NASA

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA astronaut Steve Swanson harvests a crop of red romaine lettuce plants aboard the International Space Station. Grown from seeds in the Veggie facility, this crop is part of the Veg-01 study to help researchers test and validate the Veggie hardware.NASA NASA Life Sciences Portal (NLSP) The NASA Life Sciences Portal (NLSP) is the gateway to discovering and accessing all archive data from investigations sponsored by NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP). The HRP conducts research and develops technologies that allow humans to travel safely and productively in space. The Program uses evidence from data collected from astronauts, animals, and plants over many decades, and stored in several repositories accessible via the NLSP, including the Life Sciences Data Archive (LSDA) and Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health and Standard Measures repositories. Life Sciences Data Archive (LSDA) NASA’s Life Sciences Data Archive (LSDA) is an archive that provides information and data from 1961 (Mercury Project) through current flight and flight analog studies (International Space Station) involving human, plant and animal subjects. ​ Much of the information and data are publicly available on this site. Some data are potentially attributable to individual human subjects, and thus restricted by the Privacy Act, but can be requested for research. Human Health and Performance Products Share Details Last Updated Aug 29, 2024 EditorRobert E. LewisLocationJohnson Space Center Related TermsHuman Health and Performance Explore More 1 min read Participate in the Mission – Be a Human Test Subject! Article 1 year ago 1 min read Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health (LSAH) Article 1 year ago 1 min read Human Health and Performance Data Sharing Article 1 year ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Humans In Space Missions International Space Station Solar System View the full article

On Aug. 29, 1789, German-born British astronomer William Herschel observed a tiny bright dot orbiting around Saturn. His son later named the object Enceladus. Because of its distance from Earth and proximity to bright Saturn, for the next two centuries little remained known about Enceladus other than its size, orbital parameters, and that it held the honor as the most reflective body in the solar system. It took the Voyager flybys through the Saturn system in the early 1980s and especially the detailed observations between 2005 and 2015 by the Saturn orbiter Cassini to reveal Enceladus as a truly remarkable world, interacting with Saturn and its rings. Harboring a subsurface ocean of salty water, Enceladus may possibly be hospitable to some forms of life. Left: Portrait (1785) of William Herschel by Lemuel Francis Abbott. Image credit: courtesy National Portrait Gallery, London. Middle: Drawing of Herschel’s 40-foot telescope. Right: Portrait (1867) of John Herschel by Julia Margaret Cameron. Image credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Herschel’s previous astronomical accomplishments include the discovery of Uranus in 1781 and two of its moons, Oberon and Titania, in 1787. He also catalogued numerous objects he termed nebulae, but remained frustrated by the limitations of telescopes of his age. He began to build ever larger instruments, finally building the world’s largest reflecting telescope of its time. At 40 feet long, and with a 49-inch diameter primary mirror weighing a ton, it looked impressive although its optical characteristics did not advance the field as much as he had hoped. Nevertheless, Herschel used this telescope to observe Saturn and its five known moons, looking for others. On Aug. 28, 1789, he observed a bright point orbiting the planet and believed he had discovered a sixth moon. On Sept. 17, he discovered a seventh moon orbiting the ringed planet. He did not name these moons, that task fell to his son John who believed Saturn’s moons should be named after the Titans of Greek mythology. He named the first moon Enceladus and the second Mimas. Left: Relative sizes of Earth, Earth’s Moon, and Enceladus. Right: Best Voyager 2 image of Enceladus. For nearly two centuries, Enceladus remained not much more than a point of light orbiting Saturn, just another icy moon in the outer solar system. Astronomers estimated its diameter at around 310 miles and its orbital period around Saturn at 1.4 days, with a mean distance from the planet’s center of 148,000 miles. Enceladus has the distinction as one of the brightest objects in the solar system, reflecting almost 100 percent of the Sun’s light. Unusual telescope observations during the 20th century showed an increase in brightness on its trailing side, with no known explanation at the time. In 1966, astronomers discovered a diffuse ring around Saturn, the E-ring, and found in 1980 that its density peaked near Enceladus. The Voyager 1 spacecraft flew within 125,570 miles of Enceladus during its passage through the Saturn system on Nov. 12, 1980. Its twin Voyager 2 came within 54,000 miles on Aug. 26, 1981, during its flyby. These close encounters enabled the spacecraft to return the first detailed images of the moon, showing various terrains, including heavily cratered areas as well as smooth crater-free areas, indicating a very young surface. Left: False color image of Enceladus from Cassini showing the tiger stripes at bottom. Middle: Limb view of Enceladus showing plumes of material emanating from its surface. Right: Cassini image of Enceladus backlit by the Sun showing the fountain-like plumes of material. After the Cassini spacecraft entered orbit around Saturn in July 2004, our understanding of Enceladus increased tremendously, and of course raised new questions. Between 2005 and 2015, Cassini encountered Enceladus 22 times, turning its various instruments on the moon to unravel its secrets. It noted early on that the moon emitted gas and dust or ice particles and that they interacted with the E-ring. Images of the moon’s south polar region revealed cracks on the surface and other instruments detected a huge cloud of water vapor over the area. The moon likely had a liquid subsurface and some of this material reached the outside through these cracks. Scientists named the most prominent of these areas “tiger stripes” and later observations confirmed them as the source of the most prominent jets. During the most daring encounter in October 2015, Cassini came within 30 miles of the Enceladus’ surface, flying through the plume of material emanating from the moon. Analysis of the plumes revealed an organic brew of volatile gases, water vapor, ammonia, sodium salts, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide. These plumes replenish Saturn’s E-ring, and some of this material enters Saturn’s upper atmosphere, an interaction unique in the solar system. More recently, the James Webb Space Telescope imaged the water vapor plume emanating from Enceladus’ south pole, extending out 40 times the size of the moon itself. The confirmation of a subsurface ocean of salty water has led some scientists to postulate that Enceladus may be hospitable to some forms of life, making it a potential target for future exploration. Enceladus may yet have more surprises, even as scientists continue to pore over the data returned by Cassini. Left: James Webb Space Telescope image of a water vapor plume emanating from Enceladus. Right: Illustration of the interaction of Enceladus and Saturn’s E-ring. Map of Enceladus based on imagery from Cassini, turning our view of Enceladus from a small point of light into a unique world with its own topography. Events in world history in 1789: January 29 – Vietnamese emperor Quang Trung defeats Chinese Qing forces at Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa in one of the greatest military victories in Vietnamese history. March 10 – In Japan, the Menashi-Kunashir rebellion begins between the Ainu people and the Japanese. April 7 – Selim III succeeds Abdul Hamid I as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. April 28 – Aboard the HMS Bounty in the Pacific Ocean, Fletcher Christian leads the mutiny against Captain William Bligh. April 30 – Inauguration of George Washington as the first President of the United States of America. July 14 – Citizens storm The Bastille fortress in Paris during the French Revolution. September 15 – Birth of American writer James Fenimore Cooper in Burlington, New Jersey. December 11 – Founding of the University of North Carolina, the oldest public university in the United States. Explore More 11 min read 15 Years Ago: STS-128 Delivers Cargo to Enable Six-Person Space Station Crew Article 1 day ago 10 min read 40 Years Ago: President Reagan Announces Teacher in Space Project Article 2 days ago 12 min read 55 Years Ago: Apollo 11 Astronauts End Quarantine, Feted from Coast to Coast Article 1 week ago View the full article

An artist’s concept of Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander on the Moon’s South Pole.Credit: Intuitive Machines A new set of NASA science experiments and technology demonstrations will arrive at the lunar South Pole in 2027 following the agency’s latest CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative delivery award. Intuitive Machines of Houston will receive $116.9 million to deliver six NASA payloads to a part of the Moon where nighttime temperatures are frigid, the terrain is rugged, and the permanently shadowed regions could help reveal the origin of water throughout our solar system. Part of the agency’s broader Artemis campaign, CLPS aims to conduct science on the Moon for the benefit of all, including experiments and demos that support missions with crew on the lunar surface. “This marks the 10th CLPS delivery NASA has awarded, and the fourth planned for delivery to the South Pole of the Moon,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “By supporting a robust cadence of CLPS flights to a variety of locations on the lunar surface, including two flights currently planned by companies for later this year, NASA will explore more of the Moon than ever before.” NASA has awarded Intuitive Machine’s four task orders. The company delivered six NASA payloads to Malapert A in the South Pole region of the Moon in early 2024. With this lunar South Pole delivery, Intuitive Machines will be responsible for payload integration, launch from Earth, safe landing on the Moon, and mission operations. “The instruments on this newly awarded flight will help us achieve multiple scientific objectives and strengthen our understanding of the Moon’s environment,” said Chris Culbert, manager of the CLPS initiative at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “For example, they’ll help answer key questions about where volatiles – such as water, ice, or gas – are found on the lunar surface and measure radiation in the South Pole region, which could advance our exploration efforts on the Moon and help us with continued exploration of Mars.” The instruments, collectively expected to be about 174 pounds (79 kilograms) in mass, include: The Lunar Explorer Instrument for Space Biology Applications will deliver yeast to the lunar surface and study its response to radiation and lunar gravity. The payload is managed by NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California. Package for Resource Observation and In-Situ Prospecting for Exploration, Characterization and Testing is a suite of instruments that will drill down to 3.3 feet (1 meter) beneath the lunar surface, extract samples, and process them in-situ in a miniaturized laboratory, to identify possible volatiles (water, ice, or gas) trapped at extremely cold temperatures under the surface. This suite is led by ESA (European Space Agency). The Laser Retroreflector Array is a collection of eight retroreflectors that will enable lasers to precisely measure the distance between a spacecraft and the reflector on the lander. The array is a passive optical instrument and will function as a permanent location marker on the Moon for decades to come. The retroflector array is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The Surface Exosphere Alterations by Landers will investigate the chemical response of lunar regolith to the thermal, physical, and chemical disturbances generated during a landing, and evaluate contaminants injected into the regolith by the lander. It will give insight into how a spacecraft landing might affect the composition of samples collected nearby. This payload is managed by NASA Goddard. The Fluxgate Magnetometer will characterize certain magnetic fields to improve the understanding of energy and particle pathways at the lunar surface and is managed by NASA Goddard. The Lunar Compact Infrared Imaging System will deploy a radiometer – a device that measures infrared wavelengths of light – to explore the Moon’s surface composition, map its surface temperature distribution, and demonstrate the instrument’s feasibility for future lunar resource utilization activities. The imaging system is managed by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Under CLPS, multiple commercial deliveries to different geographic regions will help NASA conduct science and continue working toward a long-term human presence on the Moon. Future deliveries will include sophisticated science experiments, and technology demonstrations as part of the agency’s Artemis campaign. Two upcoming CLPS flights slated to launch near the end of 2024 will deliver NASA payloads to the Moon’s nearside and South Pole, including the Intuitive Machines-2 delivery of NASA’s first on-site demonstration of searching for water and other chemical compounds 3.3 feet below the surface of the Moon, using a drill and mass spectrometer. Learn more about CLPS and Artemis at: https://www.nasa.gov/clps -end- Karen Fox Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1275 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov Laura Sorto / Natalia Riusech Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 laura.g.sorto@nasa.gov / natalia.s.riusech@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 29, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsCommercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)Commercial SpaceCommercial Space ProgramsEarth's MoonJohnson Space CenterNASA Headquarters View the full article

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails examines a sample of algae through a microscope in the Space Biosciences Research Lab. Swails, alongside Director of Cross Agency Strategy Integration John Keefe and Associate Administrator Jim Free, toured the NASA Ames campus on Aug. 28.NASA/Donald Richey NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free, Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails, and Director of Cross-Agency Strategy John Keefe visited NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley on Aug. 28. The visit was an opportunity for the leaders to meet with center leadership and tour multiple Ames facilities. Free, Swails, and Keefe also met with employees to discuss the agency’s strategic initiative, NASA 2040, a strategic agency initiative aimed at driving meaningful changes that will allow the agency to realize its long-term vision for what leaders and employees want the agency to be in 2040 and beyond. During their tour, researchers at the Space Biosciences Research Lab presented on innovative projects like the Lunar Explorer Instrument for space biology Applications, an instrument that will study how yeast reacts to the lunar environment. The three leaders also learned about innovative wildfire research and other projects that seek to advance space exploration through scientific discoveries and technical developments. The group ended their tour by visiting NASA Research Park tenants like the USGS National Innovation Center, and viewing the proposed future site of the UC Berkeley Space Center, a 36-acre campus and innovation hub for research and advancements in aeronautics, quantum computing, climate studies, social sciences, and more. Share Details Last Updated Aug 29, 2024 Related TermsAmes Research Center Explore More 7 min read NASA Project in Puerto Rico Trains Students in Marine Biology Article 1 day ago 4 min read NASA Seeks Input for Astrobee Free-flying Space Robots Article 3 days ago 2 min read NASA Develops Pod to Help Autonomous Aircraft Operators Article 3 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

For 25 years, the Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center has inspired and provided high school students across the state of Texas with NASA-focused learning experiences through the High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) program. The OSTEM team celebrated the milestone on Monday, July 29 at Johnson’s Gilruth Center with poster sessions, special presentations, and a networking reception. Fifty-one students who participated in the 2024 High School Aerospace Scholars program were invited to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to participate in an on-site experience. NASA/James Blair An authentic STEM learning experience for Texas high school juniors, HAS provides opportunities for students to engage with NASA’s missions and become the next generation of explorers. The year-long program begins in the fall with an online, state-aligned STEM learning experience focused on Earth science, technology, aeronautics, the solar system, the International Space Station, and NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach. Students engage in approximately four months of virtual learning through curriculum including interactive lessons, rubric-based activities, and quizzes. Students who complete the online courses with an overall average of 70% or greater receive an invitation to a five-day virtual summer experience called Moonshot. While actively mentored by NASA scientists and engineers, students work with a team to complete an Artemis-themed Moon to Mars mission and design challenge. The summer session also includes numerous gamified activities and guidance towards pathways to STEM careers. High School Aerospace Scholars collaborated on an engineering design challenge during their on-site experience at Johnson Space Center. NASA/Bill Stafford The top performing Moonshot teams are then invited to a four-day residential experience at Johnson, with lodging, meals, and transportation provided at no cost to the students. During the on-site session, students participate in NASA facility tours, complete engineering design challenges, and meet with NASA scientists and engineers who offer guidance on STEM careers. At the completion of the program, students can earn up to one full science elective credit for school. The HAS 25th anniversary celebration coincided with this year’s on-site experience. During the 2023-2024 school year, 798 students participated in the HAS online course, with 359 advancing to the summer Moonshot experience. The top six Moonshot teams (51 students) were invited to Johnson. High School Aerospace Scholars presented their Moonshot projects to Johnson Space Center team members during a poster session. NASA/James Blair The 51 selected students kicked off the anniversary celebration with a poster session to present their Moonshot projects. Following the session, students heard from Johnson Center Director Vanessa Wyche and Deputy Director Steve Koerner during a fireside chat. Speakers included Pam Melroy, NASA Deputy Administrator; Arturo Sanchez, Johnson External Relations Office Director; Mike Kincaid, NASA OSTEM Associate Administrator; Greg Bonnen, member of the Texas House of Representatives; Brian Freedman, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership President; and Shelly Tornquist, director of Texas A&M University College of Engineering’s education outreach program, Spark! NASA astronaut Mike Fincke meets with 2024 High School Aerospace Scholars.NASA/Helen Arase Vargas Other notable attendees included NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, HAS activity managers from the past 25 years, and current HAS activity manager, Jakarda Varnado. Continuing the celebration, HAS hosted the second annual Alumni Social on Wednesday, July 31 encouraging current and former HAS students and mentors to connect over lunch. The annual student rocket launch was also held onsite on Thursday, August 1. 2024 High School Aerospace Scholars prepare their model rockets for launch during the program’s on-site activities at Johnson Space Center. NASA/Josh Valcarcel Additionally, the HAS team activated a mobile exhibit at two different on-site locations throughout the week. Over 150 guests stopped by the exhibit, which featured a HAS video montage and the opportunity to touch a lunar sample. Several of the visitors communicated their appreciation for HAS, noting the program has made significant impact on their children’s motivation, school performance, and career paths. Many alumni have gone on to pursue careers within STEM, including nearly 30 HAS participants who have been employed by NASA within the past five years. 2024 High School Aerospace Scholars connected with program alumni and HAS mentors during the Alumni Social held onsite at Johnson Space Center. NASA/Helen Arase Vargas For alumni who wish to continue their experience beyond the year-long program, HAS recently launched a mentorship course, for high school seniors. The course contains modules about leadership and STEM career opportunities and was designed to continue to engage the students as they prepare for the next step in their education or to launch their careers. Alumni also act as an additional layer of support for the junior scholars as they navigate their HAS experience. HAS is made possible through collaborations among NASA, the State of Texas, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and Rotary National Award for Space Achievement. Applications will reopen in September for students interested in participating in the 2025 HAS experience. View the full article

