Feed aggregator

A new review study examines the “gut virome”: the microbiome’s mysterious viral population

A common nasal spray shows promise in reducing COVID risk, but vaccine access remains tangled in policy in the U.S.

A device made from superconducting qubits could prove a powerful technology for enabling practical quantum computing or more experimental propositions like quantum machine learning

A device made from superconducting qubits could prove a powerful technology for enabling practical quantum computing or more experimental propositions like quantum machine learning

A child of the Space Shuttle Program, Jeni Morrison grew up walking the grounds of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston with her parents and listening to family stories about human spaceflight. 

Now, with more than 15 years at NASA, Morrison serves as one of Johnson’s Environmental Programs managers. She ensures the center complies with laws that protect its resources by overseeing regulatory compliance for cultural and natural resources, stormwater and drinking water programs, and the National Environmental Policy Act. She also safeguards Johnson’s historic legacy as Johnson’s Cultural Resources manager. 

Jeni Morrison in the mall area at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where employees often see local wildlife, including turtles, birds, deer, and the occasional alligator.

“I make sure our actions comply with the National Historic Preservation act, since the center is considered a historic district with two National Historic Landmarks onsite,” Morrison said. “I make sure we respect and document Johnson’s heritage while paving the way for new efforts and mission objectives.” 

Morrison takes pride in finding solutions that increase efficiency while protecting resources. One example was a project with Johnson’s Geographic Information System team to create an interactive material and chemical spill plan map. The new system helps responders quickly trace spill paths above and underground to deploy resources faster, reducing cleanup costs and minimizing environmental impacts. 

“Every improvement we make not only saves time and resources, but strengthens our ability to support NASA’s mission,” she said.  

By the very nature of our work, NASA makes history all the time. That history is important for all people, both to remember the sacrifices and accomplishments of so many, but also to ensure we don’t repeat mistakes as we strive for even bolder achievements.

Jeni Morrison

Environmental Program Manager

Jeni Morrison presents an overview of environmental compliance and center initiatives to employees at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 2014. NASA/Lauren Harnett

For Morrison, success often comes down to teamwork. She has learned to adapt her style to colleagues’ needs to strengthen collaboration.  

“By making the effort to accommodate others’ communication styles and learn from different perspectives, we create better, more efficient work,” she said. “Thankfully, so many people here at NASA are willing to teach and to share their experiences.”  

Her message to the Artemis Generation is simple: Always keep learning! 

“You never know when a side conversation could give you an answer to a problem you are facing down the line,” she said. “You must be willing to ask questions and learn something new to find those connections.” 

Jeni Morrison (second from right) with the Biobased Coolant Project Team at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 2018. The team tested biobased metalworking coolants and identified a product that outperformed petroleum-based options, meeting flight hardware specifications while reducing waste disposal costs and labor hours. Even as a young child visiting NASA Johnson, I could feel the sense of adventure, accomplishment, and the drive to reach new heights of human capability. I realize that those experiences gave me a fascination with learning and an inherent need to find ways to do things better.

jENI mORRISON

Environmental Program Manager

Her passion for learning and discovery connects to a family tradition at NASA. Her grandfather contributed to multiple Apollo missions, including helping solve the oxygen tank malfunction on Apollo 13. Her mother worked at the center transcribing astronaut recordings and writing proposals, and her father flew experiments aboard the space shuttle and International Space Station. Morrison’s sister and extended family also worked at Johnson.  

Now her son is growing up on the center grounds while attending the JSC Child Care Center. “As the fourth generation to be at Johnson, he is already talking about how he loves science and can’t wait to do his own experiments,” she said. 

For Morrison, carrying that family legacy forward through environmental stewardship is a privilege. “Being able to contribute to NASA’s mission through environmental compliance feels like the best of both worlds for me,” Morrison said. “It combines my love of science and NASA with my drive to find more efficient ways to operate while protecting this incredible site and everything it represents.” 

