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Annual Schriever Wall of Honor Event Recognizes Space and Missile Pioneers
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By NASA
Learn Home Watch How Students Help NASA… Citizen Science Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science 2 min read
Watch How Students Help NASA Grow Plants in Space: Growing Beyond Earth
Since 2015, students from across the USA have been partnering with scientists at NASA to advance research on growing plants in space, ultimately to feed astronauts on long-distance space missions, as part of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s Growing Beyond Earth project, which is now in its 9th year. This classroom-based citizen science project for 6th-12th grade students includes a series of plant experiments conducted by students in a Fairchild-designed plant habitat similar to the Vegetable Production System (VEGGIE) on the International Space Station.
This year, 8000+ students from 400+ schools are testing new edible plant varieties, studying radiation effects on growth, exploring the perfect light spectrum for super-sized space radishes, and experimenting with cosmic soil alternatives.
Watch these South Florida students show us how it’s done.
NASA citizen science projects are open to everyone around the world, not limited to U.S. citizens or residents. They are collaborations between scientists and interested members of the public. Through these collaborations, volunteers (known as citizen scientists) have helped make thousands of important scientific discoveries. More than 450 NASA citizen scientists have been named as co-authors on refereed scientific publications. Explore opportunities for you to get involved and do NASA science: https://science.nasa.gov/citizen-science/
The Growing Beyond Earth project is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number 80NSSC22MO125 and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn
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Last Updated Oct 28, 2024 Editor NASA Science Editorial Team Related Terms
Citizen Science Opportunities For Students to Get Involved Plant Biology Science Activation Vegetable Production System (VEGGIE) Explore More
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The Roman Coronagraph is integrated with the Instrument Carrier for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in a clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., in October 2024.NASA/Sydney Rohde
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team has successfully completed integration of the Roman Coronagraph Instrument onto Roman’s Instrument Carrier, a piece of infrastructure that will hold the mission’s instruments, which will be integrated onto the larger spacecraft at a later date. The Roman Coronagraph is a technology demonstration that scientists will use to take an important step in the search for habitable worlds, and eventually life beyond Earth.
This integration took place at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, where the space telescope is located and in development. This milestone follows the coronagraph’s arrival at the center earlier this year from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California where the instrument was developed, built, and tested.
In a clean room at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California in October 2023, scientist Vanessa Bailey stands behind the Roman Coronagraph, which has been undergoing testing at the lab. Designed to block starlight and allow scientists to see the faint light from planets outside our solar system, the Coronagraph is a technology demonstration that will be part of the Roman telescope.NASA/JPL-Caltech The Roman Coronagraph Instrument is a technology demonstration that will launch aboard the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, NASA’s next flagship astrophysics mission. Roman will have a field of view at least 100 times larger than the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope and explore scientific mysteries surrounding dark energy, exoplanets, and infrared astrophysics. Roman is expected to launch no later than May 2027.
The mission’s coronagraph is designed to make direct observations of exoplanets, or planets outside of our solar system, by using a complex suite of masks and active mirrors to obscure the glare of the planets’ host stars, making the planets visible. Being a technology demonstration means that the coronagraph’s goal is to test this technology in space and showcase its capabilities. The Roman Coronagraph is poised to act as a technological stepping stone, enabling future technologies on missions like NASA’s proposed Habitable Worlds Observatory, which would be the first telescope designed specifically to search for signs of life on exoplanets.
“In order to get from where we are to where we want to be, we need the Roman Coronagraph to demonstrate this technology,” said Rob Zellem, Roman Space Telescope deputy project scientist for communications at NASA Goddard. “We’ll be applying those lessons learned to the next generation of NASA flagship missions that will be explicitly designed to look for Earth-like planets.”
A team member works underneath the Instrument Carrier for Roman during the integration of the Coronagraph in a clean room at NASA Goddard in October 2024.NASA/Sydney Rohde A Major Mission Milestone
The coronagraph was successfully integrated into Roman’s Instrument Carrier, a large grid-like structure that sits between the space telescope’s primary mirror and spacecraft bus, which will deliver the telescope to orbit and enable the telescope’s functionality upon arrival in space. Assembly of the mission’s spacecraft bus was completed in September 2024.
The Instrument Carrier will hold both the coronagraph and Roman’s Wide Field Instrument, the mission’s primary science instrument, which is set to be integrated later this year along with the Roman telescope itself. “You can think of [the Instrument Carrier] as the skeleton of the observatory, what everything interfaces to,” said Brandon Creager, lead mechanical engineer for the Roman Coronagraph at JPL.
The integration process began months ago with mission teams from across NASA coming together to plan the maneuver. Additionally, after its arrival at NASA Goddard, mission teams ran tests to prepare the coronagraph to be joined to the spacecraft bus.
The Instrument Carrier for Roman is lifted during the integration of the Coronagraph in October 2024 at NASA Goddard.NASA/Sydney Rohde During the integration itself, the coronagraph, which is roughly the size and shape of a baby grand piano (measuring about 5.5 feet or 1.7 meters across), was mounted onto the Instrument Carrier using what’s called the Horizontal Integration Tool.
First, a specialized adapter developed at JPL was attached to the instrument, and then the Horizontal Integration Tool was attached to the adapter. The tool acts as a moveable counterweight, so the instrument was suspended from the tool as it was carefully moved into its final position in the Instrument Carrier. Then, the attached Horizontal Integration Tool and adapter were removed from the coronagraph. The Horizontal Integration Tool previously has been used for integrations on NASA’s Hubble and James Webb Space Telescope.
