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Space Life Science Highlights
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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)Spaceflight Atrophy Studied with Machine Learning
Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria Found on
ISS Mutating to Become Functionally Distinct
On-demand Nutrient Production System
for Long-duration Missions
A Clinical Decision Support System for
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Ames Research Center
BioNutrients Flight Experiments
When astronauts embark on long space missions, they’ll need to grow their own food because pre-packaged meals from Earth lose their nutritional value over time. The BioNutrients project at Ames Research Center’s Space Biosciences Division has solved this problem by using genetic engineering to create microbially-based food that can produce nutrients and compounds, such as medicines, with minimal resources. The process involves storing dried microbes and food-grade media in small bioreactors, which can be rehydrated and grown years later. The project has already produced carotenoids for antioxidants, follistatin for muscle loss, and yogurt and kefir for a healthy gut biome.
Astronaut mixing the yeast cultures in the Gen-0 bioreactors from the Bionutrients-1 ISS experiment. After a successful first mission, a more compact container was designed as the flat-pack Gen-1 bioreactors.Main Findings: Two different engineered baker’s yeasts were cultured in the BioNutrients-1 (BN-1) Gen-0 bioreactors, producing beta-carotene and zeaxanthin, and their ambient shelf life on the International Space Station (ISS) has now been demonstrated out to 3.9 years. Four additional organism types and products were flown on BioNutrients-2 (BN-2), demonstrating the production of carotenoids, follistatin, yogurt, and kefir products in the Gen-1 bioreactors which have a 91% reduced mass and a flat pack design. The shelf life of yeast-based products is expected to meet 5 years at ambient storage conditions. Analysis of yogurt and kefir is underway.
Impact: BN-1 and BN-2 successes pave the way for further biomanufacturing processes that will ensure the safe consumption of essential nutrients and compounds for long-duration space missions.
Co-Investigators: John Hogan and Frances Donovan
Team: Ball, N., Sharif, S., Downing, S., Gresser, A., Hami, R., Oscar, R., Hindupur, A., Hiromi, K., Kostakis, A., Levri, J., Murikami, M., Settles, A.M., Sims, K., Villanueva, A., Vu, S.
Spaceflight Atrophy Studied with Machine Learning
Background: Even intense exercise by astronauts cannot compensate for muscle atrophy caused by microgravity. Atrophy occurs, in part, by way of an underlying mechanism that regulates calcium uptake. Recent research has shown exposure to spaceflight alters the uptake of calcium in muscles. However, the molecular mechanisms that drive these changes are not well studied.
Researchers at Ames Research Center investigated these mechanisms by applying Machine Learning (ML) to identify patterns in datasets on mice exposed to microgravity. ML methods are particularly effective in identifying patterns in complex biological data and are suited for space biological research where small datasets are often combined to increase statistical power.
In the image above, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Expedition 32 flight engineer, exercises on the load-bearing treadmill in the ISS. Resistance training can counteract the negative health effects of microgravity on muscle atrophy, but new Ames Research Center research seeks to understand the physiological mechanisms at play to identify biomarkers that can inform innovative counter measures. The study was a project of NASA’s Space Life Sciences Training Program at Ames Research Center, which provided funding.
Findings: Machine Learning analysis shows molecular drivers to physiological changes in the calcium channel sarcoplasmic/ endoplasmic reticulum (SERCA) pump, leading to muscle changes and muscle loss in spaceflight rodents. ML models were created to identify proteins that could predict an organism’s resilience to microgravity with respect to calcium uptake in muscles. Specific proteins, Acyp1 and Rps7, were found to be the most predictive biomarkers associated with enhanced calcium intake in fast-twitch muscles.
Impact: This study offered a first look at the use of ML on calcium uptake in muscle when exposed to microgravity conditions. This study demonstrated the role of NASA’s open science initiative in accelerating space biology by its reliance on ARC’s Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) and Analysis Working Groups, as well as the involvement of an international research team from the US, Canada, Denmark, and Australia. Notably, the article’s first author was an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, demonstrating the unlimited potential of NASA-Berkeley collaborations in life sciences research with the upcoming Berkeley Space Center at NASA Research Park.
Reference: Li, K., Desai, R., Scott, R., Steele, J.,… Sanders, L., Costes, S. Explainable machine learning identifies multi-omics signatures of muscle response to spaceflight in mice. npj Microgravity 9, 90 (December 2023).
Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria Found on ISS Mutating to Become Functionally Distinct
In a new scientific paper funded by an Ames Space Biology grant, Principal Investigator Dr. Kasthuri Venkateswaran of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory strains of the bacterial species Enterobacter bugandensis isolated from the International Space Station (ISS) were studied. Thirteen strains of E. bugandensis, a bacterium notorious for being multi-drug resistant, were isolated from the ISS. Study findings indicate under stress, the ISS isolated strains were mutated and became genetically and functionally distinct compared to their Earth counterparts. The strains were able to viably persist in the ISS over time with a significant abundance. E. bugandensis coexisted with multiple other microorganisms, and in some cases could have helped those organisms survive.
Publication Impact: Closed human-built environments, such as the ISS, are unique areas that provide an extreme environment subject to microgravity, radiation, and elevated carbon dioxide levels. Any microorganisms introduced to these areas must adapt to thrive. By delving into microbial dynamics in extreme environments, this research opens doors to effective preventative measure for astronaut health.
Reference: Sengupta P, Muthamilselvi Sivabalan SK, Singh NK, Raman K, Venkateswaran K.
Genomic, functional, and metabolic enhancements in multidrug-resistant Enterobacter bugandensis facilitating its persistence and succession in the International Space Station. Microbiome. 2024 Mar 23;12:62. ISS results funded by a 2012 Space Biology NNH12ZTT001N grant nos. 19-12829-26 under Task Order NNN13D111T award to K.V., which also funded post-doctoral fellowship for N.K.S. K.R. acknowledges support from the Science and Engineering Board (SERB) MATRICS Grant MTR/2020/000490, IIT Madras, Centre for Integrative Biology and Systems mEdicine (IBSE) and Robert Bosch Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBCDSAI).
