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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
The SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov approaches the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above Ontario, Canada, near James Bay. NASA published a new report Thursday highlighting 17 agency mechanisms that have directly and indirectly supported the development and growth of the U.S. commercial space sector for the benefit of humanity.
The report, titled Enabling America on the Space Frontier: The Evolution of NASA’s Commercial Space Development Toolkit, is available on the agency’s website.
“This is the most extensive and comprehensive historical analysis produced by NASA on how it has contributed to commercial space development over the decades,” said Alex MacDonald, NASA chief economist. “These efforts have given NASA regular access to space with companies, such as SpaceX and Rocket Lab, modernizing our communications infrastructure, and even led to the first private lunar lander thanks to Intuitive Machines. With commercial space growth accelerating, this report can help agency leaders and stakeholders assess the numerous mechanisms that the agency uses to support this growth, both now and in the future.”
Throughout its history, NASA has supported the development of the commercial space sector, not only leading the way in areas such as satellite communications, launch, and remote sensing, but also developing new contract and operational models to encourage commercial participation and growth. In the last three decades, NASA has seen the results of these efforts with commercial partners able to contribute more to missions across NASA domains, and increasingly innovative agency-led efforts to engage, nurture, and integrate these capabilities. These capabilities support the agency’s mission needs, and have seen a dramatic rise in importance, according to the report.
NASA has nurtured technology, companies, people, and ideas in the commercial space sector, contributing to the U.S. and global economies, across four distinct periods in the agency’s history:
1915–1960: NASA’s predecessor, the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA), and NASA’s pre-Apollo years. 1961–1980: Apollo era. 1981–2010: Space shuttle era. 2011–present: Post-shuttle commercial era. Each of these time periods are defined by dominant technologies, programs, or economic trends further detailed in the report.
Though some of these mechanisms are relatively recent, others have been used throughout the history of NASA and NACA, leading to some overlap. The 17 mechanisms are as follows:
Contracts and Partnership Agreements Research and Technology Development (R&TD) Dissemination of Research and Scientific Data Education and Workforce Development Workforce External Engagement and Mobility Technology Transfer Technical Support Enabling Infrastructure Launch Direct In-Space Support Standards and Regulatory Framework Support Public Engagement Industry Engagement Venture Capital Engagement Market Stimulation Funding Economic Analysis and Due Diligence Capabilities Narrative Encouragement NASA supports commercial space development in everything from spaceflight to supply chains. Small satellite capabilities have inspired a new generation of space start-ups, while new, smaller rockets, as well as new programs are just starting. Examples include CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services), commercial low Earth orbit destinations, human landing systems, commercial development of NASA spacesuits, and lunar terrain vehicles. The report also details many indirect ways the agency has contributed to the vibrance of commercial space, from economic analyses to student engagement.
The agency’s use of commercial capabilities has progressed from being the exception to the default method for many of its missions. The current post-shuttle era of NASA-supported commercial space development has seen a level of technical development comparable to the Apollo era’s Space Race. Deploying the 17 commercial space development mechanisms in the future are part of NASA’s mission to continue encouraging commercial space activities.
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Last Updated Dec 19, 2024 EditorBill Keeter Related Terms
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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Have you ever wanted to find all your favorite NASA technology in one place? NASA stakeholders did, too! We listened to your feedback, brainstormed user-focused features, and created the most robust technology system to date.
NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate is excited to announce the release of TechPort version 4.0 – your gateway into our technology community. NASA tuned into feedback from the public, industry, academia, and our internal audiences to make significant updates to the TechPort system. From improvements in usability, customizability, and analysis views, users will now be able to search and explore NASA’s vast portfolio of technologies more easily than ever before.
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Video introducing 4 new features of TechPort 4.0.NASA “When it comes to the ever-growing advancements in space technology, we need a system that encompasses a modernized look and feel coupled with a more intuitive interface,” said Alesyn Lowry, director for Strategic Planning & Integration for STMD at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “TechPort 4.0 offers just that. As the largest and most significant update to TechPort in the past five years, users will now be able to enjoy the most accessible, user-friendly, and all-encompassing version yet.”
Check out the five features of TechPort 4.0 and how they can help you research NASA’s cutting-edge technology projects and partnerships:
1. New and Improved Homepage
Featuring a new look and feel, users are able to search NASA’s comprehensive system of vast technologies. Including over 18,000 current and historical NASA technologies, users will now have more access to knowledge about the agency’s technology development at the touch of their fingertips! The modernized look and feel lends itself to a more intuitive interface that upgrades technology search capabilities.
