NASA

Before a total solar eclipse crossed North America on April 8, 2024, scientists at Predictive Science Inc. of San Diego aimed to foresee what the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, would look like during totality.

The predictions help researchers understand the accuracy of their models of the Sun’s corona, which extends along its magnetic field. A solar eclipse offers a rare opportunity to view the entire corona from Earth, guiding research into how its energy can cause solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which can disrupt technology on Earth and in space.

The researchers used the Aitken, Electra, and Pleiades supercomputers at the NASA Advanced Supercomputing facility, located at the agency’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. With near-real-time data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory and ESA’s (the European Space Agency) and NASA’s Solar Orbiter, they created a dynamic model of the corona. The team’s model accurately predicted several details, including long streamers in the upper and lower left side of the image, but the streamers’ locations are slightly misaligned when compared with real images. This is likely because some new activity on the far side of the Sun, which affected the appearance of the corona, wasn’t yet seen and couldn’t be incorporated in the model. Once it was, the model more closely matched observational photos of the corona.

Recognizing that the corona is inherently complex and difficult to predict during solar maximum, Cooper Downs, a research scientist at Predictive Science, said, “We’re really thrilled with this simulation. It really has a lot of scientific consequences that I think we’ll be exploring for a long time.”

By Rachel Lense, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md;
with Tara Friesen, NASA’s Ames Research Center, Silicon Valley, Calif.

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Researchers Develop ‘Founding Document’ on Synthetic Cell Development

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 05/02/2024 - 2:18pm

3 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Synthetic cell development could lead researchers to new developments in food and medical sciences and a better understanding of the origins of life on Earth.NIH/Rhoda Baer

Cells are the fundamental units of life, forming the variety of all living things on Earth as individual cells and multi-cellular organisms. To better understand how cells perform the essential functions of life, scientists have begun developing synthetic cells – non-living bits of cellular biochemistry wrapped in a membrane that mimic specific biological processes.

The development of synthetic cells could one day hold the answers to developing new ways to fight disease, supporting long-duration human spaceflight, and better understanding the origins of life on Earth.

In a paper published recently in ACS Synthetic Biology, researchers outline the potential opportunities that synthetic cell development could unlock and what challenges lie ahead in this groundbreaking research. They also present a roadmap to inspire and guide innovation in this intriguing field.

“The potential for this field is incredible,” said Lynn Rothschild, the lead author of the paper and an astrobiologist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. “It’s a privilege to have led this group in forming what we envision will be a founding document, a resource that will spur this field on.”

Synthetic cell development could have wide ranging benefits to humanity. Analyzing the intricacies that go in to building a cell could guide researchers to better understand how cells first evolved or open the door to creating new forms of life more capable of withstanding harsh environments like radiation or freezing temperatures.

These innovations could also lead to advancements in food and medical sciences – creating efficiencies in food production, detecting contaminants in manufacturing, or developing novel cellular functions that act as new therapies for chronic diseases and even synthetic organ transplantation.

Building synthetic cells could also answer some of NASA’s biggest questions about the possibility of life beyond Earth.

“The challenge of creating synthetic cells informs whether we’re alone in the universe,” said Rothschild. “We’re starting to develop the skills to not just create synthetic analogs of life as it may have happened on Earth but to consider pathways to life that could form on other planets.”

As research continues on synthetic cell development, Rothschild sees opportunities where it could expand our understanding of the complexities of natural life.

“Life is an amazing thing. We use the capabilities of cells all the time – we build houses with wood, we use leather in our shoes, we breathe oxygen. Life has amazing precision, and if you can harness it, it’s unbelievable what we could accomplish.”

For news media:

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

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Hi-C Rocket Experiment Achieves Never-Before-Seen Look at Solar Flares

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 05/02/2024 - 2:00pm

4 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The High-Resolution Coronal Imager, or Hi-C, launches aboard a Black Brant IX sounding rocket April 17 at Poker Flat Research Range in Fairbanks, Alaska. NASA

By Jessica Barnett

After months of preparation and years since its last flight, the upgraded High Resolution Coronal Imager Flare mission – Hi-C Flare, for short – took to the skies for a never-before-seen view of a solar flare.

The low-noise cameras – built at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama – are part of a suite of state-of-the-art instruments on board the Black Brant IX sounding rocket that launched April 17 from Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska. Using the new technology, investigators hoped to study the extreme energies involved with solar flares. The Hi-C Flare experiment mission was led by Marshall.

“This is a pioneering campaign,” said Sabrina Savage, principal investigator at Marshall for Hi-C Flare. “Launching sounding rockets to observe the Sun to test new technologies optimized for flare observations has not even been an option until now.”

It was the third iteration of the Hi-C instrument to take flight, but its first flight with ride along instruments, including the COOL-AID (Coronal OverLapagram – Ancillary Imaging Diagnostics), CAPRI-SUN (high-CAdence low-energy Passband x-Ray detector with Integrated full-SUN field of view), and SSAXI (Swift Solar Activity X-ray Imager). Following a month of payload integration and testing in White Sands, New Mexico, investigators completed final launch site integration at the Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska.

Each morning of the two-week launch campaign window, the team spent about five hours preparing the experiment for launch, followed by up to four hours of monitoring solar data for a flare that registers as C5-class or higher with duration longer than the rocket flight. The launch finally occurred on the penultimate day of the campaign window.

“The Sun was unusually quiet throughout the campaign despite numerous active regions,” said Savage. “Both teams were getting nervous that we would not launch, but we finally got a nice long-duration M-class flare right before the window closed.”

The Hi-C Flare mission launched at 2:14 p.m. AKDT, just one minute after the FOXSI-4 (Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager) mission led by the University of Minnesota. Once in air, sensors on the Hi-C Flare rocket pointed cameras toward the Sun and stabilized instrumentation. Then, a shutter door opened to allow the cameras to gather about five minutes of data before the door closed and the rocket fell back to Earth.

From left, Austin Bumbalough, Ken Kobayashi, Harlan Haight, Sabrina Savage, William Hogue, Jim Cecil, and Adam Kobelski, members of the Hi-C Flare team, gather after the payload was recovered and brought to Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska. Hi-C Flare, equipped with Hi-C 3, COOL-AID, CAPRI-SUN, and SSAXI, launched into a solar flare as part of the first-ever solar flare sounding rocket campaign. NASA

The rocket landed in the Alaskan tundra, where it remained until conditions were safe enough for the team to retrieve it and begin processing the collected data.

