NASA

NASA’s Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers landed on the Red Planet on Jan. 3 and 24, 2004, respectively. This image shows a view Opportunity captured of its own shadow on July 26 of that year, the 180th Martian day, or sol, of its mission.NASA/JPL-Caltech This month marks the 20th anniversary of Spirit and Opportunity’s landing on Mars, part of a mission whose legacy will extend far into the future. In January 2004, twin NASA rovers named Spirit and Opportunity touched down on opposite sides of Mars, kicking off a new era of interplanetary robotic exploration. They arrived in dramatic fashion three weeks apart, each nestled in a cluster of airbags that bounced along the surface around 30 times before coming to a stop and deflating. The golf cart-size rovers’ mission: to look for evidence that water once flowed on the Red Planet’s surface. Their findings would rewrite science textbooks, including Opportunity’s discovery soon after landing of the famous “blueberries” – spherical pebbles of the mineral hematite that had formed in acidic water. Several years into the mission, Spirit, undaunted but now dragging a damaged wheel, uncovered signs of ancient hot springs that could have been ideal habitats for microbial life billions of years ago (if any ever existed on the Red Planet). Scientists suspected Mars had long ago been radically different than the freezing desert it is today: Orbital images had shown what looked like networks of water-carved channels. But before Spirit and Opportunity, there was no proof that liquid water had formed those features. On the 20th anniversary of the landing of Spirit and Opportunity, celebrate NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Project with this two-sided poster that lists some of the pioneering explorers’ accomplishments on the Red Planet.NASA/JPL-Caltech Download a free poster celebrating the 20th anniversary of the landings “Our twin rovers were the first to prove a wet, early Mars once existed,” said former project scientist Matt Golombek of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which managed the Mars Exploration Rover mission. “They paved the way for learning even more about the Red Planet’s past with larger rovers like Curiosity and Perseverance.” An Enduring Legacy Thanks in part to the science collected by Spirit and Opportunity, NASA approved development of the SUV-size Curiosity rover to investigate whether the chemical ingredients that support life were present billions of years ago on what was once a watery world. (The rover found soon after its 2012 landing that they were.) Perseverance, which arrived at the Red Planet in 2021, is building on Curiosity’s success by collecting rock cores that could be brought to Earth to check for signs of ancient microbial life through the Mars Sample Return campaign, a joint effort by NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). While working on Spirit and Opportunity, engineers developed practices for exploring the surface that continue today, including the use of specialized software and 3D goggles to better navigate the Martian environment. And after honing years of expertise during the twin rovers’ travels over Mars’ rocky, sandy surface, engineers are able to plan safer, longer drives, and to quickly put together the far more complex daily plans required to operate Curiosity and Perseverance. Using footage filmed at JPL when Spirit touched down on Jan. 3, 2004, as well an animation depicting the rover’s arrival at the Red Planet, this video celebrates the 20th anniversary of Mars Exploration Rover Project landings. Spirit’s twin Opportunity arrived at Mars three weeks later. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Science team members have also become more adept in their role as virtual field geologists, drawing on years of knowledge to select the best ways to investigate Martian terrain using the robotic “eyes” and tools carried by their roving partners. Martian Marathon Designed to last just 90 days, Spirit landed on Jan. 3; Opportunity, on Jan. 24. The solar-powered Mars Exploration Rovers soldiered on for years – in the case of Opportunity, nearly 15 years, before succumbing to a planet-enveloping dust storm in 2018. That durability surpassed the wildest dreams of scientists and engineers, who had only expected localized exploration over a distance of no more than one-third of a mile (600 meters). Instead, through their long-lived robotic surrogates, the team got the chance to roam a wide variety of Martian terrains. Opportunity, the first rover to go a marathon-length distance on another planet, would ultimately cover nearly 30 miles (45 kilometers) in total – the farthest distance driven on another planet. “This was a paradigm shift no one was expecting,” said former project manager John Callas of JPL. “The distance and time scale we covered were a leap in scope that is truly historic.” This artist’s concept depicts one of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers on the Red Planet. The twin rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, landed in 2004 and lasted years beyond their expected 90-day mission.NASA/JPL-Caltech The chance to see so much was critical for revealing that not only was Mars once a wetter world, but also that it supported many different kinds of watery environments – fresh water, hot springs, acidic and salty pools – at distinct points in its history. Continuing Inspiration The roving twins would also inspire a new generation of scientists. One of those was Abigail Fraeman, who was a high school student invited to JPL on the night of Opportunity’s landing. She got to watch the excitement as the first signal returned, confirming Opportunity had safely landed. She would go on to pursue a career as a Mars geologist, returning to JPL years later to help lead Opportunity’s science team. Now deputy project scientist for Curiosity, Fraeman calls many of the people she met on Opportunity’s landing night her close colleagues. “The people who kept our twin rovers running for all those years are an extraordinary group, and it’s remarkable how many have made exploring Mars their career,” Fraeman said. “I feel so lucky I get to work with them every day while we continue to venture into places no human has ever seen in our attempt to answer some of the biggest questions.” More About the Mission JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, managed the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about Spirit and Opportunity, visit: https://mars.nasa.gov/mer News Media Contacts Andrew Good Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-393-2433 andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov Karen Fox / Alana Johnson NASA Headquarters, Washington 301-286-6284 / 202-358-1501 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov 2024-003 Share Details Last Updated Jan 17, 2024 Related TermsMars Exploration Rovers (MER)Jet Propulsion LaboratoryMarsMars Exploration ProgramOpportunity (Rover)Spirit (Rover) Explore More 5 min read NASA Study: More Greenland Ice Lost Than Previously Estimated Article 1 hour ago 7 min read Michael Thorpe Studies Sediment from Source to Sink Sedimentary and planetary geologist Michael Thorpe finds the stories rocks have to tell, those on… Article 1 hour ago 6 min read This US-Indian Satellite Will Monitor Earth’s Changing Frozen Regions Article 7 days ago View the full article

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO) awaits its flight on a scientific balloon with a picturesque view of Antarctica’s Mount Erebus in the distance. GUSTO successfully launched Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. local time (Dec. 31, 1:30 a.m. EST) and remains in flight.NASA/Scott Battaion High above the icy landscape of Earth’s southernmost continent, the Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO) scientific balloon mission has been afloat for more than 15 days since its launch from McMurdo, Antarctica, on Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. local time (Dec. 31, 1:30 a.m. EST). GUSTO is mapping a large portion of the Milky Way galaxy and Large Magellanic Cloud to help scientists study the interstellar medium. The observatory is transmitting the data it collects back to watchful teams on the ground as it steadily circumnavigates the South Pole around 120,000+ feet. GUSTO is flying on a 39 million cubic-foot zero-pressure scientific balloon, which is so large it could easily fit 195 blimps inside of it. The balloon is used to fly missions for long periods of time during the Austral Summer over Antarctica. GUSTO is aiming for a NASA record of 55+ days in flight to achieve its science goals. For more information on NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program, managed at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, click here. To track the GUSTO mission in real-time, visit NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility website. Check out more photos from GUSTO's launch here Share Details Last Updated Jan 16, 2024 EditorOlivia F. LittletonContactOlivia F. Littletonolivia.f.littleton@nasa.gov Related TermsAstrophysics Explorers ProgramGUSTO (Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory)Scientific BalloonsWallops Flight Facility Explore More 2 min read NASA Wallops Signs Space Act Agreement to Support STEM Outreach Article 3 weeks ago 8 min read NASA’s GUSTO Prepares to Map Space Between the Stars Editor’s Note: The GUSTO mission successfully launched on a scientific balloon from Antarctica Dec. 31,… Article 1 month ago 5 min read NASA Scientific Balloons Ready for Flights Over Antarctica Article 2 months ago View the full article

