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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Latha Balijepalle, a senior database administrator at NASA Ames, encourages others to take a risk and pursue challenges in their work, like trying something new that might open doors to a new opportunity.NASA/Brandon Torres Navarrete When Madhavi Latha Balijepalle noticed that her morning commute took her past NASA Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, she set a new career goal for herself: working for NASA.
“I started manifesting it, thinking about it every day as I drove by. When I started looking for a new job, I saw an opening and decided to apply,” said Balijepalle, a senior database administrator working at the Airspace Operations Laboratory (AOL) at NASA Ames.
Eight and a half years later, she supports the researchers and developers who research next-generation solutions to advance aircraft technology and air traffic management.
A journey into the unknown
Balijepalle’s journey to NASA started thousands of miles away. She grew up in a small town in southern India, studying electrical engineering in college and establishing a career in information technology, working in C++ and Python.
When her husband found a job opportunity in the United States, Balijepalle’s life took an unexpected turn.
“I never planned to move to America,” said Balijepalle. “It was not easy to come here, even though my husband had a job. I stayed in India for almost nine months, before he found a different job that would help us with my visa and documentation.”
After settling into her new country, growing her family, and developing in her new career, Balijepalle began to ponder her dream job at NASA. She and her younger daughter, a fellow space fan, enjoyed talking about the agency’s work in space, and when a Linux administrator position opened up, she jumped at the chance.
A dream job becomes reality
At the lab, Balijepalle was initially responsible for managing the lab’s Linux servers and applications. Today, she also supports researchers and developers with development, automation, and deployment of their work.
“Latha is the lifeblood of the lab,” said Jeff Homola, co-leader of the Airborne Operations Laboratory at NASA Ames. “Without her unwavering dedication to making sure our systems are safe, secure, up to date, and running smoothly, we would not be able to do what we do in the lab.”
One of Balijepalle’s proudest achievements during her NASA career is her language skills. Growing up, she spoke Telugu and Hindi, and learned English, but communication was still a challenge when she arrived at NASA.
“I spoke English when I came to America, but not as well, and not using the technical language we use at NASA,” said Balijepalle. “I’m proud that I’ve improved my communications skills.”
“Step outside your comfort zone”
Looking back on the commute that changed her life, Balijepalle says she owes it all to being up to the challenge.
“I wasn’t a risk taker, I didn’t think about stepping outside my comfort zone, but as I drove by NASA Ames each day, I started to think about astronauts. They step outside their comfort zone and leave the planet, so maybe I could take a risk, too.”
For those who also dream of working at NASA one day, Balijepalle has some advice: try doing it her way.
“Start thinking about it and manifesting your dream. Maybe it will come true, and maybe it won’t, but you might as well try.”
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Last Updated Dec 23, 2024 Related Terms
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16 min read NASA Ames Astrogram – December 2024
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By NASA
2024 Year in Review – Highlights from NASA in Silicon Valley
by Tiffany Blake
As NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley enters its 85th year since its founding, join us as we take a look back at some of our highlights of science, engineering, research, and innovation from 2024.
Ames Arc Jets Play Key Role in Artemis I Orion Spacecraft Heat Shield Findings
A block of Avcoat undergoes testing inside an arc jet test chamber at NASA Ames. The test article, configured with both permeable (upper) and non-permeable (lower) Avcoat sections for comparison, helped to confirm understanding of the root cause of the loss of charred Avcoat material that engineers saw on the Orion spacecraft after the Artemis I test flight beyond the Moon. photo credit: NASA Researchers at Ames were part of the team tasked to better understand and identify the root cause of the unexpected char loss across the Artemis I Orion spacecraft’s heat shield. Using Avcoat material response data from Artemis I, the investigation team was able to replicate the Artemis I entry trajectory environment — a key part of understanding the cause of the issue — inside the arc jet facilities at NASA Ames.
Starling Swarm Completes Primary Mission
The four CubeSat spacecraft that make up the Starling swarm have demonstrated success in autonomous operations, completing all key mission objectives. Image credit: NASA After ten months in orbit, the Starling spacecraft swarm successfully demonstrated its primary mission’s key objectives, representing significant achievements in the capability of swarm configurations in low Earth orbit, including distributing and sharing important information and autonomous decision making.
Another Step Forward for BioNutrients
Research scientists Sandra Vu, left, Natalie Ball, center, and Hiromi Kagawa, right, process BioNutrients production packs.Image credit: NASA NASA’s BioNutrients entered its fifth year in its mission to investigate how microorganisms can produce on-demand nutrients for astronauts during long-duration space missions. Keeping astronauts healthy is critical and as the project comes to a close, researchers have processed production packs on Earth on the same day astronauts processed production packs in space on the International Space Station to demonstrate that NASA can produce nutrients after at least five years in space, providing confidence it will be capable of supporting crewed missions to Mars.
Hyperwall Upgrade Helps Scientists Interpret Big Data
The newly upgraded hyperwall visualization system provides four times the resolution of the previous system. Image credit: NASA/Brandon Torres Navarrete Ames upgraded its powerful hyperwall system, a 300-square foot wall of LCD screens with over a billion pixels to display supercomputer-scale visualizations of the very large datasets produced by NASA supercomputers and instruments. The hyperwall is just one way researchers can utilize NASA’s high-end computing technology to better understand their data and advance the agency’s missions and research.
Ames Contributions to NASA Artificial Intelligence Efforts
This landscape of “mountains” and “valleys” speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth.Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls Ames contributes to the agency’s artificial intelligence work through ongoing research and development, agencywide collaboration, and communications efforts. This year, NASA announced David Salvagnini as its inaugural chief artificial intelligence officer and held the first agencywide town hall on artificial intelligence sharing how the agency is safely using and developing artificial intelligence to advance missions and research.
Advanced Composite Solar Sail System Successfully Launches, Deploys Sail
Illustration: NASA NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System successfully launched from Māhia, New Zealand, in April, and successfully deployed its sail in August to begin mission operations. The small satellite represents a new future in solar sailing, using lightweight composite booms to support a reflective polymer sail that uses the pressure of sunlight as propulsion.
