There are many worlds and many systems of Universes existing all at the same time, all of them perishable.

— Anaximander 546 BC

NASA

Student-Built Robots Clash at Competition Supported by NASA-JPL

NASA - Breaking News - Mon, 03/18/2024 - 5:06pm
Teams prepare for a playoff match at the L.A. regional FIRST Robotics Competition in El Segundo on March 17. The robots, built by high school teams, would go on to face off with three other robots being staged at the other end of the playing field.NASA/JPL-Caltech The robots clash six at a time – in two alliances of three robots – on a playing field of about 54 feet by 26 feet in the FIRST Robotics Competition. The human competitors can sport color-coordinated outfits, face paint, and pompoms.NASA/JPL-Caltech The winning alliance poses at the Los Angeles regional FIRST Robotics Competition on March 17. From left, Team 9408 (“Warbots”) of Warren High in Downey, Team 368 (“Team Kika Mana”) of McKinley High School in Honolulu, and Team 980 (“ThunderBots”) of Burbank and Burroughs high schools in Burbank. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Hand-crafted robots, constructed over the past two months by 44 high school teams, duked it out at the FIRST Robotics Los Angeles regional competition.

Student-made contraptions of a metal and a little magic battled each other in front of cheering and dancing high schoolers at the annual Los Angeles regional FIRST Robotics Competition over the weekend, an event supported by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Of the 44 participating teams, five triumphed, earning the chance to compete this April at the FIRST international championship tournament in Houston.

The raucous event at the Da Vinci Schools campus in El Segundo saw six 125-pound robots racing around the playing field during each 2 ½-minute match as pounding music filled the room and a live announcer narrated the action. Working in alliances of three teams on each side, the robots jockeyed for position and banged into each other, using a variety of mechanical devices to retrieve large, foam rings from the floor and launch them into two target chutes. In the final seconds of each round, the bots could earn extra points by hoisting themselves off the ground to dangle from a metal chain.

“The energy in the room was amazing this year,” said Kim Lievense, the manager of JPL’s Public Services Office, who coordinates some 100 volunteers for the event every year. “These teams and their bots really left it all on the field, and it was so great to be there to see it yet again.”

The 24th year for this L.A.-area competition, the event is one of many under the umbrella of the nonprofit FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), which pairs students with STEM professionals. The competitions give students hands-on experience with engineering and problem-solving, team-building, fundraising, and other business skills.

Teams receive the rules of the game – titled “Crescendo” this year and themed around arts and entertainment – in January. Using FIRST’s technical specifications, students have just weeks to design, build, and test their robots, devoting hours after school and on weekends to the project.

“There were a lot of really impressive robots, and students, this year. The engineering, the manufacturing, the programming in the software these kids are writing – it’s quite complex,” said Julie Townsend, one of three event judges from JPL. She has been volunteering with FIRST for nearly 20 years as a judge and coach and is JPL’s point of contact for the NASA Robotics Alliance Project, which supports NASA “house” youth robotics teams across the country.

“Without these programs like FIRST, high school students don’t have the opportunity to do this kind of engineering,” Townsend added. “It’s hard, but they eventually get to experience the joy of a functioning system that you designed. You failed 16 times and then you get to see it work flawlessly.”

In the end, the winning alliance joined together a team from Hawaii with two Southern California teams: Team 368 (“Team Kika Mana”) of McKinley High School in Honolulu, Team 9408 (“Warbots”) of Warren High in Downey, and Team 980 (“ThunderBots”) of Burbank and Burroughs high schools in Burbank, which is a NASA house team supported by JPL.

Two other L.A.-area teams won awards that mean they’ll get to compete in Houston as well: Team 687 (“The Nerd Herd”) of California Academy of Math and Science in Carson, and Team 3473 (“Team Sprocket”) of Diamond Bar High.