“For launches into the tundra, we have to wait a few days for the instrument to get back to us and then to be dried out enough to turn on,” said Savage. “It was an anxious few days, but the data are beautiful and were worth the wait.”

Investigators weren’t just testing new technology, either. They also used a new algorithm to predict the behavior of a solar flare, allowing them to launch the rocket at the ideal time.

“To catch a flare in action is really hard, because you can’t predict them,” said Genevieve Vigil, technical and camera lead for Hi-C 3 and COOL-AID at Marshall. “We had to wait around for a solar flare to start going, then launch as it’s happening. No one has tried to do that before.”

Fortunately, their method was a success.

“We are still processing the data from all four instruments, but the data from Hi-C 3 and COOL-AID already look fantastic,” said Savage.

“The COOL-AID data is the first spectrally pure image in a hot spectral line that we know of,” said Amy Winebarger, project scientist at Marshall for Hi-C Flare.

The Hi-C experiment is led by Marshall Space Flight Center in partnership with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. Launch support is provided at Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska by NASA’s Sounding Rocket Program at the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia, which is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. NASA’s Heliophysics Division manages the sounding-rocket program for the agency.

Jonathan Deal
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256.544.0034
Jonathan.e.deal@nasa.gov

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Galaxy Evolution Explorer Searches for Light

NASA Image of the Day - Thu, 05/02/2024 - 1:43pm

NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer was launched on April 28, 2003. Its mission was to study the shape, brightness, size and distance of galaxies across 10 billion years of cosmic history.

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Galaxy Evolution Explorer Searches for Light

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 05/02/2024 - 1:42pm

NASA/JPL-Caltech

This Dec. 21, 2002, artist’s concept of NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer imagines what the space telescope would look like during its mission. Launched April 28, 2003, it studied the shape, brightness, size and distance of galaxies across 10 billion years of cosmic history. By observing ultraviolet wavelengths, the telescope measured the history of star formation in the universe.

This space telescope allowed astronomers to uncover mysteries about the early universe and how it evolved, as well as better characterize phenomena like black holes and dark matter. The mission was extended three times over a period of 10 years before it was decommissioned in June 2013.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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Sols 4173-4174: Reflections

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 05/02/2024 - 1:21pm

3 min read

Sols 4173-4174: Reflections This image was taken by Left Navigation Camera onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 4171 (2024-04-30 19:41:16 UTC). NASA/JPL-Caltech

Earth planning date: Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Today’s planning was a little out of the ordinary. Not in terms of the plan itself, Curiosity’s team built an exciting plan utilizing much of its science toolkit. Today’s plan was unusual rather due to my role as APXS PUDL Reverse Shadow (PUDL = Payload Uplink/Downlink Lead). While I normally staff the APXS PUDL role, the person on-shift responsible for APXS downlink assessment and uplink planning, operating as a “Reverse Shadow” meant I took a backseat to another APXS team member who was completing the final phases of their training for the role. They handled their duties with great aplomb, leaving me to reflect on my first few shifts in the same role.

As I’m typing this, given how long it has been since that time, I can’t shake the comedy of narrating this section of the blog in the distinct and rapid-paced tone of 1940s or 1950s radio and TV. It was around a month after landing, September 10th 2012, to be specific. I was on shift for the first time as APXS PUDL and was not expecting much in the way of workload given the notional plan. Curiosity, on the other hand, had a different idea. As event logs of the sol prior were received, the intended plan was scrapped and there was an opportunity to propose an activity. My mentor at the time encouraged my input. We were conducting operations at JPL then and walked down the hall to present our request to other members of the team before the sol’s uplink planning meetings officially kicked off (I am correcting myself here as I originally typed “days” instead of “sols” but Mars time meant shifts at this time occurred throughout the night in California). The proposal was accepted, and the proposed activity ultimately went according to plan. I can remember driving back to my hotel as the sun was coming up. It was then that it hit me: I had just influenced something that happened on another planet. It was a very surreal experience. What I didn’t realize then, however, was how important these data acquired on my first shift as lead APXS PUDL would be, given they now serve as a baseline from which we assess APXS performance vs. temperature over time.

Today’s APXS PUDL had a more typical experience. There are two APXS targets in the plan: “Emerald Peak” and “Franklin Lakes.” These targets are both on the same block (the rectangular one just slightly left and above the middle of this blog’s image), with Emerald Peak targeting the visibly altered rim near the lower portion of the block and Franklin Lakes more centrally located. MAHLI will acquire images of both of these targets, including a three-position rotational stereo set on Emerald Peak. A number of other targets were captured by ChemCam and/or Mastcam, including “Grizzly Falls,” “Liberty Cap,” “Pavilion Dome,” “Triple Divide Peak,” and “Haystack Peak.” As Curiosity is not driving in this plan, ChemCam and Mastcam are also used for targeted observations on the second sol, focusing primarily on “The Minarets” and “Pinnacle Ridge,” alongside long-distance observations of “Kukenan.” DAN observations as well as a number of environmental monitoring activities by REMS, Navcam, and Mastcam round out the two-sol plan.

Written by Scott VanBommel, Planetary Scientist at Washington University

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NASA Is Helping Protect Tigers, Jaguars, and Elephants. Here’s How.

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 05/02/2024 - 1:00pm

Earth (ESD)

5 Min Read NASA Is Helping Protect Tigers, Jaguars, and Elephants. Here’s How.

NASA satellites are helping track tiger habitat, offering new insights for conservation as these predators face the consequences of habitat loss.

Credits:
Wildlife Conservation Society / Dale Miquelle

As human populations grow, habitat loss threatens many creatures. Mapping wildlife habitat using satellites is a rapidly expanding area of ecology, and NASA satellites play a crucial role in these efforts. Tigers, jaguars, and elephants are a few of the vulnerable animals whose habitats NASA is helping track from space.

“Satellites observe vast areas of Earth’s surface on daily to weekly schedules,” said Keith Gaddis, ecological conservation program manager at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “That helps scientists monitor habitats that would be logistically challenging and time-consuming to survey from the ground — crucial for animals like tigers that roam large territories.”

Here’s how NASA and its partners help protect three of Earth’s most iconic species:

Trouble (and Hope) for Tigers

Tigers have lost at least 93% of their historical range, which once spanned Eurasia. Roughly 3,700 to 5,500 wild tigers remain, up from an estimated low of 3,200 in 2010.

