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Blast from the Past: Farthest Supernova Ever Seen Sheds Light on Dark Universe
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By NASA
October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023
This eighth annual report provides an overall highlight of research results published from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023 from investigations operated on the space station. Annual Highlights of Results from the International Space Station (October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023) (PDF, 19.6 MB).
List of Archived ISS Publications October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023. (PDF, 1.2 MB)
October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022
This seventh annual report provides an overall highlight of research results published from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022 from investigations operated on the space station. Annual Highlights of Results from the International Space Station (October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022) (PDF, 7.0 MB).
List of Archived ISS Publications October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022. (PDF, 1.2 MB)
October 1, 2020 – October 1, 2021
This sixth annual report provides an overall highlight of research results published from October 1, 2020 to October 1, 2021 from investigations operated on the space station. Annual Highlights of Results from the International Space Station (October 1, 2020 – October 1, 2021) (PDF, 7.0 MB)
October 1, 2019 – October 1, 2020
This fifth annual report provides an overall highlight of research results published from October 1, 2019 to October 1, 2020 from investigations operated on the space station. Annual Highlights of Results from the International Space Station (October 1, 2019 – October 1, 2020) (PDF, 7.0 MB)
October 1, 2018 – October 1, 2019
This fourth annual report provides an overall highlight of research results published from October 1, 2018 to October 1, 2019 from investigations operated on the space station. Annual Highlights of Results from the International Space Station (October 1, 2018 – October 1, 2019) (PDF, 3.0 MB)
October 1, 2017 – October 1, 2018
This third annual report provides an overall highlight of research results published from October 1, 2017 to October 1, 2018 from investigations operated on the space station. Annual Highlights of Results from the International Space Station (October 1, 2017 – October 1, 2018) (PDF, 5.8MB)
October 1, 2016 – October 1, 2017
This second annual report provides an overall highlight of research results published from October 1, 2016 to October 1, 2017 from investigations operated on the space station. Annual Highlights of Results from the International Space Station (October 1, 2016 – October 1, 2017) (PDF, 5MB)
October 1, 2015 – October 1, 2016
This first annual report provides an overall highlight of research results published from October 1, 2015 to October 1, 2016 from investigations operated on the space station. Annual Highlights of Results from the International Space Station (October 1, 2015 – October 1, 2016) (PDF, 2.6MB)
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By NASA
Dr. Stephanie Getty, director of NASA Goddard’s Solar System Exploration Division, talks about NASA’s DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) mission with Dr. Kate Calvin, the agency’s chief scientist.Credits: Courtesy of Stephanie Getty Name: Dr. Stephanie Getty
Title: Director of the Solar System Exploration Division, Sciences and Exploration Directorate and Deputy Principal Investigator of the DAVINCI Mission
Formal Job Classification: Planetary scientist
Organization: Solar System Exploration Division, Sciences and Exploration Directorate (Code 690)
Dr. Stephanie Getty, director of NASA Goddard’s Solar System Exploration Division, poses with a full-scale engineering unit of NASA’s DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) descent sphere.Credits: Courtesy of Stephanie Getty What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission?
As the Director of the Solar System Exploration Division, I work from a place of management to support our division’s scientists. As the deputy principal investigator of the DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) mission, I work with the principal investigator to lead the team in implementing this mission to study the atmosphere of Venus.
I love that I get to work from a place of advocacy in support of my truly excellent, talented colleagues. I get to think strategically to make the most of opportunities and do my best to overcome difficulties for the best possible future for our teams. It’s also a fun challenge that no two days are ever the same!
Why did you become a planetary scientist?
In school, I had a lot of interests and space was always one of them. I also loved reading, writing, math, biology, and chemistry. Being a planetary scientist touches on all of these.
My dad inspired me become a scientist because he loved his telescope and photography including of celestial bodies. We watched Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos” often.
I grew up in southeastern Florida, near Fort Lauderdale. I have a B.S. and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Florida.
How did you come to Goddard?
“My goal is to provide a supportive environment for our incredibly talented science community in the Division to thrive, to push discovery forward and improve the understanding of our solar system,” said Dr. Stephanie Getty, director of NASA Goddard’s Solar System Exploration Division. “It’s a priority to encourage effective and open communication.”Credits: Courtesy of Stephanie Getty I had a post-doctoral fellowship in the physics department at the University of Maryland, and a local connection and a suggestion from my advisor led me to Goddard in 2004.
