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How Peter Higgs revealed the forces that hold the universe together
U.S. Carbon Removal Needs Have a $100-Billion Price Tag—Per Year
The U.S. needs to vastly increase taxpayer spending on direct carbon removal technology to meet President Biden’s climate goals, the Rhodium Group says
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Announces 3 Personnel Appointments
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Left to right: JPL’s Keyur Patel, Howard Eisen, and Todd Gaier NASA/JPL-CaltechThe staff changes tap into a deep well of talent and experience across JPL as the laboratory looks to the future.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is pleased to announce three key staff appointments, naming Keyur Patel the associate director for Flight Projects and Mission Success, Howard Eisen chief engineer, and Todd Gaier director for Astronomy and Physics.
Associate Director for Flight Projects and Mission SuccessAs associate director for Flight Projects and Mission Success, Keyur Patel oversees the implementation and operations of all JPL flight missions. (JPL currently manages more than three dozen flying missions and science instruments to study Earth, our solar system, and beyond.) He succeeds Leslie Livesay, who became JPL’s deputy director in March.
Since beginning at JPL in 1985, Patel has served as director for Astronomy and Physics, deputy director for Planetary Science, director for the Interplanetary Network Directorate, deputy director for Solar System Exploration, and deputy director for the Office of Safety and Mission Success. He has led flight projects as project manager for the Dawn mission, deputy project manager and chief engineer for Deep Impact, and flight engineering office manager for the Spitzer Space Telescope. Patel holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in aerospace engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
JPL Chief EngineerHoward Eisen, who for the past year has served as the deputy associate director for Flight Projects and Mission Success, has assumed the role of chief engineer while continuing with his deputy associate director duties. He takes over the role from Rob Manning, who will remain in the Office of the Chief Engineer, applying his decades of experience and institutional knowledge in service of missions and projects across the laboratory. Manning will work with Eisen as he transitions into his new role.
A JPL Fellow, Eisen has over 36 years of experience at JPL in technical and leadership roles. He previously served as chief engineer for the Planetary Science Directorate, deputy project manager for the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission, flight system manager for the Mars 2020/Perseverance Mars rover and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, project manager for the International Space Station Rapid Scatterometer mission, and deputy flight system manager for the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Mars rover. He holds a master’s degree in aerospace systems and bachelor’s degrees in astronautics/avionics and physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as a master’s in business administration from the University of Redlands.
Director for Astronomy and PhysicsTodd Gaier becomes director of Astronomy and Physics after previously serving as its deputy director and chief technologist. He was also co-investigator and project manager for the Temporal Experiment for Storms and Tropical Systems Demonstration (TEMPEST-D). He joined JPL in 1996, leading a group that developed technologies and instruments using monolithic microwave integrated circuit components. His group supported projects that include the Planck Low Frequency Instrument, the advanced microwave radiometers for the Jason-2 and -3 missions, the integrated receivers for the Juno microwave radiometers, and the Compact Ocean Wind Vector Radiometer (COWVR). He holds a doctorate in physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a bachelor’s in physics from Tufts University.
Gaier is a JPL Fellow and a senior research scientist. He is the recipient of NASA’s Exceptional Public Achievement and Outstanding Public Leadership medals.
About JPLA division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL began in 1936 and ultimately built and helped launch America’s first satellite, Explorer 1, in 1958. By the end of that year, Congress established NASA, and JPL became a part of the agency. Since then, JPL has managed such historic deep space missions as Voyager, Galileo, Cassini, and a continuous fleet of landers, orbiters, and rovers at Mars since 1997. JPL managed the Spitzer Space Telescope and built the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 for Hubble as well as the Mid-Infrared instrument (MIRI) on the James Webb Space Telescope. Around our home planet, JPL has over two dozen spacecraft and instruments studying our atmosphere, climate change, sea level, and more.
News Media ContactsVeronica McGregor / Matthew Segal
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
veronica.c.mcgregor@jpl.nasa.gov / matthew.j.segal@jpl.nasa.gov
818-354-9452 / 818-354-8307
2024-039
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Astro Chat with Sophie Adenot | ESA Explores podcast
Sophie Adenot is one of ESA's five astronaut candidates currently undergoing basic astronaut training at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany. Tune in as she shares her experiences in astronaut training, her favourite lessons, as well as tips on maintaining the balance and achieving your dreams.
This is Episode 6 of our ESA Explores podcast series introducing the ESA astronaut class of 2022, recorded in November 2023.
Music and audio editing by Denzel Lorge. Cover art by Gaël Nadaud.
NASA’s SERT II: ‘A Genuine Space Success Story’
5 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) An illustration of the SERT II spacecraft, which was comprised of the Agena upper stage, the experimental thrusters and associated equipment, and two large solar arrays.Credit: NASA“A genuine space success story,” is how Experiments Manager William Kerslake described NASA’s second Space Electric Rocket Test (SERT II), the first long-duration operation of ion thrusters in space. SERT II provided researchers with data for years beyond its expected lifetime and was a rare example of an entire mission – including the launch, propulsion system, spacecraft, and control center – being handled by one organization: NASA’s Lewis Research Center in Cleveland (today, NASA Glenn).