Jakobshavn Isbrae, a glacier on Greenland’s western coast, is shown in imagery taken on Sept. 5, 1985, by the Landsat 5 satellite. Jakobshavn receded from 1985 to 2022, losing about 97 billion tons (88 billion metric tons) of ice, a recent study of the Greenland Ice Sheet’s glacial retreat found.NASA/USGS A Landsat 8 image from Sept. 4, 2022, shows Jakobshavn Isbrae breaking at its edge. A recent study found that from 1985 to 2022 the Greenland Ice Sheet shed about 1,140 billion tons (1,034 billion metric tons) – one-fifth more mass than previously estimated.NASA/USGS A new, comprehensive analysis of satellite data finds that majority of glaciers on the landmass have retreated significantly. The Greenland Ice Sheet has shed about one-fifth more ice mass in the past four decades than previously estimated, researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California reported in a new paper. The majority of glaciers on the landmass have retreated significantly, and icebergs are falling into the ocean at an accelerating rate. This additional ice loss has had only an indirect impact on sea levels, but could hold implications for ocean circulation in the future. Published in Nature on Jan. 17, the analysis offers a comprehensive look at retreat around the edges of the entire ice sheet from 1985 to 2022, drawing from nearly a quarter million pieces of satellite data on glacier positions. Of the 207 glaciers in the study, 179 retreated significantly since 1985, 27 held steady, and one advanced slightly. Most of the ice loss came from below sea level, in fjords on Greenland’s periphery. Once occupied by ancient glacial ice, many of these deep coastal valleys have filled with seawater – meaning the ice that broke off made little net contribution to sea level. But the loss likely accelerated the movement of ice flowing down from higher elevations, which in turn added to sea level rise. “When the ice at the end of a glacier calves and retreats, it’s like pulling the plug out of the fjord, which lets ice drain into the ocean faster,” said Chad Greene, a glacier scientist at JPL and the study’s lead author. Accounting for Glacial Retreat For decades researchers have studied the Greenland Ice Sheet’s direct contributions to global sea level rise through ice flow and melting. Scientists participating in the international Ice sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise (IMBIE) estimated that the ice sheet had lost 5,390 billion tons (4,890 billion metric tons) between 1992 and 2020, adding about 0.531 inches (13.5 millimeters) to global mean sea level, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Imagery from the Landsat 7 satellite taken on Aug. 5, 1999, shows Zachariae Isstrom, a glacier in northeast Greenland. This glacier lost about 176 billion tons (160 billion metric tons) of ice during its retreat from 1985 to 2022, a recent study found.NASA/USGS A Landsat 8 image from Aug. 22, 2022, shows icebergs breaking from Zachariae Isstrom. From 1985 to 2022, as icebergs fell into the ocean at an accelerating rate, the Greenland Ice Sheet shed about 1,140 billion tons (1,034 billion metric tons) – one-fifth more mass than previously estimated.NASA/USGS But the IMBIE measurements do not account for ice lost due to the retreat of terminal glaciers along the edges of Greenland. (These glacier edges were already in the water, whether submerged or floating.) The new study quantifies this amount: For the 1985 to 2022 period in the new paper, the ice sheet was estimated to have lost about 1,140 billion tons (1,034 billion metric tons) – 21% more mass lost than in the IMBIE assessment. Although it doesn’t add to sea levels, the additional ice represents a significant influx of fresh water to the ocean. Recent studies have suggested that changes in the salinity of the North Atlantic Ocean from melting icebergs could weaken the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, part of the global “conveyor belt” of currents that transport heat and salt around the ocean. This could influence weather patterns worldwide, as well as affect ecosystems, the authors said. A Comprehensive View of Glacial Retreat Icebergs have tumbled from Greenland’s glaciers for thousands of years as part of a natural cycle that typically balanced glacier growth in the winter with melting and retreat in the summer. The new study finds that ice retreat has far outpaced growth throughout the 21st century. The researchers also found that Greenland’s ice extent remained relatively steady from 1985 to 2000, then started a marked recession that continues to this day. The data showed a glacier in northeast Greenland called Zachariae Isstrom lost the most ice, dropping 176 billion tons (160 billion metric tons) of mass due to retreat. It was followed by Jakobshavn Isbrae on the western coast, which lost an estimated 97 billion tons (88 billion metric tons), and Humboldt Gletscher in the northwest, which lost 96 billion tons (87 billion metric tons). Only one glacier, Qajuuttap Sermia in southern Greenland, experienced any growth over the study period, but its gains were too small to offset the losses from other glaciers. The researchers also found that glaciers with the largest seasonal fluctuations in the position of their ice front experienced the greatest overall retreat. The correlation suggests the glaciers that are most sensitive to warming each summer will be most impacted by climate change in the coming decades. The discovery of a large-scale pattern of glacier retreat and its link to glacier sensitivity on seasonal time scales was the result of a big-data synthesis that looks at all parts of the ice sheet over time, said JPL cryosphere scientist Alex Gardner, a co-author of the paper. Scientists drew from five publicly available datasets that cumulatively tracked the month-to-month positions of 236,328 glacier edges as detected, either manually or by computer algorithms, in images collected by optical and radar satellites. “Previously, we had bits and pieces – lots of local studies,” Gardner said. “But what this study offers is a systematic and comprehensive view that has led to some pretty significant insights that we didn’t have about the ice sheet before.” News Media Contacts Andrew Wang / Jane J. Lee Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 626-379-6874 / 818-354-0307 andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov / jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov 2024-002 Share Details Last Updated Jan 17, 2024 Related TermsIce & GlaciersCryosphereEarthEarth ScienceJet Propulsion Laboratory Explore More 7 min read Michael Thorpe Studies Sediment from Source to Sink Sedimentary and planetary geologist Michael Thorpe finds the stories rocks have to tell, those on… Article 9 mins ago 8 min read NASA’s PACE To Investigate Oceans, Atmospheres in Changing Climate Earth’s oceans and atmosphere are changing as the planet warms. Some ocean waters become greener… Article 6 days ago 6 min read This US-Indian Satellite Will Monitor Earth’s Changing Frozen Regions Article 7 days ago View the full article