In a recent study, researchers reviewed over 500 studies that contained data on tigers and their habitat across Asia. The team found that the area where the big cats are known to live declined 11%, from about 396,000 square miles in 2001 to about 352,000 square miles in 2020.

Led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and funded by NASA’s Ecological Conservation program, the team developed a tool that uses Google Earth Engine and NASA Earth observations to monitor changes in tiger habitat. The goal: aid conservation efforts in near-real time, using data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagers, and Landsat satellites.

The researchers mapped large stretches of “empty forests” without recent tiger presence. Because these areas were suitable habitat and are still big enough to support tigers, they are potential landscapes for restoration, assuming there is enough food. If tigers could reach those areas, either through natural dispersal or active reintroduction, it could “increase the land base for tigers by 50%,” the scientists reported.

“There’s still a lot more room for tigers in the world than even tiger experts thought,” said lead author Eric Sanderson, formerly a senior conservation ecologist at WCS and now vice president of urban conservation at the New York Botanical Garden. “We were only able to figure that out because we brought together all of this data from NASA and integrated it with information from the field.”

Where the Jaguars Are

Jaguars once roamed from the U.S. Southwest to Argentina. But in the past century, they have lost about 50% of their range, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Like tigers, jaguars must contend with poaching and the loss of food sources. Wild jaguars number between 64,000 and 173,000 individuals, and IUCN classifies them as near-threatened.

In Gran Chaco, South America’s second largest woodland, jaguars and other animals live in an especially threatened ecosystem. The dry lowland forest stretches from northern Argentina into Bolivia, Paraguay, and Brazil, and has experienced severe deforestation.

Image Before/After

Jaguars in Argentina’s Chaco may number in the hundreds. Using data on land use and infrastructure, plus Earth observations from MODIS and Landsat, NASA-funded researchers mapped priority conservation areas for jaguars and other important animals. About 36% of the priority areas in Argentina’s Chaco are currently “low-protection” zones, where deforestation is allowed.

“Managers and conservationists could use the new spatial information to see where current forest zoning is protecting key animals, and where it may need re-evaluation,” said lead author Sebastian Martinuzzi of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Elephants Seek Out Forest Havens

African savanna elephants now occupy an estimated 15% of their historical range, and their numbers have declined. One study surveyed about 90% of the elephants’ range and estimated that their numbers dropped by 144,000 elephants from 2007 to 2014, leaving approximately 352,000 individuals. In 2021, the IUCN updated the elephants’ status to endangered.

A recent study used NASA satellite-derived vegetation indices and other data to study elephants in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, and in nearby semi-protected and unprotected zones. Researchers found that, especially in the unprotected areas, the elephants preferred dense canopy forest, particularly along streams, and avoided open areas like grasslands, especially when more people are present. Human development, such as tourism lodges, is often built in such forests.

Prioritizing elephants’ access to forests in unprotected areas should be of utmost importance for land managers, the researchers said. Because the elephants avoided grasslands, some of those areas could be used for development or livestock — balancing need for economic development and elephant habitat.

The IUCN likewise classifies Asian elephants as endangered. In southern Bhutan, crop depredation and wildlife approaching human settlements is escalating conflicts between people and elephants. In 2020–2021, Bhutanese scholars studying in the United States were selected to participate in the NASA Capacity Building Program’s DEVELOP program. Partnering with the Bhutan Foundation, Bhutan Tiger Center, and Bhutan Ecological Society, the teams used NASA Earth observations, elephant occurrence data, and other information to model current habitat suitability and map wildlife pathways between habitats, aiding strategies that reduce the risk of conflict.

By Emily DeMarco

NASA’s Earth Science Division, Headquarters

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NASA Partner Zooniverse Receives White House Open Science Award

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 05/02/2024 - 12:25pm

2 Min Read NASA Partner Zooniverse Receives White House Open Science Award

Selection of Zooniverse project avatars.

Credits:
Zooniverse

Congrats to NASA partner Zooniverse for being named winners in the White House’s Year of Open Science Recognition Challenge!

The White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP) designated 2023 as the year of Open Science, and invited innovators to submit stories of how they’ve advanced equitable open science. OSTP and its federal partners selected five challenge project submissions as “Champions of Open Science” including Zooniverse.

Since 2007, Zooniverse has become the largest online open data platform for people-powered research, engaging more than 2.7 million people. NASA Citizen Science projects hosted on the Zooniverse platform include Cloudspotting on Mars, Dark Energy Explorers, Floating Forests, Are We Alone In the Universe?, Disk Detective, Solar Active Region Spotter, Backyard Worlds: Cool Neighbors, Backyard Worlds: Planet 9, Active Asteroids, Daily Minor Planet, Solar Jet Hunter, Jovian Vortex Hunter, Redshift Wrangler, Burst Chaser and Planet Hunters TESS.

“With Zooniverse we have classified more galaxies than we ever thought possible!” said Lindsay House, scientist on the Dark Energy Explorers project. “Zooniverse participants have been vital in helping us map the universe.”

Find out more, and join the fun at Zooniverse.org!

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NASA Technology Grants to Advance Moon to Mars Space Exploration

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 05/02/2024 - 12:21pm

Brandon Aguiar, a graduate student at Florida International University, works to prepare a slurry containing a lunar regolith simulant, graphene nanoplatelets, and base resin for use in FIU’s ongoing study of the enhanced electrical conductivity of additively manufactured lunar regolith components involving graphene nanoplatelets. Credit: Florida International University

NASA has awarded nearly $1.5 million to academic, non-profit, and business organizations to advance state-of-the-art technology that will play a key role in the agency’s return to the Moon under Artemis, as well as future missions to Mars.

Twenty-four projects from 21 organizations have been awarded under NASA’s Dual-Use Technology Development Cooperative Agreement Notices, or CANs. The awardees also will receive assistance from propulsion, space transportation, and science experts at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

“The Dual-Use Technology Development Cooperative Agreement Notice enables NASA to collaboratively work with U.S. industry and academia to develop needed technologies,” said Daniel O’Neil, manager, NASA Marshall’s Technology Development Dual-Use CAN Program. “Products from these cooperative agreements support the closure of identified technology gaps and enable the development of components and systems for NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture.”

These innovative projects include ways to use lunar regolith for construction on the Moon’s surface, using smartphone video guidance sensors to fly robots on the International Space Station, identifying new battery materials, and improving a neutrino particle detector.

