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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
As students head back to school, teachers have a new tool that brings NASA satellite data down to their earthly classrooms.
The My NASA Data homepage categorizes content by areas of study called spheres and also Earth as a system. NASA/mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov For over 50 years of observing Earth, NASA’s satellites have collected petabytes of global science data (that’s millions and millions of gigabytes) – with terabytes more coming in by the day. Since 2004, the My NASA Data website has been developing ways for students and teachers of grades 3-12 to understand, and visualize NASA data, and to help incorporate those measurements into practical science lessons.
“We have three different types of lesson plans, some of which are student-facing and some are teacher-facing,” said Angie Rizzi, My NASA Data task lead, based at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. “Teachers can download complete lesson plans or display a wide variety of Earth data. There are also lessons written for students to interact with directly.”
An image from My NASA Data’s Earth System Data Explorer visualization tool showing the monthly leaf index around the world as measured by NASA satellites in August 2020. Data parameters for this visualization were set to biosphere under the sphere dropdown and vegetation as a category. NASA/mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov A key component of the My NASA Data site is the newly updated Earth System Data Explorer visualization tool, which allows users to access and download NASA Earth data. Educators can explore the data then create custom data tables, graphs, and plots to help students visualize the data. Students can create and investigate comparisons between land surface temperatures, cloud cover, extreme heat, and a wide range of other characteristics for a specific location or region around the globe.
An image from My NASA Data’s visualization tool showing various searchable categories under the atmosphere dataset selection. NASA/mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov “The Earth System Data Explorer tool has a collection of science datasets organized by different spheres of the Earth system,” explained Desiray Wilson, My NASA Data scientific programmer. The program highlights six areas of study: atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and Earth as a system. “The data goes as far back as the 1980s, and we are getting more daily datasets. It’s really good for looking at historical trends, regional trends, and patterns.”
My NASA Data had over one million site visits last year, with some of the most popular searches focusing on temperatures, precipitation, water vapor, and air quality.
My NASA Data program leaders and instructors collaborating with educators from the North Carolina Space Grant at NASA’S Langley Research Center June 26, 2024. Teachers were at NASA Langley as part of the North Carolina Space Education Ambassadors (NCSEA) program and were given demonstrations of the My NASA Data website. NASA/David C. Bowman Natalie Macke has been teaching for 20 years and is a science teacher at Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, New Jersey. Teachers like Macke help shape the lessons on the site through internships with the My NASA Data team. Teachers’ suggestions were also incorporated to enhance the visualization tool by adding new features that now allow users to swipe between visual layers of data and make side-by-side comparisons. Users can also now click on a location to display latitude and longitude and variable data streamlining the previous site which required manual input of latitude and longitude.
“The new visualization tool is very much a point-and-click layout like our students are used to in terms of just quickly selecting data they want to see,” said Macke. “Instantaneously, a map of the Earth comes up, or just the outline, and they can get the satellite view. So if they’re looking for a specific city, they can find the city on the map and quickly grab a dataset or multiple datasets and overlay it on the map to make visual comparisons.”
Map of the East Coast of the United States from the My NASA Data visualization tool from August 2023 before adding layers of atmospheric satellite data. The image below shows the same map layered with atmospheric measurements.NASA/mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov The East Coast of the United States shown with monthly daytime surface (skin) temperatures from August 2023 overlayed from Earth-observing satellite data using the My NASA Data Earth System Data Explorer visualization tool. The image above shows the same region without the data layer added.NASA/mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/ Even more valuable than creating visualizations for one specific lesson, elaborated Macke, is the opportunity My NASA Data provides for students to understand the importance of interpreting, verifying, and using datasets in their daily lives. This skill, she said, is invaluable, because it helps spread data literacy enabling users to look at data with a discriminating eye and learn to discern between assumptions and valid conclusions.
