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By NASA
NASA’s Glenn Research Center leaders stand with Evening With the Stars presenters. Left to right: Tim Smith, Nikki Welch, Center Director Dr. Jimmy Kenyon, Acting Deputy Director Dr. Wanda Peters, and Carlos Garcia-Galan. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis NASA Glenn Research Center’s “An Evening With the Stars” showcased research and technology innovations that addressed this year’s theme, NASA Glenn’s Spotlight on the Stars: 10 Years and Counting. The event featured presentations from Glenn subject matter experts and a networking reception.
Held at Windows on the River near Cleveland’s historic waterfront on Nov. 20, the event attracted sponsors and guests from more than 50 companies, universities, and organizations eager to learn more about the center’s recent accomplishments.
Special guests Dennis Andersh, CEO and president of Parallax Advanced Research/Ohio Aerospace Institute; Terrence Slaybaugh, vice president of Sites and Infrastructure for JobsOhio; and Dr. Wanda Peters, NASA Glenn’s acting deputy director, provided remarks.
Center Director Dr. Jimmy Kenyon took the stage to welcome visitors and share some accomplishments from an exciting year at NASA Glenn. Kenyon then introduced the presenters – NASA’s stars of the evening – and their topics.
“I relish this evening each year because it spotlights what is most important to our success at NASA: our people,” Kenyon said.
Nikki Welch is the digital manager in the Office of Communications. In this role, she helps to tell the NASA Glenn story in engaging ways for Glenn’s hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. Welch shared details about her efforts and the importance of “Connecting People to the Mission.”
NASA Glenn Research Center’s Nikki Welch talks about connecting people to the NASA mission through storytelling. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis Tim Smith leads high-temperature alloy development at NASA Glenn and has led research that resulted in over a dozen research licenses and four commercial licenses. As one of the inventors of the metal alloy GRX-810, Smith shared information about Glenn’s “Super Alloy Achievements.”
NASA Glenn Research Center’s Tim Smith talks about NASA’s superalloy achievements. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis Carlos Garcia-Galan is the manager of the Orion program’s European Service Module Integration Office. This module, being provided by ESA (European Space Agency), is Orion’s powerhouse. Garcia-Galan shared information on the topic “Dreaming of Going to the Moon.”
NASA Glenn Research Center’s Carlos Garcia-Galan talks about the spacecraft that will bring humanity back to the Moon. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis Return to Newsletter Explore More
1 min read Program Manager at NASA Glenn Earns AIAA Sustained Service Award
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By NASA
The NASA Ames Science Directorate recognizes the outstanding contributions of (pictured left to right) Maurice Valdez, Niki Parenteau, Dori Myer, and Judy Alfter. Their commitment to the NASA mission represents the entrepreneurial spirit, technical expertise, and collaborative disposition needed to explore this world and beyond.
Space Science and Astrobiology Star: Maurice Valdez
Maurice Valdez is a system administrator, supporting desktop systems and website development for the Space Science and Astrobiology Division. Maurice is recognized for his focus and commitment to supporting the division’s scientific productivity by keeping systems compliant and functioning. His can-do attitude makes him instrumental in the success of the team, whether he is finding new solutions for hybrid meetings, fixing equipment, patching systems, or troubleshooting issues.
Photo credit: Pacific Science Center Space Science and Astrobiology Star: Niki Parenteau
Niki Parenteau, a research scientist for the Exobiology Branch, embodies the true spirit of an interdisciplinary astrobiologist. She has applied her expertise to identify potential biosignatures of life on exoplanets and has taken a leading role in the project office for the development of the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), where she facilitates collaborative efforts of Ames scientists across the division and shepherds the larger scientific community to enable observations of biosignatures with HWO.
Space Biosciences Star: Dori Myer
Archivist Dori Myer has made an outstanding contribution in the Flight Systems Implementation Branch’s multi-year effort to digitize and preserve institutional knowledge. Under her guidance, the records management team digitized tens of thousands of historical records, preserving the branch’s institutional knowledge for years to come. Her exceptional initiative and dedication have transformed our record management processes, ensuring the accessibility of NASA’s rich institutional knowledge while streamlining its access in the modern age.
Earth Science Star: Judy Alfter
Judy Alfter, a Deputy Project Manager in the Earth Science Project Office (ESPO), has excelled in her multi-faceted role during the field campaign for the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem Post-launch Airborne eXperiment (PACE-PAX). Judy launched the deployment phase of PACE-PAX, leading the effort to set up Twin Otter flight operations at Marina Municipal Airport in California. Following this phase, she transitioned to Santa Barbara in California to support the mobilization of PACE-PAX ship operations and concluded deployment activities at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center’s main campus as ESPO site manager for ER-2 flight operations.
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By NASA
Michelle Dominguez proudly displays her award at the Women of Color STEM Conference in Detroit, Michigan, October 2024.NASA Dorcas Kaweesa holding her award at the Women of Color STEM Conference in Detroit, Michigan, October 2024. NASA In October 2024, Michelle Dominguez and Dorcas Kaweesa from the Ames Aeromechanics Office were each awarded as a “Technology Rising Star” at the Women of Color STEM Conference in Detroit, Michigan. Rising Star awards are for “young women, with 21 years or less in the workforce, who are helping to shape technology for the future.” Ms. Dominguez is a Mechanical Systems Engineer working on rotorcraft design for vertical-lift vehicles such as air taxis and Mars helicopters. Dr. Kaweesa is a Structural Analysis Engineer and Deputy Manager for planetary rotorcraft initiatives including Mars Exploration Program and Mars Sample Return. More information on this award is at https://intouch.ccgmag.com/mpage/woc-stem-conference-awardees .
