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Astrophysicist Adam Riess Wins the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics
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By NASA
The Space Technology Payload Challenge invites individuals, teams, and organizations to submit applications for systems that advance technology to address one or more of NASA’s shortfalls. These shortfalls identify technology areas where further technology development is required to meet future exploration, science, and other mission needs. In addition, technologies to address these select shortfalls are also potentially well suited for a suborbital or hosted orbital flight demonstration to help mature the innovation. The expectation is that the technology will be tested at the end of the challenge aboard a suborbital vehicle, rocket-powered lander, high altitude balloon, aircraft following a reduced gravity profile (i.e., parabolic flight), or orbital vehicle that can host payloads. The shortfalls selected for this challenge are divided into two groups. The first group is derived from the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) civil space shortfall list. The second group is in partnership with NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) Division and is derived from the Commercially Enabled Rapid Space Science Initiative (CERISS) program needs.
Award: $4,500,000 in total prizes
Open Date: December 10, 2024
Close Date: March 4, 2025
For more information, visit: https://www.stpc.nasatechleap.org/
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By NASA
The Fresh Eyes on Ice team receives the C. Peter Magrath exemplary project award from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. H. Buurman Congratulations to the Fresh Eyes on Ice project, which received a C. Peter Magrath exemplary project award from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities! The award recognizes programs that demonstrate how colleges and universities have redesigned their learning, discovery, and engagement missions to deepen their partnerships and achieve broader impacts in their communities.
“Thank you to all of you for making this project what it is.” said Fresh Eyes on Ice project lead Research Professor Katie Spellman from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. “We couldn’t do it without you.”
Fresh Eyes on Ice tracks changes in the timing and thickness of ice throughout Alaska and the circumpolar north. You can get involved by downloading the GLOBE Observer app and taking photos of ice conditions using the GLOBE Land Cover protocol.
Fresh Eyes on Ice is supported by the Navigating the New Arctic Program of the U.S. National Science Foundation and the NASA Citizen Science for Earth Systems Program.
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By NASA
Learn Home Bundling the Best of… For Educators Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science 3 min read
Bundling the Best of Heliophysics Education: DigiKits for Physics and Astronomy Teachers
For nearly a decade, the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) has been working to bring together resources through its DigiKits–multimedia collections of vetted high-quality resources for teachers and their students. These resources are toolkits, allowing teachers to pick and choose interesting content to support their instruction. As a partner with the NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT), this work has directly supported the bundling of digital content around heliophysics lessons created by the AAPT team.
As an example, AAPT’s most recent DigiKit publication, Auroral Currents Science (Figure 1), was developed for educators of advanced high school students and university physics/astronomy majors. DigiKits materials are collected by digital content specialist, Caroline Hall, who searches for high-quality, open digital content and checks it for accuracy and accessibility. The Auroral Currents DigiKit centers around a lecture tutorial that gives students the opportunity to practice and extend their knowledge of magnetic fields produced by current-carrying wires, and relating those understandings to auroral currents – the primary phenomenon underlying the dramatic auroral light shows seen in the sky over the past months.
The corresponding DigiKit includes a collection of relevant simulations, videos/animations, and other teacher resources for background that can help to teach the content in the primary lesson. The DigiKit highlights NASA’s forthcoming Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) mission, including an animation of the relationship between the Earth and space, an explanation of Earth’s electrojets and a visualization of the spacecraft. It also includes links to NASA’s ongoing Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft video explanation of magnetic reconnection, among many other useful resources that can be shown in the classroom or explored individually by students. Unique to this DigiKit are recent science news articles covering 2024’s spectacular auroral displays.
The light in the aurora comes from atoms in the ionosphere that have been excited by collisions with electrons that were accelerated between 6000 km and 20000 km above Earth’s surface. Those electrons carry electric currents from space along the magnetic field, but the currents flow horizontally some distance through the ionosphere at about 100-150 km in altitude before returning to space. We call those currents the ionospheric electrojets, and we can see the magnetic effects of the electrojets because electric currents are the source of magnetic fields. The AAPT digikit allows students to explore the magnetic signature of the electrojets and determine the size and location of the currents.
As a result of participation in NASA HEAT, AAPT has produced ten DigiKits, all linked below and available alongside the collection of other tutorials/core resources on the AAPT NASA HEAT page. Although the DigiKits are directed toward teachers, and the lessons are intended for standard classroom contexts, the resources can also be a great introduction to NASA-related concepts and modern science ideas for the general public.
Mechanics
Sunspots DigiKit Coronal Mass Ejections DigiKit Solar Energetic Particles DigiKit Light and Optics
Star Spectra DigiKit Exoplanet Atmospheres DigiKit Habitable Zone Planets DigiKit Magnetism
Planetary Magnetism DigiKit Energy of a Magnetic Field and Solar Flares DigiKit Auroral Currents DigiKit Eclipses
Eclipse Science DigiKit Are you an educator curious to learn more? Register for AAPT’s monthly mini webinar series, with the next event on November 9, 2024, featuring the Auroral Currents DigiKit core activity.
NASA HEAT is part of the NASA Science Activation Program portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn
Figure 1: Cover image of Auroral Currents DigiKit. Caroline Hall/AAPT NASA-HEAT Share
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Last Updated Nov 05, 2024 Editor NASA Science Editorial Team Related Terms
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By NASA
To shape NASA’s path of exploration forward, Dr. Gioia Rau unravels stars and worlds beyond our solar system.