Name: Michael Thorpe Title: Sedimentary and Planetary Geologist Organization: Planetary Environments Laboratory, Science Directorate (Code 699) Sedimentary and planetary geologist Dr. Michael Thorpe studies sediments’ journey from mountains to downstream lakes, both on Earth and on Mars. Photo Courtesy of Iceland Space Agency / Daniel Leeb What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission? As a sedimentary and planetary geologist, my research focuses on how sediments are transformed from the mountains to the lakes downstream, which is a process called source to sink. I study this phenomenon around the globe on Earth and then compare the results to those from similar sites on Mars. Why did you become a geologist? I grew up on the Hudson River Valley and loved to be outdoors. I knew that I wanted to pursue a career that kept me outdoors hiking, looking at nature and the environment. My sister, my hiking companion, always told me that rocks have a story to tell, which inspired me. What is your educational background? I have a bachelor’s degree in geology from Towson University, and both a master’s and a doctorate in geosciences from Stony Brook University. I then did a NASA post-doctoral fellowship at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. I was also later contracted at Johnson as a Mars Sample Return scientist. Why did you come to Goddard? Goddard was a dream job for me because I have always admired the group of scientists here, and I really wanted to work with the team in the planetary environments laboratory. Over the years, I closely followed their work, and it is exciting to be in a role to start contributing. I came to Goddard in July 2022 and tried to hit the ground running. Dr. Michael Thorpe, a sedimentary and planetary geologist at Goddard, travels around the world on field campaigns to collect sediment samples. “I hope to keep exploring places around the globe because each field site adds a new piece to the puzzle,” he said. “However, every place I go, the puzzle ends up getting more complex and it motivates me to develop more questions for the next adventure.”Photo Courtesy of Iceland Space Agency / Daniel Leeb Tell us about your field campaigns. I target terrains on Earth that may have been similar to ancient environments on the surface of Mars. To add some complexity to the system, I explore environments around the globe to better understand the impact climate has on the weathering of rocks. This work has implications for planetary exploration but also helps in understanding the long-term carbon cycle on Earth and its role in climate change. In the field, I scoop up sediments, rocks, and water samples all the way from the source terrains in the mountains to depositional sites downstream. I then bring them back to our labs here at Goddard to study their geochemistry and minerology, but also ship samples off to my amazing collaborators for additional analysis in their labs around the world. I have been super lucky early in my career be a part of five field campaigns to Iceland and then one to Hawaii, Idaho, and most recently Lazarote, Spain. I hope to keep exploring places around the globe because each field site adds a new piece to the puzzle. However, every place I go, the puzzle ends up getting more complex and it motivates me to develop more questions for the next adventure. What preparations do you take to conduct remote field work? I’ll use Iceland as example for this one. For this work, we commonly are trekking to remote locations. In order to get there, we took modified trucks which were able to go through water, ice, and snow and even climb some pretty steep terrains. Theses trucks are cool because the driver can inflate and deflate the very large tires in real-time. In the field, we wear our warm gear including down jackets but also sometimes waders to keep us dry while surveying a river. One of my favorite pieces of clothing in the field is a buff, which sits around our necks but we can also pull it up over our faces to shield us from the elements, which can include 70-plus mph winds at times. Some recent and exciting preparation we have for the field is bringing an inflatable boat, basically a floating pontoon, to sample lake sediment. We take the pontoon over the water and then drill for sediment samples off the platform. How important is a good team during remote field work? Establishing a good team is the foundation for successful field work. As a team leader, it is important to recognize the strengths as well as the limitations of all personnel, including myself. I am aware of my specialties and the areas where each teammate may thrive. When you put the right person in the right position, it makes the team excel. This fosters mutual respect and builds a support system. We understand we need to get the job done and how important each role is for the entire team. I tend go out in fairly large groups, sometimes as many as 25 people. We all respect the science and each other. Everyone brings a different piece to the team. When we are sampling, everyone has a mission and a role, sometimes creating sub-teams to a sample different area or components of the study site. Dr. Michael Thorpe, a sedimentary and planetary geologist at Goddard, is regularly taken to harsh environments in his study of sediments around the globe.Photo Courtesy of Iceland Space Agency / Daniel Leeb What is the most important advice your mentor Amy McAdam told you? Amy is the geochemist who leads our lab. Amy’s most important advice for me has been “go for it.” I say that jokingly, but it truly is incredibly helpful as a scientist to have someone backing you like that. She puts me in a position to succeed and always gives me the thumbs up to follow my scientific curiosity. Amy leads by example, both in the lab and field, I am grateful for all her support and look forward to working with her for many years. As a mentor yourself, what is the one thing you tell your students? Stay curious and do what you love. That’s the motto I have been following in my career, passed down from an amazing lineage of mentors, and I encourage all my mentees to do the same. It’s important for my students to follow their passions as well as to come up with new ideas. At the end of the day, it is remarkable to see a student develop their own research avenue. I hope to continue paying it forward and I look forward to mentoring the next generation of scientists for years to come. What do you do for fun? I love to watch and play all sports. Additionally, hiking brings me to my happy place. Hitting the trails with friends or my pup is icing on the cake. Speaking of cake, I also thoroughly enjoy cooking. Cooking relaxes me, it brings the family together, and it’s also something my wife and I love to do together. One of our favorite traditions is pizza Fridays, where we make some homemade pies and everyone is welcome. As for toppings, my favorite might be fried eggplant or spicy Italian sausage. If you were to have a dinner party, who would you invite, living or dead, in addition to your family? Easy! I’ve actually thought about this a ton. I would of course first invite my favorite athletes: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, and Emmitt Smith. These guys were my role models growing up and their work ethic was truly inspiring. Additionally, I would love to sit down and have a pizza pie with Neil Armstrong and Jack Schmitt. Neil was obviously the first man on the Moon and Jack was the first geologist on the Moon. Hearing some stories from these pioneers would no-doubt be a lifetime highlight. What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words. Motivated. Passionate. Curious. Supportive. Hard-working. Family-man. By Elizabeth M. Jarrell NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage. Share Details Last Updated Jan 17, 2024 EditorJessica EvansContactRob Garnerrob.garner@nasa.gov Related TermsPeople of GoddardClimate ChangeEarthGoddard Space Flight CenterMarsPlanetary Geosciences & GeophysicsPlanetary SciencePlanetary Science Division Explore More 5 min read NASA Study: More Greenland Ice Lost Than Previously Estimated Article 3 mins ago 5 min read NASA’s Roman to Search for Signs of Dark Matter Clumps Article 1 hour ago 5 min read Webb Shows Many Early Galaxies Looked Like Pool Noodles, Surfboards Article 2 hours ago View the full article