Comet Geyser: Perseverance’s 24th Rock Core
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Comet Geyser: Perseverance’s 24th Rock Core Mastcam-Z image (Sol 1088, zcam05068) of the Comet Geyser core. The partially illuminated core is visible in this image of Perseverance’s coring bit. The diameter of the core is 1.3 cm. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASUAfter investigating the high-standing bedrock at the Bunsen Peak workspace deep within the Margin Unit, the unique nature and composition of this rock was deemed worthy for collection of Perseverance’s 24th rock core sample, Comet Geyser!
Bunsen Peak is named after a prominent peak in Yellowstone National, Park, Wyoming, USA, and the namesake for Comet Geyser is the silica-sintered cone geyser also in Yellowstone National Park.
Although this rock’s origin remains under investigation and the rover team continues to explore different hypotheses, this core is particularly exciting because it appears to be composed primarily of two minerals: carbonate and silica. Carbonate and silica are both excellent minerals for preserving biosignatures (ancient signs of life). These minerals also have the potential to record the environmental conditions in which they formed, making them important minerals for understanding the habitability of Jezero crater billions of years ago.
The presence of carbonate within the Comet Geyser sample suggests that water, carbon dioxide, and chemical elements derived from rocks or sediments in and around ancient Jezero crater once reacted here to form carbonate. Carbonate minerals from Earth’s rock record are often used to reconstruct ancient climate–including conditions like temperature, precipitation, and aridity–and the history of life. Similarly, silica phases form when water interacts with rocks or sediments. The composition and crystallinity of silica can reveal the extent of the interaction with water, such as the intensity or duration of weathering and the pressure/temperature conditions during formation.
On Earth, biosignatures can be preserved in carbonate and silica for millions of years, or even billions of years in the case of silica. Some of the oldest evidence we have of life on Earth is from rocks that contain fragments of microbial cells that were “permineralized” by silica, a fossilization process that entombs the residues of ancient life and protects them from degradation. Thus, rocks containing these materials are considered among the highest priority samples for investigating whether Jezero crater was once host to microbial life. Perseverance’s 24th core sample at Bunsen Peak represents a significant milestone towards collection of a scientifically diverse set of samples for eventual return to Earth as part of the Mars Sample Return mission.
With rock core #24 now onboard, Perseverance presses forward towards its next strategic objective of investigating a location called Bright Angel, which is a light-toned outcrop exposed in the ancient channel wall of Neretva Vallis. Challenges may arise on this journey, as the terrain ahead is littered with sharp boulders and sand that are proving difficult for the rover’s auto-navigation system. The mission’s rover planners are working hard to manually navigate this tricky terrain. In the meantime, the science team is eagerly anticipating the secrets the rocks of Bright Angel may hold!
Written by Adrian Broz, Postdoctoral Scientist at Purdue University/University of Oregon
Share Details Last Updated Apr 16, 2024 Related Terms Explore More 3 min read Sols 4157-4158: What is That??Article
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NASA’s Dragonfly Rotorcraft Mission to Saturn’s Moon Titan Confirmed
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NASA’s Dragonfly Rotorcraft Mission to Saturn’s Moon Titan ConfirmedNASA has confirmed its Dragonfly rotorcraft mission to Saturn’s organic-rich moon Titan. The decision allows the mission to progress to completion of final design, followed by the construction and testing of the entire spacecraft and science instruments.
Artist’s concept of Dragonfly soaring over the dunes of Saturn’s moon Titan. NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben“Dragonfly is a spectacular science mission with broad community interest, and we are excited to take the next steps on this mission,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Exploring Titan will push the boundaries of what we can do with rotorcraft outside of Earth.”
In early 2023, the mission successfully passed all the success criteria of its Preliminary Design Review. At that time, however, the mission was asked to develop an updated budget and schedule to fit into the current funding environment. This updated plan was presented and conditionally approved in November 2023, pending the outcome of the fiscal year 2025 budget process. In the meantime, the mission was authorized to proceed with work on final mission design and fabrication to ensure that the mission stayed on schedule.
With the release of the president’s fiscal year 2025 budget request, Dragonfly is confirmed with a total lifecycle cost of $3.35 billion and a launch date of July 2028. This reflects a cost increase of about two times the proposed cost and a delay of more than two years from when the mission was originally selected in 2019. Following that selection, NASA had to direct the project to replan multiple times due to funding constraints in fiscal years 2020 through 2022. The project incurred additional costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain increases, and the results of an in-depth design iteration. To compensate for the delayed arrival at Titan, NASA also provided additional funding for a heavy-lift launch vehicle to shorten the mission’s cruise phase.
The rotorcraft, targeted to arrive at Titan in 2034, will fly to dozens of promising locations on the moon, looking for prebiotic chemical processes common on both Titan and the early Earth before life developed. Dragonfly marks the first time NASA will fly a vehicle for science on another planetary body. The rotorcraft has eight rotors and flies like a large drone.
Dragonfly is being designed and built under the direction of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, which manages the mission for NASA. Elizabeth Turtle of APL is the principal investigator. The team includes key partners at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado; NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California; NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia; Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania; Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, California; Honeybee Robotics in Pasadena, California; NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales) in Paris; the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne, Germany; and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) in Tokyo. Dragonfly is the fourth mission in NASA’s New Frontiers Program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
Share Details Last Updated Apr 16, 2024 Editor Bill Keeter Related TermsBioNutrients-3 Experiment Completed During Analog Astronaut Mission
From March 4 to 9 at the Hawaiian Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) located on Mauna Loa volcano on the Big Island, NASA Ames Scientist Katie Fisher participated as Mission Commander for the 6-day lunar analog. During the mission, she collaborated with the Synthetic Biology BioNutrients team to test continuous passaging and growth methods of BioNutrients-3 kefir cultures.
The mission was a great learning experience for the team of five international analog astronauts. They worked together to overcome connectivity issues and a power outage while still completing experiments, reports, and medical evaluations.
By successfully accomplishing the kefir passaging experiment the team has demonstrated the ability to produce daily fresh cultures of kefir that will provide future astronauts valuable probiotic cultures and nutrients. Overall, the experiment was simple to execute with minimal resources and time. The pH indicator and color board allowed the crew to easily determine when the culture had reached the optimal pH. All 15 experimental bags were shipped back to Ames and are pending analysis of pH, viability, and contamination checks.