The concept of electric propulsion thrusters dates back to the early 20th century, but because they must operate in a vacuum, there was no practical application for these systems until the space program decades later. In the late 1950s, researchers at NASA Lewis began investigating types of electric propulsion and analyzing missions that could use these systems. They produce low amounts of thrust by creating and accelerating small particles at high velocities, and over time, can accelerate spacecraft at very high rates of speed. Their ability to operate continuously for years at a time with little propellant makes them ideal for long-duration missions or keeping satellites in orbit.
This work was expanded in the early 1960s with the creation of Lewis’ Electromagnetic Propulsion Division and the construction of large vacuum facilities, including the Electric Propulsion and Power Laboratory (EPPL). Lewis engineer Harold Kaufman’s electron bombardment ion engine, which used liquid mercury as its propellant, was the most promising option. While Kaufman’s thruster was undergoing extensive testing in the EPPL tanks, Lewis engineers began developing a spacecraft to test the thruster. During the 50-minute suborbital SERT I flight on July 20, 1964, the Kaufman thruster became the first ion engine to operate in space.
In early 1968, the experimental portion of SERT II underwent six months of testing in Tank 5 at NASA Lewis Research Center’s (now, NASA Glenn’s) Electric Propulsion and Power Laboratory in conditions that simulated the temperatures and pressures it would encounter in space. The two thrusters can be seen in this photograph.Credit: NASA/ Paul RiedelLewis continued improving the thruster system, and in August 1966 received approval for SERT II. Researchers wanted to verify the thrusters could operate for longer durations in space, determine their effect on other spacecraft systems, and measure the degradation of solar arrays over time.
The center began simultaneous development of the SERT II ion thruster system and the spacecraft that would place it into orbit: a Thorad-Agena rocket. SERT II had two 15-centimeter diameter electron bombardment thrusters affixed to the back end and a 5-by-40 foot solar array, the largest ever flown by NASA at that time, at the other end.
After a series of tests in the EPPL, SERT II blasted off on February 3, 1970. Project Manager Raymond Rulis called the launch “one of the smoothest operations I’ve seen.” SERT II was placed into a circular polar orbit that provided its solar arrays with the continuous sunlight required to power its thrusters and electronic systems.
A Thorad-Agena rocket lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base on February 3, 1970, with the SERT II spacecraft. NASA Lewis Research Center (now, NASA Glenn) managed the Agena Program between 1962 and 1970, with SERT II being the last of the center’s 28 successful launches.Credit: NASAOn February 14, 1970, Lewis engineers activated the first thruster, beginning its six-month operational test. Three weeks later, operators shut the thruster down just before the vehicle passed through the path of a solar eclipse. It was restarted without issue afterwards and continued operation as the spacecraft encountered the eclipse a second time later that day.
The thruster operated successfully for five months until an electrical short in the grid caused it to fail on July 22, 1970. Two days later, the second thruster was activated. It operated smoothly for three-and-a-half months until a similar short occurred in mid-October. Though the SERT II thrusters failed to meet their six-month objectives, they did operate for extended periods, confirming data obtained in Lewis’ vacuum tanks.
The mission continued when Lewis engineers reactivated SERT II in 1973 to demonstrate cathode restarting, and the following year, they resolved an electrical short in one of the thrusters. During periods of intermittent sunlight, operators demonstrated restarting the thruster with less than an hour of power available. SERT II’s return to an orbit in continuous sunlight in 1979 provided Lewis researchers the opportunity to conduct over 500 restarts. They operated the thruster for 18,000 hours before the propellant ran out in the spring of 1981.
William Kerslake (seen in this 1981 photograph) and Louis Ignaczak managed the SERT II operations from a specially designed control center in NASA’s Lewis Research Center’s (now, NASA Glenn’s) 10-by 10-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel building. The control center allowed engineers to monitor the mission and send commands to the spacecraft through NASA’s satellite communication system. Credit: NASA/Daniel LaietyOver eleven years, SERT II provided data on hundreds of thruster restarts, restarts after shutdowns as long as 18 months, ion beam neutralization of one thruster by the other, and discovery of a new plasma thrust mode. SERT II also verified that thruster operation had no harmful impact on spacecraft and solar arrays.
Still, SERT II continued to be an asset to NASA researchers. In the late 1980s, Lewis engineers realized that an auxiliary experiment on SERT II that analyzed the effect of micrometeoroids on solar mirrors could be beneficial to research on solar dynamic systems to power space stations. During six months in sunlight in 1990, the Lewis team determined that after 20 years in orbit, there was no degradation of the solar mirror’s optical properties.
Many technological components of the SERT II thruster system were incorporated into subsequent generations of ion thrusters. By the time the mission was terminated, Lewis was already ground testing thrusters twice the size of those on SERT II. The center has continued to lead NASA’s electric propulsion efforts, developing an array of technologies, including the NEXT-C thrusters that powered the Deep Space 1 and Dawn spacecraft. In support of the agency’s Artemis missions, NASA Glenn recently tested the thrusters that will power Gateway, NASA’s future lunar space station.