Sometimes, stars can be stripped away from globular clusters as they orbit a massive galaxy. Researchers have identified several instances in our own Milky Way galaxy – and they’ve also spotted gaps between these looping tendrils. What caused those gaps? One possibility: a substance known as dark matter. Following the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, astronomers will use its vast, high-definition images to spot many more tidal streams – and potentially their accompanying gaps – in nearby galaxies for the first time. A prime candidate is our neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy, which appears in the illustration above. Soon, not only will researchers be able to identify tidal streams in Andromeda, they may also be able to use Roman’s fine resolution to pinpoint more properties of this mysterious substance.Credit: NASA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI) Some of the finest, smallest details in the universe – the gaps between elongated groups of stars – may soon help astronomers reveal dark matter in greater detail than ever before. After NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launches, by May 2027, researchers will use its images to explore what exists between looping tendrils of stars that are pulled from globular clusters. Specifically, they will focus on the tidal streams from globular clusters that orbit our neighboring Andromeda galaxy. Their aim is to pinpoint a greater number of examples of these tidal streams, examine gaps between the stars, and ideally determine concrete properties of dark matter. Globular cluster streams are like ribbons fluttering in the cosmos, both leading and trailing the globular clusters where they originated along their orbits. Their lengths in our Milky Way galaxy vary wildly. Very short stellar streams are relatively young, while those that completely wrap around a galaxy may be almost as old as the universe. A stream that is fully wrapped around the Andromeda galaxy could be more than 300,000 light-years long but less than 3,000 light-years wide. With Roman, astronomers will be able to search nearby galaxies for globular cluster stellar streams for the first time. Roman’s Wide Field Instrument has 18 detectors that will produce images 200 times the size of the Hubble Space Telescope’s near-infrared camera – at a slightly greater resolution. “Roman will be able to take a huge snapshot of the Andromeda galaxy, which simply isn’t possible with any other telescope,” shared Christian Aganze, the lead author of a recent paper about this subject and a postdoc at Stanford University in California. “We also project that Roman will be able to detect stars individually.” Imagine the results: Roman’s vast, exquisitely detailed images will allow researchers to easily identify many examples of globular cluster streams in Andromeda. To date, astronomers using existing telescopes in space and on the ground have been limited to studying a slightly smaller number of globular cluster streams within our Milky Way. The vast footprint of the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s Wide Field Instrument shows how much its camera could observe in a single image. (The Wide Field Instrument has 18 square detectors.) Within this footprint is a simulated Roman image. The background is a ground-based image of the main disk of the Andromeda galaxy from the Digitized Sky Survey. A photo of the full Moon from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is provided for scale. Andromeda has a diameter of about 3 degrees on the sky, while the Moon is about 0.5 degrees across. (In reality, the Moon is much smaller than Andromeda, but it is also a lot closer.) The Wide Field Instrument’s footprint captures 0.28 square degrees of the sky in a single shot. Andromeda is a spiral galaxy that is similar in size and structure to our Milky Way galaxy, but is more massive. It is located approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth.Credit: Image: NASA, NASA-GSFC, ASU, Robert Gendler DSS; Simulation: NASA, STScI, Benjamin F. Williams (UWashington) Is Dark Matter Between the Stars? Dark matter, which many assume to be a particle, can’t yet be observed directly, because it doesn’t emit, reflect, refract, or absorb light. If we can’t see it, how do we know it’s there? “We see dark matter’s effect on galaxies,” Aganze clarified. “For example, when we model how galaxies rotate, we need extra mass to explain their rotation. Dark matter may provide that missing mass.” All galaxies, including the Milky Way, are surrounded by a dark matter halo. As astronomers glean more about the nature of dark matter, they may find evidence that a galaxy’s halo may also contain a large number of smaller dark matter sub-halos, which are predicted by models. “These halos are probably roughly spherical, but their density, sizes, and even if they exist isn’t currently known,” explained Tjitske Starkenburg, a co-author and a research assistant professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Roman will redefine their search. “We expect dark matter to interact with globular cluster streams. If these sub-halos are present in other galaxies, we predict that we will see gaps in globular cluster streams that are likely caused by dark matter,” Starkenburg continued. “This will give us new information about dark matter, including which kinds of dark matter halos are present and what their masses are.” Aganze and Starkenburg estimate that Roman will efficiently deliver the data they need within nearby galaxies – requiring only a total of one hour – and that these observations may be captured by the High Latitude Wide Area Survey. Starkenburg will also help lay the groundwork for this investigation through her contributions to another project recently selected for funding by NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Research and Support Participation Opportunities program. “­This team plans to model how globular clusters form into stellar streams by developing a much more detailed theoretical framework,” she explained. “We’ll go on to predict where globular clusters that form streams originated and whether these streams will be observable with Roman.” Aganze is also excited about other projects currently or soon coming online. “The European Space Agency’s Euclid mission is already starting to explore the large-scale structure of the universe, which will help us learn more about the role of dark matter,” he said. “And the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will soon scan the night sky repeatedly with similar goals. The data from these missions will be incredibly useful in constraining our simulations while we prepare for Roman.” The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is managed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, with participation by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech/IPAC in Southern California, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, and a science team comprising scientists from various research institutions. The primary industrial partners are Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation in Boulder, Colorado; L3Harris Technologies in Melbourne, Florida; and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging in Thousand Oaks, California. By Claire Blome Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. ​​Media Contact: Claire Andreoli NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 301-286-1940 Christine Pulliam Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Explore More 5 min read WFIRST Will Add Pieces to the Dark Matter Puzzle Article 4 years ago 5 min read NASA Telescope to Help Untangle Galaxy Growth, Dark Matter Makeup Article 2 years ago 5 min read NASA’s Roman Mission Gears Up for a Torrent of Future Data Article 3 months ago Share Details Last Updated Jan 17, 2024 EditorAshley BalzerLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related TermsNancy Grace Roman Space TelescopeAstrophysicsDark Matter & Dark EnergyGalaxies, Stars, & Black HolesGalaxies, Stars, & Black Holes ResearchGoddard Space Flight CenterMissionsNASA Centers & FacilitiesScience & ResearchStarsThe Universe View the full article

5 Min Read Webb Shows Many Early Galaxies Looked Like Pool Noodles, Surfboards Researchers are analyzing distant galaxies when the universe was only 600 million to 6 billion years old. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, Steve Finkelstein (UT Austin), Micaela Bagley (UT Austin), Rebecca Larson (UT Austin) Researchers analyzing images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have found that galaxies in the early universe are often flat and elongated, like surfboards and pool noodles – and are rarely round, like volleyballs or frisbees. “Roughly 50 to 80% of the galaxies we studied appear to be flattened in two dimensions,” explained lead author Viraj Pandya, a NASA Hubble Fellow at Columbia University in New York. “Galaxies that look like pool noodles or surfboards seem to be very common in the early universe, which is surprising, since they are uncommon nearby.” The team focused on a vast field of near-infrared images delivered by Webb, known as the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey, plucking out galaxies that are estimated to exist when the universe was 600 million to 6 billion years old. Image: Sample Shapes of Distant Galaxies Researchers analyzing distant galaxies that show up in the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope found an array of odd shapes when the universe was only 600 million to 6 billion years old. The inset at the top left shows a galaxy that looks more like a sphere, and is the least common in Webb’s results, along with an example of a galaxy that appears as an edge-on disk but may be better classified as elongated. Elongated shapes are one of the most common identified so far in Webb’s survey.NASA, ESA, CSA, Steve Finkelstein (UT Austin), Micaela Bagley (UT Austin), Rebecca Larson (UT Austin) While most distant galaxies look like surfboards and pool noodles, others are shaped like frisbees and volleyballs. The “volleyballs,” or sphere-shaped galaxies, appear the most compact type on the cosmic “ocean” and were also the least frequently identified. The frisbees were found to be as large as the surfboard- and pool noodle-shaped galaxies along the “horizon,” but become more common closer to “shore” in the nearby universe. (Compare them in this illustration.) Which category would our Milky Way galaxy fall into if we were able to wind the clock back by billions of years? “Our best guess is that it might have appeared more like a surfboard,” said co-author Haowen Zhang, a PhD candidate at the University of Arizona in Tucson. This hypothesis is based partly on new evidence from Webb – theorists have “wound back the clock” to estimate the Milky Way’s mass billions of years ago, which correlates with shape at that time. Image: 3D Classifications for Distant Galaxies These are examples of distant galaxies captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in its CEERS Survey. Galaxies frequently appear flat and elongated, like pool noodles or surfboards (along the top row). Thin, circular disk-like galaxies, which resemble frisbees, are the next major grouping (shown at lower left and center). Galaxies that are shaped like spheres, or volleyballs, made up the smallest fraction of their detections (shown at lower right). All of these galaxies are estimated to have existed when the universe was only 600 million to 6 billion years old.NASA, ESA, CSA, Steve Finkelstein (UT Austin), Micaela Bagley (UT Austin), Rebecca Larson (UT Austin) These distant galaxies are also far less massive than nearby spirals and ellipticals – they are precursors to more massive galaxies like our own. “In the early universe, galaxies had had far less time to grow,” said Kartheik Iyer, a co-author and NASA Hubble Fellow also at Columbia University. “Identifying additional categories for early galaxies is exciting – there’s a lot more to analyze now. We can now study how galaxies’ shapes relate to how they look and better project how they formed in much more detail.” Webb’s sensitivity, high-resolution images, and specialization in infrared light allowed the team to make quick work of characterizing many CEERS galaxies, and model their 3D geometries. Pandya also says their work wouldn’t be possible without the extensive research astronomers have done using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. For decades, Hubble has wowed us with images of some of the earliest galaxies, beginning with its first “deep field” in 1995 and continuing with a seminal survey known as Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey. Deep sky surveys like these led to far greater statistics, leading astronomers to create robust 3D models of distant galaxies over all of cosmic time. Today, Webb is helping to enhance these efforts, adding a bounty of distant galaxies beyond Hubble’s reach and revealing the early universe in far greater detail than previously possible. Webb’s images of the early universe have acted like an ocean swell – delivering new waves of evidence. “Hubble has long showed an excess of elongated galaxies,” explained co-author Marc Huertas-Company, a faculty research scientist at the Institute of Astrophysics on the Canary Islands. But researchers still wondered: Would additional detail show up better with sensitivity to infrared light? “Webb confirmed that Hubble didn’t miss any additional features in the galaxies they both observed. Plus, Webb showed us many more distant galaxies with similar shapes, all in great detail.” There are still gaps in our knowledge – researchers not only need an even larger sample size from Webb to further refine the properties and precise locations of distant galaxies, they will also need to spend ample time tweaking and updating their models to better reflect the precise geometries of distant galaxies. “These are early results,” said co-author Elizabeth McGrath, an associate professor at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. “We need to delve more deeply into the data to figure out what’s going on, but we’re very excited about these early trends.” 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 (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency. Downloads Download full resolution images for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute. Right click the images in this article to open a larger version in a new tab/window. Media Contacts Laura Betz – laura.e.betz@nasa.gov, Rob Gutro– rob.gutro@nasa.gov NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, , Greenbelt, Md. Christine Pulliam – cpulliam@stsci.edu Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Related Information Galaxy Types Galaxy Evolution How Can Webb Study the Early Universe? Infrared Astronomy More Webb News – https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/latestnews/ More Webb Images – https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/multimedia/images/ Webb Mission Page – https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/ Related For Kids What is a galaxy? Types of galaxies 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… Galaxies Overview Galaxies consist of stars, planets, and vast clouds of gas and dust, all bound together by gravity. The largest… Galaxies Stories Universe Discover the universe: Learn about the history of the cosmos, what it’s made of, and so much more. Share Details Last Updated Jan 17, 2024 EditorSteve SabiaContactLaura Betz Related TermsJames Webb Space Telescope (JWST)AstrophysicsGalaxiesGalaxies, Stars, & Black Holes ResearchGoddard Space Flight CenterMissionsScience & ResearchThe Universe View the full article

