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China launched four satellites on Tuesday (May 21) to test out new technologies. The spacecraft went up on the third-ever launch of the Kuaizhou-11 solid rocket.

The Universe wants us to understand its origins. Every second of every day, it sends us a multitude of signals, each one a clue to a different aspect of the cosmos. But the Universe is the original Trickster, and its multitude of signals is an almost unrecognizable cacophony of light, warped, shifted, and stretched during its long journey through the expanding Universe.

What are talking apes to do in this situation but build another telescope adept at understanding a particular slice of all this noisy light? That’s what astronomers think we should do, to nobody’s surprise.

Due to the size of the Universe and its ongoing expansion, light from the Universe’s first galaxies is stretched into the infrared. This ancient light holds clues to the Universe’s origins and, by extension, our origins. It takes a powerful infrared telescope to sense and decipher this light. Earth’s atmosphere blocks infrared light which is why we keep building infrared space telescopes.

Infrared telescopes are also well-suited to observing planets as they form. Dense environments like protoplanetary disks are opaque to most light, but infrared light can reveal what’s going on in these planet-forming environments. The dust absorbs light, then emits it in the infrared, and also scatters it. That confounds optical telescopes, but infrared telescopes like SALTUS are designed to deal with it.

A team of astronomers from the USA and Europe has joined the chorus calling for a new infrared space telescope. It’s tentatively called SALTUS, the Single Aperture Large Telescope for Universe Studies. In a new paper, the astronomers outline the science case for SALTUS.

“The SALTUS Probe mission will provide a powerful far-infrared (far-IR) pointed space observatory to explore our cosmic origins and the possibility of life elsewhere,” write the authors of the new paper.

The paper is titled “Single Aperture Large Telescope for Universe Studies (SALTUS): Science Overview.” Gordon Chin from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center is the lead author. It’s in pre-print at arxiv.org.

If built, SALTUS will be different from the powerful JWST. The JWST has four instruments that cover an infrared frequency range from 600 to 28,500 nanometers, or 0.6 to 28.5 microns, which is from the near-infrared (NIR) to the mid-infrared (MIR). SALTUS would cover 34 to 660 ?m, which is in the far-infrared (FIR). SALTUS’ range is unavailable to any current observatory, space or ground-based.

There are no precise definitions of what exact ranges constitute NIR, MIR, and FIR, but this table is a useful representation. Image Credit: Wikipedia

Infrared telescopes need to be kept cool. They use sunshades and cryogenic coolers to keep temperatures down and IR light detectable. The longer the wave of infrared light, the cooler the sensor needs to be. Sunshades are passive and cool the primary mirror, but the instruments require active cryogenic cooling, and those systems have a limited lifetime that restricts mission length. In SALTUS’s case, the baseline mission length is five years.

During those five years, SALTUS will make use of its 14-meter primary mirror and its pair of instruments to open a “powerful window to the Universe through which we can explore our cosmic origins,” according to the paper’s authors.

The two instruments are the SAFARI-Lite spectrometer (SALTUS Far-Infrared Lite) and HiRX (High-Resolution receiver.) Using these instruments, SALTUS will complement the observing capabilities of the JWST and ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array.

Its aperture is so large that it’ll be the only Far-IR observatory with arcsec-scale spatial resolution. One arcsecond is defined as the ability to show two posts standing 4.8mm apart from 1km away as separate posts. “This will permit an unmasking of the true nature of the cold Universe, which holds the answers to many of the questions concerning our cosmic origins,” the authors write.

SALTUS has a unique design among space telescopes. It features an inflatable primary mirror, which is new to space telescopes but has been proven during decades of use in ground-based telecommunications. A two-layer sunshield will keep the inflatable mirror cool.

SALTUS large aperture will provide high sensitivity and is aimed at a couple of foundational questions.

How does habitability develop while planets are forming? To address this question, SALTUS will trace carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen in 1,000 different protoplanetary disks. It has the power to recognize numerous molecular and atomic species and different lattice modes of ice and some minerals. No existing telescope has this capability.

SALTUS’ far IR observing capabilities will let it see a portion of protoplanetary disks that are obscured in other wavelengths. This will open a new window into planet formation and how habitability develops. Image Credit: Chin et al. 2025/Miotello et al. Protostars and Planets 2023.

Habitability, as far as we understand it, revolves around water. Water begins its journey in the same molecular clouds where stars form. SALTUS will follow water’s journey from molecular cloud to protoplanetary disks to icy planetesimals and comets that deliver water to planets like Earth. A key part of SALTUS’s work will be deriving deuterium/hydrogen ratios.

This simple graphic shows how water arrives on planets and can lead to habitability. SALTUS will follow the water’s journey by observing hundreds of protoplanetary disks. Image Credit: Chin et al. 2024.

How do galaxies form and evolve? SALTUS will measure how galaxies form and acquire more mass. It’ll measure heavy elements and interstellar dust from the Universe’s first galaxies to today. The telescope will also probe the co-evolution of galaxies and their supermassive black holes (SMBHs.)

Tracking the rapid evolution of dust grains in galaxies in the Universe’s first billion years is part of understanding galaxy formation and evolution. SALTUS can do that by observing PAHs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and their spectral lines. Some PAH spectral lines are very faint but entirely visible to SALTUS.

