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Two NASA Employees Awarded Space and Satellite Professionals 20 under 35 of 2024
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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Students celebrate after a successful performance in the 2024 Student Launch competition at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama.NASA NASA has selected 71 teams from across the U.S. to participate in its 25th annual Student Launch Challenge, one of the agency’s Artemis Student Challenges. The competition is aimed at inspiring Artemis Generation students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for the benefit of humanity.
As part of the challenge, teams will design, build, and fly a high-powered amateur rocket and scientific payload. They also must meet documentation milestones and undergo detailed reviews throughout the school year.
The nine-month-long challenge will culminate with on-site events starting on April 30, 2025. Final launches are scheduled for May 3, at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, just minutes north of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Teams are not required to travel for their final launch, having the option to launch from a qualified site. Details are outlined in the Student Launch Handbook.
Each year, NASA updates the university payload challenge to reflect current scientific and exploration missions. For the 2025 season, the payload challenge will again take inspiration from the Artemis missions, which seek to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, and pave the way for future human exploration of Mars.
As Student Launch celebrates its 25th anniversary, the payload challenge will include reports from STEMnauts, non-living objects representing astronauts. The STEMnaut crew must relay real-time data to the student team’s mission control via radio frequency, simulating the communication that will be required when the Artemis crew achieves its lunar landing.
University and college teams are required to meet the 2025 payload requirements set by NASA, but middle and high school teams have the option to tackle the same challenge or design their own payload experiment.
Student teams will undergo detailed reviews by NASA personnel to ensure the safety and feasibility of their rocket and payload designs. The team closest to their target will win the Altitude Award, one of multiple awards presented to teams at the end of the competition. Other awards include overall winner, vehicle design, experiment design, and social media presence.
In addition to the engineering and science objectives of the challenge, students must also participate in outreach efforts such as engaging with local schools and maintaining active social media accounts. Student Launch is an all-encompassing challenge and aims to prepare the next generation for the professional world of space exploration.
The Student Launch Challenge is managed by Marshall’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM). Additional funding and support are provided by NASA’s OSTEM via the Next Gen STEM project, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, Northrup Grumman, National Space Club Huntsville, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Association of Rocketry, Relativity Space, and Bastion Technologies.
For more information about Student Launch, visit:
Student Launch Website Taylor Goodwin
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256.544.0034
taylor.goodwin@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Oct 04, 2024 EditorBeth RidgewayLocationMarshall Space Flight Center Related Terms
Marshall Space Flight Center Explore More
2 min read NASA Announces Teams to Compete in International Rover Challenge
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By NASA
2 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA MSFC HERC is the annual engineering competition – one of NASA’s longest standing challenges – held its concluding event April 19 and April 20, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.NASA NASA has selected 75 student teams to begin an engineering design challenge to build rovers that will compete next spring at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center near the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The competition is one of the agency’s Artemis Student Challenges, encouraging students to pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Recognized as NASA’s leading international student challenge, the 31st annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) aims to put competitors in the mindset of NASA’s Artemis campaign as they pitch an engineering design for a lunar terrain vehicle which simulates astronauts piloting a vehicle, exploring the lunar surface while overcoming various obstacles.
Participating teams represent 35 colleges and universities, 38 high schools, and two middle schools from 20 states, Puerto Rico, and 16 other nations from around the world. The 31st annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) is scheduled to begin on April 11, 2025. The challenge is managed by NASA’s Southeast Regional Office of STEM Engagement at NASA Marshall.
Following a 2024 competition that garnered international attention, NASA expanded the challenge to include a remote-control division, Remote-Operated Vehicular Research, and invited middle school students to participate. The 2025 HERC Handbook includes guidelines for the new remote-control division and updates for the human-powered division.
NASA’s Artemis Student Challenges reflects the goals of the Artemis campaign, which seeks to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon while establishing a long-term presence for science and exploration.
More than 1,000 students with 72 teams from around the world participated in the 2024 challenge as HERC celebrated its 30th anniversary as a NASA competition. Since its inception in 1994, more than 15,000 students have participated in HERC – with many former students now working at NASA, or within the aerospace industry.
To learn more about HERC, please visit:
HERC Website Taylor Goodwin
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256.544.0034
taylor.goodwin@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Oct 04, 2024 EditorBeth RidgewayLocationMarshall Space Flight Center Related Terms
Marshall Space Flight Center Explore More
20 min read The Marshall Star for October 2, 2024
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NASA Student Launch Challenge
Middle/high school and college-level student teams design, build, test, and launch a high-powered rocket carrying a scientific or engineering payload.
NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge
Teams of high school and college students design, develop, build, and test human-powered rovers capable of traversing challenging terrain.
NASA STEM Opportunities and Activities For Students
Marshall Space Flight Center
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By European Space Agency
Week in images: 30 September - 04 October 2024
Discover our week through the lens
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By NASA
4 Min Read Lagniappe for October 2024
Explore the October 2024 issue, highlighting an update for the historic ASTRA project at NASA Stennis, and more! Explore Lagniappe for October 2024 featuring:
NASA Stennis Set to Continue ASTRA Mission with Sidus Space NASA Stennis Completes Key Test Complex Water System Upgrade NASA Stennis Leaders Visit Capitol Hill NASA Stennis Hosts Safety and Health Day
Gator Speaks
The news in September about the historic NASA Stennis ASTRA (Autonomous Satellite Technology for Resilient Applications) payload mission brings wonderful encouragement to this ‘ol Gator!
Gator SpeaksNASA/Stennis I know great potential when I see it, and the continuation of the center’s first-ever in-space autonomous systems payload mission aboard an orbiting satellite with Sidus Space, Inc. has just that.
The historic mission highlights the can-do attitude shared by all at NASA Stennis.
The center has a storied history of pushing the boundaries for what is possible. If there is a way to get something done, the folks at NASA Stennis will discover it.
ASTRA is no different and represents a first in this particular space (pun intended!) of autonomous systems work at NASA Stennis.
This is a first step toward fulfilling part of the center’s strategic plan to design autonomous systems to help accelerate the development of intelligent aerospace systems and services for government and industry.
Such work could contribute to enhanced efficiency, improved safety, scalability to meet demands, and much more. The potential is ASTRA-nomical. See what I did there?
Potential is not developed over night, which makes ASTRA even more intriguing. The mission could run for up to four years while gathering valuable data along the way.
The ASTRA mission is an exciting leap forward for NASA Stennis to learn what is possible and perhaps open doors for a future that unlocks new frontiers.
One thing this Gator has learned to be true is the brighter the future, the more we must believe in ourselves, and I believe in the NASA Stennis Autonomous Systems Laboratory team.
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NASA Stennis Top News
NASA Stennis Set to Continue ASTRA Mission with Sidus Space
NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, announced Wednesday it will continue its historic in-space autonomous systems payload mission aboard an orbiting satellite through a follow-on agreement with Sidus Space, Inc.
Read More About the ASTRA Mission NASA Stennis Completes Key Test Complex Water System Upgrade
For almost 60 years, NASA’s Stennis Space Center has tested rocket systems and engines to help power the nation’s human space exploration dreams. Completion of a critical water system infrastructure project helps ensure the site can continue that frontline work moving forward.
Read More About the Upgrades to the Test Complex Water System Center Activities
NASA Highlights Program with Southern University Law Students
Representatives from the Office of General Counsel for NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center Office near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi speak and visit with students at Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge Sept. 4 to promote a new externship partnership beginning next spring between the agency and school. NASA Office of General Counsel Director Ron Bald and office representatives Davin Rieke, Jeff Renshaw, Cary Tolman, and Nathan Jermyn engaged in an hour-long panel discussion attended by approximately 40 students. NASA Stennis Office of STEM Engagement representative Louis Thompson also supported the event. In addition to the panel participation by the NASA legal team, the agency representatives met with students before and after the panel discussion to answer questions and share experiences from their legal careers. Participants reported that students expressed high interest in the externship program that the Office of General Counsel plans to launch in the spring 2025 semester. NASA Stennis representatives said they look forward to a strong partnership with Southern University as a minority-serving institution and HBCU (Historically Black College and University). NASA and Southern University Representatives from the Office of General Counsel for NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center Office near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi speak and visit with students at Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge Sept. 4 to promote a new externship partnership beginning next spring between the agency and school. NASA Office of General Counsel Director Ron Bald and office representatives Davin Rieke, Jeff Renshaw, Cary Tolman, and Nathan Jermyn engaged in an hour-long panel discussion attended by approximately 40 students. NASA Stennis Office of STEM Engagement representative Louis Thompson also supported the event. In addition to the panel participation by the NASA legal team, the agency representatives met with students before and after the panel discussion to answer questions and share experiences from their legal careers. Participants reported that students expressed high interest in the externship program that the Office of General Counsel plans to launch in the spring 2025 semester. NASA Stennis representatives said they look forward to a strong partnership with Southern University as a minority-serving institution and HBCU (Historically Black College and University). NASA and Southern University University of Mississippi Leadership Visit NASA Stennis