Analog Astronauts Katie Fisher and Tuğcağ Dumlupinar of Turkey perform bag hydration and passaging step of kefir cultures. Top right: Pre-incubation. Bottom right: 24 h post-incubation. Pictures courtesy of Katie Fisher.NASA to Host a Pair of Briefings for Starliner Crew Flight
NASA will host two media opportunities on Thursday, April 25, in preparation for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. The mission is targeting launch at 10:34 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 6, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will lift off aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and dock at the orbiting laboratory, where they will stay for about a week.
As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, the mission is the first crewed flight for the Starliner spacecraft. The mission will test the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system, including launch, docking, and return to Earth in the western United States. Following a successful crewed flight test, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and systems for crewed missions to the space station.
The deadline for media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch has passed. The agency’s media credentialing policy is available online. For questions about media accreditation, please email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.
NASA’s coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
Thursday, April 25
1 p.m.: Crew arrival media event at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the following participants:
- Janet Petro, director, NASA Kennedy
- Dana Hutcherson, deputy program manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
- NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore
- NASA astronaut Suni Williams
Crew arrival will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media. Questions are limited to in-person media only. Follow Commercial Crew and Kennedy Space Center for the latest arrival updates.
6 p.m.: Flight Test Readiness Review media teleconference (no less than one hour following completion of the readiness review), with the following participants:
- Jim Free, NASA associate administrator
- Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
- Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
- Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
- Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Boeing Commercial Crew Program
Media may participate via phone only. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 4 p.m. on April 25, at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is changing the arc of human spaceflight history by opening access to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities. The space station remains the springboard to NASA’s next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.
For NASA’s launch blog and more information about the mission, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
-end-
Joshua Finch / Claire O’Shea
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / claire.a.oshea@nasa.gov
Steven Siceloff / Danielle Sempsrott / Stephanie Plucinsky
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-867-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov / danielle.c.sempsrott@nasa.gov / stephanie.n.plucinsky@nasa.gov
Leah Cheshier / Anna Schneider
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
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NASA’s VIPER Gets Its Head and Neck
The next full Moon is the Pink Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, Fish Moon, the Pesach or Passover Moon
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The next full Moon is the Pink Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, Fish Moon, the Pesach or Passover MoonThe next full Moon is the Pink Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, Fish Moon, the Pesach or Passover Moon, the Hanuman Jayanti Festival Moon, and Bak Poya.
The next full Moon will be Tuesday evening, April 23, 2024, appearing opposite the Sun (in Earth-based longitude) at 7:49 PM EDT. This will be on Wednesday from the time zones of the UK, Ireland, and Portugal eastward across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia to the International Date Line in the mid-Pacific. The Moon will appear full for about 3 days around this time, from Monday morning to Thursday morning.
The phases of the Moon for April 2024 NASA/JPL-CaltechThe Maine Farmers’ Almanac began publishing “Indian” names for full Moons in the 1930s and these names are now widely known and used. According to this almanac, as the full Moon in April the tribes of the northeastern United States called this the Pink Moon, named after the herb moss pink, also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox, or mountain phlox, a plant native to the eastern USA that is one of the earliest widespread flowers of spring. Other names for this Moon include the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Fish Moon, as this was when the shad swam upstream to spawn.
This is the Pesach or Passover Moon. In the Hebrew calendar this full Moon is in the middle of Nisan, with Pesach or Passover beginning on the 15th day of Nisan. Pesach or Passover begins at sundown on Monday, April 22, and ends at nightfall on April 30, 2024. The Seder feasts are on the first two evenings of Passover.
There are a number of variations of the Hindu lunisolar calendar, but for most regions this full Moon corresponds with the Hanuman Jayanti festival, the celebration of the birth of Lord Hanuman.
For Buddhists, especially in Sri Lanka, this full Moon is Bak Poya, commemorating when the Buddha visited Sri Lanka and settled a dispute between chiefs, avoiding a war.
This full Moon is near the middle of ShawwÄl, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar and the middle of the third month of the Chinese year of the Dragon.
As usual, the wearing of suitably celebratory celestial attire is encouraged in honor of the full Moon. Enjoy the early flowers and sprouting grass of spring, leave an extra seat at the table, and avoid starting any wars!
As for other celestial events between now and the full Moon after next (with specific times and angles based on the location of NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC):
As spring continues the daily periods of sunlight continue to lengthen, having changed at their fastest around the equinox on March 19, 2024. On Tuesday, April 23 (the day of the full Moon), morning twilight will begin at 5:18 AM EDT, sunrise will be at 6:20 AM, solar noon will be at 1:06 PM when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 64.0 degrees, sunset will be at 7:53 PM, and evening twilight will end at 8:56 PM. By Thursday, May 23 (the day of the full Moon after next), morning twilight will begin at 4:40 AM, sunrise will be at 5:49 AM, solar noon will be at 1:05 PM when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 71.9 degrees, sunset will be at 8:21 PM, and evening twilight will end at 9:30 PM.
Meteor ShowersThis year, the Aquariids (031 ETA) meteor shower is predicted to peak the afternoon of May 5, 2024 (when we can’t see them from the Washington, DC area). If you are in the tropics or the southern hemisphere, the predicted peak rate (under the best possible conditions) is about 50 visible meteors per hour (called zenithal hourly rate or ZHR). However, this meteor shower has a broad peak. As reported by the International Meteor Organization, data since 1984 show that ZHRs are generally above 30 from May 3 to May 10 and modeling suggests there may be enhanced activity near the peak sometime between May 4 and May 6.
Viewing conditions from the Washington, DC area will be far from ideal, as DC is on the northern edge of visibility. With the ZHR relatively low (compared to the three big meteor showers of the year) and the radiant low on the horizon, viewing these meteors from our light-polluted urban areas will be difficult. But if you find yourself out in the early morning between May 3 and May 10 in an area with clear, dark skies and a clear view towards the east-southeastern horizon, you may see some meteors! These meteors are caused by debris from Halley’s Comet entering our atmosphere at 66 kilometers per second (148,000 miles per hour).
For the DC area the time to look closest to the peak should be the early morning of Monday, May 6. The radiant (the point that the meteors will appear to radiate out from) will rise on the eastern horizon (around 2:35 AM EDT) about 2.5 hours before morning twilight beings. At radiant rise, half of the meteors are hidden by the horizon, so the higher the radiant, the better the viewing. The radiant will be about 27 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon by the time morning twilight begins (at 4:59 AM), so the hour or so before this should be the best time to look.