For more information about the FIRST Los Angeles regional, visit:

https://cafirst.org/frc/losangeles/

News Media Contact

Melissa Pamer
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-314-4928
melissa.pamer@jpl.nasa.gov

2024-028

Share Details Last Updated Mar 18, 2024 Related Terms Explore More 4 min read Leslie Livesay Named Deputy Director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Article 11 hours ago 3 min read NASA Wallops Offers Career Inspiration to Delmarva Students Article 14 hours ago 5 min read NASA Unveils Design for Message Heading to Jupiter’s Moon Europa Article 2 weeks ago
Categories: NASA

NASA’s Swift Temporarily Suspends Science Operations

NASA - Breaking News - Mon, 03/18/2024 - 5:02pm

1 min read

NASA’s Swift Temporarily Suspends Science Operations Swift, illustrated here, is a collaboration between NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Penn State in University Park, the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, and Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems in Dulles, Virginia. Other partners include the University of Leicester and Mullard Space Science Laboratory in the United Kingdom, Brera Observatory in Italy, and the Italian Space Agency.NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

On March 15, NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory entered into safe mode, temporarily suspending science operations due to degrading performance from one of its three gyroscopes (gyros), which are used to point the observatory for making observations. The rest of the spacecraft remains in good health.

Swift is designed to successfully operate without one of its gyros if necessary; however, a software update is required. The team is working on the flight software update that would permit the spacecraft to continue science operations using its two remaining gyros. The team is working to return Swift to science observations as soon as possible.

Launched in 2004, Swift has been observing the high-energy universe for nearly 20 years. Stay tuned to nasa.gov/swift for more updates.

Share Details Last Updated Mar 18, 2024 EditorJamie Adkins Related Terms
Categories: NASA

NASA Administrator Pays Tribute to Space Pioneer Thomas Stafford 

NASA - Breaking News - Mon, 03/18/2024 - 5:00pm
(1966) — Portrait of astronaut Thomas P. Stafford, wearing his spacesuit.Credits: NASA

The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Monday’s passing of Thomas Stafford, a lifelong space exploration advocate, former NASA astronaut, and U.S. Air Force general: 

“Today, General Tom Stafford went to the eternal heavens, which he so courageously explored as a Gemini and Apollo astronaut as well as a peacemaker in the Apollo-Soyuz mission. Those of us privileged to know him are very sad but grateful we knew a giant.

“Tom was critical to the earliest successes of our nation’s space program and was instrumental in developing space as a model for international cooperation. He also helped us learn from our tragedies and grow and reach for the next generation of achievement. He was intimately involved with the space program, sharing his thoughts and suggestions on NASA missions until the end of his life. 

“Tom was a gentleman and a daredevil. He flew our first rendezvous in space on Gemini 6, and piloted Gemini 9’s path to Earth with pencil and paper when the spacecraft’s guidance computer failed in orbit. He commanded Apollo 10, the first flight of the lunar module to the Moon, a critical test flight that resulted in the successful landing on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Tom also flew more than 100 different types of aircraft throughout his career as he pushed the edge of the envelope of our achievement in air and space. He was an extraordinary peacemaker who commanded NASA’s first rendezvous of an international spacecraft on the Apollo-Soyuz mission. His counterpart, General Alexei Leonov, became a best friend over the years. Tom gave Alexei’s eulogy in 2019 at the Russian state funeral.

“Tom’s dedication to NASA never wavered. In later years, he chaired a team to independently advise NASA on how to carry out President H.W. Bush’s space policy and completed the study ‘America at the Threshold’ about the nation’s potential future with humans in space. He also was co-chairman of the Stafford-Covey Space Shuttle Return to Flight Task Group that assessed NASA’s implementation of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board Space Shuttle Return to Flight recommendations.

“Our nation will be forever grateful to an explorer who never lost his sense of wonder. About his time in space, he said, ‘It changes you, oh sure. Changes your outlook…As you look back, you see a little blue and white baseball, actually, it’s smaller than a baseball. But it’s hard to envision that is where all the people you’ve known all your life are, where you went to school, your friends, your family. It’s also hard to envision that there are three billion people on that blue and white baseball.’ 

“Godspeed, Tom Stafford.”  

For more information about Stafford’s NASA career, and his agency biography, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/former-astronaut-thomas-stafford/

-end-

Faith McKie / Cheryl Warner  
Headquarters, Washington  
202-358-1600  
faith.d.mckie@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov   

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Categories: NASA

NASA Wallops Supports Rocket Lab Launch for NRO From Virginia

NASA - Breaking News - Mon, 03/18/2024 - 4:48pm

1 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia will support commercial launch provider Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket launch no earlier than March 21 at 2:40 a.m. EDT. The four-hour launch window runs through 6:30 a.m.