“Students can relate the data map to literally what’s happening outside their window, showing them how NASA Earth system satellite data relates to real life,” said Macke. “Creating a data literate public – meaning they understand the context and framework of the data they are working with and realizing the connection between the data and the real world – hopefully will intrigue them to continue to explore and learn about the Earth and start asking questions. That’s what got me into science when I was a little kid.”
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Charles G. Hatfield
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Last Updated Sep 16, 2024 Related Terms
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By NASA
A NASA MITTIC participant during the competition’s on-site experience and Space Tank at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Dec. 7, 2022. (Credit: Riley McClenaghan) NASA will spotlight its program to engage underrepresented and underserved students in science, technology, engineering, and math at the 2024 National Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Week Conference in Philadelphia, from Sunday, Sept. 15, to Thursday, Sept. 19.
As part of the White House’s initiative to advance educational equity and economic opportunities through HBCUs, NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) provides HBCU scholars access to NASA technology, networks, training, resources, and partners. During the conference, NASA will host a MUREP Innovation and Tech Transfer Idea Competition (MITTIC), featuring a hackathon challenging students to develop creative and innovative solutions for the benefit of humanity.
“NASA’s MUREP is delighted to continue our collaboration with the White House initiative on HBCU’s to elevate students’ learning experience,” said Keya Briscoe, manager, MUREP, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We are enthusiastic about the fresh insights and innovative solutions that the scholars will develop at the MITTIC hackathon, which provides an opportunity to showcase the depth and breadth of their academic and professional excellence.”
The MITTIC HBCU hackathon concentrates on using NASA technologies to address various challenges common to HBCU campuses. The scholars will be divided into teams which will utilize NASA technology to address the challenge they select. Each team will pitch their concepts to a panel of subject matter experts.
The winning team will receive a cash prize provided by MITTIC’s partner, JP Morgan Chase (JPMC), in collaboration with the JPMC Chief Technology Office, Career and Skills Development Office, and Advancing Black Pathways Group. The remaining HBCU hackathon teams will be able to submit their proposals to the fall or spring MITTIC Space2Pitch Competitions taking place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
To further NASA’s initiative of promoting engagement and inclusion, the scholars will have the opportunity to interact with NASA exhibits to learn more about different career paths with NASA. In addition, a viewing of the Color of Space will show, highlighting the life stories of seven current and former Black astronauts.
Through the HBCU Scholar Recognition Program, the White House Initiative annually recognizes students from HBCUs for their accomplishments in academics, leadership, and civic engagement. Over the course of an academic school year, HBCU scholars participate in professional development through monthly classes and have access to a network of public and private partners.
“NASA’s unwavering commitment to provide our nation’s HBCUs with opportunity to participate in the space enterprise is invaluable to our institutions and our nation,” said Dietra Trent, executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs. “The initiative proudly solutes NASA for their relentless support and we look forward to having them again as a valued partner for the 2024 HBCU Week Conference and HBCU Scholar Recognition Program. By fostering innovation and expanding opportunities in STEM, NASA is empowering the next generation of diverse leaders to reach for the stars and beyond.”
Through their relationships with NASA, community-based organizations, and other public and private partners, HBCU scholars have the opportunity to strive for their education and career potentials.
To learn more about NASA and agency programs, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov
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By NASA
Manuel Retana arrived in the U.S. at 15 years old, unable to speak English and with nothing but a dream and $200 in his pocket. Now, he plays a crucial role implementing life support systems on spacecraft that will carry humans to the Moon and, eventually, Mars—paving the way for the next frontier of space exploration.
A project manager for NASA’s Johnson Space Center Life Support Systems Branch in Houston, Retana helps to ensure astronaut safety aboard the International Space Station and for future Artemis missions. His work involves tracking on-orbit technical issues, managing the cost and schedule impacts of flight projects, and delivering emergency hardware.
Manuel Retana stands in front of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. One of his most notable achievements came during the qualification of the Orion Smoke Eater Filter for the Artemis II and III missions. The filter is designed to remove harmful gases and particulates from the crew cabin in the event of a fire inside the spacecraft. Retana was tasked with creating a cost-effective test rig – a critical step for making the filter safe for flight.
