SpaceMan

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is depicted receiving a laser signal from the Deep Space Optical Communications uplink ground station at JPL’s Table Mountain Facility in this artist’s concept. The DSOC experiment consists of an uplink and downlink station, plus a flight laser transceiver flying with Psyche.NASA/JPL-Caltech The Deep Space Optical Communications tech demo has completed several key milestones, culminating in sending a signal to Mars’ farthest distance from Earth. NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration broke yet another record for laser communications this summer by sending a laser signal from Earth to NASA’s Psyche spacecraft about 290 million miles (460 million kilometers) away. That’s the same distance between our planet and Mars when the two planets are farthest apart. Soon after reaching that milestone on July 29, the technology demonstration concluded the first phase of its operations since launching aboard Psyche on Oct. 13, 2023. “The milestone is significant. Laser communication requires a very high level of precision, and before we launched with Psyche, we didn’t know how much performance degradation we would see at our farthest distances,” said Meera Srinivasan, the project’s operations lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “Now the techniques we use to track and point have been verified, confirming that optical communications can be a robust and transformative way to explore the solar system.” Managed by JPL, the Deep Space Optical Communications experiment consists of a flight laser transceiver and two ground stations. Caltech’s historic 200-inch (5-meter) aperture Hale Telescope at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California, acts as the downlink station to which the laser transceiver sends its data from deep space. The Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory at JPL’s Table Mountain facility near Wrightwood, California, acts as the uplink station, capable of transmitting 7 kilowatts of laser power to send data to the transceiver. This visualization shows Psyche’s position on July 29 when the uplink station for NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications sent a laser signal about 290 million miles to the spacecraft. See an interactive version of the Psyche spacecraft in NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System.NASA/JPL-Caltech By transporting data at rates up to 100 times higher than radio frequencies, lasers can enable the transmission of complex scientific information as well as high-definition imagery and video, which are needed to support humanity’s next giant leap when astronauts travel to Mars and beyond. As for the spacecraft, Psyche ******** healthy and stable, using ion propulsion to accelerate toward a metal-rich asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Exceeding Goals The technology demonstration’s data is sent to and from Psyche as bits encoded in near-infrared light, which has a higher frequency than radio waves. That higher frequency enables more data to be packed into a transmission, allowing far higher rates of data transfer. Even when Psyche was about 33 million miles (53 million kilometers) away — comparable to Mars’ closest approach to Earth — the technology demonstration could transmit data at the system’s maximum rate of 267 megabits per second. That bit rate is similar to broadband internet download speeds. As the spacecraft travels farther away, the rate at which it can send and receive data is reduced, as expected. On June 24, when Psyche was about 240 million miles (390 million kilometers) from Earth — more than 2½ times the distance between our planet and the Sun — the project achieved a sustained downlink data rate of 6.25 megabits per second, with a maximum rate of 8.3 megabits per second. While this rate is significantly lower than the experiment’s maximum, it is far higher than what a radio frequency communications system using comparable power can achieve over that distance. This Is a Test The goal of Deep Space Optical Communications is to demonstrate technology that can reliably transmit data at higher speeds than other space communication technologies like radio frequency systems. In seeking to achieve this goal, the project had an opportunity to test unique data sets like art and high-definition video along with engineering data from the Psyche spacecraft. For example, one downlink included digital versions of Arizona State University’s “Psyche Inspired” artwork, images of the team’s pets, and a 45-second ultra-high-definition video that spoofs television test patterns from the previous century and depicts scenes from Earth and space. This 45-second ultra-high-definition video was streamed via laser from deep space by NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration on June 24, when the Psyche spacecraft was 240 million miles from Earth. NASA/JPL-Caltech The technology demonstration beamed the first ultra-high-definition video from space, featuring a cat named Taters, from the Psyche spacecraft to Earth on Dec. 11, 2023, from 19 million miles away. (Artwork, images, and videos were uploaded to Psyche and stored in its memory before launch.) “A key goal for the system was to prove that the data-rate reduction was proportional to the inverse square of distance,” said Abi Biswas, the technology demonstration’s project technologist at JPL. “We met that goal and transferred huge quantities of test data to and from the Psyche spacecraft via laser.” Almost 11 terabits of data have been downlinked during the first phase of the demo. The flight transceiver is powered down and will be powered back up on Nov. 4. That activity will prove that the flight hardware can operate for at least a year. “We’ll power on the flight laser transceiver and do a short checkout of its functionality,” said Ken Andrews, project flight operations lead at JPL. “Once that’s achieved, we can look forward to operating the transceiver at its full design capabilities during our post-conjunction phase that starts later in the year.” More About Deep Space Optical Communications This demonstration is the latest in a series of optical communication experiments funded by the Space Technology Mission Directorate’s Technology Demonstration Missions Program managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the agency’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program within the Space Operations Mission Directorate. Development of the flight laser transceiver is supported by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, L3 Harris, CACI, First Mode, and Controlled Dynamics Inc. Fibertek, Coherent, Caltech Optical Observatories, and Dotfast support the ground systems. Some of the technology was developed through NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research program. For more information about the laser communications demo, visit: [Hidden Content] NASA’s Optical Comms Demo Transmits Data Over 140 Million Miles The NASA Cat Video Explained 5 Things to Know About NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications News Media Contacts Ian J. O’Neill Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-2649 *****@*****.tld 2024-130 Share Details Last Updated Oct 03, 2024 Related TermsDeep Space Optical Communications (DSOC)Jet Propulsion LaboratoryPsyche MissionSpace Communications & Navigation ProgramSpace Operations Mission DirectorateSpace Technology Mission DirectorateTech Demo Missions Explore More 3 min read How NASA Astronauts Vote from Space Aboard International Space Station Article 12 mins ago 2 min read The Science of the Perfect Cup for Coffee Material research is behind the design of a temperature-regulating mug Article 6 days ago 1 min read Let It Go: (After Latching) Challenge Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The ********* flag inside the cupola of the International Space Station (Credits: NASA).Credit: NASA NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station have the opportunity to vote in general elections through absentee ballots or early voting in coordination with the county clerk’s office where they live. So, how is voting from space possible? Through NASA’s Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) Program. Similar to most data transmitted between the space station and the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, votes cast in space travel through the agency’s Near Space Network, managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The network connects missions within 1.2 million miles of Earth with communications and navigation services – including the space station. NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli (from left) give a thumbs up after voting as Texas residents from the International Space Station. The duo filled out electronic absentee ballots in March 2024 and downlinked them to Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, which relayed the votes to the county clerk’s office.Credit: NASA Just like any other ********* away from home, astronauts may fill out a Federal Post Card Application to request an absentee ballot. After an astronaut fills out an electronic ballot aboard the orbiting laboratory, the document flows through NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System to a ground antenna at the agency’s White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico. From New Mexico, NASA transfers the ballot to the Mission Control Center at NASA Johnson and then on to the county clerk responsible for casting the ballot. To preserve the vote’s integrity, the ballot is encrypted and accessible only by the astronaut and the clerk. NASA’s Near Space Network enables astronauts on the International Space Station to communicate with Earth and electronically deliver ballots from space. Credit: NASA Astronauts have voted in U.S. elections since 1997 when the Texas Legislature passed a bill that allowed NASA astronauts to cast ballots from orbit. That year, NASA astronaut David Wolf became the first ********* to vote from space while aboard the Mir Space Station. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins became the latest astronaut to vote in a presidential election, as she voted aboard the International Space Station in November 2020. Astronauts forego many of the comforts afforded to those back on Earth as they embark on their journeys to space for the benefit of humanity. Though they are far from home, NASA’s networks connect them with their friends and family and give them the opportunity to participate in democracy and society while in orbit. While astronauts come from all over the ******* States, they make their homes in Texas so they can be near NASA Johnson’s training and mission support facilities. For more than two decades, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory stay connected with Earth and their civilian lives back home by communicating with mission control through the Near Space Network. This development in communication ultimately can benefit humanity and lay the groundwork for other agency missions, like NASA’s Artemis campaign, and future human exploration of Mars. Learn more about the International Space Station online: [Hidden Content] About the AuthorDominique V. Crespo Share Details Last Updated Oct 03, 2024 Related TermsGeneralAstronautsGoddard Space Flight CenterHumans in SpaceInternational Space Station (ISS)Johnson Space CenterJohnson's Mission Control CenterNear Space NetworkSpace Communications & Navigation ProgramSpace Communications TechnologySpace Operations Mission DirectorateTracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)White Sands Test Facility Explore More 5 min read NASA’s Laser Comms Demo Makes Deep Space Record, Completes First Phase Article 10 seconds ago 1 min read Gateway Stands Tall for Stress Test Gateway space station’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost has successfully completed static load testing in Turin,… Article 2 hours ago 5 min read Facility Managers, Assemble: Protecting Johnson Space Center’s People and Places Article 17 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

