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NASA experts from the Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program and Human Health and Performance Directorate with the agency’s commercial space station partners at the medical operations meeting series at Johnson Space Center in Houston (from top to bottom, left to right: Ben Easter, Dan Buckland, Tom Marshburn, Brian Musselman, Ted Duchesne, Darren Locke, Stephen Hart, Dana Levin, Liz Warren, Kris Lehnhardt, Kristin Coffey, Mary Van Baalan, Molly McCormick, Stephanne Plogger, John Allen, Brad Rhodes, Kimberly-Michelle Price Lowe, Lindsey Hieb, Anna Grinberg, Jay Boucher, Rahul Suresh, Jackeylynn Silva-Martinez, Melinda Hailey, Joey Arias, Wayne Surrett).NASA/David DeHoyos

NASA is opening access to space for more people by working with private industry on the development of new commercial space stations for low Earth orbit where the agency’s astronauts could fly in the future.

New commercial space stations will be available to people beyond government or professional astronauts with years of specialized training and evaluation, so NASA is sharing its lessons learned from decades of human spaceflight experience, including more than 25 years of International Space Station operations, to help ensure future flights are as safe as possible for potential fliers.

“Since the majority of orbital human spaceflight programs have been owned and operated by governments, there are few industry best practices or established government regulations that inform maintaining the health and safety of humans during orbital spaceflight missions,” said Dr. Rahul Suresh, medical officer, Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program, NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. “NASA is keen to fill this void by sharing its practices to assist and inform nascent commercial spaceflight programs and to ensure they are prepared to host future agency crewed missions aboard their platforms.”

Dr. Rahul Suresh, NASA Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program medical officer, participates in a discussion during the medical operations meeting series. Topics of discussion included medical risk management, medical selection standards, medical system design, and more.NASA/David DeHoyos

NASA recently hosted a meeting series at the agency’s Johnson’s Space Center in Houston to share a variety of medical standards, processes, best practices, along with providing access to subject matter experts. Commercial companies in attendance included Axiom Space, Blue Origin, Sierra Space, SpaceX, Vast, and Voyager Space. All companies are working with the agency through funded or unfunded agreements for commercial space station development.

During the meetings and overall development process, the agency is offering guidance for evaluation of potential spaceflight participants from selection and training to in-flight and post-flight support, which are crucial to a platform’s success.

People may be living and working the commercial destinations for different purposes and for different lengths of time. Commercial providers will need to ensure people are ready to fly their mission for the safety of the individual, other fliers, and the destination.

Astronaut selection, training Commercial Crew Program astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore prepares for Expedition 62 International Space Station spacewalk maintenance training at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Houston on Nov. 30, 2018.NASA/Robert Markowitz

NASA astronauts undergo a rigorous selection process and years of training prior to a mission. For example, the astronaut candidate selection process includes a behavioral health screening program implemented by qualified psychologists and psychiatrists through multiple evaluation methods including validated screen tests, structured interviews, and observation of operational simulations to ensure that the assessments provide a comprehensive measure of a candidate’s behavioral health.

These evaluations help identify important traits such as problem-solving, teamwork, leadership, self-regulation, resilience, and adaptability – traits that NASA has found are directly related to success during training and spaceflight. They also identify disqualifying psychiatric conditions.

NASA has already shared and implemented similar screening requirements, including psychiatric evaluations and psychological testing, for recent private astronaut missions. The agency has publicly released its astronaut medical selection standards that includes both physiological and psychological testing requirements with screening criteria to enable success of these future platforms and commercial missions.

In-flight and post-flight support View of Koichi Wakata, Expedition 38 flight engineer, exercising on the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device, in Node 3 on the International Space Station on Nov. 15, 2013.NASA

Additionally, spaceflight poses numerous risks to maintaining the health and performance of astronauts during their missions. For example, the microgravity environment in low Earth orbit can cause bones and muscles to weaken, elevated radiation increases the long-term risk of conditions such as cancer and cataracts, and even otherwise healthy astronauts can develop life-threatening medical conditions such as kidney stones.

NASA has gained a wealth of knowledge over the years on the impacts of space on the human body and has been able to employ countermeasures to prevent these issues and maintain astronaut performance to ensure mission success. For instance, astronauts aboard the station exercise about one hour per day and eat a will balanced nutritional diet to combat bone density and muscle mass losses.

Even with countermeasures in place, astronauts still experience some physiological changes during a mission. Therefore, once an astronaut crew returns to Earth, there is a period of post-flight reconditioning, which begins on landing day and lasts for about 45 days. This reconditioning program is designed to return astronauts to their pre-flight physical condition.

The complex medical operations that go into any spaceflight mission, starting with astronaut selection and training though post-flight support, are critical for commercial space station partners to understand.

“After the success of our payload operations meeting series hosted at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, earlier this year, this medical operations series is another great example of how we are providing immense value to our commercial low Earth orbit partners to ensure their success,” said Angela Hart, manager for NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program. “By enabling companies to have unique access to NASA experts and data, we are actively supporting those build schedules to be ready for the retirement of the space station.”

NASA flight surgeon Dr. William Tarver delivers a presentation on post-launch medical support, mission readiness, and NASA’s health stabilization program. NASA/David DeHoyos

NASA plans to continue providing best practices documents on its public website along with offering additional meeting series in the future to commercial partners to continue the sharing of knowledge to enable a successful commercial space ecosystem.

For more information about NASA’s commercial space strategy, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/

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Low Earth Orbit Economy

Commercial Destinations in Low Earth Orbit

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) During a research trip to Fiji, Dr. Lola Fatoyinbo poses in a cluster of coastal mangroves, just one of the aspects of forested and coastal ecosystems that she studies.Courtesy of Dr. Lola Fatoyinbo

Dr. Lola Fatoyinbo, a research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, received the Esmond B. Martin Royal Geographical Society (RGS) Prize on April 8 in London. The prize, according to the RGS, recognizes “outstanding achievement by an individual in the pursuit and/or application of geographical research, with a particular emphasis on wildlife conservation and environmental research studies.”

The late and renowned conservationist Esmond Bradley Martin founded the annual prize via a bequest; Fatoyinbo is the second recipient. The Esmond B. Martin Royal Geographical Society Prize recognizes outstanding achievement by individuals undertaking research into wildlife conservation and environmental studies, reflecting Esmond’s tireless work for the protection of wildlife and our natural environment. Fatoyinbo is part of the Biospheric Sciences Lab at NASA Goddard, where she develops and uses advanced remote sensing technologies and data to understand forested and coastal ecosystems. The lab also studies mathematical modeling and advanced analytical techniques that allows scientists to characterize and predict environmental changes due to natural and anthropogenic processes at local to global scales.

“I am deeply honored and grateful to receive this award,” Fatoyinbo said. “Being the recipient right after Dr. Paula Kahumbu, whose work and mission I admire, and in the name of Esmond Bradley Martin, is inspiring and humbling. This recognition also profoundly motivates me to continue producing the environmental data and knowledge that I believe will help protect life on our planet.”

Fatoyinbo has authored or co-authored 60 publications in scientific journals, and she has also partnered with organizations to help protect ecosystems and provide pathways for her research to inform policy decisions.

“In her work, Lola manages to accomplish something of an engineering-theoretical, ecology applications trifecta,” said Woody Turner, NASA’s program manager for ecological conservation, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “By using complex active remote sensing from radars and lidars, she tests cutting edge theories of how tropical and subtropical coastal systems function. But she does all that without losing sight of the practical applications of her team’s work for real people making real decisions in dynamic environments. That kind of synthesis is very difficult to achieve and arises only from an extremely curious individual. Lola brings it all together.”

Her work on airborne light detection and ranging, or lidar, and satellite imagery campaigns after Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean, the impact of oil exploration in the Niger Delta, and studies of mangrove forests across the Americas, Africa, and Asia, have increased global understanding of some of Earth’s most critical systems and supported the voices of those that depend on them.

Fatoyinbo said she is also dedicated to training and mentoring the next generation of scientists looking to understand and help protect our home planet, starting with the junior researchers in her lab.

“Lola’s work exemplifies how geographical research has a real-world impact,” said Nigel Clifford, RGS president and chair of the awarding panel. “Her commitment to ensuring that scientific study influences policy shows true leadership in conservation and environmental research and makes her the perfect recipient for the Esmond B. Martin Royal Geographical Society Prize.”

The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) is the learned society and professional body for geography. Formed in 1830, their Royal Charter of 1859 is for the advancement of geographical science.

By Jake Richmond
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

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Details Last Updated Apr 09, 2024 LocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms

• Goddard Space Flight Center
• Earth

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On April 8, 1964, Gemini 1 successfully completed the first uncrewed test flight of the Gemini spacecraft and its Titan II booster. The three-orbit mission proved the structural integrity of the spacecraft and the launch vehicle, paving the way for a second uncrewed test flight and ultimately missions with astronauts. The primary goals of Project Gemini included proving the techniques required for the Apollo Program to fulfill President John F. Kennedy’s goal of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth before the end of the decade. Of primary importance, Gemini demonstrated the rendezvous and docking techniques necessary to implement the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous method NASA chose for the Moon landing mission. Additionally, Gemini proved that astronauts could work outside their spacecraft during spacewalks and that spacecraft and astronauts could function for at least eight days, considered the minimum time for a roundtrip lunar mission.

Left: Cutaway diagram of the Gemini spacecraft. Middle: Workers at the McDonnell plant in St. Louis examine a Gemini spacecraft mockup. Right: Workers at Martin Marietta’s Baltimore facility test Gemini 1’s Titan II rocket.

Wedged between the pioneering Project Mercury and the historic Apollo missions to the Moon lies the less-heralded Project Gemini. The project’s 12 missions, two uncrewed test flights and 10 crewed missions, bridged the gap between Mercury that proved human spaceflight possible, and that Apollo could achieve President Kennedy’s goal. The Gemini missions flown between April 1964 and November 1966 demonstrated all the techniques required to make Apollo possible and gave astronauts the necessary training and flight experience while maturing the ground support infrastructure. The Gemini spacecraft grew out of studies for an upgraded Mercury capsule with an extended orbital life that could carry two astronauts and maneuver in space. On Dec. 7, 1961, NASA approved the development of the two-seat spacecraft, giving the contract to the McDonnell Corporation of St. Louis, the same company that built Mercury. To launch the spacecraft, NASA ordered the modification of the U.S. Air Force’s Titan II missile, built by the Martin Marietta Corporation in Baltimore. On Jan. 13, 1962, NASA officially named the project Gemini and established a formal Gemini Project Office later that month. But before any astronauts took flight aboard a Gemini spacecraft, it required thorough testing with a crew.

