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By NASA
The crew of the Human Exploration Research Analog’s Campaign 7 Mission 1 clasp hands above their simulated space habitat’s elevator shaft.Credit: NASA NASA is funding 11 new studies to better understand how to best support the health and performance of crew members during long-duration spaceflight missions. The awardees will complete the studies on Earth without the need for samples and data from astronauts.
Together, the studies will help measure physiological and psychological responses to physical and mental challenges that astronauts may encounter during spaceflight. The projects will address numerous spaceflight risks related to team performance, communication, living environment, decision-making, blood flow, and brain health. With this information, NASA will better mitigate risks and protect astronaut health and performance during future long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The 11 finalists were selected from 123 proposals in response to the 2024 Human Exploration Research Opportunities available through the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System. Selected proposals originate from 10 institutions, and the cumulative award totals about $14.6 million. The durations of the projects range from one to five years.
The following investigators and teams were selected:
Katya Arquilla, University Of Colorado, Boulder, “Investigating Countermeasures for Communication Delays through the Laboratory-based Exploration Mission Analog” Tripp Driskell, Florida Maxima Corporation, “CADMUS (Crew Adaptive Decision Making Under Stress) and Crew Decision Support System: Development, Validation, and Proof-of-Concept” Christopher Jones, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, “Predicting Operationally Meaningful Performance with Multivariate Biomarkers Using Advanced Algorithms” Jessica Marquez, NASA Ames Research Center, Silicon Valley, California, “Enhancing Performance and Communication for Distributed Teams During Lunar Spacewalks” Shu-Chieh Wu, San Jose State University Research Foundation, California, “Lessening the Impact of Interface Inconsistency Through Goal-Directed Crew Operations” Erika Rashka, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, “Local Psychiatric Digital Phenotyping for Isolated, Constrained, and Extreme (ICE) Environments via Multimodal Sensing” Ana Diaz Artiles, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, College Station, “Dose-response Curves of Cardiovascular and Ocular Variables During Graded Lower Body Negative Pressure in Microgravity Conditions Using Parabolic Flight” Theodora Chaspari, University Of Colorado, Boulder, “A Speech-Based Artificial Intelligence System for Predicting Team Functioning Degradation in HERA (Human Exploration Research Analog) Missions” Ute Fischer, Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta, “Supporting Collaboration and Connectedness between Space and Ground at Lunar Latencies” Xiaohong Lu, Louisiana State University, Shreveport, “Space Exposome Converges on Genotoxic Stress to Accelerate Brain Aging and Countermeasures to Mitigate Acute and Late Central Nervous System Risks” Catherine Davis, Henry M. Jackson Foundation For The Advancement of Military Medicine, North Bethesda, Maryland, “NeuroSTAR (Neurobehavioral Changes Following Stressors and Radiation): Predicting Mission Impacts from Analogous Human and Rodent Endpoints” Proposals were independently reviewed by subject matter experts in academia, industry, and government using a dual anonymous peer-review process to assess scientific merit. NASA assessed the top scoring proposals for relevance to the agency’s human research roadmap before final selections were made.
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NASA’s Human Research Program pursues the best methods and technologies to support safe, productive human space travel. Through science conducted in laboratories, ground-based analogs, and the International Space Station, the program scrutinizes how spaceflight affects human bodies and behaviors. Such research continues to drive NASA’s mission to innovate ways that keep astronauts healthy as space exploration expands to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
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By NASA
4 min read
NASA Awards 15 Grants to Support Open-Source Science
One of the 15 winning proposals for NASA High Priority Open-Source Science (HPOSS) funding will help simulate galaxies. Pictured here is barred spiral galaxy NGC 1300, as imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Acknowledgment: P. Knezek (WIYN) NASA awarded $1.4 million to 15 teams developing new technologies that advance and streamline the open sharing of scientific information.
High Priority Open-Source Science (HPOSS) awards fund projects that aim to increase the accessibility, inclusivity, or reproducibility of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) research. Projects include open-source tools, software, frameworks, data formats, or libraries that will have a significant impact to the SMD science community. HPOSS awards are for one year and approximately $100,000.
The HPOSS solicitation is one of several cross-divisional funding opportunities funded by NASA’s Office of the Chief Science Data Officer (OCSDO) with a focus on advancing open science practices. These solicitations are unique among NASA’s annual omnibus solicitation for basic and applied research, Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science (ROSES), providing cross-divisional support for new work with strong potential to advance the adoption of open science practices across SMD.