Earth Observer Earth Home Earth Observer Home Editor’s Corner Feature Articles Meeting Summaries News Science in the News Calendars In Memoriam More Archives 40 min read GPM Celebrates Ten Years of Observing Precipitation for Science and Society Introduction On February 27, 2014, the four-ton Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory (CO) spacecraft launched aboard a ********* H-IIA rocket from Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. On that day, the GPM mission, a ****** Earth-observing mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), began its journey to provide the world with an unprecedented picture of global precipitation (i.e., rain and snow). GPM continues to observe important precipitation characteristics and gain physical insights into precipitation processes using an advanced radar and passive microwave (PMW) radiometer on the GPM–CO along with leveraging a constellation of satellites. (The Earth Observer reported on the GPM–CO launch and plans for the mission in its November–December 2013 issue – see GPM Core Observatory: Advancing Precipitation Instruments and Expanding Coverage.) As GPM is now well into its 10th year in orbit, the time is fitting to reflect on and celebrate what this mission has accomplished and showcase its contributions to science and society. While occasionally dealing with equipment malfunction, the GPM–CO has operated nearly continuously over its lifetime and recently was put into a higher orbit to conserve station-keeping fuel. As a result, GPM ******** in extended operations and continues its observations after 10 years, making significant advances in the precipitation field through improving sensor calibration, retrieval algorithms, and ground validation measurements. GPM data continues to further our understanding of the characteristics of liquid and frozen precipitation around the world and improving our scientific knowledge of Earth’s water and energy cycles. These advances have extended to numerous societal benefits related to operational weather prediction, situational awareness and prediction of extreme events, hydrological and climate model development, water resource and crop management activities, and public health alerts. Additionally, this information has informed the K–12 and post-secondary audiences, influencing the next generation of scientists. More information is available at NASA’s GPM website. Advancing Precipitation Measurements: The Need for the GPM Mission Precipitation is a vital component of global water and energy cycles and crucially impactful to life on Earth. The distribution, frequency, and extremes in precipitation affect everything from agriculture to the insurance industry, to travel and your weekend plans. Prior to the meteorological satellite era, precipitation observations were limited to populated areas leaving wide swaths of land and almost the entirety of the oceans (70% of Earth’s surface) unobserved. GPM builds on decades of advances in satellite precipitation observations. Early precipitation observations from space (e.g., from the Nimbus series) used visible and infrared measurements that gave the first, approximate estimates. PMW radiometers, however, gave a next generation of more direct and improved precipitation measurement. The NASA–JAXA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), launched in November 1997, significantly advanced the field with the addition of a Precipitation Radar (PR) alongside a wider-swath PMW radiometer. This was groundbreaking for precipitation research and advancement of measurement techniques, but was limited to the tropics and a single satellite in low Earth orbit. To move toward the goal of a globally distributed, high-frequency, physically consistent satellite precipitation product a new mission design was conceived in GPM. The GPM Mission: Science Requirements, Objectives, and Instruments The GPM–CO spacecraft is an advanced successor to the TRMM spacecraft, providing additional channels on both the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) and the GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) to enhance capabilities to sense light rain and falling snow. The GPM–CO, another NASA–JAXA partnership, operates in an inclined, non-Sun synchronous orbit that allows the spacecraft to sample precipitation across all hours of the day, as did TRMM. However, TRMM only covered tropical and subtropical regions, while the GPM–CO also covers middle and sub-polar latitudes. The GPM mission has several key scientific objectives, including: advancing precipitation measurements from space; improving our knowledge of precipitation systems, water cycle variability, and freshwater availability; improving climate modeling and prediction; improving weather forecasting and four-dimensional [4D – i.e., three-dimensional (3D) spatial plus temporal] reanalysis; and improving hydrological modeling and prediction. GPM Core Observatory Instruments The GMI and DPR instruments together provide a powerful synergistic tool to assess precipitation structure, intensity, and phase globally at relatively high (regional) spatial resolutions. The DPR’s Ku-band (13.6 GHz) and Ka-band (35.5 GHz) channels provide 3D retrievals of precipitation structure with a vertical resolution of 250 m (~820 ft) and a horizontal resolution of ~5 km (~3 mi) across a swath up to 245 km (152 mi). The GMI is a 13-channel conically scanning PMW radiometer providing observations across a wide swath [885 km (~550 mi)] to estimate precipitation estimates at resolutions as fine as 5 km – see Figure 1. When scientists and engineers collaborated on the design of GMI, they knew it would need to meet exacting requirements so that its data could be used both to support development of precipitation retrieval algorithms and to provide a calibration standard for the partner sensors in the GPM constellation. The attention to detail has paid off. To this day, GMI is deemed to be one of the best calibrated conically scanning PMW radiometers in space. Together, these two well-calibrated GPM–CO instruments gather scientifically advanced observations of precipitation between 68°N and 68°S – which covers where the majority of the Earth’s population falls. This coverage allows opportunities to observe both surface precipitation rates and 3D precipitation structure and allows observations of diverse weather systems, including hurricanes and typhoons (e.g., from formation to their transition from the tropics to midlatitudes), severe convection, falling snow, light rain, and frontal systems over both land and ocean. Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the GPM Core Observatory’s Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) and GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) instruments. Figure credit: GPM website GPM Constellation While the GPM–CO is a key component of the GPM mission, another fundamental component is the constellation of national and international partner satellites known as the GPM Constellation, which has numbers ~10 at any given time – with the current members listed at the link referenced above. Each GPM Constellation partner designed and operated the satellites for their own particular missions, but they agreed to share the data from their missions to enable the next-generation of unified global precipitation estimates. The combination of these partner satellites and the GPM–CO allow frequent intersections of their orbits, permitting colocated and cotemporal observations to be made, which are crucial to ensure effective intercalibration. The GPM–CO serves as the “calibrator” to unify precipitation estimates across these different partners’ satellite sensors, ensuring that the observed microwave brightness temperatures (TB) are consistent among the sensors with expected differences after accounting for variations in the observing frequencies, bandwidths, polarizations, and view angles. The advanced calibration across the sensors is a remarkable achievement, and it allows the project to focus on the precipitation products rather than TB uncertainties. This careful calibration enables high-quality datasets that support and enable detailed investigations on the distribution of precipitation and how these patterns change over days, seasons, and years, enabling a breadth of science and societal applications at local and global scales. Ground Validation Activities: Significant Contributions to the GPM Mission An integral part of a successful satellite mission is a robust and active ground validation (GV) program. During the TRMM era, the TRMM PR, and/or the TRMM PMW radiometer instruments limited GV to simple comparisons of rain rates to surface measurements from radars and/or rain gauges, which is referred to as statistical validation. It soon became obvious that a more robust GV program would be needed to better aid future satellite algorithm developers to improve the physics of their algorithms rather than just justifying tweaking their outputs. As a result, unlike TRMM, GPM’s GV program has been part of the mission concept from its inception. The GPM team developed a three-tiered approach that uses: statistical validation, as done during TRMM; physical validation, where the emphasis is on better understanding of the physics and microphysics of different precipitating systems; and hydrological validation, which emphasizes improving precipitation retrievals over large-scale areas (e.g., watersheds). To address these goals, there have been several pre- and post-launch field campaigns conducted. In chronological order, these include the: Light Precipitation Evaluation Experiment (LPVEx), a prelaunch field campaign taking place in September and October 2010 over the Gulf of Finland; GPM Cold Season Precipitation Experiment (GCPEX) over and near the Ontario, Canada/Great Lakes Environment Canada Centre for Atmospheric Research Experiments (CARE) from January 17 to February 29, 2012; Mid-Latitude Continental Convective Cloud Experiment (MC3E) in north–central Oklahoma, April 22 to June 6, 2012; Iowa Flood Studies (IFloodS)) in eastern Iowa, May 1 to June 15, 2013; Integrated Precipitation & Hydrology Experiment (IPHEx) from May 1 to June 15, 2014, in the mountains of central North Carolina; and Olympic Mountain Experiment (OLYMPEX), the last full-scale, postlaunch, and GPM-sponsored field campaign – and one of the most logistically challenging – conducted over the Olympic Peninsula and adjacent waters from November 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016. Each of these field campaigns were designed to provide insight into different precipitation regimes and types to improve GPM satellite observations. For example, MC3E allowed for comprehensive observations of intense convection over continental regions. The researchers deployed an extensive network of ground instruments (e.g., radars, disdrometers, rain gauges), in coordination with flights of NASA’s ER-2 and University of North Dakota’s Cessna Citation II research aircrafts, to sample varied precipitation types (e.g., severe thunderstorms, Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCS)). Data from MC3E allowed for improvement of both active (DPR) and passive (GMI) retrievals over land. GCPEx has allowed for sampling of snowing systems. During this campaign, NASA’s ER-2 flew high above the clouds in coordination with NASA’s DC-3 aircraft flying within the clouds. Here again, GCPEx participants deployed a vast network of ground instruments (e.g., snow gauges, disdrometers). The goal for GCPEx was to formulate and validate frozen/mixed precipitation retrievals from the GPM satellite. (Note that from 2011–2015, The Earth Observer published articles on five of the six GV campaigns described in this section; the reader can locate these articles on The Earth Observer Archives Page. Scroll down to the “Bibliography of Articles with Historical Context Published in The Earth Observer” listicle and look for Field Campaigns.) While these large-scale campaigns were extremely beneficial for achieving GPM science objectives, the costs of deploying instruments and personnel in these remote regions can be substantial. In order to provide long-term measurements at reasonable costs, the GPM GV established the Precipitation Research Facility (PRF) at the Wallops Flight Facility (WFF). The goal of this facility was to provide long-term measurements from the myriad instruments that have been deployed at the various field campaigns and manage them with full-time GV personnel. The linchpin of the PRF is NASA’s S-band, Dual-Polarimetric Radar (NPOL) – see Photo 1. NPOL was deployed in a farm field about 38 km (~24 mi) northeast of WFF to provide areal estimates of surface precipitation as well as profiles of precipitating systems above other GV surface instruments (e.g., profiling radars, disdrometers, and rain gauges). To add to this effort, the PRF staff established a network of rain gauges and disdrometers, which are deployed over the eastern shore of Maryland. These data are telemetered so that an added benefit to this effort is that the GPM GV data provide valuable, near-real-time data to many of the numerous farmers on the Delmarva Peninsula. The PRF’s principal activity is to design new GV instruments, test new validation methods, and assess instrument uncertainties using the abundant infrastructure of the GPM GV validation program. This coordination between GPM GV instruments, WFF-based staff, and regional data collection, quality control, and analysis are the core components of the PRF. Photo 1. The NASA S-Band Dual Polarimetric Radar (NPOL) deployed in central Iowa in support of the IFloodS field campaign in Iowa during the spring of 2013. The radar, when disassembled, fits within the five, white sea-containers located around the radar in this photo; it can be transported via 18-wheelers. In addition to IFloodS, NPOL has also been deployed for field campaigns in Oklahoma (MC3E), North Carolina (IPHEx), and Washington (OLYMPEX) – all of which are mentioned in the text above. Photo credit: David Wolff/WFF GPM Data Products GPM data products and services have played an important role in research, applications, and education. The Precipitation Processing System (PPS) housed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) produces and distributes GPM products that are archived and distributed at the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) as well. GES DISC is one of a dozen discipline-oriented Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) that NASA operates for processing the terabytes of data returns from its satellites, aircraft, field campaigns, and other sources. (To learn more about Earth Science Data Operations, which includes the DAACs, see Earth Science Data Operations: Acquiring, Distributing, and Delivering NASA Data for the Benefit of Society. The Earth Observer, Mar–Apr 2017, 29:2, 4–18. A chart listing all the DAACs appears on pp. 7–8 of this article.) In addition to precipitation estimates, users can access variables, such as calibrated TB, radar reflectivity, latent heating, and hydrometeor profiles in GPM products. See the Table 1 below for a listing of NASA GPM data products. Table 1. Overview of GPM data collection. Product Level Products and Description Level 1 (L1)1 1A – Reconstructed, unprocessed instrument data at full resolution for GPM GMI; TRMM TMI 1B – Brightness temperatures (Tb) for GPM GMI; and TRMM TMI, PR, and VIRS1C – Calibrated Tb for GPM GMI, TRMM TMI, and a constellation of PMW radiometers. Level 2 (L2)2 2A Radar – Single-orbit radar rainfall estimates for GPM DPR, Ka, Ku; TRMM PR2A Radiometer (GPROF & PRPS) – Single-orbit PMW rainfall estimates from GPM GMI, TRMM TMI, and constellation radiometers; 2B Combined – Single-orbit rainfall estimates from combined radar/radiometer data (e.g., GPM GMI & DPR; and TRMM TMI & PR); and 2H CSH – Single-orbit cloud (latent) heating estimates from combined radar/radiometer data (GPM GMI & DPR, TRMM TMI & PR). Level 3 (L3)3 IMERG Early Run – Near real-time, low-latency gridded global multi-satellite precipitation estimates; IMERG Late Run – Near real-time, gridded global multi-satellite precipitation estimates with quasi-Lagrangian time interpolation; and IMERG Final Run – Research-quality, gridded global multisatellite precipitation estimates with quasi-Lagrangian time interpolation, gauge data, and climatological adjustment. 3A Radar – Gridded rainfall estimates from radar data (GPM DPR, TRMM PR). 3A Radiometer (GPROF) – Gridded rainfall estimates from GPM GMI, TRMM TMI, and constellation PMW radiometers; 3B Combined – Gridded rainfall estimates from combined radar/radiometer data (GPM GMI & DPR, TRMM TMI & PR); 3G CSH – Gridded cloud (latent) heating estimates from combined radar/radiometer data (GPM GMI & DPR, TRMM TMI & PR). Product Definitions: 1 Level 1 (L1): L1A data are reconstructed, unprocessed instrument data at full resolution, time referenced, and annotated with ancillary information, including radiometric and geometric calibration coefficients and georeferencing parameters (i.e., platform ephemeris), computed and appended – but not applied, to Level-0 (L0) data; L1B data are radiometrically corrected and geolocated L1A data that have been processed to sensor units; and L1C data are common intercalibrated brightness temperature (Tb) products that use the GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) L1B data as a reference standard. 2Level 2 (L2) products are derived geophysical parameters at the same resolution and location as those of the L1 data. 3Level 3 (L3) products are geophysical parameters that have been spatially and/or temporally resampled from L1 or L2 data. List of acronyms used in Table (in order of occurrence): GPM Microwave Imager (GMI); TRMM Microwave Imager (MI); TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR); Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS); Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR); Ku-band and Ka-band channels; GPM Profiling Algorithm (GPROF); Precipitation Retrieval and Profiling Scheme Algorithm (PRPS); Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG); Goddard Convective-Stratiform (CSH) (Latent) Heating Algorithm. Detailed information of each product and links for data access and visualizations are available on NASA GPM Data Directory. From the beginning, GPM was conceptualized as incorporating all available satellite data – not as a single-satellite mission. One of the key mission requirements of the PPS was to ensure that processing and reprocessing always include data from the TRMM era (starting in December 1997). Algorithm development would ensure that the same algorithm would be used to process both TRMM- and GPM-era data collected from the TRMM and GPM spacecrafts and the GPM constellation. As a result, an important part of this cross-mission processing is the intercalibration of PMW radiometers using GMI. Using data from the overlap ******* of GMI and TMI, TMI is intercalibrated to GMI and is then used to intercalibrate the radiometer data during the TRMM era. This intercalibration manifests itself in the intercalibrated brightness temperatures (Tc) provided in the Level 1C (L1C) product for each radiometer. The GPM Profiling Algorithm (GPROF) retrieval uses these intercalibrated L1C products and guarantees consistent mission intercalibrated precipitation retrievals. For example, the L2 product stage that converts TB into precipitation estimates applies the same GPROF to the GPM constellation of PMW radiometers. Continued Improvement of GPM Algorithms One important achievement of GPM is the continued improvements in GPM’s algorithms that produce the immense amount of precipitation data that are used by scientific researchers and stakeholders alike. GPM’s five algorithms – DPR-, GPROF-, Combined-, Convective-Stratiform Heating-, and Multisatellite – have all undergone version updates several times (e.g., Version 01–07), with additional updates planned for the next 1–4 years. Each update entails a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes from GPM’s algorithm developers to ensure that quality data are available to the public. Each new version provides a complete reprocessing of the entire data record using the improved retrieval algorithms, based on validation against reliable GV data, feedback from users, new understanding of the processes, and improved techniques. This not only helps ensure a consistent data record and fair comparisons against past events but also helps refine and improve the data to capture precipitation phenomena more exactly. Just as an original photograph capturing a past event can be reanalyzed with new technology, reprocessing revisits the observed satellite instruments’ “raw” radiances and refines the process of converting them to the end product of precipitation quantities. “We know more now about the global rain and snowfall in, say, 2010, than we did when it actually happened.” – George Huffman [GPM Project Scientist] This process is an inverse problem that helps determine the physical quantities (e.g., precipitation rate) given the observed signal (e.g., microwave radiance). For precipitation, this retrieval process relies on complex algorithms and is by no means straightforward. This is an underconstrained problem where different combinations of physical quantities can give the same observed signal, especially for passive instruments. Thus it requires additional information or assumptions. The aim of each version in GPM is to have “better” estimates of the precipitation variables than the previous version. However, what better means can involve trade-offs. An excellent example is a change implemented from V06 to V07 in one of GPM’s most widely-used products – the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) algorithm – which is NASA GPM’s multisatellite product that combines information from the GPM satellite constellation to estimate precipitation over the majority of the Earth’s surface. The resulting IMERG products provide near-global precipitation data at a resolution of 10 km (~6mi), every 30 minutes covering latitudes of 60°N–60°S, and are available at different latencies (Early, Late, and Final, as defined in Table 1) to cater to a range of end-user communities for operational and research applications. IMERG is particularly valuable over areas of Earth’s surface that lack ground-based, precipitation-measuring instruments, including oceans and remote areas. Specifically, this change to IMERG V07 resulted in improvements towards the distribution of precipitation rates, allowing for a better representation of precipitation areas and extremes. However, it reduced correlation against ground reference data. Another example is the gauge adjustment process in IMERG that offers a substantial improvement at the expense of higher random error. The result of these intricate reprocessing cycles is a family of precipitation products that improves accuracy, a longer record, and expanding coverage, all while responding to feedback and requests from users. This is especially the case for downstream products like IMERG, which is widely used for science and applications due to its completeness and regularity, and inherits the improvements in each reprocessing cycle across the family. Meeting User Needs The number one requirement on PPS was to provide well-curated standard reference products with carefully curated provenience. For each data product version, a complete record is kept of spacecraft maneuvers and issues, data input issues, and data formats. This makes GPM data products a standard against which others can be compared and the standard products themselves improved. The GPM mission also requires near-real-time (NRT) products. As a research agency, NASA does not generally specify operational NRT requirements. Instead, these NRT products are usually provided on a “best effort” basis. During its core mission (the first three years), PPS did have NRT requirements. Since then, PPS continues to fulfill these as budget permits. The half-hourly 0.1 x 0.1º L3 global IMERG products are provided in NRT with latency objectives for the IMERG Early (Late) run of 4+ (14+) hours after data collection. To facilitate data interoperability and interdisciplinary science, the PPS and the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) have developed value-added data services and products since the TRMM era, including data subsetting (spatial and temporal), L3 data regridding, network common data form (NetCDF) format conversion, remote data access (e.g., via Open Data Access Protocol (OPeNDAP), Grid Analysis and Display System (GrADS) Data Server [GDS]), NASA GIS translation of GPM data for various accumulation periods, GPM Applications Programming Interface (API), and data visualization tools. For example, the more technical Hierarchical Data Formats (HDF) mission IMERG products are reformatted and accumulated to GIS-friendly additions in Geographic Tagged Image File Format (geoTIFF) format for both Early and Late Run IMERG products at 30-min, 3-hour, and 1-day temporal resolution. Other value-added products include the daily products for IMERG Early, Late, and Final Runs from GES DISC. Quick visualization tools, such as the IMERG Global Viewer, are freely available to the public to access and view the latest NRT GPM IMERG global precipitation datasets at 30-minute, 1-day, and 7-day intervals, on an interactive 3D globe in a web browser. User services and tutorials (e.g., Frequently Asked Questions, How-Tos, help desk, user forum) are also available across the GPM, PPS, and GES DISC webpages. Along with the other DAACs, GES DISC is facilitating data access and use by migrating its products and services to NASA’s Earthdata cloud. Once the migration is finished, users will be able to access all NASA’s Earth data products from the 12 DAACs in one place, which can simplify interdisciplinary science studies. Over 50% of the archived GES DISC products have been migrated to the cloud as of this writing. Users can either access them directly in the NASA Earthdata cloud environment or download data in their own computing environment. To broaden the GPM user community – especially for users who are either non-technical or not familiar with NASA data – GES DISC has developed an online interactive tool called Giovanni, for viewing, analyzing, and downloading multiple Earth science datasets (including GPM) from within a web browser, allowing users to circumvent downloading data and software. At present, GPM L3 precipitation products (IMERG) along with over 2000 interdisciplinary variables from other NASA missions or projects are available in Giovanni. Over 20 plot types are included in Giovanni to facilitate data exploration, product comparison, and research. Links to results and data can be shared with colleagues. Data in different formats (e.g., NetCDF, comma separated values, or CSV) can be downloaded as well. A list of referral papers utilizing Giovanni is available. Data services continue to evolve to meet increasing user requirements, such as the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) guiding principles, open science, data integration, interdisciplinary science, and data democratization. Science and Societal Application Highlights from 10 Years of Observing Precipitation with GPM As scientists and stakeholder organizations have made use of GPM datasets for analysis and research over the past decade, myriad scientific discoveries have been made leading to the emergence of a wide variety of real-time and retrospective societal applications for GPM data. These GPM user communities continue to dig into scientific questions and provide time-critical decision support to the public. This portion of the article highlights several of the scientific and application achievements made possible since the mission launched in 2014. This list is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather demonstrates GPM’s unique accomplishments and what the mission offers for science and society. Capturing Microphysical Properties and Vertical Structure Information of Precipitating Systems Figure 2. Seasonal average cloud latent heating at a height of 6 km (~4 mi) derived from GSFC’s Goddard Convective–Stratiform (Latent) Heating Algorithm (CSH) algorithm for the ******* December 2020–November 2023. Heating arises from cloud and precipitation processes making its spatial distribution highly correlated with precipitation. CSH shows deep, intense cloud heating in the tropics within the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), west Pacific Ocean, and tropical land masses. Broad areas of heating at higher latitudes are associated with midlatitude storm tracks. Seasonal shifts in heating are most prominent over land. Image credit: Steven Lang /GSFC/Science Systems and Applications, Inc. (SSAI) One of GPM’s main charges was to provide microphysical properties and vertical structure information of precipitating systems using passive and active remote sensing techniques. Measurements of the vertical structure of clouds are fundamentally important to improving our understanding of how they affect both local- and large-scale environments. Achieving this goal has required considerable enhancement of the NASA GPM algorithms – including the DPR, GPROF, Combined (CMB), and Convective–Stratiform (Latent) Heating (CSH) algorithms – from their original capabilities at the time of launch. The advanced instrumentation of GPM’s dual-frequency, Ku/Ka-band radar added new capabilities beyond the TRMM PR’s single Ku band. As a result, the DPR algorithms provide vertical hydrometeor profiles at the radar range bin level [~5 km (~3 mi) horizontal, 125 m (~410 ft) vertical]. Such detailed measurements are critical for classifying precipitation events (e.g., convective or stratiform) and characterizing the dominant types of precipitation particles, precipitation characteristics, and freezing level height. Additionally, these DPR algorithms have played a significant role in retrieving parameters of the particle size distribution (PSD) in rain. All of these factors help support and elucidate the understanding of storm systems and their impacts at local and regional scales. More recently falling snow microphysics have received increasing attention. Characterizing snow ******** a challenging problem for precipitation measuring/modeling due to varying particle habits, shapes, and snow mass densities. The higher frequencies added on both the DPR and GMI instruments have enabled improved observations of ice and snow, not only revealing new insights into the intensity and microphysical composition of cold-season precipitation but enabling an increased understanding of precipitation, clouds, and climate feedbacks. Another important parameter that is derived from GPM vertical profile information is latent heating (LH), which is so named because it measures the “hidden” energy when water changes phase but doesn’t impact its temperature. The vertical structure of LH is a key parameter for understanding the coupling of the Earth’s water and energy cycles. Although it cannot be directly observed, GPM-derived precipitation estimates, microphysical properties, and vertical structure provide critical information for inferring the vertical structure of LH – see Figure 2. Researchers can access this information using the U.S. Science Team’s CSH datasets as well as the ********* Science Team’s Spectral Latent Heating (LSH) datasets. GPM’s sampling of higher latitudes – not available from TRMM ­– has resulted in estimates of the intensity and variability of 3D LH structures of precipitation systems beyond the tropics. The CSH algorithm has advanced during the GPM era due to improvements in numerical cloud models and higher accuracy vertical precipitation structure profiles. Improve knowledge of Precipitation Systems, Water Cycle Variability, and Freshwater Availability A key success of GPM – both from information from the GPM–CO and from combining with the information from the constellation satellites – is the expansion of knowledge of precipitation systems both in the tropics and at middle and high latitudes. In addition, the program contributes to water availability and variations in time and space. The radar and PMW instruments on the GPM–CO lead to the most accurate surface precipitation rate estimates and vertical structure of the systems, allowing researchers to study key features of these systems on an instantaneous basis and then compile precipitation statistics over time for accurate climatological determinations. The inclined orbit of the GPM–CO results in sampling the entire diurnal (day–night) cycle of precipitation, which is key information for validating numerical models. By combining the “best estimate” data from the GPM–CO with more frequent precipitation estimates from GPM constellation satellites results in the IMERG analyses (30-min resolution), which has allowed for the examination of fine-scale variations in all types of systems, the application of the IMERG NRT analyses for monitoring precipitation systems, and the use in a multitude of applications (e.g., hydrology, agriculture, and health) that depend on fresh water availability information. In the tropics, the GPM–CO data have been combined with similar data from TRMM for a 25-year total observational record to study the rainfall structure and variations of tropical cyclones, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), and the mean rainfall climate of the tropics. Tropical mesoscale systems have been tracked with the 30-minute IMERG data to understand their life cycles and contributions to climatological rainfall. Tropical cyclone precipitation has been analyzed to understand storm initiation and variations with time over various ocean basins. Hailstorms have been studied with specifically developed hail algorithms over various continents, with particular focus on the extremely intense storms over South America. In midlatitudes, the structure of large-scale cyclonic systems, including atmospheric rivers (ARs), have been examined, as well as their relation to moisture source regions and impact in driving heavy precipitation events. At higher latitudes, GPM’s focus on better precipitation retrievals – especially related to snow detection and estimation – has led to improved knowledge of storm systems in this important, changing environment. Looking across the globe, extreme precipitation events – often with accompanying flood and landslide events – have also been examined and cataloged, both on a local and regional basis, but with increasing ability on a quasi-global basis as the time record extends forward. On longer timescales, the GPM–CO (and TRMM) data have contributed to our knowledge and estimates of mean climatological precipitation providing different estimates (from different products) for intercomparison and through “best estimate” ocean climatological values using combined radar data and passive microwave information from GPM, TRMM, and CloudSat. This best estimate is used to calibrate a new, long-term Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) monthly analysis (1983–present), which has resulted in a refined estimate of the mean ocean climatological value, that fits global water and energy budget studies better – see Figure 3. The GPM IMERG analyses are also now used as a key input to the GPCP global daily analyses, enabling finer-resolution climatological studies. Figure 3. Example of Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) Daily Climate Data Record (CDR) for January 28, 2018. GPCP incorporates GPM–CO and IMERG information to produce maps like the one shown here. Image credit: Bob Adler/University of Maryland, College Park, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC)] GPM Precipitation Estimates Improving Climate Models and Constraining Predictions The multifaceted, multiscale physical processes that affect precipitation locally and globally continue to be a challenge for climate models to accurately represent. Ongoing research and analysis reveals that the process-level representation is a much stronger constraint on climate model prediction fidelity than mean state climatological skill. Though high-quality climate models, such as the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP), are currently not run at the resolution of GPM observations, they are increasingly simulating cloud and thunderstorm-scale rainfall as subcomponents within their lower-resolution grid boxes. This allows for the model-simulated rain intensity over thunderstorm areas to be compared with GPM precipitation estimates that are averaged over the equivalent GPM DPR-identified convective cloud types. This evaluation inevitably involves assessing extremes, and with 10 years and counting of GPM data now avaiable, such extremes in different weather regimes will be increasingly useful to study – see Figure 4. Figure 4. Average rainfall patterns from 2014–2020 in January using the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies’ (GISS) – E3 climate model [top] and precipitation estimates derived from GPM’s multisatellite product, IMERG [bottom]. Climate models such as the GISS-E3 must accurately simulate seasonal cycles observed by GPM for their predictions to be more reliable. Using the GPM rainfall magnitudes as benchmarks, new model equations are being developed to improve this area of rainfall simulation and improve climate projections. Image credit: Greg Elsaesser/GISS Additionally, the diurnal cycle of precipitation – another challenge for climate models to simulate – ******** an important focus. Recent studies have suggested that the systematic differences in cloud occurrence across the diurnal cycle are crucially important for atmospheric water vapor changes as well as cloud feedbacks and their role in climate change. This expanded understanding provides even more motivation for improving diurnal cycle representation in models. With the long GPM record, diurnal precipitation composites can be made in varying weather or climate states (e.g., El Niño/Southern Oscillation), and additional novel analyses of regime-dependent diurnal cycle composites will be important for constraining processes. Figure 5. Schematic of GPM observed latent heating in convective cores (i.e., thunderstorms) relative to a larger thunderstorm complex (i.e., mesoscale convective system). Image credit: Greg Elsaesser; model is from a May 2022 paper published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres Availability of and improvements in GPM estimated stratiform rainfall will progressively enable addressing the longstanding deficiencies in simulating mesoscale convective systems – see Figure 5. Alongside use of “process-relevant” precipitation diagnostics, new efforts seek to use machine learning techniques to ensure that numerous climatological water and energy cycle diagnostics remain in good agreement with GPM and other satellite estimates. These ****** efforts that leverage both mean-state global precipitation estimates plus the process-oriented precipitation diagnostics will ensure that coarser-resolution climate models that support numerous CMIP experiments will increase in predictive capability. GPM Applications: Continuing to Grow and Enable Communities Across Local and Global Scales As noted above, one GPM focus is the application of satellite precipitation estimates for societal decision-making. As a result, GPM data have supported applications such as weather forecasting, water resource management, agriculture and food security monitoring, public health, animal migration, tropical cyclone location and intensity estimation, hydropower management, flood and landslide monitoring and forecasting, and land system modeling – see Figure 6. Figure 6. GPM Applications icon highlights six thematic and primary societal application areas supported by GPM data: ecological management, water resources and agriculture, energy, disasters monitoring and response, public health, and weather and climate modeling. Image credit: GPM website; Mike Marosy/GSFC/Global Science and Technology Inc. (GST) To support this focus, the GPM Applications team strives to focus on engaging users through trainings and interviews, workshops, webinars, and programs, with the objective of guiding new and existing users to integrate GPM data into their systems and processes to drive actions that positively impact society. These activities help elucidate data needs and identify data barriers faced by stakeholders. The team also helps identify opportunities and gaps to create effective engagement and outreach resources and help facilitate the use of GPM data to support decision making and improve situational awareness across different sectors. All of these efforts have helped increase the visibility of GPM and attract new users from federal and state partners, academic institutions, international agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private and non-profit companies. A few examples of GPM Application engagement activities since launch include: three GPM Mentorship Programs that bridge the gap between GPM scientists and application communities to promote operational applications; seventeen GPM trainings to support new and existing users on data access and use for applications; six GPM stakeholder-driven application workshops to facilitate discussions between scientists and end users of GPM data about how NASA data could be better leveraged to inform decision making for societal applications; and three white papers that articulate and identify user needs and data requirements across communities. The GPM Applications team has tabulated over 10,000+ unique users across 130 countries who have accessed or routinely access GPM data from NASA data archives. Additionally, the value of these activities can be seen in over 175 GPM case study application examples that have been publicized at NASA, featured on social media and posted at NASA GPM Applications webpage, over the last 5 years alone – see sampling of applications in Figure 7. Figure 7. Collage of GPM case study examples enabling societal applications, including weather forecasting, nowcasting of extremes, agricultural and drought monitoring, weather index insurance, and data management platforms. Image credit: Andrea Portier /GSFC/ SSAI Over the past decade of GPM observations, several themes have emerged with these efforts across the applications community. One key component of enabling GPM applications is the ability to access and download NRT data products that meet applications needs. About 40% of GPM end users rely on NRT GPM products for time-sensitive applications. Additionally, GPM’s global-gridded IMERG product plays a significant role for applications. It is used nearly 17 times more for research and applications compared to other GPM products, with ~30% of users accessing and downloading IMERG Early and Late NRT data and applying them towards operational uses. As noted earlier, the reprocessing of all TRMM precipitation-era data using the IMERG algorithm ensured a longer, continuous precipitation data record with consistent retrievals that are available from June 2000 to the present. The longer precipitation record has enabled new science research and data applications to benefit society across a diverse range of end-users, helping them to compare and contrast past and present data to support and develop more accurate climate and weather models, understand normal and anomalous extreme precipitation events, and strengthen the baseline information and situational awareness for applications, such as disasters, agriculture and food security, water resources, and energy production. Table 2 presents several broader examples of how these GPM data products are used for societal applications. The subsections that follow demonstrate the value of GPM data to facilitate research and applications even more through case studies. Table 2. The table includes examples of user communities, by organizational sectors, that highlight how GPM data products are being used for situational awareness and decision-making. Application description includes type of GPM level products. For more information on level product definitions, see NASA Data Product Levels and GPM Data Directory. User Community Topic Application of GPM Data Meteorological agencies and organizations Numerical weather prediction Assimilation of Level 1 (L1) PMW TBs for initializing numerical weather prediction model runs to improve weather forecasts Tropical cyclones Improved characterization of tropical cyclone track and intensity using GPM L1 and L2 products to improve weather forecasts and provide more accurate hurricane warnings Subseasonal to seasonal and climate modeling Verification and validation of seasonal and climate modeling using L2 LH products and IMERG (Final) to improve understanding and predictability of climate behavior Data-driven agriculture organizations Agricultural forecasting and food security Integration of IMERG (Early, Late) precipitation estimates within agricultural models to estimate growing season onset and crop productivity Disaster risk management organizations Flooding Incorporation of IMERG (Early, Late) in hydrologic routing models for flood estimation Disaster response and recovery Situational awareness of extreme precipitation using IMERG (Early, Late) in potentially affected areas to support disaster response and recovery efforts Disaster risk management platforms Integration of IMERG (Early, Late, Final) into models to deliver real-time weather insights to customers Energy infrastructure and management organizations Renewable energy infrastructure and management Assessment of freshwater inputs and quantification of water fluxes using IMERG (Early, Late, Final) as a precipitation data source for hydropower development, production, and flow forecasting Reinsurance companies Parametric insurance and reinsurance modeling Definition of extreme precipitation thresholds using IMERG (Early, Late, Final) for developing multiperil index-based insurance products and improve situational awareness of rainfall to trigger policy payouts Water resource management organizations and companies Water resources and drought Evaluation of precipitation anomalies using IMERG (Final) leveraging the extended temporal record, and assessment of freshwater input using IMERG (Early, Late) to basins and reservoirs to better quantify water fluxes Public health Vector- and water-borne ******** monitoring Tracking of precipitation variations using IMERG (Early, Late, Final) with other environmental variables to track and predict vector or water-borne ********* and issue public health alerts Operational Numerical Weather and Hurricane Prediction Looking towards the application of GPM L3 products, several agencies [e.g., the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) Weather Agency (557th Weather Wing), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and the *********** Bureau of Meteorology] use IMERG to support reanalysis of NWP models to conduct data assimilation and validation activities and as inputs to numerical models. For example, the USAF ingests IMERG Early into its operational weather forecasts and advisories, supporting global land surface characterization capabilities. This information is then provided routinely to decision-makers across the military, agricultural, and research sectors. Water Resources, Agricultural Forecasting and Food Security GMI L1 TB products are operationally assimilated into numerical weather prediction (NWP) models across the globe to improve short- to long-term weather forecast quality (by tuning and developing microphysics and convection parameterizations) and correct the track forecasts for tropical cyclones. Agencies and organizations, such as NASA’s Global Modeling Assimilation Office (GMAO), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Hurricane Center (NHC), Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), and ********* Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ingest GMI TB data to support their operational systems. For example, the all-sky assimilation of GMI Tb over ice-free ocean surfaces helps improve initial conditions and overall forecast quality to ECMWF’s 24-hour forecasts, increasing not only the number of satellite observations assimilated but also the types of variables analyzed, such as hydrometeors (e.g., liquid cloud, ice cloud, rain, and snow). GPM’s L2 precipitation and L3 IMERG products are used as input into hydrological and land surface models to better understand the land–atmosphere interactions and better predict and monitor water resources and agricultural output on scales ranging from days to years. For example, IMERG serves as a key component to Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) Land Data Assimilation System hydrology products that are designed to enhance agricultural monitoring in data-sparse regions and support humanitarian response initiatives. IMERG Early products are actively used as a data source for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service operations where IMERG estimates are routinely evaluated against World Meteorological Organization station data above 50˚N latitude for consensus to produce crop assessments in those regions and support extratropical agrometeorological crop monitoring. In the private sector, companies, such as Nutrien Ag Solutions, use IMERG Early precipitation estimates to capture and evaluate extreme precipitation events. This information is part of Nutrien’s daily delivery of weather content to the company and their clients, where these efforts help the clients prepare for potential disruptions across the global supply chain. Disaster Response and Insurance The IMERG spatial and temporal resolution – as well as the availability of the data across more than two decades – has been invaluable for examining precipitation extremes that may result in flooding, landslides, drought, and fires. These data provide key situational awareness for disaster response and recovery. Rainfall information has been developed in Web Map Service (WMS) and ArcGIS formats with Representational State Transfer (REST) endpoints so that they can be pulled into geospatial portals at Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Army Geospatial Intelligence Unit and data management platform companies (e.g., CyStellar), and provided to the National Geospatial Agency, the State Department, and insurers. The IMERG product has also been critical to global disaster models, such as the near-global Landslide Hazard Assessment for Situational Awareness (LHASA) system, which uses NRT IMERG rainfall in a decision tree framework that issues a moderate or high landslide nowcast based on rainfall thresholds. The model is routinely updated with a latency of four hours. The LHASA versions are running routinely and used by U.S. agencies and international agencies and organizations, including the World Food Programme. IMERG data are also being used at multiple reinsurance companies, including the Microinsurance Catastrophe Risk Organisation (MiCRO), to develop drought and rainfall indices using climatology data from IMERG. Looking Across and Forward for Applications Common themes that have emerged in stakeholder feedback include the need for continuity of data products, identifying uncertainty estimates, having easily accessible case study examples, and creating public trainings for data access and use. The Applications team works closely with GPM members and leadership to ensure that there are clear and open communication pathways across the GPM mission on engagement activities and to accelerate stakeholder feedback to GPM algorithm developers to aid in the improvement of GPM data products and services for the public. In addition, these insights can be used to formulate a framework for applications related to future mission planning, e.g., NASA’s Earth System Observatory missions. Bridging the Gap Between Precipitation Measurements and the Public: A View into Outreach Efforts Several years before the launch of GPM, the Education and Public Outreach (EPO) team was busy in the background, working to bring Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) into the classroom and taking advantage of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that were being implemented in curriculums across the U.S. The launch of GPM offered a perfect opportunity to showcase and amplify the incredible science and technology behind the GPM mission and the myriad of potential applications that could stem from its data. Early in the GPM mission’s development, the GPM EPO team curated existing NASA educational resources related to the themes of Earth’s water cycle, weather and climate, technology behind Earth Observing missions, and societal applications. The EPO team created a website, entitled Precipitation Education that has been wildly successful from its launch. The team also developed a Rain EnGAUGE toolkit and engaged both formal and informal educators from around the world to host “Family Science Night” programs and implement some of the interactive activities that the team developed for these events. Thus, even before the launch of GPM, the EPO effort had momentum as team members shared the incredible ways in which NASA’s Earth observation systems were helping us to better understand and protect our home planet. After launch, the EPO Team worked annually with international teams of “GPM Master Teachers.” This process selected teachers, who participated throughout the school year and received a small stipend for their work. They helped to align the science behind the GPM mission and other NASA Earth observation systems with the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program and developed many lessons and activities that were made available to educators around the globe. The EPO team also worked with NASA’s Earth to Sky program, training National Park Service and other interpreters to understand the science behind the GPM mission, and to find ways to share this information in meaningful and relevant ways with their audiences across the U.S. Newer activities have been developed to enable the general public to interact with open science as they follow a very easy “data recipe” to retrieve GPM precipitation observations since 2000 for their location. They are encouraged to use the GLOBE program’s app, GLOBE Observer, and take an observation of either a tree height or clouds. Contributors input the latitude and longitude from that location and find out how much precipitation fell for that location since 2000. This gives the participants the opportunity to collect data from the ground, and then look at satellite data for that same location to better understand the impact of precipitation in their local environment. GLOBE Participants can share their Tree Stories and Water Stories and compare their data with others around the world. In addition to providing a wide suite of online resources, the GPM Outreach team attends many public events each year, ranging from large NASA-sponsored Earth Day events to local family STEM nights – see Photos 2 and 3. The GPM Outreach team has developed many hands-on activities that help the public explore the varied amounts of precipitation falling in locations around the world. By interacting with these activities and learning how NASA is helping us better understand and protect our home planet, participants walk away with a richer understanding of how NASA’s Earth science programs are improving life around the world. A decade after the launch of GPM, the “Precipitation Education” website continues to be incredibly popular, with an average of 90,000 visits per month. GPM education and outreach resources are considered the state of the art among practitioners, and the team updates existing and adds new resources as opportunities arise. Photo 2. Montgomery County’s (Maryland) Georgian Forest Family Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Night. Shown here is a triptych of parents and children using “Precipitation Towers” to explore precipitation patterns measured by GPM in different locations throughout the world. Photo credit: Dorian Janney/GSFC/ ADNET Systems Inc. (ADNET) Photo 3. The GPM Outreach Team engaging the public at Maryland Day 2023, hosted by the University of Maryland (UMD), College Park on Saturday, April 29, 2023. The Team represented GPM at the NASA exhibit where they interacted with hundreds of attendees and highlighted the many benefits of using GPM data for research and societal applications. Photo credit: Dorian Janney Conclusion In more than 10 years of operations, the GPM mission has made incredible contributions in our understanding of global precipitation, from scientific studies to real-world, societal impacts through applications of the data products. With a robust validation program and successive algorithm improvements, our knowledge of precipitation distribution across the globe continues to advance. This has had measurable effects on global modeling and weather forecasting, real-time severe weather monitoring, education, and many other areas. With hardware continuing to function – and a recent fuel-saving orbit boost – GPM continues to add to this valuable data record. The community’s experience with GPM helps illustrate what new observations or combinations of observations will be needed in coming decades to advance precipitation science and maintain needed global monitoring. GPM’s cohort of researchers, instrument specialists, mission operators, and other key personnel across the community are providing the backbone of future mission development efforts. Acknowledgements The authors wish to acknowledge several contributing members of the Global Precipitation Measurement Science Team who played a part in writing this anniversary article. They include: Gerald Heymsfield, Dorian Janney, Chris Kidd, Steven Lang, Zhong Liu, Adrian Loftus, Erich Stocker, and Jackson Tan [all at GSFC]; David Wolff [NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility (WFF)]; Gregory Elsaesser [NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS)/ Columbia University]; and Robert Adler [University of Maryland]. Andrea Portier NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Science Systems and Applications, Inc *****@*****.tld Sarah Ringerud NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center sarah.e*****@*****.tld George J. Huffman NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated Oct 03, 2024 Related Terms Earth Science View the full article

