NASA

SpaceX and NASA recently performed full-scale qualification testing of the docking system that will connect SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System (HLS) with Orion and later Gateway in lunar orbit during future crewed Artemis missions. Based on the flight-proven Dragon 2 active docking system, the Starship HLS docking system will be able to act as an active or passive system during docking.SpaceX As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign that will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon, crew will need to move between different spacecraft to carry out lunar landings. NASA and SpaceX recently performed qualification testing for the docking system that will help make that possible. For the Artemis III mission, astronauts will ride the Orion spacecraft from Earth to lunar orbit, and then once the two spacecraft are docked, move to the lander, the Starship Human Landing System (HLS) that will bring them to the surface. After surface activities are complete, Starship will return the astronauts to Orion waiting in lunar orbit. During later missions, astronauts will transfer from Orion to Starship via the Gateway lunar space station. Based on SpaceX’s flight-proven Dragon 2 docking system used on missions to the International Space Station, the Starship docking system can be configured to connect the lander to Orion or Gateway. The docking system tests for Starship HLS were conducted at NASA’s Johnson Space Center over 10 days using a system that simulates contact dynamics between two spacecraft in orbit. The testing included more than 200 docking scenarios, with various approach angles and speeds. These real-world results using full-scale hardware will validate computer models of the Moon lander’s docking system. This dynamic testing demonstrated that the Starship system could perform a “soft capture” while in the active docking role. When two spacecraft dock, one vehicle assumes an active “chaser” role while the other is in a passive “target” role. To perform a soft capture, the soft capture system (SCS) of the active docking system is extended while the passive system on the other spacecraft remains retracted. Latches and other mechanisms on the active docking system SCS attach to the passive system, allowing the two spacecraft to dock. Since being selected as the lander to return humans to the surface of the Moon for the first time since Apollo, SpaceX has completed more than 30 HLS specific milestones by defining and testing hardware needed for power generation, communications, guidance and navigation, propulsion, life support, and space environments protection. Under NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all. Commercial human landing systems are critical to deep space exploration, along with the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, advanced spacesuits and rovers, exploration ground systems, and the Gateway space station. News Media Contact Jenalane (Rowe) Strawn Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-0034 View the full article

The VIPER team continues to push forward with the build of the flight rover that’ll go to the surface of the Moon. As of this writing, all of VIPER’s flight instruments are installed, and the rover is more than 80% built! This is a major accomplishment and shows the great progress being made by the dedicated VIPER team, who are excited to see the rover coming together. What comes next – the confirmational tests of the rover – will strengthen our confidence in the rover’s ability to survive launch, landing, and the challenging environment of the lunar South Pole. For example, as we assemble and install various subsystems onto the rover, we also perform channelization tests. Channelization tests let us confirm that through our design and build of the rover system – from piece-parts to cable harnesses and connectors, and mechanical installation activities, and even through avionics software – the connections all work. Now, you might think, “Of course what we installed should work!” but it’s important to remember how complicated these space systems are (and planetary rover systems in particular). An example of an upcoming channelization test for VIPER is to command the flight vehicle’s high gain antenna to move in a particular way: Does it actually move in the correct direction and to the correct position? Sometimes we will perform even more complex tests, like sending a command to the NIRVSS instrument to take an image: Is the image taken successful? Is the field of view of the image correct? Did the image make its way into the rover’s avionics for downlink? We make these determinations now because we don’t want to discover any issues later in the assembly flow that could result in us needing to perform some disassembly to correct matters. So we test as we go, to decrease risk later when we’re performing whole-rover environmental tests. This way if the rover doesn’t work as expected after one of VIPER’s environmental tests, we know it once worked fine, and that can help us more quickly problem solve what might have gone wrong. The pace in which we’ve been working through the build and subsystem checkouts has been blistering lately, and we’ve had a good run of successes. Go VIPER! – Dan Andrews, VIPER Project Manager View the full article

“I was not interested in science until I got to high school, and I didn’t find what I wanted to focus on as far as what I liked the most about science until I was in grad school. I spent a summer doing an internship at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab focused on Jupiter’s moon Europa, completely fell in love with Europa, and completely fell in love with planetary science. “I found it amazing that this world was covered in ice and had an ocean underneath. I was mapping this area on Europa called Conamara Chaos, where we believe that the surface is locally heated. Because of this, there are ginormous icebergs that broke off and floated around in this slushy ice, so I learned to map [that part of the surface]. Having my physics and math background and thinking about a world with a subsurface ocean, I was like, ‘OK, this is a good marriage of fluid mechanics and heat transfer. Europa is a nice world to study that will combine my background with this new planetary science thing that I love.’ “What happened with Europa Clipper was I decided to do my dissertation topic on [the moon]. We’d seen images of these beautiful south polar plumes on Enceladus, these geyser-like plumes, but Europa is much bigger. It has much more water and receives much more tidal heating. Why didn’t the Galileo spacecraft see plumes on Europa? Why don’t we see geysers? “My dissertation focused on what it would take to have this geyser activity on Europa and for spacecraft cameras to image it. I remember defending my dissertation well but sitting there thinking, ‘People will think I’m a quack because we’ve never seen geysers on Europa.’ That was in May, and by December, LorenzRoth’s paper came out that Hubble may have detected geysers on Europa. That’s when I was like, ‘Oh yes, I might actually have a career!’ “Shortly after that, the call came out for instrument proposals. Zibi Turtle [Principal Investigator for the Europa Imaging System] met me at a conference and said, ‘We’re writing a proposal for a camera for the Europa mission. Would you want to be on it?’ At that point, I was a year out of my Ph.D. and was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ Because that usually never happens. Usually, the people on these instrument teams are more senior. They’ve been around longer, so it’s very rare to be just finishing up your Ph.D. and someone asks you. I felt like it was the best thing in the world because Europa was already my favorite place in the solar system. It would be like a dream to be on the team that will send a spacecraft there to study it. That doesn’t happen very often. So, I said, ‘Sure. I would love to.’ “Our camera got selected, and is an instrument on the Europa Clipper mission, and my role on the team is to look for those geysers! I’ve come a long way from thinking, ‘Well, I did this whole dissertation on geysers, what it would take for them to erupt, for a spacecraft to see them, and that people might not take me seriously as a scientist because of it,’ to being on the Europa Clipper camera team involved in investigating these plumes and ensuring we can image them if they’re there. It’s a full-circle moment.” – Dr. Lynnae Quick, Ocean Worlds Planetary Scientist, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Image Credit: NASA/Thalia Patrinos Interviewer: NASA/Tahira Allen Check out some of our other Faces of NASA. View the full article

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) 2022-07-07 08:54 The Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) is open. For more information about the NASA Framework for Return to On-Site Work visit nasapeople.nasa.gov. MAF urges it’s employees to be safe at all times. MAF is currently in Hurricane Condition V (Tropical Storm Readiness) Hurricane Season is in effect from June 1st to November 30th. Please make sure that you have work and personal plan. GET A GAME PLAN AND BE PREPARED For more planning information, please refer to http://getagameplan.org for information and sign up for the MAF Alert system for up to date MAF emergency information. Visit member.everbridge.net/index/892807736729046#/event or text MAFALERT to 888777 to register for alerts. View the full article

Three new sonifications of images from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes have been released in conjunction with a new documentary about the project that makes its debut on the NASA+ streaming platform. Sonification is the process of translating data into sounds. In the case of Chandra and other telescopes, scientific data are collected from space as digital signals that are commonly turned into visual imagery. The sonification project takes these data through another step of mapping the information into sound. The three new sonifications feature different objects observed by NASA telescopes. The first is MSH 11-52, a supernova remnant blowing a spectacular cloud of energized particles resembling the shape of a human hand, seen in data from Chandra, NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), and ground-based optical data. M74 is a spiral galaxy like our Milky Way and this sonification combines data taken with NASA’s James Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes as well as X-rays from Chandra. The third object in this new sonification trio is nicknamed the Jellyfish Nebula, also known as IC 443. These data include X-rays from Chandra and the now-retired German ROSAT mission as well as radio data from NSF’s Very Large Array and optical data from the Digitized Sky Survey. The new documentary, “Listen to the Universe,” now available on NASA+ (https://plus.nasa.gov/) explores how these sonifications are created and profiles the team that makes them possible. Started in 2020, the NASA sonification project built off of other Chandra projects aimed at reaching blind and visually-impaired audiences. It has since shown to be meaningful to that community but also impacts much wider audiences, finding listeners through traditional and social media around the world. “We are so excited to partner with NASA+, along with her collaborators at SYSTEMS Sounds, to help tell the story about NASA’s sonification project,” said Kimberly Arcand, Chandra’s Visualization and Emerging Technology Scientist, who leads the sonification efforts. “It’s wonderful to see how this project has grown and reached so many people.” NASA+ is the agency’s new streaming platform, delivering video and other content about NASA to the public whenever and wherever they want to access it. The on-demand streaming service is available to download on most major platforms via the NASA App on iOS and Android mobile and tablet devices, as well as streaming media players Roku and Apple TV. “Sonifications add a new dimension to stunning space imagery, and make those images accessible to the blind and low-vision community for the first time,” said Liz Landau, who leads multimedia efforts for NASA’s Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters, Washington, and oversaw production of the “Listen to the Universe” documentary. “I was honored to help tell the story of how Dr. Arcand and the System Sounds team make these unique sonic experiences and the broad impact those sonifications have had.” More information about the NASA sonification project through Chandra, which is made in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning, can be found at https://chandra.si.edu/sound/ NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts. NASA’s Universe of Learning materials are based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC65A to the Space Telescope Science Institute, working in partnership with Caltech/IPAC, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. For more Chandra images, multimedia and related materials, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/chandra-x-ray-observatory/ News Media Contact Megan Watzke Chandra X-ray Center Cambridge, Mass. 617-496-7998 Jonathan Deal Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-0034 View the full article

