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Letters to the editors for the July/August Issue 2025 issue of Scientific American

Heimlich maneuver; training fleas

Solve a holey shape conundrum in this math puzzle

These valuable but difficult-to-extract metals are increasingly important to modern life

What can AI “griefbots” do for those in mourning?

Science in meter and verse

Milliseconds of variability, now detected by fitness watches, can improve well-being

Play this crossword inspired by the December 2025 issue of Scientific American

NASA spent years and billions of dollars collecting Martian samples to bring home. Now they might be stranded

As funding dries up, researchers face setbacks that threaten innovation and public progress

Ministerial Council 2025

Facing its worst drought in decades, Iran is attempting to stimulate rain by spreading seeding agents in clouds, but the technique is likely to have modest benefits at best

Facing its worst drought in decades, Iran is attempting to stimulate rain by spreading seeding agents in clouds, but the technique is likely to have modest benefits at best

To keep profits rolling in, oil and gas companies want to turn fossil fuels into a mounting pile of packaging and other plastic products

Vaccines based on mRNA can be tailored to target a cancer patient’s unique tumor mutations. But crumbling support for cancer and mRNA vaccine research has endangered this promising therapy

Brian Alpert’s path was always destined for the aerospace industry, but his journey turned toward NASA’s Johnson Space Center during his sophomore year in college. That was when Tricia Mack, who works in NASA’s Transportation Integration Office within the International Space Station Program, spoke to his aerospace seminar about planning spacewalks, training crews, and supporting operations from the Mission Control Center in Houston.

Alpert was inspired to join the agency and later earned a spot as an engineering co-op student at Johnson. “My first stop after new employee orientation was Tricia’s office,” he said.

Brian Alpert supports a spacewalk outside of the International Space Station from the Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center in 2015. NASA/Bill Stafford

Eighteen years later, Alpert is the cross-program integration deputy for NASA’s human landing system (HLS) – the mode of transportation that will take astronauts to the lunar surface as part of the Artemis campaign. In his role, Alpert is responsible for coordinating with other Artemis programs, like the Orion Program, on issue resolution, joint agreements, data exchanges, hardware integration, and reviews. He also co-leads the Exploration Atmospheres Issue Resolution Team, assessing risks to and impacts on space vehicle atmosphere, spacesuit pressure, and operational timelines for Artemis missions.

Alpert has enjoyed the opportunity to participate in several proposal reviews for Artemis program contracts as well. “NASA’s model of embracing public-private partnerships to achieve its strategic goals and objectives is exciting and will continue to expand opportunities in space,” he said.

He applies lessons learned and skills gained from his previous roles as a spacewalk crew instructor, flight controller, and systems engineer to his current work on HLS. “I hope to pass on to the next generation that skills and lessons you learn as a student or a young employee can and will help you in your future work,” he said.

Brian Alpert routes cables in the Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in preparation for a crew training run in 2011. Image courtesy of Brian Alpert

Alpert’s prior NASA roles involved memorable experiences like working to address spacesuit and vehicle failures that occurred during a spacewalk on International Space Station Expedition 32. He was serving as the lead spacewalk systems flight controller in the Mission Control Center at the time and played a key role in getting NASA astronaut Suni Williams and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Aki Hoshide safely back aboard the space station. Since Williams and Hoshide did not complete the spacewalk’s primary objective – replacing a Main Bus Switching Unit – a backup spacewalk was scheduled several days later. Alpert was on console for that spacewalk, too.

“One important lesson that I have learned through my career to date is how exceptionally talented, passionate, and hard-working everyone is here at NASA,” he said. “Whenever work gets stressful or problems get hard, there are teams of people that have your back, are willing to problem-solve with you, and can bring another perspective to finding a solution that you may not have considered.” He added that his colleagues are the best part of his job. “As much as I love what we do at NASA, what really gets me excited to come to work is all the outstanding people I get to work with every day.”

Brian Alpert completes a dive in NASA Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory for a spacesuit familiarization exercise in 2009. Image courtesy of Brian Alpert

Learning how to navigate change has been an important lesson for Alpert, as well. “NASA has been through a lot of change since I became a full-time employee in 2009,” he said. “Making sure that I have clear goals for myself, my work, and my team helps us all stay focused on the mission and the work at hand and helps us prioritize projects and tasks as questions or challenges inevitably arise.”

One challenge Alpert especially enjoys? Johnson’s annual Chili Cookoff. He has participated in many cookoffs as part of the Cosmic Chili team, noting that he often dons a Wolverine costume as part of the festive fun. He also welcomes a space trivia challenge – and a chance to add to his collection of trivia trophies.

