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A flurry of studies has found microplastics in nearly every organ in the human body, from the brain to the testicles. But very few have revealed whether these tiny bits of plastic impact our health

A flurry of studies has found microplastics in nearly every organ in the human body, from the brain to the testicles. But very few have revealed whether these tiny bits of plastic impact our health

Japan launched the IGS-Radar 8 spy satellite early Thursday morning (Sept. 26), on the second-to-last mission of the nation's venerable H-2A rocket.

DNA and genealogical evidence reveal, for the first time, the identity of cannibalised remains recovered from the Franklin expedition

DNA and genealogical evidence reveal, for the first time, the identity of cannibalised remains recovered from the Franklin expedition

9 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The Oceans group, from the 2024 Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) West Coast cohort, poses in front of the natural sciences building at UC Irvine, during their final presentations on August 13, 2024. NASA Ames/Milan Loiacono

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Henry Houskeeper, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

Graduate Mentor: Lori Berberian, University of California, Los Angeles

Lori Berberian, Graduate Mentor Lori Berberian graduate student mentor for the 2024 SARP West Oceans group, provides an introduction for each of the group members and shares behind-the scenes moments from the internship.

Emory Gaddis Leveraging High Resolution PlanetScope Imagery to Quantify oil slick Spatiotemporal Variability in the Santa Barbara Channel

Emory Gaddis, Colgate University

Located within the Santa Barbara Channel of California, Coal Oil Point is one of the world’s largest hydrocarbon seep fields. The area’s natural hydrocarbon seepage and oil production have sustained both scientific interest and commercial activity for decades. Historically, indigenous peoples in the region utilized the naturally occurring tar for waterproofing baskets, establishing early evidence of the natural presence of hydrocarbons long before modern oil extraction began. Gaseous hydrocarbons are released from the marine floor through the process of seeping, wherein a buildup of reservoir pressure relative to hydrostatic pressure causes bubbles, oily bubbles, and droplets to rise to the surface. This hydrocarbon seepage is a significant source of Methane CH4—a major greenhouse gas––emissions into the atmosphere. Current limitations of optical remote sensing of oil presence and absence in the ocean leverage geometrical as well as biogeochemical factors and include changes in observed sun glint, sea surface damping, and wind roughening due to changes in surface oil concentrations. We leverage high-resolution (3m) surface reflectance observations obtained from PlanetScope to construct a time series of oil slick surface area spanning 2017 to 2023 within the Coal Oil Point seep field. Our initial methods are based on manual annotations performed within ArcGIS-Pro. We assess potential relationships between wind speed and oil slick surface area to support a sensitivity analysis of our time series. Correcting for confounding outside factors (e.g., wind speed) that modify oil slick surface area improves determination of oil slick surface area and helps test for changes in natural seepage rates and whether anthropogenic activities, such as oil drilling, alter natural oil seepage. Future investigations into oil slick chemical properties and assessing how natural seepage impacts marine and atmospheric environments (e.g., surface oil releases methane into the atmosphere) can help to inform the science of optimizing oil extraction locations.

Rachel Emery Investigating Airborne LiDAR Retrievals of an Emergent South African Macroalgae

Rachel Emery, The University of Oklahoma

Right now, the world is facing an unprecedented biodiversity crisis, with areas of high biodiversity at the greatest risk of species extinction. One of these biodiversity hotspots, the Western Cape Province of South Africa, features one of the world’s largest unique marine ecosystems due to the extensive growth of canopy forming kelps, such as Macrocystis and Ecklonia, which provide three-dimensional structure important for fostering biodiversity and productivity. Canopy-forming kelps face increasing threats by marine heatwaves and pollution related to climate change and local water quality perturbation. Though these ecosystems can be monitored using traditional field surveying methods, remote sensing via airborne and satellite observations support improved spatial coverage and resample rates, plus extensive historical continuity for tracking multidecadal scale changes. Passive remote sensing observations—such as those derived using observations from NASA’s Airborne Visible-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer – Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) —provide high resolution, hyperspectral imagery of oceanic environments anticipated to help characterize community dynamics and quantify macroalga physiological change. Active remote sensing observations, e.g., Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), are less understood in terms of applications to marine ecosystems, but are anticipated to support novel observations of vertical structure not supported using passive aquatic remote sensing. Here we investigate the potential to observe an emergent canopy-forming macroalgae (i.e., Ecklonia, which can extend more than a decimeter above the ocean’s surface) using NASA’s Land, Vegetation, and Ice sensor (LVIS), which confers decimeter-scale vertical resolution. We validate LVIS observations using matchup observations from AVIRIS-NG imagery to test whether LiDAR remote sensing can improve monitoring of emergent kelps in key biodiversity regions such as the Western Cape.

Brayden Lipscomb Vertical structure of the aquatic light field based on half a century of oceanographic records from the southern California Current

Brayden Lipscomb, West Virginia University

Understanding the optical properties of marine ecosystems is crucial for improving models related to oceanic productivity. Models relating satellite observations to oceanic productivity or subsurface (e.g., benthic) light availability often suffer from uncertainties in parameterizing vertical structure and deriving columnar parameters from surface observations. The most accurate models use in situ station data, minimizing assumptions such as atmospheric optical thickness or water column structure. For example, improved accuracy of satellite primary productivity models has previously been demonstrated by incorporating information on vertical structure obtained from gliders and floats. We analyze vertical profiles in photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) obtained during routine surveys of the southern California Current system by the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigation (CalCOFI). We find that depths of 1% and 10% light availability show coherent log-linear relationships with attenuation measured near surface (i.e., within the first 10 m), despite vertical variability in water column constituent concentrations and instrumentation challenges related to sensitivity, self-shading, and ship adjacency. Our results suggest that subsurface optical properties can be more reliably parameterized from near-surface measurements than previously understood.

Dominic Bentley Comparing SWOT and PACE Satellite Observations to Assess Modification of Phytoplankton Biomass and Assemblage by North Atlantic Ocean Eddies

Dominic Bentley, Pennsylvania State University

Upwelling is the shoaling of the nutricline, thermocline, and isopycnals due to advection by eddies of the surface ocean layer. This shoaling effect leads to an increase in the productivity of algal blooms in a given body of water. Mesoscale to deformation scale eddy circulation modulates productivity based on latitude, season, direction, and other physical factors. However, many processes governing the effects of eddies on the ocean microbial environment remain unknown due to limitations in observations linking eddy strength and direction with productivity and ocean biogeochemistry. Currently, satellites are the only ocean observing system that allows for broad spatial coverage with high resample rates, albeit with limitations due to cloud obstructions (including storms that may stimulate productivity) and to observations being limited to the near-surface. A persisting knowledge gap in oceanography stems from limitations in the spatial resolution of observations resolving submesoscale dynamics. The recent launch of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission in December of 2022 supports observations of upper-ocean circulation with increased resolution relative to legacy missions (e.g. TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, OSTM/Jason-2). Meanwhile, the launch of the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite in February of 2024 is anticipated to improve knowledge of ocean microbial ecosystem dynamics. We match up SWOT observations of sea surface height (SSH) anomalies—informative parameters of eddy vorticity—with PACE observations of surface phytoplankton biomass and community composition to relate the distribution of phytoplankton biomass and assemblage structure to oceanic eddies in the North Atlantic. We observe higher concentrations of Chlorophyll a (Chla) within SSH minima indicating the stimulation of phytoplankton productivity by cyclonic features associated with upwelling-driven nutrient inputs.

Abigail Heiser Assessing EMIT observations of harmful algae in the Salton Sea

Abigail Heiser, University of Wisconsin- Madison

In 1905, flooding from the Colorado River gave rise to what would become California’s largest lake, the Salton Sea. Today, the majority of its inflow is sourced from agricultural runoff, which is rich in fertilizers and pollutants, leading to elevated lake nutrient levels that fuel harmful algal blooms (HAB) events. Increasingly frequent HAB events pose ecological, environmental, economic, and health risks to the region by degrading water quality and introducing environmental toxins. Using NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) imaging spectrometer we apply two hyperspectral aquatic remote sensing algorithms; cyanobacteria index (CI) and scattering line height (SLH). These algorithms detect and characterize spatiotemporal variability of cyanobacteria, a key HAB taxa. Originally designed to study atmospheric mineral dust, EMIT’s data products provide novel opportunities for detailed aquatic characterizations with both high spatial and high spectral resolution. Adding aquatic capabilities for EMIT would introduce a novel and cost-effective tool for monitoring and studying the drivers and timing of HAB onset, to improve our understanding of environmental dynamics.

Emma Iacono Reassessing multidecadal trends in Water Clarity for the central and southern California Current System

Emma Iacono, North Carolina State University

Over the past several decades, the world has witnessed a steady rise in average global temperatures, a clear indication of the escalating effects of climate change. In 1990, Andrew Bakun hypothesized that unequal warming of sea and land surface temperatures would increase pressure gradients and lead to rising rates of alongshore upwelling within Eastern Boundary Currents, including the California Current System (CCS). An anticipated increase in upwelling-favorable winds would have profound implications for the productivity of the CCS, wherein upwelled waters supply nutrient injections that sustain and fuel coastal ocean phytoplankton stocks. Increasing upwelling, therefore, is anticipated to increase the turbidity of the upper ocean, corresponding with greater phytoplankton concentrations. Historical observations of turbidity are supported by observations obtained using a Secchi Disk, i.e., an opaque white instrument lowered into the water column. Observations of Secchi depth—or the depth at which light reflected from the Secchi Disk is no longer visible from the surface—provide a quantification of light penetration into the euphotic zone. The shoaling, or shallowing, of Secchi disk depths was previously reported for inshore, transition, and offshore waters of the central and southern CCS for historical observations spanning 1969 – 2007. Here, we reassess Secchi disk depths during the subsequent period spanning 2007 to 2021 and test for more recent changes in water clarity. Additionally, we evaluate the seasonality and spatial patterns of Secchi disk trends to test for potential changes to oceanic microbial ecology. Indications of long-term trends in some of the coastal domains assessed were found. Generally, our findings suggest a reversal of the trends previously reported. In particular, increases in water clarity likely associated with a recent marine heatwave (MHW) may be responsible for recent changes in Secchi disk depth observations, illustrating the importance of MHW events for modifying the CCS microbial ecosystem.