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket stands atop the company’s Launch Complex-2 on NASA’s Wallops Island.Rocket Lab

The mission, named NROL-123, is a dedicated launch for NRO (National Reconnaissance Office). The 59-foot-tall Electron rocket will lift off from Launch Complex 2 at Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island.

For those interested in seeing the launch in person, viewing locations on Chincoteague Island include Robert Reed Park, Curtis Merritt Harbor, and the Beach Road causeway between Chincoteague and Assateague islands. The NASA Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center and grounds will not be open for launch viewing.

The launch may be visible, weather permitting, to residents throughout much of the East Coast of the United States. The launch can also be viewed online through Rocket Lab’s of the event on their YouTube channel. The stream will begin about 40 minutes before the opening of the launch window.

Share Details Last Updated Mar 18, 2024 Related Terms
Categories: NASA

NASA Challenge Invites Artemis Generation Coders to Johnson Space Center

NASA - Breaking News - Mon, 03/18/2024 - 4:06pm

NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement has selected seven student teams to participate in a culminating event for the 2024 App Development Challenge (ADC), one of the agency’s Artemis Student Challenges, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The coding challenge invites middle and high school student teams to contribute to deep space exploration missions by developing solutions to real-world technical problems.

Screenshot of the app submitted by ADC Top Team, Team Spaghetti Code from Trinity Christian School in Morgantown, West Virginia.

The ADC, a part of NASA’s Next Gen STEM project, gives students an opportunity to participate in NASA’s endeavors to land American astronauts, including the first woman and the first person of color, on the Moon. Artemis Generation students are prompted to create an application to visualize the Moon’s South Pole region and display essential information for navigating the lunar surface and receiving signals from Earth. NASA will make history by sending the first humans to explore the region near the lunar South Pole on Artemis III.

“Working on this application gave us a simplified understanding and real-world experience of how professionals approach similar problems in the work-field,” stated Team Frostbyte, from North High School in Des Moines, Iowa, “Engaging in this hands-on project has deepened our passion for innovative utilization of technology. Our participation in this challenge has only further affirmed our goals to pursue careers in these fields.”

Over the 10-week challenge, participating teams joined subject matter expert talks, attended ADC office hours, researched lunar landing regions and mathematical concepts, and spent hundreds of hours coding to develop their applications. Additionally, students learned about the complexities of communicating from the lunar surface with Earth-based assets from NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) team.

The following five teams excelled in their application and interview, thereby earning the chance to showcase their work to NASA leadership, tour NASA’s unique facilities, and meet industry leaders, in April 2024 at NASA Johnson:

  • Baton Rouge Magnet High School: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • Dougherty Valley High School: San Ramon, California
  • North High School: Des Moines, Iowa
  • Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies: Reseda, California
  • Trinity Christian School: Morgantown, West Virginia

In addition, two more schools were selected as honorable mentions to present their work virtually to NASA leadership in April 2024.

  • Edison Academy Magnet School: Edison, New Jersey
  • Falcon Cove Middle School: Weston, Florida
Screenshot of the app submitted by ADC Top Team, Team Lunarsphere from Baton Rouge Magnet High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

In addition to being named as Honorable Mentions, Edison Academy Magnet School was awarded Most Realistic Visualization of Technical Features and Falcon Cove Middle School was awarded Best Middle School Team.

“Given that participating in the NASA ADC gave us insights on outreach, technical programming, app development, and working as a team, it has overall made us feel more prepared for future projects and even future jobs,” stated Team Lunarsphere from Baton Rouge Magnet High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Previous Years

ADC 2023: Artemis Generation Coders Earn Invite to Johnson Space Center

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Categories: NASA

NASA Sets Coverage for Crew Launch; Trio to Join Expedition 70

NASA - Breaking News - Mon, 03/18/2024 - 1:55pm
NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus pose for a portrait at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center on Nov. 2, 2023Credits: GCTC/Andrey Shelepin

Three crew members will blast off on Thursday, March 21, to support Expedition 70 aboard the International Space Station. NASA will provide full coverage of launch and crew arrival at the microgravity laboratory.

NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus, are scheduled to lift off on the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:21 a.m. EDT (6:21 p.m. Baikonur time).

