her 23 years at NASA, she has combined engineering, business, science communications, and leadership all into one. Currently in the Center Director’s Office, Williams serves as NASA Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche’s assistant for technical integration, supporting meetings such as readiness reviews for the International Space Station and Commercial Crew Programs. Her role also involves coordinating skip-level meetings for Dare | Unite | Explore and overseeing senior staff meetings to ensure that leadership remains informed about the activities happening across the center. Official portrait of Jennifer Scott Williams. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel She also plays a role in the International Space Station Program’s Research Integration Office, ensuring crews aboard the space station have the tools they need to complete their research. “Like many of our laboratories where astronauts conduct their research, understanding the engineering components of the facilities we use on board is crucial,” said Williams. “Understanding the science is also critical,” she added. “It adds meaning to our work when we help execute the science onboard and communicate the creative insights and results from the experiments conducted. Being a good communicator is extremely important and creativity makes that message real and mean something to the public.” Jennifer Scott Williams (front) during a senior staff outreach event at the Remembering Columbia Museum in Hemphill, Texas. Her journey also included groundbreaking work on the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, where she served as the instrumentation and communications officer on the Boeing Mission Operations Team. Her efforts established operational foundations that will shape its future space missions. Williams was instrumental in developing the vehicle communications systems, understanding its operations, creating simulations, coding, and comprehending the computer systems, addressing all the fundamental aspects necessary for the spacecraft. Beyond her technical contributions, Williams is deeply committed to inspiring the next generation of explorers. She also managed the Minority University Research and Education Project, encouraging students of color to engage in STEM fields. She led a team that collaborated with students, teachers, and educational institutions through the Pre-Service Teacher Program. Williams said that working in the Office of STEM Engagement was a new experience that became life-changing for her. “I really rediscovered a passion that I have for students and education,” she said. “I love being able to help interns navigate the NASA environment and help people of color be able to apply for NASA jobs. It takes all perspectives to accomplish our mission.” Williams earned dual bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and electrical engineering from Spelman College and the Georgia Institute of Technology. She later received a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Houston. She belongs to the Spelman College National Alumni Association and holds a lifetime membership in the National Society of Black Engineers. Jennifer Scott Williams’ headshot in the 2024 International Space Station calendar.Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford Williams is an advocate for youth interested in pursuing STEM careers. Her advice is, “Come on and do it. We are out here,” she added “I love that we are embracing our differences instead of shunning differences because having people with different backgrounds, personalities, insights, and perspectives is what’s going to help us get back to the Moon.” “For the Artemis Generation, we need creative minds,” she said. “We need artists, scientists, engineers, technologists, physicians, attorneys, and financial connoisseurs. This next generation is going to have to be open-minded thought seekers. They need to be willing to do things that we have never done before and take the risks so that we can put boots on the Moon and Mars.” Jennifer Scott Williams with her family at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station on March 15, 2023. Williams also plays an integral role in Dare | Unite | Explore initiatives. She works with senior leadership to make sure the workforce has professional mobility and is able to get the training and resources for new opportunities. “We want to encourage employees to try new things, to learn, and to grow in different organizations,” she said. “Dare | Unite | Explore ensures that the Johnson workforce is fully supported in our efforts as we grow and develop and that our facilities and processes can support us and are in alignment with our future initiatives.” “I never really thought I would work at NASA, but when I came here to interview, they put me in the shuttle simulator and I was hooked,” she said. “I encourage my children to pursue careers in STEM because it has been so beneficial to me throughout my life. The people that I have come across in my time here have been phenomenal. It makes me want to keep coming to work.” View the full article

As a member of the Mars Architecture Team, Clare Luckey is one of the people at the forefront of designing the first crewed mission to the Red Planet. Her current work involves helping to develop the vision for the initial segment of Mars exploration missions. She also has been named one of Forbes’ 30 under 30 Class of 2024 in the Science category. Her commitment extends beyond the cosmos as she is deeply involved in community outreach, inspiring students to aim for the stars in space careers and encouraging diversity in STEM. Starting her journey as an intern at NASA’s Johnson Space Center Operations in fall 2018, Luckey’s career trajectory has been nothing short of meteoric. She began her career as a contractor at Barrios Technology, focusing on cargo integration for the International Space Station Program, then transitioned to a civil servant position in Center Operations by late 2020. Currently serving in the Exploration Mission Planning Office, Luckey’s role is critical not just in Mars exploration but also in the Artemis missions, where she contributes to Lunar Mission Planning in the Mission Analysis and Integrated Assessments team. Official portrait of Clare Luckey. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel Luckey’s innovative thinking is especially crucial as she navigates the complexities of planning travel to Mars. Her ability to compare and adapt strategies from near-term missions like Artemis to the long-term objectives of Mars colonization highlights her unique insight and adaptability. “Mars missions are more open to change because they are far in the future,” said Luckey. “We are still in the process of figuring out not only how to make decisions, but what decisions to make.” Her influence extends far beyond engineering. Luckey’s engagement with global space leaders at the Space Symposium and her contributions as a panelist at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Science and Technology Forum exemplify her as a thought leader in aerospace. She also participated in the Space Generation Advisory Council, a board that advises the United Nations on next-generation space exploration concepts. “All of these opportunities have given me different insights into the larger space industry and space economy,” she said. Clare Luckey, member of the Mars Architecture Team, shares her passion with NASA’s Johnson Space Center employees at the JSC Town Hall on Aug. 23, 2023.Credit: NASA/Riley McClenaghan Reflecting on her journey, Luckey attributes her passion for space exploration to a middle school project, “Future Cities,” where she and her friends designed a futuristic Mars city. The project ignited her imagination and inspired her to think critically and creatively about the future. “It’s important to build the foundations of mathematics and science at a young age,” she said. “I am really passionate about getting other people who look like me involved in the space industry.” Luckey’s involvement with the National Society of Black Engineers and her efforts to mentor and help students with school projects gives her great joy. “NASA can invest in the next generation by building a sustainable pipeline alongside sustainable space architecture,” she said. “You have to invest in communities and education so that kids grow up participating in a culmination of activities that make them want to be a part of NASA.” She believes that persistence, passion, and creativity are the top qualities for someone to excel in the space exploration industry. As a vocal advocate for diversity in the space industry, Luckey emphasizes the importance of community and mentorship within NASA and beyond. “I try to reach out to people and build that community because it is important,” she said. “That’s one of the things that keeps people coming to work – no matter where you work. It’s not the work, it’s the people that keep you coming back. I work with a lot of great people that have built that NASA community.” Clare Luckey at the NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop 2023, “To the Moon: The Next Golden Age of Human Spaceflight,” at the Galveston Island Convention Center on Feb. 8, 2023. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel Luckey’s advice to aspiring space explorers is, “Just try. Even when you don’t think you’re capable or don’t think you know enough, you will learn as you go.” She also encourages students to search out opportunities and get involved at a young age. “There’s no wrong answer. Just do what you’re interested in, put effort into it, and you’ll end up where you want to go,” she said. Her favorite part about working at NASA is the outlandishness of it all, she said. “People at NASA are really trying to build the future. The work we do here is amazing and not to be overlooked.” She is looking forward to the Artemis missions because this time is a completely new paradigm. “With Artemis, we’re going to the Moon to stay and to build sustainable architecture,” said Luckey. “We’re going to push forward. I am really excited to see how it turns out, and the international collaboration will be amazing for us.” Her enthusiasm for the Artemis campaign and the future of international space collaboration shines through her work, envisioning a new era of lunar exploration and beyond. “I am grateful to be here,” she said. “The most important thing to me is to be humble and personable. I want to be someone that is approachable, helpful, and easy to learn from so that I can be a mentor to the next generation of students, in the same way that I had mentors.” Clare Luckey, an engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford View the full article

NASA/JPL-Caltech Helen Ling, seen here in a photo from Feb. 16, 1973, was influential in the inclusion of women in STEM positions at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. After majoring in Mathematics at the University of Notre Dame—the only woman to do so at the time—Ling joined her brother in working at JPL. She became a supervisor for the computing group in the 1960s, a team who was responsible for performing trajectory calculations. Ling encouraged women within the computing group to attend night school to earn degrees that would allow them more professional opportunities within JPL. A pioneer for women’s rights in the workplace, Helen Ling was so admired in the computing group that those who worked under her lovingly referred to themselves as “Helen’s girls.” Many of “Helen’s girls” went on to become computer scientists and engineers within JPL thanks to the mentorship and guidance of Helen Ling. Throughout her time at JPL, Ling developed software for the IRAS, Magellan, TOPEX/Poseidon, and Mars Observer missions, and retired in 1994. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech View the full article

“I went back to school in 2016. So I had two kids that were three and five, and I was working full time, and I was doing the master’s program, taking two classes online. It took two years to get it done, and it was like a balancing act, and my kids had to watch the sacrifice in a sense. There were times when I had to take tests, and I was like, ‘OK, you’ve got to sit in the living room with your dad, or you’ve got to go to grandma’s house because I’ve got to take this test.’ “It was tough, but I had to get it done to show my kids that anything is possible. Things don’t get handed to you. You’ve got to work for them. “And so, I made sure that when I graduated in August of 2018, we drove to the school, which is six hours away, so they could watch me walk across the stage and see, you know, the sacrifices I made so that we could be here. And so for them, it’s like – my little one, that’s what she wants to grow up to do: work for NASA and do safety like me. It’s cool. “To them, I think it’s impactful, so they know that if you commit yourself and put the effort and work into it, you can do whatever you put your mind to. Both of my kids watched it, and they’re both in the STEM program at their school because they have a passion for math and science and want to try to make a difference in their own capacity.” – Thu Nguyen, Facility Systems Safety Engineer and Fall Protection Program Administrator, NASA’s Johnson Space Center Image Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz Interviewer: NASA/Tahira Allen Check out some of our other Faces of NASA. View the full article

