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By NASA
“It’s 2 a.m. in the morning on a Sunday. You have your headset in your hand. You’re about to walk into Mission Control. And you understand — in the darkness, the crickets chirping, the lights shining on the building — you understand where you’re going and what you’re a part of.
“This is the building where we heard astronauts say, ‘Houston, we’ve had a problem.’ Where we heard, ‘the Eagle has landed.’ And the people on the ground supporting those historic missions were in this building — and now I get to be a part of that.
“There is just this undying sense of wonder every time I walk into this building. Not to say that there isn’t an undying sense of wonder at many of the other buildings at Johnson [Space Center]. But with this building in particular, having that ownership and that responsibility as I walk in — that will never go away. It’s wonderful.”
—Gary Jordan, Public Affairs Manager, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
Image Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz
Interviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos
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By European Space Agency
Destination Earth is now live! Launched today during a ceremony at the EuroHPC LUMI Supercomputer Centre in Kajaani, Finland, Destination Earth provides unprecedented insights into the complexity of our planet to advance climate change adaption and environmental resilience modelling.
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By NASA
Photo of Matt Dosberg
It is impossible to pinpoint a single, static definition of what makes a “Digital Transformer.” Although Matt Dosberg’s official title is Digital Transformation and IT Innovation Lead for Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), his full contributions to NASA require a lengthier description. He is the nexus for everything under the Digital Transformation (DT) umbrella at GSFC, including digital engineering, AI, data-driven programmatics, data strategy, and more. He serves as liaison to the agency-level DT team and other centers, coordinating across directorates to drive cultural change within the organization, and has sponsored multiple DT events at GSFC, including the center’s first AI Symposium. He strategizes on rolling out proof of concepts and pilots, working toward solutions that address agency-wide barriers to technology readiness and adoption. Dosberg doesn’t just do transformative work—he embodies transformation in an ever-adaptive role.
In his three and a half years at NASA, Dosberg has impacted the agency beyond quantitative measures. Of course, his formal accomplishments are extensive, including co-leadership positions for the Goddard AI strategy, Goddard Data Strategy Working Group, and SPARTA (Smart Projects and Reviews with Transformative Analytics) Project. He works with the GSFC Chief Technologist to co-fund various initiatives for weaving digital technology into next-generation, mission-enabling solutions. However, his commitment to qualitative, ground-level change, impacting the agency through its culture and people, is demonstrated by how he measures success. “You could look at community adoption and engagement,” he says, highlighting his team’s efforts in hosting events and building community around Digital Transformation. “I’m trying to enable teams and empower people to really achieve the best that they can achieve and help transform how we work here at Goddard.”
Dosberg attributes his team-building skills and service-oriented approach to his experience working at the Department of Homeland Security in US Citizenship and Immigration Services. As a program manager, he led the Digital Innovation & Development team, which worked to transform the asylum and refugee program from paper-based to fully digital processing. “I think that really set me up for success here,” says Dosberg. “That technology background and the experience of going through a successful digital transformation, and the cultural change aspect…all those things are kind of principles and success factors that I brought over to Goddard to lead the DT efforts here.”
Although Dosberg does not come from explicitly scientific background—he received an undergraduate degree in economics, master’s degree in finance, and MBA—he has always been deeply interested in and curious about technology. In his daily work, he leverages the collaborative capabilities of tools like Microsoft Teams and Mural to aid in brainstorming and soliciting input. When reflecting on the technology he uses to drive transformation within the agency, he highlights his work on SPARTA, a DT Catalyst Project that establishes interoperable architecture for managing project reviews and data. Dosberg sees data as a foundational layer to his work; by developing common tools like SPARTA for accessing, aggregating, and sharing data across the agency, he hopes to strengthen inclusive teaming at an organizational level.
Dosberg’s dedication is apparent in how thoughtfully he reflects on his past and present experiences as a Digital Transformer. However, his passion truly shines through when he considers the future of Digital Transformation. “There’s real opportunity to transform and change the way that we are working…Jill [Marlowe] and the DT team have done an incredible job on building momentum, getting folks excited, bringing centers together.”
Although it is difficult to distill the many reasons why Dosberg was selected as the first featured Digital Transformer of the Month, this may be a good place to start: “At the end of the day, I’m just super passionate about the work that NASA does,” he says. “The portfolio is truly inspiring and I’m excited to help position the center to take on new projects, be more efficient, and enable the workforce. That motivates me each day.”
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By NASA
“I had the privilege of being the very first project manager for [the] Near Space Network (NSN), and in my current role as deputy program manager for [the] Exploration and Space Communications Division, it is still in my portfolio. NSN is one of the [agency’s two] communication and navigation networks.
“When we see the volume and the variety of NASA, other agency, and commercial missions supported by the network, and the science being achieved, and the exploration being enabled — when you leave for the day, you feel accomplished that you contributed [to the] agency’s goal. You contributed toward [the] nation’s priorities, such as cislunar [exploration], and then you helped humankind by enabling the science and exploration.