Launch coverage will begin at 8:20 a.m. on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Dyson, Novitskiy, and Vasilevskaya will journey to the station on a two-orbit, three-hour trajectory that will result in a docking to the station’s Prichal module at 12:39 p.m.

Shortly after, hatches between the station and the Soyuz will open and the new crew members will connect with NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Alexander Grebenkin, already living and working aboard the space station.

NASA coverage of the mission is as follows (all times Eastern and are subject to change based on real-time operations):

Thursday, March 21:

  • 8:20 a.m. – Launch coverage begins
  • 9:21 a.m. – Launch
  • 11:30 a.m. – Rendezvous and docking coverage begins
  • 12:39 p.m. – Docking
  • 2:50 p.m. – Hatch opening and welcome remarks coverage begins

Dyson will spend six months aboard the station as an Expedition 70 and 71 flight engineer, returning to Earth in September with Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub of Roscosmos, who will complete a year-long mission on the laboratory.

Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya will be aboard the station for 12 days, providing the ride home for O’Hara on Tuesday, April 2, aboard Soyuz MS-24 for a parachute-assisted landing on steppe of Kazakhstan. O’Hara will have spent 200 days in space when she returns.

This will be the third spaceflight for Dyson, the fourth for Novitskiy, and the first for Vasilevskaya.

To read more about the International Space Station, its research, and crew, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/station

-end-

Joshua Finch / Claire O’Shea
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov

Sandra Jones
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov

Share Details Last Updated Mar 18, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Categories: NASA

Vision Statement of the Science Directorate at NASA Ames

NASA - Breaking News - Mon, 03/18/2024 - 12:40pm
Vision

To be a world-leading science organization, which contributes substantially to NASA’s science mission enterprise.

Mission

To provide scientific leadership in research and flight missions, enabled by the excellence of a diverse workforce.

Strategies

Alignment

• Shape, and align with, opportunities emerging from NASA’s strategic goals and elsewhere.

• Foster a culture of entrepreneurship, excellence, and rapid innovation.

Foundation

• Advance scientific research across the entire spectrum from modeling to laboratory experiments, including supporting society.

• Expand our leadership in developing and deploying instruments, as well as pioneering biological, space, and airborne science missions.

Workforce

• Cultivate a diverse next generation to develop into new leaders in scientific research and flight missions.

• Actively seek out and benefit from the strengths and insights that diversity provides.

Connections

• Be a sought-after partner to organizations inside and outside of NASA.

• Promote open knowledge sharing to enable and empower the broader research community.

Categories: NASA

NASA Selects New Round of Candidates for CubeSat Missions to Station

NASA - Breaking News - Mon, 03/18/2024 - 12:40pm
Students from the University of Michigan work on their Measurement of Actuator Response and In Orbit (MARIO) CubeSat which launched to the International Space Station in November 2022. Photo credit: University of Michigan

NASA selected 10 small research satellites across eight states to fly to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s efforts to expand education and science opportunities, support technology advancement, and provide for workforce development.

These small satellites, or CubeSats, use a standard size and form measured in units. One unit (1U) is 10x10x11 centimeters and allows for the modular design of larger CubeSats measuring up to 12U. CubeSats encourage greater collaboration across government, industry, and academia because they are modular and inexpensive to build and launch. The small satellites allow for rapid development and provide a cost-effective means for science investigations and technology demonstrations in space.

This year’s selections include the first project from Delaware, three from minority serving institutions, and a submission from a K-12 school. New participants include the University of Delaware, Oakwood School in California, California State University, Long Beach, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and the University of Chicago.

NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) selected the missions, currently planned to launch in 2025 to 2028, in response to a call for proposals on Aug. 7, 2023.