The following is a complete list of awardees:

Auburn University in Alabama
Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida
Florida International University in Miami
Fronius USA in Portage, Indiana
Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories in Tullahoma, Tennessee
Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge
Morgan State University in Baltimore
Nanoracks (Voyager Space) in Houston
Northwestern University in Chicago
Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana
Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio
Tethon 3D in Omaha, Nebraska
University of Alabama in Huntsville
University of California in Irvine
University of Florida in Gainesville
University of Illinois in Chicago
University of North Texas in Denton
University of Tennessee in Knoxville
University of Tennessee Space Institute
Victory Solutions in Huntsville, Alabama
Wichita State University in Kansas

The Florida Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, and the University of Alabama were awarded funding for two projects each.

Funding was available for organizations focused on supporting entrepreneurial research and innovation ideas that could advance the commercial space sector and benefit future NASA missions.

Applications are now open for the 2024 solicitation cycle.

To learn more about NASA’s missions, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/

-end-

Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
James.j.russell@nasa.gov

Ramon Osorio
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034
ramon.j.osorio@nasa.gov

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NASA Doubles Down, Advances Six Innovative Tech Concepts to New Phase

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 05/02/2024 - 11:01am

3 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) A collage of artist concepts highlighting the novel approaches proposed by the 2024 NIAC Phase II awardees for possible future missions.Credits: NASA, From left: Edward Balaban, Mary Knapp, Mahmooda Sultana, Brianna Clements, Ethan Schaler

NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program (NIAC) has selected six visionary concept studies for additional funding and development. Each study has already completed the initial NIAC phase, showing their futuristic ideas – like a lunar railway system and fluid-based telescopes – may provide fresh perspectives and approaches as NASA explores the unknown in space.

The NIAC Phase II conceptual studies will receive up to $600,000 to continue working over the next two years to address key remaining technical and budget hurdles and pave their development path forward. When Phase II is complete, these studies could advance to the final NIAC phase, earning additional funding and development consideration toward becoming a future aerospace mission.

“These diverse, science fiction-like concepts represent a fantastic class of Phase II studies,” said John Nelson, NIAC program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Our NIAC fellows never cease to amaze and inspire, and this class definitely gives NASA a lot to think about in terms of what’s possible in the future.” The six concepts chosen for 2024 NIAC Phase II awards are:

Fluidic Telescope (FLUTE): Enabling the Next Generation of Large Space Observatories would create a large optical observatory in space using fluidic shaping of ionic liquids. These in-space observatories could potentially help investigate NASA’s highest priority astrophysics targets, including Earth-like exoplanets, first-generation stars, and young galaxies. The FLUTE study is led by Edward Balaban from NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.

Pulsed Plasma Rocket: Shielded, Fast Transits for Humans to Mars is an innovative propulsion system that relies on using fission-generated packets of plasma for thrust. This innovative system could significantly reduce travel times between Earth and any destination in the solar system. This study is led by Brianna Clements with Howe Industries in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The Great Observatory for Long Wavelengths (GO-LoW) could change the way NASA conducts astronomy. This mega constellation low-frequency radio telescope uses thousands of autonomous SmallSats capable of measuring the magnetic fields emitted from exoplanets and the cosmic dark ages. GO-LoW is led by Mary Knapp with MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Radioisotope Thermoradiative Cell Power Generator is investigating new in-space power sources, potentially operating at higher efficiencies than NASA legacy power generators. This technology could enable small exploration and science spacecraft in the future that are unable to carry bulky solar or nuclear power systems. This power generation concept study is from Stephen Polly at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.

FLOAT: Flexible Levitation on a Track would be a lunar railway system, providing reliable, autonomous, and efficient payload transport on the Moon. This rail system could support daily operations of a sustainable lunar base as soon as the 2030s. Ethan Schaler leads FLOAT at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

ScienceCraft for Outer Planet Exploration distributes Quantum Dot-based sensors throughout the surface of a solar sail, enabling it to become an innovative imager. Quantum physics would allow NASA to take scientific measurements through studying how the dots absorb light. By leveraging the solar sail’s area, it allows lighter, more cost-effective spacecraft to carry imagers across the solar system. ScienceCraft is led by NASA’s Mahmooda Sultana at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate funds the NIAC program, as it is responsible for developing the agency’s new cross-cutting technologies and capabilities to achieve its current and future missions.

To learn more about NIAC and the 2024 Phase II studies, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/stmd-the-nasa-innovative-advanced-concepts-niac/

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Regulus and the Dwarf Galaxy

APOD - Thu, 05/02/2024 - 4:00am

Regulus and the Dwarf Galaxy

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The Marshall Star for May 1, 2024

NASA - Breaking News - Wed, 05/01/2024 - 6:23pm

23 Min Read The Marshall Star for May 1, 2024 Marshall Prepares for Strategic Facilities Updates

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center is getting ready for the next big step in the evolution of its main campus. Through a series of multi-year infrastructure projects, Marshall is optimizing its footprint to assure its place as a vibrant and vital hub for the aerospace community in the next era.

Near-term plans call for the carefully orchestrated take-down of 19 obsolete and idle structures – among them the 363-foot-tall Dynamic Test Stand, the Propulsion and Structural Test Facility, and Neutral Buoyancy Simulator. These facilities are not required for current or future missions, and the demolitions will help the center transition to a more modern, sustainable, and affordable infrastructure.

Test engineers fire up the Saturn I rocket’s first stage (S-1-10) at the Propulsion and Structural Test Facility, or “T-tower,” at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in 1964.NASA

“These facilities helped NASA make history – the Dynamic Test Stand was the tallest manmade structure in North Alabama and helped us test both the Saturn V rocket and the space shuttle,” said Joseph Pelfrey, Marshall’s center director. “Without these structures, we wouldn’t have the space program we have today. While it is hard to let them go, the most important legacy remaining are the people that built and stewarded these facilities and the missions they enabled. That same bold spirit fuels us, today. We are committed to carrying it forward to inspire the workforce of tomorrow.”

Built in 1964, the Dynamic Test Stand initially was used to test fully assembled Saturn V rockets. In 1978, engineers there also integrated all space shuttle elements for the first time, including the orbiter, external fuel tank, and solid rocket boosters.

The Propulsion and Structural Test Facility – better known at Marshall as the “T-tower” due to its unique shape – was built in 1957 by the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency and transferred to NASA when Marshall was founded in 1960. There, engineers tested components of the Saturn launch vehicles, the Army’s Redstone Rocket, and shuttle solid rocket boosters.

