Members Can Post Anonymously On This Site
SpOC stands ready to meet the demands of Great Power Competition
-
Similar Topics
-
By NASA
Members belonging to one of three teams from Oakwood School aim their devices — armed with chocolate-coated-peanut candies — at a target during JPL’s annual Invention Challenge on Dec. 6.NASA/JPL-Caltech Teams competed with homemade devices to try to launch 50 peanut candies in 60 seconds into a target container.NASA/JPL-Caltech More points were awarded for successfully landing the candy into the highest, smallest level of the triangular Plexiglas target — not an easy task.NASA/JPL-Caltech Treats went flying through the air by the dozens at the annual Invention Challenge at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The 25th Invention Challenge at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which welcomed more than 200 students to compete using home-built devices, was pretty sweet this year. Literally.
That’s because the challenge at the Friday, Dec. 6, competition was to construct an automated machine that would launch, within 60 seconds, 50 chocolate-coated-peanut candies over a barrier and into a triangular Plexiglas container 16 feet (5 meters) away. The mood was tense as teachers, parents, and JPL employees watched the “Peanut Candy Toss Contest” from the sidelines, some of them eating the ammunition.
Students on 21 teams from Los Angeles and Orange county middle and high schools turned to catapults, slingshots, flywheels, springs, and massive rubber bands. There was lots of PVC piping. A giant device shaped like a blue bunny shot candy out of its nose with the help of an air compressor, while other entries relied on leaf blowers and vacuums.
A team from Santa Monica High School won the 2024 Invention Challenge at JPL on Dec. 6 with a device was based on a crossbow.NASA/JPL-Caltech Some were more successful than others. Ultimately, it was an old-school design that won first place for a team from Santa Monica High School: a modified crossbow.
“I tried to come up with something that was historically tried and true,” said Steele Winterer, a senior on the team who produced the initial design. Like his teammates, Steele is in the school’s engineering program and helped build the device during class. He described the process as “nerve-wracking,” “messy,” and “disorganized,” but everyone found their role as the design was refined.
Second and third place went to teams from Oakwood School in North Hollywood, which both took a firing-line approach, using four parallel wooden devices, with one student per device firing after each other in quick succession.
Two regional Invention Challenges held at Costa Mesa High School and Augustus Hawkins High School in South L.A. last month had winnowed the field to the 21 teams invited to the final event at JPL. At the finals, three JPL-sponsored teams from out-of-state schools and two teams that included adult engineers faced off in a parallel competition. In this second competition group, retired JPL engineer Alan DeVault took first place, followed by Boston Charter School of Science coming in second, and Centaurus High School from Colorado in third.
Competing with a wooden device at the 2024 Invention Challenge, retired JPL engineer and longtime participant Alan DeVault won first place among JPL-sponsored teams, which included professionals and out-of-state students. Challenge organizer Paul MacNeal kneels at right.NASA/JPL-Caltech Held since 1998 (with a two-year break during the COVID-19 pandemic), the contest was designed by JPL mechanical engineer Paul MacNeal to inspire students to discover a love for building things and solving problems. Student teams spend months designing, constructing, and testing their devices to try to win the new challenge that MacNeal comes up with each year.
“When student teams come to the finals, they are engaged just as engineers are engaged in the work we do here at JPL,” MacNeal said. “It’s engineering for the joy of it. It’s problem-solving but it’s also team building. And it’s unique because the rules change every year. The student teams get to see JPL engineering teams compete side by side. I started this contest to show students that engineering is fun!”
The event is supported by dozens of volunteers from JPL, which is managed by Caltech in Pasadena for NASA.
News Media Contact
Melissa Pamer
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-314-4928
melissa.pamer@jpl.nasa.gov
2024-166
Share
Details
Last Updated Dec 06, 2024 Related Terms
Jet Propulsion Laboratory Explore More
5 min read NASA JPL Unveils the Dr. Edward Stone Exploration Trail
Article 5 hours ago 4 min read NASA’s C-20A Studies Extreme Weather Events
Article 2 days ago 5 min read NASA’s Europa Clipper: Millions of Miles Down, Instruments Deploying
Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
Missions
Humans in Space
Climate Change
Solar System
View the full article
-
By NASA
2 Min Read Why NASA Is a Great Place to Launch Your Career
Students at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory pose for photos around the laboratory wearing their eclipse glasses. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech Recently recognized as the most prestigious internship program by Vault.com, NASA has empowered countless students and early-career professionals to launch careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. NASA interns make real contributions to space and science missions, making it one of the best places to start your career.
