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The Marshall Star for December 6, 2023


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The Marshall Star for December 6, 2023

Marshall team members and their family members smile cheerfully as they pose in front of the tree after it was lit. “The holiday season is such a special time for so many people,” Pelfrey said. “To see all the Marshall team members out celebrating with their kids makes for a special day. It was really great to see.”

Marshall Kicks Off Holiday Season with Tree-Lighting Ceremony

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center celebrated its annual tree-lighting ceremony in the courtyard of Building 4221 on Nov 30.

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center team members and family members form a circle as they bask in the light of the 32-foot artificial tree decorated with blue lights and a ten-pointed star representing each NASA center.
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center team members and family members form a circle as they bask in the light of the 32-foot artificial tree decorated with blue lights and a 10-pointed star representing each NASA center.
NASA/Charles Beason

Marshall team members and their children gathered for the lighting of the 32-foot artificial tree decorated with blue lights and a 10-pointed star representing each NASA center.

From left, Robert Champion, director of the Office of Center Operations at Marshall, Santa Claus, Lance D. Davis, Marshall news chief who is dressed as an elf, and Bill Marks, deputy director of Center Operations, smile for a photo after the tree-lighting ceremony.
From left, Robert Champion, director of the Office of Center Operations at Marshall, Santa Claus, Lance D. Davis, Marshall news chief who is dressed as an elf, and Bill Marks, deputy director of Center Operations, smile for a photo after the tree-lighting ceremony.
NASA/Charles Beason

Joseph Pelfrey, acting center director, opened the ceremony by welcoming team members and reflecting on some of the accomplishments at Marshall in 2023.

Marshall team members and their family members smile cheerfully as they pose in front of the tree after it was lit. “The holiday season is such a special time for so many people,” Pelfrey said. “To see all the Marshall team members out celebrating with their kids makes for a special day. It was really great to see.”
Marshall team members and their family members smile cheerfully as they pose in front of the tree after it was lit. “The holiday season is such a special time for so many people,” Pelfrey said. “To see all the Marshall team members out celebrating with their kids makes for a special day. It was really great to see.”
NASA/Charles Beason

“On behalf of the entire leadership team, I want to thank you so much for all the hard work and the accomplishments we’ve had,” Pelfrey said. “The amazing missions we’ve worked will lead us to the future. We want to make sure that everybody has a great holiday season where everyone takes some time to rest for next year. It’s going to be a great year for Marshall and NASA.”

A young boy gleefully gives an open mouth smile after meeting Santa Claus. Children were given the chance to meet and take photos with Santa in the foray of Building 4221. There was also hot chocolate and cookies for attendees.
A young boy gleefully gives an open mouth smile after meeting Santa Claus. Children were given the chance to meet and take photos with Santa in the foray of Building 4221. There was also hot chocolate and cookies for attendees.
NASA/Charles Beason

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Marshall Team Members March in 9th Annual Huntsville Christmas Parade

By Celine Smith

Team members from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center came together to spread holiday cheer with thousands on Dec. 5 during the 9th annual Huntsville Christmas Parade.

The Marshall float displayed a test version of the RS-25 engine – the workhorse engine that powered the space shuttle for more than three decades and is now used to power NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for Artemis missions. The engine was outfitted with a handmade Santa Claus sleigh full of Christmas presents, crafted by Marshall’s Model and Exhibits Shop.

A Santa Claus sleigh, powered by an RS-25 rocket engine, makes its way through the 9th annual Huntsville Christmas Parade on Dec. 5. The float was designed by team members from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
A Santa Claus sleigh, powered by an RS-25 rocket engine, makes its way through the 9th annual Huntsville Christmas Parade on Dec. 5. The float was designed by team members from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
NASA/Drew Davis

Children wowed and cheered as the sleigh passed through the city streets. Marshall volunteers dressed in fun holiday gear walked alongside the float passing out candy and stickers to attendees.

The Marshall team was awarded third place for Best Float Design by the parade committee. Winning first place was the City of Huntsville Landscape Management, while second place went to the Ice Queen Alabama float.

“It’s amazing to see Huntsville’s growth through all the organizations that participated by making a float,” said Chad Emerson, grand marshal of the parade and managing director of Huntsville’s City Football Club.

The parade was presented by Bank Independent and hosted by radio station Mix 96.9, along with the VBC (Von Braun Center). This year, the parade’s theme was Christmas through the decades. More than 80 organizations decorated their floats to reflect Christmas in the past.

The parade had plenty of fun-filled activities for children in the VIP FunZone, sponsored by Lander’s McLarty Chevrolet. There, children took pictures with Santa Claus, met Elsa and Anna from Frozen, built gingerbread houses, and drank hot chocolate. The ticket also provided access to bleachers in the VBC’s Saturn Ballroom parking lot, where families could enjoy the parade. A donation of clothing for Kids to Love was all that was needed for tickers to the VIP FunZone.

Smith, a Media Fusion employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.

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Julie Bassler Named Manager of Marshall’s Science and Technology Office

Julie Bassler has been named as the manager in the Science and Technology Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, upon the retirement of Dave Burns at the end of December.

Bassler will lead the organization responsible for exploring planets, conducting science research, and developing new technologies. This includes creating and managing academic and industrial partnerships; managing and conducting basic scientific research, data science, and instrument development; managing technology development; hosting major agency programs in Planetary Missions and Technology Demonstration Mission offices; and operating science and technology projects.

Julie Bassler
Julie Bassler has been named as the manager in the Science and Technology Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, upon the retirement of Dave Burns at the end of December.
NASA/Danielle Burleson

Bassler has led numerous projects and programs during the past 34 years in support of NASA’s goals, which have spanned the areas of human space flight, robotic missions, science payloads, and technology developments.

Since 2018, Bassler has been the manager of the Stages Office of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Program at Marshall. She led the SLS core stage team through the design, development, test, and successful inaugural launch of the 212-foot core stage on the Artemis 1 mission. Prior to that selection, Bassler was deputy element manager of the SLS Stages Office for five years and integration manager for one year.

In 2008, Bassler was named project manager for the International Lunar Network Anchor Nodes mission and the Robotic Lunar Lander Development Project in the Lunar Quest Program in the Science Mission Directorate at Marshall.

From 2006 to 2008, she was deputy program manager of the Lunar Precursor Robotic Program and supervisor of Marshall’s Lunar Precursor Robotic Office. In 2004, Bassler established and led Marshall’s first Technology and Capability Development Projects Office in support of the NASA Exploration Mission.

From 2002 to 2004, she was program manager of the International Space Station Materials Science Research Rack. Prior to that role, Bassler was business manager for all microgravity science racks and payload for the space station. She joined Marshall as a safety engineer for the space station in 1997 after working for several years at Johnson Space Center on both the International Space Station and Space Shuttle programs.

Her honors include a Meritorious Presidential Rank award, two NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals, Exceptional Achievement Medal, Space Flight Awareness award, Silver Achievement Medal, a Redstone Leadership Women Rocks award, and numerous other individual and group achievement awards.

A native of Breese, Illinois, Bassler received a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Parks College of St. Louis University in Cahokia, Illinois, and a master’s in space science from the University of Houston in Clear Lake, Texas.

She and her husband of 35 years, Brad, live in New Market. They have four children.

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Six Finalists Advance in NASA’s $3.5 Million Lunar Regolith Challenge

By Savannah Bullard

The stage is set for the finale of NASA’s Break the Ice Lunar Challenge.

Conceived in 2020, Break the Ice tasked innovators with creating robotic systems that can traverse the volatile terrain of the Lunar South Pole. These robots must be able to dig into the Moon’s regolith – the dusty, icy “dirt” that makes up the lunar surface – and transport it to a secondary location for in-situ resource utilization processing.

A Graphic of the Break the Ice Lunar Challenge Logo placed on a photo of the Moon.

If deployed on a NASA mission, these systems would operate in the permanently shadowed regions of the Moon, an area that receives no sunlight. These technologies must survive bitterly cold conditions and cannot rely on solar power regeneration. If successful, NASA can excavate the regolith from this area and use the resources derived from the materials, like frozen water, to aid astronauts living on the Moon.

“Our goal is to provide solutions to make living on the Moon a reality, and Break the Ice directly contributes to that mission,” said Denise Morris, program manager for NASA’s Centennial Challenges. “Excavating lunar regolith before humans arrive on the Moon will allow us to find uses for that material before they get there – if we could build a lunar habitat out of the regolith or extract the water for our astronauts to drink, that means less mass on our vehicles and less work for our crews.”

Phase 1 of the competition focused on designing systems that could achieve three components: excavation, travel, and delivery. Of the 31 teams who submitted eligible proposals, 13 won cash prizes ranging from $25,000 to $125,000.

Phase 2, Level 1 opened in June 2022. Consisting of Phase 1 winners and newcomers, 25 teams developed their initial designs into prototypes with technical reports, engineering designs, and test plans. Six months later, 13 U.S. semifinalists were named, each earning an equal share of $500,000. Two international teams were also recognized as semifinalists, though they were not eligible to receive monetary prizes from NASA.

In Phase 2, Level 2, the finalist pool comprised of garage inventors, academics, industry professionals, and hobbyists from 11 U.S. states, the Netherlands, and India. Nine of these teams attempted a 15-day demonstration trial at their own testing sites to prove the capabilities of their prototypes. The teams live-streamed the tests and took turns hosting representatives from Centennial Challenges for in-person observations.

“What impresses me the most with this batch of competitors is their innate ability to each find unique ways to approach the solution,” said Break the Ice Challenge Manager Naveen Vetcha, who supports Centennial Challenges through Jacobs Space Exploration Group. “Each site visit provided our subject matter experts with new ways to think about this technology and operations, and some of these teams expanded our expectations for how to bridge this technology gap.”