There’s a causal link between star formation and active galactic nuclei (AGN) that influences galaxy growth and evolution. But the two phenomena take place on wildly different spatial scales, and the phase that links them together is obscured by dust. SALTUS’s high resolution and sensitive far-IR spectroscopy will give astronomers a clearer view of AGN and how they shape galaxies.

SALTUS would be placed into a Sun-Earth Halo L2 orbit. Its maximum distance from Earth would be 1.8 million km (1.12 million miles). That orbit would give the telescope two continuous 20º viewing zones around the ecliptic poles, resulting in full sky coverage every six months.

The SALTUS concept is designed in response to the 2020 Decadal Survey and NASA’s Astrophysical Roadmap. It’s a direct response to NASA’s 2023 Astrophysics Probe Explorer (APEX) solicitation. The questions it’ll help answer come directly from those works.

“SALTUS has both the sensitivity and spatial resolution to address not just the open science questions of the year 2023 but, more importantly, the unknown questions that will be raised in the 2030s,” the authors write in their summary. “SALTUS is forward-leaning and well-suited to serving the current and future needs of the astronomical community.”

The post Astronomers Propose a 14-Meter Infrared Space Telescope appeared first on Universe Today.

This year could bring up to 25 named tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean due to a shift to La Niña conditions, says the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

This year could bring up to 25 named tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean due to a shift to La Niña conditions, says the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Male mice injected with a molecule that affects sperm movement were temporarily unable to impregnate a female, showing promise for a new type of birth control drug for people

Male mice injected with a molecule that affects sperm movement were temporarily unable to impregnate a female, showing promise for a new type of birth control drug for people

A twice-flown SpaceX capsule has debuted at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, next to a Mercury spacecraft and an Apollo command module.

Detecting bird flu signs in dairy cows sooner could have helped staunch the virus's spread

A thermal protection material for the Artemis Generation On the 19th day of the Artemis I mission, the Moon grows larger in frame as Orion prepares for the return powered flyby on Dec. 5, when it will pass approximately 79 miles above the lunar surface. This image includes both the Orion crew module and service module, connected by the compression pad that utilizes the 3D-MAT material.NASA

The 3-Dimensional Multifunctional Ablative Thermal Protection System (3D-MAT) is a thermal protection material developed as a critical component of Orion, NASA’s newest spacecraft built for human deep space missions. It is able to maintain a high level of strength while enduring extreme temperatures during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere at the end of Artemis missions to the Moon. 3D-MAT has become an essential piece of technology for NASA’s Artemis campaign that will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon and prepare for human expeditions to Mars, for the benefit of all.

The 3D-MAT project emerged from a technical problem in early designs of the Orion spacecraft. The compression pad—the connective interface between the crew module, where astronauts reside, and the service module carrying power, propulsion, supplies, and more—was exhibiting issues during Orion’s first test flight, Exploration Flight Test-1, in 2014. NASA engineers realized they needed to find a new material for the compression pad that could hold these different components of Orion together while withstanding the extremely high temperatures of atmospheric re-entry. Using a 3D weave for NASA heat shield materials had been explored, but after the need for a new material for the compression pad was discovered, development quickly escalated.

This led to the evolution of 3D-MAT, a material woven with quartz yarn and cyanate ester resin in a unique three-dimensional design. The quartz yarn used is like a more advanced version of the fiberglass insulation you might have in your attic, and the resin is essentially a high-tech glue. These off-the-shelf aerospace materials were chosen for their ability to maintain their strength and keep heat out at extremely high temperatures. 3D-MAT is woven together with a specialized loom, which packs the yarns tightly together, and then injected with resin using a unique pressurized process. The result is a high-performance material that is extremely effective at maintaining strength when it’s hot, while also insulating the heat from the spacecraft it is protecting.

The 3D-MAT thermal protection material.NASA

Within three years, 3D-MAT went from an early-stage concept to a well-developed material and has now been integrated onto NASA’s flagship Artemis campaign. The use of 3D-MAT in the Orion spacecraft’s compression pad during the successful Artemis I mission demonstrated the material’s essential role for NASA’s human spaceflight efforts. This development was made possible within such a short span of time because of the team’s collaboration with small businesses including Bally Ribbon Mills, which developed the weaving process, and San Diego Composites, which co-developed the resin infusion procedure with NASA.

The team behind its development won the NASA Invention of the Year Award, a prestigious honor recognizing how essential 3D-MAT was for the successful Artemis flight and how significant it is for NASA’s future Artemis missions. The inventor team recognized includes Jay Feldman and Ethiraj Venkatapathy from NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, Curt Wilkinson of Bally Ribbon Mills, and Ken Mercer of Dynovas.

3D-MAT has applications beyond NASA as well. Material processing capabilities enabled by 3D-MAT have led to other products such as structural parts for Formula One racecars and rocket motor casings. Several potential uses of 3D-MAT in commercial aerospace vehicles and defense are being evaluated based on its properties and performance.

Milestones

• Winner of NASA Invention of the Year Award in 2023
• Flown on Artemis I in 2022
• Being assessed for use by multiple Department of Defense and commercial aerospace entities

Partners

The 3D-MAT project is led out of NASA Ames with the support of various partners, including Bally Ribbon Mills, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, and NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Viginia, with the support of the Game Changing Development Program through NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.