If you go looking for these meteors, be sure to give your eyes plenty of time to adapt to the dark. The rod cells in your eyes are more sensitive to low light levels but play little role in color vision. Your color-sensing cone cells are concentrated near the center of your view with more of the rod cells on the edge of your view. Since some meteors are faint, you will tend to see more meteors from the “corner of your eye” (which is why you need to view a large part of the sky). Your color vision (cone cells) will adapt to darkness in about 10 minutes, but your more sensitive night vision rod cells will continue to improve for an hour or more (with most of the improvement in the first 35 to 45 minutes). The more sensitive your eyes are, the more chance you will have of seeing meteors. Even a short exposure to light (from passing car headlights, etc.) will start the adaptation over again (so no turning on a light or your cell phone to check what time it is).
Evening Sky HighlightsOn the evening of Tuesday, April 23, 2024 (the evening of the day of the full Moon), as twilight ends (at 8:56 PM EDT), the rising Moon will be 10 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon. The bright planet Jupiter will be 4 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon. The bright object appearing closest to overhead will be Regulus at 63 degrees above the southern horizon. Regulus is the 21st brightest star in our night sky and the brightest star in the constellation Leo the lion. The Arabic name for Regulus translates as “the heart of the lion.” Although we see Regulus as a single star, it is actually four stars (two pairs of stars orbiting each other). Regulus is about 79 light-years from us.
As this lunar cycle progresses, Jupiter and the background of stars will appear to shift westward each evening (as the Earth moves around the Sun). April 29 will be the last evening Jupiter will be above the west-northwestern horizon as evening twilight ends. The waxing Moon will pass by Pollux on May 12, Regulus on May 15, and Spica on May 19.
By the evening of Thursday, May 23 (the evening of the day of the full Moon after next), as twilight ends (at 9:30 PM EDT), the rising Moon will be 4 degrees above the southeastern horizon with the bright star Antares just off the edge of the Moon. For parts of South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and parts of the eastern USA (including DC) the Moon will be passing in front of Antares, blocking it from view. The bright object appearing closest to overhead will be Arcturus at 60 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon. Arcturus is the brightest star in the constellation Boötes the herdsman or plowman and the 4th brightest star in our night sky. It is 36.7 light years from us. While it has about the same mass as our Sun, it is about 2.6 billion years older and has used up its core hydrogen, becoming a red giant 25 times the size and 170 times the brightness of our Sun.
Morning Sky HighlightsOn the morning of Tuesday, April 23, 2024 (the morning of the day of the full Moon), as twilight begins (at 5:18 AM EDT), the setting full Moon will be 7 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon with the bright star Spica 2.5 degrees to the lower left of the Moon. The planet Mars will be 5 degrees above the eastern horizon and the planet Saturn will be 7 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon. The planet Mercury will rise 22 minutes after morning twilight begins and will be faint, making it difficult to see in the glow of dawn. The bright object appearing closest to overhead will be the star Vega at 86 degrees above the eastern horizon. Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra the lyre and is one of the three bright stars in the “Summer Triangle” along with Deneb and Altair. Vega is the 5th brightest star in our night sky, about 25 light-years from Earth, twice the mass of our Sun, and shines 40 times brighter than our Sun.
As this lunar cycle progresses, Saturn and the background of stars will appear to shift westward each evening, while Mars will hover low on the eastern horizon, drifting slightly to the left. Mercury will brighten and shift higher in the eastern sky, making it easier to see in the glow of dawn, but will not rise until after morning twilight begins. Mercury will reach its greatest angular separation from the Sun on May 9. The waning Moon will pass by Antares on April 26 and 27, Saturn on May 4, Mars on May 5, and Mercury on May 6. Although viewing conditions will not be good from the DC area (and latitudes farther north), the η-Aquariids meteor shower will be near its peak from May 3 to May 10, with our peak viewing expected the hour or so before morning twilight begins on May 6.
By the morning of Thursday, May 23 (the morning of the day of the full Moon after next), as twilight begins (at 4:40 AM EDT), the setting full Moon will be 7 degrees above the southwestern horizon. The planet Mars will be 10 degrees above the eastern horizon and the planet Saturn will be 22 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon. Mercury will rise on the east-northeastern horizon 14 minutes after morning twilight begins. The bright object appearing closest to overhead will still be the star Vega at 78 degrees above the western horizon, with Deneb a close second at 76.5 degrees above the northeastern horizon.
Detailed Daily GuideHere for your reference is a day-by-day listing of celestial events between now and the full Moon after next. The times and angles are based on the location of NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC, and some of these details may differ for where you are (I use parentheses to indicate times specific to the DC area).
Wednesday evening into Thursday morning, April 17 to 18, 2024, the bright star Regulus will be to the lower left of the waxing gibbous Moon. As twilight ends (at 8:49 PM EDT) Regulus will be 7.5 degrees from the Moon. When Regulus sets on the west-northwestern horizon (at 4:12 AM) it will be 4.5 degrees from the Moon.
Thursday evening into Friday morning, April 18 to 19, 2024, the waxing gibbous Moon will have shifted to the other side of the bright star Regulus. As twilight ends (at 8:50 PM EDT) Regulus will be 6 degrees to the upper right of the Moon. About 1 hour later (at 9:53 PM) the Moon will reach its highest for the night with Regulus 6 degrees to the right. Regulus will rotate clockwise and away from the Moon as the night progresses, reaching about 8 degrees to the lower right around 3 AM.
Friday night, April 19, 2024, at 10:09 PM EDT, the waxing gibbous Moon will be at apogee, its farthest from the Earth for this orbit.
Friday morning, April 19, 2024, will be the first morning that the planet Mercury will rise on the eastern horizon more than 30 minutes before sunrise, a very rough estimate of the earliest it might start being visible in the glow of dawn. Mercury will be quite faint, but will brighten each morning as it shows a larger illuminated crescent towards the Earth. However, this will not be a favorable apparition for Mercury viewing, as even at its highest it will not rise before twilight begins.