What is most important to you as director of the Solar System Exploration Division, Sciences and Exploration Directorate?
My goal is to provide a supportive environment for our incredibly talented science community in the Division to thrive, to push discovery forward and improve the understanding of our solar system. It’s a priority to encourage effective and open communication. I really try to value the whole person, recognizing that each of us is three-dimensional, with full personal lives. The people create the culture that allows our scientists to thrive and explore.
What are your goals as deputy principal investigator of the DAVINCI mission?
DAVINCI’s goal is to fill long-standing gaps about Venus, including whether it looked more like Earth in the past. Our energetic team brings together science, engineering, technology, project management, and business acumen to build a multi-element spacecraft that will explore Venus above the clouds, and during an hour-long descent through the atmosphere into the searingly hot and high pressure deep layers of the atmosphere near the surface. We hope to launch in June 2029.
What is your proudest accomplishment at Goddard?
I am pleased and proud to be deputy principal investigator on a major mission proposal that now gets to fly. It is an enormous privilege to be entrusted as part of the leadership team to bring the first probe mission back to Venus in over four decades.
What makes Goddard’s culture effective?
Goddard’s culture is at its best when we collectively appreciate how each member of the organization works towards solving our problems. The scientists appreciate the hard, detailed work that the engineers do to make designs. The engineers and project managers are energized by the fundamental science questions that underlie everything we do. And we have brilliant support staff that keeps our team organized and focused.
“Curiosity is a defining characteristic of a good scientist, never losing a sense of wonder,” says Dr. Stephanie Getty, director of NASA Goddard’s Solar System Exploration Division. “When I can, I try to make time to pause to reflect on how beautiful and special our own planet is.”Credits: Courtesy of Stephanie Getty What goes through your mind when you think about which fundamental science question to address and how?
A lot of the research I have done, including my mission work, has been inspired by the question of how life originates, how life originated on Earth, and whether there are or have been other environments in the solar system that could have ever supported life. These questions are profound to any human being. My job allows me to work with incredibly talented teams to make scientific progress on these questions.
It is really humbling.
Who inspired you?
My 10th grade English teacher encouraged us to connect with the natural world and to write down our experiences. Exploring the manifestations of nature connects with the way I approach my small piece of exploring the solar system. I really love the writing parts of my job, crafting the narrative around the science we do and why it is important.
As a mentor, what is the most important lesson you give?
A successful career should reflect both your passion and natural abilities. Know yourself. What feels rewarding to you is important. Learn how to be honest with yourself and let yourself be driven by curiosity.
Our modern lives can be very noisy at work and at home. It can be hard to filter through what is and is not important. Leaving space to connect with the things that satisfy your curiosity can be one way to make the most of the interconnectivity and complexity of life.
Curiosity not only connects us to the natural world, but also to each other. Curiosity is a defining characteristic of a good scientist, never losing a sense of wonder.
I’m looking out my window as we talk. When I can, I try to make time to pause to reflect on how beautiful and special our own planet is.
What are your hobbies?
I love hiking with my kids. Walking through the woods puts me in the moment and clears my mind better than anything else. It gives my brain a chance to relax. Nature gives perspective, it reminds me that I am part of something bigger. Walking in the woods gives me a chance to pause, for example, to notice an interesting rock formation, or watch a spider spinning an impressive web, or spot a frog trying to camouflage itself in a pond, and doing this with my children is my favorite pastime.
Where is your favorite place in the world?
Any campsite at dusk with a fire going and eating s’mores with my family.
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.
By Elizabeth M. Jarrell
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
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Last Updated Feb 10, 2025 Related Terms
Goddard Space Flight Center DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) People of Goddard Planetary Science Division Science Mission Directorate The Solar System Explore More
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By NASA
“People are excited and happy about working at Goddard,” said optics engineer Margaret Dominguez. “Most people are willing to put in the extra effort if needed. It makes work stimulating and exciting. Management really cares and the employees feel that too.”Credits: Courtesy of Margaret Dominguez Name: Margaret Dominguez
Formal Job Classification: Optical engineer
Organization: Code 551, Optics Branch, Instrument Systems and Technology Division, Engineering Directorate
What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission?