The Phase 2, Level 2 winning teams are:

  • 1st place ($300,000): Starpath Robotics (San Francisco, California)
  • 2nd place ($200,000): Terra Engineering (Gardena, California)
  • 3rd place ($125,000): The Ice Diggers (Golden, Colorado)

Three teams finished as runners up ($75,000 each):

  • Cislune Excavators (Los Angeles, California)
  • Space Trajectory (Brookings, South Dakota)
  • MTU Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab (Houghton, Michigan)

In this last round of competitions, scheduled to take place in the spring of 2024, the above winners will bring their prototypes to a NASA-designated test facility for a series of head-to-head matchups. Expected testing includes excavation under reduced gravity – using gravity off-loading – and transportation over complex terrain, including rocks, craters, slopes, turns, and loose granular soil.

“Bringing the competitors to one central location is the best way to end a challenge like Break the Ice because it provides us with an opportunity to observe and test their designs in a common relevant environment,” said Mark Hilburger, a senior research engineer in the Space Technology Exploration Directorate at NASA’s Langley Research Center and principal technologist for Break the Ice. “These technologies must be thoroughly tested to survive on the Moon, so a test opportunity like this helps the teams prove if their prototypes are up to the task.”

This final round of competition will offer up to $1.5 million in cash prizes, split between first place ($1 million) and second place ($500,000). NASA will also award opportunities for teams to test their concepts at one of the agency’s Thermal Vacuum Chambers, which can simulate the temperature and atmospheric pressure conditions at the Lunar South Pole.

The Break the Ice Lunar Challenge is a NASA Centennial Challenge led by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center with support from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Centennial Challenges are part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program led by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and managed at Marshall. Ensemble Consultancy supports the management of competitors for this challenge.

Bullard, a Manufacturing Technical Solutions employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.

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New Course from NASA Helps Build Open, Inclusive Science Community

NASA released its free Open Science 101 curriculum Dec. 6 to empower researchers, early career scientists, and underrepresented communities with the knowledge and tools necessary to embrace open science practices.

The curriculum’s initial goal is to train 20,000 scientists and researchers over the next five years, enabling them to embrace open science practices and maximize the impact of their work.

“NASA is committed to ensuring people around the world have equal and open access to science data whenever they need it,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “This innovative curriculum will support the White House’s Year of Open Science to help people make informed, research-based decisions that will benefit humanity and improve life here on Earth.”

Developed by NASA’s Transform to Open Science initiative in collaboration with subject matter experts, the curriculum is designed to meet researchers at every stage of their open science journey – catering to those new to open science, established researchers, and aspiring students looking to embark on scientific careers. It also helps prepare researchers to incorporate required open science data management plans when applying for NASA grant funding.

“We believe education is a shared endeavor that can be achieved through community-driven learning,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. “Our new curriculum is a testament to the incredible potential that emerges when open science experts from academia, industry, and government unite. With this initial rollout, we’re not just launching a course; we’re igniting a movement where learners actively shape the course’s trajectory.”

In its initial form, the Open Science 101 curriculum presents an introduction to the world of open science while also setting the stage for its continued evolution. It introduces learners to definitions, tools, and resources and provides valuable best practices throughout the scientific workflow. All five modules of the course are accessible through an open online platform, where participants can learn at their own pace. In addition to the platform, the modules will also be covered in virtual and in-person instructor-led training sessions.

To further support engagement and knowledge exchange, NASA has forged strategic partnerships with scientific associations, allowing open science to be taught during large annual meetings, special science team summer schools, and other events. These initiatives aim to create a dynamic learning environment where participants can interact with experts, ask questions, and explore the frontiers of open science. The diversity in learning options ensures that participants can choose the mode that best suits their learning style and schedule, optimizing the learning experience.

The Open Science 101 curriculum is accessible to all interested individuals, aligning with NASA’s commitment to inclusivity and promoting equitable access to scientific resources. 

The TOPS Project Office is located at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The team at Marshall supports the TOPS project by providing project coordination, digital resources, and communications support for the duration of the project. The office complements existing TOPS activities led by the Chief Science Data Office, including ROSES elements, events, partnerships, and activities at NASA centers.

Visit Transform to Open Science to learn more, register for Open Science 101, and begin taking the curriculum.

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NASA Continues Progress on Artemis III Rocket Adapter with Key Joint Installation

Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center recently installed a key component called the frangible joint assembly onto the adapter that connects the core stage to the upper part of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.

The cone-shaped launch vehicle stage adapter, seen in yellow, is in a production area.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center recently installed a key component called the frangible joint assembly onto the adapter that connects the core stage to the upper part of NASA’s SLS rocket.
NASA/Sam Lott

The cone-shaped stage adapter, called the launch vehicle stage adapter, will be part of the SLS mega rocket that will power NASA’s Artemis III mission to the Moon. The frangible joint sits atop the adapter and operates as a separation mechanism. The frangible joint is designed to break apart upon command, allowing the upper part of the rocket, NASA’s Orion spacecraft, and the crew inside Orion to quickly separate from the SLS core stage and adapter.

Frangible joint assemblies are widely used across the space industry in a variety of crewed and uncrewed spacecraft to efficiently separate fairings or stages during launch, during ascent, in orbit and during payload deployment. The stage adapter used for Artemis III is set to be the last of its kind as SLS evolves into a larger and more powerful configuration for future Artemis missions, beginning with Artemis IV. The adapter is fully assembled at Marshall by NASA and lead contractor Teledyne Brown, which is also based in Huntsville. Marshall manages the SLS Program.

The cone-shaped launch vehicle stage adapter, seen in yellow, is in a production area.
The cone-shaped launch vehicle stage adapter, seen in yellow, is in a production area.
NASA/Sam Lott

SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with Orion and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

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NASA Tests In-Flight Capability of Artemis Moon Rocket Engine

NASA conducted the third RS-25 engine hot fire in a critical 12-test certification series Nov. 29, demonstrating a key capability necessary for flight of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket during Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.

NASA is conducting the series of tests to certify new manufacturing processes for producing RS-25 engines for future deep space missions, beginning with Artemis V. Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies Company and lead engines contractor for the SLS rocket, is incorporating new manufacturing techniques and processes, such as 3D printing, in production of new RS-25 engines.

Vapor clouds erupt from a RS-25 Engine during testing
NASA conducts a full duration, 650-second hot fire of the RS-25 certification engine Nov. 29 on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, continuing a critical test series to support future SLS missions to deep space.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

Crews gimbaled, or pivoted, the RS-25 engine around a central point during the almost 11-minute (650 seconds) hot fire on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The gimbaling technique is used to control and stabilize SLS as it reaches orbit.

During the Nov. 29 test, operators also pushed the engine beyond any parameters it might experience during flight to provide a margin of operational safety. The 650-second test exceeded the 500 seconds RS-25 engines must operate to help power SLS to space. The RS-25 engine also was fired to 113% power level, exceeding the 111% level needed to lift SLS to orbit.

The ongoing series will stretch into 2024 as NASA continues its mission to return humans to the lunar surface to establish a long-term presence for scientific discovery and to prepare for human missions to Mars.

Four RS-25 engines fire simultaneously to generate a combined 1.6 million pounds of thrust at launch and 2 million pounds of thrust during ascent to help power each SLS flight. NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne modified 16 holdover space shuttle main engines, all proven flightworthy at NASA Stennis, for Artemis missions I through IV.

Every new RS-25 engine that will help power SLS also will be tested at NASA Stennis. RS-25 tests at the site are conducted by a combined team of NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne, and Syncom Space Services operators. Syncom Space Services is the prime contractor for Stennis facilities and operations.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the SLS Program.

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Chandra Catches Spider Pulsars Destroying Nearby Stars

A group of dead stars known as “spider pulsars” are obliterating companion stars within their reach. Data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory of the globular cluster Omega Centauri is helping astronomers understand how these spider pulsars prey on their stellar companions.

A pulsar is the spinning dense core that remains after a massive star collapses into itself to form a neutron star. Rapidly rotating neutron stars can produce beams of radiation. Like a rotating lighthouse beam, the radiation can be observed as a powerful, pulsing source of radiation, or pulsar. Some pulsars spin around dozens to hundreds of times per second, and these are known as millisecond pulsars.

A cluster brimming with millions of stars glistens like an iridescent opal in this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Called Omega Centauri, the sparkling orb of stars is like a miniature galaxy. It is the biggest and brightest of the 150 or so similar objects, called globular clusters, that orbit around the outside of our Milky Way galaxy. Stargazers at southern latitudes can spot the stellar gem with the naked eye in the constellation Centaurus. Globular clusters are some of the oldest objects in our universe. Their stars are over 12 billion years old, and, in most cases, formed all at once when the universe was just a toddler. Omega Centauri is unusual in that its stars are of different ages and possess varying levels of metals, or elements heavier than boron. Astronomers say this points to a different origin for Omega Centauri than other globular clusters: they think it might be the core of a dwarf galaxy that was ripped apart and absorbed by our Milky Way long ago. In this new view of Omega Centauri, Spitzer's infrared observations have been combined with visible-light data from the National Science Foundation's Blanco 4-meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. Visible-light data with a wavelength of .55 microns is colored blue, 3.6-micron infrared light captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera is colored green and 24-micron infrared light taken by Spitzer's multiband imaging photometer is colored red. Where green and red overlap, the color yellow appears. Thus, the yellow and red dots are stars revealed by Spitzer. These stars, called red giants, are more evolved, larger and dustier. The stars that appear blue were spotted in both visible and 3.6-micron-, or near-, infrared light. They are less evolved, like our own sun. Some of the red spots in the picture are distant galaxies beyond our own.
A group of dead stars known as “spider pulsars” are obliterating companion stars within their reach. Data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory of the globular cluster Omega Centauri is helping astronomers understand how these spider pulsars prey on their stellar companions
X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI/AURA; IR:NASA/JPL/Caltech; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk

Spider pulsars are a special class of millisecond pulsars, and get their name for the damage they inflict on small companion stars in orbit around them. Through winds of energetic particles streaming out from the spider pulsars, the outer layers of the pulsar’s companion stars are methodically stripped away.

