Members Can Post Anonymously On This Site
STScI Astrophysicist Shares 2006 Gruber Cosmology Prize
-
Similar Topics
-
By NASA
NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson displays from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) food packets in the International Space Station galley.Credits: NASA NASA recently welcomed more than 50 commercial food and commercial space companies to learn about the evolving space food system supporting NASA missions, including unique requirements for spaceflight, menu development, and food provisioning – essential elements for human spaceflight and sustainable living in space.
The event, held at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, brought together private industry leaders, NASA astronauts, and NASA’s space food team to discuss creative solutions for nourishing government and private astronauts on future commercial space stations.
“The commercial food industry is the leader in how to produce safe and nutritious food for the consumer, and with knowledge passed on from NASA regarding the unique needs for space food safety and human health, this community is poised to support this new market of commercial low Earth orbit consumers,” said Kimberlee Prokhorov, deputy chief for the Human Systems Engineering and Integration Division at Johnson, which encompasses food systems work.
Experts from NASA’s Space Food Systems Laboratory shared the unique requirements and conditions surrounding the formulation, production, packaging, and logistics of space food for enabling the success of commercial low Earth orbit missions. Attendees heard astronaut perspectives on the importance of space food, challenges they encounter, and potential areas of improvement. They also tasted real space food and learned about the nutritional requirements critical for maintaining human health and performance in space.
“By bringing together key players in the commercial food and space industries, we were able to provide a collaborative opportunity to share fresh ideas and explore future collaborations,” said Angela Hart, manager for NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program at Johnson. “Space food is a unique challenge, and it is one that NASA is excited to bring commercial companies into. Working with our commercial partners allows us to advance in ways that benefit not only astronauts but also food systems on Earth.”
As NASA expands opportunities in low Earth orbit, it’s essential for the commercial sector to take on the support of space food production, allowing the agency to focus its resources on developing food systems for longer duration human space exploration missions.
NASA will continue providing best practices and offer additional opportunities to interested commercial partners to share knowledge that will enable a successful commercial space ecosystem.
The agency’s commercial strategy for low Earth orbit will provide the government with reliable and safe services at a lower cost and enable the agency to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars, while also continuing to use low Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions.
Learn more about NASA’s commercial space strategy at:
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/
View the full article
-
By NASA
To shape NASA’s path of exploration forward, Dr. Gioia Rau unravels stars and worlds beyond our solar system.
Name: Dr. Gioia Rau
Title: Astrophysicist
Organization: Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory, Astrophysics Division, Science Mission Directorate (Code 667)
Dr. Gioia Rau is an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.Photo courtesy of Gioia Rau What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard?
I’m an astrophysicist who studies both evolved stars, stars that about to die, and exoplanets, planets outside our solar system. I study the stars that once held the elements that are in our body, such as calcium. I also lead the science part of several mission concept studies. And I am really passionate about strategic thinking.
How does it feel to achieve your childhood dream of becoming an astrophysicist at NASA?
I am from Italy. Growing up, I was always fascinated by NASA. As a child, I watched the shuttle launches. I loved everything about stars, planets, and galaxies. I devoured astronomy books. I always knew that I wanted to study astrophysics.
Around 10 years old, I wrote a letter to NASA saying that I wanted to become an astrophysicist to study the universe. NASA sent me information and encouraged me to study and work hard. So I did.
I still remember my first day working at NASA. I looked around with so much joy at my dream coming true. Every day that I work at Goddard, I find more passion to continue pursue my dreams.
What is your educational background?
In 2009, I earned a Bachelor of Science in physics from the University of Rome, La Sapienza. In 2011, I obtained a master’s in physics and astrophysics there. Also in 2011, I was awarded a very competitive fellowship to do a master’s thesis at the California Institute of Technology and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab thanks to my high GPA. In 2016, I earned a Ph.D. in astrophysics from the University of Vienna. I came to Goddard in 2017 when I obtained a NASA post-doctoral fellowship.
Why do you study evolved stars?
Evolved stars are the future of our own Sun, which in about 5 billion years will die. Evolved stars also produce elements found in our own bodies, as, for example, the calcium in our bones, the iron in our blood, and the gold in our rings. The stardust that I study is spread by the stellar winds into the interstellar medium to form new generation of stars and planets, and contribute to the cosmic recycle of matter in the universe.
As Carl Sagan said, “We are all made of stardust.”
What is most interesting about studying exoplanets?