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The winter months provide some of the biggest challenges to wellness during the year. The stress of the holidays, the pressure of the new year, and the risk of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) take a toll and can become problematic if we do not care for ourselves. These stressors can impact appropriate healthy practices, related to our bodies and mental health. Join HQ/Langley EAP and HQ Fitness Center in an open discussion about SAD and impacts on physical health. Date: Thursday, December 14th, 2023 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm ET Speakers / POCs: Join HQ & Langley EAP dynamic duo Dr. Sophia Sills-Tailor and Dr. Carla Randolph as they partner up with Lead Fitness Specialist, Marceleus Venable, and Fitness Specialist Romaan Khan, for this special holiday webinar! Please join by clicking here. View the full article

8 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Matthew Hayes is a DEIA Project Analyst with NASA’s Langley Research Center. As DEIA project analyst, Hayes supports the center in identifying gaps and building a culture, environment, systems, and processes where everyone has fair opportunities to grow.NASA/David C. Bowman Matthew Hayes is a DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility) project analyst with NASA’s Langley Research Center. His Langley career has spanned 16 years, starting in the model shop working on wind tunnel models and lunar rover projects. From there Hayes moved to the Electronic Systems Branch and contributed to the SAGE III mission for the International Space Station. Hayes also worked with NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft before stepping into his current role. As DEIA project analyst, Hayes supports the center in identifying gaps and building a culture, environment, systems, and processes where everyone has fair opportunities to grow. Who or what inspired you to choose your career and why?  That’s a twofold answer. On one end, I was just a curious kid and had this feeling and belief that the world was worth exploring. I wanted to be a marine biologist. I wanted to be an astronaut. I wanted to study plants and rocks. Everything was very fascinating to me, so NASA fit into that bucket of exploration and curiosity. It wasn’t specifically NASA, but it was exploration. Then the other end is growing up as a kid where we didn’t have a lot of financial options. NASA had an Apprentice Program. The Apprentice Program actually gave me an opportunity to come out of high school, have a career trajectory, get some on-the-job experience, and get some schooling under my belt. A guy who already worked here reached out to my mom and said, “Hey, I know you have a kid coming out of high school. What’s he doing?” and shared that NASA was reopening its Apprentice Program. He encouraged me to apply. That conversation is how I ended up here. It aligned me to where I actually wanted to be, because I just wanted to see what the world and the universe was, regardless. What do you find most rewarding about working with NASA?  The exposure to new ideas and ability to explore! Every day there’s a reason to be excited and enthusiastic about the work you’re doing, the people you’re doing it with and where you’re doing it at. There is cutting edge technology, world-renowned thought leaders and the projects that are exploring the history of the universe. NASA will keep you on your toes, that’s for sure! Outside of that, two big things: the people, which I already touched on. My career wouldn’t be what it was without the relationships that I’ve built throughout the journey. People who have just been curious about me, who’ve asked me questions, who’ve exposed me to different places, who’ve pulled up a chair to tables that I had no business being at just so I could listen and learn and invited me to places, exposed me to different centers, to different people. In addition, “the meatball.” The meatball is an unavoidable logo that no matter where you are, inspires hope. The ability to have that and stand behind that and carry that is always exciting. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?   I was on a call the other day and they said, “Describe yourself in three words.” Mine were “curiosity, spirituality, and adventure”. That’s why I’ve enjoyed my career because for me as a person, I’ve always liked exploration and adventure. NASA fits into me, rather than me fitting into NASA. Outside of the gates, nothing changes. I like to find things to do, places to go. I’m big into finding moments. Taking pictures or finding snapshots in life. Whether it’s at a beach or at a park or holding a pinecone next to a pineapple and just seeing the similarities of creation and existence. I like to have fun! I can roller-skate. I like to cook. I’m a really great cook. I hate washing dishes though! And I’m a mediocre bowler.  What advice would you give young people who might be interested in pursuing a career at NASA?   Do it but have the right perspective. Sometimes people look at NASA like a finish line or as an achievement, but that’s never been what NASA represents. We represent a launchpad. We have the resources and the ability to put things together to then shoot it to places we’ve never been, and it’s no difference with a career. I started [at NASA] in my teens but we also have people who join the team mid or late career. People who are making the transitions to find new opportunities. So, no matter where they are, this is an environment that is fertile soil for the right seeds. So, if you come here, you have the ability not just to be planted in an environment, but also to grow to see what you’re made of. How does your background and heritage contribute to your perspective and approach in your role at NASA?  In a big way because the work I do now is diversity and inclusion. Diversity meaning “a lot of pieces.” Whether it’s the workforce: there’s a lot of people from a lot of backgrounds. Whether it’s the missions: we have a lot of projects studying a lot of things. Or whether it’s exploration: we’re going to a lot of places that we’ve never been. My background is no different than our mission forward. I’m a Black and Palestinian guy from a low-income neighborhood whose parents struggled with drugs. I’ve lived on both coasts of the country and been exposed to multiple cultures and environments. My parents have very different backgrounds. My mother’s a Christian. My father’s a Muslim. All of that exposure to different pieces has made me have the ability to step back and just look at a plate before I dive into it. That has allowed me to be able to see the value of the small things. Sometimes, even personally, I’ve known things in conversations or scenarios where I feel like I could contribute, but someone else didn’t see my value, so I didn’t give my all in that space. But because of my background, I know how valuable it is to hear someone’s one opinion or one thought or when their body language shifts, to not just pass over that. That has allowed me to be effective in my work because a lot of what I do now is based on the relationships I’ve built and the people that I’ve gotten to know. I talk about it often: the advantages of growing up disadvantaged. Sometimes we can think about it as a hindrance or a roadblock. For me, I’ve always looked at the difficulties of my early upbringing as blessings. I learned resilience. I learned overcoming. I learned solution orientation. I learned mental agility. I learned all these things because of my background that now, as I’m in the workforce, as I’m working to accomplish a mission, all these are skill sets that are extremely important. The 2024 theme for Black History Month is “African Americans and the Arts,” spanning the many impacts that Black Americans have had on visual arts, music, cultural movements and more. How have the arts played a role in your life?   The arts saved my life. It started in my teens, writing and getting exposed to poetry. I remember seeing this young group of kids in New York, and they performed poems telling stories about themselves that related to me in such a strong way. I had thought I was alone up until that moment and then realized other people feel things, too. It was that exposure to poetry that made me start doing my own self-reflection and got me into writing myself. Then, it was that writing that allowed me to start finding my voice. To start working through my anxiety. To not be overwhelmed and overthink everything. To get it out of my mind and put it onto a page. The more that I did that, year after year, poem after poem after poem, I started to learn how to craft and curate my words and how to become a better communicator. How to value in the words I spoke and not to use words, language and communication frivolously. For me, the arts are why I am, who I am. It’s what allows me to connect with people now at NASA and to communicate our message passionately to the students that we see. It allows me to help pull something out of an engineer who may naturally feel like he’s an introvert, but I know how to now call something out of him and remind him of who he is. All that you might see as ‘good at a job’, all comes back from the pain of the poetry, the arts and everything that now fuels me to be where I am today. Facebook logo @NASALaRC @NASA_Langley Instagram logo @NASA_Langley Linkedin logo @NASA-Langley-Research-Center Explore More 6 min read Langley Celebrates Black History Month: Brittny McGraw Article 37 mins ago 5 min read Langley Celebrates Black History Month: Brandon Sells Article 53 mins ago 5 min read Langley Celebrates Black History Month: Alexus Cottonham Article 1 hour ago Share Details Last Updated Feb 27, 2024 Related TermsLangley Research CenterBlack History MonthDiversity at NASAPeople of NASA View the full article