Left: The first stage of Gemini 1’s Titan II rocket arrives at Cape Canaveral’s Launch Pad 19. Middle left: Static test of the Titan II’s two stages. Middle right: Workers lift Gemini 1 to mate it with its Titan II rocket. Right: Workers lower Gemini 1 onto its Titan II rocket.

The agency approved the Gemini spacecraft design on March 31, 1962. The first spacecraft for the uncrewed Gemini 1 test mission arrived at Cape Canaveral on Oct. 4, 1963. In lieu of the two crew ejection seats, the spacecraft contained instrument pallets to monitor and record conditions during the mission. The Titan II rocket for Gemini 1 arrived at Cape Canaveral on Oct. 26 and three days later workers first stacked its two stages in a side-by-side configuration on Launch Pad 19 to prepare for the sequence compatibility test. That test, successfully carried out on Jan. 21, 1964, consisted of 30-second sequential static firings of the two stages. Following the test, workers vertically stacked the two stages and on March 5 mounted and mechanically mated the Gemini spacecraft to the second stage. Engineers completed a simulated countdown on April 2 and a simulated flight test on April 5, leading to the start of the countdown to launch on April 7.

Left: Liftoff of Gemini 1 from Launch Pad 19. Middle: Aerial view of Gemini 1 rising from Launch Pad 19. Right: Gemini 1 continues its ascent to space.

On April 8, 1964, at 11:00 a.m. EST, Gemini 1 lifted off from Launch Pad 19. The primary objectives of the mission included verifying the structural integrity of the Titan II launch vehicle and the Gemini spacecraft, and the ability of the rocket to place the spacecraft into the proper orbit. After five minutes and 37 seconds of powered flight, during which the expended first stage dropped away and the second stage completed the ascent, Gemini 1, still attached to the second stage, achieved orbit. The slightly higher than expected velocity imparted to the spacecraft resulted in placing it in an orbit 21 miles higher than expected, an anomaly not considered serious.

Left: The Mission Control Center (MCC) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Middle: In the MCC, Flight Directors Christopher C. Kraft, left, and John D. Hodge, monitor the Gemini 1 mission. Right: In the auditorium of the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), now NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, MSC Director Robert R. Gilruth introduces the Gemini 3 crew to the press.

In the Gemini Mission Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Flight Director Christopher C. Kraft led a team of flight controllers that monitored all aspects of the flight. The flight plan called for Gemini 1 to remain attached to its second stage for the duration of its mission that included only the first three orbits and ended about 4 hours 50 minutes after launch, with no plans to recover the spacecraft. The worldwide network continued to track Gemini 1 until it reentered the atmosphere on April 12, on its 64th orbit, over the southern Atlantic Ocean. Program managers declared the mission an unqualified success. The success of Gemini 1 led to optimism that NASA could carry out Gemini 2, a suborbital uncrewed test flight, in August 1964, followed by Gemini 3, the first crewed mission in November – the missions actually took place in January and March 1965, respectively. Riding on the optimism, on April 13, just five days after Gemini 1, in the newly open auditorium at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), now NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, MSC Director Robert R. Gilruth introduced the Gemini 3 crew to the press. NASA assigned Mercury 4 veteran Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom and Group 2 astronaut John W. Young as the prime crew, with Mercury 8 veteran Walter M. Schirra and Group 2 astronaut Thomas P. Stafford serving as their backups.

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The original Mercury astronauts at the McDonnell Aircraft Corp. in May 1959. The astronauts are left to right: M. Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John H. Glenn Jr., Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, Walter M. “Wally” Schirra, Alan B. Shepard Jr., and Donald K. “Deke” Slayton.NASA The Mercury 7

On April 9, 1959, reporters and news media crammed into the ballroom of the Dolley Madison House in Washington—the location of NASA Headquarters at that time—to learn the names of the first American astronauts who came to be known as the Mercury 7. Public Information Director Walter Bonney kicked off the announcement by pointing to the seven men sitting on stage. “These are our astronaut volunteers,” he announced. “Take your pictures as you will, gentlemen.” One of those men on the dais, Deke Slayton, a test pilot from Edwards Air Force Base, recalled the pandemonium he witnessed. “I’ve never seen anything like it, before or since.” He described the event as, “a frenzy of light bulbs and questions…it was some kind of roar.” His colleague, Wally Schirra, a test pilot from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, called the media’s interest scary because he soon came to realize that their, “private lives were in jeopardy.”

I've never seen anything like it, before or since.

Deke Slayton

Former NASA Astronaut

The first class of astronauts were all test pilots: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton. The men, as the media reported, had similar backgrounds, education, and skills. Obvious connections also included their age and race: all were white men in their thirties. Every one of them was married, had children, and were Protestants. They even donned similar outfits that day: suits with white shirts and ties.

The seven Mercury astronauts pose around a boiler plate capsule. Counterclockwise from the top left they are Walter M. Schirra, John H. Glenn Jr., Donald K. Slayton, Virgil I. Grissom, Alan B. Shepard Jr., M. Scott Carpenter, and Gordon Cooper Jr.NASA

Throughout the sixties, NASA considered jet pilot experience an important skill for anyone in the astronaut corps. Even when NASA selected two groups of scientist-astronauts, one in 1965 and another in 1967, they too learned to fly high-speed aircraft. Those without military jet pilot experience attended a year-long course that the Air Force called Undergraduate Pilot Training, and once they completed the program, they became military-qualified jet pilots.

Watch the story of the selection and training of the Mercury astronauts on NASA+ Adding Diversity to the Astronaut Corps

In the summer of 1976, NASA announced the space agency would be accepting applications for the first class of Space Shuttle astronauts, and encouraged women and minorities to apply. Almost 20 years after that first astronaut announcement, NASA included six women and four minority astronaut candidates in the 1978 class. Of the 35 selected, 15 were named pilots and 20 were mission specialists (scientists who would perform experiments in space and spacewalks). All the pilot astronauts named had similar backgrounds to the Mercury 7. Like their predecessors, they were white male test pilots with backgrounds in aviation, engineering, and science with one unique distinction: Frederick D. Gregory, an African American research test pilot from the NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia. It was not until 1990 that Eileen Collins, a graduate of U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, became NASA’s first female pilot astronaut. Unlike the earlier scientist-astronauts, the mission specialists selected in 1978 and later classes did not have the opportunity to become military qualified jet pilots. They were required, however, to fly a certain number of hours per month in the back seat of a T-38, a jet trainer the pilot astronauts use to maintain their flight proficiency.

The astronaut class of 1978 was NASA’s first new group of astronauts since 1969. This class was notable for many reasons, including having the first African-American and Asian-American astronauts, and the first women.NASA

Even as NASA encouraged women and minorities to apply to be astronauts over the years, and more met the basic qualifications as they earned advanced degrees in engineering, medicine, and science, neither group was ever a majority of those selected as candidates. It was more than fifty years before women made up half of those selected in 2013; people of color have never been a majority of any class. Recent astronaut classes are more likely to reflect America’s diverse population, including the last group to be selected in 2021. This group, called the “Flies,” included several minority candidates and four women. (The class, which graduated in March 2024, also included two international astronauts from the United Arab Emirates, and all are now eligible for a flight assignment.) Flight experience continues to remain important, however. Of the ten Americans selected, four were test pilots. Another, Major Nichole Ayers, was a combat aviator from the United States Air Force.

NASA’s 2021 astronaut class graduated on Mar. 5, 2024. The 10 candidates, pictured here in an event at Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston are Nichole Ayers, Christopher Williams, Luke Delaney, Jessica Wittner, Anil Menon, Marcos Berríos, Jack Hathaway, Christina Birch, Deniz Burnham, and Andre Douglas. UAE Astronaut Candidates Nora AlMatrooshi and Mohammad AlMulla stand alongside them. NASA/Robert Markowitz The Artemis II Crew

Almost 64 years to the day after the Mercury 7 announcement, NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) revealed the names of the four astronauts assigned to the Artemis II mission. The flight will test and prove that the Orion spacecraft’s systems—including its life support, communication, and navigation systems—function as they were designed while a crew is aboard, ahead of future crewed missions to the Moon.

As NASA Administrator Bill Nelson introduced the crew, which included a woman, a person of color, and a Canadian national, he identified them as representatives of America’s creed: “E pluribus unum—out of many, one.” The four-member team included Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. (Half of this crew came from the 2013 astronaut class, which was equally weighted between men and women.) Artemis II will be the first crewed mission to circle the Moon since Apollo. NASA’s Artemis Generation represents a distinct shift from the sixties—when white men from the United States of America landed on the Moon—and hopes to inspire and engage the next generation by demonstrating that space is for everyone, no matter their race or gender. This crew exemplifies the global coalition NASA has built and its commitment to include international partners as well as commercial partners in this grand adventure.

NASA astronauts (left to right) Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen were assigned to fly on the Artemis II mission to the Moon.NASA

Like many who came before them, three of the four astronauts assigned to this historic mission are military-qualified jet pilots. Wiseman and Glover were both test pilots; Hansen flew as a fighter pilot for the Canadian Air Force. Test pilots regularly assess how new vehicles perform and have experience evaluating experimental aircraft. Astronauts with backgrounds as test pilots have traditionally been among those selected to fly new spacecraft for the first time. They have a strong understanding of the systems that they are monitoring, which helps them to identify and gather the type of data the space agency is seeking from this flight. The safety of future Artemis crews depends on this information.

While the Astronaut Office might look different from how it did in 1959, the decision to select test pilots for the first class of astronauts continues to influence and shape ideas about who is best suited to be an astronaut and fly in space. They are accustomed to working in a fast-paced environment and thrive under pressure. Bob Gilruth, the father of human spaceflight, called the decision to select test pilots to fly on Project Mercury in 1959, “one of the best decisions in the program. It made it quite simple and logical to delegate flight control and command functions to the pilot,” of the spacecraft. The importance of that decision continues to endure today.

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Details Last Updated Apr 05, 2024 Related Terms

• NASA History
• Artemis 2
• Astronauts
• Becoming an Astronaut
• Project Mercury

Explore More 5 min read NASA Names Astronauts to Next Moon Mission, First Crew Under Artemis Article 1 year ago 4 min read 45 Years Ago: NASA Selects 35 New Astronauts Article 1 year ago 7 min read 65 Years Ago: NASA Selects America’s First Astronauts Article 7 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

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3 Min Read NASA Names Finalists of the Power to Explore Challenge A word cloud generated from student essay entries. Credits: NASA/Dave Lam NASA has selected the nine finalists of the Power to Explore Challenge, a national competition for K-12 students featuring the enabling power of radioisotopes.