2. Advanced Search
One of the most exciting features of TechPort 4.0 is the new capability to search and filter on all fields associated with technologies. This advanced filtering feature will allow users to uncover the exact information they are seeking, creating a more accessible and swifter experience for users.
3. New Grid View
Expanding upon the previous view, TechPort 4.0 offers a new grid view that enables users to view even more project data all at once. This upgrade also allows a user to customize all of the fields visible in search results, tailor how the data is sorted, and filter on any visible field. This new view provides a familiar interface tailored to data analysis needs that require rapid review of multiple data facets simultaneously.
4. NASA Technology Taxonomy Recommendation (T-Rex)
NASA’s Technology Taxonomy provides a structure for technology classification spanning over 350 categories. The Taxonomy is featured in TechPort, and all technologies in the system align to at least one Taxonomy area, making it easy to view technologies of interest. Technologists from various fields, including academia and nonprofits, now have the opportunity to use the T-Rex tool to automatically classify their technology according to the NASA Taxonomy. Serving as a machine learning model, TechPort will offer more organization and an easier way for users to access relevant information.
5. Funding Opportunities
Now, users can get connected, too! If your TechPort research is inspiring you to think about solving an aerospace or technology challenge, TechPort 4.0 gives users easy access to relevant opportunities and information on how to apply.
Launch into TechPort 4.0 to embark on your journey into our technology community. With the wide range of improvements in accessibility and customizability, explore NASA technologies like never before!
Gabrielle Thaw
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By NASA
X-ray: NASA/CXC; Infrared: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, P. Zeilder, E.Sabbi, A. Nota, M. Zamani; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare and K. Arcand Since antiquity, wreaths have symbolized the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. It is fitting then that one of the best places for astronomers to learn more about the stellar lifecycle resembles a giant holiday wreath itself.
The star cluster NGC 602 lies on the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud, which is one of the closest galaxies to the Milky Way, about 200,000 light-years from Earth. The stars in NGC 602 have fewer heavier elements compared to the Sun and most of the rest of the galaxy. Instead, the conditions within NGC 602 mimic those for stars found billions of years ago when the universe was much younger.
This new image combines data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory with a previously released image from the agency’s James Webb Space Telescope. The dark ring-like outline of the wreath seen in Webb data (represented as orange, yellow, green, and blue) is made up of dense clouds of filled dust.
Meanwhile, X-rays from Chandra (red) show young, massive stars that are illuminating the wreath, sending high-energy light into interstellar space. These X-rays are powered by winds flowing from the young, massive stars that are sprinkled throughout the cluster. The extended cloud in the Chandra data likely comes from the overlapping X-ray glow of thousands of young, low-mass stars in the cluster.
X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: Clow, M.; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare and K. Arcand In addition to this cosmic wreath, a new version of the “Christmas tree cluster” is also now available. Like NGC 602, NGC 2264 is a cluster of young stars between one and five million years old. (For comparison, the Sun is a middle-aged star about 5 billion years old — about 1,000 times older.) In this image of NGC 2264, which is much closer than NGC 602 at a distance of about 2,500 light-years from Earth, Chandra data (red, purple, blue, and white) has been combined with optical data (green and violet) captured from by astrophotographer Michael Clow from his telescope in Arizona in November 2024.
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.
Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Learn more about the Chandra X-ray Observatory and its mission here:
https://www.nasa.gov/chandra
https://chandra.si.edu
Visual Description
This release includes two composite images, each featuring a star cluster that strongly resembles holiday greenery.
The first image depicts star cluster NGC 602 in vibrant and festive colors. The cluster includes a giant dust cloud ring, shown in greens, yellows, blues, and oranges. The green hues and feathery edges of the ring cloud create the appearance of a wreath made of evergreen boughs. Hints of red representing X-rays provide shading, highlighting layers within the wreath-like ring cloud.
The image is aglow with specks and dots of colorful, festive light, in blues, golds, whites, oranges, and reds. These lights represent stars within the cluster. Some of the lights gleam with diffraction spikes, while others emit a warm, diffuse glow. Upon closer inspection, many of the glowing specks have spiraling arms, indicating that they are, in fact, distant galaxies.