Additional Information:
Development and Flight History of SERT II Spacecraft
NASA Glenn Solar Electric Propulsion
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Shawnta Ball Turns Obstacles into Opportunities in Goddard’s Education Office
Name: Shawnta Ball
Title: Program Support Specialist
Formal Job Classification: Administrative Support Assistant
Organization: Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM, Code 160)
“Rather than succumbing to challenges or setbacks, I viewed them as opportunities to learn and adapt,” says Shawnta Ball, program support specialist in the Office of STEM Engagement at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.Red Cox Photography; courtesy Shawnta BallHow would you describe your job at Goddard?
I contribute to the vitality of our office by providing crucial support to various programs. I joined Goddard in March 2020 and witnessed the organization undergo significant changes. Currently, we are in a phase of revitalization following the challenges posed by the pandemic. We now have a team working enthusiastically to revive some of the older programs.
Among our initiatives is the resurgence of K-12 programs, where we engage with schools in our region. My focus primarily involves collaborating with high schools and middle schools, reaching out to instill the NASA way of thinking and inspiring students to see the impact of a STEM education. We are dedicated to fostering a mindset that emphasizes working at NASA in science, technology, engineering, and math roles beyond being an astronaut.
Additionally, I serve as the liaison for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility between NASA’s Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity and OSTEM. Our goal is to ensure that our processes embrace everyone, irrespective of their background or identity. I act as the bridge, pulling together diverse perspectives and information to create a more inclusive work environment.
I’m also actively involved in two solicitations — one for Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) OCEAN related projects, and another focused on Data Science Equity, Access and Priority (DEAP). We collaborate with faculty to award research grants, reaching out to individuals who might not typically hear about these opportunities but possess the skills and potential to excel.
What path led you to this role?
My journey with NASA started in 2002, and I arrived at Goddard in 2020 after being part of the Office of STEM Engagement at headquarters in Washington. Embarking on my career in the government at the age of 16, I faced a unique and early entry into the professional world. Despite my youth, I embraced the opportunities presented to me and took on a series of diverse assignments within the government sector. This journey was marked by a steadfast commitment to the philosophy of “growing where I was planted.”
In practical terms, this philosophy implies a dedication to making the most of the current circumstances and roles, regardless of their initial nature or perceived limitations. Instead of constantly seeking new environments, I focused on developing my skills, gaining valuable experiences, and contributing meaningfully to each position I held. This approach allowed me to extract valuable lessons and skills from every assignment, fostering personal and professional growth in unexpected ways.
The belief in “growing where I was planted” also speaks to resilience and adaptability. Rather than succumbing to challenges or setbacks, I viewed them as opportunities to learn and adapt. This mindset not only helped me navigate the complexities of working in the government but also positioned me to thrive in a variety of roles over the years.
As a result of this philosophy, I built a foundation of skills, knowledge, and adaptability that eventually led me to my current role at Goddard. Each assignment, whether seemingly small or significant, played a crucial role in shaping my career trajectory and preparing me for the challenges and responsibilities I now undertake in supporting programs and initiatives at Goddard.
What’s the most exciting or interesting part of working at NASA?
Being in a position that involves interactions with celebrities has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of my work. It provides a unique glimpse into the individuals who contribute to TV programs, movies, and media that showcase NASA’s endeavors towards our society’s forward progression. During my early days, I had the fascinating role of booking meetings that involved notable figures, and although the interaction was swift, the experience of seeing them in person was truly thrilling.
While working in the administrator’s office at headquarters, I had the privilege of witnessing the arrival of news reporters, city mayors, congressmen and women, and astronauts who came to meet with the administrator. Sitting in anticipation, I played a behind-the-scenes role, having foreknowledge of their visits and assisting in the planning process. Although my involvement was indirect, the opportunity to be in proximity to these space explorers and others and to play a part in coordinating their interactions was both rewarding and awe-inspiring.
Shawnta Ball poses with a “Hidden Figures Way” street sign at NASA Headquarters in Washington.Shawnta BallI’ve had the privilege to meet and greet famous people and directly supported three astronaut-turned-supervisors. However, one standout memory involves meeting Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura on “Star Trek,” at the final space shuttle launch. STS-135, the last flight of the orbiter Atlantis, lifted off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 8, 2011. I will always be grateful to Ms. Nichols for the real-life role she played at NASA, which was to recruit minority and female astronauts and personnel for the agency’s Space Shuttle Program.
The sheer thought of being in the company of someone of her stature and witnessing firsthand the intersection of entertainment and NASA’s mission left a lasting impression. These encounters not only added a layer of excitement to my role but also reinforced the significance of the work we do at NASA, captivating the attention of influential figures who contribute to sharing our stories with the world.
By Marta Hill
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.
Share Details Last Updated Apr 11, 2024 EditorRob GarnerContactRob Garnerrob.garner@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related TermsTop total solar eclipses to look out for over the next decade
The Planet K2-18b May Not Be Habitable After All
New research suggests Exoplanet K2-18b may actually be a gas-rich planet with no habitable surface instead of a habitable water world.
The post The Planet K2-18b May Not Be Habitable After All appeared first on Sky & Telescope.