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Lagniappe for July 2024


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Lagniappe for July 2024

Clyde Conerly, one of the five panelists, shows a satellite replica to the young audience.
Explore the July 2024 issue, featuring NASA Stennis Achieves Primary Success for Historic In-Space Mission, NASA at the Mississippi Comic Convention, NASA Stennis Take Our Children to Work Day,  and more!

Explore Lagniappe for July 2024 featuring:

  • NASA Stennis Achieves Primary Success for Historic In-Space Mission
  • Mississippi Comic Convention Experiences NASA
  • NASA Stennis Hosts Take Our Children to Work Day

Gator Speaks

Conversations filled the room with anticipation for the day ahead.

NASA’s Stennis Space Center hosted Take Our Children to Work Day on June 27 with a day set aside for children of employees to see up close the work carried out at NASA Stennis by its diverse workforce.

A video featuring NASA Stennis Associate Director Rodney McKellip welcomed the enthusiastic crowd. He shared about the different hats worn by the more than 5,000 employees throughout the NASA Stennis federal city.

There are engineers who help make the south Mississippi NASA center the premier rocket engine test facility in the country. NASA Stennis, the place that tested rocket stages to put the first humans on the Moon, remains on the frontlines of preparing NASA and the United States for its return to the Moon through the Artemis campaign to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.

Those attending Take Our Children to Work Day learned how NASA Stennis has many rocket scientists and test engineers carrying out this work, but that is not all.

Gator, a fictional character, is drawn as a photographer capturing a cyro demo.
Gator Speaks
NASA/Stennis

A team of folks, including accountants, lawyers, environmental specialists, educators, and public affairs specialists, wear the NASA hat to ensure mission success too.

There also are teams climbing on test stands, installing rocket engines into the stands, working with piping, electrical, welding, construction projects, safety inspections, and more.

In addition to being the premier propulsion test site supporting NASA’s mission, NASA Stennis is where commercial companies experience success and benefit from the expertise of NASA personnel. Companies like Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, and Evolution Space have established ongoing operations at NASA Stennis as the commercialization of space continues.

The NASA Stennis federal city also includes a range agencies, universities, and companies sharing costs and carrying out individual missions.

It is the command site for the largest collection of oceanographers in the world and where Navy Seals train. 

Participants learned about such operations from a panel of employees from NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3 Harris Technologies company, Lockheed Martin, and Relativity Space.

They toured NASA Stennis and participated in activities facilitated by NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne, and the National Data Buoy Center. 

The NASA Stennis associate director left them with a final thought before their day started: If you hear something loud during the day, just know that is the sound of progress at the nation’s premier rocket propulsion test facility and federal city known as NASA Stennis.

Sure enough, that afternoon, the unmistakable sound of engine testing could be heard across the site. For this ol‘ Gator, it sounds like music to the ears.

NASA Stennis Top News

NASA Stennis Achieves Primary Success for Historic In-Space Mission

NASA’s Stennis Space Center and partner Sidus Space Inc. announced primary mission success July 2 for the center’s historic in-space mission – an autonomous systems payload aboard an orbiting satellite.

Mississippi Comic Convention Experiences NASA

Science fiction fans at the Mississippi Comic Convention were provided an out-of-this world experience, while learning about NASA, during the two-day event in Jackson, Mississippi, thanks to employees from NASA’s Stennis Space Center.

“I’ve never been to an outreach activity that you reached so many people and from such a wide spectrum of people, from grade schoolers to retired grandparents,” said Troy Frisbie, NASA Stennis legislative affairs officer and chief of staff. “We interacted with a wide audience and really shared how NASA and NASA Stennis benefit all. It was a really, really good experience.”

The NASA booth, at an event that attracted 18,000 people to the Mississippi Trade Mart and Coliseum on June 22-23, featured an immersive experience with virtual reality goggles. Participants were able to view an engine test conducted at NASA Stennis, take a virtual spacewalk while visiting the International Space Station, and experience a simulated rocket launch to Mars.

One group enjoying the interaction with NASA was the Star Trek fan club from Jackson, Mississippi.

“They were real big supporters of NASA,” Frisbie said. “They loved the virtual reality experience and encouraged others at the convention to come by and visit with us.”

NASA Stennis budget analyst Rebecca Mataya and engineers Paul Fuller, Steven Helmstetter, and Chris Barnett-Woods volunteered with Frisbie. The center employees talked to college students majoring in engineering, graphic design, architecture, education, and healthcare.

“The assumption is everybody has to be an engineer to work at NASA, and that is not the case,” Frisbie said. “There are all kinds of opportunities, and that was an eye opener for many.”

Conversations centered on job opportunities and careers with NASA, as well as work conducted at NASA Stennis. The volunteers also fielded general questions about NASA’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and the agency’s Artemis campaign of returning astronauts to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation.

