Members Can Post Anonymously On This Site
-
Similar Topics
-
By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
A Boeing 777-300ER aircraft is being inspected by one of Near Earth Autonomy’s drones Feb. 2, 2024, at an Emirates Airlines facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.Near Earth Autonomy A small business called Near Earth Autonomy developed a time-saving solution using drones for pre-flight checks of commercial airliners through a NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and a partnership with The Boeing Company.
Before commercial airliners are deemed safe to fly before each trip, a pre-flight inspection must be completed. This process can take up to four hours, and can involve workers climbing around the plane to check for any issues, which can sometimes result in safety mishaps as well as diagnosis errors.
With NASA and Boeing funding to bolster commercial readiness, Near Earth Autonomy developed a drone-enabled solution, under their business unit Proxim, that can fly around a commercial airliner and gather inspection data in less than 30 minutes. The drone can autonomously fly around an aircraft to complete the inspection by following a computer-programmed task card based on the Federal Aviation Administration’s rules for commercial aircraft inspection. The card shows the flight path the drone’s software needs to take, enabling aircraft workers with a new tool to increase safety and efficiency.
“NASA has worked with Near Earth Autonomy on autonomous inspection challenges in multiple domains,” says Danette Allen, NASA senior leader for autonomous systems.
“We are excited to see this technology spin out to industry to increase efficiencies, safety, and accuracy of the aircraft inspection process for overall public benefit.”
The photos collected from the drone are shared and analyzed remotely, which allows experts in the airline maintenance field to support repair decisions faster from any location. New images can be compared to old images to look for cracks, popped rivets, leaks, and other common issues.
The user can ask the system to create alerts if an area needs to be inspected again or fails an inspection. Near Earth Autonomy estimates that using drones for aircraft inspection can save the airline industry an average of $10,000 per hour of lost earnings during unplanned time on the ground.
Over the last six years, Near Earth Autonomy completed several rounds of test flights with their drone system on Boeing aircraft used by American Airlines and Emirates Airlines.
NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer program, managed by the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, aims to bolster American ingenuity by supporting innovative ideas put forth by small businesses to fulfill NASA and industry needs. These research needs are described in annual SBIR solicitations and target technologies that have significant potential for successful commercialization.
Small business concerns with 500 or fewer employees, or small businesses partnering with a non-profit research institution such as a university or a research laboratory can apply to participate in the NASA SBIR/STTR program.
Share
Details
Last Updated Jan 03, 2025 EditorDede DiniusContactTeresa Whitingteresa.whiting@nasa.govLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related Terms
Armstrong Flight Research Center Advanced Air Mobility Ames Research Center Drones & You Flight Innovation Glenn Research Center Langley Research Center SBIR STTR Explore More
3 min read How a NASA Senior Database Administrator Manifested her Dream Job
Article 2 weeks ago 16 min read NASA Ames Astrogram – December 2024
Article 2 weeks ago 5 min read NASA’s Ames Research Center Celebrates 85 Years of Innovation
Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
Armstrong Flight Research Center
Aeronautics
Drones & You
Sky for All
View the full article
-
By NASA
Credit: NASA NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EST, Tuesday, Jan. 7, to provide an update on the status of the agency’s Mars Sample Return Program.
The briefing will include NASA’s efforts to complete its goals of returning scientifically selected samples from Mars to Earth while lowering cost, risk, and mission complexity.
Audio of the media call will stream live on the agency’s website.
Media interested in participating by phone must RSVP no later than two hours prior to the start of the call to: dewayne.a.washington@nasa.gov. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is online.
The agency’s Mars Sample Return Program has been a major long-term goal of international planetary exploration for more than two decades. NASA’s Perseverance rover is collecting compelling science samples that will help scientists understand the geological history of Mars, the evolution of its climate, and prepare for future human explorers. The return of the samples also will help NASA’s search for signs of ancient life.
