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1 Min Read Oral History with R. Walter Cunningham Lunar module pilot Walter Cunningham writes with a space pen as he performs flight tasks on the ninth day of the Apollo 7 mission. Credits: NASA

Selected for NASA’s third astronaut class in 1963, Cunningham served as the backup Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 1. He piloted the 11-day flight of Apollo 7 in October 1968, the first manned flight test of the Apollo spacecraft. The crew executed maneuvers enabling them to practice for upcoming Apollo lunar orbit rendezvous missions and provided the first live television transmission of onboard crew activities. Cunningham served as the Chief of the Skylab branch under the Flight Crew Directorate at Johnson Space Center in 1969 until his retirement and move to the private sector in 1971.

Read more about R. Walter Cunningham

• NASA Oral History, May 24, 1999
• NASA Biography
• Apollo Astronaut Walter Cunningham Dies at 90

The transcripts available on this site are created from audio-recorded oral history interviews. To preserve the integrity of the audio record, the transcripts are presented with limited revisions and thus reflect the candid conversational style of the oral history format. Brackets and ellipses indicate where the text has been annotated or edited for clarity. Any personal opinions expressed in the interviews should not be considered the official views or opinions of NASA, the NASA History Office, NASA historians, or staff members.

1 Min Read Oral History with Karol J. Bobko View of STS 51-D crew commander Karol Bobko training with the Arriflex 16mm camera. Credits: NASA

A veteran of three space flights, Karol J. “Bo” Bobko was selected as an astronaut in 1969 and served as a crewmember on the Skylab Medical Experiments Altitude Test (SMEAT) 56-day ground simulation in preparation for the Skylab missions. He served in various positions supporting the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and the first Approach and Landing Tests for the Space Shuttle before flying as the STS-6 pilot and as the mission commander on STS-51D and STS-51J.

Read more about Karol J. “Bo” Bobko

• NASA Oral History, February 12, 2002
• NASA Biography

The transcripts available on this site are created from audio-recorded oral history interviews. To preserve the integrity of the audio record, the transcripts are presented with limited revisions and thus reflect the candid conversational style of the oral history format. Brackets and ellipses indicate where the text has been annotated or edited for clarity. Any personal opinions expressed in the interviews should not be considered the official views or opinions of NASA, the NASA History Office, NASA historians, or staff members.

(Oct. 25, 2024) — NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams is pictured at the galley inside the International Space Station’s Unity module at the beginning of her day.Credit: NASA

Students from Colorado will have the opportunity to hear NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams answer their prerecorded questions aboard the International Space Station on Thursday, Nov. 14.

Watch the 20-minute space-to-Earth call at 1 p.m. EST on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content on various platforms, including social media.

The JEKL Institute for Global Equity and Access, in partnership with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, will host students from the Denver School of Science and Technology for the event. Students are building CubeSat emulators to launch on high-altitude balloons, and their work will drive their questions with crew.

Media interested in covering the event must RSVP by 5 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 13, to Daniela Di Napoli at: daniela.dinapoli@scienceandtech.org or 832-656-5231.

For more than 24 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN’s (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network.

Important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the space station benefit people on Earth and lays the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars; inspiring Artemis Generation explorers and ensuring the United States continues to lead in space exploration and discovery.

See videos and lesson plans highlighting space station research at:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

-end-

Tiernan Doyle
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
tiernan.doyle@nasa.gov

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

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Details Last Updated Nov 12, 2024 EditorTiernan P. DoyleLocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms

• International Space Station (ISS)
• Astronauts
• Communicating and Navigating with Missions
• Humans in Space
• ISS Research
• Johnson Space Center
• Near Space Network
• Space Communications & Navigation Program
• Sunita L. Williams

On Sept. 20, 2024, four students experienced the wonder of space exploration at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, taking part in an international competition that brought their work to life aboard the International Space Station.  

Now in its fifth year, the Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Kibo-RPC) continues to push the boundaries of robotics, bringing together the world’s brightest young minds for a real-world test of programming, problem-solving, and innovation.

The Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Kibo-RPC) students tour the Gateway Habitation and Logistics Outpost module at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.NASA/Helen Arase Vargas

The stakes reached new heights in this year’s competition, with 661 teams totaling 2,788 students from 35 countries and regions competing to program robots aboard the orbiting laboratory. Organized by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, the challenge provided a unique platform for students to test their skills on a global stage. 

Meet Team Salcedo 

Representing the U.S., Team Salcedo is composed of four talented students: Aaron Kantsevoy, Gabriel Ashkenazi, Justin Bonner, and Lucas Paschke. Each member brought a unique skill set and perspective, contributing to the team’s well-rounded approach to the challenge. 

From left to right are Kibo-RPC students Gabriel Ashkenazi, Lucas Paschke, Aaron Kantsevoy, and Justin Bonner. NASA/Helen Arase Vargas

The team was named in honor of Dr. Alvaro Salcedo, a robotics teacher and competitive robotics coach who had a significant impact on Kantsevoy and Bonner during high school. Dr. Salcedo played a crucial role in shaping their interests and aspirations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), inspiring them to pursue careers in these fields. 

Kantsevoy, a computer science major at Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, led the team with three years of Kibo-RPC experience and a deep interest in robotics and space-based agriculture. Bonner, a second-year student at the University of Miami, is pursuing a triple major in computer science, artificial intelligence, and mathematics. Known for his quick problem-solving, he played a key role as a strategist and computer vision expert. Paschke, a first-time participant and computer science student at Georgia Tech, focused on intelligence systems and architecture, and brought fresh insights to the table. Ashkenazi, also studying computer science at Georgia Tech, specialized in computer vision and DevOps, adding depth to the team’s technical capabilities. 

AstroBee Takes Flight 

The 2024 competition tasked students with programming AstroBee, a free-flying robot aboard the station, to navigate a complex course while capturing images scattered across the orbital outpost. For Team Salcedo, the challenge reached its peak as their code was tested live on the space station.  

The Kibo-RPC students watch their code direct Astrobee’s movements at Johnson Space Center with NASA Program Specialist Jamie Semple on Sept. 20, 2024.NASA/Helen Arase Vargas

The robot executed its commands in real time, maneuvering through the designated course to demonstrate precision, speed, and adaptability in the microgravity environment. Watching AstroBee in action aboard the space station offered a rare glimpse of the direct impact of their programming skills and added a layer of excitement that pushed them to fine-tune their approach. 

Overcoming Challenges in Real Time 

Navigating AstroBee through the orbital outpost presented a set of unique challenges. The team had to ensure the robot could identify and target images scattered throughout the station with precision while minimizing the time spent between locations.  

The Kibo-RPC students watch in real time as the free-flying robot Astrobee performs maneuvers aboard the International Space Station, executing tasks based on their input to test its capabilities. NASA/Helen Arase Vargas

Using quaternions for smooth rotation in 3D space, they fine-tuned AstroBee’s movements to adjust camera angles and capture images from difficult positions without succumbing to the limitations of gimbal lock. Multithreading allowed the robot to simultaneously process images and move to the next target, optimizing the use of time in the fast-paced environment. 

The Power of Teamwork and Mentorship 

Working across different locations and time zones, Team Salcedo established a structured communication system to ensure seamless collaboration. Understanding each team member’s workflow and adjusting expectations accordingly helped them maintain efficiency, even when setbacks occurred. 

Team Salcedo tour the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility with their NASA mentors (from top left to right) Education Coordinator Kaylie Mims, International Space Station Research Portfolio Manager Jorge Sotomayer, and Kibo-RPC Activity Manager Jamie Semple. NASA/Helen Arase Vargas

Mentorship was crucial to their success, with the team crediting several advisors and educators for their guidance. Kantsevoy acknowledged his first STEM mentor, Casey Kleiman, who sparked his passion for robotics in middle school.  

The team expressed gratitude to their Johnson mentors, including NASA Program Specialist Jamie Semple, Education Coordinator Kaylie Mims, and International Space Station Research Portfolio Manager Jorge Sotomayer, for guiding them through the program’s processes and providing support throughout the competition. 

They also thanked NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement for offering the opportunity to present their project to Johnson employees.  

“The challenge mirrors how the NASA workforce collaborates to achieve success in a highly technical environment. Team Salcedo has increased their knowledge and learned skills that they most likely would not have acquired individually,” said Semple. “As with all of our student design challenges, we hope this experience encourages the team to continue their work and studies to hopefully return to NASA in the future as full-time employees.” 

Pushing the Boundaries of Innovation 

The Kibo-RPC allowed Team Salcedo to experiment with new techniques, such as Slicing Aided Hyperinference—an approach that divides images into smaller tiles for more detailed analysis. Although this method showed promise in detecting smaller objects, it proved too time-consuming under the competition’s time constraints, teaching the students valuable lessons about prioritizing efficiency in engineering. 

The Kibo-RPC students present their robotic programming challenge to the International Space Station Program. NASA/Bill Stafford

For Team Salcedo, the programming challenge taught them the value of communication, the importance of learning from setbacks, and the rewards of perseverance. The thrill of seeing their code in action on the orbital outpost was a reminder of the limitless possibilities in robotics and space exploration. 

Inspiring the Next Generation 

With participants from diverse backgrounds coming together to compete on a global platform, the Kibo-RPC continues to be a proving ground for future innovators.  

The challenge tested the technical abilities of students and fostered personal growth and collaboration, setting the stage for the next generation of robotics engineers and leaders. 

The Kibo-RPC students and their mentors at the Mission Control Center. NASA/Helen Arase Vargas

As Team Salcedo looks ahead, they carry with them the skills, experiences, and inspiration needed to push the boundaries of human space exploration.  

“With programs like Kibo-RPC, we are nurturing the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation,” said Sotomayer. “It’s not far-fetched to imagine that one of these students could eventually be walking on the Moon or Mars.” 

The winners were announced virtually from Japan on Nov. 9, with Team Salcedo achieving sixth place. 

Watch the international final round event here. 

For more information on the Kibo Robot Programming Challenge, visit: https://jaxa.krpc.jp/

MuSat2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, prior to launch. MuSat2 leverages a dual-frequency science antenna developed with support from NASA to measure phenomena such as ocean wind speed. Muon Space

A science antenna developed with support from NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) is now in low-Earth orbit aboard MuSat2, a commercial remote-sensing satellite flown by the aerospace company Muon Space. The dual-frequency science antenna was originally developed as part of the Next Generation GNSS Bistatic Radar Instrument (NGRx). Aboard MuSat2, it will help measure ocean surface wind speed—an essential data point for scientists trying to forecast how severe a burgeoning hurricane will become.

“We’re very interested in adopting this technology and pushing it forward, both from a technology perspective and a product perspective,” said Jonathan Dyer, CEO of Muon.

Using this antenna, MuSat2 will gather signals transmitted by navigation satellites as they scatter off Earth’s surface and back into space. By recording how those scattered navigation signals change as they interact with Earth’s surface, MuSat2 will provide meteorologists with data points they can use to study severe weather.

“We use the standard GPS signals you know—the navigation signals that work for your car and your cell phone,” explained Chris Ruf, director of the University of Michigan Space Institute and principal investigator for NGRx.

Ruf designed the entire NGRx system to be an updated version of the sensors on NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS), another technology he developed with support from ESTO. Since 2016, data from CYGNSS has been a critical resource for people dedicated to forecasting hurricanes.

The science antenna aboard MuSat2 enables two key improvements to the original CYGNSS design. First, the antenna allows MuSat2 to gather measurements from satellites outside the U.S.-based GPS system, such as the European Space Agency’s Galileo satellites. This capability enables MuSat2 to collect more data as it orbits Earth, improving its assessments of conditions on the planet’s surface.

Second, whereas CYGNSS only collected cross-polar radar signals, the updated science antenna also collects co-polar radar signals. This additional information could provide improved information about soil moisture, sea ice, and vegetation. “There’s a whole lot of science value in looking at both polarization components scattering from the Earth’s surface. You can separate apart the effects of vegetation from the effects of surface, itself,” explained Ruf.

Hurricane Ida, as seen from the International Space Station. NASA-developed technology onboard MuSat2 will help supply the U.S. Air Force with critical data for producing reliable weather forecasts. NASA

For Muon Space, this technology infusion has been helpful to the company’s business and science missions. Dallas Masters, Vice President of Muon’s Signals of Opportunity Program, explains that NASA’s investments in NGRx technology made it much easier to produce a viable commercial remote sensing satellite. According to Masters, “NGRx-derived technology allowed us to start planning a flight mission early in our company’s existence, based around a payload we knew had flight heritage.”

Dyer agrees. “The fact that ESTO proves out these measurement approaches – the technology and the instrument, the science that you can actually derive, the products from that instrument – is a huge enabler for companies like ours, because we can adopt it knowing that much of the physics risk has been retired,” he said.

Ultimately, this advanced antenna technology for measuring ocean surface wind speed will make it easier for researchers to turn raw data into actionable science products and to develop more accurate forecasts.

“Information is absolutely precious. When it comes to forecast models and trying to understand what’s about to happen, you have to have as good an idea as you can of what’s already happening in the real world,” said oceanographer Lew Gramer, an Associate Scientist with the Cooperative Institute For Marine And Atmospheric Studies and NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division.

Project Lead: Chris Ruf, University of Michigan

Sponsoring Organizations: NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office and Muon Space

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Nov 12, 2024

Related Terms

• CYGNSS (Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System)
• Earth Science
• Earth Science Division
• Earth Science Technology Office
• Oceans
• Science-enabling Technology
• Technology Highlights

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22 min read

Summary of the Second OMI–TROPOMI Science Team Meeting

Introduction

The second joint Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)–TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) Science Team (ST) meeting was held June 3–6, 2024. The meeting used a hybrid format, with the in-person meeting hosted at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, CO. This was the first OMI meeting to offer virtual participation since the COVID-19 travel restrictions. Combining the onsite and virtual attendees, the meeting drew 125 participants – see Photo.

OMI flies on NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura platform, launched July 15, 2004. TROPOMI flies on the European Space Agency’s (ESA)–Copernicus Sentinel-5 Precursor platform. OMI has collected nearly 20 years of data and TROPOMI now has amassed 5 years of data. 

