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By NASA
NASA’s Roman Coronagraph Instrument will greatly advance our ability to directly image exoplanets, or planets and disks around other stars.
The Roman Coronagraph Instrument, a technology demonstration designed and built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will fly aboard NASA’s next flagship astrophysics observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
Coronagraphs work by blocking light from a bright object, like a star, so that the observer can more easily see a nearby faint object, like a planet. The Roman Coronagraph Instrument will use a unique suite of technologies including deformable mirrors, masks, high-precision cameras, and active wavefront sensing and control to detect planets 100 million times fainter than their stars, or 100 to 1,000 times better than existing space-based coronagraphs. The Roman Coronagraph will be capable of directly imaging reflected starlight from a planet akin to Jupiter in size, temperature, and distance from its parent star.
Artwork Key
1. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
2. Exoplanet Count : Total number of exoplanets discovered at the time of poster release. This number is increasing all of the time.
3. Nancy Grace Roman’s birth year : Nancy Grace Roman was born on May 16, 1925.
4. Color Filters : Filters block different wavelengths, or colors, of light.
5. Exoplanet Camera
6. Deformable Mirrors : Adjusts the wavefront of incoming light by changing the shape of a mirror with thousands of tiny pistons.
7. Focal Plane Mask : This is a mask that helps to block starlight and reveal exoplanets.
8. Lyot Stop Mask : This is a mask that helps to block starlight and reveal exoplanets.
9. Fast Steering Mirror : This element corrects for telescope pointing jitter.
10. Additional Coronagraph Masks : These masks block most of the glare from stars to reveal faint orbiting planets and dusty debris disks.
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By NASA
The Wide-Field Instrument (WFI), the primary instrument aboard NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, is a 300-megapixel visible and infrared camera that will allow scientists to perform revolutionary astrophysics surveys.
This specialized camera detects faint light across the cosmos and will be used to study a wide range of astrophysics topics including the expansion and acceleration of our universe, planets orbiting other stars in the Milky Way, and far off galaxies.
WFI will conduct surveys to detect and measure billions of stars and galaxies along with rare phenomena that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to find. To survey large areas of sky, WFI uses a suite of 18 detectors that convert incoming light into electrical signals that are translated into images.
While Roman will operate alongside other space telescopes like Hubble, WFI’s capabilities are pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Roman’s WFI has a similar sensitivity and resolution to Hubble, but WFI will capture images that cover about 100 times more sky in a single observation and will survey the sky up to 1,000 times faster.
Artwork Key
1. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
2. Light Path : The light entering the telescope will take this path, bouncing off of multiple focusing mirrors and passing through filters or dispersers in the element wheel to reach the detectors.
3. Important Years : 1990: NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope launched. 1960: Nancy Grace Roman became NASA’s Chief Astronomer.
4. Field of View : Roman’s field of view is about 100 times larger than that of the infrared camera onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. WFI’s large field of view is achieved using an array of 18 detectors which are represented by the squares in this graphic
5. Detectors : This dial has one tick mark for each of WFI’s 18 detectors.
6. Modes : WFI has imaging and spectroscopy modes.
7. Wavelengths : WFI will observe in both visible and infrared light and can select which wavelengths reach the detectors using filters in the element wheel.
8. “Dark Energy” Drink + “Dark Matter” Candy : Roman will enable new research into the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter.
9. Science Goals : The names of these games capture WFI’s role as a survey instrument and the types of surveys it will perform.
10. Joystick : This joystick features design elements found on the WFI’s element wheel assembly, a large, rotating metal disk with optics that filter or disperse light.
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Jan 14, 2025
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Jan 14, 2025
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By NASA
NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy gives keynote remarks during the 37th Space Symposium, Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls) The Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation has selected NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, a retired United States Air Force colonel and former NASA astronaut, to receive the 2025 National Space Trophy on April 25 in Houston.
“This honor is not just a reflection of my journey but a testament to the incredible teams and visionaries I’ve been privileged to work alongside,” said Melroy. “Exploring space is the ultimate act of human aspiration, proving time and again that when we dream together, we achieve the impossible. Being selected for the National Space Trophy is a humbling reminder of how far we’ve come — and how much further we can go.”
Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, who nominated Melroy alongside former NASA Johnson director Michael Coats, said, “Pam has brilliantly paved the way for future generations pursuing careers in STEM fields through her exemplary leadership, dedication to mission excellence, and integral contributions to the advancement of space exploration. I am thrilled and immensely proud that Pam is receiving this well-deserved recognition.”
Sworn in as NASA’s deputy administrator on June 21, 2021, Melroy assists NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on key agency decisions, defines the agency’s strategic vision, and represents NASA to key government and international partners.
Melroy first joined NASA as an astronaut in 1994 and holds the distinction of being only one of two women to command a space shuttle. She spent more than 38 days in space across three space shuttle missions, all contributing to the assembly of the International Space Station. She served as pilot for STS-92 in 2000 and STS-112 in 2002, and she commanded STS-120 in 2007.
After serving more than two decades in the U.S. Air Force and as a NASA astronaut, Melroy transitioned to leadership roles at Lockheed Martin, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and Nova Systems Pty, Australia. Additionally, she was as an advisor to the Australian Space Agency and a member of the National Space Council’s Users Advisory Group.
The Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation invites members of the public and the aerospace community to attend the Space Awards gala where Melroy will be recognized with the National Space Trophy. For more information on Melroy, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/people/nasa-deputy-administrator-pam-melroy/
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Amber Jacobson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
amber.c.jacobson@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Jan 14, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Artist concept highlighting the novel approach proposed by the 2025 NIAC awarded selection of SUPREME-QG: Space-borne Ultra-Precise Measurement of the Equivalence Principle Signature of Quantum GravityNASA/Selim Shahriar Selim Shahriar
Northwestern University, Evanston
Progress in physics has largely been driven by the development and verification of new theories that unify different fundamental forces of nature. For example, Maxwell revolutionized physics with his unified theory of electricity and magnetism, and the Standard Model of particle physics provides a consistent description of all fundamental forces (electromagnetic, strong, and weak) except for gravity. The major barrier to completing the quest for unification is that General Relativity (GR), the current theory of gravity, cannot be reconciled with QM. Theories of Quantum Gravity (TQG), which are yet untested, prescribe modifications of both GR and QM in a manner that makes them consistent with each other. Tests of TQG represent arguably the greatest challenge facing our understanding of the Universe. The most promising way to test TQG is to search for violation of the Equivalence Principle (EP), a fundamental tenet of GR which states that all objects experience the same acceleration in a gravitational field. Violation of EP is characterized by a nonzero Eotvos parameter, Eta, defined as the ratio of the relative acceleration to the mean acceleration experienced by two objects with different inertial masses in a gravitational field. EP violations at the level of Eta < 10^(-18) arise in many versions of TQG (e.g., string theory). The most precise test of the EP to date has been carried out under the space-borne MICROSCOPE experiment employing classical accelerometers, constraining the value of Eta to <1.5×10^(-15). We propose to investigate the use of a radically new method that leverages quantum entanglement to test the EP with extreme precision, at the level of Eta ~ 10^(-20), using a space-borne platform. This method is described in a recent paper by us (PRD 108, 024011, ’23). It makes use of simultaneous Schroedinger Cat (SC) state atom interferometers (AIs) with two isotopes of Rb. Consisting of N=10^6 atoms, the SC state, which is a maximally entangled quantum state generated via spin-squeezing of cold atoms in an optical cavity, acts as a single particle, in a superposition of two collective states, enhancing the sensitivity by a factor of ~root(N)=10^3. Such large-N SC states are difficult to create and have not been observed yet, let alone leveraged for precision metrology. In another recent paper, we described a novel protocol, namely the generalized echo squeezing protocol (GESP), to overcome the challenges of creating such a state (PRA 107, 032610, ’23). We will demonstrate the functionality of this method in a testbed to enable a follow-on space-borne mission capable of testing the EP at the level of Eta ~ 10^(-20). If EP violation is observed, the version of TQG that agrees most closely with the result would form the foundation for a complete theory governing the universe, including its birth: the Big Bang. A null result would force physicists to conceive an entirely new approach to addressing the irreconcilability of GR and QM, fundamentally altering the course of theoretical physics. Either outcome would represent one of the greatest developments in our quest for understanding nature. The SC-state AI (SCAI), also holds the promise of revolutionary improvements in the precision of gravitational cartography and inertial navigation, when configured for simultaneous accelerometry and rotation sensing. The sensitivity of such a sensor, for one second averaging time, would be ~0.9 femto-g for accelerometry, and ~0.5 pico-degree/hour for rotation sensing. This would represent an improvement by a factor of ~10^5 over the best conventional accelerometer, and a factor of ~10^4 over the best conventional gyroscopes. As such, the SCAI would find widespread usage in defense as well as non-defense sectors, including deep-space exploration, for inertial navigation. A space-borne SCAI would be able to carry out gravitational cartography with a resolution far greater than that achieved using the GRACE-FO satellites.