“We enjoyed telling the NASA story and how NASA Stennis on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi serves as an economic engine that contributes to this nation’s space dreams,” Frisbie added.

Center Activities

NASA Stennis Breaks Ground with Rolls-Royce on New Testing Area

five officials wearing blue hard hats and yellow vests dig into red clay dirt at the site of a new Rolls-Royce test pad at Stennis Space Center
NASA’s Stennis Space Center continues to support commercial companies and benefit the aerospace industry. The latest example comes as officials from NASA Stennis and Rolls-Royce break ground for the E-1 Hydrogen Test Pad, located at the NASA Stennis E-Complex Test Facility, during a June 27 ceremony. The site will be where Rolls-Royce conducts hydrogen testing for the Pearl 15 engine. The Pearl 15 engine helps power the Bombardier Global 5500 & 6500 aircraft and enables top speeds of Mach 0.90. Groundbreaking participants include (left to right): Adam Newman, Rolls-Royce chief engineer of hydrogen technology; Deborah Robinson, Rolls-Royce director of test and experimental engineering; Troy Frisbie, NASA Stennis legislative affairs specialist and chief of staff; Dan Lyon, Rolls-Royce North America general manager; and Steven Blake, Rolls-Royce North America indirect purchasing, global commodity manager.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

NASA Stennis Hosts NASA Mission Support Directorate

Members of NASA’s Mission Support Directorate stand for a photo with leaders from NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center
Members of NASA’s Mission Support Directorate met with leaders from NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center during an onsite visit June 3. The group also participated in an in-depth tour of the NASA Stennis facilities. Pictured (left to right) are Ron Bald, chief counsel for the Office of the General Counsel at NASA Stennis and NASA Shared Services Center; Dinna Cottrell, chief information officer for the NASA Stennis and NASA Shared Services Center Office of the Chief Information Officer; Eli Ouder, procurement officer for NASA Stennis and NASA Shared Services Center; Stacy Houston, executive officer for NASA’s Mission Support Directorate; Michael Tubbs, acting director for the NASA Stennis Center Operations Directorate; Michael Hess, deputy associate administrator for NASA’s Mission Support Directorate; Rodney McKellip, associate director for NASA Stennis; Nichole Pinkney, program manager for NASA’s Mission Support Directorate; Duane Armstrong, manager for the NASA Stennis Strategic Development Office; Gary Benton, director for the NASA Stennis Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate; and Alison Butsch, associate chief financial officer for the External Business Operations Division within the NASA Stennis Office of the Chief Financial Officer.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

Space Force Students Visit NASA Stennis

a group of United States Space Force training students and professors stand at the Thad Cochran Test Stand
United States Space Force training students and professors stand at the Thad Cochran Test Stand on June 4 during a tour of NASA’s Stennis Space Center. NASA Stennis is preparing the test stand to test the exploration upper stage, which will fly on future SLS (Space Launch System) missions as NASA continues its mission of exploring the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all. The upper stage is being built at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans as a more powerful second stage to send the Orion spacecraft to deep space. It is expected to fly on the Artemis IV mission. Before that, it will be installed on the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-2) at NASA Stennis to undergo a series of Green Run tests of its integrated systems to demonstrate it is ready to fly. The Space Force, established in 2019, organizes, trains, and equips personnel to protect U.S. and allied interests in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint forces.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

Louisiana STEM Academy Visits NASA Stennis

a group of high school students pose in front of the Thad Cochran Test Stand at Stennis Space Center
Rising high school juniors and seniors from Ascension Parish, Louisiana, visit the Thad Cochran Test Stand on June 6 during a tour of NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The students are part of the week-long BASF Tech Academy, in coordination with River Parishes Community College, where participants learn about technical careers and education. NASA Stennis is preparing the test stand to test the exploration upper stage, which will fly on future SLS (Space Launch System) missions as NASA continues its mission of exploring the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all. The upper stage is being built at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans as a more powerful second stage to send the Orion spacecraft to deep space. It is expected to fly on the Artemis IV mission. Before that, it will be installed on the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-2) at NASA Stennis to undergo a series of Green Run tests of its integrated systems to demonstrate it is ready to fly.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

Florida A&M STEM Group Visits NASA Stennis

Members of the Florida A&M University Program of Excellence in STEM pose in front of projector screen
Members of the Florida A&M University Program of Excellence in STEM attend a presentation June 21 during a visit to NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The NASA Office of STEM Engagement provided information on grants and student activities during the presentation about NASA Stennis and the work conducted at the unique federal city. The group also visited the Thad Cochran Test Stand and Relativity Space test complex during a site tour. The Program of Excellence in STEM summer academy aims to enhance student knowledge of opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