Understanding Our Planet
Samuel Suleiman, an instructor on NASA’s OCEANOS student training program, gathers loose corals to place around an endangered coral species to help attract fish and other wildlife, giving the endangered coral a better chance of survivalphoto credit: NASA/Milan Loiacono In 2024, Ames researchers studied Earth’s oceans and waterways from multiple angles – from supporting NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem, or PACE, mission to bringing students in Puerto Rico experiences in oceanography and the preservation of coral reefs. Working with multiple partners, our scientists and engineers helped inform ecosystem management by joining satellite measurements of Earth with animal tracking data. In collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey, a NASA team continued testing a specialized instrument package to stay in-the-know about changes in river flow rates.
Revealing the Mysteries of Asteroids in Our Solar System
Image credit: NASA Ames researchers used a series of supercomputer simulations to reveal a potential new explanation for how the moons of Mars may have formed: The first step, the findings say, may have involved the destruction of an asteroid.
Using NASA’s powerful James Webb Space Telescope, another Ames scientist helped reveal the smallest asteroids ever found in the main asteroid belt.
Ames Helps Emerging Space Companies ‘Take the Heat’
A heat shield made by NASA is visible on the blunt, upward-facing side of a space capsule after its landing in the Utah desert.Image credit: Varda Space Industries/John Kraus A heat shield material invented and made at Ames helped to safely return a spacecraft containing the first product processed on an autonomous, free-flying, in-space manufacturing platform. February’s re-entry of the spacecraft from Varda Space Industries of El Segundo, California, in partnership with Rocket Lab USA of Long Beach, California, marked the first time a NASA-manufactured thermal protection material, called C-PICA (Conformal Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator), ever returned from space.
Team Continues to Move Forward with Mission to Learn More about Our Star
This illustration lays a depiction of the sun’s magnetic fields over an image captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on March 12, 2016.Image credit: NASA/SDO/AIA/LMSAL HelioSwarm’s swarm of nine spacecraft will provide deeper insights into our universe and offer critical information to help protect astronauts, satellites, and communications signals such as GPS. The mission team continues to work toward launching in 2029.
CAPSTONE Continues to Chart a New Path Around the Moon
CAPSTONE revealed in lunar Sunrise: CAPSTONE will fly in cislunar space – the orbital space near and around the Moon. The mission will demonstrate an innovative spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation solution at the Moon from a near rectilinear halo orbit slated for Artemis’ Gateway.Illustration credit: NASA Ames/Daniel Rutter The microwave sized CubeSat, CAPSTONE, continues to fly in a cis-lunar near rectilinear halo orbit after launching in 2022. Flying in this unique orbit continues to pave the way for future spacecraft and Gateway, a Moon-orbiting outpost that is part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, as the team continues to collect data.
NASA Moves Drone Package Delivery Industry Closer to Reality
A drone is shown flying during a test of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) technical capability Level 2 (TCL2) at Reno-Stead Airport, Nevada in 2016. During the test, five drones simultaneously crossed paths, separated by different altitudes. Two drones flew beyond visual line of sight and three flew within line-of-sight of their operators. More UTM research followed, and it continues today. Image credit: NASA Ames/Dominic Hart NASA’s uncrewed aircraft system traffic management concepts paved the way for newly-approved package delivery drone flights in the Dallas area.
NASA’s uncrewed aircraft system traffic management concepts paved the way for newly-approved package delivery drone flights in the Dallas area.
NASA Technologies Streamline Air Traffic Management Systems
This image shows an aviation version of a smartphone navigation app that makes suggestions for an aircraft to fly an alternate, more efficient route. The new trajectories are based on information available from NASA’s Digital Information Platform and processed by the Collaborative Departure Digital Rerouting tool.Illustration credit: NASA Managing our busy airspace is a complex and important issue, ensuring reliable and efficient movement of commercial and public air traffic as well as autonomous vehicles. NASA, in partnership with AeroVironment and Aerostar, demonstrated a first-of-its-kind air traffic management concept that could pave the way for aircraft to safely operate at higher altitudes. The agency also saw continued fuel savings and reduction in commercial flight delays at Dallas Fort-Worth Airport, thanks to a NASA-developed tool that allows flight coordinators to identify more efficient, alternative takeoff routes.
Small Spacecraft Gathers Big Solar Storm Data from Deep Space
Illustration of NASA’s BioSentinel spacecraft as it enters a heliocentric orbit.Illustration credit: NASA Ames/Daniel Rutter BioSentinel – a small satellite about the size of a cereal box – is currently more than 30 million miles from Earth, orbiting our Sun. After launching aboard NASA’s Artemis I more than two years ago, BioSentinel continues to collect valuable information for scientists trying to understand how solar radiation storms move through space and where their effects – and potential impacts on life beyond Earth – are most intense. In May 2024, the satellite was exposed to a coronal mass ejection without the protection of our planet’s magnetic field and gathered measurements of hazardous solar particles in deep space during a solar storm.
NASA, FAA Partner to Develop New Wildland Fire Technologies
Artist’s rendering of remotely piloted aircraft providing fire suppression, monitoring and communications capabilities during a wildland fire. Illustration credit: NASA NASA researchers continued to develop and test airspace management technologies to enable remotely-piloted aircraft to fight and monitor wildland fires 24 hours a day.
The Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) project seeks to use drones and advanced aviation technologies to improve wildland fire coordination and operations.
NASA and Forest Service Use Balloon to Help Firefighters Communicate
The Aerostar Thunderhead balloon carries the STRATO payload into the sky to reach the stratosphere for flight testing. The balloon appears deflated because it will expand as it rises to higher altitudes where pressures are lower.Image credit: Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting/Austin Buttlar The Strategic Tactical Radio and Tactical Overwatch (STRATO) technology is a collaborative effort to use high-altitude balloons to improve real-time communications among firefighters battling wildland fires. Providing cellular communication from above can improve firefighter safety and firefighting efficiency.
A Fully Reimagined Visitor Center
The NASA Ames Visitor Center includes exhibits and activities, sharing the work of NASA in Silicon Valley with the public.Image credit: NASA Ames/Don RIchey The NASA Ames Visitor Center at Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California includes a fully reimagined 360-degree experience, featuring new exhibits, models, and more. An interactive exhibit puts visitors in the shoes of a NASA Ames scientist, designing and testing rovers, planes, and robots for space exploration.