As part of the integration process, engineers also ensured blanketing layers were in place to insulate the coronagraph within its place in the Instrument Carrier. The coronagraph is designed to operate at room temperature, so insulation is critical to keep the instrument at the right temperature in the cold vacuum of space. This insulation also will provide an additional boundary to block stray light that could otherwise obscure observations.
Following this successful integration, engineers will perform different checks and tests to ensure that everything is connected properly and is correctly aligned before moving forward to integrate the Wide Field Instrument and the telescope itself. Successful alignment of the Roman Coronagraph’s optics is critical to the instrument’s success in orbit.
Team members stand together during the integration of the Roman Coronagraph in a clean room at NASA Goddard in October 2024. NASA/Sydney Rohde This latest mission milestone is the culmination of an enduring collaboration between a number of Roman partners, but especially between NASA Goddard and NASA JPL.
“It’s really rewarding to watch these teams come together and build up the Roman observatory. That’s the result of a lot of teams, long hours, hard work, sweat, and tears,” said Liz Daly, the integrated payload assembly integration and test lead for Roman at Goddard.
“Support and trust were shared across both teams … we were all just one team,” said Gasia Bedrosian, the integration and test lead for the Roman Coronagraph at JPL. Following the integration, “we celebrated our success together,” she added.
The Roman Coronagraph Instrument was designed and built at NASA JPL, which manages the instrument for NASA. Contributions were made by ESA (European Space Agency), JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), the French space agency CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales), and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany. Caltech, in Pasadena, California, manages NASA JPL for the agency. The Roman Science Support Center at Caltech/IPAC partners with NASA JPL on data management for the Coronagraph and generating the instrument’s commands.
Virtually tour an interactive version of the telescope The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is managed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, with participation by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech/IPAC in Southern California, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, and a science team comprising scientists from various research institutions. The primary industrial partners are BAE Systems Inc. in Boulder, Colorado; L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York; and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging in Thousand Oaks, California.
By Chelsea Gohd
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, Pasadena, Calif.
Media Contact:
Claire Andreoli
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-1940
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Last Updated Oct 28, 2024 EditorJeanette KazmierczakContactClaire AndreoliLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Goddard Space Flight Center Jet Propulsion Laboratory View the full article
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By Space Force
Six pioneers in American space and missile development were honored in a ceremony hosted by Space Systems Command recognizing achievements in astronautics that resonate in today’s contested space environment.
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By NASA
The next CSUG event will take place November 6 – 7 at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Throughout the CSUG, representatives from NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program and CSP’s industry partners will share updates on commercial SATCOM capability developments and the commercial service demonstrations taking place under CSP.
NASA attendees must be badged and have physical access to Goddard Space Flight Center to attend in-person. There will be limited in-person seating, so RSVPs are required. Meeting invitations and an agenda will be provided to CSP’s active CSUG roster as details are finalized.
Please contact mission support lead engineer Aaron Smith, aaron.smith@nasa.gov, or CSUG team member Michele Vlach, michele.m.vlach@nasa.gov , for inquires and requests to be added to the CSUG distribution list.
Funded Space Act Agreement Partners
In 2022, CSP awarded six funded Space Act Agreements to members of industry to develop and demonstrate space-based relay services that can meet NASA mission needs.
Inmarsat Government Inc.
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Inmarsat Government will demonstrate a variety of space-based applications enabled by their established ELERA worldwide L-band network and ELERA satellites.
Kuiper Government Solutions LLC
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Kuiper will deploy over 3,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit that link to small customer terminals on one end and a global network of hundreds of ground gateways on the other.
SES Government Solutions
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SES will develop a real-time, high-availability connectivity solution enabled by their established geostationary and medium-Earth orbit satellite constellations.
Space Exploration Technologies
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SpaceX plans to connect their established Starlink constellation and extensive ground system to user spacecraft through optical intersatellite links for customers in low-Earth orbit.
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Telesat plans to leverage their Telesat Lightspeed network with optical intersatellite link technology to provide seamless end-to-end connectivity for low-Earth orbit missions.
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Viasat’s Real-Time Space Relay service, enabled by the anticipated ViaSat-3 network, is designed to offer a persistent on-demand capability for low-Earth orbit operators.
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CSP is also formulating non-reimbursable Space Act Agreements with members of industry to grow the domestic SATCOM market, potentially expanding future space-relay offerings for NASA missions.
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Kepler Communications US Inc. plans to deliver data at lightspeed with a Space Development Agency-compatible optical data relay network, connecting space and Earth communications with low latency, high throughput, and enhanced security. The Kepler Network plans to provide complete coverage of all low-Earth orbit above 400 km altitude.
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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:06:03 From 14 to 18 October 2024, the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) returned for its 75th edition, and ESA took on a front-centre role, from presenting Europe’s future space ambitions and showcasing major steps towards them, to addressing global challenges alongside other world space leaders. Held at the Milano Congress Centre (MiCo), the largest conference venue in Europe, the event brought together more than 11 000 experts from industry, research institutions, and space agencies worldwide. The first four days featured a comprehensive programme of events and presentations for professionals and stakeholders, while the final day was open to the public.
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