6 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Brittny McGraw serves as News Chief in the Office of Communications at NASA’s Langley Research Center. She joined NASA Langley in September 2023, after a 20-year career as an award-winning broadcast journalist.NASA/David C. Bowman Brittny McGraw serves as News Chief in the Office of Communications at NASA’s Langley Research Center. She joined NASA Langley in September 2023, after a 20-year career as an award-winning broadcast journalist. Her broadcast career included stops in New Bern, N.C., Dayton, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Pa. and most recently Roanoke, Va. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and a bachelor’s degree in Romance Languages from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Brittny is excited to find new and innovative ways to share NASA Langley’s story.   Who or what inspired you to choose your career and why?     I’ve enjoyed communicating stories and impact since I was a third-grade student doing the school announcements. My mom recognized my interests in writing and public speaking and suggested I consider attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to major in journalism. I took that suggestion to heart. As a high school senior, I only applied to UNC-CH, because I felt my calling to be a journalist was predestined! Shortly after graduation I started my first reporting job in New Bern, N.C. and began a career that allowed me to give a voice to the voiceless, hold the powerful accountable, and keep my community informed about issues that would impact them. I’m always grateful I had the opportunity to live out the dreams of third grade me. Along the way I realized my communications skills didn’t have to be limited to a newsroom. I saw the value of using my foundation as a journalist to uplift and amplify messaging for one organization. That’s how I found NASA Langley and I’m so glad I did! It has been wonderful helping people outside our gates understand how the work we’re doing is changing their lives and inspiring a better world.   What do you find most rewarding about working with NASA?   I love that NASA is a place where you can challenge yourself, learn, and grow in a supportive environment. I’m naturally curious and inquisitive and ask a *lot* of questions, and that’s encouraged here. It was a little scary stepping away from the news industry I was very familiar with and making the transition to an entirely new world of NASA. What I quickly realized is the basics of communications don’t change, no matter if you’re sharing breaking news or the latest achievement in aeronautics: you have to know how to share the impact of your work and why your audience should care. It has been great to develop my communications skills in new and different ways here at NASA Langley.   What do you enjoy doing outside of work?     I’m a fitness enthusiast so I love working out! Staying active takes me to my happy place. I run, do strength training, high-intensity interval training, and mobility and flexibility work. I’ve competed in fitness competitions, completed three half-marathons and one obstacle course race, and enjoy challenging myself physically and mentally. It’s the best feeling when you set a personal record on a power clean or a front squat, or you shave a few seconds off your one-mile run. I’m constantly amazed and proud of what my mind and body can do. I also enjoy traveling the world with my sister. Two of the most beautiful places we’ve visited are Tahiti and its sister island, Moorea. There are so many fascinating places to see and people to meet, and we’re trying to do that one trip at a time.   What advice would you give to someone who might be interested in pursuing a career at NASA?   NASA is for everyone! I’d love to shout that from the rooftops! It takes people with a variety of skills to keep NASA Langley moving forward. I never imagined I’d have a news-centered job at a place known for aeronautics, science, and space exploration! But here I am! NASA Langley is its own ecosystem that needs everyone from accountants to business analysts to educators to firefighters, in addition to scientists, researchers, and engineers to be successful. I think it’s key to think outside the box when pursuing career opportunities, because no matter if it’s NASA or another organization, there’s likely a way to use your unique talents and abilities to elevate their work.   How does your background and heritage contribute to your perspective and approach in your role at NASA?   I understand the importance of ensuring diverse voices have a seat at the table because there’s value in being able to see and understand the world through another person’s perspective. As a journalist, I knew there was never one side to a story, and in my role at NASA Langley I want to make sure we’re being inclusive with our communications products to highlight the depth and breadth of our work and our people. Studies consistently show that diversity in the workplace contributes to business growth, innovation, and creativity, which are key aspects of a thriving, healthy work environment.   The 2024 theme for Black History Month is “African Americans and the Arts,” spanning the many impacts that Black Americans have had on visual arts, music, cultural movements and more. How have the arts played a role in your life?    My parents encouraged my sister and me to be well-rounded and participate in a variety of extracurricular activities, so I was a dancer, pianist, and violinist growing up. They also exposed us to musicals, plays, symphonies, and operas from a young age, and through that I developed an appreciation for the arts that continues to this day. I also love to laugh and regularly attend stand-up comedy performances in the area. Laughter truly is the best medicine and can lift your spirits in an instant! Facebook logo @NASALaRC @NASA_Langley Instagram logo @NASA_Langley Linkedin logo @NASA-Langley-Research-Center Explore More 5 min read Langley Celebrates Black History Month: Brandon Sells Article 23 mins ago 5 min read Langley Celebrates Black History Month: Alexus Cottonham Article 36 mins ago 5 min read Math, Mentorship, Motherhood: Behind the Scenes with NASA Engineers Article 5 days ago Share Details Last Updated Feb 27, 2024 Related TermsLangley Research CenterBlack History MonthDiversity at NASAPeople of NASA View the full article

NASA, Intuitive Machines Moon Mission Update

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Brandon Sells joined NASA’s Langley Research Center in September 2023 as an aerospace engineer with the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch (ASAB) of the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate (SACD).NASA/David C. Bowman Brandon Sells joined NASA’s Langley Research Center in September 2023 as an aerospace engineer with the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch (ASAB) of the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate (SACD). Brandon earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering-aerospace concentration from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C. He continued his education at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. earning a master’s degree and Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics. Prior to joining NASA Langley, Brandon completed internships at Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Who or what inspired you to choose your career and why? When I think about aeronautics, it’s the fact that something so heavy could fly so gracefully in the sky. Thinking about how we design these vehicles to do so really got me going. From then I started to put myself in positions to do that and my mom was great with that, too. Anything I wanted to do she would always try to put me in contact with people who could actually make that happen. One of the things she did was get me a tour at one of the business jet outfitters in Delaware. It was really cool and made me think I wanted to do *that,* which got me to now [working at NASA]. What do you find most rewarding about working with NASA?  I feel like I can do anything here. It’s motivating because there are so many things outside of my role that I could do and still have an impact, so that’s really important to me. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?  I really enjoy roller skating. It’s something I picked up during the pandemic. My dad used to be a speed skater and at the time I wasn’t that good at skating. It was something I wanted to do now that I had the time to do it. I’m also a big jazz buff. I picked that up from my grandfather. I like being outside, too. I like being competitive and playing soccer, ultimate frisbee, and flag football. I just enjoy being active and being around teams. And I’m a big Philadelphia Eagles fan! What advice would you give to someone who might be interested in pursuing a career at NASA? If they want to work at a place like this then they just need to be driven to be creative. That’s really what NASA allows us to do here in our technical areas. If we want to see something better in the future, then we have to figure out how the technology gets there. That’s really what NASA does across any center, not just here at Langley. For young people interested in NASA, take advantage of anything that will allow you to be close to science, such as science, math, art, flying and rocket clubs at school. Also, get your hands on science and rocket kits and really get involved. I like hands-on activities and that allows you to experience what you may be doing here. How does your background and heritage contribute to your perspective and approach in your role at NASA? One topic I shared in my interview examined the ability to look beyond technical feasibility and look at community integration and sustainability. A lot of the technology that we look at is so far off that we need business ventures to help bring the technology forward. What I don’t want is an instance where we stop allowing the technology to reach the general public. What I like doing is allowing the work and analysis to dictate how far we can push it so that diverse communities can use it. I don’t like when we have instances where aeronautics is limited to certain populations. Part of the work I do here in systems analysis is using the data to justify investments. If I can put together an analysis package that shows us that we can address the technology and address the community integration at the same time, that would be the greatest thing I can do. The 2024 theme for Black History Month is “African Americans and the Arts,” spanning the many impacts that Black Americans have had on visual arts, music, cultural movements and more. How have the arts played a role in your life?   Since I was about 7, I’ve been around dance primarily because of my sisters. It was easier for my mom to pick us all up at the same place! I’ve been in dance for almost 15 years, and I’ve learned a lot of different styles and different partner sets. It’s allowed me to think outside of a rigid frame. In dance or anything creative you have to address it with an open mind because it’s about flow. If you have a mindset that everything has to be a certain way, then you’re not able to see the joy and the impact of the art. It’s allowed me to be more successful in other areas of my life. It allowed me to talk to people that I may not have talked to before. I would encourage anyone to pick up a class in something because it forces you to be vulnerable, but it also allows you to learn. Facebook logo @NASALaRC @NASA_Langley Instagram logo @NASA_Langley Linkedin logo @NASA-Langley-Research-Center Explore More 6 min read Langley Celebrates Black History Month: Brittny McGraw Article 7 mins ago 5 min read Langley Celebrates Black History Month: Alexus Cottonham Article 36 mins ago 5 min read Math, Mentorship, Motherhood: Behind the Scenes with NASA Engineers Article 5 days ago Share Details Last Updated Feb 27, 2024 Related TermsLangley Research CenterBlack History MonthDiversity at NASAPeople of NASA View the full article

