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By NASA
4 min read
NASA to Launch Three Rockets from Alaska in Single Aurora Experiment
Three NASA-funded rockets are set to launch from Poker Flat Research Range in Fairbanks, Alaska, in an experiment that seeks to reveal how auroral substorms affect the behavior and composition of Earth’s far upper atmosphere.
The experiment’s outcome could upend a long-held theory about the aurora’s interaction with the thermosphere. It may also improve space weather forecasting, critical as the world becomes increasingly reliant on satellite-based devices such as GPS units in everyday life.
Colorful ribbons of aurora sway with geomagnetic activity above the launch pads of Poker Flat Research Range. NASA/Rachel Lense The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Geophysical Institute owns Poker Flat, located 20 miles north of Fairbanks, and operates it under a contract with NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, which is part of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The experiment, titled Auroral Waves Excited by Substorm Onset Magnetic Events, or AWESOME, features one four-stage rocket and two two-stage rockets all launching in an approximately three-hour period.
Colorful vapor tracers from the largest of the three rockets should be visible across much of northern Alaska. The launch window is March 24 through April 6.
The mission, led by Mark Conde, a space physics professor at UAF, involves about a dozen UAF graduate student researchers at several ground monitoring sites in Alaska at Utqiagvik, Kaktovik, Toolik Lake, Eagle, and Venetie, as well as Poker Flat. NASA delivers, assembles, tests, and launches the rockets.
“Our experiment asks the question, when the aurora goes berserk and dumps a bunch of heat in the atmosphere, how much of that heat is spent transporting the air upward in a continuous convective plume and how much of that heat results in not only vertical but also horizontal oscillations in the atmosphere?” Conde said.
Confirming which process is dominant will reveal the breadth of the mixing and the related changes in the thin air’s characteristics.
“Change in composition of the atmosphere has consequences,” Conde said. “And we need to know the extent of those consequences.”
Most of the thermosphere, which reaches from about 50 to 350 miles above the surface, is what scientists call “convectively stable.” That means minimal vertical motion of air, because the warmer air is already at the top, due to absorption of solar radiation.
A technician with NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility sounding rocket office works on one of the payload sections of the rocket that will launch for the AWESOME campaign. NASA/Lee Wingfield When auroral substorms inject energy and momentum into the middle and lower thermosphere (roughly 60 to 125 miles up), it upsets that stability. That leads to one prevailing theory — that the substorms’ heat is what causes the vertical-motion churn of the thermosphere.
Conde believes instead that acoustic-buoyancy waves are the dominant mixing force and that vertical convection has a much lesser role. Because acoustic-buoyancy waves travel vertically and horizontally from where the aurora hits, the aurora-caused atmospheric changes could be occurring over a much broader area than currently believed.
Better prediction of impacts from those changes is the AWESOME mission’s practical goal.
“I believe our experiment will lead to a simpler and more accurate method of space weather prediction,” Conde said.
Two two-stage, 42-foot Terrier-Improved Malemute rockets are planned to respectively launch about 15 minutes and an hour after an auroral substorm begins. A four-stage, 70-foot Black Brant XII rocket is planned to launch about five minutes after the second rocket.
The first two rockets will release tracers at altitudes of 50 and 110 miles to detect wind movement and wave oscillations. The third rocket will release tracers at five altitudes from 68 to 155 miles.
Pink, blue, and white vapor traces should be visible from the third rocket for 10 to 20 minutes. Launches must occur in the dawn hours, with sunlight hitting the upper altitudes to activate the vapor tracers from the first rocket but darkness at the surface so ground cameras can photograph the tracers’ response to air movement.
By Rod Boyce
University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute
NASA Media Contact: Sarah Frazier
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Last Updated Mar 21, 2025 Related Terms
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By NASA
NASA astronaut and Pilot for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission Nichole Ayers is pictured training inside a mockup of a Dragon cockpit at the company’s facilities in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX Students from Richmond Hill, New York,will have the chance to connect with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers as they answer prerecorded science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-related questions from aboard the International Space Station.
Watch the 20-minute space-to-Earth call at 12 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, March 26, on NASA+ and learn how to watch NASA content on various platforms, including social media.