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) In a series of baseline flights beginning on June 24, 2024, the G-IV aircraft flew over the Antelope Valley to analyze aircraft performance. To accommodate a new radar instrument developed by JPL, NASA’s Airborne Science Program has selected the Gulfstream-IV aircraft to be modified and operated by Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California and will accommodate new instrumentation on board in support of the agency’s science mission directorate. Baseline flights began at NASA Armstrong in June 2024NASA/Carla Thomas In June 2024, a new tail number swept the sky above NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Pilots conducted flights of a Gulfstream IV (G-IV) to evaluate its handling characteristics and to familiarize pilots with it before it begins structural modifications. The research plane is joining the center’s fleet serving NASA’s Airborne Science program. The G-IV will carry the Next Generation Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR-NG), which sends and receives microwave signals to collect information about Earth’s topographic features and how they change over time. The goal for the team at NASA Armstrong is to modify the G-IV to accommodate three radars simultaneously. “The AIRSAR-NG will be composed of three different Synthetic Aperture Radar antennas in one instrument to provide new insight into Earth’s surface more efficiently,” said Yunling Lou, principal investigator for the instrument at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “The capabilities of this new instrument will facilitate new techniques, such as three-dimensional imaging, that will be useful for future space-borne missions.” With those and other modifications being made, the G-IV will also be able to accommodate an increased load of science instruments, which could enable NASA to support more dynamic airborne science missions. “This aircraft will aid Armstrong in continuing our long history of supporting airborne science for the agency and maintain the expertise in conducting successful science missions for years to come,” said Franzeska Becker, the G-IV project manager at NASA Armstrong. Transferred in February from NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, the G-IV will undergo additional modifications overseen by NASA Armstrong’s team. Their goal is to enrich the agency’s airborne science program by outfitting the aircraft to function as a more capable and versatile research platform. The knowledge and expertise of professionals at NASA centers like Armstrong (G-IV, ER-2, C-20) and Langley (777, G-III) will help enable the agency to produce a well-defined and airworthy platform for science instruments and airborne science missions. Learn more about NASA’s Airborne Science program Learn more about NASA’s AirSar project Share Details Last Updated Aug 29, 2024 EditorDede DiniusContactErica HeimLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related TermsArmstrong Flight Research CenterNASA AircraftScience in the AirScience Mission Directorate Explore More 2 min read First NASA-Supported Researcher to Fly on Suborbital Rocket Article 24 hours ago 7 min read NASA Project in Puerto Rico Trains Students in Marine Biology Article 1 day ago 6 min read Work Is Under Way on NASA’s Next-Generation Asteroid Hunter Article 1 day ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center Armstrong Programs & Projects Armstrong Technologies Armstrong Flight Research Center History View the full article

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership The Suomi NPP satellite acquired this image of a plume of Saharan dust as winds lofted it over the Atlantic Ocean on Aug. 24, 2024. The Sahara Desert is Earth’s largest source of airborne dust, and the particles can travel for thousands of miles. From late spring to early fall, it is common for the dry, dusty Saharan Air Layer to carry the particles westward across the Atlantic Ocean high in the atmosphere. Saharan Air Layer activity subsides after mid-August, according to NOAA, making it less likely that the plume shown here is bound for a transoceanic journey. Instead, it arcs to the north after blowing out over the ocean. Earlier in the summer, however, several clouds of fine dust from the Sahara reached the United States, creating hazy skies over Texas. Read more about Saharan dust and why it’s interesting to scientists. Text Credit: Lindsey Doermann Image Credit: NASA/Lauren Dauphin, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership View the full article

The stars in the big Wyoming skies inspired Aaron Vigil as a child to dream big. Today, he’s a mechanical engineer working on the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope at Goddard. Name: Aaron Vigil Title: Mechanical Engineer Formal Job Classification: Aerospace Technology, Flight Structures Organization: Mechanical Engineering, Engineering and Technology Directorate (Code 543) Aaron Vigil is a mechanical engineer at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Photo courtesy of Aaron Vigil What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission? I currently work on the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. I support daily integration and testing tasks related to the SASS assembly. I spend a lot of my time working with Goddard mechanical technicians and other engineers to execute test plans and procedures to assemble, test, and integrate SASS hardware. What interests you about space? I grew up in rural Wyoming. I did a lot of hiking, hunting, fishing, and camping. We were on the mountains constantly. I remember being up at night, sitting around the campfire with my family, looking up at the stars. I was fascinated and captivated! I wanted to learn more about space. “I currently work on the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope,” said Aaron. “I support daily integration and testing tasks related to the SASS assembly.”Photo credit: NASA/Chris Gunn What brought you to Goddard? In 2019, I began a B.S. in mechanical engineering at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. In the spring of 2020, I reached out to an organization at the University of Wyoming looking for opportunities to further my education in the field of aerospace. They introduced me to the Wyoming Space Grand Consortium and, through their website, I learned of and applied to be a NASA Office of STEM Engagement intern in the spring of 2021. I received an offer and, in the summer of 2021, began working as a remote intern at Goddard on the 3D modeling and rendering of early spacecraft. How did the Hispanic Advisory Committee for Employees (HACE) introduce you to the Pathways Program? The summer of 2021, the different employee advisory committees at Goddard held presentations for the interns. I am Hispanic; I naturally gravitated towards HACE and fell in love with the extremely warm community they provided. I attended their monthly meetings and I presented to the center at their end of the summer intern presentation. HACE introduced me to the Pathways Program, and the organization was instrumental in my becoming a Pathways student intern. This Pathways internship eventually led to my conversion to a fulltime employee and my current position in the Mechanical Engineering Branch here at Goddard. What one piece of advice would you give to a new intern? Never be afraid to ask questions and always seek out new connections. Goddard is a well of knowledge, you can learn and grow a lot from those around you. Tell us about your mentorship at Goddard. Jack Marshall is an aerospace engineer and the lead for SASS. When I was an intern, he showed me a glimpse into the world of engineering, providing perspective on all aspects of the project from administrative to technical. He continues to guide my engineering journey and has been instrumental in developing me into the engineer I am today. I am incredibly grateful to Jack for his welcome and his guidance. What is the coolest part about your job? The best parts about my job are the people I get to work with and the hardware we get to build. Whether we’re in a small lab in Goddard’s integration and testing facility or a large clean room, I get to spend most of my days working with incredible people to build, test, and integrate flight hardware. Every day there is something to be excited about and someone I get to work with who is likely to teach me something new. That excitement makes my work fun. It’s also fun to work in facilities like the largest clean room at Goddard, where the James Webb Space Telescope was built. It was interesting getting used to being gowned up. You start with removing electronics and putting on a face mask, hair net, and shoe covers, before taking a quick air shower. Next comes the hood, coveralls, and boots, before taping your gloves and finally entering the clean room. Related: Solar Panels for NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Pass Key Tests “Whether we’re in a small lab in Goddard’s integration and testing facility or a large clean room, I get to spend most of my days working with incredible people to build, test, and integrate flight hardware,” said Aaron. “Every day there is something to be excited about and someone I get to work with who is likely to teach me something new.”Photo credit: NASA/Jolearra Tshiteya What do you hope to be doing in five years? I would hope to have the opportunity to continue learning and working here at Goddard. I love what I do, and I hope to help others interested, find a similar path to NASA. What do you do fun? I still love to go fishing and hiking any chance I get and have been looking forward to doing more here in Maryland. Since moving to the area, I have also been enjoying attending Nationals baseball games in D.C., and I have been looking for opportunities to continuing to play music since graduating college. Aaron Vigil plays the sousaphone at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Photo courtesy of Aaron Vigil Who inspires you? My biggest inspirations have been my parents and grandparents, without them I would not be where I am today. I cannot thank them enough. They provided me my foundation and have supported me throughout my life, encouraging me to never give up. They have always had my back. I also want to thank my Wyoming community where I grew up and my early mentors within that community. What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words. Grounded by roots, but always growing. By Elizabeth M. Jarrell NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage. Share Details Last Updated Aug 29, 2024 EditorMadison OlsonContactRob Garnerrob.garner@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related TermsPeople of GoddardGoddard Space Flight CenterNancy Grace Roman Space TelescopePeople of NASA Explore More 9 min read Veronica T. Pinnick Put NASA’s PACE Mission through Its Paces Article 5 months ago 7 min read Tyler Parsotan Takes a Long Look at the Transient Universe with NASA’s Swift Article 1 week ago 7 min read Xiaoyi Li Engineers Instruments and the Teams that Get Them Done Instrument Systems Engineer Xiaoyi Li leads technical teams united by a common vision to achieve… Article 2 weeks ago View the full article

A prototype of a robot built to access underwater areas where Antarctic ice shelves meet land is lowered through the ice during a field test north of Alaska in March. JPL is developing the concept, called IceNode, to take melt-rate measurements that would improve the accuracy of sea level rise projections.U.S. Navy/Scott Barnes Conducted through the U.S. Navy Arctic Submarine Laboratory’s biennial Ice Camp, this field test marked IceNode’s first in a polar environment. The team hopes to one day deploy a fleet of the autonomous robots beneath Antarctic ice shelves.U.S. Navy/Scott Barnes Called IceNode, the project envisions a fleet of autonomous robots that would help determine the melt rate of ice shelves. On a remote patch of the windy, frozen Beaufort Sea north of Alaska, engineers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California huddled together, peering down a narrow hole in a thick layer of sea ice. Below them, a cylindrical robot gathered test science data in the frigid ocean, connected by a tether to the tripod that had lowered it through the borehole. This test gave engineers a chance to operate their prototype robot in the Arctic. It was also a step toward the ultimate vision for their project, called IceNode: a fleet of autonomous robots that would venture beneath Antarctic ice shelves to help scientists calculate how rapidly the frozen continent is losing ice — and how fast that melting could cause global sea levels to rise. Warming Waters, Treacherous Terrain If melted completely, Antarctica’s ice sheet would raise global sea levels by an estimated 200 feet (60 meters). Its fate represents one of the greatest uncertainties in projections of sea level rise. Just as warming air temperatures cause melting at the surface, ice also melts when in contact with warm ocean water circulating below. To improve computer models predicting sea level rise, scientists need more accurate melt rates, particularly beneath ice shelves — miles-long slabs of floating ice that extend from land. Although they don’t add to sea level rise directly, ice shelves crucially slow the flow of ice sheets toward the ocean. A remote camera captured an IceNode prototype deployed below the frozen surface of Lake Superior, off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, during a field test in 2022. The three thin legs of the robot’s “landing gear” affix the prototype to the icy ceiling.NASA/JPL-Caltech The challenge: The places where scientists want to measure melting are among Earth’s most inaccessible. Specifically, scientists want to target the underwater area known as the “grounding zone,” where floating ice shelves, ocean, and land meet — and to peer deep inside unmapped cavities where ice may be melting the fastest. The treacherous, ever-shifting landscape above is dangerous for humans, and satellites can’t see into these cavities, which are sometimes beneath a mile of ice. IceNode is designed to solve this problem. “We’ve been pondering how to surmount these technological and logistical challenges for years, and we think we’ve found a way,” said Ian Fenty, a JPL climate scientist and IceNode’s science lead. “The goal is getting data directly at the ice-ocean melting interface, beneath the ice shelf.” Floating Fleet Harnessing their expertise in designing robots for space exploration, IceNode’s engineers are developing vehicles about 8 feet (2.4 meters) long and 10 inches (25 centimeters) in diameter, with three-legged “landing gear” that springs out from one end to attach the robot to the underside of the ice. The robots don’t feature any form of propulsion; instead, they would position themselves autonomously with the help of novel software that uses information from models of ocean currents. JPL’s IceNode project is designed for one of Earth’s most inaccessible locations: underwater cavities deep beneath Antarctic ice shelves. The goal is getting melt-rate data directly at the ice-ocean interface in areas where ice may be melting the fastest. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Released from a borehole or a vessel in the open ocean, the robots would ride those currents on a long journey beneath an ice shelf. Upon reaching their targets, the robots would each drop their ballast and rise to affix themselves to the bottom of the ice. Their sensors would measure how fast warm, salty ocean water is circulating up to melt the ice, and how quickly colder, fresher meltwater is sinking. The IceNode fleet would operate for up to a year, continuously capturing data, including seasonal fluctuations. Then the robots would detach themselves from the ice, drift back to the open ocean, and transmit their data via satellite. “These robots are a platform to bring science instruments to the hardest-to-reach locations on Earth,” said Paul Glick, a JPL robotics engineer and IceNode’s principal investigator. “It’s meant to be a safe, comparatively low-cost solution to a difficult problem.” Arctic Field Test While there is additional development and testing ahead for IceNode, the work so far has been promising. After previous deployments in California’s Monterey Bay and below the frozen winter surface of Lake Superior, the Beaufort Sea trip in March 2024 offered the first polar test. Air temperatures of minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 45 Celsius) challenged humans and robotic hardware alike. The test was conducted through the U.S. Navy Arctic Submarine Laboratory’s biennial Ice Camp, a three-week operation that provides researchers a temporary base camp from which to conduct field work in the Arctic environment. As the prototype descended about 330 feet (100 meters) into the ocean, its instruments gathered salinity, temperature, and flow data. The team also conducted tests to determine adjustments needed to take the robot off-tether in future. “We’re happy with the progress. The hope is to continue developing prototypes, get them back up to the Arctic for future tests below the sea ice, and eventually see the full fleet deployed underneath Antarctic ice shelves,” Glick said. “This is valuable data that scientists need. Anything that gets us closer to accomplishing that goal is exciting.” IceNode has been funded through JPL’s internal research and technology development program and its Earth Science and Technology Directorate. JPL is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California. How NASA’s OMG found ocean waters are melting Greenland News Media Contact Melissa Pamer Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 626-314-4928 melissa.pamer@jpl.nasa.gov 2024-115 Share Details Last Updated Aug 29, 2024 Related TermsClimate ChangeClimate ScienceCryosphereEarthJet Propulsion LaboratoryRobotics Explore More 7 min read NASA Project in Puerto Rico Trains Students in Marine Biology Article 23 hours ago 6 min read Work Is Under Way on NASA’s Next-Generation Asteroid Hunter Article 1 day ago 4 min read New NASA Study Tallies Carbon Emissions From Massive Canadian Fires Article 1 day ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