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Alexus Cottonham is an aerospace engineer supporting NASA Langley’s Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate. She completed a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in systems engineering at Colorado State University. She started with NASA in 2020 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and is completing her first year at NASA Langley. Who or what inspired you to choose your career and why? Growing up, I actually didn’t like science. I found science fairs so stressful, and I wanted nothing to do with it. It wasn’t until I took physics in high school, and I was like, “Wow! This is amazing! You can predict the future? You can use this mathematical equation to tell me where Mars will be and its orbit 20 years from now?” I just fell in love. I had a high school teacher, high school physics teacher, Mr. [William] Budell who saw my enthusiasm and really encouraged me to think about a career in engineering, which I had never done before. As I was exploring different career options, I found aerospace, where I could combine my love of space and engineering. What do you find most rewarding about working with NASA? The most rewarding thing I find about working at NASA is the culture here. We really do have that ‘One NASA’ mindset. We’re all working towards a shared vision. Not to say that we don’t have our challenges or disagreements, but it makes finding solutions to those challenges so much easier knowing that we’re all working for the benefit of humankind. What do you enjoy doing outside of work? Outside of work, I have a lot of different interests. I enjoy spending time in nature, checking out city parks, state parks, and national parks nearby. I also enjoy board gaming. I love to travel and I’m usually planning my next big trip outside of work, and whenever I can, I like to support local theater. What advice would you give young people who might be interested in pursuing a career at NASA? To those who are interested in a career at NASA, I usually give advice to two different groups. You have a group of young people who know that they want to work at NASA but aren’t really sure what they’re dream job is, and that’s perfectly okay. I would say to that group, find your passion. Find the thing that sparks joy in you, and you can do that by pursuing internships, finding extracurriculars that spark interest, and once you find that passion, follow it! I used to think that NASA was only for scientists and engineers, but that’s so not true! We have communications specialists and accountants, lawyers, and artists and so many different fields of careers here, so I would explore whatever you’re passionate about. Then to the second group, to people who know what their dream job is I would say, find a mentor, somebody who’s in the next stage of life that you trust and ask them questions. How did they get to where they are? How would they have done things differently if they had the opportunity? Last piece of advice to both groups I would say is to be open to opportunities. You may not always find a direct path to where you’re going but you can find opportunities along the way that will help you gain the skills and make connections that will eventually get you to where you want to go. How does your background and heritage contribute to your perspective and approach in your role at NASA? Growing up, I heard the old African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child” many, many times. And that’s true to my experience. Growing up in a single-parent household I saw my mom make connections with friends, with my teachers, and rely on my extended family to give me anything and everything that I needed, whether it be childcare or new clothes for school, or supporting me in my extracurriculars. And that principle is something that I like to bring into my current work. Nobody goes into space alone. It takes a village. It takes a team, and so not only do I look for strengths in myself that I can bring to my team to help us achieve our goals, but I’m also always looking around to others to see, “Hey! that person is doing amazing work!” or “This team is really awesome at this.” How can we partner together to improve our processes, to better our design, and achieve our goals together? The 2024 theme for Black History Month is “African Americans and the Arts,” spanning the many impacts that Black Americans have had on visual arts, music, cultural movements and more. How have the arts played a role in your life? The arts have played a big role in my life. Growing up I was so shy. I would have never agreed to do a video interview or give a presentation to dozens or hundreds of people like I have at NASA. I got over my nerves and I jumped into drama club in middle school, and I loved it and I stuck with it all throughout high school becoming the president of the drama club my senior year. I learned so many skills that I still use today in my role. From customer interactions and customer satisfaction that we had to learn while we were selling tickets for our shows. I also learned how to consider different perspectives. When you’re putting on a show you have to think about the audience, how they’re going to react. You have to think about the actors on stage and the crew backstage and how it all comes together to complete our mission, which is putting on a great show. These are principles I still use in my work today. Facebook logo @NASALaRC @NASA_Langley Instagram logo @NASA_Langley Linkedin logo @NASA-Langley-Research-Center Explore More 5 min read Math, Mentorship, Motherhood: Behind the Scenes with NASA Engineers Article 5 days ago 4 min read NASA Astronomer Sees Power in Community, Works to Build More Article 6 days ago 4 min read Renee King: Ensuring Space for Everyone Article 1 week ago Share Details Last Updated Feb 27, 2024 Related TermsLangley Research CenterBlack History MonthDiversity at NASAPeople of NASA View the full article

On Feb. 22, 2024, Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lunar lander captures a wide field of view image of Schomberger crater on the Moon approximately 125 miles (200 km) uprange from the intended landing site, at approximately 6 miles (10 km) altitude. Credit: Intuitive Machines NASA and Intuitive Machines will co-host a televised news conference at 2 p.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 28, from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to highlight the company’s first mission, known as IM-1. The lander, called Odysseus, carried six NASA science instruments to the South Pole region of the Moon as part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, and Artemis campaign. The IM-1 mission is the first U.S. soft landing on the Moon in more than 50 years, successfully landing on Feb. 22. The news conference will air on NASA+, NASA Television, and the agency’s website Learn how to stream NASA TV on a variety of platforms, including social media. Participants in the news conference include: Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator, Exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington Sue Lederer, CLPS project scientist, NASA Johnson Steve Altemus, chief executive officer and co-founder, Intuitive Machines Tim Crain, chief technology officer and co-founder, Intuitive Machines Media interested in participating in person must RSVP no later than 11 a.m. on Feb. 28. To participate by telephone, media must RSVP no later than one hour before the start of the news conference. Submit either request to the NASA Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. The agency’s media accreditation policy is online. For more information about the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/clps -end- Cheryl Warner / Karen Fox Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov/ karen.c.fox@nasa.gov Nilufar Ramji / Laura Sorto Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov/ laura.g.sorto@nasa.gov Josh Marshall Intuitive Machines, Houston jmarshall@intuitivemachines.com View the full article

NASA A pair of roseate spoonbills add a pop of color to this image taken Sept. 13, 2005, in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, northwest of Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Spoonbills like this female (left) and male duo inhabit areas of mangrove such as on the coasts of southern Florida and Texas. These birds feed on shrimps and fish in the shallow water, sweeping their bills from side to side. This and other wildlife abound throughout Kennedy as it shares a boundary with the Wildlife Refuge, home to some of the nation’s rarest and most unusual species of wildlife. The wildlife refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. Image Credit: NASA View the full article

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft is dramatically lit for a “glamour shot,” captured before its Jan. 12, 2024, rollout at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale where the airplane was constructed.Credit: Lockheed Martin / Michael Jackson NASA has issued new grants to five universities to help develop education plans for the community overflight phase of the agency’s Quesst mission, which aims to demonstrate the possibility of supersonic flight without the typical loud sonic booms. The new grants, from NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, will provide each university team with $40,000 to develop science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) engagement strategic implementation plans for those Quesst community overflights. The awards will focus on plans for engaging with students and educators in the communities that NASA will eventually select for overflights. This will help ensure communities are accurately informed about this phase of Quesst and what involvement in the mission will look like for their community. “The Quesst mission is unique at NASA, with community input playing a major part in its success,” said Eric Miller, deputy mission integration manager for Quesst. “These new awards will allow NASA to learn from other STEM professionals, informing us as we develop a framework to effectively engage with students and educators.” The selected institutions and their projects, are: Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin – STEM Quesst, Wisconsin Space Grant Cornell University, Ithaca, New York –Quesst Community Overflight STEM Engagement New York Space Grant Consortium Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia – Engaging the National NASA Space Grant Network in Support of the Quesst Community Overflight STEM Engagement University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico – Space Grant Quesst Community Overflight STEM Engagement: Sounds of Our World University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California – California Space Grant Planning Support for the Quesst Community Overflight STEM Engagement The deliverables from the awards will help inform a student engagement approach that can be implemented in any community, state, and region that may be selected. NASA has yet to select communities for the overflights. Through Quesst, NASA is developing its X-59 experimental aircraft, which will fly faster than the speed of sound while producing only a quiet sonic “thump.” After the X-59 completes a series of flight tests, NASA will fly it over a number of communities across the country, gathering data about what people below hear. For more information about Quesst, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/quesst/ -end- Gerelle Dodson Headquarters, Washington 202-358-4637 gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Feb 27, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsQuesst (X-59)Aeronautics Research Mission DirectorateFor Kids and StudentsLearning ResourcesNASA HeadquartersQuesst: The MissionQuesst: The ScienceQuesst: The TeamSTEM Engagement at NASA View the full article

NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 Launch (Official NASA Broadcast in 4K)