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Gateway’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost stands vertically inside a Thales Alenia Space facility in Turin, Italy, after completing static load testing. Thales Alenia Space Major Gateway hardware recently crossed an important testing milestone on its path to launch to the Moon, where it will support new science and house astronauts in lunar orbit. Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) successfully completed static load testing, a rigorous stress test of how well the structure responds to the forces encountered in deep space. Thales Alenia Space, subcontractor to Northrop Grumman, conducted the testing in Turin, Italy. Static load testing is one of the major environmental stress tests HALO will undergo, and once all phases of testing are complete, the module will be ready to move from Italy to Gilbert, Arizona, where Northrop Grumman will complete final outfitting. HALO is one of four pressurized Gateway modules where astronauts will live, conduct science, and prepare for missions to the lunar South Pole region. It will launch with Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket to lunar orbit. Gateway is humanity’s first lunar space station supporting a new era of exploration and scientific discovery as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign that will establish a sustained presence on and around the Moon, paving the way for the first crewed mission to Mars. Gateway’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost stands vertically inside a Thales Alenia Space facility in Turin, Italy, after completing static load testing. Thales Alenia Space Learn More About Gateway Share Details Last Updated Oct 03, 2024 ContactBriana R. Zamorabriana.r*****@*****.tldLocationJohnson Space Center Related TermsGateway Space StationArtemisEarth's MoonExploration Systems Development Mission DirectorateGateway ProgramHumans in SpaceJohnson Space Center Explore More 2 min read Artemis IV: Gateway Gadget Fuels Deep Space Dining Learn about the handy device NASA is developing to help astronauts rehydrate their meals aboard… Article 4 weeks ago 2 min read Gateway: Energizing Exploration Discover the cutting-edge technology powering Gateway, humanity's first lunar space station. Article 1 month ago 3 min read Gateway: Up Close in Stunning Detail Witness Gateway in stunning detail with this video that brings the future of lunar exploration… Article 3 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Gateway Built with international and commercial partners, Gateway will be humanity’s first space station around the Moon as a vital component… Orion Spacecraft Space Launch System (SLS) Human Landing System View the full article