Ames Collaborations in the Community
Former NASA astronauts Yvonne Cagle and Kenneth Cockrell pose with Eli Toribio and Rhydian Daniels at the University of California, San Francisco Bakar Cancer Hospital. Patients gathered to meet the astronauts and learn more about human spaceflight and NASA’s cancer research effortsImage credit: NASA Ames/Brandon Torres Navarrete NASA astronauts, scientists, and researchers, and leadership from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) met with cancer patients and gathered in a discussion about potential research opportunities and collaborations as part of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative on Oct. 4. During the visit with patients, NASA astronaut Yvonne Cagle and former astronaut Kenneth Cockrell answered questions about spaceflight and life in space.
Ames and the University of California, Berkeley, expanded their partnership, organizing workshops to exchange on their areas of technical expertise, including in Advanced Air Mobility, and to develop ideas for the Berkeley Space Center, an innovation hub proposed for development at Ames’ NASA Research Park. Under a new agreement, NASA also will host supercomputing resources for UC Berkeley, supporting the development of novel computing algorithms and software for a wide variety of scientific and technology areas.
NASA’s Ames Research Center Celebrates 85 Years of Innovation
by Rachel Hoover
Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley pre-dates a lot of things. The center existed before NASA – the very space and aeronautics agency it’s a critical part of today. And of all the marvelous advancements in science and technology that have fundamentally changed our lives over the last 85 years since its founding, one aspect has remained steadfast; an enduring commitment to what’s known by some on-center simply as, “an atmosphere of freedom.”
The NACA Ames laboratory in 1944.Image credit: NASA Years before breaking ground at the site that would one day become home to the world’s preeminent wind tunnels, supercomputers, simulators, and brightest minds solving some of the world’s toughest challenges, Joseph Sweetman Ames, the center’s namesake, described a sentiment that would guide decades of innovation and research:
“My hope is that you have learned or are learning a love of freedom of thought and are convinced that life is worthwhile only in such an atmosphere,” he said in an address to the graduates of Johns Hopkins University in June 1935.
That spirit and the people it attracted and retained are a crucial part of how Ames, along with other N.A.C.A. research centers, ultimately made technological breakthroughs that enabled humanity’s first steps on the Moon, the safe return of spacecraft through Earth’s atmosphere, and many other discoveries that benefit our day-to-day lives.
Russell Robinson momentarily looks to the camera while supervising the first excavation at what would become Ames Research Center.Image credit: NACA “In the context of my work, an atmosphere of freedom means the freedom to pursue high-risk, high-reward, innovative ideas that may take time to fully develop and — most importantly — the opportunity to put them into practice for the benefit of all,” said Edward Balaban, a researcher at Ames specializing in artificial intelligence, robotics, and advanced mission concepts.
Balaban’s career at Ames has involved a variety of projects at different stages of development – from early concept to flight-ready – including experimenting with different ways to create super-sized space telescopes in space and using artificial intelligence to help guide the path a rover might take to maximize off-world science results. Like many Ames researchers over the years, Balaban shared that his experience has involved deep collaborations across science and engineering disciplines with colleagues all over the center, as well as commercial and academic partners in Silicon Valley where Ames is nestled and beyond. This is a tradition that runs deep at Ames and has helped lead to entirely new fields of study and seeded many companies and spinoffs.
Before NASA, Before Silicon Valley: The 1939 Founding of Ames Aeronautical Laboratory “In the fields of aeronautics and space exploration the cost of entry can be quite high. For commercial enterprises and universities pursuing longer term ideas and putting them into practice often means partnering up with an organization such as NASA that has the scale and multi-disciplinary expertise to mature these ideas for real-world applications,” added Balaban.
“Certainly, the topics of inquiry, the academic freedom, and the benefit to the public good are what has kept me at Ames,” reflected Ross Beyer, a planetary scientist with the SETI Institute at Ames. “There’s not a lot of commercial incentive to study other planets, for example, but maybe there will be soon. In the meantime, only with government funding and agencies like NASA can we develop missions to explore the unknown in order to make important fundamental science discoveries and broadly share them.”
For Beyer, his boundary-breaking moment came when he searched – and found – software engineers at Ames capable and passionate about open-source software to generate accurate, high-resolution, texture-mapped, 3D terrain models from stereo image pairs. He and other teams of NASA scientists have since applied that software to study and better understand everything from changes in snow and ice characteristics on Earth, as well as features like craters, mountains, and caves on Mars or the Moon. This capability is part of the Artemis campaign, through which NASA will establish a long-term presence at the Moon for scientific exploration with commercial and international partners. The mission is to learn how to live and work away from home, promote the peaceful use of space, and prepare for future human exploration of Mars.
“As NASA and private companies send missions to the Moon, they need to plan landing sites and understand the local environment, and our software is freely available for anyone to use,” Beyer said. “Years ago, our management could easily have said ‘No, let’s keep this software to ourselves; it gives us a competitive advantage.’ They didn’t, and I believe that NASA writ large allows you to work on things and share those things and not hold them back.”
When looking forward to what the next 85 years might bring, researchers shared a belief that advancements in technology and opportunities to innovate are as expansive as space itself, but like all living things, they need a healthy atmosphere to thrive. Balaban offered, “This freedom to innovate is precious and cannot be taken for granted. It can easily fall victim if left unprotected. It is absolutely critical to retain it going forward, to ensure our nation’s continuing vitality and the strength of the other freedoms we enjoy.”
Ames Aeronautical Laboratory.Image credit: NACA Today Marks the Retirement of the Astrogram Newsletter
by Astrid Albaugh
For 66 years, the Astrogram has told the story of NASA’s Ames Research Center. Over those six-plus decades, the newsletter has documented hundreds of missions led by Ames, the progression of Hangar One’s reclamation, space shuttle launches with Ames’ payloads aboard them, countless VIP visits, and everything in between.
Ames published the first edition of the Astrogram in October 1958, coinciding with the transition of the center from its original incarnation as the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics Ames Aeronautical Laboratory to a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) research center.