If we discover an exoplanet within the habitable zone of its star, we increase the likelihood of finding a planet with Earth-like conditions. This can enhance our understanding of planetary formation processes, and help determine if these exoplanets may harbor life through studying their atmospheres.
My team of students and scientists used Artificial Intelligence techniques to discover new exoplanet candidates. They are called candidates because they need to be confirmed through follow-up observations. It was a very exciting, pioneering project using cutting-edge techniques.
Why is working on mission concepts important to you?
Mission concepts represent the future of space exploration, and I lead the science team of multiple mission concepts. By working on these pioneering projects, we as teams are actively shaping the future of NASA, and advancing the field of astrophysics. I am grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with so many brilliant scientists and engineers. I am passionate about strategic thinking and the visionary process behind it to shape the future of science and of organizations alike. I thrive on seeing the big picture and contributing to initiative that shape the future of organizations and people alike.
Why do you love mentoring?
I love working with students. It is gratifying to teach them and fuel their passions and also, again, working with the next generation helps shape NASA’s future. I tell the students what I firmly believe: that resilience, grit, passion, and hard work are some of the most important qualities in a scientist. That integrity, humility, and flexibility are great values to honor as a scientist. And I tell them not to be afraid of trying something new. After all, failure is part of being a scientist. Doing science is about learning from failures, to be successful. As scientists, we follow the scientific method to test our hypotheses through experiments. Ninety-nine percent of the time that experiment does not work the first time. So we need to keep refining the experiment until it does work. I also tell my students to keep in focus their goal, and work very hard toward it: make a plan and stick to it.
What is your message when you do outreach?
I started doing outreach when I was in college. I have since done hundreds of outreach events; I am passionate about sharing the joy of astrophysics, and my passion for it, with the general public! When I do outreach, my goal is to make the Universe accessible to the public: the Cosmos belongs to all of us, and we can all enjoy the beauty and wanders of the Universe, together. I aim to build connections that bridge the gap between science and the public, working together to deepen our understanding of the Universe and inspire the next generation of scientists. I also remind the audience that behind every success there are a multitude of failures that led to that success. I tell them why I am passionate about science and how I became an astrophysicist at NASA. Engaging with people makes science more accessible and relatable. Outreach inspires the next generation to become scientists.
Who is your science hero?
Hypatia. She was an astronomer and a philosopher who lived in ancient Greece. At that time, scientists were also philosophers, and I love philosophy. She was martyred because her views were considered to be against the established way of thinking. She was a martyr for freedom of thought.
Do you have a phrase that you live by?
Keep on dreaming, and work hard toward your goals; ad astra per aspera!
Who do you wish to thank?
My father and my mother, and my current family: my husband who is my biggest supporter and fan, and my kids for the joy they bring. I also would like to thank all my mentors along the way. They always believed in me and guided me on my path.
What do you do for fun?
I love playing volleyball, skiing, reading, taking photos, playing the piano and the guitar, hiking, sailing, baking, and of course being with my family.
What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words.
Unraveling mysteries, shaping futures, inspiring paths.
Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.
Share
Details
Last Updated Oct 01, 2024 EditorMadison OlsonContactRob Garnerrob.garner@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
People of Goddard Goddard Space Flight Center People of NASA Explore More
8 min read Julie Rivera Pérez Bridges Business, STEM to ‘Make the Magic Happen’
Article 1 week ago 5 min read Rob Gutro: Clear Science in the Forecast
Article 2 weeks ago 8 min read Rob Garner: Editing Goddard’s Story to Fit the Space
Article 2 weeks ago View the full article
-
By NASA
On Sept. 18, 2024, five Congressional Gold Medals were awarded to women who contributed to the space race, including the NASA mathematicians who helped land the first astronauts on the Moon under the agency’s Apollo Program.Credit: NASA NASA Administrator Bill Nelson released his remarks as prepared for Wednesday’s Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in Washington. The awards recognized the women who contributed to the space race, including the NASA mathematicians who helped land the first astronauts on the Moon under the agency’s Apollo Program.
“Good afternoon.
“The remarkable things that NASA achieves…and that America achieves…build on the pioneers who came before us.
“People like the women of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.
“People like Mary Jackson. Dr. Christine Darden. Dorothy Vaughan. Katherine Johnson.
“Thanks to all the Members of Congress who made today possible. The late Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, who we miss, and who led the effort in 2019 alongside Senator Chris Coons to bring these medals to life. Thanks to the champions for the legislation, then-Senator Kamala Harris, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Shelley Moore Capito, and Congressman Frank Lucas.