A galactic halo is a loose collection of stars that extends 15 to 20 times beyond the radius of the brightest part of the galaxy. One of the few galaxies with a well-studied stellar halo is our neighbor, Andromeda, depicted here in the graphic. The stellar halo is illustrated with exaggerated brightness and density to show how far it extends. When the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launches, it will be able to use its wide field of view to comprehensively image many more stellar halos of more distant galaxies. NASA, Ralf Crawford (STScI) The universe is a dynamic, ever-changing place where galaxies are dancing, merging together, and shifting appearance. Unfortunately, because these changes take millions or billions of years, telescopes can only provide snapshots, squeezed into a human lifetime. However, galaxies leave behind clues to their history and how they came to be. NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will have the capacity to look for these fossils of galaxy formation with high-resolution imaging of galaxies in the nearby universe. Astronomers, through a grant from NASA, are designing a set of possible observations called RINGS (the Roman Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey) that would collect these remarkable images, and the team is producing publicly available tools that the astronomy community can use once Roman launches and starts taking data. The RINGS survey is a preliminary concept that may or may not be implemented during Roman’s science mission. Roman is uniquely prepared for RINGS due to its resolution akin to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and its wide field of view – – 200 times that of Hubble in the infrared – – making it a sky survey telescope that complements Hubble’s narrow-field capabilities. Galactic Archaeologists Scientists can only look at brief instances in the lives of evolving galaxies that eventually lead to the fully formed galaxies around us today. As a result, galaxy formation can be difficult to track. Luckily, galaxies leave behind hints of their evolution in their stellar structures, almost like how organisms on Earth can leave behind imprints in rock. These galactic “fossils” are groups of ancient stars that hold the history of the galaxy’s formation and evolution, including the chemistry of the galaxy when those stars formed. These cosmic fossils are of particular interest to Robyn Sanderson, the deputy principal investigator of RINGS at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She describes the process of analyzing stellar structures in galaxies as “like going through an excavation and trying to sort out bones and put them back together.” Roman’s high resolution will allow scientists to pick out these galactic fossils, using structures ranging from long tidal tails on a galaxy’s outskirts to stellar streams within the galaxy. These large-scale structures, which Roman is uniquely capable of capturing, can give clues to a galaxy’s merger history. The goal, says Sanderson, is to “reassemble these fossils in order to look back in time and understand how these galaxies came to be.” Shedding Light on Dark Matter RINGS will also enable further investigations of one of the most mysterious substances in the universe: dark matter, an invisible form of matter that makes up most of a galaxy’s mass. A particularly useful class of objects for testing dark matter theories are ultra-faint dwarf galaxies. According to Raja GuhaThakurta of the University of California, Santa Cruz, “Ultra faint dwarf galaxies are so dark matter-dominated that they have very little normal matter for star formation. With so few stars being created, ultra-faint galaxies can essentially be seen as pure blobs of dark matter to study.” Roman, thanks to its large field of view and high resolution, will observe these ultra-faint galaxies to help test multiple theories of dark matter. With these new data, the astronomical community will come closer to finding the truth about this unobservable dark matter that vastly outweighs visible matter: dark matter makes up about 80% of the universe’s matter while normal matter comprises the remaining 20%. Ultra-faint galaxies are far from the only test of dark matter. Often, just looking in an average-sized galaxy’s backyard is enough. Structures in the halo of stars surrounding a galaxy often give hints to the amount of dark matter present. However, due to the sheer size of galactic halos (they are often 15-20 times as big as the galaxy itself), current telescopes are deeply inefficient at observing them. At the moment, the only fully resolved galactic halos scientists have to go on are our own Milky Way and Andromeda, our neighbor galaxy. Ben Williams, the principal investigator of RINGS at the University of Washington in Seattle, describes how Roman’s power will amend this problem: “We only have reliable measurements of the Milky Way and Andromeda, because those are close enough that we can get measurements of a large number of stars distributed across their stellar halos. So, with Roman, all of a sudden we’ll have 100 or more of these fully resolved galaxies.” When Roman launches by May 2027, it is expected to fundamentally alter how scientists understand galaxies. In the process, it will shed some light on our own home galaxy. The Milky Way is easy to study up close, but we do not have a large enough selfie stick to take a photo of our entire galaxy and its surrounding halo. RINGS shows what Roman is capable of should such a survey be approved. By studying the nearby universe, RINGS can examine galaxies similar in size and age to the Milky Way, and shed light on how we came to be here. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is managed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, with participation by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech/IPAC in Southern California, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, and a science team comprising scientists from various research institutions. The primary industrial partners are BAE Systems, Inc in Boulder, Colorado; L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York; and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging in Thousand Oaks, California. By Patt Molinari Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Media contact: Claire Andreoli claire.andreoli@nasa.gov NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 301-286-1940 Ann Jenkins Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Christine Pulliam Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Explore More 5 min read NASA Telescope to Help Untangle Galaxy Growth, Dark Matter Makeup Article 2 years ago 5 min read Millions of Galaxies Emerge in New Simulated Images From NASA’s Roman Article 1 year ago 5 min read How NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Will Rewind the Universe Article 1 year ago Share Details Last Updated Aug 29, 2024 EditorAshley BalzerContactAshley Balzerashley.m.balzer@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related TermsNancy Grace Roman Space TelescopeDark MatterGalaxiesStarsThe Universe View the full article

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Texas High School Aerospace Scholars get a virtual view of an extravehicular activity (EVA) suit in testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Photo credit: NASA/Helen Arase Vargas Explore the universe this fall without leaving your classroom through live virtual engagements with NASA space and aviation experts. NASA is offering a new lineup of stellar virtual experiences to spark STEM excitement and connect students with the agency’s missions, science, careers, and more. The virtual engagements, managed by NASA’s Next Gen STEM project, are free to join and open to both formal and informal education groups. These options are sure to launch your students’ love of STEM: NASA Back-to-School Career Day (Grades K-12) On Sept. 26, NASA is hosting a Back-to-School Career Day showcasing a variety of NASA careers with virtual tours of agency facilities, live Q&A with experts, and more. Open to K-12 formal and informal education organizations, the registration deadline is Thursday, Sept. 5. In addition to the live event, the interactive platform will be available from Monday, Sept. 23, through Friday, Sept. 27. Europa Clipper Launch Virtual Watch Party (All Grade Levels) NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft is scheduled to launch no earlier than Oct. 10 on a mission to investigate whether Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, could contain the building blocks needed to support life. The launch window opens on Oct. 10 during the school day at 12:32 p.m. EDT, and your classroom can be part of this pioneering mission. Sign up to watch the launch online, visit Europa Clipper’s Participation Hub for more opportunities, and find additional resources on Europa Clipper’s Kids Resources Hub. NQuest Virtual Workshops (Grades 6-8) NQuest offers 45-minute virtual workshops every Monday and Thursday. Available on a first-come, first-served basis, these free workshops include a live presentation, captivating NASA videos, and a hands-on activity to bring STEM concepts to life. All you need is a laptop, projector, and basic classroom supplies. Workshops can be scheduled to fit your school’s bell schedule between 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. EDT. Register your class by Oct. 11. “Astro-Not-Yets” Virtual Classroom Connections (Grades K-4) Introduce your students to the Astro-Not-Yets, a series of short stories that teach students about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. In each of these monthly virtual events, a NASA expert whose job relates to the story will read the book to students, then answer their questions. Wednesday, Oct. 23: The Astro-Not-Yets! Explore Sound. Students will learn how sound travels and experiment with transmitting sound through a string-cup phone. Registration deadline: Wednesday, Oct. 9. Wednesday, Nov. 20: Astro-Not-Yets! Explore Energy. Students will learn how spacecraft safely bring astronauts home from space, then design and test their own system to safely land an egg on the ground. Registration deadline: Wednesday, Nov. 6. Wednesday, Dec. 11: Astro-Not-Yets! Explore Microgravity. Students will learn all about gravity, microgravity, and the International Space Station. Registration deadline: Wednesday, Nov. 27. “First Women” Virtual Classroom Connections (Grades 5-12) This series introduces some of the women at NASA who have made significant achievements in STEM. Students get to hear their stories first-hand and ask them questions in a live Q&A. Wednesday, Oct. 16: Meet NASA’s first female launch director, Charlie Blackwell-Thompson. She led the launch team during the uncrewed Artemis I mission around the Moon in 2022. Now, she and her team are preparing for the first crewed Artemis mission, Artemis II. Registration deadline: Monday, Sept. 30. Wednesday, Nov. 6: Meet Laurie A. Grindle and learn about NASA’s first X-43A Guinness world record. Today, Grindle is deputy center director at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, but in 2004, the X-43A aircraft she and her team developed set the Guinness World Record for “the fastest air-breathing aircraft” twice in one year. Registration deadline: Monday, Oct. 21. Wednesday, Dec. 4: Meet Dr. Ruth Jones, NASA’s 2024 Wings of Excellence Awardee. Jones will share her experience as a woman in STEM and tell students what it was like to become the first woman to earn a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Registration deadline: Monday, Nov. 18. Surprisingly STEM Career Explorations Virtual Events (Grades 5-12) The Surprisingly STEM video series highlights some of NASA’s many unexpected careers. In these events, experts from the videos discuss their unusual and exciting jobs and share their journeys that led them to NASA. Thursday, Oct. 24: Soft robotics engineer Jim Neilan explains the importance of soft robotics in human spaceflight and some of the role’s critical skills. Registration deadline: Friday, Oct. 18. Thursday, Nov. 14: Exploration geologist Angela Garcia takes students behind the scenes of her job training NASA astronauts to explore for the “crater” good of humanity. Registration deadline: Thursday, Nov. 7. Thursday, Dec. 12: Memory metal engineer Othmane Benafan explains how he “trains” metal to bend, stretch, and twist when prompted, and how this technology benefits NASA missions. Registration deadline: Thursday, Dec. 5. Bring NASA Experts Into the Classroom (All Grades) NASA recently launched NASA Engages, a new, database-driven platform designed to connect a wide range of audiences with experts from across the space agency – both virtually and in person. Available to classrooms from preschool to college, informal education organizations such as libraries and science centers, and other eligible groups, NASA Engages enables educators and group leaders to find inspirational guest speakers, knowledgeable science fair judges, and more. There’s More to Explore Find student challenges, hands-on activities, and more opportunities on the Learning Resources website managed by NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement. Visit How Do I Navigate NASA Learning Resources and Opportunities? to explore additional platforms and offerings to enhance your STEM curriculum. Subscribe to the weekly NASA EXPRESS e-newsletter to discover the latest events, resources, and other opportunities to bring NASA into your classroom. Explore More 7 min read NASA Project in Puerto Rico Trains Students in Marine Biology Article 20 hours ago 3 min read Eclipse Soundscapes AudioMoth Donations Will Study Nature at Night During the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse, approximately 770 AudioMoth recording devices were used… Article 22 hours ago 10 min read 40 Years Ago: President Reagan Announces Teacher in Space Project Article 2 days ago View the full article

2 min read Hubble Observes An Oddly Organized Satellite NASA, ESA, and E. Skillman (University of Minnesota – Twin Cities; Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America) Andromeda III is one of at least 13 dwarf satellite galaxies in orbit around the Andromeda galaxy, or Messier 31, the Milky Way’s closest grand spiral galactic neighbor. Andromeda III is a faint, spheroidal collection of old, reddish stars that appears devoid of new star formation and younger stars. In fact, Andromeda III seems to be only about 3 billion years younger than the majority of globular clusters ― dense knots of stars thought to have been mostly born at the same time, which contain some of the oldest stars known in the universe. Astronomers suspect that dwarf spheroidal galaxies may be leftovers of the kind of cosmic objects that were shredded and melded by gravitational interactions to build the halos of large galaxies. Curiously, studies have found that several of the Andromeda Galaxy’s dwarf galaxies, including Andromeda III, orbit in a flat plane around the galaxy, like the planets in our solar system orbit around the Sun. The alignment is puzzling because models of galaxy formation don’t show dwarf galaxies falling into such orderly formations, but rather moving around the galaxy randomly in all directions. As they slowly lose energy, the dwarf galaxies merge into the larger galaxy. The odd alignment could be because many of Andromeda’s dwarf galaxies fell into orbit around it as a single group, or because the dwarf galaxies are scraps left over from the merger of two larger galaxies. Either of these theories, which are being researched via NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, would complicate theories of galaxy formation but also help guide and refine future models. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope took this image of Andromeda III as part of an investigation into the star formation and chemical enrichment histories of a sample of M31 dwarf spheroidal galaxies that compared their first episodes of star formation to those of Milky Way satellite galaxies. Download Image Explore More Hubble’s Galaxies Facebook logo @NASAHubble @NASAHubble Instagram logo @NASAHubble Media Contact: Claire Andreoli NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD claire.andreoli@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 29, 2024 Editor Michelle Belleville Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Astrophysics Galaxies Goddard Space Flight Center Hubble Space Telescope Stars Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Hubble Space Telescope Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble Science Hubble’s Galaxies Stars View the full article

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions The Solar System The Sun Mercury Venus Earth The Moon Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto & Dwarf Planets Asteroids, Comets & Meteors The Kuiper Belt The Oort Cloud 4 min read Sols 4289-4290: From Discovery Pinnacle to Kings Canyon and Back Again This image shows the workspace in front of NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity, taken by the Left Navigation Camera aboard the rover on sol 4287 — Martian day 4,287 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — on Aug. 28, 2024, at 02:23:27 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Earth planning date: Wednesday, Aug. 28 2024 We are back … almost, anyways. Today’s parking location is very close to where we parked on sol 4253, and in an area near one of the previous contact science targets “Discovery Pinnacle.” You can read in this blog post that most of the team, this blogger included, was in Pasadena for our team meeting when we were last in this area. That was July and Curiosity was about to turn 12 on Mars. Coming back is a very rare occasion and is always planned carefully. Once or twice during the last 12 years it happened because we saw something “in the rear mirror.” One of the examples is the target “Old Soaker,” where we spotted mud cracks in the images from a previous parking position, and promptly went back because this was such an important discovery. At other times it was carefully planned, such as the “walkabout” at “Pink Cliffs,” which you can watch in this video from as long back as Earth year 2015. In the past few planning cycles, it’s more of the latter as we made our way from Discovery Pinnacle, where we were on sol 4253, “Just passing through” “Russell Pass” and arriving at “Kings Canyon,” our drill location, which we reached on sol 4257. You can follow all the action of the drilling at Kings Canyon on the blogs. It took a while — it always does — because it’s an activity with many steps and investigations to complete. We actually celebrated Curiosity’s 12th birthday at Kings Canyon! We departed on sol 4283, came back via “Cathedral Peak,” and are now near the Discovery Pinnacle location again. After that little walkabout through the history of (some) of Curiosity’s walkabouts, especially the very last one, let’s look at today’s plan. It is a pretty normal two-sol plan, with a one-hour science block before we drive away from this location. We were greeted by a nicely flat surface, and the engineers informed us that we have all six wheels firmly on flat and stable ground. That’s always a relief, because only then can we use the arm. That nice piece of flat rock Curiosity is so firmly parked on became our science target …well, mostly. Some of the little pebbles on the surface attracted our attention, too. The very eagle-eyed can spot a small white spot in the image above. It’s right between the arm and the rover itself, about where the C is written. That’s a rock that we likely broke up with our wheel and that has a very white part to it. We called it “Thousand Island Lake,” and will image it with MAHLI. APXS is investigating a target called “Eichorn Pinnacle,” squarely on the big flat area. LIBS is also making the most of the large target underneath and in front of us, investigating the target “Nine Lakes Basin.” In recent blogs you will have read about the dust-storm watch making the atmospheric investigations even more important, so we don’t miss any changes. We are looking for dust devils, atmospheric opacity, and are of course monitoring the weather throughout the plan. Our drive will hopefully — if Mars agrees — be a long one, and we will also plan an activity that we call MARDI sidewalk. That’s when we take very frequent pictures with the MARDI instrument while driving. This results in a long strip of images nicely showing the nature of the terrain the rover has driven over. This is in addition to the MARDI single frame we are taking every time the rover stops. I often get the question, why are we taking an image just downwards whenever the rover stops? Well, humans are easy to bias toward the outliers, toward the things that look special, and of course the Curiosity team is no exception. For some things this is great, because it allows for the discoveries of new things. But it doesn’t provide an unbiased overview. That’s what MARDI does: It always points down and reliably records the terrain under the rover. We don’t have to do anything but put the commands for that one image into our plan after the drive — something that’s pretty routine after 12 years now! Written by Susanne Schwenzer, Planetary Geologist at The Open University Share Details Last Updated Aug 29, 2024 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 3 min read Sols 4287-4288: Back on the Road Article 1 day ago 3 min read Perseverance Kicks off the Crater Rim Campaign! Perseverance is officially headed into a new phase of scientific investigation on the Jezero Crater… Article 2 days ago 4 min read Sols 4284–4286: Environmental Science Extravaganza Article 3 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four… View the full article