Retana’s philosophy is simple: “Rockets do not build themselves. People build rockets, and your ability to work with people will define how well your rocket is built.”
Throughout his career, Retana has honed his soft skills—communication, leadership, collaboration, and conflict resolution—to foster an environment of success.
Retana encourages his colleagues to learn new languages and share their unique perspectives. He even founded NASA’s first Mariachi ensemble, allowing him to share his cultural heritage in the workplace.
He believes diversity of thought is a key element in solving complex challenges as well as creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their perspectives.
“You need to be humble and have a willingness to always be learning,” he said. “What makes a strong team is the fact that not everyone thinks the same way.”
Manuel Retana, center, performs with the Mariachi Ensemble group at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. For the future of space exploration, Retana is excited about the democratization of space, envisioning a world where every country has the opportunity to explore. He is eager to see humanity reach the Moon, Mars, and beyond, driven by the quest to answer the universe’s most enigmatic questions.
To the Artemis Generation, he says, “Never lose hope, and it is never too late to start following your dreams, no matter how far you are.”
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By NASA
Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions The Solar System The Sun Mercury Venus Earth The Moon Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto & Dwarf Planets Asteroids, Comets & Meteors The Kuiper Belt The Oort Cloud 5 min read
Sols 4304-4006: 12 Years, 42 Drill Holes, and Now… 1 Million ChemCam Shots!
In celebration of ChemCam’s milestone, here is a stunning image from its remote micro imager, showing details in the landscape far away. This image was taken by Chemistry & Camera (ChemCam) onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 4302 — Martian day 4,302 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — on Sept. 12, 2024, at 09:20:51 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Earth planning date: Friday, Sept. 13, 2024
Today, I need to talk about ChemCam, our laser and imaging instrument on the top of Curiosity’s mast. It one of the instruments in the “head” that gives Curiosity that cute look as if it were looking around tilting its head down to the rocks at the rover’s wheels. On Monday, 19th August the ChemCam team at CNES in France planned the 1 millionth shot and Curiosity executed it on the target Royce Lake on sol 4281 on Mars. Even as an Earth scientist used to really big numbers, this is a huge number that took me a while to fully comprehend. 1 000 000 shots! Congratulations, ChemCam, our champion for getting chemistry from a distance – and high-resolution images, too. If you are now curious how Curiosity’s ChemCam instrument works, here is the NASA fact sheet. And, of course, the team is celebrating, which is expressed by those two press releases, one from CNES in France and one from Los Alamos National Laboratory, the two institutions who collaborated to develop and build ChemCam and are now running the instrument for over 12 years! And the PI, Dr Nina Lanza from Los Alamos informs me that the first milestone – 10000 shots was reached as early as Sol 42, which was the sol the DAN instrument used its active mode for the first time. But before I am getting melancholic, let’s talk about today’s plan!
The drive ended fairly high up in the terrain, and that means we see a lot of the interesting features in the channel and generally around us. So, we are on a spot a human hiker would probably put the backpack down, take the water bottle out and sit down with a snack to enjoy the view from a nice high point in the landscape. Well, no such pleasures for Curiosity – and I am pretty sure sugar, which we humans love so much, wouldn’t be appreciated by rover gears anyway. So, let’s just take in the views! And that keeps Mastcam busy taking full advantage of our current vantage point. We have a terrain with lots of variety in front of us, blocks, boulders, flatter areas and the walls are layered, beautiful geology. Overall there are 11 Mastcam observations in the plan adding up to just about 100 individual frames, not counting those taken in the context of atmospheric observations, which are of course also in the plan. The biggest mosaics are on the targets “Western Deposit,” “Balloon Dome,” and “Coral Meadow.” Some smaller documentation images are on the targets “Wales Lake,” “Gnat Meadow,” and “Pig Chute.”