Name: Dr. Gioia Rau
Title: Astrophysicist
Organization: Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory, Astrophysics Division, Science Mission Directorate (Code 667)
Dr. Gioia Rau is an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.Photo courtesy of Gioia Rau What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard?
I’m an astrophysicist who studies both evolved stars, stars that about to die, and exoplanets, planets outside our solar system. I study the stars that once held the elements that are in our body, such as calcium. I also lead the science part of several mission concept studies. And I am really passionate about strategic thinking.
How does it feel to achieve your childhood dream of becoming an astrophysicist at NASA?
I am from Italy. Growing up, I was always fascinated by NASA. As a child, I watched the shuttle launches. I loved everything about stars, planets, and galaxies. I devoured astronomy books. I always knew that I wanted to study astrophysics.
Around 10 years old, I wrote a letter to NASA saying that I wanted to become an astrophysicist to study the universe. NASA sent me information and encouraged me to study and work hard. So I did.
I still remember my first day working at NASA. I looked around with so much joy at my dream coming true. Every day that I work at Goddard, I find more passion to continue pursue my dreams.
What is your educational background?
In 2009, I earned a Bachelor of Science in physics from the University of Rome, La Sapienza. In 2011, I obtained a master’s in physics and astrophysics there. Also in 2011, I was awarded a very competitive fellowship to do a master’s thesis at the California Institute of Technology and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab thanks to my high GPA. In 2016, I earned a Ph.D. in astrophysics from the University of Vienna. I came to Goddard in 2017 when I obtained a NASA post-doctoral fellowship.
Why do you study evolved stars?
Evolved stars are the future of our own Sun, which in about 5 billion years will die. Evolved stars also produce elements found in our own bodies, as, for example, the calcium in our bones, the iron in our blood, and the gold in our rings. The stardust that I study is spread by the stellar winds into the interstellar medium to form new generation of stars and planets, and contribute to the cosmic recycle of matter in the universe.
As Carl Sagan said, “We are all made of stardust.”
What is most interesting about studying exoplanets?
If we discover an exoplanet within the habitable zone of its star, we increase the likelihood of finding a planet with Earth-like conditions. This can enhance our understanding of planetary formation processes, and help determine if these exoplanets may harbor life through studying their atmospheres.
My team of students and scientists used Artificial Intelligence techniques to discover new exoplanet candidates. They are called candidates because they need to be confirmed through follow-up observations. It was a very exciting, pioneering project using cutting-edge techniques.
Why is working on mission concepts important to you?
Mission concepts represent the future of space exploration, and I lead the science team of multiple mission concepts. By working on these pioneering projects, we as teams are actively shaping the future of NASA, and advancing the field of astrophysics. I am grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with so many brilliant scientists and engineers. I am passionate about strategic thinking and the visionary process behind it to shape the future of science and of organizations alike. I thrive on seeing the big picture and contributing to initiative that shape the future of organizations and people alike.
Why do you love mentoring?
I love working with students. It is gratifying to teach them and fuel their passions and also, again, working with the next generation helps shape NASA’s future. I tell the students what I firmly believe: that resilience, grit, passion, and hard work are some of the most important qualities in a scientist. That integrity, humility, and flexibility are great values to honor as a scientist. And I tell them not to be afraid of trying something new. After all, failure is part of being a scientist. Doing science is about learning from failures, to be successful. As scientists, we follow the scientific method to test our hypotheses through experiments. Ninety-nine percent of the time that experiment does not work the first time. So we need to keep refining the experiment until it does work. I also tell my students to keep in focus their goal, and work very hard toward it: make a plan and stick to it.
What is your message when you do outreach?
I started doing outreach when I was in college. I have since done hundreds of outreach events; I am passionate about sharing the joy of astrophysics, and my passion for it, with the general public! When I do outreach, my goal is to make the Universe accessible to the public: the Cosmos belongs to all of us, and we can all enjoy the beauty and wanders of the Universe, together. I aim to build connections that bridge the gap between science and the public, working together to deepen our understanding of the Universe and inspire the next generation of scientists. I also remind the audience that behind every success there are a multitude of failures that led to that success. I tell them why I am passionate about science and how I became an astrophysicist at NASA. Engaging with people makes science more accessible and relatable. Outreach inspires the next generation to become scientists.
Who is your science hero?
Hypatia. She was an astronomer and a philosopher who lived in ancient Greece. At that time, scientists were also philosophers, and I love philosophy. She was martyred because her views were considered to be against the established way of thinking. She was a martyr for freedom of thought.
Do you have a phrase that you live by?
Keep on dreaming, and work hard toward your goals; ad astra per aspera!
Who do you wish to thank?
My father and my mother, and my current family: my husband who is my biggest supporter and fan, and my kids for the joy they bring. I also would like to thank all my mentors along the way. They always believed in me and guided me on my path.
What do you do for fun?
I love playing volleyball, skiing, reading, taking photos, playing the piano and the guitar, hiking, sailing, baking, and of course being with my family.
What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words.
Unraveling mysteries, shaping futures, inspiring paths.
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 Oct 01, 2024 EditorMadison OlsonContactRob Garnerrob.garner@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
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