Expedition 69 Flight Engineers play chess with NASA mission controllersCredit NASA Jan. 16, 2024 RELEASE: 24-001 Four astronauts, including the current record holder for the longest single U.S. stay in space aboard the International Space Station, will make their first public appearance in Houston since returning to Earth. The crew also will be available for interviews before the event at 5 p.m. CST Thursday, Jan. 18, at Space Center Houston. Expedition 69 NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen, Woody Hoburg, and Frank Rubio, along with United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, will be at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston official visitor center to share accomplishments from their mission during a free, public event at 5:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., the crew, along NASA leadership, will help recognize key contributors to the mission’s success in an awards ceremony. Reporters may request an in-person interview no later than 12 p.m. Jan. 18 by emailing Dana Davis at dana.l.davis@nasa.gov. Expedition 69 NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission launched in March 2023 with Bowen, Hoburg, and Alneyadi, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, on the sixth commercial crew rotation mission to the space station. The crew spent 186 days in orbit, traveled 78,875,292 miles, and completed 2,976 Earth orbits, splashing down off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, on Sept. 4, 2023. This was Bowen’s fourth spaceflight and the first spaceflight for Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev. The crew helped improve power systems for the space station through a series of spacewalks. In June 2023, Bowen completed his 10th career spacewalk, tying the U.S. record for number of spacewalks. Alneyadi also completed the first long-duration mission for a UAE astronaut. The Dragon crew was welcomed aboard the station by the international crew that flew on the Soyuz spacecraft and served on Expeditions 68 and 69. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin launched six months earlier, on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft in September 2022. The Soyuz crew spent a total of 371 days aboard the space station, traveled 157,412,306 statute miles, and completed 5,963 Earth orbits, landing in Kazakhstan aboard the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft on Sept. 27, 2023. This was the second spaceflight for Prokopyev and Petelin. This was Rubio’s first spaceflight mission and it broke the U.S. record for a single spaceflight by an American. While aboard the station, the Expedition 69 crew contributed to hundreds of experiments and technology demonstrations, including conducting a student robotic challenge, studying plant genetic adaptations to space, and monitoring human health in microgravity to prepare for exploration beyond low Earth orbit and to benefit life on Earth. The crew released Saskatchewan’s first satellite, which tests a new radiation detection and protection system derived from Melanin that’s found in many organisms including humans. Stay current on space station activities by following @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the station Facebook and Instagram accounts and the space station blog. -end- Chelsey Ballarte Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 chelsey.n.ballarte@nasa.gov Dana Davis Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-244-0933 dana.l.davis@nasa.gov View the full article

A set of NanoRacks CubeSats is photographed by an Expedition 38 crew member after the deployment by the Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (SSOD). The CubeSats program contains a variety of experiments such as Earth observations and advanced electronics testing.NASA NASA is collaborating with the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force to offer a set of hands-on learning engagements that will help higher education institutions, faculty, and students learn more about what it takes to build small satellites and be selected for flight opportunities. Teams selected for the University Nanosatellite Program Mission Concepts 2024 Summer Series will receive systems engineering training that prepares them for the industrial workforce while developing small satellite expertise at U.S. universities. The program, which runs from May through August 2024, also enhances students’ potential to be selected for flights to space as part of NASA’s CSLI (CubeSat Launch Initiative) and the U.S. Air Force University Nanosatellite Program in 2024. The program allows faculty and students to form teams without draining university resources, and includes travel funding for kickoff, final event, and any in-person reviews, among other benefits. All U.S colleges and universities are eligible, and teams at minority-serving institutions and historically Black colleges and universities are strongly encouraged to apply for the Mission Concepts 2024 Summer Series in accordance with the criteria in the request for proposal. The solicitation will be available on Tuesday, Jan. 16, with a deadline to apply on Friday, Feb. 9. NASA’s CSLI and the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida university partnerships and small satellite capabilities manager conduct the program for NASA. The agency’s collaboration with the U.S Air Force and U.S. Space Force helps broaden access to space and strengthen the capabilities and knowledge of higher education institutions, faculty, and students. To attend an upcoming virtual question and answer session about Mission Concepts 2024, please email laura.aguiar@nasa.gov. For more information, visit: https://universitynanosat.org/solicitation/ View the full article