“NASA internships give students the chance to work on groundbreaking projects alongside experts, providing impactful opportunities for professional growth,” said Mike Kincaid, associate administrator for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement. “Since starting my career as an intern at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, I’ve experienced firsthand how NASA creates lasting connections and open doors—not just for me, but for former interns who are now colleagues across the agency. These internships build STEM skills, confidence, and networks, preparing the next generation of innovators and leaders.”
NASA interns achieve impressive feats, from discovering new exoplanets to becoming astronauts and even winning Webby Awards for their science communication efforts. These valuable contributors play a crucial role in NASA’s mission to explore the unknown for the benefit of all. Many NASA employees start their careers as interns, a testament to the program’s lasting impact.
Students congratulate the 23rd astronaut class at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on March 5, 2024.NASA/Josh Valcarcel Additionally, NASA is recognized as one of America’s Best Employers for Women and one of America’s Best Employers for New Graduates by Forbes, reflecting the agency’s commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. NASA encourages people from underrepresented groups to apply, creating a diverse cohort of interns who bring a wide range of perspectives and ideas to the agency.
“My internship experience has been incredible. I have felt welcomed by everyone I’ve worked with, which has been so helpful as a Navajo woman as I’ve often felt like an outsider in male-dominated STEM spaces,” said Tara Roanhorse, an intern for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement.
If you’re passionate about space, technology, and making a difference in the world, NASA’s internship program is the perfect place to begin your journey toward a fulfilling and impactful career.
To learn more about NASA’s internship programs, visit: https://www.intern.nasa.gov/
Keep Exploring Discover More STEM Topics From NASA
For Colleges and Universities
For Students Grades 9-12
Join Artemis
Learning Resources
View the full article
-
By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
A 3D simulation showing the evolution of turbulent flows in the upper layers of the Sun. The more saturated and bright reds represent the most vigorous upward or downward twisting motions. Clear areas represent areas where there is only relatively slow up-flows, with very little twisting.NASA/Irina Kitiashvili and Timothy A. Sandstrom NASA supercomputers are shedding light on what causes some of the Sun’s most complex behaviors. Using data from the suite of active Sun-watching spacecraft currently observing the star at the heart of our solar system, researchers can explore solar dynamics like never before.
The animation shows the strength of the turbulent motions of the Sun’s inner layers as materials twist into its atmosphere, resembling a roiling pot of boiling water or a flurry of schooling fish sending material bubbling up to the surface or diving it further down below.
“Our simulations use what we call a realistic approach, which means we include as much as we know to-date about solar plasma to reproduce different phenomena observed with NASA space missions,” said Irina Kitiashvili, a scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley who helped lead the study.
Using modern computational capabilities, the team was able, for the first time to reproduce the fine structures of the subsurface layer observed with NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.
“Right now, we don’t have the computational capabilities to create realistic global models of the entire Sun due to the complexity,” said Kitiashvili. “Therefore, we create models of smaller areas or layers, which can show us structures of the solar surface and atmosphere – like shock waves or tornado-like features measuring only a few miles in size; that’s much finer detail than any one spacecraft can resolve.”
Scientists seek to better understand the Sun and what phenomena drive the patterns of its activity. The connection and interactions between the Sun and Earth drive the seasons, ocean currents, weather, climate, radiation belts, auroras and many other phenomena. Space weather predictions are critical for exploration of space, supporting the spacecraft and astronauts of NASA’s Artemis campaign. Surveying this space environment is a vital part of understanding and mitigating astronaut exposure to space radiation and keeping our spacecraft and instruments safe.
This has been a big year for our special star, studded with events like the annular eclipse, a total eclipse, and the Sun reaching its solar maximum period. In December 2024, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe mission – which is helping researchers to understand space weather right at the source – will make its closest-ever approach to the Sun and beat its own record of being the closest human-made object to reach the Sun.
The Sun keeps surprising us. We are looking forward to seeing what kind of exciting events will be organized by the Sun."
Irina Kitiashvili
NASA Scientist
“The Sun keeps surprising us,” said Kitiashvili. “We are looking forward to seeing what kind of exciting events will be organized by the Sun.”
These simulations were run on the Pleaides supercomputer at the NASA Advanced Supercomputing facility at NASA Ames over several weeks of runtime, generating terabytes of data.