Astronomers recently discovered 18 millisecond pulsars in Omega Centauri located about 17,700 light-years from Earth – using the Parkes and MeerKAT radio telescopes. A pair of astronomers from the University of Alberta in Canada then looked at Chandra data of Omega Centauri to see if any of the millisecond pulsars give off X-rays.

They found 11 millisecond pulsars emitting X-rays, and five of those were spider pulsars concentrated near the center of Omega Centauri. The researchers next combined the data of Omega Centauri with Chandra observations of 26 spider pulsars in 12 other globular clusters.

There are two varieties of spider pulsars based on the size of the star being destroyed. “Redback” spider pulsars are damaging companion stars weighing between a tenth and a half the mass of the Sun. Meanwhile, the “black widow” spider pulsars are damaging companion stars with less than 5 percent of the Sun’s mass.

The team found a clear difference between the two classes of spider pulsars, with the redbacks being brighter in X-rays than the black widows, confirming previous work. The team is the first to show a general correlation between X-ray brightness and companion mass for spider pulsars, with pulsars that produce more X-rays being paired with more massive companions. This gives clear evidence that the mass of the companion to spider pulsars influences the X-ray dose the star receives.

The X-rays detected by Chandra are mainly thought to be generated when the winds of particles flowing away from the pulsars collide with winds of matter blowing away from the companion stars and produce shock waves, similar to those produced by supersonic aircraft.

A close-up image of Omega Centauri, in X-ray & optical light, shows the locations of some of the spider pulsars. Spider pulsars are a special class of millisecond pulsars, and get their name for the damage they inflict on small companion stars in orbit around them.
A close-up image of Omega Centauri, in X-ray & optical light, shows the locations of some of the spider pulsars. Spider pulsars are a special class of millisecond pulsars, and get their name for the damage they inflict on small companion stars in orbit around them.
X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI/AURA; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk

Spider pulsars are typically separated from their companions by only about one to 14 times the distance between the Earth and Moon. This close proximity – cosmically speaking – causes the energetic particles from the pulsars to be particularly damaging to their companion stars.

This finding agrees with theoretical models that scientists have developed. Because more massive stars produce a denser wind of particles, there is a stronger shock – producing brighter X-rays – when their wind collides with the particles from the pulsar. The proximity of the companion stars to their pulsars means the X-rays can cause significant damage to the stars, along with the pulsar’s wind.

Chandra’s sharp X-ray vision is crucial for studying millisecond pulsars in globular clusters because they often contain large numbers of X-ray sources in a small part of the sky, making it difficult to distinguish sources from each other. Several of the millisecond pulsars in Omega Centauri have other, unrelated X-ray sources only a few arc seconds away. (One arc second is the apparent size of a penny seen at a distance of 2.5 miles.)

The paper describing these results will be published in the December issue of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, and a preprint of the accepted paper is available online. The authors of the paper are Jiaqi (Jake) Zhao and Craig Heinke, both from the University of Alberta in Canada.

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.

Read more about Chandra.

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Psyche Delivers First Images, Other Data

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is on a roll. In the eight weeks since it left Earth on Oct. 13, the orbiter has performed one successful operation after another, powering on scientific instruments, streaming data toward home, and setting a deep-space record with its electric thrusters. The latest achievement: On Dec. 4, the mission turned on Psyche’s twin cameras and retrieved the first images – a milestone called “first light.”

Already 16 million miles from Earth, the spacecraft will arrive at its destination – the asteroid Psyche in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter – in 2029. The team wanted to test all of the science instruments early in the long journey to make sure they are working as intended, and to ensure there would be plenty of time to calibrate and adjust them as needed.

This mosaic was made from “first light” images acquired Dec. 4 by both of the cameras on NASA’s Psyche spacecraft. The star field lies in the constellation Pisces.
This mosaic was made from “first light” images acquired Dec. 4 by both of the cameras on NASA’s Psyche spacecraft. The star field lies in the constellation Pisces.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

The imager instrument, which consists of a pair of identical cameras, captured a total of 68 images, all within a star field in the constellation Pisces. The imager team is using the data to verify proper commanding, telemetry analysis, and calibration of the images.

“These initial images are only a curtain-opener,” said Arizona State University’s Jim Bell, the Psyche imager instrument lead. “For the team that designed and operates this sophisticated instrument, first light is a thrill. We start checking out the cameras with star images like these, then in 2026 we’ll take test images of Mars during the spacecraft’s flyby. And finally, in 2029 we’ll get our most exciting images yet – of our target asteroid Psyche. We look forward to sharing all of these visuals with the public.”

The imager takes pictures through multiple color filters, all of which were tested in these initial observations. With the filters, the team will use photographs in wavelengths of light both visible and invisible to the human eye to help determine the composition of the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. The imager team will also use the data to create 3D maps of the asteroid to better understand its geology, which will give clues about Psyche’s history.

Earlier in the mission, in late October, the team powered on the magnetometer, which will provide crucial data to help determine how the asteroid formed. Evidence that the asteroid once had a magnetic field would be a strong indication that the body is a partial core of a planetesimal, a building block of an early planet. The information could help us better understand how our own planet formed.

Shortly after being powered on, the magnetometer gave scientists an unexpected gift: It detected a solar eruption, a common occurrence called a coronal mass ejection, where the Sun expels large quantities of magnetized plasma. Since then, the team has seen several of these events and will continue to monitor space weather as the spacecraft travels to the asteroid.

The good news is twofold. Data collected so far confirms that the magnetometer can precisely detect very small magnetic fields. It also confirms that the spacecraft is magnetically “quiet.” The electrical currents powering a probe of this size and complexity have the potential to generate magnetic fields that could interfere with science detections. Because Earth has its own powerful magnetic field, scientists obtained a much better measurement of the spacecraft magnetic field once it was in space.

On Nov. 8, amid all the work with the science instruments, the team fired up two of the four electric propulsion thrusters, setting a record: the first-ever use of Hall-effect thrusters in deep space. Until now, they’d been used only on spacecraft going as far as lunar orbit. By expelling charged atoms, or ions, of xenon gas, the ultra-efficient thrusters will propel the spacecraft to the asteroid (a 2.2-billion-mile journey) and help it maneuver in orbit.

Less than a week later, on Nov. 14, the technology demonstration built into the spacecraft, an experiment called Deep Space Optical Communications, or DSOC, set its own record. DSOC achieved first light by sending and receiving optical data from far beyond the Moon. The instrument beamed a near-infrared laser encoded with test data from nearly 10 million miles away – the farthest-ever demonstration of optical communications.

The Psyche team has also successfully powered on the gamma-ray detecting component of its third science instrument, the gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer. Next, the instrument’s neutron-detecting sensors will be turned on the week of Dec. 11. Together those capabilities will help the team determine the chemical elements that make up the asteroid’s surface material.

Arizona State University leads the Psyche mission. A division of Caltech, NASA’s JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) is responsible for the mission’s overall management, system engineering, integration and test, and mission operations. Maxar Technologies in Palo Alto, California, provided the high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft chassis. Arizona State leads the operations of the imager instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego on the design, fabrication, and testing of the cameras.

JPL manages DSOC for the Technology Demonstration Missions program within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and the Space Communications and Navigation program within the Space Operations Mission Directorate.

Psyche is the 14th mission selected as part of NASA’s Discovery Program, managed by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, managed the launch service.

Read more about NASA’s Psyche mission.