Click here watch the Atmospheric Aerosols Group presentations.

Click here watch the Terrestrial Ecology Group presentations.

Click here watch the Whole Air Sampling (WAS) Group presentations.

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Details Last Updated Sep 25, 2024 Related Terms

• General

10 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The Whole Air Sampling (WAS) group, from the 2024 Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) West Coast cohort, poses in front of the natural sciences building at UC Irvine, during their final presentations on August 13, 2024. NASA Ames/Milan Loiacono

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Donald Blake, University of California, Irvine

Graduate Mentor: Katherine Paredero, Georgia Institute of Technology

Katherine Paredero, Graduate Mentor Katherine Paredero, graduate student mentor for the 2024 SARP West Whole Air Sampling (WAS) group, provides an introduction for each of the group members and shares behind-the scenes moments from the internship.

Mikaela Vaughn Urban Planning Initiative: Investigation of Isoprene Emissions by Tree Species in the LA Basin

Mikaela Vaughn, Virginia Commonwealth University

Elevated ozone concentrations have been a concern in Southern California for decades. The interaction between volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrous oxides (

10 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The Terrestrial Ecology group, from the 2024 Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) West Coast cohort, poses in front of the natural sciences building at UC Irvine, during their final presentations on August 12, 2024. NASA Ames/Milan Loiacono

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Dan Sousa, San Diego State University

Graduate Mentor: Megan Ward-Baranyay, San Diego State University

Megan Ward-Baranyay, Graduate Mentor Megan Ward Baranyay, graduate student mentor for the 2024 SARP West Land group, provides an introduction for each of the group members and shares behind-the scenes moments from the internship.

Gerrit Hoving Predicting Ammonia Plume Presence at Feedlots in the San Joaquin Valley from VSWIR Spectroscopy of the Land Surface

Gerrit Hoving, Carleton College

Industrial-scale livestock farms, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), are a major source of air pollutants including ammonia, methane, and hydrogen sulfide. Ammonia in particular is a major contributor to rural air pollution that is released from the breakdown of livestock effluent. Mitigating regional air pollution through improved waste management practices is only possible if emissions can be accurately monitored. However, ammonia is challenging to measure directly due to its short atmospheric lifetime and lack of VSWIR spectral signature. Here we investigate the potential for spectroscopic

imaging of the CAFO land surface to predict the presence of detectable ammonia emissions. Data from the Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HyTES) instrument were found to clearly identify plumes of ammonia emitted by specific feedlots. Plume presence or absence was then tied to pixel-level reflectance spectra from the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source (EMIT) instrument. Random forest classification models were found to predict ammonia plume presence/absence from VSWIR reflectance alone with an accuracy in the range of 70% to 80%. Our conclusions are limited by the limited number of

feedlots overflown by HyTES (n=96), the time gap between HyTES and EMIT data, and potential difficulty in comparing feedlots in different regions. While only tested over a modest area, our results suggest that ammonia plume presence/absence may be

predictable on the basis of surface features identifiable from VSWIR reflectance alone. Further investigation could focus on more comprehensive model validation, including characterization of the land surface processes and spectral signatures associated with feedlot surfaces with and without observable ammonia plumes. If generalizable, these results suggest that EMIT data may in some circumstances be used to predict the presence of ammonia emission plumes at feedlots in other areas, potentially enabling broader accounting of feedlot ammonia emissions.

Benjamin Marshburn Burn to Bloom: Assessing the Impact of Coastal Wildfires on Phytoplankton Dynamics in California

Benjamin Marshburn, California Polytechnic State University- San Luis Obispo

California is experiencing rising temperatures as well as increased frequency and length of drought conditions due to anthropogenic climate change. Wildfires are an intrinsic component of California and its Mediterranean ecosystems. However, this change in natural wildfire behavior increases the risk to ecosystems including soil erosion, poor plant regrowth, and ash/nutrient runoff that leads to the ocean. Previous work has attributed phytoplankton blooms in the coastal ocean to runoff from wildfires. This study aims to quantify the extent to which the concentration of chlorophyll-a, an indicator of phytoplankton abundance, can be predicted by wildfire parameters in coastal California and to evaluate which parameters are the most important predictors. Due to climatic variation in California we split the coast into three regions, northern, central and southern, and analyzed three fires from each area. For each fire, the stream length connecting the most severely burned area and the ocean was derived from analysis of a digital elevation model acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. Additionally, differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) was used to analyze burn severity for each fire. The change in chlorophyll-a levels before and after each fire from the impacted coastal area were evaluated using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. The Random Forest Regression machine learning model did not strongly predict the difference in chlorophyll-a from the fire parameters. However, our moderate R2 value (0.36) shows promising avenues for future work, including investigating post-fire chlorophyll-a after the first significant rain event, as well as the impact of wind-blown ash on coastal chlorophyll-a concentrations.

Hannah Samuelson Species-specific Impact on Maximum Fire Temperature in Prescribed Burns at Sedgwick Reserve

Hannah Samuelson, University of St. Thomas

Fuel load plays a key role in determining severity (change in biomass), intensity (temperature), and frequency (length in time) of wildfires and prescribed fires. Fuel loads can vary in fuel conditions, like moisture content, amount, and flammability of the fuel, and are affected by species type and climatic conditions. Moreover, the difference in the chemical composition of plant species can affect its flammability. Anecdotal evidence from firefighters claim that Purple Sage burns hotter than other shrubs. Here we focus on two shrub species and two tree species that are broadly representative of California foothills; Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii), Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia), Purple Sage (Salvia leucophylla), and California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), and aim to understand species-specific proclivity to burn with higher or lower severity and intensity. In fall of 2023, a prescribed fire was conducted at Sedgwick Reserve in Santa Barbara County, CA. Field data collection included maximum temperature point measurements with metal pyrometers, the change in 3D vegetation structure using UAV LiDAR, and orthomosaic images for species identification. Radial buffers were created around the locations of the metal pyrometers and used to evaluate the spatial distribution of species, which were verified through field-observed species identification. The relationship between dominant overstory species, change in biomass, and maximum fire temperature was investigated. Preliminary results suggest that Purple Sage produced the highest maximum fire temperatures. Additionally, preliminary results showed both tree species, Blue Oak and Coast Live Oak, exhibit similar biomass change at low maximum fire temperatures. This investigation confirmed the firefighters’ anecdotal evidence on the relationship between species and their wildfire dynamics. The results have the potential to refine fire spread models and ultimately land management practices, improving the protection of humans and infrastructure while preventing habitat destruction from wildfires.

Angelina Harris Quantifying the Influence of Soil Type, Slope, and Aspect on Live Fuel Load in Sedgwick Reserve

Angelina Harris, William & Mary

The severity and increasing frequency of California wildfires requires investigation of factors that characterize pre-fire landscapes to improve approaches to wildland management and predict the spread of wildfire. Quantifying the relationship between soil type and fuel load could improve existing efforts to map both overall quantity and composition of live fuel for fire spread models which may assist in preventative wildfire measures and potentially active firefighting work. The southwest corner of Sedgwick Reserve, Santa Barbara County, CA hosts two dominant soil types that broadly represent soil variability in the area. The more northerly soil unit is a Chamise shaly loam, and the more southerly soil unit is a Shedd silty clay loam. The Chamise series has a mixed texture, abundant in clay with a significant amount of rock fragments (> 35%) composing its texture while the Shedd series has a fine texture dominated by silt-sized particles. Topography, specifically slope and aspect, plays a significant role in formation and characteristics of soil due to influence on erosion and deposition and sun exposure, respectively. This research aims to explore the relationship between soil type and topography and quantify their influence on live fuel using a Canopy Height Model (CHM) derived from airborne LiDAR collected on 11/04/2020 with a point density of 10.19 pts/m2. The LiDAR-based CHM was filtered to separate trees (> 2 m) and shrubs (.07 – 2 m). A Random Forest Regressor was used to investigate the relationship between soil type, slope, and aspect to identify which variable is the best predictor of canopy height. Preliminary results suggested that soil type and aspect were the most important variables to determine canopy height (variable importance of .50 and .41, respectively). Further studies investigating quantity and composition of live fuel load focusing on additional soil units within Sedgwick Reserve are encouraged.