The complete list of organizations and CubeSats chosen during CSLI 15th selection round are:

  • University of Louisiana at Lafayette – CAPE-Twiggs (Cajun Advanced Picosatellite Experiment) will serve as a first prototype of a 3U CubeSat designed to contain and launch tethered SlimSat modules into very low-Earth orbit. Having launched successful CubeSat missions in the past, the university’s current project will work with several other schools with little or no experience on the design, build, and operations of their own SlimSat module. CAPE-Twiggs will enhance both STEM education and the ability to conduct regular and collaborative space-based experiments on a larger scale.
  • Oakwood School in California – NyanSat is a 2U CubeSat designed and built by a K-12 independent school in rural California. This mission will serve as template for educational outreach and space technology development. NyanSat features several technology development payloads, each designed to test and demonstrate the efficacy of various new systems in the space environment. Included among these are the acoustic spacecraft mapping and sounding payload, aimed at simplifying sensor architectures in spacecraft and providing supplementary mission information, and the cryptographic ledgers in space payload, intended to verify the feasibility of space-based digital notaries for on-Earth and in-geospace transactions.
  • University of Hawaii at Manoa – CREPES (CubeSat Relativistic Electron and Proton Energy Separator) aims to study solar energetic particle events and increase our knowledge of the Sun. CREPES will fly a new type of micropattern gaseous detector using gas electron multipliers to amplify the signals of radiation. Data obtained from these measurements is expected to contribute to the understanding of space weather and development of space climatology. The University of Hawaii at Manoa is a minority serving institution and has previously launched a CubeSat with the program.
  • California State University, Long Beach – SharkSat-1 seeks to monitor LED-induced blue light pollution across Earth. LED lights are popular due to their cost efficiency, but their impacts are currently being studied by climate and health researchers. Data collected by SharkSat-1 will create a database for experts to create light pollution maps. California State University, Long Beach, is a minority serving institution.
  • University of Delaware – DAPPEr (Delaware Atmospheric Plasma Probe Experiment) will map average variations in electron density and temperature versus latitude and time of day in the ionosphere’s F2 layer. Another objective is to determine the preferred size for a Langmuir probe to measure ionospheric electrons from a CubeSat. This is the first CubeSat selection from Delaware for CSLI and aims to provide students with hands-on learning experiences on flight systems.
  • Saint Louis University – DARLA-02 (Demonstration of Artificial Reasoning, Learning, and Analysis) will demonstrate autonomous event response on a 3U spacecraft and create a dynamic map of the radio frequency background noise in the amateur ultra-high frequency band. DARLA-02 follows DARLA, which is targeted to launch with CSLI in 2024. This follow-up seeks to double the amount of time the spacecraft can be in science mode in orbit.
  • California State Polytechnic University, Pomona – The Pleiades Five mission will be the first to use a commoditized CubeSat architecture to provide effective and sustainable educational opportunities for future generations of the space industry. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, will partner with five other universities and offer a pathway enabling students to design, test, launch, and operate a low-cost educational 1U CubeSat within one academic year. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, is a minority serving institution.
  • University of Chicago – PULSE-A (Polarization modUlated Laser Satellite Experiment) will demonstrate a way to increase the speed of space-to-ground communications. PULSE-A also aims to make space-to-ground operations more difficult to intercept and jam through an on-orbit tech demonstration. PULSE-A will use 10 Mbps polarization-keyed laser communications instead of radio frequency for a space to Earth call. Free-space optical communications improves on power, bandwidth, and effective data transfer rates over radio frequency.
  • Utah State University – GASRATS (Get Away Special Radio and Antenna Transparency Satellite) will demonstrate a novel transparent patch antenna integrated on top of a solar panel. Having a dual-purpose use of the external surface of a satellite and combining power generation with communications capabilities, tackles the common space mission constraints of power and mass limitations. Utah State University has previously participated in CSLI, deploying GASPACS (Get Away Special Passive Attitude Control Satellite) in early 2022 to test inflatable structures in space.
  • NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center – GPDM (Green Propulsion Dual Mode) will test chemical and electrospray capability of the low-toxicity or “green” rocket propellant known as Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non-Toxic (ASCENT) during an in-space flight demonstration. The project is a partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Georgia Institute of Technology to develop a chemical propulsion subsystem that will include a 3D printed tank, manifold, and propellant management device.

NASA has selected CubeSat missions from 45 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and launched about 160 CubeSats into space on an ELaNa (Educational Launch of a Nanosatellite) manifest.

Photo credit: NASA

The CubeSat Launch Initiative is managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For more information about CSLI, visit:

https://go.nasa.gov/CubeSat_initiative

Categories: NASA

Leslie Livesay Named Deputy Director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA - Breaking News - Mon, 03/18/2024 - 12:04pm

4 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Leslie Livesay is JPL’s new deputy director.NASA/JPL-Caltech

The first woman to serve as JPL’s deputy director, Livesay serves under Laurie Leshin, the first woman to lead the lab.