The Neutral Buoyancy Simulator, including its 1.3-million-gallon tank and control room, was built in the late 1960s. From 1969 until its closing in 1997, the facility enabled NASA astronauts and researchers to experience near-weightlessness, conducting underwater testing of space hardware and practice runs for servicing the Hubble Space Telescope. It was replaced in 1997 by a new facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Astronauts conduct underwater testing on the International Space Station’s power module in the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator at Marshall in 1995.NASA

Honoring the Past, Building the Future

Marshall master planner Justin Taylor said the facilities team looked at every possibility for refurbishing the old sites.

“The upkeep of aging facilities is costly, and we have to put our funding where it does the most good for NASA’s mission,” he said. “These are tough choices, but we have to prioritize function and cost over nostalgia. We’re making way for what’s next.”

To preserve NASA history, the agency has worked with architectural historians over the years on detailed drawings, written histories, and large-format photographs of the sites. Those documents are part of the Library of Congress’s permanent Historic American Engineering Record collection, making their history and accomplishments available to the public for generations to come.

Marshall facilities engineers are still finalizing the details and timeline for the demolitions. Work is expected to begin in late 2024 and end in late 2025. Additionally, to support the center’s employees and all the mission work they are doing, Marshall has a few infrastructure projects in design stages that will include the construction of two state-of-the-art buildings within the decade ahead.

A new Marshall Exploration Facility will offer a two to three story facility at approximately 55,000 square feet located within the 4200 complex. The facility will include an auditorium, along with conferencing, training, retail, and administrative spaces. The new Engineering Science Lab – at approximately 140,000 square feet – will provide a modern, flexible laboratory environment to accommodate a new focus for research and testing capabilities.

Ultimately, NASA’s vision for Marshall is a dynamic, interconnected campus. The center’s master plan features a central greenway connecting its two most densely populated zones – its administrative complex and engineering complex.

“As we look towards the aspirational goals we have as an agency, Marshall’s contributions may look different than our past but be no less important,” said Pelfrey. “And we want our partners, employees, and the community to be part of the evolution with us, bringing complementary skills and capabilities, innovative ideas, and a passion for exploration and discovery.”

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Center Helps Grow Team Redstone’s Green Canopy for Earth Day Redstone Arsenal and Marshall Space Flight Center leaders stand beside a carefully selected Ginkgo tree during Earth Day activities April 25 at Marshall’s food truck corral. The “Autumn Gold” Ginkgo will grow behind the Medical Center at Building 4249 as a living reminder of Marshall’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. From left, Redstone Arsenal Garrison Commander Col. Brian Cozine; Deputy Garrison Commander Martin Traylor; Deputy Director of Marshall’s Office of Center Operations Bill Marks; Environmental Engineering and Occupational Health Manager Farley Davis; Director of Center Operations June Malone; and Associate Center Director, Technical, Larry Leopard. NASA/Charles Beason Earth Day volunteers Sahana Parker, center, and Jacob Jolley, right, help hand out hundreds of saplings April 25 in a tree giveaway organized by Marshall’s Environmental Engineering and Occupational Health Office and Green Team. NASA/Charles Beason Environmental Protection Specialist Joni Melson, right, lends a helping hand to a fellow plant lover at Marshall’s Earth Day celebration April 25. Melson led Marshall’s planning and coordination for the event, a joint effort with Team Redstone. NASA/Charles Beason

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Michoud Workforce ‘Goes Green’ in Celebration of Earth Day

Team members at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility marked Earth Day 2024 on April 22 by planting satsuma trees and small plants near administrative and office buildings.

From left, Boeing Michoud Deputy Site Leader Brad Saxton, Michoud Assembly Facility Director Hansel Gill, Textron Supervisor Inventory Control/Shipping MAF/Stone Road Wendy Dedeaux, Lockheed Martin Environmental Health and Safety Engineer Darrell Christian, Michoud Environmental Officer Ben Ferrell, and Syncom Space Services Environmental Manager Eric Stack pack in dirt and mulch around a newly planted satsuma tree at Michoud.NASA/Steven Seipel

Nearly 50 employees from NASA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Syncom Space Services (S3), Textron, and various other contractors worked together to weed flower beds and pick up litter and debris around the 829-acre site on Earth Day.

“The Earth Day activities this morning were not only good for the environment, but also good for our workforce,” said Michoud Director Hansel Gill, “It was a pleasure to see folks from various contractors and tenants come together, get their hands dirty, and enjoy the comradery. Everyone was smiling, the weather was perfect, morale was high, and we look forward to hosting more opportunities such as this in the future.”

Earth Day-Tree Planting and Building 101/102 Alley Clean UpNASA/Steven Seipel Crystal Farmer, left, and Jennifer York of Boeing show off “MAF Goes Green” giveaways handed out during the April 22 cleanup activities. NASA/Steven Seipel Earth Day-Tree Planting and Building 101/102 Alley Clean UpNASA/Steven Seipel NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility team members join in cleanup and beautification efforts at Michoud in celebration of Earth Day 2024.NASA/Steven Seipel

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Export Control Office Keeps Marshall Safe and Secure When Sharing Knowledge

By Jessica Barnett

As a team member at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, it’s your responsibility to help make sure information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. That includes checking in with the center’s Export Control Office before a presentation or visit with foreign nationals or entities.

Marshall’s Export Control Program features four staff members and a multitude of certified Center Export Representatives (CERs) who will work with team members to ensure organizations can get their work done without violating export control laws.

Marshall Space Flight Center’s Export Control Program team includes, from left, Elizabeth Ewald, senior export compliance specialist; Sean Benson, center export administrator; Chris Jones, export compliance specialist; and Chris Mathews, assistant center export administrator. NASA/Jessica Barnett

“We’re a service organization with a mission to help NASA employees navigate the very complex world of export controls,” said Sean Benson, who serves as Marshall’s center export administrator. “They’re laws that all U.S. entities – government included – must follow. Our role is to help the exporter navigate those in an efficient and compliant way.”

It’s important to note that exports aren’t just physical goods being shipped overseas. They can include items shared virtually with foreign companies, visits from foreign nationals, presentations with non-U.S. schools or universities, and more.

“I often get asked to review presentations for export control content,” said Elizabeth Ewald, senior export compliance specialist at Marshall. “I also help with international shipping.”