The second image in today’s release is a new depiction of NGC 2264, known as the “Christmas Tree Cluster”. Here, wispy green clouds in a conical shape strongly resemble an evergreen tree. Tiny specks of white, blue, purple, and red light, stars within the cluster, dot the structure, turning the cloud into a festive, cosmic Christmas tree!
News Media Contact
Megan Watzke
Chandra X-ray Center
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Lane Figueroa
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
256-544-0034
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By NASA
Webb Webb News Latest News Latest Images Blog (offsite) Awards X (offsite – login reqd) Instagram (offsite – login reqd) Facebook (offsite- login reqd) Youtube (offsite) Overview About Who is James Webb? Fact Sheet Impacts+Benefits FAQ Science Overview and Goals Early Universe Galaxies Over Time Star Lifecycle Other Worlds Observatory Overview Launch Orbit Mirrors Sunshield Instrument: NIRCam Instrument: MIRI Instrument: NIRSpec Instrument: FGS/NIRISS Optical Telescope Element Backplane Spacecraft Bus Instrument Module Multimedia About Webb Images Images Videos What is Webb Observing? 3d Webb in 3d Solar System Podcasts Webb Image Sonifications Team International Team People Of Webb More For the Media For Scientists For Educators For Fun/Learning 6 Min Read Found: First Actively Forming Galaxy as Lightweight as Young Milky Way
Hundreds of overlapping objects at various distances are spread across this field. At the very center is a tiny galaxy nicknamed Firefly Sparkle that looks like a long, angled, dotted line. Smaller companions are nearby. Credits:
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Chris Willott (National Research Council Canada), Lamiya Mowla (Wellesley College), Kartheik Iyer (Columbia University) For the first time, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has detected and “weighed” a galaxy that not only existed around 600 million years after the big bang, but is also similar to what our Milky Way galaxy’s mass might have been at the same stage of development. Other galaxies Webb has detected at this time period are significantly more massive. Nicknamed the Firefly Sparkle, this galaxy is gleaming with star clusters — 10 in all — each of which researchers examined in great detail.
Image A: Firefly Sparkle Galaxy and Companions in Galaxy Cluster MACS J1423 (NIRCam Image)
For the first time, astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have identified a galaxy, nicknamed the Firefly Sparkle, that not only is in the process of assembling and forming stars around 600 million years after the big bang, but also weighs about the same as our Milky Way galaxy if we could “wind back the clock” to weigh it as it developed. Two companion galaxies are close by, which may ultimately affect how this galaxy forms and builds mass over billions of years. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Chris Willott (National Research Council Canada), Lamiya Mowla (Wellesley College), Kartheik Iyer (Columbia University) “I didn’t think it would be possible to resolve a galaxy that existed so early in the universe into so many distinct components, let alone find that its mass is similar to our own galaxy’s when it was in the process of forming,” said Lamiya Mowla, co-lead author of the paper and an assistant professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. “There is so much going on inside this tiny galaxy, including so many different phases of star formation.”
Webb was able to image the galaxy in crisp detail for two reasons. One is a benefit of the cosmos: A massive foreground galaxy cluster radically enhanced the distant galaxy’s appearance through a natural effect known as gravitational lensing. And when combined with the telescope’s specialization in high-resolution infrared light, Webb delivered unprecedented new data about the galaxy’s contents.
Image B: Galaxy Cluster MACS J1423 (NIRCam Image)
In this image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, thousands of glimmering galaxies are bound together by their own gravity, making up a massive cluster formally classified as MACS J1423. The largest, bright white oval is a supergiant elliptical galaxy. The galaxy cluster acts like a lens, magnifying and distorting the light of objects that lie well behind it, an effect known as gravitational lensing. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Chris Willott (National Research Council Canada), Lamiya Mowla (Wellesley College), Kartheik Iyer (Columbia University) “Without the benefit of this gravitational lens, we would not be able to resolve this galaxy,” said Kartheik Iyer, co-lead author and NASA Hubble Fellow at Columbia University in New York. “We knew to expect it based on current physics, but it’s surprising that we actually saw it.”
Mowla, who spotted the galaxy in Webb’s image, was drawn to its gleaming star clusters, because objects that sparkle typically indicate they are extremely clumpy and complicated. Since the galaxy looks like a “sparkle” or swarm of lightning bugs on a warm summer night, they named it the Firefly Sparkle galaxy.
