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1965 Interview: Pioneer aviator on witnessing a 'Tic Tac' UFO during his 1931 flight from New Zealand to Australia
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By NASA
2 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
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.
The engine, built by lead SLS engines contractor L3Harris (formerly Aerojet Rocketdyne), was installed on the Fred Haise Test Stand in preparation for acceptance testing next month. It represents the first of 24 new flight engines being built for missions, beginning with Artemis V.
Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.NASA/Danny Nowlin The NASA Stennis test team will conduct a full-duration, 500-second hot fire, providing critical performance data to certify the engine for use on a future mission. During missions to the Moon, RS-25 engines fire for about 500 seconds and up to the 111% power level to help launch SLS, with the Orion spacecraft, into orbit.
The engine arrived at the test stand from the L3Harris Engine Assembly Facility on the engine transport trailer before being lifted onto the vertical engine installer (VEI) on the west side deck. After rolling the engine into the stand, the team used the VEI to raise and secure it in place.
The upcoming acceptance test follows two certification test series that helped verify the new engine production process and components meet all performance requirements. Four RS-25 engines help launch SLS, producing up to 2 million pounds of combined thrust.
All RS-25 engines for Artemis missions are tested and proven flightworthy at NASA Stennis prior to use. RS-25 tests are conducted by a team of operators from NASA, L3Harris, and Syncom Space Services, prime contractor for site facilities and operations.
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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA / Getty Images NASA has selected two new university student teams to participate in real-world aviation research challenges meant to transform the skies above our communities.
The research awards were made through NASA’s University Student Research Challenge (USRC), which provides students with opportunities to contribute to NASA’s flight research goals.
This round is notable for including USRC’s first-ever award to a community college: Cerritos Community College.
We’re trying to tap into the community college talent pool to bring new students to the table for aeronautics.
steven holz
NASA Project Manager
“We’re trying to tap into the community college talent pool to bring new students to the table for aeronautics,” said Steven Holz, who manages the USRC award process. “Innovation comes from everywhere, and people with different viewpoints, educational backgrounds, and experiences like those in our community colleges are also interested in aeronautics and looking to make a difference.”
Real World Research Awards
Through USRC, students interact with real-world aspects of the research ecosystem both in and out of the laboratory. They will manage their own research projects, utilize state-of-the-art technology, and work alongside accomplished aeronautical researchers. Students are expected to make unique contributions to NASA’s research priorities.
USRC provides more than just experience in technical research.
Each team of students selected receives a USRC grant from NASA – and is tasked with the additional challenge of raising funds from the public through student-led crowdfunding. The process helps students develop skills in entrepreneurship and public communication.
The new university teams and research topics are:
Cerritos Community College
“Project F.I.R.E. (Fire Intervention Retardant Expeller)” will explore how to mitigate wildfires by using environmentally friendly fire-retardant pellets dropped from drones. Cerritos Community College’s team includes lead Angel Ortega Barrera as well as Larisa Mayoral, Paola Mayoral Jimenez, Jenny Rodriguez, Logan Stahl, and Juan Villa, with faculty mentor Janet McLarty-Schroeder. This team also successfully participated with the same research topic in in NASA’s Gateway to Blue Skies competition, which aims to expand engagement between the NASA’s University Innovation project and universities, industry, and government partners.
Colorado School of Mines
The project “Design and Prototyping of a 9-phase Dual-Rotor Motor for Supersonic Electric Turbofan” will work on a scaled-down prototype for an electric turbofan for supersonic aircraft. The Colorado School of Mines team includes lead Mahzad Gholamian as well as Garret Reader, Mykola Mazur, and Mirali Seyedrezaei, with faculty mentor Omid Beik.
Complete details on USRC awardees and solicitations, such as what to include in a proposal and how to submit it, are available on the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate solicitation page.
About the Author
John Gould
Aeronautics Research Mission DirectorateJohn Gould is a member of NASA Aeronautics' Strategic Communications team at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. He is dedicated to public service and NASA’s leading role in scientific exploration. Prior to working for NASA Aeronautics, he was a spaceflight historian and writer, having a lifelong passion for space and aviation.
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Last Updated Feb 18, 2025 EditorJim BankeContactSteven Holzsteven.m.holz@nasa.gov Related Terms
Aeronautics Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate Flight Innovation Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program University Innovation University Student Research Challenge View the full article
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By USH
On January 25, 2025, an Oklahoma City man recorded a baffling UFO that he described as a "plasma-filled jellybean." A concerned neighbor also spotted something unusual in the sky and soon, the entire neighborhood gathered outside, to witness the anomaly.
The mysterious object emitted a glow and moved erratically, mesmerizing onlookers. In his recorded footage, Frederick can be heard narrating the event. "I don’t hear anything, and it's moving unpredictably," he noted. "It looks like a jellybean, but the interior appears to be plasma."
Frederick decided to launch his drone for a closer look, but upon attempting to deploy his drone, he encountered unexplained technical failures. "My controller provides voice notifications," he explained. "It repeatedly announced, ‘unable to take off, electromagnetic interference."
After multiple attempts, he finally got the drone airborne, reaching approximately 1,000 feet beneath the UFO. However, just after capturing three images, the drone’s video function failed, and its battery, despite being fully charged, suddenly drained. "It had a 35-minute flight time," Frederick stated. "But right after taking those three pictures, the controller alerted me: ‘low battery, return to home."
Seeking expert insight, Frederick shared his footage and images with University of Oklahoma physics professor Mukremin Kilic. When asked about the sighting, Kilic remarked, "I don’t know what it is" and suggested the object was likely a drone. However, this theory does not explain why Frederick’s own drone experienced interference, raising further questions about the true nature of the UFO.