The newsletter has evolved over time, alongside the center. From October 1958 through January 2016, the Astrogram was published in print, before a digital edition was developed. In January 2016, the Astrogram transitioned to a digital-only format. Below are examples of some of the Astrogram issues from over the years. More are forthcoming from 1998 and prior once they are retrieved from the archives.
October 2014 Astrogram September 2010 Astrogram I have served as the editor of the Astrogram since February 1998. Over the past quarter century, it has been an interesting, and sometimes quite challenging, task for me to capture the breadth and depth of Ames’s story and ensure that we always published the newsletter on time. I still remember trekking over to the center’s imaging office to review the physical negatives and images that the Ames photographers had taken of events onsite and select the most compelling photos. I used a very early version of visual design software to craft the layout. When the paper was completed, I’d file it onto a CD and then hand it to the courier who would drive from the San Francisco printshop to pick it up from me. Once and awhile, someone would request to have an additional feature added, requiring multiple trips up the 101 and back. Sometimes I’d come in on the weekends to work on the paper, due to late submissions, much to the chagrin of my kids.
July 2007 Astrogram It has been a pleasure serving as the editor over the past quarter century, almost as many years as my kids are old. A person once asked me if I had changed my name to Astrid since it’s so like the word Astrogram. Any relationship between the newsletter and my name is simply serendipity. I have enjoyed being behind the scenes, mostly working diligently at my computer. Many at Ames know my name because of the newsletter but may have never met me in person. It’s been amusing sometimes when I encounter someone who can’t put a finger as to why they knew my name but didn’t recognize me standing in front of them. Their usual response when they realized why they know me was, “Ah, Astrid of the Astrogram.”
March 20, 1998 Astrogram Just as NASA innovates, the content of the Astrogram has to innovate as well. Many of the stories that you used to read in the Astrogram, you can now find on our NASA Ames web page here. If you would like to access past, archived issues of the Astrogram, going back to 1958, please consult the Ames Research Center Archives. I will continue to help tell Ames’s story, just using new platforms.
Whether this is your first issue or you have been an Astrogram supporter for decades, thank you for reading!
– Astrid of the Astrogram officially signing off
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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA/Quincy Eggert NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, is preparing today for tomorrow’s mission. Supersonic flight, next generation aircraft, advanced air mobility, climate changes, human exploration of space, and the next innovation are just some of the topics our researchers, engineers, and mission support teams focused on in 2024.
NASA Armstrong began 2024 with the public debut of the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft. Through the unique design of the X-59, NASA aims to reduce the sonic boom to make it much quieter, potentially opening the future to commercial supersonic flight over land. Throughout the first part of the year, NASA and international researchers studied air quality across Asia as part of a global effort to better understand the air we breathe. Later in the year, for the first time, a NASA-funded researcher conducted an experiment aboard a commercial suborbital rocket, studying how changes in gravity during spaceflight affect plant biology.
Here’s a look at more NASA Armstrong accomplishments throughout 2024:
Our simulation team began work on NASA’s X-66 simulator, which will use an MD-90 cockpit and allow pilots and engineers to run real-life scenarios in a safe environment. NASA Armstrong engineers completed and tested a model of a truss-braced wing design, laying the groundwork for improved commercial aircraft aerodynamics. NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility mission and supporting projects worked with industry partners who are building innovative new aircraft like electric air taxis. We explored how these new designs may help passengers and cargo move between and inside cities efficiently. The team began testing with a custom virtual reality flight simulator to explore the air taxi ride experience. This will help designers create new aircraft with passenger comfort in mind. Researchers also tested a new technology that will help self-flying aircraft avoid hazards. A NASA-developed computer software tool called OVERFLOW helped several air taxi companies predict aircraft noise and aerodynamic performance. This tool allows manufacturers to see how new design elements would perform, saving the aerospace industry time and money. Our engineers designed a camera pod with sensors at NASA Armstrong to help advance computer vision for autonomous aviation and flew this pod at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Quesst mission marked a major milestone with the start of tests on the engine that will power the quiet supersonic X-59 experimental aircraft. In February and March, NASA joined international researchers in Asia to investigate pollution sources. The now retired DC-8 and NASA Langley Gulfstream III aircraft collected air measurements over the Philippines, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, and Taiwan. Combined with ground and satellite observations, these measurements continue to enrich global discussions about pollution origins and solutions. The Gulfstream IV joined NASA Armstrong’s fleet of airborne science platforms. Our teams modified the aircraft to accommodate a next-generation science instrument that will collect terrain information of the Earth in a more capable, versatile, and maintainable way. The ER-2 and the King Air supported the development of spaceborne instruments by testing them in suborbital settings. On the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem Postlaunch Airborne eXperiment mission (PACE-PAX), the ER-2 validated data collected by the PACE satellite about the ocean, atmosphere, and surfaces. Operating over several countries, researchers onboard NASA’s C-20A collected data and images of Earth’s surface to understand global ecosystems, natural hazards, and land surface changes. Following Hurricane Milton, the C-20A flew over affected areas to collect data that could help inform disaster response in the future. We also tested nighttime precision landing technologies that safely deliver spacecraft to hazardous locations with limited visibility. With the goal to improve firefighter safety, NASA, the U.S. Forest Service, and industry tested a cell tower in the sky. The system successfully provided persistent cell coverage, enabling real-time communication between firefighters and command posts. Using a 1960s concept wingless, powered aircraft design, we built and tested an atmospheric probe to better and more economically explore giant planets. NASA Armstrong hosted its first Ideas to Flight workshop, where subject matter experts shared how to accelerate research ideas and technology development through flight. These are just some of NASA Armstrong’s many innovative research efforts that support NASA’s mission to explore the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all.