NASA is showcasing 29 of the agency’s computational achievements at SC24, the international supercomputing conference, Nov. 17-22, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia. For more technical information, visit:
https://www.nas.nasa.gov/sc24
For news media: Members of the news media interested in covering this topic should reach out to the NASA Ames newsroom.
Share
Details
Last Updated Nov 21, 2024 Related Terms
General Ames Research Center Heliophysics Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Sunspots The Sun Explore More
2 min read Weld-ASSIST: Weldability Assessment for In-Space Conditions using a Digital Twin
Article 5 hours ago 5 min read NASA’s Chandra, Hubble Tune Into ‘Flame-Throwing’ Guitar Nebula
Article 23 hours ago 4 min read Protected: 2024 Blue Marble Awards
Article 24 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
Parker Solar Probe
On a mission to “touch the Sun,” NASA’s Parker Solar Probe became the first spacecraft to fly through the corona…
Solar Storms and Flares
Solar storms and flares are eruptions from the Sun that can affect us here on Earth.
Solar System
Track the Solar Cycle with Sunspots
Participate in sunspot-counting activities using NASA telescopes or your own.
View the full article
-
By Space Force
SSC’s annual Fight Tonight competition was launched three years ago, seeking to empower solutions in alignment with the critical Space Force mission of ensuring a secure space domain for all.
View the full article
-
By NASA
5 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Note: The following article is part of a series highlighting propulsion testing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. To access the entire series, please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/propulsion-powering-space-dreams/.
Workers making way for NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, likely did not realize they were building something that would not only withstand the test of time but transcend it.
Mosquitoes, snakes, hurricanes, and intense south Mississippi heat – early crews faced all with a spirit of resilience and adaptability that remains a hallmark characteristic of NASA Stennis six decades later.
“From going to the Moon for the first time and now returning to the Moon, you can trace a straight line of propulsion testing at NASA Stennis,” said Maury Vander, chief of the NASA Stennis Test Operations Division. “We still stand on the front lines of support for this country’s space program.”
For five decades and counting, the versatile NASA Stennis test stands have been used for stage, engine, and component testing on multiple NASA and commercial projects.
A Sept. 25, 2012, aerial image shows the three propulsion test areas at NASA’s Stennis Space Center – the E Test Complex (with 12 active test cell positions capable of component, engine, and stage test activities) in the foreground, the A Test Complex (featuring the Fred Haise, A-2, and A-3 stands for large engine testing) in the middle, and the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-1/B-2) that can support both engine and stage testing in the background.NASA/Stennis The Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly the A-1 Test Stand), pictured on Oct. 6, 2020, at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, tests RS-25 flight engines to help power NASA’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System). NOTE: Right click on photo to open full image in new tab.NASA/Stennis An image shows the A-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center – then-Mississippi Test Facility – on April 17, 1966. Less than a week later, south Mississippi would be fully ushered into the Apollo era with the site’s first-ever hot fire test. NOTE: Right click on photo to open full image in new tab.NASA/Stennis An image shows the A-3 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on March 29, 2013. The test stand area now is under lease to Rocket Lab for commercial operations. NOTE: Right click on photo to open full image in new tab.NASA/Stennis An image shows the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-1/B-2) at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Dec. 31, 2014, during buildout for testing the core stage of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. NASA/Stennis An aerial image shows the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-1/B-2) at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Feb. 22, 2017, following core stage buildout of the test stand for future SLS (Space Launch System) testing. NASA/Stennis Three NASA Stennis stands – Fred Haise (formerly the A-1 Test Stand), A-2, and Thad Cochran (B-1/B-2) – date to the 1960s, when they were built to test Saturn V rocket stages for Apollo missions to the Moon. The Fred Haise and A-2 stand were single-position stands for testing one Saturn V second stage at a time. The Thad Cochran featured two positions – (B-1 and B-2) – that could each house a Saturn V first stage, although only the B-2 position was used during Apollo testing.
When the Apollo Program ended, the Fred Haise, A-2, and Thad Cochran (B-1) stands were modified to test single engines rather than rocket stages. All three were used in subsequent years to test space shuttle main engines and others.
Meanwhile, the Thad Cochran (B-2) stand was maintained for full stage testing. The space shuttle Main Propulsion Test Article was tested on the stand, as was the Common Core Booster for the Delta IV rocket. Most recently, the stand was used to test the first SLS (Space Launch System) stage that helped launch the Artemis I mission in 2022.
