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By Space Force
U.S. Space Force senior leaders discussed the Personnel Management Act during a panel at the Air and Space Force’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference at National Harbor, Maryland, Sept. 18.
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By NASA
2 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Two robotic arms wrapped in gold material sitting on top of a black and silver box.Naval Research Laboratory NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have signed an interagency agreement to collaborate on a satellite servicing demonstration in geosynchronous Earth orbit, where hundreds of satellites provide communications, meteorological, national security, and other vital functions.
Under this agreement, NASA will provide subject matter expertise to DARPA’s Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) program to help complete the technology development, integration, testing, and demonstration. The RSGS servicing spacecraft will advance in-orbit satellite inspection, repair, and upgrade capabilities.
NASA is excited to support our long-term partner and advance important technologies poised to benefit commercial, civil, and national objectives. Together, we will make meaningful, long-lasting contributions to the nation’s in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) capabilities.
Pam Melroy
NASA Deputy Administrator
NASA will use expertise from the agency’s On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing 1 project and other relevant efforts to provide hands-on support to RSGS in the areas of space robotics, systems engineering, spacecraft subsystems, integration and testing, operator training, and spaceflight operations. NASA’s involvement in RSGS will continue advancing the agency’s understanding of and experience with complex ISAM systems.
DARPA will continue to lead the RSGS program, which has already achieved several important milestones, including the completion of two dexterous robotic arms designed for inspection and service that have been stress-tested for an on-orbit environment and the integration of those arms with their associated electronics, tools, and ancillary hardware to produce the fully integrated robotic payload.
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Last Updated Sep 05, 2024 EditorLoura Hall Related Terms
Space Technology Mission Directorate Technology View the full article
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By NASA
Joseph Ladner stands at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where he leads a team managing the budgets to fund the nation’s premier propulsion test site. NASA/Danny Nowlin Joseph Ladner’s experiences working at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, motivate him to “pay it forward” so more people can be a part of something great.
“It is exciting to be at a place like NASA Stennis that continues to reinvent itself to stay relevant,” Ladner said. “You can do just about anything you can imagine with a workforce committed to its success.”
The Gulfport, Mississippi, resident is the lead budget analyst in the NASA Stennis Office of the Chief Financial Officer. His team manages budgets that fund the nation’s premier propulsion test site.
Ladner can point to three pivotal moments propelling him to a career with NASA. The first came by attending ASTRO CAMP at NASA Stennis every summer as a child. The thrilling experiences of launching paper rockets and conducting science experiments left him with the question, “How do I get to work there?”
The answer came into focus years later. Much like launching paper rockets, Ladner’s career started at ground level before reaching higher heights.
He started on the lowest end of the General Schedule pay scale as a GS-1 clerk for the Naval Oceanographic Office, located at NASA Stennis, while attending Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
A second pivotal moment also came during this time. The Saucier, Mississippi, native credits mentor Pamela Stenum for putting him on a career path in procurement so he could use the math and analytical skills that came natural to him.
The clerk role, expected to be only for one semester, continued through Ladner’s studies at The University of Southern Mississippi, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
“I literally came in from the bottom, and someone saw potential in me,” Ladner said. “She realized I was a hard worker and that I cared about the product I was putting out.”
The third, and most profound, moment leading Ladner to a NASA career happened when the space shuttle Columbia orbiter suffered a catastrophic failure during return to Earth.
“I will never forget standing in the crowd that morning waiting for the launch of Columbia (in 2003) and hearing the commander over the loudspeakers thank everyone for the efforts to get them to this point and saying farewell to his family,” Ladner said. “No one knew it would ultimately be the crew’s last farewell. That tragic incident left me with a greater sense that there are many opportunities, but life is short. That thought and NASA’s return to flight mission left me with a desire to be part of NASA.”
Ladner started his career with the agency two years later and has worked inspired ever since. His role as lead budget analyst contributes to the Artemis campaign that will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration of the Moon, land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all.
His job currently involves navigating challenges of increased costs and reduced budgets. From Ladner’s perspective, the challenges present opportunities for innovation and new ideas.
“Knowing my work is part of a greater cause impacting the Artemis Generation that could make a difference to society is the best thing about working at NASA Stennis,” Ladner said. “There is some awe and wonder about working at NASA, so it is neat to say you are a part of that.”
Learn more about the people who work at NASA Stennis View the full article
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By NASA
Earlier this month, nine small businesses received 2023 NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Ignite Phase II awards to further develop technologies that may be used in the agency’s missions and in the commercial space industry.
The SBIR Ignite Phase II awardees, who will receive up to $850,000 to fund their projects, are developing technology capabilities in the detection of wildfires, support for water management in agriculture, in-space debris detection, mineral mining from lunar regolith, in-space production, and more. These capabilities are vital to supporting deep space exploration, low Earth orbit missions, and preserving life on our home planet for the benefit of all. The businesses initially were selected for Phase I awards in 2023 and provided six months and up to $150,000 to prove their concepts before competing for Phase II.
“We want to support innovators across the aerospace industry because their technologies have the potential to make a big impact in the commercial market. A rich and diverse marketplace creates more opportunity for us all. These Phase II awards illuminate a clear path for a unique range of technologies that we believe will positively influence the lives of all Americans.”
Jason L. Kessler
NASA SBIR/STTR Program Executive
The SBIR Ignite pilot initiative supports product-driven small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs that have commercialization at the forefront of their innovation strategies and processes but that are not targeting NASA as a primary customer. The pilot initiative provides funding and other support to mitigate risk in technologies that have strong commercial potential by offering lower barriers to entry, a streamlined review and selection process, and accelerated technology development and awards as compared to the NASA SBIR program’s main solicitation. It also focuses on helping make participating companies more appealing to investors, customers, and partners, while fulfilling SBIR’s mission of increasing commercialization of innovations derived from federal research and development.
While the agency’s main Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer solicitations focus on technologies with potential for infusion in both NASA missions and commercialization in the marketplace, the SBIR Ignite opportunity is less prescriptive and focuses on topics that are relevant to emerging commercial markets in aerospace, such as accelerating in-space production applications in low Earth orbit.
The awarded companies are:
Astral Forge, LLC, Palo Alto, California Astrobotic Technology Inc., Pittsburgh Benchmark Space Systems, Burlington, Vermont Brayton Energy, LLC, Hampton, New Hampshire Channel-Logistics LLC dba Space-Eyes, Miami GeoVisual Analytics, Westminster, Colorado Space Lab Technologies, LLC, Boulder, Colorado Space Tango, Lexington, Kentucky VerdeGo Aero, De Leon Springs, Florida
The third year of NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Ignite is underway, as the 2024 SBIR Ignite Phase I solicitation closed on July 30, 2024. Those selections are expected to be announced Fall 2024.
NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer program is part of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and is managed by NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.
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By Space Force
SpaceWERX Director Arthur Grijalva made the announcement at the conclusion of the panel titled SpaceWERX STRATFI Successes and Selections, at Capital Factory, the home of AFWERX’s Austin hub.
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