NASA selected nine finalists out of the 45 semifinalist student essays in the Power to Explore Challenge, a national competition for K-12 students featuring the enabling power of radioisotopes. Contestants were challenged to explore how NASA has powered some of its most famous science missions and to dream up how their personal “super power” would energize their success on their own radioisotope-powered science mission.

The competition asked students to learn about NASA’s Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS), a type of “nuclear battery” that the agency uses to explore some of the most extreme destinations in our solar system and beyond. As cities across the United States experience a total solar eclipse, we experience first hand a momentary glimpse into what life would be like without sunlight. This draws attention to how NASA can power missions at destinations that cannot rely on the energy of the Sun, such as deep craters on the Moon and deep space exploration. In 250 words or less, students wrote about a mission of their own enabled by these space power systems and described their own power to achieve their mission goals.

The Power to Explore Challenge offered students the opportunity to learn more about these reliable power systems, celebrate their own strengths, and interact with NASA’s diverse workforce. This year’s contest received 1,787 submitted entries from 48 states and Puerto Rico.

"The RPS Program is so impressed by the ideas and quality of writing that come forth from essays submitted to NASA’s Power to Explore Challenge

Carl Sandifer

Manager, Radioisotope Power Systems Program

“The RPS Program is so impressed by the ideas and quality of writing that come forth from essays submitted to NASA’s Power to Explore Challenge,” said Carl Sandifer, NASA’s manager for the Radioisotope Power Systems Program in Cleveland. “We would like to congratulate the finalists, and we look forward to welcoming the winners to NASA’s Glenn Research Center this summer.”

Entries were split into three categories: grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. Every student who submitted an entry received a digital certificate and an invitation to the Power Up virtual event that announced the semifinalists. Students learned about what powers the NASA workforce to dream big and work together to explore.

Three national finalists in each grade category (nine finalists total) have been selected. In addition to receiving a NASA RPS prize pack, these participants will be invited to an exclusive virtual meeting with a NASA engineer or scientist to talk about their missions and have their space exploration questions answered. Winners will be announced on April 17.

Grades K-4

• Katerine Leon, Long Beach, CA
• Rainie Lin, Lexington, KY
• Zachary Tolchin, Guilford, CT

Grades 5-8

• Aadya Karthik, Redmond, WA
• Andrew Tavares, Bridgewater, MA
• Sara Wang, Henderson, NV

Grades 9-12

• Thomas Liu, Ridgewood, NJ
• Madeline Male, Fairway, KS
• Kailey Thomas, Las Vegas, NV

About the Challenge

The challenge is funded by the Radioisotope Power Systems Program Office in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and administered by Future Engineers under the NASA Open Innovation Services 2 contract. This contract is managed by the NASA Tournament Lab, a part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program in NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.

Kristin Jansen
NASA’s Glenn Research Center

Expedition 70 NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara gives a thumbs up inside the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft after she, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya, landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Saturday, April 6, 2024. O’Hara is returning to Earth after logging 204 days in space as a member of Expeditions 69-70 aboard the International Space Station and Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya return after having spent the last 14 days in space.NASA/Bill Ingalls

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara returned to Earth after a six-month research mission aboard the International Space Station on Saturday, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya.

The trio departed the space station aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft at 11:54 p.m. EDT on April 5, and made a safe, parachute-assisted landing at 3:17 a.m., April 6 (12:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time), southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.

O’Hara launched Sept. 15, 2023, alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, who both will remain aboard the space station to complete a one-year mission. Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya launched aboard Soyuz MS-25 on March 23 along with NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, who will remain aboard the orbiting laboratory until this fall.

O’Hara spent a total of 204 days in space as part of her first spaceflight. Novitskiy has logged a total of 545 days in space across four spaceflights and Vasilevskaya has spent 14 days in space as part of her first spaceflight.

Supporting NASA’s Artemis campaign, O’Hara’s mission helped prepare for exploration of the Moon and build foundations for crewed missions to Mars. She completed approximately 3,264 orbits of the Earth and a journey of more than 86.5 million miles. O’Hara worked on scientific activities aboard the space station, including investigating heart health, cancer treatments, and space manufacturing techniques during her stay aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Following post-landing medical checks, the crew will return to the recovery staging city in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. O’Hara will then board a NASA plane bound for her return to the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

With the undocking of the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft with O’Hara, Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya, Expedition 71 officially began aboard the station. NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Tracy C. Dyson, and Jeannette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin, and Oleg Kononenko make up Expedition 71 and will remain on the orbiting laboratory until this fall.

Learn more about space station activities by following @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook, ISS Instagram, and the space station blog.

-end-

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

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

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy gives keynote remarks during the 37th Space Symposium, Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.Credits: NASA/Bill Ingalls

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy and Associate Administrator Jim Free are scheduled to speak at the Space Foundation’s 39th Space Symposium from Tuesday, April 9 through Thursday, April 11 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

During her keynote, “Responsible Exploration: Preserving the Cosmos for Tomorrow,” Melroy will discuss NASA’s integrated approach to foster the long-term sustainability of the space environment at 12:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 9.

Additionally, Free will moderate a panel titled “Mission Success is a Team Sport at NASA,” at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10. Panelists include:

• Kenneth Bowersox, associate administrator, Space Operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington
• Dr. Nicola Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
• Robert Gibbs, associate administrator, Mission Support Directorate, NASA Headquarters
• Catherine Koerner, associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development, NASA Headquarters
• Dr. Kurt Vogel, associate administrator, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters

The agency will stream both panels on NASA+, NASA Television, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms, including social media.

NASA astronauts Raja Chari and Jessica Watkins also will be participating in activities during the week. NASA currently is accepting applications for new astronauts until Tuesday, April 16. Media interested in an interview opportunity with the astronauts should email Amber Jacobson and Stephanie Schierholz.

To register for the symposium, media must email the Space Foundation at media@spacefoundation.org. Members of the media who have registered for the symposium will have two opportunities to meet onsite with different NASA leaders:

• April 9 at 11:40 a.m. MDT: Pam Melroy and Charity Weeden, associate administrator, Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy
• April 11 at 9 a.m. MDT: Jim Free and Chris Hansen, deputy manager, Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility

A full agenda for this year’s Space Symposium is available online.

Conference attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about NASA’s missions and projects on a variety of topics during brief talks with subject matter experts in the agency’s exhibit space.

NASA will provide photos and updates about its participation in the Space Symposium from its @NASAExhibit on X.

For more information about NASA, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/

-end-

Amber Jacobson / Stephanie Schierholz
Headquarters, Washington
240-298-1832 / 202-358-4997
amber.c.jacobson@nasa.gov / stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov

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Details Last Updated Apr 05, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms

• Humans in Space
• Jessica Watkins
• Pamela A. Melroy
• Raja Chari

3 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

A six-person team of researchers from NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, will travel to Fort Drum, N.Y., to study changes in the Sun’s radiation as it reaches Earth before, during, and after the total solar eclipse April 8.

Weather sensors similar to what is used on daily weather balloons by the National Weather Service will be added to a specially modified Alta X Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) and flown to a maximum altitude of nearly two miles, higher than the team has ever flown the UAS. The UAS will provide vertical modeling of temperature, relative humidity, pressure, and wind to test an alternative data collection to using traditional weather balloons in the troposphere. The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere where most types of clouds are found and where weather occurs.

Jake Revesz, electronic systems engineer, prepping the UAS for flight.NASA/Jen Fowler

“UAS hold promise for rapid deployment into the lower troposphere with repeated measurements for higher temporal resolution at lower cost,” said Jennifer Fowler, principal investigator and mission commander, “Typically, atmospheric data collection from instruments on board aircraft is done using balloons as the platform that, once released, are not recovered. UAS allow for the opportunity to conduct repeated profiles since the radiosonde is recovered after each flight.”

‘Forcing events’ in weather are events that drive some type of sudden change. Examples of forcing events are volcanic eruptions, wildland fires, and solar eclipses. The predictability of an eclipse, compared to other forcing events, presents a perfect opportunity for scientists to study the impact on the planetary boundary layer, the lowest part of the troposphere, in a natural experiment. Experiments with weather balloons use instruments, called dropsondes, that collect data about the atmosphere as they float to earth. Radiosondes are dropsondes attached to aircraft.

“The configuration [of instruments] that we’re using, a radiosonde integrated with a 3D sonic anemometer, flown on a multi-rotor aircraft, to my knowledge, has never been done before,” explained Tyler Willhite, airborne sensor operator, “The radiosonde is designed for balloon launches. So, the fact that we’re flying it on a drone is very different. Low altitude sounding data is critical to fill knowledge gaps that currently exist in the atmospheric boundary layer. We also have the ability to have a large variety of data outputs that can be streamed in real-time. This is something that other weather payloads are somewhat limited in.”

NASA’s team will work closely with collaborators from the World Meteorological Organization, National Center for Atmospheric Research, and the University of Albany who will launch weather balloons to gather measurements during the same timeframe.

“During our eclipse mission we will also be participating in the World Meteorological Organization’s world-wide flight campaign. We will gather data in real-time throughout the eclipse and the days beforehand, send those to the WMO to input into their models for more updated and accurate forecast measurements,” said Willhite, “That is the main goal of all this data is to be inputted into models for more updated and accurate forecasts.”

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Details Last Updated Apr 05, 2024 Related Terms

• Langley Research Center
• Aeronautics
• Drones & You

Explore More 5 min read NASA Selects University Teams to Compete in 2024 RASC-AL Competition Article 3 days ago 1 min read NASA Noise Prediction Tool Supports Users in Air Taxi Industry Article 4 days ago 13 min read Langley Celebrates Women’s History Month: The Langley ASIA-AQ Team Article 1 week ago

5 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

Fourteen undergraduate and graduate teams from across the country were selected as finalists to compete in one of NASA’s longest running student challenges — the Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) competition. The competition fuels innovation and challenges undergraduate and graduate teams to develop new concepts to improve our ability to operate on the Moon, Mars and beyond. Finalists will travel to Cocoa Beach, Florida next June to present their proposed concepts to a panel of NASA and aerospace industry leaders. 