Home ASSURE 2016 has successfully concluded. UPDATES New! 2016-09-30: ASSURE 2016 concluded successfully. The accepted papers appear in the SAFECOMP 2016 Workshop Proceedings. Thank you for attending! See you in 2017. 2016-07-18: Clive Tomsett, Clinical Strategist at the Cerner Corporation, will give an invited keynote talk! 2016-07-18: The ASSURE 2016 Program has been announced. The final program is contingent on registration. If you haven’t already done so, please register for ASSURE 2016 via SAFECOMP 2016. 2016-06-08: ASSURE 2016 will be held on Tuesday, Sep. 20, 2016. The accepted papers and program will be posted here soon. 2016-06-07: Authors of accepted papers have been notified. The final, camera-ready version and a signed copyright release form are due on June 20, 2016. Instructions on submitting both the final version and the copyright form have been posted. 2016-05-26: Paper submission deadlines have passed. Submission is now closed. 2016-05-16: ASSURE deadlines have been extended by to May 26, 2016. Submit a paper now! 2016-03-28: The deadline to submit papers to ASSURE 2016 is May 17, 2016. 2016-03-28: The ASSURE 2016 call for papers, and the paper submission guidelines are now available. 2016-03-07: The ASSURE 2016 website is live! Introduction The 4th International Workshop on Assurance Cases for Software-intensive Systems (ASSURE 2016) is being collocated this year with SAFECOMP 2016, and aims to provide an international forum for high-quality contributions on the application of assurance case principles and techniques to provide assurance that the dependability properties of critical, software-intensive systems have been met. The main goals of the workshop are to: Explore techniques for the creation and assessment of assurance cases for software-intensive systems Examine the role of assurance cases in the engineering lifecycle of critical systems Identify the dimension of effective practice in the development and evaluation of assurance cases Investigate the relationship between dependability techniques and assurance cases Identify critical research challenges and define a roadmap for future development We invite original, high-quality research, practice, tools and position papers that have not been published/submitted elsewhere. See the full Call for Papers, for more details on topics. Also view the submission deadlines, and guidelines. Program 08:00 – 09:00 Registration 09:00 – 11:00 Session 1. Introduction, Keynote, and Lifecycles 09:00 – 09:10 Welcome and Introduction, ASSURE 2016 Organizers 09:10 – 10:00 Keynote Talk: Rhetoric or Rigor: The Development and Use of Safety Cases in Health IT Clive Tomsett, Cerner Corporation 10:00 – 10:30 The Agile Safety Case, Tor Stålhane and Thor Myklebust 10:30 – 11:00 Towards Faster Maintenance of Safety Cases, Omar Jaradat and Iain Bate 11:00 – 11:30 Morning Coffee/Tea Break 11:30 – 13:00 Session 2. Formal Evidence and Tool Support 11:30 – 12:00 On Using Results of Code­-level Bounded Model Checking in Assurance Cases, Carmen Cârlan, Daniel Ratiu, and Bernhard Schätz 12:00 – 12:30 Configuration­-aware Contracts, Irfan Šljivo, Barbara Gallina, Jan Carlson, and Hans Hansson 12:30 – 13:00 Developing SNS tool for Consensus Building on Environmental Safety using Assurance Cases, Yutaka Matsuno, Yang Ishigaki, Koichi Bando, Hiroyuki Kido, and Kenji Tanaka 13:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break 14:00 – 15:30 Session 3. Applications 14:00 – 14:30 The 6W1H Model as a Basis for Systems Assurance Argument, Shuji Kinoshita and Yoshiki Kinoshita 14:30 – 15:00 The Assurance Timeline: Building Assurance Cases for Synthetic Biology, Myra Cohen, Justin Firestone, and Massimiliano Pierobon 15:00 – 15:30 Towards Safety Case Integration with Hazard Analysis for Medical Devices, Andrzej Wardziński and Aleksander Jarzębowicz 15:30 – 16:00 Afternoon Coffee/Tea Break 16:00 – 17:30 Session 4. Panel and Conclusion 16:00 – 17:15 PANEL: Assurance Challenges for Safety-critical Autonomous Systems Panelists: – Håkon Olsen, Principal Consultant at Lloyd’s Register, Norway – Jérémie Guiochet, Professor at University of Toulouse, France – Marialena Vagia, Research Scientist at SINTEF, Norway – Ovidiu Drugan, Senior Researcher at DNV GL, Norway 17:15 – 17:30 Conclusion and Wrap-Up, ASSURE 2016 Organizers Important Dates Important Dates EVENTDEADLINEWorkshop Papers DueMay 26, 2016Notification of AcceptanceJune 7, 2016Camera-ready Copies DueJune 20, 2016ASSURE 2016 WorkshopSeptember 20, 2016SAFECOMP 2016September 20 – 23, 2016 ASSURE 2016 Call for Papers Software plays a key role in high-risk systems, e.g., safety-, and security-critical systems. Several certification standards/guidelines now recommend and/or mandate the development of assurance cases for software-intensive systems, e.g., defense (UK MoD DS-0056), aviation (CAP 760, FAA’s operational approval guidance for unmanned aircraft systems), automotive (ISO 26262), and healthcare (FDA infusion pumps total product lifecycle guidance). As such, there is a need to develop models, techniques and tools that target the development of assurance arguments for software. The goals of the 2016 Workshop on Assurance Cases for Software-intensive Systems (ASSURE 2016) are to: explore techniques for creating/assessing assurance cases for software-intensive systems; examine the role of assurance cases in the engineering lifecycle of critical systems; identify the dimensions of effective practice in the development and evaluation of assurance cases; investigate the relationship between dependability techniques and assurance cases; and, identify critical research challenges and define a roadmap for future development. We solicit high-quality contributions: research, practice, tools and position papers on the application of assurance case principles and techniques to assure that the dependability properties of critical software-intensive systems have been met. Papers should attempt to address the workshop goals in general. Topics Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Assurance issues in emerging paradigms, e.g., adaptive and autonomous systems, including self-driving cars, unmanned aircraft systems, complex health care and decision making systems, etc. Standards: Industry guidelines and standards are increasingly requiring the development of assurance cases, e.g., the automotive standard ISO 26262 and the FDA guidance on the total product lifecycle for infusion pumps. Certification and Regulations: The role and usage of assurance cases in the certification of critical systems, as well as to show compliance to regulations. Dependable architectures: How do fault-tolerant architectures and design measures such as diversity and partitioning relate to assurance cases? Dependability analysis: What are the relationships between dependability analysis techniques and the assurance case paradigm? Tools: Using the output from software engineering tools (testing, formal verification, code generators) as evidence in assurance cases / using tools for the modeling, analysis and management of assurance cases. Application of formal techniques to create and analyze arguments. Exploration of relevant techniques for assurance cases for real-time, concurrent, and distributed systems. Modeling and Metamodeling: Representation of structured arguments through meta models, such as OMG’s Structured Assurance Case Metamodel (SACM). Assurance of software quality attributes, e.g., safety, security and maintainability, as well as dependability in general, including tradeoffs, and exploring notions of the quality of assurance cases themselves. Domain-specific assurance issues, in domains such as aerospace, automotive, healthcare, defense and power. Reuse and Modularization: Contracts and patterns for improving the reuse of assurance case structures. Connections between the Goal Structuring Notation for assurance cases, and goal-orientation from the requirements engineering community. Submit Submission Instructions for Accepted Papers If your paper has been accepted for the ASSURE 2016 Program, please follow the instructions below, when preparing your final, camera-ready paper for the proceedings. 1. Deadline The final paper and the signed copyright form are due on June 20, 2016. This is a firm deadline for the production of the proceedings. 2. Copyright Release Authors must fill and sign the Springer “Consent to Publish” copyright release form using the following information: Title of the Book or Conference Name: Computer Safety, Reliability, and Security – SAFECOMP 2016 Workshops – ASSURE, CYBERSUP, DECSoS, SASSUR, and TIPS Volume Editor(s): Amund Skavhaug, Jérémie Guiochet, Erwin Schoitsch, Friedemann Bitsch One author may sign on behalf of all authors. Springer does not accept digital signatures, unfortunately. Please physically sign the form, scan, and email it in PDF or any acceptable image format, to the SAFECOMP 2016 Publication Chair by the deadline above. Alternatively, upload the signed, and completed form via EasyChair using your author account. 3. Corresponding Authors Please nominate a corresponding author, whose name and email address must be included in the email containing the copyright release form. This author will be responsible for checking the pre-print proof of your paper prepared by Springer. 4. Pre-print Checking The publisher has recently introduced an extra control loop: once data processing is finished, they will contact all corresponding authors and ask them to check their papers. We expect this to happen shortly before the printing of the proceedings. At that time your quick interaction with Springer-Verlag will be greatly appreciated. 5. Formatting and Page Limits Please do not change the spacing and dimensions associated with the paper template files. Please ensure that your paper meets the page limits for your paper type. Regular research/practice papers: 12 pages including figures, references, and appendices. Tools papers: 10 pages, including figures, references, and appendices. Position papers: 4 – 6 pages including figures, references, and any appendices. 6. Final Paper Submission Submit your camera ready paper using your EasyChair author account, for inclusion into the Workshop Proceedings. After you have logged in, follow the “Proceedings” tab in the top panel. Springer reserves the right to reformat your paper to meet their print and digital publication requirements. Consequently, you will need to submit all the source files associated with your paper. Follow the instructions after the login for uploading two files: either a zipped file containing all your LaTeX sources or a Word file in the RTF format, and a PDF version of your camera-ready paper. Please strictly follow the LNCS paper formatting guidelines when preparing the final version. Committees Workshop Chairs Ewen Denney, SGT / NASA Ames, USA Ibrahim Habli, University of York, UK Ganesh Pai, SGT / NASA Ames, USA Program Committee (Login) Ersin Ancel, NASA Langley Research Center, USA Robin Bloomfield, City University, UK Reece Clothier, RMIT, Australia Martin Feather, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USA Jérémie Guiochet, LAAS-CNRS, France Richard Hawkins, University of York, UK Tim Kelly, University of York, UK Yoshiki Kinoshita, Kanagawa University, Japan John Knight, University of Virginia, USA Helen Monkhouse, Protean Electric Ltd., UK Andrew Rae, Griffith University, Australia Roger Rivett, Jaguar Land Rover, UK John Rushby, SRI, USA Mark-Alexander Sujan, University of Warwick, UK Kenji Taguchi, AIST, Japan Alan Wassyng, McMaster University, Canada Sean White, Health and Social Care Information Centre, UK Previous ASSURE Workshops ASSURE 2015, Delft, The Netherlands ASSURE 2014, Naples, Italy ASSURE 2013, San Francisco, USA Contact Us If you have questions about paper topics, submission and/or about ASSURE 2016 in general, please contact the Workshop Organizers. View the full article

Home ASSURE 2015 has successfully concluded. UPDATES 2015-10-05: ASSURE 2015 concluded successfully. The accepted papers appear in the SAFECOMP 2015 Workshop Proceedings. Thank you for attending! See you in 2016. 2015-06-24: Pippa Moore of the UK Civil Aviation Authority will give an invited keynote talk! 2015-06-24: The ASSURE 2015 Program has been announced. The final program is contingent on registration. If you haven’t already done so, please register for ASSURE 2015 via SAFECOMP 2015. 2015-06-15: ASSURE 2015 will be held on Tuesday, Sep. 22, 2015. The accepted papers and program will be posted here soon. 2015-06-15: Authors of accepted papers have been notified. Final, camera-ready copies and the copyright form are due on June 28, 2015 June 30, 2015. 2015-06-04: Paper submission deadlines have passed. Submission is now closed. 2015-05-28: SAFECOMP 2015 has extended all workshop deadlines, including for ASSURE 2015, by another week to June 3, 2015. 2015-05-19: ASSURE deadlines have been extended by a week to May 29, 2015. 2015-03-13: The ASSURE 2015 call for papers, and the paper submission guidelines are now available. 2015-03-12: The deadline to submit papers to ASSURE 2015 is May 22, 2015. 2015-03-05: The ASSURE 2015 website is live! Introduction ASSURE 2015, collocated this year with SAFECOMP 2015, aims to provide an international forum for high-quality contributions on the application of assurance case principles and techniques to assure that the dependability properties of critical, software-intensive systems have been met. The main goals of the workshop are to: Explore techniques for the creation and assessment of assurance cases for software-intensive systems Examine the role of assurance cases in the engineering lifecycle of critical systems Identify the dimension of effective practice in the development and evaluation of assurance cases Investigate the relationship between dependability techniques and assurance cases Identify critical research challenges and define a roadmap for future development We invite original, high-quality research, practice, tools and position papers that have not been published/submitted elsewhere. See the full Call for Papers, for more details on topics. Also view the submission deadline, and guidelines. Program 08:00 – 09:00 Registration 09:00 – 11:00 Session 1. Keynote and Foundations 09:00 – 09:10 Welcome and Introduction, ASSURE 2015 Organizers 09:10-10:00 Keynote Talk: Do We Really Want To Start From Here? Pippa Moore, UK Civil Aviation Authority 10:00-10:30 Informing Assurance Case Review through a Formal Interpretation of GSN Core Logic, Victor Bandur, and John McDermid 10:30 – 11:00 Representing Confidence in Assurance Case Evidence, Lian Duan, Sanjai Rayadurgam, Mats Heimdahl, Oleg Sokolsky, and Insup Lee 11:00 – 11:30 Morning Coffee/Tea Break 11:30-1:00 Session 2. Methodology and Patterns 11:30 – 12:00 Safe and Sec Case Patterns, Kenji Taguchi, Daisuke Souma, and Hideaki Nishihara 12:00 – 12:30 A Comprehensive Safety Lifecycle, John Knight, Jonathan Rowanhill, Anthony Aiello, and Kimberly Wasson 12:30 – 13:00 An Approach to Assure Dependability Through ArchiMate, Shuichiro Yamamoto 13:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break 14:00 – 15:30 Session 3. Tool Support and Tool Demonstrations 14:00 – 14:30 Tool Support for Assurance Case Building Blocks: Providing a Helping Hand with CAE, Kateryna Netkachova, Oleksandr Netkachov, and Robin Bloomfield 14:30 – 15:00 Safety.Lab: Model-based Domain Specific Tooling for Safety Argumentation, Daniel Ratiu, Marc Zeller, and Lennart Kilian 15:00 – 15:30 A Safety Condition Monitoring System, John Knight, Jonathan Rowanhill, and Jian Xiang 15:30 – 16:00 Afternoon Coffee/Tea Break 16:00 – 16:45 Session 4. Applications and Project Overviews 16:00 – 16:30 Fault Type Refinement for Assurance of Families of Platform-Based Systems, Sam Procter, John Hatcliff, Sandy Weininger, and Anura Fernando 16:30 – 16:37 Safety and Security Assurance in Railway Standards, Kenji Taguchi 16:37 – 16:45 Towards Assurance Arguments of Disaster Management Plans, Shuji Kinoshita 16:45 – 18:00 Session 5. Panel and Conclusion 16:45 – 18:00 PANEL: The Role of Argumentation in Certification and Safety Risk Management, John Birch, JaguarLandRover / AVL; Robin Bloomfield, Adelard and City University; Chris Johnson, University of Glasgow; Yoshiki Kinoshita, Kanagawa University; and Pippa Moore, UK CAA. 18:00 Conclusion and Wrap-Up, ASSURE 2015 Organizers Important Dates EventDeadlineWorkshop Papers DueJune 3, 2015 Now ClosedNotification of AcceptanceJune 15, 2015Camera-ready Copies DueJune 28, 2015 June 30, 2015ASSURE 2015 WorkshopSeptember 22, 2015SAFECOMP 2015September 22 – 25, 2015 Call For Papers Software plays a key role in high-risk systems, e.g., safety-, and security-critical systems. Several certification standards/guidelines now recommend and/or mandate the development of assurance cases for software-intensive systems, e.g., defense (UK MoD DS-0056), aviation (CAP 670. FAA operational approval guidance for unmanned aircraft systems), automotive (ISO 26262), and healthcare (FDA infusion pumps total product lifecycle guidance). As such, there is a need to develop models, techniques and tools that target the development of assurance arguments for software. The goals of the 2015 Workshop on Assurance Cases for Software-intensive Systems (ASSURE 2015) are to: explore techniques for creating/assessing assurance cases for software-intensive systems; examine the role of assurance cases in the engineering lifecycle of critical systems; identify the dimensions of effective practice in the development and evaluation of assurance cases; investigate the relationship between dependability techniques and assurance cases; and, identify critical research challenges and define a roadmap for future development. We solicit high-quality contributions: research, practice, tools and position papers on the application of assurance case principles and techniques to assure that the dependability properties of critical software-intensive systems have been met. Papers should attempt to address the workshop goals in general. Topics Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Standards: Industry guidelines and standards are increasingly requiring the development of assurance cases, e.g., the automotive standard ISO 26262 and the FDA guidance on the total product lifecycle for infusion pumps. Certification and Regulations: The role and usage of assurance cases in the certification of critical systems, as well as to show compliance to regulations. Dependable architectures: How do fault-tolerant architectures and design measures such as diversity and partitioning relate to assurance cases? Dependability analysis: What are the relationships between dependability analysis techniques and the assurance case paradigm? Tools: Using the output from software engineering tools (testing, formal verification, code generators) as evidence in assurance cases / using tools for the modeling, analysis and management of assurance cases. Application of formal techniques to create and analyze arguments. Exploration of relevant techniques for assurance cases for real-time, concurrent, and distributed systems. Assurance issues in emerging computational paradigms, e.g., cloud, mobile, virtual, many-core architectures, and adaptive and autonomous systems. Modeling and Metamodeling: Representation of structured arguments through metamodels, such as OMG’s Structured Assurance Case Metamodel (SACM). Assurance of software quality attributes, e.g., safety, security and maintainability, as well as dependability in general, including tradeoffs, and exploring notions of the quality of assurance cases themselves. Domain-specific assurance issues, in domains such as aerospace, automotive, healthcare, defense and power. Reuse and Modularization: Contracts and patterns for improving the reuse of assurance case structures. Connections between the Goal Structuring Notation for assurance cases, and goal-orientation from the requirements engineering community. Submit Paper submission is now closed. Papers will be peer-reviewed by at least three members of the program committee. Accepted papers will be published in the SAFECOMP 2015 Workshop Proceedings, to be published by Springer, in the Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) Series. Authors of the best papers may be invited to submit an extended version for publication in a special journal issue (tentative). All papers must be original work not published, or in submission, elsewhere. All papers should be submitted only in PDF. Please verify that papers can be reliably printed and/or viewed on screen before submitting. Papers should conform to the LNCS paper formatting guidelines. Regular (research, practice, or position) papers can be up to 12 pages long including figures, references, and any appendices. Tools papers can be up to 10 pages long including figures, references and any appendices. Note: Authors of accepted tools papers will be expected to give a demonstration of the tool(s) at the workshop, i.e., no screenshots. Submit your paper electronically via EasyChair by May 22, 2015 May 29, 2015 June 3, 2015. Note: After logging into EasyChair, select New Submission . Then, be sure to select the track Assurance Cases for Software-intensive Systems to submit a paper to this workshop. Committees Workshop Chairs Ewen Denney, SGT / NASA Ames, USA Ibrahim Habli, University of York, UK Ganesh Pai, SGT / NASA Ames, USA Program Committee (Login) Robin Bloomfield, City University, UK Jérémie Guiochet, LAAS-CNRS, France Richard Hawkins, University of York, UK David Higham, Delphi Diesel Systems, UK Michael Holloway, NASA Langley Research Center, USA Paul Jones, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, USA Tim Kelly, University of York, UK Yoshiki Kinoshita, Kanagawa University, Japan John Knight, University of Virginia, USA Andrew Rae, Griffith University, Australia Roger Rivett, Jaguar Land Rover, UK Christel Seguin, ONERA, France Mark-Alexander Sujan, University of Warwick, UK Kenji Taguchi, AIST, Japan Alan Wassyng, McMaster University, Canada Sean White, Health and Social Care Information Centre, UK Past Workshop ASSURE 2013, San Francisco, USA ASSURE 2014, Naples, Italy Contact Us Contact the Organizers If you have questions about paper topics, submission and/or about ASSURE 2015 in general, please contact the Workshop Organizers. View the full article