For more information about NASA’s Mars exploration, visit:
https://nasa.gov/mars
-end-
Meira Bernstein / Dewayne Washington
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
meira.b.bernstein@nasa.gov / dewayne.a.washington@nasa.gov
Share
Details
Last Updated Jan 03, 2025 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Mars Sample Return (MSR) Science Mission Directorate View the full article
-
By NASA
This letter from SARA is to issue a waiver for NASA grantees attending the 2025 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC), allowing them to be reimbursed out of their grants for their actual lodging, although it’s expected to be above the approved GSA amount. This waiver does not supersede the travel policy of your institution if it is more restrictive. Note: I have specified grants (including cooperative agreements). This may also apply to those traveling on NASA contracts, but they should communicate with their contracting officers.
The host hotel for the 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference on March 10–14, 2025, is The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. Hotel information for this conference may be found at https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2025/plan/.
The GSA-allowed daily lodging expense for March 2025 for zip code 77380 (for The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center) is $128 per night. Many of the hotels may be significantly higher than the GSA allowed $128. Grantee travelers may need a waiver to cover lodging in excess of the GSA value, depending on the travel policy of your organization. This waiver does not supersede the travel policy of your institution if it is more restrictive.
By the power vested in me by the NSSC to issue approval of the actual lodging costs for a conference in “bulk” instead of individual approvals, I hereby affirm that for the 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference NASA, SMD grants may be charged up to $266/night plus taxes and fees, consistent with the average actual cost of the conference hotel, even though this exceeds the $128 allotted for lodging by GSA for The Woodlands for March 2025.
Share
Details
Last Updated Jan 03, 2025 Editor NASA Science Editorial Team Related Terms
For Researchers Grants & Opportunities Lunar Science Planetary Science Science Mission Directorate Explore More
5 min read NASA’s LEXI Will Provide X-Ray Vision of Earth’s Magnetosphere
Article
3 hours ago
2 min read NASA Workshops Culturally Inclusive Planetary Engagement with Educators
Article
23 hours ago
3 min read Astronomy Activation Ambassadors: A New Era
Article
3 days ago
Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
James Webb Space Telescope
Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the…
Perseverance Rover
This rover and its aerial sidekick were assigned to study the geology of Mars and seek signs of ancient microbial…
Parker Solar Probe
On a mission to “touch the Sun,” NASA’s Parker Solar Probe became the first spacecraft to fly through the corona…
Juno
NASA’s Juno spacecraft entered orbit around Jupiter in 2016, the first explorer to peer below the planet’s dense clouds to…
View the full article
-
By NASA
5 min read
NASA’s LEXI Will Provide X-Ray Vision of Earth’s Magnetosphere
A NASA X-ray imager is heading to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, where it will capture the first global images of the magnetic field that shields Earth from solar radiation.
The Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager, or LEXI, instrument is one of 10 payloads aboard the next lunar delivery through NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative, set to launch from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than mid-January, with Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Lander. The instrument will support NASA’s goal to understand how our home planet responds to space weather, the conditions in space driven by the Sun.
NASA’s next mission to the Moon will carry an instrument called LEXI (the Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager), which will provide the first-ever global view of the magnetic environment that shields Earth from solar radiation. This video can be freely shared and downloaded at https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14739.
Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Once the dust clears from its lunar landing, LEXI will power on, warm up, and direct its focus back toward Earth. For six days, it will collect images of the X-rays emanating from the edges of our planet’s vast magnetosphere. This comprehensive view could illustrate how this protective boundary responds to space weather and other cosmic forces, as well as how it can open to allow streams of charged solar particles in, creating aurora and potentially damaging infrastructure.
“We’re trying to get this big picture of Earth’s space environment,” said Brian Walsh, a space physicist at Boston University and LEXI’s principal investigator. “A lot of physics can be esoteric or difficult to follow without years of specific training, but this will be science that you can see.”
What LEXI will see is the low-energy X-rays that form when a stream of particles from the Sun, called the solar wind, slams into Earth’s magnetic field. This happens at the edge of the magnetosphere, called the magnetopause. Researchers have recently been able to detect these X-rays in a patchwork of observations from other satellites and instruments. From the vantage point of the Moon, however, the whole magnetopause will be in LEXI’s field of view.
In this visualization, the LEXI instrument is shown onboard Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, which will deliver 10 Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) payloads to the Moon. Firefly Aerospace The team back on Earth will be working around the clock to track how the magnetosphere expands, contracts, and changes shape in response to the strength of the solar wind.