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Last Updated Jan 10, 2025 EditorLoura Hall Related Terms
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By NASA
3 min read
2023 Entrepreneurs Challenge Winner Skyline Nav AI: Revolutionizing GPS-Independent Navigation with Computer Vision
NASA sponsored Entrepreneurs Challenge events in 2020, 2021, and 2023 to identify innovative ideas and technologies from small business start-ups with the potential to advance the agency’s science goals. To help leverage external funding sources for the development of innovative technologies of interest to NASA, SMD involved the venture capital community in Entrepreneurs Challenge events. Challenge winners were awarded prize money, and in 2023 the total Entrepreneurs Challenge prize value was $1M. Numerous challenge winners have subsequently received funding from both NASA and external sources (e.g., other government agencies or the venture capital community) to further develop their technologies.
Skyline Nav AI, a winner of the 2023 NASA Entrepreneurs Challenge, is pioneering GPS-independent navigation by leveraging cutting-edge computer vision models, artificial intelligence (AI), and edge computing.
Skyline Nav AI’s flagship technology offers precise, real-time geolocation without the need for GPS, Wi-Fi, or cellular networks. The system utilizes machine learning algorithms to analyze terrain and skyline features and match them with preloaded reference datasets, providing up to centimeter-level accuracy in GPS-denied environments. This capability could enable operations in areas where GPS signals are absent, blocked, degraded, spoofed, or jammed, including urban canyons, mountainous regions, and the Moon.
Skyline Nav AI’s flagship technology at work in New York to provide precise location by matching the detected skyline with a reference data set. The red line shows detection by Skyline Nav AI technology, the green line marks the true location in the reference satellite dataset, and the orange line represents the matched location (i.e., the location extracted from the satellite dataset using Skyline Nav AI algorithms). Skyline Nav’s visual navigation technology can deliver accuracy up to five meters, 95% of the time. The AI-powered visual positioning models continuously improve geolocation precision through pixel-level analysis and semantic segmentation of real-time images, offering high reliability without the need for GPS.
In addition to its visual-based AI, Skyline Nav AI’s software is optimized for edge computing, ensuring that all processing occurs locally on the user’s device. This design enables low-latency, real-time decision-making without constant satellite or cloud-based connectivity, making it ideal for disconnected environments such as combat zones or space missions.
Furthermore, Skyline Nav AI’s technology can be integrated with various sensors, including inertial measurement units (IMUs), lidar, and radar, to further enhance positioning accuracy. The combination of visual navigation and sensor fusion can enable centimeter-level accuracy, making the technology potentially useful for autonomous vehicles, drones, and robotics operating in environments where GPS is unreliable.
“Skyline Nav AI aims to provide the world with an accurate, resilient alternative to GPS,” says Kanwar Singh, CEO of Skyline Nav AI. “Our technology empowers users to navigate confidently in even the most challenging environments, and our recent recognition by NASA and other partners demonstrates the value of our innovative approach to autonomous navigation.”
Skyline Nav AI continues to expand its influence through partnerships with organizations such as NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the commercial market. Recent collaborations include projects with MIT, Draper Labs, and AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory), as well as winning the MOVE America 2024 Pitch competition and being a finalist in SXSW 2024.
Sponsoring Organization: The NASA Science Mission Directorate sponsored the Entrepreneurs Challenge events.
Project Leads: Kanwar Singh, Founder & CEO of Skyline Nav AI
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Last Updated Jan 07, 2025 Related Terms
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