Meeting content was organized around the following four objectives:

• discussion of the final reprocessing of OMI data (called Collection 4) and of data preservation;
• discussion of OMI data continuity and enhancements using TROPOMI measurements;
• development of unique TROPOMI products [e.g., methane (CH4)], applications (e.g., tracking emissions – and using them as indicators of socioeconomic and military activities), and new focus regions (e.g., Africa); and
• leverage synergies between atmospheric composition (AC) and greenhouse gas (GHG) missions, which form the international constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) and geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites.

The remainder of this article summarizes the highlights from each day of the meeting.

Photo. Group photo of the in-person participants at the OMI–TROPOMI Science Team meeting. Photo credit: Shaun Bush/NCAR’s Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling

DAY ONE

The topics covered on the first day of the meeting included OMI instrument performance, calibration, final Collection 4 reprocessing, and plans for data preservation.

OMI and Data Products Update

Pieternel Levelt [Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI)—OMI Principal Investigator (PI) and NCAR’s Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling (ACOM) Laboratory—Director] began her presentation by dedicating the meeting to the memory of Johan de Vries, whose untimely death came as a shock to the OMI and TROPOMI teams – see In Memoriam: Johan de Vries for a celebration of his accomplishments and contributions to the OMI-TROPOMI team. She then went on to give a status update on OMI, which is one of two currently operating instruments on EOS Aura [the other being the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS)]. OMI is the longest operating and stable ultraviolet–visible (UV-VIS) spectrometer. It continues to “age gracefully” thanks to its design, contamination control measures undertaken after the launch, and stable optical bench temperature. Lessons learned during integration of OMI on the Aura spacecraft (e.g., provide additional charged couple device shielding) and operations (i.e., monitor partial Earth-view port blockages) guided the development and operations of the follow-on TROPOMI mission.

Continued monitoring of OMI performance is crucial for extending science- and trend-quality OMI records to the end of the Aura mission (currently expected in 2026). Antje Ludewig [KNMI] described the new OMI Level-1B (L1B) processor (Collection 4), which is based on TROPOMI data flow and optimized calibrations. The processor has been transferred to the U.S. OMI ST, led by Joanna Joiner [NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)]. Matthew Bandel [Science Systems and Applications, Inc. (SSAI)] described NASA’s new OMI monitoring tools.

Sergey Marchenko [SSAI] discussed OMI daily spectral solar irradiance (SSI) data, which are used for monitoring solar activity and can be compared with the dedicated Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS-1) on the International Space Station. Continuation of OMI measurements will allow comparisons with the upcoming NASA TSIS-2 mission. Antje Inness [European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)] described operational assimilation of OMI and TROPOMI near-real time data into the European Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) daily analysis/forecast and re-analysis – see Figure 1.

In Memoriam: Johan de Vries

Johan de Vries
June 10, 1956 – May 8, 2024

Johan de Vries [Airbus Netherlands—Senior Specialist Remote Sensing] passed away suddenly on May 8, 2024, after a distinguished career. As a member of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)–TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) program, Johan conceptualized the idea of using a two-dimensional (2D) charged couple detector (CCD) for the OMI imaging spectrometer. This “push-broom” design led to high-spatial resolution spectra combined with high-spatial resolution and daily global coverage capability. His pioneering design for OMI has now been repeated on several other U.S. and international atmospheric composition measuring instruments – in both low and geostationary orbits – that are either in orbit or planned for launch soon. This achievement ensures that Johan’s legacy will live on for many years to come as these push-broom Earth observing spectrometers result in unprecedented data for environmental research and applications. The OMI and TROPOMI teams express their deepest condolences to de Vries family and colleagues over this loss. 

Figure 1. An example of TROPOMI pixel nitrogen dioxide (NO2) observations over Europe on September 8, 2018 [top] and the corresponding super observations [bottom] for a model grid of 0.5 x 0.5o. Cloudy locations are colored grey. TROPOMI super observations are tested for use in the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) data assimilation framework and will also be used for combined OMI–TROPOMI gridded datasets. Figure credit: reprinted from a 2024 paper posted on EGUSphere.

Updates on OMI and TROPOMI Level-2 Data Products

The U.S. and Netherlands OMI STs continue to collaborate closely on reprocessing and improving OMI and TROPOMI L2 science products. During the meeting, one or more presenters reported on each product, which are described in the paragraphs that follow.

Serena Di Pede [KNMI] discussed the latest algorithm updates to the Collection 4 OMI Total Column Ozone (O3) product, which is derived using differential absorption spectroscopy (DOAS). She compared results from the new algorithm with the previous Collection 3 and with both the TROPOMI and OMI NASA O3 total column (Collection 3) algorithms. Collection 4 improved on previous versions by reducing the retrieval fit error and the along-track stripes of the product.

Juseon “Sunny” Bak and Xiong Liu [both from Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO)] gave updates on the status of the Collection 4 O3 profile products.

Lok Lamsal [GSFC/University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)] and Henk Eskes [KNMI] compared Collection 3 and Collection 4 of the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) products.  

Zolal Ayzpour [SAO] discussed the status of the OMI Collection 4 formaldehyde (HCHO) product.

Hyeong-Ahn Kwon [SAO] presented a poster that updated the Glyoxal product.

Omar Torres [GSFC] and Changwoo Ahn [GSFC/SSAI] presented regional trend analyses using the re-processed OMI Collection 4 absorbing aerosol product – see Figure 2.

Figure 2. Reprocessed OMI records (from Collection 4) of monthly average aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 388 nm derived from the OMI aerosol algorithm (OMAERUV) over Western North America (WNA): 30°N–50°N, 110°W–128°W) [top] and over Eastern China (EC): 25°N–43°N, 112°E–124°E) [bottom]. A repeatable annual cycle over WNA occurred with autumn minimum at around 0.1 and a spring maximum in the vicinity of 0.4 during the 2005–2016 period. After 2017 much larger AOD maxima in the late summer are associated with wildfire smoke occurrence. Over EC (bottom) the 2005–2014 AOD record depicts a large spring maxima (0.7 and larger) due to long-range transport of dust and secondary pollution aerosols followed by late autumn minima (around 0.3). A significant AOD decrease is observed starting in 2015 with reduced minimum and maximum values to about 0.2 and 0.5 respectively. The drastic change in AOD load over this region is associated with pollution control measures enacted over the last decade. Figure credit: Changwoo Ahn/GSFC/SSAI and Omar Torres/GSFC

Updates on EOS Synergy Products

Several presenters and posters during the meeting gave updates on EOS synergy products, where OMI data are combined with data from another instrument on one of the EOS flagships. These are described below.

Brad Fisher [SSAI] presented a poster on the Joint OMI–Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud products.

Wenhan Qin [GSFC/SSAI] presented a poster on the MODIS–OMI Geometry Dependent Lambertian Equivalent Surface Reflectivity (GLER) product.

Jerry Ziemke [GSFC and Morgan State University (MSU)] presented on the OMI–MLS Tropospheric Ozone product that showed post-COVID tropospheric O3 levels measured using this product, which are consistent with similar measurements obtained using other satellite O3 data – see Figure 3.

Figure 3. Anomaly maps of merged tropospheric column O3 (TCO) satellite data (Dobson Units) for spring–summer 2020–2023. In this context, an anomaly is defined as deseasonalized O3 data. The anomaly maps are derived by first calculating seasonal climatology maps for 2016–2019 (i.e., pre-COVID pandemic) and then subtracting these climatology maps from the entire data record. 
Note: The sensors used in this analysis include: the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS)/ Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) and Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) on the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) missions, which currently include the joint NASA–NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP), NOAA-20, and NOAA-21; the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC)/MERRA-2 on the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR); the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), both on EOS Aura; the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI)/ Fast Optimal Retrievals on Layers (FORLI), IASI/SOftware for Fast Retrievals of IASI Data (SOFRID), and IASI/Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment–2 (GOME2). IASI flies on the European MetOp-A, -B, and -C missions. The OMPS/MERRA-2 and EPIC/MERRA-2 products subtract coincident MERRA-2 stratospheric column O3 from total O3 to derive tropospheric column O3. Figure credit: Jerry Ziemke/GSFC and Morgan State University (MSU) 

Updates on Multisatellite Climate Data Records

The OMI ST also discussed refining and analyzing multisatellite climate data records (CDRs) that have been processed with consistent algorithms. Several presenters reported on this work, who are mentioned below.

Jenny Stavrakou [Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut voor Ruimte-Aeronomie, Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA–IASB)], reported on work focusing on the OMI and TROPOMI HCHO CDR and Huan Yu [BIRA–IASB)] reported harmonized OMI and TROPOMI cloud height datasets based on improved O2-O2 absorption retrieval algorithm.

Lok Lamsal [GSFC/UMBC, Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research (GESTAR) II], Henk Eskes, and Pepijn Veefkind [KNMI] reported on the OMI and TROPOMI NO2 CDRs – see Figure 4. 

Si-Wan Kim [Yonsei University, South Korea] reported on OMI and TROPOMI long-term NO2 trends.

Figure 4. OMI nitrogen dioxide (NO2) time series bridging the first GOME mission (which flew on the European Remote Sensing Satellite–2 (ERS–2) from 1995–2011 with limited coverage after 2003) and measurements from the two currently operating missions – OMI (2004–present) and TROPOMI (2017–present) – offer consistent climate data records that allow for studying long-term changes. This example shows tropospheric NO2 column time series from three instruments over Phoenix, AZ. The overlap between the OMI and TROPOMI missions allows for intercomparison between the two, which is crucial to avoid continuity-gaps in multi-instrument time series. The ERS-2 (GOME) had a morning equator crossing time (10:30 AM), while Aura (OMI) and Metop (TROPOMI) have afternoon equator crossing times of 1:45 PM and 1:30 PM respectively. Figure credit: Lok Lamsal/GSFC/University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

Update on Aura’s Drifting Orbit

Bryan Duncan [GSFC—Aura Project Scientist] closed out the first day with a presentation summarizing predictions of Aura’s drifting orbit. Overall, the impact of Aura’s drift is expected to be minor, and the OMI and MLS teams will be able to maintain science quality data for most data products. He thanked the OMI/TROPOMI ST and user community for expressing their strong support for continuing Aura observations until the end of the Aura mission in mid–2026.

DAY TWO

The second day of the meeting focused on current and upcoming LEO and GEO Atmospheric Composition (AC) missions.

TROPOMI Mission and Data Product Updates

Veefkind presented an update on the TROPOMI mission, which provides continuation and enhancements for all OMI products. Tobias Borssdorf [Stichting Ruimte Onderzoek Nederland (SRON), or Netherlands Institute for Space Research] explained how TROPOMI, with its innovative shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectrometer, measures CH4 and carbon monoxide (CO). This approach continues measurements that began by the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument on Terra.

Hiren Jethva [NASA Airborne Science Program] and Torres presented new TROPOMI near-UV aerosol products, including a new aerosol layer optical centroid height product, which takes advantage of the TROPOMI extended spectral range – see Figure 5.

Figure 5. Global gridded (0.10° x 0.10°) composite map of aerosol layer optical centroid height (AH) retrieved from TROPOMI O2-B band observations from May–September 2023. Figure credit: Hiren Jethva/NASA Airborne Science Program

GEMS–TEMPO–Sentinel-4 (UVN): A Geostationary Air Quality Constellation

TROPOMI global observations serve as a de facto calibration standard used to homogenize a new constellation of three missions that will provide AC observations for most of the Northern Hemisphere from GEO. Two of the three constellation members are already in orbit. Jhoon Kim [Yonsei University—PI] discussed the Geostationary Environmental Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS), launched on February 19, 2020 aboard the Republic of Korea’s GEO-KOMPSAT-2B satellite. It is making GEO AC measurements over Asia. The GEMS team is working on validating measurements of NO2 diurnal variations using ground-based measurements from the PANDORA Global Network over Asia and aircraft measurements from the ASIA–AQ field campaign.

Liu discussed NASA’s Tropospheric Emission Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) spectrometer, launched on April 7, 2023, aboard a commercial INTELSAT 40E satellite. From its GEO vantage point, TEMPO can observe the Continental U.S., Southern Canada, Mexico, and the coastal waters of the Northwestern Atlantic and Northeastern Pacific oceans.

Gonzales Abad [SAO] presented the first measurements from TEMPO. He explained that TEMPO’s design is similar to GEMS, but GEMS includes an additional visible and near infrared (VNIR) spectral channel (540–740 nm) to measure tropospheric O3, O2, and water vapor (H2Ov). TEMPO can perform optimized morning scans, twilight scans, and scans with high temporal resolution (5–10 minutes) over selected regions. Abad reported that the TEMPO team released L1B spectra and the first provisional public L2 products (Version 3), including NO2, HCHO, and total column O3. Andrew Rollins [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Chemical Sciences Laboratory (CSL)] reported that the TEMPO team is working on validation of provisional data using both ground-based data from PANDORA spectrometers and data collected during several different airborne campaigns completed during the summer of 2023 and compiled on the AGES+ website.

Ben Veihelmann [ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Center—PI] explained that ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission will be the final member of the GEO AC constellation. Veefkind summarized the Sentinel-4 mission, which is expected to launch on the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG)-Sounder 1 (MTG-S1) platform in 2025. The mission is dedicated to measuring air quality and O3 over Europe and parts of the Atlantic and North Africa. Sentinel-4 will deploy the first operational UV-Vis-NIR (UVN) imaging spectrometer on a geostationary satellite. (Airbus will build UVN, with ESA providing guidance.) Sentinel-4 includes two instruments launched in sequence on MTG-S1 and MTG-S2 platforms designed to have a combined lifetime of 15 years. The mission by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) will operate Sentinel-4, and the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) or German Aerospace Center will be responsible for operational L2 processing.

These three GEO AC missions, along with the upcoming ESA/EUMETSAT/Copernicus LEO (morning orbit, 9:30 a.m.) Sentinel-5 (S5) mission, will complete a LEO–GEO satellite constellation that will enable monitoring of the most industrialized and polluted regions in the Northern Hemisphere into the 2030s. Sentinel-5 will not continue the OMI–TROPOMI data record in the early afternoon; however, it will be placed in the morning orbit and follow ESA’s Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) and EUMETSAT GOME-2 missions. By contrast, GEO AC observations over the Southern Hemisphere are currently not available. Several presenters described ongoing projects for capacity building for LEO satellite air quality data uptake and emission monitoring in Africa and advocated for the new geostationary measurements.