ChemCam didn’t have long to dwell on its milestone, as it’s busy again today. Of course, it will join Mastcam in taking advantage of our vantage point, taking three remote micro imager images on the landscape around us. LIBS chemistry investigations are targeting “Wales Lake,” “Gnat Meadow,” and “Pig Chute.” APXS is investigating two targets, “College Rock” and “Wales Lake,” which will also come with MAHLI documentation. With all those investigations together, we’ll be able to document the chemistry of many targets around us. There is such a rich variety of dark and light toned rocks, and with so much variety everywhere, it’s hard to choose and the team is excited about the three targeted sols … and planning over 4 hours of science over the weekend!
The next drive is planned to go to an area where there is a step in the landscape. Geologists love those steps as they give insights into the layers below the immediate surface. If you have read the word ‘outcrop’ here, then that’s what that means: access to below the surface. But there are also other interesting features in the area, hence we will certainly have an interesting workspace to look at! But getting there will not be easy as the terrain is very complex, so we cannot do it in just one drive. I think there is a rule of thumb here: the more excited the geo-team gets, the more skills our drivers need. Geologists just love rocks, but of course, no one likes driving offroad in a really rocky terrain – no roads on Mars. And right now, our excellent engineers have an extra complication to think about: they need to take extra care where and how to park so Curiosity can actually communicate with Earth. Why? Well, we are in a canyon, and those of you liking to hike, know what canyons mean for cell phone signals… yes, there isn’t much coverage, and that’s the same for Curiosity’s antenna. This new NASA video has more information and insights into the planning room, too! So, we’ll drive halfway to where we want to be but I am sure there will be interesting targets in the new workspace, the area is just so, so complex, fascinating and rich!
And that’s after Mars for you, after 12 years, 42 drill holes, and now 1 Million ChemCam shots. Go Curiosity go!!!
Written by Susanne Schwenzer, Planetary Geologist at The Open University
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Last Updated Sep 13, 2024 Related Terms
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By NASA
5 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Tests on Earth appear to confirm how the Red Planet’s spider-shaped geologic formations are carved by carbon dioxide.
Spider-shaped features called araneiform terrain are found in the southern hemisphere of Mars, carved into the landscape by carbon dioxide gas. This 2009 image taken by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows several of these distinctive formations within an area three-quarters of a mile (1.2 kilometers) wide. NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona Dark splotches seen in this example of araneiform terrain captured by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2018 are believed to be soil ejected from the surface by carbon dioxide gas plumes. A set of experiments at JPL has sought to re-create these spider-like formations in a lab. NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona Since discovering them in 2003 via images from orbiters, scientists have marveled at spider-like shapes sprawled across the southern hemisphere of Mars. No one is entirely sure how these geologic features are created. Each branched formation can stretch more than a half-mile (1 kilometer) from end to end and include hundreds of spindly “legs.” Called araneiform terrain, these features are often found in clusters, giving the surface a wrinkled appearance.
The leading theory is that the spiders are created by processes involving carbon dioxide ice, which doesn’t occur naturally on Earth. Thanks to experiments detailed in a new paper published in The Planetary Science Journal, scientists have, for the first time, re-created those formation processes in simulated Martian temperatures and air pressure.
Here’s a look inside of JPL’s DUSTIE, a wine barrel-size chamber used to simulate the temperatures and air pressure of other planets – in this case, the carbon dioxide ice found on Mars’ south pole. Experiments conducted in the chamber confirmed how Martian formations known as “spiders” are created.NASA/JPL-Caltech “The spiders are strange, beautiful geologic features in their own right,” said Lauren Mc Keown of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “These experiments will help tune our models for how they form.”
The study confirms several formation processes described by what’s called the Kieffer model: Sunlight heats the soil when it shines through transparent slabs of carbon dioxide ice that built up on the Martian surface each winter. Being darker than the ice above it, the soil absorbs the heat and causes the ice closest to it to turn directly into carbon dioxide gas — without turning to liquid first — in a process called sublimation (the same process that sends clouds of “smoke” billowing up from dry ice). As the gas builds in pressure, the Martian ice cracks, allowing the gas to escape. As it seeps upward, the gas takes with it a stream of dark dust and sand from the soil that lands on the surface of the ice.