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Meredith Patterson, front row, center right, poses with her teammates in the High-Powered Rocketry Club at North Carolina State University on the day they launched the rocket they built for NASA’s 2023 Student Launch. The experience and knowledge Patterson gained from her years participating in the annual competition helped pave the way for a career at NASA after graduation. High-Powered Rocketry Club at NC State By Jessica Barnett Sometimes, all it takes is a few years and the right people to completely change a person’s career trajectory. One such example is Meredith Patterson, an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, who went from knowing little to nothing about rockets to being part of the team that is working to put humans back on the Moon. She credits her success in large part to NASA’s Student Launch, which not only helped her uncover her passion for aerospace engineering but gave her the knowledge and experience she needed to get where she is today. The annual Student Launch competition invites student teams from across the U.S. to spend nine months designing, building, and testing a high-powered rocket carrying a scientific or engineering payload. The hands-on, research-based engineering activity culminates each year in a final launch in Huntsville. This year’s challenge conclusion is set for April 10-14, with the final launch date set for April 13 at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama. While Student Launch is open to students as young as sixth grade, Patterson was in her junior year of high school when she learned about the competition during a tour of North Carolina State University. “When I walked into the rocketry lab there, I knew then, however many years it was going to take, I wanted to be the person who was able to run that and help put together everything for us to be successful in Student Launch,” Patterson said. Meredith Patterson, then-freshman at North Carolina State University, assembles the competition vehicle used by the school’s high-powered rocketry club in this photo from the NASA’s 2019 Student Launch. Patterson was a member of the club and a regular participant in Student Launch for five years before graduating and turning her experience into a full-time career as an aerospace engineer at NASA. High-Powered Rocketry Club at NC State She attended North Carolina State for five years, participating in each year’s Student Launch competition and leading the team to a fourth-place win during her final year. She received her Level I and Level II certifications from Tripoli Rocketry Association through Student Launch, and she was able to connect with mentors from Tripoli and the National Rocketry Association that helped her get the hands-on experience and technical know-how she believes are key to success in the aerospace industry. “My leadership skills grew, my system engineering skills grew, and my technical writing skills grew,” Patterson said. “Having mentors through the competition allowed me to ask questions and learn on the technical side of things, too. I think I use more information from Student Launch day to day than from almost any of my classes in college.” She said attending an engineering camp at 16 years old first unlocked her interest in spaceflight and rocketry, but it was through Student Launch that she got to really dive in and deepen her passion. “It’s crazy to think that less than 10 years ago, I had never even built a rocket, and now I can build Level II-sized rockets on my own and I’m actively working on the biggest solid rocket boosters in the world,” Patterson said. “Just in the past year, I’ve gone from the L-class motor that we used for Student Launch to casting 11-inch motors to now actively watching the casting of the SLS (Space Launch System) boosters.” Meredith Patterson, a former competitor in NASA’s Student Launch Challenge, now works as an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.NASA Student Launch is part of NASA’s Artemis Student Challenges. Seventy teams representing 24 states and Puerto Rico were selected to compete in the 2024 Student Launch Challenge. Marshall hosts the Student Launch challenge with management support provided by NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement – Southeast Region. Funding is provided, in part, by NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate and NASA’s Next Gen STEM project. Share Details Last Updated Feb 27, 2024 Related TermsMarshall Space Flight Center Explore More 5 min read NASA’s Planetary Protection Team Conducts Vital Research for Deep Space Missions Article 5 days ago 3 min read NASA to Continue Testing for New Artemis Moon Rocket Engines Article 5 days ago 30 min read The Marshall Star for February 21, 2024 Article 6 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Faces of STEM NASA Student Launch Challenge Middle/high school and college-level student teams design, build, test, and launch a high-powered rocket carrying a scientific or engineering payload. Marshall Space Flight Center HERC Teams View the full article

FAIRMONT – Competitive Robotics in West Virginia has reached an all-time high with more teams across the state than ever before. The West Virginia Robotics Alliance, managed by the Education Resource Center (ERC) team at the NASA Katherine Johnson IV&V Facility, released new data for the 2023-24 Robotics Season that shows a peak in the number of teams and steady growth over the last several years. Number of Robotics Teams in WV “The ERC assumed management of the FIRST LEGO League tournament in 2011 when we had barely 50 teams in West Virginia,” ERC Program Manager Dr. Todd Ensign said. “Today, there are over 550 teams that engage approximately 3,000 students almost daily!” According to the data, the overall number of robotics teams in the state has risen every year since 2011 – with one exception during the 2020-21 season when the COVID-19 pandemic impacted participation. The ERC now runs qualifying events every weekend, numerous state championships, invitational tournaments, and international competitions. Ensign and many other figures within the ERC and Robotics Alliance have championed robotics events and opportunities for students across the state, including in some of its most rural communities, to help reach this point. “This is indeed an achievement on behalf of the students, coaches, parents, schools and districts who are supporting competitive robotics,” Ensign said. With such exponential growth, Ensign says more volunteers are needed to support current and future events. Positions are available for people of all ages and levels of prior experience. To learn more about how to volunteer, visit https://www.wvrobot.org/volunteer. A major development in West Virginia’s robotics landscape came in 2021 when the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission (WVSSAC) recognized robotics as a co-curricular activity. This update made it possible for students to receive a varsity letter in robotics, gaining recognition similar to those earned in marching band or other sports. When the WVSSAC recognition was announced, many at the ERC had high hopes for what it would mean to further STEM and robotics in West Virginia. “We hope recognition from the WVSSAC will increase the number of schools throughout West Virginia participating in competitive robotics,” John Holbrook, of the ERC, said at the time. “Ultimately, our goal is to see robotics teams from every county of West Virginia.” And with the new milestone reached in participation, those goals are closer than ever before. Many events are upcoming as the 2023-24 robotics season continues, including what is set to be the largest VEX State Championship in West Virginia history, March 10-16, at the Fairmont State University Falcon Center and the WVSSAC Robotics State Championship, April 6, at Herbert Hoover High School, in Elkview, West Virginia. For a full list of upcoming events: WV Robotics Alliance – Upcoming Events View the full article

5 Min Read The CUTE Mission: Innovative Design EnablesObservations of Extreme Exoplanets from a SmallPackage Fig 1: Artist’s concept of the CUTE mission on-orbit. CUTE has been operating in a 560 km sun-synchronous orbit since September 2021. Credits: NASA Of the approximately 5,500 exoplanets discovered to date, many have been found to orbit very close to their parent stars. These close-in planets provide a unique opportunity to observe in detail the phenomena critical to the development and evolution of our own solar system, including atmospheric mass loss and interactions with the host star. NASA’s Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE) mission, launched in September 2021, employed a new design that enabled exploration of these processes using a small spacecraft for the first time. CUTE provides unique spectral diagnostics that trace the escaping atmospheres of close-in, ultra-hot, giant planets. In addition, CUTE’s dedicated mission architecture enables the survey duration required to characterize atmospheric structure and variability on these worlds. Atmospheric escape is a fundamental process that affects the structure, composition, and evolution of many planets. It has operated on all of the terrestrial planets in our solar system and likely drives the demographics of the short-period planet population characterized by NASA’s Kepler mission. In fact, atmospheric escape ultimately may be the determining factor when predicting the habitability of temperate, terrestrial exoplanets. Escaping exoplanet atmospheres were first observed in the hydrogen Lyman-alpha line (121nm) in 2003. However, contamination by neutral hydrogen in both the intervening interstellar medium and Earth’s upper atmosphere makes obtaining high-quality Lyman-alpha transit measurements for most exoplanets very challenging. By contrast, a host star’s near-ultraviolet (NUV; 250 – 350 nm) flux is two to three orders of magnitude higher than Lyman-alpha, and transit light curves can be measured against a smoother stellar surface intensity distribution. This knowledge motivated a team led by Dr. Kevin France at the University of Colorado Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics to design the CUTE mission (Fig 1). The team proposed the CUTE concept to NASA through the ROSES/Astrophysics Research and Analysis (APRA) Program in February 2016 and NASA funded the project in July 2017. The CUTE instrument pioneered use of two technologies on a small space mission: a novel, rectangular Cassegrain telescope (20cm × 8cm primary mirror) and a miniature, low-resolution spectrograph operating from approximately 250 – 330 nm. The rectangular telescope was fabricated to accommodate the unique instrument volume of the 6U CubeSat form factor, an adaptation that delivers approximately three times the collecting area of a traditional, circular aperture telescope. The compact spectrograph meets the spectral resolution requirements of the mission while using scaled down component technology adapted from the Hubble Space Telescope. Fig 2 – Image of the CUTE science instrument, including rectangular telescope and miniaturized spectrograph, mounted to the spacecraft bus. Credit: CUTE Team, University of Colorado This novel instrument design enables CUTE to measure NUV with similar precision as larger missions even in the more challenging thermal and pointing environment experienced by a CubeSat. In addition, the CUTE instrument’s NUV bandpass enables it to measure iron and magnesium ions from highly extended atmospheric layers that ground-based instruments cannot access. The CUTE science instrument is incorporated into a 6U Blue Canyon Technologies spacecraft bus that provides power, command and data handling, attitude control, and communications. This CubeSat platform enables CUTE to observe numerous transits of a given planet. The spectrogram from the CUTE instrument is recorded on a UV-optimized commercial off-the-shelf charge-coupled device (CCD), onboard data processing is performed, and data products are relayed to a ground station at the University of Colorado. Fig 3 –Graduate student Arika Egan (center) and electrical engineer Nicholas DeCicco (left) install CUTE into the LANDSAT-9 secondary payload dispenser at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Credit: CUTE Team, University of Colorado CUTE was launched as a secondary payload on NASA’s LANDSAT-9 mission on September 27, 2021 into a Sun-synchronous orbit with a 560 km apogee. CUTE deployed from the payload dispenser (Fig 2) approximately two hours after launch and then deployed its solar arrays. Spacecraft beacon signals were identified by the amateur radio community on the first orbit and communications were established with the ground station at the University of Colorado the following day. On-orbit commissioning of the spacecraft and instrument concluded in February 2022 and the mission has been conducting science operations since that time. As of February 2024, CUTE is actively acquiring science and calibration data (Fig 3), and has observed between 6 and 11 transits of seven different exoplanetary systems. Data downlink efficiency is the primary factor limiting the number of targets observed over the course of the mission. CUTE light curves and transit spectroscopy are revealing extended NUV atmospheres on some planets (Fig 4) and potential time variability in the atmospheric transmission spectra of others. For example, observations of the ultra-hot exoplanet, Jupiter WASP-189b, indicate a highly extended atmosphere. Magnesium ions are observed to be gravitationally unbound from the planet, which is evidence for active escape of heavy elements in this system. CUTE data are being archived by the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI). Fig 4 – Flight data from CUTE showing raw CCD observations (top) and calibrated one-dimensional spectra (bottom). Image credit: France et al (2023) Fig 5 – CUTE NUV transit light curve of the ultra-hot exoplanet, Jupiter WASP-189b. This light curve was created from three separate transit visits to the planet. Image credit: Sreejith, et al (2023) CUTE successfully demonstrated the use of a non-circular telescope and miniature spectrograph design for small space missions, an approach that has been subsequently adopted by several NASA and international mission designs, including NASA’s new Monitoring Activity from Nearby sTars with uv Imaging and Spectroscopy (MANTIS) mission. CUTE’s demonstration of sub-1% NUV precision has shown that the precision achieved by large UV astronomy missions can also be achieved by a CubeSat. In addition, student training and early-career mentorship have been key ingredients to CUTE’s mission success. So far, over 20 early career students and professionals have trained and participated in CUTE activities—ranging from science to engineering to operations. PROJECT LEAD Professor Kevin France, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics/University of Colorado SPONSORING ORGANIZATION Astrophysics Division Astrophysics Research and Analysis Program Share Details Last Updated Feb 27, 2024 Related Terms Astrophysics Science-enabling Technology Technology Highlights Explore More 1 min read Hubble Views an Active Star-Forming Galaxy Article 4 days ago 5 min read Webb Finds Evidence for Neutron Star at Heart of Young Supernova Remnant Article 5 days ago 2 min read Hubble Views a Massive Star Forming Article 2 weeks ago View the full article

