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2025 Aviation Weather Mission: Civil Air Patrol Cadets Help Scientists Study the Atmosphere with GLOBE Clouds
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By NASA
Credit: NASA NASA has selected Firefly Aerospace Inc. of Cedar Park, Texas, to provide the launch service for the agency’s Investigation of Convective Updrafts (INCUS) mission, which aims to understand why, when, and where tropical convective storms form, and why some storms produce extreme weather. The mission will launch on the company’s Alpha rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
The selection is part of NASA’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract. This contract allows the agency to make fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity awards during VADR’s five-year ordering period, with a maximum total value of $300 million across all contracts.
The INCUS mission, comprised of three SmallSats flying in tight coordination, will investigate the evolution of the vertical transport of air and water by convective storms. These storms form when rapidly rising water vapor and air create towering clouds capable of producing rain, hail, and lightning. The more air and water that rise, the greater the risk of extreme weather. Convective storms are a primary source of precipitation and cause of the most severe weather on Earth.
Each satellite will have a high frequency precipitation radar that observes rapid changes in convective cloud depth and intensities. One of the three satellites also will carry a microwave radiometer to provide the spatial content of the larger scale weather observed by the radars. By flying so closely together, the satellites will use the slight differences in when they make observations to apply a novel time-differencing approach to estimate the vertical transport of convective mass.
NASA selected the INCUS mission through the agency’s Earth Venture Mission-3 solicitation and Earth System Science Pathfinder program. The principal investigator for INCUS is Susan van den Heever at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Several NASA centers support the mission, including Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Key satellite system components will be provided by Blue Canyon Technologies and Tendeg LLC, both in Colorado. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, manages the VADR contract.
To learn more about NASA’s INCUS mission, visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/incus
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Tiernan Doyle
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
tiernan.doyle@nasa.gov
Patti Bielling
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-501-7575
patricia.a.bielling@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Mar 04, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Investigation of Convective Updrafts (INCUS) Earth Science Planetary Science Division Science & Research Science Mission Directorate SmallSats Program Wallops Flight Facility View the full article
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By NASA
On March 2, 1995, space shuttle Endeavour launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on its eighth trip into space, on the STS-67 Astro-2 mission. The crew included Commander Stephen Oswald, Pilot William Gregory, Mission Specialists John Grunsfeld, Wendy Lawrence, and Tamara Jernigan – who served as payload commander on the mission – and Payload Specialists Samuel Durrance and Ronald Parise. During their then record setting 17-day mission, the astronauts used the three ultraviolet telescopes of the Astro-2 payload to observe hundreds of celestial objects. The mission ended with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Official photo of the STS-67 crew of Stephen Oswald, seated at left, Tamara Jernigan, and William Gregory; Ronald Parise, standing at left, Wendy Lawrence, John Grunsfeld, and Samuel Durrance. NASA The STS-67 crew patch. NASA The Astro-2 payload patch.NASA In August 1993, NASA assigned Jernigan as the payload commander for Astro-2, for a weeklong flight aboard Columbia then targeted for late 1994. Jernigan, selected by NASA in 1985, had previously flown aboard STS-40 and STS-52. Two months later, NASA assigned Grunsfeld, a space rookie from the class of 1992, as a mission specialist. In January 1994, NASA rounded out the crew by assigning Oswald, Gregory, Lawrence, Durrance, and Parise. Oswald, from the class of 1985, had flown previously as pilot on STS-42 and STS-56, while STS-67 represented the first spaceflight for Gregory, selected in 1990, and Lawrence, chosen in 1992. Durrance and Parise, selected as payload specialists in 1984, had flown on STS-35, the Astro-1 mission.