Emily Rogers From Canopy to Chemistry: Exploring the Relationship Between Vegetation Phenology and Isoprene Emission

Emily Rogers, Bellarmine University

Isoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene) represents the most abundant non-methane biogenic volatile organic compound in the troposphere, with annual emissions almost equal to those of methane. Depending on the chemical environment, this effective thermoregulator and reactive oxygen species scavenger participates in photochemical reactions to produce climate pollutants and toxins such as ozone and secondary organic aerosols. Previous studies have revealed strong connections between isoprene emission and photosynthesis as its precursors are formed during the Calvin Cycle. This raises questions as to whether the periodic biological events of plants, collectively known as vegetation phenology, influences tropospheric isoprene quantities. In this study, we investigate the influence of vegetation phenology on isoprene emission in Southern California by comparing photosynthetic activity and the spatial distribution of the isoprene oxidation product, formaldehyde, for regions dominated by plants of two different physiologies: high altitude woodlands and coastal shrublands. We interrogate the annual phenology of these regions using high resolution solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) estimates from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite, and formaldehyde vertical column measurements from the recently activated Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) geostationary satellite. We explore the seasonal trends in both formaldehyde formation and SIF as well as their bivariate relationship. Preliminary results indicate both heightened formaldehyde emission and heightened SIF during summer months relative to winter months, with a comparatively stronger correlation between the two metrics during the fall. Our findings will provide insight toward the response of plants to variations in their environment which directly influence chemical systems in the air. Whereas VOCs hold a great potential for environmental and anthropological harm if emitted in excess, it is crucial to understand the factors involved in their formation. As such, we hope that our findings provide information relevant to the development of air pollution mitigation strategies.

Sydney Kent Keeping it Fresh(water): Understanding the Influence of Surface Mineralogy on Groundwater Quality within Volcanic Aquifer Systems

Sydney Kent, Miami University

Geology plays a key role in determining the chemical profile of groundwater through weathering and erosion, leading to minerals entering the groundwater. The Columbia Plateau, a geologic region that resides within the Pacific Northwest volcanic aquifer system, is known to have water management issues due to groundwater extraction for agriculture. Decreases in groundwater levels can lead to higher concentrations of rock-originated minerals, so the relationship between basaltic geology and well water quality is particularly important in these systems. This research aims to assess the extent in which the basaltic surface mineralogy of the Columbia Plateau impacts predetermined health benchmarks pertaining to trace elements, radionuclides, and nutrients. NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) instrument, a spaceborne imaging spectrometer on the International Space Station, was used to map surface minerals within and among distinct regions of the Columbia Plateau. Some basalt aquifers have uranium that decays to radon-222, a mineral that can be toxic when consumed, as well as lithium, which is commonly found during volcanic eruptions. Preliminary findings showed that where basalt and its secondary minerals were identified with EMIT, chlorite and calcite, well data also indicated raised levels of lithium and radon-222. The relationship between EMIT mineral maps and water quality data indicated that EMIT can potentially be used to identify basalt aquifer systems that may be at risk of poor water quality. Results from this study can be used to enact more personalized water purification methods in areas with water quality issues and individuals with private wells can be more informed about the hazards present in their water.

Click here watch the Atmospheric Aerosols Group presentations.

Click here watch the Ocean Group presentations.

Click here watch the Whole Air Sampling (WAS) Group presentations.

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Details Last Updated Sep 25, 2024 Related Terms

• General

9 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The Atmospheric Aerosols group, from the 2024 Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) West Coast cohort, poses in front of the natural sciences building at UC Irvine, during their final presentations on August 12, 2024. NASA Ames/Milan Loiacono

Faculty Advisors: Dr. Andreas Beyersdorf, California State University, San Bernardino & Dr. Ann Marie Carlton, University of California

Graduate Mentor: Madison Landi, University of California, Irvine

Madison Landi, Graduate Mentor Madison Landi, graduate student mentor for the 2024 SARP Aerosols group, provides an introduction for each of the group members and shares behind-the scenes moments from the internship.

Maya Niyogi A Comparative Analysis of Tropospheric NO2: Evaluating TEMPO Satellite Data Against Airborne Measurements

Maya Niyogi, Johns Hopkins University

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) plays a major role in atmospheric chemical reactions; the inorganic compound both contributes to tropospheric ozone production and reacts with volatile organic compounds to create health-hazardous particulate matter. The presence of NO2 in the atmosphere is largely due to anthropogenic activity, making NO2 at the forefront of policy decisions and scientific monitoring. The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) satellite launched in 2023 with the goal of monitoring pollution across North America. The publicly-accessible data became available for use in May 2024, however parts of the data remain unvalidated and in beta, creating a need for an in situ validation of its data products. Here we analyze TEMPO’s tropospheric NO2 measurements and compare them to aloft NO2 measurements collected during the NASA Student Airborne Research Project (SARP) 2024 airborne campaign. Six of the campaign flights recording NO2 performed a vertical spiral, providing vertical column data that was adjusted to ambient conditions for comparison against the corresponding TEMPO values. Statistical analyses indicate we have reasonable evidence to conclude that TEMPO satellite data and the flight-collected data record similar values. This research fills a critical knowledge gap through the utilization of aloft NO2 measurements to validate NASA’s newly-launched TEMPO satellite. It is expected that future users of TEMPO data can apply these results to better inform project creation and research.

Benjamin Wells Investigating the Atmospheric Burden of Black Carbon Over the Past Decade in the Los Angeles Basin

Benjamin Wells, San Diego State University

Black Carbon is a primary aerosol emitted directly into the atmosphere as a result of biomass burning and incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. During the pre-industrial revolution, the main source of black carbon was natural sources whereas currently, the main source is anthropogenic activities. When black carbon is released into the atmosphere, it is a dominant absorber of solar radiation and leads to a significant warming effect on Earth’s climate. In addition to its harmful effects associated with climate change, ambient black carbon inhalation is correlated with adverse health effects such as respiratory and cardiovascular disease, cancer, and premature mortality. In this study, we analyze aloft black carbon measurements in 2016 and 2024 acquired on NASA SARP research flights and compare these concentrations to black carbon measurements taken during the 2010 CalNex field campaign. Both field campaigns flew similar flight paths over the Los Angeles basin allowing us to conduct a critical comparative analysis on vertical and spatial profiles of the atmospheric burden of black carbon over the past 14 years. During the CalNEX study, mass concentrations of black carbon ranged from 0.02 μg/m3 to 0.531 μg/m3, meanwhile 2024 SARP measurements demonstrate concentrations as elevated as 7.83 μg/m3 within the same region. Moreover, similar flight paths conducted during SARP 2024 and 2016 allow for further analysis of aloft black carbon concentrations over a period of time. The results of this study examines and analyzes the changing spatial and temporal characteristics of black carbon throughout the years, leading to an increase of adverse effects on both the climate and public health.

Devin Keith Tracking Methane and Aerosols in relation to Health Effects in the San Joaquin Valley

Devin Keith, Mount Holyoke College

The San Joaquin Valley (SJV) is located in central California and is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the country for dairy, nuts, and berries, producing more than half of California’s $42 billion output. Due to the SJV’s close proximity to the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range to the East and predominantly Easterly winds, air pollution often accumulates because it is trapped by the geography. Significant chemical constituents of trapped particulate matter are ammonium (NH4), chloride (Cl), sulfate (SO4), nitrate (NO3), black carbon, and organic carbon. The particle size measured in this study is less than 1 micron in diameter, and due to their size, can easily penetrate the respiratory tract leading to adverse health effects such as: asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. We employ airborne data collected during the SARP 2024 mission onboard NASA’s P-3 research plane to observe spatial and temporal trends of NH4, Cl, SO4, NO3, and black carbon. Further, we analyze measurements from SARP 2016 flights and compare the atmospheric burden of pollution in the SJV across time. To investigate observations in the context of the public health impacts, we utilize data collected by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazards Assessment and find asthma and cardiovascular disease rates are higher in the SJV hotspots identified here. Per capita health impacts are greater than other California regions such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. The SJV exhibits higher rates of poverty than other communities, which may reveal an environmental justice issue that is difficult to explicitly quantify especially where measurements are sparse.

Lily Lyons Investigating the Effects of Aerosols on Photosynthesis Using Satellite Imaging

Lily Lyons, Brandeis University

Aerosols in the atmosphere can affect the way sunlight travels to the ground by absorbing or scattering light. Sunlight is a critical component in plant photosynthesis, and the way light scatters affects productivity for vegetation and plant growth. When plants absorb sunlight, the chlorophyll in their leaves releases the excess energy as infrared light, which can be measured from space via satellite. To better understand how aerosol loading in the atmosphere affects plant photosynthesis, this study examines locations in Yosemite, Sequoia, Garrett, and Talladega national forests, and compares aerosol optical depth (AOD), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and solar induced fluorescence (SIF) in these areas. Yosemite and Sequoia act as proxies for the old growth sequoia grove ecosystems, and Talladega and Garrett act as proxies for the Appalachian mixed mesophytic forest ecosystem. Our results show that within 2015-2020 during July, SIF and NDVI levels are significantly greater in mixed mesophytic forests than in sequoia groves. Using linear regression plots, we determined the correlation between SIF, NDVI and AOD to be weak in the given locations. Greater SIF in mixed mesophytic forests could suggest that the presence of a prominent and biodiverse understory is positive for the overall primary productivity of an ecosystem. This study is a good starting point for analyzing diverse ecosystems using SIF, NDVI and satellite data as proxies for photosynthesis, and broadening the scope of biomes examined for their SIF. Furthermore, it highlights the need for further investigation of aerosol impact on the trajectory and amount of sunlight that reaches certain plants.

