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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Communities in coastal areas such as Florida, shown in this 1992 NASA image, are vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise, including high-tide flooding. A new agency-led analysis found a higher-than-expected rate of sea level rise in 2024, which was also the hottest year on record.NASA Last year’s increase was due to an unusual amount of ocean warming, combined with meltwater from land-based ice such as glaciers.
Global sea level rose faster than expected in 2024, mostly because of ocean water expanding as it warms, or thermal expansion. According to a NASA-led analysis, last year’s rate of rise was 0.23 inches (0.59 centimeters) per year, compared to the expected rate of 0.17 inches (0.43 centimeters) per year.
“The rise we saw in 2024 was higher than we expected,” said Josh Willis, a sea level researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “Every year is a little bit different, but what’s clear is that the ocean continues to rise, and the rate of rise is getting faster and faster.”
This graph shows global mean sea level (in blue) since 1993 as measured by a series of five satellites. The solid red line indicates the trajectory of this increase, which has more than doubled over the past three decades. The dotted red line projects future sea level rise.NASA/JPL-Caltech In recent years, about two-thirds of sea level rise was from the addition of water from land into the ocean by melting ice sheets and glaciers. About a third came from thermal expansion of seawater. But in 2024, those contributions flipped, with two-thirds of sea level rise coming from thermal expansion.
“With 2024 as the warmest year on record, Earth’s expanding oceans are following suit, reaching their highest levels in three decades,” said Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, head of physical oceanography programs and the Integrated Earth System Observatory at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Since the satellite record of ocean height began in 1993, the rate of annual sea level rise has more than doubled. In total, global sea level has gone up by 4 inches (10 centimeters) since 1993.
This long-term record is made possible by an uninterrupted series of ocean-observing satellites starting with TOPEX/Poseidon in 1992. The current ocean-observing satellite in that series, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, launched in 2020 and is one of an identical pair of spacecraft that will carry this sea level dataset into its fourth decade. Its twin, the upcoming Sentinel-6B satellite, will continue to measure sea surface height down to a few centimeters for about 90% of the world’s oceans.
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This animation shows the rise in global mean sea level from 1993 to 2024 based on da-ta from five international satellites. The expansion of water as it warms was responsible for the majority of the higher-than-expected rate of rise in 2024.NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio Mixing It Up
There are several ways in which heat makes its way into the ocean, resulting in the thermal expansion of water. Normally, seawater arranges itself into layers determined by water temperature and density. Warmer water floats on top of and is lighter than cooler water, which is denser. In most places, heat from the surface moves very slowly through these layers down into the deep ocean.
But extremely windy areas of the ocean can agitate the layers enough to result in vertical mixing. Very large currents, like those found in the Southern Ocean, can tilt ocean layers, allowing surface waters to more easily slip down deep.
The massive movement of water during El Niño — in which a large pool of warm water normally located in the western Pacific Ocean sloshes over to the central and eastern Pacific — can also result in vertical movement of heat within the ocean.
Learn more about sea level:
https://sealevel.nasa.gov
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
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Last Updated Mar 13, 2025 Related Terms
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By NASA
On March 6, 1985, NASA’s newest space shuttle, Atlantis, made its public debut during a rollout ceremony at the Rockwell International manufacturing plant in Palmdale, California. Under construction for three years, Atlantis joined NASA’s other three space-worthy orbiters, Columbia, Challenger, and Discovery, and atmospheric test vehicle Enterprise. Officials from NASA, Rockwell, and other organizations attended the rollout ceremony. By the time NASA retired Atlantis in 2011, it had flown 33 missions in a career spanning 26 years and flying many types of missions envisioned for the space shuttle. The Visitor Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida has Atlantis on display.
Space shuttle Atlantis under construction at Rockwell International’s Palmdale, California, plant in 1984. Credit/NASA. Atlantis during the rollout ceremony in Palmdale. Credit/NASA. Workers truck Atlantis from Palmdale to NASA’s Dryden, now Armstrong, Flight Research Center. Credit/NASA. On Jan. 25, 1979, NASA announced the names of the first four space-worthy orbiters – Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis. Like the other vehicles, NASA named Atlantis after an historical vessel of discovery and exploration – the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s two-masted research ship Atlantis that operated from 1930 to 1966. On Jan. 29, NASA signed the contract with Rockwell International of Downey, California, to build and deliver Atlantis. Construction began in March 1980 and finished in April 1984. Nearly identical to Discovery but with the addition of hardware to support the cryogenic Centaur upper stage then planned to deploy planetary spacecraft in 1986, plans shelved following the Challenger accident. After a year of testing, workers prepared Atlantis for its public debut.