NASA and Lockheed Martin publicly unveil the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a ceremony in Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.NASA/Steve Freeman A climactic curtain drop reveals the newly painted red, white, and blue X-59 aircraft during its rollout ceremony on Jan. 12, 2024, at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California – a major milestone before its first flight. A long-standing aviation tradition, rollout ceremonies celebrate years of technical achievements. In the case of the X-59, not only does it celebrate groundbreaking technical work, but it honors the brilliant minds behind the research, development, and construction that went into a one-of-a-kind supersonic research aircraft. The X-59 is a research tool in NASA’s Quesst mission designed to prove quiet supersonic flight is possible. Through Quesst, NASA will fly the aircraft over select U.S. communities, working with them to collect data. NASA will provide that data to regulators so they may consider writing new sound-based rules that would amend the current ban on commercial supersonic flight over land. Next up, the X-59 team will conduct a series of integrated ground tests, including engine runs and taxi tests, to prepare for the aircraft’s first flight. Image Credit: NASA/Steve Freeman Text Credit: Sasha Ellis Read this story in Spanish: El avión X-59 de la NASA fue revelado durante una ceremonia Una caída culminante del telón revela el avión X-59 recién pintado de rojo, blanco y azul durante su ceremonia de lanzamiento el 12 de enero de 2024 en Lockheed Martin Skunk Works en Palmdale, California, un logro importante antes de su primer vuelo. Las ceremonias de lanzamiento vienen de una larga tradición en la aviación donde se celebran años de logros técnicos. En el caso del X-59, no sólo se celebra el trabajo técnico innovador, sino que también honra a las mentes brillantes detrás de la investigación, el desarrollo y la construcción de un avión de investigación supersónico único en su tipo. El X-59 es una herramienta de investigación de la misión Questt de la NASA diseñada para demostrar que es posible un vuelo supersónico silencioso. A través de Questt, la NASA volará el avión sobre comunidades seleccionadas de los Estados Unidos y trabajará con ellas para recopilar datos. La NASA proporcionará esos datos a los reguladores para que puedan redactar nuevas reglas de los vuelos supersónicos comerciales sobre tierra considerando los niveles de ruido en lugar de la velocidad. A continuación, el equipo del X-59 llevará a cabo una serie de pruebas en tierra integradas, incluidos funcionamientos del motor y pruebas de rodaje, para prepararse para el primer vuelo del avión. Crédito de la foto: NASA/Steve Freeman Crédito de texto: Sasha Ellis, NASA Traducido por: Jessica Arreola, NASA View the full article

Science Launching to Space Station on NASA's 20th Northrop Grumman Mission

6 Min Read Science Launches to Space Station on NASA’s 20th Northrop Grumman Mission iss067e156135 (July 28, 2022) — Northrop Grumman's Cygnus space freighter is positioned away from the International Space Station in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm prior to its release ending a four-month stay attached to the orbiting lab's Unity module. Credits: NASA Tests of a 3D metal printer, semiconductor manufacturing, and thermal protection systems for reentry to Earth’s atmosphere are among the scientific investigation that NASA and international partners are launching to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 20th commercial resupply services mission. The company’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida by late January. Read more about some of the research making the journey to the orbiting laboratory: 3D Printing in Space An investigation from ESA (European Space Agency), Metal 3D Printer tests additive manufacturing or 3D printing of small metal parts in microgravity. “This investigation provides us with an initial understanding of how such a printer behaves in space,” said Rob Postema of ESA. “A 3D printer can create many shapes, and we plan to print specimens, first to understand how printing in space may differ from printing on Earth and second to see what types of shapes we can print with this technology. In addition, this activity helps show how crew members can work safely and efficiently with printing metal parts in space.” Results could improve understanding of the functionality, performance, and operations of metal 3D printing in space, as well as the quality, strength, and characteristics of the printed parts. Resupply presents a challenge for future long-duration human missions. Crew members could use 3D printing to create parts for maintenance of equipment on future long-duration spaceflight and on the Moon or Mars, reducing the need to pack spare parts or to predict every tool or object that might be needed, saving time and money at launch. Advances in metal 3D printing technology also could benefit potential applications on Earth, including manufacturing engines for the automotive, aeronautical, and maritime industries and creating shelters after natural disasters. A team led by Airbus U.S. Space & Defense and Space SAS under a contract with ESA developed the investigation. Samples produced by the Metal 3D Printer prior to launch to the space station. ESA Semiconductor Manufacturing in Microgravity Manufacturing of Semiconductors and Thin-Film Integrated Coatings (MSTIC) examines how microgravity affects thin films that have a wide range of uses. “The potential for producing films with superior surface structures and the broad range of applications from energy harvesting to advanced sensor technology are particularly groundbreaking,” said Alex Hayes of Redwire Space, which developed the technology. “This represents a significant leap in space manufacturing and could herald a new era of technological advancements with wide-reaching implications for both space exploration and terrestrial applications.” This technology could enable autonomous manufacturing to replace the many machines and processes currently used to make a wide range of semiconductors, potentially leading to the development of more efficient and higher-performing electrical devices. Manufacturing semiconductor devices in microgravity also may improve their quality and reduce the materials, equipment, and labor required. On future long-duration missions, this technology could provide the capability to produce components and devices in space, reducing the need for resupply missions from Earth. The technology also has applications for devices that harvest energy and provide power on Earth. “While this initial pilot program is designed to compare thin films produced on Earth and in space, the ultimate goal is to expand to producing a diverse range of production areas within the semiconductor field,” Hayes said. The gas supply modules and production module for Redwire’s MSTIC investigation. Redwire Modeling Atmospheric Re-entry Scientists who conduct research on the space station often return their experiments to Earth for additional analysis and study. But the conditions that spacecraft experience during atmospheric reentry, including extreme heat, can have unintended effects on their contents. Thermal protection systems used to shield spacecraft and their contents are based on numerical models that often lack validation from actual flight, which can lead to significant overestimates in the size of system needed and take up valuable space and mass. Kentucky Re-entry Probe Experiment-2 (KREPE-2), part of an effort to improve thermal protection system technology, uses three capsules outfitted with different heat shield materials and a variety of sensors to obtain data on actual reentry conditions. “Building on the success of KREPE-1, we have improved the sensors to gather more measurements and improved the communication system to transmit more data,” said principal investigator Alexandre Martin at the University of Kentucky. “We have the opportunity to test several heat shields provided by NASA that have never been tested before, and another manufactured entirely at the University of Kentucky, also a first.” The capsules can be outfitted for other atmospheric re-entry experiments, supporting improvements in heat shielding for applications on Earth, such as protecting people and structures from wildfires. An artist’s rendering of one of the KREPE-2 capsules during re-entry. A. Martin, P. Rodgers, L. Young, J. Adams, University of Kentucky Remote Robotic Surgery Robotic Surgery Tech Demo tests the performance of a small robot that can be remotely controlled from Earth to perform surgical procedures. Researchers plan to compare procedures in microgravity and on Earth to evaluate the effects of microgravity and time delays between space and ground. The robot uses two “hands” to grasp and cut simulated surgical tissue and provide tension that is used to determine where and how to cut, according to Shane Farritor, chief technology officer at Virtual Incision Corporation, developer of the investigation with the University of Nebraska. Longer space missions increase the likelihood that crew members may need surgical procedures, whether simple stiches or an emergency appendectomy. Results from this investigation could support development of robotic systems to perform these procedures. In addition, the availability of a surgeon in rural areas of the country declined nearly a third between 2001 and 2019. Miniaturization and the ability to remotely control the robot may help to make surgery available anywhere and anytime. NASA has sponsored research on miniature robots for more than 15 years. In 2006, remotely operated robots performed procedures in the underwater NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) 9 mission. In 2014, a miniature surgical robot performed simulated surgical tasks on the Zero-G parabolic airplane. The surgical robot during testing on the ground before launch. Virtual Incision Corporation Growing Cartilage Tissue in Space Compartment Cartilage Tissue Construct demonstrates two technologies, Janus Base Nano-Matrix (JBNm) and Janus Base Nanopiece (JBNp). JBNm is an injectable material that provides a scaffold for formation of cartilage in microgravity, which can serve as a model for studying cartilage diseases. JBNp delivers an RNA-based therapy to combat diseases that cause cartilage degeneration. Cartilage has a limited ability to self-repair and osteoarthritis is a leading cause of disability in older patients on Earth. Microgravity can trigger cartilage degeneration that mimics the progression of aging-related osteoarthritis but happens more quickly, so research in microgravity could lead to faster development of effective therapies. Results from this investigation could advance cartilage regeneration as a treatment for joint damage and diseases on Earth and contribute to development of ways to maintain cartilage health on future missions to the Moon and Mars. The Janus Base Nano-matrix anchors cartilage cells (red) and facilitates the formation of the cartilage tissue matrix (green). University of Connecticut Melissa Gaskill International Space Station Program Research Office Johnson Space Center Search this database of scientific experiments to learn more about those mentioned above. Keep Exploring Discover More Topics Latest News from Space Station Research Commercial Resupply Space Station Technology Demonstration Space Station Research and Technology View the full article