Reconstructing the Galaxy’s Appearance
The research team modeled what the galaxy might have looked like if it weren’t stretched and discovered that it resembled an elongated raindrop. Suspended within it are two star clusters toward the top and eight toward the bottom. “Our reconstruction shows that clumps of actively forming stars are surrounded by diffuse light from other unresolved stars,” said Iyer. “This galaxy is literally in the process of assembling.”
Webb’s data shows the Firefly Sparkle galaxy is on the smaller side, falling into the category of a low-mass galaxy. Billions of years will pass before it builds its full heft and a distinct shape. “Most of the other galaxies Webb has shown us aren’t magnified or stretched, and we are not able to see their ‘building blocks’ separately. With Firefly Sparkle, we are witnessing a galaxy being assembled brick by brick,” Mowla said.
Stretched Out and Shining, Ready for Close Analysis
Since the galaxy is warped into a long arc, the researchers easily picked out 10 distinct star clusters, which are emitting the bulk of the galaxy’s light. They are represented here in shades of pink, purple, and blue. Those colors in Webb’s images and its supporting spectra confirmed that star formation didn’t happen all at once in this galaxy, but was staggered in time.
“This galaxy has a diverse population of star clusters, and it is remarkable that we can see them separately at such an early age of the universe,” said Chris Willott from the National Research Council of Canada’s Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre, a co-author and the observation program’s principal investigator. “Each clump of stars is undergoing a different phase of formation or evolution.”
The galaxy’s projected shape shows that its stars haven’t settled into a central bulge or a thin, flattened disk, another piece of evidence that the galaxy is still forming.
Image C: Illustration of the Firefly Sparkle Galaxy in the Early Universe (Artist’s Concept)
This artist concept depicts a reconstruction of what the Firefly Sparkle galaxy looked like about 600 million years after the big bang if it wasn’t stretched and distorted by a natural effect known as gravitational lensing. This illustration is based on images and data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI). Science: Lamiya Mowla (Wellesley College), Guillaume Desprez (Saint Mary’s University) Video: “Firefly Sparkle” Reveals Early Galaxy
‘Glowing’ Companions
Researchers can’t predict how this disorganized galaxy will build up and take shape over billions of years, but there are two galaxies that the team confirmed are “hanging out” within a tight perimeter and may influence how it builds mass over billions of years.
Firefly Sparkle is only 6,500 light-years away from its first companion, and its second companion is separated by 42,000 light-years. For context, the fully formed Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years across — all three would fit inside it. Not only are its companions very close, the researchers also think that they are orbiting one another.
Each time one galaxy passes another, gas condenses and cools, allowing new stars to form in clumps, adding to the galaxies’ masses. “It has long been predicted that galaxies in the early universe form through successive interactions and mergers with other tinier galaxies,” said Yoshihisa Asada, a co-author and doctoral student at Kyoto University in Japan. “We might be witnessing this process in action.”
The team’s research relied on data from Webb’s CAnadian NIRISS Unbiased Cluster Survey (CANUCS), which includes near-infrared images from NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and spectra from the microshutter array aboard NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph). The CANUCS data intentionally covered a field that NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope imaged as part of its Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH) program.
This work has been published on December 11, 2024 in the journal Nature.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).
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Laura Betz – laura.e.betz@nasa.gov
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Claire Blome – cblome@stsci.edu, Christine Pulliam – cpulliam@stsci.edu
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.
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Last Updated Dec 10, 2024 Editor Marty McCoy Contact Laura Betz laura.e.betz@nasa.gov Related Terms
Astrophysics Galaxies Galaxy clusters Goddard Space Flight Center Gravitational Lensing James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Science & Research The Universe View the full article
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By NASA
6 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Knowing whether or not a planet elsewhere in the galaxy could potentially be habitable requires knowing a lot about that planet’s sun. Sarah Peacock relies on computer models to assess stars’ radiation, which can have a major influence on whether or not one of these exoplanets has breathable atmosphere.
Name: Sarah Peacock
Title: Assistant Research Scientist
Formal Job Classification: Astrophysicist
Organization: Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory, Astrophysics Division, Science Directorate (Code 667)
Sarah Peacock is a research scientist with the Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.Courtesy of Sarah Peacock What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard?