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Last Updated Dec 20, 2024 EditorDede DiniusContactSarah Mannsarah.mann@nasa.govLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related Terms
Armstrong Flight Research Center Advanced Air Mobility Aeronautics C-20A DC-8 Earth Science ER-2 Flight Opportunities Program Quesst (X-59) Sustainable Flight Demonstrator Explore More
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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
From left to right: Astrolab’s FLEX, Intuitive Machines’ Moon RACER, and Lunar Outpost’s Eagle lunar terrain vehicle at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. NASA/Bill Stafford Through NASA’s Artemis campaign, astronauts will land on the lunar surface and use a new generation of spacesuits and rovers as they live, work, and conduct science in the Moon’s South Pole region, exploring more of the lunar surface than ever before. Recently, the agency completed the first round of testing on three commercially owned and developed LTVs (Lunar Terrain Vehicle) from Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
As part of an ongoing year-long feasibility study, each company delivered a static mockup of their vehicle to Johnson at the end of September, initiated rover testing in October and completed the first round of testing in December inside the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) test facility. Lunar surface gravity is one-sixth of what we experience here on Earth, so to mimic this, ARGOS offers an analog environment that can offload pressurized suited subjects for various reduced gravity simulations.
NASA astronauts Raja Chari (left) and Randy Bresnik (right) sit inside Lunar Outpost’s Eagle lunar terrain vehicle evaluating the seat configuration during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. NASA/David DeHoyos NASA astronaut Jessica Meir grabs a lunar geology tool from a tool rack on Lunar Outpost’s Eagle lunar terrain vehicle during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/James Blair NASA astronaut Joe Acaba prepares to climb on top of Intuitive Machines’ Moon RACER lunar terrain vehicle to get to a science payload during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/Josh Valcarcel NASA astronaut Jessica Meir puts a science sample inside of a storage box on Intuitive Machines’ Moon RACER lunar terrain vehicle during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/James Blair NASA astronaut Frank Rubio (left) and NASA spacesuit engineer Zach Tejral (right) sit inside Astrolab’s FLEX lunar terrain vehicle evaluating the display interfaces during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/James Blair NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins stores science payloads on Astrolab’s FLEX lunar terrain vehicle during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/Robert Markowitz This is the first major test milestone within the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services contract and to have actual rovers delivered only four months after these companies were awarded is remarkable.
steve munday
NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle Project Manager
NASA’s engineering teams conducted tests where suited NASA astronauts and engineers performed tasks, maneuvers, and emergency drills on each rover. With astronauts acting as the test subjects, these human-in-the-loop tests are invaluable as crewmembers provide critical feedback on each rover’s design functionality, evaluate display interfaces and controls, and help identify potential safety concerns or design issues. This feedback is shared directly with each commercial provider, to incorporate changes based on lessons learned as they evolve their rover design.
“We are excited to have mockups from all three LTV commercial providers here at Johnson Space Center,” said Steve Munday, LTV project manager. “This is the first major test milestone within the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services contract and to have actual rovers delivered only four months after these companies were awarded is remarkable.”
NASA engineer Dave Coan (left) and NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins (right) sit inside from Intuitive Machines’ Moon RACER lunar terrain vehicle evaluating the crew compartment during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/James Blair Testing consisted of NASA astronauts and engineers taking turns wearing both NASA’s Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit planetary prototype spacesuit as well as Axiom Space’s Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit lunar spacesuit. The test teams performed evaluations to understand the interactions between the crew, the spacesuits, and the LTV mockups.
While wearing NASA’s prototype spacesuit, crew members were suspended from ARGOS allowing teams to mimic theone-sixth gravitational field of the lunar surface. This allowed the crew members to conduct tasks on the outside of each rover, such as gathering or storing lunar geology tools, deploying science payloads, and handling cargo equipment, as if they are walking on the Moon.
NASA astronaut Joe Acaba raises the solar array panel on Lunar Outpost’s Eagle lunar terrain vehicle during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/Robert Markowitz While wearing Axiom Space’s pressurized spacesuit, teams evaluated the level of ease or difficulty in mobility crewmembers experienced when entering and exiting the rovers, the crew compartment and design, and the functionality of interacting with display interfaces and hand controls while wearing thick spacesuit gloves.
As part of testing, teams also conducted emergency drills, where engineers simulated rescuing an incapacitated crew member. As part of NASA’s requirements, each rover must have a design in place that enables an astronaut to single-handedly rescue their crewmates in the event of an emergency.
NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins picks up a lunar geology tool from a stowage drawer on Astrolab’s FLEX lunar terrain vehicle during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/Robert Markowitz Since NASA selected the companies, Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab have been working to meet NASA’s requirements through the preliminary design review. In 2025, the agency plans to issue a request for task order proposals to any eligible providers for a demonstration mission to continue developing the LTV, deliver it to the surface of the Moon, and validate its performance and safety ahead of Artemis V, when NASA intends to begin using the LTV for crewed operations.
Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts – including the next Americans, and the first international partner astronaut – to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, technology evolution, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for future crewed missions to Mars.
Learn about the rovers, suits, and tools that will help Artemis astronauts to explore more of the Moon:
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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
On Dec. 8, 1994, NASA announced the selection of its 15th group of astronauts. The diverse group comprised 19 candidates – 10 pilots and nine mission specialists, and included five women, two African Americans, one Asian American, and the first Peruvian-born and Indian-born astronauts. Four international astronauts, one each from Canada and Japan and two from France, joined the group later for astronaut candidate training, following which all 23 became eligible for spaceflight assignment. The two French candidates had previous spaceflight experience in cooperative missions with Russia. All members of the group completed at least one spaceflight, making significant contributions to assembly and maintenance of the space station and carrying out important science missions. Three perished in the Columbia accident.
The Group 15 NASA and international astronaut candidates pose for a group photo – front row, Jeffrey S. Ashby, left, Dafydd “Dave” R. Williams, James F. Reilly, Scott D. Altman, Rick D. Husband, and Michael J. Bloomfield; middle row, Pamela A. Melroy, left, Michael P. Anderson, Michel Tognini, Kathryn “Kay” P. Hire, Kalpana Chawla, Carlos I. Noriega, Susan L. Still, Takao Doi, and Frederick “Rick” W. Sturckow; back row, Janet L. Kavandi, left, Edward T. Lu, Steven K. Robinson, Robert L. Curbeam, Dominic L.P. Gorie, Joe F. Edwards, Steven W. Lindsey, and Jean-Loup Chrétien. Credit: NASA The newest class of NASA astronaut candidates included pilot candidates Scott D. Altman, Jeffrey S. Ashby, Michael J. Bloomfield, Joe F. Edwards, Dominic L.P. Gorie, Rick D. Husband, Steven W. Lindsey, Pamela A. Melroy, Susan L. Still, and Frederick “Rick” W. Sturckow, and mission specialist candidates Michael P. Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, Robert L. Curbeam, Kathryn “Kay” P. Hire, Janet L. Kavandi, Edward T. Lu, Carlos I. Noriega, James F. Reilly, and Steven K. Robinson. A January 1995 agreement among the agencies enabled Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Dafydd “Dave” R. Williams and Takao Doi of the National Space Development Agency (NASDA), now the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, to join the 19 NASA astronauts for training. Another agreement between NASA and the French space agency CNES enabled astronauts Jean-Loup Chrétien and Michel Tognini to also join the group. Both Chrétien and Tognini had previous spaceflight experience through joint agreements with Russia, and their experience proved helpful to NASA in the fledgling Shuttle-Mir Program.