“The women we honor today made it possible for Earthlings to lift beyond the bounds of Earth, and for generations of trailblazers to follow.
“We did not come this far only to come this far.
“We continue this legacy, as one member of the audience here with us does every single day – the remarkable Andrea Mosie.
“Andrea, who has worked at NASA for nearly 50 years, is the lead processor for the Apollo sample program. She oversees the Moon rocks and lunar samples NASA brought back from Apollo, 842 pounds of celestial science! These samples are national treasures. So is Andrea.
“The pioneers we honor today, these Hidden Figures – their courage and imagination brought us to the Moon. And their lessons, their legacy, will send us back to the Moon… and then…imagine – just imagine – when we leave our footprints on the red sands of Mars.
“Thanks to these people who are part of our NASA family, we will continue to sail on the cosmic sea to far off cosmic shores.”
For more information about NASA missions, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov
-end-
Meira Bernstein / Cheryl Warner
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
meira.b.bernstein@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov
Share
Details
Last Updated Sep 18, 2024 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Apollo View the full article
-
By NASA
As part of an asteroid sample exchange, NASA has transferred to JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) a portion of the asteroid Bennu sample collected by the agency’s OSIRIS-REx mission. The sample was officially handed over by NASA officials during a ceremony on Aug. 22 at JAXA’s Sagamihara, Japan, campus.
The signature exchange for the Bennu sample transfer took place on Aug. 22, 2024, at JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Sagamihara Campus.JAXA This asteroid sample transfer follows the November 2021 exchange where JAXA transferred to NASA a portion of the sample retrieved from asteroid Ryugu by its Hayabusa2 spacecraft. This agreement allows NASA and JAXA to share achievements and promote scientific and technological cooperation on asteroid sample return missions. The scientific goals of the two missions are to understand the origins and histories of primitive, organic-rich asteroids and what role they may have played in the formation of the planets.
“We value our continued collaboration with JAXA on asteroid sample return missions to both increase our science return and reduce risk on these and other missions,” said Kathleen Vander Kaaden, chief scientist for astromaterials curation in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “JAXA has extensive curation capabilities, and we look forward to what we will learn from the shared analysis of the OSIRIS-REx samples.”
The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx, spacecraft delivered 4.29 ounces (121.6 grams) of material from Bennu, more than double the mission’s mass requirement, as well as 24 steel Velcro® pads containing dust from the contact with Bennu. As part of the agreement, the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston transferred to JAXA 0.023 ounces (0.66 grams) of the Bennu sample, equaling 0.55% of the total sample mass, and one of the 24 contact pads.
Hayabusa2 collected 0.19 ounces (5.4 grams) of Ryugu between two samples and, in 2021, JAXA provided NASA with 23 millimeter-sized grains plus aggregate sample material from Ryugu, enabling both countries to get the most out of the samples and share the responsibility of sample curation.
JAXA’s portion of the Bennu samples will be housed in the newly expanded clean rooms in the extraterrestrial sample curation center on the JAXA Sagamihara campus. The JAXA team received the samples enclosed in non-reactive nitrogen gas and will open them in similarly nitrogen-filled clean chambers, accessed with air-tight gloves. JAXA will now work to create an initial description of the sample, including weight measurements, imaging with both visible light and infrared light microscopes, and infrared spectroscopy. The sample will then be distributed through a competitively selected process for detailed analysis at other research institutes to study the differences and similarities between asteroids Bennu and Ryugu.
JAXA “Thank you for safely bringing the precious asteroid samples from Bennu to Earth and then to Japan,” said Tomohiro Usui, Astromaterials Science Research Group Manager, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA. “As fellow curators, we understand the tension and responsibility that accompany these tasks. Now, it is our turn at JAXA. We will go ahead with our plans to derive significant scientific outcomes from these valuable samples.”
Asteroids are debris left over from the dawn of the solar system. The Sun and its planets formed from a cloud of dust and gas about 4.6 billion years ago, and asteroids are thought to date back to the first few million years of our solar system’s history. Sample return missions like OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2 help provide new data on how the solar system’s evolution unfolded.
Initial analysis of the Bennu samples has revealed dust rich in carbon and nitrogen. Members of the OSIRIS-REx sample analysis team have also found evidence of organic molecules and minerals bearing phosphorous and water, which together could indicate the building blocks essential for life.