5 min read NASA’s LRO: Lunar Ice Deposits are Widespread Deposits of ice in lunar dust and rock (regolith) are more extensive than previously thought, according to a new analysis of data from NASA’s LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) mission. Ice would be a valuable resource for future lunar expeditions. Water could be used for radiation protection and supporting human explorers, or broken into its hydrogen and oxygen components to make rocket fuel, energy, and breathable air. Prior studies found signs of ice in the larger permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) near the lunar South Pole, including areas within Cabeus, Haworth, Shoemaker and Faustini craters. In the new work, “We find that there is widespread evidence of water ice within PSRs outside the South Pole, towards at least 77 degrees south latitude,” said Dr. Timothy P. McClanahan of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and lead author of a paper on this research published October 2 in the Planetary Science Journal. The study further aids lunar mission planners by providing maps and identifying the surface characteristics that show where ice is likely and less likely to be found, with evidence for why that should be. “Our model and analysis show that greatest ice concentrations are expected to occur near the PSRs’ coldest locations below 75 Kelvin (-198°C or -325°F) and near the base of the PSRs’ poleward-facing slopes,” said McClanahan. This illustration shows the distribution of permanently shadowed regions (in blue) on the Moon poleward of 80 degrees South latitude. They are superimposed on a digital elevation map of the lunar surface (grey) from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter instrument on board NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. NASA/GSFC/Timothy P. McClanahan “We can’t accurately determine the volume of the PSRs’ ice deposits or identify if they might be ******* under a dry layer of regolith. However, we expect that for each surface 1.2 square yards (square meter) residing over these deposits there should be at least about five more quarts (five more liters) of ice within the surface top 3.3 feet (meter), as compared to their surrounding areas,” said McClanahan. The study also mapped where fewer, smaller, or lower-concentration ice deposits would be expected, occurring primarily towards warmer, periodically illuminated areas. Ice could become implanted in lunar regolith through comet and meteor impacts, released as vapor (gas) from the lunar interior, or be formed by chemical reactions between hydrogen in the solar wind and oxygen in the regolith. PSRs typically occur in topographic depressions near the lunar poles. Because of the low Sun angle, these areas haven’t seen sunlight for up to billions of years, so are perpetually in extreme cold. Ice molecules are thought to be repeatedly dislodged from the regolith by meteorites, space radiation, or sunlight and travel across the lunar surface until they land in a PSR where they are entrapped by extreme cold. The PSR’s continuously cold surfaces can preserve ice molecules near the surface for perhaps billions of years, where they may accumulate into a ******** that is rich enough to mine. Ice is thought to be quickly lost on surfaces that are exposed to direct sunlight, which precludes their accumulations. The team used LRO’s Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND) instrument to detect signs of ice deposits by measuring moderate-energy, “epithermal” neutrons. Specifically, the team used LEND’s Collimated Sensor for Epithermal Neutrons (CSETN) that has a fixed 18.6-mile (30-kilometer) diameter field-of-view. Neutrons are created by high-energy galactic cosmic rays that come from powerful deep-space events such as exploding stars, that impact the lunar surface, break up regolith atoms, and scatter subatomic particles called neutrons. The neutrons, which can originate from up to about a 3.3-foot (meter’s) depth, ping-pong their way through the regolith, running into other atoms. Some get directed into space, where they can be detected by LEND. Since hydrogen is about the same mass as a neutron, a collision with hydrogen causes the neutron to lose relatively more energy than a collision with most common regolith elements. So, where hydrogen is present in regolith, its concentration creates a corresponding reduction in the observed number of moderate-energy neutrons. “We hypothesized that if all PSRs have the same hydrogen concentration, then CSETN should proportionally detect their hydrogen concentrations as a function of their areas. So, more hydrogen should be observed towards the larger-area PSRs,” said McClanahan. The model was developed from a theoretical study that demonstrated how similarly hydrogen-enhanced PSRs would be detected by CSETNs fixed-area field-of-view. The correlation was demonstrated using the neutron emissions from 502 PSRs with areas ranging from 1.5 square miles (4 km2) to 417 square miles (1079 km2) that contrasted against their surrounding less hydrogen-enhanced areas. The correlation was expectedly weak for the small PSRs but increased towards the larger-area PSRs. The research was sponsored by the LRO project science team, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s Artificial Intelligence Working Group, and NASA grant award number 80GSFC21M0002. The study was conducted using NASA’s LRO Diviner radiometer and Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter instruments. The LEND instrument was developed by the Russian Space Agency, Roscosmos by its Space Research Institute (IKI). LEND was integrated to the LRO spacecraft at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. LRO is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Share Details Last Updated Oct 03, 2024 Editor wasteigerwald Contact wasteigerwald *****@*****.tld Location Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Earth’s Moon Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Uncategorized Explore More 6 min read NASA’s LRO Discovers Lunar Hydrogen More Abundant on Moon’s Pole-Facing Slopes Space travel is difficult and expensive – it would cost thousands of dollars to launch… Article 10 years ago 4 min read NASA’s LRO Finds Lunar Pits Harbor Comfortable Temperatures NASA-funded scientists have discovered shaded locations within pits on the Moon that always hover around… Article 2 years ago 4 min read NASA’s LRO Spacecraft Captures Images of LADEE’s Impact Crater NASA’S Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft has spied a new crater on the lunar surface;… Article 10 years ago View the full article

Not all heroes wear capes (or blue flight suits). At Johnson Space Center in Houston, the heroes might train their colleagues how to safely respond and evacuate their office in an emergency. They might investigate office accidents and remove potential hazards. Or they might help fix a leaky bathroom sink or a broken coffee maker. Those heroes are approximately 135 on-site facility managers who ensure the safety and health of every building and its occupants. Established in 2009, the Facility Manager program encompasses buildings at Johnson Space Center, Sonny Carter Training Facility, and Ellington Field. Each building has a primary Facility Manager and an alternate. These individuals develop emergency action plans and serve as facility ***** wardens. They post safety alerts, notices of renovation and construction work, and share information about impending interruptions to building access or utilities. They also coordinate between building occupants, safety personnel, facility operations, and emergency responders as needed. “We are a relatively close-knit community and rely on each other for assistance and advice, especially from the veteran facility managers,” said Vanessa Jordan, the lead facility manager for the entire Johnson site. Her role, and that of Alternate Lead Facility Manager Darrell Palmer, is to establish policies and procedures for the Facility Manager program, ensuring that all applicable safety and health regulations are disseminated and enforced site wide. Johnson Space Center Lead Facility Manager Vanessa Jordan (left) and Alternate Lead Facility Manager Darrell Palmer. “We are responsible for advising the facility managers on new and current policies and regulations relating to the safety and security of the buildings and their occupants,” Jordan explained. “We also inform them of changes in policies or procedures and happenings around the center that affect the buildings and occupants, such as road closures or hurricanes.” Jordan and Palmer oversee Facility Manager training, as well. They provide ***-annual training for new facility managers and periodic forums with subject matter experts on topics relevant to the team’s responsibilities. “We are available to address any questions or concerns the facility managers may have regarding their role, buildings, or occupants,” she said. “We are the liaison and advocate for them with their organizations, my organization (which controls the program), the center, and our stakeholders.” Jordan is also a facility engineer in the Center Operations Directorate’s Facilities Management and Operations Division. She joined Johnson’s team in 2008 after working for four years at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. She served as Johnson’s facility manager coordinator for seven years before becoming the lead in 2019. “I enjoy helping, meeting people, and developing relationships,” she said. “Even though I do a lot of routine work, there is something new to experience, deal with, or learn every day.” Helping and connecting with others is what Angel Olmedo enjoys most about being a facility manager. “There’s no greater sense of purpose than being the person people rely on to find the help or solutions they need to finish their day strong and productive,” he said. “I’ve learned new skills and had a chance to meet and interact with a lot more people than I did before.” Angel Olmedo Olmedo has worked at Johnson for nearly five years on the Human Space Flight Technical Integration Contract. In the spring of 2024, he was offered the opportunity to become the facility manager for buildings 4 south and 4 north, and the alternate facility manager for building 17. “During my first few years working here at Johnson, I enjoyed helping people get solutions to their technical problems – be they application related, access issues, or credentials,” he said. “I found that in becoming a facility manager I can continue to do something similar in a whole new way.” Sid Dickerson has been the prime facility manager for building 17 and alternate for buildings 4 south and 4 north since November 2022. An IT specialist and property custodian at Johnson for more than 30 years, Dickerson takes pride in resolving issues quickly and efficiently and strives to maintain excellent customer feedback. “I want to be the best facility manager for my employer and customers as I help the facility achieve maintenance, cleaning, health and safety and scheduling goals,” he said. He added that working with a team of engineers, IT specialists, and maintenance staff to modernize the building 17 elevators was one of his favorite experiences to date. Siegfried DickersonNASA/Robert Markowitz Michael Meadows – facility manager for buildings 10, 9 south, and 260 – was inspired to join the Johnson team while delivering newspapers onsite. An Alvin Community College student at the time, Meadows noticed a facility manager plaque on the wall of Johnson’s External Relations Office. “I knew that with hard work and dedication, I would one day become a Johnson employee and support flight and see my photo on that wall!” Meadows began working at Johnson in 1999 and has been a facility manager for 23 years. He received a Silver Snoopy Award in May 2011 in recognition of the support he provided to the International Space Station Program as the manager for Johnson’s manufacturing facilities. Michael MeadowsNASA/Robert Markowitz Some Johnson team members are hired specifically for a facility manager position. Others may volunteer or be appointed to the role by their organization’s management. Regardless of how they became a facility manager, each person must complete an initial and a refresher training covering topics such as hazard identification and mitigation, energy conservation, security, and legal considerations. Additional training may be required depending on building assignments. Once fully trained, facility managers may stay in that role as long as they work at Johnson. The most rewarding part of being a facility manager, said Meadows, is “the feeling you get when you keep up with the facility and make that a great home for all the occupants every day.” Curious about all of the roles available at NASA? Visit our Careers site to explore open opportunities and find your place with us! View the full article

20 Min Read The Marshall Star for October 2, 2024 The Fabric of Marshall: Center Hosts Safety Day 2024 By Serena Whitfield “Safety Woven Throughout the Fabric of Marshall” was the theme for Safety Day at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center on Sept. 26. Kickoff activities were held in Building 4316 and other sites around the center. “It is crucial to ensure that each of us weaves safety into everything we do, not only at work, but in our daily lives,” Marshall Director Joseph Pelfrey said. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Director Joseph Pelfrey, left, with NASA astronaut Mark T. Vande Hei, who was the keynote speaker for Marshall’s Safety Day on Sept. 26. NASA/Krisdon Manecke NASA started the Safety Day tradition following the space shuttle Columbia accident in 2003. Centers across the agency dedicate a day each year for team members to pause and reflect on keeping the work environment safe. This year’s Safety Day began with a breakfast for employees, which was sponsored by Jacobs and Bastion Technologies. After breakfast, Bill Hill, director of the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate at Marshall, welcomed center team members before introducing Pelfrey. “Over the past year, Marshall’s leadership and workforce have highlighted that transparency is an essential cultural attribute of our workforce and center,” Pelfrey said. “It is also important to our core value of safety. Transparency fosters an environment where employees feel comfortable in reporting potential risks or safety concerns without ***** of retribution. This openness ensures that issues are addressed early. It builds trust and accountability within our workforce, center, NASA, and external stakeholders.” NASA astronaut Mark T. Vande Hei talks about his time in space aboard the International Space Station. NASA/Krisdon Manecke Guest speaker Marceleus Venable, a purpose coach, trainer, and author, followed Pelfrey’s remarks, telling team members to be safe by taking care of their physical and mental health. He encouraged them to take the time to pat themselves on the back for all their hard work and to appreciate their fellow workers at Marshall. NASA astronaut Mark T. Vande Hei was the keynote speaker, encouraging employees to be team players in NASA’s safety mission. “We need a lot of talented team players to meet the challenges that we have for future space flights,” said Vande Hei, who was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2009 and most recently served as a flight engineer on the International Space Station as part of Expedition 65 and 66. “Always try to do your best, but make sure that other people around you are doing their best as well and help them do that rather than you standing out as always being the best.” Peter Wreschinsky, second from left, a Jacobs Space Exploration Group employee, is presented with the Golden Eagle Award during Safety Day. He is joined by his wife, Terri. They are joined by Bill Hill, left, director of the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate at Marshall, and Jeff Haars, right, Jacobs vice president. The Golden Eagle Award is a part of the Mission Success is in Our Hands initiative, a collaboration between Marshall and Jacobs. Wreschinsky was recognized with the award for voicing concern about a valve impacted by corrosion on the Commercial Crew Program Crew-8 Dragon Capsule. The valve and several others were subsequently replaced. NASA/Serena Whitfield Micah Embry, the Safety Day 2024 chairperson, presented Vande Hei with a certificate for his participation. Also during the event, Hill awarded the Golden Eagle Award to Peter Wreschinsky, a Jacobs Space Exploration Group employee. The award is part of the Mission Success is in Our Hands safety initiative, a collaboration between Marshall and Jacobs. More than 400 civil servants and contractors participated in Safety Day, with organizational and vender booths providing information to employees across a variety of safety topics, including Emergency Management Services, ***** protection, storm shelters, and more. “As Marshall continues to be a leader at NASA and across the aerospace industry, … we must always be looking forward to improve our procedures and anticipate potential hazards,” Pelfrey said. “Safety is directly tied to our mission success. Without safety, we cannot achieve the goals we set for ourselves in space exploration, research, and innovation.” Whitfield is an intern supporting the Marshall Office of Communications. › Back to Top Human Lander System Spotlight: Preparing for the First Crewed Lunar Landings for Artemis The featured business unit for the month of September at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center was Lander Systems. Marshall leads the development of the systems needed to safely land humans on the Moon and, eventually Mars. This includes the Human Landing System Program (HLS), which manages the development of commercial lunar landing systems that will transport astronauts to and from the surface of the Moon as part of the agency’s Artemis campaign. For Artemis III and Artemis IV, NASA has selected SpaceX’s Starship HLS, while Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander will be used for Artemis V. Having two distinct lunar lander designs, with different approaches to how they meet NASA’s mission needs, provides more robustness while ensuring a regular cadence of Moon landings. NASA works closely with its industry partners to mature the landers, exercising insight and offering collaboration to ensure astronaut safety and mission success. Through Artemis, NASA aims to land the first woman, first person of ******, and first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface while advancing key science and discovery for the benefit of all. Learn more about HLS and meet some of the NASA Marshall teammates below who are working on the lunar landers: Amy BuckNASA/Ken Hall Amy Buck has been working with Artemis systems since she first came to Marshall 10 years ago. Previously part of the cryogenic insulation team for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, Buck is now the materials discipline lead for HLS. In her role, she has the chance to work on nearly every piece of hardware for the two landers as she and her team work with each of the HLS providers to ensure compliance with NASA’s requirements. “The NASA HLS materials team is vital in supporting the design, testing, and manufacturing of the landers,” Buck said. “Landing on the Moon is central to the larger Artemis mission, and I’m super excited to be part of the Artemis Generation.” Buck is most excited to see the first woman land on the Moon under Artemis and says she hopes it will inspire young ****** – the next generation of engineers and scientists – to go into science and engineering. Sean UnderwoodNASA/Ken Hall Mission success is all in the details for Sean Underwood, the thermal discipline lead for HLS. The Georgia native works with a team responsible for ensuring that the lunar landers can operate in the Moon’s harsh environment. “There are unique thermal challenges associated with the Artemis III, IV, and V missions,” Underwood said. “Our primary objective is to manage thermal energy and heating rates, ensuring that HLS components and systems remain within thermal limits across all mission environments.” Underwood joined Marshall in 2020 and sees his role with Artemis as one that will shape the future of space exploration – and Marshall. “Marshall Space Flight Center has been at the forefront of monumental space projects since its inception,” he said. “Through Artemis, we are ensuring that the legacy of past missions continues to inspire and drive us forward.” › Back to Top Innovative Thermal Energy Storage Tanks Keep Marshall Cool – and Save Taxpayer Dollars By Rick Smith As any home or business owner in the Southern ******* States knows, maintaining energy costs while trying to keep cool in the sweltering summer months is no simple challenge. But one “cool” new infrastructure upgrade at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center will reduce the center’s utility costs by approximately $250,000 a year, shrinking Marshall’s environmental footprint and streamlining long-term infrastructure maintenance costs. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center facilities engineers Connor McLean, left, and Angela Bell assess the readiness of Marshall’s new thermal energy storage tank, which officially goes into operation in October. The tank stands alongside Marshall’s original thermal tank outside Building 4473, where they chill and store water to cool off laboratories, offices, and other buildings during the hot summer months. McLean and Bell lead the tank project on behalf of Marshall’s Office of Center Operations. NASA/Charles Beason It’s called a thermal energy storage tank – 60 feet high, 60 feet in diameter, each unit capable of holding approximately 1.125 million gallons of chilled water – and it represents another milestone for facilities engineers in Marshall’s Office of Center Operations, whose tactics have already reduced center-wide energy expenditure by a dizzying 58.3% since fiscal year 2003. Thermal energy storage is not a new process; it’s been used for decades to maximize efficiency in temperature control, particularly among industrial facilities and large public venues from hospitals to indoor stadiums. At Marshall, the chilled water serves a critical purpose center-wide, circulating from a central plant via a network of underground pipes to help keep laboratories and other buildings temperate throughout the summer heat. “The average team member might not realize it’s chilled water, not just air, that keeps our labs, offices, and test facilities cool,” said Marshall facilities engineer Angela Bell, who helped oversee the installation of the second tank. “Our tanks operate at night, when utility prices drop and there is less overall demand on the regional energy grid, then send the chillwater out during the day.” Marshall’s first tank was built and put into operation in 2008-2009. The second officially goes into service in October, joining its counterpart in creating chilled water overnight. Together, the tanks – situated adjacent to Building 4473 on the corner of Morris and Titan roads – provide an annual energy savings of roughly half a million dollars. Marshall facilities engineer Connor McLean, who succeeded Bell as project manager for the new tank, noted that each thermal energy storage tank handles approximately 106,000 kilo-BTUs worth of cooling activity per day – or roughly 1,750 times as much cooling capacity as a central air system in a traditional family home. Even with that considerable output, Marshall’s original tank had been hard-pressed to keep up with demand across the entire center over the past decade and a half, as climate change steadily pushed temperatures to sustained extremes. “This is a huge stride in critical system redundancy,” McLean said. “Having the second tank enables us to run both concurrently or give one of them some necessary downtime without loss of center-wide functionality. That added capability makes Marshall more resilient and bolsters our confidence in our ability to handle unforeseen challenges.” The electricity that powers the storage tanks is a mix – hydroelectric, fossil fuels, nuclear, and an increasing amount of renewable energy sources – provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority via the U.S. Army, from whom NASA leases property on Redstone Arsenal. “The tanks will be tremendous cost-savers for the next 40-50 years,” Bell said. “They allow us to use energy much more efficiently, based on past energy consumption levels – and that allows Marshall to do other things with those dollars.” Over the past 20 years, Marshall has reinvested energy savings and facilities cost underruns back into center operations, often to fund new, cost-saving overhauls: upgrading facility HVAC systems or replacing obsolete lighting with more efficient LEDs. “If we didn’t reduce consumption, our projected utility costs would be around $30 million per year,” said Rhonda Truitt, Marshall’s energy and water manager. “Thanks to efficient strategizing, encouraged and championed by Marshall and NASA leadership, we typically operate in the range of just $16-18 million per year.” Such strategies have enabled Marshall to effectively keep its infrastructure budget flat since the early 2010s – reducing overall energy consumption and replacing outdated facilities with more cost-conscious, environmentally friendly modern buildings, a program known among facilities engineers as “repair by replacement.” The U.S. Army at Redstone doesn’t employ a central chiller plant of its own, but the Marshall facilities team works “very closely” with their counterparts on the military side. “We have a great working relationship,” Truitt said. “The real advantage of our system is that by reducing our peak energy demand, it reduces it for all of Redstone – which benefits the rest of the Arsenal and the lower Tennessee Valley.” The new tank goes into operation just in time for the start of National Energy Awareness Month in October – and Truitt and her team encourage the Marshall workforce to continue to practice sensible energy conservation tactics even as sweat-inducing temperatures subside. “Turn off lights and computer monitors wherever possible, don’t leave doors or windows propped open, and be mindful of all the small things that can add up over time,” Truitt said. “Our goal is always to help team members do their jobs in the most efficient way possible, to accomplish Marshall’s objectives and conserve our energy budget without impeding the mission.” Thanks to the center’s new thermal energy storage tank, that should be no sweat. Smith, an Aeyon employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. › Back to Top Marshall Welcomes Members of the NASA Advisory Council Rae Ann Meyer, front right, deputy director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, is joined by members of the NASA Advisory Council and NASA Headquarters staff Oct. 1 at Marshall. The group toured various areas across the center during their visit Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Council members are appointed by the NASA administrator to provide advice and make recommendations on programs, policies, and other matters pertaining to the agency’s mission. (NASA/Charles Beason) › Back to Top Commercial Crew Program Hangs Expedition 70 Plaque, Highlighting Work Done by Marshall Team NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center continued the tradition of honoring engineers for their exceptional efforts on Commercial Crew Program (CCP) missions to the International Space Station on Sept. 4, with a plaque hanging for Expedition 70 at the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC). Holding their plaques are, from left, Shelby Bates, Ali Reilly, Chris Buckley, Mandy Clayton, Elease Smith, Sara Dennis, Stephanie Stoll, John Griffin, Kylie Keeton, and Blake Parker. Team members are nominated from Marshall, Johnson Space Center, and Kennedy Space Center to hang the plaque of the mission they supported. Expedition 70 – which ended April 5 – researched heart health, ******* treatments, space manufacturing techniques, and more during their long-duration stay in Earth orbit. 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. (NASA/Charles Beason) Buckley, left, signs an Expedition 70 plaque as Dennis looks on. (NASA/Charles Beason) Dennis hangs the Expedition 70 plaque inside the Huntsville Operations Support Center. (NASA/Charles Beason) › Back to Top NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Aboard International Space Station NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov arrived at the International Space Station on Sept. 29 as the SpaceX Dragon Freedom docked to the orbiting complex at 4:30 p.m. CDT, joining Expedition 72 for a five-month science research mission aboard the orbiting laboratory. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 crew joins Expedition 72 aboard the International Space Station.NASA The two crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission launched at 12:17 p.m. CDT Sept. 28 for a science expedition aboard the International Space Station. This is the first human spaceflight mission launched from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and the agency’s ninth commercial crew rotation mission to the space station. The duo joined the space station’s Expedition 72 crew of NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps, Don Pettit, Butch Wilmore, and Suni Williams, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner. The number of crew aboard the space station increased to 11 for a short time until Crew-8 members Barratt, Dominick, Epps, and Grebenkin depart the space station early this month. The crewmates will conduct more than 200 scientific investigations, including blood clotting studies, moisture effects on plants grown in space, and vision changes in astronauts during their mission. Following their stay aboard the space station, Hague and Gorbunov will be joined by Williams and Wilmore to return to Earth in February 2025. With this mission, NASA continues to maximize the use of the orbiting laboratory, where people have lived and worked continuously for more than 23 years, testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to operate future commercial destinations in low Earth orbit and explore farther from Earth. Research conducted at the space station benefits people on Earth and paves the way for future long-duration missions to the Moon under NASA’s Artemis campaign, and beyond. Learn more about NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission and the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Follow the space station blog for updates on station activities. › Back to Top Keeping the Pace: Marshall Hosts Annual ‘Racin’ the Station’ Duathlon A costumed gorilla pacer leads a group of runners during “Racin’ the Station” duathlon, a run/bike/run event where the participants “raced” the International Space Station. The event was Sept. 28 at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, which is on Redstone Arsenal. “Racin’ the Station” is an annual event where participants try to complete the course faster than it takes the space station to complete one Earth orbit, which is every 91 minutes, 12 seconds. Organizers track the starting location of the space station at the race start, and a costumed pacer keeps up with the station time on the course as a visual marker for participants to stay ahead of. Before the race, organizers drew a to-scale SLS (Space Launch System) Block 1 rocket in chalk onto the Activities Building parking lot near the race transition area. The opening ceremonies featured a video of the Artemis 1 launch, with the race starting with the launch of a model rocket. “The rain was a first for race day since we started this event in 2012,” said Kent Criswell, race organizer for Marshall. “But we still had a safe race with 106 individuals and 13 relay teams finishing.” The event is organized by the Team Rocket Triathlon Club in Huntsville and by the Marshall Association, a professional employee service organization at the Marshall Center whose members include civil service employees, retirees and contractors. Proceeds from the registration fee for the event go to the Marshall Association scholarship fund. Race results can be found here. (NASA/Charles Beason) Participants take off in the bike portion of the “Racin’ the Station” duathlon. (NASA/Charles Beason) › Back to Top NASA Seeks Innovators for Lunar Waste Competition By Savannah Bullard A new NASA competition, the LunaRecycle Challenge, is open and offering $3 million in prizes for innovations in recycling material waste on deep space missions. As NASA continues efforts toward long-duration human space travel, including building a sustained human presence on the Moon through its Artemis missions, the agency needs novel solutions for processing inorganic waste streams like food packaging, discarded clothing, and science experiment materials. While previous efforts focused on the reduction of trash mass and volume, this challenge will prioritize technologies for recycling waste into usable products needed for off-planet science and exploration activities. NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge will incentivize the design and development of energy-efficient, low-mass, and low-impact recycling solutions that address physical waste streams and improve the sustainability of longer-duration lunar missions. Through the power of open innovation, which draws on the public’s ingenuity and creativity to find solutions, NASA can restructure the agency’s approach to waste management, support the future of space travel, and revolutionize waste treatments on Earth, leading to greater sustainability on our home planet and beyond. “Operating sustainably is an important consideration for NASA as we make discoveries and conduct research both away from home and on Earth,” said Amy Kaminski, program executive for NASA’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program. “With this challenge, we are seeking the public’s innovative approaches to waste management on the Moon and aim to take lessons learned back to Earth for the benefit of all.” NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge will offer two competition tracks: a Prototype Build track and a Digital Twin track. The Prototype Build Track focuses on designing and developing hardware components and systems for recycling one or more solid waste streams on the lunar surface. The Digital Twin Track focuses on designing a virtual replica of a complete system for recycling solid waste streams on the lunar surface and manufacturing end products. Offering a Digital Twin track further lowers the barrier of entry for global solvers to participate in NASA Centennial Challenges and contribute to agency missions and initiatives. Teams will have the opportunity to compete in either or both competition tracks, each of which will carry its own share of the prize purse. The LunaRecycle Challenge also will address some of the aerospace community’s top technical challenges. In July, NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate released a ranked list of 187 technology areas requiring further development to meet future exploration, science, and other mission needs. The results integrated inputs from NASA mission directorates and centers, industry organizations, government agencies, academia, and other interested individuals to help guide NASA’s space technology development and investments. This list and subsequent updates will help inform future Centennial Challenges. The three technological needs that LunaRecycle will address include logistics tracking, clothing, and trash management for habitation; in-space and on-surface manufacturing of parts and products; and in-space and on-surface manufacturing from recycled and reused materials. “I am pleased that NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge will contribute to solutions pertaining to technological needs within advanced manufacturing and habitats,” said Kim Krome, acting program manager for agency’s Centennial Challenges, and challenge manager of LunaRecycle. “We are very excited to see what solutions our global competitors generate, and we are eager for this challenge to serve as a positive catalyst for bringing the agency, and humanity, closer to exploring worlds beyond our own.” NASA has contracted The University of Alabama to be the allied partner for the duration of the challenge. The university, based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will coordinate with former Centennial Challenge winner AI Spacefactory to facilitate the challenge and manage its competitors. To register as a participant in NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge, visit: lunarecyclechallenge.ua.edu. NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge is led by the agency’s Kennedy Space Center with support from Marshall Space Flight Center. The competition is a NASA’s Centennial Challenge, based at Marshall. Centennial Challenges are part of NASA’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. Bullard, a Manufacturing Technical Solutions Inc. employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. › Back to Top Fueling Complete on Europa Clipper Spacecraft Technicians completed loading propellants in the agency’s Europa Clipper spacecraft Sept. 22, inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Technicians work to complete operations prior to propellant load for NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 11.NASA/Kim Shiflett Housed in the largest spacecraft NASA has ever built for a planetary mission, Europa Clipper’s propulsion module is an aluminum cylinder 10 feet long and 5 feet wide, and it holds the spacecraft’s array of 24 engines and 6067.6 pounds of propellant in two propulsion tanks, as well as the spacecraft’s helium pressurant tanks. The fuel and oxidizer held by the tanks will flow to the 24 engines, creating a controlled chemical reaction to produce thrust in space during its journey to determine whether there are places below the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, that could support life. After launch, the spacecraft plans to fly by Mars in February 2025, then back by Earth in December 2026, using the gravity of each planet to increase its momentum. With help of these “gravity assists,” Europa Clipper will achieve the velocity needed to reach Jupiter in April 2030. NASA is targeting launch Oct. 10 aboard a Space X Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA Kennedy’s historic Launch Complex 39A. Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory 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 NASA 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. › Back to Top View the full article