Synergy with Other Current or Upcoming Missions

Attendees discussed the synergy between upcoming AC, GHG, and ocean color missions. Current trends in satellite AC measurements are toward increased spatial resolution and combined observations of short-lived reactive trace gases – which are important for air quality (AQ) monitoring – and long-lived GHG – which are important for climate monitoring and carbon cycle assessments. Some trace gases (e.g., O3 and CH4) are both polluters and GHG agents. Others [e.g., NO2 and sulfur dioxide (SO2 )] are aerosol [particulate matter (PM)] and O3 precursors and are used as proxies and spatial indicators for anthropogenic CO2 and CH4 emissions.

Yasjka Meijer [ESA—Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring (CO2M) Mission Scientist]) reviewed the plans for CO2M, which includes high-resolution measurements [~4 km2 (~1.5 mi2)] of CO2 , CH4 , and NO2.

Jochen Landgraf [SRON] described ESA’s new Twin Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gas Observers (TANGO) mission, which has the objective to measure CO2 , CH4 , and NO2 at even higher spatial resolution [~300 m (~984 ft)] using two small CubeSat spectrometers flying in formation.

Hiroshi Tanimoto [National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan] described the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Global Observing SATellite for greenhouse gases and water cycle (GOSAT-GW) mission, which includes the Total Anthropogenic and Natural Emission mapping SpectrOmeter (TANSO-3) spectrometer to simultaneously measure CO2 , CH4, and NO2 with ~1–3 km (~0.6–1.8 mi) spatial resolution in focus mode. GOSAT-GW will also fly the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 3 (AMSR3).

Joanna Joiner [GSFC—Geostationary Extended Operations (GeoXO) Project Scientist and ACX Instrument Scientist] described the plans for the next-generation U.S. geosynchronous satellite constellation, which will consist of three satellites covering the full Earth disk: GEO-East, GEO-West, and GEO-Central. (By contrast, the current Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) series has two satellites: GOES–East and GOES–West.) GEO-Central will carry an advanced infrared sounder (GXS) for measuring vertical profiles of many trace gases, temperature and humidity, and a new UV-VIS spectrometer (ACX), which is a follow-on to TEMPO for AQ applications. Both GXS and ACX instruments will be built by BAE Systems, which acquired Ball Aerospace and Technology, and will also build the GeoXO ocean color spectrometer (OCX).

Andrew Sayer [UMBC] described NASA’s Plankton, Aerosols, Clouds, and ocean Ecosystem (PACE), which launched on February 8, 2024. The PACE payload includes a high-spatial resolution [~1 km (~0.6 mi) at nadir] Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), which is a UV-Vis-NIR spectrometer with discrete SWIR bands presenting additional opportunities for synergistic observations with the AC constellation. Sayer presented OCI “first light” aerosol data processed using the unified retrieval algorithm developed by Lorraine Remer [UMBC].

The second day concluded with a joint crossover session with NASA’s Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team (HAQAST) followed by a poster session. Several OMI–TROPOMI STM participants presented on a variety of topics that illustrate how OMI and TROPOMI data are being used to support numerous health and AQ applications. Duncan, who is also a member of HAQAST team, presented “20 years of health and air quality applications enabled by OMI data.” He highlighted OMI contributions to AQ and health applications, including NO2 trend monitoring, inferring trends of co-emitted species [e.g., CO2, CO, some Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)], validation of new satellite missions (e.g., TEMPO, PACE), and burden of disease studies.

DAY THREE

Discussions on the third day focused on advanced retrieval algorithms, leading to new products and new applications for OMI and TROPOMI data. Several presentations described applications of TROPOMI CH4 data and synergy with small satellites.

Advanced Retrieval Algorithms and New Data Products

Ilse Aben [SRON] described TROPOMI global detection of CH4 super-emitters using an automated system based on Machine Learning (ML) techniques – see Figure 6. Berend Schuit [SRON] provided additional detail on these methods. He introduced the TROPOMI CH4 web site to the meeting participants. He explained how TROPOMI global CH4 measurements use “tip-and-cue” dedicated satellites with much higher spatial resolution instruments [e.g., GHGSat with ~25-m (~82-ft) resolution] to scan for individual sources and estimate emission rates. Most CH4 super-emitters are related to urban areas and/or landfills, followed by plumes from gas and oil industries and coal mines.

Figure 6. Methane plume map produced by SRON shows TROPOMI large CH4 emission plumes for the week of the OMI–TROPOMI meeting (June 3–6, 2024). Figure credit: Itse Aben/Stichting Ruimte Onderzoek Nederland (SRON)

Alba Lorente [Environmental Defense Fund—Methane Scientist] introduced a new MethaneSAT satellite launched in March 2024, which aims to fill the gap in understanding CH4 emissions on a regional scale [200 x 200 km2 (~77 x 77 mi2)] from at least 80% of global oil and gas production, agriculture, and urban regions. Alex Bradley [University of Colorado, Boulder] described improvements to TROPOMI CH4 retrievals that were achieved by correcting seasonal effects of changing surface albedo.

Daniel Jacob [Harvard University] presented several topics, including the highest resolution [~30 m (~98 ft)] NO2 plume retrievals from Landsat-8 – see Figure 7 – and Sentinel-2 imagers. He also discussed using a ML technique trained with TROPOMI data to improve NO2 retrievals from GEMS and modeling NO2 diurnal cycle and emission estimates. He introduced the ratio of ammonia (NH3) to NO2 (NH3/NO2) as an indicator of particulate matter with diameters less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) nitrate sensitivity regime. Jacob emphasized the challenges related to satellite NO2 retrievals (e.g., accounting for a free-tropospheric NO2 background and aerosols).

Figure 7. Landsat Optical Land Imager (OLI) image, obtained on October 17, 2021 over Saudi Arabia, shows power plant exhaust, which contains nitrogen dioxide (NO2) drifting downwind from the sources (the two green circles are the stacks). The ultra-blue channel (430–450 nm) on OLI enables quantitative detection of NO2 in plumes from large point sources at 30-m (~98-ft) resolution. This provides a unique ability for monitoring point-source emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx). The two stacks in the image are separated by 2 km (~1.2 mi). Figure credit: Daniel Jacob – repurposed from a 2024 publication in Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences (PNAS)

Steffen Beirle [Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Germany] explained his work to fit TROPOMI NO2 column measurements to investigate nitric oxide (NO) to NO2 processing in power plant plumes. Debra Griffin [Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)] used TROPOMI NO2 observations and ML random forest technique to estimate NO2 surface concentrations. Sara Martinez-Alonso [NCAR] investigated geographical and seasonal variations in NO2 diurnal cycle using GEMS and TEMPO data.  Ziemkecombined satellite O3 data to confirm a persistent low anomaly (~5–15%) in tropospheric O3 after 2020.  Jethva presented advanced OMI and TROPOMI absorbing aerosol products. Yu described improved OMI and TROPOMI cloud datasets using the O2-O2 absorption band at 477 nm. Nicholas Parazoo [Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)] described TROPOMI Fraunhofer line retrievals of red solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) near O2-B band (663–685 nm) to improve mapping of ocean primary productivity. Liyin He [Duke University] described using satellite terrestrial SIF data to study the effect of particulate pollution on ecosystem productivity.

New Applications

Zachary Fasnacht [SSAI] used OMI and TROPOMI spectra to train a neural network to gap-fill MODIS and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) ocean color data under aerosol, sun glint, and partly cloudy conditions. This ML method can also be applied to PACE OCI spectra. Anu-Maija Sundström [Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI)] used OMI and TROPOMI SO2 and O3 data as proxies to study new particle formation events. Lindsey Anderson [University of Colorado, Boulder] described how she used TROPOMI NO2 and CO measurements to estimate the composition of wildfire emissions and their effect on forecasted air quality. Heesung Chong [SAO] applied OMI bromine oxide (BrO) retrievals to the NOAA operational Ozone Mapping and Profiling Suite Nadir Mapper (OMPS-NM) on joint NOAA–NASA Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite with the possibility to continue afternoon measurements using similar OMPS-NM instruments on the four Joint Polar Satellite System missions (JPSS-1,-2,-3,-4) into the 2030s. (JPSS-1 and -2 are now in orbit and known as NOAA-20 and -21 respectively; JPSS-4 is planned for launch in 2027, with JPSS-3 currently targeted for 2032.)

Kim demonstrated the potential for using satellite NO2 and SO2 emissions as a window into socioeconomic issues that are not apparent by other methods. For example, she showed how OMI and TROPOMI data were widely used to monitor air quality improvements in the aftermath of COVID-19 lockdowns. (Brad Fisher [SSAI] presented a poster on a similar topic.)

Cathy Clerbaux [Center National d’Études Spatiale (CNES), or French Space Agency] showed how her team used TROPOMI NO2 data to trace the signal emitted by ships and used this information to determine how the shipping lanes through the Suez Canal changed in response to unrest in the Middle East. Iolanda Ialongo [FMI] showed a similar drop of NO2 emissions over Donetsk region due to the war in Ukraine. Levelt showed how OMI and TROPOMI NO2 data are used for capacity-building projects and for air quality reporting in Africa. She also advocated for additional geostationary AQ measurements over Africa.

DAY FOUR

Discussions on the final day focused on various methods of assimilating satellite data into air quality models for emission inversions and aircraft TEMPO validation campaigns. The meeting ended with Levelt giving her unique perspective on the OMI mission, as she reflected on more than two decades being involved with the development, launch, operation, and maintenance of OMI.  

Assimilating Satellite Data into Models for Emissions

Brian McDonald [CSL] described advance chemical data assimilation of satellite data for emission inversions and the GReenhouse gas And Air Pollutants Emissions System (GRA2PES). He showed examples of assimilations using TROPOMI and TEMPO NO2 observations to adjust a priori emissions. He also showed that when TEMPO data are assimilated, NOx emissions adjust faster and tend to perform better at the urban scale. Adrian Jost [Max Planck Institute for Chemistry] described the ESA-funded World Emission project to improve pollutant and GHG emission inventories using satellite data. He showed examples of TROPOMI SO2 emissions from large-point sources and compared the data with bottom-up and NASA SO2 emissions catalogue.

Ivar van der Velde [SRON] presented a method to evaluate fire emissions using new satellite imagery of burned area and TROPOMI CO. Helene Peiro [SRON] described her work to combine TROPOMI CO and burned area information to compare the impact of prescribed fires versus wildfires on air quality in the U.S. She concluded that prescribed burning reduces CO pollution. Barbara Dix [University of Colorado, Boulder, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences] derived NOx emissions from U.S. oil and natural gas production using TROPOMI NO2 data and flux divergence method. She estimated TROPOMI CH4 emissions from Denver–Julesburg oil and natural gas production. Dix explained that the remaining challenge is to separate oil and gas emissions from other co-located CH4 sources. Ben Gaubert [NCAR, Atmospheric Chemistry Observations and Modeling] described nonlinear and non-Gaussian ensemble assimilation of MOPITT CO using the data assimilation research testbed (DART).

Andrew (Drew) Rollings [CSL] presented first TEMPO validation results from airborne field campaigns in 2023 (AGES+ ), including NOAA CSL Atmospheric Emissions and Reactions observed from Megacities to Marine Aeras (AEROMMA) and NASA’s Synergistic TEMPO Air Quality Science (STAQS) campaigns.

A Reflection on Twenty Years of OMI Observations

Levelt gave a closing presentation in which she reflected on her first involvement with the OMI mission as a young scientist back in 1998. This led to a collaboration with the international ST to develop the instrument, which was included as part of Aura’s payload when it launched in July 2004. She reminisced about important highlights from 2 decades of OMI, e.g., the 10-year anniversary STM at KNMI in 2014 (see “Celebrating Ten Years of OMI Observations,” The Earth Observer, May–Jun 2014, 26:3, 23–30), and the OMI ST receiving the NASA/U.S. Geological Survey Pecora award in 2018 and the American Meteorological Society’s Special award in 2021.

Levelt pointed out that in this combined OMI–TROPOMI meeting the movement towards using air pollution and GHG data together became apparent. She ended by saying that the OMI instrument continues to “age gracefully” and its legacy continues with the TROPOMI and LEO–GEO atmospheric composition constellation of satellites that were discussed during the meeting.

Conclusion

Overall, the second OMI–TROPOMI STM acknowledged OMI’s pioneering role and TROPOMI’s unique enhancements in measurements of atmospheric composition: 

1. Ozone Layer Monitoring: Over the past two decades, OMI has provided invaluable data on the concentration and distribution of O3 in the Earth’s stratosphere. This data has been crucial for understanding and monitoring the recovery of the O3 layer following international agreements, such as the Montreal Protocol.
2. Air Quality Assessment: OMI’s high-resolution measurements of air pollutants, such as NO2, SO2, and HCHO, have significantly advanced our understanding of air quality. This information has been vital for tracking pollution sources, studying their transport and transformation, and assessing their impact on human health and the environment.
3. Climate Research: The data collected by OMI has enhanced our knowledge of the interactions between atmospheric chemistry and climate change. These insights have been instrumental in refining climate models and improving our predictions of future climate scenarios.
4. Global Impact: The OMI instrument has provided near-daily global coverage of atmospheric data, which has been essential for scientists and policymakers worldwide. The comprehensive and reliable data from OMI has supported countless research projects and informed decisions aimed at protecting and improving our environment.

OMI remains one of the most stable UV/Vis instruments over its two decades of science and trend quality data collection. The success of the OMI and TROPOMI instruments is a testament to the collaboration, expertise, and dedication of both teams.

Nickolay Krotkov
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Nickolay.a.krotkov@nasa.gov

Pieternel Levelt
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling
levelt@ucar.edu

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Teams with NASA and Lockheed Martin prepare to conduct testing on NASA’s Orion spacecraft on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in the altitude chamber inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Lockheed Martin/David Wellendorf

Teams lifted NASA’s Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II test flight out of the Final Assembly and System Testing cell and moved it to the altitude chamber to complete further testing on Nov. 6 inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Engineers returned the spacecraft to the altitude chamber, which simulates deep space vacuum conditions, to complete the remaining test requirements and provide additional data to augment data gained during testing earlier this summer.

The Artemis II test flight will be NASA’s first mission with crew under the Artemis campaign, sending NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman, as well as CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back.

Image credit: Lockheed Martin/David Wellendorf

Researchers demonstrated the feasibility of 3D bioprinting a meniscus or knee cartilage tissue in microgravity. This successful result advances technology for bioprinting tissue to treat musculoskeletal injuries on long-term spaceflight or in extraterrestrial settings where resources and supply capacities are limited.

