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15 Years Ago: STS-127 Delivers Japanese External Platform to Space Station

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On July 15, 2009, space shuttle Endeavour began its 23rd trip into space, on the 2JA mission to the International Space Station, the 29th shuttle flight to the orbiting lab. During the 16-day mission, the seven-member STS-127 crew, working with Expedition 20, the first six-person crew aboard the station, completed the primary objectives of the mission. The flight marked the first time 13 people worked about the station at the same time. They added the Exposed Facility (EF) to the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), including its first three payloads, and performed a crew exchange of long-duration crew members. The tasks involved five complex space walks and extensive robotic activities using three different manipulator systems during 11 days of docked operations.

The STS-127 crew patch Official photograph of the STS-127 crew of David A. Wolf, left, Christopher J. Cassidy, Douglas G. Hurley, Julie Payette of Canada, Mark L. Polansky, Thomas H. Marshburn, and Timothy L. Kopra The patch for the 2J/A mission
Left: The STS-127 crew patch. Middle: Official photograph of the STS-127 crew of David A. Wolf, left, Christopher J. Cassidy, Douglas G. Hurley, Julie Payette of Canada, Mark L. Polansky, Thomas H. Marshburn, and Timothy L. Kopra. Right: The patch for the 2J/A mission.

The seven-person STS-127 crew consisted of Commander Mark L. Polansky, Pilot Douglas G. Hurley, and Mission Specialists David A. Wolf, Christopher J. Cassidy, Julie Payette of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Thomas H. Marshburn, and Timothy L. Kopra. Primary objectives of the mission included the addition of the Exposed Facility (EF) to the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) and the long-duration crew member exchange of Kopra for Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), who had been aboard the space station since March 2009 as a member of Expeditions 18, 19, and 20.

The STS-127 crew during their preflight press conference at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston The STS-127 payloads in Endeavour’s cargo bay at Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Space shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39A a few days before launch
Left: The STS-127 crew during their preflight press conference at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Middle: The STS-127 payloads in Endeavour’s cargo bay at Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Right: Space shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39A a few days before launch.

Endeavour returned from its previous mission, STS-126, on Nov. 28, 2008. It arrived in the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on Dec. 13, moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building on April 10, 2009, and rolled out to Launch Pad 39B seven days later to serve as the Launch on Need vehicle for STS-125 in May 2009. When that mission flew without issues, on May 31, workers rolled Endeavour around to Pad 39A to begin preparations for STS-127, planned for launch on June 13. A gaseous hydrogen leak scrubbed this first launch attempt. A similar leak halted the second attempt on June 17 and managers reset the launch date to July 11. Managers scrubbed that launch when 11 lightning strikes struck the launch pad area, requiring a review of Endeavour’s and ground systems. With the seven-member crew aboard Endeavour, weather once again halted the launch attempt on July 12. They tried again the next day, but weather conditions led to a fifth scrubbed launch attempt. The charm came on the sixth try.

Liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour on STS-127 carrying the Exposed Facility for the Japanese Kibo module
Liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour on STS-127 carrying the Exposed Facility for the Japanese Kibo module.

On July 15, 2009, at 6:03 p.m. EDT, space shuttle Endeavour lifted off from KSC’s Launch Pad 39A to begin its 23rd trip into space, beginning the 2JA mission to the space station. Eight and a half minutes later, Endeavour and its crew had reached orbit. This marked Wolf’s fourth time in space, Polansky’s third, Payette’s second, while Hurley, Cassidy, Marshburn, and Kopra enjoyed their first taste of true weightlessness.

NASA astronauts Timothy L. Kopra, left, and Thomas H. Marshburn enjoy the first few minutes of weightlessness after Endeavour reached orbit On the mission’s second day, the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS) uses the Orbiter Boom Sensor System to image Endeavour’s Thermal Protection System (TPS) Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette operates the SRMS during the TPS inspection
Left: NASA astronauts Timothy L. Kopra, left, and Thomas H. Marshburn enjoy the first few minutes of weightlessness after Endeavour reached orbit. Middle: On the mission’s second day, the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS) uses the Orbiter Boom Sensor System to image Endeavour’s Thermal Protection System (TPS). Right: Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette operates the SRMS during the TPS inspection.