“I had the privilege of being the very first project manager for [the] Near Space Network (NSN), and in my current role as deputy program manager for [the] Exploration and Space Communications Division, it is still in my portfolio. NSN is one of the [agency’s two] communication and navigation networks. “When we see the volume and the variety of NASA, other agency, and commercial missions supported by the network, and the science being achieved, and the exploration being enabled — when you leave for the day, you feel accomplished that you contributed [to the] agency’s goal. You contributed toward [the] nation’s priorities, such as cislunar [exploration], and then you helped humankind by enabling the science and exploration. “Without communication, every satellite in this space is a black box. So, just knowing that every single day we are flowing terabytes of data through relay and direct-to-earth services directly to our [missions], enabling the exploration and achieving the science — is a great sense of accomplishment. “… Whatever role you are in, as long as you find a way to understand what mission, what goal, what objective you are contributing to, there is no bigger motivator than that. “As a software programmer, normally you think that your job is to come in and write some code and solve some discrepancy reports and do the testing — and then you go home. “But in the end, when you see that the program you are writing or fixing is something that controls the satellite that’s observing the sea levels and the sea temperatures or [controls] a capsule that is carrying astronauts, now you know you’re actually contributing to a bigger purpose, a bigger objective. “I say that to my team, whenever I have an opportunity. I share with my team that they are enabling science and exploration for dozens of missions being supported by NSN. Initially it just seems like words, but once they start realizing [their contributions] are real, I can tell you those people don’t want to go anywhere. They just feel that sense of accomplishment.” —Vir Thanvi, Deputy Program Manager, Exploration and Space Communications Projects Division, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Image Credit: NASA/Thalia Patrinos Interviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos Check out some of our other Faces of NASA. View the full article

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s payload technician Chris Honea, left, and quality assurance specialist Keith Brandon, right, on Feb. 29 carefully inspect the temperature sensors that help gather data and monitor progress during a crystals experiment. The zinc selenide-based crystals were grown on the International Space Station as part of an experiment to see how gravity affects their structure or growth, then de-integrated and inspected in Marshall’s Space Systems Integration & Test Facility (SSITF). By Jessica Barnett During the International Space Station’s more than 25 years of operation, there have been more than 3,000 experiments conducted aboard the microgravity laboratory, and making sure scientific samples are kept safe through launch, spaceflight, experimentation, and the return trip to Earth takes a great deal of planning, testing, and preparation across NASA. In February, team members at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, handled the de-integration of zinc selenide-based crystals grown on the space station as part of an experiment to study how a lack of gravity might affect the crystals’ growth and structure. The experiment was conducted using six sample cartridge assemblies heated up to 1,200 degrees Celsius (2,192 degrees Fahrenheit) inside the Materials Science Laboratory of the Materials Science Research Rack on the space station. John Luke Bili, lead systems test engineer for the sample cartridge assemblies within Marshall’s Instrument Development, Integration, and Test Branch, begins the process by working with engineers, scientists, project personnel, and the experiment’s principal investigator to create an ampoule, or sealed glass vial, to use as a sample container. “We’ll take the ampoule and do some ground testing, like a normal flight integration,” Bili said. “We’ll assemble it with the hardware we have, then we are responsible for completing different mitigation efforts to prepare for sealing the ampoule up and processing it at the required high temperatures.” The team exposes the test article to extreme heat and pressure using a duplicate of the furnace on the space station, allowing them to also test the experiment’s software. We have people in our branch that will write the code to run it on the space station automatically. We develop that code, then we work with Marshall’s Quality Department to test it. John Luke Bili Lead Systems Test Engineer The zinc selenide-based crystal experiment required six sample cartridge assemblies. After a month of preparation from Marshall’s team, the assemblies traveled to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for a final round of packing before arriving at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch. The assemblies launched on NASA’s SpaceX 24th commercial resupply services mission in December 2021 and NASA’s Northrop Grumman 19th commercial resupply services mission in August 2023. Each sample took about a week to process through the space station’s lab furnace. The samples were then brought back to Earth, with three of the six arriving at Marshall on Feb. 9, 2024. While unpacking the crystal samples, team members took photos and notes of the tubes throughout the de-integration process in Marshall’s Space Systems Integration & Test Facility. The team includes technicians with 20 to 30 years of experience, ensuring samples safely travel to and from the station and helping expand access for researchers to explore microgravity, space exposure, and future missions in low Earth orbit. An ampoule containing zinc selenide-based crystals rests on a table Feb. 29 in Marshall Space Flight Center’s Space Systems Integration & Test Facility. The ampoule was part of the sixth sample cartridge assembly retrieved from the International Space Station as part of an experiment to see how gravity affects the crystals’ structure or growth. “It’s really nice having that kind of experience when we’re working on the hardware that’s going in space,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of people that are very skilled machinists that are able to help us in a moment’s notice, we have people with a really good understanding of technical tolerances and stuff like that, and we have people with a lot of varying experience doing flight hardware integration and tests.” For more than two decades, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs that are not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. Learn more about the space station at: https://nasa.gov/international-space-station/ Joel Wallace Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-0034 joel.w.wallace@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated May 24, 2024 LocationMarshall Space Flight Center Related TermsMarshall Space Flight Center Explore More 5 min read Marshall Teams Combine to Make Space Station Science Reality Article 8 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Marshall Space Flight Center International Space Station Station Science 101: Physical Science Solar System View the full article

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6 min read What’s Up: March 2024 Skywatching Tips from NASA Download the Video WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Jupiter plows through the Pleiades on March 14, a chance to spot Mercury at month’s end along with a subtle lunar eclipse, and a comet worth keeping an eye on! March skywatching highlights: March 10 – New moon March 13 – The Moon joins Jupiter tonight in the west, following sunset. They make a great pairing through binoculars. March 14 – Tonight the crescent Moon moves through the Pleiades star cluster, creating a dazzling sight for skywatchers observing with binoculars. March 21-25 – Northern Hemisphere viewers have their best chance of the year to spot Mercury in the evening sky. Look for it shining brightly, low in the west, starting half an hour after sunset. March 24-25 – A subtle lunar eclipse called a penumbral eclipse will cause a slight decrease in the Moon’s brightness tonight. It’s usually difficult to see, but you might see the difference if you look before the eclipse and then at the peak. At the peak observers can sometimes see a subtle gradient in brightness across the Moon’s face. March 25 – Full moon March 25 – The full moon dims slightly during a penumbral lunar eclipse tonight, as it passes through the outer part of Earth’s shadow, the penumbra. The decrease in brightening for this type of eclipse is subtle, but you might be able to notice a slight gradient in brightness across the Moon’s face around the peak of the event. All month – Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is heading toward its closest approach to the Sun on its 71-year orbit, and is bright enough to observe in telescopes and binoculars. There’s a possibility it might become just visible to the unaided eye by late March or sometime in April. Sky chart showing the changing position of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks during the month of March. Find the comet in the west-northwest as soon as the sky is fully dark. It moves lower as the month continues Video Transcript Text of the current month’s video. What’s Up for March? Some close pair-ups with the Moon, and Mercury makes an appearance, a subtle lunar eclipse, and a chance to catch a comet. In March, you’ll find Jupiter shining brightly in the west during the early evening hours all month long. And on March 13th, it’s joined by a crescent Moon so close that the pair will be visible together through binoculars. Sky chart showing Jupiter with the Moon on the evening of March 13, one hour after sunset. NASA/JPL-Caltech On the following evening, the Moon visits the Pleiades. This is another close pairing – with the five-day-old lunar crescent hanging right next to the bright star cluster – that will look great through a small telescope or binoculars. Near the end of March, observers in the Northern Hemisphere will have the best opportunity of the year to catch a glimpse of Mercury in the evening sky. Look for it shining brightly low in the west following sunset. Sky chart showing Jupiter and Mercury on the evenings of March 21-25 about 30-40 minutes after sunset. NASA/JPL-Caltech Overnight on March 24th and into the 25th, the Moon will pass through the outer part of Earth’s shadow, creating a faint lunar eclipse called a penumbral eclipse. Now, the more spectacular variety of lunar eclipses happens when the Moon passes through Earth’s inner shadow, or umbra. That’s when we see a dark “bite” taken out of the Moon, or in the case of a total lunar eclipse, a reddish, so-called “blood moon.” Penumbral eclipses cause only a slight dimming of the Moon’s brightness, so if you’re not looking for it, you might not know there was an eclipse happening. But if you glance at the Moon early in the night, and then later, around the peak of the eclipse, you might notice the difference in brightness. Even faint lunar eclipses like this one are always accompanied by a solar eclipse either a couple of weeks before or after. And on April 8th, a total solar eclipse will sweep across the U.S. (We’ll tell you more about that in next month’s video.) There’s a comet making its way into the inner solar system that’s already observable with a telescope, and might start to become visible to the unaided eye by late March or in April. It’s a mountain of rock, dust, and ice several miles wide named 12P/Pons-Brooks. It has a stretched-out, 71-year-long orbit that carries it as far from the Sun as the orbit of Neptune and nearly as close as the orbit of Venus. Fortunately, because this orbit is tilted, it doesn’t cross our planet’s path, so there’s no chance of a collision. Comet 12P has been observed on several of its previous appearances going back hundreds of years, and one thing it’s known for is its occasional outbursts. Sometimes this comet suddenly brightens by quite bit, due to bursts of gas and dust being released from beneath its surface. If this happens in the March-April timeframe as the comet nears the Sun, it could become bright enough to observe with the eye alone. But even without additional brightening from outbursts, the comet is predicted to peak at a brightness that should make it easy to see with binoculars, and possibly just naked-eye visible under dark skies by the end of March. Now, comets are notoriously unpredictable, so it’s hard to know for sure how bright Pons-Brooks will get as it nears the Sun, but it’s certainly worth a look. You can find it low in the west-northwest part of the sky at the end of evening twilight. Comets, along with asteroids, are leftover pieces of the materials that formed the Sun and planets. So catch a comet and glimpse one of the building blocks of our solar system with your own eyes. Here are the phases of the Moon for March. The phases of the Moon for March 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 Full Moon Blog 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 science communicators and 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 GSFC’s Molly Wasser. 