BFF Meniscus-2 evaluated using the BioFabrication Facility to 3D print knee cartilage tissue using bioinks and cells. The meniscus is the first engineered tissue of an anatomically relevant shape printed on the station. Manufactured human tissues have potential as alternatives to donor organs, which are in short supply. Bioprinting in microgravity overcomes some of the challenges present in Earth’s gravity, such as deformation or collapse of tissue structures.

A human knee meniscus 3D bioprinted in space using the International Space Station’s BioFabrication Facility.Redwire

Complex cultures of central nervous system cells known as brain organoids can be maintained in microgravity for long periods of time and show faster development of neurons than cultures on Earth. These findings could help researchers develop treatments for neurodegenerative diseases on Earth and address potential adverse neurological effects of spaceflight.

Cosmic Brain Organoids examined growth and gene expression in 3D organoids created with neural stem cells from individuals with primary progressive multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Results could improve understanding of these neurological diseases and support development of new treatments. Researchers plan additional studies on the underlying causes of the accelerated neuron maturation.

Neural growth in brain organoids that spent more than a month in space. Jeanne Frances Loring, National Stem Cell Foundation

Researchers demonstrated that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be processed in microgravity using off the-shelf cell culture materials. Using standard laboratory equipment and protocols could reduce costs and make space-based biomedical research accessible to a broader range of scientists and institutions.

Stellar Stem Cells Ax-2 evaluated how microgravity affects methods used to generate and grow stem cells into a variety of tissue types on the ground. iPSCs can give rise to any type of cell or tissue in the human body, and insight into processing in space could support their use in regenerative medicine and future large-scale biomanufacturing of cellular therapeutics in space.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, an Axiom Mission 2 crew member, works on stem cell research on a previous mission. NASA/Shane Kimbrough

NASA and the military have shared strong connections since the agency’s early days. From the nation’s earliest aeronautic research and the recruitment of test pilot astronauts to modern-day technology development, satellite management, and planetary defense, NASA has built a longstanding partnership with the military.

This legacy of collaboration has created natural opportunities for former service members to join NASA’s ranks at the conclusion of their military careers.

Lewis Swain is one of the many veterans working at Johnson Space Center in Houston today. Swain was recruited by NASA contractor McDonnell Douglas after leaving the military in 1980. He commissioned as a second lieutenant and served in the Air Force for 12 years, flying nearly 200 combat missions during two tours in Vietnam.

“The shuttle program was starting, and they needed ex-military pilots to serve as simulation instructors,” he said. Swain specialized in control and propulsion systems instruction for several years before becoming the training team lead for shuttle missions. Following the Challenger accident in 1986, Swain transitioned to supporting the International Space Station Program and Return to Flight evaluations. He has been a civil servant since 1989 and a training facility manager since 2006.

L. Jerry Swain during his Air Force career (left) and as a facility manager at Johnson Space Center in Houston (right).Images courtesy of L. Jerry Swain

NASA’s Pathways Internship Program has also provided a point of entry for former service members. John Smith was studying mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso when he made an impactful Johnson connection. “I met with a former flight director, Ms. Ginger Kerrick, at a career fair hosted by my university,” he said. “Pathways happened to be accepting applications at the time and she enthusiastically encouraged me to apply. I never expected to get a response, much less an offer. I couldn’t say yes fast enough when it came!”

For others, the NASA SkillBridge Program has been instrumental in transitioning from the military to civilian careers. The program connects individuals in their final months of military service with a NASA office or organization. SkillBridge fellows work anywhere from 90 to 180 days, contributing their unique skillsets to the agency while building their network and knowledge. Since fellows’ pay and benefits are provided by their military branch, their support comes at no additional cost to NASA.

Johnson hosted the agency’s first-ever SkillBridge fellow in spring 2019, paving the way for many others to follow. Albert Meza, an Air Force space professional, was among this first wave of service members at NASA. 

Approaching retirement from the Air Force in November 2019, Meza planned to move his family back to Houston that summer, then join them in the fall once his military service ended. A colleague encouraged him to apply for SkillBridge because it would let Meza move with his family. Meza was skeptical, noting the military is not typically flexible on moves or timelines, but after a quick meeting with his commanding officer and finding a Johnson team to work with, he was on his way to Houston. “It was unbelievable,” he said. “It kind of fell into my lap.”

Albert Meza visits Johnson Space Center’s Space Vehicle Mockup Facility while serving in the Air Force (left) and receives an award from NASA astronaut Rex J. Walheim during his retirement ceremony at Space Center Houston (right). Images courtesy of Albert Meza

Today Meza is a payload integration manager for NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) program, working within the Exploration Architecture, Integration, and Science Directorate at Johnson. In this role, he acts as a liaison between payload teams and the vendor developing a lander to help ensure flight requirements are understood and met.

Meza is also one of SkillBridge’s on-site coordinators. He said that when he first arrived at Johnson, he realized the program was relatively unknown. “I thought, I need to take the responsibility for waving the flag for SkillBridge at NASA.” Meza works tirelessly to educate service members, military leaders, and NASA supervisors about the program’s benefits. He also emphasizes how easy it is for NASA supervisors to host a fellow. “You get someone for six months who is already disciplined, loyal, and has all of these highly trained credentials,” he said. “Any civil servant supervisor can host a SkillBridge fellow. The only real requirement is that the supervisor can provide IT assets and a work location.”

Johnson has hosted more than 25 SkillBridge fellows since the program’s inception. Many fellows have since accepted full-time positions with NASA, including Patricia “Trish” Elliston. Meza found her a SkillBridge position with the center’s Protective Services Division in spring 2023. Elliston relocated to Houston in 2020, a few years prior to her anticipated retirement from the U.S. Coast Guard. Living in Houston and interacting with numerous NASA employees, along with prior experience working with the agency in maritime safety, convinced Elliston that Johnson was the place for her.

Trish Elliston flies aboard an aircraft during a mission (left) and visits Johnson Space Center’s Space Vehicle Mockup Facility (right) while serving in the U.S. Coast Guard. Images courtesy of Trish Elliston

“During my internship I networked as much as possible and made every effort to learn as much as I could so that I could be better prepared to start my civilian career,” Elliston said. “I worked hard and learned a lot, and when a job opportunity became available, I applied.” She now works as a cyber intelligence analyst within the Flight Operations Directorate.

Meza notes that SkillBridge is a transition program, not a hiring program, and that some fellows have not received a job offer or have decided to pursue other opportunities. What happens after a SkillBridge fellowship depends on each individual and whether they’ve demonstrated their potential and built relationships in a way that turns this ‘foot in the door’ into a full-time position.  

Interested in becoming a SkillBridge fellow at NASA? Learn more about the program and submit your application here.

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Sols 4359-4361: The Perfect Road Trip Destination For Any Rover! NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image of its workspace, which includes several targets for investigation — “Buttress Tree,” “Forester Pass,” “Crater Mountain,” “Mahogany Creek,” and “Filly Lake.” Curiosity used its Left Navigation Camera on Nov. 8, 2024 — sol 4357, or Martian day 4.357, of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 00:06:17 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech

Earth planning date: Friday, Nov. 8, 2024

After the excitement of Wednesday’s plan, it was a relief to come in today to hear that the drive toward our exit from Gediz Vallis completed successfully and that we weren’t perched on any rocks or in any other precarious position. This made for a very smooth planning morning, which is always nice on a Friday after a long week. 

But that isn’t to say that Curiosity will be taking it easy for the weekend. Smooth planning means we have lots of time to pack in as much science as we can fit. Today, this meant that the geology group (GEO) got to name eight new targets, and the environmental group (ENV) got to spend some extra time contemplating the atmosphere. Reading through the list of target names from GEO felt a bit like reading a travel guide — top rocks to visit when you’re exiting Gediz Vallis! 

If you look to the front of your rover, what we refer to as the “workspace” (and which you can see part of in the image above), you’ll see an array of rocks. Take in the polygonal fractures of “Colosseum Mountain” and be amazed by the structures of “Tyndall Creek” and “Cascade Valley.” Get up close and personal with our contact science targets, “Mahogany Creek,” “Forester Pass,” and “Buttress Tree.” Our workspace has something for everyone, including the laser spectrometers in the family, who will find plenty to explore with “Filly Lake” and “Crater Mountain.” We have old favorites too, like the upper Gediz Vallis Ridge and the Texoli outcrop. 

After a busy day sightseeing, why not kick back with ENV and take a deep breath? APXS and ChemCam have you covered, watching the changing atmospheric composition. Look up with Navcam and you may see clouds drifting by, or spend some time looking for dust devils in the distance. Want to check the weather before planning your road trip? Our weather station REMS works around the clock, and Mastcam and Navcam are both keeping an eye on how dusty the crater is. 

All good vacations must come to an end, but know that when it’s time to drive away there will be many more thrilling sights to come!

Written by Alex Innanen, Atmospheric Scientist at York University

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s Voyager 2 captured this image of Uranus while flying by the ice giant in 1986. New research using data from the mission shows a solar wind event took place during the flyby, leading to a mystery about the planet’s magnetosphere that now may be solved.NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA’s Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus decades ago shaped scientists’ understanding of the planet but also introduced unexplained oddities. A recent data dive has offered answers.

When NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft flew by Uranus in 1986, it provided scientists’ first — and, so far, only — close glimpse of this strange, sideways-rotating outer planet. Alongside the discovery of new moons and rings, baffling new mysteries confronted scientists. The energized particles around the planet defied their understanding of how magnetic fields work to trap particle radiation, and Uranus earned a reputation as an outlier in our solar system.

Now, new research analyzing the data collected during that flyby 38 years ago has found that the source of that particular mystery is a cosmic coincidence: It turns out that in the days just before Voyager 2’s flyby, the planet had been affected by an unusual kind of space weather that squashed the planet’s magnetic field, dramatically compressing Uranus’ magnetosphere.

“If Voyager 2 had arrived just a few days earlier, it would have observed a completely different magnetosphere at Uranus,” said Jamie Jasinski of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and lead author of the new work published in Nature Astronomy. “The spacecraft saw Uranus in conditions that only occur about 4% of the time.”

The first panel of this artist’s concept depicts how Uranus’s magnetosphere — its protective bubble — was behaving before the flyby of NASA’s Voyager 2. The second panel shows an unusual kind of solar weather was happening during the 1986 flyby, giving scientists a skewed view of the magnetosphere.NASA/JPL-Caltech

Magnetospheres serve as protective bubbles around planets (including Earth) with magnetic cores and magnetic fields, shielding them from jets of ionized gas — or plasma — that stream out from the Sun in the solar wind. Learning more about how magnetospheres work is important for understanding our own planet, as well as those in seldom-visited corners of our solar system and beyond.

That’s why scientists were eager to study Uranus’ magnetosphere, and what they saw in the Voyager 2 data in 1986 flummoxed them. Inside the planet’s magnetosphere were electron radiation belts with an intensity second only to Jupiter’s notoriously brutal radiation belts. But there was apparently no source of energized particles to feed those active belts; in fact, the rest of Uranus’ magnetosphere was almost devoid of plasma.

The missing plasma also puzzled scientists because they knew that the five major Uranian moons in the magnetic bubble should have produced water ions, as icy moons around other outer planets do. They concluded that the moons must be inert with no ongoing activity.

Solving the Mystery

So why was no plasma observed, and what was happening to beef up the radiation belts? The new data analysis points to the solar wind. When plasma from the Sun pounded and compressed the magnetosphere, it likely drove plasma out of the system. The solar wind event also would have briefly intensified the dynamics of the magnetosphere, which would have fed the belts by injecting electrons into them.

The findings could be good news for those five major moons of Uranus: Some of them might be geologically active after all. With an explanation for the temporarily missing plasma, researchers say it’s plausible that the moons actually may have been spewing ions into the surrounding bubble all along.

Planetary scientists are focusing on bolstering their knowledge about the mysterious Uranus system, which the National Academies’ 2023 Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey prioritized as a target for a future NASA mission.

JPL’s Linda Spilker was among the Voyager 2 mission scientists glued to the images and other data that flowed in during the Uranus flyby in 1986. She remembers the anticipation and excitement of the event, which changed how scientists thought about the Uranian system.

“The flyby was packed with surprises, and we were searching for an explanation of its unusual behavior. The magnetosphere Voyager 2 measured was only a snapshot in time,” said Spilker, who has returned to the iconic mission to lead its science team as project scientist. “This new work explains some of the apparent contradictions, and it will change our view of Uranus once again.”

Voyager 2, now in interstellar space, is almost 13 billion miles (21 billion kilometers) from Earth.

News Media Contacts

Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov  

Gretchen McCartney
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-6215
gretchen.p.mccartney@jpl.nasa.gov

2024-156

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

María Fernanda Barbarena-Arias (left), an associate professor of biology and instructor for the OCEANOS internship, stands on the sand of Playa Melones, Culebra Island, during the field work section of the internship.NASA ARC/Milan Loiacono

What is your name and your role with OCEANOS?

My name is María Fernanda Barbarena-Arias. I am an associate professor of biology at the American University of Puerto Rico, Metropolitan Campus. I am also a co-PI in the OCEANOS project, and an instructor and mentor for the students during the internship.

What is the importance of a program like OCEANOS, especially in Puerto Rico?

I think it makes a difference for the students because it gives them the opportunity to learn and to become familiar with ocean science, and with coastal and marine natural resources. In particular with OCEANOS one of the great [elements] is that usually marine science is offered in the upper system, which is the public university in Puerto Rico, and OCEANOS is engaging a private university where usually students who cannot enter the public system can begin studying. They have those kind of opportunities, because of OCEANOS.

What are some ways you’ve seen the students grow over the course of the internship?

The growth and changes that I’ve seen in students is mostly gaining confidence in the water. I think it’s great! Their first time they are apprehensive, and then as time passes and they engage more into their projects they seem much more familiar with swimming. The students also become more familiar and more confident on their projects. The first time they try to collect data they ask a lot of questions, and then by the third day they already know what to do. They are really empowered and I love that.

What is something you hope the students take with them after this program?

I hope that the students learn and become voices to help spread the word about natural sciences: we can study it and work in marine science. Usually in Puerto Rico, natural sciences are seen like a first step when you’re going to be focused in medical science or human health-related disciplines, and so that’s in some ways the tradition; it’s what the public knows. I hope this experience helped the students to spread the word that other kinds of careers are an alternative. I also hope it made them aware that we live in a vulnerable island and that we need to take action to become conscious, and to take action to be ready and to protect our natural resources.

