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By Space Force
Seven teams made the final round in this year’s annual Fight Tonight competition and presented their concepts to U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command leaders Oct. 7.
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By NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center (ARC) on behalf of the Space Technology Mission Directorate’s (STMD) Small Spacecraft Technology (SST) Program and is hereby soliciting information from potential sources for inputs on industry, academia, or government adopted battery passivation techniques. As part of a continual process improvement effort and potential requirement revisions, the NASA Small Spacecraft community, Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, and Orbital Debris Program Office are seeking inputs from industry on battery passivation techniques that are used by industry to satisfy the Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices (ODMSP) requirements 2-2. Limiting the risk to other space systems from accidental explosions and associated orbital debris after completion of mission operations: All on-board sources of stored energy of a spacecraft or upper stage should be depleted or safed when they are no longer required for mission operations or post mission disposal. Depletion should occur as soon as such an operation does not pose an unacceptable risk to the payload. Propellant depletion burns and compressed gas releases should be designed to minimize the probability of subsequent accidental collision and to minimize the impact of a subsequent accidental explosion.
Background
NASA has well-established procedures for passivating power sources on large, highly redundant spacecraft to mitigate debris generation at end-of-life. However, the rise of capable small spacecraft utilizing single-string and Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components presents challenges. Directly applying passivation strategies designed for redundant systems to these less complex spacecraft can introduce risks and may not be cost-effective for these missions.
Recognizing that the commercial sector has emerged as a leader in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) small satellite operations, NASA seeks to engage with industry, academia, and government spacecraft operators to gain insights into current battery passivation techniques. Understanding industry-adopted practices, their underlying rationale, and performance data will inform NASA’s ongoing efforts to develop safe and sustainable end-of-life procedures for future missions.
NASA invites government, academic, or industry stakeholders, including small satellite operators, manufacturers, and component suppliers, to share information on battery passivation strategies employed in their spacecraft.
Click here for more information.
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By NASA
Making the most of a solar eclipse demands attention to detail. Do you have what it takes? NASA’s Eclipse Megamovie project launched a new coding competition, and they need your help to organize images from the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse. This is your chance to make a lasting contribution to solar science!
The Eclipse Megamovie project asked volunteers to take photos of the total solar eclipse that took place on April 8, 2024 to discover the secret lives of solar jets and plumes. Many jets and plumes seem to disappear or change from the time they are formed on the Sun to when they move out into the solar wind. Thanks to the efforts of over 145 citizen scientists, more than 1 terabyte of photographs were collected and are now being analyzed. These images will help scientists track disappearing jets and plumes, shedding light on how these solar events impact space weather and our understanding of the Sun’s outer atmosphere.
One of the standout volunteers in the Eclipse Megamovie project is Hy Tran, a citizen scientist who earned praise from the science team for his detailed feedback and mentorship of fellow volunteers. “We love working with volunteers like Hy,” said Eclipse Megamovie scientist Hannah Hellman. “They bring passion, experience, and technological knowledge to our projects.”
Superstar volunteer Hy Tran helps mentor other eclipse chasers. You can join the Eclipse Megamovie project now by taking part in a coding competition! Tran’s day job is in metrology—the science of measurement (not to be confused with meteorology!). “In my professional life,” said Tran, “I support a measurement standards and calibration program, so we live by having good procedures!” He also volunteers in technical societies, focusing on standards development, engineering, and technology education. Outside of work, Hy mentors and serves as a local leader in science/technology/engineering/mathematics (STEM) outreach. He loves woodturning and dabbles in amateur astrophotography and underwater photography. The technical challenges of participating in eclipse science projects so far have hit his sweet spot.
Although it will be a while until the next eclipse, the Eclipse Megamovie team still needs your help. Join volunteers like Hy and participate in their coding competition! Your mission is to create the most accurate sorting machine that categorizes a solar eclipse photograph into a specific solar eclipse phase. Not only will your code help organize the massive amounts of data collected, but you’ll also have the chance to win some prizes.
Prizes for the Competition
First Place: Image-stabilized binoculars with solar filters, a feature on the Eclipse Megamovie website, an Eclipse Megamovie Team Patch, a NASA calendar, an Eclipse Megamovie sticker, and a First Prize Certificate. Second and Third Place: A feature on the Eclipse Megamovie website, an Eclipse Megamovie Team Patch, a NASA calendar, an Eclipse Megamovie sticker, and a certificate. Think you’ve got the skills to tackle this challenge? Visit the Eclipse Megamovie project website to sign up today!
For more information, visit the Eclipse Megamovie page at Kaggle: http://kaggle.com/competitions/eclipse-megamovie.
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Last Updated Oct 15, 2024 Related Terms
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By NASA
Showcase your creative side and your research!
They say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” This year’s ASGSR conference will include an art competition, inviting researchers to bring their science to life through art.
Consider submitting an entry for yourself or encourage your students to enter, too! Entries will be displayed at the 2024 ASGSR conference. Awards will be announced at the 2024 ASGSR Banquet on December 7, 2024.
Suggested subjects or themes: Your investigations or an interpretation of “Thriving in Space,” the National Academies’ Decadal Survey title.