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By NASA
NASA Blue mach diamonds from the main engine nozzles and bright exhaust from the solid rocket boosters mark the successful launch of space shuttle Endeavour 25 years ago on Feb. 11, 2000. The STS-99 mission crew – including astronauts from NASA, the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), and the European Space Agency (ESA) – were aboard the shuttle.
This mission saw the deployment of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission mast and the antenna turned to its operation position. After a successful checkout of the radar systems, mapping began less than 12 hours after launch. Crewmembers split into two shifts so they could work around the clock.
Also aboard Endeavour was a student experiment called EarthKAM, which took 2,715 digital photos during the mission through an overhead flight-deck window. The NASA-sponsored program lets middle school students select photo targets and receive the images via the Internet.
Image credit: NASA
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By NASA
Jesse Walsh helps to bring people together in his work with project formulation management. “I try to build trust between team members by understanding everyone’s incentives and making sure all team members understand the different incentives,” he said. “We may have different angles of approach, but we all have the same goal.”Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/William Hrybyk Name: Jesse Walsh
Formal Job Classification: Project Formulation Manager
Organization: Project Formulation and Development Office, Flight Projects Directorate (Code 401.0)
What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission?
As a formulation manager, I am the project manager in the room as we are designing science space flight missions. We develop proposals to be competed on the agency level against other NASA centers, and outside institutions.
I am also our office’s representative on the Earth science line of business.
“I help everyone negotiate a balance that fits within the cost and schedule,” said Walsh. “The diversity between and among scientists, engineers, and financial experts is what creates NASA’s innovative solutions.”Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/William Hrybyk What is your background?
In 2000, I graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. In the Navy I went to flight school in Pensacola, Florida, and became a naval flight officer. I was the “Goose,” not “Maverick,” in the P-3 Orion, a four-engine prop plane that primarily hunts for submarines. I was then stationed in Hawaii as part of Patrol Squadron 9, that deployed to the Far East and Middle East. Next, I worked at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C., as a project officer for science experiments on P-3s from Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Patuxent River, Maryland.
I developed migraines that disqualified me from flying. In 2007, I got a master’s in civil engineering project management from the University of Maryland. I then worked in Bethesda, Maryland, constructing buildings around the beltway, as a physics teacher at our local high school, and as a project manager of secure facilities with the Army Corps of Engineers.
In 2016, I became the assistant branch head for facilities planning at Goddard. I later entered the Flight Projects Development Program, a two-year project manager training program, during which time I worked at the Flight Projects Development Office and as the payload manager for Space Infrastructure Dexterous Robot (SPIDER), a payload on OSAM-1. I had a proposal selected for a second step, and I came back to PFDO to work proposals.
Why is this your dream job?
We are on the cutting edge of what will fly. We are designing the missions and figuring out what the world of possible will be in space in five to seven years. Scientists come to the table with ideas and engineers make those ideas reality. I make sure the whole team is working together and that all these ideas and solutions fit within our budget and schedule. We make ideas realities.
How do you translate between scientists and engineers?
It is primarily about understanding incentives. Everyone is thinking differently with different solutions, but we have the same goal. Some scientists have had an idea for years, but the idea still has to be workable. If the resulting instrument or spacecraft fails, technical issues are often the first to be examined. I help the engineers push what they are comfortable making and help the scientists understand the limits of technology.
Please talk about the competing pressures of your job.
We are responsible for taxpayer’s money. If one thing goes wrong, even on a smaller mission, the monetary loss can run into many millions. The missions we build have cost limits. We fit cutting edge science into a cost-limited opportunity.
NASA is extremely thorough. We safeguard taxpayer funds, but also push cutting-edge science.
We are on a seesaw. The engineers are more focused on technical solutions while the scientists are more focused on scientific results. I help everyone negotiate a balance that fits within the cost and schedule. The diversity between and among scientists, engineers, and financial experts is what creates NASA’s innovative solutions.
“We are on the cutting edge of what will fly,” said Jesse Walsh about his work as a project formulation manager. “We are designing the missions and figuring out what the world of possible will be in space in five to seven years.”Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/William Hrybyk What are some of your negotiating techniques?
I try to build trust between team members by understanding everyone’s incentives and making sure all team members understand the different incentives. We may have different angles of approach, but we all have the same goal. People are more likely to compromise the means if they know we will end up at the same place.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
I am proudest of our Dorado proposal because it was cutting edge science. We were trying to discover where heavy metals like gold are created in the universe. We were trying to prove that we could do fundamental science on a very lean budget, $35 million.
We did not win the final proposal, but I was extremely proud of our team, a very small, high-functioning team, that made us feel like we could discover the world.
You recently transferred to support the Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) mission. What do you most enjoy about your new role?
I am still learning what I don’t know about GDC. I am finding is fascinating to see how the plans that are made in early stages of formulation change and adapt as they run into unforeseen obstacles during implementation. I am really enjoying being part of a small, high performing team, that is mission focused.
“We fit cutting-edge science into a cost-limited opportunity,” said Jesse Walsh of his work in project formulation management.”NASA is extremely thorough. We safeguard taxpayer funds, but also push cutting-edge science.”Credits: Courtesy of Jesse Walsh Who is your favorite author?
I married a librarian, and books and stories are fundamental parts of our life. I love Hemingway because he portrays extremely complex, emotional scenarios in very simplistic terms.
Who is your science hero?
My high school physics teacher, Mr. Finkbeiner, who taught me that you understand science in your gut, not your head. Science is not memorizing equations; it is understanding how the world around you works.
What are your hobbies?
I love flyfishing on the Chesapeake’s tidal rivers and also on fresh water for trout. Flyfishing involves actively engaging with nature; reading the water and the tides, figuring out nature’s puzzle and trying to crack the code.
What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words.
I can’t wait for what’s next!
By Elizabeth M. Jarrell
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.
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