Members Can Post Anonymously On This Site
Out of Whack Planetary System Offers Clues to a Disturbed Past
-
Similar Topics
-
By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Note: The following article is part of a series highlighting propulsion testing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. To access the entire series, please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/propulsion-powering-space-dreams/.
An aerial image from 1965 shows the dual flame trenches of the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-1/B-2) under construction at NASA’s Stennis Space Center (then known as Mississippi Test Operations) taking shape.NASA/Stennis Since the United States sent the first humans to the Moon more than 60 years ago, NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, has answered the call to help power the nation’s space dreams.
“History shows NASA Stennis is the country’s premier rocket engine test site and the go-to place for propulsion testing,” NASA Stennis Director John Bailey said. “It started with Apollo and continued through space shuttle. Now, we are going back to the Moon and beyond with Artemis – and it all comes through NASA Stennis.”
As the nation raced to send the first humans to the Moon, NASA selected a remote location in Hancock County, Mississippi, in October 1961 to test the needed rocket stages. Thanks to a massive construction project, the site conducted its first Saturn V rocket stage test in April 1966. In the next four-plus years, NASA Stennis tested 27 Saturn V stages, including those that launched 12 astronauts to walk on the Moon.
“Talking to people working here during those years, you hear how much they believed in the mission,” said Joe Schuyler, director of the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate. “Their hard work helped America reach the Moon and showed us the possibilities for NASA Stennis.”
Construction workers bring down a tree during the early days of construction for NASA’s Stennis Space Center. Tree-cutting to start what was the largest construction project in Mississippi – and one of the largest in the United States – at the time began May 17, 1963.NASA/Stennis NASA Stennis (then known as the Mississippi Test Facility) conducts its first-ever test firing – a 15-second hot fire of the Saturn V S-II-C second stage prototype – on the A-2 Test Stand on April 23, 1966.NASA/Stennis An aerial image from early 1967 shows the completed A-2 Test Stand in the foreground and the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-1/B-2) in the background at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, then known as the Mississippi Test Facility.NASA/Stennis NASA officials view the first space shuttle main engine test on the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly the A-1 Test Stand) at NASA’s Stennis Space Center (then known as National Space Technology Laboratories) on May 19, 1975.NASA/Stennis A 1979 image offers a close-up view of a space shuttle main propulsion test article hot fire on the B-2 side of the Thad Cochran Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center (then known as National Space Technology Laboratories). Main propulsion test article testing involved installing a shuttle fuel tank, a mockup of the shuttle orbiter and the vehicle’s three-engine configuration on the stand, then firing all three engines simultaneously, as would be done during an actual launch.NASA/Stennis As Apollo missions neared an end, plans were underway to drastically reduce the NASA Stennis footprint. Enter the space shuttle. NASA considered three locations to test engines for its new reusable vehicle before selecting NASA Stennis on March 1, 1970, ensuring the center’s future for the next several decades.
Space shuttle main engine testing proved challenging as the site transitioned from handling full rocket stages to firing single engines. “A big part of the challenge was the fact that teams were testing an entire engine from the very start,” NASA Test Operations Chief Maury Vander said. “Typically, you begin testing components, then progress to a full engine. Teams had a lot to learn in real time.”
NASA Stennis teams also tested the shuttle Main Propulsion Test Article with three engines firing simultaneously. The testing was particularly critical given the first shuttle mission would carry astronauts.
NASA Stennis teams worked diligently to demonstrate the shuttle system would operate safely, an effort characterized as one of the site’s finest hours. Following the first shuttle mission in 1981, astronauts Robert Crippen and John Young visited the south Mississippi site. “The effort that you contributed made it possible for us to sit back and ride,” Crippen told NASA Stennis employees.
From 1975 to 2009, NASA Stennis tested every main engine to help power 135 shuttle missions that enabled historic missions, such as those that deployed and repaired the Hubble Space Telescope and assembled the International Space Station, enabling its many scientific experiments and spinoff technologies. The site also tested every engine and component upgrade and helped troubleshoot performance issues. It led test campaigns following shuttle accidents to help ensure safe returns to flight. In total, the site conducted 2,307 tests for 820,475.68 seconds of accumulated hot fire.
NASA conducts the final test of a space shuttle main engine on the A-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on July 29, 2009. The Space Shuttle Program concluded two years later with the STS-135 shuttle mission. NASA / Stennis An on-stand camera offers a closeup view of the first test of an RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly the A-1 Test Stand) at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 9, 2015. RS-25 engines power the core stage of NASA’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.NASA/Stennis Crews at NASA’s Stennis Space Center install the first core stage of NASA’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) on the B-2 side of the Thad Cochran Test Stand on Jan. 21-22, 2020. Following testing, the stage would help launch the Artemis I mission in November 2022.NASA/Stennis NASA conducts a full-duration RS-25 hot fire April 3, 2024, on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, achieving a major milestone for future Artemis flights of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. It marked the final hot fire of a 12-test series to certify production of new RS-25 engines by lead contractor L3Harris (formerly known as Aerojet Rocketdyne) to help power NASA’s SLS rocket on Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond, beginning with Artemis V.NASA/Stennis Even as NASA Stennis tested main engines to power shuttle missions, the site led in testing next-generation engines, including the Fastrac, XRS-2200 linear aerospike, and J-2X. It also developed its E Test Complex, with multiple test stands and cells, to support a range of component and engine test projects, including those of commercial aerospace companies.
