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NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on the 55th Anniversary of Apollo 11
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By NASA
NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy speaks during an agency town hall on Sept. 21, 2021 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy and Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, will travel to Mexico City on Sunday, Nov. 24, for a multi-day trip to build on previous engagements and advance scientific and technological collaboration between the United States and Mexico.
This visit will focus on fostering partnerships in astronomy and astrophysics research, as well as highlighting opportunities for economic, educational, and science, technology, engineering, and math collaborations between the two nations.
Melroy’s trip will include high-level meetings with senior Mexican government officials, including the secretariat-designate for Science, Technology, Humanities, and Innovation. Melroy and Fox also will meet with leaders from academia, industry, and scientific institutions. These discussions will emphasize expanding cooperation in space science, with particular focus on Mexico’s growing astronomy programs.
This visit builds on Melroy’s trip to Mexico City earlier this year and reflects NASA’s commitment to advancing international cooperation in space and science for the benefit of all.
For more information about NASA’s international partnerships, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/oiir
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Amber Jacobson / Katherine Rohloff
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
amber.c.jacobson@nasa.gov / katherine.a.rohloff@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Nov 22, 2024 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Science Mission Directorate Office of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR) View the full article
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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/
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By NASA
The future of human space exploration took a bold step forward at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Nov. 15, 2024, as Texas A&M University leaders’ broke ground for the Texas A&M University Space Institute.
Texas state officials, NASA leaders, and distinguished guests participated in the ceremony, held near the future development site of Johnson’s new Exploration Park, marking an important milestone in a transformative partnership to advance research, innovation, and human spaceflight.
NASA’s Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche gives remarks at the Texas A&M University Space Institute groundbreaking ceremony in Houston on Nov. 15, 2024. NASA/Robert Markowitz “This groundbreaking is not just a physical act of breaking ground or planting a flag,” said Johnson Director Vanessa Wyche. “This is the moment our vision—to dare to expand frontiers and unite with our partners to explore for the benefit of all humanity—will be manifested.”
The Texas A&M University Space Institute will be the first tenant at NASA’s 240-acre Exploration Park to support facilities that enhance commercial access, foster a collaborative development environment, and strengthen the United States’ competitiveness in the space and aerospace industries.
Chairman Bill Mahomes Jr. of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, left, Chancellor John Sharp of the Texas A&M University System, and Johnson Director Vanessa Wyche hold a commemorative plaque celebrating the establishment of the Texas A&M University Space Institute at Exploration Park. NASA/Robert Markowitz Exploration Park aims to foster research, technology transfer, and a sustainable pipeline of career development for the Artemis Generation and Texas workers transitioning to the space economy. The park represents a key achievement of Johnson’s 2024 Dare | Unite | Explore commitments, emphasizing its role as the hub of human spaceflight, developing strategic partnerships, and paving the way for a thriving space economy.
Research conducted at the Space Institute is expected to accelerate human spaceflight by providing opportunities for the brightest minds worldwide to address the challenges of living in low Earth orbit, on the Moon, and on Mars.
Senior leadership from Johnson Space Center gathers for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Texas A&M University Space Institute. NASA/Robert Markowitz Industry leaders and Johnson executives stood alongside NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle and Space Exploration Vehicle, symbolizing their commitment to fostering innovation and collaboration.
Texas A&M University Space Institute director and retired NASA astronaut Dr. Nancy Currie-Gregg and Dr. Rob Ambrose, Space Institute associate director, served as the masters of ceremony for the event. Johnson leaders present included Deputy Director Stephen Koerner; Associate Director Donna Shafer; Associate Director for Vision and Strategy Douglas Terrier; Director of External Relations Office Arturo Sanchez; and Chief Technologist and Director of the Business Development and Technology Integration Office Nick Skytland.
Also in attendance were Texas State Rep. Greg Bonnen; Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Chairman William Mahomes Jr.; Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp; Texas A&M University President and Retired Air Force Gen. Mark Welsh III; and Texas A&M Engineering Vice Chancellor and Dean Robert Bishop.
Texas A&M University Space Institute Director and retired NASA astronaut Nancy Currie-Gregg plants a Texas A&M University Space Institute flag at Johnson Space Center, symbolizing the partnership between the institute and NASA.NASA/Robert Markowitz The institute, expected to open in September 2026, will feature the world’s largest indoor simulation spaces for lunar and Martian surface operations, high-bay laboratories, and multifunctional project rooms.
“The future of Texas’ legacy in aerospace is brighter than ever as the Texas A&M Space Institute in Exploration Park will create an unparalleled aerospace, economic, business development, research, and innovation region across the state,” Wyche said. “Humanity’s next giant leap starts here!”