Atlantis arrives at NASA’s Dryden, now Armstrong, Flight Research Center to prepare for its cross-country ferry flight. Credit/NASA. Atlantis during an overnight stop at Ellington Air Force Base, now Ellington Field, in Houston. Credit/NASA. Atlantis arrives at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Credit/NASA. Three days after the rollout ceremony, workers trucked Atlantis 36 miles overland to NASA’s Dryden, now Armstrong, Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California’s Mojave Desert, for final preparations for its cross-country ferry flight. In the Mate Demate Device, workers placed Atlantis atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a modified Boeing 747, to begin the ferry flight. The duo left Edwards on April 12, the fourth anniversary of the first space shuttle flight. Following an overnight stop at Houston’s Ellington Air Force Base, now Ellington Field, Atlantis arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 13.
Atlantis following its first rollout to Launch Pad 39A. Credit/NASA. The flight readiness firing of Atlantis’ three main engines.Credit/NASA. Liftoff of Atlantis on its first mission, STS-51J. Credit/NASA. Four months later, on Aug. 12, workers towed Atlantis from the processing facility to the assembly building and mated it to an external tank and twin solid rocket boosters. The entire stack rolled out to Launch Pad 39A on Aug. 30 in preparation for the planned Oct. 3 launch of the STS-51J mission. As with any new orbiter, on Sept. 13 NASA conducted a 20-second Flight Readiness Firing of Atlantis’ three main engines. On Sept. 16, the five-person crew participated in a countdown demonstration test, leading to an on time Oct. 3 launch. Atlantis had joined the shuttle fleet and begun its first mission to space.
Space shuttle Atlantis in the Visitor Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit/NASA. Over the course of its 33 missions spanning more than 26 years, Atlantis flew virtually every type of mission envisioned for the space shuttle, including government and commercial satellite deployments, deploying spacecraft to visit interplanetary destinations, supporting scientific missions, launching and servicing scientific observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope, performing crew rotations and resupplying the Mir space station, and assembling and maintaining the International Space Station. Atlantis flew the final mission of the shuttle program, STS-135, in July 2011. The following year, NASA transported Atlantis to the Kennedy Visitor Center for public display.
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By NASA
7 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA / Maria Werries The ARMD 2024 Associate Administrator Awards were presented to NASA employees, contractors, and students or interns who distinguished themselves, either individually or as part of a group, through their overall approach to their work and through results they achieved during the award year.
LEGEND: ARMD NASA CENTERS
ARC = Ames Research Center
AFRC = Armstrong Flight Research Center
GRC = Glenn Research Center
HQ = Headquarters
LaRC = Langley Research Center
Technology and Innovation
Honoree (Individual)
Kenneth R. Lyons, ARC
Kenneth R. Lyons made significant contributions this past year that were successfully applied in advancing NASA’s state-of-the-art unsteady Pressure Sensitive Paint (uPSP) experimental measurement in NASA’s wind tunnels. Lyons was key to the development of innovative data processing capabilities such as custom software drivers necessary to transfer the high-speed uPSP data from NASA’s wind tunnels to its High-End Computer facility – as well as other data management and methodologies overall. The uPSP development team’s principal investigator referred to his work on replacing older legacy systems as a “masterpiece.”
Honoree (Group)
NASA GRX-810 Licensing Team
NASA’s GRX-810 Licensing Team demonstrated exemplary performance by developing a technologically significant new material, meeting community demands for rapid evaluation, and enabling broad industry availability through timely commercialization. The team’s efforts led to successful licensing to multiple parties, pioneering a novel approach for NASA by using co-exclusive licenses, and the negotiation of four co-exclusive licenses with commercial partners. This license structure will increase competition within the marketplace and provide incentive for each company to fast-track product development.
Team Lead: Dr. Timothy M. Smith, GRC
View Group Honorees
Honorable Mention
Shishir Pandya, ARC
Shishir Pandya’s exemplary actions as the formulation and technical lead for the Propulsion/Airframe Integration (PAI) emerging technical challenge were instrumental in creating an actionable project plan that will examine complex aerodynamic interactions between sustainable propulsor technologies – such as open rotor concepts envisioned in programs like General Electric’s Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines (RISE). Pandya was instrumental in classifying the current PAI analysis capabilities at NASA, and scoping NASA’s, GE’s, and Boeing’s roles and responsibilities for open fan integration studies, both computational and experimental.