Award categories:
Cover of the ASGSR’s 2025 Open-Access journal Gravitational and Space Research, selected by the GSR Editorial Board Artistic Merit award, as voted by ASGSR conference attendees Technical Merit, as voted by ASGSR conference attendees Criteria:
To participate, at least one of the artists is required to be a registered attendee at the meeting and the art must be physically displayed during the meeting. We recommend you mount your art with a rigid backing or frame, so it stands up on the provided easel, with a maximum size no greater than 25 x 16 inches. If traveling by air, please make sure to consider luggage size. The display should include a title of the piece, artists/affiliations and a brief explanation (a few sentences). Voting will be by Title, so please try to use a concise and catchy title that is easy to write on the ballot. Similar to what one would see in an art gallery, the quality of printing, use of border, frames, 3D effects, etc., can significantly enhance the visual and professional appeal of your artwork. Eligible entries for the GSR Journal Cover and Technical Merit must be original scientific imagery. Eligible entries for Artistic Merit can include images (photographs or computer-generated), paintings, drawings, or sketches of gravitational and space research phenomena. Rearrangement, assembly, or other creative mixing of images into an art-form is appropriate and encouraged only for the Artistic Merit category, whereas the GSR Journal Cover entries must be original imagery. Additional information:
You are expected to set up your display at the meeting site at the start of the conference and remove it by the end of the meeting. ASGSR will provide easels for your art displays. ASGSR cannot guarantee the security of your artwork while on display at the hotel. Submission indicates your permission for your artwork to be displayed on the ASGSR website. “Thriving in Space” entries may be featured in NASA communications products. Submission indicates permission for use of your art without compensation. Each registered attendee will receive an art ballot as part of the registration package. The peer voting will occur throughout the conference until noon Saturday, December 7, 2024. We plan to announce the winners at the banquet.
How to submit your entry: Electronically submit a high-resolution image with a title, list of contributing artists and their affiliations, and brief explanation of your submission to Kelly Bailey at Art.ASGSR@gmail.com by November 8, 2024.
We encourage you to submit an entry and look forward to a very successful event!
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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
By Savannah Bullard
A new NASA competition, the LunaRecycle Challenge, is open and offering $3 million in prizes for innovations in recycling material waste on deep space missions.
As NASA continues efforts toward long-duration human space travel, including building a sustained human presence on the Moon through its Artemis missions, the agency needs novel solutions for processing inorganic waste streams like food packaging, discarded clothing, and science experiment materials. While previous efforts focused on the reduction of trash mass and volume, this challenge will prioritize technologies for recycling waste into usable products needed for off-planet science and exploration activities.
NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge will incentivize the design and development of energy-efficient, low-mass, and low-impact recycling solutions that address physical waste streams and improve the sustainability of longer-duration lunar missions. Through the power of open innovation, which draws on the public’s ingenuity and creativity to find solutions, NASA can restructure the agency’s approach to waste management, support the future of space travel, and revolutionize waste treatments on Earth, leading to greater sustainability on our home planet and beyond.
“Operating sustainably is an important consideration for NASA as we make discoveries and conduct research both away from home and on Earth,” said Amy Kaminski, program executive for NASA’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program. “With this challenge, we are seeking the public’s innovative approaches to waste management on the Moon and aim to take lessons learned back to Earth for the benefit of all.”
NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge will offer two competition tracks: a Prototype Build track and a Digital Twin track. The Prototype Build Track focuses on designing and developing hardware components and systems for recycling one or more solid waste streams on the lunar surface. The Digital Twin Track focuses on designing a virtual replica of a complete system for recycling solid waste streams on the lunar surface and manufacturing end products. Offering a Digital Twin track further lowers the barrier of entry for global solvers to participate in NASA Centennial Challenges and contribute to agency missions and initiatives.
Teams will have the opportunity to compete in either or both competition tracks, each of which will carry its own share of the prize purse.
The LunaRecycle Challenge also will address some of the aerospace community’s top technical challenges. In July 2024, NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate released a ranked list of 187 technology areas requiring further development to meet future exploration, science, and other mission needs. The results integrated inputs from NASA mission directorates and centers, industry organizations, government agencies, academia, and other interested individuals to help guide NASA’s space technology development and investments. This list and subsequent updates will help inform future Centennial Challenges.
The three technological needs that LunaRecycle will address include logistics tracking, clothing, and trash management for habitation; in-space and on-surface manufacturing of parts and products; and in-space and on-surface manufacturing from recycled and reused materials.
“I am pleased that NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge will contribute to solutions pertaining to technological needs within advanced manufacturing and habitats,” said Kim Krome, acting program manager for agency’s Centennial Challenges, and challenge manager of LunaRecycle. “We are very excited to see what solutions our global competitors generate, and we are eager for this challenge to serve as a positive catalyst for bringing the agency, and humanity, closer to exploring worlds beyond our own.”
NASA has contracted The University of Alabama to be the allied partner for the duration of the challenge. The university, based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will coordinate with former Centennial Challenge winner AI Spacefactory to facilitate the challenge and manage its competitors.
To register as a participant in NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge, visit: lunarecyclechallenge.ua.edu.
NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge is led by the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida, with support from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The competition is a NASA’s Centennial Challenge, based at NASA Marshall. Centennial Challenges are part of NASA’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.
For more information on LunaRecycle, visit:
LunaRecycle Challenge Website Jasmine Hopkins
Headquarters, Washington
321-432-4624
jasmine.s.hopkins@nasa.gov
Lane Figueroa
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034
lane.e.figueroa@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Sep 30, 2024 EditorBeth RidgewayLocationMarshall Space Flight Center Related Terms
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