Space shuttle Endeavour rolls out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.NASA The STS-67 crew during a countdown demonstration test. NASA The STS-67 astronauts walk out for their ride to the launch pad. NASA The Astro-2 science payload consisted of three ultraviolet telescopes mounted on a Spacelab instrument pointing system in the shuttle’s cargo bay. The trio of telescopes flew previously on STS-35, the Astro-1 mission, in December 1990. That mission, originally planned to fly on STS-61E in March 1986, remained grounded following the Challenger accident. Due to equipment malfunctions, the Astro-1 mission only achieved 80% of its objectives, leading to the reflight of the instruments on Astro-2, originally planned as a seven-day mission aboard Discovery. A switch to Columbia enabled a mission twice as long, with significantly more observation time. A scheduled maintenance period for Columbia resulted in Astro-2 switching to Endeavour, with a new flight duration of more than 15 days, but a launch delay to February 1995. The three telescopes supported 23 different studies, observing more than 250 celestial objects including joint observations with the Hubble Space Telescope of the planet Jupiter.
The launch of space shuttle Endeavour on STS-67 to begin the Astro-2 mission.NASA The Astro-2 telescopes deployed in Endeavour’s payload bay. NASA Endeavour returned to Kennedy following its previous flight, STS-68, in October 1994. After servicing the orbiter, workers rolled it to the vehicle assembly building on Feb. 3, 1995, for mating with its external tank and solid rocket boosters, and then out to Launch Pad 39A on Feb. 8. At 1:38 a.m. EST on March 2, Endeavour thundered into the night sky to begin the STS-67 mission. Eight and a half minutes later, the shuttle and its crew had reached space.
Shortly after reaching orbit, the crew opened the payload bay doors and deployed the shuttle’s radiators. Jernigan and Durrance activated the Spacelab pallet and its pointing system and the telescopes. The crew split into two shifts to enable data collection around the clock during the mission. Oswald, Gregory, Grunsfeld, and Parise made up the red shift while Lawrence, Jernigan, and Durrance comprised the blue shift.
Stephen Oswald conducts a session with the Middeck Active Control Experiment. NASA Wendy Lawrence monitors a protein crystal growth apparatus. NASA John Grunsfeld, left, and Samuel Durrance at the controls of the telescopes on the shuttle’s aft flight deck. NASA William Gregory conducts a biotechnology experiment in Endeavour’s middeck. NASA Samuel Durrance and Tamara Jernigan assemble the day’s teleprinter message. NASA Ronald Parise floats near the shuttle’s overhead window.NASA For the remainder of the mission, the astronauts operated the telescopes, conducting 385 maneuvers of Endeavour to point the instruments at the celestial targets. The results met or exceeded preflight expectations. The crew also conducted a series of middeck investigations in technology demonstration and biotechnology. The Middeck Active Control Experiment studied the active control of flexible structures in space. Five years later, a newer version flew as one of the first experiments on the International Space Station.
A selection of the STS-67 crew Earth observation photographs. Gulf of Batabano, Cuba.NASA Antofagasta, Chile. NASA Volcanic eruption on Barren Island, Andaman Islands.NASA Disappointment Reach, Western Australia. NASA Like all space crews, the STS-67 astronauts also spent time taking photographs of the Earth using handheld cameras. The mission’s long duration enabled them to image many targets.
The seven-person STS-67 crew poses for an in-flight photo. NASA Endeavour touches down at Edwards Air Force Base in California. NASA On March 14, an eighth American joined the STS-67 crew in space when NASA astronaut Norman Thagard blasted off with two cosmonauts, headed for space station Mir. With three other cosmonauts already aboard Mir, the total number of humans in orbit grew to a then-record of 13. Two days later, Oswald and Thagard, who had flown together on STS-42, talked to each other via ship-to-ship radio.
Inclement weather at Kennedy thwarted the planned reentry on March 17, and the astronauts spent an extra day in space. On March 18, they again waved off a Kennedy landing and one orbit later, Oswald and Gregory piloted Endeavour to a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The crew had flown 262 orbits around the Earth in 16 days, 15 hours, and 9 minutes, at the time the longest space shuttle mission. A few hours later, a large crowd greeted the astronauts upon their return to Houston’s Ellington Field. Endeavour began its ferry flight back to Kennedy on March 26, arriving there the next day. Workers towed Endeavour to the processing facility to prepare it for its next flight, STS-73, then planned for September 1995.
Watch the crew narrate a video about the STS-67 mission.