The 2024 finalist teams are: 

AI-Powered Self-Replicating Probe Theme: 

• Clarkson University with Khalifa University and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) 
  • AUTONOMY: Augmented Unmanned Technology Operating in Navigating Objects of Mining Yield 
  • Advisors: Dr. Michael Bazzocchi (Clarkson), Dr. Roberto Sabatini (Khalifa), Dr. Alessandro Gardi (Khalifa), Dr. Anna Bourmistrova (RMIT) 

• Stanford University with the University of Waterloo 
  • Modular Self-Assembling Robotic Architecture (MARA) 
  • Advisors: Prof. Anton Ermakov (Stanford), Prof. William Melek (Waterloo) 

• University of Texas, Austin 
  • AETHER: Autonomous Exploration Through Extraterrestrial Regions 
  • Advisor: Prof. Adam Nokes 

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 
  • Project Draupnir 
  • Advisor: Dr. Kevin Shinpaugh 

Large-Scale Lunar Crater Prospector Theme: 

• Iowa State University 
  • Sub-Surface Condensation Analysis Rover for Crater Exploration (SCARCE) 
  • Advisor: Dr. Matthew Nelson 

• South Dakota State University
  • POSEID-N: Prospecting Observation System for Exploration, Investigation, Discovery, and Navigation 
  • Advisor: Dr. Todd Letcher 

• Tulane University 
  • S.P.I.D.E.R: South Pole Ice Drilling and Exploration Rover 
  • Advisors: Dr. Matt Barrios 

• University of Maryland 
  • SITIS: Subsurface Ice and Terrain In-situ Surveyor 
  • Advisor: Dr. David Akin 

• University of Texas, Austin 
  • VENOM: Volatile Examining luNar prOspectors and Mothership 
  • Advisor: Prof. Adam Nokes 

Long-Duration Mars Simulation at the Moon Theme: 

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology – Lausanne (ISAE) and National Higher French Institute of Aeronautics and Space (EPFL) 
  • MARTEMIS: Mars Architecture Research using Taguchi Experiments on the Moon with International Solidarity 
  • Advisors: Prof. Jeffrey Hoffman (MIT), Madelyn Hoying (MIT), Dr. George Lordos (MIT), Dr. Olivier de Weck (MIT), Dr. Alexandros Lordos (University of Cyprus), Vsevolo Peysakhovich (ISAE), Dr. Andreas Osterwalder (EPFL), Dr. Martin Heyne (Intuitive Machines), Dr. Alexander Miller (Blue Origin) 

• University of Maryland 
  • Moon-2-Mars 
  • Advisors: Dr. David Akin, Charles Hanner 

Sustained Lunar Evolution Theme: 

• University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) with Barrios Technology 
  • THEIA: Trans-lunar Hub for Exploration, ISRU, and Advancement 
  • Advisors: Dr. Victoria Coverstone (UIUC), Dr. Robyn Woollands (UIUC), Alec Auster (Barrios Technology) 

• University of Maryland
  • TILE: Terrapin Infrastructure for Lunar Evolution 
  • Advisors: Dr. Jarred Young, Christopher Kingsley 

• University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez 
  • POLARIS: Permanent-Outpost Lunar Architecture for Research and Innovative Services 
  • Advisors: Dr. Bárbara Calcagno, Dr. Gustavo Gutiérrez

For the 2024 competition, teams were asked to submit a two-minute video and detailed seven-to-nine-page proposal addressing one of four themes related to leveraging innovation to improve our ability to operate on the Moon, Mars and beyond. They included: Long-Duration Mars Simulation at the Moon, Sustained Lunar Evolution, AI-Powered Self-Replicating Probes – an Evolutionary Approach, and Large-Scale Lunar Crater Prospector. A steering committee of NASA personnel and industry experts selected the finalists based on a review of competitive proposals. 

“Each year we come up with themes for the competition that NASA and the aerospace industry are invested in, because these are real challenges that we are facing, and every year we are impressed with the proposals we receive,” said Patrick Troutman, RASC-AL sponsor and lead for human exploration strategic assessments at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. “We heard a lot of great ideas from the university community this year, but these 14 finalists really raised the bar and impressed us.” 

RASC-AL projects allow university students to incorporate their coursework into space exploration objectives in a team environment and help bridge strategic knowledge gaps associated with NASA’s vision. The competition emphasizes the importance of multidisciplinary teams.   

“It’s never an easy decision when it comes to choosing finalists, because we love working with university students across the board and appreciate how passionate they all are about aerospace, but these fourteen teams really went above and beyond in their approaches and we look forward to hearing more from them at the forum, ” said Dr. Christopher Jones, Chief Technologist for the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate at Langley, and RASC-AL sponsor and judge.  

For 2024, each finalist team receives a $6,500 stipend to further develop and present their concept at the RASC-AL Forum in Cocoa Beach, where they will present their findings to a judging panel of NASA and industry experts. The teams with the top two winning papers will be invited to present their design projects to industry experts at AIAA’s 2024 ASCEND Conference. 

RASC-AL is sponsored by the Strategies and Architectures Office within the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, and by the Space Mission Analysis Branch within the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate at Langley. It is administered by the National Institute of Aerospace. 

For more information about the RASC-AL competition, including complete theme and submission guidelines, visit: 
https://rascal.nianet.org 

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Details Last Updated Apr 05, 2024 Related Terms

• Langley Research Center
• Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate

Explore More 3 min read NASA Langley Team to Study Weather During Eclipse Using Uncrewed Vehicles Article 3 days ago 1 min read NASA Noise Prediction Tool Supports Users in Air Taxi Industry Article 4 days ago 4 min read NASA Achieves Milestone for Engines to Power Future Artemis Missions Article 4 days ago

NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

While visiting NASA Headquarters in Washington on March 19, 2024, astronauts Stephen Bowen, left, Frank Rubio, Warren Hoburg, and UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, right, posed for a photo wearing solar viewing glasses (“eclipse glasses”). Eclipse glasses with the ISO 12312-2 international standard or a safe handheld solar viewer are a must-have to look directly at the Sun during the eclipse before or after totality—the brief period where the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s face. Viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury.

NASA will have live coverage of the total solar eclipse, beginning at 1 p.m. EDT.

Image Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

NASA’s LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter), which has been circling and studying the Moon for 15 years, captured several images of Korea Aerospace Research Institute’s Danuri lunar orbiter last month. The two spacecraft, traveling in nearly parallel orbits, zipped past each other in opposite directions between March 5 and 6, 2024.

The dark spot centered in the bottom third of this image is the Korea Aerospace Research Institute’s Danuri orbiter, smudged because it was traveling quickly in the opposite direction of NASA’s LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) when LRO snapped the photo. At the time, Danuri was orbiting 5 miles, or 8 kilometers, below LRO’s orbit, and LRO was about 50 miles, or 80 kilometers, above the Moon’s surface. This image covers an area about 2 miles, or 3 kilometers, wide.NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University

LRO’s narrow angle camera (one in a suite of cameras known as “LROC”) captured the images featured here during three orbits that happened to be close enough to Danuri’s to grab snapshots.

Due to the fast relative velocities between the two spacecraft (about 7,200 miles, or 1,500 kilometers, per hour), the LRO operations team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, needed exquisite timing in pointing LROC to the right place at the right time to catch a glimpse of Danuri, the Republic of Korea’s first spacecraft at the Moon. Danuri has been in lunar orbit since December 2022. Although LRO’s camera exposure time was very short, only 0.338 milliseconds, Danuri still appears smeared to 10 times its size in the opposite direction of travel because of the relative high travel velocities between the two spacecraft.

At the first imaging opportunity, LRO was oriented down 43 degrees from its typical position of looking down at the lunar surface to capture Danuri (streaked across the middle) from 3 miles, or 5 kilometers, above it.NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University During the next encounter, LRO was closer to Danuri, about 2.5 miles, or 4 kilometers, and oriented 25 degrees toward it.NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University For the final photo, LRO was reoriented by 60 degrees to catch a glimpse of Danuri when it was 5 miles, or 8 kilometers, below it. This image pair was corrected for viewing geometry, and, on the right, the Danuri pixels were unsmeared and the image stretched to highlight the Korean spacecraft. The image was rotated 90 degrees so the surface would look like something a person would see looking out the window.NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University This image shows Danuri in the white box near the right-hand corner of the image. The large bowl-shaped crater visible in the upper left is 7.5 miles, or 12 kilometers, wide.NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University Last spring, Danuri had an opportunity to photograph LRO. Its ShadowCam instrument, provided by NASA, snapped this photo of LRO as the Korean spacecraft passed about 11 miles (18 kilometers) above it on April 7, 2023. Based on the design of LRO’s narrow angle cameras, the ShadowCam was built to take high-resolution images of the Moon’s permanently shadowed regions, where frozen water is likely trapped. The relative velocity between the two spacecraft was about 7,000 miles, or 11,000 kilometers, per hour.NASA/KARI/Arizona State University

LRO is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Launched on June 18, 2009, LRO has collected a treasure trove of data with its seven powerful instruments, making an invaluable contribution to our knowledge about the Moon. NASA is returning to the Moon with commercial and international partners to expand human presence in space and bring back new knowledge and opportunities.

More on this story from Arizona State University’s LRO Camera website

By Mark Robinson, Arizona State University, Tempe, and Lonnie Shekhtman, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Media Contact:
Nancy N. Jones
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Facebook logo @NASAGoddard@NASAMoon @NASAGoddard@NASAMoon Instagram logo @NASAGoddard@NASASolarSystem Explore More 4 min read How Data from a NASA Lunar Orbiter is Preparing Artemis Astronauts

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Details Last Updated Apr 05, 2024 EditorRob GarnerContactNancy N. Jonesnancy.n.jones@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms

• Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)
• Earth's Moon
• Goddard Space Flight Center
• Planetary Science
• Planetary Science Division
• Science Mission Directorate
• The Solar System

You can’t see it. . .you can’t touch it. . .you can’t live without it. Use these downloadable activity sheets to enhance your lesson plan at school or at home. Scroll down for the downloadable files. Have fun!

Spectrum Infographic Infographic featuring factoids about the electromagnetic spectrum.NASA Spectrum Crossword Puzzle Crossword puzzle featuring terms relevant to the electromagnetic spectrum.NASA Download Spectrum Infographic

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7 Min Read Lagniappe for April 2024 Explore the April 2024 issue, highlighted by NASA achieving a milestone for new Artemis Moon rocket engines, NASA and Stennis Leaders providing an annual update, and a reminder about the total solar eclipse on April 8.

