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By NASA
Portrait of John Boyd, whose contributions to NASA spanned more than 70 years.Credit: NASA John Boyd, known to many as Jack and whose career spanned more than seven decades in a multitude of roles across NASA as well as its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), died Feb. 20. He was 99. Born in 1925, and raised in Danville, Virginia, he was a long-time resident of Saratoga, California.
Boyd is being remembered by many across the agency, including Dr. Eugene Tu, director, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, where Boyd spent most of his career.
“Jack brought an energy, optimism, and team-based approach to solving some of the greatest technological challenges humanity has ever faced, which remains part of our culture to this day,” said Tu. “There are few careers as wide-ranging and impactful as Jack’s.”
In 1947, Boyd began his career at the then-called Ames Aeronautical Laboratory in Moffett Field, California, as an aeronautical engineer working to design and test various wing shapes using the center’s 1-by-3-foot supersonic wind tunnel. Boyd continued conducting research in wind tunnels, testing designs that led to dramatic increases in the efficiency of the supersonic B-58 bomber, as well as the F-102 and F-106 fighters.
In 1958, just before Ames became part of a newly established NASA, Boyd recalled thinking, “Maybe someday we’ll go out into the far blue yonder, and if we do, what are we going to fly? How are we going to bring it back into the atmosphere safely?” He and a team of engineers turned their attention to studying the dynamics of high-speed projectiles in hypervelocity ranges, filled with different mixtures of gases to mimic the atmospheres of Mars and Venus, in preparation for sending spacecraft out into space and safely back again or to the surface of other worlds.
By the mid-60s, Boyd was promoted into leadership and tapped to become deputy director for Aeronautics and Flight Systems at NASA Ames. In the late 1960s, as America was redefining its space exploration goals and sending humans to the Moon, Boyd served as the center’s lead to assist NASA Headquarters in Washington consolidate and create new research programs.
In 1979, Boyd served as the deputy director at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center (now known as NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center) in Edwards, California, and prepared the center for its role as a landing site for the space shuttle. He briefly returned to Ames before heading to NASA Headquarters to be associate administrator for management under James M. Beggs. Boyd left government service in 1985, taking a position as chancellor for research and an adjunct professor of aerodynamics, engineering, and the history of spaceflight for the University of Texas System.
Boyd returned to NASA and California’s Silicon Valley in 1993,inspiring students through educational outreach initiatives, and serving as the senior advisor to the director, senior advisor for history, and the center ombudsman until his retirement in 2020.
Boyd credits his interest in airplanes to a cousin who was a paratrooper and gave him a ride in a biplane in the 1940s. In 1943, he enrolled and became the first in his family to earn a degree with a bachelor of science in aeronautical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. He was a recipient of the NASA Exceptional Service Award, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Award, the NASA Equal Employment Opportunity Medal, the Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the Army Command Medal, and the NASA Headquarters History Award. He also was a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a Sloan Fellow at Stanford University.
“The agency and the nation thank and honor Jack as a member of the NASA family and the highest exemplar of a public servant who believed investing in others is the greatest contribution one can make,” added Tu. “He will be deeply missed.”
For more information about NASA Ames, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/ames
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Cheryl Warner
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov
Rachel Hoover
Ames Research Center, Silicon Valley
650-604-4789
rachel.hoover@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Feb 26, 2025 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Ames Research Center Aeronautics Armstrong Flight Research Center NASA Headquarters National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) View the full article
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By NASA
5 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Sunlight gleams off NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer as the dishwasher-size spacecraft orbits the Moon in this artist’s concept. The mission will discover where the Moon’s water is, what form it is in, and how it changes over time, producing the best-yet maps of water on the lunar surface.Lockheed Martin Space The small satellite mission will map the Moon to help scientists better understand where its water is, what form it’s in, how much is there, and how it changes over time.
Launching no earlier than Wednesday, Feb. 26, NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer will help resolve an enduring mystery: Where is the Moon’s water? After sharing a ride on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 launch — part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative — the small satellite will take several months to arrive in lunar orbit.
Here are six things to know about the mission.