How did you become involved in marine science, and eventually OCEANOS?

I actually come from Colombia. I did a bachelors degree in biology there and a minor in entomology, because at that point in my life I wanted to work in agriculture and to do pest control. But then I took a class on insect ecology, and I had to do a project and that’s when I discovered that my passion is ecology. So I applied to the University of Puerto Rico and I came here and did my master’s and my bachelor’s in tropical biology, but actually related to forests. But in the meantime I got married to a Puerto Rican guy, so I decided to stay here.

Three years later I was able to land a permanent position as a faculty in a private university, and I realized that I didn’t like the way we usually teach science in the classroom. So I began taking trainings and looking for opportunities to mentor students and to teach students in non-traditional settings. I got involved in many projects and I have a strong collaboration with University of Maryland, and we have had these kinds of projects/training/research opportunities for students outside the classroom for many years. And that I why I think one PI called me and invited me to OCEANOS, and here I am.

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

Samuel Suleiman, an instructor for the OCEANOS internship, teaches students about sargassum and shore ecology on Culebra Island, Puerto Rico, during the fieldwork section of the project. Suleiman is also the Executive Director of Sociedad Ambiente Marino: a Puerto Rican NGO that works in conservation and coral reef restoration.NASA ARC/Milan Loiacono

What is your name and your role with OCEANOS?

My name is Samuel Suleiman and I am the Executive Director of Sociedad Ambiente Marino: an NGO in Puerto Rico that has been working for the last 25 years to conserve our coastline and our reefs. During the OCEANOS internship, I am one of the Co-PIs (a co-instructor) for the project, and I’m in charge of the marine ecosystem in Culebra Island.  

What is the importance of a program like OCEANOS, especially in Puerto Rico?

The OCEANOS internship is pretty important for those students that don’t have the opportunity to go directly to our natural resources. Puerto Rico is an archipiélago – an island surrounded with other small islands  – and most of the population that we have on the island doesn’t appreciate or understand or protect our resources, because they haven’t had the opportunity to learn about it. OCEANOS provide this experience for these kids and also allows them to grow in different areas; not just in the in the lectures and the information and the marine science data, but also about working together as collaborators.

What are some ways you’ve seen the students grow over the course of the internship?

They have become more confident in the water compared to where we started, and they have start collaborating amongst themselves in their different research groups. They have also been changing their minds and attitudes, [which is] what we need for a better Puerto Rico and a better world.

How did you get into science?

I started in science because I wanted to be a pediatrician when I was a kid. I started in the Natural Science College at the University of Puerto Rico, then I changed to education in science. And I try to mix together my experience from the past: I almost drowned when I was five years old. Instead of paralyzing myself with fear of the water, I tried to explore, and I have been exploring since then; since I was five years old. Every time that I have the opportunity, I learn something new from the ocean.

What is something that has been rewarding about working with these students?

I think that we have to create a new kind of people that protect our resources. People that are willing to take what is needed to make a better world, and a better Puerto Rico.

What is something you hope the students take with them after this program?

I hope they feel a sense of belonging with the ocean, our coastline, our beaches, our resources, our reefs, our marine ecosystems. And I hope they can be ambassadors of these places.

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

Roy Armstrong, an instructor for the OCEANOS internship and marine sciences professor, pilots a small boat around the cays off the coast of La Parguera, Puerto Rico. NASA ARC/Milan Loiacono

What is your name and your role with OCEANOS?

My name is Ray Armstrong and I am a professor in the Department of Marine Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico. I came to be involved in OCEANOS because my ex-student and good friend Juan Torres-Perez, who works at NASA Ames Research Center, came up with this idea of having an internship for Hispanic students in Puerto Rico in the areas of remote sensing and oceanography, as a way of motivating Hispanic students to pursue careers in technology and oceanography.

What is the importance of a program like OCEANOS, especially in Puerto Rico?

Puerto Rico is an island and surrounded by ocean, and yet there is a lack of interest in marine sciences and oceanography compared to other disciplines. So we think that we need to promote the study and also conservation of our marine resources, and to use high technology  – such as remote sensing – to study and monitor our oceans and deal with things like water quality and the status of coral reefs, mangroves communities and so forth.

What is something that has been rewarding about working with these students?

Mostly the enthusiasm of the students when they go in the water or they look at mangroves for the first time, and learn more about their importance for fisheries and the coastline and so forth. Also sharing some of our stories and experiences in marine sciences, and listening to the students at the end of the program say that because of this experience they would like to pursue careers in marine sciences.

What has been a challenge of the program?

Well, one thing is the logistics, because it involves going out in boats in the ocean and there’s a limit of how many students can be in one place or in the water for safety reasons. So that that sets a limitation on the number of students for different activities.

This year we started a virtual component where we are also teaching a cohort of students and teachers on the use of NASA remote sensing technology in a virtual way and they also participate in some of the projects that the in-person students developed for this project.

How did you get into science?

Oh, for me it was simple. I was in love with the ocean since I was a little kid. I had the opportunity of participating in what is called the ‘sea semester’ at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, also Boston University where I graduated, and that was a big difference. I immediately realized that that’s what I wanted to do the rest of my life.

As someone born and raised in Puerto Rico, what are some of the environmental changes you’ve noticed in and around Puerto Rico?

I was born in Ponce, which is the second largest city in Puerto Rico. I moved to Parguera to study marine sciences at the Department of Marine Sciences in 1976. So basically I have lived here all my life, as a student but also as a professor: this year is my 28th year as a professor of marine sciences.

There were a lot of changes initially from hurricanes. In the late 1970s a couple of hurricanes destroyed huge areas of very shallow coral reef zones. After that there was a bloom of coral diseases. Through the years that has increased, decimating a lot of the coral populations in this area and in many other areas of the Caribbean and the world. More recently, in the last 5-10 years, more people in boats are coming to this area to a marine reserve, which put constant pressure on the ecosystem. When you have too many boats in one place, too many people in the water, and so forth, we don’t give the ecosystem a time to recover.

What is the importance of a program like OCEANOS, particularly in Puerto Rico?

We have seen that many professionals leave the island, in all disciplines. But if we can get younger people to be interested in what we do in the marine sciences in general. they will lhopefully ike to stay in Puerto Rico and work here and also make a difference in protecting our coastal ecosystems.

What is something that you hope the students take with them when they leave?

Even now, when the program is still going you can hear them say that the bonds they have established with fellow students and also with mentors and professors is very important. Some have also completely shifted their interest in other disciplines to marine science, or technology in general. And I’m very happy to hear that, because I think we’re having an effect on the on the people that come and the students that participate in this internship.

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OCEANOS PI Juan Torres-Pérez, a research scientist at NASA Ames Research Center, holds two pieces of cyanobacteria in the waters of Playa Melones, Culebra Island (Puerto Rico) during the 2024 OCEANOS internship. The cyanobacteria overgrowth is likely caused by an on-land source of pollution leeching into the waters.NASA ARC/Milan Loiacono

What is your name and your role with OCEANOS?

My name is Juan Torres-Pérez. I am a research scientist at NASA Ames Research Center in the Earth Sciences division, biospheric sciences branch. I am the PI of OCEANOS, which stands for Ocean Community Engagement and Awareness with NASA Observations and Science for Hispanic/Latino students.

What is the importance of a program like OCEANOS, particularly in Puerto Rico?

When you look at the statistics in the in the US, the Hispanic/Latino community is one of the largest minorities across the continental US and jurisdictions like Puerto Rico. But in the geo sciences, the percentage of Hispanic and Latinos is very, very small, including in Puerto Rico. So that’s where we wanted to propose a project like OCEANOS: to engage Hispanic/Latino students  in Puerto Rico in geosciences. Specifically, engaging students in oceanography and the use of remote sensing and NASA data to study coastal marine ecosystems.

What are some of the activities that the students do as part of the program?

For example here in Culebra, students study the coral reefs and their different components. What was the condition of the corals per se? The different coral species and their status. They’re also doing beach profiles, to measure whether the beaches have shrunk over time.

One of the other things that they’re doing is measuring water quality in a few different sites in Culebra [Island] and also in la Parguera on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico,  so they can compare the water quality in the east of Puerto Rico against the Southwest.

What is something that has been rewarding about working with these students?

Something rewarding is just to see their faces. Last year when they finished the program and this year as they go through the different experiences, you see how they’re learning. You see how they become engaged and how they participate in the in all the different activities. Most of the evenings, event late at night they’re still working on the data and they want to continue working with the data. So that tells you that this is something that they really enjoy and that they want to do for the future.

What growth or change do you see in the students over the course of the internship?

For one example, we’ve had students here that on the very first day told us that they didn’t swim, and we brought them to the water in the first week. We gave them some pointers, we talked to them about safety in the water, and taught them some techniques. And now,  less than three weeks later they’re diving; they’re literally diving in the water collecting data and doing everything that we tell them to do. So that for us is a win-win situation.

What has been a challenge of the program?

A challenge for us is more on the on the logistics of bringing in so many students, particularly to the to the southwest coast and also to Culebra Island. These are both big tourism sites in Puerto Rico, which makes it tough for logistics like finding a place for them to stay. In the case of Culebra, we have to buy the ferry tickets to bring them to the island, the transportation and all of that. But at the end of the day it’s so rewarding that it’s definitely worth it.

What is something that you hope the students take with them when they leave?

We want the students to become agents of change. That means that they can pass on to their communities, their families, all their relatives, and their schools all the knowledge that they gain through this whole month, and eventually get others enthusiastic about not only engaging in activities like this, but also in preserving the ocean. We have some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the Caribbean here, and they’ve been suffering from a lot of different climate-related and anthropogenic activities. If we get them to tell others that we need to preserve this [marine ecosystem], and then they follow the same steps, that’s the long-term goal for us.

What are some of the environmental changes you’ve noticed in and around Puerto Rico?

One example is that nowadays there are several invasive species that have been affecting the coral reefs for at least the past couple decades and some of them even more recently. For instance, the introduction of the lionfish in the Caribbean has devastated some of the most important fish populations, such as groupers and snappers, which affects the whole food web. There are also a number of invasive seagrass species and also some other invertebrates that are literally colonizing all the areas that used to be covered by corals and the local seagrass species, and that disrupts the whole ecosystem.

Many of them are a consequence of human introduction. Most of these species are actually from the Pacific, and come in or on ships as they go through the Panama canal and eventually they get into the Caribbean. Some of the larvae and such are in there,  and then they find a new place to stay and reproduce.

Some other species are probably related to climate change: the increase in surface temperatures the changes in currents and such. This is something that’s still being studied by a lot of scientists in the Caribbean and also in the in the Atlantic.

Do you see any climate change-related effects in Puerto Rico?

In particular one of the biggest changes that we have seen in terms of climate change and its impact on coral reefs is the increasing surface temperatures. We are literally going through a global coral bleaching event. That has been happening in the last in the last few years and that has affected many of the coral species in the Caribbean and many other parts in the world. Once the coral gets bleached it becomes weakened, and eventually a lot of these colonies die. Once they die they get covered by filamentous algae, and there’s no way back from there. That affects the whole ecosystem, including fisheries and others. Also, some of the coral diseases may also be triggered by these changes related to climate.

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Details Last Updated Nov 11, 2024 Related Terms

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Explore More 4 min read Interview with OCEANOS Instructor María Fernanda Barbarena-Arias Article 11 hours ago 3 min read Interview with OCEANOS Instructor Samuel Suleiman Article 11 hours ago 4 min read Interview with OCEANOS Instructor Roy Armstrong Article 11 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics

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Sols 4357–4358: Turning West NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image of its middle and right-rear wheels, using its Left Navigation Camera (Navcam). The difference in elevation between these two wheels at this location caused the drive planned on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, to end early. Curiosity captured the image on Nov. 5, 2024, on sol 4355 — Martian day 4,355 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 23:35:56 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech

Earth planning date: Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024

Sols 4357–4358: Turning West

If you’ve ever driven down a road that’s in need of repaving, you’ll know that it can be an uncomfortable experience. The same is true on Mars: even at our carefully slow driving speed, the rough, rocky terrain that we’ve found ourselves in since entering Gediz Vallis many months ago continues to present challenges for our intrepid rover. 

Planning today began with the news that Curiosity only made it about halfway to its intended destination from Monday. The drive terminated early after the rover exceeded one of its “suspension limits.” This refers to our “rocker-bogie” suspension system, which allows the rover to drive over obstacles while minimizing the motion experienced by the rover body. In this case, our right middle wheel is down in a trough while the right rear wheel is perched on a rock, causing the angle of the “bogie” connecting the two wheels to exceed the maximum allowed value (Those maximums are set with a healthy amount of safety margin, so we’re not in any danger!). You can see the state of the bogie in the image above. On top of that, ending the drive early also meant that we didn’t have the images that we usually use to determine if the rover is stable enough to unstow the arm, so some creative work was necessary to determine whether or not we could. Unsurprisingly, the verdict was that we shouldn’t do so while in this awkward-looking position.

As always, the team was quick to pivot to a remote sensing plan. The focus today was on getting any last-minute remote observations of the Gediz Vallis channel. This was because we decided that, rather than continuing to drive north, we would be starting our western turn toward the exit out of Gediz Vallis.

The first sol of today’s plan contains a hefty two hours of science activities. These include LIBS observations of a bedrock target “North Dome” and a pair of ChemCam passive rasters of “Jewelry Lake” and “Merced River,” two smaller rocks near the rover, the latter of which appears to have been broken open as the rover drove over it. Mastcam will then take a documentation image of North Dome, as well as a mosaic of some more bedrock at “Earthquake Dome.” This first sol also includes a set of environmental science observations, including a lengthy 30-minute dust devil movie, just over 10 minutes of Navcam cloud movies, and some Navcam monitoring of dust and sand on the rover deck. We also sneak in a Navcam line-of-sight mosaic of the north crater rim, to measure the amount of dust in the air after our drive.

The second sol is a fairly typical post-drive sol, beginning with a standard ChemCam AEGIS activity to let the rover autonomously select a LIBS target. The rest of the science time this sol is dedicated to environmental monitoring, including a Mastcam tau observation to monitor dust, some more Navcam deck monitoring, another Navcam cloud movie, and a 360-degree Navcam dust devil survey. No arm activities means the second sol also includes a Navcam shunt prevention activity (SPENDI) to burn off some extra power while also looking for clouds and dust devils. As always, REMS, RAD, and DAN will continue their standard activities throughout this plan.

