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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:06:45 Smile is the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer, a brand-new space mission currently in the making. It will study space weather and the interaction between the solar wind and Earth’s environment.
Unique about Smile is that it will take the first X-ray images and videos of the solar wind slamming into Earth’s protective magnetic bubble, and its complementary ultraviolet images will provide the longest-ever continuous look at the northern lights.
In this first of several short videos, David Agnolon (Smile Project Manager) and Philippe Escoubet (Smile Project Scientist) talk about the why and the how of Smile. You’ll see scenes of the building and testing of the spacecraft’s payload module by Airbus in Madrid, including the installation of one of the European instruments, the Soft X-ray Imager from the University of Leicester.
Smile is a 50–50 collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). ESA provides the payload module of the spacecraft, which carries three of the four science instruments, and the Vega-C rocket which will launch Smile to space. CAS provides the platform module hosting the fourth science instrument, as well as the service and propulsion modules.
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By NASA
JPL is a research and development lab federally funded by NASA and managed by Caltech. NASA/JPL-Caltech Workforce statement and memo to employees
JPL statement issued on Nov. 12, 2024:
While we have taken various measures to meet our current FY’25 budget allocation, we have reached the difficult decision to reduce the JPL workforce through layoffs. This reduction affects approximately 325 of our colleagues, an impact of about 5% of our workforce. The impacts are occurring across technical, business, and support areas of the Laboratory. These are painful but necessary adjustments that will enable us to adhere to our budget while continuing our important work for NASA and our nation.
The following is a memo sent earlier today from JPL Director Laurie Leshin to employees:
Dear Colleagues,
This is a message I had hoped not to have to write. I’m reaching out to share the difficult news that JPL will be taking a workforce action tomorrow, Nov. 13, resulting in a layoff of approximately 325 of our colleagues, or ~5% of our workforce. Despite this being incredibly difficult for our community, this number is lower than projected a few months ago thanks in part to the hard work of so many people across JPL. The workforce assessment conducted as part of this process has been both extensive and thorough, and although we can never have perfect insight into the future, I sincerely believe that after this action we will be at a more stable workforce level moving forward.
How we got here:
During our last town hall, I discussed our continued funding challenges and projections of what the potential impact on our workforce could look like. I shared that we had been working through multiple workforce scenarios to address the dynamic funding environment, and that we have been doing everything we can, in partnership with our colleagues at NASA and elsewhere, to minimize adverse effects on JPL’s capabilities and team.
Unfortunately, despite all these efforts, we need to make one further workforce reduction to meet the available funding for FY’25. This reduction is spread across essentially all areas of the Lab including our technical, project, business, and support areas. We have taken seriously the need to re-size our workforce, whether direct-funded (project) or funded on overhead (burden). With lower budgets and based on the forecasted work ahead, we had to tighten our belts across the board, and you will see that reflected in the layoff impacts.
As part of our workforce assessment and determining where reductions are being made, we have taken time to complete a full review of our competencies, future mission needs, and we have established guidance for our core capabilities across the Laboratory. We have worked closely with the Executive Council, division managers, project leadership and others to ensure we maintain the appropriate levels of technical expertise, capacity for innovation, and ability to deliver on an exciting future for JPL. Our focus will continue to be on empowering managers to support their teams through this action and equipping all of us with a variety of resources as we move forward together.
Here are the details about what will happen tomorrow:
Unless notified otherwise, all employees are required to work from home tomorrow Nov. 13, regardless of their telework status. Tomorrow you will be invited to a short, virtual, Lab-wide meeting with myself and Deputy Director Leslie Livesay at 9:30 a.m. We will relay the details of where we are in the process and what to expect. Please look out for the meeting notification that will follow this memo. There will not be organization-level notification meetings as in February. This one meeting will provide the information needed for the entire Lab at once.
Our approach is to prioritize notifying everyone via email as quickly as possible whether their role is being affected by the layoff or not. Then we can rapidly shift to providing personalized support to our laid-off colleagues who are part of the workforce reduction, including offering dedicated time to discuss their benefits, and several other forms of assistance. Because of system limitations, the individual email notifications will take place over several hours tomorrow. A schedule of the notifications, which will occur by organization, will be shared in the virtual briefing tomorrow morning and also posted on JPL Space, the JPL HR Website, and Slack. You can also find answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on our website here.