Group 15 astronaut candidates experience short-duration weightlessness aboard NASA’s KC-135 aircraft.Credit: NASA The 19 NASA candidates along with Williams and Doi reported to work at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on March 6, 1995, to begin their one-year training period. The two French astronauts joined them later. During the yearlong training, the candidates attended classes in applied sciences, space shuttle and space station systems, space medicine, Earth and planetary sciences, and materials sciences. They visited each of the NASA centers to learn about their functions and received instruction in flying the T-38 Talon training aircraft, high-altitude and ground egress systems, survival skills, parasail flight, and scuba. They experienced short-duration weightlessness aboard NASA’s KC-135 aircraft dubbed the Vomit Comet. After completing the astronaut candidate training, they qualified for various technical assignments within the astronaut office leading to assignments to space shuttle crews.
Group 15 astronaut candidates during survival training in Pensacola, Florida.Credit: NASA Group 15 astronaut candidates during survival training in Pensacola, Florida.Credit: NASA The 19 NASA candidates along with Williams and Doi reported to work at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on March 6, 1995, to begin their one-year training period. The two French astronauts joined them later. During the yearlong training, the candidates attended classes in applied sciences, space shuttle and space station systems, space medicine, Earth and planetary sciences, and materials sciences. They visited each of the NASA centers to learn about their functions and received instruction in flying the T-38 Talon training aircraft, high-altitude and ground egress systems, survival skills, parasail flight, and scuba. They experienced short-duration weightlessness aboard NASA’s KC-135 aircraft dubbed the Vomit Comet. After completing the astronaut candidate training, they qualified for various technical assignments within the astronaut office leading to assignments to space shuttle crews.
Per tradition, the previous astronaut class provided the nickname for Group 15. Originally, The Class of 1992, The Hogs, dubbed them The Snails because NASA had delayed their announcement. Then after the addition of the two French astronauts, they felt that The Flying Escargots seemed more appropriate. The Group 15 patch included an astronaut pin rising from the Earth, an orbiting space shuttle and space station, and flags of the United States, Canada, France, and Japan.
Group 15 patch.Credit: NASA
Altman, a U.S. Navy pilot, hails from Illinois. He received his first spaceflight assignment as pilot of STS-90, the 16-day Neurolab mission in 1998, along with fellow Escargots Hire and Williams. He again served as pilot on STS-106, a 12-day space station resupply mission in 2000, accompanied by fellow Escargot Lu. He served as commander on his third mission, STS-109, the 11-day fourth Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission in 2002. He commanded his fourth and final mission, the 13-day final HST servicing mission, STS-125, in 2009. Altman logged a total of 51 days in space.
Anderson, a native of upstate New York and a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, received his first assignment as a mission specialist on STS-89, the nine-day eighth docking with Mir. Fellow Escargots Edwards and Reilly flew with Anderson, who has the distinction as the only African American astronaut to visit that space station during the mission in 1998. He next served as payload commander on the 16-day STS-107 Spacehab research mission in 2003, flying with fellow Escargots Chawla and Husband. Anderson perished in the Columbia accident. He logged nearly 25 days in space.
Texas native and U.S. Navy captain Ashby received his first spaceflight assignment as pilot of STS-93, the five-day mission in 1999 to deploy the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Fellow Escargot Tognini served as a mission specialist on this flight. On his second mission, Ashby served as pilot of STS-100, the 12-day flight in 2001 that delivered the Canadarm2 robotic arm to the space station. Ashby commanded his third and final mission in 2002, STS-112, the 11-day space station assembly flight that delivered the S1 truss. Fellow Escargot Melroy served as pilot on this flight. During his three missions, Ashby spent nearly 28 days in space.
Hailing from Michigan, U.S. Air Force Colonel Bloomfield received his first flight assignment as pilot of STS-86, the seventh Mir docking mission. The 11-day flight took place in 1997, with fellow Escargot Chrétien serving as a mission specialist. Bloomfield served as pilot on his second flight, STS-97, the 11-day station assembly mission in 2000 that delivered the P6 truss and the first set of U.S. solar arrays. Fellow Escargot Noriega flew as a mission specialist on this flight. Bloomfield served as commander on his third and final mission, the 11-day STS-110 assembly flight that delivered the S0 truss segment in 2002. Bloomfield logged a total of 32 days in space across his three missions.
Chawla, the first Indian-born NASA astronaut, earned a doctorate in aerospace engineering. She received her first spaceflight assignment as a mission specialist on STS-87, the 16-day flight in 1997 that carried the fourth U.S. Microgravity Payload (USMP-4). Fellow Escargot Lindsey served as pilot on this mission, during which Chawla used the shuttle’s robotic arm to release and capture the SPARTAN-201-4 free flyer. She next served as a mission specialist on the STS-107 Spacehab research mission in 2003, along with fellow Escargots Anderson and Husband. Chawla perished in the Columbia accident. She logged nearly 32 days in space.
On his first spaceflight, Curbeam, a native of Baltimore and commander in the U.S. Navy, flew as a mission specialist on STS-85, a 12-day mission in 1997 that carried the CRISTA-SPAS-2 free flyer. Fellow Escargot Robinson accompanied Curbeam on this mission. On his next flight, he served as a mission specialist on STS-98, the 2001 station assembly flight that delivered the Destiny U.S. Lab. During that 13-day flight, Curbeam participated in three spacewalks, spending nearly 20 hours outside. On his third and final spaceflight, he served as a mission specialist on STS-116, the 13-day assembly flight in 2006 that delivered the P5 truss segment. Curbeam participated in four spacewalks to reconfigure the station’s power system, spending nearly 26 hours outside. Across his four flights, Curbeam spent more than 37 days in space, and across his seven spacewalks more than 45 hours outside.