Sunday, April 21, 2024 will be when the comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will be at its closest to the Sun. The week or two before this might be a good time to look for this comet with binoculars. If the trail of gas and dust the comet is giving off doesn’t change significantly (a very big and uncertain “if”) then the brightness of the comet should increase to a maximum on April 21. However, interference from the light of the waxing Moon will also increase beginning April 9, and the comet will shift closer to the horizon each evening. As twilight ends on April 21 (at 8:53 PM EDT) the Moon will be 96% illuminated and the comet will be only 2.7 degrees above the horizon. April 24 will be the last evening the comet will be above the horizon before evening twilight ends (at 8:57 PM).
Monday, April 22, 2024, is International Mother Earth Day. See https://www.un.org/en/observances/earth-day for more information.
Monday evening into Tuesday morning, April 22 to 23, 2024, the bright star Spica will be to the lower right of the full Moon. Spica will be a little more than 1 degree from the Moon as twilight ends and will shift closer until little before midnight, after which they will separate again. Spica will be 1 degree from the Moon as the Moon reaches its highest for the night (at 12:31 AM EDT) and will be 2.5 degrees from the Moon as twilight begins (at 5:18 AM).
As mentioned above, the full Moon will be Tuesday evening, April 23, 2024, at 7:49 PM EDT. This will be on Wednesday from the time zones of the UK, Ireland, and Portugal eastward across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia to the International Date Line. The Moon will appear full for about 3 days centered on this time, from Monday morning to Thursday morning.
Friday morning, April 26, 2024, the bright star Antares will be near the waning gibbous Moon. Antares will be about 8 degrees to the lower left around midnight, about 7 degrees to the left around the time the Moon reaches its highest for the night (at 2:48 AM EDT), and about 6 degrees to the upper left as morning twilight begins (at 5:13 AM). For parts of the Arabian Peninsula, the Horn of Africa, and the Indian Ocean, the Moon will actually block Antares from view. See http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/bstar/0426zc2366.htm for a map and information on the areas that can see this occultation.
By late Friday night into Saturday morning, April 26 to 27, 2024, the waning gibbous Moon will have moved to the other side of the bright star Antares. As the Moon rises (at 11:09 PM EDT) Antares will be 4 degrees to the upper right, and will shift clockwise and away from the Moon as the night progresses, appearing 6 degrees to the upper right when the Moon is at its highest (at 3:42 AM) and 7 degrees to the lower right as morning twilight begins (at 5:12 AM).
Monday evening, April 29, 2024, will be the last evening that the planet Jupiter will be above the west-northwestern horizon as evening twilight ends (at 9:03 PM EDT).
Wednesday morning, May 1, 2024, the waning Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its last quarter at 7:27 AM EDT (when the Moon will be visible in our daylight sky).
Saturday morning, May 4, 2024, the planet Saturn will be 6 degrees to the upper right of the waning crescent Moon with the planet Mars 9 degrees to the lower left of the Moon. On the eastern horizon, Saturn will rise first (at 3:51 AM EDT), the Moon next 17 minutes later (at 4:09 AM), and Mars last 18 minutes after that (at 4:27 AM). The Moon will be 9 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon as morning twilight begins (at 5:02 AM). Later in the day (when we can’t see) the Moon will shift past Mars. For part of the Indian Ocean off of Madagascar, the Moon will actually block Mars from view. See http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/planets/0505mars.htm for a map and information on the areas that can see this occultation.
Sunday morning, May 5, 2024, the waning crescent Moon will have shifted to the other side of Mars. The Moon will rise last (at 4:35 AM EDT) on the eastern horizon with Mars 4 degrees to the upper right. The Moon will be 4 degrees above the horizon as morning twilight begins (at 5 AM).
As described in the summary above, the η-Aquariids (031 ETA) meteor shower is expected to peak when North America is on the wrong side of our planet. For dark, rural areas near Washington, DC, the time to look closest to the peak should be the early morning of Monday, May 6, 2024. The radiant (the point that the meteors will appear to radiate out from) will rise on the eastern horizon (around 2:35 AM EDT) about 2.5 hours before morning twilight begins and will reach 27 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon as morning twilight begins (at 4:59 AM). The higher the radiant, the better the viewing, so the hour or so before the start of twilight should be the best time to look. Seeing these meteors from our light-polluted urban areas (like Washington, DC) will be very difficult, but if you find yourself in an area with clear, dark skies and a clear view towards the east-southeastern horizon between May 3 and May 10 an hour or so before morning twilight begins, you may see some meteors.
Sunday evening, May 5, 2024, at 6:11 PM EDT, the waning crescent Moon will be at perigee, its closest to the Earth for this orbit.
Monday morning, May 6, 2024, if you have a very clear view of the east-northeastern horizon, you might be able to see in the glow of dawn the planet Mercury 3.5 degrees to the lower right of the thin, waning crescent Moon. Mercury will rise last (at 5:09 AM EDT) 10 minutes after morning twilight begins (at 4:59 AM). Mercury will likely be easier to see, as the Moon will be a very thin crescent that you may need binoculars to spot.
Tuesday night, May 7, 2024, at 11:22 PM EDT, will be the new Moon, when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible.
The day of or the day after the New Moon marks the start of the new month for most lunar and lunisolar calendars. The fourth month of the Chinese calendar starts on May 8, 2024. In the Islamic calendar the months traditionally start with the first sighting of the waxing crescent Moon. Many Muslim communities now follow the Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia, which uses astronomical calculations to start months in a more predictable way. Using this calendar, sundown on Wednesday evening, May 8, will probably mark the beginning of Dhu al-Qadah, the eleventh month of the Islamic calendar. Dhu al-Qadah is also called “Master of Truces” and is one of the four sacred months in Islam during which warfare is prohibited (except in self defense).
Thursday afternoon, May 9, 2024, will be when the planet Mercury reaches its greatest angular separation from the Sun as seen from the Earth for this apparition (called greatest elongation). Although Mercury will be bright enough to see in the glow of dawn, for this apparition it will not be above the horizon before morning twilight begins.
Sunday evening into early Monday morning, May 12 to 13, 2024, the bright star Pollux, the brighter of the twin stars in the constellation Gemini the twins, will be to the right of the waxing crescent Moon. Pollux will be 2.5 degrees from the Moon as evening twilight ends (at 9:18 PM EDT). By the time the Moon and Pollux set together on the northwestern horizon (at 1:14 AM) they will be 4 degrees apart.
