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By Space Force
Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna announces his three key initiatives and the new enlisted roadmap during the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference.
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By European Space Agency
ESA’s Arctic Weather Satellite has been launched, paving the way for a potential constellation of satellites that would provide more frequent data not only to enhance short-term weather forecasts for Arctic nations, but for the world as a whole.
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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA’s C-20A aircraft completed more than 150 hours of international science flights from May 20 to July 24 in support of an Earth science deployment series. The aircraft, owned and operated by NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, overcame several challenges throughout the missions.NASA/Carla Thomas Operating internationally over several countries this summer, NASA’S C-20A aircraft completed more than 150 hours of science flights across two months in support of Earth science research and overcame several challenges throughout its missions.
Based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research in Edwards, California, the C-20A research aircraft has been modified to support the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar and SAR-fusion camera. The instruments, built and operated by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, collect data and images of Earth’s surface for use in understanding global ecosystems, natural hazards, and land surface changes.
From May 20 to July 24, the team crossed the Atlantic and deployed to several locations in Africa, as well as Germany, for two campaigns. They included the Africa Synthetic Aperture Radar (AfriSAR) mission, in collaboration with the European Space Agency, and the Germany Bistatic Experiment, in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center.
For the AfriSAR mission, researchers collected airborne data over African forests, savannas, and wetlands for use in studies of Earth’s ecosystems. Datasets collected over Germany will be used to develop land surface height maps.
NASA team members pose in front of the C-20A aircraft while in Sao Tome, Africa, May 24, 2024. From left, Kirt Stallings, Joe Piotrowski Jr., Adam Vaccaro, Carrie Worth, Tim Miller, Otis Allen, Roger “Todd” Renfro, Edgar Aragon-Torres, Ryan Applegate, and Isac Mata.NASA The flight team successfully achieved its missions despite several challenges, including mechanical and technical issues with the aircraft. Despite the challenges, the team resolved issues quickly and worked to minimize impacts to the science schedule and objectives.
“We prepared for the unexpected and we expected to be unprepared,” said Shawn Kern, NASA Armstrong’s director of safety and mission assurance and a C-20A pilot. “With that mindset, we were ready to adapt and change the plans as needed, and met challenges with a lot of resilience, a lot of innovation, and a lot of improvised solutions to get things done despite some significant roadblocks.”
The team included aircraft mechanics, avionics technicians, quality assurance representatives, science leads and instrument operators, operation engineers, mission managers, and pilots. They were also supported by project management, safety, logistics, weather, and maintenance personnel at NASA Armstrong.
NASA pilots Kirt “Skirt” Stallings and Carrie Worth fly the C-20A aircraft over Africa on July 9, 2024.NASA “It was really the teamwork, improvisation, and creativity that resolved these unexpected challenges that made the mission a success.” Kern added.
Gathering scientific data in unique regions and conditions is necessary to understanding climate on the global scale. Data generated from these two airborne campaigns can be used to support the calibration and validation of data from future satellite-based missions like NISAR (NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar).
“Airborne campaigns like these are essential for enabling space-based technology. There are often measurements and science that simply cannot be achieved from satellites alone, and so they require airborne data collection.” said Gerald Bawden, program scientist for studies of Earth’s surface and interior at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This deployment advanced both of these areas and was enabled by this team.”
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Last Updated Aug 08, 2024 EditorDede DiniusContactElena Aguirreelena.aguirre@nasa.govLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related Terms
Armstrong Flight Research Center Aeronautics Earth Earth Science Earth Science Division Earth's Atmosphere Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA Aircraft Science in the Air Science Mission Directorate Explore More
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By Space Force
The portrait unveiling marks one of many historic firsts for a military service that was established less than five years prior, Dec. 20, 2019.
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By NASA
Christy Hansen’s journey with NASA spans more than two decades and is marked by roles that have shaped her into a leader in space exploration. Now serving on a six-month rotation as the deputy manager for NASA’s CLDP (Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program) at Johnson Space Center in Houston, she brings 25 years of human spaceflight experience and a global perspective on Earth sciences to her role.