Edwards, a native of Virginia and U.S. Navy commander, flew his single spaceflight as pilot of STS-89, the eighth Mir docking mission in 1998. Fellow Escargots Anderson and Reilly flew with him as mission specialists on this flight. Edwards spent nine days in space.
A native of Louisiana and U.S. Navy captain, Gorie received his first spaceflight assignment as pilot of STS-91, the 10-day ninth and final Mir docking mission in 1998, along with fellow Escargot Kavandi. In 2000, he served as pilot of STS-99, the 11-day Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), once again with fellow Escargot Kavandi. Gorie commanded his third mission, STS-108 in 2001, the first station Utilization Flight that lasted 12 days. He also commanded his fourth and final flight, accompanied by fellow Escargot Doi, the 16-day STS-123 mission in 2008 that delivered the Japanese pressurized logistics module and the Canadian Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) to the station. Over his four missions, Gorie spent more than 48 days in space.
A native of Alabama and a captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve, Hire completed her first space mission in 1998 as a mission specialist on the 16-day STS-90 Neurolab mission, along with fellow Escargots Altman and Williams. Twelve years later, Hire flew her second and last mission, STS-130, a 14-day space station assembly mission that installed the Node 3 Tranquility module and the Cupola. During her two flights, Hire spent nearly 30 days in space.
Hailing from Amarillo, Texas, and a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Husband flew as the pilot of STS-96 on his first flight. The 10-day space station resupply mission took place in 1999. He served as commander on his second flight, the 16-day STS-107 Spacehab research mission in 2003, along with fellow Escargots Anderson and Chawla. Husband perished in the Columbia accident. He logged nearly 26 days in space.
Missouri native Kavandi completed her first spaceflight as a mission specialist on STS-91, the 10-day ninth and final Mir docking mission in 1998, along with fellow Escargot Gorie. On her second flight, she served as a mission specialist on the 11-day STS-99 SRTM in 2000, once again with fellow Escargot Gorie. As a mission specialist on STS-104, her third and final spaceflight, Kavandi flew with fellow Escargots Lindsey and Reilly to install the Quest airlock on the station. On her three flights, she logged 34 days in space. Kavandi served as director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland from March 2016 to September 2019.
A colonel in the U.S. Air Force, California-born Lindsey has the distinction as the only member of his class to complete five spaceflights. He served as pilot on his first spaceflight in 1997, the 16-day STS-87 USMP-4 mission, joined by fellow Escargots Chawla and Doi. He flew as pilot on his second mission in 1998, the nine-day STS-95 mission that saw astronaut John H. Glenn return to space. Fellow Escargot Robinson joined Lindsey on this mission. He commanded his third spaceflight, the 13-day STS-104 mission in 2001 that delivered the Quest airlock to the space station. Fellow Escargots Kavandi and Reilly accompanied Lindsey on this flight. He served as commander of his fourth trip into space in 2006, the 13-day STS-121 second return to flight mission after the Columbia accident that also returned the station to a 3-person crew. For his fifth and final space mission in 2011, Lindsey once again served as commander, of STS-133, the 39th and final flight of space shuttle Discovery. The fifth Utilization and Logistics Flight delivered the Permanent Multipurpose Module and the third of four EXPRESS Logistics Carriers to the space station. Lindsey’s flight on STS-133 marked the last flight by a Flying Escargot. Across his five missions, Lindsey logged nearly 63 days in space.
Born in Massachusetts, Lu earned a doctorate in applied physics. He received his first spaceflight assignment as a mission specialist on the nine-day STS-84 flight in 1997, the sixth Mir docking mission. Fellow Escargot Noriega accompanied him on the flight. On his second trip into space, Lu served as mission specialist on STS-106, a 12-day station resupply mission in 2000. He participated in a six-hour spacewalk to complete electrical connections between two of the station’s modules. Fellow Escargot Altman flew with Lu on this mission. On his third mission, Lu served as flight engineer of Expedition 7, spending 185 days in space in 2003, the only Escargot to complete a long-duration mission. He logged 206 days in space during his three spaceflights.
California native Melroy, a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, received her first flight assignment as pilot of STS-92, the 13-day space station assembly flight in 2000 that delivered the Z1 truss. She served as pilot on her second mission, STS-112, the 11-day flight that brought the S1 truss to the station in 2002. Fellow Escargot Ashby commanded this mission. On her third and final mission in 2007, she served as commander of STS-120, the 15-day assembly flight that brought the Harmony Node 2 module to the station. After hatch opening, space station commander Peggy A. Whitson greeted Melroy, highlighting the first time that women commanded both spacecraft. She accumulated nearly 39 days in space during her three missions. Melroy has served as NASA’s deputy administrator since June 2021.
Noriega has the distinction as the first Peruvian-born astronaut, and served as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps. For his first spaceflight, he served as a mission specialist, along with fellow Escargot Lu, on STS-84, the nine-day sixth Mir docking mission in 1997. On his second and final mission, Noriega served as a mission specialist on STS-97, the 11-day assembly flight in 2000 that delivered the P6 truss and the first set of U.S. solar arrays to the space station. He participated in three spacewalks, spending more than 19 hours outside. Fellow Escargot Bloomfield served as pilot on this mission. Across his two flights, Noriega accumulated 20 days in space.
Born in Idaho, Reilly earned a doctorate in geosciences. He received his first spaceflight assignment as a mission specialist on STS-89, the nine-day eighth Mir docking mission in 1998. Fellow Escargots Edwards and Anderson joined him on this mission. On his second trip to space, Reilly served as a mission specialist on STS-104, the assembly flight to install the Quest airlock on the station. Reilly participated in three spacewalks, including the first one staged from the Quest airlock, totaling 15 and a half hours. Fellow Escargots Lindsey and Kavandi accompanied Reilly on this mission. On his third and final spaceflight, Reilley flew as a mission specialist on STS-117, the 14-day flight in 2007 that delivered the S3/S4 truss segment to the station. Reilly participated in two of the mission’s spacewalks, spending more than 13 hours outside. Fellow Escargot Sturckow served as commander on this mission. Across his three spaceflights, Reilly logged more than 35 days in space and spent nearly 29 hours outside on five spacewalks.