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      1 Min Read Oral History with Stephen G. Jurczyk, 1962 – 2023
      NASA Acting Administrator Stephen G. Jurczyk Credits: NASA Steve Jurczyk’s NASA career began in 1988 at Langley Research Center as an engineer in the Electronic Systems Branch. During his time at Langley, he served in other roles, including director of engineering and director of research and technology.  Jurczyk was named as director of Langley in 2014, then in 2015 he left Langley to serve as the associate administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters.  He quickly rose to the rank of associate administrator in 2018, and in January 2021 was named the agency’s acting administrator
      Read more about Steve Jurczyk
      NASA Oral History, September 22, 1921 NASA Honors Steve Jurczyk The transcripts available on this site are created from audio-recorded oral history interviews. To preserve the integrity of the audio record, the transcripts are presented with limited revisions and thus reflect the candid conversational style of the oral history format. Brackets and ellipses indicate where the text has been annotated or edited for clarity. Any personal opinions expressed in the interviews should not be considered the official views or opinions of NASA, the NASA History Office, NASA historians, or staff members.
      View the full article
    • By NASA
      1 Min Read Oral History with Mary L. Cleave, 1947 – 2023
      61B-21-008 (26 Nov-1 Dec 1985) —The STS 61-B crew on the flight deck of the earth-orbiting Atlantis. Left to right, back row, are astronauts Jerry L. Ross, Brewster Shaw Jr., Mary L. Cleave, and Bryan D. O'Connor; and payload specialist Rodolfo Neri. Front row, left to right, payload specialist Charles D. Walker and astronaut Sherwood C. Spring. A veteran of two space flights, Dr. Cleave served as a mission specialist on STS-61B and STS-30.  She went on to join NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and worked in the Laboratory for Hydrospheric Processes as the Project Manager for SeaWiFS, an ocean color sensor which is monitoring vegetation globally.  Dr. Cleave next served as Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Earth Science, NASA Headquarters, until her retirement in 2007.
      Read more about Dr. Mary L. Cleave
      NASA Oral History, March 5, 2002 NASA Biography NASA Remembers Trailblazing Astronaut, Scientist Mary Cleave In Memoriam: Mary Cleave The transcripts available on this site are created from audio-recorded oral history interviews. To preserve the integrity of the audio record, the transcripts are presented with limited revisions and thus reflect the candid conversational style of the oral history format. Brackets and ellipses indicate where the text has been annotated or edited for clarity. Any personal opinions expressed in the interviews should not be considered the official views or opinions of NASA, the NASA History Office, NASA historians, or staff members.
      View the full article
    • By NASA
      23 Min Read The Marshall Star for October 30, 2024
      Editor’s Note: Starting Nov. 4, the Office of Communications at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center will no longer publish the Marshall Star on nasa.gov. The last public issue will be Oct. 30. To continue reading Marshall news, visit nasa.gov/marshall.
      Marshall Team Members View Progress Toward Future Artemis Flights
      Blake Stewart, lead of the Thrust Vector Control Test Laboratory inside Building 4205 at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, explains how his team tests the mechanisms that steer engine and booster nozzles of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to a group of Marshall team members Oct. 24. The employees were some of the more than 500 team members who viewed progress toward future Artemis flights on bus tours offered by the SLS Program. Building 4205 is also home to the Propulsion Research and Development Laboratory that includes 26 world-class labs and support areas that help the agency’s ambitious goals for space exploration. The Software Integration Lab and the Software Integration Test Facility are among the labs inside supporting SLS that employees visited on the tour. (NASA/Sam Lott)
      A group of Marshall team members gather below the development test article for the universal stage adapter that will be used on the second variant of SLS, called Block 1B. The universal stage adapter is located inside one of the high bays in building 4619. The universal stage adapter will connect the Orion spacecraft to the SLS exploration upper stage. With the exploration upper stage, which will be powered by four RL10-C3 engines, SLS will be capable of lifting more than 105 metric tons (231,000 pounds) from Earth’s surface. This extra mass capability enables SLS to send multiple large payloads to the Moon on the same launch. (NASA/Sam Lott)
      Marshall team members view the Orion Stage Adapters for the Artemis II and Artemis III test flights inside Building 4708. The Orion Stage Adapter, built at Marshall, connects the rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage to the Orion spacecraft. The Orion Stage Adapter for Artemis II is complete and ready to be shipped to Kennedy Space Center. The Oct. 24 tours featured four stops that also included opportunities to see the Artemis III launch vehicle stage adapter, and the development test article for the SLS Block 1B universal stage adapter that will begin flying on Artemis IV. Additionally, programs and offices such as the Human Landing Systems Development Office and the Science and Technology Office hosted exhibits in the lobby of Building 4220, where employees gathered for the tours. (NASA/Jonathan Deal)
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      Center Commemorates National Disability Employment Awareness Month
      By Serena Whitfield
      In conjunction with National Disability Employment Awareness Month, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center held anagencywide virtual event hosted by the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity on Oct. 24.
      Marshall team members watched the Webex event in Building 4221.
      From left, Tora Henry, director of the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity at Marshall, Chip Dobbs, supply management specialist at Marshall, and Marshall Associate Director Roger Baird pause for a photo following the Oct. 24 virtual event the center hosted as part of National Disability Awareness Month. NASA/Serena Whitfield In alignment with the month’s national theme, “Access to Good Jobs for All,” the program highlighted the perspectives of people with disabilities in the workplace as they navigate the work lifecycle – from applying, to onboarding, career growth and advancement, and day-to-day engagements.
      The event began with Marshall Associate Director Roger Baird welcoming NASA team members.
      “NASA is dedicated to inclusive hiring practices and providing pathways for good jobs and career success for all employees, including workers with disabilities,” Baird said. “Some ways we do this is through targeted recruitment of qualified individuals with disabilities through accessible vacancy announcements, outreach to students with disabilities, and community partnerships.”
      NASA also utilizes Schedule A Authority, a non-competitive Direct Hiring Authority to hire people with disabilities without competition.
      Baird introduced event moderator Joyce Meier, logistics manager at Marshall, who welcomed panelists Casey Denham, Kathy Clark, Paul Spann, and Paul Sullivan, all NASA team members. The panelists from the disability community discussed their work lifecycles, lessons learned in the workplace, and shared a demonstration on colorblindness and its impact.
      Denham discussed some of the best practices for onboarding employees with neurodiversity, a term used to describe people whose brains develop or work differently than the typical brain.
      Marshall team members watch the agencywide virtual event commemorating National Disability Employment Awareness Month. NASA/Serena Whitfield Clark talked about what can be done to continue raising awareness and advocating for disability rights. She said NASA empowers its workforce with knowledge so they can be informed allies to team members with disabilities and foster a safe and inclusive working environment. 
      Spann gave insight into practical steps employers can take to accommodate candidates with deafness, and Sullivan spoke about some key considerations NASA managers should keep in mind to make the job application process more accessible to candidates with low vision.
      Guest speaker Chip Dobbs, supply management specialist at Marshall, talked about his personal experiences with being deaf. Dobbs has worked at NASA for 29 years and said he has never let his disability hold him back, but instead uses it as a gateway to inspire and connect with others.
      The event ended with closing remarks from Tora Henry, director of the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity at Marshall. The virtual event placed importance on planning for NASA’s future by promoting equality and addressing the barriers people with disabilities face in the workplace. 
      “As we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month, keep in mind that NASA’s mission of exploring the unknown and pushing the boundaries of human potential requires the contributions of every mind, skill set, and perspective,” Baird said. “Our commitment to inclusivity ensures that no talent goes untapped, and no idea goes unheard because together, we’re not just reaching for the stars, we’re showing the world what’s possible when everyone has a seat at the table.”
      A recording of the event is available here. Learn more about NASA’s agencywide resources for individuals with disabilities as well as the agency’s Disability Employment Program.
      Whitfield is an intern supporting the Marshall Office of Communications.
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      Farley Davis Receives NASA’s Blue Marble Award
      By Wayne Smith
      Farley Davis, manager of the Environmental Engineering and Occupational Health Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, has received a 2024 Blue Marble Award from the agency.
      NASA’s Office of Strategic Infrastructure, Environmental Management Division presented the 2024 Blue Marble Awards on Oct. 8 at the agency’s Johnson Space Center. The Blue Marble Awards Program recognizes teams and individuals demonstrating exceptional environmental leadership in support of NASA’s missions and goals. In 2024, the awards included five categories: the Director’s Award, Environmental Quality, Excellence in Energy and Water Management, Excellence in Resilience or Climate Change Adaptation, and new this year: Excellence in Site Remediation. 
      Farley Davis, center, manager of the Environmental Engineering and Occupational Health Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, with his NASA Blue Marble Award. Joining him, from left, are Joel Carney, assistant administrator, Strategic Infrastructure; Denise Thaller, deputy assistant administrator, Strategic Infrastructure; Charlotte Betrand, director, Environmental Management; and June Malone, director, Office of Center Operations at Marshall. NASA Davis was recognized for “exceptional leadership and outstanding commitment above and beyond individual job responsibilities, to assist Marshall and the agency in enabling environmentally sound mission success.”
      “The award was unexpected, and I am very thankful to receive the Environmental Management Director’s Blue Marble Award,” said Davis, who has been at Marshall for 33 years. “Collectively, Marshall’s environmental engineering team has made this award possible with their diligent support for many years keeping the center’s environmental compliance at the forefront. I will cherish the award for the rest of my life.”
      June Malone, director of the Office of Center Operations at Marshall, credited Davis for his environmental leadership and mentoring team members.
      “Farley’s attitude of professionalism and personal responsibility for the development and implementation of well-grounded environmental programs has increased Marshall’s sustainability and prevented pollution,” Malone said. “His tireless leadership has resulted in compliance with federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations, and his creative solution-oriented approaches to environmental stewardship have restored contaminated areas.”
      Charlotte Bertrand, director of the Environmental Management Division at NASA Headquarters, said it was an honor to select Davis for the 2024 Blue Marble Director’s Award.
      “Farley’s incredibly distinguished career with NASA reflects the award’s intention to recognize exceptional leadership by an individual in assisting the agency in enabling environmentally sound mission success,” Bertrand said.
      Please see the awards program for additional information.
      Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.
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      Take 5 with Brooke Rhodes
      By Wayne Smith
      When human exploration of Mars becomes a reality and more than just the stuff of science fiction, Brooke Rhodes will be eager to investigate what astronauts discover on the Red Planet.