Explore More 3 min read NASA signs US-Australia Agreement on Aeronautics, Space Cooperation Article 2 months ago 7 min read International Space Station: Launching NASA and Humanity into Deep Space Article 2 months ago 4 min read Astronaut Candidates Get to Work at Johnson Space Center Article 2 months ago

Brian Alpert’s path was always destined for the aerospace industry, but his journey turned toward NASA’s Johnson Space Center during his sophomore year in college. That was when Tricia Mack, who works in NASA’s Transportation Integration Office within the International Space Station Program, spoke to his aerospace seminar about planning spacewalks, training crews, and supporting operations from the Mission Control Center in Houston.

Alpert was inspired to join the agency and later earned a spot as an engineering co-op student at Johnson. “My first stop after new employee orientation was Tricia’s office,” he said.

Brian Alpert supports a spacewalk outside of the International Space Station from the Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center in 2015. NASA/Bill Stafford

Eighteen years later, Alpert is the cross-program integration deputy for NASA’s human landing system (HLS) – the mode of transportation that will take astronauts to the lunar surface as part of the Artemis campaign. In his role, Alpert is responsible for coordinating with other Artemis programs, like the Orion Program, on issue resolution, joint agreements, data exchanges, hardware integration, and reviews. He also co-leads the Exploration Atmospheres Issue Resolution Team, assessing risks to and impacts on space vehicle atmosphere, spacesuit pressure, and operational timelines for Artemis missions.

Alpert has enjoyed the opportunity to participate in several proposal reviews for Artemis program contracts as well. “NASA’s model of embracing public-private partnerships to achieve its strategic goals and objectives is exciting and will continue to expand opportunities in space,” he said.

He applies lessons learned and skills gained from his previous roles as a spacewalk crew instructor, flight controller, and systems engineer to his current work on HLS. “I hope to pass on to the next generation that skills and lessons you learn as a student or a young employee can and will help you in your future work,” he said.

Brian Alpert routes cables in the Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in preparation for a crew training run in 2011. Image courtesy of Brian Alpert

Alpert’s prior NASA roles involved memorable experiences like working to address spacesuit and vehicle failures that occurred during a spacewalk on International Space Station Expedition 32. He was serving as the lead spacewalk systems flight controller in the Mission Control Center at the time and played a key role in getting NASA astronaut Suni Williams and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Aki Hoshide safely back aboard the space station. Since Williams and Hoshide did not complete the spacewalk’s primary objective – replacing a Main Bus Switching Unit – a backup spacewalk was scheduled several days later. Alpert was on console for that spacewalk, too.

“One important lesson that I have learned through my career to date is how exceptionally talented, passionate, and hard-working everyone is here at NASA,” he said. “Whenever work gets stressful or problems get hard, there are teams of people that have your back, are willing to problem-solve with you, and can bring another perspective to finding a solution that you may not have considered.” He added that his colleagues are the best part of his job. “As much as I love what we do at NASA, what really gets me excited to come to work is all the outstanding people I get to work with every day.”

Brian Alpert completes a dive in NASA Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory for a spacesuit familiarization exercise in 2009. Image courtesy of Brian Alpert

Learning how to navigate change has been an important lesson for Alpert, as well. “NASA has been through a lot of change since I became a full-time employee in 2009,” he said. “Making sure that I have clear goals for myself, my work, and my team helps us all stay focused on the mission and the work at hand and helps us prioritize projects and tasks as questions or challenges inevitably arise.”

One challenge Alpert especially enjoys? Johnson’s annual Chili Cookoff. He has participated in many cookoffs as part of the Cosmic Chili team, noting that he often dons a Wolverine costume as part of the festive fun. He also welcomes a space trivia challenge – and a chance to add to his collection of trivia trophies.

Explore More 3 min read NASA signs US-Australia Agreement on Aeronautics, Space Cooperation Article 2 months ago 7 min read International Space Station: Launching NASA and Humanity into Deep Space Article 2 months ago 4 min read Astronaut Candidates Get to Work at Johnson Space Center Article 2 months ago

Update 18 November: The launch is now targeted for 20 November. 

The European Space Agency’s HydroGNSS, a twin-satellite mission to gather data on Earth’s water cycle, is scheduled to launch on 20 November at 19:18 CET (10:18 Pacific Time). Live coverage of the launch will be shown on ESA Web TV.

Jupiter looks a bit different in ultraviolet light.