Mississippi Enterprise for Technology (MSET), a public-private partnership between Mississippi Development Authority, NASA, and Mississippi’s research institutions, hosted a visit for University of Mississippi leadership on Sept. 4 to NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The visit showcased the center’s federal assets and the role Mississippi Enterprise for Technology plays in supporting industry and driving sustained economic development of the region and state. Pictured, from left to right, are: Davis Pace, president and CEO of MSET; William Kneip, director of External Relations and assistant to the Chancellor for Executive Affairs, University of Mississippi; Amy Lewis, executive director of Federal Relations, University of Mississippi; John Bailey, director of NASA Stennis; Dr. Glenn Boyce, chancellor of the University of Mississippi; Hughes Miller, senior director of Industry Engagement, University of Mississippi; and Dr. John Higginbotham, vice chancellor of Research and Economic Development, University of Mississippi. NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis Leaders Visit Capitol Hill
NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell, left, and NASA Stennis Director John Bailey stand near the United States Capitol during a visit to Washington, D.C. on Sept. 18. It marked the first visit to Capitol Hill for the leaders from NASA’s Stennis Space Center since being named to their current roles. Following conversations with Mississippi and Louisiana congressional representatives and staffers, Bailey and Powell attended the Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal ceremony. The awards recognized the women who contributed to the U.S. space race, including the NASA mathematicians who helped land the first astronauts on the Moon under the agency’s Apollo Program. NASA Stennis, established in the 1960s, tested first and second stages of the Saturn V rocket for Apollo missions to the Moon. The south Mississippi NASA center continues supporting the NASA mission by testing engines and stages to help power the agency’s Artemis campaign to return astronauts to the Moon and beyond. NASA NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell, left, and NASA Stennis Director John Bailey, right, meet with U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell of Mississippi during a visit to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 18. The leaders from NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, spoke with congressional representatives and staffers about NASA legislation, current and future work at NASA Stennis, and the growing number of commercial aerospace companies at the NASA Stennis Federal City.NASA NASA Stennis Director John Bailey, left, and NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell, right, meet with U.S. Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi during a visit to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 18. The leaders from NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, spoke with congressional representatives and staffers about NASA legislation, current and future work at NASA Stennis, and the growing number of commercial aerospace companies at the NASA Stennis Federal City.NASA NASA Stennis Director John Bailey, right, meets with U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana during a visit to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 18. The leaders from NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, spoke with congressional representatives and staffers about NASA legislation, current and future work at NASA Stennis, and the growing number of commercial aerospace companies at the NASA Stennis Federal City.NASA NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell, center, and NASA Stennis Director John Bailey, right, meet with Dr. Timla Washington, chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, during a visit to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 18. The leaders from NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, spoke with congressional representatives and staffers about NASA legislation, current and future work at NASA Stennis, and the growing number of commercial aerospace companies at the NASA Stennis Federal City.NASA NASA Stennis Director John Bailey, near left, and NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell, near right, meet with Semaj Redd, operations and legislative assistant for U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly of Mississippi, and Reed Craddock, deputy chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly of Mississippi. The leaders from NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, spoke with congressional representatives and staffers about NASA legislation, current and future work at NASA Stennis, and the growing number of commercial aerospace companies at the NASA Stennis Federal City.NASA Contractor Leadership Team Visits NASA Stennis
Afognak Native Corporation Board of Director members and Alutiiq, LLC executives stand at the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-1/B-2) during a visit to NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Sept. 19. The board members and executives visited the site to learn about laboratory services provided by Alutiiq Essential Services at NASA Stennis since 2020. Afognak is an Alaskan Native corporation focused on serving the needs of its native Alaskan people. Alutiiq, LLC operates as a subsidiary of the corporation to provide a variety of services to federal entities. Alutiiq Essential Services operates as a subsidiary of Alutiiq, LLC. Shown at the test stand during the Sept. 19 visit are, left to right: Ian Neumann, Alutiiq executive; John Monaccio, Alutiiq Essential Services president; Autumn Sellers, Alutiiq executive; Loretta Nelson, director; Marci Orth, director; Wade Hall, director; Shane Mendel, Alutiiq Essential Services program manager at NASA Stennis; Erik Olsen, director; Alan Hines, Alutiiq Essential Services executive. NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis Hosts Space Flight Awareness Meeting