A landmark agreement between NASA Stennis and Aerojet Rocketdyne (now known as L3Harris) in 1998 marked the site’s first test partnership with such a company. “That was the starting point,” said Vander. “Today, we are a preferred partner for multiple companies and test projects, large and small.”
NASA Stennis also is testing RS-25 engines and related systems to help power NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket on Artemis missions to the Moon. When the agency travels to Mars, it is expected the missions will launch with engines tested at the Mississippi site as well.
“The Gulf Coast of Mississippi helped achieve our space dreams of the past, and NASA Stennis continues supporting today’s dreams,” Bailey said. “It is a true testament to the expertise and dedication of our entire team and the incredible support of surrounding communities and the whole state.”
For information about NASA’s Stennis Space Center, visit:
Stennis Space Center – NASA
Share
Details
Last Updated Nov 13, 2024 EditorNASA Stennis CommunicationsContactC. Lacy Thompsoncalvin.l.thompson@nasa.gov / (228) 688-3333LocationStennis Space Center Related Terms
Stennis Space Center Explore More
5 min read NASA Stennis – An Ideal Place for Commercial Companies
Article 13 mins ago 4 min read NASA Stennis Propulsion Testing Contributes to Artemis Missions
Article 14 mins ago 5 min read NASA Stennis Test Team Supports Space Dreams with Proven Expertise
Article 14 mins ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Stennis Topics
Propulsion Test Engineering
NASA Stennis Front Door
Multi-User Test Complex
Doing Business with NASA Stennis
View the full article
-
By NASA
Creating a golden streak in the night sky, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars upward after liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 14, 2023, on the company’s 27th Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. SpaceX NASA invites the public to participate in virtual activities ahead of the launch of SpaceX’s 31st commercial resupply services mission for the agency. NASA and SpaceX are targeting 9:29 p.m. EST Monday, Nov. 4, for the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to launch on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
In addition to food, supplies, and equipment for the crew, Dragon will deliver several new experiments, including the COronal Diagnostic EXperiment to examine solar wind and how it forms, as well as Antarctic moss to observe the combined effects of cosmic radiation and microgravity on plants. Other investigations aboard include a device to test cold welding of metals in microgravity and an investigation that studies how space impacts different materials
Members of the public can register to attend the launch virtually. As a virtual guest, you’ll gain access to curated resources, interactive opportunities, and mission-specific information delivered straight to your inbox. Following liftoff, virtual guests will receive a commemorative stamp for their virtual guest passport
Learn more about NASA research and activities on the International Space Station at:
https://www.nasa.gov/station
View the full article
-
By NASA
Bone cellsNASA Malcolm O’Malley and his mom sat nervously in the doctor’s office awaiting the results of his bloodwork. This was no ordinary check-up. In fact, this appointment was more urgent and important than the SATs the seventeen-year-old, college hopeful had spent months preparing for and was now missing in order to understand his symptoms.
But when the doctor shared the results – he had off-the-charts levels of antibodies making him deathly allergic to shellfish – O’Malley realized he had more questions than answers. Like: Why is my immune system doing this? How is it working? Why is it reacting so severely and so suddenly (he’d enjoyed shrimp less than a year ago)? And why does the only treatment – an injection of epinephrine – have nothing to do with the immune system, when allergies appear to be an immune system problem? Years later, O’Malley would look to answer some of these questions while interning in the Space Biosciences Research Branch at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.
“Anaphylaxis is super deadly and the only treatment for it is epinephrine; and I remember thinking, ‘how is this the best we have?’ because epinephrine does not actually treat the immune system at all – it’s just adrenaline,” said O’Malley, who recently returned to his studies as a Ph.D. student of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville. “And there’s a thousand side effects, like heart attacks and stroke – I remember thinking ‘these are worse than the allergy!’”