Learn Home New NASA eClips VALUE Bundles… For Kids and Students Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science 2 min read New NASA eClips VALUE Bundles for Learners with Varied Needs The NASA Science Activation program’s NASA eClips project, led by the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA), aims to increase Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM) literacy and inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists by providing effective web-based, standards-aligned, in-school and out-of-school learning and teaching resources through the lens of NASA. In Summer 2024, NASA eClips developed six new Varied & Accessible Learning Resources for Universal Engagement (VALUE) Bundles. These VALUE Bundles are a thematic and curated set of NASA eClips and partner resources, organized in a user-friendly dashboard, providing a thematic, cohesive, and engaging set of materials to meet learners’ varied needs for their: Engagement – The WHY of Learning; Representation – The WHAT of Learning; and Action & Expression – The HOW of Learning. These new NASA eClips VALUE Bundles empower learners to explore topics of their choice through multiple modalities and focus on six science themes: Earth’s Moon Explore Planets Forces of Flight Magnets Planets Plants Educators and learners of all ages are invited to explore these brand new VALUE bundles: [Hidden Content]. Learn more about NASA eClips and access its varied resources developed for use by K-12 teachers and informal educators at [Hidden Content]. NASA eClips is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AB91A and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: [Hidden Content] New VALUE Bundles were developed for learners of varied needs on six science themes. Share Details Last Updated Oct 02, 2024 Editor NASA Science Editorial Team Related Terms For Kids and Students Grades 5 – 8 for Educators Grades 9-12 for Educators Grades K – 4 for Educators Science Activation Explore More 9 min read Launch Your Creativity with These Space Crafts! Article 5 days ago 3 min read NASA Science Activation Program Wins Prestigious Award Article 1 week ago 2 min read NASA Summer Camp Inspires Future Climate Leaders Article 4 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the… Perseverance Rover This rover and its aerial sidekick were assigned to study the geology of Mars and seek signs of ancient microbial… Parker Solar Probe On a mission to “touch the Sun,” NASA’s Parker Solar Probe became the first spacecraft to fly through the corona… Juno NASA’s Juno spacecraft entered orbit around Jupiter in 2016, the first explorer to peer below the planet’s dense clouds to… View the full article

4 Min Read Unique NASA Partnerships Spark STEM Learning on Global Scale NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn reading “Goodnight Moon” aboard station for Crayola’s “Read Along, Draw Along” Credits: NASA NASA offers a world of experiences and opportunities to engage young explorers around the globe in the excitement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement collaborates with experts throughout the agency, the U.S. government, and a variety of global partners to spark inspiration in Artemis Generation students everywhere. Partnerships with the agency reach new audiences. Here are some of the ways NASA and its partners are making exciting STEM learning resources and opportunities available globally. NASA and Minecraft collaborated to bring NASA missions to life. NASA and Crayola partnered on a series of virtual engagements to encourage students and families to participate in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) content – for example, the annual Crayola Creativity Week. NASA partnered with LEGO Education on educational resources to introduce STEAM concepts and careers with students, teachers, and families. NASA joined forces with Discovery Education to provide curriculum support resources, videos, and events through their online platform. NASA recently signed an agreement with Arizona State University’s Milo Space Science Institute to create new opportunities for students to engage in STEM workforce development through 12-week academies using NASA data sets, information from NASA subject matter experts as well as information on the agency’s missions and careers. NASA partnered with Code.org on the development of computer science and coding resources for teachers and students. NASA collaborated with LabXchange to develop free online resources for teachers and students on topics such as solar eclipses, Mars, astrobiology, and Artemis missions, with more than 700 resources available to date. Representative LEGO minifigures in front of ********* Service Module that will power the Orion spacecraft on Artemis II. Four LEGO minifigures will fly on Artemis I as part of the official flight kit, which carries mementos for educational outreach and posterity. Credit: NASA/Radislav Sinyak There’s More to Explore With NASA International educators and students can find even more ways to engage with NASA’s missions and content through these resources, available online to all. For the youngest explorers, NASA Kids Club offers STEM-based games for students ages 3-9. The agency’s Artemis Camp Experience features hands-on activities designed to introduce K-12 students to the systems that will enable NASA astronauts to return to the Moon with Artemis. NASA’s “First Woman” graphic novel series tells the fictional story of Callie Rodriguez, the first woman to explore the Moon. Created for students in grades 5-12, “First Woman” includes graphic novels in English and Spanish along with accompanying videos, activities, and more. Through the agency’s internship opportunities, students gain authentic experience while being part of the agency’s work. Student challenges available internationally include the Human Exploration Rover Challenge, in which student teams create and test human-powered rovers, and the Space Apps Challenge, a hackathon that aims to solve real-world challenges on Earth and in space. NASA’s ASTRO CAMP Community Partners Program shares NASA STEM content and experiences through youth organizations and informal learning institutions such as museums and libraries, including nearly 30 international partner sites. Citizen scientists anywhere can contribute their local observations through the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Observer app, part of the GLOBE program sponsored by NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation, and Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists. Look up! Use the Spot the Station mobile app and website to know when the International Space Station will pass overhead. NASA is much more than astronauts and rocket scientists. The Surprisingly STEM video series highlights unexpected careers with linked hands-on activities. STEM resources for educators and students can be found anytime on NASA’s Learning Resources website. The agency offers video on demand through NASA+ with unique STEM programming, live coverage of NASA missions, and more. Students put their human-powered rover to the test in NASA’s Human Exploration Rover Challenge. Credit: NASA Get NASA STEM Updates via Email NASA STEM’s e-newsletters deliver the latest updates to email inboxes around the world. The NASA EXPRESS weekly e-newsletter offers the latest NASA STEM content and opportunities, while the monthly Earthrise e-newsletter offers themed resources to elevate Earth and climate science in the classroom. Learn more about how NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement is inspiring Artemis Generation explorers at: [Hidden Content] Share Details Last Updated Oct 02, 2024 Related TermsLearning ResourcesPartner with NASA STEMSTEM Engagement at NASA Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Partnering with NASA STEM Engagement NASA Internship Programs Join Artemis Get Involved View the full article

Showcase your creative side and your research! They say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” This year’s ASGSR conference will include an art competition, inviting researchers to bring their science to life through art. Consider submitting an entry for yourself or encourage your students to enter, too! Entries will be displayed at the 2024 ASGSR conference. Awards will be announced at the 2024 ASGSR Banquet on December 7, 2024. Suggested subjects or themes: Your investigations or an interpretation of “Thriving in Space,” the National Academies’ Decadal Survey title. Award categories: Cover of the ASGSR’s 2025 Open-Access journal Gravitational and Space Research, selected by the GSR Editorial Board Artistic Merit award, as voted by ASGSR conference attendees Technical Merit, as voted by ASGSR conference attendees Criteria: To participate, at least one of the artists is required to be a registered attendee at the meeting and the art must be physically displayed during the meeting. We recommend you mount your art with a rigid backing or frame, so it stands up on the provided easel, with a maximum size no greater than 25 x 16 inches. If traveling by air, please make sure to consider luggage size. The display should include a title of the piece, artists/affiliations and a brief explanation (a few sentences). Voting will be by Title, so please try to use a concise and catchy title that is easy to write on the ballot. Similar to what one would see in an art gallery, the quality of printing, use of border, frames, 3D effects, etc., can significantly enhance the visual and professional appeal of your artwork. Eligible entries for the GSR Journal Cover and Technical Merit must be original scientific imagery. Eligible entries for Artistic Merit can include images (photographs or computer-generated), paintings, drawings, or sketches of gravitational and space research phenomena. Rearrangement, assembly, or other creative mixing of images into an art-form is appropriate and encouraged only for the Artistic Merit category, whereas the GSR Journal Cover entries must be original imagery. Additional information: You are expected to set up your display at the meeting site at the start of the conference and remove it by the end of the meeting. ASGSR will provide easels for your art displays. ASGSR cannot guarantee the security of your artwork while on display at the hotel. Submission indicates your permission for your artwork to be displayed on the ASGSR website. “Thriving in Space” entries may be featured in NASA communications products. Submission indicates permission for use of your art without compensation. Each registered attendee will receive an art ballot as part of the registration package. The peer voting will occur throughout the conference until noon Saturday, December 7, 2024. We plan to announce the winners at the banquet. How to submit your entry: Electronically submit a high-resolution image with a title, list of contributing artists and their affiliations, and brief explanation of your submission to Kelly Bailey at *****@*****.tld by November 8, 2024. We encourage you to submit an entry and look forward to a very successful event! View the full article

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA astronaut Kate Rubins takes Apollo 17 Lunar Module Pilot Harrison “Jack” Schmitt on a ride on NASA’s rover prototype at Johnson Space Center in Houston.NASA/James Blair When astronauts return to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, they will benefit from having a human-rated unpressurized LTV (Lunar Terrain Vehicle) that will allow them to explore more of the lunar surface, enabling diverse scientific discoveries. As crewed Artemis missions near, engineers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston are designing an unpressurized rover prototype, known as the Ground Test Unit. The test unit will employ a flexible architecture to simulate and evaluate different rover concepts for use beginning with Artemis V. In April 2024, as part of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services contract, NASA selected three vendors — Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab — to supply rover capabilities for use by astronauts on the lunar surface. While the test unit will never go to the Moon, it will support the development of additional rover prototypes that will enable NASA and the three companies to continue making progress until one of the providers comes online. Additionally, data provided from GTU testing helps inform both NASA and the commercial companies as they continue evolving their rover designs as it serves as an engineering testbed for the LTV providers to test their technologies on crew compartment design, rover maintenance, and payload science integration, to name a few. “The Ground Test Unit will help NASA teams on the ground, test and understand all aspects of rover operations on the lunar surface ahead of Artemis missions,” said Jeff Somers, engineering lead for the Ground Test Unit. “The GTU allows NASA to be a smart buyer, so we are able to test and evaluate rover operations while we work with the LTVS contractors and their hardware.” Suited NASA engineers sit on the rover prototype during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.NASA/Bill Stafford A suited NASA engineer sits on the agency’s rover prototype during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.NASA/Bill Stafford Suited NASA engineers sit on the rover prototype during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.NASA/Bill Stafford The LTVS contractors have requirements that align with the existing GTU capabilities. As with the test unit, the vendor-developed, LTV should support up to two crewmembers, have the ability to be operated remotely, and can implement multiple control concepts such as drive modes, self-leveling, and supervised autonomy. Having a NASA prototype of the vehicle we will drive on the Moon, here on Earth, allows many teams to test capabilities while also getting hands-on engineering experience developing rover hardware. NASA has built some next generation rover concept vehicles following the successes of the agency’s Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle in the 1970s, including this iteration of the GTU. Crewed test vehicles here on Earth like the GTU help NASA learn new ways that astronauts can live and work safely and productively on the Moon, and one day on the surface of Mars. As vendor designs evolve, the contracted LTV as well as the GTU allow for testing before missions head to the Moon. The vehicles on the ground also allow NASA to reduce some risks when it comes to adapting new technologies or specific rover design features. Human surface mobility helps increase the exploration footprint on the lunar surface allowing each mission to conduct more research and increase the value to the scientific community. Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts – including the first woman, first person of ******, and its first international partner astronaut – to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, technology evolution, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for future crewed missions to Mars. Learn about the rovers, suits, and tools that will help Artemis astronauts to explore more of the Moon: [Hidden Content] Share Details Last Updated Oct 02, 2024 Related TermsHumans in SpaceArtemisArtemis 5Exploration Systems Development Mission DirectorateJohnson Space CenterxEVA & Human Surface Mobility Explore More 2 min read Mariachi and Moonshots: Melissa Moreno Orchestrates Gateway Communications Article 2 days ago 2 min read Station Science Top News: Sept. 27, 2024 Article 2 days ago 5 min read Aerospace Medicine Clerkship Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Space Launch System (SLS) Orion Spacecraft Human Landing System Commercial Space View the full article