Representatives of NASA’s Space Flight Awareness Program are shown at the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-1/B-2) on Sept. 25. The Space Flight Awareness program manager and working group had its annual meeting this year at NASA’s Stennis Space Center to review plans for 2025. NASA’s Space Flight Awareness Program recognizes outstanding job performances and contributions by civil servants and contract employees and focuses on excellence in quality and safety in support of human space flight.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis Hosts NASA Day at the Audubon Zoo
Representatives from NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, inspire the Artemis Generation by conducting STEM engagement activities Sept. 14 during NASA Day at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. Nearly 2,800 visitors had the opportunity to learn about NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. NASA is going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation. Audubon Zoo/Chelsea Creel Representatives from NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, inspire the Artemis Generation by conducting STEM engagement activities Sept. 14 during NASA Day at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. Nearly 2,800 visitors had the opportunity to learn about NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. NASA is going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation. Audubon Zoo/Chelsea Creel Representatives from NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, inspire the Artemis Generation by conducting STEM engagement activities Sept. 14 during NASA Day at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. Nearly 2,800 visitors had the opportunity to learn about NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. NASA is going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation. NASA/Lacy Thompson Representatives from NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, inspire the Artemis Generation by conducting STEM engagement activities Sept. 14 during NASA Day at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. Nearly 2,800 visitors had the opportunity to learn about NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. NASA is going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation. Audubon Zoo/Chelsea Creel Representatives from NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, inspire the Artemis Generation by conducting STEM engagement activities Sept. 14 during NASA Day at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. Nearly 2,800 visitors had the opportunity to learn about NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. NASA is going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation. Audubon Zoo/Chelsea Creel Representatives from NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, inspire the Artemis Generation by conducting STEM engagement activities Sept. 14 during NASA Day at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. Nearly 2,800 visitors had the opportunity to learn about NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. NASA is going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation. Audubon Zoo/Chelsea Creel Representatives from NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, inspire the Artemis Generation by conducting STEM engagement activities Sept. 14 during NASA Day at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. Nearly 2,800 visitors had the opportunity to learn about NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. NASA is going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation. Audubon Zoo/Chelsea Creel Representatives from NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, inspire the Artemis Generation by conducting STEM engagement activities Sept. 14 during NASA Day at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. Nearly 2,800 visitors had the opportunity to learn about NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. NASA is going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation. Audubon Zoo/Chelsea Creel NASA Stennis Hosts Safety and Health Day
NASA’s Stennis Space Center hosts the annual Safety and Health Day event on Sept. 26. The yearly event, organized by the NASA Stennis Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate, is a reminder to the NASA Stennis workforce about the importance of a safe work environment. The event concluded with employees visiting various safety exhibits in the Roy S. Estess Building, which also provided an opportunity to receive health screenings.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell thanks all employees for attending the annual Safety and Health Day event in the StenniSphere Auditorium at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Sept. 26. Powell noted the NASA Stennis workforce contributed to the NASA mission while holding safety – a NASA core value – as a top priority.NASA/Danny Nowlin Former NASA astronaut Dr. Nancy Currie-Gregg shares how safety is critical to human space flight by sharing personal experiences from her time working with the Space Shuttle Program during the annual Safety and Health Day in the StenniSphere Auditorium at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Sept. 26. The yearly event is a reminder to the NASA Stennis workforce about the importance of a safe work environment.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis Safety and Mission Assurance Director Gary Benton, right, presents a token of appreciation to keynote speaker and former NASA astronaut Dr. Nancy Currie-Gregg at the annual Safety and Health Day in the StenniSphere Auditorium at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Sept. 26. The yearly event is a reminder to the NASA Stennis workforce about the importance of a safe work environment.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis employees visit booths with safety and health information in the Roy S. Estess Building during the annual Safety and Health Day at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Sept. 26. The yearly event is a reminder to the NASA Stennis workforce about the importance of a safe work environment and provided the opportunity for a health screening.