1. Lunar Trailblazer will produce high-resolution maps of water on the lunar surface.
One of the biggest lunar discoveries in recent decades is that the Moon’s surface has quantities of water, but little about its nature is known. To investigate, Lunar Trailblazer will decipher where the water is, what form it is in, how much is there, and how it changes over time. The small satellite will produce the best-yet maps of water on the lunar surface. Observations gathered during the two-year prime mission will also contribute to the understanding of water cycles on airless bodies throughout the solar system.
2. The small satellite will use two state-of-the-art science instruments.
Key to achieving these goals are the spacecraft’s two science instruments: the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3) infrared spectrometer and the Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM) infrared multispectral imager. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California provided the HVM3 instrument, while LTM was built by the University of Oxford and funded by the UK Space Agency.
HVM3 will detect and map the spectral fingerprints, or wavelengths of reflected sunlight, of minerals and the different forms of water on the lunar surface. The LTM instrument will map the minerals and thermal properties of the same landscape. Together they will create a picture of the abundance, location, and form of water while also tracking how its distribution changes over time and temperature.
Fueled and attached to an adaptor used for secondary payloads, NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer is seen at SpaceX’s payload processing facility within NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in early February 2025. The small satellite is riding along on Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 launch.SpaceX 3. Lunar Trailblazer will take a long and winding road to the Moon.
Weighing only 440 pounds (200 kilograms) and measuring 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) wide with its solar panels fully deployed, Lunar Trailblazer is about the size of a dishwasher and relies on a relatively small propulsion system. To make the spacecraft’s four-to-seven-month trip to the Moon (depending on the launch date) as efficient as possible, the mission’s design and navigation team has planned a looping trajectory that will use the gravity of the Sun, Earth, and Moon to guide Lunar Trailblazer to its final science orbit — a technique called low-energy transfer.
4. The spacecraft will peer into the darkest parts of the Moon’s South Pole.
Lunar Trailblazer’s science orbit positions it to peer into the craters at the Moon’s South Pole using the HVM3 instrument. What makes these craters so intriguing is that they harbor cold traps that may not have seen direct sunlight for billions of years, which means they’re a potential hideout for frozen water. The HVM3 spectrometer is designed to use faint reflected light from the walls of craters to see the floor of even permanently shadowed regions. If Lunar Trailblazer finds significant quantities of ice at the base of the craters, those locations could be pinpointed as a resource for future lunar explorers.
5. Lunar Trailblazer is a high-risk, low-cost mission.
Lunar Trailblazer was a 2019 selection of NASA’s SIMPLEx (Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration), which provides opportunities for low-cost science spacecraft to ride-share with selected primary missions. To maintain a lower overall cost, SIMPLEx missions have a higher risk posture and lighter requirements for oversight and management. This higher risk acceptance allows NASA to enable science missions that could not otherwise be done.
6. Future missions will benefit from Lunar Trailblazer’s data.
Mapping the Moon’s water supports future human and robotic lunar missions. With knowledge from Lunar Trailblazer of where water is located, astronauts could process lunar ice to create water for human use, breathable oxygen, or fuel. And they could conduct science by sampling the ice for later study to determine the water’s origins.
More About Lunar Trailblazer
Lunar Trailblazer is led by Principal Investigator Bethany Ehlmann of Caltech in Pasadena, California. Caltech also leads the mission’s science investigation, and Caltech’s IPAC leads mission operations, which includes planning, scheduling, and sequencing of all spacecraft activities. NASA JPL manages Lunar Trailblazer and provides system engineering, mission assurance, the HVM3 instrument, and mission design and navigation. JPL is managed by Caltech for NASA. Lockheed Martin Space provided the spacecraft, integrated the flight system, and supports operations under contract with Caltech. The University of Oxford developed and provided the LTM instrument, funded by the UK Space Agency. Lunar Trailblazer, part of NASA’s Lunar Discovery Exploration Program, is managed by NASA’s Planetary Mission Program Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
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Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov
Ian J. O’Neill
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-2649
ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov
Isabel Swafford
Caltech IPAC
626-216-4257
iswafford@ipac.caltech.edu
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Last Updated Feb 26, 2025 Related Terms
Lunar Trailblazer Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Earth's Moon Lunar Science Explore More
1 min read Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 Mission
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By NASA
The four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, including NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, pose for a photo aboard the International Space StationNASA Media are invited to hear from NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts during a news conference beginning at 11:55 a.m. EST, Tuesday, March 4, from the International Space Station.
NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore will discuss their return to Earth on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
Media interested in participating must contact the newsroom at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston no later than 5 p.m. Monday, March 3, at 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. To ask questions, media must dial into the news conference no later than 15 minutes prior to the start of the call. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is online. Questions also may be submitted on social media using #AskNASA.
Crew-9 contributed to hundreds of scientific experiments, including swabbing the station’s exterior for microbes, printing 3D medical devices, and studying how moisture, orbital altitude, and ultraviolet light affect plant growth.
The crew will depart the space station after the arrival of Crew-10 and a short handover period. Ahead of Crew-9’s return, mission teams will review weather conditions at the splashdown sites off the coast of Florida prior to departure from station.
The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which provides reliable access to space, maximizing the use of the station for research and development and supporting future missions beyond low Earth orbit by partnering with private companies to transport astronauts to and from the space station.
Follow updates on the Crew-9 mission at:
https://www.nasa.gov/station
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Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov
Courtney Beasley
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Feb 26, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
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By NASA
4 Min Read Science in Orbit: Results Published on Space Station Research in 2024
NASA and its international partners have hosted research experiments and fostered collaboration aboard the International Space Station for over 25 years. More than 4,000 investigations have been conducted, resulting in over 4,400 research publications with 361 in 2024 alone. Space station research continues to advance technology on Earth and prepare for future space exploration missions.
Below is a selection of scientific results that were published over the past year. For more space station research achievements and additional information about the findings mentioned here, check out the 2024 Annual Highlights of Results.
Making stronger cement
NASA’s Microgravity Investigation of Cement Solidification (MICS) observes the hydration reaction and hardening process of cement paste on the space station. As part of this experiment, researchers used artificial intelligence to create 3D models from 2D microscope images of cement samples formed in microgravity. Characteristics such as pore distribution and crystal growth can impact the integrity of any concrete-like material, and these artificial intelligence models allow for predicting internal structures that can only be adequately captured in 3D. Results from the MICS investigation improve researchers’ understanding of cement hardening and could support innovations for civil engineering, construction, and manufacturing of industrial materials on exploration missions.
European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Alexander Gerst works on the Microgravity Investigation of Cement Solidification (MICS) experiment in a portable glovebag aboard the International Space Station.NASA Creating Ideal Clusters
The JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Colloidal Clusters investigation uses the attractive forces between oppositely charged particles to form pyramid-shaped clusters. These clusters are a key building block for the diamond lattice, an ideal structure in materials with advanced light-manipulation capabilities. Researchers immobilized clusters on the space station using a holding gel with increased durability. The clusters returned to Earth can scatter light in the visible to near-infrared range used in optical and laser communications systems. By characterizing these clusters, scientists can gain insights into particle aggregation in nature and learn how to effectively control light reflection for technologies that bend light, such as specialized sensors, high-speed computing components, and even novel cloaking devices.
A fluorescent micrograph image shows colloidal clusters immobilized in gel. Negatively charged particles are represented by green fluorescence, and positively charged particles are red. JAXA/ Nagoya City University Controlling Bubble Formation
NASA’s Optical Imaging of Bubble Dynamics on Nanostructured Surfaces studies how different types of surfaces affect bubbles generated by boiling water on the space station. Researchers found that boiling in microgravity generates larger bubbles and that bubbles grow about 30 times faster than on Earth. Results also show that surfaces with finer microstructures generate slower bubble formation due to changes in the rate of heat transfer. Fundamental insights into bubble growth could improve thermal cooling systems and sensors that use bubbles.