When winter turns to spring and the remaining ice sublimates, according to the theory, the spiderlike scars from those small eruptions are what’s left behind.
These formations similar to the Red Planet’s “spiders” appeared within Martian soil simulant during experiments in JPL’s DUSTIE chamber. Carbon dioxide ice frozen within the simulant was warmed by a heater below, turning it back into gas that eventually cracked through the frozen top layer and formed a plume.NASA/JPL-Caltech Re-Creating Mars in the Lab
For Mc Keown and her co-authors, the hardest part of conducting these experiments was re-creating conditions found on the Martian polar surface: extremely low air pressure and temperatures as low as minus 301 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 185 degrees Celsius). To do that, Mc Keown used a liquid-nitrogen-cooled test chamber at JPL, the Dirty Under-vacuum Simulation Testbed for Icy Environments, or DUSTIE.
“I love DUSTIE. It’s historic,” Mc Keown said, noting that the wine barrel-size chamber was used to test a prototype of a rasping tool designed for NASA’s Mars Phoenix lander. The tool was used to break water ice, which the spacecraft scooped up and analyzed near the planet’s north pole.
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This video shows Martian soil simulant erupting in a plume during a JPL lab experiment that was designed to replicate the process believed to form Martian features called “spiders.” When a researcher who had tried for years to re-create these conditions spotted this plume, she was ecstatic. NASA/JPL-Caltech For this experiment, the researchers chilled Martian soil simulant in a container submerged within a liquid nitrogen bath. They placed it in the DUSTIE chamber, where the air pressure was reduced to be similar to that of Mars’ southern hemisphere. Carbon dioxide gas then flowed into the chamber and condensed from gas to ice over the course of three to five hours. It took many tries before Mc Keown found just the right conditions for the ice to become thick and translucent enough for the experiments to work.
Once they got ice with the right properties, they placed a heater inside the chamber below the simulant to warm it up and crack the ice. Mc Keown was ecstatic when she finally saw a plume of carbon dioxide gas erupting from within the powdery simulant.
“It was late on a Friday evening and the lab manager burst in after hearing me shrieking,” said Mc Keown, who had been working to make a plume like this for five years. “She thought there had been an accident.”
The dark plumes opened holes in the simulant as they streamed out, spewing simulant for as long as 10 minutes before all the pressurized gas was expelled.
The experiments included a surprise that wasn’t reflected in the Kieffer model: Ice formed between the grains of the simulant, then cracked it open. This alternative process might explain why spiders have a more “cracked” appearance. Whether this happens or not seems dependent on the size of soil grains and how embedded water ice is underground.
“It’s one of those details that show that nature is a little messier than the textbook image,” said Serina Diniega of JPL, a co-author of the paper.
What’s Next for Plume Testing
Now that the conditions have been found for plumes to form, the next step is to try the same experiments with simulated sunlight from above, rather than using a heater below. That could help scientists narrow down the range of conditions under which the plumes and ejection of soil might occur.
There are still many questions about the spiders that can’t be answered in a lab. Why have they formed in some places on Mars but not others? Since they appear to result from seasonal changes that are still occurring, why don’t they seem to be growing in number or size over time? It’s possible that they’re left over from long ago, when the climate was different on Mars— and could therefore provide a unique window into the planet’s past.
For the time being, lab experiments will be as close to the spiders as scientists can get. Both the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers are exploring the Red Planet far from the southern hemisphere, which is where these formations appear (and where no spacecraft has ever landed). The Phoenix mission, which landed in the northern hemisphere, lasted only a few months before succumbing to the intense polar cold and limited sunlight.
News Media Contacts
Andrew Good
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-2433
andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov
Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Sep 11, 2024 Related Terms
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