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis employees visit booths with safety and health information in the Roy S. Estess Building during the annual Safety and Health Day at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Sept. 26. The yearly event is a reminder to the NASA Stennis workforce about the importance of a safe work environment and provided the opportunity for a health screening.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis employees visit booths with safety and health information in the Roy S. Estess Building during the annual Safety and Health Day at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Sept. 26. The yearly event is a reminder to the NASA Stennis workforce about the importance of a safe work environment and provided the opportunity for a health screening.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis employees visit booths with safety and health information in the Roy S. Estess Building during the annual Safety and Health Day at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Sept. 26. The yearly event is a reminder to the NASA Stennis workforce about the importance of a safe work environment and provided the opportunity for a health screening.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Connects with Artemis Generation at College and Career Fair
Employees from NASA’s Stennis Space Center participate in U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson’s Annual College and Career Fair on Oct. 2 at the Washington County Convention Center in Greenville, Mississippi. The college and career fair welcomed high schoolers, college students, and the public to the event. Participants could visit the NASA exhibit area to gain insight into NASA Stennis, America’s largest rocket propulsion test site, and the opportunities for students to undertake meaningful work. In an accompanying photo, Rep. Thompson (left to right) is shown with NASA Stennis employees Britton Fortenberry, Louis Thompson, and Dawn Davis. As NASA explores more of the Moon than ever before through the Artemis campaign, the Artemis Generation will contribute to make an impact on humanity for the benefit of all.NASA/Stennis Employees from NASA’s Stennis Space Center participate in U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson’s Annual College and Career Fair on Oct. 2 at the Washington County Convention Center in Greenville, Mississippi. The college and career fair welcomed high schoolers, college students, and the public to the event. Participants could visit the NASA exhibit area to gain insight into NASA Stennis, America’s largest rocket propulsion test site, and the opportunities for students to undertake meaningful work. In an accompanying photo, Rep. Thompson (left to right) is shown with NASA Stennis employees Britton Fortenberry, Louis Thompson, and Dawn Davis. As NASA explores more of the Moon than ever before through the Artemis campaign, the Artemis Generation will contribute to make an impact on humanity for the benefit of all.NASA/Stennis Employees from NASA’s Stennis Space Center participate in U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson’s Annual College and Career Fair on Oct. 2 at the Washington County Convention Center in Greenville, Mississippi. The college and career fair welcomed high schoolers, college students, and the public to the event. Participants could visit the NASA exhibit area to gain insight into NASA Stennis, America’s largest rocket propulsion test site, and the opportunities for students to undertake meaningful work. In an accompanying photo, Rep. Thompson (left to right) is shown with NASA Stennis employees Britton Fortenberry, Louis Thompson, and Dawn Davis. As NASA explores more of the Moon than ever before through the Artemis campaign, the Artemis Generation will contribute to make an impact on humanity for the benefit of all.NASA/Stennis Employees from NASA’s Stennis Space Center participate in U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson’s Annual College and Career Fair on Oct. 2 at the Washington County Convention Center in Greenville, Mississippi. The college and career fair welcomed high schoolers, college students, and the public to the event. Participants could visit the NASA exhibit area to gain insight into NASA Stennis, America’s largest rocket propulsion test site, and the opportunities for students to undertake meaningful work. In an accompanying photo, Rep. Thompson (left to right) is shown with NASA Stennis employees Britton Fortenberry, Louis Thompson, and Dawn Davis. As NASA explores more of the Moon than ever before through the Artemis campaign, the Artemis Generation will contribute to make an impact on humanity for the benefit of all.NASA/Stennis > Back to Top
NASA in the News
9 Phenomena NASA Astronauts Will Encounter at Moon’s South Pole – NASA Science NASA’s Europa Clipper NASA, Boeing Welcome Starliner Spacecraft to Earth, Close Mission – NASA NASA Engagement Platform Brings Experts to Classrooms, Communities – NASA NASA Shares Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Remarks – NASA NASA’s Spanish-language Podcast Returns for New Season – NASA NASA’s Artemis II Crew Uses Iceland Terrain for Lunar Training – NASA Science > Back to Top
Employee Profile: Bridget Moody
Bridget Moody has the future in mind every day she works for NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
Bridget Moody stands at NASA’s Stennis Space Center where she is the technical lead for the NASA Stennis Environmental and Health Services Office. Along with supporting the NASA mission at NASA Stennis, Moody supports commercial companies by helping them determine environmental requirements and obtain required permits.NASA/Danny Nowlin Read More About Bridget Moody > Back to Top
Looking Back: A First for Women in Space