Lee esta historia en español aquí. The International Space Station is a microgravity research lab hosting groundbreaking technology demonstrations and scientific investigations. More than 3,700 investigations conducted to date have generated roughly 500 research articles published in scientific journals. In 2023, the orbiting lab hosted more than 500 investigations. See more space station research achievements and findings in the Annual Highlights of Results publication, and read highlights of results published between October 2022 and October 2023 below: A New Spin on Pulsars A view of NICER, attached to the space station’s exterior multipurpose payload shelving unit.NASA Neutron stars, ultra-dense matter left behind when massive stars explode as supernovas, are also called pulsars because they spin and emit X-ray radiation in beams that sweep the sky like lighthouses. The Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) collects this radiation to study the structure, dynamics, and energetics of pulsars. Researchers used NICER data to calculate rotations of six pulsars and update mathematical models of their spin properties. Precise measurements enhance the understanding of pulsars, including their production of gravitational waves, and help address fundamental questions about matter and gravity. Learning from Lightning The space station’s robotic arm maneuvers the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor, seen at the top of the image, for light testing. NASA Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) studies how upper-atmospheric electrical discharges generated by severe thunderstorms affect Earth’s atmosphere and climate. These events occur well above the altitudes of normal lightning and storm clouds. Using ASIM data, researchers reported the first detailed observations of development of a of negative leader, or initiation of a flash, from in-cloud lightning. Understanding how thunderstorms disturb the high-altitude atmosphere could improve atmospheric models and climate and weather predictions. Regenerating Tissue in Space Tissue Regeneration-Bone Defect (Rodent Research-4 (CASIS)), sponsored by the ISS National Lab, examined wound healing mechanisms in microgravity. Researchers found that microgravity affected the fibrous and cellular components of skin tissue. Fibrous structures in connective tissue provide structure and protection for the body’s organs. This finding is an initial step to use connective tissue regeneration to treat disease and injuries for future space explorers. Mighty Muscles in Microgravity Installation of the Mouse Habitat Unit (MHU) in the station’s Cell Biology Experiment Facility. NASA/JAXA JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) developed the Multiple Artificial-gravity Research System (MARS), which generates artificial gravity in space. Three JAXA investigations, MHU-1, MHU-4, and MHU-5, used the artificial-gravity system to examine the effect on skeletal muscles from different gravitation loads – microgravity, lunar gravity (1/6 g), and Earth gravity (1 g). Results show that lunar gravity protects against loss of some muscle fibers but not others. Different gravitational levels may be needed to support muscle adaptation on future missions. Better Ultrasound Images JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide uses the station’s ultrasound device to image the femoral artery in his right leg. NASA Vascular Echo, an investigation from CSA (Canadian Space Agency), examined changes in blood vessels and the heart during and after spaceflight using ultrasound and other measures. Researchers compared 2D ultrasound technology with a motorized 3D ultrasound and found that 3D is more accurate. Better measurements could help maintain crew health in space and quality of life for people on Earth. This is Your Brain in Space ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet with a preflight scan of his brain for the Brain-DTI investigation. ESA/NASA The Brain-DTI investigation from ESA (European Space Agency) tested whether the brain adapts to weightlessness by using previously untapped connections between neurons. MRI scans of crew members before and after spaceflight demonstrate functional changes in specific brain regions, confirming the adaptability and plasticity of the brain under extreme conditions. This insight supports the development of ways to monitor brain adaptations and countermeasures to promote healthy brain function in space and for those with brain-related disorders on Earth. Improving Solar Materials The MISSE-FF platform is used to test how exposure to space affects materials, including those used for solar power in space.NASA Metal halide perovskite (MHP) materials convert sunlight into electrical energy and show promise for use in thin-film solar cells in space due to low cost, high performance, suitability for in-space manufacturing, and defect and radiation tolerance. For Materials International Space Station Experiment-13-NASA (MISSE-13-NASA), which continues a series investigating how space affects various materials, researchers exposed perovskite thin films to space for ten months. Results confirmed their durability and stability in this environment. This finding could lead to improvements in MHP materials and devices for space applications such as solar panels. Understanding Bubbles in Foams A sample cell for the FOAM investigation on the space station.NASA Wet foams are dispersions of gas bubbles in a liquid matrix. An ESA investigation, FSL Soft Matter Dynamics or FOAM, examines coarsening, a thermodynamic process where large bubbles grow at the expense of smaller ones. Researchers determined the coarsening rates for various types of foams and found close agreement with theoretical predictions. A better understanding of foam properties could help scientists improve these substances for a variety of uses, including firefighting and water treatment in space and making detergents, food, and medicine on Earth. Answering Burning Questions A sample of composite cotton and fiberglass fabric burns during Saffire-IV.NASA Fire is a constant concern in space. The Saffire series of experiments studies flame conditions in microgravity using empty Cygnus resupply spacecraft that have undocked from the space station. Saffire-IV examined fire growth with different materials and conditions and showed that a technique called color pyrometry can determine the temperature of a spreading flame. The finding helps validate numerical models of flame properties in microgravity and provides insight into fire safety on future missions. The Robot Hop An Astrobee robot performs a self-tossing maneuver on the space station.NASA Astrobatics tests robotic movement using hopping or self-toss maneuvers by the station’s Astrobee robots. In low gravity, robots could move faster, use less fuel, and cover otherwise impassable terrain with these maneuvers, expanding their orbital and planetary capabilities. Results verified the viability of the locomotion method and showed that it provides a greater range of distance. The work is a step toward autonomous robotic helpers in space and on other celestial bodies, potentially reducing the need to expose astronauts to risky environments. Melissa Gaskill International Space Station Program Research Office Johnson Space Center Search this database of scientific experiments to learn more about those mentioned above. Keep Exploring Discover More Topics Space Station Research Results Latest News from Space Station Research Opportunities and Information for Researchers ISS National Laboratory View the full article