After reaching orbit, the crew opened the payload bay doors and deployed the shuttle’s radiators, and removed their bulky launch and entry suits, stowing them for the remainder of the flight. The astronauts spent five hours on their second day in space conducting a detailed inspection of Endeavour’s nose cap and wing leading edges, with Payette operating the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS), or robotic arm, and the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS).

NASA astronaut Christopher J. Cassidy uses a laser range finder during Endeavour’s rendezvous with the space station Endeavour as seen from the space station during the rendezvous Close up of the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module – the astronauts attached the Exposed Facility at the left end of the module
Left: NASA astronaut Christopher J. Cassidy uses a laser range finder during Endeavour’s rendezvous with the space station. Middle: Endeavour as seen from the space station during the rendezvous. Right: Close up of the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module – the astronauts attached the Exposed Facility at the left end of the module.

On July 17, the 34th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project docking, Polansky assisted by his crewmates brought Endeavour in for a docking with the space station. During the rendezvous, Polansky stopped the approach at 600 feet and completed the Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver so astronauts aboard the station could photograph Endeavour’s underside to look for any damage to the tiles. Shortly after docking, the crews opened the hatches between the two spacecraft and the six-person station crew welcomed the seven-member shuttle crew. Expedition 20 Commander Gennady I. Padalka of Roscosmos stated, “This is a remarkable event for the whole space program.” Polansky responded, “Thirteen is a big number, but we are thrilled to be here.” After exchanging Soyuz seat liners, Kopra joined the Expedition 20 crew and Wakata the STS-127 crew.

Expedition 20, the space station’s first six-person crew and the first, and so far only, time that each of the five space station partners had crew members on board at the same time The first time two Canadians were in space at the same time A medical convention in space – the first time four medical doctors flew in space at the same time
Left: Expedition 20, the space station’s first six-person crew and the first, and so far only, time that each of the five space station partners had crew members on board at the same time. Middle: The first time two Canadians were in space at the same time. Right: A medical convention in space – the first time four medical doctors flew in space at the same time.

STS-127 marked not only the first time that a space shuttle arrived at the station with a six-person crew living aboard, but as it happened, each of the five space station partners had a crew member aboard, a feat not repeated since. The flight also marked the first time that two CSA astronauts worked aboard the space station at the same time. And for the true trivia buffs, the mission marked the first time that four medical doctors worked in space together – an out of this world medical convention!

Transfer of the Exposed Facility from the shuttle to the station Timothy L. Kopra, left, and David A. Wolf work on the station’s truss during the mission’s first spacewalk Douglas G. Hurley, left, and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency operate the station’s robotic arm during the first spacewalk
Left: Transfer of the Exposed Facility from the shuttle to the station. Middle: Timothy L. Kopra, left, and David A. Wolf work on the station’s truss during the mission’s first spacewalk. Right: Douglas G. Hurley, left, and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency operate the station’s robotic arm during the first spacewalk.

On July 18, the mission’s fourth day, Hurley and Wakata grappled the JEM-EF using the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) or robotic arm, handed it off temporarily to the SRMS operated by Polansky and Payette, moved the station arm into position to grapple it again, and installed it on the end of the Kibo module. Meanwhile, Wolf, with red stripes on his spacesuit, and Kopra, wearing a suit with no stripes, began the mission’s first spacewalk. During the excursion that lasted 5 hours 32 minutes, Wolf and Kopra prepared the JEM for the EF installation and performed other tasks in the shuttle’s payload bay and on the station.

During the second spacewalk, David A. Wolf, left, and Thomas H. Marshburn transfer spare parts to the space station NASA astronaut Douglas G. Hurley, left, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette operate the station’s robotic arm during the second spacewalk
Left: During the second spacewalk, David A. Wolf, left, and Thomas H. Marshburn transfer spare parts to the space station. Right: NASA astronaut Douglas G. Hurley, left, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette operate the station’s robotic arm during the second spacewalk.

The mission’s fifth day involved internal transfers of equipment from the shuttle to the station and the robotic transfer of the Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC) from the payload bay to the station truss. The ICC carried spare parts that the next day Wolf and Marshburn, wearing dashed red stripes on his spacesuit, transferred to a stowage platform on the station’s exterior during the mission’s second spacewalk, lasting 6 hours and 53 minutes.