Honorable Mention (Group)
Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Propulsion Team
The Revolutionary Vertical Lift and Technology project’s Electric Propulsion Team achieved major accomplishments – successfully completing a technical challenge to improve propulsion system component reliability by demonstrating significant improvements in 100-kilowatt electric motors. Through an integrated interdisciplinary approach including external partner collaborations, the team produced six major technological capabilities towards further development of NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility mission.
Team Lead: Mark Valco, GRC
View Honorable Mention Group Honorees
Honorable Mention (Group)
Self-Aligned Focusing Schlieren Team
The Self-Aligned Focusing Schlieren Team developed a highly innovative and impactful Schlieren system that revolutionizes high-speed flow visualization in aeronautics research by enabling the use of a highly efficient, non-intrusive optical measurement technique in physically constrained environments. This new approach drastically improves efficiency in accurately capturing and analyzing complex, high-speed airflows around advanced aerospace vehicles in a non-intrusive manner – providing precise visualization without requiring the cumbersome alignment procedures of traditional Schlieren systems.
Team Lead: Brett Bathel, LaRC
View Honorable Mention Group Honorees
Leadership and Management Excellence
Honoree
Anthony Nerone, GRC
Anthony Nerone demonstrated strong leadership in formulating and leading the implementation of the Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core project. He has successfully set up a framework to establish a high-performing project team that has been an example for other Aeronautics projects. Nerone’s strong project management has led industry to accelerate the development of advanced engine technologies which have started to see infusion into products – continuing United States leadership in sustainable aviation.
Program and Mission Support
Honoree
Diana Fitzgerald, LaRC (Booz Allen Hamilton)
Diana Fitzgerald has demonstrated innovation, responsiveness, and impact in her contributions to the Transformational Tools and Technologies (TTT) project. Her creative and comprehensive approach to enhancing TTT’s communication processes has significantly improved the efficiency and effectiveness of the project’s operations, enabling ARMD to advance critical strategic capabilities and partnerships. Her dedication has garnered widespread recognition from colleagues and leadership and has had a substantial and measurable impact.
Honoree (Group)
Airspace Operations Safety Program (AOSP) Resource Analyst Group
The AOSP Resource Analyst Group worked tirelessly to skillfully review and analyze the NASA Aeronautics budget – preparing programs and projects for planning, budget, and execution inputs. Their extraordinary performance in numerous AOSP activities building, tracking, and executing milestones resulted in a smooth and transparent execution of the program’s annual budget. The group has gone beyond the call of duty and their hard work and dedication is reflected in their discipline and commitment to NASA through critical, time-sensitive attention to detail and solution-focused problem solving.
Team Leads: Michele Dodson, HQ and Jeffrey Farlin, HQ
View Group Honorees
Honorable Mention (Individual)
Shannon Eichorn, GRC
Shannon Eichorn developed and authored a compelling, creative vision for the future of aeronautics research and of NASA’s working environment. She envisioned and described a future in which NASA’s aeronautics research goals, future technologies, workforce, and capabilities are in synergy to maximize research quality and impact. Eichorn presented this vision to numerous leaders and groups at NASA, and the excitement in the room at each presentation led to engaging follow-on discussions and several workstream groups requested Eichorn to present to their full group. Her efforts inspire not only ARMD, but the entire agency.
High Potentials
Honoree
Matthew Webster, LaRC
Matthew Webster has had significant impact and contributions to meeting goals in the Convergent Aeronautics Solutions and Transformational Tools and Technologies projects. In his short time at NASA, he has rapidly demonstrated exceptional ability to adapt and apply technical expertise across multiple NASA projects to advance towards project technical goals. Webster has shown his leadership ability, providing exceptional skills at creating a healthy team environment enabling the group to successfully meet project goals.
Honorable Mention
Dahlia Pham, ARC
Dhalia Pham’s contributions as a system analyst, researcher, and teammate in support of NASA’s efforts in electrified aircraft propulsion have shown an ability to creatively solve problems, analyze impacts, present results with strong communication skills, and collaborate with and mentor others. Her technical acumen and leadership ability raise the bar, making her an established leader amongst her peers.