Curiosity NavigationCuriosity HomeMission OverviewWhere is Curiosity?Mission UpdatesScienceOverviewInstrumentsHighlightsExploration GoalsNews and FeaturesMultimediaCuriosity Raw ImagesImagesVideosAudioMore ResourcesMars MissionsMars Sample ReturnMars Perseverance RoverMars Curiosity RoverMAVENMars Reconnaissance OrbiterMars OdysseyMore Mars MissionsThe Solar SystemThe SunMercuryVenusEarthThe MoonMarsJupiterSaturnUranusNeptunePluto & Dwarf PlanetsAsteroids, Comets & MeteorsThe Kuiper BeltThe Oort Cloud 2 min read Sols 4321-4322: Sailing Out of Gediz Vallis This image was taken by Front Hazard Avoidance Camera (Front Hazcam) aboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 4319 — Martian day 4,319 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — on Sept. 29, 2024 at 21:31:07 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Earth planning date: Monday, Sept. 30, 2024 For the past few plans, Curiosity has been wrapping up its science campaign within Gediz Vallis. Over the weekend, the rover completed analyses on white stones encountered while departing the channel, before continuing along the western margin of Gediz Vallis. As we exit the channel, a metaphorical red buoy to our left, uncharted terrain lay ahead. Today’s two-sol plan commenced with APXS and MAHLI completing a thorough sounding of the target “Flat Note Lake,” the seemingly brighter rock in the left-middle of the image just below a darker cobble and on the margin of swell-like sand ripples. Curiosity also focused ChemCam’s telescope on several key beacons in the landscape. The first target, “Cactus Point,” received a number of laser shots from ChemCam, akin to signaling with a lighthouse to assess its elemental message back to the ship. ChemCam’s RMI captured high-definition mosaics of key formations including rugged yardangs, formations that would not take too kindly to contact with a vessel’s hull. Mastcam complemented these observations with its own survey of the local area, capturing targets that included “Tombstone Ridge,” “Balloon Dome,” “Pinnacle Ridge,” “Clyde Spires,” “Confusion Lake” and “Pilot Peak” in addition to Cactus Point. A lengthy DAN passive measurement was completed in parallel, akin to a depth sounder probing the terrain beneath our hull. With the scientific reconnaissance of the first sol complete, Curiosity tested its metaphorical rigging in the form of trying out some Feed-Extended Sample Transfer arm activities in parallel with a telecommunications window before setting course out of the channel. This is similar to the test we did sols 4311-4313, and will hopefully help us become more efficient in the future. The second sol of the plan was primarily focused on gathering environmental data and performing post-departure imaging in preparation for Wednesday’s plan, analogous to a ship trimming its sails and adjusting the helm as it exits a sheltered cove. ChemCam completed a calibration activity, fine-tuning its sextant in preparation for its next round of observations. Environmental monitoring and a SAM activity rounded out the second sol of the plan. Written by Scott VanBommel, Planetary Scientist at Washington University Share Details Last Updated Oct 02, 2024 Related TermsBlogs Explore More 2 min read Sols 4318-4320: One Last Weekend in the Channel Article 3 days ago 4 min read Sols 4316-4317: Hunting for Sulfur Article 5 days ago 3 min read Sols 4314-4315: Wait, What Was That Back There? Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four… View the full article

Earth (ESD)Earth HomeExploreClimate ChangeScience in ActionMultimediaDataFor Researchers 4 min read Via NASA Plane, Scientists Find New Gamma-ray Emission in Storm Clouds Tropical thunderstorm with lightning, near the airport of Santa Marta, Colombia. Credit: Oscar van der Velde There’s more to thunderclouds than rain and lightning. Along with visible light emissions, thunderclouds can produce intense bursts of gamma rays, the most energetic form of light, that last for millionths of a second. The clouds can also glow steadily with gamma rays for seconds to minutes at a time. Researchers using NASA airborne platforms have now found a new kind of gamma-ray emission that’s shorter in duration than the steady glows and longer than the microsecond bursts. They’re calling it a flickering gamma-ray flash. The discovery fills in a missing link in scientists’ understanding of thundercloud radiation and provides new insights into the mechanisms that produce lightning. The insights, in turn, could lead to more accurate lightning risk estimates for people, aircraft, and spacecraft. Researchers from the University of Bergen in Norway led the study in collaboration with scientists from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and multiple universities in the U.S., Mexico, Colombia, and Europe. The findings were described in a pair of papers in Nature, published Oct. 2. The international research team made their discovery while flying a battery of detectors aboard a NASA ER-2 research aircraft. In July 2023, the ER-2 set out on a series of 10 flights from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The plane flew figure-eight flight patterns a few miles above tropical thunderclouds in the Caribbean and Central America, providing unprecedented views of cloud activity. The scientific payload was developed for the Airborne Lightning Observatory for Fly’s Eye Geostationary Lightning Mapper Simulator and Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (ALOFT) campaign. Instrumentation in the payload included weather radars along with multiple sensors for measuring gamma rays, lightning flashes, and microwave emissions from clouds. NASA’s high-flying ER-2 airplane carries instrumentation in this artist’s impression of the ALOFT mission to record gamma rays (******** purple for illustration) from thunderclouds.Credit: NASA/ALOFT team The researchers had hoped ALOFT instruments would observe fast radiation bursts known as terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs). The flashes, first discovered in 1992 by NASA’s Compton Gamma Ray Observatory spacecraft, accompany some lightning strikes and last only millionths of a second. Despite their high intensity and their association with visible lightning, few TGFs have been spotted during previous aircraft-based studies. “I went to a meeting just before the ALOFT campaign,” said principal investigator Nikolai Østgaard, a space physicist with the University of Bergen. “And they asked me: ‘How many TGFs are you going to see?’ I said: ‘Either we’ll see zero, or we’ll see a lot.’ And then we happened to see 130.” However, the flickering gamma-ray flashes were a complete surprise. “They’re almost impossible to detect from space,” said co-principal investigator Martino Marisaldi, who is also a University of Bergen space physicist. “But when you are flying at 20 kilometers [12.5 miles] high, you’re so close that you will see them.” The research team found more than 25 of these new flashes, each lasting between 50 to 200 milliseconds. The abundance of fast bursts and the discovery of intermediate-duration flashes could be among the most important thundercloud discoveries in a decade or more, said University of New Hampshire physicist Joseph Dwyer, who was not involved in the research. “They’re telling us something about how thunderstorms work, which is really important because thunderstorms produce lightning that hurts and ****** a lot of people.” More broadly, Dwyer said he is excited about the prospects of advancing the field of meteorology. “I think everyone assumes that we figured out lightning a long time ago, but it’s an overlooked area … we don’t understand what’s going on inside those clouds right over our heads.” The discovery of flickering gamma-ray flashes may provide crucial clues scientists need to understand thundercloud dynamics, he said. Turning to aircraft-based instrumentation rather than satellites ensured a lot of bang for research bucks, said the study’s project scientist, Timothy Lang of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “If we had gotten one flash, we would have been ecstatic — and we got well over 100,” he said. This research could lead to a significant advance in our understanding of thunderstorms and radiation from thunderstorms. “It shows that if you have the right problem and you’re willing to take a little bit of risk, you can have a huge payoff.” By James Riordon NASA’s Earth Science News Team Share Details Last Updated Oct 02, 2024 EditorJenny MarderContactJames RiordonLocationMarshall Space Flight Center Related TermsEarthGamma RaysGoddard Space Flight Center View the full article

Skywatching Home What’s Up: October 2024… Skywatching Skywatching Home Eclipses What’s Up Explore the Night Sky Night Sky Network More Tips and Guides FAQ Comets: Unpredictable, But Irresistible A new comet is passing through the inner solar system! Time will tell if it’s the brightest of the year, once it appears in twilight after about October 14. Skywatching Highlights All month – Planet visibility report: Look for Venus low in the west just after sunset; Saturn can be seen toward the southeast as soon as it gets dark; Mars rises around midnight; and Jupiter rises in the first half of the night (rising earlier as the month goes on). October 2 – New moon October 11 – Europa is easily observable to one side of Jupiter by itself this morning using binoculars. October 14-31 – Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) becomes visible low in the west following sunset. If the comet’s tail is well-illuminated by sunlight, it could be visible to the unaided eye. The first week and a half (Oct. 14-24) is the best time to observe, using binoculars or a small telescope. October 13-14 – After dark both nights, look for the nearly full Moon with Saturn toward the southeast. October 17 – Full moon October 20 – The Moon rises near Jupiter, with the giant planet looking extremely bright. You should be able to find them low in the east after around 10 pm. October 23-24 – Early risers will be able to spot Mars together with the Moon, high overhead in the south both mornings. October 25 – Europa is easily observable to one side of Jupiter by itself this morning using binoculars. Transcript What’s Up for October? This month’s viewing tips for Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter. When’s the best time to observe the destination of NASA’s next deep space mission? And how you can see a (potentially bright) comet this month? And watch our video ’till the end for photos of highlights from last month’s skies. Sky chart showing Mars near the Moon on October 23. The pair appear quite high overhead, along with Jupiter. NASA/JPL-Caltech Up first, we look at the visibility of the planets in October. Look for Venus low in the west just after sunset. It’s setting by the time the sky is fully dark. Saturn is visible toward the southeast as soon as it gets dark out, and sets by dawn. Mars rises around midnight all month. By dawn it has climbed quite high into the south-southeastern sky, appearing together with Jupiter. Now, Jupiter is rising in the first half of the night. In early October you’ll find it high in the south as dawn approaches, and later in the month it’s progressed farther over to the west before sunrise. And, speaking of Jupiter, NASA plans to launch its latest solar system exploration mission to one of the giant planet’s moons this month. Europa Clipper is slated to blast off as early as October 10th. It’s thought that Europa holds an enormous ocean of salty liquid water beneath its icy surface. That makes this the first mission dedicated to studying an ocean world beyond Earth. Europa Clipper is designed to help us understand whether this icy moon could support some form of life, and along the way it’ll teach us more about the conditions that make a world habitable. Now, if you’ve ever pointed binoculars or a telescope at Jupiter, you know the thrill of seeing the little star-like points of light next to it that are its four large moons, which were first observed by Galileo in 1610. There are two mornings in October, the 11th and the 25th, when you can most easily observe Europa. These are times when the moon is at its greatest separation from the planet as seen from here on Earth, and it’s all by itself to one side of Jupiter. So be sure to have your own peek at Jupiter’s moon Europa this month, as a new NASA mission begins its journey to explore an ocean in the sky. Now a look at Moon and planet pair-ups for October. On the 13th and 14th after dark, look for the nearly full Moon with Saturn toward the southeast. Then on the evening of October 20th, the Moon rises near Jupiter, with the giant planet looking extremely bright. You should be able to find them low in the east after around 10 pm that night. Then, in the morning of Oct. 23rd and 24th, early risers will be able to spot Mars together with the Moon, high overhead in the south. Sky chart showing the location of Comet C/2023 A3 between Oct. 14 and Oct 24 following sunset. The comet climbs higher each evening, but also grows fainter. NASA/JPL-Caltech October offers a chance to observe what could be the brightest comet of the year. Earlier this year we got a look at Comet 12P, which was visible with binoculars but not super bright. Now another of these ancient and icy dust ****** is streaking through our neighborhood on an 80,000-year orbit from the distant reaches of the Oort Cloud. The comet, known as C/2023 A3, aka Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, is currently speeding through the inner solar system. It passed its closest to the Sun in late September, and will be at its closest to Earth on October 13th. And after that time, through the end of the month, will be the best time to look for it. This is when the comet will become visible low in the western sky beginning during twilight. It will quickly rise higher each subsequent evening, making it easier to observe, but it’ll also be getting a little fainter each night. As with all comets, predictions for how bright it could get are uncertain. If the comet’s tail is brilliantly illuminated by the Sun, predictions show that it could become bright enough to see with the unaided eye. But comets have a way of surprising us, so we’ll just have to wait and see. Your best shot at seeing it will be from around October 14th through the 24th, with binoculars or a small telescope, and a reasonably clear view toward the west. So good luck, and clear skies, comet hunters! Watch our video for views of what some of the highlights we told you about in last month’s video actually looked like. The phases of the Moon for October 2024. NASA/JPL-Caltech And here are the phases of the Moon for October. Stay up to date on all of NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond at science.nasa.gov. I’m Preston Dyches from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that’s What’s Up for this month. Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Skywatching Skywatching FAQ Frequently asked questions about skywatching, answered by NASA. What’s Up Explore the Night Sky View the full article

Watch how the three stars in the system called TIC 290061484 eclipse each other over about 75 days. The line at the bottom is the plot of the system’s brightness over time, as seen by TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite). The inset shows the system from above. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Professional and ******** astronomers teamed up with artificial intelligence to find an unmatched stellar trio called TIC 290061484, thanks to cosmic “strobe lights” captured by NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite). The system contains a set of twin stars orbiting each other every 1.8 days, and a third star that circles the pair in just 25 days. The discovery smashes the record for shortest outer orbital ******* for this type of system, set in 1956, which had a third star orbiting an inner pair in 33 days. “Thanks to the compact, edge-on configuration of the system, we can measure the orbits, masses, sizes, and temperatures of its stars,” said Veselin Kostov, a research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. “And we can study how the system formed and predict how it may evolve.” A paper, led by Kostov, describing the results was published in The Astrophysical Journal Oct. 2. This artist’s concept illustrates how tightly the three stars in the system called TIC 290061484 orbit each other. If they were placed at the center of our solar system, all the stars’ orbits would be contained a space smaller than Mercury’s orbit around the Sun. The sizes of the triplet stars and the Sun are also to scale.NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Flickers in starlight helped reveal the tight trio, which is located in the constellation Cygnus. The system happens to be almost flat from our perspective. This means the stars each cross right in front of, or eclipse, each other as they orbit. When that happens, the nearer star blocks some of the farther star’s light. Using machine learning, scientists filtered through enormous sets of starlight data from TESS to identify patterns of dimming that reveal eclipses. Then, a small team of citizen scientists filtered further, relying on years of experience and informal training to find particularly interesting cases. These ******** astronomers, who are co-authors on the new study, met as participants in an online citizen science project called Planet Hunters, which was active from 2010 to 2013. The volunteers later teamed up with professional astronomers to create a new collaboration called the Visual Survey Group, which has been active for over a decade. “We’re mainly looking for signatures of compact multi-star systems, unusual pulsating stars in binary systems, and weird objects,” said Saul Rappaport, an emeritus professor of physics at MIT in Cambridge. Rappaport co-authored the paper and has helped lead the Visual Survey Group for more than a decade. “It’s exciting to identify a system like this because they’re rarely found, but they may be more common than current tallies suggest.” Many more likely speckle our galaxy, waiting to be discovered. Partly because the stars in the newfound system orbit in nearly the same plane, scientists say it’s likely very stable despite their tight configuration (the trio’s orbits fit within a smaller area than Mercury’s orbit around the Sun). Each star’s gravity doesn’t perturb the others too much, like they could if their orbits were tilted in different directions. But while their orbits will likely remain stable for millions of years, “no one lives here,” Rappaport said. “We think the stars formed together from the same growth process, which would have disrupted planets from forming very closely around any of the stars.” The exception could be a distant planet orbiting the three stars as if they were one. As the inner stars age, they will expand and ultimately merge, triggering a supernova ********** in around 20 to 40 million years. In the meantime, astronomers are hunting for triple stars with even shorter orbits. That’s hard to do with current technology, but a new tool is on the way. This graphic highlights the search areas of three transit-spotting missions: NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, TESS (the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), and the retired Kepler Space Telescope. Kepler found 13 triply eclipsing triple star systems, TESS has found more than 100 so far, and astronomers expect Roman to find more than 1,000.NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Images from NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will be much more detailed than TESS’s. The same area of the sky covered by a single TESS pixel will fit more than 36,000 Roman pixels. And while TESS took a wide, shallow look at the entire sky, Roman will pierce deep into the heart of our galaxy where stars crowd together, providing a core sample rather than skimming the whole surface. “We don’t know much about a lot of the stars in the center of the galaxy except for the brightest ones,” said Brian Powell, a co-author and data scientist at Goddard. “Roman’s high-resolution view will help us measure light from stars that usually blur together, providing the best look yet at the nature of star systems in our galaxy.” And since Roman will monitor light from hundreds of millions of stars as part of one of its main surveys, it will help astronomers find more triple star systems in which all the stars eclipse each other. “We’re curious why we haven’t found star systems like these with even shorter outer orbital periods,” said Powell. “Roman should help us find them and bring us closer to figuring out what their limits might be.” Roman could also find eclipsing stars bound together in even larger groups — half a dozen, or perhaps even more all orbiting each other like bees buzzing around a hive. “Before scientists discovered triply eclipsing triple star systems, we didn’t expect them to be out there,” said co-author Tamás Borkovits, a senior research fellow at the Baja Observatory of The University of Szeged in Hungary. “But once we found them, we thought, well why not? Roman, too, may reveal never-before-seen categories of systems and objects that will surprise astronomers.” TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission managed by NASA Goddard and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Additional partners include Northrop Grumman, based in Falls *******, Virginia; NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley; the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge, Massachusetts; MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. More than a dozen universities, research institutes, and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission. NASA’s citizen science projects are collaborations between scientists and interested members of the public and do not require U.S. citizenship. Through these collaborations, volunteers (known as citizen scientists) have helped make thousands of important scientific discoveries. To get involved with a project, visit NASA’s Citizen Science page. Download additional images and video from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio. By Ashley Balzer NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Media Contact: Claire Andreoli 301-286-1940 *****@*****.tld NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Share Details Last Updated Oct 02, 2024 Related TermsTESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite)AstrophysicsBinary StarsGalaxies, Stars, & ****** HolesGoddard Space Flight CenterNancy Grace Roman Space TelescopeScience & ResearchStarsThe Universe View the full article