“Without communication, every satellite in this space is a black box. So, just knowing that every single day we are flowing terabytes of data through relay and direct-to-earth services directly to our [missions], enabling the exploration and achieving the science — is a great sense of accomplishment.
“… Whatever role you are in, as long as you find a way to understand what mission, what goal, what objective you are contributing to, there is no bigger motivator than that.
“As a software programmer, normally you think that your job is to come in and write some code and solve some discrepancy reports and do the testing — and then you go home.
“But in the end, when you see that the program you are writing or fixing is something that controls the satellite that’s observing the sea levels and the sea temperatures or [controls] a capsule that is carrying astronauts, now you know you’re actually contributing to a bigger purpose, a bigger objective.
“I say that to my team, whenever I have an opportunity. I share with my team that they are enabling science and exploration for dozens of missions being supported by NSN. Initially it just seems like words, but once they start realizing [their contributions] are real, I can tell you those people don’t want to go anywhere. They just feel that sense of accomplishment.”
—Vir Thanvi, Deputy Program Manager, Exploration and Space Communications Projects Division, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Image Credit: NASA/Thalia Patrinos
Interviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos
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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
By Daniel Boyette
Jeremy Kenny squinted his eyes as he looked toward the brilliant light. Then came the deafening sound waves that vibrated his body. This was the moment he’d dreamed about since childhood.
It was Nov. 16, 2009, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and Kenny and his wife were watching space shuttle Atlantis embark on a mission to the International Space Station. Kenny, who was less than two years into his NASA career, had the opportunity to see the liftoff from Launch Pad 39A as part of receiving the Space Flight Awareness Award for supporting the Space Shuttle Program’s solid rocket booster flight program.
“That was the first launch I ever witnessed in person,” said Kenny, whose inspiration for working at NASA came from watching televised shuttle launches as a youth. “It was amazing and made me appreciate how such a powerful system could be designed and flown so successfully.”
Jeremy Kenny, manager of NASA’s Cryogenic Fluid Management Portfolio Project, holds a model spacecraft for the proposed large cryogenic demonstration mission. The mission aims to demonstrate liquid hydrogen management, including near-zero propellant boil off and highly efficient propellant transfer, needed to achieve long-duration transit to/from Mars and spacecraft loitering during on-surface campaigns.Credit: NASA/Danielle Burleson With the final shuttle mission two years later, NASA set its sights on designing and building its future Artemis rocket: SLS (Space Launch System). Kenny was selected to lead the SLS Modal Acoustic Test program, which helped engineers understand how loud the rocket would be during liftoff. He later joined another key Artemis effort, the Human Landing System program, as a technical manager, overseeing the development of lander systems that will transport astronauts to the Moon’s surface.
“Artemis is an inspiring campaign for future human spaceflight exploration,” Kenny said. “I worked with SLS, Orion, and Exploration Ground Systems, and it was very fulfilling to see all the pieces come together for the successful Artemis I launch.”
In January, Kenny was named manager of NASA’s Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) Portfolio project, where he oversees a cross-agency team based at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. The CFM portfolio includes innovative technologies to store, transfer, and measure ultra-cold fluids – such as liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen, and liquid methane. These cryogens are the most common propellants in space exploration, making CFM integral to NASA’s future exploration and science efforts.
“We must mature CFM technologies to support future flight mission architectures,” said Kenny. “The strong partnership between Marshall and Glenn in CFM maturation continues to produce excellent results, enabling in-space cryogenic systems vital to NASA’s Moon to Mars vision.”
Kenny’s choice of profession comes as little surprise, given his family background. He had a grandfather and an uncle who worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the family’s hometown of Vicksburg, Mississippi. From them, Kenny learned how math and physics could be implemented in real-world applications. He earned three degrees in mechanical engineering: a bachelor’s from Mississippi State University in Starkville, a master’s from Georgia Tech in Atlanta, and a doctorate from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
“My grandfather showed me various engineering software programs he worked on to simulate ground terrains for military transportation systems,” Kenny said. “My uncle worked on engineering developments for various military systems; he was a key influence for me to pursue graduate degrees in mechanical engineering.”
When Kenny’s not working to evolve technology for NASA’s future deep space exploration missions, he’s spending time with his wife and their two daughters, who are involved in choir and dance.
“Watching them practice and perform inspires me,” Kenny said with a smile. “My biggest challenge is balancing my professional work, which I love, and spending time with my family, who I love. With work comes many exciting opportunities, and solving hard problems is fun. But that excitement should not detract from keeping your personal relationships healthy. One day, I’ll retire and spend all my free time with family.”
The CFM Portfolio Project’s work is under NASA’s Technology Demonstration Missions Program, part of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, which oversees a broad portfolio of technology development and demonstration projects across NASA centers and American industry partners.
Learn more about CFM Ramon J. Osorio
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
256-544-0034
ramon.j.osorio@nasa.gov
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