When I joined the mission back in 2020, I would occasionally look at Gediz Vallis on our HiRISE maps and imagine what the view would be like between those tall, steep channel walls. So it seems almost unbelievable that we will soon be leaving Gediz Vallis behind us as we continue our trek up Mount Sharp. It will probably still be a few more weeks before we can say that we’ve officially exited Gediz Vallis, but I don’t think anyone will be saying they were disappointed with what we accomplished during this long-anticipated phase of the mission.

Onwards and upwards!

Written by Conor Hayes, graduate student at York University

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TIME Recognizes the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System

In October, the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System a project managed at NASA Ames, was recognized by TIME Magazine as a “Top Invention of 2024”! TIME Magazine also recognized two other NASA missions this year: Europa Clipper, and the Deep Space Optical Communications experiment.   

The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System is a demonstration of technologies that enable spacecraft to “sail on sunlight,” using solar radiation for propulsion. Results from this mission could provide an alternative to chemical and electric propulsion systems and guide the design of future larger-scale spacecraft for space weather early warning satellites, near-Earth asteroid reconnaissance missions, or communications relays for crewed exploration missions at the Moon and Mars.  

The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System a project managed at NASA Ames, was recognized by TIME Magazine as a “Top Invention of 2024.”NASA

This twelve-unit (12U) CubeSat features a reflective sail held taut by composite booms made from flexible polymer and carbon fiber materials that are stiffer and lighter than previous designs. The square-shaped solar sail measures approximately 80 square meters, but the new boom technology could support future missions for solar sails up to 500 square meters.   

The mission launched on April 23 via a Rocket Lab Electron rocket and met its primary objective in August by deploying the boom and sail system in space. Next, the team will attempt to demonstrate maneuverability in orbit using the sail.   

Congratulations to the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System team and the Small Spacecraft Technology program office, based at Ames, for this well-earned recognition. Their contributions continue to push the boundaries of what we can achieve at NASA, and this acknowledgment highlights the capabilities and vision of our center.   

Representative Anna Eshoo Recognized for 32 Years of Distinguished Public Service

On Oct. 29, Ames hosted a recognition event for Representative Anna Eshoo to honor her 32 years of public service and to thank her for her enduring support for NASA and our center. Representative Eshoo announced her retirement from Congress in 2023.

On Oct. 29, Ames Center Director Dr. Eugene Tu presented the Pioneer Plaque to Congresswoman Anna Eshoo in the ballroom of Building 3 at NASA Research Park.NASA photo by Brandon Torres

Representative Zoe Lofgren, public officials from across the Bay Area, and colleagues from around the center were in attendance to celebrate Representative Eshoo’s decades of tireless support. During the formal program, Ames Center Director Dr. Eugene Tu presented her with a replica of a Pioneer Plaque (photo above) as a token of appreciation for her many years as a champion for NASA Ames – from Hangar One, to the USGS Building, and the Moffett Field Museum.

Congresswoman Anna Eshoo gives remarks to the audience during the unveiling of her commemorative plaque at the Moffett Field Museum, in NASA Research Park, on Oct. 29.NASA photo by Brandon Torres Safety Day Organizational Silence Town Hall Held

On Oct. 1, a Safety Day Organizational Silence Town Hall was held that focused on employee feedback and insights from prior Safety Culture, Federal Employee Viewpoint, and DEIA Organizational Climate surveys.

Fostering a psychologically safe culture of open communication at NASA and Ames is imperative for the safety of our team and for the collective success of our missions. This is a topic of particular interest and concern to Ames center leadership. 

Acting Director of the NASA Safety Center Bob Conway speaks during the Oct. 1 Safety Day Organization Silence Town Hall.NASA photo by Don RIchey

Acting Director of the NASA Safety Center, Bob Conway, presented in person at Ames to conduct the hybrid town hall event in the N201 auditorium on Organizational Silence. In addition to valuable insights and tactics, there was the opportunity for employees to ask questions via a Conference I/O channel and in person during the event. 

Following the main presentation, Associate Center Director Amir Deylami, at the podium, leads a question-and-answer session with the town hall audience and online attendees of the Safety Day: Organizational Silence town hall, with (seated left to right) Acting Director of the NASA Safety Center Bob Conway, Deputy Center Director David Korsmeyer, Director of Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate Drew Demo, and Director of Center Operations Directorate Aga Goodsell.NASA photo by Don RIchey Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy Visits Ames, Attends Roundtable Discussions

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy speaks with NASA 2040 participants in the lobby of N232, during her visit to Ames on Sept. 16.NASA photo by Brandon Torres

On Sept. 16, Ames welcomed NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy to the center. Having toured the facilities at Ames on past visits, Melroy visited the center to engage in several roundtable discussions with employees focused on procurement, NASA 2040, and leadership. She also greeted a delegation from the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia, with Australia being among the original eight international partners to sign on to the Artemis Accords in 2020. Across all of her conversations, Melroy voiced her appreciation for the Ames workforce for their steadfast dedication. She also consistently expressed her admiration for the diverse array of foundational work being done at Ames to advance NASA’s mission. 

President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs Visits Ames

The President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs visited Ames on Sept. 18 to learn about our aeronautics research and some of the center’s technical capabilities. Accompanied by a delegation of Latvian business representatives, the president visited the Airspace Operations Lab and FutureFlight Central.  

President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs, right, chats with Ames Center Director Dr. Eugene Tu, second from right, while in FutureFlight Central.NASA photo by Brandon Torres

During the visit, he was briefed on the center’s air traffic management simulation capabilities aimed at solving the challenges – present and emerging – of the nation’s air traffic management system. Center experts discussed innovative work in airspace management, including commercial and public safety drone operations that extend from local incidents to large-scale disaster response. Through these international visits, we are showcasing NASA to the world.  

Discussions, Lightning Pitches Presented at Ames’ Aeronautics Innovation Forum

The 2024 Aeronautics Innovation Forum was held Sept. 17 – 19, supporting aeronautics research and innovation. A panel discussion, “Aeronautics & Space Economy” was held the first day with Dr. Parimal Kopardekar, Director of the NASA Aeronautics Research Institute (NARI) acting as the moderator. Panelists were Dr. Alex MacDonald, Chief Economist, NASA; Peter Shannon, Radius Capital, AAM Investor; Julia Black, Director of Range Operations, Stoke Space; and Dr. Yewon Kim, Professor, Stanford Graduate School of Business. Facility tours were also given during the forum. Lightning pitches were presented, along with an All Hands meeting, an aeronautics taco fiesta picnic and games at the Ames Park, and an ice cream social and Aeronautics Innovation Center (AIC) discussion.

Director of NASA’s Aeronautics Research Institute (NARI) Parimal Kopardekar (PK) moderates a panel session “Aeronautics & Space Economy” during the 2024 Ames Aeronautics Innovation Forum in the Syvertson Auditorium.NASA photo by Don Richey Nelson Iwai gives attendees of the 2024 Ames Aeronautics INNOVATION Forum a tour of the Aerospace Cognitive Engineering Lab Rapid Automation Test Environment (ACEL-RATE) in N262.NASA photo by Don Richey Don Durston gives his lightening pitch on day three of the 2024 Ames Aeronautics Innovation Forum in the Syvertson Auditorium.NASA photo by Don Richey Following the 2024 Ames Aeronautics Innovation Forum, attendees met in Mega-Bytes for an ice cream social and to discuss the Aeronautics Innovation Center.NASA photo by Don Richey

NASA and Partners Scaling to New Heights in Air Traffic Management

by Hillary Smith

NASA, in partnership with AeroVironment and Aerostar, recently demonstrated a first-of-its-kind air traffic management concept that could pave the way for aircraft to safely operate at higher altitudes.

This work seeks to open the door for increased internet coverage, improved disaster response, expanded scientific missions, and even supersonic flight. The concept is referred to as an Upper-Class E traffic management, or ETM.  There is currently no traffic management system or set of regulations in place for aircraft operating 60,000 feet and above. There hasn’t been a need for a robust traffic management system in this airspace until recently. That’s because commercial aircraft couldn’t function at such high altitudes due to engine constraints.  

NASA and partners from Aerostar and AeroVironment discuss a simulation of a high-altitude air traffic management system in the Airspace Operations Lab at NASA Ames.NASA photo by Don Richey

However, recent advancements in aircraft design, power, and propulsion systems are making it possible for high- altitude, long-endurance vehicles — such as balloons, airships, and solar aircraft — to coast miles above our heads, providing radio relay for disaster response, collecting atmospheric data, and more.  

But before these aircraft can regularly take to the skies, operators must find a way to manage their operations without overburdening air traffic infrastructure and personnel.  

“We are working to safely expand high-altitude missions far beyond what is currently possible,” said Kenneth Freeman, a subproject manager for this effort at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. “With routine, remotely piloted high-altitude operations, we have the opportunity to improve our understanding of the planet through more detailed tracking of climate change, provide internet coverage in underserved areas, advance supersonic flight research, and more.” 

Current high-altitude traffic management is processed manually and on a case-by-case basis. Operators must contact air traffic control to gain access to a portion of the Class E airspace. During these operations, no other aircraft can enter this high-altitude airspace. This method will not accommodate the growing demand for high-altitude missions, according to NASA researchers.  

To address this challenge, NASA and its partners have developed an ETM traffic management system that allows aircraft to autonomously share location and flight plans, enabling aircraft to stay safely separated. 

During the recent traffic management simulation in the Airspace Operations Laboratory at Ames, data from multiple air vehicles was displayed across dozens of traffic control monitors and shared with partner computers off site.

This included aircraft location, health, flight plans and more. Researchers studied interactions between a slow fixed-wing vehicle from AeroVironment and a high-altitude balloon from Aerostar operating at stratospheric heights.

Each aircraft, connected to the ETM traffic management system for high altitude, shared location and flight plans with surrounding aircraft.  

This digital information sharing allowed Aerostar and AeroVironment high-altitude vehicle operators to coordinate and deconflict with each other in the same simulated airspace, without having to gain approval from air traffic control.

Because of this, aircraft operators were able to achieve their objectives, including wireless communication relay. 

This simulation represents the first time a traffic management system was able to safely manage a diverse set of high-altitude aircraft operations in the same simulated airspace.

Next, NASA researchers will work with partners to further validate this system through a variety of real flight tests with high-altitude aircraft in a shared airspace.   

The Upper-Class E traffic management concept was developed in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration and high-altitude platform industry partners, under NASA’s National Airspace System Exploratory Concepts and Technologies subproject led out of Ames.  

Starship Super Heavy Breezes Through Wind Tunnel Testing at NASA Ames

by Lee Mohon

NASA and its industry partners continue to make progress toward Artemis III and beyond, the first crewed lunar landing missions under the agency’s Artemis campaign. SpaceX, the commercial Human Landing System (HLS) provider for Artemis III and Artemis IV, recently tested a 1.2% scale model of the Super Heavy rocket, or booster, in the transonic Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at NASA Ames. The Super Heavy rocket will launch the Starship human landing system to the Moon as part of Artemis.

A 1.2% scale model of the Super Heavy rocket that will launch the Starship human landing system to the Moon for future crewed Artemis missions was recently tested at NASA Ames’ transonic wind tunnel, providing valuable information on vehicle stability when re-entering Earth’s atmosphere.NASA

During the tests, the wind tunnel forced an air stream at the Super Heavy scale model at high speeds, mimicking the air resistance and flow the booster experiences during flight. The wind tunnel subjected the Super Heavy model, affixed with pressure-measuring sensors, to wind speeds ranging from Mach .7, or about 537 miles per hour, to Mach 1.4, or about 1,074 miles per hour. Mach 1 is the speed that sound waves travel, or 761 miles per hour, at sea level.

Engineers then measured how Super Heavy model responded to the simulated flight conditions, observing its stability, aerodynamic performance, and more. Engineers used the data to update flight software for flight 3 of Super Heavy and Starship and to refine the exterior design of future versions of the booster. The testing lasted about two weeks and took place earlier in 2024.

After Super Heavy completes its ascent and separation from Starship HLS on its journey to the Moon, SpaceX plans to have the booster return to the launch site for catch and reuse. The Starship HLS will continue on a trajectory to the Moon.

To get to the Moon for the Artemis missions, astronauts will launch in NASA’s Orion spacecraft aboard the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once in lunar orbit, Orion will dock with the Starship HLS or with Gateway. Once the spacecraft are docked, the astronauts will move from Orion or Gateway to the Starship HLS, which will bring them to the surface of the Moon. After surface activities are complete, Starship will return the astronauts to Orion or Gateway waiting in lunar orbit. The astronauts will transfer to Orion for the return trip to Earth. 

With Artemis, NASA will explore more of the Moon than ever before, learn how to live and work away from home, and prepare for future human exploration of the Red Planet. NASA’s SLS, exploration ground systems, and Orion spacecraft, along with the human landing system, next-generation spacesuits, Gateway lunar space station, and future rovers are NASA’s foundation for deep space exploration.

2024 NASA SmallSat In-Person LEARN Forum Held

Audience members participate in a discussion during the 2024 NASA SmallSat Learning from Experience, Achievements, and Resolution, Navigation LEARN forum held Sept. 24 in the ballroom of Building 3 at NASA Research Park.NASA NASA Conjunction Assessment Program Officer Lauri Newman speaks at the 2024 NASA SmallSat Learning from Experience, Achievements, and Resolution, Navigation LEARN forum in the ballroom of Building 3 at NASA Research Park.NASA Attendees of the 2024 NASA SmallSat Learning from Experience, Achievements, and Resolution, Navigation LEARN forum read about other projects during the poster session in the ballroom of Building 3 at NASA Research Park.NASA NASA Astronauts, Leadership Visit Children’s Hospital, Cancer Moonshot Event

NASA astronauts, scientists, and researchers, and leadership from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) met with cancer patients and gathered in a discussion about potential research opportunities and collaborations as part of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative on Oct. 4.

Roundtable discussions centered conversation around the five hazards of human spaceflight: space radiation, isolation and confinement, distance from Earth, gravity, and closed or hostile environments. Many of these hazards have direct correlations to a cancer patient’s lived experience, like the isolation of a hospital room and long-term effects of radiation.