Ryleigh Czajkowski Validating the Performance of CMAQ in Simulating the Vertical Distribution of Trace Gases

Ryleigh Czajkowski, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Air quality modeling simulates atmospheric processes and air pollutant transport to better understand gas-and particle-phase interactions in the atmosphere. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model couples meteorological, emission, and chemical transport predictions to simulate air pollution from local to hemispheric scales. CMAQ provides scientists and regulatory agencies with important assistance in air quality management, policy enactment, atmospheric research, and creating public health advisories. Recently, a new update to CMAQ (v5.4) was released, utilizing new chemistry mechanisms and incorporating a new atmospheric chemistry model. This study evaluates the performance of the latest model update by analyzing multiple time series of vertical distributions of formaldehyde (CH2O) and methane (CH4) in the Los Angeles Basin and Central Valley regions of California. It compares data from aloft measurements taken during NASA SARP 2017 flights with model predictions to evaluate accuracy. Our study analyzes CMAQ’s capabilities in capturing the vertical dispersion of CH2O and CH4 in different regions, offering insights into the effectiveness of CMAQ for air quality management and the analysis of trace and greenhouse gas dynamics. Using NASA airborne data, this research utilizes a diversified data set to validate the model, providing a more comprehensive evaluation of its capabilities, and thus providing valuable insight into future developments of CMAQ.

Alison Thieberg Estimating Aerosol Optical Properties Using Mie Theory and Analyzing Their Impact on Radiative Forcing in California

Alison Thieberg, Emory University

Anthropogenic aerosols, unlike greenhouse gasses, provide a net cooling effect to the Earth’s surface. Particles suspended in the atmosphere have the ability to scatter incoming solar radiation, preventing that radiation from heating up the surface. These aerosols like black carbon, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, and organics are byproducts of both natural and anthropogenic activities. Measuring radiative forcing as a result of these aerosols over time can provide insight on how anthropogenic industries are altering our Earth’s temperature. This study analyzes the changes in radiative forcing from aerosols in central and southern California using data collected from NASA SARP flights from 2016-2024. Aerosol size, composition, and single scattering albedo were used to estimate the aerosol characteristics and to calculate the aerosols’ radiative forcing efficiency. Our results show that aerosols are found to have less of a cooling effect over time when looking at the change in radiative forcing in California from 2016 to 2024. When narrowing in on specific geographic regions, we observe the same trends in the Central Valley with the area becoming warmer as a result of aerosols. However, more southern regions like Los Angeles and the Inland Empire have become cooler from aerosols during this time period. The overall decrease in the cooling effect of California’s aerosols could indicate that the average size of particulates is changing or that the aerosol composition could be shifting to a greater concentration of absorbing aerosols rather than scattering aerosols. This study shows how aerosols influence radiative forcing and their subsequent impacts across regions in California from multiple years.

Click here watch the Terrestrial Ecology Group presentations.

Click here watch the Ocean Group presentations.

Click here watch the Whole Air Sampling (WAS) Group presentations.

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Details Last Updated Sep 25, 2024 Related Terms

• General

5 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) 2024 West Coast cohort poses in front of the natural sciences building at UC Irvine, during their final presentations on August 12, 2024. NASA Ames/Milan Loiacono

On August 12-13, 24 students from the West Coast cohort of NASA’s Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) gathered at University of California, Irvine (UCI) to present their final research to a room of mentors, professors, family, and NASA personnel.

SARP is an eight-week summer internship for undergraduate students, hosted in two cohorts: SARP West operates out of Ontario Airport and UCI in California, while SARP East operates out of Wallops Flight Facility and Christopher Newport University in Virginia. After research introductions from faculty, instrument scientists, and staff, students are assigned one of four research categories: for SARP West, these categories are aerosols, terrestrial ecology,  whole air sampling (WAS), or oceans. Each group is led by a dedicated researcher who is a specialist in that field, along with a graduate student mentor. Over the course of the summer, each intern develops their own research project as they conduct field work, collect data, and fly onboard either the P-3 or B200 NASA flying laboratories.

“You really see them become scientists in their own right,” said Stephanie Olaya, Program Manager for SARP East and West. “A lot of these projects are PhD level: they are researching and making novel discoveries for the field. They don’t even realize the magnitude of the things they’ve accomplished until the end of the program.”

You really see them become scientists in their own right. A lot of these projects are PhD level: they are researching and making novel discoveries for the field.

Stephanie olaya

SARP Program Manager

Research is not the only focus of the program, however. Faculty and mentors alike commented on the confidence they watched grow in the cohort over the two month internship, and the sense of camaraderie with their peers. Olaya says building a sense of community is a primary goal of the program, which encourages close friendships through communal living, regular group dinners, and weekend trips, in addition to the hours of team fieldwork, data collection, and laboratory analysis.  

The final presentations are another critical facet of the program, as it teaches students how to communicate scientific research and results to a non-scientific audience. “We want to impress on these students that science is not just for scientists,” Olaya said. “Science is for everyone.”

The event finished with closing remarks by Barry Lefer, Tropospheric Composition Program Manager at NASA Headquarters. “I want to welcome you to the SARP family,” Lefer said, “and to the NASA family.”

To watch videos of these student’s presentations and/or read their research abstracts, please follow the links below.

2023 SARP West Research Presentation Topics: Oceans Group Watch the Ocean Group Presentations

Introduced by Oceans Group PhD student mentor Lori Berberian, University Of California, Los Angeles

• Leveraging high resolution PlanetScope imagery to quantify oil slick spatiotemporal variability in the Santa Barbara Channel
  • Emory Gaddis, Colgate University
• Investigating airborne LiDAR retrievals of an emergent South African macroalgae
  • Rachel Emery, The University of Oklahoma
• Vertical structure of the aquatic light field based on half a century of oceanographic records from the Southern California current
  • Brayden Lipscomb, West Virginia University
• Comparing SWOT and PACE satellite observations to assess modification of phytoplankton biomass and assemblage by North Atlantic ocean eddies
  • Dominic Bentley, Pennsylvania State University
• Assessing EMIT observations of harmful algae in the Salton Sea
  • Abigail Heiser, University of Wisconsin- Madison
• Reassessing multidecadal trends in water clarity for the Central and Southern California current system
  • Emma Iacono, North Carolina State University

Atmospheric Aerosols Group Watch the Atmospheric Aerosols Group Presentations

Introduced by Atmospheric Aerosols PhD student mentor Madison Landi, University of California, Irvine

• A comparative analysis of tropospheric NO2: Evaluating TEMPO satellite data against airborne measurements
  • Maya Niyogi, Johns Hopkins University
• Investigating the atmospheric burden of black carbon over the past decade in the Los Angeles Basin
  • Benjamin Wells, San Diego State University
• Tracking methane and aerosols in relation to health effects in the San Joaquin Valley
  • Devin Keith, Mount Holyoke College
• Investigating the effects of aerosols on photosynthesis using satellite imaging
  • Lily Lyons, Brandeis University
• Validating the performance of CMAQ in simulating the vertical distribution of trace gases
  • Ryleigh Czajkowski, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
• Estimating aerosol optical properties using Mie Theory and analyzing their impact on radiative forcing in California
  • Alison Thieberg, Emory University

Whole Air Sampling (WAS) Group Watch the Whole Air Sampling (WAS) Group Presentations

Introduced by WAS PhD student mentor Katherine Paredero, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Urban planning initiative: Investigation of isoprene emissions by tree species in the LA Basin
  • Mikaela Vaughn, Virginia Commonwealth University
• VOC composition and ozone formation potential observed over Long Beach, California
  • Joshua Lozano, Sonoma State University
• Investigating enhanced methane and ethane emissions over the Long Beach Airport
  • Sean Breslin, University of Delaware
• Investigating elevated levels of toluene during winter in the Imperial Valley
  • Katherine Skeen, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• Characterizing volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from surface expressions of the Salton Sea Geothermal System (SSGS)
  • Ella Erskine, Tufts University
• Airborne and ground-based analysis of Los Angeles County landfill gas emissions
  • Amelia Brown, Hamilton College

Terrestrial Ecology Group Watch the Terrestrial Ecology Group Presentations

Introduced by Terrestrial Ecology PhD student mentor Megan Ward-Baranyay, San Diego State University

• Predicting ammonia plume presence at feedlots in the San Joaquin Valley from VSWIR spectroscopy of the land surface
  • Gerrit Hoving, Carleton College
• Burn to bloom: Assessing the impact of coastal wildfires on phytoplankton dynamics in California
  • Benjamin Marshburn, California Polytechnic State University- San Luis Obispo
• Species-specific impact on maximum fire temperature in prescribed burns at Sedgwick Reserve
  • Hannah Samuelson, University of St. Thomas
• Quantifying the influence of soil type, slope, and aspect on live fuel load in Sedgwick Reserve
  • Angelina Harris, William & Mary
• From canopy to chemistry: Exploring the relationship between vegetation phenology and isoprene emission
  • Emily Rogers, Bellarmine University
• Keeping it fresh(water): Understanding the influence of surface mineralogy on groundwater quality within volcanic aquifer systems
  • Sydney Kent, Miami University

About the AuthorMilan LoiaconoScience Communication Specialist

Milan Loiacono is a science communication specialist for the Earth Science Division at NASA Ames Research Center.

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Starfish Space has been awarded SBIR Phase III funding for a mission to inspect defunct satellites to increase opportunities to mitigate space debris. An artist’s concept image shows the company’s Otter spacecraft, which is capable of inspecting and deorbiting defunct spacecraft, in orbit.Starfish Space

NASA is advancing an innovative approach to enabling commercial inspection of defunct, or inoperable, satellites in low Earth orbit, a precursor to capturing and repairing or removing the satellites.

