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By NASA
4 min read
Astronaut Set to Patch NASA’s X-ray Telescope Aboard Space Station
NASA astronaut Nick Hague will install patches to the agency’s NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) X-ray telescope on the International Space Station as part of a spacewalk scheduled for Jan. 16. Hague, along with astronaut Suni Williams, will also complete other tasks during the outing.
NICER will be the first NASA observatory repaired on-orbit since the last servicing mission for the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009.
Hague and other astronauts, including Don Pettit, who is also currently on the space station, rehearsed the NICER patch procedures in the NBL (Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory), a 6.2-million-gallon indoor pool at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, in 2024.
NASA astronaut Nick Hague holds a patch for NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) at the end of a T-handle tool during a training exercise on May 16, 2024, in the NBL (Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA/NBL Dive Team Astronaut Nick Hague removes a patch from the caddy using a T-handle tool during a training exercise in the NBL at NASA Johnson on May 16, 2024. The booklet on his wrist has a schematic of the NICER telescope and where the patches will go.NASA/NBL Dive Team “We use the NBL to mimic, as much as possible, the conditions astronauts will experience while preforming a task during a spacewalk,” said Lucas Widner, a flight controller at KBR and NASA Johnson who ran the NICER NBL sessions. “Most projects outside the station focus on maintenance and upgrades to components like solar panels. It’s been exciting for all of us to be part of getting a science mission back to normal operations.”
From its perch near the space station’s starboard solar array, NICER studies the X-ray sky, including erupting galaxies, black holes, superdense stellar remnants called neutron stars, and even comets in our solar system.
But in May 2023, NICER developed a “light leak.” Sunlight began entering the telescope through several small, damaged areas in the telescope’s thin thermal shields. During the station’s daytime, the light reaches the X-ray detectors, saturating sensors and interfering with NICER’s measurements of cosmic objects. The mission team altered their daytime observing strategy to mitigate the effect.
UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi captured this view of NICER from a window in the space station’s Poisk Mini-Research Module 2 in July 2023. Photos like this one helped the NICER team map the damage to the telescope’s thermal shields.NASA/Sultan Alneyadi Some of NICER’s damaged thermal shields (circled) are visible in this photograph.NASA/Sultan Alneyadi The team also developed a plan to cover the largest areas of damage using wedge-shaped patches. Hague will slide the patches into the telescope’s sunshades and lock them into place.
“We designed the patches so they could be installed either robotically or by an astronaut,” said Steve Kenyon, NICER’s mechanical engineering lead at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “They’re installed using a tool called a T-handle that the astronauts are already familiar with.”
The NBL contains life-size mockups of sections of the space station. Under the supervision of a swarm of scuba divers, a pair of astronauts rehearse exiting and returning through an airlock, traversing the outside of the station, and completing tasks.
For the NICER repair, the NBL team created a full-scale model of NICER and its surroundings near the starboard solar array. Hague, Pettit, and other astronauts practiced taking the patches out of their caddy, inserting them into the sunshades, locking them into place, and verifying they were secure.
The task took just under an hour each time, which included the time astronauts needed to travel to NICER, set up their tools, survey the telescope for previously undetected damage, complete the repair, and clean up their tools.
Practice runs also provided opportunities for the astronauts to troubleshoot how to position themselves so they could reach NICER without touching it too often and for flight controllers to identify safety concerns around the repair.
Astronaut Don Pettit simulates taking pictures of the NICER telescope mockup during a training exercise in the NBL at NASA Johnson on May 16, 2024.NASA/NBL Dive Team Astronaut Don Pettit removes a patch from the caddy during a training exercise in the NBL at NASA Johnson on May 16, 2024.NASA/NBL Dive Team Being fully submerged in a pool is not the same as being in space, of course, so some issues that arose were “pool-isms.” For example, astronauts sometimes drifted upward while preparing to install the patches in a way unlikely to happen in space.
Members of the NICER team, including Kenyon and the mission’s principal investigator, Keith Gendreau at NASA Goddard, supported the NBL practice runs. They helped answer questions about the physical aspects of the telescope, as well as science questions from the astronauts and flight controllers. NICER is the leading source of science results on the space station.
“It was awesome to watch the training sessions and be able to debrief with the astronauts afterward,” Gendreau said. “There isn’t usually a lot of crossover between astrophysics science missions and human spaceflight. NICER will be the first X-ray telescope serviced by astronauts. It’s been an exciting experience, and we’re all looking forward to the spacewalk where it will all come together.”
The NICER telescope is an Astrophysics Mission of Opportunity within NASA’s Explorers Program, which provides frequent flight opportunities for world-class scientific investigations from space utilizing innovative, streamlined, and efficient management approaches within the heliophysics and astrophysics science areas. NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate supported the SEXTANT component of the mission, demonstrating pulsar-based spacecraft navigation.