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By NASA
At the edge of Las Cruces, New Mexico, surrounded by miles of sunbaked earth, NASA’s White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) is quietly shaping the future. There is no flash, no fanfare — the self-contained facility operates as it has since 1962, humbly and in relative obscurity.
Yet as New Mexico’s space industry skyrockets amid intensifying commercial spaceflight efforts across the state, WSTF feels a new urgency to connect with the community. With the facility’s latest Test and Evaluation Support Team (TEST3) contract now in its third year, Program Manager Michelle Meerscheidt is determined to make a mark.
“I think it’s very important we increase our public presence,” Meerscheidt said. “We are a significant contributor to NASA’s mission and our country’s aspirations for furthering space exploration.”
In September, TEST3 leadership joined forces with the City of Las Cruces to support the sixth annual Las Cruces Space Festival, a two-weekend celebration of the region’s rich relationship with the aerospace industry.
The Test and Evaluation Support Team (TEST3) team — Human Resources Manager Kristina Garcia (left), Program Manager Michelle Meerscheidt, and Deputy Program Manager/Business Manager Karen Lucht — prepares to meet with visitors at the Las Cruces Space Festival Astronomy & Industry Night on Sept. 13, 2024, in Las Cruces, New Mexico. NASA/Anthony Luis Quiterio Alongside WSTF, festival director Alice Carruth is working to open a world that many believe is off limits and others don’t know exists.
“Unless you’re driving over the mountains regularly and seeing the sign that says, ‘The Birthplace of the U.S. Space and Missile Program,’ you don’t tend to know what’s going on in your backyard,” Carruth said.
“The whole premise of the Space Festival is to make people understand what’s going on in their community, to encourage people to think about careers in the space industry, and to inspire the next generation.”
A featured speaker at the festival’s New Mexico State University Astronomy & Industry Night, Meerscheidt had the chance to do just that.
“It’s fun to see a lot of young kids that are wide-eyed and excited,” Meerscheidt said. “It’s nice to be able to encourage them to pursue their dreams.”
Among those wide-eyed festivalgoers was 6-year-old Camilla Medina-Bond, who was confident in her vision for the future.
“I want to be an astronaut when I grow up,” she said. “I want to visit the Moon.”
As for the details of her lunar mission, Medina-Bond’s plan is simple: “Just going to see what’s on it.” She has plenty of time to figure out the specifics — after all, giant leaps start with small steps. According to Meerscheidt, the aspiring astronaut has already taken the first and most critical step.
“That’s what NASA is all about,” Meerscheidt said. “Explore, be inquisitive. Open your mind, open your imagination, and go for it.”
Left: Camilla Medina-Bond, age 6, proudly shows off her foam stomp rocket and NASA White Sands Test Facility baseball cap during the Las Cruces Space Festival’s Astronomy & Industry Night on the New Mexico State University campus. Right: Medina-Bond immerses herself in another world as she operates a virtual reality headset. NASA/Anthony Luis Quiterio Medina-Bond’s aspiration is shared by many young dreamers. A 2024 global study by longtime NASA partner, the LEGO Group, found 77% of kids ages 4-14 want to travel to space.
Carruth acknowledged that keeping the attention of today’s always-scrolling, trend-driven generation is not easy, and that children’s fascination with space often wanes as they age.
“If you look at the statistics, space tends to be really cool until they get to middle school level, and then space isn’t cool anymore — not because it’s not cool, but because it then becomes inaccessible to a lot of students,” she said.
Still, Carruth is prepared to navigate the challenge.
“I want kids to understand that space is for everybody,” Carruth said. “I also want their parents and grandparents to understand why space is important and that this is a feasible career.”
Oscar Castrejon, who attended the festival with his 12-year-old son, Oscar Jr., is on his own mission to nurture that understanding. “I’ve learned early kids need to develop their own passions, but if they say ‘hey, I like this, I’m interested in it,’ then I’ll take them to it,” Castrejon said. “If their eyes get opened, if their imagination gets sparked, you never know — you could be looking at the next NASA scientist.”
Oscar Castrejon and his son Oscar Jr., age 12, stop by the White Sands TEST3 booth. Anthony Luis Quiterio WSTF TEST3 Deputy Program Manager and Business Manager Karen Lucht shares Castrejon’s philosophy, emphasizing the importance of authenticity.
“Speak[ing] to who you are as a person will ultimately lead to who you will become as a professional,” she said.
A remote test site, WSTF has its own ecosystem which Lucht compares to a “small city.” Among its residents are scientists and engineers, but also welders, writers, firefighters, and photographers — to name a few.
“White Sands offers endless opportunities for everybody,” Lucht said. “Every career has a path here.”
Lucht’s own journey illustrates the infinite potential that arises in diverse spaces like WSTF.
“I came from a town of less than a thousand people, and I never dreamt that I would work for NASA,” she said. “As someone who was told many times that I would never make it to my position, I look back on my career and realize there are no restraints. You really can do anything you want to do.”
For those wanting to join the ranks at WSTF, there is one important requirement: they must see themselves as stardust, a vital element in a grand cosmic plan.
“We’re looking for people who have the right perspective, the desire to learn and contribute to something bigger than themselves,” Lucht said.
At WSTF — a place where the stars feel close enough to touch — the sky is not the limit, it is only the beginning.
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By European Space Agency
A mesmerising audiovisual experience from trip-hop collective Massive Attack that blends an original score with stunning satellite images of Earth was enjoyed by thousands of climate enthusiasts in Liverpool.
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