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By NASA
5 min read
NASA’s Swift Reaches 20th Anniversary in Improved Pointing Mode
After two decades in space, NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is performing better than ever thanks to a new operational strategy implemented earlier this year. The spacecraft has made great scientific strides in the years since scientists dreamed up a new way to explore gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe.
“The idea for Swift was born during a meeting in a hotel basement in Estes Park, Colorado, in the middle of a conference,” said John Nousek, the Swift mission director at Pennsylvania State University in State College. “A bunch of astrophysicists got together to brainstorm a mission that could help us solve the problem of gamma-ray bursts, which were a very big mystery at the time.”
Watch to learn how NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory got its name.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Gamma-ray bursts occur all over the sky without warning, with about one a day detected on average. Astronomers generally divide these bursts into two categories. Long bursts produce an initial pulse of gamma rays for two seconds or more and occur when the cores of massive stars collapse to form black holes. Short bursts last less than two seconds and are caused by the mergers of dense objects like neutron stars.
But in 1997, at the time of that basement meeting, the science community disagreed over the origin models for these events. Astronomers needed a satellite that could move quickly to locate them and move to point additional instruments at their positions.
What developed was Swift, which launched Nov. 20, 2004, from Complex 17A at what is now Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Originally called the Swift Observatory for its ability to quickly point at cosmic events, the mission team renamed the spacecraft in 2018 after its first principal investigator Neil Gehrels.
Swift uses several methods for orienting and stabilizing itself in space to study gamma-ray bursts.
Sensors that detect the Sun’s location and the direction of Earth’s magnetic field provide the spacecraft with a general sense of its location. Then, a device called a star tracker looks at stars and tells the spacecraft how to maneuver to keep the observatory precisely pointed at the same position during long observations.
Swift uses three spinning gyroscopes, or gyros, to carry out those moves along three axes. The gyros were designed to align at right angles to each other, but once in orbit the mission team discovered they were slightly misaligned. The flight operations team developed a strategy where one of the gyros worked to correct the misalignment while the other two pointed Swift to achieve its science goals.
The team wanted to be ready in case one of the gyros failed, however, so in 2009 they developed a plan to operate Swift using just two.
Swift orbits above Earth in this artist’s concept. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab Any change to the way a telescope operates once in space carries risk, however. Since Swift was working well, the team sat on their plan for 15 years.
Then, in July 2023, one of Swift’s gyros began working improperly. Because the telescope couldn’t hold its pointing position accurately, observations got progressively blurrier until the gyro failed entirely in March 2024.
“Because we already had the shift to two gyros planned out, we were able to quickly and thoroughly test the procedure here on the ground before implementing it on the spacecraft,” said Mark Hilliard, Swift’s flight operations team lead at Omitron, Inc. and Penn State. “Actually, scientists have commented that the accuracy of Swift’s pointing is now better than it was since launch, which is really encouraging.”
For the last 20 years, Swift has contributed to groundbreaking results — not only for gamma-ray bursts but also for black holes, stars, comets, and other cosmic objects.
“After all this time, Swift remains a crucial part of NASA’s fleet,” said S. Bradley Cenko, Swift’s principal investigator at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “The satellite’s abilities have helped pioneer a new era of astrophysics called multimessenger astronomy, which is giving us a more well-rounded view of how the universe works. We’re looking forward to all Swift has left to teach us.”
Swift is a key part of NASA’s strategy to look for fleeting and unpredictable changes in the sky with a variety of telescopes that use different methods of studying the cosmos.
Goddard manages the Swift mission in collaboration with Penn State, the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, and Northrop Grumman Space Systems in Dulles, Virginia. Other partners include the University of Leicester and Mullard Space Science Laboratory in the United Kingdom, Brera Observatory in Italy, and the Italian Space Agency.
Download high-resolution images on NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio
By Jeanette Kazmierczak
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Media Contact:
Claire Andreoli
301-286-1940
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
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Last Updated Nov 20, 2024 Editor Jeanette Kazmierczak Location Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
Astrophysics Gamma-Ray Bursts Goddard Space Flight Center Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory The Universe View the full article
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By NASA
NASA NASA astronaut Alan Bean steps off the lunar module ladder in this photo from Nov. 19, 1969, joining astronaut Charles Conrad Jr. on the Moon in the area called the Ocean of Storms. The two would then complete two spacewalks on the lunar surface, deploying science instruments, collecting geology samples, and inspecting the Surveyor 3 spacecraft, which had landed in the same area. While Bean and Conrad worked on the Moon, astronaut Richard F. Gordon completed science from lunar orbit.
Learn more about Apollo 12’s pinpoint landing on the Moon.
Image credit: NASA
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