An Apollo 11 Moon rock brought to the station to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first Moon landing Nine of the 13 Expedition 20 and STS-127 crew members share a meal, as NASA astronaut Michael R. Barratt holds the Apollo 11 Moon rock Transfer of the Kibo Experiment Logistics Module from the shuttle to the station
Left: An Apollo 11 Moon rock brought to the station to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first Moon landing. Middle: Nine of the 13 Expedition 20 and STS-127 crew members share a meal, as NASA astronaut Michael R. Barratt holds the Apollo 11 Moon rock. Right: Transfer of the Kibo Experiment Logistics Module from the shuttle to the station.

The second spacewalk took place on July 20, the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. To commemorate the event, NASA selected a Moon rock returned on that mission and flew it to the space station on STS-119 in March 2009. Expedition 20 astronaut Michael Barratt recorded a video message about the Moon rock, played at a 40th anniversary celebration hosted by the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and attended by the Apollo 11 astronauts. The following day, the joint crews continued their work by robotically transferring the JEM Experiment Logistics Module (JEM ELM) and temporarily installing it on the Exposed Facility. Later in the mission, astronauts robotically transferred the three payloads from the ELM to EF.

Christopher J. Cassidy, left, and David A. Wolf during the mission’s third spacewalk Cassidy, left, and Wolf during a battery changeout
Left: Christopher J. Cassidy, left, and David A. Wolf during the mission’s third spacewalk. Right: Cassidy, left, and Wolf during a battery changeout.

Flight Day 8 saw the mission’s third spacewalk, with Wolf making his final excursion, this time accompanied by Cassidy, wearing diagonal red stripes on his suit. Prior to the start of the spacewalk, Hurley and Payette used the station’s arm to relocate the ICC to a different workstation for Wolf and Cassidy to transfer the batteries to the station. As their first task, Wolf and Cassidy prepared the JEM EF for the transfer of the three payload the following day. They managed to transfer two of the four batteries before mission managers decided to shorten the spacewalk due to a slight buildup of carbon dioxide in Cassidy’s suit. The excursion lasted 5 hours and 59 minutes.

Installation of one of the payloads onto the Kibo Exposed Facility (EF) Mark J. Polansky, left, and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, one of the three teams that transferred the EF payloads using Kibo’s robotic arm
Left: Installation of one of the payloads onto the Kibo Exposed Facility (EF). Right: Mark J. Polansky, left, and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, one of the three teams that transferred the EF payloads using Kibo’s robotic arm.

On Flight Day 9, Wakata, assisted by Kopra, inaugurated the operational use of the JEM’s robotic arm by transferring the first payload from the ELM to the EF. Three separate two-person teams transferred each of the three payloads.

Christopher J. Cassidy, left, and Thomas H. Marshburn exchange space station batteries during the mission’s fourth spacewalk Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette, left, and NASA astronaut Douglas G. Hurley operate the station’s robotic arm during the fourth spacewalk
Left: Christopher J. Cassidy, left, and Thomas H. Marshburn exchange space station batteries during the mission’s fourth spacewalk. Right: Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette, left, and NASA astronaut Douglas G. Hurley operate the station’s robotic arm during the fourth spacewalk.

On Flight Day 10, Marshburn and Cassidy transferred the remaining four batteries and completed other tasks during the mission’s fourth spacewalk, lasting 7 hours and 12 minutes. Following the battery transfers, Hurley and Payette used the station’s arm to transfer the ICC to Polansky and Hurley operating the shuttle arm, who then stowed it in Endeavour’s payload bay.

The Seattle-Tacoma area The central Florida coast including NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Sicily with Mt. Etna, left, and the “toe” of Italy at right Istanbul straddling Europe, left, and Asia
Left: The Seattle-Tacoma area. Middle left: The central Florida coast including NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Middle right: Sicily with Mt. Etna, left, and the “toe” of Italy at right. Right: Istanbul straddling Europe, left, and Asia.

With Flight Day 11 given as a crew off duty day, many of the astronauts took part in a favorite activity: looking at and photographing the Earth. They also used the time to catch up on other activities.