“We are excited to be able to fund these opportunities to enable modern research through NASA’s support of open science,” said Chelle Gentemann, program officer for HPOSS and open science program scientist for OCSDO at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. on an Intergovernmental Personnel Act assignment from the International Computer Science Institute. “Open science is crucial in improving the transparency, security, and reproducibility of scientific research.”
The HPOSS solicitation for ROSES-2024 is currently available as F.14 on NSPIRES. Under ROSES-2024, HPOSS has expanded to include the development of capacity-building materials, like curricula, tutorials, and other training materials, reflecting the program’s commitment to fostering open science practices.
The HPOSS solicitation has no fixed due date. Proposers are encouraged to submit their proposals via NSPIRES at any time. Proposals are evaluated by peer review panels and selections are made throughout the year.
“The proposals selected thus far illustrate the breadth of this solicitation, ranging from projects that will increase the accessibility of data relevant to specific research communities to open-source tools that will be relevant across multiple SMD divisions,” said Gentemann.
The selected awardees for the ROSES-22 and ROSES-23 calls are:
Roses-2022 Awardees
Erin Buchanan, Harrisburg University of Science & Technology, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
STAPLE: Science Tracking Across the Project Lifespan
James Colliander / Code For Science And Society, INC., Portland, Oregon
Ephemeral Interactive Computing for NASA Communities
Gretchen Daily, Stanford University, Stanford, California
Metadata Tools for More Transparent, Reproducible, and Accessible Geospatial Analysis
Douglas Moore, 39 Alpha Research, Tempe, Arizona
Dorothy: Making Scientific Data Transparent, Accessible, and Reproducible
Matthew Turk, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois
Synergistic Software Tooling for Geophysical and Astrophysical Analysis: Linking yt and Xarray
Richard Townsend, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
Catalyzing an Open-Source Ecosystem for the GYRE Stellar Oscillation Code
Andrew Jiranek, Sciencecast Inc., Towson, Maryland
Advancing Equitable Scientific Publishing through Open-Science Digital Innovations
Jami Montgomery, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
Web-based Planetary Topography Toolkit
Roses-2023 Awardees
Russell Turner, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
Creation of an Open Access 3-Dimensional Image and Data Library for Rat Bones from Space Shuttle Experiments
Hans-Peter Marshall / Boise State University, Boise, Idaho
The SnowEx DB Open-Source Project — Standardized Data Access to Maximize Mission Data Use and Accelerate Research
Leila DeFloriani / University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
An Open-Source Library for Processing Forest Point Clouds Based on Topological Data Analysis
Michael Phillips / University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
Spectral Cube Analysis Tool: A Python Graphical User Interface for Analyzing Spectral Image Data
Julie Barnum / University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
A Heliophysics Software Search Interface Portal
Benjamin Keller / University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee
Portable and Reproducible Initial Conditions for Galaxy Simulations
Ryan Curtin / NumFocus, Austin, Texas
Enhance Usability and Discoverability of mlpack for Low-Resource Spaceflight Machine Learning
Summaries of previously selected proposals can be found under the “Selections” section on the HPOSS NSPIRES pages for ROSES-2022 and ROSES-2023.
To learn more about the HPOSS program element, a recording of a recent informational webinar is available, along with the presentation slides.
To learn more about NASA open science funding opportunities, visit: science.nasa.gov/open-science/nasa-open-science-funding-opportunities/
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By NASA
Artists’ rendering of an imagined lunar architecture. Not intended to represent any elements under consideration by NASA. NASA Solicitation Number: NNH16ZCQ001K-Appendix-R
August 16, 2024 – Draft Solicitation Released
Solicitation Overview
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) intends to release a solicitation under the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-2 (Next STEP-2) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to seek industry-led concept definition and maturation studies that address lunar surface logistics and uncrewed surface mobility capabilities.
NASA’s Moon to Mars Architecture defines the elements needed for long-term, human-led scientific discovery in deep space. NASA’s architecture approach distills agency-developed objectives into operational capabilities and elements that support science and exploration goals. Working with experts across the agency, industry, academia, and the international community, NASA continuously evolves that blueprint for crewed exploration, setting humanity on a path to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
NASA has identified two gaps in its lunar architecture: an integrated surface logistics architecture and uncrewed surface mobility systems for lunar surface assets. The objective of these studies is to seek proposals from industry for the conduct of studies specifically focused on the envisioned logistics and mobility capabilities as stated in NASA’s 2024 Architecture Concept Review White Papers (Lunar Surface Cargo, Lunar Mobility Drivers and Needs) and 2023 Architecture Concept Review White Paper (Lunar Logistics Drivers and Needs).
The Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) Strategy and Architecture Office (SAO) Lunar Logistics and Mobility Studies BAA (NextSTEP-2 Appendix R) is structured to meet the following goals:
Identify innovative strategies and concepts for logistics and mobility solutions. This could include a variety of topics, including but not limited to: synergies between logistics- and mobility-specific capabilities. identification of logistics- and mobility-specific needs that may be beyond current and/or planned commercial capabilities. innovative ideas for partnership business models, including intellectual property, asset ownership, and timing of asset delivery, and/or services to the government. the use of advanced robotic and/or autonomous capabilities. Evaluate and understand driving technology maturity, cost, and schedule drivers for meeting reference technical requirements, and/or drivers for validating a concept of operations. Obtain data that supports NASA’s ability to define, derive, and validate logistics and mobility requirements. Said data could inform a baseline mission concept that identifies options for and approaches to meeting logistics- and mobility-specific capabilities. This data could also contribute to the verification/validation of logistics and mobility approaches that could support NASA’s lunar architecture. To support lunar surface operations, NASA is seeking state-of-the-art industry studies that provide an approach for technology investigation/maturation and concept development for the following:
Logistics carriers – Logistics carriers of various sizes, volumes, and configurations and the environmental control of the cargo compartment. Logistics Handling and Offloading – Handling and offloading unpressurized cargo, carriers, fluids, and gases. Logistics Transfer – The transfer of cargo from the lunar surface to a pressurized volume, Staging, Storage and Tracking – Managing surface logistics inventory prior to, during, and after delivery to the final point of use. Trash Management – Trash management that contributes to mission sustainability and maximizes crew efficiency, Surface Cargo Transportation and Mobility Systems – The movement of cargo containers on the lunar surface after delivery by a lander. Integrated Strategy – An approach for an integrated assessment of the lunar surface logistics strategy and the transportation of the logistics to the pressurized habitation elements. This can also include the incorporation of the launch vehicle and cargo lander as part of the transportation. The resulting studies will ensure advancement of NASA’s development of lunar surface logistics and mobility technologies, capabilities, and concepts.
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By NASA
“I didn’t always grow up knowing that I was going to be working for NASA. It was just the way my life unfolded, and I couldn’t be more grateful and lucky to have this opportunity to be here. I think hiking is what really got me into my passion for wanting to have this outdoors kind of career. I’ve always pursued environmental science and geology, and still at that point in time, I had no idea that I could apply that kind of science to outer space and work for NASA one day.
“It wasn’t until I had these amazing mentors in front of me who were showing me, ‘Hey, what you’re doing, you can apply this to, for instance, Mars.’ And that’s what sparked my inspiration — [realizing] Mars had these ancient lakes and [wondering], ‘How can I use what I’m doing here on Earth to understand what was going on with those ancient lakes on Mars?’
“I’m kind of lucky. It’s less of a job and more of this exciting career opportunity where I get to go out into the field and even hike for a good portion of [my workday]. For instance, I just got back from Iceland where I was for 10 days. On these field trips, I’m in my comfort zone wearing a flannel and winter hat, backpacking with my rock hammer and shovel, hiking for a few hours to pick up samples, and then come back home to analyze them in the lab. I couldn’t have written a better story for me to continue doing the stuff that I enjoyed as a child and now to be doing it now for NASA is something I couldn’t have even dreamed of.
“Hiking and being in the field is the fun part. But then I get to come back to the lab and compare it to what Martian rovers are doing. They’re our hikers, our pioneers, our explorers, our geologists who are collecting samples for us on other planets. It’s remarkable, often mind-blowing, to be able to work directly with our planetary geologists as well as the amazing people on the rover teams from around the globe to understand the surface of Mars and then eventually, compare it to what I see in the field here on Earth.
“So, I’m still that young boy at heart with my backpack and flannel on and headed out into the field.”
– Dr. Michael Thrope, Sedimentary and Planetary Geologist, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Image Credit: Iceland Space Agency/Daniel Leeb
Interviewer: NASA/Tahira Allen
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By NASA
NASA and its international partners are sending scientific investigations to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 21st commercial resupply services mission. Flying aboard the company’s Cygnus spacecraft are tests of water recovery technology and a process to produce stem cells in microgravity, studies of the effects of spaceflight on microorganism DNA and liver tissue growth, and live science demonstrations for students. The mission is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida by early August.