Learn more

• NASA release: First 3D woven composite for NASA thermal protection systems (March 29, 2016)
• NASA release: Advancements in Thermal Protection Materials Change the Game for Orion (April 3, 2015)
• NASA Spinoff release: 3D Weaving Technology Strengthens Spacecraft, Race Cars (2017)

For researchers

• NASA Technology Transfer Program webpage: Multifunctional Ablative Thermal Protection System, 3D-MAT
• Technical paper: “Development of an Ablative 3D Quartz/Cyanate Ester Composite for the Orion Spacecraft Compression Pad,” by Feldman, J. D., Venkatapathy, E., Wilkinson, C., and Mercer, K. J SAMPE TP15-0195, Composites and Advanced Materials Expo, Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, TX, Oct. 2015

For news media

Members of the news media interested in covering this topic should reach out to the NASA Ames newsroom.

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Details Last Updated May 23, 2024 Related Terms

• Ames Research Center
• Ames Research Center's Science Directorate
• Artemis
• Game Changing Development Program
• General
• Missions
• NASA Centers & Facilities
• NASA Directorates
• Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle
• Space Technology Mission Directorate

The ICEYE satellite constellation has given researchers a peek beneath the glacier, and it's not looking good.

The parade of interesting new exoplanets continues. Today, NASA issued a press release announcing the discovery of a new exoplanet in the Gliese 12 system, sized somewhere between Earth and Venus and inside the host star’s habitable zone. Two papers detail the discovery, but both teams think that the planet is an excellent candidate for follow-up with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to try to tease out whether it has an atmosphere and, if so, what that atmosphere is made of.

But before JWST knew where to look, another workhorse of the exoplanet hunt had to do its job. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) found this planet in a system only 40 light years away. That would make it the closest known example of a rocky, Earth or Venus-sized exoplanet in its star’s habitable zone.

Gliese 12 is a red dwarf, only weighing about 27% of the Sun’s weight. Due to the intricacies of fusion, this amounts to the star outputting about 60% of the light of our Sun, which, in turn, means its habitable zone is much closer than our own. The planet, known as Gliese 12b, orbits its parent star once every 12.8 days. But more importantly, it receives about 85% of the energy that Venus typically receives from the Sun.

Fraser discusses some of the accomplishments of TESS.

The similarity between our closest neighbor and this exoplanet is striking. It could also lead to new discoveries about the formation of our solar system. Current theory holds that Venus and the Earth originally had an atmosphere and then lost it. They diverged to become the Eden-like Earth and the hell-like Venus because of one crucial substance – water.  

Venus’ atmosphere lacked water, so when its current atmosphere started to form, none of the liquid necessary for life as we know it was available. Earth, on the other hand, had plenty of water to spare, allowing it to eventually develop life and humans to evolve there.

One of the holy grails of astrobiology is to find an Earth analog, where the solar radiation, day length, size, atmospheric makeup, and other factors are similar enough for a reasonable chance for life to evolve. We can quickly determine many of those numbers, such as orbit, size, and the amount of solar radiation a planet receives. But finding details like atmospheric makeup is harder.

Artist’s depiction of Gliese 12b in comparison to Earth, with different atmospheres – from no atmosphere at all on the left to a atmosphere like Venus’ on the right.
Credit – NASA / JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (Caltech/IPC)

Hence why the researchers suggested JWST should get involved. The world’s most powerful space-based telescope would be capable of detecting the atmospheric makeup of Gliese 12b using a technique called transmission spectroscopy. That’s when the light from a planet’s host star is forced through the planet’s atmosphere, and what wavelengths are absorbed can give an astronomer an idea of what kind of gases are present in that atmosphere.

For now, it’s pure speculation whether Gliese12b has any atmosphere. But with some observational time on JWST, scientists should be able to answer that question easily. Until then, workhorses like TESS will keep picking up new exoplanet candidates for JWST to look at. There are undoubtedly some more interesting ones hiding out there amongst the stars—it’s only a matter of time before we find them.

Learn More:
Kuzuhara et al. – Gliese 12 b: A Temperate Earth-sized Planet at 12 pc Ideal for Atmospheric Transmission Spectroscopy
Dholakia et al.- Gliese 12 b, a temperate Earth-sized planet at 12 parsecs discovered with TESS and CHEOPS
UT – TESS Finds Eight More Super-Earths
UT – Hubble Succeeds Where TESS Couldn’t: It Measured the Nearest Transiting Earth-Sized Planet

Lead Image:
Artist’s depiction of Gliese 12b and its parent star.
Credit – NASA / JPL-Caltech / R Hurt (Caltech-IPAC)

The post A New Venus-Sized World Found in the Habitable Zone of its Star appeared first on Universe Today.

Counting crows proclaim “caw, caw, caw, caw” when staring at the number four

5 Min Read Galaxies Actively Forming in Early Universe Caught Feeding on Cold Gas

This illustration shows a galaxy forming only a few hundred million years after the big bang.