Return of the empty Exposed Logistics Module to Endeavour’s payload bay Fisheye view of Christopher J. Cassidy, left, and Thomas H. Marshburn in the U.S. Airlock preparing for the mission’s fifth and final spacewalk Marshburn, left, and Cassidy install cameras on the Kibo Exposed Facility during the fifth and final spacewalk
Left: Return of the empty Exposed Logistics Module to Endeavour’s payload bay. Middle: Fisheye view of Christopher J. Cassidy, left, and Thomas H. Marshburn in the U.S. Airlock preparing for the mission’s fifth and final spacewalk. Right: Marshburn, left, and Cassidy install cameras on the Kibo Exposed Facility during the fifth and final spacewalk.

First thing on Flight Day 12, Payette and Polansky returned the now empty ELM to Endeavour’s payload bay, using the station and shuttle robotic arms. The next day, Marshburn and Cassidy teamed up again for the flight’s fifth and final spacewalk. During the 4-hour 54-minute excursion, they installed a pair of cameras on the Kibo module to help guide future H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) cargo spacecraft, the first planned to arrive in September 2009. They also completed a few get ahead tasks. Their excursion brought the total spacewalking time for the mission to 30 hours 30 minutes and marked only the second time that a shuttle mission to the space station completed five spacewalks.

The 13 members of Expedition 20 and STS-127 pose for a final photograph before saying their farewells The crew members exchange farewells, with Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, left, appearing a little reluctant to leave after spending 133 days aboard the space station Photograph of the newly installed Exposed Facility on the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module
Left: The 13 members of Expedition 20 and STS-127 pose for a final photograph before saying their farewells. Middle: The crew members exchange farewells, with Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, left, appearing a little reluctant to leave after spending 133 days aboard the space station. Right: Photograph of the newly installed Exposed Facility on the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module.

On July 28, the mission’s 14th day, the 13-member joint crew held a brief farewell ceremony, parted company, and closed the hatches between the two spacecraft. With Hurley at the controls, Endeavour undocked from the space station, having spent nearly 11 days as a single spacecraft. Hurley completed a flyaround  of the station, with the astronauts photographing it to document its condition. A final separation burn sent Endeavour on its way.

The International Space Station, with the newly added Exposed Facility and its first payloads, as seen from Endeavour during the departure flyaround. Endeavour casts its shadow on the solar arrays
The International Space Station, with the newly added Exposed Facility and its first payloads, as seen from Endeavour during the departure flyaround. Endeavour casts its shadow on the solar arrays.

The shuttle’s robotic arm grapples the Orbiter Boom Sensor System for the late inspection of Endeavour’s heat shield Deploy of the DRAGONSAT microsatellite Deploy of the ANDE microsatellites
Left: The shuttle’s robotic arm grapples the Orbiter Boom Sensor System for the late inspection of Endeavour’s heat shield. Middle: Deploy of the DRAGONSAT microsatellite. Right: Deploy of the ANDE microsatellites.

The next day, Polansky, Payette, and Hurley used the shuttle’s arm to pick up the OBSS and perform a late inspection of Endeavour’s thermal protection system. On Flight Day 16, the astronauts deployed two satellites. The first, called Dual RF Astrodynamic GPS Orbital Navigation Satellite, or DRAGONSAT, designed by students at the University of Texas, Austin, and Texas A&M University, College Station, consisted of a pair of picosatellites to look at independent rendezvous of spacecraft using GPS. The second, called Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment-2, or ANDE-2, consisted of a set of Department of Defense microsatellites to look at the density and composition of the atmosphere 200 miles above the Earth. Polansky and Hurley tested Endeavour’s reaction control system thrusters and flight control surfaces in preparation for the next day’s entry and landing. The entire crew busied themselves with stowing all unneeded equipment.

Endeavour touches down on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida The welcome home ceremony for the STS-127 crew at Ellington Field in Houston
Left: Endeavour touches down on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Right: The welcome home ceremony for the STS-127 crew at Ellington Field in Houston.