In 2024, the Fred Haise Test Stand is dedicated to RS-25 engine testing for NASA’s Artemis initiative. Every RS-25 engine that will help launch an SLS rocket during Artemis will be tested on the stand. The A-2 stand has been leased to Relativity Space, which is modifying it to support stage testing for its new rocket. In 2023, the Thad Cochran (B-1) stand concluded more than 20 years of RS-68 testing for Aerojet Rocketdyne (now known as L3Harris) and now is open for commercial use. The Thad Cochran (B-2) stand is being prepared to test NASA’s new SLS exploration upper stage before it flies on a future Artemis mission.
“When you think about the work at NASA Stennis, this is a place that helps write history,” Vander said. “And in a sense, these test stands are timeless, still operating as designed 60 years after they were built, so there is more history yet to come.”
NASA Stennis also constructed a fourth large test structure in the 2010s. The A-3 Test Stand is uniquely designed to simulate high altitudes up to 100,000 feet for testing engines and stages that need to fire in space. Rocket Lab currently leases the A-3 Test Stand area for construction of its Archimedes Test Complex.
Crews deliver the first RS-25 flight engine, engine No. 2059, to the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly the A-1 Test Stand) at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Nov. 4, 2015. The engine was tested to certify it for use on NASA’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. NASA/Stennis An image shows a space shuttle main engine test on the A-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on July 21, 2003. NASA/Stennis The A-3 Test Stand, designed to test fire next-generation engines at simulated altitudes up to 100,000 feet, undergoes an activation test on Feb. 24, 2014.NASA/Stennis NASA Stennis also operates a smaller test area to conduct component, subsystem, and system level testing. The area is now known as the E Test Complex and features four facilities, all developed from the late 1980s to the early 1990s.
Construction of the E-1 Test Stand, then known as the Component Test Facility, began to support a joint project involving NASA and the U.S. Air Force project. Although the project was canceled, a second joint endeavor allowed completion of the test facility.
Development of the E-2 Test Stand, originally known as the High Heat Flux Facility, began to support the National Aerospace Plane project. Following cancelation of the project, the facility was completed to support testing for component and engine development efforts.
An E-3 Test Facility was constructed to support various component and small/subscale engine and booster test projects. Relativity Space leased a partially developed E-4 test area in 2018 and has since completed construction to support its commercial testing.
All in all, the E Test Complex stands feature 12 active cells capable of various component and engine testing. The versatility of the complex infrastructure and test team allows it to support test projects for a range of commercial aerospace companies, large and small. Currently, both E-2 cells 1 and 2 are leased to Relativity Space through 2028.
An aerial image shows the E-1 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on May 19, 2015. The versatile four-stand E Test Complex includes 12 active test cell positions capable of various component, engine, and stage test activities. NASA/Stennis An aerial image shows the E-3 test area at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on May 19, 2015. The versatile four-stand E Test Complex includes 12 active test cell positions capable of various component, engine, and stage test activities. NASA/Stennis An aerial image shows the E-2 Test Stand (Cell 1) at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on May 19, 2015. The versatile four-stand E Test Complex includes 12 active test cell positions capable of various component, engine, and stage test activities. NASA/Stennis “These facilities really do not exist anywhere else in the United States,” said Kevin Power, assistant director, Office of Project Management in the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate. “Customers come to us with requirements for certain tests of an article, and we look at what is the best place to test it based on the facility infrastructure. We have completed component level testing, all the way up to full engines.”
The list of companies who have conducted – or are now conducting – propulsion projects in the E Test Complex reads like a who’s who of commercial aerospace leaders.
“The E Complex illustrates the NASA Stennis story,” Power said. “We have very valuable infrastructure and resources, chief of which is the test team, who adapt to benefit NASA and meet the needs of the growing commercial aerospace industry.”
For information about NASA’s Stennis Space Center, visit:
Stennis Space Center – NASA
Share
Details
Last Updated Nov 13, 2024 EditorNASA Stennis CommunicationsContactC. Lacy Thompsoncalvin.l.thompson@nasa.gov / (228) 688-3333LocationStennis Space Center Related Terms
Stennis Space Center Explore More
5 min read NASA Stennis – An Ideal Place for Commercial Companies
Article 13 mins ago 4 min read NASA Stennis Propulsion Testing Contributes to Artemis Missions
Article 14 mins ago 5 min read NASA Stennis Test Team Supports Space Dreams with Proven Expertise
Article 14 mins ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Stennis Topics
Propulsion Test Engineering
NASA Stennis Front Door
Multi-User Test Complex
Doing Business with NASA Stennis
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.