7 Min Read NASA’s Webb Reveals Unusual Jets of Volatile Gas from Icy Centaur 29P An artist’s concept of Centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1’s outgassing activity as seen from the side. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, L. Hustak (STScI) Inspired by the half-human, half-horse creatures that are part of Ancient Greek mythology, the field of astronomy has its own kind of centaurs: distant objects orbiting the Sun between Jupiter and Neptune. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has mapped the gases spewing from one of these objects, suggesting a varied composition and providing new insights into the formation and evolution of the solar system. Centaurs are former trans-Neptunian objects that have been moved inside Neptune’s orbit by subtle gravitational influences of the planets in the last few million years, and may eventually become short-******* comets. They are “hybrid” in the sense that they are in a transitional stage of their orbital evolution: Many share characteristics with both trans-Neptunian objects (from the cold Kuiper Belt reservoir), and short-******* comets, which are objects highly altered by repeated close passages around the Sun. Image A: Illustration An artist’s concept of Centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1’s outgassing activity as seen from the side. While prior radio-wavelength observations showed a jet of gas pointed toward Earth, astronomers used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to gather additional insight on the front jet’s composition and noted three more jets of gas spewing from Centaur 29P’s surface. NASA, ESA, CSA, L. Hustak (STScI) Since these small icy bodies are in an orbital transitional phase, they have been the subject of various studies as scientists seek to understand their composition, the reasons behind their outgassing activity — the loss of their ices that lie underneath the surface — and how they serve as a link between primordial icy bodies in the outer solar system and evolved comets. A team of scientists recently used Webb’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) instrument to obtain data on Centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 (29P for short), an object that is known for its highly active and quasi-periodic outbursts. It varies in intensity every six to eight weeks, making it one of the most active objects in the outer solar system. They discovered a new jet of carbon monoxide (CO) and previously unseen jets of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas, which give new clues to the nature of the centaur’s nucleus. “Centaurs can be considered as some of the leftovers of our planetary system’s formation. Because they are stored at very cold temperatures, they preserve information about volatiles in the early stages of the solar system,” said Sara Faggi of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and ********* University in Washington, DC, lead author of the study. “Webb really opened the door to a resolution and sensitivity that was impressive to us — when we saw the data for the first time, we were excited. We had never seen anything like this.” Webb and the Jets Centaurs’ distant orbits and consequent faintness have inhibited detailed observations in the past. Data from prior radio wavelength observations of Centaur 29P showed a jet pointed generally toward the Sun (and Earth) composed of CO. Webb detected this face-on jet and, thanks to its large mirror and infrared capabilities, also sensitively searched for many other chemicals, including water (H2O) and CO2. The latter is one of the main forms in which carbon is stored across the solar system. No indication of water vapor was detected in the atmosphere of 29P, which could be related to the extremely cold temperatures present in this body. The telescope’s unique imaging and spectral data revealed never-before-seen features: two jets of CO2 emanating in the north and south directions, and another jet of CO pointing toward the north. This was the first definitive detection of CO2 in Centaur 29P. Image B: IFU Graphic A team of scientists used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s spectrographic capabilities to gather data on Centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1, one of the most active objects in the outer solar system. The Webb data revealed never-before-seen features: two jets of carbon dioxide spewing in the north and south directions, and a jet of carbon monoxide pointing toward north. NASA, ESA, CSA, L. Hustak (STScI), S. Faggi (NASA-GSFC, ********* University) Based on the data gathered by Webb, the team created a 3D model of the jets to understand their orientation and origin. They found through their modeling efforts that the jets were emitted from different regions on the centaur’s nucleus, even though the nucleus itself cannot be resolved by Webb. The jets’ angles suggest the possibility that the nucleus may be an aggregate of distinct objects with different compositions; however, other scenarios can’t yet be excluded. Video A: Zoom and Spin An artist’s concept of Centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1’s outgassing activity as seen from the side. While prior radio-wavelength observations showed a jet of gas pointed toward Earth, astronomers used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to gather additional insight on the front jet’s composition and noted three more jets of gas spewing from Centaur 29P’s surface. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, L. Hustak (STScI) “The fact that Centaur 29P has such dramatic differences in the abundance of CO and CO2 across its surface suggests that 29P may be made of several pieces,” said Geronimo Villanueva, co-author of the study at NASA Goddard. “Maybe two pieces coalesced together and made this centaur, which is a mixture between very different bodies that underwent separate formation pathways. It challenges our ideas about how primordial objects are created and stored in the Kuiper Belt.” Persisting Unanswered Questions (For Now) The reasons for Centaur 29P’s bursts in brightness, and the mechanisms behind its outgassing activity through the CO and CO2 jets, continue to be two major areas of interest that require further investigation. In the case of comets, scientists know that their jets are often driven by the outgassing of water. However, because of the centaurs’ location, they are too cold for water ice to sublimate, meaning that the nature of their outgassing activity differs from comets. “We only had time to look at this object once, like a snapshot in time,” said Adam McKay, a co-author of the study at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. “I’d like to go back and look at Centaur 29P over a much longer ******* of time. Do the jets always have that orientation? Is there perhaps another carbon monoxide jet that turns on at a different point in the rotation *******? Looking at these jets over time would give us much better insights into what is driving these outbursts.” The team is hopeful that as they increase their understanding of Centaur 29P, they can apply the same techniques to other centaurs. By improving the astronomical community’s collective knowledge of centaurs, we can simultaneously better our understanding on the formation and evolution of our solar system. These findings have been published in Nature. The observations were taken as part of General Observer program 2416. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (********* Space Agency) and CSA (********* Space Agency). Downloads Right click any image to save it or open a larger version in a new tab/window via the browser’s popup menu. View/Download all image products at all resolutions for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute. View/Download the research results from Nature. Media Contacts Laura Betz – laura.e*****@*****.tld, Rob Gutro – *****@*****.tld NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Abigail Major – *****@*****.tld, Christine Pulliam – *****@*****.tld Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Related Information Article: More about Solar System studies with Webb Webb Blog: Chariklo Ring System Kuiper Belt Facts More Webb News More Webb Images Webb Science Themes Webb Mission Page Related For Kids What is the Webb Telescope? SpacePlace for Kids En Español Ciencia de la NASA NASA en español Space Place para niños Keep Exploring Related Topics James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the… Our Solar System Asteroids, Comets & Meteors Uncovering Icy Objects in the Kuiper Belt Share Details Last Updated Oct 02, 2024 Editor Marty McCoy Contact Laura Betz laura.e*****@*****.tld Related Terms Asteroids Astrophysics Comets Goddard Space Flight Center James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Science & Research Small Bodies of the Solar System The Solar System View the full article

NASA has selected Intuitive Machines of Houston and Aalyria Technologies Inc. of Livermore, California, to perform capability studies with the goal of advancing space communications and exploration technologies. These studies will allow NASA to gain insights into industry capabilities and innovations to facilitate NASA partnerships with commercial communications and navigation providers. The awards, under the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-2 (Next STEP-2) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Appendix Q, are firm fixed-price milestone-based contracts. Intuitive Machines is awarded $647,600 — Study Area No. 1, Lunar User Terminals and Network Orchestration — to conduct state-of-the-art studies and demonstrations for a dual-purpose navigation and communication lunar surface user terminal. The terminal will support lunar surface exploration planning and ensure interoperability with future LunaNet compatible service providers working in partnership with NASA, ESA (********* Space Agency), and other space agencies. Aalyria Technologies is awarded $393,004 — Study Area No. 2, Network Orchestration and Management System (NOMS) — to provide NASA with insights on advanced Network Orchestration and Management Systems that effectively address NASA’s need to integrate into multiple commercial and government communication service providers supporting the Near Space Network. NASA’s Near Space Network is managed by the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, under the direction of the agency’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program office within the Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The Near Space Network provides NASA missions with robust communications services through an interoperable architecture composed of a mixture of existing NASA and commercial services. “These awards are part of NASA’s continuing effort to build commercial partnerships to help support increasingly sophisticated and high-demand space missions,” said Greg Heckler, new capability lead for the SCaN Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Seamless interoperability across networks, from here on Earth to cislunar space, is an essential element of SCaN’s emerging ‘one network’ approach. These awards will move us one step closer to realizing that future.” The innovative studies delivered by industry through the Next Space Technologies for Exploration (NextSTEP) – 2 Omnibus Broad Agency Announcement vehicle bolster the agency’s goal to create a reliable, robust, and cost-effective set of commercial services in which NASA is one of many customers. Learn more about the NextSTEP public-private partnership model at: [Hidden Content] -end- Jeremy Eggers Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 757-824-2958 *****@*****.tld View the full article

To shape NASA’s path of exploration forward, Dr. Gioia Rau unravels stars and worlds beyond our solar system. Name: Dr. Gioia Rau Title: Astrophysicist Organization: Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory, Astrophysics Division, Science Mission Directorate (Code 667) Dr. Gioia Rau is an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.Photo courtesy of Gioia Rau What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? I’m an astrophysicist who studies both evolved stars, stars that about to ****, and exoplanets, planets outside our solar system. I study the stars that once held the elements that are in our body, such as calcium. I also lead the science part of several mission concept studies. And I am really passionate about strategic thinking. How does it feel to achieve your childhood dream of becoming an astrophysicist at NASA? I am from Italy. Growing up, I was always fascinated by NASA. As a child, I watched the shuttle launches. I loved everything about stars, planets, and galaxies. I devoured astronomy books. I always knew that I wanted to study astrophysics. Around 10 years old, I wrote a letter to NASA saying that I wanted to become an astrophysicist to study the universe. NASA sent me information and encouraged me to study and work hard. So I did. I still remember my first day working at NASA. I looked around with so much joy at my dream coming true. Every day that I work at Goddard, I find more passion to continue pursue my dreams. What is your educational background? In 2009, I earned a Bachelor of Science in physics from the University of Rome, La Sapienza. In 2011, I obtained a master’s in physics and astrophysics there. Also in 2011, I was awarded a very competitive fellowship to do a master’s thesis at the California Institute of Technology and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab thanks to my high GPA. In 2016, I earned a Ph.D. in astrophysics from the University of Vienna. I came to Goddard in 2017 when I obtained a NASA post-doctoral fellowship. Why do you study evolved stars? Evolved stars are the future of our own Sun, which in about 5 billion years will ****. Evolved stars also produce elements found in our own bodies, as, for example, the calcium in our bones, the iron in our blood, and the gold in our rings. The stardust that I study is spread by the stellar winds into the interstellar medium to form new generation of stars and planets, and contribute to the cosmic recycle of matter in the universe. As Carl Sagan said, “We are all made of stardust.” What is most interesting about studying exoplanets? If we discover an exoplanet within the habitable zone of its star, we increase the likelihood of finding a planet with Earth-like conditions. This can enhance our understanding of planetary formation processes, and help determine if these exoplanets may harbor life through studying their atmospheres. My team of students and scientists used Artificial Intelligence techniques to discover new exoplanet candidates. They are called candidates because they need to be confirmed through follow-up observations. It was a very exciting, pioneering project using cutting-edge techniques. Why is working on mission concepts important to you? Mission concepts represent the future of space exploration, and I lead the science team of multiple mission concepts. By working on these pioneering projects, we as teams are actively shaping the future of NASA, and advancing the field of astrophysics. I am grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with so many brilliant scientists and engineers. I am passionate about strategic thinking and the visionary process behind it to shape the future of science and of organizations alike. I thrive on seeing the big picture and contributing to initiative that shape the future of organizations and people alike. Why do you love mentoring? I love working with students. It is gratifying to teach them and fuel their passions and also, again, working with the next generation helps shape NASA’s future. I tell the students what I firmly believe: that resilience, grit, passion, and hard work are some of the most important qualities in a scientist. That integrity, humility, and flexibility are great values to honor as a scientist. And I tell them not to be afraid of trying something new. After all, ******** is part of being a scientist. Doing science is about learning from failures, to be successful. As scientists, we follow the scientific method to test our hypotheses through experiments. Ninety-nine percent of the time that experiment does not work the first time. So we need to keep refining the experiment until it does work. I also tell my students to keep in focus their goal, and work very hard toward it: make a plan and stick to it. What is your message when you do outreach? I started doing outreach when I was in college. I have since done hundreds of outreach events; I am passionate about sharing the joy of astrophysics, and my passion for it, with the general public! When I do outreach, my goal is to make the Universe accessible to the public: the Cosmos belongs to all of us, and we can all enjoy the beauty and wanders of the Universe, together. I aim to build connections that bridge the gap between science and the public, working together to deepen our understanding of the Universe and inspire the next generation of scientists. I also remind the audience that behind every success there are a multitude of failures that led to that success. I tell them why I am passionate about science and how I became an astrophysicist at NASA. Engaging with people makes science more accessible and relatable. Outreach inspires the next generation to become scientists. Who is your science hero? Hypatia. She was an astronomer and a philosopher who lived in ancient Greece. At that time, scientists were also philosophers, and I love philosophy. She was martyred because her views were considered to be against the established way of thinking. She was a martyr for freedom of thought. Do you have a phrase that you live by? Keep on dreaming, and work hard toward your goals; ad astra per aspera! Who do you wish to thank? My father and my mother, and my current family: my husband who is my biggest supporter and fan, and my kids for the joy they bring. I also would like to thank all my mentors along the way. They always believed in me and guided me on my path. What do you do for fun? I love playing volleyball, skiing, reading, taking photos, playing the piano and the guitar, hiking, sailing, baking, and of course being with my family. What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words. Unraveling mysteries, shaping futures, inspiring paths. 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 Oct 01, 2024 EditorMadison OlsonContactRob Garner*****@*****.tldLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related TermsPeople of GoddardGoddard Space Flight CenterPeople of NASA Explore More 8 min read Julie Rivera Pérez Bridges Business, STEM to ‘Make the Magic Happen’ Article 1 week ago 5 min read Rob Gutro: Clear Science in the Forecast Article 2 weeks ago 8 min read Rob Garner: Editing Goddard’s Story to Fit the Space Article 2 weeks ago View the full article

Oct. 1, 2024 NASA astronaut Josh Cassada holds a roll-out solar array as he rides the Canadarm2 robotic arm during a spacewalk in support of the Expedition 68 mission aboard the International Space Station on Dec. 3, 2022. Credit: NASA Three-time Spacewalker Josh Cassada to Retire from NASA NASA astronaut Josh Cassada retired Oct. 1, after 11 years of service to the agency across multiple programs, including 157 days in space and three spacewalks. Cassada also is a retired ******* States Navy captain and naval aviator with more than two decades of service. Cassada served as pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission and Expedition 68 flight engineer aboard the International Space Station, executing myriad maintenance, contingency, and upgrade activities inside the station while also contributing to hundreds of experiments and technology demonstrations. His three spacewalks outside of the orbiting laboratory totaled more than 21 hours, successfully installing a pair of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (IROSAs) to boost the station’s electrical capacity. Cassada, alongside crewmate NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, also assembled the infrastructure for a future IROSA installation and fully restored a malfunctioning legacy solar array. “I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Josh for his dedication and service to human space exploration,” said NASA Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche. “Josh’s contributions and achievements to the advancement of science and exploration will inspire the next generation of explorers, the Artemis generation, and benefit humanity for decades to come.” NASA astronaut Josh Cassada poses for a portrait in his extravehicular mobility unit spacesuit on August 8, 2022. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz Throughout Expedition 68, Cassada and his crewmates completed extensive problem-solving with ground teams, including the modification of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to accommodate an additional crew member in the event of an emergency return, and leveraged the crew’s various skill sets and training to ensure continued safe and effective operations for current and future crews. In Houston, Cassada served as a capsule communicator in NASA’s Mission Control Center and assistant to the chief of the Astronaut Office for space station operations. As a physicist and test pilot, Cassada also contributed to the development of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and Orion spacecraft and represented the Astronaut Office in technical and operational reviews of scientific experiments such as the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and Cold Atom Lab. “Josh has played a significant role in NASA’s deliverance of reliable and cost-effective human transportation to and from the space station,” said Norm Knight, director of flight operations at NASA Johnson. “Through his dedication and commitment to human spaceflight exploration, Josh’s work will continue to push us forward on our journey back to the Moon, and beyond. We will miss him and are excited to see what his next journey entails.” As he transitions from government service, Cassada will return to the private sector, working on extremely low light detection technologies with broad and emerging applications in various areas, including quantum networks and computing, remote sensing, long-range communication, semiconductor manufacturing, and medical imaging. “I am incredibly grateful for my many opportunities here at NASA,” Cassada said, “and especially to have served alongside some of the most amazing people both on and off our planet, accomplishing things that are only possible when we work and innovate together as a team. As humans, we explore . And each scientific adventure, whether in a lab on Earth or in space, requires courage to explore and advance society. I am incredibly fortunate to have been surrounded by explorers during my entire career so far and going forward. An expedition may seem daunting, but it’s a lot less so when you’re prepared and with the right crewmates.” Before his selection by NASA in 2013 as a member of NASA’s 21st Class, Cassada earned his doctorate in High Energy Particle Physics from the University of Rochester, New York and was a U.S. Navy pilot, instructor pilot, test pilot, and instructor test pilot. Throughout his career, Cassada has accumulated more than 4,000 flight hours in over 50 different aircraft and has been awarded various military and civilian awards. Cassada graduated from White Bear Lake Area High School in Minnesota in 1991 and received his bachelor’s in Physics in 1995 from Albion College in Michigan. Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at: [Hidden Content] -end- Courtney Beasley Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 *****@*****.tld View the full article