Kurt Vogel portrait, Tuesday, May 10, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Dr. Kurt “Spuds” Vogel will serve as the new associate administrator of the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced Tuesday. His appointment is effective immediately. Vogel succeeds James Reuter, who retired from the agency in June 2023. Dr. Prasun Desai has served as the acting associate administrator since and now will return to his previous role as deputy associate administrator for STMD. “With more than three decades of public service, including his most recent role as NASA’s director of Space Architecture, Spuds brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate,” said Nelson. “I am confident his leadership will help NASA continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with space technologies and advancing American leadership in space.” In this role, Vogel is responsible for executive leadership, overall strategic planning and direction, and effective management for all elements of the Space Technology Programs executed under STMD’s $1.2 billion budget. He plans, directs, coordinates, and evaluates the full range of space technology programs and activities including budget formulation and execution, and represents the program to appropriate officials within and outside the agency. Previously, Vogel was appointed as the director of space architectures within the Office of the Administrator at NASA Headquarters, a role he has served since July 19, 2021. He joined the agency with 34 years of government experience, primarily in the Department of Defense. Prior to his NASA appointment, Vogel served for six years at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), leading innovative research in stealth technology, electronic warfare, air-space integration, and space control systems. He managed a portfolio of classified, state-of-the-art, high-risk programs that spanned multiple DARPA offices. Before joining DARPA, Vogel led research and development efforts at the Air Force Research Lab’s Systems Technology Office where he directed a Defense Department science and technology portfolio. He also served as the acting chief technologist for the National Reconnaissance Office’s Survivability Assurance Office. He retired from active duty in 2010 after serving more than 21 years in the U.S. Air Force in both the air and space domains. Vogel holds a Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science in Astronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is a member of the national honor societies for both engineering and aerospace engineering. For more about Vogel’s experience, visit his full biography online at: https://www.nasa.gov/spacetech -end- Faith McKie / Jimi Russell Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 faith.d.mckie@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Jan 16, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsSpace Technology Mission DirectorateNASA Directorates View the full article

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) This composite image of the Manatee Nebula captures the jet emanating from SS 433, a black hole devouring material embedded in the supernova remnant which spawned it. Radio emissions from the remnant are blue-green, whereas X-rays combined from IXPE, XMM-Newton, and Chandra are highlighted in bright blue-purple and pinkish-white against a backdrop of infrared data in red. The black hole emits twin jets of matter traveling in opposite directions at nearly the speed of light, distorting the remnant’s shape. The jets become bright about 100 light years away from the black hole, where particles are accelerated to very high energies by shocks within the jet. The IXPE data shows that the magnetic field, which plays a key role in how particles are accelerated, is aligned parallel to the jet – aiding our understanding of how astrophysical jets accelerate these particles to high energies.X-ray: (IXPE): NASA/MSFC/IXPE; (Chandra): NASA/CXC/SAO; (XMM): ESA/XMM-Newton; IR: NASA/JPL/Caltech/WISE; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF/VLA/B. Saxton. (IR/Radio image created with data from M. Goss, et al.); Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk & K.Arcand This composite image of the Manatee Nebula captures the jet emanating from SS 433, a black hole devouring material embedded in the supernova remnant which spawned it. Radio emissions from the remnant are blue-green, whereas X-rays combined from IXPE, XMM-Newton, and Chandra are highlighted in bright blue-purple and pinkish-white against a backdrop of infrared data in red. The black hole emits twin jets of matter traveling in opposite directions at nearly the speed of light, distorting the remnant’s shape. The jets become bright about 100 light years away from the black hole, where particles are accelerated to very high energies by shocks within the jet. The IXPE data shows that the magnetic field, which plays a key role in how particles are accelerated, is aligned parallel to the jet – aiding our understanding of how astrophysical jets accelerate these particles to high energies.X-ray: (IXPE): NASA/MSFC/IXPE; (Chandra): NASA/CXC/SAO; (XMM): ESA/XMM-Newton; IR: NASA/JPL/Caltech/WISE; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF/VLA/B. Saxton. (IR/Radio image created with data from M. Goss, et al.); Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk & K.Arcand The powerful gravity fields of black holes can devour whole planets’ worth of matter – often so violently that they expel streams of particles traveling near the speed of light in formations known as jets. Scientists understand that these high-speed jets can accelerate these particles, called cosmic rays, but little is definitively known about that process. Recent findings by researchers using data from NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) spacecraft give scientists new clues as to how particle acceleration happens in this extreme environment. The observations came from a “microquasar,” a system comprised of a black hole siphoning off material from a companion star. The microquasar in question – Stephenson and Sanduleak 433, or SS 433 – sits in the center of the supernova remnant W50 in the constellation Aquila, some 18,000 light-years from Earth. SS 433’s powerful jets, which distort the remnant’s shape and earned it the nickname the “Manatee Nebula,” have been clocked at roughly 26% of the speed of light, or more than 48,000 miles per second. Identified in the late 1970s, SS 433 is the first microquasar ever discovered. IXPE’s three onboard telescopes measure a special property of X-ray light called polarization, which tells scientists about the organization and alignment of electromagnetic waves at X-ray frequencies. X-ray polarization helps researchers understand the physical processes taking place within extreme regions of our universe such as the environment around black holes, and how particles get accelerated in these regions. IXPE spent 18 days in April and May of 2023 studying one such acceleration site in the eastern lobe of SS 433, where emissions are made by energetic electrons spiraling in a magnetic field – a process called synchrotron radiation. “The IXPE data show that the magnetic field near the acceleration region points in the direction the jets are moving,” said astrophysicist Philip Kaaret of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and principal investigator of the IXPE mission, along with lead author of a new paper about the findings at SS 433. “The high level of polarization seen with IXPE shows that the magnetic field is well ordered, with at least half of the field aligned in the same direction,” Kaaret said. That finding was unexpected, he said. Researchers have long theorized that the interaction between the jet and the interstellar medium – the environment of gas and dust between stars — likely creates a shock, leading to disordered magnetic fields. The data suggests a new possibility, Kaaret said – that the magnetic fields within the powerful jets may be “trapped” and stretched when they collide with interstellar matter, directly impacting their alignment in the region of particle acceleration. Since the 1980s, researchers have surmised that SS 433’s jets act as particle accelerators. In 2018, observers at the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory in Puebla, Mexico, verified the jets’ acceleration effect, and scientists used NASA’s NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) and the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton observatories to pinpoint the region of acceleration. As researchers continue to assess IXPE findings and study new targets in space, its data also could help determine whether the same mechanism acts to align magnetic fields in outflows expelled by a variety of phenomena – from black hole jets streaming away from supernova remnants to debris ejected from exploded stars such as blazars. “This very delicate measurement was made possible by the imaging capabilities of IXPE’s X-ray polarimeters, making possible the detection of the tenuous signal in a small region of the jet 95 light-years from the central black hole,” said Paolo Soffitta, Italian principal investigator for the IXPE mission. The new paper, detailing IXPE’s observations at SS 433, is available in the latest edition of The Astrophysical Journal. About the Mission IXPE is a collaboration between NASA and the Italian Space Agency with partners and science collaborators in 12 countries. IXPE is led by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Ball Aerospace, headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, manages spacecraft operations together with the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder. Learn more about IXPE’s ongoing mission here: https://www.nasa.gov/ixpe Elizabeth Landau NASA Headquarters elizabeth.r.landau@nasa.gov 202-358-0845 Jonathan Deal NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center jonathan.e.deal@nasa.gov 256-544-0034 Share Details Last Updated Jan 16, 2024 Related TermsIXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer)GeneralMarshall Space Flight Center Explore More 5 min read IXPE Unlocks Mysteries of Historic Tycho Supernova Article 11 months ago 5 min read Historic Nebula Seen Like Never Before With NASA’s IXPE Scientists have used IXPE to create a detailed, nuanced map of the Crab Nebula’s magnetic… Article 9 months ago 4 min read NASA’s IXPE Reveals Shape, Orientation of Hot Matter Around Black Hole Article 1 year ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

