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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Gateway’s HALO module at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert, Arizona, on April 4, 2025, shortly after its arrival from Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy. NASA/Josh Valcarcel NASA continues to mark progress on plans to work with commercial and international partners as part of the Gateway program. The primary structure of HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) arrived at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert, Arizona, where it will undergo final outfitting and verification testing.
HALO will provide Artemis astronauts with space to live, work, and conduct scientific research. The habitation module will be equipped with essential systems including command and control, data handling, energy storage, power distribution, and thermal regulation.
Following HALO’s arrival on April 1 from Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, where it was assembled, NASA and Northrop Grumman hosted an April 24 event to acknowledge the milestone, and the module’s significance to lunar exploration. The event opened with remarks by representatives from Northrop Grumman and NASA, including NASA’s Acting Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development Lori Glaze, Gateway Program Manager Jon Olansen, and NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik. Event attendees, including Senior Advisor to the NASA Administrator Todd Ericson, elected officials, and local industry and academic leaders, viewed HALO and virtual reality demonstrations during a tour of the facilities.
Dr. Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, and Dr. Jon B. Olansen, Gateway Program manager, on stage during an April 24, 2025, event at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert, Arizona, commemorating HALO’s arrival in the United States. Northrop Grumman While the module is in Arizona, HALO engineers and technicians will install propellant lines for fluid transfer and electrical lines for power and data transfer. Radiators will be attached for the thermal control system, as well as racks to house life support hardware, power equipment, flight computers, and avionics systems. Several mechanisms will be mounted to enable docking of the Orion spacecraft, lunar landers, and visiting spacecraft.
Launching on top of HALO is the ESA (European Space Agency)-provided Lunar Link system which will enable communication between crewed and robotic systems on the Moon and to mission control on Earth. Once these systems are installed, the components will be tested as an integrated spacecraft and subjected to thermal vacuum, acoustics, vibration, and shock testing to ensure the spacecraft is ready to perform in the harsh conditions of deep space.
In tandem with HALO’s outfitting at Northrop Grumman, the Power and Propulsion Element – a powerful solar electric propulsion system – is being assembled at Maxar Space Systems in Palo Alto, California. Solar electric propulsion uses energy collected from solar panels converted to electricity to create xenon ions, then accelerates them to more than 50,000 miles per hour to create thrust that propels the spacecraft.
The element’s central cylinder, which resembles a large barrel, is being attached to the propulsion tanks, and avionics shelves are being installed. The first of three 12-kilowatt thrusters has been delivered to NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland for acceptance testing before delivery to Maxar and integration with the Power and Propulsion Element later this year.
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Last Updated Apr 25, 2025 ContactLaura RochonLocationJohnson Space Center Related Terms
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By European Space Agency
Image: Copernicus Sentinel-1 captured this radar image over French Guiana – home to Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, where ESA’s Biomass mission is being prepared for liftoff on 29 April onboard a Vega-C rocket. View the full article
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By NASA
5 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA’s AVIRIS-3 airborne imaging spectrometer was used to map a wildfire near Cas-tleberry, Alabama, on March 19. Within minutes, the image was transmitted to firefighters on the ground, who used it to contain the blaze. NASA/JPL-Caltech, NASA Earth Observatory The map visualizes three wavelengths of infrared light, which are invisible to the human eye. Orange and red areas show cooler-burning areas, while yellow indicates the most intense flames. Burned areas show up as dark red or brown.NASA/JPL-Caltech, NASA Earth Observatory Data from the AVIRIS-3 sensor was recently used to create detailed fire maps in minutes, enabling firefighters in Alabama to limit the spread of wildfires and save buildings.
A NASA sensor recently brought a new approach to battling wildfire, providing real-time data that helped firefighters in the field contain a blaze in Alabama. Called AVIRIS-3, which is short for Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer 3, the instrument detected a 120-acre fire on March 19 that had not yet been reported to officials.
As AVIRIS-3 flew aboard a King Air B200 research plane over the fire about 3 miles (5 kilometers) east of Castleberry, Alabama, a scientist on the plane analyzed the data in real time and identified where the blaze was burning most intensely. The information was then sent via satellite internet to fire officials and researchers on the ground, who distributed images showing the fire’s perimeter to firefighters’ phones in the field.
All told, the process from detection during the flyover to alert on handheld devices took a few minutes. In addition to pinpointing the location and extent of the fire, the data showed firefighters its perimeter, helping them gauge whether it was likely to spread and decide where to add personnel and equipment.
As firefighters worked to prevent a wildfire near Perdido, Alabama, from reaching nearby buildings, they saw in an infrared fire map from NASA’s AVIRIS-3 sensor that showed the fire’s hot spot was inside its perimeter. With that intelligence, they shifted some resources to fires in nearby Mount Vernon.NASA/JPL-Caltech, NASA Earth Observatory “This is very agile science,” said Robert Green, the AVIRIS program’s principal investigator and a senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, noting AVIRIS-3 mapped the burn scar left near JPL by the Eaton Fire in January.