Wednesday morning May 15, 2024, the Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its first quarter at 7:48 AM EDT (when the Moon will be below our horizon).
Friday afternoon, May 17, 2024, at 3 PM EDT, the waxing gibbous Moon will be at apogee, its farthest from the Earth for this orbit.
Saturday afternoon, May 18, 2024, the bright planet Jupiter will be passing on the far side of the Sun as seen from the Earth, called conjunction. Because Jupiter orbits outside of the orbit of Earth it will be shifting from the evening sky to the morning sky and will begin emerging from the glow of dawn on the east-northeastern horizon in early June (depending upon viewing conditions).
Sunday evening into Monday morning, May 19 to 20, 2024, the bright star Spica will be near the waxing gibbous Moon. Spica will be 4.5 degrees to the lower left of the Moon as evening twilight ends (at 9:26 PM EDT). The Moon will reach its highest in the sky for the night an hour later (at 10:28 PM) with Spica 4 degrees to the lower left. By the time the Moon sets on the west-southwestern horizon (at 4:06 AM) Spica will be 2 degrees to the left of the Moon.
The full Moon after next will be on Thursday morning, May 23, 2024, at 9:53 AM EDT. This will be on Friday morning from the Lord Howe time zone eastward to the International Date Line. The Moon will appear full for about three days around this time, from Tuesday night through early Friday evening. Thursday night the bright star Antares will appear so close to the Moon that for the Washington, DC area, the Moon will pass in front of Antares, blocking it from view, although the brightness of the full Moon will make it difficult to see the star vanish behind the Moon.
SWOT Satellite Helps Gauge the Depth of Death Valley’s Temporary Lake
Data from the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission helped researchers to calculate the depth of water in this transient freshwater body.
California’s Death Valley, the driest place in North America, has hosted an ephemeral lake since late 2023. A NASA-led analysis recently calculated water depths in the temporary lake over several weeks in February and March 2024, demonstrating the capabilities of the U.S.-French Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, which launched in December 2022.
The analysis found that water depths in the lake ranged from about 3 feet (1 meter) to less than 1.5 feet (0.5 meters) over the course of about 6 weeks. This period included a series of storms that swept across California, bringing record amounts of rainfall.
To estimate the depth of the lake, known informally as Lake Manly, researchers used water level data collected by SWOT and subtracted corresponding U.S. Geological Survey land elevation information for Badwater Basin.
The researchers found that the water levels varied across space and time in the roughly 10-day period between SWOT observations. In the visualization above, water depths of about 3 feet (1 meter) appear dark blue; those of less than 1.5 feet (0.5 meters) appear light yellow. Right after a series of storms in early February, the temporary lake was about 6 miles (10 kilometers) long and 3 miles (5 kilometers) wide. Each pixel in the image represents an area that is about 330 feet by 330 feet (100 meters by 100 meters).
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Using data from SWOT, this video shows changes in water depth for Death Valley’s temporary lake from February into March of this year. Depths ranged between about 3 feet (1 meter) deep (dark blue) to less than 1.5 feet (0.5 meters) deep (light yellow). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech“This is a really cool example of how SWOT can track how unique lake systems work,” said Tamlin Pavelsky, the NASA freshwater science lead for SWOT and a hydrologist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Unlike many lakes around the world, Death Valley’s lake is temporary, relatively shallow, and strong winds are enough to move the freshwater body a couple of miles, as happened from Feb. 29 to March 2. Since there isn’t typically water in Badwater Basin, researchers don’t have permanent instruments in place for studying water in this area. SWOT can fill the data gap for when places like this, and others around the world, become inundated.
Since shortly after launch, SWOT has been measuring the height of nearly all water on Earth’s surface, developing one of the most detailed and comprehensive views of the planet’s oceans and freshwater lakes and rivers. Not only can the satellite detect the extent of water, as other satellites can, but SWOT is also able to measure water surface levels. Combined with other types of information, SWOT measurements can yield water depth data for inland features like lakes and rivers.
The SWOT science team makes its measurements using the Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) instrument. With two antennas spread 33 feet (10 meters) apart on a boom, KaRIn produces a pair of data swaths as it circles the globe, bouncing radar pulses off water surfaces to collect surface-height information.
“We’ve never flown a Ka-band radar like the KaRIn instrument on a satellite before,” said Pavelsky, so the data represented by the graphic above is also important for scientists and engineers to better understand how this kind of radar works from orbit.
More About the MissionLaunched in December 2022 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in central California, SWOT is now in its operations phase, collecting data that will be used for research and other purposes.
SWOT was jointly developed by NASA and the French space agency, CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales), with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the UK Space Agency. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, leads the U.S. component of the project. For the flight system payload, NASA provided the KaRIn instrument, a GPS science receiver, a laser retroreflector, a two-beam microwave radiometer, and NASA instrument operations. CNES provided the Doppler Orbitography and Radioposition Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) system, the dual frequency Poseidon altimeter (developed by Thales Alenia Space), the KaRIn radio-frequency subsystem (together with Thales Alenia Space and with support from the UK Space Agency), the satellite platform, and ground operations. CSA provided the KaRIn high-power transmitter assembly. NASA provided the launch vehicle and the agency’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy Space Center, managed the associated launch services.
To learn more about SWOT, visit:
News Media ContactsJane J. Lee / Andrew Wang
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-0307 / 626-379-6874
jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov / andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov
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Share Details Last Updated Apr 15, 2024 Related Terms Explore More 4 min read The Ocean Touches Everything: Celebrate Earth Day with NASA Article 4 days ago 3 min read Tech Today: Folding NASA Experience into an Origami ToolkitMath for designing lasers becomes artist’s key to creating complex crease patterns
Article 4 days ago 4 min read Media Get Close-Up of NASA’s Jupiter-Bound Europa Clipper Article 5 days agoSeeing the Solar Eclipse from 223,000 Miles Away
Seeing the Solar Eclipse from 223,000 Miles Away
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse from hundreds of thousands of miles away. The camera suite aboard the LRO usually retrieves high resolution black and white images of the Moon’s surface; these images provide knowledge of polar illumination conditions, identify potential resources, hazards, and enable safe landing site selection. To take an image of Earth, the LRO has to rapidly rotate to build up the image.
Learn more about the LRO’s cameras and how this image was taken.