On July 31, the astronauts closed Endeavour’s payload bay doors, donned their launch and entry suits, and strapped themselves into their seats, a special recumbent seat for Wakata who had spent the last four months in weightlessness. Polansky fired Endeavour’s two Orbital Maneuvering System engines to bring them out of orbit and heading for a landing half an orbit later. He guided Endeavour to a smooth touchdown at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility, capping off a very successful STS-127 mission of 15 days, 16 hours, 45 minutes. They orbited the planet 248 times. Wakata spent 137 days, 15 hours, 4 minutes in space, completing 2,166 orbits of the Earth. Workers at KSC began preparing Endeavour for its next flight, STS-130 in February 2010.

Enjoy the crew narrate a video about the STS-127 mission.

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      Now that the spacecraft is assembled, engineers will begin working to integrate the observatory’s other major components, including the science instruments and the telescope itself.
      “They call it a spacecraft bus for a reason — it gets the telescope to where it needs to be in space,” said Jackie Townsend, the Roman deputy project manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “But it’s really more like an RV because it has a whole assortment of functions that enable Roman to accomplish its scientific goals while out there too.”
      Those goals include surveying wide swaths of the universe to study things like: dark energy, a mysterious cosmic pressure thought to accelerate the universe’s expansion; dark matter, invisible matter seen only via its gravitational influence; and exoplanets, worlds beyond our solar system.
      The mission’s science wouldn’t be possible without a spacecraft to transport the telescope, point the observatory toward different cosmic targets, provide power, communicate with Earth, control and store instrument data, and regulate Roman’s temperature. Nearly 50 miles of electrical cabling are laced throughout the assembly to enable different parts of the observatory to communicate with each other.
      The spacecraft will also deploy several major elements that will be stowed for launch, including the solar panels, deployable aperture cover, lower instrument Sun shade, and high-gain antenna. It’s also responsible for collecting and beaming down data, which is no small task for a space observatory that will survey the cosmos like Roman will.
      “Roman will send back 1.4 terabytes of data per day, compared to about 50 to 60 gigabytes from the James Webb Space Telescope and three gigabytes from the Hubble Space Telescope,” said Jason Hylan, the Roman observatory manager at NASA Goddard. “Webb’s daily downlink is roughly comparable to 13 hours of YouTube video at the highest quality while Roman’s would amount to about 2 weeks.”
      This top-down view shows NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s spacecraft bus from another angle. It rests atop an aluminum ring that will not be part of the observatory and is surrounded by an enclosure used in testing to ensure electromagnetic interference will not affect the bus’s sensitive electronics. The bus is covered in gray bagging material to prevent contamination –– even tiny stray particles could affect its performance.NASA/Chris Gunn A Goddard Grand Slam
      This milestone is the culmination of eight years of spacecraft design work, building, and testing by hundreds of people at Goddard.
      “Goddard employees were the brains, designers, and executors. And they worked with vendors who supplied all the right parts,” Townsend said. “We leaned on generations of expertise in the spacecraft arena to work around cost and schedule challenges that arose from supply chain issues and the pandemic.”
      One time- and money-saving technique the team came up with was building a spacecraft mockup, called the structural verification unit. That allowed them to do two things at once: complete strength testing on the mockup, designed specifically for that purpose, while also assembling the actual spacecraft.
      The spacecraft’s clever layout also allowed the team to adapt to changing schedules. It’s designed to be modular, “more like Trivial Pursuit pie pieces than a nesting egg, where interior components are buried inside,” Townsend said. “That’s been a game-changer because you can’t always count on things arriving in the order you planned or working perfectly right away with no tweaks.” It also increased efficiency because people could work on different portions of the bus at the same time without interfering with each other.
      The slightly asymmetrical and hexagonal spacecraft bus is about 13 feet (4 meters) wide by 6.5 feet (2 meters) tall and weighs in at 8,400 pounds (3,800 kilograms).
      While it may look small in this photo, the spacecraft bus for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is 8 feet (2.5 meters) wide by 6.5 feet (2 meters) tall and weighs in at 8,400 pounds (3,800 kilograms). In this photo, it rests atop an aluminum ring that will not be part of the observatory. The bundles of wires on top are part of more than 50 miles of cabling laced throughout the assembly to enable different parts of the observatory to communicate with each other.NASA/Chris Gunn One reason it doesn’t weigh more is that some components have been partially hollowed out. If you could peel back some of the spacecraft’s panels, you’d find superthin metallic honeycomb sandwiched between two slim layers of metal. And many of the components, such as the antenna dish, are made of strong yet lightweight composite materials.