The agency has awarded Starfish Space of Seattle, Washington, a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to complete the Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability (SSPICY) mission. The award follows a Phase III study, which funded four U.S. small businesses including Starfish to develop mission concepts. Starfish Space will receive $15 million over three years to execute the mission.

The ability to inspect defunct spacecraft and identify opportunities for repair or deorbiting is critical to maintaining a safe orbital environment for spacecraft and humans. Orbital debris mitigation is a key component of NASA’s Space Sustainability Strategy.

“The SSPICY mission is designed to mature technologies needed for U.S. commercial capabilities for satellite servicing and logistics or disposal,” said Bo Naasz, senior technical lead for in-space servicing, manufacturing, and assembly in NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. “In-space inspection helps us characterize the physical state of a satellite, gather data on what may leave spacecraft stranded, and improve our understanding of fragmentations and collisions, a difficult but critical factor in a sustainable space operating environment.”

The Starfish-led mission uses the company’s Otter spacecraft, a small satellite about the size of an oven, which is designed to inspect, dock with, and service or deorbit other satellites. Otter’s electric propulsion system will not only help it efficiently travel to multiple satellites, but the SSPICY demonstration also will mature the spacecraft’s ability to perform inspections using electric propulsion, an important enabling technology not typically used for rendezvous and proximity operations.

During the SSPICY mission, Otter will visit and inspect multiple U.S. owned defunct satellites that have agreed to be visited and inspected – a delicate and challenging task, as satellites move quickly and are kept far apart from each other for safety. Otter will approach within hundreds of meters of each satellite to conduct inspections during mission operations. During the inspection, Otter will gather key information about each of the debris objects including their spin rate, spin axes, and current conditions of the objects’ surface materials.

The SSPICY mission is the first commercial space debris inspection funded by NASA and supports the agency’s efforts to extend the life of satellites while reducing space debris. Satellites that are no longer in use can break apart or collide with one another, creating debris clouds that pose risk to human spaceflight, science and robotic missions in Earth’s orbit, and missions to other planets in the solar system. Data from inspections like those planned during the SSPICY demonstration will play a critical role in understanding the nature of defunct satellites and advancing solutions for reuse or disposal.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with NASA, building on our shared commitment to advancing in-space manufacturing and assembly capabilities,” said Trevor Bennett, co-founder of Starfish Space. “It’s an honor for Starfish to lead the first commercial debris inspection mission funded by NASA. We look forward to collaborating on this and future satellite servicing missions to enable a new paradigm for humanity in space.”

The Otter spacecraft is expected to launch in late 2026 and will begin performing inspections in 2027.

The SSPICY demonstration is funded and managed by NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program based at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. The award is enabled by NASA’s SBIR program, which is open to U.S. small businesses to develop an innovation or technology. These programs are part of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.

Learn more at:

https://www.nasa.gov/space-technology-mission-directorate

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29 Min Read The Marshall Star for September 25, 2024 Marshall Presents Small Business Awards for Fiscal Year 2024

By Wayne Smith

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center honored top contractors, subcontractors, teams, and individuals of fiscal year 2024 at the 38th meeting of Marshall’s Small Business Alliance. The awards honor aerospace companies and leaders who have demonstrated support of the center’s small business programs and NASA’s mission of exploration.

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Director Joseph Pelfrey, bottom left, welcomes attendees to the 38th meeting of the Marshall Small Business Alliance on Sept. 19. NASA/Charles Beason

The event took place Sept. 19 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Davidson Center for Space Exploration in Huntsville. Around 650 participants from industry and government gathered to network, learn about business opportunities, and recognize outstanding achievements in support of NASA’s mission and the small business community. Those attending represented 32 states and 10 nations.

“The Marshall Small Business Alliance is an outreach tool designed to introduce the business community to the NASA marketplace,” said David Brock, small business specialist for the agency’s Office of Small Business Programs at Marshall. “Those in attendance can gain valuable insight into Marshall’s exciting programs and projects, upcoming procurement opportunities, and get an opportunity to network with Marshall prime contractors.”

Marshall Director Joseph Pelfrey welcomed attendees, while Jeramie Broadway, deputy director of Marshall’s Office of Strategic Analysis and Communications, provided an update on the center for fiscal year 2025 and beyond.

Marshall’s Industry & Advocate Awards are presented annually and reflect leadership in business community and sustained achievement in service to NASA’s mission.

“We are excited about this year’s winners,” Brock said. “Each play a key role in helping NASA achieve successes in support of key programs and projects, including the Human Landing System and Space Launch System rocket. Maintaining and sustaining an experienced and competitive industry base is what makes America strong, and small businesses are at the core of those successes.”

Jeramie Broadway, deputy director of Marshall’s Office of Strategic Analysis and Communications, provides an update on the center during the Small Business Alliance meeting. NASA/Charles Beason

Marshall manages the Human Landing System and Space Launch System programs.

This year’s award recipients are:

Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year

Media Fusion

Small Business Subcontractor of the Year

Zin Technologies

Large Business Prime Contractor of the Year

Jacobs

Mentor-Protégé Agreement of the Year

Jacobs (mentor) and CodePlus (protégé)

Procurement Person of the Year

Joseph Tynes  

Program Person of the Year

Patrick McVay

Small Business Technical Coordinator of the Year

Leah Fox

Technical Person of the Year

David Hood

Attendees network during Marshall’s Small Business Alliance event at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Davidson Center for Space Exploration in Huntsville. NASA/Charles Beason

NASA civil service employees nominate eligible individuals and organizations for awards. A panel of NASA procurement and technical officials evaluates each nominee’s business practices, innovative processes, adoption of new technologies and their overall contributions to NASA’s mission and the agency’s Small Business Program.

Award recipients in the following categories become candidates for agency-level Small Business Industry and Advocate Awards:

• Large and Small Business Prime Contractors of the Year
• Small Business Subcontractor of the Year
• Procurement Team or Person
• Technical, Small Business Technical Coordinator/Technical Advisor
• Program Person or Team of the Year

Learn more about Marshall’s small business initiatives.

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

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New Flag Honors Marshall Work on NASA’s Space X Crew-9 Mission

By Serena Whitfield

A new flag is reaching for the Moon outside the Huntsville Operations Support Center at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center following a Sept.19 ceremony, marking contributions from center team members toward the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.

The Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station will carry NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. The mission is scheduled to launch Sept. 28 no earlier than 12:17 p.m. CDT.

Dave Gwaltney, second from left, technical assistant, specialty system and Commercial Crew Program representative at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, gives introductions during the Crew-9 flag-raising ceremony Sept. 19 outside the Huntsville Operations Support Center. He is joined by, from left, Brady Doepke, Thomas “Reid” Lawrence, and Nicole Pelfrey, manager of the Payload and Mission Operations Division. NASA/Krisdon Manecke

Crew-9 will be the first human spaceflight mission to launch from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This is the ninth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the orbiting laboratory under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP). The crew will spend approximately five months at the station, conducting more than 200 science and research demonstrations before returning in February 2025.

Once aboard the space station, Hague and Gorbunov will become members of the Expedition 72 crew and perform research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities. The pair will join NASA astronauts Don Petitt, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner. Wilmore and Williams, who launched aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June, will fly home with Hague and Gorbunov in February 2025.

Thomas “Reid” Lawrence raises the Crew-9 mission flag as Doepke looks on during the flag-raising ceremony to honor NASA’s Space X Crew-9 Mission to the International Space Station. NASA/Serena Whitfield

The flag raising has been a tradition for missions supported at Marshall’s Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC), as well as a tradition within the CCP to celebrate the successful conclusion of NASA’s Agency Flight Readiness Review prior to launch. The HOSC provides engineering and mission operations support for the space station, the CCP, and Artemis missions, as well as science and technology demonstration missions. The Payload Operations Integration Center within HOSC operates, plans, and coordinates the science experiments onboard the space station 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.

The CCP support team at Marshall provides crucial programmatic, engineering, and safety and mission assurance expertise for launch vehicles, spacecraft propulsion, and integrated vehicle performance. Marshall’s role within the CCP is to support certification that the spacecraft and launch vehicle are ready for launch. The support team performs engineering expertise, particularly for propulsion, as well as program management, safety and mission assurance, and spacecraft support. 

The Crew-9 mission flag is raised during the ceremony outside the Huntsville Operations Support Center.NASA/Serena Whitfield

The flag-raising ceremony was a joint effort between the Payload and Mission Operations Division (PMOD) and CCP team. Dave Gwaltney, technical assistant, specialty systems, and Commercial Crew Program representative, gave the introductions. He recognized Brady Doepke, structural analyst for liquid propulsion systems, for his significant contributions in preparation for Crew-9 mission success. Gwaltney said Doepke exemplified leadership and innovation through his guidance of Marshall’s CCP engineering team, which resulted in a successful risk assessment of the updated SpaceX turbine wheel fleet leader acceptance criteria.

Payload and Mission Operations Division Manager Nicole Pelfrey also recognized Thomas “Reid” Lawrence as the division’s Crew-9 honoree.

“Reid serves dutifully in the HOSC as part of the HOSC’s Data Operations Control Room Operations Engineers,” Pelfrey said. “Reid has a number of technical specialties, including his expertise in the Backup Control Center activation procedures. This expertise has been vital over the past year as JSC has worked through power upgrades. He also diligently ensures our ISS payload users receive their data and is a key engineer for the testing, verification, and operation of our HOSC interfaces that support commercial crew communications.”

Whitfield is an intern supporting the Marshall Office of Communications.