Explore the April 2024 issue of Lagniappe featuring:

• NASA Achieves Milestone for Engines to Power Future Artemis Missions
• NASA-Sponsored FIRST Robotics Competition Welcomes 37 Teams to Magnolia Regional
• NASA, Stennis Leaders Provide Annual Update

Gator Speaks Gator SpeaksNASA/Stennis

Picture this. The year is 2044. It is 20 years into the future, and you think to yourself, “Life is all about moments. Sometimes we recognize the moment at hand, and at other times, it passes us by before we notice. I wish I paid attention when NASA told me about the last total solar eclipse in 2024, since it has been such a long time since one was visible across the United States.”

Then, you snap out of the daydream of the future, return to the present moment, and realize, “Wait! There’s still time to view the total solar eclipse in 2024.”

The regret you were feeling from missing out on the total solar eclipse in 2024 fades. Indeed, the moment has not passed you by… yet.

The total solar eclipse coming on Monday, April 8, 2024, will in fact be the last total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until 2044. If you are like Gator, you may have to brush up on what the word contiguous means, which describes the adjoining U.S. states and the District of Columbia that make up the United States of America.

It is a long time until 2044, so I invite all to step outside on April 8 and safely give this year’s eclipse a look. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun.

Depending on your location, you may be in a spot where the Moon’s shadow completely covers the Sun, known as the path of totality. The sky will become dark, as if it were dawn or dusk. Weather permitting, people along the path of totality will see the Sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, which is usually obscured by the bright face of the Sun.

No matter where you are on April 8, NASA has you covered with this Solar Eclipse Guide: What to Expect: A Solar Eclipse Guide (nasa.gov).

It will help you learn more about when the eclipse will occur, where you can go to watch the eclipse, and how you will watch the eclipse safely.

Every day, NASA explores the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all. On April 8, I invite you to join NASA wherever you might be and explore the views of the total solar eclipse.

INFINITY Science Center, the official visitor center of NASA Stennis, will be open on Monday, April 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at regular admission rates. All are invited for a day of solar science.

In Case You Missed It

NASA Stennis welcomed two special guests March 6 when NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch visited south Mississippi to view an RS-25 hot fire test. Along with NASA astronaut Victor Glover and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Wiseman and Koch were named to the Artemis II crew on April 3, 2023. The four astronauts will be the crew that ventures around the Moon on Artemis II as the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis.

View their reaction and hear comments from the Artemis II astronauts following the March 6 hot fire About Gator

Gator has served as the official mascot of NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, dating back to the site’s early construction years. The character has since been featured on NASA Stennis site certificates and awards. Gator also provides a source of encouragement for all things NASA in Lagniappe, the official monthly newsletter of NASA Stennis. To subscribe to the monthly newsletter, simply send your name, location, and email address to the NASA Stennis Office of Communications. Together, we are going back to the Moon – and beyond!

NASA Stennis Top News NASA Achieves Milestone for Engines to Power Future Artemis Missions

NASA achieved a major milestone April 3 for production of new RS-25 engines to help power its Artemis campaign to the Moon and beyond with completion of a critical engine certification test series at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

Read More About the Final Test in the Certification Test Series Artemis Generation Students Inspired During NASA STEM Event

The questions kept coming, exceeding the allotted time, as students at NASA’s Next Gen STEM event in late February explored the importance of computer science for future agency missions.

Read More About the Happenings at the STEM Event Center Activities NASA, Stennis Leaders Provide Annual Update

NASA Stennis Acting Director John Bailey delivered the annual State of NASA Stennis address to over 100 business and industry leaders from Mississippi and Louisiana during the 12th annual NASA Stennis Space Center Director’s Community Briefing on March 20 at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium in Slidell, Louisiana.

Bailey discussed ongoing activities at the center and the outlook for NASA Stennis’ mission objectives, including propulsion testing, autonomous systems, range operations, and growth of the federal city.

A new NASA Stennis overview video, narrated by NASA Stennis employee Barry Robinson and featuring the diverse and highly skilled NASA Stennis workforce, premiered at the briefing with community leaders to an enthusiastic response.

“I really love that video,” Bailey said to the audience. “We just produced that, and it really gives you an idea of who we are. Really, the thing I like the most is when all of our employees get up there and I see how excited they are because they are our most valuable resource we have. We could not do what we do without our employees, and we have some of the best in the world doing what we do for NASA.”

Participating speakers and organizations included: Hansel Gill, acting director of NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans; Jennifer Hailes, deputy technical director of Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command; Steve Heller, founder, CEO, and CTO of Evolution Space. Mark Glorioso, chairman of Partners for Stennis & Michoud, served as emcee for the event.

NASA-Sponsored FIRST Robotics Competition Welcomes 37 Teams to Magnolia Regional

Thirty-seven high school teams from eight states and one from Mexico competed during the second annual FIRST Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition in Laurel, Mississippi, on March 15. The FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics event is described as the ultimate sport of the mind as teams concentrate and share in the excitement of success. NASA’s Stennis Space Center joined with NASA’s Robotics Alliance Project and co-sponsor Mississippi Power to bring to life all aspects of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the Magnolia state through the regional event.

Metal Mages, a team from New Orleans, prepares for competition during the second annual FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition in Laurel, Mississippi, on March 15.NASA/Bo Black Michele Beisler, deputy program manager of the NASA Stennis Rocket Propulsion Test Program Office, talks to the Tigerbots team from Boutte, Louisiana, while serving as judge during the second annual FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition in Laurel, Mississippi, on March 15.NASA/Bo Black Kelly Martin-Rivers, deputy director of NASA’s Southeast Regional Office of STEM Engagement, is interviewed by WDAM reporter Keaundria Milloy during the second annual FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition in Laurel, Mississippi, on March 15.NASA/Bo Black Joe Schuyler, director of the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate, (right) is shown with members of Alpha Omega, a NASA Stennis House Team from Our Lady Academy in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, during the second annual FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition in Laurel, Mississippi, on March 15. As a NASA Stennis House Team, Alpha Omega has an ongoing relationship with NASA Stennis with Schuyler serving as the team mentor.NASA/Bo Black A member of Denham Venom, a team from Denham Springs, Louisiana, competes during the second annual FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition in Laurel, Mississippi, on March 15.NASA/Bo Black Members of Voodoo Voltage, a team from New Orleans, work on the team’s machine in the machine shop area during the second annual FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition in Laurel, Mississippi, on March 15.NASA/Bo Black Rogue Robotics, a team from Farmington, Minnesota, is interviewed by judges during the second annual FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition in Laurel, Mississippi, on March 15.NASA/Bo Black Members of the Alpha Omega team from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and Poultronix team from Forest, Mississippi, celebrate a win during the second annual FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition in Laurel, Mississippi, on March 15.NASA/Bo Black Team Storm 4107, a team from Long Beach, Mississippi, roll their machine from the competition area to the machine shop during the second annual FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition in Laurel, Mississippi, on March 15.NASA/Bo Black Cerbotics – Peñoles, a team from Torreón, Coahuila in Mexico, is pictured in front of the NASA inflatable displayed as NASA served as a lead sponsor during the second annual FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition in Laurel, Mississippi, on March 15.NASA/Bo Black NASA Attends New Orleans Entrepreneur Week Two employees from NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, participated as technology transfer panelists during the 13th annual New Orleans Entrepreneur Week at Gallier Hall on March 13. Tom Stanley, chief technology transfer officer at NASA Stennis, and Tom Lipski, technology transfer expansion lead at NASA Stennis, joined Passant Rabie, space reporter at Gizmodo, and Anil John, technical director at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to discuss how NASA and DHS help contribute to startup business activity. Pictured from left are Rabie, Lipski, Stanley, and John. The New Orleans Entrepreneur Week panel event focused on bringing together innovators and visionaries to explore, learn, and connect. NOEW NASA in the News

• President’s NASA FY 2025 Funding Supports US Space, Climate Leadership – NASA
• Total Solar Eclipse 2024: The Moon’s Moment in the Sun (nasa.gov)
• New Look at NASA Boeing Sustainable Experimental Airliner

Employee Profile Cherie Beech works in the NASA Stennis Office of the Chief Information Officer, where she helps many of the more than 5,200 employees of the NASA Stennis Federal City, as customer engagement and information technology acquisition specialist.NASA/Danny Nowlin

Cherie Beech knows full well the opportunity that working at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, affords.

Read More About Cherie Beech Additional Resources

• NASA Stennis Overview – Going Further
• KSLA: NASA Gives Tips For Incoming Solar Eclipse
• WLOX: NASA Stennis Associate Director Highlights Work at NASA Stennis
• WVUE: NASA Stennis Delivers Annual State of NASA Stennis
• SuperTalk Mississippi: Dr. Lauren Underwood Talks NASA Stennis’ First In-Space Mission
• WDAM: FIRST Robotics Competition Held in Laurel
• WLOX: NASA Stennis Delivers Annual State of NASA Stennis
• SuperTalk Mississippi: NASA Stennis Associate Director Rodney McKellip Highlights NASA Stennis Work
• WVUE: Massive new rocket engine undergoes successful test at Stennis Space Center
• Sun Herald: Did you hear that? NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne complete key engine certification tests
• WLOX: Final RS-25 engine test paves way for use in Artemis space missions
• WXXV: Engine testing for RS-25 Space Engine at Stennis Space Center
• WJTV: NASA completes final test firing of engines at Stennis Space Center
• Associated Press: NASA conducts final engine test for Artemis V
• WWL-TV: How Solar Eclipses are Predicted

Subscription Info

Lagniappe is published monthly by the Office of Communications at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The NASA Stennis office may be contacted by at 228-688-3333 (phone); ssc-office-of-communications@mail.nasa.gov (email); or NASA OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS, Attn: LAGNIAPPE, Mail code IA00, Building 1111 Room 173, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (mail).

The Lagniappe staff includes: Managing Editor Lacy Thompson, Editor Bo Black, and photographer Danny Nowlin.

To subscribe to the monthly publication, please email the following to ssc-office-of-communications@mail.nasa.gov – name, location (city/state), email address.

Explore More 6 min read Lagniappe for March 2024 Article 1 month ago 5 min read Lagniappe for February 2024 Article 2 months ago

On Apr. 6, 1984, space shuttle Challenger took off on its fifth flight, STS-41C. Its five-person crew of Commander Robert L. “Crip” Crippen, Pilot Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, and Mission Specialists Terry J. “TJ” Hart, James D. “Ox” Van Hoften, and George D. “Pinky Nelson flew a seven-day mission that expanded the shuttle’s capabilities. They deployed the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), the largest and heaviest shuttle payload up to that time. They retrieved, repaired, and redeployed the failing Solar Max satellite in a highly complex choreography of rendezvous and proximity operations, autonomous astronaut flying of the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), robotic operations, and spacewalking. The mission also demonstrated the ability of the ground teams and astronauts to successfully respond to unexpected situations.