Image Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University
NASA Welcomes Switzerland as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory
Switzerland became the 37th country to sign the Artemis Accords at NASA Headquarters in Washington on Monday, April 15, affirming Switzerland’s commitment to the sustainable and beneficial use of space for all humankind.
“Today, we marked a giant leap forward in the partnership between the United States and Switzerland,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “As we welcome you into the Artemis Accords family, we expand our commitment to explore the unknown openly and peacefully. Discovery strengthens goodwill on Earth, and we are excited to expand our countries’ shared values and principles to the cosmos.”
At approximately 11:30 a.m., Guy Parmelin, Swiss Federal Councillor and Minister for Economic Affairs, Education & Research, signed the Accords on behalf of Switzerland. Other participants in the ceremony included:
- Valda Vikmanis-Keller, acting deputy assistant secretary, Department of State
- Martina Hirayama, state secretary, Head of the State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation
- Jacques Pitteloud, Swiss Ambassador to the U.S.
- ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Marco Sieber, Swiss national
- Renato Krpoun, Head of Swiss Space Office
- Professor Peter Wurz, Director Space and Planetary Sciences, University of Bern
“Switzerland has a long-standing partnership with NASA on human space exploration as well as space and Earth sciences,” said Parmelin. “With the signature of the Artemis Accords we renew our commitment to jointly explore the heavens above us.”
The Artemis Accords, established by NASA and the U.S. Department of State in 2020, reinforce the 1968 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies otherwise known as the Outer Space Treaty. They also emphasize a commitment on behalf of the U.S. to the Registration Convention, the Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, and other standards that NASA and its partners support.
Many more countries are anticipated to join the Artemis Accords in the months and years to come, as NASA continues to facilitate a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space with its international partners.
For more information on the Artemis Accords, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords
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Lauren Low
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
lauren.e.low@nasa.gov
NASA Sets Path to Return Mars Samples, Seeks Innovative Designs
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson shared on Monday the agency’s path forward on the Mars Sample Return program, including seeking innovative designs to return valuable samples from Mars to Earth. Such samples will not only help us understand the formation and evolution of our solar system but can be used to prepare for future human explorers and to aid in NASA’s search for signs of ancient life.
Over the last quarter century, NASA has engaged in a systematic effort to determine the early history of Mars and how it can help us understand the formation and evolution of habitable worlds, including Earth. As part of that effort, Mars Sample Return has been a long-term goal of international planetary exploration for the past two decades. NASA’s Perseverance rover has been collecting samples for later collection and return to Earth since it landed on Mars in 2021.
“Mars Sample Return will be one of the most complex missions NASA has ever undertaken. The bottom line is, an $11 billion budget is too expensive, and a 2040 return date is too far away,” said Nelson. “Safely landing and collecting the samples, launching a rocket with the samples off another planet – which has never been done before – and safely transporting the samples more than 33 million miles back to Earth is no small task. We need to look outside the box to find a way ahead that is both affordable and returns samples in a reasonable timeframe.”
The agency also has released NASA’s response to a Mars Sample Return Independent Review Board report from September 2023. This includes: an updated mission design with reduced complexity; improved resiliency; risk posture; stronger accountability and coordination; and an overall budget likely in the $8 billion to $11 billion range. Given the Fiscal Year 2025 budget and anticipated budget constraints, as well as the need to maintain a balanced science portfolio, the current mission design will return samples in 2040.
To achieve the ambitious goal of returning the key samples to Earth earlier and at a lower cost, the agency is asking the NASA community to work together to develop a revised plan that leverages innovation and proven technology. Additionally, NASA soon will solicit architecture proposals from industry that could return samples in the 2030s, and lowers cost, risk, and mission complexity.
“NASA does visionary science – and returning diverse, scientifically-relevant samples from Mars is a key priority,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “To organize a mission at this level of complexity, we employ decades of lessons on how to run a large mission, including incorporating the input we get from conducting independent reviews. Our next steps will position us to bring this transformational mission forward and deliver revolutionary science from Mars – providing critical new insights into the origins and evolution of Mars, our solar system, and life on Earth.”
For more information about NASA’s research at Mars, visit:
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Dewayne Washington / Karen Fox
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
dewayne.a.washington@nasa.gov / karen.fox@nasa.gov
NASA’s LRO Observes 2024 Solar Eclipse Shadow
2 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)As the Moon blotted out the Sun to viewers across the United States during the April 8 solar eclipse, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured an image from some 223,000 miles away of the highly anticipated celestial event.
This spectacular image showing the Moon’s shadow on Earth’s surface was acquired during a 20-second period starting at 2:59 p.m. EDT (18:59:19 UTC) on April 8, 2024, by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. When LRO acquired this image, the shadow of the Moon was centered near Cape Girardeau, Mo.NASA/Goddard/Arizona State UniversityThere are three cameras that comprise the LRO camera (LROC) suite: two Narrow Angle Cameras (NAC) and one Wide Angle Camera. The Earth’s image with the shadow in it was acquired by one of the two Narrow Angle Cameras.
The LROC Narrow Angle Cameras are line scanner cameras: they only have one line of pixels, and images are built up line-by-line by the spacecraft’s motion as it orbits the Moon.
Acquiring an image of Earth requires the spacecraft to rapidly rotate to build up the image.
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) image of the eclipse shadow over Mexico and the southern U.S. was captured starting at 2:59 p.m. EDT (18:59:19 UTC) on April 8, 2024.NASA/Goddard/Arizona State UniversityLRO 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.
By Mark Robinson, Arizona State University, Tempe, and edited by Nancy Neal Jones, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
More on this story from Arizona State University’s LRO Camera websiteMedia Contact:
Nancy Neal Jones
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
NASA Selects New Crew for Next Simulated Mars Journey
NASA has selected a new crew of four volunteers to participate in a simulated mission to Mars within a habitat at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Jason Lee, Stephanie Navarro, Shareef Al Romaithi, and Piyumi Wijesekara will step into the agency’s Human Exploration Research Analog, or HERA, on Friday, May 10. Once inside, the team will live and work like astronauts for 45 days. The crew will exit the facility on June 24 after they “return” to Earth. Jose Baca and Brandon Kent are this mission’s alternate crew members.