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Center Hosts Rossi Prize Recognition Dinner for IXPE

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center hosted the Rossi Prize Recognition Dinner at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville on Sept. 18. The dinner was held to recognize the IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) team members honored with the Bruno Rossi Prize, a top prize in high-energy astronomy. From left, Martin Weisskopf, Rossi Prize awardee and NASA emeritus scientist, who served as the principal investigator for IXPE during its development, launch, and commissioning; Paolo Soffitta, Rossi Prize awardee, and the Italian Space Agency’s principal investigator for IXPE; Hashima Hasan, program scientist for IXPE at NASA Headquarters; Andrea Marinucci, IXPE team member and researcher with the Italian Space Agency; and Marshall Director Joseph Pelfrey, who provided welcome remarks at the dinner. “The Bruno Rossi Prize highlights how partnerships and teamwork can push the boundaries of scientific knowledge,” Pelfrey said. “The (IXPE) mission, a groundbreaking collaboration between NASA and the Italian Space Agency, represents over 30 years of dedicated effort and stands as a testament to the innovative work of a truly multinational team.” (NASA/Jennifer Deermer)

Rossi Prize winners Weisskopf and Soffitta, center seated, are joined by a plush goat, the unofficial mascot of the IXPE mission, and other IXPE team members at the Rossi Prize Recognition Dinner. Read more about the award and the prize winners. (NASA/Jennifer Deermer)

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Take 5 with Shannon Segovia

By Wayne Smith

Talk with Shannon Segovia for any length of time and you’ll quickly discover the care and enthusiasm she has for her position as director of the Office of Communications at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. And that care and enthusiasm extends to those she works with across the center to share news about Marshall missions and team members.

In her role, Segovia oversees a team responsible for media relations and public affairs, digital and social media, stakeholder relations and engagement, internal and employee communications, and executive communications for the center.

Shannon Segovia, director of the Office of Communications at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, in front of Artemis I before its launch.Photo courtesy of Shannon Segovia 

“We manage these activities for the entire center of about 7,000 people, so it is a definitely a very busy job!” said Segovia, a native of Athens, Alabama, who was named as permanent communications director this summer after more than 12 years at Marshall.

She was the deputy director of communications starting in June 2023 after working as Marshall’s news chief and public affairs team lead starting in 2019. From 2012 to 2019, Segovia was a public affairs officer at the center. Prior to joining NASA, she was the communications manager for the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Sequoyah Nuclear Plant near Chattanooga, Tennessee.

 At Marshall, she said it’s the people who continue to be her biggest motivators.

“As a public servant, I want the people I serve – the people who follow our channels, listen to the news stories we create, and attend our events – to know why NASA’s missions are important and critical to the world we live in,” Segovia said. “I am so fortunate to have such a brilliant team, and they motivate me daily with their hard work.”

“I’m also motivated by my husband and family because I want to make them proud. I want my nieces and nephews to have a bright future, and I truly believe the work we are doing at NASA will help them do that.”

Question: What excites you most about the future of human space exploration, or your NASA work, and your team’s role it?

Segovia: NASA’s missions depend on public and stakeholder support, and that is what our office does – ensures people know what we are doing at NASA and specifically at Marshall, why it is important, and how our missions are benefiting humanity. From social media posts to events like the South Star music festival to interviews with media outlets and stakeholder tours, we use every channel we can to tell others about the work we are doing at Marshall and NASA. Our office touches every organization at the center, and it is so exciting to have a front seat to everything we are doing to get humans back to the Moon and on to Mars.

Shannon Segovia, right center, with some of the engineers from Marshall she accompanied during a visit to The Today Show in New York in 2019 for a segment about International Women’s Day. From left, Kathy Byars, Katherine Van Hooser, Lakiesha Hawkins, Segovia, Michelle Tillotson Rudd, and Lisa Watson-Morgan. Photo courtesy of Shannon Segovia

Question: What has been the proudest moment of your career and why?

Segovia: I helped take a team of 12 Marshall female engineers to The Today Show in 2019 for a segment about International Women’s Day. As a public affairs specialist, one of our job duties is to prepare subject matter experts for interviews, making sure they have messages, talking points, and anything else they need. I have never been more proud to be a woman and to work for Marshall than I was that day, seeing how well these women represented NASA and the extraordinary achievements they have made possible. It also made me even more thankful for the job I have – preparing them to make sure they felt confident and could talk about their work was a wonderful experience. The other moment in my career I will never forget is the Artemis I launch in November 2022. I’ve supported the Space Launch System since I started working at NASA, and seeing that rocket fly was one of the best moments of my career. It was the culmination of so much hard work and sacrifice from so many people and was truly an overwhelming and amazing experience.

Question: Who or what inspired you to pursue an education/career that led you to NASA and Marshall?

Segovia: My parents have always been my No. 1 fans, encouragers, and supporters. They instilled in me a strong work ethic and the belief I could do anything I wanted to do if I worked hard. They made education a priority for my brothers and I and would do anything to help us succeed. I am so fortunate to have such a wonderful family. My mom always wanted me to do something in the medical field, but a biology course in college changed my mind quickly on that. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do but had been at school for two years and needed to declare a major. I liked to write and read but didn’t know how to make a career out of that until I went to a journalism class taught by Ms. Bobbie Hurt at the University of North Alabama, and I was hooked. She became my mentor and really taught me how to be a good writer, which has been the foundation for my entire career. I ended up with a double major in journalism and public relations, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Question: What advice do you have for employees early in their NASA career or those in new leadership roles?

Segovia: Find people to whom you can go to for advice, who have your back, and can help you accomplish your goals. I’ve had some amazing mentors, teammates, and bosses who have not only supported me but pushed me to do things I wasn’t sure I could do and helped me even when I messed up. I would not be here without them, and I think it is so important to have those people in your entire career, but especially when you are new. Ask for help when you need it. Time flies, so enjoy the season and job you are in. You will know when it is time to move on, but being present and learning from where you are will help you succeed.

Question: What do you enjoy doing with your time while away from work?

Segovia: I love the water – ocean, river, pool, lake – I like being outside and water activities. I love to read and travel, and also to spend time with family and friends. I have three nieces and two nephews, and I like to go to their games and activities. I have a 4-year-old terrier mix named Ted and I enjoy taking him on walks and to the park.

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

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NASA Awards $1.5 Million at Watts on the Moon Challenge Finale

NASA has awarded a total of $1.5 million to two U.S. teams for their novel technology solutions addressing energy distribution, management, and storage as part of the agency’s Watts on the Moon Challenge. The innovations from this challenge aim to support NASA’s Artemis missions, which will establish long-term human presence on the Moon.

Team H.E.L.P.S. (High Efficiency Long-Range Power Solution) from The University of California, Santa Barbara won the $1 million grand prize in NASA’s Watts on the Moon Challenge. Their team developed a low-mass, high efficiency cable and featured energy storage batteries on both ends of their power transmission and energy storage system. NASA/GRC/Sara Lowthian-Hanna

This two-phase competition has challenged U.S. innovators to develop breakthrough power transmission and energy storage technologies that could enable long-duration Moon missions to advance the nation’s lunar exploration goals. The final phase of the challenge concluded with a technology showcase and winners’ announcement ceremony Sept. 20 at Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, Ohio, home of the visitor center for NASA’s Glenn Research Center.

“Congratulations to the finalist teams for developing impactful power solutions in support of NASA’s goal to sustain human presence on the Moon,” said Kim Krome-Sieja, acting program manager for Centennial Challenges at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. “These technologies seek to improve our ability to explore and make discoveries in space and could have implications for improving power systems on Earth.”

NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, who flew on three space shuttle missions and served as commander of the SpaceX Crew-6 mission in 2023, engages with one of the Phase 2 finalist teams about their innovative hardware at NASA’s Watts on the Moon Challenge Technology Showcase and Winners’ Event at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 20. Prototypes like the one shown here aim to provide power transmission and energy storage capabilities to the lunar south pole. NASA/Sara Hanna-Lowthian

The winning teams are:

• First prize ($1 million): H.E.L.P.S. (High Efficiency Long-Range Power Solution) of Santa Barbara, California
• Second prize ($500,000): Orbital Mining Corporation of Golden, Colorado

Four teams were invited to refine their hardware and deliver full system prototypes in the final stage of the competition, and three finalist teams completed their technology solutions for demonstration and assessment at Glenn. The technologies were the first power transmission and energy storage prototypes to be tested by NASA in a vacuum chamber mimicking the freezing temperature and absence of pressure found at the permanently shadowed regions of the Lunar South Pole. The simulation required the teams’ power systems to demonstrate operability over six hours of solar daylight and 18 hours of darkness with the user three kilometers (nearly two miles) away from the power source.

During this competition stage, judges scored the finalists’ solutions based on a Total Effective System Mass (TESM) calculation, which measures the effectiveness of the system relative to its size and weight – or mass – and the total energy provided by the power source. The highest-performing solution was identified based on having the lowest TESM value – imitating the challenges that space missions face when attempting to reduce mass while meeting the mission’s electrical power needs.

Mary Wadel, center right, NASA Glenn Research Center’s Director of Research, Technology, and Partnerships, Bowen, and Great Lakes Science Center President and CEO Kirsten Ellenbogen, right, listen intently while Orbital Mining Corporation team lead Ken Liang explains his team’s approach to the mission scenario behind the Watts on the Moon Challenge. His team’s power transmission and energy storage technology took home the second-place prize in the four-year, $5 million challenge, winning a cash prize of $500,000. NASA/Sara Hanna-Lowthian

Team H.E.L.P.S. (High Efficiency Long-Range Power Solution) from University of California, Santa Barbara, won the grand prize for their hardware solution, which had the lowest mass and highest efficiency of all competitors. The technology also featured a special cable operating at 800 volts and an innovative use of energy storage batteries on both ends of the transmission system. They also employed a variable radiation shield to switch between conserving heat during cold periods and disposing of excess heat during high power modes. The final 48-hour test proved their system design effectively met the power transmission, energy storage, and thermal challenges in the final phase of competition.