High-speed video shows dozens of bubbles growing in microgravity until they collapse.Tengfei Luo Evaluating Cellular Responses to Space
The ESA (European Space Agency) investigation Cytoskeleton attempts to uncover how microgravity impacts important regulatory processes that control cell multiplication, programmed cell death, and gene expression. Researchers cultured a model of human bone cells and identified 24 pathways that are affected by microgravity. Cultures from the space station showed a reduction of cellular expansion and increased activity in pathways associated with inflammation, cell stress, and iron-dependent cell death. These results help to shed light on cellular processes related to aging and the microgravity response, which could feed into the development of future countermeasures to help maintain astronaut health and performance.
Fluorescent staining of cells from microgravity (left) and ground control (right).ESA Improving Spatial Awareness
The CSA (Canadian Space Agency) investigation Wayfinding investigates the impact of long-duration exposure to microgravity on the orientation skills in astronauts. Researchers identified reduced activity in spatial processing regions of the brain after spaceflight, particularly those involved in visual perception and orientation of spatial attention. In microgravity, astronauts cannot process balance cues normally provided by gravity, affecting their ability to perform complex spatial tasks. A better understanding of spatial processes in space allows researchers to find new strategies to improve the work environment and reduce the impact of microgravity on the spatial cognition of astronauts.
An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan of the brain shows activity in the spatial orientation regions.NeuroLab Monitoring low Earth orbit
The Roscomos-ESA-Italian Space Agency investigation Mini-EUSO (Multiwavelength Imaging New Instrument for the Extreme Universe Space Observatory) is a multipurpose telescope designed to examine light emissions entering Earth’s atmosphere. Researchers report that Mini-EUSO data has helped to develop a new machine learning algorithm to detect space debris and meteors that move across the field of view of the telescope. The algorithm showed increased precision for meteor detection and identified characteristics such as rotation rate. The algorithm could be implemented on ground-based telescopes or satellites to identify space debris, meteors, or asteroids and increase the safety of space activities.
The Mini-EUSO telescope is shown in early assembly.JEM-EUSO Program For more space station research achievements and additional information about the findings mentioned here, check out the 2024 Annual Highlights of Results.
Destiny Doran
International Space Station Research Communications Team
Johnson Space Center
Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
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By NASA
The Propulsion Bus Module of Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element undergoes assembly and installations at Maxar Space Systems in Palo Alto, California.Maxar Space Systems NASA’s Artemis IV astronauts will be the first to inhabit the Gateway lunar space station, opening the door to greater exploration of the Moon and paving the way to Mars. Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element, which will make the station the most powerful solar electric spacecraft ever flown, takes shape at Maxar Space Systems. In lunar orbit, Gateway will allow NASA to conduct unique science and exploration while preparing astronauts to go to the Red Planet.
Technicians install key hardware on the element’s Propulsion Bus Module following installation of both electric propulsion and chemical propulsion control modules. The image highlights a propellant tank exposed on the right, positioned within the central cylinder of the element.
The Power and Propulsion Element will launch with Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) ahead of NASA’s Artemis IV mission. During Artemis IV, V, and VI, international crews of astronauts will assemble the lunar space station around the Moon and embark on expeditions to the Moon’s South Pole region.
The Power and Propulsion Element is managed out of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and built by Maxar Space Systems in Palo Alto, California.
Gateway is an international collaboration to establish humanity’s first lunar space station as a central component of the Artemis architecture designed to return humans to the Moon for scientific discovery and chart a path for the first human missions to Mars.
The Propulsion Bus Module of Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element undergoes assembly and installations at Maxar Space Systems in Palo Alto, California.Maxar Space Systems An artist’s rendering of the Gateway lunar space station, including its Power and Propulsion Element, shown here with its solar arrays deployed. Gateway will launch its initial elements to lunar orbit ahead of the Artemis IV mission. NASA/Alberto Bertolin An artist’s rendering of Gateway with the Power and Propulsion Element’s advanced thrusters propelling the lunar space station to the Moon. NASA/Alberto Bertolin Learn More About Gateway Facebook logo @NASAGateway @NASA_Gateway Instagram logo @nasaartemis Share
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Last Updated Feb 25, 2025 ContactJacqueline Minerdjacqueline.minerd@nasa.govLocationGlenn Research Center Related Terms
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