“We expect to see the magnetosphere breathing out and breathing in, for the first time,” said Hyunju Connor, an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the NASA lead for LEXI. “When the solar wind is very strong, the magnetosphere will shrink and push backward toward Earth, and then expand when the solar wind weakens.”
The LEXI instrument will also be poised to capture magnetic reconnection, which is when the magnetosphere’s field lines merge with those in the solar wind and release energetic particles that rain down on Earth’s poles. This could help researchers answer lingering questions about these events, including whether they happen at multiple sites simultaneously, whether they occur steadily or in bursts, and more.
These solar particles streaming into Earth’s atmosphere can cause brilliant auroras, but they can also damage satellites orbiting the planet or interfere with power grids on the ground.
“We want to understand how nature behaves,” Connor said, “and by understanding this we can help protect our infrastructure in space.”
The LEXI team packs the instrument at Boston University. Michael Spencer/Boston University The CLPS delivery won’t be LEXI’s first trip to space. A team at Goddard, including Walsh, built the instrument (then called STORM) to test technology to detect low-energy X-rays over a wide field of view. In 2012, STORM launched into space on a sounding rocket, collected X-ray images, and then fell back to Earth.
It ended up in a display case at Goddard, where it sat for a decade. When NASA put out a call for CLPS projects that could be done quickly and with a limited budget, Walsh thought of the instrument and the potential for what it could see from the lunar surface.
“We’d break the glass — not literally — but remove it, restore it, and refurbish it, and that would allow us to look back and get this global picture that we’ve never had before,” he said. Some old optics and other components were replaced, but the instrument was overall in good shape and is now ready to fly again. “There’s a lot of really rich science we can get from this.”
Under the CLPS model, NASA is investing in commercial delivery services to the Moon to enable industry growth and support long-term lunar exploration. As a primary customer for CLPS deliveries, NASA aims to be one of many customers on future flights. NASA Goddard is a lead science collaborator on LEXI. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the development of seven of the 10 CLPS payloads carried on Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander, including LEXI.
Learn more about CLPS and Artemis at:
https://www.nasa.gov/clps
By Kate Ramsayer
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Share
Details
Last Updated Jan 03, 2025 Editor Abbey Interrante Related Terms
Artemis Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Earth’s Magnetic Field Earth’s Moon Goddard Space Flight Center Heliophysics Heliophysics Division Magnetosphere Science & Research The Sun Explore More
2 min read NASA Workshops Culturally Inclusive Planetary Engagement with Educators
Article
20 hours ago
3 min read Astronomy Activation Ambassadors: A New Era
Article
3 days ago
5 min read NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Makes History With Closest Pass to Sun
Article
7 days ago
Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics
Missions
Humans in Space
Climate Change
Solar System
View the full article
-
By NASA
4 Min Read Lagniappe for January 2025
Explore the January 2025 issue, highlighting the year in review at NASA Stennis, and how to become a NASA test conductor at the official visitor center and more! Explore Lagniappe for January 2025 featuring:
NASA Stennis Celebrates Key Testing, Operations Milestones in 2024 NASA Exhibit Puts Visitors in Test Conductor Seat NASA Stennis Hosts Mississippi Kween Gator Speaks
Gator SpeaksNASA/Stennis This time of year is one Gator enjoys. The ending of one year and beginning of another provides the opportunity to reflect, reset, and refocus.
This is true at NASA Stennis, a place that powers space dreams, or for someone who enjoys staying up to date with all the happenings around NASA Stennis – you!
In 2024, Gator witnessed the legacy of excellence continue at the south Mississippi NASA center. There were milestones reached with RS-25 engine testing and preparations for testing NASA’s new exploration upper stage for future Artemis missions, the center continued to fuel the space market with its support of commercial companies at the E Test Complex, and it was announced the historic in-space payload mission for the NASA Stennis Autonomous Systems Laboratory team would continue.
Another bright spot at NASA Stennis is range operations. The partnership between NASA Stennis and Skydweller Aero represents the first big step in this area. In 2024, NASA Stennis entered into an agreement with Skydweller Aero for the company to operate its solar-powered autonomous aircraft in the site’s restricted airspace.