Orbital Mining Corporation, a space technology startup, received the second prize for its hardware solution that also successfully completed the 48-hour test with high performance. They employed a high-voltage converter system coupled with a low-mass cable and a lithium-ion battery.

“The energy solutions developed by the challenge teams are poised to address NASA’s space technology priorities,” said Amy Kaminski, program executive for Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing in NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. “These solutions support NASA’s recently ranked civil space shortfalls, including in the top category of surviving and operating through the lunar night.”

Watch the finale of NASA’s Watts on the Moon challenge, a $5 million, two-phase competition designed to develop breakthrough power transmission and energy storage technologies.

During the technology showcase and winners’ announcement ceremony, NASA experts, media, and members of the public gathered to see the finalist teams’ technologies and hear perspectives from the teams’ participation in the challenge. After the winners were announced, event attendees were also welcome to meet NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen.

The Watts on the Moon Challenge is a NASA Centennial Challenge led by Glenn. Marshall manages Centennial Challenges, which are part of the agency’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate. NASA contracted HeroX to support the administration of this challenge.

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Michoud Continues Work on Evolved Stage of SLS Rocket for Future Artemis Missions

Manufacturing equipment that will be used to build components for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for future Artemis missions is being installed at the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility.

The novel tooling will be used to produce the SLS rocket’s advanced exploration upper stage, or EUS, in the factory’s new manufacturing area. The EUS will serve as the upper, or in-space, stage for all Block 1B and Block 2 SLS flights in both crew and cargo configurations.

Manufacturing equipment that will be used to build components for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for future Artemis missions is being installed at the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility. The tooling will be used to produce the SLS rocket’s advanced exploration upper stage, or EUS, in the factory’s new manufacturing area, pictured here.NASA/Evan Deroche

In tandem, NASA and Boeing, the SLS lead contractor for the core stage and exploration upper stage, are producing structural test articles and flight hardware structures for the upper stage at Michoud and the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Early manufacturing is already underway at Michoud while preparations for an engine-firing test series for the upper stage are in progress at nearby Stennis Space Center.

“The newly modified manufacturing space for the exploration upper stage signifies the start of production for the next evolution of SLS Moon rockets at Michoud,” said Hansel Gill, director at Michoud. “With Orion spacecraft manufacturing and SLS core stage assembly in flow at Michoud for the past several years, standing up a new production line and enhanced capability at Michoud for EUS is a significant achievement and a reason for anticipation and enthusiasm for Michoud and the SLS Program.”

Michoud facility technicians Cameron Shiro, foreground, Michael Roberts, and Tien Nguyen, background, install the strain gauge on the forward adapter barrel structural test article for the exploration upper stage of the SLS rocket.NASA/Eric Bordelon

The advanced upper stage for SLS is planned to make its first flight with Artemis IV and replaces the single-engine Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) that serves as the in-space stage on the initial SLS Block 1 configuration of the rocket. With its larger liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellant tanks feeding four L3 Harris Technologies- built RL10C-3 engines, the EUS generates nearly four times the thrust of the ICPS, providing unrivaled lift capability to the SLS Block 1B and Block 2 rockets and making a new generation of crewed lunar missions possible.

This upgraded and more powerful rocket will increase the SLS rocket’s payload to the Moon by 40%, from 27 metric tons (59,525 lbs.) with Block 1 to 38 metric tons (83,776 lbs.) in the crew configuration. Launching crewed missions along with other large payloads enables multiple large-scale objectives to be accomplished in a single mission.

Michoud facility quality inspectors Michael Conley, background, and Michael Kottemann perform Ultrasonic Test inspections on the mid-body V-Strut for a structural test article for the SLS rocket’s advanced exploration upper stage in the factory’s new manufacturing area.NASA/Evan Deroche

Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon. The rocket is part of NASA’s deep space exploration plans, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the SLS Program and Michoud.

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I am Artemis: Chris Pereira

Chris Pereira can personally attest to the immense gravitational attraction of black holes. He’s been in love with space ever since he saw a video on the topic in a high school science class.

But it wasn’t just any science class. It was one specially designed for English learners.

As RS-25’s operations integrator, Chris Pereira is responsible for ensuring that the many pieces of the program – from tracking on-time procurement of supplies and labor loads to coordinating priorities on various in-demand machine centers – come together to deliver a quality product.Mike Labbe, L3Harris Technologies

“I was born and raised in Guatemala,” Pereira said. “I came here at 14 unable to speak any English.”

Pereira did not know how to navigate the U.S. educational system either, but after that class, he was certain he wanted a career in space.

Thus began a journey that ultimately landed him at L3Harris Technologies, where he works in the Aerojet Rocketdyne segment as an engineer and operations integrator on the RS-25 engine – used to power the core stage of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch astronauts to the Moon under NASA’s Artemis campaign.

Pereira’s first step was to stay after class and ask to borrow a copy of the video on black holes. His teacher not only obliged but took him across the street to the local library to get his first library card.

Pereira quickly recognized that the pathway to his desired career in space was through higher education. It was equally clear, however, that he was not yet on that pathway. English as a Second Language classes, including that science class, did not count toward college admissions. His guidance counselor, meanwhile, was nudging him toward the trades.

But with the help of teachers and a new guidance counselor, he got himself on the college-bound track.

“I came to understand there were multiple career pathways to explore my interest in space,” Pereira said. “One was engineering.”

There was a lot of catching up to do, so Pereira took eight classes per day, including honors courses. He also worked every day after school cleaning a gymnasium from 6 to 11 p.m. to help his family make ends meet.

Pereira earned his mechanical engineering degree at California State University at Los Angeles while also working as a senior educator at the California Science Center to cover the cost of his college tuition and living expenses.

Pereira’s first career experience was as an intern in manufacturing engineering at Aerojet Rocketdyne. “I learned that making 100% mission-success engines requires a strong culture of attention to detail, teamwork and solid work ethics.” Pereira said. His first full-fledged engineering job was with Honeywell Aerospace working on aircraft programs.

Eventually, space came calling – literally. “My mentor at Aerojet Rocketdyne called me up and said, ‘Chris, I have a job for you,’” Pereira said.

He began his new job working on rocket engine programs including the AR1 and RS-68 but shifted to the RS-25 after NASA awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne a contract for newly manufactured versions of the engine. Initial versions of the SLS are using refurbished engines from the Space Shuttle Program. Evolved versions of the RS-25 recently concluded a critical test series and will debut with the fifth Artemis flight.

As RS-25’s operations integrator, Pereira is responsible for ensuring that the many pieces of the program – from tracking on-time procurement of supplies and labor loads to coordinating priorities on various in-demand machine centers – come together to deliver a quality product.

Playing a key role in the nation’s effort to return astronauts to the Moon feels a bit like coming home again, Pereira said. “You develop your first love, work really hard, take different pathways and encounter new passions,” he said. “It’s almost funny how the world and life work out – it’s like I’ve taken a big circle back to my first love.”

NASA is working to land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the SLS Program.

Read other I Am Artemis features.

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‘Legacy of the Invisible’ Event Celebrates Mural, Marshall’s Astrophysics Missions

Renee Weber, chief scientist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, talks during the “Legacy of the Invisible” event in downtown Huntsville on Sept. 20. About 300 people attended the event, which coincided with the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The celebration featured “No Straight Lines,” a new mural at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Washington Street by local artist Float. The mural honors Huntsville’s rich scientific legacy in astrophysics and highlights the groundbreaking discoveries made possible by Marshall scientists and engineers. Other speakers included Collen Wilson-Hodge, principal investigator of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The event also offered members of the community the opportunity to meet the scientists who worked on some of NASA’s most revolutionary astrophysics missions. Featured exhibits from Marshall included the Apollo Telescope mount, the main science instrument on Skylab; the High Energy Astrophysics Program (HEAO); the BATSE instrument on the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory; Chandra X-ray Observatory; Fermi; IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer); and Marshall’s X-Ray and Cryogenic Facility. “I had a really nice time at the event,” Weber said. “It’s always great to see such interest and enthusiasm in our science work from the public.” Wilson-Hodge said the mural is an artistic depiction of the historic event detected with the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor and the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory on Aug. 17, 2017. “On that day, for the first time ever, we observed both a gamma-ray burst and gravitational waves from two very dense neutron stars merging to form a black hole,” she said. (NASA/Serena Whitfield)

From left to right, scientists and astrophysicists from Marshall, Cori Fletcher, Michelle Hui, Steven Ehlert, Weber, Colleen Wilson-Hodge, Lisa Gibby, and the artist Float pose for a photo in front of the “No Straight Lines” mural at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Washington Street in Huntsville. (NASA/Serena Whitfield)

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Chandra Finds Galaxy Cluster that Crosses the Streams

Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have found a galaxy cluster has two streams of superheated gas crossing one another. This result shows that crossing the streams may lead to the creation of new structure.