Read the article in English here. La Estación Espacial Internacional (EEI) es un laboratorio de investigación en microgravedad que alberga innovadoras demostraciones de tecnología e investigaciones científicas. Las más de 3.700 investigaciones llevadas a cabo hasta la fecha han producido alrededor de 500 artículos publicados en revistas científicas. En 2023, este laboratorio orbital albergó más de 500 investigaciones. Conoce más logros y hallazgos de las investigaciones en la estación espacial en la publicación Resultados anuales sobresalientes de la Estación Espacial Internacional (en inglés), y lee a continuación sobre los aspectos más destacados de los resultados publicados entre octubre de 2022 y octubre de 2023: Nueva perspectiva sobre los púlsares Vista del telescopio NICER, sujeto a la plataforma externa de alojamiento de carga útil de la estación espacial.NASA Las estrellas de neutrones, la materia ultradensa que queda cuando las estrellas masivas explotan como supernovas, también son llamadas púlsares porque giran y emiten radiaciones de rayos X en forma de haces que barren el cielo como faros. El Explorador de la Composición Interior de las Estrellas de Neutrones (NICER, por sus siglas en inglés) recoge esta radiación para estudiar la estructura, la dinámica y la energía de los púlsares. Los investigadores utilizaron los datos de NICER para calcular la rotación de seis púlsares y actualizar los modelos matemáticos de las propiedades de su rotación. Las mediciones precisas mejoran nuestra comprensión de los púlsares, incluyendo su producción de ondas gravitacionales, y ayudan a abordar preguntas fundamentales acerca de la materia y la gravedad. Aprender acerca de los relámpagos El brazo robótico de la estación espacial maniobra el Monitor de Interacciones Atmósfera-Espacio, el cual se observa en la parte superior de esta imagen, para llevar a cabo pruebas con la luz.NASA El Monitor de Interacciones Atmósfera-Espacio (ASIM, por sus siglas en inglés) estudia de qué modo la atmósfera y el clima de la Tierra afectan las descargas eléctricas de la atmósfera superior que son producidas por tormentas eléctricas severas. Estos fenómenos ocurren muy por encima de las altitudes normales de los relámpagos y las nubes de tormenta. Utilizando los datos de ASIM, los investigadores realizaron las primeras observaciones detalladas del desarrollo de un líder negativo, o el inicio de un destello, a partir de un relámpago en una nube. Comprender de qué modo las tormentas eléctricas perturban la atmósfera a gran altitud podría mejorar los modelos atmosféricos y las predicciones climáticas y meteorológicas. Regeneración de tejidos en el espacio La investigación Regeneración de tejidos – Defectos óseos (Investigación en Roedores 4, Centro para el Avance de la Ciencia en el Espacio, o CASIS), patrocinada por el Laboratorio Nacional de la EEI, examinó los mecanismos de cicatrización de las heridas en microgravedad. Los investigadores descubrieron que la microgravedad afectaba a los componentes fibrosos y celulares del tejido cutáneo. Las estructuras fibrosas en el tejido conectivo proporcionan estructura y protección a los órganos del cuerpo. Este hallazgo es un paso inicial en la utilización de la regeneración del tejido conectivo para el tratamiento de enfermedades y lesiones en los futuros exploradores espaciales. Músculos poderosos en microgravedad Instalación de la Unidad de Hábitat de Ratones en el Centro Experimental de Biología Celular de la estación.NASA/JAXA La JAXA (Agencia Japonesa de Exploración Aeroespacial) desarrolló el Sistema Múltiple de Investigación de Gravedad Artificial (MARS, por sus siglas en inglés), el cual genera gravedad artificial en el espacio. Tres investigaciones de la JAXA, MHU-1, MHU-4 y MHU-5, emplearon el sistema de gravedad artificial para examinar el efecto en los músculos esqueléticos que producen diferentes cargas gravitatorias: microgravedad, gravedad lunar (1/6 g) y gravedad terrestre (1 g). Los resultados muestran que la gravedad lunar protege contra la pérdida de algunas fibras musculares, pero no de otras. Es posible que se necesiten diferentes niveles gravitacionales para sustentar la adaptación muscular en las misiones futuras. Mejores imágenes de ultrasonido El astronauta de la JAXA Akihiko Hoshide utiliza el dispositivo de ultrasonido de la estación para obtener imágenes de la arteria femoral de su pierna derecha.NASA Eco vascular, una investigación de la CSA (Agencia Espacial Canadiense), examinó los cambios que se producen en los vasos sanguíneos y el corazón durante y después de los vuelos espaciales, utilizando ultrasonido y otros métodos de obtención de medidas. Los investigadores compararon la tecnología de ultrasonido 2D con un ultrasonido 3D motorizado, y descubrieron que el 3D es más preciso. Mejores mediciones podrían ayudar a mantener saludable a la tripulación en el espacio y la calidad de vida de la gente en la Tierra. Este es tu cerebro en el espacio El astronauta de la ESA Thomas Pesquet con un escáner cerebral previo al vuelo para la investigación Brain-DTI.ESA/NASA La investigación Brain-DTI de la ESA (Agencia Espacial Europea) llevó a cabo pruebas para saber si el cerebro se adapta a la ingravidez mediante el uso de conexiones entre neuronas previamente desaprovechadas. Las resonancias magnéticas de los miembros de la tripulación antes y después de los vuelos espaciales demuestran cambios funcionales en regiones específicas del cerebro, lo que confirma la adaptabilidad y plasticidad del cerebro en condiciones extremas. Esta información sustenta el desarrollo de formas de monitorear las adaptaciones cerebrales y de las contramedidas para promover un funcionamiento cerebral saludable en el espacio y para las personas con trastornos relacionados con el cerebro en la Tierra. Mejores materiales para energía solar La plataforma MISSE-FF es utilizada en la realización de pruebas para saber de qué manera la exposición al espacio afecta a los materiales, incluyendo los utilizados para la producción de energía solar en el espacio.NASA Los materiales de perovskita de haluro metálico (PHM) convierten la luz solar en energía eléctrica y son prometedores para su uso en células solares de película delgada en el espacio debido a su bajo costo, alto rendimiento, idoneidad para la fabricación en el espacio y su tolerancia a defectos y radiación. Para el Experimento 13 de Materiales de la Estación Espacial Internacional de la NASA (MISSE-13-NASA), el cual continúa una serie de investigaciones sobre cómo el espacio afecta a diversos materiales, los investigadores expusieron películas delgadas de perovskita al espacio durante diez meses. Los resultados confirmaron su durabilidad y estabilidad en este entorno. Este hallazgo podría conducir a mejoras en los materiales y dispositivos de PHM para aplicaciones en el espacio tales como paneles solares. Comprender las burbujas de las espumas Un colector de muestras para la investigación FOAM a bordo de la estación espacial.NASA Las espumas húmedas son dispersiones de burbujas de gas en una base líquida. Una investigación llamada Dinámica de la Materia Blanda del Laboratorio de Ciencia de Fluidos, o FSL (FOAM, por sus siglas en inglés) de la ESA examina el engrosamiento, o agrandamiento, del grano, un proceso termodinámico en el cual las burbujas grandes crecen a expensas de las más pequeñas. Los investigadores determinaron las tasas de agrandamiento para diversos tipos de espumas y encontraron una estrecha concordancia con las predicciones teóricas. Una mejor comprensión de las propiedades de las espumas podría ayudar a los científicos a mejorar estas sustancias para una diversidad de usos, incluyendo el combate de incendios y el tratamiento del agua en el espacio, y la fabricación de detergentes, alimentos y medicamentos en la Tierra. Respuesta a preguntas candentes Una muestra de tela compuesta de algodón y fibra de vidrio se quema durante el experimento Saffire-IV.NASA El fuego es una preocupación constante en el espacio. La serie de experimentos Saffire estudia las condiciones de las llamas en microgravedad utilizando la nave espacial de reabastecimiento Cygnus desocupada, que se ha desacoplado de la estación espacial. El Experimento Contra Incendios en Naves Espaciales IV (Saffire-IV, por sus siglas en inglés) examinó el desarrollo del fuego con diferentes materiales y condiciones, y mostró que una técnica llamada pirometría del color puede determinar la temperatura de una llama que se propaga. Este hallazgo ayuda a validar los modelos numéricos acerca de las propiedades de las llamas en microgravedad y proporciona información sobre la seguridad contra incendios en misiones futuras. El salto de robot Un robot Astrobee realiza una maniobra de autolanzamiento en la estación espacial.NASA La campaña de experimentos Astrobatics lleva a cabo a pruebas sobre el movimiento robótico mediante maniobras de salto o autolanzamiento de los robots Astrobee en la estación. En condiciones de baja gravedad, los robots podrían desplazarse más rápido, usar menos combustible y cubrir terrenos que de otro modo serían intransitables con estas maniobras, ampliando sus capacidades orbitales y planetarias. Los resultados verificaron la viabilidad de este método de locomoción y demostraron que proporciona un mayor rango de distancia. Este trabajo es un avance hacia la obtención de ayudantes robóticos autónomos en el espacio y en otros cuerpos celestes, lo que podría reducir la necesidad de exponer a los astronautas a entornos de riesgo. Melissa Gaskill Oficina de Investigaciones del Programa de la Estación Espacial Internacional Centro Espacial Johnson Busca en esta base de datos de experimentos científicos (en inglés) para obtener más información sobre los experimentos mencionados en este artículo. Explora más Descubre más temas de la NASA Ciencia en la estación NASA en español Explora el universo y descubre tu planeta natal con nosotros, en tu idioma. Aeronáutica en español Latest News from Space Station Research View the full article

Credit: NASA/Kenny Allen NASA astronaut and Artemis II pilot Victor Glover is assisted by U.S. Navy personnel as he exits a mockup of the Orion spacecraft in the Pacific Ocean during training Feb. 25, while his crewmates look on. The Artemis II crew and a team from NASA and the Department of Defense are spending several days at sea to test the procedures and tools that will be used to help the crew to safety when they splash down in the ocean at the end of their 10-day, 685,000-mile journey around the Moon next year as part of the first crewed mission under NASA’s Artemis campaign. On the day of the crew’s return to Earth, a Navy ship with specially trained personnel will await splashdown and then approach the Orion capsule to help extract the four astronauts. An inflatable raft, called the front porch, will provide a place for them to rest when they exit the capsule before they are then individually hoisted by helicopters and flown to the waiting ship. Artemis II, launching atop the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will test the Orion spacecraft’s life support systems needed for future lunar missions. View the full article