California native Robinson earned a doctorate in mechanical engineering. On his first spaceflight, he flew, along with fellow Escargot Curbeam, as a mission specialist on STS-85, a 12-day mission in 1997 that carried the CRISTA-SPAS-2 free flyer. On his second trip into space, he served as a mission specialist on STS-95, commanded by fellow Escargot Lindsey, the nine-day mission in 1998 that saw astronaut John H. Glenn return to space. In 2005, Robinson flew for a third time on STS-114, the 14-day return to flight mission after the Columbia accident. He participated in three spacewalks totaling 20 hours. He flew as a mission specialist on STS-130, his fourth and final spaceflight, in 2010. Fellow Escargot Hire accompanied him on the 14-day mission that brought the Tranquility Node 3 module and the Cupola to the station. Robinson logged 48 days in space across his four missions.
Born in Georgia, and a commander in the U.S. Navy, Still received her first spaceflight assignment as pilot for STS-83, the Microgravity Sciences Laboratory (MSL) mission in 1997. She has the distinction as the first of her class to reach space. When a fuel cell problem cut the planned 16-day mission short after four days, NASA decided to refly the mission and its crew. Still returned to space as pilot of STS-94, the MSL reflight, later in 1997, and flew the full duration 16 days. She logged a total of 20 days in space.
California native and a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, Sturckow received his first spaceflight assignment as pilot of STS-88, the 12-day mission in 1998 that launched the Node 1 Unity module to begin assembly of the space station. He again served as pilot on his second spaceflight, STS-105 in 2001, a 12-day station assembly, resupply, and crew rotation mission. Sturckow served as commander on his third mission, the 14-day STS-117 mission in 2007 that delivered the S3/S4 truss segment to the station. Fellow Escargot Reilly accompanied Sturckow on this mission. He once again served as commander on his fourth and final spaceflight, STS-128, the 14-day flight in 2009 that brought facilities to the station to enable a six-person permanent crew. He logged more than 51 days in space on his four missions.
Born in La Rochelle, France, Chrétien rose to the rank of brigadier general in the French Air Force. Selected as an astronaut by CNES in 1980, Chrétien made his first spaceflight in 1982, an eight-day mission aboard the Soviet Salyut-7 space station, the first non-Soviet and non-American to reach space. Chrétien returned to space in 1988, completing a 25-day mission aboard Mir during which he participated in a six-hour spacewalk, the first non-Soviet and non-American to do so. Under a special agreement between NASA and CNES, Chrétien and Tognini joined the Group 15 astronauts for training, making them eligible for flights on the shuttle. For his third and final spaceflight, Chrétien served as a mission specialist on the 11-day STS-86 seventh Mir docking mission in 1997. Fellow Escargot Bloomfield served as pilot on this mission. Across his three flights, Chrétien logged more than 43 days in space.
Tokyo native Doi earned a doctorate in aerospace engineering. NASDA selected him as an astronaut in 1985 and through an agreement with NASA, he joined the Group 15 astronauts for training, making him eligible for flights on the space shuttle. On his first spaceflight, he flew as a mission specialist on STS-87, accompanied by fellow Escargots Lindsey and Chawla. The 16-day mission in 1997 carried the USMP-4 suite of experiments. Doi participated in two spacewalks, spending more than 15 hours outside the shuttle. For his second and final spaceflight, Doi flew as a mission specialist on STS-123, the 16-day assembly flight in 2008 that delivered the Japanese pressurized logistics module and the SPDM to the station. Fellow Escargot Gorie served as commander on this mission. Doi logged more than 31 days in space on his two missions.
The French space agency CNES selected Tognini, born in Vincennes, France, in 1985. He rose to the rank of brigadier general in the French Air Force. He received his first assignment as Chrétien’s backup for his 1988 mission to Mir. For his first spaceflight, Tognini spent 14 days aboard Mir in 1992. Under a special agreement between NASA and CNES, Tognini and Chrétien joined the Group 15 astronauts for training, making them eligible for flights on the shuttle. For his second spaceflight, Tognini served as a mission specialist on STS-93, the five-day mission in 1999 to deploy the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Fellow Escargot Ashby served as pilot on this mission. Tognini logged nearly 19 days in space.
Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Williams earned a medical degree. The CSA selected him as an astronaut in 1992, and in January 1995, as part of an agreement between NASA and the CSA, he joined the Group 15 astronauts for training, making him eligible for flights on the space shuttle. His first spaceflight took place in 1998 as a mission specialist on the 16-day STS-90 Neurolab mission, under the command of fellow Escargot Altman. For his second trip into space, he served as a mission specialist on STS-118, the 13-day assembly flight in 2007 that delivered the S5 truss segment to the space station. Williams participated in three of the mission’s four spacewalks, spending nearly 18 hours outside. Across his two missions, he spent nearly 29 days in space.
Summary of spaceflights by Group 15 astronauts. Jean-Loup Chrétien completed two earlier missions, to Salyut-7 in 1982 and to Mir in 1988, while Tognini completed one earlier mission to Mir in 1992. Credit: NASA The Group 15 NASA and international astronauts made significant contributions to spaceflight. As a group, they completed 64 flights spending 888 days, or nearly two and a half years, in space, including the three flights Chrétien and Tognini completed before their addition to the group. One Flying Escargot made a single trip into space, nine made two trips, eight made three, four made four, and one went five times. Seventeen of the 23 participated in the assembly, research, maintenance, logistics, and management of the space station. In preparation for space station operations, ten group members visited Mir, and seven visited both space stations, but only one completed a long-duration flight. Twelve contributed their talents on Spacelab or other research missions, and three performed work with the great observatories Hubble and Chandra. Eight of the 23 performed 25 spacewalks spending 161 hours, or more than six days, outside their spacecraft.
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Dominique V. Crespo
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