Researchers have discovered an enormous, comet-like tail of hot gas – spanning over 1.6 million light-years long – trailing behind a galaxy within the galaxy cluster called Zwicky 8338, or Z8338.X-ray: NASA/CXC/Xiamen Univ./C. Ge; Optical: DESI collaboration; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk

Researchers have discovered an enormous, comet-like tail of hot gas – spanning over 1.6 million light-years long – trailing behind a galaxy within the galaxy cluster called Zwicky 8338 (Z8338 for short). This tail, spawned as the galaxy had some of its gas stripped off by the hot gas it is hurtling through, has split into two streams.

This is the second pair of tails trailing behind a galaxy in this system. Previously, astronomers discovered a shorter pair of tails from a different galaxy near this latest one. This newer and longer set of tails was only seen because of a deeper observation with Chandra that revealed the fainter X-rays.

Astronomers now have evidence that these streams trailing behind the speeding galaxies have crossed one another. Z8338 is a chaotic landscape of galaxies, superheated gas, and shock waves (akin to sonic booms created by supersonic jets) in one relatively small region of space. These galaxies are in motion because they were part of two galaxy clusters that collided with each other to create Z8338.

This new composite image shows this spectacle. X-rays from Chandra (represented in purple) outline the multimillion-degree gas that outweighs all of the galaxies in the cluster. The Chandra data also shows where this gas has been jettisoned behind the moving galaxies. Meanwhile an optical image from the Dark Energy Survey from the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile shows the individual galaxies peppered throughout the same field of view.

The original gas tail discovered in Z8338 is about 800,000 light-years long and is seen as vertical in this image. The researchers think the gas in this tail is being stripped away from a large galaxy as it travels through the galaxy cluster. The head of the tail is a cloud of relatively cool gas about 100,000 light-years away from the galaxy it was stripped from. This tail is also separated into two parts.

A labeled version of the galaxy cluster Zwicky 8338.X-ray: NASA/CXC/Xiamen Univ./C. Ge; Optical: DESI collaboration; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk

The team proposes that the detachment of the tail from the large galaxy may have been caused by the passage of the other, longer tail. Under this scenario, the tail detached from the galaxy because of the crossing of the streams.

The results give useful information about the detachment and destruction of clouds of cooler gas like those seen in the head of the detached tail. This work shows that the cloud can survive for at least 30 million years after it is detached. During that time, a new generation of stars and planets may form within it.

The Z8338 galaxy cluster and its jumble of galactic streams are located about 670 million light-years from Earth. A paper describing these results appeared in the Aug. 8, 2023, issue of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and is available here.

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

Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.

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New Video Series Spotlights Engineers on NASA’s Europa Clipper Mission

What does it take to build a massive spacecraft that will seek to determine if a mysterious moon has the right ingredients for life? Find out in a new video series called “Behind the Spacecraft,” which offers behind-the-scenes glimpses into the roles of five engineers working on NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, from building the spacecraft’s communications systems to putting it through rigorous tests so the orbiter can meet its science goals in space.

With its launch period opening Oct. 10, Europa Clipper is the agency’s first mission dedicated to exploring an ocean world beyond Earth. The spacecraft will travel 1.8 billion miles to the Jupiter system, where it will investigate the gas giant’s moon Europa, which scientists believe contains a global saltwater ocean beneath its icy shell.

The videos are being released here weekly. The first two are already out.

Meet the team:

• Dipak Srinivasan, lead communications systems engineer at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, makes sure the Europa Clipper team can communicate with the spacecraft. Learn more about his work in the video above.
• Sarah Elizabeth McCandless, navigation engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, helped plan Europa Clipper’s trajectory, ensuring the spacecraft arrives at Jupiter safely and has a path to fly by Europa dozens of times. Learn more about Sarah’s work here.
• Jenny Kampmeier, a science systems engineer at JPL, acts as an interface between mission scientists and engineers.
• Andres Rivera, a systems engineer at JPL and first-generation American, works on Europa Clipper’s cruise phase — the journey from Earth to Jupiter.
• Valeria Salazar, an integration and test engineer at JPL who spent her childhood in Mexico, helped test the Europa Clipper spacecraft to ensure its launch readiness.

Europa Clipper experts will answer questions about the mission in a NASA Science Live show airing in English on Oct. 1, and in Spanish on Oct. 3. The broadcasts will appear on NASA+, YouTube, Facebook, and X. The Spanish broadcast will be streamed on the NASA en Español YouTube channel. Viewers can submit questions on social media using the hashtag #askNASA or by leaving a comment in the chat section of the Facebook or YouTube stream.

Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission and will fly through the most punishing radiation environment of any planet in the solar system. The spacecraft will orbit Jupiter and, during multiple flybys of Europa, will collect a wealth of scientific data with nine science instruments and an experiment that uses its telecommunications system to gather gravity data.

Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. The main spacecraft body was designed by APL in collaboration with JPL and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, manages the launch service for the Europa Clipper spacecraft.

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The Canon PowerShot Zoom digital monocular can take 12MP stills and can record HD video. But can it match the quality and convenience of a traditional monocular? Let's find out.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov walk across the crew access arm at Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.Credit: SpaceX

NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station.

Liftoff is targeted for 1:17 p.m. EDT, Saturday, Sept. 28, from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This is the first human spaceflight mission to launch from that pad. The targeted docking time is approximately 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29.

Live coverage of the prelaunch news conference, launch, the post-launch news conference, and docking stream on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of additional platforms, including social media.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will carry NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov to the orbiting laboratory for an approximate five-month science mission. This is the ninth crew rotation mission and the 10th human spaceflight mission for NASA to the space station supported by Dragon since 2020 as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

The deadline for media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch has passed. The agency’s media credentialing policy is available online. For questions about media accreditation, please email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.

Media looking for access to NASA live video feeds can subscribe to the agency’s media resources distribution list to receive daily updates and links.

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

Friday, Sept. 27

11:30 a.m. – One-on-one media interviews at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with various mission subject matter experts. Sign-up information will be emailed to media accredited to attend this launch.

1:15 p.m. – NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Panel: Space Station 101 with the following participants:

• NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
• Robyn Gatens, director, NASA’s International Space Station Program, and acting director, NASA’s Commercial Spaceflight Division
• Jennifer Buchli, chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program
• John Posey, Dragon engineer, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program

Media may ask questions in person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, media should contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 12:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

Coverage of the virtual news conference will stream live on NASA+, YouTube, Facebook, and the agency’s website. Members of the public may ask questions online by posting questions to the YouTube, Facebook, and X livestreams using #AskNASA.

5 p.m. – Prelaunch news conference from Kennedy with the following participants:

• NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
• Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
• Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
• Dina Contella, deputy manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
• Jennifer Buchli, chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program
• William Gerstenmaier, vice president, Build & Flight Reliability, SpaceX
• Brian Cizek, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Coverage of the virtual news conference will stream live on NASA+ and the agency’s website.

Media may ask questions in person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, media should contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

Saturday, Sept. 28

9:10 a.m. – Launch coverage begins on NASA+ and the agency’s website.

1:17 p.m. – Launch

Following the conclusion of launch and ascent coverage, NASA will switch to audio only. Continuous coverage resumes on NASA+ at the start of rendezvous and docking and continues through hatch opening and the welcome ceremony. For NASA+ information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit:

https://plus.nasa.gov

3 p.m. – Postlaunch news conference with the following participants:

• NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy
• Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
• Dana Hutcherson, deputy program manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
• Dina Contella, deputy manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
• Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX

The virtual news conference will stream live on NASA+, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

Media may ask questions in person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

Sunday, Sept. 29

3:30 p.m. – Arrival coverage begins on NASA+ and the agency’s website.

5:30 p.m. – Targeted docking to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module

7:15 p.m. – Hatch opening

7:40 p.m. – Welcome ceremony

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

Audio Only Coverage

Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240 or -7135. On launch day, “mission audio,” countdown activities without NASA+ launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135.

Launch audio also will be available on Launch Information Service and Amateur Television System’s VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and KSC Amateur Radio Club’s UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, FM mode, heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

Live Video Coverage Prior to Launch

NASA will provide a live video feed of Space Launch Complex-40 approximately six hours prior to the planned liftoff of the Crew-9 mission. Pending unlikely technical issues, the feed will be uninterrupted until the prelaunch broadcast begins on NASA+, approximately four hours prior to launch. Once the feed is live, find it online at:  http://youtube.com/kscnewsroom

NASA Website Launch Coverage

Launch day coverage of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission will be available on the agency’s website. Coverage will include livestreaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 9:10 a.m. Sept. 28, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff.

For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on the commercial crew or Crew-9 blog.

Attend Launch Virtually

Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following a successful launch.

Watch, Engage on Social Media

Let people know you’re following the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Crew9 and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:

X: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab, @SpaceX, @Commercial_Crew

Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab, @SpaceX

Coverage en Espanol

Did you know NASA has a Spanish section called NASA en Espanol? Make sure to check out NASA en Espanol on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more coverage on Crew-9.

Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo: 321-501-8425;antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov; o Messod Bendayan: 256-930-1371; messod.c.bendayan@nasa.gov.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is changing the arc of human spaceflight history by opening access to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities. The space station remains the springboard to NASA’s next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.

For NASA’s launch blog and more information about the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

-end-

Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov

Steven Siceloff / Danielle Sempsrott / Stephanie Plucinsky
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-867-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov / danielle.c.sempsrott@nasa.gov / stephanie.n.plucinsky@nasa.gov

Leah Cheshier
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov

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Details Last Updated Sep 25, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms

• International Space Station (ISS)
• Commercial Crew
• Humans in Space
• ISS Research
• Johnson Space Center
• Kennedy Space Center

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