Leslie Livesay begins her tenure as deputy director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Monday, March 18. She succeeds Larry D. James, who served as deputy director since September 2013.

During a career spanning more than 37 years at JPL, Livesay has managed teams in the development of technologies and flight systems for planetary, Earth science, and astrophysics missions. She served as the project manager of the Kepler space telescope mission, led the lab’s Engineering and Science Directorate, was director for Astronomy and Physics, and most recently served as associate director for Flight Projects and Mission Success, overseeing the implementation and operations of all JPL flight missions.

“Having served a variety of roles at JPL, I’ve been fortunate to be able to work up close with the many remarkable organizations that make this lab such a special place. I’m looking forward to my new role as we dare mighty things together, boldly driving transformative science and technology,” said Livesay.

Born in Chicago, Livesay holds a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California. She is the recipient of the American Astronautical Society Carl Sagan Memorial Award, Aviation Week Network’s Laureate Award, NASA’s Exceptional Achievement Medal, and the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal.

As the first woman to be named JPL’s deputy director, Livesay serves under Laurie Leshin, who in May 2022 became the first woman to lead JPL. Functioning as the laboratory’s chief operating officer, the deputy director is responsible for the day-to-day management of its resources and activities. Managed by Caltech for NASA, JPL employs about 6,000 scientists, engineers, technicians, and business support personnel, and manages over three dozen flight missions and science instruments, with more in development.

“Leslie has blazed a path in numerous senior leadership positions across JPL. She brings remarkable experience and capabilities to the role as we look toward the enormous and exciting opportunities that lay ahead,” said Leshin. “I also want to express my deep gratitude to Larry James, whose tenure is marked with multiple successful missions, significant improvement in JPL’s operations, and exemplary institutional stewardship.”

Lt. Gen. James was the Air Force deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in Washington before retiring from active duty and coming to JPL. Earlier in his career, he trained as an Air Force payload specialist for the Space Shuttle Program. James also served as vice commander of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles and as commander of the 14th Air Force at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, where he was responsible for all Department of Defense satellite and launch systems.

“I’ve been a space enthusiast from an early age, so it’s been a privilege to have been part of JPL,” said James. “Although my time here is done, I’m eager to see the full manifest of missions and projects that we’ve been working on come to fruition, and I know Leslie will thrive in her new role. As for me, I’ll be taking a new position in Australia to help build their space capabilities and continue to strengthen the U.S.-Australia partnership.”

A division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL began in 1936, going on to build and help launch America’s first satellite, Explorer 1, in 1958. By the end of that year, Congress established NASA, and JPL became a part of the agency. Since then, JPL has managed such historic missions as Voyager, Galileo, Cassini, the Mars Exploration Rover program, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, and many more.

Veronica McGregor / Matthew Segal
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-9452 / 818-354-8307
veronica.c.mcgregor@jpl.nasa.gov / matthew.j.segal@jpl.nasa.gov

2024-027      

Share Details Last Updated Mar 18, 2024 Related Terms Explore More 3 min read Student-Built Robots Clash at Competition Supported by NASA-JPL Article 6 hours ago 5 min read NASA Unveils Design for Message Heading to Jupiter’s Moon Europa Article 2 weeks ago 2 min read NASA Pi Day Challenge Serves Up a Mathematical Marvel Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics

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NASA Wallops Offers Career Inspiration to Delmarva Students

NASA - Breaking News - Mon, 03/18/2024 - 10:00am

3 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Roland Wescott, representing the range at NASA Wallops, engages with participants during the Junior Achievement Inspire event at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center.NASA/Olivia Littleton

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, partners, and area employers joined forces on a mission to inspire more than 4,500 eighth-grade students seeking answers to all questions “career” at the 2024 Junior Achievement (JA) Inspire event. The annual career-exploration event was held March 12-13 at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center in Salisbury, Maryland, featuring more than 100 local businesses in 15 career clusters.