I build space telescopes. I am currently working on building one of the components for the Wide Field Instrument for the Roman Space Telescope. The component is called “Grism.” A grism is a combination of a grating and a prism.
What is unique about your childhood?
I went to high school in Tecamachalco in Puebla, Mexico, which is inland and south of Mexico City. My father raised pigs, chickens, rabbits, and cows. I am the oldest of four girls and two still live on the farm.
Why did you become a physicist?
I was always curious and had a lot of questions and thought that physics helped me answer some of these questions. I was good at math and loved it. When I told my dad I wanted to study physics, he said that I would be able to answer any question in the universe. He thought it was very cool.
What is your educational background? How an internship help you come to Goddard?
I went to the Universidad de las Americas Puebla college in Puebla and got an undergraduate degree in physics. I was very active in extracurricular activities and helped organize a physics conference. We invited Dr. Johnathan Gardner, a Goddard astronomer, who came to speak at the conference. Afterwards I spoke with him and he asked me if I was interested in doing an internship at NASA. I said I had not considered it and would be interested in applying. I applied that same spring of 2008 and got a summer internship in the Optics Branch, where I am still working today.
My branch head at Goddard was a University of Arizona alumnus. He suggested that I apply to the University of Arizona for their excellent optics program. I did, and the university gave me a full fellowship for a master’s and a Ph.D. in optical sciences.
In 2014, I began working full time at Goddard while completing my Ph.D. I graduated in May 2019.
What makes Goddard special?
Goddard has a university campus feel. It’s a place where you can work and also just hang out and socialize. Goddard has many clubs, a gym, cafeterias, and a health clinic.
People are really nice here. They are often excited and happy about working at Goddard. Most people are willing to put in the extra effort if needed. It makes work stimulating and exciting. Management really cares and the employees feel that too.
What are some of the major projects you have worked on?
Early on, I did a little bit of work on Hubble and later on, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Since 2014, I have exclusively been working on Roman. We are building the grism, a slitless spectrograph, which will measure galaxy redshifts to study dark energy.
Presently we are building different grism prototypes. We work with outside vendors to build these prototypes. When we make a prototype, we test it for months. After, we use the results to build an improved prototype. We just finished making the third prototype. We are going to build a flight instrument of which the grism is a component.
What is it like to work in the clean room?
It’s exciting – it likely means I am working on flight hardware. However, because clean rooms must be kept at about 68 degrees Fahrenheit, it can feel chilly in there!
Who are your mentors? What are the most important lessons they have taught you?
Ray Ohl, the head of the Optics Branch, is a mentor to me. He is always encouraging me to get outside my comfort zone. He presents other opportunities to me so that I can grow and listens to my feedback.
Cathy Marx, one of the Roman optical leads, is also a mentor to me. She created a support network for me and is a sounding board for troubleshooting any kind of work-related issues.
What is your role a member of the Hispanic Advisory Committee (HACE)?
I joined HACE in 2010 while I was an intern. It’s a great opportunity to network with other Hispanics and gives us a platform to celebrate specific events like Hispanic Heritage Month. I really enjoy participating in HACE’s events.
What outreach do you do? Why is doing outreach so important to you?
I do educational outreach to teach people about optics. I mainly collaborate with elementary and middle schools.
I think we need more future engineers and scientists. I want to help recruit them. I specifically focus on recruiting minorities and Hispanics. I can make a special connection with women and Hispanics.
Who is your science hero?
It would probably be Marie Curie. She’s the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and she is the only woman to win two Nobel Prizes and she had to overcome a lot of challenges to achieve that.
What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words.
Disciplined. Organized. Diligent. Passionate. Curious. Family-oriented.
Is there something surprising about your hobbies outside of work that people do not generally know?
I am a certified Jazzercise instructor – I normally teach two to three times a week. I can even teach virtually if need be. It is an hour-long exercise class combining strength training and cardio through choreographed dancing. We also use weights and mats.
I also enjoy going for walks with my husband, James Corsetti, who is also an engineer in the Optics Branch.
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.
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By NASA
5 min read
February’s Night Sky Notes: How Can You Help Curb Light Pollution?