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NASA selected 12 finalist teams to compete in the next round of the Human Lander Challenge (HuLC) competition. In 2023, NASA invited undergraduate and graduate students from accredited colleges and universities in the United States to propose innovative solutions to manage the lunar dust a spacecraft stirs up when landing on the Moon. NASA’s Artemis campaign will establish a long-term human presence on and around the Moon for the benefit of all, and one of the challenges the agency and its partners must address is the particularly dusty aspect of landing on the lunar surface. These university-level teams will spend the next several months continuing to develop their concepts for managing or preventing the cloud of dust created when using rocket engines to land on unprepared surfaces like the Moon. This effect is called plume surface interaction and can damage assets NASA plans to establish on the Moon’s surface, like habitats and scientific experiments. “Each team brings a unique perspective and I’m excited to see the cumulation of each team’s extensive research and concept development at the 2024 Forum,” said Jamshid Samareh, lead for the technology identification and assessment team at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. “Their proposed system-level designs showcase the brilliance and dedication of the Artemis Generation to our collective mission. I am confident their work will propel us closer to the Moon and hopefully inspire future advancements in space exploration.” The 2024 HuLC Finalist Teams are: Colorado School of Mines“Prudent Landers – FAST” Advisor: Mark Florida, Dr. Angel Abbud-Madrid, David Purcell Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University“Plume Additive for Reducing Surface Ejecta and Cratering (PARSEC)” Advisor: Dr. Siwei Fan Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University“Ceramic Research Advancement Technology at Embry-Riddle (C.R.A.T.E.R.)” Advisor: Seetha Raghavan Ohio Northern University“HuLC Smash” Dr. Louis DiBerardino Texas A&M University“Maroon Moon: Preliminary Surface Stabilization to Mitigate Lunar Plume Surface Interaction” Advisor: John F. Connolly, Dr. Jean-Louis Briaud Texas A&M University“Synthetic Orbital Landing Area for Crater Elimination (SOLACE)” Advisor: Dr. Helen Reed Texas State University“Numerical Simulation and Physical Validation of Regolith Ejecta During Plume Surface Interaction” Advisor: Dr. Bin Xiao The College of New Jersey“TCNJ Adaptable Regolith Retention Program (TARRP)” Advisor: Mohammed Alabsi University of California San Diego“Microwave Lunar Sintering of Nanophase Iron Enriched Lunar Regolith for the Creation of a Lunar Landing Pad” Advisor: Dr. Amy Eguchi, Dr. Zahra Sadeghizadeh, Dr. Ross Turner University of Colorado Boulder (Graduate Team)“Lunar Surface Assessment Tool (LSAT): A Simulation of Lunar Dust Dynamics for Risk Analysis” Advisor: James Nabity University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign“HINDER: Holistic Integration of Navigational Dynamics for Erosion Reduction” Advisor: Laura Villafane Roca University of Michigan“ARC-LIGHT: Algorithm for Robust Characterization of Lunar surface Imaging for Ground Hazards and Trajectory” Advisor: Mirko Gamba, Chris Ruf The finalist selection process involved a rigorous assessment of each team’s proposal package submission, consisting of a 5–7-page concept proposal and a two-minute summary video. The judging panel made up of subject matter experts from NASA’s Human Landing System Program considered factors such as feasibility, innovation, and adherence to NASA’s safety standards. Each team will receive a $7,000 stipend award to facilitate further development of their proposed concept and their full participation in the 2024 HuLC Forum in Huntsville, Alabama this June. The 12 finalists will make final presentations to a panel of NASA and industry experts at the onsite HuLC Forum. The top three winning teams will share a prize purse of $18,000. The Human Lander Challenge is sponsored by NASA’s Human Landing System Program and managed by the National Institute of Aerospace. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term, sustainable lunar presence to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before and prepare for future astronaut missions to Mars. For full competition details, visit the Human Lander Challenge website: https://hulc.nianet.org View the full article

29 Min Read March-April 2024: The Next Full Moon is the Crow, Crust, Sap, Sugar, or Worm Moon A full moon rises over Utah. Credits: NASA/Bill Dunford The next full moon is the Crow, Crust, Sap, Sugar, or Worm Moon; the Paschal Moon; Purim; the Holi Festival Moon; Madin Poya; the Pothole Moon; a Micromoon, and a Partial Lunar Eclipse. The next full moon will be on Monday morning, March 25, 2024, appearing opposite the Sun in Earth-based longitude at 3 AM EDT. This will be on Sunday evening from Alaska Time westward to the International Date Line. Around this time the Moon will pass through the partial shadow of the Earth (called a penumbral lunar eclipse). The slight dimming of the Moon will be difficult to notice, but see if you can tell if the lower part of the Moon is dimmer than the upper part. The Moon will begin entering the Earth’s shadow at 12:53 AM, reach greatest eclipse at 3:13 AM with 96% of the Moon in partial shadow, and exit the shadow at 5:32 AM. Since this full Moon is a little over a day after apogee (when the Moon is at its farthest from the Earth in its orbit) this is a micromoon, the opposite of a supermoon. The Moon will appear full for about 3 days around this time, from Saturday evening through Tuesday morning. The Maine Farmers’ Almanac began publishing “Indian” names for full Moons in the 1930s and these names are now widely known and used. According to this almanac, as the full Moon in March the tribes of the northeastern United States called this the Crow, Crust, Sap, Sugar, or Worm Moon. The more northern tribes of the northeastern States knew this as the Crow Moon, with the cawing of crows signaling the end of winter. Other northern names were the Crust Moon, because the snow cover became crusted from thawing by day and freezing by night, or the Sap (or Sugar) Moon as this was the time for tapping maple trees. The more southern tribes called this the Worm Moon after the earthworm casts that appeared as the ground thawed. It makes sense that only the southern tribes called this the Worm Moon. When glaciers covered the northern part of North America they wiped out the native earthworms. After these glaciers melted about 12,000 years ago the more northern forests grew back without earthworms. Most of the earthworms in these areas are invasive species introduced from Europe and Asia. In the western Christian ecclesiastical calendar this is the Paschal Moon, from which the date of Easter is calculated. Paschal is the Latinized version of Pesach, Hebrew for Passover. Initially, the Christian holiday of Easter, also called Pascha, was celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full Moon of spring. However, there are differences between the times of these astronomical events and the calendars now used by the Eastern and Western churches. Western Christianity will be celebrating Easter on Sunday, March 31, 2024, the Sunday after this first full Moon of spring. The date of Eastern Orthodox Easter is based on the Julian calendar and will be on Sunday, May 5. Many lunar and lunisolar calendars start the months on the new Moon with the full Moon in the middle of the month. Lunisolar calendars add or repeat a month as needed to keep the lunar months aligned with the solar seasons. This full Moon is in the middle of the second month of Adar in the Hebrew calendar and corresponds with Purim, celebrated from sunset on March 23 to sunset on March 24, 2024, the 14th of the Adar II (a day later in Jerusalem and ancient walled cities). Purim marks the Jewish people’s deliverance from a royal death decree around the fourth century BCE as told in the Book of Esther. Purim is celebrated by exchanging gifts of food and drink, feasting, and donating to charity. In the Islamic calendar this full Moon is near the middle of the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is honored as the month in which the Quran was revealed. Observing this annual month of charitable acts, prayer, and fasting from dawn to sunset is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. As the full Moon in the Hindu month Phalguna, this Moon corresponds with the Holi festival, celebrating the victory of good over evil and the start of spring. This two-day long festival is also known as the Festival of Love, Festival of Colors, or the Festival of Spring. Holi begins with a bonfire the evening before the day of the full Moon, continues on the day of the full Moon with a free-for-all game involving the spraying of colored powders and/or colored water on whomever wanders by, and ends with evening visits with friends and family. Every full Moon is a holiday in Sri Lanka. This full Moon is Medin or Madin Poya, marking the Buddha’s first visit to his father after his enlightenment. Continuing the tradition of naming Moons after prominent phenomena tied to the time of year, a few years ago my friend Tom Van Wagner suggested naming this the Pothole Moon. It may be a case of confirmation bias, but whether in my car or on my bicycle I notice more potholes this time of year. As usual, the wearing of suitably celebratory celestial attire is encouraged in honor of the full Moon. As for other celestial events between now and the full Moon after next (with specific times and angles based on the location of NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC): Total Eclipse of the Sun There will be a total eclipse of the Sun on Monday, April 8, 2024. This total eclipse will be visible in a swath ranging from 142 (88 miles) wide near the start and end to 203 km (126 miles) wide near the middle of the swath. The path of the total eclipse will begin in the Pacific south of the equator, start passing over North America on the coast of Mexico near Mazatlán, cross the USA from Texas to Maine, exit North America from Canada on the coast of Newfoundland, and end in the North Atlantic. Outside of this narrow swath, most of North and Central America will see a partial solar eclipse. See https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/eclipses/solar-eclipses/2024-solar-eclipse/total-solar-eclipse-2024-the-moons-moment-in-the-sun/ for more information. Assuming you can find a place with clear skies near the centerline of this swath, this eclipse, in particular, should be quite a show. Compared to the eclipse in 2017, the Moon will be nearer its closest to the Earth, making its shadow larger, the sky darker, and the eclipse longer. In addition, the Sun will be nearer its maximum in its 11-year cycle, so the corona, which can only be seen during a total eclipse, should be more spectacular. If the sky is clear during the eclipse, you will be able to see the planets and some stars that are not normally visible this time of year. Bright Jupiter will be to the upper left of the eclipse, with Venus, Saturn, and Mars to the lower right. In the unlikely event that the comet 12P/Pons-Brooks has an outburst that makes it significantly brighter (described below), you may be able to see it to the right of Jupiter (if it isn’t obvious, I recommend enjoying the eclipse rather than spending time searching for a comet you might not be able to see). Plenty of information about this total eclipse is available elsewhere, so I will refrain from adding much more, but please read and pay attention to eye safety. The only time it is safe to look directly at the Sun is when it is completely blocked by the Moon, so that you can only see the much fainter corona. Staring directly at even a small sliver of the Sun can do permanent eye damage. This eclipse will be passing through or near many populated areas, making it possible to trade off waiting for more accurate weather forecasts for clear skies against the difficulties of making last minute bookings or dealing with traffic jams if you wait until the day of the eclipse to drive to the zone of totality. Total eclipses of the Sun are rare and spectacular events. I recognize that not everyone will be able to drop everything and go see this one, but seeing at least one good, total eclipse in a clear sky should be on your bucket list. A partial eclipse is just not the same. The only other reason I can think of for not going where you can see this total eclipse (other than you absolutely can’t at this time) is that if you see this eclipse, you are likely to want to see more, and will begin making plans to go to North Africa in 2026, Australia in 2028, etc. The next three eclipses visible from parts of North America will be in 2044, 2045, and 2052. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks During this lunar cycle, comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will be visible with binoculars or a telescope, and may become bright enough to be a naked eye comet. In my quick searches of the web I found visual guides that provide specific information on when and where to look from your location on any given night. However, I did not see a concise guide to when might be the best time to look for this comet, so here is my meager attempt. Several things make a difference in how easy it is to see a comet. The greatest uncertainty is how much dust and gas it will be giving off, as it is the sunlight illuminating these plumes that make the comet bright. This comet has already had outbursts that have made it temporarily 10 to 100 times brighter. It may be less likely such outbursts will occur as the comet moves closer to the Sun, but this is uncertain. As the astronomer David H. Levy said, “Comets are like cats; they have tails, and they do precisely what they want.” My recommendation is to pay attention to the news and check regularly to see if the comet has had an outburst, as this may push its brightness into the visible range. In addition, I plan to look for the comet with binoculars, both on April 8 and 9 before moonlight begins to interfere and in the weeks before closest approach to the Sun on April 21. The next couple of paragraphs give my reasoning (which you are welcome to skip if you like). We can’t predict outbursts, but we can predict other influences on the brightness of the comet. If the gas and dust from the comet isn’t changing, an easy calculation is to assume the comet will scatter light uniformly in all directions, so that all you need to consider is the distance between the Sun and the comet and the distance between the comet and the Earth. This suggests that the comet will be at its brightest around April 20 and 21, 2024, when it will be passing its closest to the Sun and receiving (and reflecting towards Earth) the maximum amount of sunlight. How easy the comet will be to see will also depend on how much glow there is from twilight (which depends on how far the Sun is below the horizon), whether (and how much) moonlight there is (increased moonlight will brighten the background sky), and how high the comet is above the horizon. In the evenings, nautical twilight ends when the Sun reaches 12 degrees below the horizon (the estimate of when the horizon will be too dark for sailors at sea to use for navigation). In mid-to-late April (for the DC area), nautical twilight ends about 1 hour after sunset (the start and end of twilight I use throughout these Moon Missives is based on nautical twilight). Astronomical twilight is when the Sun is between 12 and 18 degrees below the horizon, when the sky looks dark but there can be enough residual glow that the faintest stars and diffuse objects (like nebulae, galaxies, faint meteors, and comets on the edge of visibility) may be masked. When the Sun is more than 18 degrees below the horizon the sky is about as dark as it is going to get. When the Moon is in the sky it will add its light to the background brightness of the sky. The amount of light added will increase as the Moon waxes from a faint, thin crescent to a bright, nearly full Moon. The evening of April 8, 2024, as nautical twilight ends (at 8:39 PM EDT), the crescent Moon will have already set and the comet will be 11.4 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon. The combined effect of the range from the Sun and the Earth gives a geometric estimate of 91% of the maximum brightness at its closest to the Sun in late April. By the time astronomical twilight ends (at 9:12 PM) the comet will still be 5 degrees above the horizon. The evening of April 9, it might be interesting to see the comet and the thin, waxing crescent Moon low on the horizon as twilight ends, as the Moon will not be very bright and should not interfere much with seeing the comet. Nautical twilight will end (at 8:40 PM) with the Moon 4.2 degrees above the horizon and the comet above the Moon at 10.8 degrees above the horizon. The Moon will set (at 9:08 PM) just 5 minutes before astronomical twilight ends (at 9:13 PM), when the comet will be 4.6 degrees above the horizon. The distance-based estimate of brightness will have increased to 93% of the peak in late April. Between April 10 and April 21, the geometric estimate of the brightness of the comet will gradually increase, but so will interference from the brightness of the waxing Moon, and the comet will shift closer to the horizon each evening. On the evening of April 21 the geometric brightness of the comet will be at its greatest, but the Moon will be 96% illuminated and the comet will be only 2.7 degrees above the horizon as nautical twilight ends. April 24 will be the last evening that the comet will be above the horizon before nautical twilight ends (at 8:57 PM). Note that as our opportunity to view this comet from northern latitudes gets worse in late April, the opportunity for viewers in the Southern Hemisphere will get better. Length of Daylight As spring continues the daily periods of sunlight continue to lengthen, having changed at their fastest around the equinox on March 19, 2024. On Monday, March 25 (the day of the full Moon), morning twilight will begin at 6:05 AM, sunrise will be at 7:03 AM, solar noon will be at 1:14 PM when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 53.3 degrees, sunset will be at 7:25 PM, and evening twilight will end at 8:24 PM. By Tuesday, April 23 (the day of the full Moon after next), morning twilight will begin at 5:18 AM, sunrise will be at 6:20 AM, solar noon will be at 1:06 PM when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 64.0 degrees, sunset will be at 7:53 PM, and evening twilight will end at 8:56 PM. Meteor Showers Two meteor showers, the Lyrids (006 LYR) and the Ï€-Puppids (137 PPU), will peak near the end of this lunar cycle but the nearly full Moon will interfere with seeing these meteors. Evening Sky Highlights On the evening of Sunday, March 24 (the evening before the full Moon), as twilight ends (at 8:22 PM EDT), the rising Moon will be 14 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon. The bright planet Jupiter will be 27 degrees above the western horizon and the planet Mercury will be to the lower right of Jupiter at 7 degrees above the horizon. The bright object appearing closest to overhead will be Pollux at 78 degrees above the south-southeastern horizon. Pollux is the 17th brightest star in our night sky and the brighter of the twin stars in the constellation Gemini the twins. Pollux is an orange tinted star about 34 light-years from Earth. It is not quite twice the mass of our Sun but about 9 times the diameter and 33 times the brightness. As this lunar cycle progresses, the background of stars will appear to shift westward each evening (as the Earth moves around the Sun). Mercury will be dimming as it shifts toward the west-northwestern horizon, with April 3 the last evening it will be above the horizon as twilight ends and April 11 when it will pass between the Earth and the Sun, shifting from the evening to the morning sky. We are approaching the end of the opportunity to view Jupiter for this apparition, as it will shift lower towards the west-northwestern horizon each evening. The waxing Moon will pass by Jupiter on April 10, Pollux on April 14 and 15, Regulus on April 17 and 18, and Spica on April 22. By the evening of Tuesday, April 23 (the evening of the day of the full Moon after next), as twilight ends (at 8:56 PM EDT), the rising Moon will be 10 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon. The bright planet Jupiter will be 4 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon. The bright object appearing closest to overhead will be Regulus at 63 degrees above the southern horizon. Regulus is the 21st brightest star in our night sky and the brightest star in the constellation Leo the lion. The Arabic name for Regulus translates as “the heart of the lion.” Although we see Regulus as a single star, it is actually four stars (two pairs of stars orbiting each other). Regulus is about 79 light-years from us. Morning Sky Highlights On the morning of Monday, March 25 (the morning after the full Moon), as twilight begins (at 6:05 AM EDT), the setting Moon will be 12 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon. The planet Mars will be 3 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon. The bright object appearing closest to overhead will be the star Vega at 73 degrees above the eastern horizon. Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra the lyre and is one of the three bright stars in the “Summer Triangle” along with Deneb and Altair. Vega is the 5th brightest star in our night sky, about 25 light-years from Earth, twice the mass of our Sun, and shines 40 times brighter than our Sun. As this lunar cycle progresses, the background of stars will appear to shift westward each evening, while Mars will hover low on the east-southeastern horizon, drifting slightly to the left. The waning Moon will pass by Spica on March 26 and 27, and Antares on March 30. April 1 will be the first morning the planet Saturn will be above the eastern horizon as morning twilight begins, shifting towards Mars each morning. On April 6 the thin, waning crescent Moon will form a triangle with Saturn and Mars, but will be low on the east-southeastern horizon and difficult to see, with the Moon rising just 3 minutes before morning twilight begins. On April 10 Mars and Saturn will appear closest to each other, after which they will appear to separate. By the morning of Tuesday, April 23 (the morning of the day of the full Moon after next), as twilight begins (at 5:18 AM EDT), the setting full Moon will be 7 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon with the bright star Spica 2.5 degrees to the lower left of the Moon. The planet Mars will be 5 degrees above the eastern horizon and the planet Saturn will be 7 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon. The bright object appearing closest to overhead will still be the star Vega at 86 degrees above the eastern horizon. Detailed Daily Guide Here for your reference is a day-by-day listing of celestial events between now and the full Moon after next. The times and angles are based on the location of NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC, and some of these details may differ for where you are (I use parentheses to indicate times specific to the DC area). Monday evening into Tuesday morning, March 18 to 19, 2024, the bright star Pollux (the brighter of the twin stars in the constellation Gemini the twins) will appear near the waxing gibbous Moon. Pollux will be 3.5 degrees to the left as twilight ends (at 8:16 PM EDT) and will shift clockwise around the Moon until the Moon sets on the northwestern horizon (at 4:42 AM) when Pollux will be 2 degrees to the upper right. Tuesday evening, March 19, 2024, at 11:06 PM EDT, will be the vernal equinox, the astronomical end of winter and start of spring. For a location on the equator in the ocean north of Western New Guinea the Sun will pass directly overhead as it shifts from the Southern to the Northern Hemisphere. Thursday morning, March 21, 2024, if you have a very clear view of the horizon about halfway between east and east-southeast, you might be able to see the planet Saturn less than a degree to the lower left of the bright planet Venus. Because of the glow of dawn this will be hard to see. Venus will shine brighter than any star, but Saturn will rise last (at 6:32 AM), 21 minutes after twilight begins (at 6:11 AM EDT), and will be only a little brighter than the star Pollux, the 17th brightest star in our night sky. You may need binoculars to see the pair, but make sure you stop looking well before sunrise. The next morning, Friday, March 22, 2024, the planet Venus will have shifted to less than a degree to the left of the planet Saturn, with the pair rising together (at 6:29 AM EDT) 19 minutes after twilight begins (at 6:10 AM). Thursday evening into Friday morning, March 21 to 22, 2024, the bright star Regulus will appear near the waxing gibbous Moon. As twilight ends (at 8:19 PM EDT) Regulus will be 5 degrees to the lower right of the Moon. Regulus will gradually shift closer to the Moon, initially swinging towards the left (appearing 4 degrees below and a little to the left) as the Moon reaches its highest (at 11:13 PM). At about 2:30 AM (when Regulus will be 3 degrees to the lower left) Regulus will switch and start swinging towards the right. As Regulus sets (at 5:58 AM) it will be 2.5 degrees below the Moon, with morning twilight beginning 12 minutes later (at 6:10 AM) and the Moon setting 3 minutes after that (at 6:13 AM). Saturday night, March 23, 2024, at 11:46 AM EDT, the Moon will be at apogee, its farthest from the Earth for this orbit. Sunday evening, March 24, 2024, at 5:59 PM EDT, will be when the planet Mercury reaches its greatest angular separation from the Sun as seen from Earth for this apparition (called greatest elongation). This will be the evening when the planet Mercury will appear highest above the western horizon (6.5 degrees) as twilight ends (at 8:22 PM). As mentioned above, the next full Moon will be on Monday morning, March 25, 2024. The Moon will pass through the partial shadow of the Earth (called a penumbral lunar eclipse), beginning to enter the shadow at 12:53 AM EDT, reaching greatest eclipse at 3:13 AM when 96% of the Moon will be in partial shadow, and exiting the shadow at 5:32 AM. The slight dimming of the Moon will be difficult to notice. Since this is a little over a day after apogee (when the Moon is at its farthest from the Earth in its orbit) this will be a micromoon, the opposite of a supermoon. The Moon will appear full for about 3 days around this time, from Saturday evening through Tuesday morning. Tuesday morning, March 26, 2024, the bright star Spica will appear near the full Moon. As the Moon reaches its highest in the sky for the night (at 1:52 AM EDT), Spica will be 8 degrees to the lower left of the Moon. By the time twilight begins (at 6:03 AM), Spica will be 6 degrees to the left of the Moon. Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning, March 26 to 27, 2024, the Moon will have shifted to the other side of Spica. As the Moon rises on the east-southeastern horizon (at 8:59 PM EDT), Spica will be 3 degrees to the upper right of the Moon. By the time the Moon reaches its highest for the night (at 2:32 AM), Spica will be 5 degrees to the upper right. Spica will be 6 degrees to the lower right as twilight begins (at 6:02 AM). Saturday morning, March 30, 2024, the bright star Antares will appear near the waning gibbous Moon. As Antares rises on the southeastern horizon (at 12:37 AM EDT) it will be 5 degrees to the lower left of the Moon. The Moon will reach its highest for the night (at 4:52 AM) with Antares 3 degrees to the left. As twilight begins (at 5:57 AM) Antares will be a little less than 3 degrees to the upper left of the Moon. Monday morning, April 1, 2024, will be the first morning that the planet Saturn will be above the eastern horizon as twilight begins (at 5:55 AM EDT). Monday night, April 1, 2024, the waning Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its last quarter at 11:15 PM EDT (when the Moon will be below the horizon). Wednesday evening, April 3, 2024, will be the last evening that the planet Mercury will be above the horizon as twilight ends. Saturday morning, April 6, 2024, if you have a very clear view of the east-southeastern horizon, you might be able to see the thin, waning crescent Moon near the planets Saturn and Mars. The Moon will rise last (at 5:42 AM EDT) just 3 minutes before twilight begins, with Saturn 2 degrees to the upper left of the Moon and Mars 4 degrees to the upper right of the Moon. You will need binoculars to see them in the glow of dawn, but on Sunday morning, April 7, 2024, the bright planet Venus will appear 3.5 degrees to the left of the very thin, waning crescent Moon low on the eastern horizon. Venus will rise last (at 6:14 AM EDT) 31 minutes after twilight begins and 29 minutes before sunrise. If you are using binoculars to scan for this pairing, be sure to stop looking well before any chance of sunrise (as using high powered lenses to focus intense sunlight directly into your eyes is a really bad idea). Sunday afternoon, April 7, 2024, at 1:52 PM EDT, the Moon will be at perigee, its closest to the Earth for this orbit. There will be an eclipse of the Sun on Monday, April 8, 2024. For information on the total solar eclipse (not visible from the Washington, DC area) see the summary section above. The Washington, DC area will only see a partial eclipse, starting at about 2:04 PM EDT, reaching its peak at about 3:21 PM when 88.9% of the Sun will be blocked by the Moon, and ending at 4:33 PM. Please pay attention to eye safety and do not look at the Sun directly without eclipse glasses. When the Moon is blocking most of the Sun, what remains will appear like a crescent. One of the interesting effects is that the sunlight through trees, etc., that we normally see as mottled sunlight (round blotches of light) is actually made up of many small images of the round Sun. When the Sun appears as a crescent these mottled patches will appear as many small crescents. The eclipse will also be the new Moon, when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and is not usually visible from the Earth (except when its silhouette causes an eclipse). The day of or the day after the new Moon marks the start of the new month for most lunisolar calendars. Sundown on Monday, April 8, 2024, marks the start of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar. Pesach or Passover begins on the 15th day of Nisan. The third month of the Chinese calendar starts on Tuesday, April 9, 2023. Monday evening, April 8, 2024, as nautical or evening twilight ends (at 8:39 PM EDT), comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will be 11.4 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon. The crescent Moon will have already set, making this the last evening to see this comet without moonlight. By the time astronomical twilight ends (at 9:12 PM) the comet will still be 5 degrees above the horizon. In the Islamic calendar the months traditionally start with the first sighting of the waxing crescent Moon. Many Muslim communities now follow the Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia, which uses astronomical calculations to start months in a more predictable way. This calendar predicts the holy month of Ramadan will end and Shawwāl will begin with sunset on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Because of the religious significance of the end of Ramadan, Shawwāl is one of 4 months in the Islamic year where the start of the month is updated in the Umm al-Qura Calendar based upon the actual sighting of the crescent Moon. Starting with the sighting of the crescent Moon, the end of the Ramadan fast will be celebrated with Eid al-Fitr (the Feast of Breaking the Fast), a celebration lasting from 1 to 3 days. Tuesday evening, April 9, 2024, it should be interesting to see the comet 12P/Pons-Brooks and the thin, waxing crescent Moon low on the horizon as twilight ends, as the Moon will not be very bright and should not interfere much with seeing the comet. Nautical or evening twilight will end (at 8:40 PM EDT) with the Moon 4.2 degrees above the horizon and the comet above the Moon at 10.8 degrees above the horizon. The Moon will set (at 9:08 PM) just 5 minutes before astronomical twilight ends (at 9:13 PM), when the comet will be 4.6 degrees above the horizon. In the mornings throughout this lunar cycle the planets Saturn and Mars will appear near each other low on the east-southeastern horizon. Both will appear to shift higher each morning, with Saturn shifting more than Mars. Wednesday morning, April 10, 2024, will be when the pair will be at their closest. As twilight begins (at 5:38 AM EDT) the slightly brighter Saturn will appear 3 degrees above the horizon with Mars 0.5 degrees above Saturn. Wednesday evening, April 10, 2024, the bright planet Jupiter will appear 4 degrees to the lower left of the waxing crescent Moon. The Moon will be 17 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon as twilight ends (at 8:41 PM EDT) and Jupiter will set first 77 minutes later (at 9:58 PM). Thursday evening, April 11, 2024, the Pleiades star cluster will appear 6 degrees to the lower right of the waxing crescent Moon. The Moon will be 30 degrees above the western horizon as twilight ends (at 8:42 PM EDT) and the Pleiades will set first a little over 2 hours later (at about 11 PM). Thursday evening, April 11, 2024, the planet Mercury will be passing between the Earth and the Sun, called inferior conjunction. Planets that orbit inside of the orbit of Earth can have two types of conjunctions with the Sun, inferior (when passing between the Earth and the Sun) and superior (when passing on the far side of the Sun). Mercury will be shifting from the evening sky to the morning sky and will begin emerging from the glow of the dawn on the eastern horizon later in April (depending upon viewing conditions). Sunday evening into early Monday morning, April 14 to 15, 2024, the bright star Pollux (the brighter of the twins in the constellation Gemini the twins) will appear to the upper left of the waxing crescent Moon. As twilight ends (at 8:45 PM EDT) Pollux will be 8 degrees from the Moon. By the time the Moon sets on the west-northwestern horizon (at 2:39 AM), Pollux will be 5 degrees from the Moon. Monday afternoon, April 15, 2024, the Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its first quarter at 3:13 PM EDT (when it will be daylight with the Moon visible in the eastern sky). Monday evening into early Tuesday morning, April 15 to 16, 2024, the half-Moon will have shifted such that the bright star Pollux will appear to the lower right of the Moon. As twilight ends (at 8:45 PM EDT) Pollux will be 6 degrees from the Moon and the pair will appear to separate as the night progresses, reaching 8 degrees apart around 1:30 AM. Wednesday evening into Thursday morning, April 17 to 18, 2024, the bright star Regulus will appear to the lower left of the waxing gibbous Moon. As twilight ends (at 8:49 PM EDT) Regulus will be 7.5 degrees from the Moon. When Regulus sets on the west-northwestern horizon (at 4:12 AM) it will be 4.5 degrees from the Moon. Thursday evening into Friday morning, April 18 to 19, 2024, the waxing gibbous Moon will have shifted to the other side of the bright star Regulus. As twilight ends (at 8:50 PM EDT) Regulus will be 6 degrees to the upper right of the Moon. About 1 hour later (at 9:53 PM) the Moon will reach its highest for the night with Regulus 6 degrees to the right. Regulus will appear to rotate clockwise around and to separate from the Moon as the night progresses, reaching about 8 degrees to the lower right around 3 AM. Friday night, April 19, 2024, at 10:09 PM EDT, the Moon will be at apogee, its farthest from the Earth for this orbit. Friday morning, April 19, 2024, will be the first morning that the planet Mercury will rise more than 30 minutes before sunrise, a very rough estimate of the earliest it might start being visible in the glow of dawn on the eastern horizon. Mercury will be quite faint, but will brighten each morning as it presents a larger illuminated crescent towards the Earth. However, this will not be a favorable apparition for Mercury viewing, as even at its highest it will not rise before twilight begins. Sunday, April 21, 2024 will be when the comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will be at its closest to the Sun, and the week or two before this might be a good time to look for this comet with binoculars. If the trail of gas and dust the comet is giving off doesn’t change significantly (a very big and uncertain “if”) then the brightness of the comet should gradually increase to a maximum on April 21. However, interference from the light of the waxing Moon will also increase beginning April 9, and the comet will shift closer to the horizon each evening. As twilight ends on April 21 (at 8:53 PM EDT) the Moon will be 96% illuminated and the comet will be only 2.7 degrees above the horizon. April 24 will be the last evening that the comet will be above the horizon before evening twilight ends (at 8:57 PM). Monday evening into Tuesday morning, April 22 to 23, 2024, the bright star Spica will appear to the lower right of the full Moon. Spica will be a little more than 1 degree from the Moon as twilight ends. They will be at their closest a little before midnight. Spica will be 1 degree from the Moon as the Moon reaches its highest for the night (at 12:31 AM) and will be 2.5 degrees from the Moon as twilight begins (at 5:18 AM). The full Moon after next will be Tuesday evening, April 23, 2024, at 7:49 PM EDT. This will be on Wednesday from the UK, Ireland, and Portugal eastward across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia to the International Date Line in the mid-Pacific. The Moon will appear full for about 3 days centered on this time, from Monday morning to Thursday morning. View the full article