      From listening to her talk about her work as an engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, it’s easy to grasp her excitement about the future of human space exploration and NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture.
      Brooke Rhodes is currently on detail as the branch chief of the Avionics and Software Ground Systems Test Branch at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Working in the Instrument Development, Integration and Test Branch for the past seven years, she’s been responsible for the integration and testing of International Space Station payloads. NASA “I can’t wait for the Mars rovers to have some human company,” said Rhodes, who recently began a detail as the chief of Marshall’s Avionics and Software Ground Systems Test Branch. “I need to know if we can grow Mark Watney (of The Martian movie fame) quantities of potatoes up there. Everything we do to prepare to return humans to the Moon and establish a presence in deep space is building toward putting boots on Mars. It’s an honor and a privilege to be even a small part of it.”
      Rhodes also appreciates the responsibility she takes on in any form in NASA’s exploration missions to benefit humanity. After all, she has worked on hardware for the International Space Station and has had supporting roles for the Mars Ascent Vehicle and Artemis missions.
      “We at Marshall hold an incredible amount of responsibility: responsibility for the welfare of the crew on the space station, responsibility for the welfare of the crew on the Artemis missions, and even the welfare of humanity through the responsibility we have for science on the station and elsewhere,” said Rhodes, who is from Petal, Mississippi, and has worked at Marshall for seven years. “When your missions are as critical as ours, it’s nearly impossible to not be motivated.”
      Now, on to Mars.
      Question: What is your position and what are your primary responsibilities?
      Rhodes: I recently began the detail as the branch chief of the Avionics and Software Ground Systems Test Branch, ES53. Our branch is primarily responsible for the development of hardware-in-the-loop and software development facilities for the Artemis and MAV (Mars Ascent Vehicle) missions. My home organization is ES61, the Instrument Development, Integration and Test Branch, where I’ve been responsible for the integration and testing of International Space Station payloads for the past several years.
      Rhodes with a box of sample cartridge assemblies (SCAs) headed for the International Space Station. Photo courtesy of Brooke Rhodes Question: What has been the proudest moment of your career and why?
      Rhodes: One really cool moment that sticks out was the first time I saw hardware I had been responsible for being used in space. I spent several years as the integration and test lead of the Materials Science Research Rack (MSRR) Sample Cartridge Assemblies (SCAs) and we shipped our first batch of SCAs to the space station in 2018. That shipment was the culmination of years of intense effort and teamwork, so to see them onboard and about to enable materials science was an incredible feeling. There was a moment in particular that felt a bit surreal: prior to our SCA shipment the crew discovered they were missing a couple of fasteners from the onboard furnace, so we had those shipped to us from Europe and I packed them into the SCA flight foam before they shipped to the launch site. The next time I saw those fasteners they were being held up to a camera by one of the crew members, asking if those were the ones they needed for the furnace. Putting fasteners into foam didn’t take much effort, but what it represented was much bigger: being a small part of an international effort to enable science off the Earth, for the Earth, was an incredible moment I’ll carry with me for the rest of my career.
      Question: Who or what inspired you to pursue an education/career that led you to NASA and Marshall?
      Rhodes: I had a couple of lightbulb moments my junior year of high school that eventually set me on my current career path. I very specifically recall sitting in my physics I class and learning how to calculate the planetary motion of Jupiter and thinking I had never learned about anything cooler. Even then, though, NASA didn’t really enter my thoughts. Growing up, working for NASA didn’t even occur to me as something people could actually do – being a “rocket scientist” was just an abstract concept people threw around to indicate something was difficult.
      That changed later when the same teacher who had been teaching us planetary motion took us on a field trip to Kennedy Space Center. The tour guide showing us around the Vehicle Assembly Building was a young employee who said he had majored in aerospace engineering at the University of Tennessee. That was the second lightbulb moment: here was a young person from the Southeast, just like me, who had done something tangible in order to work for NASA. That seemed easy enough, so I decided to major in aerospace engineering at Mississippi State and one day work for NASA. That turned out to not be easy, but definitely doable.
      While at Mississippi State, I was able to complete three NASA internships, one at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and two at Marshall. Eventually, I was hired on full-time at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, but wound up making my way back to Marshall, where I’ve been ever since. There’s no place on the planet better for enthusiasts of both aerospace engineering and football.
      NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold, a space station crew member for Expedition 56, holds up a fastener for the Materials Science Laboratory, which Rhodes packed for shipment to the orbiting laboratory in 2018. “Putting fasteners into foam didn’t take much effort, but what it represented was much bigger: being a small part of an international effort to enable science off the Earth, for the Earth, was an incredible moment I’ll carry with me for the rest of my career.” Photo courtesy of Brooke Rhodes Interestingly, my physics I teacher’s name was Mrs. Rhodes, and I used to joke with my classmates that I wanted to be Mrs. Rhodes when I grew up. I didn’t actually mean that literally, but then I married Matthew Rhodes and did, indeed, become Mrs. Rhodes.
      Question: What advice do you have for employees early in their NASA career or those in new leadership roles?
      Rhodes: Scary is good. If you aren’t stepping out of your comfort zone you probably aren’t growing, and if you’re experiencing imposter syndrome, you’re probably the right person for the job.
      Question: What do you enjoy doing with your time while away from work?
      Rhodes: While away from work I tend to invest too much of my mental wellbeing into football. To recover from the stresses of work and my football teams being terrible, I like to explore National Parks. The U.S. has some of the most diverse scenery anywhere in the world, and I love getting outside and exploring it.
      Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.
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      Planets Beware: NASA Unburies Danger Zones of Star Cluster
      Most stars form in collections, called clusters or associations, that include very massive stars. These giant stars send out large amounts of high-energy radiation, which can disrupt relatively fragile disks of dust and gas that are in the process of coalescing to form new planets.
      A team of astronomers used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, in combination with ultraviolet, optical, and infrared data, to show where some of the most treacherous places in a star cluster may be, where planets’ chances to form are diminished.
      In this new composite image, Chandra data (purple) shows the diffuse X-ray emission and young stars in Cygnus OB2, and infrared data from NASA’s now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope (red, green, blue, and cyan) reveals young stars and the cooler dust and gas throughout the region.X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Drake et al, IR: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Spitzer; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk The target of the observations was Cygnus OB2, which is the nearest large cluster of stars to our Sun – at a distance of about 4,600 light-years. The cluster contains hundreds of massive stars as well as thousands of lower-mass stars. The team used long Chandra observations pointing at different regions of Cygnus OB2, and the resulting set of images were then stitched together into one large image.
      The deep Chandra observations mapped out the diffuse X-ray glow in between the stars, and they also provided an inventory of the young stars in the cluster. This inventory was combined with others using optical and infrared data to create the best census of young stars in the cluster.
      In a new composite image, the Chandra data (purple) shows the diffuse X-ray emission and young stars in Cygnus OB2, and infrared data from NASA’s now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope (red, green, blue, and cyan) reveals young stars and the cooler dust and gas throughout the region.
      In these crowded stellar environments, copious amounts of high-energy radiation produced by stars and planets are present. Together, X-rays and intense ultraviolet light can have a devastating impact on planetary disks and systems in the process of forming.
      Planet-forming disks around stars naturally fade away over time. Some of the disk falls onto the star and some is heated up by X-ray and ultraviolet radiation from the star and evaporates in a wind. The latter process, known as “photoevaporation,” usually takes between five and 10 million years with average-sized stars before the disk disappears. If massive stars, which produce the most X-ray and ultraviolet radiation, are nearby, this process can be accelerated.
      The researchers using this data found clear evidence that planet-forming disks around stars indeed disappear much faster when they are close to massive stars producing a lot of high-energy radiation. The disks also disappear more quickly in regions where the stars are more closely packed together.
      For regions of Cygnus OB2 with less high-energy radiation and lower numbers of stars, the fraction of young stars with disks is about 40%. For regions with more high-energy radiation and higher numbers of stars, the fraction is about 18%. The strongest effect – meaning the worst place to be for a would-be planetary system – is within about 1.6 light-years of the most massive stars in the cluster.
      A separate study by the same team examined the properties of the diffuse X-ray emission in the cluster. They found that the higher-energy diffuse emission comes from areas where winds of gas blowing away from massive stars have collided with each other. This causes the gas to become hotter and produce X-rays. The less energetic emission probably comes from gas in the cluster colliding with gas surrounding the cluster.
      Two separate papers describing the Chandra data of Cygnus OB2 are available. The paper about the planetary danger zones, led by Mario Giuseppe Guarcello (National Institute for Astrophysics in Palermo, Italy), appeared in the November 2023 issue of the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, and is available here. The paper about the diffuse emission, led by Juan Facundo Albacete-Colombo (University of Rio Negro in Argentina) was published in the same issue of Astrophysical Journal Supplement, and is available here.
      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 Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) managed the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate until the mission was retired in January 2020. Science operations were conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech. Spacecraft operations were based at Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado. Data are archived at the Infrared Science Archive operated by IPAC at Caltech. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.
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      NASA Begins New Deployable Solar Array Tech Demo on Pathfinder Spacecraft
      NASA recently evaluated initial flight data and imagery from Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-4 (PTD-4), confirming proper checkout of the spacecraft’s systems including its on-board electronics as well as the payload’s support systems such as the small onboard camera. Shown is a test image of Earth taken by the payload camera, shortly after PTD-4 reached orbit. This camera will continue photographing the technology demonstration during the mission. 
      A test image of Earth taken by NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-4’s onboard camera. The camera will capture images of the Lightweight Integrated Solar Array and anTenna upon deployment.NASA Payload operations are now underway for the primary objective of the PTD-4 mission – the demonstration of a new power and communications technology for future spacecraft. The payload, a deployable solar array with an integrated antenna called the Lightweight Integrated Solar Array and anTenna, or LISA-T, has initiated deployment of its central boom structure. The boom supports four solar power and communication arrays, also called petals. Releasing the central boom pushes the still-stowed petals nearly three feet away from the spacecraft bus. The mission team currently is working through an initial challenge to get LISA-T’s central boom to fully extend before unfolding the petals and beginning its power generation and communication operations.