NASA astronaut Yvonne Cagle and former astronaut Kenneth Cockrell pose with Eli Toribio and Rhydian Daniels at the University of California, San Francisco Bakar Cancer Hospital. Patients gathered to meet the astronauts and learn more about human spaceflight and NASA’s cancer research efforts.NASA photo by Brandon Torres

During the visit with patients at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco, NASA astronaut Yvonne Cagle and former astronaut Kenneth Cockrell answered questions about spaceflight and life in space.

Patients also received a video message from NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station, and met with the Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston Vanessa Wyche, Ames Center Director Dr. Eugene Tu, and other agency leaders.

Leadership from NASA and the University of California, San Francisco gathered for an informal luncheon before a collaborative roundtable discussion of research opportunities. From left to right, Alan Ashworth, president of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dr. Eugene Tu, director NASA Ames, Dr. David Korsmeyer, deputy director NASA Ames, Sam Hawgood, chancellor of UCSF, and Vanessa Wyche, director NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.NASA photo by Brandon Torres

By connecting the dots between human space research and cancer research, NASA and the University of California hope to open doors to innovative new research opportunities. NASA is working with researchers, institutions, and agencies across the federal government to help cut the nation’s cancer death rate by at least 50% in the next 25 years, a goal of the Cancer Moonshot Initiative.

Learn more about the Cancer Moonshot at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/cancermoonshot

NASA Begins New Deployable Solar Array Tech Demo on Pathfinder Spacecraft

by Gianine Figliozzi

NASA recently evaluated initial flight data and imagery from Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-4 (PTD-4), confirming proper checkout of the spacecraft’s systems including its on-board electronics as well as the payload’s support systems such as the small onboard camera. Shown below is a test image of Earth taken by the payload camera, shortly after PTD-4 reached orbit. This camera will continue photographing the technology demonstration during the mission. 

Payload operations are now underway for the primary objective of the PTD-4 mission – the demonstration of a new power and communications technology for future spacecraft. The payload, a deployable solar array with an integrated antenna called the Lightweight Integrated Solar Array and anTenna, or LISA-T, has initiated deployment of its central boom structure. The boom supports four solar power and communication arrays, also called petals. Releasing the central boom pushes the still-stowed petals nearly three feet (one meter) away from the spacecraft bus. The mission team currently is working through an initial challenge to get LISA-T’s central boom to fully extend before unfolding the petals and beginning its power generation and communication operations.

A test image of Earth taken by NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-4’s onboard camera. The camera will capture images of the Lightweight Integrated Solar Array and anTenna upon deployment.NASA

Small spacecraft on deep space missions require more electrical power than what is currently offered by existing technology. The four-petal solar array of LISA-T is a thin-film solar array that offers lower mass, lower stowed volume, and three times more power per mass and volume allocation than current solar arrays. The in-orbit technology demonstration includes deployment, operation, and environmental survivability of the thin-film solar array.  

“The LISA-T experiment is an opportunity for NASA and the small spacecraft community to advance the packaging, deployment, and operation of thin-film, fully flexible solar and antenna arrays in space. The thin-film arrays will vastly improve power generation and communication capabilities throughout many different mission applications,” said Dr. John Carr, deputy center chief technologist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “These capabilities are critical for achieving higher value science alongside the exploration of deep space with small spacecraft.”

The Pathfinder Technology Demonstration series of missions leverages a commercial platform which serves to test innovative technologies to  increase the capability of small spacecraft. Deploying LISA-T’s thin solar array in the harsh environment of space presents inherent challenges such as deploying large highly flexible non-metallic structures with high area to mass ratios. Performing experiments such as LISA-T on a smaller, lower-cost spacecraft allows NASA the opportunity to take manageable risk with high probability of great return. The LISA-T experiment aims to enable future deep space missions with the ability to acquire and communicate data through improved power generation and communication capabilities on the same integrated array.

The PTD-4 small spacecraft is hosting the in-orbit technology demonstration called LISA-T. The PTD-4 spacecraft deployed into low Earth orbit from SpaceX’s Transporter-11 rocket which launched from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Aug. 16. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama designed and built the LISA-T technology as well as LISA-T’s supporting avionics system. NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program, based at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley and led by the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, funds and manages the PTD-4 mission as well as the overall Pathfinder Technology Demonstration mission series. Terran Orbital Corporation of Irvine, California, developed and built the PTD-4 spacecraft bus, named Triumph.

2024 Silver Snoopy Awards Presented by Astronaut Nicole Mann

On Oct. 24, Astronaut Nicole Mann presented the Silver Snoopy Awards in the Syvertson Auditorium at the center. The Silver Snoopy best symbolizes the intent and spirit of Space Flight Awareness.  An astronaut always presents the Silver Snoopy because it is the astronauts’ own award for outstanding performance, contributing to flight safety and mission success.  Fewer than one percent of the aerospace program workforce receive it annually, making it a special honor to receive this award.

Silver Snoopy Award recipient Tomomi Oishi (holding award) and Astronaut Nicole Mann with colleagues in the Syvertson Auditorium during the award ceremony on Oct. 24.NASA photo by Brandon Torres Silver Snoopy Award presented to Ali Guarneros Luna, center, by Center Director Dr. Eugene Tu, left, and Astronaut Nicole Mann in the Syvertson Auditorium on Oct. 24.NASA photo by Brandon Torres Jordan Kam Receives a Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Undergraduate Research Competition Award

by Maria C. Lopez

Jordan Kam, a rising star at NASA Ames and a dedicated member of the Ames Hispanic Advisory Committee for Employees (HACE), recently received the prestigious Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Undergraduate Research Competition Award at the SHPE 50th National Convention held in Anaheim, California.

Left to right, at the SHPE 50th National Convention award ceremony: Oscar Dubón, professor of Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) and associate dean of Students in the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley; Jordan Kam, recipient of the SHPE Undergraduate Research Competition Award; and Marvin Lopez, director of Student Programs, College of Engineering at UC Berkeley.

Currently pursuing an engineering degree at UC Berkeley, Jordan also is interning at NASA Ames through the Volunteer Internship Program, supporting the Intelligent Systems Division. Jordan’s award-winning research, entitled “Development of The Wireless Prototype ‘STAMPS’ for Data Acquisition, Analysis, and Visualization,” focuses on the System for Telemetry Amalgamation of Multimodal Prognostics. This innovative project plays a crucial role in diagnostics and prognostics for the Earth Independent Operations (EIO) Domain, which is essential for NASA’s Mars Campaign efforts.

The SHPE National Convention is the largest annual gathering of Hispanic STEM students and professionals, with more than 15,000 members dedicated to promoting Hispanic leadership in STEM fields. Jordan’s achievement is not only a testament to hard work and dedication but also an inspiration to all of us.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Ignacio Lopez-Francos Featured in Newsweek En Español

by Maria C. Lopez

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Newsweek En Español has released a special October/November edition that highlights Hispanics around the globe who are making significant contributions to the field of artificial intelligence. NASA Ames’ very own Ignacio Lopez-Francos has been featured in this prestigious publication!

Ignacio Lopez-Francos, a principal research engineer with the Intelligent Systems Division at NASA Ames has been featured in this Newsweek En Español.

Ignacio is a principal research engineer with the Intelligent Systems Division at NASA Ames, working through the KBR Wyle Services, LLC contract. Ignacio’s groundbreaking research focuses on applied AI for robot autonomy, encompassing core areas such as vision-based navigation, 3D scene reconstruction, geospatial mapping, edge computing, and foundation models. In addition to Ignacio’s impressive technical work, Ignacio is an active member of the Ames Hispanic Advisory Committee for Employees (HACE), further demonstrating his commitment to community and representation.

Congratulations, Ignacio! Your pioneering efforts in AI are not only advancing technology but also making a global impact. It is inspiring to see you representing the NASA workforce and serving as a role model for future generations. We celebrate your passion and dedication!

Congratulations to Major Crystal A. Armendariz on her Promotion to Army Major!

by Maria C. Lopez

On Sept. 16, the Ames Veterans Committee (AVC) proudly celebrated the promotion of Crystal A. Armendariz to the rank of United States Army Major during a ceremony at NASA Ames. This momentous occasion was organized by AVC and the Asian American Pacific Islander Advisory Group (AAPIAG), bringing together colleagues and friends to honor Major Armendariz’s exceptional service and dedication.

Major Crystal Armendariz 397th Engineer Battalion Executive Officer (center) wears her new Major rank, standing alongside her daughter Maya Karp and guest David Chavez during the September 16 ceremony.

Major Armendariz is a distinguished military graduate of California State University-Sacramento, where she earned a degree in Health Science with a focus on Community Health Education, as well as her commission in the United States Army. After completing the Army Military Intelligence Basic Officer Leader Course, she began her career with the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade at Wheeler Army Airfield in Hawaii, quickly deploying to Afghanistan as the Brigade Assistant Intelligence Officer in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Her career has since seen her take on key leadership roles, including Battalion Intelligence Officer in Charge and Company Executive Officer, where she demonstrated remarkable skill and commitment to her missions.

Following her completion of the Army Military Intelligence Captain’s Career Course, Major Armendariz served at Fort Carson, Colorado, and took part in Operation Atlantic Resolve in Germany. Her leadership extended to managing complex security programs and providing critical intelligence support in joint operational environments. In 2021, she served as the Battalion Security Officer for the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, ensuring safety compliance and advising command on security matters across multiple operational theaters.

In 2023, Major Armendariz transitioned to the 397th Reserve Engineer Battalion in Marina, California, as the Battalion S2. Shortly thereafter, she was selected as the Battalion Executive Officer and promoted to Major, overseeing staff operations and ensuring effective communication and planning. Her impressive accolades include the Knowlton Award, Joint Service Commendation Medal, and several other commendations that highlight her unwavering commitment to excellence in military service. Congratulations Major Crystal Armendariz on a well-deserved promotion and remarkable achievements!

Faces of NASA – Ames’ Dr. Donald Mendoza, Chief Engineer

“From my earliest childhood, flight had always captivated me. I lived out in the boonies and the farmlands, so I didn’t have neighbors to go and play with. If I wasn’t working, I was left to my own devices, and often, I would just be captivated by the wildlife and in particular, the birds of prey that I would see.

Dr. Donald Menodoza, Chief Engineer, NASA Engineering and Safety Center at Ames.NASA photo by Dominic Hart

“To me, they represented a freedom of some kind or another. These birds and the view they have — they can take in so much. So, from that point on, I knew I wanted to be involved in flight and aviation.

“I [enjoyed] all things flight, all things spaceflight. I couldn’t get enough of it. I became an avid reader, whereas before, I wasn’t much of a reader. I couldn’t get enough material to read about my heroes from flight and space. They became my role models and the path that they took involved, at some point or another, a pretty rigorous education and dedication to doing well academically, physically, or athletically. So, I threw myself into that entire sort of mindset.

“When I was working for the Air Force, I was able to fly and work on aircraft that I would dream about, looking at in the magazines Aviation Week and Space Technology. Here they are, right in front of me.

“… So, my career has been as close as possible to that of a flight test engineer. And then, right on the heels of being captivated by atmospheric flight, working in human spaceflight has put me over the Moon.”

—Dr. Donald Mendoza, Chief Engineer, NASA Engineering & Safety Center, NASA’s Ames Research Center

Check out some of our other Faces of NASA.

Cybersecurity Specialist Jonathan Kaldani Inspires Students at CSU East Bay

On Oct. 29, Jonathan Kaldani, a cybersecurity specialist on the Cybersecurity Posture Assessment Services (CPAS) team within the Cybersecurity and Privacy Division (CSPD) at NASA Ames, spoke to students in Professor Ahmed Banafa’s Computer Network class at CSU East Bay in Hayward, California.

Jonathan Kaldani, a cybersecurity specialist on the Cybersecurity Posture Assessment Services (CPAS) team at NASA Ames, giving his “Fly Me to the Moon” presentation to a Computer Network class at CSU East Bay in Hayward, California.

The insightful session, “Fly Me to the Moon” delved into NASA’s mission and it’s future, and cybersecurity. It provided students with valuable career insights, including information about jobs and internships at NASA. The engagement was exceptional with students actively participating, and showcasing a high level of interest through numerous questions that extended beyond the scheduled class time.

For all NASA Ames employees, if you are interested in sharing the NASA mission with others in your community, you are encouraged to take time to participate in NASA Engages speaking events!

We Are All Made of Cells: Space and the Immune System

by Rachel Hoover

Malcolm O’Malley and his mom sat nervously in the doctor’s office awaiting the results of his bloodwork. This was no ordinary check-up. In fact, this appointment was more urgent and important than the SATs the seventeen-year-old, college hopeful had spent months preparing for and was now missing in order to understand his symptoms. 

But when the doctor shared the results – he had off-the-charts levels of antibodies making him deathly allergic to shellfish – O’Malley realized he had more questions than answers. Like: Why is my immune system doing this? How is it working? Why is it reacting so severely and so suddenly (he’d enjoyed shrimp less than a year ago)? And why does the only treatment – an injection of epinephrine – have nothing to do with the immune system, when allergies appear to be an immune system problem? Years later, O’Malley would look to answer some of these questions while interning in the Space Biosciences Research Branch at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.

Bone cells NASA/Eduardo Almeida and Cassie Juran

“Anaphylaxis is super deadly and the only treatment for it is epinephrine; and I remember thinking, ‘how is this the best we have?’ because epinephrine does not actually treat the immune system at all – it’s just adrenaline,” said O’Malley, who recently returned to his studies as a Ph.D. student of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville. “And there’s a thousand side effects, like heart attacks and stroke – I remember thinking ‘these are worse than the allergy!’”

O’Malley’s curiosity and desire to better understand the mechanisms and connections between what triggers different immune system reactions combined with his interest in integrating datasets into biological insights inspired him to shift his major from computer science to biomedical engineering as an undergraduate student. With his recent allergy diagnosis and a lifelong connection to his aunt who worked at the UVA Heart and Vascular Center, O’Malley began to build a bridge between the immune system and heart health. By the time he was a senior in college, he had joined the Cardiac Systems Biology Lab, and had chosen to focus his capstone project on better understanding the role of neutrophils, a specific type of immune cell making up 50 to 70% of the immune system, that are involved in cardiac inflammation in high blood pressure and after heart attacks.