Observing the ground from about 9,000 feet (3,000 meters) in altitude, AVIRIS-3 flew aboard several test flights over Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Texas for a NASA 2025 FireSense Airborne Campaign. Researchers flew in the second half of March to prepare for prescribed burn experiments that took place in the Geneva State Forest in Alabama on March 28 and at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia from April 14 to 20. During the March span, the AVIRIS-3 team mapped at least 13 wildfires and prescribed burns, as well as dozens of small hot spots (places where heat is especially intense) — all in real time.
At one of the Mount Vernon, Alabama, fires, firefighters used AVIRIS-3 maps to determine where to establish fire breaks beyond the northwestern end of the fire. They ultimately cut the blaze off within about 100 feet (30 meters) of four buildings.NASA/JPL-Caltech, NASA Earth Observatory Data from imaging spectrometers like AVIRIS-3 typically takes days or weeks to be processed into highly detailed, multilayer image products used for research. By simplifying the calibration algorithms, researchers were able to process data on a computer aboard the plane in a fraction of the time it otherwise would have taken. Airborne satellite internet connectivity enabled the images to be distributed almost immediately, while the plane was still in flight, rather than after it landed.
The AVIRIS team generated its first real-time products during a February campaign covering parts of Panama and Costa Rica, and they have continued to improve the process, automating the mapping steps aboard the plane.
‘Fan Favorite’
The AVIRIS-3 sensor belongs to a line of imaging spectrometers built at JPL since 1986. The instruments have been used to study a wide range of phenomena — including fire — by measuring sunlight reflecting from the planet’s surface.
During the March flights, researchers created three types of maps. One, called the Fire Quicklook, combines brightness measurements at three wavelengths of infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye, to identify the relative intensity of burning. Orange and red areas on the Fire Quicklook map show cooler-burning areas, while yellow indicates the most intense flames. Previously burned areas show up as dark red or brown.
Another map type, the Fire 2400 nm Quicklook, looks solely at infrared light at a wavelength of 2,400 nanometers. The images are particularly useful for seeing hot spots and the perimeters of fires, which show brightly against a red background.
A third type of map, called just Quicklook, shows burned areas and smoke.
The Fire 2400 nm Quicklook was the “fan favorite” among the fire crews, said Ethan Barrett, fire analyst for the Forest Protection Division of the Alabama Forestry Commission. Seeing the outline of a wildfire from above helped Alabama Forestry Commission firefighters determine where to send bulldozers to stop the spread.
Additionally, FireSense personnel analyzed the AVIRIS-3 imagery to create digitized perimeters of the fires. This provided firefighters fast, comprehensive intelligence of the situation on the ground.
That’s what happened with the Castleberry Fire. Having a clear picture of where it was burning most intensely enabled firefighters to focus on where they could make a difference — on the northeastern edge.
Then, two days after identifying Castleberry Fire hot spots, the sensor spotted a fire about 4 miles (2.5 kilometers) southwest of Perdido, Alabama. As forestry officials worked to prevent flames from reaching six nearby buildings, they noticed that the fire’s main hot spot was inside the perimeter and contained. With that intelligence, they decided to shift some resources to fires 25 miles (40 kilometers) away near Mount Vernon, Alabama.
To combat one of the Mount Vernon fires, crews used AVIRIS-3 maps to determine where to establish fire breaks beyond the northwestern end of the fire. They ultimately cut the blaze off within about 100 feet (30 meters) of four buildings.
“Fire moves a lot faster than a bulldozer, so we have to try to get around it before it overtakes us. These maps show us the hot spots,” Barrett said. “When I get out of the truck, I can say, ‘OK, here’s the perimeter.’ That puts me light-years ahead.”
AVIRIS and the Firesense Airborne Campaign are part of NASA’s work to leverage its expertise to combat wildfires using solutions including airborne technologies. The agency also recently demonstrated a prototype from its Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations project that will provide reliable airspace management for drones and other aircraft operating in the air above wildfires.
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Last Updated Apr 23, 2025 Related Terms
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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Spectrum is a shared resource. Since the discovery of radio waves and the invention of the telegraph, humanity has exponentially increased its use of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum. Consider how many wireless devices are around you right now. You’re probably reading this on a smartphone or laptop connected to the internet through Wi-Fi or 5G. You might be listening to music on Bluetooth headphones. If you are in a car or bus, the driver may be using signals from GPS satellites. To meet this increasing need, RF engineers and regulators continue to develop ways to enable users to share the same frequencies at the same time in the same place — think of modern cell phone technology. Avoiding or lessening interference between users requires regulators and users alike to maintain and enforce the ‘rules of the road’ that describe who can use which frequencies where, when, and how. NASA, like all other users, must comply with these regulations and collaborate with other users to ensure our use of the RF spectrum can continue and evolve.