It marks the first agreement between NASA Stennis and a commercial company to use the center’s unique capabilities to support testing and operation of uncrewed systems.
The future is indeed bright. The new year is like the NASA Stennis buffer zone. The 125,000-plus acre buffer zone enables many opportunities for site achievement and advancement, much like a new year does.
We all can make 2025 the best year to date by building on what we have accomplished and setting bold, new goals.
Here is to 2025 – a year of focus, ambition, and collaboration. Together, we can turn our goals into achievements and make this year one of our best yet.
Happy New Year!
> Back to Top
NASA Stennis Top News
NASA Stennis Celebrates Key Testing, Operations Milestones in 2024
NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, celebrated propulsion testing and site operations milestones in 2024, all while inspiring the Artemis Generation and welcoming new leadership that will help NASA Stennis innovate and grow into the future.
Read more about key milestones from 2024 NASA Exhibit Puts Visitors in Test Conductor Seat
NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, is helping the Artemis Generation learn how to power space dreams with an interactive exhibit at INFINITY Science Center.
Read more about the engine test simulator exhibit > Back to Top
Center Activities
NASA Stennis Hosts Mississippi Kween
Cookbook author and culinary content creator Caroline Davis, popularly known as Mississippi Kween, and her family enjoy touring facilities and learning about NASA Stennis and its frontline work during a site visit Dec. 18. Davis, husband Joe, and children Zeke and Zoey, met with NASA Stennis leadership before touring the L3Harris (formerly Aerojet Rocketdyne) Engine Assembly Facility, Thad Cochran Test Stand, Autonomous Systems Laboratory, and the NASA Stennis rocket engine garden. The tour highlighted the NASA Stennis story and how the south Mississippi NASA center has the ingredients for a recipe that accelerates the exploration and commercialization of space, innovates to benefit NASA and industry, and leverages assets to stimulate the economy.NASA/Danny Nowlin Cookbook author and culinary content creator Caroline Davis, popularly known as Mississippi Kween, and her family enjoy touring facilities and learning about NASA Stennis and its frontline work during a site visit Dec. 18. Davis, husband Joe, and children Zeke and Zoey, met with NASA Stennis leadership before touring the L3Harris (formerly Aerojet Rocketdyne) Engine Assembly Facility, Thad Cochran Test Stand, Autonomous Systems Laboratory, and the NASA Stennis rocket engine garden. The tour highlighted the NASA Stennis story and how the south Mississippi NASA center has the ingredients for a recipe that accelerates the exploration and commercialization of space, innovates to benefit NASA and industry, and leverages assets to stimulate the economy.NASA/Danny Nowlin Cookbook author and culinary content creator Caroline Davis, popularly known as Mississippi Kween, and her family enjoy touring facilities and learning about NASA Stennis and its frontline work during a site visit Dec. 18. Davis, husband Joe, and children Zeke and Zoey, met with NASA Stennis leadership before touring the L3Harris (formerly Aerojet Rocketdyne) Engine Assembly Facility, Thad Cochran Test Stand, Autonomous Systems Laboratory, and the NASA Stennis rocket engine garden. The tour highlighted the NASA Stennis story and how the south Mississippi NASA center has the ingredients for a recipe that accelerates the exploration and commercialization of space, innovates to benefit NASA and industry, and leverages assets to stimulate the economy.NASA/Danny Nowlin Cookbook author and culinary content creator Caroline Davis, popularly known as Mississippi Kween, and her family enjoy touring facilities and learning about NASA Stennis and its frontline work during a site visit Dec. 18. Davis, husband Joe, and children Zeke and Zoey, met with NASA Stennis leadership before touring the L3Harris (formerly Aerojet Rocketdyne) Engine Assembly Facility, Thad Cochran Test Stand, Autonomous Systems Laboratory, and the NASA Stennis rocket engine garden. The tour highlighted the NASA Stennis story and how the south Mississippi NASA center has the ingredients for a recipe that accelerates the exploration and commercialization of space, innovates to benefit NASA and industry, and leverages assets to stimulate the economy.NASA/Danny Nowlin Cookbook author and culinary content creator Caroline Davis, popularly known as Mississippi Kween, and her family enjoy touring facilities and learning about NASA Stennis and its frontline work during a site visit Dec. 18. Davis, husband Joe, and children Zeke and Zoey, met with NASA Stennis leadership before touring the L3Harris (formerly Aerojet Rocketdyne) Engine Assembly Facility, Thad Cochran Test Stand, Autonomous Systems Laboratory, and the NASA Stennis rocket engine garden. The tour highlighted the NASA Stennis story and how the south Mississippi NASA center has the ingredients for a recipe that accelerates the exploration and commercialization of space, innovates to benefit NASA and industry, and leverages assets to stimulate the economy.NASA/Danny Nowlin SLS Rocket on Display at Governor’s Mansion