O’Malley’s curiosity and desire to better understand the mechanisms and connections between what triggers different immune system reactions combined with his interest in integrating datasets into biological insights inspired him to shift his major from computer science to biomedical engineering as an undergraduate student. With his recent allergy diagnosis and a lifelong connection to his aunt who worked at the UVA Heart and Vascular Center, O’Malley began to build a bridge between the immune system and heart health. By the time he was a senior in college, he had joined the Cardiac Systems Biology Lab, and had chosen to focus his capstone project on better understanding the role of neutrophils, a specific type of immune cell making up 50 to 70% of the immune system, that are involved in cardiac inflammation in high blood pressure and after heart attacks.
jsc2022e083018 (10/26/2022) — A preflight image of beating cardiac spheroid composed of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs), endothelial cells (ECs), and cardiac fibroblasts (CFs). These cells are incubated and put under the microscope in space as part of the Effect of Microgravity on Drug Responses Using Heart Organoids (Cardinal Heart 2.0) investigation. Image courtesy of Drs. Joseph Wu, Dilip Thomas and Xu Cao, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute “The immune system is involved in everything,” O’Malley says. “Anytime there’s an injury – a paper cut, a heart attack, you’re sick – the immune system is going to be the first to respond; and neutrophils are the first responders.”
O’Malley’s work to determine what regulates the immune system’s interrelated responses – like how one cell could affect other cells or immune processes downstream – provided a unique opportunity for him to support multiple interdisciplinary NASA biological and physical sciences research projects during his 10-week internship at NASA Ames over the summer of 2024. O’Malley applied machine learning techniques to the large datasets the researchers were using from experiments and specimens collected over many years to help identify possible causes of inflammation seen in the heart, brain, and blood, as well as changes seen in bones, metabolism, the immune system, and more when humans or other model organisms are exposed to decreased gravity, social isolation, and increased radiation. These areas are of keen interest to NASA due to the risks to human health inherent in space exploration and the agency’s plans to send humans on long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
“It’s exciting that we just never know what’s going to happen, how the immune system is going to react until it’s already been activated or challenged in some way,” said O’Malley. “I’m particularly interested in the adaptive immune system because it’s always evolving to meet new challenges; whether it’s a pandemic-level virus, bacteria or something on a mission to Mars, our bodies are going to have some kind of adaptive immune response.”
During his NASA internship, O’Malley applied a statistical analysis techniques to plot and make more sense of the massive amounts of life sciences data. From there, researchers could find out which proteins, out of hundreds, or attributes – like differences in sex – are related to which behaviors or outcomes. For example, through O’Malley’s analysis, researchers were able to better pinpoint the proteins involved in inflammation of the brain that may play a protective role in spatial memory and motor control during and after exposure to radiation – and how we might be able to prevent or mitigate those impacts during future space missions and even here on Earth.
As someone who’s both black and white, representation is important to me. It’s inspiring to think there will be people like me on the Moon – and that I’m playing a role in making this happen
Malcolm o'malley
Former NASA Intern
“I had this moment where I realized that since my internship supports NASA’s Human Research Program that means the work I’m doing directly applies to Artemis, which is sending the first woman and person of color to the Moon,” reflected O’Malley. “As someone who’s both black and white, representation is important to me. It’s inspiring to think there will be people like me on the Moon – and that I’m playing a role in making this happen.”
Artist conception of a future Artemis Base Camp on the lunar surface NASA When O’Malley wasn’t exploring the mysteries of the immune system for the benefit of all at NASA Ames, he taught himself how to ride a bike and started to surf in the nearby waters of the Pacific Ocean. O’Malley considers Palmyra, Virginia, his hometown and he enjoys playing sports – especially volleyball, water polo, and tennis – reading science fiction and giving guest lectures to local high school students hoping to spark their curiosity.
O’Malley’s vision for the future of biomedical engineering reflects his passion for innovation. “I believe that by harnessing the unique immune properties of other species, we can achieve groundbreaking advancements in limb regeneration, revolutionize cancer therapy, and develop potent antimicrobials that are considered science fiction today,” he said.
View the full article
-
By Space Force
The U.S. Space Force and Canadian Armed Forces have kicked off an Operations and Sustainment Phase which will provide Canada with six years of access to the Space Force’s Mobile User Objective System Satellite System.
View the full article
-
By NASA
1 Min Read Sinister Solar System
A witch appears to be screaming in space in this image from NASA’s Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Credits:
NASA/WISE Our universe is full of mysterious sights. Explore some of our most frightful finds from past Halloweens.
Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
Solar System Exploration
Europa Clipper
Europa Clipper will search for signs of potential habitability on Jupiter’s icy ocean moon Europa.
Europa
Jupiter
About the Author
NASA Science Editorial Team
Share
Details
Last Updated Oct 24, 2024 Related Terms
The Solar System Explore More
3 min read Europa Trek: NASA Offers a New Guided Tour of Jupiter’s Ocean Moon
Article
1 day ago
5 min read Old Data Yields New Secrets as NASA’s DAVINCI Preps for Venus Trip
How NASA’s DAVINCI mission to Venus uses old data to reveal new secrets.
Article
1 week ago
4 min read New Team to Assess NASA’s Mars Sample Return Architecture Proposals
NASA announced Wednesday a new strategy review team will assess potential architecture adjustments for the…
Article
1 week ago
Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
Missions
Humans in Space
Climate Change
Solar System
View the full article
-
-
Check out these Videos
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.