      When the spacecraft bus was fully assembled, engineers conducted a comprehensive performance test. Prior to this, each component had been tested individually, but just like with a sports team, the whole unit has to perform well together.
      “The spacecraft passed the test, and now we’re getting ready to install the payload –– Roman’s instruments and the telescope itself,” said Missie Vess, a spacecraft systems engineer for Roman at NASA Goddard. “Next year, we’ll test these systems together and begin integrating the final components of the observatory, including the deployable aperture cover, outer barrel assembly, and solar panels. Then we’ll finally have ourselves a complete observatory, on track for launch by May 2027.”
      To virtually tour an interactive version of the telescope, visit:
      https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/interactive
      The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is managed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, with participation by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech/IPAC in Southern California, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, and a science team comprising scientists from various research institutions. The primary industrial partners are BAE Systems, Inc in Boulder, Colorado; L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York; and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging in Thousand Oaks, California.
      By Ashley Balzer
      NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
      ​​Media Contact:
      Claire Andreoli
      claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
      NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
      301-286-1940
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      Last Updated Sep 17, 2024 EditorAshley BalzerContactAshley Balzerashley.m.balzer@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
      Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Communicating and Navigating with Missions Dark Energy Dark Matter Exoplanets Goddard Space Flight Center Goddard Technology Space Communications Technology Technology The Universe View the full article
    • NASA
      Rob Garner: Editing Goddard’s Story to Fit the Space
      By NASA
      News Chief Rob Garner shares NASA Goddard’s story with the public, supporting writers and creators in the Office of Communications.
      Name: Rob Garner
      Title: News Chief
      Formal Job Classification: Senior public affairs specialist
      Organization: Office of Communications (Code 130)
      Rob Garner has worked in the Office of Communications at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., since 2007.NASA/Jamie Adkins What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard?
      I am responsible for helping take the great work going on at our center and sharing it with as many people as we can. My job is sort of like being an editor in chief. I try to set the tone for our storytelling and manage our publication schedule. Mostly I try to give our writers and other communicators the support they need to do their jobs — and then I try to get out of their way so they can do what they do best.
      What is your educational background?
      I have a B.A. in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a minor in astronomy, as well as a Master of Library Science degree focusing on archives, also from UMD.
      Why did you want to be a journalist?
      I sort of fell into the work that I am doing. In high school, I thought I would be a band director. I realized very quickly after high school that my enthusiasm for music did not align with my proficiency in it. Music remains an important hobby, but I needed to make a living doing something else.
      I did not really enjoy writing until I got to college and had the opportunity to experience journalism. Tight writing, going straight to the source to get answers, accurate researching, it all appealed to me. I think journalism as a profession plays a critical role in ensuring an informed and functional society.
      How did you come to work for Goddard?
      After I graduated college, I worked weekends for a few months on the digital desk at WTOP radio, editing copy and updating their website. I was still looking for a fulltime gig, and I happened upon a newspaper classified for a position at Goddard. It called for a little bit of newswriting, a little bit of web editing, a little bit of science. Until that moment, I never imagined NASA could have a place for someone like me.
      Goddard offered me a one-year fellowship in the Office of Communication (back then called Public Affairs) to do website editing for our Earth science team. The fellowship was renewed a few times, and eventually I became a general web editor, then also a social media editor, and eventually leader of the digital media team. In 2022, I became the news chief.
      As news chief, what is your vision?
      I take very seriously the part of NASA’s 1958 charter that charges the agency not just with conducting cutting-edge research, but also with sharing our work with the broadest possible audience. We must also drive home why what we do matters. The first thing I look for when reviewing copy is how well the piece addresses the “why.”
      What makes a good science communicator?
      Goddard has some 10,000 people, mostly researchers and engineers. Here, a successful science communicator is one who develops relationships among these different people and a deep understanding of their many projects. As communicators, we cannot do our jobs if we do not also have the trust of the people actually doing the science.
      As a mentor, what is the one big piece of advice you give?