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By NASA
4 Min Read Lagniappe for March 2025
<a>Explore the March 2025 issue, highlighting the installation of the new production RS-25 engine at NASA Stennis, and more!</a> Explore Lagniappe for March 2025 featuring:
NASA Stennis Teams Install New Production RS-25 Engine for Upcoming Hot Fire NASA Stennis Flashback: Learning About Rocket Engine Exhaust for Safe Space Travel NASA in NOLA for Super Bowl Gator Speaks
Gator SpeaksNASA/Stennis Welcome to March. It is the month that refuses to sit still. One day, the sun is shining, and the next day, the wind is howling through the trees, especially in the 125,000-acre buffer zone at NASA Stennis.
The buffer zone and location of NASA Stennis helps provide the right conditions for around-the-clock propulsion test capabilities.
March, like NASA Stennis, is full of possibilities.
The month kicks off a season of new beginnings. It is a time when farmers begin to plant seeds.
Did you know powering space dreams at NASA Stennis is a lot like farmers planting seeds?
Planting a seed is simple, yet profound. It signals a fresh start no matter if you are an experienced planter or if it is your first time.
Picking the right seed, carefully choosing the spot, and preparing the soil are ways to get going. Anticipation begins in March as planters set the stage for something that will happen over time.
Similarly, NASA Stennis is the right place to pick for many aerospace companies large and small. It is where the road to launch begins.
Whether the company is brand new to the field, like a first-time planter, or more experienced, the soil is right at NASA Stennis. South Mississippi is where a team of experts can help companies achieve a successful outcome.
Ah yes, the month of March and NASA Stennis are indeed alike.
They both can be a bridge between what was and what is to come – one, a time of year and the other, a place to shake off the winter slumber, take a deep breath, and step into something new.
There is something magical about planting seeds, just like there is something magical about powering space dreams at NASA Stennis.
NASA Stennis Top News
NASA Stennis Teams Install New Production RS-25 Engine for Upcoming Hot Fire
NASA marked a key milestone Feb. 18 with installation of RS-25 engine No. E20001, the first new production engine to help power the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket on future Artemis missions to the Moon.
Read More About the New Production NASA Stennis Flashback: Learning About Rocket Engine Exhaust for Safe Space Travel
NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, is widely known as the nation’s largest rocket propulsion test site.
Read More About the Diagnostic Test Facility Center Activities
NASA in NOLA for Super Bowl
NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans Feb. 7-8 with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis Leaders Visit Kennedy Space Center
NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell and NASA Rocket Propulsion Test Program Manager Michele Beisler tour the Vehicle Assembly Building to view the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket expected to fly on the Artemis II mission and the mobile launcher ground structure used to assemble, process, and launch SLS during a visit to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 31.NASA/Stennis NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell and NASA Rocket Propulsion Test Program Manager Michele Beisler tour the Vehicle Assembly Building to view the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket expected to fly on the Artemis II mission and the mobile launcher ground structure used to assemble, process, and launch SLS during a visit to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 31.NASA/Stennis NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell and NASA Rocket Propulsion Test Program Manager Michele Beisler tour the Vehicle Assembly Building to view the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket expected to fly on the Artemis II mission and the mobile launcher ground structure used to assemble, process, and launch SLS during a visit to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 31.NASA/Stennis Leadership Class Visits NASA Stennis
The Pearl River County Leadership Class visits the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-1/B-2) during a NASA Stennis tour on Feb. 20. NASA Stennis is at the front end of the critical path for the future of human deep space exploration through NASA’s Artemis campaign. The B-2 side of the Thad Cochran Test Stand is undergoing preparations for exploration upper stage testing. The upper stage is scheduled to undergo Green Run tests of its integrated systems before its first flight on the Artemis IV mission. The test series will culminate with a hot fire of the stage’s four RL10 engines, just as during an actual mission.NASA/Danny Nowlin Rocket Lab Leader Visits NASA Stennis
NASA Stennis Director John Bailey, left, welcomes Richard French, Rocket Lab USA, Inc. vice president of business development and strategy of space systems, for a tour of NASA Stennis on Feb. 26. In 2022, NASA and Rocket Lab reached an agreement for the aerospace company to locate its engine test complex at NASA Stennis. The initial 10-year agreement between NASA and Rocket Lab includes an option to extend an additional 10 years. The Archimedes Test Complex includes 24 acres surrounding the site’s A-3 Test Stand. Archimedes is Rocket Lab’s liquid oxygen and liquid methane rocket engine to power its medium-lift Neutron rocket. The company successfully completed the first hot fire of the new Archimedes rocket engine at NASA Stennis in August 2024.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA in the News
NASA’s Advancements in Space Continue Generating Products on Earth – NASA What You Need To Know About the March 2025 Total Lunar Eclipse – NASA Science More Than 400 Lives Saved with NASA’s Search and Rescue Tech in 2024 – NASA Tests in Simulated Lunar Gravity to Prep Payloads for Moon Employee Profile: Jason Hopper
NASA’s Jason Hopper is shown at the E Test Complex at NASA’s Stennis Space Center.NASA/Danny Nowlin Jason Hopper’s journey to NASA started with assessing the risk of stepping into the unknown.