“We review if NASA’s going to be disposing of property, selling it out to markets. We make sure that if it’s going, it’s going to the proper parties,” Benson said. “We also do a lot of work with foreign national visits. We do risk assessment for every foreign national visit that comes from Marshall Space Flight Center, including Michoud Assembly Facility and the National Space Science Technology Center.”

CERs play an important role in the process. Benson and Ewald advise each technical organization at Marshall to have at least one CER.

“They’re our eyes, ears, hands, and feet on the ground within the individual areas of the center,” Ewald said. “They speak engineering, and we don’t; we speak export, and they don’t. Together, we make a great team to help when reviewing papers, presentations, and what-have-you.”

To become a CER, a team member must complete 10 prerequisite courses in SATERN, then complete two live Teams sessions, which are four hours each. Once certified, they’ll need to complete annual recertification to remain on the office’s active CERs list.

One of the export control team’s many roles at Marshall is reviewing presentations, images, and other information that might be shared virtually with foreign nationals or entities. NASA/Jessica Barnett

That list is just one of the many tools available for team members who visit the office’s SharePoint page on Inside Marshall. The page also features contact information for the office’s staff members, ways to file a request for export authorization or policy review, and access to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR), which are the two rulebooks that govern the Export Control Program.

“You can request training, too,” Benson said. “You can also see our reference materials, including some helpful job aids for things like marking Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) documents.”

Each NASA center has its own Export Control Program to match that center’s focus. Benson said he’s proud to work at Marshall, where – in the words of Center Director Joseph Pelfrey – he can work on a rocket that’s going to the Moon in the morning and on a rocket that’s coming back from Mars in the afternoon.

“The best part of my job is being involved with helping programs and projects work with their national partners to do cool stuff in space,” Benson said. “I never thought that I would be involved in things like helping people get satellites from one place to another and safely to a launchpad.”

“We’re here to help,” Ewald said. “We want you guys to be able to do what you want to do, so get us involved. Sometimes the things we need to help you with will take more than 90 days to accomplish, so the sooner you get us involved, the better.”

Team members can learn more about Marshall’s Export Control Office by visiting its SharePoint page on Inside Marshall. Organizations can also reach out to the office to request a training or presentation tailored to that organization’s specific export control needs.

Barnett, a Media Fusion employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.

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Marshall’s Energy and Water Team Wins Federal Energy Management Program Award

By Celine Smith

It’s easy to see the green pastures and rolling hills surrounding NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center on Redstone Arsenal and think of them as untouched.

In reality, the energy and water team within Marshall’s Center of Operations Office takes great care in managing the sustainable use of the environment. Not only does their work benefit the environment, but their commitment to decrease the usage of water and energy can save taxpayer’s money. The team was recently rewarded for their efforts, earning an award March 27 from the Federal Energy Management Program for their project: water leak detection and advanced metering infrastructure.

Marshall’s Water and Energy Manager Rhonda Truitt, center, smiles as she receives the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) award. She is joined by, from left, Creshonna Armwood, supervisor of Agency Services and Federal Engagement; Anna Siefen, deputy director within the Department of Energy’s FEMP; Mary Sotos, Department of Energy FEMP director; Denise Thaller, NASA’s Office of Strategic Infrastructure’s deputy assistant administrator; Charlotte Bertrand, NASA’s Environmental Management Division’s director; and Wayne Thalasinos, NASA’s Facilities and Real Estate Division’s program manager and NASA FEMP award coordinator.NASA/FEMP

“I love saving energy and money for the taxpayer,” said Rhonda Truitt, the energy and water manager for Marshall. “I also feel like it’s the right thing to do as a good steward of our planet and for our community.”

The team ensures the center meets and exceeds federal expectations of efficient usage of energy and water. With this objective in mind, it implements innovative methods to conserve resources. The energy and water team partnered with the Army and Huntsville Utilities for the two projects.

For the water leak detection project, a team comprised of Truitt, Marshall’s Operation & Maintenance, and the SMART center initiative, placed acoustic sensors mimicking hydrant caps on hydrants across Marshall. The sensor monitors irregular sounds that indicate a leak and identifies its approximate location, decreasing the time needed in what was previously an hours-long process to find leaks.

Truitt said the technology has more benefits other than saving money. Fixing leaks prevents clean water from being contaminated by historical industrial operations and flowing into natural water resources like the Tennessee River. Leaks can also cause sinkholes that could endanger team members and buildings, so discovering them early is important.

From left, Thaller, Truitt, and Bertrand together at the FEMP award ceremony.NASA/FEMP

For example, the team discovered three leaks the first day the project was put into place. A hole causing one leak measured at one-sixteenth of an inch and was leaking 900 gallons of water a day. The sensors have led to four leaks being repaired, with about $10,000 saved for each.

“Small things can make a difference,” Truitt said. “With the number of employees at Marshall, small actions like allowing a leak or drip to go unreported can add up.”

The advanced metering infrastructure works together with water leak detection by calculating how much water used across the center. The energy and water team can ensure Marshall is accurately charged for water and keep track of overall water usage. The success of the two projects won’t only benefit Huntsville. According to Truitt, federal sites across the U.S. could adopt these methods, leading to water and money savings nationwide.

“My role doesn’t only make a difference financially, I get to support NASA’s missions while sustaining and protecting the world we live in,” Truitt said. “It’s really cool to feel like you make short-term and long-term differences.”

Smith, a Media Fusion employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.

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Michoud All-Hands Provides Updates, Introductions to New Leadership and Initiatives

NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility Director Hansel Gill held a Michoud All-Hands meeting for facility team members April 24.

NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility Director Hansel Gill speaks to attendees during his first Michoud All-Hands since being named director in early April. NASA/Michael DeMocker

The meeting was the first formal all-hands for Gill since officially taking on his new role earlier in the month.

Michoud civil servants and direct support employees attend the facility’s all-hands meeting April 24, getting updates on topics including hardware production, infrastructure, and NASA 2040. NASA/Michael DeMocker

Michoud civil servants and direct support employees attended the event, which included updates on hardware production and infrastructure improvements and repairs, as well as discussions on Michoud’s culture.

MAF Ambassadors Ben Ferrell, Jesse Lemonte, and Kevin Stiede address attendees on NASA 2040 and other Marshall Space Flight Center’s Center Action Team initiatives.NASA/Michael DeMocker

Gill then introduced the “MAF Ambassadors” from NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s Center Action Team to speak on NASA 2040 and other future initiatives before opening the floor to questions.