Researchers analyzing data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have pinpointed three galaxies that may be actively forming when the universe was only 400 to 600 million years old. Webb’s data shows these galaxies are surrounded by gas that the researchers suspect to be almost purely hydrogen and helium, the earliest elements to exist in the cosmos. Webb’s instruments are so sensitive that they were able to detect an unusual amount of dense gas surrounding these galaxies. This gas will likely end up fueling the formation of new stars in the galaxies.

“These galaxies are like sparkling islands in a sea of otherwise neutral, opaque gas,” explained Kasper Heintz, the lead author and an assistant professor of astrophysics at the Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN) at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. “Without Webb, we would not be able to observe these very early galaxies, let alone learn so much about their formation.”

“We’re moving away from a picture of galaxies as isolated ecosystems. At this stage in the history of the universe, galaxies are all intimately connected to the intergalactic medium with its filaments and structures of pristine gas,” added Simone Nielsen, a co-author and PhD student also based at DAWN.

Image: Galaxy Forming in the Early Universe (Artist’s Concept) This illustration shows a galaxy forming only a few hundred million years after the big bang, when gas was a mix of transparent and opaque during the Era of Reionization. Data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows that cold gas is falling onto these galaxies.

In Webb’s images, the galaxies look like faint red smudges, which is why extra data, known as spectra, were critical for the team’s conclusions. Those spectra show that light from these galaxies is being absorbed by large amounts of neutral hydrogen gas. “The gas must be very widespread and cover a very large fraction of the galaxy,” said Darach Watson, a co-author who is a professor at DAWN. “This suggests that we are seeing the assembly of neutral hydrogen gas into galaxies. That gas will go on to cool, clump, and form new stars.”

The universe was a very different place several hundred million years after the big bang during a period known as the Era of Reionization. Gas between stars and galaxies was largely opaque. Gas throughout the universe only became fully transparent around 1 billion years after the big bang. Galaxies’ stars contributed to heating and ionizing the gas around them, causing the gas to eventually become completely transparent.

By matching Webb’s data to models of star formation, the researchers also found that these galaxies primarily have populations of young stars. “The fact that we are seeing large gas reservoirs also suggests that the galaxies have not had enough time to form most of their stars yet,” Watson added.

This is Only the Start

Webb is not only meeting the mission goals that drove its development and launch – it is exceeding them. “Images and data of these distant galaxies were impossible to obtain before Webb,” explained Gabriel Brammer, a co-author and associate professor at DAWN. “Plus, we had a good sense of what we were going to find when we first glimpsed the data – we were almost making discoveries by eye.”

There remain many more questions to address. Where, specifically, is the gas? How much is located near the centers of the galaxies – or in their outskirts? Is the gas pristine or already populated by heavier elements? Significant research lies ahead. “The next step is to build large statistical samples of galaxies and quantify the prevalence and prominence of their features in detail,” Heintz said.

The researchers’ findings were possible thanks to Webb’s Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey, which includes spectra of distant galaxies from the telescope’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph), and was released immediately to support discoveries like this as part of Webb’s Early Release Science (ERS) program.

This work has been published in the May 24, 2024 issue of the journal Science.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).

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View/Download full resolution images for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute.

Research Paper: published in the May 24, 2024 issue of the journal Science.

Media Contacts

Laura Betz – laura.e.betz@nasa.gov, Rob Gutro – rob.gutro@nasa.gov
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Claire Blome cblome@stsci.edu, Christine Pulliam – cpulliam@stsci.edu
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.

Related Information

Infographic: Era of Reionization Infographic

Article: How Webb Can Study the Early Universe

Video: Galaxies through Time

Video: Scientists’ Perspective: Science Snippets

Article: Galaxy Basics

Article: Galaxy Evolution

More Webb News – https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/latestnews/

More Webb Images – https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/multimedia/images/

Webb Mission Page – https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/

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SpaceX launched 23 more of its Starlink internet satellites from Florida on Thursday night (May 23). It was the third mission in two days for the company.

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins places a sample marker in the soil before collecting a sample during a nighttime simulated moonwalk in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona on May 16, 2024. A sample marker provides a photographic reference point for science samples collected on the lunar surface.

NASA exoplanet-hunter TESS has found a temperate, Earth-size world in the habitable zone of its red dwarf star. This planet could make waves in the search for life.

Supermassive black holes that are blasting out beams of high-energy particles killing star formation in their galaxies are shifting targets like real-life Death Stars.

NASA/Josh Valcarcel

NASA astronauts Kate Rubins, foreground, and Andre Douglas execute a nighttime simulated moonwalk in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona on May 16, 2024, as part of the Joint Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Test Team Field Test 5 (JETT5). The test consisted of four simulated moonwalks that followed operations planned for Artemis III and beyond. During the test, two integrated teams worked together as they practiced end-to-end lunar operations. The field team consisted of astronauts, NASA engineers, and field experts in the Arizona desert conducting the simulated moonwalks, while a team of flight controllers and scientists at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston monitored and guided their activities.

At the conclusion of each simulated moonwalk, the science team, flight control team, crewmembers, and field experts came together to discuss and record lessons learned. NASA will take these lessons and apply them to operations for NASA’s Artemis missions, commercial vendor development, and other technology development. 

See more images from the JETT5 field test.