Strategic Partnerships
Honoree
Salvatore Buccellato, LaRC
Salvatore Buccellato identified collaborative opportunities in hypersonics research that were mutually beneficial to NASA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and other non-NASA entities through his program management experience and knowledge of NASA people and capabilities. Buccellato was able to leverage NASA and non-NASA expertise and capabilities, along with DARPA funding, to further mature and advance hypersonic technologies via ground and flight tests with the goal of enabling operational flight systems. His exemplary work helped to significantly advanced hypersonic technologies and its workforce, and are expected to lead to further partnered activities for NASA.
Pushing the Envelope
Honoree (Group)
Advanced Power Electronics Team, GRC
The Advanced Power Electronics Team of the Advanced Air Transport Technology project completed an ambitious design of a prototype flight-packaged, altitude-capable electric motor drive for aviation. Their work pushed past the state of the art in flight motor drives in several areas including power density, efficiency, and power quality – and is a steppingstone towards megawatt-level, cryogenically cooled motor drives. The electric motor design underwent many successful tests and exercises, and the team’s subsequent publications and expertise help the electrified aircraft industry push past several barriers.
Team Leads: Matthew G. Granger, GRC
View Group Honorees
2024 AA Award Honorees PDF
ARMD Associate Administrator Award
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Last Updated Mar 06, 2025 EditorLillian GipsonContactJim Bankejim.banke@nasa.gov Related Terms
Associate Administrator Awards View the full article
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By NASA
1 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA GRX-810 Licensing Team, GRC
* Denotes Team Lead
NASA Ames Research Center
John Lawson
NASA Glenn Research Center
Steven M. Arnold
Aaron B. Brister
Robert W. Carter
Robert H. Earp
Timothy P. Gabb
Christopher J. Giuffre
Paul R. Gradl
Jason M. Hanna
Bryan J. Harder
Amy B. Hiltabidel
Dale A. Hopkins
Christopher A. Kantzos
Michael J. Kulis
Geoffrey S. Minter
Brian T. Newbacher
Callista M. Puchmeyer
Richard W. Rauser
Harvey L. Schabes
Timothy M. Smith*
Aaron C. Thompson
Mary F. Wadel
Austin J. Whitt
Laura G. Wilson
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
Paul Gradl
HX5, LLC
Christopher J. Giuffre
Aaron C. Thompson
Austin J. Whitt
University of Toledo
Richard W. Rauser
2024 AA Award Honorees
2024 AA Award Honorees PDF
ARMD Associate Administrator Awards
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Last Updated Mar 06, 2025 EditorLillian GipsonContactJim Bankejim.banke@nasa.gov Related Terms
Associate Administrator Awards View the full article
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By NASA
1 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
eVTOL Propulsion Team, GRC
* Denotes Team Lead
NASA Glenn Research Center
Aaron D. Anderson
Devin K. Boyle
Jeffryes W. Chapman
Peggy A. Cornell
Timothy P. Dever
Justin P. Elchert
Henry B. Fain
Xavier Collazo Fernandez
Matthew G. Granger
Jonathan M. Gutknecht
Michael C. Halbig
Patrick A. Hanlon
Hashmatullah Hasseeb
David Hausser
Scott A. Hensley
Keith R. Hunker
Michael J. Hurrell
Keith P. Johnson
Greg L. Kimnach
John M. Koudelka
Timothy L. Krantz
Brian P. Malone
Sandi G. Miller
Nuha S. Nawash
Paul M. Nowak
Joseph J. Pinakidis
Meelad Ranaiefar
Trey D. Rupp
David J. Sadey
Jonathan A. Salem
Justin J. Scheidler
Andrew D. Smith
Mark A. Stevens
Thomas F. Tallerico
Linda M. Taylor
Casey J. Theman
Mark J. Valco*
Joseph S. Wisniewski
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Zachary A. Cameron
Amentum
Francis R. Gaspare
David J. Henrickson
Ryan M. McManamon
Alan J. Revilock
Connecticut Reserve Technologies
Eric H. Baker
HX5 Sierra
Nathan A. Baker
John W. Gresh
George E. Horning
Sigurds L. Lauge
Brett M. Norris
Nicolas Umpierre
Bill J. Vaccareillo
John Veneziano
NASA Financial Support Services
Madeline Duncan
Ohio Aerospace Institute
Mrityunjay Singh
Universities Space Research Association
Paula J. Heimann
2024 AA Award Honorees
2024 AA Award Honorees PDF
ARMD Associate Administrator Awards
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Last Updated Mar 06, 2025 EditorLillian GipsonContactJim Bankejim.banke@nasa.gov Related Terms
Associate Administrator Awards View the full article
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