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NASA’s Optical Comms Demo Transmits Data Over 140 Million Miles

Riding aboard NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, the agency’s Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration continues to break records. While the asteroid-bound spacecraft doesn’t rely on optical communications to send data, the new technology has proven that it’s up to the task. After interfacing with the Psyche’s radio frequency transmitter, the laser communications demo sent a copy of engineering data from over 140 million miles away, 1½ times the distance between Earth and the Sun.

This achievement provides a glimpse into how spacecraft could use optical communications in the future, enabling higher-data-rate communications of complex scientific information as well as high-definition imagery and video in support of humanity’s next giant leap: sending humans to Mars.

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is shown in a clean room at the Astrotech Space Operations facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Dec. 8, 2022. The optical communications gold-capped flight laser transceiver can be seen, near center, attached to the spacecraft.NASA/Ben Smegelsky

“We downlinked about 10 minutes of duplicated spacecraft data during a pass on April 8,” said Meera Srinivasan, the project’s operations lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “Until then, we’d been sending test and diagnostic data in our downlinks from Psyche. This represents a significant milestone for the project by showing how optical communications can interface with a spacecraft’s radio frequency comms system.”

The laser communications technology in this demo is designed to transmit data from deep space at rates 10 to 100 times faster than the state-of-the-art radio frequency systems used by deep space missions today.

After launching on Oct. 13, 2023, the spacecraft remains healthy and stable as it journeys to the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter to visit the asteroid Psyche.

NASA’s optical communications demonstration has shown that it can transmit test data at a maximum rate of 267 megabits per second (Mbps) from the flight laser transceiver’s near-infrared downlink laser – a bit rate comparable to broadband internet download speeds.

That was achieved on Dec. 11, 2023, when the experiment beamed a 15-second ultra-high-definition video to Earth from 19 million miles away (31 million kilometers, or about 80 times the Earth-Moon distance). The video, along with other test data, including digital versions of Arizona State University’s Psyche Inspired artwork, had been loaded onto the flight laser transceiver before Psyche launched last year.

Now that the spacecraft is more than seven times farther away, the rate at which it can send and receive data is reduced, as expected. During the April 8 test, the spacecraft transmitted test data at a maximum rate of 25 Mbps, which far surpasses the project’s goal of proving at least 1 Mbps was possible at that distance.

The project team also commanded the transceiver to transmit Psyche-generated data optically. While Psyche was transmitting data over its radio frequency channel to NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN), the optical communications system simultaneously transmitted a portion of the same data to the Hale Telescope at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California – the tech demo’s primary downlink ground station.

“After receiving the data from the DSN and Palomar, we verified the optically downlinked data at JPL,” said Ken Andrews, project flight operations lead at JPL. “It was a small amount of data downlinked over a short time frame, but the fact we’re doing this now has surpassed all of our expectations.”

This visualization shows the Psyche spacecraft’s position on April 8 when the optical communications flight laser transceiver transmitted data at a rate of 25 Mbps over 140 million miles to a downlink station on Earth.NASA/JPL-Caltech

After Psyche launched, the optical communications demo was initially used to downlink pre-loaded data, including the Taters the cat video. Since then, the project has proven that the transceiver can receive data from the high-power uplink laser at JPL’s Table Mountain facility, near Wrightwood, California. Data can even be sent to the transceiver and then downlinked back to Earth on the same night, as the project proved in a recent “turnaround experiment.”

This experiment relayed test data – as well as digital pet photographs – to Psyche and back again, a round trip of up to 280 million miles. It also downlinked large amounts of the tech demo’s own engineering data to study the characteristics of the optical communications link.

“We’ve learned a great deal about how far we can push the system when we do have clear skies, although storms have interrupted operations at both Table Mountain and Palomar on occasion,” said Ryan Rogalin, the project’s receiver electronics lead at JPL. (Whereas radio frequency communications can operate in most weather conditions, optical communications require relatively clear skies to transmit high-bandwidth data.)

JPL recently led an experiment to combine Palomar, the experimental radio frequency-optical antenna at the DSN’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in Barstow, California, and a detector at Table Mountain to receive the same signal in concert. “Arraying” multiple ground stations to mimic one large receiver can help boost the deep space signal. This strategy can also be useful if one ground station is forced offline due to weather conditions; other stations can still receive the signal.

Managed by JPL, this demonstration is the latest in a series of optical communication experiments funded by the Technology Demonstration Missions (TDM) program under NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and the agency’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program within the Space Operations Mission Directorate. The Technology Demonstration Missions Program Office is at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Development of the flight laser transceiver is supported by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, L3 Harris, CACI, First Mode, and Controlled Dynamics Inc., and Fibertek, Coherent, and Dotfast support the ground systems. Some of the technology was developed through NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research program.

Arizona State University leads the Psyche mission. JPL is responsible for the mission’s overall management, system engineering, integration and test, and mission operations. Psyche is the 14th mission selected as part of NASA’s Discovery Program under the Science Mission Directorate, managed by Marshall. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center managed the launch service. Maxar Technologies provided the high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft chassis from Palo Alto, California.

Read more about the laser communications demo.

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Chandra Releases Doubleheader of Blockbuster Hits

New movies of two of the most famous objects in the sky – the Crab Nebula and Cassiopeia A – are being released from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Each includes X-ray data collected by Chandra over about two decades. They show dramatic changes in the debris and radiation remaining after the explosion of two massive stars in our galaxy.

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These two movies of the Cassiopeia A and Crab Nebula supernova remnants show Chandra’s capabilities of documenting changes in astronomical objects over human timeframes. Dramatic changes are apparent in the debris and radiation remaining after the explosion of these two massive stars in our galaxy. Such time-lapse movies would not be possible without Chandra’s archives that serve as public repositories for the data collected over Chandra’s nearly 25 years of operations.X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major, A. Jubett, K. Arcand

The Crab Nebula, the result of a bright supernova explosion seen by Chinese and other astronomers in the year 1054, is 6,500 light-years from Earth. At its center is a neutron star, a super-dense star produced by the supernova. As it rotates at about 30 times per second, its beam of radiation passes over the Earth every orbit, like a cosmic lighthouse.