Public and private school students from Sussex County, Delaware; Talbot, Queen Anne’s, Caroline, Dorchester, Wicomico, Worcester, and Somerset counties in Maryland; and Accomack and Northampton counties in Virginia, attended JA Inspire to connect with community members representing various career fields. Students were offered an engaging experience full of insight into the education and skills needed for specific careers, and information on how to find jobs when entering the workforce. The event featured hands-on activities, industry tools and equipment, and inspiration for students as they begin to map high-school coursework and future career paths.

“At Wallops, we are delivering on NASA’s mission today, while planning the mission of tomorrow. And that includes our workforce,” said David L. Pierce, director of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. “Wallops is partnering with local institutions to build a diverse, highly-skilled workforce.”

The event’s Aerospace Industry exhibit cluster included nearly 40 NASA Wallops employees, showcasing career opportunities in sounding rockets, scientific balloons, small satellites, launch range operations, robotics, and education. An additional 35 representatives from Wallops’ partners also joined the cluster, including personnel from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy’s Surface Combat Systems Center, and Virginia Spaceport Authority.

“Wallops is committed to supporting JA Inspire because it connects students from across the Eastern Shore between what they are learning in the classroom to the outside world right here on Delmarva,” said Pierce.

Pat Benner, directorate education coordinator at NASA Wallops, demonstrates Ultraviolet light exposure during the Junior Achievement Inspire event at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center.NASA/Olivia Littleton

Career inspiration and education doesn’t stop at the conclusion of the JA Inspire event. The Wallops’ team will continue to reach out to area students at the Wallops Flight Facility Junior Achievement Storefront located inside the Perdue Henson Junior Achievement Center in Salisbury, Maryland.

Wallops will join approximately 20 storefronts inside the center, which offers experiential learning of financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship to more than 10,000 students each year. The center serves students from six counties on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and one county in Virginia. Storefronts are sponsored by area businesses and run by JA staff and respective business volunteers, who guide students through a designed program for a 4.5- to 5-hour period during school hours.

Programs offered at the center include Biz Town where students experience a “day in the life” of a working person and running a business. Students learn how a business operates, pays its bills and employees, and earns revenue. Another program, called Finance Park, focuses on how to plan a household budget, pay bills, and look for housing and transportation. Wallops volunteers will have a chance to offer their expertise to these learning opportunities, while promoting NASA and STEAM careers on Delmarva.

“JA Inspire helps students have a better understanding of how the real world operates,” said Pierce. “In our fourth year of supporting JA Inspire and with the start of our storefront, Wallops continues to motivate students to take up a STEM-related study track in high school, and hopefully one day come to work here at Wallops.”

Wallops’ storefront is slated for completion by mid-April.

Share Details Last Updated Mar 18, 2024 EditorOlivia F. LittletonContactOlivia F. Littletonolivia.f.littleton@nasa.govLocationWallops Flight Facility Related Terms Explore More 3 min read Student-Built Robots Clash at Competition Supported by NASA-JPL Article 6 hours ago 1 min read NASA Wallops Supports Rocket Lab Launch for NRO From Virginia Article 7 hours ago 2 min read NASA Pi Day Challenge Serves Up a Mathematical Marvel Article 2 weeks ago
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Portrait of NGC 1055

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NASA to Send Research to Station Aboard 30th SpaceX Resupply Mission

NASA - Breaking News - Fri, 03/15/2024 - 5:30pm
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, on the company’s 29th commercial resupply services mission for the agency to the International Space Station.Credits: SpaceX

New research and technology demonstrations for NASA are set to launch aboard the agency’s SpaceX 30th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 4:55 p.m. EDT Thursday, March 21, lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Live launch coverage will air on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website, with prelaunch events starting Tuesday, March 19. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms.

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will deliver new scientific investigations, food, supplies, and equipment to the international crew. NASA and its partners will send studies aboard the mission on plant metabolism in space and a set of new sensors for free-flying Astrobee robots to provide 3D mapping capabilities. Other research includes a fluid physics study that could benefit solar cell technology and a university project from CSA (Canadian Space Agency) that will monitor sea ice and ocean conditions.

Arrival at the station is scheduled for approximately 7:30 a.m. Saturday, March 23. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will dock autonomously to the zenith port of the station’s Harmony module.

The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.