Image Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

On May 23, 1984, NASA announced the selection of its 10th group of astronauts. Chosen from nearly 5,000 applicants, the group comprised 17 astronaut candidates – seven pilots and 10 mission specialists – and included three women and one Hispanic American. They reported for duty on July 2 to begin their year-long training period to qualify as astronauts, following which they became eligible for flight assignments. As a group, they distinguished themselves, participating in a total of 51 spaceflights, two of them as space station expedition commanders. All members of the group completed at least one spaceflight, with two making a single trip into space, five making two trips, four going three times, four flying four times, one flying five times, and one making six trips.

The Group 10 NASA astronaut candidates pose for a group photo on their arrival day at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston – front row, Mark C. Lee, left, L. Blaine Hammond, James C. Adamson, Kenneth D. Cameron, Frank L. Culbertson, William M. Shepherd, Ellen L. Shulman, Michael J. McCulley, Kathryn C. Thornton, and C. Lacy Veach; back row, Sidney M. Gutierrez, Mark N. Brown, John H. Casper, G. David Low, James D. Wetherbee, Marsha S. Ivins, and Manley L. “Sonny” Carter.

On May 16, 1983, NASA announced the institution of an annual astronaut selection process. The agency accepted applications for the first round between Oct. 1 and Dec. 1, 1983, anticipating selection of six pilots and six mission specialists in the spring of 1984. NASA received 4,934 applications, selecting 128 candidates for interviews and extensive medical exams at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in February and March 1984 in groups of about 20. On May 23, 1984, NASA introduced the 17 new astronaut candidates, the third group of space shuttle astronauts. The newest class of astronaut candidates included Kenneth D. Cameron, John H. Casper, Frank L. Culbertson, Sidney M. Gutierrez, L. Blaine Hammond, Michael J. McCulley, and James D. Wetherbee as the seven pilot candidates; and James C. Adamson, Mark N. Brown, Manley L. “Sonny” Carter, Marsha S. Ivins, Mark C. Lee, G. David Low, William M. Shepherd, Ellen L. Shulman, Kathryn C. Thornton, and C. Lacy Veach as the 10 mission specialist candidates.

Left: Group 10 astronaut candidates. Right: Group 10 astronaut candidates during survival training in Washington State.

The 17 astronaut candidates arrived at JSC on July 2, 1984, to begin their one-year training and certification period. The training included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in space shuttle systems, physiological training, T-38 flight training, and water and wilderness survival training. They also received orientation tours at NASA centers. They completed the astronaut candidate training on May 30, 1985, and qualified for various technical assignments within the astronaut office and for space shuttle flight assignments.

The Group 10 patch, left, and Group 10 NASA astronauts James C. Adamson and Mark N. Brown.

The Group 10 astronauts called themselves The Maggots. The nickname apparently originated with Shepherd, inspired during an early aircraft survival school session by the term U.S. Marines use for new recruits. Carter led the design of the Group 10 patch, a diamond shaped insignia that included elements such as a space shuttle lifting off, 17 stars representing the astronauts, and the number 84 for the year of their selection.

Adamson, a flight controller at JSC when selected, called New York state home. He received his first spaceflight assignment in January 1986 as a mission specialist on STS-61N, along with fellow Maggots McCulley and Brown, a Department of Defense mission aboard Columbia then planned for September 1986. The January 1986 Challenger accident resulted in the suspension of all flight and crew assignments. In February 1988, NASA assigned Adamson as a mission specialist on STS-28, along with fellow Maggot Brown, a five-day classified Department of Defense (DOD) mission aboard Columbia in August 1989. For his second and final mission, Adamson flew as a mission specialist along with fellow Maggot Low on STS-43 in August 1991. During the nine-day flight aboard Atlantis, the crew deployed the fifth Tracking and Data Relay System (TDRS) satellite. Adamson accumulated 13 days 22 hours 21 minutes of spaceflight time on his two missions.

Brown, a native of Indiana, started working at JSC in 1980 in the flight activities section. He received his first spaceflight assignment in January 1986 as a mission specialist on STS-61N, along with fellow Maggots McCulley and Adamson, a DOD mission aboard Columbia then planned for September 1986. The January 1986 Challenger accident resulted in the suspension of all flight and crew assignments. In February 1988, NASA assigned Brown as a mission specialist on STS-28, along with fellow Maggot Adamson, a five-day classified DOD mission aboard Columbia in August 1989. He flew a second time in September 1991 aboard Discovery as a mission specialist on STS-48, a five-day mission to deploy the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). Brown logged 10 days 9 hours 27 minutes in space on his two missions.

Group 10 NASA astronauts Kenneth D. Cameron, left, L. Manley “Sonny” Carter, and John H. Casper.

A U.S. Marine test pilot from Ohio, Cameron received his first spaceflight assignment as the pilot on STS-37 in April 1991, a six-day mission aboard Atlantis to deploy the Gamma Ray Observatory. The flight also included the first U.S. spacewalk since 1985. He served as commander on his second mission, STS-56, in April 1993, the second Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS) Earth observation mission aboard Discovery. In 1994, Cameron served as the first NASA Director of Operations in Star City, Moscow, working with Cosmonaut Training Center staff to set up a support system for astronaut operations and training for the Shuttle/Mir Program. He flew his third and final spaceflight as commander of STS-74, the second Shuttle/Mir docking mission in November 1995. During the eight-day Atlantis mission, the crew added the Docking Module to the Mir space station. Cameron accumulated 23 days 10 hours 10 minutes in space during his three spaceflights.