Aerospace States Association Visits NASA Stennis

Members of the Aerospace States Association stand at the Thad Cochran Test Stand
Members of the Aerospace States Association stand at the Thad Cochran Test Stand on June 25 during a visit to NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The group came to the south Mississippi NASA center during the Aerospace States Association conference in New Orleans June 24-27. NASA Stennis will use the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-2) to test the exploration upper stage, a more powerful second stage to send the Orion spacecraft to deep space on NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, ahead of its expected flight on the Artemis IV mission.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

Arkansas-Pine Bluff STEM Summer Institute Visits NASA Stennis

Participants in the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Summer Institute stand in front of the Roy Estess Building at NASA’s Stennis Space Center
Participants in the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Summer Institute stand in front of the Roy Estess Building at NASA’s Stennis Space Center during a site tour on June 25. The students viewed multiple areas of the federal city, including a visit to the Thad Cochran Test Stand, where students learned about NASA Stennis’ role in the Artemis campaign. NASA is going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation. The agency will use what is learned on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars. The Arkansas at Pine Bluff STEM program started in 2003 and is designed to help increase the number and diversity of well-prepared STEM graduates.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

NASA Stennis Hosts Take Our Children to Work Day

NASA in the News

Employee Profile

Chris Barnett-Woods, wearing a white dress shirt with black stripes, is shown standing in front of the E-1 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center
Chris Barnett-Woods is shown at the E-1 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where NASA Stennis accelerates the exploration and commercialization of space and innovates to benefit NASA and industry.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

Chris Barnett-Woods’ favorite movie growing up – Back to the Future – led him to dream of one day building a DeLorean automobile. Instead, the electrical engineer is doing something never imagined as he helps NASA support the commercialization of space for the benefit of all.

Looking Back

20 Years Ago This Month: NASA Stennis Moon Tree Honors Apollo 11

Additional Resources

Subscription Info

Lagniappe is published monthly by the Office of Communications at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The NASA Stennis office may be contacted by at 228-688-3333 (phone); ssc-office-of-communications@mail.nasa.gov (email); or NASA OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS, Attn: LAGNIAPPE, Mail code IA00, Building 1111 Room 173, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (mail).

The Lagniappe staff includes: Managing Editor Lacy Thompson, Editor Bo Black, and photographer Danny Nowlin.

To subscribe to the monthly publication, please email the following to ssc-office-of-communications@mail.nasa.gov – name, location (city/state), email address.

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      This is a new image of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. The first deep imaging of the field was done with Hubble in 2004. The same survey field was observed again by Hubble several years later, and was then reimaged in 2023. By comparing Hubble Wide Field Camera 3 near-infrared exposures taken in 2009, 2012, and 2023, astronomers found evidence for flickering supermassive black holes in the hearts of early galaxies. The survey found more black holes than predicted. NASA, ESA, Matthew Hayes (Stockholm University); Acknowledgment: Steven V.W. Beckwith (UC Berkeley), Garth Illingworth (UC Santa Cruz), Richard Ellis (UCL); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI) Currently, scientists do not have a complete picture of how the first black holes formed not long after the big bang. It is known that supermassive black holes, that can weigh more than a billion suns, exist at the center of several galaxies less than a billion years after the big bang.
      “Many of these objects seem to be more massive than we originally thought they could be at such early times – either they formed very massive or they grew extremely quickly,” said Alice Young, a PhD student from Stockholm University and co-author of the study  published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
      Black holes play an important role in the lifecycle of all galaxies, but there are major uncertainties in our understanding of how galaxies evolve. In order to gain a complete picture of the link between galaxy and black hole evolution, the researchers used Hubble to survey how many black holes exist among a population of faint galaxies when the universe was just a few percent of its current age.
      Initial observations of the survey region were re-photographed by Hubble after several years. This allowed the team to measure variations in the brightness of galaxies. These variations are a telltale sign of black holes. The team identified more black holes than previously found by other methods.
      The new observational results suggest that some black holes likely formed by the collapse of massive, pristine stars during the first billion years of cosmic time. These types of stars can only exist at very early times in the universe, because later-generation stars are polluted by the remnants of stars that have already lived and died. Other alternatives for black hole formation include collapsing gas clouds, mergers of stars in massive clusters, and “primordial” black holes that formed (by physically speculative mechanisms) in the first few seconds after the big bang. With this new information about black hole formation, more accurate models of galaxy formation can be constructed.
      “The formation mechanism of early black holes is an important part of the puzzle of galaxy evolution,” said Matthew Hayes from the Department of Astronomy at Stockholm University and lead author of the study. “Together with models for how black holes grow, galaxy evolution calculations can now be placed on a more physically motivated footing, with an accurate scheme for how black holes came into existence from collapsing massive stars.”
      Astronomers are also making observations with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to search for galactic black holes that formed soon after the big bang, to understand how massive they were and where they were located.
      The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for over three decades and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center manages the telescope and mission operations. Lockheed Martin Space, based in Denver, Colorado, also supports mission operations at Goddard. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, conducts Hubble science operations for NASA.
      NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center was the lead field center for the design, development, and construction of the space telescope.
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    • By NASA
      2 min read
      Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
      Credit: NASA NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, invites media to its annual Small Business Industry and Advocate Awards ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 19. The awards recognize small businesses and small business champions from government and industry for their outstanding achievements in fiscal year 2024.
      The ceremony will take place during the 38th meeting of Marshall’s Small Business Alliance, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CDT at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Davidson Center for Space Exploration. The event will also highlight new opportunities for small businesses to take part in NASA’s procurement processes. Afterward, attendees will have the open opportunity to network with NASA officials, prime contractors, and other members of Marshall’s small business community. Exhibitors will provide valuable information to support their business.
      NASA speakers include:
      Dwight Deneal, assistant administrator, Office of Small Business Programs, NASA Headquarters Joseph Pelfrey, center director, NASA Marshall John Cannaday, director, Office of Procurement, NASA Marshall Davey Jones, strategy lead, NASA Marshall David Brock, small business specialist, Office of Small Business Programs, NASA Marshall Media interested in covering the event should contact Molly Porter at molly.a.porter@nasa.gov or 256-424-5158 by 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18.
      About the Marshall Small Business Alliance
      For 17 years, the Marshall Small Business Alliance has aided small businesses in pursuit of NASA procurement and subcontracting opportunities. Its primary focus is to inform, educate, and advocate on behalf of the small business community. At each half day meeting, businesses will gain valuable insight to guide them in their marketing endeavors.
      To learn more about Marshall’s small business initiatives, visit:
      https://doingbusiness.msfc.nasa.gov
      Molly Porter
      Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
      256-424-5158
      molly.a.porter@nasa.gov
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      JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) researchers examined the structures of four titanium-based compounds solidified in levitators in microgravity and on the ground and found that the internal microstructures were generally similar. These results could support development of new materials for use in space manufacturing.