1 min read Planet Sizes and Locations in Our Solar System The eight planets and dwarf planet Pluto. NASA Our solar system has eight planets, and five officially recognized dwarf planets. Which planet is biggest? Which is smallest? What is the order of the planets as we move out from the Sun? This is a simple guide to the sizes of planets based on the equatorial diameter – or width – at the equator of each planet. Each planet’s width is compared to Earth’s equatorial diameter, which is about 7,926 miles (12,756 kilometers). At the bottom of the page, there is a handy list of the order of the planets moving away from our Sun. Unable to render the provided source Compare Earth to other planets using NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System. Order of Planets and Dwarf Planets – Distance From the Sun A stylized illustration of our solar system. NASA/JPL Mercury: 36 million miles (58 million kilometers) Venus: 67.2 million miles (108 million kilometers) Earth: 93 million miles (149.7 million kilometers) Mars: 141.6 million miles (227.9 million kilometers) Dwarf planet Ceres: 257 million miles (413 million kilometers) Jupiter: 483.7 million miles (778 million kilometers) Saturn: 889.8 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers) Uranus: 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers) Neptune: 2.8 billion miles (4.5 billion kilometers) Dwarf Planet Pluto: 3.67 billion miles (5.9 billion kilometers) Dwarf Planet Haumea: 4 billion miles (6.5 billion kilometers) Dwarf Planet Makemake: 4.3 billion miles (6.9 billion kilometers) Dwarf Planet Eris: 6.3 billion miles (10 billion kilometers) Explore More 29 min read March-April 2024: The Next Full Moon is the Crow, Crust, Sap, Sugar, or Worm Moon The next full moon is the Crow, Crust, Sap, Sugar, or Worm Moon; the Paschal… Article 34 mins ago 4 min read Don’t Make Me Wait for April 8! Article 1 day ago 3 min read Eclipse Citizen Science for Educators Article 2 days ago View the full article

NASA has selected Science Applications International Corporation of Reston, Virginia, for safety and mission assurance support at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, and White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. The Safety and Mission Assurance Engineering Contract III (SMAEC) is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with the ability to issue cost-plus-award-fee and fixed price task orders. The contract begins June 1 with a five-year base period, followed by two one-year options, with possible extensions of services through November 2031. The total maximum value of the contract is approximately $494 million. The contract will provide safety, reliability, and quality engineering, as well as quality and software assurance support for NASA programs and projects in deep space including the Orion spacecraft, Gateway lunar space station, and Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility, as well as the Commercial Crew, Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development, International Space Station, and Human Research Programs. Services also may be provided at other NASA centers, U.S. government facilities, contractor or subcontractor locations, or vendor facilities as provided in the statement of work, or as specified in the issued task orders. For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov -end- Abbey Donaldson Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 abbey.a.donaldson@nasa.gov Kelly Humphries Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 kelly.o.humphries@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Mar 29, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters View the full article

The International Space Station provides researchers access to the unique features of low Earth orbit: long-duration microgravity, exposure to space, and a one-of-a-kind perspective of our planet. These special attributes enable scientists to conduct innovative experiments that can’t be done anywhere else. Employees in the International Space Station Research Integration Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center help enable and execute the research opportunities only available on board the space station with a wide variety of researchers. They also look out for and coordinate new partnerships with international partners, academic organizations, commercial companies, and more. Two women are currently spearheading these efforts: International Space Station Program Chief Scientist Jennifer Buchli and International Space Station Program Deputy Chief Scientist Meghan Everett. Together, they lead the full suite of research and science happening on board the orbital outpost. Jennifer Buchli leans against equipment while inside one of the International Space Station modules inside the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA / Josh Valcarcel How would you describe your job to family or friends? Jennifer Buchli: I provide the science strategy and make science recommendations for the International Space Station program. I ensure we are maximizing the space station to its full capability, for both NASA research and as a U.S. National Laboratory. Meghan Everett: I help make sure all of the science on the International Space Station goes smoothly, from preparing for launch to conducting research on the space station with the scientists and astronauts and returning the science to Earth. What do you love sharing about the International Space Station? What’s important to help people understand the benefits to life on Earth? Jennifer Buchli: I like sharing the diversity of science we do on station, from human health and disease research to fundamental physics and climate science. I think people are aware NASA is doing exploration research, but they may not know about the medical advancements, pharmaceutical developments on station, colloid research that helps shelf stability of products on Earth, or how our Earth science instruments can show how our planet is changing and inform policy decisions. Meghan Everett: Since my area of expertise is science, I always love sharing the benefits of the International Space Station to science on Earth. The space station is a huge laboratory with diverse capabilities, just like the gold standard state of the art laboratories on Earth. The station can be considered a unique environment that allows for unique discoveries and novel ways of looking at scientific exploration that lead to discoveries we could otherwise explore in the presence of gravity. What do you wish you had known as a young woman contemplating a career in STEAM? Jennifer Buchli: I wish I had realized how interdisciplinary science is. I thought I needed to choose a field. You can study areas such as astrobiology [and] geomicrobiology, and now there are programs dedicated entirely to space science. Meghan Everett: I [hardly knew about] any opportunities in STEM growing up. It really was not until college that I started learning more and looking at options. Being exposed to the NASA environment and moving to Houston opened up a whole new world of opportunity for me, but it was also very overwhelming. Looking back, I wish I had more exposure to opportunities before college. Do you have any advice for women beginning their careers in the STEAM fields? Jennifer Buchli: Find a group of peers and discuss challenges and ideas with them. You will learn new perspectives and solve problems faster. Meghan Everett: Be open-minded and absorb as much as you can. Reach out and ask questions, and immerse yourself in the experience and people as much as possible. What inspirational message or advice would you give to young girls interested in a career in STEAM? Jennifer Buchli: Find a field you are passionate about and do not let anyone steer you away from it. Meghan Everett: Believe in your dreams and do hard things, and don’t be afraid to get it wrong and fail. Things we do now were once thought impossible – go try to do the impossible things! Meghan Everett leans against a safety railing overlooking the International Space Station modules inside the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA / Josh Valcarcel Today, Jennifer and Meghan are leading the continuation of the story of the International Space Station – which has hosted over 3,000 experiments from more than 5,000 researchers representing over 100 countries so far, with more than 4,000 scientific journal publications based on space station science – and all the invaluable science the orbiting laboratory has to offer. Their leadership, and the science they are shepherding, will better prepare us for future exploration missions and benefit humanity back on Earth. View the full article

13 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) In honor of Women’s History Month, we caught up with the ASIA-AQ team on the other side of the Earth and asked the women from Langley about their inspirations and challenges as scientists. The ASIA-AQ (Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality) mission is an international cooperative field study designed to address local air quality challenges. ASIA-AQ will contribute to improving the integration of satellite observations with existing air quality ground monitoring and modeling efforts across Asia. Langley’s Angelique Demetillo, center, in her flight suit after a flight in the Philippines for the ASIA-AQ mission along with mission partners from the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Manila Observatory.NASA/Kevin Rohr Mary Angelique G. Demetillo, Ph.D., NASA Post-doctoral Program Fellow and instrument operator on board Langley’s G-III aircraft, operates the GeoCAPE Airborne Spectrometer (GCAS) remote sensor. What do you do at Langley? I focus on using high-resolution remote-sensing measurements to study air pollution inequality in cities. Currently, I am using airborne LIDAR measurements to understand lower tropospheric ozone variability over Houston, Texas. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up? I just wanted to be helpful–at first, I wanted to be a teacher and then a doctor and then a biomedical engineer. Then, I found atmospheric chemistry research and discovered I could combine the knowledge I learned in the classroom to 1) work with scientific instruments that could measure the unseen, 2) to understand the world around me, and 3) provide policy-useful information towards addressing air pollution inequality. Are there obstacles you have had to overcome to be successful? Hmmmm, this is a hard one. I think I was very lucky to have access to good education and food and housing security so I could focus on my studies such that any obstacles I encountered really ended up being stepping-stones in my development as a scientist. Growing up in America under immigrant parents, it was tricky navigating the reconciliation of two very different cultural and generational perspectives. The largest impact of this dichotomy was that it wasn’t common for first-generation Filipina-Americans to be anything other than nurses or in the medical field. As such, I didn’t really know being a scientist was an accessible career to me and was even actively discouraged to pursue it. But I’m glad I did, and still am, and feel incredibly lucky to be able to do great work with awesome people while navigating this pipeline. Were you treated differently as a woman in a science field? I may have been and didn’t recognize it since I was very shy and quiet. However, I did realize being confident in my abilities and knowledge and speaking up for myself and others were critical to participating and succeeding in male-dominated fields like physics and atmospheric science. Who were your mentors growing up? Who are your mentors now? I have been incredibly lucky to come across many people from whom I learned different things and looked up to in different ways. Most notably however, were my elementary school computer teacher, my 5th grade science teacher, my graduate school advisor, and my current postdoc advisor! Each of them were/are critical to developing my self-confidence as a scientist and person. What’s the best part of your job? It’s hard to pick! You can’t beat the work –getting to fly and work closely with the instrument/measurement teams whose data I use for my research; collaboration across cultures and expertise on field campaigns; and exercising scientific precision, accuracy, and creativity for data-driven, policy-relevant solutions is a surreal job to have. But since I’m still building my career, I would really have to say the people are the best part—from speaking with experienced scientists, mechanics, engineers, and project managers to growing alongside the next-generation atmospheric chemists as we shape our contribution to the field as individuals and cohort, makes the work even more fun and exciting. Why does science matter to you? Science matters to me because it served as a platform through which I could understand the world around me. As I grow more in this field, I am also learning science truly requires collaboration. Science can serve as a testbed for new solutions and innovations while bridging the gap between language, culture, and backgrounds. And with increasing interdisciplinary science, it will not only challenge our ability to connect different perspectives of information together, but also strengthen our connections to each other. Langley’s Francesco Gallo in front of NASA Armstrong’s DC-8 aircraft in South Korea during ASIA-AQ.NASA/Eddie Winstead Francesco Gallo, Ph.D., research scientist, operates Langley Aerosol Research Group (LARGE) instruments on board Armstrong’s DC-8 aircraft for ASIA-AQ. What do you do at Langley? I do a lot of data analysis of aerosol datasets from previous and current NASA campaigns. Are there obstacles you have had to overcome to be successful? I’ve always been very much supported by my family and mentors. Being a foreign national has been often an obstacle. Luckily, becoming a lawful permanent resident last year has helped things improve. Were you treated differently as a woman in a science field? No. What’s the best part of your job? Thinking I can somehow support the understanding of climate change for better environmental justice. Langley’s Carolyn Jordan with the LARGE instrument panel she operates on NASA Armstrong’s DC-8 aircraft at Clark Air Base, Philippines.NASA/Eddie Winstead Carolyn Jordan, Ph.D., research scientist senior, is a member of the Langley Aerosol Research Group (LARGE). For ASIA-AQ, Jordan operates a rack on Armstrong’s DC-8 that measures aerosol properties and is developing a new measurement called the Spectral Aerosol Light Absorption Detector (SALAD). What do you do at Langley? Primarily, I am a data analyst with LARGE working up various data sets and writing papers focused on our aerosol measurements. I also work in the lab with other members of our group. We have developed two new ground-based measurement capabilities for spectral extinction (SpEx) and absorption. We are now transitioning those methods to enable them to be used from airborne platforms. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up? I wanted to be an astronaut and even wrote to NASA as a young teenager (13-14 or so) to ask what one had to do to become one. They didn’t tell me, but they did send me a lovely photograph of Saturn! Are there obstacles you have had to overcome to be successful? I grew up in a tiny farm town in rural Wisconsin, but I was very fortunate to be surrounded by people who didn’t think it was crazy to want to be an astronaut. I was also extremely fortunate to have excellent teachers in high school and college who were supportive and helpful when I questioned whether I could manage the material as a physics major. I was lucky my obstacles were few, and I have been very fortunate in the opportunities that came my way. Were you treated differently as a woman in a science field? Sometimes. The important thing is even in the 1980s (my college, grad school, and early career years), those who did so were considered to be out of line, so I never paid much attention to those who treated me as if I didn’t belong. Who were your mentors growing up? Who are your mentors now? My high school teachers Dr. Neil C. Goodspeed, Mrs. Peggy Johnson, Mr. Ted Moskonas, and Ms. Pam Wilson, my college professors Dr. Dino Zei, Dr. Wayne Broshar, and Dr. Mary Williams-Norton. At this point in my career I don’t have mentors so much as excellent colleagues from whom I continue to learn a great deal. What’s the best part of your job? I have great colleagues and interesting research. Even after all these years, I still have a great time doing the work that I do. The most interesting thing for me is to look at the data. One always finds something interesting and often something unexpected. Working to understand what is there is the most fun for me. Why does science matter to you? Science is how we learn things. It’s how we identify solutions to problems. But there is also something to be said for expanding our knowledge of the universe we live in for its own sake. What’s next? I don’t know, we’ll see where the data tells us to look. Langley’s Laura Judd and Barry Lefer from NASA HQ after a science flight at Clark Air Base, Philippines.NASA/Barry Lefer Laura Judd, Ph.D., research physical scientist and platform scientist for Langley’s G-III aircraft on ASIA-AQ. What do you do on the ASIA-AQ mission? I lead science flight planning and execution with our remote sensing payload and instrument and aircraft teams. In the field, I spend my days working with the forecasting team to identify flight opportunities and real-time decision-making during science flights. I also continue my role I did as an instrument team member, which includes data processing and analysis with high resolution maps of nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde from one of our satellite proxy instruments. What do you do at Langley? I think my job fits largely three roles: (1) I contribute to planning of upcoming field studies This year it’s been STAQS (Synergistic TEMPO Air Quality Science) and ASIA-AQ. (2) I use data collected from those field studies to research spatial and temporal changes in pollution over major cities from satellites, aircraft, and ground-based data. This also includes validating satellite products and collaborating with other researchers using our data for topics such as model evaluation and air quality event analysis, etc. (3) I also am an associate program manager for the Health and Air Quality area in Earth Action. This comes with managing a portfolio of air quality projects that are integrating NASA datasets within decision making frameworks for stakeholders in air quality management and the public health sector. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up? I always wanted to study the weather. This came from growing up in Nebraska and constantly being bombarded with dramatic shifts in day-to-day weather, including severe storms. This is typical of most meteorology colleagues I have met. Going in the air pollution direction didn’t come until I graduated with my degree in meteorology through a NASA internship, but the weather is one of three major factors in why air pollution events unfold like they do from region-to-region (the other two being emissions and chemistry). Were you treated differently as a woman in a science field? I have definitely encountered a subset of people who have not given me the respect due to being a woman throughout my career. There are definitely instances where I am the only woman around, too, especially during field work. Luckily, I have been extremely fortunate to be overwhelmed with colleagues and mentors who do not treat me differently because I am a woman but rather see my potential and together make a good team. Who were your mentors growing up? Who are your mentors now? Barry Lefer [NASA’s Tropospheric Composition Program Manager] has been a huge advocate for me and many other women as scientists. While statistically there are less women in STEM, there is no way to balance it out in the future without advocates like him. He was my first mentor in doing airborne science as a student and continues to be at NASA. What’s the best part of your job? The best part of my job is being on the forefront of new science. I get to work with some of the top experts in our field in the world and a lot of them I get to now call my friends. We are all learning together to come up with new ways to improve our understanding of air quality with the hope of seeing cleaner air in the future. You also can’t beat an office view from 28,000 feet during these sporadic missions! Why does science matter to you? The science we are doing directly affects our quality of life, especially for the millions living with poor air quality. I am also encouraged. I am early in my career and have already seen positive changes in air quality happen in some regions. I find that encouraging to keep going. What’s next? For me, it’s to keep pushing bounds on what we can learn from combining new satellite, airborne, and ground-based air quality data. Langley’s Katie Travis on the flight line at Osan Airbase, South Korea. NASA’s DC-8 and G-III aircraft can be seen behind her along with a partner aircraft from the Korea Meteorological Administration.NASA/Francesca Gallo Katie Travis, Ph.D., research scientist, compares model forecast simulations with local air quality monitoring sites on the ASIA-AQ mission. Travis also performs quick evaluations of the aircraft data as it becomes available after each flight. What do you do at Langley? I work to put together all parts of the integrated observing system for air quality by interpreting satellite, aircraft, and ground-based data with models to improve our understanding of surface air quality and atmospheric composition. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up? A journalist! Are there obstacles you have had overcome to be successful? The main obstacle I have had to overcome is balancing having children with the demands of a scientific career. Were you treated differently as a woman in a science field? That is a difficult question to answer. However, I can say that getting my bachelor’s degree in engineering from a women’s college (Smith College) gave me a wonderful start to working in science in a very supportive environment. Who were your mentors growing up? Who are your mentors now? I am very grateful for the wonderful community in the field of atmospheric chemistry and at NASA. It was a professor at Smith College, Paul Voss, who introduced me to air quality. Now I am lucky to be part of the IMPAQT group (Integrating Multiple Perspectives of Air Quality Team) at NASA and be mentored by senior scientists as well as work with colleagues with a range of expertise in both air pollution and policy. What’s the best part of your job? The best part of my job is getting to learn something new every day and getting to explore questions about the world that I think are important. Why does science matter to you? Studying environmental issues, to me, means working to understand the impact human activities have on our environment so that we can protect it for future generations. What’s next? More science. For more information on the ASIA-AQ mission and the Science Directorate at Langley: https://www-air.larc.nasa.gov/missions/asia-aq/index.html https://science.larc.nasa.gov/ https://science-data.larc.nasa.gov/large/ https://science.larc.nasa.gov/impaqt/ Facebook logo @NASALaRC @NASA_Langley Instagram logo @NASA_Langley Linkedin logo @NASA-Langley-Research-Center Explore More 4 min read Langley Celebrates Women’s History Month: Melanie Grande Article 52 mins ago 5 min read Langley Celebrates Women’s History Month: Gwendolyn Wheatle Article 54 mins ago 5 min read Langley Celebrates Women’s History Month: Dr. Kanama Bivins Article 54 mins ago View the full article

3 min read Unveiling the Sun: NASA’s Open Data Approach to Solar Eclipse Research A total solar eclipse is seen on Monday, August 21, 2017 above Madras, Oregon. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the contiguous United States from Lincoln Beach, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of South America, Africa, and Europe. NASA/Aubrey Gemignani As the world eagerly anticipates the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, NASA is preparing for an extraordinary opportunity for scientific discovery, open collaboration, and public engagement. At the heart of the agency’s approach to this unusual event lies a commitment to open science, ensuring that the data captured during the eclipse is readily accessible to all. During a total solar eclipse the normal rhythms of Earth are briefly disrupted, providing an unusual opportunity for scientists to study the atmosphere of our solar-powered planet. Because NASA uses the vantage point of space to understand and explore our home planet to improve lives and safeguard our future, solar eclipses offer scientists a one-of-a-kind window into the workings of our solar system. While they offer a treasure trove of data for formal researchers, eclipses are also a fantastic opportunity for citizen scientists to participate in a celestial event. Participants from all backgrounds can work together with NASA to make discoveries possible before, during, and after an eclipse – regardless of where they are in the eclipse path. For example, citizen science projects like the Citizen CATE Experiment, which mobilizes volunteers to set up telescopes along the path, contribute greatly to data collection efforts. A boy watches the total solar eclipse through protective glasses in Madras, Oregon on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the contiguous United States from Lincoln Beach, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of South America, Africa, and Europe. NASA/Aubrey Gemignani Additionally, NASA has introduced innovative tools like SunSketcher, a user-friendly platform that allows enthusiasts to sketch the sun’s corona during an eclipse. These sketches contribute valuable qualitative data alongside quantitative measurements, enriching our understanding of solar phenomena and enhancing public engagement in scientific endeavors. By involving amateur astronomers and