Full mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on operations):

Tuesday, March 19

3 p.m. – Prelaunch media teleconference with the following participants:

  • Kristi Duplichen, deputy manager, NASA’s International Space Station Transportation Integration Office
  • Heidi Parris, associate program scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program Research Office
  • Sarah Walker, director, SpaceX Dragon mission management
  • Melody Lovin, launch weather officer, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron

Media may ask questions during the media teleconference by phone only. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no later than 2 p.m. EDT March 19, at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

Thursday, March 21

  • 4:35 p.m. – Launch coverage begins
  • 4:55 p.m. – Launch

Saturday, March 23

  • 5:30 a.m. – NASA arrival coverage begins
  • 7:30 a.m. – Targeted docking to the zenith port of the station’s Harmony module

NASA’s coverage is subject to change based on real-time operational activities. Follow the International Space Station blog for updates.

NASA Television launch coverage

Live coverage of the launch on NASA Television will begin at 4:35 p.m. Thursday, March 21. For downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, or -7135. On launch day, the full mission broadcast can be heard on -1220 and -1240, while the countdown net only can be heard on -7135 beginning approximately one hour before the mission broadcast begins.

On launch day, live coverage of the launch without NASA Television commentary will be carried on the NASA Television media channel.

NASA website launch coverage

Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 4:35 p.m. Thursday, March 21, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our commercial resupply services mission blog for updates.

Attend launch virtually

Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. Registrants will receive mission updates and activities by email. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities, and a virtual guest passport stamp following a successful launch.

Watch, engage on social media

Let people know you’re watching the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by following and tagging these accounts:

Twitter: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_StationISS_Research, @ISS National Lab

Facebook: NASANASAKennedyISSISS National Lab

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab

Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitor entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo o Messod Bendayan a: antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov o messod.c.bendayan@nasa.gov.

Learn more about NASA commercial resupply services missions at:

https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/commercial-resupply/

-end-

Julian Coltre / Claire O’Shea
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
julian.n.coltre@nasa.gov / claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov

Stephanie Plucinsky / Steven Siceloff
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-876-2468
stephanie.n.plucinsky@nasa.gov / steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov

Sandra Jones
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov

Share Details Last Updated Mar 15, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Categories: NASA

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks in Northern Spring

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NASA Volunteers Find Fifteen Rare “Active Asteroids”

NASA - Breaking News - Fri, 03/15/2024 - 3:52pm
2 Min Read NASA Volunteers Find Fifteen Rare “Active Asteroids”

NASA’s Active Asteroids project

Credits:
Henry Hsieh

Some extraordinary asteroids have “activity”—comet-like tails or envelopes of gas and dust.  NASA’s Active Asteroids project announced the discovery of activity on fifteen asteroids, challenging conventional wisdom about the solar system.

To find these fifteen rare objects, more than 8000 volunteers combed through 430,000 images from the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the Victor M. Blanco telescope in Chile. A paper about the results, now published in the Astronomical Journal, includes nine volunteers among the co-authors.

“For an amateur astronomer like me it’s a dream come true.” said volunteer Virgilio Gonano from Udine, Italy. “Congratulations to all the staff and the friends that also check the images!”

Volunteers from the NASA’s “Active Asteroids” Citizen Science project identified a comet tail coming from
Asteroid 2015 VA108, one of the active asteroids spotted by volunteers from NASA’s “Active Asteroids” Citizen Science project. The object, indicated by the green arrow, orbits entirely within the main asteroid belt (located between Mars and Jupiter), but sports a tail like a comet. Credit: Colin Orion Chandler (University of Washington)

Studying these rare active asteroids teaches scientists about the formation and evolution of the solar system, including the origins of water here on Earth. These objects may also aid future space exploration because the same ices that cause comet-like tails can power rockets or provide breathable air.

“I have been a member of the Active Asteroids team since its first batch of data,” said volunteer Tiffany Shaw-Diaz from Dayton, Ohio. “And to say that this project has become a significant part of my life is an understatement. I look forward to classifying subjects each day, as long as time or health permits, and I am beyond honored to work with such esteemed scientists on a regular basis.”

The Active Asteroids project was founded by Dr. Colin Orion Chandler, a LINCC Frameworks project scientist at the University of Washington and DiRAC Institute.  To join the project and help discover the next active asteroid, visit https://www.activeasteroids.net.

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Mar 15, 2024

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