27 Min Read The Marshall Star for August 28, 2024 Marshall Leadership Updates Team Members on Culture, Strategy By Wayne Smith Leadership from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center highlighted a successful summer before looking ahead to the center’s culture and strategy during an all-hands meeting Aug. 27 in Building 4316. Marshall Director Joseph Pelfrey recapped milestone events of the past few months, including new hardware for the Artemis II test flight. The launch vehicle stage adapter for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket was rolled out Aug. 21 at Marshall and loaded on to the Pegasus barge. In July, the rocket’s core stage was shipped from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Kenney Space Center. The summer started with a NASA in the Park event in downtown Huntsville that attracted more than 14,000 people to learn more about Marshall’s work and is winding down with the continued celebration of the 25th anniversary of NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Director Joseph Pelfrey, left, speaks to team members during the all-hands meeting Aug. 26 in Building 4316. Joining Pelfrey on stage, from left, are Rae Ann Meyer, deputy director; Roger Baird, associate director; and Larry Leopard, associate director, technical. NASA/Krisdon Manecke Pelfrey also commended Marshall’s Commercial Crew Program team members for their dedicated work and support of NASA’s Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. “I just really appreciate the teams that worked so hard between NASA and Boeing to evaluate issues, and the ultimate decision was about safety,” Pelfrey said. “Those teams did a lot of tremendous work on analysis and testing to bring data to decision makers. Now we will get to move forward.” Before discussing Marshall’s culture and strategy, Pelfrey introduced three new members of Marshall’s leadership team: Davey Jones, center strategy lead; Denise Smithers, center executive officer; and Roger Baird, associate director. Pelfrey said leadership recognizes the vital roles culture and strategy play in the center’s ongoing success as Marshall makes a transformative shift to more strategic partnerships across NASA and with industry. He pointed to activities like NASA 2040 and More to Marshall as the center heads toward its 65th anniversary next summer. “Embracing a supportive work culture enhances collaboration, improves communication, and builds a sense of belonging and purpose,” Pelfrey said. “The center’s leadership team wants culture to come from all of us, so we continue to create opportunities for you to get involved, hear your feedback, and help shape the culture at Marshall.” Rae Ann Meyer, the center’s deputy director, provided updates on Marshall’s culture initiatives. She invited team members to participate in a survey on the most important attributes for a thriving center, following up on feedback from last August. Meyer said leadership wants continued input from team members and applauded Marshall’s highest ever participation (85.1%) in the 2024 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. Marshall team members listen as Meyer, on stage at left, talks about the center’s culture initiatives.NASA/Krisdon Manecke “Regardless of role, each team member plays a vital part in shaping the culture that makes NASA and Marshall an extraordinary place to work and achieve great things,” Meyer said. “Creating a positive culture is a long-term process that requires time and sustained effort – it does not happen overnight.” In his remarks, Jones also encouraged feedback and participation from team members. He said center culture and strategy “need to be attached at the hip.” “Part of that success is making sure communication is open between center strategy and culture and to the workforce because it not only encourages collaboration, but also fosters transparency, which is one of the key cultural attributes discussed today,” Jones said. Leadership took questions from team members to close out the session, before wrapping up with a More to Marshall video. “This year, you have heard a lot about More to Marshall, and it is more than a slogan; it really symbolizes the initiative we have to prepare our center for the future and take advantage of all the expertise we have at the center and all our capabilities,” Pelfrey said. “It’s an approach that reinforces our center strategy that’s going to enable our future role in space exploration.” Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. › Back to Top NASA Moves Artemis II Rocket Adapter to Pegasus Barge for Shipment NASA rolled out a key piece of space flight hardware for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis campaign from Marshall Space Flight Center on Aug. 21 for shipment to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center. The cone-shaped launch vehicle stage adapter connects the rocket’s core stage to the upper stage and helps protect the upper stage’s engine that will help propel the Artemis II test flight around the Moon, slated for 2025. Crews moved the cone-shaped launch vehicle stage adapter out of Building 4708 at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center to the agency’s Pegasus barge on Aug. 21. The barge will ferry the adapter first to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, where it will pick up additional SLS hardware for future Artemis missions, and then travel to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center. In Florida, teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems will prepare the adapter for stacking and launch.NASA/Brandon Hancock “The launch vehicle stage adapter is the largest SLS component for Artemis II that is made at the center,” said Chris Calfee, SLS Spacecraft Payload Integration and Evolution element manager. “Both the adapters for the SLS rocket that will power the Artemis II and Artemis III missions are fully produced at NASA Marshall. Alabama plays a key role in returning astronauts to the Moon.” A NASA team member watches as the launch vehicle stage adapter is transported toward the Pegasus bargeNASA/Brandon Hancock Crews moved the adapter out of Marshall’s Building 4708 to the agency’s Pegasus barge Aug. 21. The barge will ferry the adapter first to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, where crews will pick up additional SLS hardware for future Artemis missions, before traveling to Kennedy. Once in Florida, the adapter will join the recently delivered core stage. There, teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems will prepare the adapter for stacking and launch. The launch vehicle stage adapter moves to the Pegasus barge on the Tennessee River. The cone-shaped adapter connects the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s core stage to the upper stage and helps protect the upper stage’s engine that will help propel the Artemis II test flight around the Moon, slated for 2025.NASA/Michael DeMocker Engineering teams at Marshall are in the final phase of integration work on the launch vehicle stage adapter for Artemis III. The stage adapter is manufactured by prime contractor Teledyne Brown Engineering and the Jacobs Space Exploration Group’s ESSCA (Engineering Services and Science Capability Augmentation) contract using NASA Marshall’s self-reacting friction-stir robotic and vertical weld tools. A look at the launch vehicle stage adapter inside the Pegasus barge.NASA/Sam Lott Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon. The rocket is part of NASA’s deep space exploration plans, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. The Pegasus barge moves underneath the Tennessee River bridge in Decatur as it heads for its first stop at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility before moving on to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center.NASA/Brandon Hancock The first piece of hardware manufactured at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch a crewed Artemis mission was moved for shipment Aug. 21. Crews guided the launch vehicle stage adapter from Building 4708 to the agency’s Pegasus barge. Fully produced at Marshall, the adapter is traveling to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, where Pegasus will pick up additional SLS rocket hardware for future Artemis missions, before traveling to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Once in Florida, the adapter will join the recently delivered core stage for Artemis II. The adapter plays a critical role as it connects the Moon rocket’s core stage to the upper stage and helps protect the upper stage’s engine that will help propel the Artemis II test flight and a crew of four astronauts around the Moon, slated for 2025. (NASA) › Back to Top Cassiopeia A,Thenthe Cosmos: 25 Years of Chandra X-ray Science By Rick Smith On Aug. 26, 1999, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory opened its powerful telescopic eye in orbit and captured its awe-inspiring “first light” images of Cassiopeia A, a supernova remnant roughly 11,000 light-years from Earth. That first observation was far more detailed than anything seen by previous X-ray telescopes, even revealing – for the first time ever – a neutron star left in the wake of the colossal stellar detonation. NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has observed Cassiopeia A for more than 2 million total seconds since its “first light” images of the supernova remnant on Aug. 26, 1999. Cas A is some 11,000 light-years from Earth. Chandra X-rays are depicted in blue and composited with infrared images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in orange and white.X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/D. Milisavljevic (Purdue Univ.), I. De Looze (University of Ghent), T. Temim (Princeton Univ.); Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt, K. Arcand, and J. Major Those revelations came as no surprise to Chandra project scientist Martin Weisskopf, who led Chandra’s development at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. “When you build instrumentation that’s 10 times more sensitive than anything that was done before, you’re bound to discover something new and exciting,” he said. “Every step forward was a giant step forward.” Twenty-five years later, Chandra has repeated that seminal moment of discovery again and again, delivering – to date – nearly 25,000 detailed observations of neutron stars, quasars, supernova remnants, black holes, galaxy clusters, and other highly energetic objects and events, some as far away as 13 billion light-years from Earth. Chandra has further helped scientists gain tangible evidence of dark matter and dark energy, documented the first electromagnetic events tied to gravitational waves in space, and most recently aided the search for habitable exoplanets – all vital tools for understanding the vast, interrelated mechanisms of the universe we live in. “Chandra’s first image of Cas A provided stunning demonstration of Chandra’s exquisite X-ray mirrors, but it simultaneously revealed things we had not known about young supernova remnants,” said Pat Slane, director of the CXC (Chandra X-ray Center) housed at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “In a blink, Chandra not only revealed the neutron star in Cas A; it also taught us that young neutron stars can be significantly more modest in their output than what previously had been understood. Throughout its 25 years in space, Chandra has deepened our understanding of fundamental astrophysics, while also greatly broadening our view of the universe.” To mark Chandra’s silver anniversary, NASA and CXC have shared 25 of its most breathtaking images and debuted a new video, “Eye on the Cosmos.” Chandra often is used in conjunction with other space telescopes that observe the cosmos in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, and with other high-energy missions such as ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) XMM-Newton; NASA’s Swift, NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array), and IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarization Explorer) imagers, and NASA’s NICER (Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer) X-ray observatory, which studies high-energy phenomena from its vantage point aboard the International Space Station. These images were released to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Chandra. They represent the wide range of objects that the telescope has observed over its quarter century of observations. X-rays are an especially penetrating type of light that reveals extremely hot objects and very energetic physical processes. The images range from supernova remnants, like Cassiopeia A, to star-formation regions like the Orion Nebula, to the region at the center of the Milky Way. This montage also contains objects beyond our own Galaxy including other galaxies and galaxy clusters.X-ray: NASA/CXC/UMass/Q.D. Wang; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk Chandra remains a unique, global science resource, with a robust data archive that will continue to serve the science community for many years. “NASA’s project science team has always strived to conduct Chandra science as equitably as possible by having the world science community collectively decide how best to use the observatory’s many tremendous capabilities,” said Douglas Swartz, a USRA (Universities Space Research Association) principal research scientist on the Chandra project science team. “Chandra will continue to serve the astrophysics community long after its mission ends,” said Andrew Schnell, acting Chandra program manager at Marshall. “Perhaps its greatest discovery hasn’t been discovered yet. It’s just sitting there in our data archive, waiting for someone to ask the right question and use the data to answer it. It could be somebody who hasn’t even been born yet.” That archive is impressive indeed. To date, Chandra has delivered more than 70 trillion bytes of raw data. More than 5,000 unique principal investigators and some 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students around the world have conducted research based on Chandra’s observations. Its findings have helped earn more than 700 PhDs and resulted in more than 11,000 published papers, with half a million total citations. NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory data, seen here in violet and white, is joined with that of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (red, green, and blue) and Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (purple) to show off the eerie beauty of the Crab Nebula. The nebula is the result of a bright supernova explosion first witnessed and documented in 1054 A.D.X-ray: (Chandra) NASA/CXC/SAO, (IXPE) NASA/MSFC; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt, K. Arcand, and L. Frattare Weisskopf is now an emeritus researcher who still keeps office hours every weekday despite having retired from NASA in 2022. He said the work remains as stimulating now as it was 25 years ago, waiting breathlessly for those “first light” images. “We’re always trying to put ourselves out of business with the next bit of scientific understanding,” he said. “But these amazing discoveries have demonstrated how much NASA’s astrophysics missions still have to teach us.” The universe keeps turning – and Chandra’s watchful eye endures. Chandra, managed for NASA by Marshall in partnership with the CXC, is one of NASA’s Great Observatories, along with the Hubble Space Telescope and the now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope and Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. It was first proposed to NASA in 1976 by Riccardo Giacconi, recipient of the 2002 Nobel Prize for Physics based on his contributions to X-ray astronomy, and Harvey Tananbaum, who would later become the first director of the Chandra X-ray Center. Chandra was named in honor of the late Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who earned the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983 for his work explaining the structure and evolution of stars. Smith, an Aeyon/MTS employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. › Back to Top The Legacy Continues: Space & Rocket Center Event Highlights Chandra’s 25th Anniversary NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Director Joseph Pelfrey, bottom center, second from left, welcomes Huntsville community members to an event celebrating 25 years of the agency’s Chandra X-ray Observatory at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Intuitive Planetarium on Aug. 23. Pelfrey introduced the evening’s panelists, which included, from left, former NASA astronaut Eileen Collins, Marshall research astrophysicist Jessica Gaskin, and Chandra deputy project scientist Steven Ehlert. Pelfrey also introduced the premier showing of a video marking Chandra’s 25th anniversary. (NASA/Taylor Goodwin) The program was hosted by David Weigel, bottom right, director of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Intuitive Planetarium. Former NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, top right, joined the panel virtually to share her experience as a mission specialist on STS-93, which deployed the iconic space telescope. Collins joined STS-93 as the first woman to command a space shuttle mission. Together, the two former astronauts gave first-hand accounts of their journey aboard space shuttle Columbia. (NASA/Taylor Goodwin) Collins shared her enthusiasm for space exploration and the importance of Chandra’s scientific contributions to attendees of all ages throughout the event. (NASA/Taylor Goodwin) › Back to Top Take 5 with April Hargrave By Wayne Smith April Hargrave’s father was an educator who encouraged her from an early age to believe she could be whatever she wanted to be. She followed her father’s guidance. April Hargrave is the manager of Program, Planning, and Control (PP&C) in the Human Exploration Development and Operations (HP/HEDO) Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.Photo courtesy of Jenna Hassell Today, Hargrave is the manager of Program, Planning, and Control (PP&C) in the Human Exploration Development and Operations (HP/HEDO) Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Hargrave credits her parents for inspiring her to seek a career that eventually led to Marshall, where she has been for 15 years. Hargrave’s father – G.W. Braidfoot – was a high school educator in Lawrence County, Alabama, for 28 years. He taught history and civics, before moving into roles as an administrator and guidance counselor, focusing on guiding his students toward their post-high school goals. “What has always stood out to me is my parents never placed boundaries on my passions and career choices,” said Hargrave, a North Alabama native who lives in Athens. “Reflecting back, that is something of which I am very appreciative. In the absence of boundaries, it has allowed me to push myself in my pursuits and shaped my career path, which included high school STEM courses and college career choices. Those college choices were pursuing a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the University of North Alabama in Florence, and later another degree in chemical engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. As PP&C manager for HEDO’s diverse and complex portfolio of programs, projects, and other activities, Hargrave provides tools and resources to HP management that enables strategic decision making and workforce planning. “My background and experiences helped shaped my early career in industry and established a strong foundation and relationships, which led me to Marshall mid-career,” she said. “At Marshall, I’m thankful to have had mentors and encouragers who have led me to my current leadership role – people who believed in me and allowed me an opportunity. For that, I will forever be grateful.” Question: What excites you most about the future of human space exploration, or your NASA work, and your team’s role it? Hargrave: What excites me the most are the advancements we are making in human health and exploration. I’ve had close relatives suffer from diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and heart disease. I hope to see in the near future outcomes of human research on the International Space Station and the Moon that leads to medical and technology advancements, resulting in slowing the progression and eventually eliminating these diseases. Our HP PP&C team enables our missions by providing planning, integration, and support across our organization. Question: What has been the proudest moment of your career and why? Hargrave: Being able to mentor others throughout my career and watching them achieve success. Being in a position to recognize potential in others and encourage them to stretch and take risks in their careers, I find it very rewarding, especially after they have moved on that I’m able to still observe the growth and development they’ve experienced and to know I made a contribution. Question: Who or what drives/motivates you? Hargrave: My team drives me – I have a wonderful team that motivates me to be the best version of myself I can be. My team is comprised of a diverse group of personnel whose jobs are not always connected. However, we are still able to promote a great teaming environment where we encourage and leverage off each other’s skills and knowledge bases. My team is dedicated to doing the best job possible which motivates me daily in the excellent support they provide across HP. It allows me opportunities to lead by example and recognize their successes. It also allows me to look across the team and how to use them best based on their strengths. Question: What advice do you have for employees early in their NASA career or those in new leadership roles? Hargrave: It is important to learn what the NASA mission is and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Learn about the work that you are doing and how it impacts the mission as a whole. As you learn and understand the work within your role, develop a passion for the work. Take opportunities to understand the big picture and learn what others are doing across the center. Don’t be afraid to take lateral opportunities to allow you to gain new experiences and broaden your knowledge base. And if you find yourself in a leadership role, never lose sight that it’s the people behind that work that’s most important. Take the time to build and nurture those relationships because at the end of the day, our workforce is what makes us successful. Question: What do you enjoy doing with your time while away from work? Hargrave: My joy is helping and supporting others. Being part of a large family (raised one of five children and an even larger extended family), there’s naturally always plenty to do and lots of family to help and encourage. Much of my recent years have been spent cheering on my sons, nieces, and nephews. I also enjoy serving in my church and helping organize events to celebrate our family and friends. Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. › Back to Top Over the Moon: Photographer Captures Supermoon Rising Near Marshall By Wayne Smith Once in a Blue Moon wasn’t enough for Michael DeMocker, a photographer for NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility. Nearly one year after capturing a spectacular image of a super Blue Moon rising over the Crescent City Connection Bridge in New Orleans, DeMocker found another opportunity to focus his camera on the lunar landscape while visiting the Rocket City. The result was another stunning photograph, this one of the Moon rising Aug. 19 behind the Saturn V rocket at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center A super Blue Moon rises Aug. 19 over Huntsville, home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. The full Moon was both a supermoon and a Blue Moon. As the Moon reaches its closest approach to Earth, the Moon looks larger in the night sky with supermoons becoming the biggest and brightest full Moons of the year. While not blue in color, the third full Moon in a season with four full Moons is called a Blue Moon.NASA/Michael DeMocker And you can say the image DeMocker captured left him, well, over the Moon. He explains how he got the photo. “NASA photographer Eric Bordelon and I drove up from Michoud to Marshall to provide drone support for the move of the launch vehicle stage adapter of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to NASA’s Pegasus barge on Aug. 21,” DeMocker said. “On the trip up, we talked about possibly capturing the super Blue Moon rising that night. Using an app that shows the direction of the moonrise overlayed with a satellite image of the area, we couldn’t find a definitive spot where we thought we could get a clean line of the Moon rising with some kind of iconic Huntsville landmark. So, like good New Orleanians, we put off thinking about it until after eating. As we approached the restaurant, we caught glimpses of the Saturn V rocket at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. We realized if we got on the roof of a nearby parking garage, we would have a clean view of the Moon rising somewhat behind it. “The angle wasn’t perfect; I’d have preferred to be more to the right but that would have sent me plummeting off the parking garage. The clouds cooperated, the Moon rose bright and beautiful, and I got images I was happy with while Eric got a very cool time-lapse video of the Moon and the rocket.” So, of the two Blue Moon images, which is DeMocker’s favorite? “Yikes, that’s like choosing a child!” DeMocker said. “My favorite pictures are not always the best ones, but the ones that I didn’t think I would be able to pull off. So, while the Moon over the bridge I think is an overall better photo, it was pretty easy to plan and didn’t require much resourcefulness, so I like the rocket one better.” DeMocker, a past Pulitzer Prize winner for team coverage of Hurricane Katrina, was honored this year with third-place finishes in two categories in NASA’s Photographer of the Year competition. He also was part of a Michoud team that captured a first-place award in the agency’s Videographer of the Year competition. “But my favorite photos I’ve ever shot in my career have never won awards,” DeMocker said. “I like them because I thought they would be almost impossible to get when I set out after them: a drone shot of an erupting volcano in Iceland, an Iraqi woman voting in Baghdad, or my toddler quietly looking at art in the Louvre.” Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. › Back to Top NASA, Boeing Optimizing Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay for Future SLS Stage Production NASA is preparing space at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center for upcoming assembly activities of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket core stage for future Artemis missions, beginning with Artemis III. Teams are currently outfitting the assembly building’s High Bay 2 for future vertical assembly of the rocket stage that will help power NASA’s Artemis campaign to the Moon. During Apollo, High Bay 2, one of four high bays inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, was used to stack the Saturn V rocket. During the Space Shuttle Program, the high bay was used for external tank checkout and storage and as a contingency storage area for the shuttle. Technicians are building tooling in High Bay 2 at NASA Kennedy that will allow NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, to vertically integrate the core stage.NASA Michigan-based Futuramic is constructing the tooling that will hold the core stage in a vertical position, allowing NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, to integrate the SLS rocket’s engine section and four RS-25 engines to finish assembly of the rocket stage. Vertical integration will streamline final production efforts, offering technicians 360-degree access to the stage both internally and externally. “The High Bay 2 area at NASA Kennedy is critical for work as SLS transitions from a developmental to operational model,” said Chad Bryant, deputy manager of the SLS Stages Office. “While teams are stacking and preparing the SLS rocket for launch of one Artemis mission, the SLS core stage for another Artemis mission will be taking shape just across the aisleway.” Under the new assembly model beginning with Artemis III, all the major structures for the SLS core stage will continue to be fully produced and manufactured at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility. Upon completion of manufacturing and thermal protection system application, the engine section will be shipped to NASA Kennedy for final outfitting. Later, the top sections of the core stage – the forward skirt, intertank, liquid oxygen tank, and liquid hydrogen tank – will be outfitted and joined at Michoud and shipped to Kennedy for final assembly. The fully assembled core stage for Artemis II arrived at Kennedy on July 23. NASA’s Pegasus barge delivered the SLS engine section for Artemis III to Kennedy in December 2022. Teams at Michoud are outfitting the remaining core stage elements and preparing to horizontally join them. The four RS-25 engines for the Artemis III mission are complete at NASA’s Stennis Space Center and will be transported to Kennedy in 2025. Major core stage and exploration upper stage structures are in work at Michoud for Artemis IV and beyond. NASA is working to land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the SLS Program and Michoud. › Back to Top How Students Learn to Fly NASA’s IXPE Spacecraft The large wall monitor displaying a countdown shows 17 seconds when Amelia “Mia” De Herrera-Schnering tells her teammates “We have AOS,” meaning “acquisition of signal.” “Copy that, thank you,” Alexander Pichler replies. The two are now in contact with NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-Ray Polarimeter Explorer) spacecraft, transmitting science data from IXPE to a ground station and making sure the download goes smoothly. That data will then go to the science team for further analysis. Amelia “Mia” De Herrera-Schnering is an undergraduate student at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and command controller for NASA’s IXPE mission at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP). NASA/Elizabeth Landau At LASP, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, students at the University of Colorado, Boulder, can train to become command controllers, working directly with spacecraft on pointing the satellites, calibrating instruments, and collecting data. De Herrera-Schnering recently completed her sophomore year, while Pichler had trained as a student and now, having graduated, works as a full-time professional at LASP. “The students are a key part in what we do,” said Stephanie Ruswick, IXPE flight director at LASP. “We professionals monitor the health and safety of the spacecraft, but so do the students, and they do a lot of analysis for us.” Students also put into motion IXPE’s instrument activity plans, which are provided by the Science Operations Center at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The LASP student team schedules contacts with ground stations to downlink data, schedules observations of scientific and calibration targets, and generates the files necessary to translate the scientific operations into spacecraft actions. If IXPE experiences an anomaly, the LASP team will implement plans to remediate and resume normal operations as soon as possible. The students take part in IXPE’s exploration of a wide variety of celestial targets. In October, for example, students monitored the transmission of data from IXPE’s observations of Swift J1727.8-1613, a bright black hole X-ray binary system. This cosmic object had been recently discovered in September 2023, when NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory detected a gamma-ray burst. IXPE’s specialized instruments allow scientists to measure the polarization of X-rays, which contains information about the source of the X-rays as well as the organization of surrounding magnetic fields. IXPE’s follow-up of the Swift object exemplifies how multiple space missions often combine their individual strengths to paint a fuller scientific picture of distant phenomena. Team members also conduct individual projects. For example, students analyzed how IXPE would fare during both the annular eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023, and the total eclipse that moved across North America on April 8, to make sure that the spacecraft would have adequate power while the Moon partially blocked the Sun. Sam Lippincott, right, a graduate student lead at LASP, trained as a command controller for NASA’s IXPE spacecraft as an undergraduate. In the background are flight controllers Adrienne Pickerill, left, and Alexander Pichler, who also trained as students. NASA/Elizabeth Landau While most of the students working on IXPE at LASP are engineering majors, some are physics or astrophysics majors. Some didn’t initially start their careers in STEM such as flight controller Kacie Davis, who previously studied art. Prospective command controllers go through a rigorous 12-week summer training program working 40 hours per week, learning “everything there is to know about mission operations and how to fly a spacecraft,” Ruswick said. Cole Writer, an aerospace engineering student, remembers this training as “nerve-wracking” because he felt intimidated by the flight controllers. But after practicing procedures on his own laptop, he felt more confident, and completed the program to become a command controller. “It’s nice to be trained by other students who are in the same boat as you and have gone through the same process,” said Adrienne Pickerill, a flight controller who started with the team as a student and earned a master’s in aerospace engineering at the university in May. As a teenager Writer’s interests focused on flying planes, and he saved money to train for a pilot’s license, earning it the summer after high school graduation. Surprisingly, he has found many overlaps in skills for both activities – following checklists and preventing mistakes. “Definitely high stakes in both cases,” he said. While working at LASP, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, students at the University of Colorado, Boulder, train to become command controllers who work and manage spacecraft. From monitoring IXPE’s health and safety to sending commands to the spacecraft to look at cosmic objects at the request of scientists, these students are getting a one-of-a-kind hands-on experience. (NASA) Sam Lippincott, now a graduate student lead after serving as a command controller as an undergraduate, has been a lifelong sci-fi fan, but took a career in space more seriously his sophomore year of college. “For people that want to go into the aerospace or space operations industry, it’s always important to remember that you’ll never stop learning, and it’s important to remain humble in your abilities, and always be excited to learn more,” he said. De Herrera-Schnering got hooked on the idea of becoming a scientist the first time she saw the Milky Way. On a camping trip when she was 10 years old, she spotted the galaxy as she went to use the outhouse in the middle of the night. “I woke up my parents, and we just laid outside and we were just stargazing,” she said. “After that I knew I was set on what I wanted to do.” Rithik Gangopadhyay, who trained as an undergraduate command controller and continued at LASP as a graduate student lead, had been interested in puzzles and problem-solving as a kid and had a book about planets that fascinated him. “There’s so much out there and so much we don’t know, and I think that’s what really pushed me to do aerospace and do this opportunity of being a command controller,” he said. Coding is key to mission operations, and much of it is done in the Python language. Sometimes the work of flying a spacecraft feels like any other kind of programming — but occasionally, team members step back and consider that they are part of the grand mission of exploring the universe. “If it’s your job for a couple of years, it starts to be like, ‘oh, let’s go ahead and do that, it’s just another Tuesday.’ But if you step back and think about it on a high-level basis, it’s really something special,” Pichler said. “It’s definitely profound.” › Back to Top View the full article