A model of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket is part of the holiday display in the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion in Jackson, the official residence of state Gov. Tate Reeves. The model symbolizes the longtime relationship and shared history between the state of Mississippi and NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, the nation’s largest rocket propulsion test site. Built in the 1960s, NASA Stennis tested Apollo rocket stages that carried humans to the Moon and every main engine that helped launch 135 space shuttle missions. It now is testing engines and systems for NASA’s Artemis missions and operates as a powerful aerospace and technology hub for the region and state. “We are grateful for our ongoing relationship with the state of Mississippi,” NASA Stennis Director John Bailey said. “We appreciate every opportunity to highlight the role NASA Stennis and the state play in helping to power the nation’s human space exploration program. We look forward to 2025 and continuing our work to test engines and systems that will help launch Artemis missions back to the Moon and beyond.” NASA Stennis/Troy Frisbie NASA Stennis Director Hosts Java with John
NASA Stennis Director John Bailey hosts a Java with John session on Dec. 10 with employees representing the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of STEM Engagement, Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer, and the center’s Autonomous Systems Laboratory team. Java with John is an employee-led discussion in a casual environment aimed at fostering a culture in which employees are welcome to share what matters most to them at work. NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Assistant Administrator for Procurement Visits NASA Stennis
The NASA assistant administrator for procurement stands with leaders of NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center during a visit to the south Mississippi site Dec. 11 to deliver an agency update, highlighting key initiatives and priorities across NASA’s procurement activities. The visit focused on fostering open communications and collaboration, and included an opportunity for Jackson to engage with procurement staff, provide updates, and respond to questions. The assistant administrator met with NASA leadership to align on strategic goals, discuss procurement-related challenges and opportunities, and reinforce support for the NASA Stennis mission. The visit highlighted NASA’s continued commitment to innovation, efficiency, and mission success through effective procurement strategies. Pictured (left to right) are James Bailey, NASA Shared Services Center/NASA Stennis deputy procurement officer; NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell; NASA Stennis Director John Bailey; Karla Smith, NASA assistant administrator for procurement; Eli Ouder, NASA Shared Services Center/NASA Stennis procurement officer; and Jamiel Charlton, NASA executive officer. Photo Credit: NASA/Danny Nowlin > Back to Top
NASA in the News
Artemis II Core Stage Vertical Integration Begins at NASA Kennedy – NASA New Commercial Artemis Moon Rovers Undergo Testing at NASA – NASA NASA Accelerates Space Exploration, Earth Science for All in 2024 – NASA Space Meets Sound: NASA Lands in 2024 Spotify Wrapped – NASA Artemis Accords Reach 50 Signatories as NASA Welcomes Panama, Austria – NASA > Back to Top
Employee Profile: Heather Seagren
Heather Seagren grew up near NASA’s Stennis Space Center and visited for field trips as a child. Now, as a financial management specialist, Seagren coordinates work trips for NASA employees at the south Mississippi NASA center. NASA/Danny Nowlin A leap of faith for Heather Seagren eight years ago brought the Gulf Coast native to something new, yet also returned her to a familiar place at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
Read More About Heather Seagren > Back to Top
Additional Resources
Good Things with Rebecca Turner – SuperTalk Mississippi (interview with NASA Stennis Director John Bailey) 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.
Explore More
4 min read Lagniappe for October 2024
Article 3 months ago 6 min read Lagniappe for November 2024
Article 2 months ago 4 min read Lagniappe for December 2024
Article 1 month ago View the full article
-
-
Check out these Videos
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.