6 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin are returning to Earth after months aboard the International Space Station conducting scientific experiments and technology demonstrations for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission. The four launched on March 3 aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Here’s a look at some scientific milestones accomplished during their mission: Revealing resistant microorganisms NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps extracts DNA for the Genomic Enumeration of Antibiotic Resistance in Space experiment, which surveys the station for antibiotic-resistant organisms and sequences their DNA to examine adaptations to space. Results could support development of measures to protect astronauts and people in buildings and facilities on Earth, such as hospitals, from resistant bacteria. NASA Brain organoid models NASA astronaut Mike Barratt processes samples for Human Brain Organoid Models for Neurodegenerative ******** & ***** Discovery. This investigation uses human brain organoids created with stem cells from patients to study neuroinflammation, a common feature of neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s ********. The organoids provide a platform to study these ********* and their treatments and to potentially address how extended spaceflight affects the brain. NASA Bioprinting human tissues Tissue samples bioprinted in microgravity are higher quality than those printed on the ground. NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick processes cardiac tissue samples for the Redwire Cardiac Bioprinting Investigation. Results could advance the production of organs and tissues for transplant and improve 3D printing of foods and medicines on future long-duration space missions. NASA Growing better drugs NASA astronaut Mike Barratt works on Pharmaceutical In-space Laboratory – 02, which uses the station’s Advanced Space Experiments Processor to study how microgravity affects the production of various types of protein crystals. The ability to produce better crystals could lead to manufacturing improvements and new applications and better performance for pharmaceutical compounds, potentially providing more positive patient experiences. NASA Alloy solidification NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps works on Materials Science Lab Batch 3a, two projects investigating the solidification of metallic alloys in space. Insights gained could help improve alloy solidification processes on the ground, supporting the development of materials with superior chemical and physical properties for applications in space and on Earth. NASA Fueling the flames The Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction- Growth and Extinction Limit investigation determines how fuel temperature affects material flammability. This image shows the fuel surface during a ***** (the ****** part of the sphere) and the distance traveled by the flame (blue). Results could improve researchers’ understanding of ***** growth and inform the development of optimal ***** suppression techniques to protect crews on future missions. NASA Very long-distance calls NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps wraps up an ISS Ham Radio session on April 10, with students in Italy. The program connects students and enthusiasts with astronauts in space via ******** radio. Participants study space, radio waves, and related topics to prepare questions before their scheduled call. NASA Student robotics competition For Astrobee-Zero Robotics, students compete to have their code control one of the space station’s Astrobee robots. The experience helps inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers. NASA astronaut Mike Barratt works with the Astrobee ****** named Bumble during operations for the project. NASA Immune function in space NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps prepares samples for Immunity Assay, a study of how spaceflight affects immune function. Previously, astronaut immune function could only be examined pre- and postflight, but a newly developed assay allows for testing during flight. This capability provides a more precise assessment of the immune changes that happen in space. NASA Getting weighed in weightlessness The Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device calculates a crew member’s mass based on Newton’s Second Law of Motion, which states force equals mass times acceleration. NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick performs maintenance on the device, used in support of multiple NASA and ESA (********* Space Agency) investigations on how spaceflight affects the body. NASA Satellites for science NASA astronaut Mike Barratt prepares for the Nanoracks Cubesat Deployer Mission 27on April 16. The mission deployed seven research satellites: a reflectometer to measure sea ice, tests of telemetry instruments and solar cells, a hyperspectral thermal imager, a gamma-ray burst detector, a new remote sensing technique, and a magnetic field measurement test. NASA Remote-controlled robots NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps remotely manipulates a ****** on the ground for Surface Avatar. The investigation tests system ergonomics, operator response to feedback, and the potential challenges for actual orbit-to-ground remote control. Such operation is an important capability for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars. NASA The power of photographs NASA astronauts Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Loral O’Hara take photographs in the station’s cupola, adding to the more than 4.7 million images produced for Crew Earth Observations. These images support scientific studies on topics ranging from aquatic organisms and icebergs to the effects of artificial lighting at night and inform the response of decision-makers to natural disasters such as volcanoes and floods. NASA Reflections on the Moon For Earthshine from ISS, astronauts photograph the Moon throughout the lunar cycle to study changes in the light it reflects from Earth. Results could help validate the concept of observing Earth’s climate from satellite-borne instruments and add to researchers’ understanding of how the planet’s climate is changing. NASA Packing a Dragon NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick and Tracy C. Dyson pack frozen samples into the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for return to Earth and analysis by researchers. The spacecraft launched to the orbiting laboratory on March 21 for NASA’s SpaceX 30th commercial resupply services mission, carrying scientific experiments and supplies, and returned to Earth on April 30. NASA Cygnus delivers Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft attached to the Canadarm2 robotic arm before being released from the space station on July 12. NASA’s Northrop Grumman 20th commercial resupply services mission arrived Feb. 1 with experiments on 3D printing, robotic surgery, tissue cartilage, and more. NASA Melissa Gaskill International Space Station Research Communications Team NASA’s Johnson Space Center Download high-resolution photos and videos of the research mentioned in this article. Search this database of scientific experiments to learn more about those mentioned in this article. Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Expedition 71 Expedition 71 began on April 5, 2024 and ends in September 2024. This crew will explore neuro-degenerative ********* and therapies,… NASA Astronaut Don Pettit, Crewmates Arrive at Space Station View the full article

4 min read NASA’s Instruments Capture Sharpest Image of Earth’s Radiation Belt From Aug. 19-20, ESA’s (********* Space Agency’s) Juice (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) mission made history with a daring lunar-Earth flyby and double gravity assist maneuver, a spaceflight first. As the spacecraft zipped past our Moon and home planet, Juice’s instruments came online for a dry run of what they’ll do when they reach Jupiter. During that time, two of NASA’s onboard instruments added another first to the list: capturing the sharpest-ever image of Earth’s radiation belts – swaths of charged particles trapped in Earth’s magnetic shield, or magnetosphere. The Jovian Energetic Neutrals and Ions (JENI) instrument, built and managed by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, on behalf of NASA, took the image as Juice soared away from Earth. What it captured is invisible to the human eye. Unlike traditional cameras that rely on light, JENI uses special sensors to capture energetic neutral atoms emitted by charged particles interacting with the extended atmospheric hydrogen gas surrounding Earth. The JENI instrument is the newest generation of this type of camera, building on the success of a similar instrument on NASA’s Cassini mission that revealed the magnetospheres of Saturn and Jupiter. An illustration showing the trajectory of ESA’s Juice spacecraft during its lunar-Earth gravity assist, featuring a high-resolution ENA image of the million-degree hot plasma halo encircling Earth captured by NASA’s JENI instrument. The white rings denote equatorial distance of 4 and 6 Earth radii. The inset showcases measurements taken by the NASA’s JENI and JoEE instruments during their passage through the radiation belts, revealing a highly structured energetic ion and electron environment. Credit: ESA/NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Josh Diaz “As soon as we saw the crisp, new images, high fives went around the room,” said Matina Gkioulidou, deputy lead of JENI at APL. “It was clear we had captured the vast ring of hot plasma encircling Earth in unprecedented detail, an achievement that has sparked excitement for what is to come at Jupiter.” On Aug. 19, JENI and its companion particle instrument Jovian Energetic Electrons (JoEE) made the most of their brief 30-minute encounter with the Moon. As Juice zoomed just 465 miles (750 kilometers) above the lunar surface, the instruments gathered data on the space environment’s interaction with our nearest celestial companion. It’s an interaction scientists expect to see magnified at Jupiter’s moons, as the gas giant’s radiation-rich magnetosphere barrels over them. On Aug. 20, Juice hurled into Earth’s magnetosphere, passing some 37,000 miles (60,000 km) above the Pacific Ocean, where the instruments got their first taste of the harsh environment that awaits at Jupiter. Racing through the magnetotail, JoEE and JENI encountered the dense, lower-energy plasma characteristic of this region before plunging into the heart of the radiation belts. There, the instruments measured the million-degree plasma encircling Earth to investigate the secrets of plasma heating that are known to fuel dramatic phenomena in planetary magnetospheres. “I couldn’t have hoped for a better flyby,” said Pontus Brandt, principal investigator of JoEE and JENI at APL. “The richness of the data from our deep-***** through the magnetosphere is astounding. JENI’s image of the entire system we just flew through was the cherry on top. It’s a powerful combination we will exploit in the Jovian system.” Now after using the Moon’s and Earth’s gravity, Juice’s trajectory has been successfully adjusted for a future encounter with Venus in August 2025. That Venus flyby will serve as a gravitational slingshot, propelling Juice back toward Earth and priming it for two additional flybys in September 2026 and January 2029. Only then will the spacecraft, now boosted into high gear, make its grand arrival at Jupiter in July 2031. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, in Laurel, Maryland, manages the JoEE and JENI instruments, which together make up the Particle Environment Package (PEP-Hi) instrument suite, for NASA on ESA’s Juice mission. The JoEE and JENI instruments are part of the Solar System Exploration Program, managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information on NASA’s involvement with ESA’s Juice mission, visit: [Hidden Content] Facebook logo @NASA @NASA Instagram logo @NASA Linkedin logo @NASA Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Planetary Science Jupiter Asteroids Solar System View the full article

3 Min Read October’s Night Sky Notes: Catch Andromeda Rising! Hot stars ***** brightly in this new image from NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer, showing the ultraviolet side of a familiar face. At approximately 2.5 million light-years away, the Andromeda galaxy, or M31, is our Milky Way’s largest galactic neighbor. Credits: NASA If you’re thinking of a galaxy, the image in your head is probably the Andromeda Galaxy! Studies of this massive neighboring galaxy, also called M31, have played an incredibly important role in shaping modern astronomy. As a bonus for stargazers, the Andromeda Galaxy is also a beautiful sight. Spot the Andromeda Galaxy! M31’s more common name comes from its parent constellation, which becomes prominent as autumn arrives in the Northern Hemisphere. Surprising amounts of detail can be observed with unaided eyes when seen from dark sky sites. Hints of it can even be made out from light polluted areas. Use the Great Square of Pegasus or the Cassiopeia constellation as guides to find it. Credit: Stellarium Web Have you heard that all the stars you see at night are part of our Milky Way galaxy? While that is mostly true, one star-like object located near the border between the constellations of Andromeda and Cassiopeia appears fuzzy to unaided eyes. That’s because it’s not a star, but the Andromeda Galaxy, its trillion stars appearing to our eyes as a 3.4 magnitude patch of haze. Why so dim? Distance! It’s outside our galaxy, around 2.5 million light years distant – so far away that the light you see left M31’s stars when our earliest ancestors figured out stone tools. Binoculars show more detail: M31’s bright core stands out, along with a bit of its wispy, saucer-shaped disc. Telescopes bring out greater detail but often can’t view the entire galaxy at once. Depending on the quality of your skies and your magnification, you may be able to make out individual globular clusters, structure, and at least two of its orbiting dwarf galaxies: M110 and M32. Light pollution and thin clouds, smoke, or haze will severely hamper observing fainter detail, as they will for any “faint fuzzy.” Surprisingly, persistent stargazers can still spot M31’s core from areas of moderate light pollution as long as skies are otherwise clear. Generated version of the Andromeda Galaxy and its companion galaxies M32 and M110. Stellarium Web Modern astronomy was greatly shaped by studies of the Andromeda Galaxy. A hundred years ago, the idea that there were other galaxies beside our own was not widely accepted, and so M31 was called the “Andromeda Nebula.” Increasingly detailed observations of M31 caused astronomers to question its place in our universe – was M31 its own “island universe,” and not part of our Milky Way? Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis engaged in the “Great Debate” of 1920 over its nature. Curtis argued forcefully from his observations of dimmer than expected nova, dust lanes, and other oddities that the “nebula” was in fact an entirely different galaxy from our own. A few years later, Edwin Hubble, building on Henrietta Leavitt’s work on Cepheid variable stars as a “standard candle” for distance measurement, concluded that M31 was indeed another galaxy after he observed Cepheids in photos of Andromeda, and estimated M31’s distance as far outside our galaxy’s boundaries. And so, the Andromeda Nebula became known as the Andromeda Galaxy. This illustration shows the location of the 43 quasars scientists used to probe Andromeda’s gaseous halo. These quasars—the very distant, brilliant cores of active galaxies powered by ****** holes—are scattered far behind the halo, allowing scientists to probe multiple regions. Looking through the immense halo at the quasars’ light, the team observed how this light is absorbed by the halo and how that absorption changes in different regions. By tracing the absorption of light coming from the background quasars, scientists are able to probe the halo’s material. NASA, ESA, and E. Wheatley (STScI) These discoveries inspire astronomers to this day, who continue to observe M31 and many other galaxies for hints about the nature of our universe. One of the Hubble Space Telescope’s longest-running observing campaigns was a study of M31: the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT). Dig into NASA’s latest discoveries about the Andromeda Galaxy, on their Messier 31 page. Originally posted by Dave Prosper: September 2021 Last Updated by Kat Troche: September 2024 View the full article

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) President and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation Jose Antonio Tijerino, left, and NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, sign a Space Act Agreement between the HHF and NASA to collaborate and expand STEM opportunities for Latino K-12 and university students and reduce barriers to agency activities and opportunities, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, at the NASA Headquarters Mary W. Jackson Building in Washington.NASA/Bill Ingalls During an event at NASA Headquarters in Washington Monday, the agency and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation signed a Space Act Agreement to collaborate and expand STEM opportunities for Latino K-12 and university students and reduce barriers to agency activities and opportunities. The signing is the latest in a series of efforts by NASA to expand access to STEM education for underrepresented communities across the nation. “Through this agreement, NASA and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation are not just formalizing a partnership; we are igniting a commitment to innovation that will shape the future of our endeavors,” said Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “This initiative will help build a diverse future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce, showcasing our commitment to making America’s space agency accessible to all.” As part of the agreement, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation will incorporate NASA STEM education resources, content, and themes into its Latinos on the Fast Track (LOFT) program, which aims to connect, inspire, and empower young Latino professionals and college students on their career journey. In turn, NASA will provide access to aerospace STEM education professionals to support technical reviews for the development of new curriculum materials and facilitate information sharing with NASA experts and mentors who will lead presentations and workshops to expose students to STEM careers. “The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is thrilled to partner with NASA to expand STEM opportunities and expose Latinos to career pathways in aerospace and space travel,” said Antonio Tijerino, president and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. “This innovative partnership with NASA will allow us to expand our mission even beyond our planet!” While initial efforts will be led by NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, the umbrella agreement also allows for further collaboration and partnership in the future. Specifically, the agency and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation will look to support certain areas of NASA’s Equity Action Plan. NASA works to explore the secrets of the universe and solve the world’s most complex problems, which requires creating space for all people to participate in and learn from its work in space. Providing access to opportunities where young minds can be curious and see themselves potentially at NASA and beyond is how the agency will continue to inspire the next generation of STEM innovators. For more information on how NASA inspires students to pursue STEM visit: [Hidden Content] Share Details Last Updated Sep 30, 2024 Related TermsGeneral Explore More 3 min read NASA’s BioSentinel Studies Solar Radiation as Earth Watches Aurora Article 4 days ago 9 min read SARP West 2024 Oceans Group Article 5 days ago 10 min read SARP West 2024 Whole Air Sampling (WAS) Group Article 5 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

Space for Earth is an immersive experience that is part of the Earth Information Center. Credit: NASA Media is invited to preview and interview NASA leadership ahead of the opening of the Earth Information Center at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History at 10 a.m. EDT, Monday, Oct. 7. The 2,000-square-foot exhibit includes a 32-foot-long, 12-foot-high video wall displaying Earth science data visualizations and videos, an interpretive panel showing Earth’s connected systems, information on our changing world, and an overview of how NASA and the Smithsonian study our home planet. Visitors also can explore Earth observing missions, changes in Earth’s landscape over time, and how climate is expected to change regionally through multiple interactive experiences. The event will take place at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History 1000 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Members of the media interested in attending should email Liz Vlock at: *****@*****.tld. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. Participants will be available for media interviews starting at the following times: 10 a.m.: NASA Administrator Bill Nelson 10 a.m.: Kirk Johnson, Sant director, Museum of Natural History 10:30 a.m.: Karen St. Germain, division director, NASA Earth Sciences Division 10:30 a.m.: Julie Robinson, deputy director, NASA Earth Sciences Division The Earth Information Center draws insights from across all NASA centers and its fellow partners – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Agency for International Development, Environmental Protection Agency, and Federal Emergency Management Administration. It allows viewers to see how our home planet is changing and gives decision makers information to develop the tools they need to mitigate, adapt, and respond to climate change. NASA’s Earth Information Center is a virtual and physical space designed to aid people to make informed decisions on Earth’s environment and climate. It provides easily accessible, readily usable, and scalable Earth information – enabling global understanding of our changing planet. The expansion of the physical Earth Information Center at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Museum makes it the second location in the Washington area. The first is located at NASA Headquarters in Washington at 300 E St., SW. To learn more about the Earth Information Center visit: [Hidden Content] -end- Elizabeth Vlock Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 *****@*****.tld Share Details Last Updated Sep 30, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsEarth Science DivisionEarth ScienceNASA HeadquartersScience Mission Directorate View the full article

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) By Savannah Bullard A new NASA competition, the LunaRecycle Challenge, is open and offering $3 million in prizes for innovations in recycling material waste on deep space missions. As NASA continues efforts toward long-duration human space travel, including building a sustained human presence on the Moon through its Artemis missions, the agency needs novel solutions for processing inorganic waste streams like food packaging, discarded clothing, and science experiment materials. While previous efforts focused on the reduction of trash mass and volume, this challenge will prioritize technologies for recycling waste into usable products needed for off-planet science and exploration activities. NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge will incentivize the design and development of energy-efficient, low-mass, and low-impact recycling solutions that address physical waste streams and improve the sustainability of longer-duration lunar missions. Through the power of open innovation, which draws on the public’s ingenuity and creativity to find solutions, NASA can restructure the agency’s approach to waste management, support the future of space travel, and revolutionize waste treatments on Earth, leading to greater sustainability on our home planet and beyond. “Operating sustainably is an important consideration for NASA as we make discoveries and conduct research both away from home and on Earth,” said Amy Kaminski, program executive for NASA’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program. “With this challenge, we are seeking the public’s innovative approaches to waste management on the Moon and aim to take lessons learned back to Earth for the benefit of all.” NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge will offer two competition tracks: a Prototype Build track and a Digital Twin track. The Prototype Build Track focuses on designing and developing hardware components and systems for recycling one or more solid waste streams on the lunar surface. The Digital Twin Track focuses on designing a virtual replica of a complete system for recycling solid waste streams on the lunar surface and manufacturing end products. Offering a Digital Twin track further lowers the barrier of entry for global solvers to participate in NASA Centennial Challenges and contribute to agency missions and initiatives. Teams will have the opportunity to compete in either or both competition tracks, each of which will carry its own share of the prize purse. The LunaRecycle Challenge also will address some of the aerospace community’s top technical challenges. In July 2024, NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate released a ranked list of 187 technology areas requiring further development to meet future exploration, science, and other mission needs. The results integrated inputs from NASA mission directorates and centers, industry organizations, government agencies, academia, and other interested individuals to help guide NASA’s space technology development and investments. This list and subsequent updates will help inform future Centennial Challenges. The three technological needs that LunaRecycle will address include logistics tracking, clothing, and trash management for habitation; in-space and on-surface manufacturing of parts and products; and in-space and on-surface manufacturing from recycled and reused materials. “I am pleased that NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge will contribute to solutions pertaining to technological needs within advanced manufacturing and habitats,” said Kim Krome, acting program manager for agency’s Centennial Challenges, and challenge manager of LunaRecycle. “We are very excited to see what solutions our global competitors generate, and we are eager for this challenge to serve as a positive catalyst for bringing the agency, and humanity, closer to exploring worlds beyond our own.” NASA has contracted The University of Alabama to be the allied partner for the duration of the challenge. The university, based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will coordinate with former Centennial Challenge winner AI Spacefactory to facilitate the challenge and manage its competitors. To register as a participant in NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge, visit: lunarecyclechallenge.ua.edu. NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge is led by the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida, with support from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The competition is a NASA’s Centennial Challenge, based at NASA Marshall. Centennial Challenges are part of NASA’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. For more information on LunaRecycle, visit: LunaRecycle Challenge Website Jasmine Hopkins Headquarters, Washington 321-432-4624 *****@*****.tld Lane Figueroa Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-0034 lane.e*****@*****.tld Facebook logo @nasaprize @NASAPrize Instagram logo @nasaprize Share Details Last Updated Sep 30, 2024 EditorBeth RidgewayLocationMarshall Space Flight Center Related TermsCentennial ChallengesMarshall Space Flight CenterPrizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program Explore More 1 min read Let It Go: (After Latching) Challenge Article 4 days ago 29 min read The Marshall Star for September 25, 2024 Article 5 days ago 3 min read NASA Michoud Continues Work on Evolved Stage of SLS Rocket for Future Artemis Missions Article 5 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article