Forty years ago this month, NASA demonstrated in real time that there is space for everybody. An image from Oct. 11, 1984, shows astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan checking the latch of an antenna in the space shuttle Challenger’s open cargo during her historic extravehicular activity (spacewalk). The 13th flight of the Space Shuttle Program, STS-41G, was the first flight to include two women, Sullivan and Sally Ride. Ride has become the first American woman to fly to space in June 1983. A little more than a year later, Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space. NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, tested space shuttle main engines for 34 years, from 1975 to 2009. The testing included hot fires of the flight engines that helped power this historic moment. To honor this time in space history, watch Space for Women on the agency’s new streaming platform – NASA+. The film features interviews with NASA employees and shows the variety of positions held by women in the agency.NASA The official portrait of Astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan from 1984. NASA/Johnson > Back to Top
Additional Resources
STEM: NASA Astro Camp Community Partners Program (fox8live.com) Catching up with Stennis Space Center’s new director – WXXV News 25 (wxxv25.com) New and Notables: John Bailey – Biz New Orleans Good Things with Rebecca Turner – SuperTalk Mississippi (interview with NASA Stennis employees Lee English Jr. and Noah English) Certifying Artemis Rocket Engines – NASA (Houston We Have a Podcast segment featuring NASA Stennis engineers Chip Ellis and Bradley Tyree) NASA Stennis Overview – Going Further video Subscription Info
Lagniappe is published monthly by the Office of Communications at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The NASA Stennis office may be contacted by at 228-688-3333 (phone); ssc-office-of-communications@mail.nasa.gov (email); or NASA OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS, Attn: LAGNIAPPE, Mail code IA00, Building 1111 Room 173, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (mail).
The Lagniappe staff includes: Managing Editor Lacy Thompson, Editor Bo Black, and photographer Danny Nowlin.
To subscribe to the monthly publication, please email the following to ssc-office-of-communications@mail.nasa.gov – name, location (city/state), email address.
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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
The American flag inside the cupola of the International Space Station (Credits: NASA).Credit: NASA NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station have the opportunity to vote in general elections through absentee ballots or early voting in coordination with the county clerk’s office where they live.
So, how is voting from space possible? Through NASA’s Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) Program.
Similar to most data transmitted between the space station and the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, votes cast in space travel through the agency’s Near Space Network, managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The network connects missions within 1.2 million miles of Earth with communications and navigation services – including the space station.
NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli (from left) give a thumbs up after voting as Texas residents from the International Space Station. The duo filled out electronic absentee ballots in March 2024 and downlinked them to Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, which relayed the votes to the county clerk’s office.Credit: NASA
Just like any other American away from home, astronauts may fill out a Federal Post Card Application to request an absentee ballot. After an astronaut fills out an electronic ballot aboard the orbiting laboratory, the document flows through NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System to a ground antenna at the agency’s White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
From New Mexico, NASA transfers the ballot to the Mission Control Center at NASA Johnson and then on to the county clerk responsible for casting the ballot. To preserve the vote’s integrity, the ballot is encrypted and accessible only by the astronaut and the clerk.
NASA’s Near Space Network enables astronauts on the International Space Station to communicate with Earth and electronically deliver ballots from space. Credit: NASA
Astronauts have voted in U.S. elections since 1997 when the Texas Legislature passed a bill that allowed NASA astronauts to cast ballots from orbit. That year, NASA astronaut David Wolf became the first American to vote from space while aboard the Mir Space Station. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins became the latest astronaut to vote in a presidential election, as she voted aboard the International Space Station in November 2020.
Astronauts forego many of the comforts afforded to those back on Earth as they embark on their journeys to space for the benefit of humanity. Though they are far from home, NASA’s networks connect them with their friends and family and give them the opportunity to participate in democracy and society while in orbit. While astronauts come from all over the United States, they make their homes in Texas so they can be near NASA Johnson’s training and mission support facilities.
For more than two decades, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory stay connected with Earth and their civilian lives back home by communicating with mission control through the Near Space Network. This development in communication ultimately can benefit humanity and lay the groundwork for other agency missions, like NASA’s Artemis campaign, and future human exploration of Mars.
Learn more about the International Space Station online:
https://www.nasa.gov/station
About the Author
Dominique V. Crespo
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Last Updated Oct 03, 2024 Related Terms
General Astronauts Goddard Space Flight Center Humans in Space International Space Station (ISS) Johnson Space Center Johnson's Mission Control Center Near Space Network Space Communications & Navigation Program Space Communications Technology Space Operations Mission Directorate Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) White Sands Test Facility Explore More
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Climate Change
Solar System
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