Prior to her rotation, she served as the Artemis deputy mission manager in the Moon to Mars Program Office at NASA Headquarters in Washington, where she supported Artemis missions and facilitated the integration of science and utilization activities into the mission architecture and planning.
Hansen now leverages her vast expertise to advance NASA’s commercial space initiatives and support the agency’s long-term goals.
Christy Hansen serves a six-month rotation as deputy manager for NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program at Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA/Bill Hrybyk She is no stranger to Johnson. From 1999 to 2010, Hansen worked as an operations engineer in Johnson’s Flight Operations Directorate, focusing on astronaut training and flight control. She developed procedures, planned spacewalks, and trained astronauts to work in space suits with specialty tools on Space Shuttle, International Space Station, and Hubble Space Telescope missions. She was instrumental in supporting real-time operations as a flight controller for space station assembly missions and the final mission to service Hubble in 2009.
In 2010, Hansen became the operations manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland for the Robotic Refueling Mission, a technology demonstration payload that flew to the orbiting laboratory on STS-135. By 2012 she transitioned to airborne science project management at Goddard, leading multiple missions including Operation IceBridge’s first deployment to Antarctica. Her work focused on studying changes in Earth’s ice sheets and sea ice in Greenland and Antarctica, where she collaborated with scientists, engineers, and managers to design aircraft-based Earth science missions.
Christy Hansen at Antarctica’s geographic south pole in 2012. Faced with her husband’s diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2014, Hansen drew on her vast experience and passion for engineering to solve a deeply personal issue on the ground. Combining her technical expertise and pioneering spirit, she led an effort to bring eye-gaze technology to Goddard, enabling individuals with neurodegenerative disabilities to continue working without the use of their hands or voice.
Her husband, Dave Parker, an engineer at Goddard who worked on all hubble servicing missions and tech demo payloads on the space station, was determined to keep working even when he could not use his arms, legs, hands, or voice. Together, they researched and pushed for this capability, ensuring that the technology could help many others in similar situations.
After collaborating with Goddard information technology and the commercial-off-the-shelf Tobi eye gaze company, they managed to implement the system within a year. Parker worked for a year and a half using this technology and supported the real-time installation of space station hardware he helped design from his hospital bed before passing away in March 2021.
Hansen continues to work with NASA’s Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity to make this a standard accommodation option.
In her new role, she aims to support the development of an innovative acquisition strategy that fosters a robust commercial low Earth orbit environment. “I look forward to working with the CLDP team and our stakeholders to develop a creative and smart approach that enables a commercially led and operated low Earth orbit destination,” she said. “This includes fostering an open dialogue across disciplines, including critical tech authorities, programs, our industry and international partners, and Johnson and headquarters leadership. We can only go great places together.”
Her background in human spaceflight and science missions has given her a unique perspective. “I truly enjoy building partnerships and working across broad teams to achieve amazing goals,” she said. “This diversity of experience gave me an understanding of the critical goals, priorities, and culture of our key NASA stakeholders – and how we must integrate and work together to achieve the NASA mission.”
Through her career, she has learned to be open to new ideas and ways of doing things. “Be curious and proactively create space for all voices to be heard; there is more than one way to do things, and you must be open and receptive to different communication styles and experiences,” she said. “I lean on my broad experiences wherever I go.”
Christy Hansen at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland during her time as the project manager for NASA’s Operation IceBridge. NASA/Bill Hrybyk For young girls interested in a career in space, her advice is clear: “Go, go, go! You will face challenges and hurdles, but human spaceflight and NASA need your ideas, experiences, and energy. You uniquely bring momentum in a way others cannot – so don’t compare yourself to others. Study and do what you love – as that will get you through the hard times.”
Looking ahead, she is eager to help make space accessible and affordable to all, enabling a broader and diverse field of future flyers. “These destinations will enable critical science, human research, and tech development – important steppingstones to help us achieve our goals of landing on the Moon again and ultimately going to Mars,” she said. “No matter how dynamic and challenging our work is, my passion for human spaceflight and the NASA mission is inherently part of me.”
The agency’s commercial strategy for low Earth orbit will provide the government with reliable and safe services at a lower cost and enable the agency to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars while also continuing to use low Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions.
Learn more about NASA’s commercial space strategy at:
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/
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