Light pollution has long troubled astronomers, who generally shy away from deep sky observing under full Moon skies. The natural light from a bright Moon floods the sky and hides views of the Milky Way, dim galaxies and nebula, and shooting stars. In recent years, human-made light pollution has dramatically surpassed the interference of even a bright full Moon, and its effects are now noticeable to a great many people outside of the astronomical community. Harsh, bright white LED streetlights, while often more efficient and long-lasting, often create unexpected problems for communities replacing their old street lamps. Some notable concerns are increased glare and light trespass, less restful sleep, and disturbed nocturnal wildlife patterns. There is increasing awareness of just how much light is too much light at night. You don’t need to give in to despair over encroaching light pollution; you can join efforts to measure it, educate others, and even help stop or reduce the effects of light pollution in your community.
Before and after pictures of replacement lighting at the 6th Street Bridge over the Los Angeles River. The second picture shows improvements in some aspects of light pollution, as light is not directed to the sides and upwards from the upgraded fixtures, reducing skyglow. However, it also shows the use of brighter, whiter LEDs, which is not generally ideal, along with increased light bounce back from the road. City of Los Angeles Amateur astronomers and potential citizen scientists around the globe are invited to participate in the Globe at Night (GaN) program to measure light pollution. Measurements are taken by volunteers on a few scheduled days every month and submitted to their database to help create a comprehensive map of light pollution and its change over time. GaN volunteers can take and submit measurements using multiple methods ranging from low-tech naked-eye observations to high-tech sensors and smartphone apps.
Globe at Night citizen scientists can use the following methods to measure light pollution and submit their results:
Their own smartphone camera and dedicated app Manually measure light pollution using their own eyes and detailed charts of the constellations A dedicated light pollution measurement device called a Sky Quality Meter (SQM). The free GaN web app from any internet-connected device (which can also be used to submit their measurements from an SQM or printed-out star charts) Night Sky Network members joined a telecon with Connie Walker of Globe at Night in 2014 and had a lively discussion about the program’s history and how they can participate. The audio of the telecon, transcript, and links to additional resources can be found on their dedicated resource page.
Light pollution has been visible from space for a long time, but new LED lights are bright enough that they stand out from older street lights, even from orbit. The above photo was taken by astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti from the ISS cupola in 2015. The newly installed white LED lights in the center of the city of Milan are noticeably brighter than the lights in the surrounding neighborhoods. NASA/ESA DarkSky International has long been a champion in the fight against light pollution and a proponent of smart lighting design and policy. Their website (at darksky.org) provides many resources for amateur astronomers and other like-minded people to help communities understand the negative impacts of light pollution and how smart lighting policies can not only help bring the stars back to their night skies but make their streets safer by using smarter lighting with less glare. Communities and individuals find that their nighttime lighting choices can help save considerable sums of money when they decide to light their streets and homes “smarter, not brighter” with shielded, directional lighting, motion detectors, timers, and even choosing the proper “temperature” of new LED light replacements to avoid the harsh “pure white” glare that many new streetlamps possess. Their pages on community advocacy and on how to choose dark-sky-friendly lighting are extremely helpful and full of great information. There are even local chapters of the IDA in many communities made up of passionate advocates of dark skies.
DarkSky International has notably helped usher in “Dark Sky Places“, areas around the world that are protected from light pollution. “Dark Sky Parks“, in particular, provide visitors with incredible views of the Milky Way and are perfect places to spot the wonders of a meteor shower. These parks also perform a very important function, showing the public the wonders of a truly dark sky to many people who may have never before even seen a handful of stars in the sky, let alone the full, glorious spread of the Milky Way.
More research into the negative effects of light pollution on the health of humans and the environment is being conducted than ever before. Watching the nighttime light slowly increase in your neighborhood, combined with reading so much bad news, can indeed be disheartening! However, as awareness of light pollution and its negative effects increases, more people are becoming aware of the problem and want to be part of the solution. There is even an episode of PBS Kid’s SciGirls where the main characters help mitigate light pollution in their neighborhood!
Astronomy clubs are uniquely situated to help spread awareness of good lighting practices in their local communities in order to help mitigate light pollution. Take inspiration from Tucson, Arizona, and other dark sky-friendly communities that have adopted good lighting practices. Tucson even reduced its skyglow by 7% after its own citywide lighting conversion, proof that communities can bring the stars back with smart lighting choices.
Originally posted by Dave Prosper: November 2018
Last Updated by Kat Troche: January 2025
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