HERA enables scientists to study how crew members adapt to isolation, confinement, and remote conditions before NASA sends astronauts on deep space missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Crew members will carry out scientific research and operational tasks throughout their simulated mission to the Red Planet, including a “walk” on Mars’s surface using virtual reality. They will also experience increasing communication delays lasting up to five minutes each way with Mission Control Center as they “near” Mars.
This crew is the second group of volunteers to participate in a simulated Mars mission in HERA this year. The most recent crew completed its HERA mission on March 18. Two other missions will follow this year, with the final HERA crew slated to wrap up on Dec. 20.
In a first for HERA, one crew member, Shareef Al Romaithi, hails from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and will participate in the mission through a partnership between NASA and the UAE’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC).
As with the previous HERA mission this year, NASA’s Human Research Program is conducting 18 human health studies during the mission. The experiments will evaluate the physiological, behavioral, and psychological responses of crew members in an environment similar to what astronauts will face on a trip to Mars. Seven of these studies are collaborations with the MBRSC and the European Space Agency (ESA). Insights gleaned from the studies will allow researchers to develop and test strategies aimed at helping astronauts overcome obstacles on long missions deep into space.
The primary crew of the upcoming mission is:
Primary CrewJason Lee
Jason Lee is an associate professor-in-residence at the University of Connecticut’s School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering. He teaches thermal fluids, manufacturing, and sports engineering courses. He also serves as his university’s mechanical engineering undergraduate director and its NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium campus director.
Lee holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and master’s and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. His graduate research focused on manufacturing processes involving heat transfer and the characterization of heat shielding materials. He completed a postdoctoral degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, studying high-strength nanofibers.
Lee lives in Boston. In his spare time, he enjoys running, martial arts, chess, and indoor rock climbing. He also likes to watch movies and plays, try new cuisines, spend time with friends, and visit his nephew and nieces.
Stephanie Navarro
Stephanie Navarro is a space operations officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. She has more than a decade of prior enlisted service in the Air National Guard and was deployed in support of Operation Freedom Sentinel to help provide secure communication capabilities in the Middle East. She began her civilian career as an information technology specialist for the U.S. Army, providing systems engineering for data-center modernization efforts in Hawaii. Navarro currently works at Northrop Grumman as a senior systems engineer, specializing in satellite communication programs.
Navarro earned her bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. While pursuing her undergraduate studies, she served the constituents of Florida as a congressional intern for both the U.S. House and Senate. She recently completed a model-based systems engineering certificate program from Caltech and is working toward a master’s degree in cybersecurity from the University of Maryland Global Campus.
Born and raised by Ecuadorian parents in Miami, Navarro has strong ties to her cultural heritage. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling the world, studying for her pilot’s license, and immersing herself in various culinary experiences. During her spare time, she is either working out, at the beach, or in the air flying a Cessna 172. She lives in Orlando, Florida.
Shareef Al Romaithi
Shareef Al Romaithi is a pilot with more than 16 years of experience in the airline industry, including more than 9,000 flight hours on multiple Airbus and Boeing aircraft. Currently, he commands Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft as a captain, underscoring his expertise and leadership in aviation.
Al Romaithi received a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and three master’s degrees from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, focusing on aerospace and aviation management, safety systems, and space operations, respectively. He went on to earn a doctorate degree in aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2014, specializing in safety systems and human factors. These degrees were based at the university’s Dayton Beach campus, except for the master’s focusing on space operations, which was from the university’s worldwide campus. He is the world’s youngest and eighth graduate to attain a doctorate degree in aviation.
Al Romaithi currently lives in Abu Dhabi, UAE. He joins HERA through a partnership between NASA and MBRSC. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, reading, and traveling.
Piyumi Wijesekara
Piyumi Wijesekara is a postdoctoral research scientist in the Radiation Biophysics Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. Her research focuses on developing tissue models to investigate the effects of spaceflight stressors, including ionizing radiation and lunar dust on the human respiratory system.
Wijesekara earned her bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego, and her master’s and doctorate degrees in biomedical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Penn. Her doctoral research focused on stem cell and organ engineering, with an emphasis on engineering lung models that mimic human lung physiology, to study respiratory diseases.
Wijesekara currently lives in San Francisco. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, running along the San Francisco Bay, reading, hiking, volunteering at the food pantry, and attending concerts and musicals.
Alternate CrewJose Baca
Jose Baca is an assistant professor in the department of engineering at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. His research interests involve designing modular systems, enhancing the capabilities of uncrewed autonomous vehicles, and coordinating multi-robot teams through complex environments.
Baca received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Instituto Tecnologico de Matamoros in Mexico. He then earned a master’s degree in mechatronics from the University of Applied Science of Aachen, Germany, and a doctorate degree in automation and robotics from the Universidad Politecnica in Madrid, Spain.
Baca went on to work as a postdoctoral researcher in the computer science department at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. There, he became involved in a research project funded by NASA that sought to develop a reconfigurable robotic system capable of transforming itself to overcome obstacles and explore unknown scenarios. Through this work, he also began undertaking projects aimed at supporting astronauts during long-duration space missions.
In his free time, Baca promotes science, technology, engineering, and math activities for students in elementary school through college, with a particular focus on engineering and robotics. He lives in Corpus Christi, Texas and enjoys exercising, exploring new places, experiencing new cultures and cuisines, and spending time with family.
Brandon Kent
Brandon Kent is a medical director in the pharmaceutical industry, supporting ongoing global efforts to develop new therapies across cancer types.
Kent holds bachelor’s degrees in both biochemistry and biology from North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He earned his doctorate in biomedicine from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, where his work primarily focused on how genetic factors regulate early embryonic development and cancer development.
Following graduate school, Kent moved into scientific and medical communications consulting in oncology, with a primary focus on clinical trial data disclosures, scientific exchange, and medical education initiatives.
Kent and his wife have two daughters. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his daughters, flying private aircraft, hiking, staying physically fit, and reading. He lives in Kinnelon, New Jersey.
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NASA’s Human Research Program
NASA’s Human Research Program, or HRP, pursues the best methods and technologies to support safe, productive human space travel. Through science conducted in laboratories, ground-based analogs, and the International Space Station, HRP scrutinizes how spaceflight affects human bodies and behaviors. Such research drives HRP’s quest to innovate ways that keep astronauts healthy and mission-ready as space travel expands to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
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