      I tell our interns to jump in with both feet. So much of what we do and what we know cannot be found in any handbook or manual. So much of it is the institutional knowledge that each of us carries based on our own experiences.
      Grab hold of the people who have the experience and take in as much as you can from them. Immersing in and embracing that Goddard culture is what will set apart a good colleague from a great one.
      Everyone in the newsroom here knows that you are quite fond of the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook and the NASA Stylebook and Communications Manual. Can you please explain what they and why you are so fond of them?
      One can think of AP style as an appendix or addendum to the dictionary, and the NASA style manual as an appendix or addendum to AP. The aim in having all of these mechanics standardized is to make it easier for the reader to read what you are writing. Even if one doesn’t know the rules governing serial comma usage, most of us can tell when what we’re reading is sloppy. Any time you force the reader to pause and review, there is a chance you will lose them. They may tune out and take their attention elsewhere.
      These manuals lay out more than the mechanics of which states get abbreviated in what way, when to use semicolons, and when to use em dashes. They also give us guidelines about how to do our jobs, covering things like ethics, chain of command, and conflict resolution.
      What do you enjoy best about your job?
      My job is not just editing copy, fielding questions from reporters, or escorting groups for tours or documentary filming. I do enjoy all of that, but what I like most is that every day is different, and every day I learn something new. I love the variety of tasks and tactics that we use get our message out to the world. NASA plays a critical role in benefitting all of humanity by broadening our knowledge about the universe and our place in it. It’s personally very meaningful to me to have even a small role in that mission. And I enjoy working with a really great group of people.
      You said in high school you thought you would become a band director. Have you kept up with playing?
      In my free time, I do still play trumpet. For almost 20 years, I have played in community orchestras that draw repertoire from video game soundtracks. The past 10 years, I’ve been with the Washington Metropolitan Gamer Symphony Orchestra (WMGSO), along with my wife, who plays the violin. This group — well over 100 of us — originated when we were all in college, and we have continued together since then. What makes our group special is that we still do a lot of the orchestration ourselves, meaning that you cannot hear our music anywhere else. We meet once a week and perform three or four times a year throughout the D.C. area. We even have an album out, with another on the way soon.
      Can you please tell us about your dog rescue volunteer work?
      Since 2018, my wife and I have been involved with a couple area animal rescues. We typically take in newly weaned puppies and keep them for the weeks or months it takes for them to find their forever homes. While they are in our care, we keep them safe, fed, warm, and loved. We also socialize them as much as possible. The organizations take care of finding them homes through weekly adoption events.
      My wife and I have three dogs of our own, two of which are rescues from this group. We have fostered hundreds over the years. I lost count somewhere north of 250 — and counting. I think it is important for everyone to find a way to make the world a better place. This is our way of doing that.
      Garner and then-Goddard News Chief Ed Campion celebrating the latter’s retirement in 2018. Aloha shirt Fridays were a mainstay of Campion’s tenure.NASA/Bill Hrybyk Who would you like to thank for helping you?
      That’s a long list! I’m forever grateful to Goddard’s executive producer, Wade Sisler, who saw something in babyface Rob Garner, nearly fresh out of school, and gave me a chance at a toehold in NASA.
      I definitely want to thank Ed Campion, our retired former news chief and “minister of truth,” for all he did for me. When I first got to Goddard in 2007, Ed was one of the first people to take me under his wing and teach me about Goddard and NASA culture. Ed came through the agency during some very hard times, both shuttle accidents, and some very important highs, like the successful Hubble telescope repair missions. He worked at NASA Headquarters in Washington and also at Johnson Space Center in Houston. I learned a lot about how to do this job, and how to treat your teammates, from him.
      I also want to thank my wife Katie. She’s challenged me and encouraged me to grow into a better person. Raising a family together has been a wild ride, and it’s only just getting started.
      What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words.
      “Omit needless words. Assume positive intent.”
      The first half was the rule hammered into us in journalism school. The second half is the mantra I learned from Michelle Jones, former head of Goddard communications, about treating others with kindness and compassion. Michelle — now the deputy associate administrator for communications at NASA — is another mentor I could never thank enough for helping me get where I am.
      By Elizabeth M. Jarrell
      NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
      Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Sep 16, 2024 EditorMadison OlsonContactJamie Adkinsjamie.l.adkins@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
      People of Goddard Goddard Space Flight Center People of NASA Explore More
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