The event, open to students and their families, will be hosted by Richmond Hill High School, a New York City public high school in Queens South, District 27. The school’s goal is to inspire their students to pursue STEM careers.
Media interested in covering the event must contact Lilly Donaldson at Lily@arttechnically.org by 5 p.m., Monday, March 24.
For more than 24 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN’s (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network.
Important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the space station benefit people on Earth and lays the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars; inspiring Artemis Generation explorers and ensuring the United States continues to lead in space exploration and discovery.
See videos and lesson plans highlighting space station research at:
https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
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Abbey Donaldson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
Abbey.a.donaldson@nasa.gov
Sandra Jones
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Mar 21, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
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By NASA
Technicians with NASA and Lockheed Martin fitted three spacecraft adapter jettison fairing panels onto the service module of the agency’s Orion’s spacecraft. The operation completed on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The European-built service module is the powerhouse that will propel the spacecraft to the Moon. Its four solar array wings which were installed to its exterior in early March. The latest addition of fairing panels on Orion’s service module will protect the solar array wings, shielding them from the heat, wind, and acoustics of launch and ascent, and also help redistribute the load between Orion and the massive thrust of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket during liftoff and ascent. Once the spacecraft is above the atmosphere, the three fairing panels will separate from the service module, allowing the wings to unfurl.
In addition to power, the service module will provide propulsion and life support including thermal control, air, and water for the Artemis II test flight, NASA’s first mission with crew under the Artemis campaign that will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, as well as CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a 10-day journey around the Moon.
Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars – for the benefit of all.
Image credit: NASA/Glenn Benson
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By NASA
5 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
This artist’s concept shows astronauts working on the Moon alongside different technology systems. The Data & Reasoning Fabric technology could help these systems operate in harmony, supporting the astronauts and ground control on Earth.Credit: NASA Imagine your car is in conversation with other traffic and road signals as you travel. Those conversations help your car anticipate actions you can’t see: the sudden slowing of a truck as it begins to turn ahead of you, or an obscured traffic signal turning red. Meanwhile, this system has plotted a course that will drive you toward a station to recharge or refuel, while a conversation with a weather service prepares your windshield wipers and brakes for the rain ahead.
This trip requires a lot of communication among systems from companies, government agencies, and organizations. How might these different entities – each with their own proprietary technology – share data safely in real time to make your trip safe, efficient, and enjoyable?
Technologists at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley created a framework called Data & Reasoning Fabric (DRF), a set of software infrastructure, tools, protocols, governance, and policies that allow safe, secure data sharing and logical prediction-making across different operators and machines. Originally developed with a focus on providing autonomous aviation drones with decision-making capabilities, DRF is now being explored for other applications.
This means that one day, DRF-informed technology could allow your car to receive traffic data safely and securely from nearby stoplights and share data with other vehicles on the road. In this scenario, DRF is the choreographer of a complex dance of moving objects, ensuring each moves seamlessly in relation to one another towards a shared goal. The system is designed to create an integrated environment, combining data from systems that would otherwise be unable to interact with each other.
“DRF is built to be used behind the scenes,” said David Alfano, chief of the Intelligent Systems Division at Ames. “Companies are developing autonomous technology, but their systems aren’t designed to work with technology from competitors. The DRF technology bridges that gap, organizing these systems to work together in harmony.”
Traffic enhancements are just one use case for this innovative system. The technology could enhance how we use autonomy to support human needs on Earth, in the air, and even on the Moon.
Supporting Complex Logistics
To illustrate the technology’s impact, the DRF team worked with the city of Phoenix on an aviation solution to improve transportation of critical medical supplies from urban areas out to rural communities with limited access to these resources. An autonomous system identified where supplies were needed and directed a drone to pick up and transport supplies quickly and safely.
“All the pieces need to come together, which takes a lot of effort. The DRF technology provides a framework where suppliers, medical centers, and drone operators can work together efficiently,” said Moustafa Abdelbaky, senior computer scientist at Ames. “The goal isn’t to remove human involvement, but help humans achieve more.”
The DRF technology is part of a larger effort at Ames to develop concepts that enable autonomous operations while integrating them into the public and commercial sector to create safer, efficient environments.