      Small spacecraft on deep space missions require more electrical power than what is currently offered by existing technology. The four-petal solar array of LISA-T is a thin-film solar array that offers lower mass, lower stowed volume, and three times more power per mass and volume allocation than current solar arrays. The in-orbit technology demonstration includes deployment, operation, and environmental survivability of the thin-film solar array.  
      “The LISA-T experiment is an opportunity for NASA and the small spacecraft community to advance the packaging, deployment, and operation of thin-film, fully flexible solar and antenna arrays in space. The thin-film arrays will vastly improve power generation and communication capabilities throughout many different mission applications,” said John Carr, deputy center chief technologist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. “These capabilities are critical for achieving higher value science alongside the exploration of deep space with small spacecraft.”
      NASA teams are testing a key technology demonstration known as LISA-T, short for the Lightweight Integrated Solar Array and anTenna. It’s a super compact, stowable, thin-film solar array that when fully deployed in space, offers both a power generation and communication capability for small spacecraft. LISA-T’s orbital flight test is part of the Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator series of missions. (NASA) The Pathfinder Technology Demonstration series of missions leverages a commercial platform which serves to test innovative technologies to increase the capability of small spacecraft. Deploying LISA-T’s thin solar array in the harsh environment of space presents inherent challenges such as deploying large highly flexible non-metallic structures with high area to mass ratios. Performing experiments such as LISA-T on a smaller, lower-cost spacecraft allows NASA the opportunity to take manageable risk with high probability of great return. The LISA-T experiment aims to enable future deep space missions with the ability to acquire and communicate data through improved power generation and communication capabilities on the same integrated array.
      The PTD-4 small spacecraft is hosting the in-orbit technology demonstration called LISA-T. The PTD-4 spacecraft deployed into low Earth orbit from SpaceX’s Transporter-11 rocket, which launched from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Aug. 16. Marshall designed and built the LISA-T technology as well as LISA-T’s supporting avionics system. NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program, based at NASA’s Ames Research Center and led by the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, funds and manages the PTD-4 mission as well as the overall Pathfinder Technology Demonstration mission series. Terran Orbital Corporation of Irvine, California, developed and built the PTD-4 spacecraft bus, named Triumph.
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      NASA SPoRT’s Streamflow-AI Helps with Flood Preparedness in Texas
      By Paola Pinto
      For more than two decades, the NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center (SPoRT) within the NASA Earth Science Office at Marshall Space Flight Center has been at the forefront of developing and maintaining decision-making tools for meteorological predictions.
      This image represents the first instance of predictions getting into moderate flooding in Pine Island Bayou. At 14 feet (start of the moderate flooding category), Cooks Lake Road becomes unsafe for most vehicles. NASA Jonathan Brazzell, a service hydrologist at the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Lake Charles, Louisiana, highlighted a recent example of SPoRT’s impact while he was doing forecasting for Texas streams.
      Brazzell, who manages the South Texas and South Louisiana regions, emphasized the practical applications and significant impacts of the Machine Learning model developed by NASA SPoRT to predict future stream heights, known as the SPoRT Streamflow A.I. During a heavy rainfall event this past spring, he noted the challenge of forecasting flooding beyond 48 hours. SPoRT has worked closely with the NWS offices to develop a machine learning tool capable of predicting river flooding beyond two days and powered by the SPoRT Land Information System.
      “Previously, we relied on actual gauge information and risk assessments based on predicted precipitation,” Brazzell said. “Now, with this machine learning, we have a modeling tool that provides a much-needed predictive capability.”
      During forecasted periods of heavy precipitation from early to mid-May, Brazzell monitored potential flooding events and their magnitude using NASA SPoRT’s Streamflow-AI, which provided essential support to the Pine Island Bayou and Big Cow Creek communities in south Texas.
      Streamflow A.I. enabled local authorities to provide advance notice, allowing residents to prepare adequately for the event. Due to the benefit of three to seven-day flood stage predictions, the accurate forecasts helped county officials decide on road closures and evacuation advisories; community officials advised residents to gather a seven-day supply of necessities and relocate their vehicles, minimizing disruption and potential damage.
      Brazzell highlighted specific instances where the machine learning outputs were critical. For example, during the event that peaked around May 6, Streamflow A.I. accurately predicted the rise in stream height, allowing for timely road closures and advisories. These predictions were shared with county officials and were pivotal in their decision-making process.
      This image shows the water levels after rainfall and predicts a moderate stream height in Pine Island Bayou. NASA Brazzell shared that integrating SPoRT’s machine learning capabilities with their existing tools, such as flood risk mapping, proved invaluable. Although the machine learning outputs had been operational for almost two years after Hurricane Harvey, this season has provided their first significant applications in real-time scenarios due to persistent conditions of below-normal precipitation and ongoing drought.
      He also mentioned the broader applications of Streamflow A.I., including its potential use in other sites beyond those currently being monitored. He expressed interest in expanding the use of machine learning stream height outputs to additional locations, citing the successful application in current sites as a compelling reason for broader implementation.
      NASA SPoRT users’ experiences emphasize how crucial advanced prediction technologies are in hydrometeorology and emergency management operations. Based on Brazzell’s example, it is reasonable to say that the product’s ability to provide accurate, timely data greatly improves decision-making processes and ensures public safety. The partnership between NASA SPoRT and operational agencies like NOAA/NWS and county response teams demonstrates how research and operations can be seamlessly integrated into everyday practices, making a tangible difference in communities vulnerable to high-impact events.
      As the Streamflow A.I. product continues to evolve and expand its applications, it holds significant promise for improving disaster preparedness and response efforts across various regions that experience different types of flooding events.
      The Streamflow-AI product provides a 7-day river height or stage forecasts at select gauges across the south/eastern U.S. You can find the SPoRT training item on Streamflow-AI here.
      Pinto is a research associate at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, specializing in communications and user engagement for NASA SPoRT.
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      Agency Awards Custodial, Refuse Collection Contract
      NASA has selected All Native Synergies Company of Winnebego, Nebraska, to provide custodial and refuse collection services at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
      The Custodial and Refuse Collection Services III contract is a firm-fixed-price contract with an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity provision. Its maximum potential value is approximately $33.5 million. The performance period began Oct. 23 and will extend four and a half years, with a one-year base period, four one-year options, and a six-month extension.
      This critical service contract provides custodial and refuse collection services for all Marshall facilities. Work under the contract includes floor maintenance, including elevators; trash removal; cleaning drinking fountains and restrooms; sweeping, mopping, and cleaning building entrances and stairways.
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      View the full article
    • By NASA
      X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Drake et al, IR: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Spitzer; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk Most stars form in collections, called clusters or associations, that include very massive stars. These giant stars send out large amounts of high-energy radiation, which can disrupt relatively fragile disks of dust and gas that are in the process of coalescing to form new planets.
      A team of astronomers used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, in combination with ultraviolet, optical, and infrared data, to show where some of the most treacherous places in a star cluster may be, where planets’ chances to form are diminished.
      The target of the observations was Cygnus OB2, which is the nearest large cluster of stars to our Sun — at a distance of about 4,600 light-years. The cluster contains hundreds of massive stars as well as thousands of lower-mass stars. The team used long Chandra observations pointing at different regions of Cygnus OB2, and the resulting set of images were then stitched together into one large image.
      The deep Chandra observations mapped out the diffuse X-ray glow in between the stars, and they also provided an inventory of the young stars in the cluster. This inventory was combined with others using optical and infrared data to create the best census of young stars in the cluster.
      In this new composite image, the Chandra data (purple) shows the diffuse X-ray emission and young stars in Cygnus OB2, and infrared data from NASA’s now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope (red, green, blue, and cyan) reveals young stars and the cooler dust and gas throughout the region.
      In these crowded stellar environments, copious amounts of high-energy radiation produced by stars and planets are present. Together, X-rays and intense ultraviolet light can have a devastating impact on planetary disks and systems in the process of forming.
      Planet-forming disks around stars naturally fade away over time. Some of the disk falls onto the star and some is heated up by X-ray and ultraviolet radiation from the star and evaporates in a wind. The latter process, known as “photoevaporation,” usually takes between 5 and 10 million years with average-sized stars before the disk disappears. If massive stars, which produce the most X-ray and ultraviolet radiation, are nearby, this process can be accelerated.
      The researchers using this data found clear evidence that planet-forming disks around stars indeed disappear much faster when they are close to massive stars producing a lot of high-energy radiation. The disks also disappear more quickly in regions where the stars are more closely packed together.
      For regions of Cygnus OB2 with less high-energy radiation and lower numbers of stars, the fraction of young stars with disks is about 40%. For regions with more high-energy radiation and higher numbers of stars, the fraction is about 18%. The strongest effect — meaning the worst place to be for a would-be planetary system — is within about 1.6 light-years of the most massive stars in the cluster.
      A separate study by the same team examined the properties of the diffuse X-ray emission in the cluster. They found that the higher-energy diffuse emission comes from areas where winds of gas blowing away from massive stars have collided with each other. This causes the gas to become hotter and produce X-rays. The less energetic emission probably comes from gas in the cluster colliding with gas surrounding the cluster.
      Two separate papers describing the Chandra data of Cygnus OB2 are available. The paper about the planetary danger zones, led by Mario Giuseppe Guarcello (National Institute for Astrophysics in Palermo, Italy), appeared in the November 2023 issue of the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, and is available here. The paper about the diffuse emission, led by Juan Facundo Albacete-Colombo (University of Rio Negro in Argentina) was published in the same issue of Astrophysical Journal Supplement, and is available here.
      NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, 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.
      JPL managed the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington until the mission was retired in January 2020. Science operations were conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech. Spacecraft operations were based at Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado. Data are archived at the Infrared Science Archive operated by IPAC at Caltech. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.
      Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.
      Learn more about the Chandra X-ray Observatory and its mission here:
      https://www.nasa.gov/chandra
      https://chandra.si.edu
      Visual Description
      This release features a composite image of the Cygnus OB2 star cluster, which resembles a night sky blanketed in orange, purple, and grey clouds.
      The center of the square image is dominated by purple haze. This haze represents diffuse X-ray emissions, and young stars, detected by the Chandra X-ray observatory. Surrounding the purple haze is a mottled, streaky, brick orange cloud. Another cloud resembling a tendril of grey smoke stretches from our lower left to the center of the image. These clouds represent relatively cool dust and gas observed by the Spitzer Space Telescope.
      Although the interwoven clouds cover most of the image, the thousands of stars within the cluster shine through. The lower-mass stars present as tiny specks of light. The massive stars gleam, some with long refraction spikes.
      News Media Contact
      Megan Watzke
      Chandra X-ray Center
      Cambridge, Mass.
      617-496-7998
      mwatzke@cfa.harvard.edu
      Lane Figueroa
      Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
      256-544-0034
      lane.e.figueroa@nasa.gov
      View the full article
    • By NASA
      19 Min Read The Marshall Star for October 23, 2024
      Editor’s Note: Starting Nov. 4, the Office of Communications at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center will no longer publish the Marshall Star on nasa.gov. The last public issue will be Oct. 30. To continue reading Marshall news, visit nasa.gov/marshall.
      Habitation Systems Business Unit Spotlight: Living and Working in Space
      For centuries, humans have dreamed of the ability to live safely on the Moon and Mars. At NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, team members supporting habitation systems development bring that dream closer to reality by envisioning and shaping humanity’s future in deep space and on the surface of other worlds.
      Marshall’s Habitation Systems business unit – the center’s featured organization for October – develops the next generation of habitation systems to make living and working in space and on planetary bodies possible. These efforts are carried out through the Habitation Systems Development Office, in which the team works across programmatic and engineering organizations to support formulation activities for planetary surface habitation (Moon and Mars), transit habitats for deep space exploration, and the Gateway program. In addition, the Marshall team collaborates with commercial partners on future habitation concept development and risk reduction activities through NextSTEP Appendix A: Habitation Systems and Reimbursable Space Act Agreements.   
      Seth BellNASA Seth Bell is currently the technical monitor for NASA’s commercial partner Sierra Space. Sierra has executed both full scale and subscale inflatable habitat burst tests at Marshall’s East Test Area. Bell has worked as a subsystem manager for the Mars Ascent Vehicle and as a system’s engineer and Engineering Directorate integrator.
      “I am excited to eventually see softgood inflatables in low Earth orbit,” Bell said. “Seeing the success of the many teams working in this office is exciting, especially after developing so many lasting relationships and putting so much time and energy into this work.”
      Yancy YoungNASA Since joining NASA in 2008, Yancy Young has served in multiple positions, including manager of several International Space Station research projects and Launch Package manager for Gateway Co-manifested Payloads. Currently, Young is the technical monitor for Boeing efforts under NASA’s NextSTEP Appendix A Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for the development of deep space habitation concepts.
      “I love being a part of laying the foundation for long term deep space exploration,” Young said.
      Boeing’s current focus is a Design Analysis Cycle investigating the benefits and challenges of using composite materials in a pressurized Lunar Surface Habitat.
      Brooke ThorntonNASA In her 25-plus years at NASA, Brooke Thornton has worked on everything from ionized space radiation analysis to Earth observing satellites. Currently, Thornton is the industry engagement manager for the Habitation Systems Development Office and Strategy and Architecture Office. Thornton manages NextSTEP-2 Appendix A-Habitation Systems and Appendix R-Logistics and Mobility Systems BAA. In addition, Thornton fosters collaboration between industry and NASA for the Moon to Mars mission.
      “I am excited about working with industry to develop the elements and concepts of operations for humans to live on the Moon and beyond,” Thornton said.
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      Team Members Enjoy Marshall Exchange BBQ Fest
      Joseph Pelfrey, center, director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, talks with team members during the BBQ Fest hosted by the Marshall Exchange on Oct. 21. The event was held on the walking trail behind the Wellness Center and was open to team members, their family members, and retirees. “My thanks to those who came out to this year’s BBQ – and especially to those who helped make it happen,” Pelfrey said. “I could not have asked for better weather or a better group of people to spend the afternoon with. It was great to see everyone’s families join us on site to celebrate the hard work our teams have put in this year.” (NASA/Charles Beason)
      Children play on an inflatable at the BBQ Fest with a space shuttle inflatable in the background. (NASA/Charles Beason)
      Marshall team members participate in Bingo during the BBQ hosted by the Marshall Exchange. (NASA/Charles Beason)
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      Tony Clark Named Deputy Director of Marshall’s Engineering Directorate
      Tony Clark has been named to the Senior Executive Service position of deputy director of the Engineering Directorate at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, effective immediately. In this role, Clark will be help lead the center’s largest organization, comprised of more than 2,500 civil service and contractor personnel, who design, test, evaluate, and operate flight hardware and software associated with Marshall-developed space transportation and spacecraft systems, science instruments, and payloads.
      Tony Clark has been named to the Senior Executive Service position of deputy director of the Engineering Directorate at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.NASA Clark previously served as deputy director of the Space Systems Department at Marshall from 2021-2024 and served as acting director in 2024. In this role, Clark led the design, development, assembly, integration, testing, and delivery of flight, ground, prototype, and development products for NASA human spaceflight programs, science investigations, and exploration initiatives. He aided in the oversight of an annual budget of approximately $70 million and helped manage a diverse, highly technical workforce of approximately 660 civil service employees and contractors.
      Over his three decades of service to NASA, Clark has held numerous key leadership roles, bringing a wealth of technical and supervisory experience to Marshall’s broad range of engineering endeavors. He served as manager of the vehicle equipment area in Johnson Space Center’s Vehicle Systems Integration Office of the Gateway Program from 2018-2021. He was also manager of the Engineering Resource Management Office in Marshall’s Engineering Directorate from 2014-2018, tasked with leading and coordinating resources among eight engineering departments, laboratories and offices staffed by more than 2,300 civil service and contract personnel.
      He was acting deputy manager of the Engineering Directorate’s Spacecraft and Vehicle Systems Department from February 2014 to October 2014. Prior to that, Clark was chief of the directorate’s Electrical Integration and Fabrication Division from 2007-2014, and chief of the Electromagnetic Environmental Effects and Electrical Integration Branch from 2004-2007. He joined Marshall in September 1991 as an electromagnetic environmental effects engineer.
      Clark earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville in 1989 and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from The Ohio State University in Columbus in 1991.
      Among his many professional awards and honors, Clark received the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal in 2010 for his work on the Ares IX, the launch vehicle which informed development of NASA’s new rocket, the Space Launch System. He also received a Silver Snoopy award in 1999, reflecting outstanding service and the highest dedication to safe human spaceflight.
      Clark was a founding member in 2004 of the Huntsville Chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers’ Electromagnetic Compatibility Society.
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      I Am Artemis: Sarah Ryan
      A passion for puzzles, problem-solving, and propulsion led Sarah Ryan – a native of Columbus, Ohio – to her current position as Raptor engine lead for NASA’s HLS (Human Landing System) insight team at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The SpaceX Raptor rocket engine powers the company’s Starship and Super Heavy rocket. SpaceX will land astronauts on the Moon for NASA’s Artemis III and Artemis IV missions using the Starship HLS. NASA’s Artemis campaign aims to land the first woman, first person of color, and first international partner astronaut on the Moon.
      NASA’s Sarah Ryan is the Raptor engine lead for NASA’s HLS (Human Landing System) Program at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. “With Artemis, we’re moving beyond what NASA did with Apollo and that’s really inspiring, especially to our younger workforce. We’re trying to push farther and it’s really going to drive a lot of technology development on the way there,” Ryan said. “This is a dream come true to be working on Artemis and solving problems so humanity can get back to the Moon then on to Mars.”NASA/Ken Hall “My team looks at how the components of the Raptor engine work together. Then, we evaluate the performance of the full system to make sure it will accomplish the NASA HLS and Artemis missions,” Ryan said. “I get to see lots of pieces and parts of the puzzle and then look at the system as a whole to make sure it meets NASA’s needs.”
      While earning a bachelor’s degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland with a dual major in aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering, Ryan had an internship at Marshall, working on a payload for a science mission onboard the International Space Station.
      After working for a year on satellite design, Ryan returned to Marshall. She noted that the opportunity to work in Marshall’s Engine Systems branch, to be involved with pushing technology forward, and to work on Artemis, really drew her back to NASA. Ryan later earned a master’s degree in aerospace systems from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
      When not occupied with rocket engine development, Ryan likes to work on quieter hobbies in her free time, including reading, board games, crocheting, and solving all manner of puzzles – crosswords, number games, word games, and more. Her interest for solving puzzles carries over into her work on the Raptor rocket engines for HLS.
      “My favorite tasks are the ones that most resemble a puzzle,” Ryan said. “If we’re investigating an issue and have a lot of information to assess, I love putting all the pieces together and figuring out what happened, why, and the path forward. I enjoy digging into the data and solving those puzzles.”
      With Artemis, NASA will explore more of the Moon than ever before, learn how to live and work away from home, and prepare for future human exploration of Mars. NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, exploration ground systems, and Orion spacecraft, along with the HLS, next-generation spacesuits, Gateway lunar space station, and future rovers are NASA’s foundation for deep space exploration.
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      I Am Artemis: Casey Wolfe
      While precision, perseverance, and engineering are necessary skills in building a Moon rocket, Casey Wolfe knows that one of the most important aspects for the job is teamwork.
      “Engineering is vital, but to get this type of work done, you need to take care of the human element,” said Wolfe, the assistant branch chief of the advanced manufacturing branch in the Materials and Processes Laboratory at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