Before NASA selected Georgia-born Carter as an astronaut, he had played professional soccer, obtained a medical degree, flew as a Marine fighter pilot, and graduated test pilot school. He received his first spaceflight assignment in September 1985 as a mission specialist on STS-61I, a mission aboard Challenger planned for September 1986 to launch the Intelsat VI-1 communications satellite and retrieve the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). The January 1986 Challenger accident resulted in the suspension of all flight and crew assignments. In November 1988, NASA assigned Carter to STS-33, a five-day classified DOD mission aboard Discovery in November 1989, flying with fellow Maggot Thornton. For his second spaceflight, NASA assigned Carter to STS-42, the first International Microgravity Laboratory Spacelab mission planned for January 1992. Tragically, Carter died in the crash of a commercial plane in April 1991, before he could return to space.

Georgia native Casper completed his first spaceflight as pilot of STS-36, a four-day classified DOD mission aboard Atlantis in February-March 1990 that flew at a 62-degree inclination, the highest of any American spaceflight. He commanded his second flight, STS-54, in January 1993, Endeavour’s six-day mission to deploy the sixth TRDS satellite. Casper next commanded STS-62 in March 1994, a two-week microgravity research mission aboard Columbia. He served as commander on his fourth and final flight, the 10-day STS-77 mission of Endeavour that deployed and retrieved the SPARTAN-207 payload that included an inflatable antenna. Over his four missions, Casper accumulated 34 days 9 hours 51 minutes of spaceflight time. Following his last mission, Casper served in management roles of increasing responsibility at JSC, including director of safety, reliability, and quality assurance. Following the February 2003 Columbia accident, Casper served in several positions to help NASA safely return the shuttle to flight, including as associate shuttle program manager.

Group 10 NASA astronauts Frank L. Culbertson, left, Sidney M. Gutierrez, and L. Blaine Hammond.

Culbertson, a native of South Carolina and naval aviator, flew his first mission as pilot of STS-38, a five-day classified DOD mission aboard Atlantis in November 1990. On his second spaceflight, he commanded STS-51, a 10-day mission aboard Discovery in September 1993 that deployed and retrieved a SPARTAN payload. Following his second flight, Culbertson served first as deputy in 1994 and then as program manager from 1995 until 1998 of the Shuttle/Mir Program, and then one year as deputy program manager for operations of the International Space Station Program before returning to active duty in the astronaut office. On his third and final spaceflight, Culbertson served as commander of Expedition 3 aboard the space station, a 128-day flight from August to December 2001. During his expedition, he participated in a 5-hour 4-minute spacewalk. He logged 143 days 14 hours 50 minutes in space during his three missions. After retiring from NASA, Culbertson served as an executive with Orbital Sciences Corporation, later bought by Northrup Grumman, to develop and operate the Cygnus cargo resupply vehicles to the space station.

New Mexico native Gutierrez completed his first spaceflight in June 1991 as the pilot of STS-40, the Spacelab Life Sciences-1 mission aboard Columbia. During the nine-day flight, the crew conducted 18 experiments in life sciences. On his second flight, he commanded STS-59, an 11-day mission in April 1994 aboard Endeavour. The Space Radar Laboratory-1 mission conducted studies dedicated to study of the Earth and its atmosphere. Over his two missions, Gutierrez accumulated 20 days 8 hours 3 minutes of spaceflight time.

Missouri native and U.S. Air Force test pilot Hammond flew his first spaceflight as pilot of STS-39, an unclassified DOD mission in April-May 1991. During the eight-day mission aboard Discovery, the seven-member crew that included fellow Maggot Veach conducted experiments to study atmospheric phenomena and deployed and retrieved a SPARTAN satellite. He flew again as pilot of STS-64 with fellow Maggot Lee, an 11-day flight aboard Discovery in September 1994, with the LIDAR in Space Technology Experiment as the primary payload. Hammond accumulated 19 days 6 hours 11 minutes in space over his two spaceflights.

Group 10 NASA astronauts Marsha S. Ivins, left, Mark C. Lee, and G. David Low.

Ivins, a native of Pennsylvania, began working at JSC in 1974, first as an engineer and later as a pilot in aircraft operations, before her selection as an astronaut. She completed her first spaceflight in January 1990 as a mission specialist on STS-32, an 11-day flight aboard Columbia. The five-person crew, including fellow Maggots Wetherbee and Low, launched the Syncom-IV-F5 communications satellite and retrieved the LDEF. Ivins returned to space for the second time in July 1992 aboard Atlantis. During the eight-day flight, the crew deployed the European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) and conducted the first Tethered Satellite System test. On her third spaceflight in March 1994, Ivins flew with fellow Maggot Casper on STS-62, a 14-day microgravity research mission aboard Columbia. During her fourth spaceflight, STS-81 in January 1997, Ivins traveled to the Russian space station Mir. The 10-day Atlantis mission delivered Jerry M. Linenger to Mir and returned John E. Blaha to Earth. Ivins earned the honor as the first Maggot to visit two space stations, when on her fifth and final spaceflight on STS-98, she and her crewmates delivered the Destiny U.S. Laboratory module to the International Space Station. The February 2001 Atlantis mission lasted 13 days, with Ivins using the shuttle’s Remote Manipulator System, or robotic arm, to attach Destiny to the space station. On her five spaceflights, Ivins accumulated 55 days 21 hours 46 minutes in space.