Left: The STS-41C crew of (clockwise from bottom left) Commander Robert L. Crippen, Mission Specialists Terry J. Hart, James D. “Ox” Van Hoften, and George D. “Pinky” Nelson, and Pilot Francis R. “Dick” Scobee. Middle: The STS-41C crew patch. Right: Challenger’s payload bay for STS-41C.

In February 1983, NASA announced Crippen, Scobee, Hart, Van Hoften, and Nelson as the STS-13 crew, the mission renamed STS-41C in September 1983. Crippen, the flight’s only veteran, had flown as the pilot for the first shuttle flight STS-1 in April 1981 and at the time of the announcement in training to command STS-7 in June 1983. For the other four, all selected as astronauts in 1978, STS-41C represented their first trip into space. The mission had two primary objectives. First, the deployment of the LDEF, managed by NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and second, the retrieval, repair, and release of the Solar Maximum Mission, Solar Max for short, satellite, managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. A student experiment in the middeck looked at the behavior of 3,300 honeybees in weightlessness. Crippen and Scobee had prime responsibility for operating the shuttle and conducting the rendezvous and proximity operations. Hart had primary responsibility for deploying LDEF using the Canadian-built Remote Manipulator System (RMS), the shuttle’s robotic arm. Nelson would fly the MMU to secure Solar Max so Hart could grapple it with the RMS and place it into a Flight Support Structure (FSS) in Challenger’s payload bay where Nelson and Van Hoften would execute the repairs. Several earlier shuttle flights rehearsed techniques and tested hardware to make STS-41C successful, including the first shuttle spacewalk on STS-6, the SPAS-01 rendezvous and proximity operations on STS-7, the PFTA test of the RMS on STS-8, and the test flights of the MMU on STS-41B.

Left: The structure of the Long-Duration Exposure Facility before the installation of the experiments. Middle: Launch of the Solar Maximum Mission in February 1980. Right: Schematic of the Solar Max satellite.

The LDEF consisted of a 21,400-pound structure measuring 14 by 30 feet, at the time the largest and heaviest object launched by the shuttle and handled by the RMS. The satellite contained 86 trays of various types of materials and structures, power and propulsion science, electronics, and optics representing 57 individual experiments managed by 194 U.S. and international principal investigators. A later shuttle mission planned to retrieve LDEF after 9-10 months in orbit and return it to Earth. Solar Max, launched on Feb. 14, 1980, utilized the Multi-Mission Modular Spacecraft body, specifically designed for retrieval by the space shuttle for servicing and/or repair by spacewalking astronauts. One of its instruments, the white-light coronagraph/polarimeter, operated successfully before suffering an electronics failure in September 1980. Two months later, the second of four fuses in Solar Max’s attitude control system failed, causing it to rely on its magnetorquers to maintain attitude. This meant that only three of its seven instruments could obtain useful data, as others required more accurate pointing. Ground controllers put the satellite in a slow spin to keep it in a stable sun-pointed orbit awaiting the arrival of the repair crew. Should the repairs prove unsuccessful, the astronauts could secure Solar Max in Challenger’s payload bay and return it to Earth.

Left: The crawler transporter departs Launch Pad 39A after delivering Challenger. Middle: On launch day, the STS-41C astronauts walk out of crew quarters to board the Astrovan for the ride to Launch Pad 39A. Right: Challenger rises into the sky.

Challenger’s successful first shuttle landing at KSC on Feb. 11, 1984, to end the STS-41B mission shortened the turnaround time between touchdown and the next launch to a then-record 55 days. Following refurbishment and mating with its External Tank (ET) and Solid Rocket Boosters, Challenger returned to Launch Pad 39A on March 29. Liftoff occurred on schedule at 8:58 a.m. EST on April 6, with Challenger taking its five-member crew into the skies. As soon as the shuttle cleared the launch tower, control of the flight shifted to Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, where Flight Director Gary E. Coen led his team of controllers, including capsule communicator or capcom John E. Blaha, monitored all aspects of the launch. STS-41C performed the first direct to orbit ascent, using the shuttle’s main engines to achieve orbit instead of relying on the Orbiter Maneuvering System (OMS) engines to complete the job. The ET reentered over the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii, providing ground observers with a brilliant light show as it broke apart. A later two-minute OMS burn circularized the orbit to reach Solar Max’s 290-mile altitude, the highest of the shuttle program to that time. Once in orbit, the astronauts opened Challenger’s payload bay doors and deployed the Ku-band high-gain antenna to communicate with the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS). They activated and checked out the FSS to support Solar Max in the payload bay and Hart unstowed the RMS and tested its mobility.

Left: STS-41C astronaut Terry J. Hart lifts the Long-Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) out of Challenger’s payload bay. Middle: LDEF shortly after release. Right: LDEF recedes from Challenger.

The main activity for the astronauts’ second day in space centered around the deployment of LDEF. Crippen undid the retention latches holding LDEF in the payload bay. Hart operated the RMS, grappling LDEF first by the Experiment Initiation System fixture to activate the experiments, then relocating the arm’s end-effector to LDEF’s second fixture to lift it straight out of the payload bay. Holding it high over Challenger, Hart commanded the end effector to release LDEF and Crippen and Scobee pulsed Challenger’s thrusters to slowly back away. LDEF assumed a gravity gradient orientation, with its heavier end pointing at the Earth, remaining stable without the use of any thrusters. To prepare for the next day’s spacewalk, Nelson and Van Hoften began their prebreathe, breathing pure oxygen using their launch and entry helmets, while Crippen reduced the cabin’s pressure from the normal 14.7 pounds per square inch (psi) to 10.2 psi. Due to a configuration issue that had them breathing air instead of oxygen, Nelson and Van Hoften had to repeat the prebreathe activity. They also checked out their spacesuits to ensure their readiness for the spacewalk, while Crippen and Scobee began the series of rendezvous maneuvers to reach Solar Max.

Left: STS-41C astronauts James D. “Ox” Van Hoften, left, and George D. “Pinky” Nelson wear their launch and entry helmets during the prebreathe for the first spacewalk. Middle: Nelson flies the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) from Challenger to Solar Max. Right: Nelson prepares for the first docking attempt with Solar Max.

Mission Control during the first STS-41C spacewalk as NASA astronaut George D. “Pinky” Nelson flies the Manned Maneuvering Unit to the Solar Max satellite.

By the time the crew awoke to begin their third day in space, Challenger had closed the distance to Solar Max to 320 miles. Engineers at Goddard powered down Solar Max’s instruments and enabled its communications system to interact with Challenger’s. They also inhibited its attitude control system to allow the astronauts to maneuver it without resistance. The satellite continued its slow rotation of once every six minutes to maintain stability. The astronauts first visually sighted Solar Max at a distance of 600,000 feet, and continued maneuvers to close the distance to the satellite. As Challenger approached Solar Max, Hart assisted Nelson and Van Hoften to don their spacesuits. Jerry L. Ross served as capcom during the spacewalk. Nelson and Van Hoften switched their suits to battery power, officially starting the spacewalk, as Crippen and Scobee closed in on Solar Max, finally stopping 140 feet away. The spacewalkers exited the airlock into the payload bay and began checking out the MMU. Nelson donned the unit and with Van Hoften’s help installed the Trunnion Pin Attachment Device (TPAD), the device used to dock the MMU with a trunnion pin on Solar Max, on the front of the unit. Hart unstowed the RMS, ready to grapple Solar Max. Nelson flew the MMU in the payload bay to familiarize himself with its characteristics then began his 10-minute flight to Solar Max. On his first attempt to dock to the satellite using the TPAD, its jaws didn’t fire to grasp the trunnion pin and he bounced off the satellite. He tried a second time, and once again could not dock. He tried a third time, but bounced off again, his attempts causing Solar Max to wobble in all three axes. He grabbed one of the solar arrays in an attempt to stabilize the satellite. Running low on maneuvering gas, Nelson flew back to the payload bay. Crippen decided to capture Solar Max using the rolling grapple technique with Hart operating the RMS. After several unsuccessful attempts, Mission Control and the crew decided to stand down for the day. Goddard turned on the magnetorquers to slowly bring the spacecraft under control. Nelson parked the MMU, and both he and Van Hoften returned inside after a shortened spacewalk lasting 2 hours 38 minutes. Crippen fired Challenger’s thrusters to back away from Solar Max and station keep 60 miles away overnight. The initial plan for the next day would have Crippen and Scobee rendezvous a second time and have Hart do a rotating grapple with the RMS to capture Solar Max and place it in the FSS, with Nelson and Van Hoften performing the repairs on the satellite during a second spacewalk the day after.

STS-41C crew Earth observation photographs. Left: The Texas Gulf Coast. Middle left: Panama. Middle right: The Richat structure in Mauritania. Right: Circular irrigation in Saudi Arabia.

Overnight, Mission Control decided to take another 24 hours to finalize plans and delayed the rendezvous by one day, adding an extra day to the mission. They informed the crew shortly after the wakeup call on flight day four. In the meantime, engineers at Goddard managed to slow Solar Max’s tumble and pointed its solar arrays to the Sun to charge up its batteries. The crew’s activities on this day focused on the honeybee student experiment, the large format camera, and Earth observations.

Left: Terry J. Hart grapples Solar Max during orbital night. Right: Using the RMS, Hart moving Solar Max to the Flight Support Structure in Challenger’s payload bay.

The astronauts began their fifth day by starting the second rendezvous with Solar Max, the series of maneuvers bringing Challenger to within 40 feet of the satellite, now rotating at half a degree per second as expected to perform the rolling grapple. With Solar Max positioned over the payload bay, Hart steered the RMS and grappled the satellite on his first attempt. He maneuvered it to the rear of the payload bay and berthed it on the FSS, marking the first in-orbit capture of a satellite for repair. Umbilicals provided power from the shuttle to Solar Max. Hart unlatched the RMS and stowed until its next use during the following day’s spacewalk. President Ronald W. Reagan called to congratulate the crew on the successful capture of Solar Max.

Left: Astronauts George D. “Pinky” Nelson, left, and James D. “Ox” Van Hoften replace Solar Max’s attitude control system module during the second STS-41C spacewalk. Middle: Van Hoften, left, and Nelson replace the main electronics box of one of the satellite’s instruments. Right: Nelson on the end of the Remote Manipulator System inspects Solar Max.