Read More About Jason Hopper Additional Resources
Artemis II to the Moon: Launch to Splashdown (NASA Mission Animation) 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.
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By NASA
The National Society of Professional Engineers recently named Debbie Korth, Orion deputy program manager at Johnson Space Center, as NASA’s 2025 Engineer of the Year. Korth was recognized during an award ceremony at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 21, alongside honorees from 17 other federal agencies. The annual awards program honors the impactful contributions of federal engineers and their commitment to public service.
Debbie Korth received the NASA 2025 Engineer of the Year Award from the National Society of Professional Engineers at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Image courtesy of Debbie Korth Korth said she was shocked to receive the award. “At NASA there are so many brilliant, talented engineers who I get to work with every day who are so specialized and know so much about a certain area,” she said. “It was very surprising, but very appreciated.”
Korth has dedicated more than 30 years of her career to NASA, supporting human spaceflight development, integration, and operations across the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, and Orion Programs. Her earliest roles involved extravehicular and mission operations planning, as well as managing spaceflight hardware for shuttle missions and space station crews. Working on hardware such as the Crew Health Care System in the early days of space station planning and development was a unique experience for Korth.
After spending significant time in Russia collaborating with Russian counterparts to integrate equipment such as a treadmill, cycle ergometer, and blood pressure monitor into their module, Korth recalled, “When we finally got that all delivered and integrated, it was a huge step because we had to have all of that on board before we could put crew members on the station for the first time. I remember feeling a huge sense of accomplishment and happiness that we were able to work through this international partnership and forge those relationships to get that hardware integrated.”
Korth transitioned to the Orion Program in 2008 and has since served in a variety of leadership roles. In her current role, Korth assists the program manager in the design, development, testing, verification, and certification of Orion, NASA’s next-generation, human-rated spacecraft for Artemis missions. The spacecraft’s first flight test around the Moon during the Artemis I mission was a standout experience for Korth and a major accomplishment for the Orion team.
“It was a long mission and every day we were learning more and more about the spacecraft and pushing boundaries,” she said. “We really wrung out some of the core systems – systems that were developed individually and for the first time we got to see them work together.”
Korth said that understanding how different systems interact with each other is what she loves most about engineering. “In systems engineering, you really look at how changes to and the performance of one system affects everything else,” she said. “I like looking across the entire spacecraft and saying, if I have to strengthen this structure to take some additional landing loads, that’s going to add mass to the vehicle, which means I have to look at my parachutes and the thermal protection system to make sure they can handle that increased load.”
The Orion team is working to achieve two major milestones in 2025 – delivery of the Artemis II Orion spacecraft to the Exploration Ground Systems team that will fuel and integrate Orion with its launch abort system at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, and the spacecraft’s integration with the Space Launch System rocket, which is currently being stacked. These milestones will support the launch of the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration, with liftoff targeted no earlier than April 2026.
“It’s going to be a big year,” said Korth.
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Remarks by CSO Gen. Chance Saltzman at the 2025 Air and Space Forces Association’s Warfare SymposiumBy Space Force
Remarks by CSO Gen. Chance Saltzman at the 2025 Air and Space Forces Association’s Warfare Symposium.
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