enthusiasts, NASA not only expands its observational reach but also fosters community engagement and participation in scientific discovery. NASA is committed to open science and making scientific data available to everyone. Following each solar eclipse, the agency shares the data collected with the global community. Through publicly available datasets, accessible via online repositories and dedicated eclipse websites, NASA ensures that researchers, educators, students, and enthusiasts alike can delve into the intricacies of eclipse observations. By sharing data and resources, NASA facilitates interdisciplinary research and broadens understanding of solar phenomena on a global scale. Ahead of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse, the NASA Transform to Open Science (TOPS) team will participate in several activities in the Uvalde, Texas area to educate the public about the data-driven domain of eclipses and how open science principles facilitate the sharing and analysis of information among researchers, students and enthusiasts. For a full schedule of NASA TOPS events, please be sure to check the TOPS 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Event page. For a complete list of NASA 2024 Total Solar Eclipse events, visit the NASA eclipse event page. For more information about the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/ For more information on NASA’s commitment to open science, including NASA’s Open Science 101 training on how to participate in open science, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/open-science/ By Amanda Moon Adams Communications Lead for the Office of the Chief Science Data Officer Share Details Last Updated Mar 29, 2024 Related Terms Science Mission Directorate Explore More 2 min read Hubble Finds a Field of Stars Article 8 hours ago 4 min read Three-Year Study of Young Stars with NASA’s Hubble Enters New Chapter Article 1 day ago 4 min read New NASA Software Simulates Science Missions for Observing Terrestrial Freshwater Article 3 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

NASA and its partners are developing the foundational systems needed for long-term exploration at the Moon for the benefit of all with NASA’s Artemis campaign. Following the Artemis III mission that will land the first people near the Moon’s South Pole, astronauts on Artemis IV will live and work in humanity’s first lunar space station, Gateway, which will enable new opportunities for science and preparation for human missions to Mars. The mission will bring together an intricate choreography of multiple launches and spacecraft dockings in lunar orbit, and will feature the debut of NASA’s larger, more powerful version of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and new mobile launcher. Artemis Generation Science Artemis missions are accelerating scientific research on the surface of the Moon, and soon, in lunar orbit aboard Gateway. Built with international and commercial partnerships, Gateway will include docking ports for a variety of visiting spacecraft, space for crew to live, work, and prepare for lunar surface missions, and instruments for science investigations to study heliophysics, human health, and life sciences, among other areas. Artist’s concept of the full Gateway configuration.NASA Gateway’s oval-shaped orbit passes over both the North and South Pole areas of the Moon, and it provides unparalleled opportunities for science and access to the lunar surface. The orbit combines the benefits of surface access from low lunar orbit with the fuel efficiency of distant retrograde orbit, all while offering unique views of the Earth, Moon, Sun, and deep space for scientific study. Mission prelude Gateway is taking shape on the ground, and engineers will connect its first two modules — the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) built by Maxar, and the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) built by Northrop Grumman — for launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The elements will spend about a year traveling to lunar orbit, taking advantage of highly efficient solar-electric propulsion and the gravity of the Earth, Moon, and Sun to reach its destination. Multiple scientific instruments on and in HALO and PPE will provide scientific data on radiation during transit and while Gateway is in lunar orbit. Once in its orbit around the Moon, Gateway’s computers will run through a checklist of items to prepare for the arrival of a second habitation element with the Artemis IV crew — the International Habitation module, or I-Hab, provided by ESA (European Space Agency). I-Hab will expand where Gateway’s astronauts will live, work, conduct groundbreaking science, and prepare for their lunar surface missions. I-Hab also includes the critical life support systems provided by JAXA (Japanese Space Agency) to enable longer stays aboard Gateway. Prior to launching the crew and I-Hab with the SLS rocket, NASA and its partners will pre-position two additional spacecraft for the mission: SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System that will carry the next-generation spacesuits for moonwalks, and the SpaceX Dragon XL logistics module carrying science experiments and other supplies for the mission. An upgraded Starship will support Artemis IV with expanded capabilities for long-term exploration and future missions, including docking with Gateway. Bigger boost for crew, Moon-bound module Artist’s concept of the Block 1B crew configuration of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket during lift-off from a new mobile launcher for a night launch.NASA Four Artemis IV crew members will lift off from Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the agency’s Orion spacecraft on NASA’s upgraded SLS rocket. The Block 1B version of the rocket is capable of hoisting 84,000 pounds to the Moon using a more powerful upper stage, and it also features an adapter with more than 10,000 cubic feet of space to send large cargos, such as I-Hab, to the Moon along with the crew. NASA’s new mobile launcher will accommodate the larger rocket, which will stand about 40 feet taller than current configurations, and additional weight of increased payload capacity. After the SLS rocket completes its initial launch and ascent, the core stage will separate from the upper stage, which will remain connected to Orion and I-Hab. After the upper stage performs a translunar injection burn to set Orion and I-Hab on their path to the Moon, Orion will act as a spacefaring tugboat, flipping itself 180 degrees to extract I-Hab from the adapter using Orion’s docking system, and transporting the module to Gateway where it will connect to the lunar station’s HALO module. The Gateway space station hosts the Orion spacecraft and SpaceX’s deep space logistics spacecraft in a polar orbit around the Moon, supporting scientific discovery on the lunar surface during the Artemis IV mission. Surface operations When Orion and I-Hab rendezvous with Gateway, Orion will maneuver I-Hab into position to dock with the HALO module. The astronauts will enter the world’s first lunar space station and fully activate its hardware and systems, and the crew also will check out the human landing system, unload supplies and science experiments from the logistics module, and prepare for their work at the Moon. After several days performing initial checkouts aboard Gateway and readying for the surface expedition, two crew members will enter Starship and undock to spend about six days on the lunar surface. The other pair stay at Gateway to continue setup, conduct research, and monitor surface activities. Like on Artemis III, the astronauts will conduct several moonwalks, donning advanced spacesuits and taking Starship’s elevator down to the surface to accomplish their exploratory to-do list. The crew will conduct field geology, deploy instruments, and collect samples that will help us understand the history of our solar system. Artist’s concept of SpaceX Starship human landing system.SpaceX Until next time (Artemis V) With surface expeditions complete, the two astronauts will board Starship, fly back to Gateway, and all four astronauts will prepare for the quarter-million-mile journey back to Earth aboard Orion. Prior to departing Gateway, the crew will transfer scientific samples to Orion and prepare the outpost to hum along without human tenants. Then, after reaching the optimal departure point, Orion will undock, fire its engines, and harness the Moon’s gravity to slingshot home, where recovery teams will await the crew’s return in the Pacific Ocean. With Artemis, NASA will land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface and establish long-term exploration for scientific discovery and to prepare for human missions to Mars. The agency’s SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, and supporting ground systems, along with the human landing system, next-generation spacesuits and rovers, and Gateway are NASA’s foundation for deep space exploration. Artemis IV Mission Map Artemis IV will be the first mission to the Gateway space station in lunar orbit, bringing together a complex choreography of multiple launches and spacecraft dockings in lunar orbit, and debuting NASA’s more powerful version of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and new mobile launcher.NASAView the full article

Melanie Grande works in mission design and systems analysis at NASA’s Langley Research Center, where she has contributed to planning for human exploration of both the Moon and Mars. Starting in Langley’s Space Mission Analysis Branch (SMAB) as a Pathways co-op student in 2016, Melanie currently works as an aerospace engineer on the Mars Architecture Team, where she is involved in exploring possible Mars mission campaigns and modeling the many decisions needed for the Mars architecture. Who or what inspired you to choose your career and why? When I was in middle school, we went on a class field trip to NASA Kennedy Space Center, and I was absolutely amazed by the rockets, the exploration of the Moon, and everything about space. I decided to be an astronaut right then and there! Eventually, I also learned about engineering and how engineering was a career where people solve hard problems with creativity, and that appealed to me. I studied aerospace engineering in college, and eventually I found a Pathways position in SMAB, which offered me an opportunity to work on human space exploration and to solve the big picture problems, and I’ve been doing it ever since! What do you find most rewarding about working with NASA? I feel inspired by our mission to send humans to explore the Moon and Mars, and I also love working with so many passionate people who, just like me, enjoy chewing on high-level problems. NASA is the leading organization in the world for space exploration, and it’s because everyone at NASA is working hard every day to make these incredibly challenging missions possible. On top of that, I also really appreciate how my team and my branch have encouraged me to take on new opportunities and grow in a way that has really shaped my career so far. What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I find public policy quite interesting, and more than anything, I see how regulatory support is critical not only for the aerospace industry but for human exploration in particular. So, outside of my regular job, I also serve on the AIAA Public Policy Committee as the Co-Chair of the Advocacy Working Group. It’s a great opportunity to help organize events both on Capitol Hill and for AIAA members to raise awareness for aerospace industry issues. Outside of that, I also enjoy traveling as much as I can, skiing, and working on crochet projects. How does your background and heritage contribute to your perspective and approach in your role at NASA? Being a woman in engineering, I’ve always been aware of being part of a minority—there were plenty of jokes in college about being noticeable, being one of only 5 or so women. And I didn’t have any role models of female engineers that I knew growing up. But my family has always encouraged me to work hard and follow my dreams. Also, I had a pretty diverse cohort of aerospace engineering peers in college, and we all banded together to survive the late nights in the Aero Lab! It’s a little different now—there are a lot of awesome female leaders and role models in NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate! But I still carry with me the perspective that we all have to work together and use our unique and diverse strengths, because otherwise, we won’t ever be able to make it all the way to Mars. Facebook logo @NASALaRC @NASA_Langley Instagram logo @NASA_Langley Linkedin logo @NASA-Langley-Research-Center Explore More 5 min read Langley Celebrates Women’s History Month: Gwendolyn Wheatle Article 11 mins ago 5 min read Langley Celebrates Women’s History Month: Dr. Kanama Bivins Article 12 mins ago 3 min read Langley Celebrates Women’s History Month: Anum Ashraf Article 13 mins ago View the full article