Download high-resolution images and videos of NICER at NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio. By Jeanette Kazmierczak
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Media Contact:
Claire Andreoli
301-286-1940
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
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Last Updated Jan 08, 2025 Related Terms
Astrophysics Black Holes Goddard Space Flight Center International Space Station (ISS) ISS Research Johnson Space Center Neutron Stars NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) Pulsars The Universe View the full article
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By NASA
City lights streak across Earth and an aurora is visible on the horizon as the International Space Station passes over Lake Michigan.NASA For more than 24 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth for the benefit of humanity. The space station is a springboard to NASA’s next great leaps in exploration, including future missions to the Moon under Artemis, and ultimately, human exploration of Mars.
Read more about the groundbreaking work conducted in 2024 aboard the station:
Robot performs remote simulated surgery
On long-duration missions, crew members may need surgical procedures, whether simple stitches or an emergency appendectomy. A small robot successfully performed simulated surgical procedures on the space station in early February 2024 for the Robotic Surgery Tech Demo, using two “hands” to grasp and cut rubber bands simulating tissue. Researchers compare the procedures conducted aboard the station and on Earth to evaluate the effects of microgravity and communication delays between space and ground.
NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara holds the Robotic Surgery Tech Demo hardware on the International Space Station.NASA 3D metal print in space
On May 30,2024, the ESA (European Space Agency) Metal 3D Printer investigation created a small stainless steel s-curve, the first metal 3D print in space. Crew members on future missions could print metal parts for equipment maintenance, eliminating the need to pack spare parts and tools at launch. This technology also has the potential to improve additive manufacturing on Earth.
NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps prints samples for Metal 3D Printer on the International Space Station.NASA Here’s looking at you, Earth
The space station orbits roughly 250 miles above and passes over 90 percent of Earth’s population, providing a unique perspective for photographing the planet. Astronauts have taken more than 5.3 million images of Earth to monitor the planet’s changing landscape. The Expedition 71 crew took over 630,000 images, well above the average of roughly 105,000 for a single mission. This year, images included the April solar eclipse and auroras produced as the Sun’s 11-year activity cycle peaks. Others supported response to over 14 disaster events including hurricanes. In addition, 80,000 images were geolocated using machine learning, improving public search capabilities.
This astronaut photo from the International Space Station shows Hurricane Milton, a category 4 storm in the Gulf of Mexico, nearing the coast of Florida in October.NASA Miles of flawless fibers
From mid-February to mid-March of 2024, the Flawless Space Fibers-1 system produced more than seven miles of optical fiber in space. One draw of more than a half mile of fiber surpassed the prior record of 82 feet for the longest fiber manufactured in space, demonstrating that commercial lengths of fiber can be produced in orbit. Fibers produced in microgravity can be superior to those produced in Earth’s gravity. These fibers are made from ZBLAN, a glass alloy with the potential to provide more than 10 times the transmission capacity of traditional silica-based fibers.
NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara conducting Flawless Space Fibers operations in the Microgravity Science Glovebox inside the International Space Station.NASA Tell-tale heart
In May 2024, BFF-Cardiac successfully bioprinted a three-dimensional human heart tissue sample using the Redwire BioFabrication Facility. Tissues bioprinted in the microgravity of the space station hold their shape without the use of artificial scaffolds. These bioprinted human heart tissues eventually could be used to create personalized patches for tissue damaged by events such as heart attacks. The tissue sample is undergoing further testing on Earth.
At left, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick works on the BFF-Cardiac investigation aboard the International Space Station. At right, cardiac tissue is 3D bioprinted for the investigation.NASA Station-tested radiation technology flown on Artemis I
The Orion spacecraft carried 5,600 passive and 34 active radiation detectors on its Artemis I uncrewed mission around the Moon in November 2022. Some of these devices previously were tested on the space station: HERA (Hybrid Electronic Radiation Assessor), which detects radiation events such as solar flares; the ESA (European Space Agency) Active Dosimeters, a wearable device collecting real-time data on individual radiation doses; and the AstroRad Vest, a garment to protect radiation-sensitive organs and tissues. In 2024, researchers released evaluation of data collected in 2022 by these tools that indicate the Orion spacecraft can protect astronauts on lunar missions from potentially hazardous radiation. The orbiting laboratory remains a valuable platform for testing technology for missions beyond Earth’s orbit.