Left: During the second STS-41C spacewalk, James D. “Ox” Van Hoften flies the Manned Maneuvering Unit in Challenger’s payload bay. Middle: Terry J. Hart lifts the repaired Solar Max out of Challenger’s payload bay. Right: Solar Max departs from Challenger.

On flight day six, Scobee helped Nelson and Van Hoften put on their spacesuits in preparation for the mission’s second spacewalk, with the plan to complete all the repairs on Solar Max originally planned across two excursions. After depressurizing and exiting the airlock, Van Hoften positioned himself on the Manipulator Foot Restraint (MFR) that Hart had picked up with the RMS. With both spacewalkers back with the Solar Max, they first replaced the satellite’s attitude control system module – the item that crippled the satellite – in just 45 minutes. They next installed a manifold to protect the X-ray polychromator instrument. For the final task, the replacement of the main electronics box of the satellite’s chronograph polarimeter instrument, never designed for on-orbit repair, Nelson swapped places with Van Hoften on the MFR. The two completed that task in one hour. Nelson then moved over to take measurements of the trunnion pin to determine why the TPAD could not latch onto it during the first spacewalk. He noted a little thermal button sticking up about ¼ inch that might have interfered with the TPAD, later identified conclusively as the culprit. Hart then steered Nelson on the end of the arm to conduct a survey of Solar Max. Because the spacewalkers completed the repair tasks ahead of schedule, Mission Control allowed Van Hoften to fly the MMU in the payload bay and conduct engineering tests with it. Nelson and Van Hoften returned to the airlock, ending the second spacewalk after 6 hours 44 minutes, the longest Earth orbital spacewalk to that time. Between the two spacewalks, Nelson and Van Hoften spent 9 hours 22 minutes outside Challenger. Hart grappled Solar Max with the RMS and lifted it out of the FSS, holding it over the payload bay overnight as engineers at Goddard checked out the satellite’s systems prior to release the next day.

Left: STS 41C astronaut James D. “Ox” Van Hoften examines the honeybee student experiment. Right: The STS-41C crew members pose on Challenger’s flight deck near the end of their successful mission, wearing customized shirts.

The next morning, Hart released Solar Max from the RMS and Scobee flew the shuttle away from the satellite. Later in the morning, the astronauts, sporting shirts that read “Ace Satellite Repair Co.,” held a 30-minute press conference, answering reporters’ questions about their ultimately successful first repair of an on-orbit satellite. They spent the rest of the day readying Challenger for the next day’s entry and landing, including stowing unneeded equipment and testing the orbiter’s maneuvering thrusters and aerodynamic control surfaces. Nelson and Van Hoften stowed the two spacesuits and Hart the RMS, equipment that had served the crew so well during this mission.

Left: Space shuttle Challenger rolls down the runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California to end the STS-41C mission. Middle: STS-41C astronauts congratulate themselves on a successful flight. Right: In Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Lead STS-41C Flight Director Eugene F. Kranz applauds the successful landing of STS-41C.

On Friday April 13, as the astronauts awakened for their final day in space, their distance to LDEF had increased to more than 6,000 miles and to Solar Max to 80 miles. In preparation for reentry, the astronauts closed the payload bay doors. Mission Control called up that a low cloud deck had moved over the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at KSC and waved off the deorbit burn by one revolution. As the weather at KSC worsened, with light rain showers moving in, Mission Control decided to bring Challenger home at Edwards Air Force Base in California, where the weather seemed perfect. Crippen and Scobee oriented Challenger with its tail in the direction of flight and fired its two OMS engines to slow the spacecraft enough to drop it from orbit. They reoriented the orbiter to fly with its heat shield exposed to the direction of flight as it entered Earth’s atmosphere at 400,000 feet. The buildup of ionized gases caused by the heat of reentry prevented communications for about 15 minutes but provided the astronauts a great light show as their reentry took place in darkness. After crossing the California coastline, they made the final turn into Edwards. Scobee lowered the landing gear at 300 feet and Crippen brought Challenger down to a smooth touchdown 16 minutes after sunrise on Edwards’s dry lake bed runway 17, calling out “Houston, Challenger is wheels stop,” to end the successful satellite deployment and repair mission. During the mission lasting 6 days 23 hours 40 minutes they orbited the Earth 108 times.

Left: Space shuttle Challenger arrives back at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Middle: Solar Max image of a solar coronal mass ejection event on May 4, 1986. Right: Solar Max false color image of Halley’s comet taken on Feb. 28, 1986.

Following the landing, the astronauts returned to Houston, where they reunited with their families who had awaited them at KSC. Workers at Edwards towed Challenger to NASA’s Dryden, now Armstrong, Flight Research Center and mounted it atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a modified Boeing 747. On April 17, the duo took off from Edwards on the first leg of the transcontinental flight to KSC. After an overnight refueling stop at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, Challenger arrived at KSC’s SLF, where workers began preparing it for its next flight, STS-41G. Meanwhile, engineers at Goddard began activating Solar Max’s instruments almost immediately after deployment, and all systems, including the repaired ones, worked perfectly, and within three days its instruments began collecting science data. Following a 30-day thorough checkout, Solar Max returned to a fully operational status. And although it missed the 1980 solar maximum, the satellite returned much useful data as the Sun cycled through a solar minimum and approached the next maximum in the 11-year cycle. When the mission ended in November 1989, Solar Max had returned 240,000 images of the Sun’s corona, recorded more than 12,000 solar flares, and observed 15 deep-space gamma ray bursts and also observed Halley’s Comet as it passed through the inner solar system in early 1986. Although planned for retrieval after 9-10 months in space, LDEF remained in orbit far longer. A series of payload shuffles in 1985 followed by the Challenger accident in January 1986 and subsequent extended grounding of the shuttle fleet delayed its return until STS-32 in January 1990, after 57 months in space.

Enjoy the crew narrated video of the STS-41C mission.

Read Crippen’s, Hart’s, Van Hoften’s, and Nelson’s recollections of the STS-41C mission in their oral histories with the JSC History Office.

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Hubble Peers at Pair of Closely Interacting Galaxies This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features Arp 72.ESA/Hubble & NASA, L. Galbany, J. Dalcanton, Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features Arp 72, a very selective galaxy group that only includes two galaxies interacting due to gravity: NGC 5996 (the large spiral galaxy) and NGC 5994 (its smaller companion, in the lower left of the image). Both galaxies lie approximately 160 million light-years from Earth, and their cores are separated from each other by a distance of about 67,000 light-years. The distance between the galaxies at their closest points is even smaller, closer to 40,000 light-years. While this might sound vast, in galactic separation terms it is really quite close. For comparison, the distance between the Milky Way and its nearest independent galactic neighbor Andromeda is around 2.5 million light-years. Alternatively, the distance between the Milky Way and its largest and brightest satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud (satellite galaxies orbit around another galaxy), is about 162,000 light-years.

Given this and the fact that NGC 5996 is roughly comparable in size to the Milky Way, it is not surprising that NGC 5996 and NGC 5994 — separated by only about 40,000 light-years — are interacting with one another. In fact, the interaction likely distorted NGC 5996’s spiral shape. It also prompted the formation of the very long and faint tail of stars and gas curving away from NGC 5996, up to the top right of the image. This ‘tidal tail’ is a common phenomenon that appears when galaxies closely interact and is visible in other Hubble images of interacting galaxies.

Text credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

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Media Contact:

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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Details Last Updated Apr 05, 2024 EditorAndrea Gianopoulos Related Terms

• Astrophysics
• Astrophysics Division
• Galaxies
• Goddard Space Flight Center
• Hubble Space Telescope
• Missions
• The Universe

Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Hubble Space Telescope

Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.

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3 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Cherie Beech works in the NASA Stennis Office of the Chief Information Officer, where she helps many of the more than 5,200 employees of the NASA Stennis Federal City, as customer engagement and information technology acquisition specialist.NASA/Danny Nowlin

Cherie Beech knows full well the opportunity that working at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, affords. Since arriving at the federal city as a contractor 26 years ago, she since has expanded her skillset and grown as a member of the NASA Stennis team.

“I always want to make sure, by doing my job, that things are better than the way I found it…That’s what I strive to do. I’m ecstatic to work at NASA Stennis. I’m very humble and grateful for it.”

cherie beech

NASA Stennis Customer Engagement and IT Acquisition Specialist

“We are very blessed to have these opportunities,” said Beech, who works in the NASA Stennis Office of the Chief Information Officer. “It is fascinating because it takes everybody, all of us, to accomplish the work. It took me a long time, but I finally understand that it takes all skillsets to accomplish the job, because it takes all of us to ensure mission success.”

The mission is helping NASA explore the unknown in air and space, innovate for the benefit of humanity, and inspire the world through discovery. Through Artemis, NASA will return America to the Moon to establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration and then set its sights on Mars for the benefit of all. Such a goal requires a diverse group of people to help make it happen. 

“We all bring our unique traits and skills to the table, and that’s what I enjoy,” Beech said. “We all are valued. We are all contributing to the bigger thing, and I find that fascinating.”

Beech, a native of Picayune, Mississippi, grew up less than 15 miles from the south Mississippi NASA center often referenced then as “the test site.” She sometimes heard propulsion testing as a young girl and since has experienced NASA Stennis transforming into a multifaceted aerospace and technology hub.

“It’s a place full of opportunity,” she said.

Beech began her NASA Stennis career as a scheduler with Lockheed Martin. Her role evolved to include work with budget submissions, and communication and outreach, among other functions. Beech continued working across multiple contracts through the years working to support the NASA Stennis Office of the Chief Information Officer. She subsequently was hired as a civil servant by NASA in 2020.

“Once I was at NASA Stennis, then I realized there is a lot here to offer for all careers. There are also chances where you can talk to people and learn from everybody. People are so nice and very willing to help you and mentor and guide you. Since being here, I have learned all the necessary technical knowledge.”

In her role as customer engagement and information technology acquisition specialist with NASA, Beech now helps many of the more than 5,200 employees working across the federal city to ensure all understand the latest technology updates that contribute to their line of work. She also helps ensure employees are aware of all the NASA information technology purchasing regulations for work projects involving hardware and/or software.

“I always want to make sure, by doing my job, that things are better than the way I found it,” Beech said. “That’s what I strive to do. I’m ecstatic to work at NASA Stennis. I’m very humble and grateful for it.”

For information about NASA’s Stennis Space Center, visit:

Stennis Space Center – NASA

6 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) This artist’s concept depicts the NEOWISE spacecraft in orbit around Earth. Launched in 2009 to survey the entire sky in infrared, the spacecraft took on a more specialized role in 2014 when it was reactivated to study near-Earth asteroids and comets.NASA/JPL-Caltech

As the infrared space telescope continues its long-duration survey of the universe, it is creating a unique resource for future astronomers to make new discoveries.