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The cover of the HERC 2025 handbook, which is now available online. By Wayne Smith Following a 2024 competition that garnered international attention, NASA is expanding its Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) to include a remote control division and inviting middle school students to participate. The 31st annual competition is scheduled for April 11-12, 2025, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. HERC is managed by NASA’s Southeast Regional Office of STEM Engagement at Marshall. The HERC 2025 Handbook has been released, with guidelines for the new remote control (RC) division – ROVR (Remote-Operated Vehicular Research) – and detailing updates for the human-powered division. “Our RC division significantly lowers the barrier to entry for schools who don’t have access to manufacturing facilities, have less funding, or who are motivated to compete but don’t have the technical mentorship required to design and manufacture a safe human-powered rover,” said Chris Joren, HERC technical coordinator. “We are also opening up HERC to middle school students for the first time. The RC division is inherently safer and less physically intensive, so we invite middle school teams and organizations to submit a proposal to be a part of HERC 2025.” Another change for 2025 is the removal of task sites on the course for the human-powered rover division, allowing teams to focus on their rover’s design. Recognized as NASA’s leading international student challenge, the 2025 challenge aims to put competitors in the mindset of the Artemis campaign as they pitch an engineering design for a lunar terrain vehicle – they are astronauts piloting a vehicle, exploring the lunar surface while overcoming various obstacles. “The HERC team wanted to put together a challenge that allows students to gain 21st century skills, workforce readiness skills, and skills that are transferable,” said Vemitra Alexander, HERC activity lead. “The students have opportunities to learn and apply the engineering design process model, gain public speaking skills, participate in community outreach, and learn the art of collaborating with their peers. I am very excited about HERC’s growth and the impact it has on the students we serve nationally and internationally.” Students interested in designing, developing, building, and testing rovers for Moon and Mars exploration are invited to submit their proposals to NASA through Sept. 19. More than 1,000 students with 72 teams from around the world participated in the 2024 challenge as HERC celebrated its 30th anniversary as a NASA competition. Participating teams represented 42 colleges and universities and 30 high schools from 24 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 13 other nations from around the world. “We saw a massive jump in recognition, not only from within the agency as NASA Chief Technologist A.C. Charania attended the event, but with several of our international teams meeting dignitaries and ambassadors from their home countries to cheer them on,” Joren said. “The most impressive thing will always be the dedication and resilience of the students and their mentors. No matter what gets thrown at these students, they still roll up to the start line singing songs and waving flags.” HERC is one of NASA’s eight Artemis Student Challenges reflecting the goals of the Artemis campaign, which seeks to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon while establishing a long-term presence for science and exploration. NASA uses such challenges to encourage students to pursue degrees and careers in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Since its inception in 1994, more than 15,000 students have participated in HERC – with many former students now working at NASA, or within the aerospace industry. To learn more about HERC, please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/roverchallenge/home/index.html Taylor Goodwin Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256.544.0034 taylor.goodwin@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 28, 2024 Related TermsMarshall Space Flight Center Explore More 3 min read NASA, Boeing Optimizing Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay for Future SLS Stage Production Article 1 day ago 5 min read Cassiopeia A, Then the Cosmos: 25 Years of Chandra X-ray Science Article 2 days ago 29 min read The Marshall Star for August 21, 2024 Article 7 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

NASA On Sept. 16, 1994, astronaut Mark C. Lee tested out the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) system, a system designed for use in the event a crew member becomes untethered while conducting a spacewalk. Occurring during the STS-64 mission, this was the first untethered U.S. spacewalk in 10 years. This SAFER test was the first phase of a larger SAFER program whose objectives were to establish a common set of requirements for both space shuttle and space station program needs, develop a flight demonstration of SAFER, validate system performance and, finally, develop a production version of SAFER for the shuttle and station programs. Image Credit: NASA View the full article