The AstroRad Vest, a radiation protection garment, floats in the International Space Station’s cupola.NASA Record participation in Fifth Robo-Pro Challenge
A record 661 teams and 2,788 applicants from thirteen countries, regions, and organizations participated in the fifth Kibo Robo-Pro Challenge, which wrapped its final round in September. This educational program from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) has students solve various problems by programming free-flying Astrobee robots aboard the space station. Participants gain hands-on experience with space robot technology and software programming and interact with others from around the world.
An Astrobee robot moves through the space station for the Robo-Pro Challenge.NASA Melissa Gaskill
International Space Station Research Communications Team|
Johnson Space Center
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By NASA
NASA’s 2024 AI Use Case inventory highlights the agency’s commitment to integrating artificial intelligence in its space missions and operations. The agency’s updated inventory consists of active AI use cases, ranging from AI-driven autonomous space operations, such as navigation for the Perseverance Rover on Mars, to advanced data analysis for scientific discovery.
AI Across NASA
NASA’s use of AI is diverse and spans several key areas of its missions:
Autonomous Exploration and Navigation
AEGIS (Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science): AI-powered system designed to autonomously collect scientific data during planetary exploration. Enhanced AutoNav for Perseverance Rover: Utilizes advanced autonomous navigation for Mars exploration, enabling real-time decision-making. MLNav (Machine Learning Navigation): AI-driven navigation tools to enhance movement across challenging terrains. Perseverance Rover on Mars – Terrain Relative Navigation: AI technology supporting the rover’s navigation across Mars, improving accuracy in unfamiliar terrain. Mission Planning and Management
ASPEN Mission Planner: AI-assisted tool that helps streamline space mission planning and scheduling, optimizing mission efficiency. AWARE (Autonomous Waiting Room Evaluation): AI system that manages operational delays, improving mission scheduling and resource allocation. CLASP (Coverage Planning & Scheduling): AI tools for resource allocation and scheduling, ensuring mission activities are executed seamlessly. Onboard Planner for Mars2020 Rover: AI system that helps the Perseverance Rover autonomously plan and schedule its tasks during its mission. Environmental Monitoring and Analysis
SensorWeb for Environmental Monitoring: AI-powered system used to monitor environmental factors such as volcanoes, floods, and wildfires on Earth and beyond. Volcano SensorWeb: Similar to SensorWeb, but specifically focused on volcanic activity, leveraging AI to enhance monitoring efforts. Global, Seasonal Mars Frost Maps: AI-generated maps to study seasonal variations in Mars’ atmosphere and surface conditions. Data Management and Automation
NASA OCIO STI Concept Tagging Service: AI tools that organize and tag NASA’s scientific data, making it easier to access and analyze. Purchase Card Management System (PCMS): AI-assisted system for streamlining NASA’s procurement processes and improving financial operations. Aerospace and Air Traffic Control
NextGen Methods for Air Traffic Control: AI tools to optimize air traffic control systems, enhancing efficiency and reducing operational costs. NextGen Data Analytics: Letters of Agreement: AI-driven analysis of agreements within air traffic control systems, improving management and operational decision-making. Space Exploration
Mars2020 Rover (Perseverance): AI systems embedded within the Perseverance Rover to support its mission to explore Mars. SPOC (Soil Property and Object Classification): AI-based classification system used to analyze soil and environmental features, particularly for Mars exploration. Ethical AI: NASA’s Responsible Approach
NASA ensures that all AI applications adhere to Responsible AI (RAI) principles outlined by the White House in its Executive Order 13960. This includes ensuring AI systems are transparent, accountable, and ethical. The agency integrates these principles into every phase of development and deployment, ensuring AI technologies used in space exploration are both safe and effective.
Looking Forward: AI’s Expanding Role
As AI technologies evolve, NASA’s portfolio of AI use cases will continue to grow. With cutting-edge tools currently in development, the agency is poised to further integrate AI into more aspects of space exploration, from deep space missions to sustainable solutions for planetary exploration.
By maintaining a strong commitment to both technological innovation and ethical responsibility, NASA is not only advancing space exploration but also setting an industry standard for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in scientific and space-related endeavors.
View the AI Inventory View the full article
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By Space Force
The inclusion of these C2 centers was a deliberate effort to add a layer of realism and enhance the exercise's effectiveness in preparing joint space forces for the challenges of the Great Power Competition.
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By NASA
5 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
An equal collaboration between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation, NISAR will offer unprecedented insights into Earth’s constantly changing land and ice surfaces using synthetic aperture radar technology. The spacecraft, depicted here in an artist’s concept, will launch from India.NASA/JPL-Caltech A Q&A with the lead U.S. scientist of the mission, which will track changes in everything from wetlands to ice sheets to infrastructure damaged by natural disasters.