“The immune system is involved in everything,” O’Malley says. “Anytime there’s an injury – a paper cut, a heart attack, you’re sick – the immune system is going to be the first to respond; and neutrophils are the first responders.”

jA preflight image of beating cardiac spheroid composed of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs), endothelial cells (ECs), and cardiac fibroblasts (CFs). These cells are incubated and put under the microscope in space as part of the Effect of Microgravity on Drug Responses Using Heart Organoids (Cardinal Heart 2.0) investigation.
Image credit: courtesy of Drs. Joseph Wu, Dilip Thomas and Xu Cao, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute

O’Malley’s work to determine what regulates the immune system’s interrelated responses – like how one cell could affect other cells or immune processes downstream – provided a unique opportunity for him to support multiple interdisciplinary NASA biological and physical sciences research projects during his 10-week internship at NASA Ames over the summer of 2024. O’Malley applied machine learning techniques to the large datasets the researchers were using from experiments and specimens collected over many years to help identify possible causes of inflammation seen in the heart, brain, and blood, as well as changes seen in bones, metabolism, the immune system, and more when humans or other model organisms are exposed to decreased gravity, social isolation, and increased radiation. These areas are of keen interest to NASA due to the risks to human health inherent in space exploration and the agency’s plans to send humans on long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

“It’s exciting that we just never know what’s going to happen, how the immune system is going to react until it’s already been activated or challenged in some way,” said O’Malley. “I’m particularly interested in the adaptive immune system because it’s always evolving to meet new challenges; whether it’s a pandemic-level virus, bacteria or something on a mission to Mars, our bodies are going to have some kind of adaptive immune response.”

During his NASA internship, O’Malley applied a statistical analysis techniques to plot and make more sense of the massive amounts of life sciences data. From there, researchers could find out which proteins, out of hundreds, or attributes – like differences in sex – are related to which behaviors or outcomes. For example, through O’Malley’s analysis, researchers were able to better pinpoint the proteins involved in inflammation of the brain that may play a protective role in spatial memory and motor control during and after exposure to radiation – and how we might be able to prevent or mitigate those impacts during future space missions and even here on Earth.

“I had this moment where I realized that since my internship supports NASA’s Human Research Program that means the work I’m doing directly applies to Artemis, which is sending the first woman and person of color to the Moon,” reflected O’Malley. “As someone who’s both black and white, representation is important to me. It’s inspiring to think there will be people like me on the Moon – and that I’m playing a role in making this happen.”

When O’Malley wasn’t exploring the mysteries of the immune system for the benefit of all at NASA Ames, he taught himself how to ride a bike and started to surf in the nearby waters of the Pacific Ocean. O’Malley considers Palmyra, Virginia, his hometown and he enjoys playing sports – especially volleyball, water polo, and tennis – reading science fiction and giving guest lectures to local high school students hoping to spark their curiosity. 

O’Malley’s vision for the future of biomedical engineering reflects his passion for innovation. “I believe that by harnessing the unique immune properties of other species, we can achieve groundbreaking advancements in limb regeneration, revolutionize cancer therapy, and develop potent antimicrobials that are considered science fiction today,” he said.

Wildly Popular 21st Annual Chili Cook-Off and Car Show Held

The Ames Exchange sponsored its 21st annual Chili Cook-Off on Oct. 30 behind Building 3. The theme for this year’s event was “Halloween Night,” which led to some really creative costumes. Attendees, both from Ames and the NASA Research Park, sampled chili and voted on their favorites. See below for photos of some of the spooky entries. A car and motorcycle show was also held in conjunction with the chili cook-off.

The 21st Annual Chili Cook-off held Oct. 30 with Hanger One in the background.NASA photos by Don Richey The NASA Ames Fire Department won the Judge’s Choice award for best chili. The classic car collection at the recent Chili Cook-off. One of the collector’s cars at the Chili Cook-off. Classic bike collection at the Chili Cook-off. Employees Participate in the October Fun Run/Walk & Roll

Runners begin the 2-mile Fun Run/Walk & Roll, sponsored by the Ames Fitness Center. The course covers a 2-mile stretch starting on Durand Road, runs up DeFrance Road to North Perimeter Road and back. The Ames Fitness Center is committed to fostering an inclusive community and encourages everyone, regardless of fitness level, experience, or capability, to participate in these events. Invite your colleagues and come join the fun at future Fun Run/Walk & Roll events! Contact Marco or Orion at the Fitness Center 650-604-5804 or visit https://q.arc.nasa.gov/content/fitness-center for more information about these events and other Fitness Center classes and programs.

Runners begin the October 2-mile Fun Run/Walk & Roll, sponsored by the Ames Fitness Center. NASA photo by Don Richey Runners and organizers of the 2-mile Fun Run/Walk & Roll, sponsored by the Ames Fitness Center. Eric Yee front row left, David King, Nicholas Wogan, Sarah Nickerson, Jose Ignacio de Alvear Cardenas, Lara Lash, Bob Windhorst, Jon Hill, and Marco Santoyo front row right. Orion Spellman back row left, Marton Mester, Alejandro Serrano Borlaff, Evan Crowe, Jackson Donaldson, Jonathan Kaldani, Clayton Elder, and Collin Payne back row right.NASA photo by Don RIchey In Memoriam …

Laura Lewis, Science Directorate Project Manager, Dies

Laura Lewis passed away on Sept. 24 after a three-year fight against cancer.  Laura spent her entire 34-year career at NASA. She was a member of the Science Directorate at Ames. Laura launched her career at Kennedy Space Center. She then moved to Headquarters to work in the Space Life Sciences Office. She joined the Ames community in 1995.

Laura Lewis

Laura is survived by her husband and fellow Ames colleague, Bruce Yost, three children, and their three German Shepards.

A passionate animal lover, Laura found ways throughout her life to care for and advocate for animals. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be sent to animal shelters or animal rescue organizations such as the San Jose Humane Society or Sunshine Canyon Dog Rescue.

Laura was a valued member of the NASA community. We extend our condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues.

Former Technology Partnerships Manager Robin Orans Passes Away

Robin Orans

Robin Orans passed away on Sept. 27.  She was the technology partnership manager at Ames for 27 years. Prior to that role, she served as the software release authority for the center. She retired from NASA in 2015.

Throughout Robin’s career at Ames she received numerous awards including NASA Ames Total Award for pivotal efforts in organizing the Technical SUPPORT Paper Contest for Woman and serving as the Technical Committee Paper Contest Committee in 1992; NASA Ames 2001 Technical Support Honor Award; NASA Ames 2015 Administrative Professional Honor Award; and NASA Ames 2016 Exceptional Service Medal.

We value the many years Robin dedicated to the NASA mission and send our condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues.

Joseph (Jay) Skiles, Senior Research Scientist, Dies

Dr. Joseph (Jay) W. Skiles III passed away at home on October 22. He had a long and varied career studying, teaching, and lecturing about environmental sciences. He received a B.S. in biology from the University of Redlands, an M.S. in Botany from the University of Idaho, and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Irvine.

Joseph (Jay) Skiles

Jay worked with a number of organizations, including SETI, Johnson Controls, and NASA Ames. While at Ames, he sponsored and tutored select groups of students, lectured internationally, evaluated various projects from schools and agencies, and initiated and developed scientific investigative projects on his own. He has worked modeling the effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 on ecosystems and modeling perturbations of Arctic ecosystems. He studied terrestrial plant responses to increased ultraviolet radiation in the polar regions of Earth and the effects of low intensity microwave fields on vascular plants. He used supercomputers to do ecosystem modeling.

While not at work, Jay volunteered with the Mountain View Police Department and played golf. He was active with the local Masonic lodge and was a pretty fair clarinetist. Jay was born in Bakersfield, California, to Rev. Joseph W. Skiles II and Genevieve Eola Moody Skiles. He is survived by his brother Stephen, his sister Elizabeth, and eight nieces and nephews.

Private service arrangements are pending.

NASA SkillBridge Veterans touring Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.Credit: NASA

NASA is one of America’s Best Employers for Veterans, according to Forbes and Statista. Statista surveyed more than 24,000 military veterans – having served in the United States Armed Forces – working for companies with a minimum of 1,000 employees. Veterans were asked to share opinions about their employer on factors such as working conditions, salary and pay, and topics of interest to the veteran community. 

This is the fourth consecutive year NASA has earned this recognition.  

“NASA has a long history of collaboration and commitment to the military community,” said Deborah Sweet, NASA Veterans Employment Program Manager. “In addition to the many military members who have been part of our Astronaut program, many of our civil servants are Veterans who chose to continue serving by supporting NASA’s mission after they hung up the uniform.” 

Across the agency, veterans deliver subject matter expertise, years of on-the-job training, and advanced skills in everything from information technology to transportation logistics and from supply-chain management to public relations. 

NASA continues to increase efforts to bring veterans into its ranks. The agency recently expanded its SkillBridge Fellowship Program which provides transitioning members a chance to gain valuable work experience while learning about NASA. 

Veterans who served on active duty and separated under honorable conditions may also be eligible for special hiring authorities such as veterans’ preference, as well as other veteran specific hiring options when applying for full time roles at NASA. 

For more information about the NASA SkillBridge Program, visit : https://www.nasa.gov/careers/skillbridge/ 

For more information about NASA hiring paths for Veterans and Military Spouses, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/careers/veterans-and-military-spouses/

ESA/Hubble & NASA, O. Fox, L. Jenkins, S. Van Dyk, A. Filippenko, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team, D. de Martin (ESA/Hubble), M. Zamani (ESA/Hubble)

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features NGC 1672, a barred spiral galaxy located 49 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Dorado. This galaxy is a multi-talented light show, showing off an impressive array of different celestial lights. Like any spiral galaxy, shining stars fill its disk, giving the galaxy a beautiful glow. Along its two large arms, bubbles of hydrogen gas shine in a striking red light fueled by radiation from infant stars shrouded within. Near the galaxy’s center are some particularly spectacular stars embedded within a ring of hot gas. These newly formed and extremely hot stars emit powerful X-rays. Closer in, at the galaxy’s very center, sits an even brighter source of X-rays, an active galactic nucleus. This X-ray powerhouse makes NGC 1672 a Seyfert galaxy. It forms as a result of heated matter swirling in the accretion disk around NGC 1672’s supermassive black hole.

See more images of NGC 1672.

Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, O. Fox, L. Jenkins, S. Van Dyk, A. Filippenko, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team, D. de Martin (ESA/Hubble), M. Zamani (ESA/Hubble)

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on February 22, 2024.

Engineering is a huge field with endless applications. From aerospace to ergonomics, engineers play an important role in designing, building, and testing technologies all around us.

We asked three engineers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley to share their experiences, from early challenges they faced in their careers to the day-to-day of being a working engineer.

Give us a look behind the curtain – what is it like being an engineer at NASA? In her early days at NASA, Diana Acosta visited her aeronautics research and development team during her maternity leave and her daughter got her first introduction to flight simulation technology. NASA/Diana Acosta

Diana Acosta: I remember working on my first simulations. We were developing new aircraft with higher efficiency that could operate in new places, such as shorter runways. My team was putting together control techniques and introducing new algorithms to help pilots fly these new aircraft in a safer way. We were creating models and testing, then changing things and testing again. 

We had a simulator that worked on my laptop, and we had a lab with a pilot seat and controls. Every week, I made it my goal to finish my modeling or controls work and put that into the lab environment so that I could fly the aircraft. Every Friday afternoon, I would fly the aircraft in simulation and try out the changes I’d made to see if we were going in a good direction. We’d later integrate that into the Vertical Motion Simulator at Ames (which was used to train all the original space shuttle pilots) so that we could do a full motion test with a collection of pilots to get feedback. 

When simulation time came around, it was during my maternity leave and my team had to take the project to simulation without me. It’s hard to get out of the house with a newborn, but sometimes I’d come by with my daughter and bring brownies to the team. I have two daughters now, and they’ve both been in simulators since a young age.

Diana Acosta is Chief of the Aerospace Simulation and Development Branch at NASA’s Ames Research Center. She has worked at NASA for 17 years.

What’s a challenge you’ve overcome to become an engineer? Savvy Verma (standing) reviews simulation activity with Gus Guerra in the Terminal Tactical Separation Assured Flight Environment at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. NASA/Dominic Hart

Savvy Verma: One of the biggest challenges when I started working was that I was sometimes the only woman in a group of men, and I was also much younger. It was sometimes a challenge to get my voice through, or to be heard. I had mentors who taught me to speak up and say things the way I saw them, and that’s what helped me. A good mentor will back you up and support you when you’re in big meetings or giving presentations. They’ll stand up and corroborate you when you’re right, and that goes a long way toward establishing your credibility. It also helped build my confidence, it made me feel like I was on the right track and not out of line. I had both male and female mentors. The female mentor I had always encouraged me to speak my mind. She said the integrity of the experimental result is more important than trying to change things because someone doesn’t like it or doesn’t want to express it a certain way. 

I have a lot more women coworkers now, things have changed a lot. In my group there are four women and three men. 

Savvy Verma is an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Ames Research Center. She has worked at NASA for 22 years.

Can you become an engineer if you struggle with math in school? Dorcas Kaweesa speaks at the 2024 Ames Aeronautics Forum.NASA/Donald Richey

Dorcas Kaweesa: When I introduce myself as an engineer, people always say, “You must be good at math,” and I say, “Oh, I work at it.”

When you want to become an engineer, you must remain adaptable, hardworking, and always willing to learn something new. We’re constantly learning, critically thinking, and problem solving. Most of the time we apply mathematical concepts to the engineering problems we’re solving and not every problem is the same. If you struggle with math, my advice is to maintain the passion for learning, especially learning from your mistakes. It comes down to practicing and challenging yourself to think beyond the immediate struggle. There are so many types of math problems and if you’re not good at one, maybe you’re good at another. Maybe it’s just a hiccup. Also, seek help when you need it, there are instructors and peers out there willing to support you.

Personally, I sought help from my instructors, peers, and mentors, in the math and engineering classes that I found challenging. I also practiced a great deal to improve my problem solving and critical thinking skills. In my current role, I am constantly learning new things based on the task at hand. Learning never ends! If you’re struggling with a math concept, don’t give up. Keep trying, keep accepting the challenge, and keep practicing, you’ll steadily make progress. 

Dorcas Kaweesa is mechanical engineer and structures analyst at NASA’s Ames Research Center. She has worked at NASA for over 2 years.