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) University of Florida researcher Rob Ferl (seated) and co-principal investigator Anna-Lisa Paul practice the experiment to study the effect of gravity transitions on the plants’ gene expression.University of Florida For the first time, a NASA-funded researcher will fly with their experiment on a commercial suborbital rocket. The technology is one of two NASA-supported experiments, also known as payloads, funded by the agency’s Flight Opportunities program that will launch aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital rocket system on a flight test no earlier than Thursday, Aug. 29. The researcher-tended payload, from the University of Florida in Gainesville, seeks to understand how changes in gravity during spaceflight affect plant biology. Researcher Rob Ferl will activate small, self-contained tubes pre-loaded with plants and preservative to biochemically freeze the samples at various stages of gravity. During the flight, co-principal investigator Anna-Lisa Paul will conduct four identical experiments as a control. After the flight, Ferl and Paul will examine the preserved plants to study the effect of gravity transitions on the plants’ gene expression. Studying how changes in gravity affect plant growth will support future missions to the Moon and Mars. The university’s flight test was funded by a grant awarded through the Flight Opportunities program’s TechFlights solicitation with additional support from NASA’s Division of Biological and Physical Sciences. This experiment builds on NASA’s long history of supporting plant research and aims to accelerate the pace and productivity of space-based research. The other Flight Opportunities supported payload is from HeetShield, a small business in Flagstaff, Arizona. Two new thermal protection system materials will be mounted to the outside of New Shepard’s propulsion module to assess their thermal performance in a relevant environment, since conditions will be similar to planetary entry. After the flight, HeetShield will analyze the structure of the materials to determine how they were affected by the flight. Flight Opportunities, within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, facilitates demonstration of technologies for space exploration and the expansion of space commerce through suborbital testing with industry flight providers. Through various mechanisms, the program funds flight tests for internal and external technology payloads. To learn more, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/space-technology-mission-directorate/ Facebook logo @NASATechnology @NASA_Technology Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate STMD Solicitations and Opportunities Access Flight Tests STMD Small Spacecraft Technology Share Details Last Updated Aug 28, 2024 EditorLoura Hall Related TermsSpace Technology Mission DirectorateFlight Opportunities ProgramTechnologyTechnology for Space Travel View the full article

Official portrait of NASA astronaut Jonny Kim in an EMU suit.Credit: NASA During his first mission to the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim will serve as a flight engineer and member of the upcoming Expedition 72/73 crew. Kim will launch on the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft in March 2025, accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky. The trio will spend approximately eight months at the space station. While aboard the orbiting laboratory, Kim will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare the crew for future space missions and provide benefits to people on Earth. NASA selected Kim as an astronaut in 2017. After completing the initial astronaut candidate training, Kim supported mission and crew operations in various roles including the Expedition 65 lead operations officer, T-38 operations liaison, and space station capcom chief engineer. A native of Los Angeles, Kim is a United States Navy lieutenant commander and dual designated naval aviator and flight surgeon. Kim also served as an enlisted Navy SEAL. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of San Diego and a medical degree from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and completed his internship with the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. For more than two decades, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge, and making research breakthroughs 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. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust low Earth orbit economy, NASA is able to more fully focus its resources on deep space missions to the Moon and Mars. Get breaking news, images and features from the space station on the station blog, Instagram, Facebook, and X. Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at: https://www.nasa.gov/station -end- Josh Finch / Claire O’Shea Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov Courtney Beasley Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Aug 28, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsJonny KimAstronautsHumans in SpaceInternational Space Station (ISS)ISS Research View the full article

7 Min Read NASA Project in Puerto Rico Trains Students in Marine Biology A forested green peninsula of Culebra Island juts into the blue waters of the Caribbean as a rain storm hits in the distance. The teal blue surrounding the island indicates shallow waters, home to the island's famous coral reefs. Credits: NASA Ames/Milan Loiacono Tainaliz Marie Rodríguez Lugo took a deep breath, adjusted her snorkel mask, and plunged into the ocean, fins first. Three weeks earlier, Rodríguez Lugo couldn’t swim. Now the college student was gathering data on water quality and coral reefs for a NASA-led marine biology project in Puerto Rico, where she lives. “There is so much life down there that I never knew about,” Rodríguez Lugo said. “And it’s beautiful.” “There is so much life down there that I never knew about, and it’s beautiful.” Tainaliz Marie Rodríguez Lugo OCEANOS 2024 Intern The sea whip and purple sea fans in the photo above are found off the coast of Playa Melones, Culebra, a small island off the east cost of Puerto Rico and a popular destination for snorkelers. Puerto Rico is home to more than 1,300 square miles of coral reefs, which play a vital role in protecting the island from storms, waves, and hurricanes. Reef-related tourism provides nearly $2 billion in annual income for the island. But coral reefs in Puerto Rico and around the world are experiencing more frequent and severe bleaching events. High ocean temperatures in regions around the globe have led to coral bleaching, which is when corals expel zooxanthellae – the colorful, symbiotic microscopic algae that live inside coral tissues and provide 80-90% of its nutrients. When stressors persist, the corals eventually starve and turn bone-white. In April 2024, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) announced that the world was experiencing a global bleaching event, the fourth on record. You can see bleached spots in the lobed star coral pictured above, which is also colonized by Ramicrusta, an invasive, burnt orange algae that poses an additional threat to reefs. Students Are Given Ocean Research Tools Beginning in June, the month-long program that Rodriguez and 29 other local students participated in is called the Ocean Community Engagement and Awareness using NASA Earth Observations and Science for Hispanic/Latino Students (OCEANOS). The goal of OCEANOS is twofold: to teach Puerto Rican students about marine ecology and conservation, and to train students through hands-on fieldwork how to use marine science tools to monitor the health of coral reefs. The course included classroom instruction, scientific fieldwork, collecting and analyzing ocean data from La Parguera and Culebra Island, and a final presentation. In the photo, OCEANOS instructor Samuel Suleiman shows a 3D-printed clump of staghorn coral to a group of students off the coast of Culebra. In areas where coral habitats have been damaged, conservationists use 3D-printed corals to attract and protect fish, algae, and other wildlife. To practice coral surveying techniques and evaluate biodiversity,students used compact cameras to snap a photo every half second, recording seven-meter by seven-meter quadrants of the ocean floor. Back on land, the students stitched these images – roughly 600 images per quadrant – into high-resolution mosaics, which they then used to catalog the types and distributions of various coral species. Low Light, Poor Water Quality, and Invasive Species Threaten Coral Reefs Students also built their own low-cost instruments, with sensors on each end to measure temperature and light, to help assess water quality and characteristics. The ideal temperature range for coral falls between 77- 82 degrees Fahrenheit (25-28 degrees Celsius). Water above or below this range is considered a potential stressor for coral and can impair growth. It can also increase the risk of disease, bleaching, and reproductive issues. Coral relies on light for growth. Less light means less photosynthesis for the zooxanthellae that live inside the coral, which in turn means less food for the coral itself. Cloudy water due to excessive sediment or phytoplankton can dim or block sunlight. Additional threats to coral include fishing equipment, boat groundings, chemical runoff, and invasive species. In the photo above, OCEANOS instructor Juan Torres-Pérez holds two clumps of cyanobacteria, a type of bacteria that has choked a section of reef near Playa Melones. The exact cause of this excessive cyanobacteria growth is unclear, but it is likely due to land-based pollution leaching into nearby waters, he said. In the background, dark brown piles of cyanobacteria littering the ocean floor are visible. Students Help Grow and Plant New Coral Suleiman walked students through the process of planting new coral, which involved tying loose staghorn and elkhorn corals into a square frame. Each frame holds about 100 individual pieces of coral. Suleiman leads a group called Sociedad Ambiente Marino (SAM), which has been working for more than 20 years to cultivate and plant more than 160,000 corals around Puerto Rico. Divers anchored these frames to the ocean floor. Under ideal conditions, branching species like elkhorn and staghorn coral grow one centimeter per month, or about 12-13 centimeters per year, making them ideal candidates for coral reef restoration. By comparison, mountainous and boulder coral, also prevalent in the Caribbean Sea, grow an average of just one centimeter per year. The frames will remain on the ocean floor for 10 to 14 months, until the corals have quadrupled in size. At any given time, SAM has about 45 of these frames in coral ‘farms’ around Culebra, totaling almost 4,500 corals. Once the corals are ready to be planted, they will be added to various reefs to replace damaged or bleached corals, and shore up vulnerable habitats. In the photo above, Suleiman gathers loose corals to place around an endangered coral species Dendrogyra cylindrus, more commonly referred to as Pillar Coral (front left). This underwater “garden,” as he called it, should attract fish and wildlife such as sea urchins, which will give the endangered coral — and the other species in this small reef — a better chance of survival. A New Generation of Marine Scientists From the 2023 OCEANOS class, roughly half of the undergraduate students went on to pursue marine science degrees, and many hope to continue with a post-graduate program. For a scientific field historically lacking diverse voices, this is a promising step. Among the high school students in the 2023 class, three went on to change their degree plans to oceanography after participating in the OCEANOS program, while others are finding ways to incorporate marine science into their studies. Francisco Méndez Negrón, a 2023 OCEANOS graduate, is now a computer science student at the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras and wants to apply robotics to marine ecology. “My goal is to integrate computer science and oceanography to make something that can contribute to the problems marine ecosystems are facing, mostly originated by us humans,” Méndez Negrón said. He returned to the OCEANOS program to serve as a mentor for the 2024 class. As for Tainaliz Marie Rodriguez Lugo, she managed to overcome her swim anxiety while discovering a love of the ocean. She credited the instructors who were patient, encouraging, and never left her side in the water. “I was really scared going into this internship,” Rodríguez Lugo said. “I didn’t know how to swim, and I was starting a program literally called ‘Oceans.’ But now I love it: I could spend all day in the ocean.” I was really scared going into this internship. I didn’t know how to swim, and I was starting a program literally called ‘Oceans.’ But now I love it: I could spend all day in the ocean. Tainaliz Marie Rodríguez Lugo OCEANOS 2024 Intern When asked how she would describe coral to someone who has never seen one, Rodríguez Lugo just laughed. “I can’t. There are no words for it. I would just take them to the reefs.” For more information about OCEANOS, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/oceanos The OCEANOS program’s final session will take place next year. Applications for the 2025 OCEANOS program will open in March. To apply, visit: https://nasa.gov/oceanos-application Photographs and story by Milan Loiacono, NASA’s Ames Research Center About the AuthorMilan LoiaconoScience Communication SpecialistMilan Loiacono is a science communication specialist for the Earth Science Division at NASA Ames Research Center. Share Details Last Updated Aug 28, 2024 Related TermsGeneralAmes Research CenterAmes Research Center's Science DirectorateClimate ChangeEarthEarth Science DivisionOpportunities For Students to Get InvolvedScience ActivationScience Mission Directorate Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

Earlier this month, nine small businesses received 2023 NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Ignite Phase II awards to further develop technologies that may be used in the agency’s missions and in the commercial space industry. The SBIR Ignite Phase II awardees, who will receive up to $850,000 to fund their projects, are developing technology capabilities in the detection of wildfires, support for water management in agriculture, in-space debris detection, mineral mining from lunar regolith, in-space production, and more. These capabilities are vital to supporting deep space exploration, low Earth orbit missions, and preserving life on our home planet for the benefit of all. The businesses initially were selected for Phase I awards in 2023 and provided six months and up to $150,000 to prove their concepts before competing for Phase II. “We want to support innovators across the aerospace industry because their technologies have the potential to make a big impact in the commercial market. A rich and diverse marketplace creates more opportunity for us all. These Phase II awards illuminate a clear path for a unique range of technologies that we believe will positively influence the lives of all Americans.” Jason L. Kessler NASA SBIR/STTR Program Executive The SBIR Ignite pilot initiative supports product-driven small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs that have commercialization at the forefront of their innovation strategies and processes but that are not targeting NASA as a primary customer. The pilot initiative provides funding and other support to mitigate risk in technologies that have strong commercial potential by offering lower barriers to entry, a streamlined review and selection process, and accelerated technology development and awards as compared to the NASA SBIR program’s main solicitation. It also focuses on helping make participating companies more appealing to investors, customers, and partners, while fulfilling SBIR’s mission of increasing commercialization of innovations derived from federal research and development. While the agency’s main Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer solicitations focus on technologies with potential for infusion in both NASA missions and commercialization in the marketplace, the SBIR Ignite opportunity is less prescriptive and focuses on topics that are relevant to emerging commercial markets in aerospace, such as accelerating in-space production applications in low Earth orbit. The awarded companies are: Astral Forge, LLC, Palo Alto, California Astrobotic Technology Inc., Pittsburgh Benchmark Space Systems, Burlington, Vermont Brayton Energy, LLC, Hampton, New Hampshire Channel-Logistics LLC dba Space-Eyes, Miami GeoVisual Analytics, Westminster, Colorado Space Lab Technologies, LLC, Boulder, Colorado Space Tango, Lexington, Kentucky VerdeGo Aero, De Leon Springs, Florida The third year of NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Ignite is underway, as the 2024 SBIR Ignite Phase I solicitation closed on July 30, 2024. Those selections are expected to be announced Fall 2024. NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer program is part of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and is managed by NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. View the full article

The SpaceX Dragon Endurance crew ship, carrying four Crew-5 members, approaches the International Space Station with the Earth’s horizon in the background. Credit: NASA/Kjell Lindgren NASA is extending U.S. media accreditation for the launch of the agency’s ninth rotational mission of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft that will carry astronauts to the International Space Station. This mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The application period for U.S. media and U.S. citizens representing international media organizations is extended until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Media members who have already applied do not need to reapply. All new accreditation requests must be submitted online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov Launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, originally slated with four crew members, is targeted for no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 24, from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA announced astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will remain on station and return home in February 2025 aboard Dragon with two other crew members assigned to the Crew-9 mission, during a news conference on Aug. 24. The agency will share more information about the Crew-9 complement when details are finalized. NASA and SpaceX currently are working on several items before launch, including reconfiguring seats on the Dragon and adjusting the manifest to carry additional cargo, personal effects, and Dragon-specific spacesuits for Wilmore and Williams. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. For questions about accreditation or special logistical requests, email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. Requests for space for satellite trucks, tents, or electrical connections also are due by Sept. 3. For other questions, please contact NASA Kennedy’s newsroom at: 321-867-2468. Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo: 321-501-8425, o Messod Bendayan: 256-930-1371. For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew -end- Joshua Finch / Claire O’Shea Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov Steve Siceloff / Danielle Sempsrott / Stephanie Plucinsky Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-867-2468 steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov / danielle.c.sempsrott@nasa.gov / stephanie.n.plucinsky@nasa.gov Leah Cheshier Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov View the full article