NASA’s NEOWISE mission has released its 10th year of infrared data – the latest in a unique long-duration (or “time-domain”) survey that captures how celestial objects change over long periods. Time-domain astronomy can help scientists see how distant variable stars change in brightness and observe faraway black holes flaring as they consume matter. But NEOWISE has a special focus on our planet’s local cosmic neighborhood, producing a time-domain infrared survey used for planetary science, with a particular emphasis on asteroids and comets.

Short for Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, NEOWISE is a key component of NASA’s planetary defense strategy, helping the agency refine the orbits of asteroids and comets while also estimating their size. One such example is the potentially hazardous asteroid Apophis, which will make a close approach of our planet in 2029.

By repeatedly observing the sky from its location in low-Earth orbit, NEOWISE has made 1.45 million infrared measurements of over 44,000 solar system objects. That includes more than 3,000 NEOs, 215 of which the space telescope discovered. Twenty-five of those are comets, including the famous comet NEOWISE.

“The space telescope has been a workhorse for characterizing NEOs that may pose a hazard to Earth in the future,” said Amy Mainzer, NEOWISE’s principal investigator at the University of Arizona and University of California, Los Angeles. “The data that NEOWISE has generated for free use by the scientific community will pay dividends for generations.”

From Data to Discovery

Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the mission sends data three times a day to the U.S. Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) network, which then delivers it to IPAC, an astronomical data research center at Caltech in Pasadena, California. IPAC processes the raw data into fully calibrated images that are accessible online. It also generates NEO detections, sending them to the Minor Planet Center – the internationally recognized clearinghouse for the position measurements of solar system bodies. By searching multiple images of the same patch of sky at different times, scientists capture the motions of individual asteroids and comets.

This top-down animated view of the solar system shows the positions of all the asteroids and comets detected by NEOWISE in the decade since its reactivation in 2014. Credit: IPAC/Caltech/University of Arizona

“The science products we generate identify specific infrared sources in the sky with precisely determined positions and brightnesses that enable discoveries to be made,” said Roc Cutri, lead scientist for the NEOWISE Science Data System at IPAC. “The most fun thing when I look at the data for the first time is knowing that no one has seen this before. It puts you in a unique position of doing real exploration.”

IPAC will also produce data products for NASA’s NEO Surveyor, which is targeting a launch no earlier than 2027. Managed by JPL, with Mainzer serving as principal investigator, the next-generation space survey telescope will seek out some of the hardest-to-find near-Earth objects, such as dark asteroids and comets that don’t reflect much visible light but shine brighter in infrared light.

Two Missions, One Spacecraft

The NEOWISE spacecraft launched in 2009, but as a different mission and with a different name: the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, which set out to survey the entire sky. As an infrared telescope, WISE studied distant galaxies, comparatively cool red dwarf stars, exploding white dwarfs, and outgassing comets, as well as NEOs.

An infrared telescope requires cryogenic coolant to prevent the spacecraft’s heat from disrupting its observations. After the WISE telescope’s ran out of coolant and was no longer able to observe the universe’s coldest objects, NASA put the spacecraft into hibernation in 2011. But because the telescope could still detect the infrared glow of comets and asteroids as they are heated by the Sun, Mainzer proposed to restart the spacecraft to keep an eye on them. The mission was reactivated in 2014 and renamed NEOWISE, extending the life of a spacecraft that was initially planned for less than a year of operation.

“We are 14 years into a seven-month mission,” said Joseph Masiero, NEOWISE’s deputy principal investigator and a scientist at IPAC. He started at JPL as a postdoctoral researcher working on WISE just two months before the spacecraft launched on Dec. 14, 2009. “This little mission has been with me my entire career – it just kept going, making new discoveries, helping us better understand the universe,” Masiero added. “And if it wasn’t for the tyranny of orbital dynamics, I’m sure the spacecraft would continue to operate for years to come.”

Solar activity is causing NEOWISE to fall out of orbit, and the spacecraft is expected to drop low enough into Earth’s atmosphere that it will eventually become unusable.

“NEOWISE has lasted way past its original spacecraft design lifetime,” said Joseph Hunt, NEOWISE project manager at JPL. “But as we didn’t build it with a way to reach higher orbits, the spacecraft will naturally drop so low in the atmosphere that it will become unusable and entirely burn up in the months following decommissioning. Exactly when depends on the Sun’s activity.”

More About the Mission

NEOWISE and NEO Surveyor support the objectives of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The NASA Authorization Act of 2005 directed NASA to discover and characterize at least 90% of the near-Earth objects more than 140 meters (460 feet) across that come within 30 million miles (48 million kilometers) of our planet’s orbit. Objects of this size can cause significant regional damage, or worse, should they impact the Earth.

JPL manages and operates the NEOWISE mission for PDCO within the Science Mission Directorate. The Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah, built the science instrument. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colorado, built the spacecraft. Science data processing takes place at IPAC at Caltech. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

For more information about NEOWISE, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/neowise

and

http://neowise.ipac.caltech.edu/

NASA’s NEOWISE Celebrates 10 Years, Plans End of Mission Data From NASA’s WISE Used to Preview Lucy Mission’s Asteroid Dinkinesh Asteroid Mission Aims to Explore Mysteries of Earth's Core News Media Contacts

Ian J. O’Neill
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-2649
ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov

Karen Fox / Charles Blue
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1257 / 202-802-5345
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / charles.e.blue@nasa.gov

2024-038

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Details Last Updated Apr 04, 2024 Related Terms

• NEOWISE
• Comets
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• NEO Surveyor (Near-Earth Object Surveyor Space Telescope)
• Planetary Defense
• Planetary Defense Coordination Office

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The results from a NASA software tool called OVERFLOW, used to model the flow of air around aircraft, are shown in this image.NASA

Several air taxi companies are using a NASA-developed computer software tool to predict aircraft noise and aerodynamic performance. This tool allows manufacturers working in fields related to NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility mission to see early in the aircraft development process how design elements like propellors or wings would perform. This saves the industry time and money when making potential design modifications.

This NASA computer code, called “OVERFLOW,” performs calculations to predict fluid flows such as air, and the pressures, forces, moments, and power requirements that come from the aircraft. Since these fluid flows contribute to aircraft noise, improved predictions can help engineers design quieter models. Manufacturers can integrate the code with their own aircraft modeling programs to run different scenarios, quantifying performance and efficiency, and visually interpreting how the airflow behaves on and around the vehicle. These interpretations can come forward in a variety of colors representing these behaviors.

This computer program is available to industry for U.S. release via the software.nasa.gov website.

An OVERFLOW modeling image from the manufacturer Joby Aviation.Joby Aviation An OVERFLOW modeling image from the manufacturer Wisk.Wisk An OVERFLOW modeling image from the manufacturer Archer Aviation.Archer Aviation Share

Details Last Updated Apr 04, 2024 EditorDede DiniusContactTeresa Whitingteresa.whiting@nasa.govLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related Terms

• Armstrong Flight Research Center
• Advanced Air Mobility
• Advanced Air Vehicles Program
• Aeronautics
• Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
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• Drones & You
• Flight Innovation
• Glenn Research Center
• Langley Research Center
• Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Details

DoD-NASA Lidar TIM

August 13-15, 2024

MIT Lincoln Laboratory in Arlington, VA (Crystal City)
241 18th St S, Arlington, VA 22202

MIT Lincoln Laboratory is hosting a TIM between NASA and DoD to facilitate the sharing of lidar knowledge between these institutions and identify potential areas of collaboration that maximally utilizes the strengths from each organization. This TIM will provide an opportunity to discuss common issues and challenges and possible solutions.

Objectives

This TIM will include up to CUI-level presentations and discussions from leaders in lidar technology development and application.

1. Share DoD & NASA capabilities in lidar systems, technologies, processing and exploitation/analysis with DoD community & NASA centers, including JPL and NASA headquarters.
2. Identify NASA and DoD mission and sensor needs that could leverage existing lidar investments to satisfy requirements.
3. Connect NASA and DoD lidar practitioners, experts and end-user communities and
4. Roadmap at least two potential applications for collaborative opportunity. Briefings will only include up to CUI level, and representatives from the NASA Centers, JPL, and various DoD organizations (FFRDCs, UARCs, service laboratories, and user community) will be invited to participate.  

Co-Chairs

M. Jalal Khan (MIT-LL), T.Y. Fan (MIT-LL), Jessica Gaskin (NESC), Upendra Singh (NESC), and Parminder Ghuman (GSFC)

More information

Coming soon!

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Details Last Updated Apr 04, 2024 Related Terms

• NASA Engineering and Safety Center
• NASA Centers & Facilities

Explore More 7 min read Lagniappe for April 2024 Article 1 hour ago 2 min read Hubble Peers at Pair of Closely Interacting Galaxies

This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features Arp 72, a very selective galaxy…

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Princeton University undergraduate Kate Sheldon, doing summer work at Firebird Diagnostics, holds a prototype of the Agnostic Life Finder, or ALF, which was developed to seek life on Mars without making Earth-specific assumptions about molecular biology.Credit: Firebird Diagnostics LLC

At first glance, the search for life beyond Earth might not seem related to human illness, but to biochemist Steven Benner, the connection is clear.

“In diagnostics for an infectious disease, you’re looking for alien life inside of a patient,” said Benner, who has spent nearly two decades conducting NASA-funded research on what alien life might look like at the molecular level.

“It’s actually a bit easier to build a diagnostics assay to detect COVID than to build an agnostic life finder to search for Martian DNA, whose structure would be unknown,” he said.

Benner is the co-founder and CEO of Firebird Diagnostics LLC, based in Alachua, Florida, which sells synthetic DNA and molecule packages to researchers, who use them to develop tools to detect and treat ailments like cancer, hepatitis, and HIV. The company also sold COVID tests during the pandemic.

Benner holds that while some of what we know about biochemistry on Earth may be universal, most is Earth-specific. He and his partners developed DNA-like molecular systems with six and eight nucleotides, or building blocks, based on research funded partly by NASA’s Astrobiology Program. These systems add to the four building blocks in Earth-based DNA an additional two or four synthetic nucleotides.

Mary Voytek, head of the Astrobiology Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said Benner’s work shows there are alternatives to Earth-based biological molecules, “This helps us understand what else is possible and may be found in life beyond Earth.”

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Details Last Updated Apr 04, 2024 Related Terms

• Technology Transfer
• Spinoffs
• Technology Transfer & Spinoffs

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