Both the Bennu sample and the asteroid Ryugu sample delivered by JAXA’s Hayabusa2 mission appear to have come from an ancient parent object formed beyond the current orbit of Saturn that was broken up and transported into the inner solar system. The differences between these asteroids are emerging as the detailed chemistry is analyzed.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, provided overall mission management, systems engineering, and the safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona, Tucson, is the principal investigator. The university leads the science team and the mission’s science observation planning and data processing. Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, built the spacecraft and provided flight operations. Goddard and KinetX Aerospace were responsible for navigating the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Curation for OSIRIS-REx takes place at NASA Johnson. International partnerships on this mission include the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter instrument from CSA (Canadian Space Agency) and asteroid sample science collaboration with JAXA’s Hayabusa2 mission. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA’s New Frontiers Program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
Find more information about NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission at:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/osiris-rex
-end-
News Media Contacts
Wynn Scott
NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-910-6835
wynn.b.scott@nasa.gov
Karen Fox / Alana Johnson
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov
View the full article
-
By NASA
The NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) instituted the Entrepreneurs Challenge to identify innovative ideas and technologies from small business start-ups with the potential to advance the agency’s science goals. Geolabe—a prize winner in the latest Entrepreneurs Challenge—has developed a way to use artificial intelligence to identify global methane emissions. Methane is a greenhouse gas that significantly contributes to global warming, and this promising new technology could provide data to help decision makers develop strategies to mitigate climate change.
SMD sponsored Entrepreneurs Challenge events in 2020, 2021, and 2023. Challenge winners were awarded prize money—in 2023 the total Entrepreneurs Challenge prize value was $1M. To help leverage external funding sources for the development of innovative technologies of interest to NASA, SMD involved the venture capital community in Entrepreneurs Challenge events. Numerous challenge winners have subsequently received funding from both NASA and external sources (e.g., other government agencies or the venture capital community) to further develop their technologies.
Each Entrepreneurs Challenge solicited submissions in specific focus areas such as mass spectrometry technology, quantum sensors, metamaterials-based sensor technologies, and more. The focus areas of the latest 2023 challenge included lunar surface payloads and climate science.
A recent Entrepreneurs Challenge success story involves 2023 challenge winner Geolabe—a startup founded by Dr. Claudia Hulbert and Dr. Bertrand Rouet-Leduc in 2020 in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The Geolabe team developed a method that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically detect methane emissions on a global scale.
This image taken from a NASA visualization shows the complex patterns of methane emissions around the globe in 2018, based on data from satellites, inventories of human activities, and NASA global computer models. Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio As global temperatures rise to record highs, the pressure to curb greenhouse gas emissions has intensified. Limiting methane emissions is particularly important since methane is the second largest contributor to global warming, and is estimated to account for approximately a third of global warming to date. Moreover, because methane stays in the atmosphere for a shorter amount of time compared to CO2, curbing methane emissions is widely considered to be one of the fastest ways to slow down the rate of global warming.
However, monitoring methane emissions and determining their quantities has been challenging due to the limitations of existing detection methods. Methane plumes are invisible and odorless, so they are typically detected with specialized equipment such as infrared cameras. The difficulty in finding these leaks from space is akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Leaks are distributed around the globe, and most of the methane plumes are relatively small, making them easy to miss in satellite data.
Multispectral satellite imagery has emerged as a viable methane detection tool in recent years, enabling routine measurements of methane plumes at a global scale every few days. However, with respect to methane, these measurements suffer from very poor signal to noise ratio, which has thus far allowed detection of only very large emissions (2-3 tons/hour) using manual methods.
This landscape of “mountains” and “valleys” speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI The Geolabe team has developed a deep learning architecture that automatically identifies methane signatures in existing open-source spectral satellite data and deconvolves the signal from the noise. This AI method enables automatic detection of methane leaks at 200kg/hour and above, which account for over 85% of the methane emissions in well-studied, large oil and gas basins. Information gained using this new technique could help inform efforts to mitigate methane emissions on Earth and automatically validate their effects. This Geolabe project was featured in Nature Communications on May 14, 2024.
SPONSORING ORGANIZATION
NASA Science Mission Directorate
Share
Details
Last Updated Aug 20, 2024 Related Terms
Earth Science Science-enabling Technology Technology Highlights Uncategorized Explore More
3 min read Perseverance Pays Off for Student Challenge Winners
As radioisotopes power the Perseverance rover to explore Mars, perseverance “powered” three winners to write…
Article
6 days ago
3 min read New TEMPO Cosmic Data Story Makes Air Quality Data Publicly Available
Article
7 days ago
3 min read Earth Educators Rendezvous with Infiniscope and Tour It
Article
1 week ago
View the full article
-
-
Check out these Videos
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.