On Aug. 28, 2009, space shuttle Discovery began its 37th trip into space. The 17A mission to the International Space Station was the 30th shuttle flight to the orbiting lab. During the 14-day mission, the seven-member STS-128 crew worked with Expedition 20, the first six-person crew aboard the station, during nine days of docked operations. In addition to completing a one-for-one long-duration crew member exchange, they delivered more than seven tons of supplies, including three new payload racks and three systems to maintain a six-person crew aboard the space station. They completed three spacewalks to perform maintenance on the facility, prepare the station for the arrival of the next module, and retrieve two science experiments for return to Earth. Left: The STS-128 crew patch. Middle: Official photograph of the STS-128 crew of José M. Hernández, left, Kevin A. Ford, John D. “Danny” Olivas, Nicole P. Stott, A. Christer Fuglesang of Sweden representing the European Space Agency, Frederick “Rick” W. Sturckow, and Patrick G. Forrester. Right: The 17A mission patch. The seven-person STS-128 crew consisted of Commander Frederick “Rick” W. Sturckow, Pilot Kevin A. Ford, and Mission Specialists Patrick G. Forrester, José M. Hernández, John D. “Danny” Olivas, and A. Christer Fuglesang of Sweden representing the European Space Agency (ESA), and Nicole P. Stott. Primary objectives of the mission included the launch to the station of facilities required to maintain a permanent six-person crew and the exchange of Stott for Timothy L. Kopra who had been aboard the space station since July 2009 as a member of Expedition 20. The facilities, launched inside the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), included an additional Crew Quarters, the T2 COLBERT treadmill, and an Air Revitalization System rack. Three payload racks – the Materials Science Research Rack, the Fluids Integrated Rack, and the second Minus Eighty-degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS – also rode inside the MPLM for transfer to the station to expand its research capabilities. Left: The STS-128 crew at the conclusion of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Middle: Space shuttle Discovery during the rollout to Launch Pad 39A. Right: The Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module in Discovery’s payload bay at Launch Pad 39A. Discovery returned from its previous mission, STS-119, on March 28, 2009, and workers towed it to the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The orbiter rolled over to the Vehicle Assembly Building on July 26, and after mating with its external tank and twin solid rocket boosters, rolled out to Launch Pad 39A on Aug. 4, targeting Aug. 25 for launch. Three days later, the seven-member crew participated in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, essentially a dress rehearsal of the actual countdown for launch, returned to Houston for final training. They arrived at KSC on Aug 19 to prepare for launch. Left: Liftoff of space shuttle Discovery on STS-128. Right: Discovery streaks into the night sky. Clouds and lighting in the launch area forced a scrub of the first launch attempt on Aug. 25, while a faulty valve indicator scrubbed the next day’s attempt. On Aug. 28, at 11:59 p.m. EDT, space shuttle Discovery lifted off from Launch Pad 39A to begin its 37th trip into space, carrying its seven-member crew on the 17A space station outfitting and resupply mission. Eight and a half minutes later, Discovery and its crew had reached orbit. This marked Sturckow’s fourth time in space, Forrester’s third, Olivas’ and Fuglesang’s second, while Ford, Hernández, and Stott enjoyed their first taste of weightlessness. First time space flyers Kevin A. Ford, left, José M. Hernández, and Nicole P. Stott enjoying the first few minutes of weightlessness shortly after reaching orbit. After reaching orbit, the crew opened the payload bay doors and deployed the shuttle’s radiators, and removed their bulky launch and entry suits, stowing them for the remainder of the flight. The astronauts spent five hours on their second day in space conducting a detailed inspection of Discovery’s nose cap and wing leading edges, with Ford, Forrester, and Hernández taking turns operating the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS), or robotic arm, and the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS). Left: Frederick “Rick” W. Sturckow, left, and Kevin A. Ford perform maneuvers for the rendezvous with the space station. Middle: Discovery as seen from the space station during the rendezvous. Right: The space station as seen from Discovery during the rendezvous. On the mission’s third day, Sturckow assisted by his crewmates brought Discovery in for a docking with the space station. The docking occurred on the 25th anniversary of Discovery’s first launch on the STS-41D mission on Aug. 30, 1984. During the rendezvous, Sturckow stopped the approach at 600 feet and completed the Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver so astronauts aboard the station could photograph Discovery’s underside to look for any damage to the tiles. Shortly after docking, the crews opened the hatches between the two spacecraft and the six-person station crew welcomed the seven-member shuttle crew. After exchanging Soyuz spacesuits and seat liners, Stott joined the Expedition 20 crew and Kopra the STS-128 crew. Left: Transfer of Timothy L. Kopra’s Soyuz seat liner and spacesuit from the space station to the space shuttle makes him an STS-128 crew member for return to Earth. Middle:Kevin A. Ford, left, and Michael R. Barratt operate the station’s robotic arm to transfer the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) from the shuttle payload bay to the space station. Right: The MPLM approaches the Node 2 nadir berthing port. Left: Frank DeWinne, left, and A. Christer Fuglesang, both of the European Space Agency, open the hatch to the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Middle: José M. Hernández inside the MPLM to monitor transfer operations. Right: DeWinne, left, and Fuglesang begin the transfer of the T2 COLBERT treadmill from the MPLM to the space station. The day after docking, Ford and Expedition 20 Flight Engineer Michael R. Barrrat used the space station’s robotic arm to grapple the MPLM in the shuttle’s payload bay. They transferred it to the station, berthing it at the Harmony Node 2 module’s nadir port. The crew activated the MPLM and Fuglesang and Expedition 20 Commander Frank L. DeWinne of Belgium representing ESA opened the hatches, enabling the start of cargo transfers. Left: During the first spacewalk, John D. “Danny” Olivas, left, and Nicole P. Stott remove the EuTEF experiment from the Columbus module. Middle left: Stott rides the station robotic arm carrying the EuTEF experiment, with the removed Ammonia Tank Assembly attached to it. Middle right: An open MISSE container showing the various exposure samples. Right: Stott carrying one of the two closed MISSE containers. During the mission’s first spacewalk on flight day five, Olivas and Stott first removed a used Ammonia Tank Assembly (ATA) from the P1 truss segment. With Ford and Expedition 20 Flight Engineer Robert B. Thirsk of the Canadian Space Agency operating the space station’s robotic arm, they moved Stott to the end of the Columbus module, where she and Olivas removed the European Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF) science payload. Ford and Thirsk translated Stott to the shuttle’s payload bay where she and Olivas stowed it for return to Earth. The pair returned to Columbus to close and retrieve the two Materials on International Space Station Experiments (MISSE) and stowed them in the payload bay for return. This first spacewalk lasted 6 hours 35 minutes. Meanwhile, other crew members busied themselves with transferring racks and cargo from the MPLM to the space station. Left: A. Christer Fugelsang of the European Space Agency shows off his installation of the Air Revitalization System rack in the Kibo module. Middle: Patrick G. Forrester with three bags during cargo transfer operations. Right: During handover operations, outgoing space station crew member Timothy L. Kopra, middle, shows incoming crew member Nicole P. Stott how to give a proper haircut in space. Left: Frederick “Rick” W. Sturckow, left, and Patrick G. Forrester seen through an overhead window. Middle: During the mission’s second spacewalk, A. Christer Fuglesang carries both the old and the new Ammonia Tank Assemblies (ATA) on the end of the space station robotic arm. Right: Fuglesang stowing the old ATA in the shuttle’s payload bay. Cargo transfers continued throughout flight day six, including the three payload racks. On flight day seven, Olivas and Fuglesang conducted the mission’s second spacewalk, lasting 6 hours 39 minutes. They completed the swap out of the ATA, with Fuglesang riding the station arm carrying both the old and the new units, before they installed the new unit on the P1 truss, and then returned with the old unit to stow it in the payload bay. Left: John D. “Danny” Olivas works in the shuttle’s payload bay during the mission’s third spacewalk. Right: Olivas, left, and A. Christer Fuglesang work on the space station truss. With cargo transfers continuing on flight day eight, the next day Olivas and Fuglesang stepped outside for the mission’s third and final spacewalk. They completed a variety of tasks, including routing cables to accommodate the Tranquility Node 3 module scheduled to arrive on a future space shuttle flight, and installing GPS antennas on the S0 truss. This spacewalk lasted 7 hours 1 minute, bringing the total spacewalking time for STS-128 to 20 hours 15 minutes. The crew enjoyed a well-deserved off-duty day on flight day 10. Left: Astronauts robotically stow the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) back in Discovery’s payload bay. Right: A. Christer Fuglesang, left, and Nicole P. Stott operate the space station’s robotic arm to stow the MPLM in the payload bay. The astronauts completed the final transfers on Sept. 8, the mission’s 11th flight day, they deactivated the MPLM, and closed its hatch. Operating the space station’s robotic arm, Stott and Fuglesang transferred the MPLM from the station back to the shuttle’s payload bay. On Sept. 10, the next vehicle to occupy that port, the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle-1 (HTV-1), launched from the Tanegashima Space Center, arriving at the station one week later. Left: The 13 members of Expedition 20, blue shirts, and STS-128, red shirts, pose for a final photograph before saying their farewells. Right: Four members of the astronaut class of 2000 in space together. Left: Kevin A. Ford pilots Discovery for the undocking and flyaround. Right: The space station seen from Discovery during the flyaround. That same day, they held a brief farewell ceremony, parted company, and closed the hatches between the two spacecraft. The next day, with Ford at the controls, Discovery undocked from the space station, having spent nine days as a single spacecraft. Ford completed a flyaround of the station, with the astronauts photographing it to document its condition. A final separation burn sent Discovery on its way. Ford, Forrester, and Hernández used the shuttle’s arm to pick up the OBSS and perform a late inspection of Discovery’s thermal protection system. On flight day 13, Sturckow and Ford tested Discovery’s reaction control system thrusters and flight control surfaces in preparation for the next day’s entry and landing. The entire crew busied themselves with stowing all unneeded equipment. Bad weather at KSC delayed the landing by a day, and more bad weather diverted the landing to Edwards Air Force Base in California. Left: Discovery touches down at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Middle: The Crew Transport Vehicle has approached Discovery to enable the astronauts to exit the vehicle. Right: Discovery atop its Shuttle Carrier Aircraft departs Edwards for NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Left: Six of the STS-128 astronauts pose with Discovery on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Right: The welcome home ceremony for the STS-128 crew at Ellington Field in Houston. On Sept. 11, the astronauts closed Discovery’s payload bay doors, donned their launch and entry suits, and strapped themselves into their seats, a special recumbent one for Kopra who had spent the last two months in weightlessness. Sturckow fired Discovery’s two Orbital Maneuvering System engines to bring them out of orbit and head for a landing half an orbit later. He guided Discovery to a smooth touchdown at Edwards, as it turned out the final space shuttle landing at the California facility. The landing capped off a very successful STS-128 mission of 13 days, 20 hours, 54 minutes. They orbited the planet 219 times. Kopra spent 58 days, 2 hours, 50 minutes in space, completing 920 orbits of the Earth. Workers placed Discovery atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a modified Boeing 747, to ferry it back to KSC where it landed on Sept. 21. Engineers began preparing it for its next flight, STS-131 in April 2010. Enjoy the crew narrate a video about the STS-128 mission. Explore More 10 min read 40 Years Ago: President Reagan Announces Teacher in Space Project Article 1 day ago 12 min read 55 Years Ago: Apollo 11 Astronauts End Quarantine, Feted from Coast to Coast Article 1 week ago 7 min read 55 Years Ago: NASA Group 7 Astronaut Selection Article 2 weeks ago View the full article

6 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) A mirror that was later installed inside the telescope for NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor shows a reflection of principal optical engineer Brian Monacelli during an inspection of the mirror’s surface at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on July 17.NASA/JPL-Caltech A technician operates articulating equipment to rotate NEO Surveyor’s aluminum optical bench — part of the spacecraft’s telescope — in a clean room at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on July 17.NASA/JPL-Caltech The mirrors for NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor space telescope are being installed and aligned, and work on other spacecraft components is accelerating. NASA’s new asteroid-hunting spacecraft is taking shape at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Called NEO Surveyor (Near-Earth Object Surveyor), this cutting-edge infrared space telescope will seek out the hardest-to-find asteroids and comets that might pose a hazard to our planet. In fact, it is the agency’s first space telescope designed specifically for planetary defense. Targeting launch in late 2027, the spacecraft will travel a million miles to a region of gravitational stability — called the L1 Lagrange point — between Earth and the Sun. From there, its large sunshade will block the glare and heat of sunlight, allowing the mission to discover and track near-Earth objects as they approach Earth from the direction of the Sun, which is difficult for other observatories to do. The space telescope also may reveal asteroids called Earth Trojans, which lead and trail our planet’s orbit and are difficult to see from the ground or from Earth orbit. NEO Surveyor relies on cutting-edge detectors that observe two bands of infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye. Near-Earth objects, no matter how dark, glow brightly in infrared as the Sun heats them. Because of this, the telescope will be able to find dark asteroids and comets, which don’t reflect much visible light. It also will measure those objects, a challenging task for visible-light telescopes that have a hard time distinguishing between small, highly reflective objects and large, dark ones. This artist’s concept depicts NASA’s NEO Surveyor in deep space. The black-paneled angular structure in the belly of the spacecraft is the instrument enclosure that is being built at JPL. The mission’s infrared telescope will be installed inside the enclosure.NASA/JPL-Caltech “NEO Surveyor is optimized to help us to do one specific thing: enable humanity to find the most hazardous asteroids and comets far enough in advance so we can do something about them,” said Amy Mainzer, principal investigator for NEO Surveyor and a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. “We aim to build a spacecraft that can find, track, and characterize the objects with the greatest chance of hitting Earth. In the process, we will learn a lot about their origins and evolution.” Coming Into Focus The spacecraft’s only instrument is its telescope. About the size of a washer-and-dryer set, the telescope’s blocky aluminum body, called the optical bench, was built in a JPL clean room. Known as a three-mirror anastigmat telescope, it will rely on curved mirrors to focus light onto its infrared detectors in such a way that minimizes optical aberrations. “We have been carefully managing the fabrication of the spacecraft’s telescope mirrors, all of which were received in the JPL clean room by July,” said Brian Monacelli, principal optical engineer at JPL. “Its mirrors were shaped and polished from solid aluminum using a diamond-turning machine. Each exceeds the mission’s performance requirements.” Monacelli inspected the mirror surfaces for debris and damage, then JPL’s team of optomechanical technicians and engineers attached the mirrors to the telescope’s optical bench in August. Next, they will measure the telescope’s performance and align its mirrors. Complementing the mirror assembly are the telescope’s mercury-cadmium-telluride detectors, which are similar to the detectors used by NASA’s recently retired NEOWISE (short for Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission. An advantage of these detectors is that they don’t necessarily require cryogenic coolers or cryogens to lower their operational temperatures in order to detect infrared wavelengths. Cryocoolers and cryogens can limit the lifespan of a spacecraft. NEO Surveyor will instead keep its cool by using its large sunshade to block sunlight from heating the telescope and by occupying an orbit beyond that of the Moon, minimizing heating from Earth. The telescope will eventually be installed inside the spacecraft’s instrument enclosure, which is being assembled in JPL’s historic High Bay 1 clean room where NASA missions such as Voyager, Cassini, and Perseverance were constructed. Fabricated from dark composite material that allows heat to escape, the enclosure will help keep the telescope cool and prevent its own heat from obscuring observations. Once it is completed in coming weeks, the enclosure will be tested to make sure it can withstand the rigors of space exploration. Then it will be mounted on the back of the sunshade and atop the electronic systems that will power and control the spacecraft. “The entire team has been working hard for a long time to get to this point, and we are excited to see the hardware coming together with contributions from our institutional and industrial collaborators from across the country,” said Tom Hoffman, NEO Surveyor’s project manager at JPL. “From the panels and cables for the instrument enclosure to the detectors and mirrors for the telescope — as well as components to build the spacecraft — hardware is being fabricated, delivered, and assembled to build this incredible observatory.” Assembly of NEO Surveyor can be viewed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via JPL’s live cam. More About NEO Surveyor The NEO Surveyor mission marks a major step for NASA toward reaching its U.S. Congress-mandated goal to discover and characterize at least 90% of the near-Earth objects more than 460 feet (140 meters) across that come within 30 million miles (48 million kilometers) of our planet’s orbit. Objects of this size can cause significant regional damage, or worse, should they impact the Earth. The mission is tasked by NASA’s Planetary Science Division within the Science Mission Directorate; program oversight is provided by the Planetary Defense Coordination Office, which was established in 2016 to manage the agency’s ongoing efforts in planetary defense. NASA’s Planetary Missions Program Office at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center provides program management for NEO Surveyor. The project is being developed by JPL and is led by principal investigator Amy Mainzer at UCLA. Established aerospace and engineering companies have been contracted to build the spacecraft and its instrumentation, including BAE Systems, Space Dynamics Laboratory, and Teledyne. The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder will support operations, and IPAC-Caltech in Pasadena, California, is responsible for processing survey data and producing the mission’s data products. Caltech manages JPL for NASA. More information about NEO Surveyor is available at: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/neo-surveyor News Media Contacts Ian J. O’Neill Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-2649 ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov Karen Fox / Alana Johnson NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 / 202-358-1501 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov 2024-114 Share Details Last Updated Aug 28, 2024 Related TermsNEO Surveyor (Near-Earth Object Surveyor Space Telescope)CometsJet Propulsion LaboratoryNear-Earth Asteroid (NEA)Planetary DefensePlanetary Defense Coordination Office Explore More 5 min read NASA’s Europa Clipper Gets Set of Super-Size Solar Arrays Article 23 hours ago 2 min read NASA’s DART Team Earns AIAA Space Systems Award for Pioneering Mission NASA’s DART (Double​ Asteroid Redirection Test) mission continues to yield scientific discoveries and garner accolades for its groundbreaking… Article 7 days ago 5 min read Danish Instrument Helps NASA’s Juno Spacecraft See Radiation Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article