Read more about some of the research making the journey to the orbiting laboratory:
Testing materials for packed systems
Packed bed reactors are systems that use materials such as pellets or beads “packed” inside a structure to increase contact between different phases of fluids, such as liquid and gas. These reactors are used for various applications including water recovery, thermal management, and fuel cells. Scientists previously tested the performance in space of glass beads, Teflon beads, a platinum catalyst, and other packing materials. Packed Bed Reactor Experiment: Water Recovery Series evaluates gravity’s effects on eight additional test articles.
Results could help optimize the design and operation of packed bed reactors for water filtration and other systems in microgravity and on the Moon and Mars. Insights from the investigation also could lead to improvements in this technology for applications on Earth such as water purification and heating and cooling systems.
Hardware for the packed bed water recovery reactor experiment. The packing media is visible in the long clear tube.NASA Giving science a whirl
STEMonstrations Screaming Balloon uses a balloon, a penny, and a hexagonal nut (the kind used to secure a bolt) for a NASA STEMonstration performed and recorded by astronauts on the space station. The penny and the nut are whirled separately inside an inflated balloon to compare the sounds they make. Each STEMonstration illustrates a different scientific concept, such as centripetal force, and includes resources to help teachers further explore the topics with their students.
NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps prepare for a STEMonstration on the International Space Station.NASA More, better stem cells
In-Space Expansion of Hematopoietic Stem Cells for Clinical Application (InSPA-StemCellEX-H1) continues testing a technology to produce human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in space. HSCs give rise to blood and immune cells and are used in therapies for patients with certain blood diseases, autoimmune disorders, and cancers.
The investigation uses a system called BioServe In-space Cell Expansion Platform, or BICEP, which is designed to expand HSCs three hundredfold without the need to change or add new growth media, according to Louis Stodieck, principal investigator at the University of Colorado Boulder. “BICEP affords a streamlined operation to harvest and cryopreserve cells for return to Earth and delivery to a designated medical provider and patient,” said Stodieck.
Someone in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer such as leukemia about every three minutes. Treating these patients with transplanted stem cells requires a donor-recipient match and long-term repopulation of transplanted stem cells. This investigation demonstrates whether expanding stem cells in microgravity could generate far more continuously renewing stem cells.
“Our work eventually could lead to large-scale production facilities, with donor cells launched into orbit and cellular therapies returned to Earth,” said Stodieck.
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio works on the first test of methods for expanding stem cells in space, StemCellEX-H Pathfinder. The InSPA-StemCellEX-H1 investigation continues this work.NASA DNA repair in space
Rotifer-B2, an ESA (European Space Agency) investigation, explores how spaceflight affects DNA repair mechanisms in a microscopic bdelloid rotifer, Adineta vaga. These tiny but complex organisms are known for their ability to withstand harsh conditions, including radiation doses 100 times higher than human cells can survive. The organisms are dried, exposed to high radiation levels on Earth, and rehydrated and cultured in an incubator on the station.
“Previous research indicates that rotifers repair their DNA in space with the same efficiency as on Earth, but that research provided only genetic data,” said Boris Hespeels, co-investigator, of Belgium’s Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics and Ecology. “This experiment will provide the first visual proof of survival and reproduction during spaceflight,” said Hespeels
Results could provide insights into how spaceflight affects the rotifer’s ability to repair sections of damaged DNA in a microgravity environment, and could improve the general understanding of DNA damage and repair mechanisms for applications on Earth.
A culture chamber for the Rotifer-B2 investigation aboard the International Space Station.NASA Growing liver tissue
Maturation of Vascularized Liver Tissue Construct studies the development in space of bioprinted liver tissue constructs that contain blood vessels. Constructs are tissue samples grown outside the body using bioengineering techniques. Scientists expect the microgravity environment to allow improved cellular distribution throughout tissue constructs.
“We are especially keen on accelerating the development of vascular networks,” said James Yoo, principal investigator, at the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine. “The experimental data from microgravity will provide valuable insights that could enhance the biomanufacturing of vascularized tissues to serve as building blocks to engineer functional organs for transplantation.”
Image A shows a vascularized tissue construct with interconnected channels, and image B shows a bioprinted human liver tissue construct fabricated with a digital light projection printer. Image C shows the tissue construct connected to a perfusion system, a pump that moves fluid through it.Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. This mission also delivers plants for the APEX-09 investigation, which examines plant responses to stressful environments and could inform the design of bio-regenerative support systems on future space missions.
Melissa Gaskill
International Space Station Research Communications Team
NASA’s Johnson Space Center
Download high-resolution photos and videos of the research mentioned in this article.
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