A native of Wisconsin, Lee holds the honor as the first member of his class to receive a flight assignment, when in June 1985, NASA named him as a mission specialist on Challenger’s STS-61I mission planned for July 1986 to deploy the Intelsat VI-I and the Insat-1C communications satellites and run experiments in the Materials Science Lab-4. Three months later, NASA moved Lee and his entire crew to the STS-61M mission to launch the fourth TDRS satellite. The January 1986 Challenger accident resulted in the suspension of all flight and crew assignments. Assigned in March 1988, Lee made his first spaceflight aboard Atlantis on the four-day STS-30 mission in May 1989 to deploy the Magellan probe to Venus. He returned to space in September 1992 as a mission specialist aboard Endeavour on the seven-day STS-47 Spacelab-J mission. For his third flight, he served as a mission specialist on STS-64, Discovery’s 11-day mission in September 1994, with the LIDAR in Space Technology Experiment as the primary payload. During the flight with fellow Maggot Hammond, Lee participated in one spacewalk to evaluate the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) propulsive backpack. For his fourth and final spaceflight, STS-82, Lee took part in the second mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. During the 10-day flight aboard Discovery in February 1997, Lee participated in three of the five spacewalks to install two new state-of-the-art instruments in the telescope and perform other servicing to extend its on-orbit lifetime. Over his four spaceflights, Lee spent 32 days 21 hours 52 minutes in space, and in the course of his four spacewalks, he spent 26 hours and one minute outside.

Ohio-born Low, son of former NASA executive George M. Low, worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, from 1980 until his selection as an astronaut. His first spaceflight took place in January 1990, with fellow Maggots Wetherbee and Ivins, during Columbia’s STS-32 mission. The crew launched the Syncom-IV-F5 communications satellite and retrieved the LDEF during the 11-day mission. On his second mission, Low flew with fellow Maggot Adamson on STS-43, a nine-day mission aboard Atlantis in August 1991 to deploy the fifth TDRS satellite. Low flew his third and final mission aboard Endeavour’s STS-57 in June 1993. During the 10-day mission, the crew retrieved the EURECA free-flyer and Low participated in a 5-hour 57-minute spacewalk. During his three missions, Low accumulated 29 hours 18 hours 5 minutes of spaceflight time. Low died in March 2008.

Group 10 NASA astronauts Michael J. McCulley, left, William M. Shepherd, and Ellen L. Shulman.

Tennessee native, submariner, and U.S. Navy test pilot McCulley received his first spaceflight assignment in January 1986 as the pilot of STS-61N, along with fellow Maggots Adamson and Brown, a Department of Defense mission aboard Columbia then planned for September 1986. The January 1986 Challenger accident resulted in the suspension of all flight and crew assignments. Receiving his assignment in November 1988, McCulley flew his one and only space mission as pilot of STS-34, along with fellow Maggot Shulman Baker, the five-day Atlantis mission in August 1989 that deployed the Galileo probe to Jupiter. He spent 4 days 23 hours 39 minutes in space. McCulley retired from NASA in 1990, but remained active in the aerospace community working for several NASA contractors in executive positions until his retirement in 2007.

New York native and U.S. Navy SEAL Shepherd has the honor as the first Maggot to make it to space in December 1988, flying as a mission specialist on STS-27, a four-day classified DOD mission aboard Atlantis and the second shuttle flight following the Challenger accident. His second flight, STS-41 aboard Discovery, took place in October 1990. The four-day mission deployed the Ulysses probe to study the Sun’s polar regions. He flew a third time in October 1992, with fellow Maggots Wetherbee and Veach, on Columbia’s STS-52 mission, a 10-day mission to launch the second LAGEOS satellite and conduct microgravity experiments. From March 1993 to January 1996, Shepherd worked in the International Space Station Program Office, prior to his selection as commander of the first space station Expedition crew. The only Maggot to launch aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, he flew aboard the station for 141 days between October 2000 and March 2001. Over his four spaceflights, Shepherd accumulated 159 days 7 hours 49 minutes in space, more than any other Maggot.

New York native and medical doctor Shulman, later using her married name Baker, began working at JSC in 1981 as a medical officer prior to her selection as an astronaut. She completed her first spaceflight, along with fellow Maggot McCulley, as a mission specialist on STS-34, the five-day Atlantis mission in August 1989 that deployed the Galileo probe to Jupiter. On her second flight, Baker flew as a mission specialist on STS-50, the first U.S. Microgravity Laboratory Spacelab mission, the first to use the shuttle’s Extended Duration Orbiter capabilities. During the 14-day mission in June-July 1992 aboard Columbia, the seven-member crew conducted scientific investigations in a number of disciplines. For her third and final spaceflight, she flew aboard STS-71, the first Shuttle-Mir docking mission. During the 10-day Atlantis flight in June-July 1995, the astronauts exchanged the Mir-18 crew, including Norman E. Thagard, the first American to live and work aboard Mir, with the Mir-19 crew, and conducted biomedical investigations inside a Spacelab module. Baker accumulated 28 days 14 hours 31 minutes of spaceflight time across her three missions.