My overarching research goal is to find habitable planets in other solar systems. To do this, I study the high-energy radiation that specific stars produce to help determine if life can exist on any earthlike planets that orbit them.
What is your educational background?
In 2013, I received a Bachelor of Arts in astrophysics from the University of Virginia. I received both my master’s and doctorate degrees from the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona in 2016 and 2019, respectively.
What drew you to study the stars?
In high school, I took an astronomy class. We had a planetarium in our school and I had a wonderful teacher who inspired me to fall in love with the stars. She also showed us how many of the Harry Potter characters are drawn from the constellations and that spoke to my heart because I am a Harry Potter fan!
How did you come to Goddard?
I started at Goddard as a NASA post-doctoral fellow in July 2020, but I first saw the center the day before Goddard shut down due to COVID.
How does high-energy radiation show you what planets outside our solar system might be habitable?
High-energy radiation can cause a planet to lose its atmosphere. If a planet is exposed to too much high-energy radiation, the atmosphere can be blown off, and if there is no atmosphere, then there is nothing for life as we know it to breathe.
We cannot directly measure the specific radiation that I study, so we have to model it. The universe has so many stars, and almost all stars host a planet. There are approximately 5,500 confirmed exoplanets so far, with an additional 7,500 unconfirmed exoplanets.
I help identify systems that either have too much radiation, so planets in the habitable zone (the region around a star where liquid water could exist on a planet’s surface) are probably lifeless, or systems that have radiation levels that are safer. Ultimately, my research helps narrow down the most likely systems to host planets that should have stable atmospheres.
Sarah Peacock research goal is to find habitable planets in other solar systems.Courtesy of Sarah Peacock Where does your data come from?
I predominately use data from the Hubble Space Telescope and from the now-retired spacecraft GALEX. My work itself is more theory-focused though: I create a modeled stellar spectrum across all wavelengths and use observations to validate my modeling.
What other areas of research are you involved in?
I am working with a team analyzing data from the James Webb Space Telescope to see if earthlike planets around M-type stars (a star that is cooler and smaller than the Sun) have atmospheres and, if so, what the composition of those atmospheres is. An exciting result from this work is that we may have detected water in the atmosphere of a rocky planet for the first time ever. However, we cannot yet distinguish with our current observations if that water comes from the planet or from spots on the star (starspots on this host star are cold enough for water to exist in gas form).
I am also helping manage a NASA Innovative Advance Concept (NIAC) study led by my mentor, Ken Carpenter, to work on the Artemis Enabled Stellar Imager (AeSI). If selected for further development, this imager would be an ultraviolet/optical interferometer located on the South Pole of the Moon. With this telescope, we would be able to map the surface of stars, image accretion disks, and image the centers of Active Galactic Nuclei.
As a relatively new employee to Goddard, what have been your first impressions?
Everyone who I have met, especially those in my lab, are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Starting during the pandemic, I was worried about feeling isolated, but instead, I was blown away by how many folks in my lab reached out to set up calls to introduce themselves and suggest opportunities for collaboration. It made me feel welcome.
Who is your mentor and what did your mentor advise you?
Ken Carpenter is my mentor. He encourages me to pursue my aspirations. He supports letting me chart my own path and being exposed to many different areas of research. I thank Ken for his support and encouragement and for including me on his projects.
“Everyone who I have met, especially those in my lab, are incredibly friendly and welcoming.”Courtesy of Sarah Peacock What do you do for fun?
I am a new mom, so my usual hobbies are on pause! Right now, fun is taking care of my baby and introducing life experiences to him.
As a recently selected member of the Executive Committee for NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG), what are your responsibilities?
The NASA ExoPAG is responsible for soliciting and coordinating scientific community input into the development and execution of NASA’s exoplanet exploration program. We solicit opinions and advice from any scientist who studies exoplanets. We are a bridge between NASA’s exoplanet scientists and NASA Headquarters in Washington.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I got married the same day I defended my Ph.D. I had my defense in the morning and got married in the afternoon at the courthouse.
Who is your favorite author?
I love to read; I always have three books going. My favorite author is Louise Penny, who writes mysteries, but I read all genres. Right now, I am reading a biography about Marjorie Merriweather Post.
What is your favorite quote?
“The most that can be expected from any model is that it can supply a useful approximation to reality: All models are wrong; some models are useful.” —Box and Draper 1987
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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Last Updated Dec 10, 2024 Related Terms
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