Just as architects design taller buildings to accommodate more residences on the same plot of land, radio frequency engineers design methods to allow more users on the same frequency, at the same place and time.NASA Supporting and Protecting NASA’s Spectrum Users
NASA’s spectrum professionals work with users early in the project planning phase to understand the type, location, and duration of their data, and in turn determine what kind of antennas, transmitters, and receivers will be required. With that information, a spectrum manager helps to define the spectrum requirements, such as bandwidths, modulation, and other technical characteristics of the radio signals to be used. Understanding a project’s objectives helps define the appropriate service allocation and potential frequency ranges.
Once these spectrum requirements are determined, NASA’s spectrum professionals work with other relevant spectrum users within and beyond NASA to coordinate the use of the spectrum.
In the unfortunate event of harmful RF interference, working to identify, resolve, and report the interference is another critical function of NASA’s spectrum professionals. For example as Jeff Hayes — NASA’s current SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) Program liaison to the Science Mission Directorate and the former program executive for operating missions in the Heliophysics and Astrophysics Divisions — recounts, “The NICER (Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer) observatory did actually experience bouts of RF interference over certain parts of the world. As NICER uses GPS to understand where it is pointing to in the sky, interference can make the location information of the source imprecise, and that impacts the quality of the data collected. That data could potentially be attributed to the wrong star.”
When NASA identifies interference to a mission like NICER or to a device at an agency center or facility, NASA center and facility spectrum managers work to identify, resolve, and report the interference.
Identifying and reporting sources of interference helps to raise awareness of the impacts and causes of interference. When the sources of interference are international, which is especially common for space systems like NICER, SCaN’s spectrum management team works with U.S. regulators to report the incident to international regulators. These interference reports can be used to advocate for regulatory protections that help ensure the integrity of valuable science data and the safety of human spaceflight activities.
Advocating for NASA’s Current and Future Spectrum Use
NASA’s spectrum analysts and engineers perform analyses and simulations to support spectrum planning and management activities. For example, passive remote sensing instruments like the radiometer on the Soil Moisture Active Passive mission detect natural energy (radiation) emitted or reflected by an object or scene being observed. This energy is much fainter than human-generated radio signals and require highly sensitive radiometers that are susceptible to interference from more powerful signals. The spectrum management team works to ensure regulatory protections are in place and followed to ensure the integrity of NASA’s scientific missions.
Sometimes NASA’s future missions envision new ways and places to use radio waves. For example, when NASA’s Artemis campaign began taking steps to return humans to the Moon, SCaN’s spectrum professionals began working with other stakeholders to develop a RF architecture that enables the use of radio waves for science data, communications, positioning, navigation, and timing while also limiting the risk of interference with systems on or orbiting Earth. NASA’s spectrum professionals further the agency’s spectrum management goals and objectives by analyzing potential changes in international or domestic regulations and proposing technical solutions that promote collaborative spectrum use with both foreign and domestic partners.
NASA’s technical expertise is critical to ensuring domestic and international regulators are well informed as they develop new or revised regulations that effectively enable the exciting innovation and exploration central to NASA’s mission.
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Last Updated Apr 23, 2025 Related Terms
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By NASA
NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Don Pettit sets up camera hardware to photograph research activities inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module on March 15, 2025.Credit: NASA Media are invited to a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT Monday, April 28, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston where astronaut Don Pettit will share details of his recent mission aboard the International Space Station.
The news conference will stream live on NASA’s website. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms.
To participate in person, U.S. media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no later than 5 p.m. Thursday, April 24, at 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. Media wishing to participate by phone must contact the newsroom no later than two hours before the start of the event. To ask questions by phone, media must dial into the news conference no later than 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online.
Questions also may be submitted on social media during the news conference by using #AskNASA. Following the news conference, NASA will host a live question and answer session with Pettit on the agency’s Instagram. For more information, visit @NASA on social media.
Pettit returned to Earth on April 19 (April 20, Kazakhstan time), along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner. Pettit celebrated his 70th birthday on April 20. He spent 220 days in space as an Expedition 71/72 flight engineer, bringing his career total to 590 days in space during four spaceflights. Pettit and his crewmates completed 3,520 orbits of Earth over the course of their 93-million-mile journey. They also saw the arrival of six visiting spacecraft and the departure of seven.
During his time on orbit, Pettit conducted hundreds of hours of scientific investigations, including research to enhance on-orbit metal 3D printing capabilities, advance water sanitization technologies, explore plant growth under varying water conditions, and investigate fire behavior in microgravity, all contributing to future space missions.
He also spent time aboard the space station sharing his photography, often posting images to his X account. He took more than 670,000 photos during his stay.
Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
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Joshua Finch / Claire O’Shea
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov
Chelsey Ballarte
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
chelsey.n.ballarte@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Apr 23, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
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