“At NASA, we’re always learning something. There’s a silver lining when one project ends, you can identify a new lesson learned, a new application, or a new economic opportunity to continue and scale that work,” said Supreet Kaur, lead systems engineer at Ames. “And because we leverage all of the knowledge we’ve gained through these experiments, we are able to make future research more robust.”
Choreographed Autonomy
Industries like modern mining involve a variety of autonomous and advanced vehicles and machinery, but these systems face the challenge of communicating sufficiently to operate in the same area. The DRF technology’s “choreography” might help them work together, improving efficiency. Researchers met with a commercial mining company to learn what issues they struggle with when using autonomous equipment to identify where DRF might provide future solutions.
“If an autonomous drill is developed by one company, but the haul trucks are developed by another, those two machines are dancing to two different sets of music. Right now, they need to be kept apart manually for safety,” said Johnathan Stock, chief scientist for innovation at the Ames Intelligent Systems Division. “The DRF technology can harmonize their autonomous work so these mining companies can use autonomy across the board to create a safer, more effective enterprise.”
Further testing of DRF on equipment like those used in mines could be done at the NASA Ames Roverscape, a surface that includes obstacles such as slopes and rocks, where DRF’s choreography could be put to the test.
Stock also envisions DRF improving operations on the Moon. Autonomous vehicles could transport materials, drill, and excavate, while launch vehicles come and go. These operations will likely include systems from different companies or industries and could be choreographed by DRF.
As autonomous systems and technologies increase across markets, on Earth, in orbit, and on the Moon, DRF researchers are ready to step on the dance floor to make sure everything runs smoothly.
“When everyone’s dancing to the same tune, things run seamlessly, and more is possible.”
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Last Updated Mar 20, 2025 Related Terms
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By NASA
Students explore the Manufacturing Facility at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland during Career Technical Education Day on March 11.Credit: NASA/Jef Janis NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland welcomed more than 150 students and educators to showcase technical careers, inspire the next generation, and ignite a passion for learning during a Career Technical Education program March 11.
“Here at Glenn Research Center, we love what we do, and we love to share what we do,” said Dawn Schaible, Glenn’s deputy director, during opening remarks at the event. “I hope you find today educational and inspiring, and let your passion and hard work drive you to places you can’t even imagine. We have space for every profession at NASA.”
Dawn Schaible, NASA Glenn Research Center’s deputy director, welcomes more than 150 students to Career Technical Education Day on March 11. Students toured the Manufacturing Facility and the Flight Research Building while talking to NASA experts about technical careers within the agency.Credit: NASA/Jef Janis The event, hosted by NASA’s Next Gen STEM Project in collaboration with Glenn’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM), gave students a behind-the-scenes look at the technical careers that make NASA’s missions possible.
Glenn’s Manufacturing Facility opened its doors to demonstrate how technical careers like machining and fabrication enable NASA to take an idea and turn it into a reality. Students explored Glenn’s metal fabrication, instrumentation, wiring, machining, and 3D printing capabilities while gleaning advice from experts in the field.
Students also toured Glenn’s Flight Research Building where they spoke with the center’s flight crew, learned how the agency is using the Pilatus PC-12 aircraft to support a variety of aeronautics research missions, and discussed what a career in aviation looks like.
A student experiences virtual reality during Career Technical Education Day at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland on March 11. The Graphics and Visualization Lab spoke with students about how 3D demonstrations help NASA find innovative solutions to real-world challenges.Credit: NASA/Jef Janis “In OSTEM, our role is connecting students, just like you, with real opportunities at NASA,” said Clarence Jones, OSTEM program specialist, while addressing the group. “We want you to be able to see yourselves in these roles and possibly be part of our workforce someday.”
Next Gen STEM and OSTEM host many events like Career Technical Education Day. The next opportunity, “Spinoffs in Sports,” is scheduled for April 10. Participants will learn about NASA technologies that are being used the sporting world. Registration for this virtual career connection ends April 4.
NASA also offers In-Flight STEM Downlinks for students and educators to interact with astronauts aboard the International Space Station during Q&A sessions. The Expedition 74 proposal window is open now through April 29.
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