Explore More 4 min read Mark Cavanaugh: Integrating Safety into the Orion Spacecraft  Article 1 month ago 6 min read She Speaks for the Samples: Meet Dr. Juliane Gross, Artemis Campaign Sample Curation Lead  Article 5 months ago 5 min read Johnson’s Jason Foster Recognized for New Technology Reporting Record Article 3 months ago

A child of the Space Shuttle Program, Jeni Morrison grew up walking the grounds of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston with her parents and listening to family stories about human spaceflight. 

Now, with more than 15 years at NASA, Morrison serves as one of Johnson’s Environmental Programs managers. She ensures the center complies with laws that protect its resources by overseeing regulatory compliance for cultural and natural resources, stormwater and drinking water programs, and the National Environmental Policy Act. She also safeguards Johnson’s historic legacy as Johnson’s Cultural Resources manager. 

Jeni Morrison in the mall area at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where employees often see local wildlife, including turtles, birds, deer, and the occasional alligator.

“I make sure our actions comply with the National Historic Preservation act, since the center is considered a historic district with two National Historic Landmarks onsite,” Morrison said. “I make sure we respect and document Johnson’s heritage while paving the way for new efforts and mission objectives.” 

Morrison takes pride in finding solutions that increase efficiency while protecting resources. One example was a project with Johnson’s Geographic Information System team to create an interactive material and chemical spill plan map. The new system helps responders quickly trace spill paths above and underground to deploy resources faster, reducing cleanup costs and minimizing environmental impacts. 

“Every improvement we make not only saves time and resources, but strengthens our ability to support NASA’s mission,” she said.  

By the very nature of our work, NASA makes history all the time. That history is important for all people, both to remember the sacrifices and accomplishments of so many, but also to ensure we don’t repeat mistakes as we strive for even bolder achievements.

Jeni Morrison

Environmental Program Manager

Jeni Morrison presents an overview of environmental compliance and center initiatives to employees at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 2014. NASA/Lauren Harnett

For Morrison, success often comes down to teamwork. She has learned to adapt her style to colleagues’ needs to strengthen collaboration.  

“By making the effort to accommodate others’ communication styles and learn from different perspectives, we create better, more efficient work,” she said. “Thankfully, so many people here at NASA are willing to teach and to share their experiences.”  

Her message to the Artemis Generation is simple: Always keep learning! 

“You never know when a side conversation could give you an answer to a problem you are facing down the line,” she said. “You must be willing to ask questions and learn something new to find those connections.” 

Jeni Morrison (second from right) with the Biobased Coolant Project Team at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 2018. The team tested biobased metalworking coolants and identified a product that outperformed petroleum-based options, meeting flight hardware specifications while reducing waste disposal costs and labor hours. Even as a young child visiting NASA Johnson, I could feel the sense of adventure, accomplishment, and the drive to reach new heights of human capability. I realize that those experiences gave me a fascination with learning and an inherent need to find ways to do things better.

jENI mORRISON

Environmental Program Manager

Her passion for learning and discovery connects to a family tradition at NASA. Her grandfather contributed to multiple Apollo missions, including helping solve the oxygen tank malfunction on Apollo 13. Her mother worked at the center transcribing astronaut recordings and writing proposals, and her father flew experiments aboard the space shuttle and International Space Station. Morrison’s sister and extended family also worked at Johnson.  

Now her son is growing up on the center grounds while attending the JSC Child Care Center. “As the fourth generation to be at Johnson, he is already talking about how he loves science and can’t wait to do his own experiments,” she said. 

For Morrison, carrying that family legacy forward through environmental stewardship is a privilege. “Being able to contribute to NASA’s mission through environmental compliance feels like the best of both worlds for me,” Morrison said. “It combines my love of science and NASA with my drive to find more efficient ways to operate while protecting this incredible site and everything it represents.” 