      Casey Wolfe is developing and producing the next generation payload adapter for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) super-heavy lift rocket. The adapter is made with some of the world’s most advanced composite manufacturing techniques.NASA/Sam Lott Together with her team, Wolfe is developing and producing the next generation payload adapter for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) super-heavy lift rocket. The adapter is made with some of the world’s most advanced composite manufacturing techniques.
      Wolfe’s work integrates the technical day-to-day operations and personnel management of the composites manufacturing team and additive manufacturing team, balancing production of SLS hardware with the creation of new engines using the latest manufacturing technologies. 
      “A lot of my day to day is in managing our two teams, making connections, building relationships, and making sure people feel supported,” Wolfe said. “I conduct individual tag ups with each team member so we can be proactive about anticipating and addressing problems.”
      Wolfe grew up in Huntsville, a place known as the “Rocket City,” but it wasn’t until she visited a job fair while studying at Auburn University for a polymer and fiber engineering degree that she began to consider a career at Marshall. Wolfe applied for and was selected to be a NASA intern through the Pathways Program, working in the non-metallic materials branch of the Materials and Processes Laboratory.
      Wolfe supported a coating system for electrostatic discharge on the first uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft. Launching Dec. 5, 2014, Orion traveled to an altitude of 3,600 miles, orbited Earth twice, and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. It was during her internship that Wolfe realized how inspirational it felt to be treated like a vital part of a team.
      “The SLS program gave everyone permission to sign the hardware, even me – even though I was just an intern,” Wolfe said. “It was impactful to me, knowing that something I had worked on had my name on it and went to space.” 
      Since being hired by NASA, Wolfe’s work has supported development of the Orion stage adapter diaphragms for Artemis II and Artemis III, and the payload adapters for Artemis IV and beyond. The first three Artemis flights use the SLS Block 1 rocket variant, which can send more than 27 metric tons (59,500 pounds) to the Moon in a single launch. Beginning with Artemis IV, the SLS Block 1B variant will use the new, more powerful exploration upper stage to enable more ambitious missions to deep space, with the cone-shaped payload adapter situated atop the rocket’s exploration upper stage. The new variant will be capable of launching more than 38 metric tons (84,000 pounds) to the Moon in a single launch.
      “While the engineering development unit of the payload adapter is undergoing large-scale testing, our team is working on the production of the qualification article, which will also be tested,” Wolfe said. “Flight components should be starting fabrication in the next six months.”
      When Wolfe isn’t working, she enjoys hiking, gardening, and hanging out with her dogs and large family. Recently, she signed another piece of SLS hardware headed to space: the Orion stage adapter for the second Artemis mission.
      With as many responsibilities as Wolfe juggles, it’s easy to lose sight of her work’s impact. “I work in the lab around the hardware all the time, and in many ways, it can become very rote,” she said.
      But Wolfe won’t forget what she saw one evening when she worked late: “Everybody was gone, and as I walked past the launch vehicle stage adapter, there were two security guards taking pictures of each other in front of it. It was one of those things that made me step back and reflect on what my team accomplishes every day: making history happen.”
      NASA is working to land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.
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      NASA’s IXPE Helps Researchers Determine Shape of Black Hole Corona
      By Rick Smith
      New findings using data from NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) mission offer unprecedented insight into the shape and nature of a structure important to black holes called a corona.
      A corona is a shifting plasma region that is part of the flow of matter onto a black hole, about which scientists have only a theoretical understanding. The new results reveal the corona’s shape for the first time, and may aid scientists’ understanding of the corona’s role in feeding and sustaining black holes.
      This illustration of material swirling around a black hole highlights a particular feature, called the “corona,” which can be seen as a purple haze floating above the underlying accretion disk and extending slightly inside its inner edge. The material within the inner accretion disk is incredibly hot and would glow with a blinding blue-white light, but here has been reduced in brightness to make the corona stand out with better contrast. Its purple color is purely illustrative, standing in for the X-ray glow that would not be obvious in visible light. The warp in the disk is a realistic representation of how the black hole’s immense gravity acts like an optical lens, distorting our view of the flat disk that encircles it.NASA/Caltech-IPAC/Robert Hurt Many black holes, so named because not even light can escape their titanic gravity, are surrounded by accretion disks, debris-cluttered whirlpools of gas. Some black holes also have relativistic jets – ultra-powerful outbursts of matter hurled into space at high speed by black holes that are actively eating material in their surroundings.
      Less well known, perhaps, is that snacking black holes, much like Earth’s Sun and other stars, also possess a superheated corona. While the Sun’s corona, which is the star’s outermost atmosphere, burns at roughly 1.8 million degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of a black hole corona is estimated at billions of degrees.
      Astrophysicists previously identified coronae among stellar-mass black holes – those formed by a star’s collapse – and supermassive black holes such as the one at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy.
      “Scientists have long speculated on the makeup and geometry of the corona,” said Lynne Saade, a postdoctoral researcher at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and lead author of the new findings. “Is it a sphere above and below the black hole, or an atmosphere generated by the accretion disk, or perhaps plasma located at the base of the jets?”
      Enter IXPE, which specializes in X-ray polarization, the characteristic of light that helps map the shape and structure of even the most powerful energy sources, illuminating their inner workings even when the objects are too small, bright, or distant to see directly. Just as we can safely observe the Sun’s corona during a total solar eclipse, IXPE provides the means to clearly study the black hole’s accretion geometry, or the shape and structure of its accretion disk and related structures, including the corona.
      “X-ray polarization provides a new way to examine black hole accretion geometry,” Saade said. “If the accretion geometry of black holes is similar regardless of mass, we expect the same to be true of their polarization properties.”
      IXPE demonstrated that, among all black holes for which coronal properties could be directly measured via polarization, the corona was found to be extended in the same direction as the accretion disk – providing, for the first time, clues to the corona’s shape and clear evidence of its relationship to the accretion disk. The results rule out the possibility that the corona is shaped like a lamppost hovering over the disk. 
      The research team studied data from IXPE’s observations of 12 black holes, among them Cygnus X-1 and Cygnus X-3, stellar-mass binary black hole systems about 7,000 and 37,000 light-years from Earth, respectively, and LMC X-1 and LMC X-3, stellar-mass black holes in the Large Magellanic Cloud more than 165,000 light-years away. IXPE also observed a number of supermassive black holes, including the one at the center of the Circinus galaxy, 13 million light-years from Earth, and those in galaxies NGC 1068 and NGC 4151, 47 million light-years away and nearly 62 million light-years away, respectively.
      Stellar mass black holes typically have a mass roughly 10 to 30 times that of Earth’s Sun, whereas supermassive black holes may have a mass that is millions to tens of billions of times larger. Despite these vast differences in scale, IXPE data suggests both types of black holes create accretion disks of similar geometry.
      That’s surprising, said Marshall astrophysicist Philip Kaaret, principal investigator for the IXPE mission, because the way the two types are fed is completely different.
      “Stellar-mass black holes rip mass from their companion stars, whereas supermassive black holes devour everything around them,” he said. “Yet the accretion mechanism functions much the same way.”
      That’s an exciting prospect, Saade said, because it suggests that studies of stellar-mass black holes – typically much closer to Earth than their much more massive cousins – can help shed new light on properties of supermassive black holes as well. The team next hopes to make additional examinations of both types.
      Saade anticipates there’s much more to glean from X-ray studies of these behemoths. “IXPE has provided the first opportunity in a long time for X-ray astronomy to reveal the underlying processes of accretion and unlock new findings about black holes,” she said.
      The complete findings are available in the latest issue of The Astrophysical Journal.
      Smith, an Aeyon employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.
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      Michoud Gets a Rare Visitor
      The Oort Cloud comet, called C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, passes over Southeast Louisiana near New Orleans, home of NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility on Oct. 13. The comet is making its first appearance in documented human history; it was last seen in the night sky 80,000 years ago. The Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet made its first close pass by Earth in mid-October and will remain visible to viewers in the Northern Hemisphere just between the star Arcturus and planet Venus through early November. Eric Bordelon, a photographer for Michoud, captured the image, which was featured as NASA’s image of the day. “On Sunday evening I decided to head out to find the comet I’ve read so much about,” Bordelon said. “Struggling at first to see it, once my eyes adjusted to the darkness I could faintly see it. I pulled my camera out and set up a tripod, with a longer exposure around six seconds I was able to capture this shot with a single frame. The far off setting sun made a beautiful color gradient in the dark sky with the other stars just beginning to appear.” Read more about the comet. (NASA/Eric Bordelon)
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      Hubble Captures New View of Galaxy M90
      A new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the striking spiral galaxy Messier 90 (M90, also NGC 4569), located in the constellation Virgo. In 2019, Hubble released an image of M90 created with Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) data taken in 1994, soon after its installation. That WFPC2 image has a distinctive stair-step pattern due to the layout of its sensors. Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) replaced WFPC2 in 2009 and Hubble used WFC3 when it turned its aperture to Messier 90 again in 2019 and 2023. That data resulted in this stunning new image, providing a much fuller view of the galaxy’s dusty disk, its gaseous halo, and its bright core.
      This eye-catching image offers us a new view of the spiral galaxy Messier 90 from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team The inner regions of M90’s disk are sites of star formation, seen here in red H-alpha light from nebulae. M90 sits among the galaxies of the relatively nearby Virgo Cluster, and its orbit took M90 on a path near the cluster’s center about three hundred million years ago. The density of gas in the inner cluster weighed on M90 like a strong headwind, stripping enormous quantities of gas from the galaxy and creating the diffuse halo we see around it. This gas is no longer available to form new stars in M90, with the spiral galaxy eventually fading as a result.
      M90 is located 55 million light-years from Earth, but it’s one of the very few galaxies getting closer to us. Its orbit through the Virgo cluster has accelerated so much that M90 is in the process of escaping the cluster entirely. By happenstance, it’s moving in our direction. Astronomers have measured other galaxies in the Virgo cluster at similar speeds, but in the opposite direction. As M90 continues to move toward us over billions of years, it will also be evolving into a lenticular galaxy.
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      View the full article
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