Our JPL Community:
I know the absence of our colleagues will be acutely felt, especially after a very challenging year for the Lab. To those leaving JPL as a result of this action, we are grateful for your many vital contributions to JPL and to NASA. We will be here to support you during this time to ensure this transition is as smooth as possible.
To reiterate to you all, I believe this is the last cross-Lab workforce action we will need to take in the foreseeable future. After this action, we will be at about 5,500 JPL regular employees. I believe this is a stable, supportable staffing level moving forward. While we can never be 100% certain of the future budget, we will be well positioned for the work ahead. This may not help much in this difficult moment, but I do want to be crystal clear with my thoughts and perspective. If we hold strong together, we will come through this, just as we have done during other turbulent times in JPL’s nearly 90-year history. Finally, even though the coming leadership transition at NASA may introduce both new uncertainties and new opportunities, this action would be happening regardless of the recent election outcome.
While I know many of us are feeling anger or disappointment with this news, I encourage everyone to act with grace and empathy toward one another, and to lean on each other for support. I will be speaking with you again very soon to discuss our path ahead. Until then, know that we are an incredibly strong organization – our dazzling history, current achievements, and relentless commitment to exploration and discovery position us well for the future.
Laurie
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Last Updated Nov 12, 2024 Related Terms
Jet Propulsion Laboratory Explore More
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By NASA
Researchers demonstrated the feasibility of 3D bioprinting a meniscus or knee cartilage tissue in microgravity. This successful result advances technology for bioprinting tissue to treat musculoskeletal injuries on long-term spaceflight or in extraterrestrial settings where resources and supply capacities are limited.
BFF Meniscus-2 evaluated using the BioFabrication Facility to 3D print knee cartilage tissue using bioinks and cells. The meniscus is the first engineered tissue of an anatomically relevant shape printed on the station. Manufactured human tissues have potential as alternatives to donor organs, which are in short supply. Bioprinting in microgravity overcomes some of the challenges present in Earth’s gravity, such as deformation or collapse of tissue structures.
A human knee meniscus 3D bioprinted in space using the International Space Station’s BioFabrication Facility.Redwire Complex cultures of central nervous system cells known as brain organoids can be maintained in microgravity for long periods of time and show faster development of neurons than cultures on Earth. These findings could help researchers develop treatments for neurodegenerative diseases on Earth and address potential adverse neurological effects of spaceflight.
Cosmic Brain Organoids examined growth and gene expression in 3D organoids created with neural stem cells from individuals with primary progressive multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Results could improve understanding of these neurological diseases and support development of new treatments. Researchers plan additional studies on the underlying causes of the accelerated neuron maturation.
Neural growth in brain organoids that spent more than a month in space. Jeanne Frances Loring, National Stem Cell Foundation Researchers demonstrated that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be processed in microgravity using off the-shelf cell culture materials. Using standard laboratory equipment and protocols could reduce costs and make space-based biomedical research accessible to a broader range of scientists and institutions.
Stellar Stem Cells Ax-2 evaluated how microgravity affects methods used to generate and grow stem cells into a variety of tissue types on the ground. iPSCs can give rise to any type of cell or tissue in the human body, and insight into processing in space could support their use in regenerative medicine and future large-scale biomanufacturing of cellular therapeutics in space.
NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, an Axiom Mission 2 crew member, works on stem cell research on a previous mission. NASA/Shane KimbroughView the full article
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By NASA
1 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
This September 2024 aerial photograph shows the coastal launch range at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Wallops is the agency’s only owned-and-operated launch range.Courtesy Patrick J. Hendrickson; used with permission A rocket-propelled target is scheduled to launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia during a window Thursday, Nov. 7 to Friday, Nov. 8 between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. EST both days as part of a U.S. Navy Fleet Training exercise.
No real-time launch status updates will be available. The launch will not be livestreamed nor will launch status updates be provided during the countdown. The rocket launch may be visible from the Chesapeake Bay region.
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Last Updated Nov 05, 2024 LocationWallops Flight Facility Related Terms
Wallops Flight Facility Explore More
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