As the young pulsar slows down, large amounts of energy are injected into its surroundings. In particular, a high-speed wind of matter and anti-matter particles plows into the surrounding nebula, creating a shock wave that forms the expanding ring seen in the movie. Jets from the poles of the pulsar spew X-ray emitting matter and antimatter particles in a direction perpendicular to the ring.

Over 22 years, Chandra has taken many observations of the Crab Nebula. With this long runtime, astronomers see clear changes in both the ring and the jets in the new movie. Previous Chandra movies showed images taken from much shorter time periods – a 5-month period between 2000 and 2001 and over 7 months between 2010 and 2011 for another. The longer timeframe highlights mesmerizing fluctuations, including whip-like variations in the X-ray jet that are only seen in this much longer movie. A new set of Chandra observations will be conducted later this year to follow changes in the jet since the last Chandra data was obtained in early 2022.

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This video begins with a composite version of the Crab Nebula, combining Chandra X-ray data with infrared data from the James Webb Space Telescope. Over 22 years, Chandra has taken many observations of the Crab Nebula. With this long runtime, astronomers see clear changes in both the ring and the jets in the new movie. Previous Chandra movies showed images taken from much shorter time periods – a 5-month period between 2000 and 2001 and over 7 months between 2010 and 2011 for another. The longer timeframe highlights mesmerizing fluctuations, including whip-like variations in the X-ray jet that are only seen in this much longer movie. A new set of Chandra observations will be conducted later this year to follow changes in the jet since the last Chandra data was obtained in early 2022.X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major, A. Jubett, K. Arcand

The second billing in this doubleheader is just as spectacular. Cassiopeia A (Cas A for short) is the remains of a supernova that is estimated to have exploded about 340 years ago in Earth’s sky. While other Chandra movies of Cas A have previously been released, including one with data extending from 2000 to 2013, this new movie is substantially longer featuring data from 2000 through to 2019.

The outer region of Cas A shows the expanding blast wave of the explosion. The blast wave is composed of shock waves, similar to the sonic booms generated by a supersonic aircraft. These expanding shock waves are sites where particles are being accelerated to energies that are higher than the most powerful accelerator on Earth, the Large Hadron Collider. As the blast wave travels outwards it encounters surrounding material and slows down, generating a second shock wave that travels backwards relative to the blast wave, analogous to a traffic jam travelling backwards from the scene of an accident on a highway.

Cas A has been one of the most highly observed targets and publicly released images from the Chandra mission. It was Chandra’s official first-light image in 1999 after the Space Shuttle Columbia launched into orbit and quickly discovered a point source of X-rays in Cas A’s center for the first time, later confirmed to be a neutron star. Over the years, astronomers have used Chandra to discover evidence for “superfluid” inside Cas A’s neutron star, to reveal that the original massive star may have turned inside out as it exploded and to take an important step in pinpointing how giant stars explode. Chandra has also mapped the elements forged inside the star, which are now moving into space to help seed the next generation of stars and planets. More recently, Chandra data was combined with data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to help determine the origin of mysterious structures within the remnant.

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This video begins with a composite version of the Cassiopeia A, combining Chandra X-ray data with infrared data from the James Webb Space Telescope. Cassiopeia A (Cas A for short) is the remains of a supernova that is estimated to have exploded about 340 years ago in Earth’s sky. This new Cas A movie features data from 2000 through to 2019. The images used in the latest Cas A movie have been processed using a state-of-the-art processing technique, led by Yusuke from Rikkyo University in Japan, to fully capitalize on Chandra's sharp X-ray vision.X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major, A. Jubett, K. Arcand

The images used in the latest Cas A movie have been processed using a state-of-the-art processing technique, led by Yusuke from Rikkyo University in Japan, to fully capitalize on Chandra’s sharp X-ray vision. The paper describing their work was published in The Astrophysical Journal and is available online.

These two movies show Chandra’s capabilities of documenting changes in astronomical objects over human timeframes. Such movies would not be possible without Chandra’s archives that serve as public repositories for the data collected over Chandra’s nearly 25 years of operations.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science from Cambridge Massachusetts and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.

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NASA Sets Coverage for Boeing Starliner’s First Crewed Launch, Docking

NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, which will carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to and from the International Space Station.

Launch of the ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket and Boeing Starliner spacecraft is targeted for 9:34 p.m. CDT May 6, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft approaches the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will launch aboard Starliner on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test.Credits: NASA

The flight test will carry Wilmore and Williams to the space station for about a week to test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems before NASA certifies the transportation system for rotational missions to the orbiting laboratory for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

The HOSC (Huntsville Operations Support Center) at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center provides engineering and mission operations support for the space station, the Commercial Crew Program, and Artemis missions, as well as science and technology demonstration missions.

Starliner will dock to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at 11:48 p.m., May 8.

NASA’s mission coverage is as follows (all times Central and subject to change based on real-time operations):

May 3
11:30 a.m. – Prelaunch news conference at Kennedy (no earlier than one hour after completion of the Launch Readiness Review) with the following participants:

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson
Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
Emily Nelson, chief flight director, NASA
Jennifer Buchli, chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program
Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
Gary Wentz, vice president, Government and Commercial Programs, ULA
Brian Cizek, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Coverage of the prelaunch news conference will stream live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

2:30 p.m. – NASA Social panel live stream event at Kennedy with the following participants:

Ian Kappes, deputy launch vehicle office manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
Amy Comeau Denker, Starliner associate chief engineer, Boeing
Caleb Weiss, system engineering and test leader, ULA
Jennifer Buchli, chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program

Coverage of the panel live stream event will stream live at @NASAKennedy on YouTube, @NASAKennedy on X, and @NASAKennedy on Facebook. Members of the public may ask questions online by posting questions to the YouTube, X, and Facebook livestreams using #AskNASA.

May 6

5:30 p.m. – Launch coverage begins on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

9:34 p.m. – Launch

Launch coverage on NASA+ will end shortly after Starliner orbital insertion. NASA Television will provide continuous coverage leading up to docking and through hatch opening and welcome remarks.

All times are estimates and could be adjusted based on operations after launch. Follow the space station blog for the most up-to-date operations information.

NASA will provide a live video feed of Space Launch Complex-41 approximately 48 hours prior to the planned liftoff of the mission. Pending unlikely technical issues, the feed will be uninterrupted until the prelaunch broadcast begins on NASA Television, approximately four hours prior to launch. Once the feed is live, find it here: http://youtube.com/kscnewsroom.

Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the agency’s website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 5:30 p.m., May 6 as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff.

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Categories: NASA

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