Explore More 4 min read Mark Cavanaugh: Integrating Safety into the Orion Spacecraft  Article 1 month ago 6 min read She Speaks for the Samples: Meet Dr. Juliane Gross, Artemis Campaign Sample Curation Lead  Article 5 months ago 5 min read Johnson’s Jason Foster Recognized for New Technology Reporting Record Article 3 months ago

All (or at least most) astronomical eyes are on 3I/ATLAS, our most recent interstellar visitor that was discovered in early July. Given its relatively short observational window in our solar system, and especially its impending perihelion in October, a lot of observational power has been directed towards it. That includes the most powerful space telescope of them all - and a recent paper pre-printed on arXiv describes what the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) discovered in the comet’s coma. It wasn’t like any other it had seen before.

Its surface is the most densely cratered in the Solar System -- but what's inside?

We surveyed people in the U.S. about artificial-intelligence-generated art. Their answers told us a lot about how we value human creativity

Ant queens of one species are sexual parasites that clone ants of another species to create hybrid workers that do their bidding

Imagine worlds where water exists in forms so exotic that they defy our everyday understanding of matter, where the familiar liquid we drink every day transforms into something that behaves like neither gas nor liquid. These aren't science fiction fantasies, but real planets that represent some of the most common worlds in our Galaxy, and scientists at UC Santa Cruz have just developed new models to understand them.

Liftoff occurred at 2:06 p.m. EDT on Saturday (Sept. 6).

What created this unusual planetary nebula?

Genetic-sequencing techniques have identified microorganisms that lived in the mouths of ancient mammoths

JetBlue planes will start using Project Kuiper satellite Wi-Fi in 2027.

A SpaceX cargo craft showed its ability to keep the ISS flying high.

3 Min Read NASA Seeks Industry Input on Next Phase of Commercial Space Stations The aurora australis appears over the Earth in this photograph taken from the International Space Station as it orbited 269 miles above the Indian Ocean southwest of Australia. Credits: NASA

NASA is requesting feedback from American companies on the next phase of its commercial space stations strategy to ensure a seamless transition of activities in low Earth orbit from the International Space Station.

The agency released a draft Phase 2 Announcement for Partnership Proposals (AFPP) Friday, asking for feedback from industry partners by 1 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 12. NASA will hold an informational industry briefing on Monday, Sept. 8, to provide a top-level summary of the documents and expectations.

Under the direction of acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy, the agency reassessed the commercial space stations acquisition strategy to ensure mission continuity, affordability, and national alignment, and to reduce the potential for a gap of a crew-capable platform in low Earth orbit.

“NASA has led in low Earth orbit for 25 years and counting. Now, as we prepare for deorbiting the International Space Station in 2030, we’re calling on our commercial space partners to maintain this historic human presence,” Duffy said. “The American space industry is booming. Insight from these innovative companies will be invaluable as we work to chart the next phase of commercial space stations.”

In Phase 2, NASA intends to support industry’s design and demonstration of commercial stations through multiple funded Space Act Agreements, selected through a full and open competition.

“NASA is committed to continuing our partnership with industry to ensure a continuity in low Earth orbit,” said Angela Hart, manager, Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “The work done under our Phase 1 contracts and agreements have put us in a prime position to be successful for this next funded Space Act Agreement phase. By leveraging these agreements, we provide additional flexibility to our commercial partners to define the best path forward to provide NASA a safe and affordable crewed demonstration.”

The Phase 2 agreements are expected to include funded milestones leading to critical design review readiness and an in-space crewed demonstration of four crew members for a minimum of 30 days. Agreements are expected to include up to a five-year period of performance.

The agency’s phased approach will culminate in a follow-on Phase 3 using Federal Acquisition Regulation-based contract(s) to purchase station services through a full and open competition. This final phase will also provide formal design acceptance and certification, ensuring the commercial stations meet NASA’s safety requirements.

NASA remains committed to fostering innovation and collaboration within the American space industry.

The agency’s commercial strategy for low Earth orbit will provide the government with reliable and safe services at a lower cost, enabling the agency to focus on the next step in humanity’s exploration of the solar system while also continuing to use low Earth orbit as an ideal environment for training and a proving ground for Artemis missions to the Moon and Mars.

Learn more about commercial space stations at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialspacestations

Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

Low Earth Orbit Economy

Commercial Space Stations

Commercial Space News

Humans In Space