Science Launching on SpaceX's 30th Cargo Resupply Mission to the Space Station

NASA and the agency’s international partners are sending scientific investigations to the International Space Station on the 30th SpaceX commercial resupply services mission, including tests of technologies to monitor sea ice, automate 3D mapping, and create nanoparticle solar cells. The company’s Dragon cargo spacecraft is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in early March. Read more about some of the research making the journey to the orbiting laboratory: Plants off the Planet Plants can be used in regenerative life support systems, to provide food, and to contribute to the well-being of astronauts on future deep space exploration missions. C4 Photosynthesis in Space (APEX-09) examines how microgravity affects the mechanisms by which two types of grasses, known as C3 and C4, capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. “Plants respond to stressful conditions based on their genetic makeup and the environment,” said Pubudu Handakumbura, principal investigator with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. “We aim to uncover the molecular changes involved in plants exposed to spaceflight stressors and develop an understanding of the mechanisms of photosynthesis in space.” Results could clarify plant responses to stressful environments and inform the design of bio-regenerative support systems on future missions, as well as systems for plant growth on Earth. Seedlings germinating for the APEX-09 C4 Space investigation. Pubudu Handakumbura Sensing the Sea The ocean significantly affects the global climate. A technique called Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry (GNSS-R), which receives satellite signals reflected from the surface of Earth, shows promise as a way to monitor ocean phenomena and improve climate models. Killick-1: A GNSS Reflectometry CubeSat for Measuring Sea Ice Thickness and Extent (Nanoracks KILLICK-1) tests using this technique to measure sea ice. The project supports development of space and science capabilities in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, by providing hands-on experience with space systems and Earth observation. More than 100 undergraduate and graduate engineering students participated in the project. “The most exciting aspect of this project is that students have the opportunity to launch a mission into space,” said Desmond Power, a co-investigator with C-CORE of Canada. “It is also exciting to build a tiny satellite that does different things, including contributing to our knowledge of climate change.” GNSS-R technology is low-cost, light, and energy efficient. Its potential applications on Earth include providing data for weather and climate models and improving the understanding of ocean phenomena such as surface winds and storm surge. The KILLICK-1 CubeSat ready to pack for launch. Memorial University, Canada Automated Autonomous Assistance Multi-resolution Scanner (MRS) Payload for the Astrobee (Multi-Resolution Scanning) tests technology to automate 3D sensing, mapping, and situational awareness systems. “Our MRS on an Astrobee free-flying robot will create 3D maps inside the space station,” said Marc Elmouttie, project lead with the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. “The technology combines multiple sensors, which compensates for weaknesses in any one of them and provides very high-resolution 3D data and more accurate trajectory data to understand how the robot moves around in space.” The technology could be used for autonomous operation of spacecraft with minimal or no human occupancy where robots must sense the environment and precisely maneuver, including the lunar Gateway space station. Other uses could be to inspect and maintain spacecraft and for autonomous vehicle operations on other celestial bodies. Results also support improvements in robotic technologies for harsh and dangerous environments on Earth. Project Lead Marc Elmouttie with the MRS hardware housed in an Astrobee robot. NASA Placement of Particles The Nano Particle Haloing Suspension investigation examines how nanoparticles and microparticles interact within an electrical field. A process called nanoparticle haloing uses charged nanoparticles to enable precise particle arrangements that improve the efficiency of quantum-dot synthesized solar cells, according to Stuart J. Williams, principal investigator with the University of Louisville Department of Mechanical Engineering. Quantum dots are tiny spheres of semiconductor material with the potential to convert sunlight into energy much more efficiently. Conducting these processes in microgravity provides insight into the relationship between shape, charge, concentration, and interaction of particles. The investigation is supported by NASA’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), which partners with government, higher education, and industry on projects to improve a research infrastructure and research and development capacity and competitiveness. A capstone student assembles part of the Nano Particle Haloing Suspension hardware.University of Louisville Download high-resolution photos and videos of the research mentioned in this article. Melissa Gaskill International Space Station Program Research Office Johnson Space Center Search this database of scientific experiments to learn more about those mentioned above. Keep Exploring Discover More Topics Latest News from Space Station Research Gateway Space Station Station Science 101: Biology and Biotechnology Astrobee View the full article

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA/Joel Kowsky NASA is inviting the public to take part in virtual activities for the launch of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist, will fly to the space station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket. Launch is targeted for no earlier than 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March. 1, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Members of the public can register to attend the launch virtually. As a virtual guest, you have access to curated resources, schedule changes, and mission specific information delivered straight to your inbox. Following each activity, virtual guests are sent a mission specific collectable stamp for their virtual guest passport. Hear more about the virtual guest program from the Crew-5 astronauts. Live coverage and countdown commentary will begin at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 29 on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Details about the mission and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program can be found by following the Crew-8 blog, the commercial crew blog, X, and Facebook. View the full article

The day before asteroid 2008 OS7 made its close approach with Earth on Feb. 2, this series of images was captured by the powerful 230-foot (70-meter) Goldstone Solar System Radar antenna near Barstow, California.NASA/JPL-Caltech During the close approach of 2008 OS7 with Earth on Feb. 2, the agency’s Deep Space Network planetary radar gathered the first detailed images of the stadium-size asteroid. On Feb. 2, a large asteroid safely drifted past Earth at a distance of about 1.8 million miles (2.9 million kilometers, or 7 ½ times the distance between Earth and the Moon). There was no risk of the asteroid – called 2008 OS7 – impacting our planet, but scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California used a powerful radio antenna to better determine the size, rotation, shape, and surface details of this near-Earth object (NEO). Until this close approach, asteroid 2008 OS7 had been too far from Earth for planetary radar systems to image it. The asteroid was discovered on July 30, 2008, during routine search operations for NEOs by the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey, which is headquartered at the University of Arizona in Tucson. After discovery, observations of the amount of light reflected from the asteroid’s surface revealed that it was roughly between 650 to 1,640 feet (200 and 500 meters) wide and that it is comparatively slow rotating, completing one rotation every 29 ½ hours. The rotational period of 2008 OS7 was determined by Petr Pravec, at the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Ondřejov, Czech Republic, who observed the asteroid’s light curve – or how the brightness of the object changes over time. As the asteroid spins, variations in its shape change the brightness of reflected light astronomers see, and those changes are recorded to understand the period of the asteroid’s rotation. During the Feb. 2 close approach, JPL’s radar group used the powerful 230-foot (70-meter) Goldstone Solar System Radar antenna dish at the Deep Space Network’s facility near Barstow, California, to image the asteroid. What scientists found was that its surface has a mix of rounded and more angular regions with a small concavity. They also found the asteroid is smaller than previously estimated – about 500 to 650 feet (150 to 200 meters) wide – and confirmed its uncommonly slow rotation. The Goldstone radar observations also provided key measurements of the asteroid’s distance from Earth as it passed by. Those measurements can help scientists at NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) refine calculations of the asteroid’s orbital path around the Sun. Asteroid 2008 OS7 orbits the Sun once every 2.6 years, traveling from within the orbit of Venus and past the orbit of Mars at its farthest point. CNEOS, which is managed by JPL, calculates every known NEO orbit to provide assessments of potential impact hazards. Due to the proximity of its orbit to that of the Earth and its size, 2008 OS7 is classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid, but the Feb. 2 close approach is the nearest it will come to our planet for at least 200 years. While NASA reports on NEOs of all sizes, the agency has been tasked by Congress with detecting and tracking objects 460 feet (140 meters) in size and larger that could cause significant damage on the ground if they should impact our planet. The Goldstone Solar System Radar Group and CNEOS are supported by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations Program within the Planetary Defense Coordination Office at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. The Deep Space Network receives programmatic oversight from Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program office within the Space Operations Mission Directorate, also at the agency’s headquarters. More information about planetary radar, CNEOS, and near-Earth objects can be found at: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroid-watch News Media Contacts Ian J. O’Neill Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-2649 ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov Karen Fox / Charles Blue NASA Headquarters karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / charles.e.blue@nasa.gov 2024-019 Share Details Last Updated Feb 26, 2024 Related TermsAsteroidsDeep Space NetworkJet Propulsion LaboratoryNear-Earth Asteroid (NEA)Planetary DefensePlanetary Defense Coordination OfficePotentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)Space Communications & Navigation Program Explore More 6 min read NASA Telescopes Find New Clues About Mysterious Deep Space Signals Article 2 weeks ago 3 min read Team Assessing SHERLOC Instrument on NASA’s Perseverance Rover Article 2 weeks ago 5 min read NASA’s New Experimental Antenna Tracks Deep Space Laser Article 3 weeks ago View the full article