The upcoming U.S.-India NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission will observe Earth like no mission before, offering insights about our planet’s ever-changing surface.
The NISAR mission is a first-of-a-kind dual-band radar satellite that will measure land deformation from earthquakes, landslides, and volcanoes, producing data for science and disaster response. It will track how much glaciers and ice sheets are advancing or retreating and it will monitor growth and loss of forests and wetlands for insights on the global carbon cycle.
As diverse as NISAR’s impact will be, the mission’s winding path to launch — in a few months’ time — has also been remarkable. Paul Rosen, NISAR’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, has been there at every step. He recently discussed the mission and what sets it apart.
NISAR Project Scientist Paul Rosen of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory first traveled to India in late 2011 to discuss collaboration with ISRO scientists on an Earth-observing radar mission. NASA and ISRO signed an agreement in 2014 to develop NISAR. NASA/JPL-Caltech How will NISAR improve our understanding of Earth?
The planet’s surfaces never stop changing — in some ways small and subtle, and in other ways monumental and sudden. With NISAR, we’ll measure that change roughly every week, with each pixel capturing an area about half the size of a tennis court. Taking imagery of nearly all Earth’s land and ice surfaces this frequently and at such a small scale — down to the centimeter — will help us put the pieces together into one coherent picture to create a story about the planet as a living system.
What sets NISAR apart from other Earth missions?
NISAR will be the first Earth-observing satellite with two kinds of radar — an L-band system with a 10-inch (25-centimeter) wavelength and an S-band system with a 4-inch (10-centimeter) wavelength.
Whether microwaves reflect or penetrate an object depends on their wavelength. Shorter wavelengths are more sensitive to smaller objects such as leaves and rough surfaces, whereas longer wavelengths are more reactive with larger structures like boulders and tree trunks.
So NISAR’s two radar signals will react differently to some features on Earth’s surface. By taking advantage of what each signal is or isn’t sensitive to, researchers can study a broader range of features than they could with either radar on its own, observing the same features with different wavelengths.
Is this new technology?
The concept of a spaceborne synthetic aperture radar, or SAR, studying Earth’s processes dates to the 1970s, when NASA launched Seasat. Though the mission lasted only a few months, it produced first-of-a-kind images that changed the remote-sensing landscape for decades to come.
It also drew me to JPL in 1981 as a college student: I spent two summers analyzing data from the mission. Seasat led to NASA’s Shuttle Imaging Radar program and later to the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission.
What will happen to the data from the mission?
Our data products will fit the needs of users across the mission’s science focus areas — ecosystems, cryosphere, and solid Earth — plus have many uses beyond basic research like soil-moisture and water resources monitoring.
We’ll make the data easily accessible. Given the volume of the data, NASA decided that it would be processed and stored in the cloud, where it’ll be free to access.
How did the ISRO partnership come about?
We proposed DESDynI (Deformation, Ecosystem Structure, and Dynamics of Ice), an L-band satellite, following the 2007 Decadal Survey by the National Academy of Sciences. At the time, ISRO was exploring launching an S-band satellite. The two science teams proposed a dual-band mission, and in 2014 NASA and ISRO agreed to partner on NISAR.
Since then, the agencies have been collaborating across more than 9,000 miles (14,500 kilometers) and 13 time zones. Hardware was built on different continents before being assembled in India to complete the satellite. It’s been a long journey — literally.
More About NISAR
The NISAR mission is an equal collaboration between NASA and ISRO and marks the first time the two agencies have cooperated on hardware development for an Earth-observing mission. Managed for the agency by Caltech, JPL leads the U.S. component of the project and is providing the mission’s L-band SAR. NASA is also providing the radar reflector antenna, the deployable boom, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder, and payload data subsystem.
Space Applications Centre Ahmedabad, ISRO’s lead center for payload development, is providing the mission’s S-band SAR instrument and is responsible for its calibration, data processing, and development of science algorithms to address the scientific goals of the mission. U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru, which leads the ISRO components of the mission, is providing the spacecraft bus. The launch vehicle is from ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, launch services are through ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre, and satellite mission operations are by ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network. National Remote Sensing Centre in Hyderabad is primarily responsible for S-band data reception, operational products generation, and dissemination.
To learn more about NISAR, visit:
https://nisar.jpl.nasa.gov
News Media Contacts
Andrew Wang / Jane J. Lee
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-379-6874 / 818-354-0307
andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov / jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov
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Last Updated Jan 06, 2025 Related Terms
NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) Climate Change Earth Earth Science Earth Science Division Ice & Glaciers Jet Propulsion Laboratory Seasat Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) SIR-C/X-SAR (Shuttle Imaging Radar-C / X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar) Explore More
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