Group 10 NASA astronauts Kathryn C. Thornton, left, C. Lacy Veach, and James D. Wetherbee.

With a doctorate in physics, Alabama native Thornton completed her first spaceflight, STS-33, in November 1989, with fellow Maggot Carter. The five-person crew conducted a five-day DOD classified mission aboard Discovery. On her second flight, Thornton served as a mission specialist on STS-49, Endeavour’s first flight. During the nine-day flight in July 1992, the astronauts retrieved and reboosted the Intelsat-VI-F3 communications satellite. Thornton participated in one of the four spacewalks on the flight, spending 7 hours 45 minutes outside to demonstrate tools and techniques for space station assembly. She served as a mission specialist on her third flight, STS-61, the first servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope to correct its optics and perform other servicing tasks, with Thornton participating in two of the five spacewalks. The 11-day flight aboard Endeavour took place in December 1993. In October-November 1995, Thornton flew her fourth and final mission, STS-73, the 16-day second U.S. Microgravity Laboratory Spacelab mission aboard Columbia. Across her four flights, Thornton accumulated 40 days 15 hours 13 minutes, and spent 21 hours 11 minutes outside on her three spacewalks on two different missions.

Calling Hawaii home, former Thunderbird pilot Veach came to work at JSC in 1982 as an engineer and research pilot before his selection as an astronaut. He flew his first spaceflight as a mission specialist on the STS-39 unclassified DOD mission aboard Discovery. Fellow Maggot Hammond served as pilot on that eight-day mission in April-May 1991. He completed his second and final mission on STS-52, along with fellow Maggots Wetherbee and Shepherd, a 10-day mission in October 1992 to launch the second LAGEOS satellite and conduct microgravity experiments. Across his two missions, Veach accumulated 18 days 4 hours 18 minutes of spaceflight time. He died of cancer in October 1995.

Hailing from New York State, U.S. Navy test pilot Wetherbee completed his first spaceflight as pilot on STS-32, an 11-day flight aboard Columbia in January 1990. Accompanied by fellow Maggots Ivins and Low, the seven-member crew launched the Syncom-IV-F5 communications satellite and retrieved the LDEF. In October 1992, he flew as commander on his second spaceflight, STS-52, a 10-day mission aboard Columbia to launch the second LAGEOS satellite and conduct microgravity experiments. Fellow Maggots Shepherd and Veach accompanied him on this flight. On his third mission, he commanded STS-63 in February 1995, the first mission to rendezvous with Mir. The eight-day Discovery flight also included Eileen M. Collins as the first woman shuttle pilot, and two spacewalks. In August 1995 and Wetherbee began serving as JSC’s deputy center director, returning to the astronaut office in December 1996 to train for and fly another mission. On Wetherbee’s fourth mission, he returned to Mir, this time to dock. During Atlantis’ 11-day STS-86 mission in September-October 1997, he commanded the crew who brought David A. Wolf to Mir and returned C. Michael Foale to Earth. Wetherbee resumed his duties as JSC deputy center director in December 1997, remaining in that position until March 2000. He completed his fifth flight to space on STS-102 in March 2001, visiting his second space station. As commander, he oversaw the transfer of the first research rack to the station and the exchange of the Expedition 1 and 2 crews, returning to Earth with fellow Maggot Shepherd. Wetherbee earned the honor as the first, and so far only, American astronaut to command five space missions when he flew for his sixth and final time in November-December 2002. During Endeavour’s 14-day STS-113 mission, the crew brought Expedition 6 to the space station and returned Expedition 5 to Earth, and delivered and installed the P1 truss segment. This marked the last successful mission before the Columbia accident. Over his six missions, Wetherbee accumulated 66 days 10 hours 20 minutes of spaceflight time.

Summary of spaceflights by Group 10 astronauts. Missions in italics represent flights the astronaut was assigned to but never flew.

The Group 10 NASA astronauts made significant contributions to America’s space program, helping to recover from the Challenger accident and greatly expanding the capabilities of the space shuttle. As a group, they completed 51 flights and spending 706 days, or nearly two years, in space. Their spaceflights took place from 1988 to 2002, spanning the period between the Challenger and Columbia accidents. Group members tested tools and techniques for the space station, while others visited space stations, adding modules to both Mir and the space station. Four of the group visited Mir, and four visited the International Space Station including two as expedition commanders. Two Group 10 astronauts visited both stations. Six of their group participated in Spacelab-class missions, and nine flew on DOD missions. Members of the group helped to launch one of NASA’s great observatories (GRO) and service another (Hubble), and sent spacecraft to study Venus, Jupiter, and the Sun’s poles. The group included the first U.S. born Hispanic American to not only travel in space but pilot and later command a shuttle mission, the first submariner in space, the first and so far only, American to command five space missions, the first to command a space station expedition, and the first to command both a shuttle mission and space station expedition.

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