      To produce glass or metal alloys on Earth, raw materials are placed into a container and heated. But reactions between the container and the materials can cause imperfections. The JAXA Electrostatic Levitation Furnace can levitate, melt, and solidify materials without a container. The facility enables measurement of the thermophysical properties of high temperature melts and could accelerate development of innovative materials such as heat resistant ceramics for use in the aerospace and energy industries.
      JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide works with the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace.European Space Agency/Thomas Pesquet Satellite 3D imaging of a Peruvian tropical forest demonstrated that measuring leaf traits with remote sensing may provide more accurate predictions of biomass production than structure data such as tree height. Carbon stored or sequestered in forests can help offset emissions that cause climate change, and improved estimates of tropical forest biomass could allow researchers to better evaluate these ecosystems and their offset contributions.

      Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) provides high-resolution global observations of Earth’s forests and topography. These observations provide information on carbon and water cycling processes, biodiversity, and habitat, including quantifying carbon stored in vegetation and the potential for future carbon storage. The researchers suggest that estimates of tropical forest biomass could be further improved with data from new satellite missions and by integrating GEDI with dynamic vegetation models that include trait data.

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      International Space Station Medical Monitoring collects health data from crew members before, during, and after spaceflight.  The medical evaluation requirements, including vision assessment, apply to all crew members and are part of efforts by all international partners to maintain crew health, ensure mission success, and enable crew members to return to normal life on Earth after their missions.
      NASA astronauts Terry Virts (bottom) and Scott Kelly (top) perform eye exams as part of ongoing studies into crew vision health. NASA JAXA researchers report that accurately assessing the velocity of airflow in front of a spreading flame makes it possible to predict the flammability of thin, flat materials in microgravity. These results mean it could be possible to use ground tests to predict the flammability of solid materials and thus ensure fire safety in spacecraft and space habitations.

      The JAXA Fundamental Research on International Standard of Fire Safety in Space – Base for Safety of Future Manned Missions (FLARE) investigation tested the flammability of various solid materials in different configurations, including filter paper. Microgravity significantly affects combustion phenomena such as the spread of flame over solid materials; while flames cannot spread over solid materials under low-speed oxygen flow in Earth’s gravity, they can in microgravity due to the lack of buoyancy. Testing of the flammability of materials for spacecraft previously has not considered the effect of gravity, and results from this investigation could address this issue, significantly improving fire safety on future exploration missions.
      JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa sets up hardware for the Fundamental Research on International Standard of Fire Safety in Space – Base for Safety of Future Manned Missions investigation. NASA/Jasmin MoghbeliView the full article
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