As the Space Food Systems manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Xulei Wu works with a team to create tasty, shelf-stable meals for astronauts aboard the International Space Station and, soon, for crews flying to the Moon as part of the Artemis program. What does it take to become a space food scientist at NASA? We met up with Wu to learn more about her journey from creating meals for camping in the deep woods, to making foods for exploring deep space. Preparation Meets Opportunity “I don’t consider myself very smart; I’m very hardworking,” said Wu, who was born and raised in China and is a first-generation immigrant. After rising through the ranks at a major U.S. freeze-dried food company, Wu was content in her job creating shelf-stable foods for people to rely on when the tools and conveniences of a modern kitchen aren’t available. Her work kept her busy – too busy to consider other careers or applications for her unique skillset. It took a flat tire to literally stop her in her tracks long enough to spot a job opening that sparked a new direction for her career. “I got a nail in my tire, so I broke down on the highway,” Wu said. While she was waiting for roadside assistance, she began to scroll through her phone. That’s when, she said, “I found out a freeze-dried food scientist position was opening at the NASA Space Food Systems Laboratory.” Even though Wu enjoyed working in the food industry, she said it was NASA’s larger mission that inspired her to apply. “My favorite part of this job is really to serve a large purpose, that I’m part of the effort to support human space exploration, so that one day we can go back to the Moon,” Wu said. Choosing From a Menu of Sciences “My education and my experience definitely prepared me to land a job in the Space Food System Laboratory, and I consider myself extremely lucky,” Wu said. Growing up, Wu enjoyed science so much that when she had to choose a college major, she had a hard time narrowing her choices between biology, chemistry, and physics. As she considered her options, reports of babies being sickened by infant formula gained national attention in China. Several formula companies were found to have deliberately contaminated their products with a chemical that gave the appearance of higher protein content but resulted in kidney problems for thousands of babies. The scandal piqued her interest in food safety. “That was the trigger,” Wu said. “I realized: I want to study more about food safety. And food science happened to involve multiple different disciplines in that process.” Wu earned a bachelor’s degree in food science and engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, then a master’s degree in food science and technology from Oregon State University. After graduation, she went to work for North America’s largest supplier of freeze-dried foods where she created food products targeted for outdoor recreation, like camping, and also for emergency preparedness. In this role, she worked on similar challenges to those she works on today: how to keep food fresh, tasty, nutritious, and shelf-stable for long periods of time. “All of those are needed perspectives [for] working in the Space Food Systems Laboratory,” Wu said. “For the International Space Station, we’re targeting three years’ shelf life; for a Mars mission, we’re talking five to seven years’ shelf life.” Advice to Future Food Scientists Wu shared some advice to students: focus on what you really care about, work hard, and be ready to take your own giant leap. “It’s important to discover your true interest, your true passion, the subject you love the most, and then connect this to a career making a contribution to society.” But as with Wu’s experience, sometimes you get a nail in your tire on the path to your next big break. It’s what you do in those moments that can define you. “Don’t doubt yourself,” Wu said. “it's okay to have a difficult time. Give it a try. Give it a shot. Because as long as you work hard enough, you will find out what you're truly fit for.” Xulei Wu Space Food Systems Manager Lean more about Xulei Wu and her job at NASA in this episode of Surprisingly STEM. Explore More 1 min read NASA Astronaut, Congresswoman Discuss STEM Careers with Students Article 5 days ago 4 min read Advice from NASA Mentors to Students Starting Their Careers Article 6 days ago 5 min read Ham Radio in Space: Engaging with Students Worldwide for 40 Years Article 2 months ago View the full article

4 min read Winter Stargazing Tips: Stay Warm and Cozy! Some parts of the country feel as if the winter will never end. Massive snows, polar vortexes, artic winds…it’s almost enough to make you forget that a spring thaw will eventually arrive! One thing that is guaranteed to warm an astronomers’ heart in these cold winter nights: the beautiful, sparking skies! Orion, Taurus, the Pleiades, Sirius, the Andromeda Galaxy, the Double Custer in Perseus: these are just a few of the gorgeous sights that are at their peak in the winters of the Northern Hemisphere, not to mention the clockwork actions of the Moon and planets. But how can you observe and stay comfortable outside when the weather seems determined to turn you into a popsicle? 1. Layers are your friend! You may already know this but remember to wear multiple layers of clothes! A super warm coat won’t help that much if all you are wearing underneath is a t-shirt. At the same time, moving around during your setup and observing may heat you up to an uncomfortable degree, so being able to peel off a sweater or overcoat would be very welcome. 2. Warm, wool socks Thick cozy socks are a must, especially as the night wears on. Your feet will thank you, especially if you are wearing good boots! Which brings us too… 3. Waterproof boots You will want warm boots, and if there is snow, make sure your boots are also waterproof. Any water soaking through your shoes to your boots is a sure way to make your toes icy and prematurely end your observing. 4. Clear out your observing area Is there snow on the ground where you usually set up? Bring a shovel and clear it out, even if there is just an inch or two of the white stuff. Your equipment and toes will thank you. 5. Ground padding Kitchen floor mats and yoga mats are great to stand on during winter months. They act as a great, inexpensive buffer between your feet and the cold ground. Why not add one to your winter set up? 6. Blankets Did you bring a blanket? Good. Even if you think you won’t need one…you very well may want one after the first hour or so, especially if you are seated very still. 7. Gloves Pack your gloves! Some astronomers prefer fingerless gloves that allow them to work on their instruments while outside, while others prefer combo mitten-gloves that allow you to flip the ends of the mittens off for fingerless glove access. Remember, you will be handling lots of cold metal as you set up your equipment in the cold so if you don’t want your fingers going numb within minutes, gloves are a must! 8. Heat pads Chemical or battery operated heating pads are your friend. Stick these little beauties into your gloves and boots to stay warm. If you use rechargeable heating pads, just make sure they are charged before you leave the house! 9. A big goofy hat and earmuffs A hat with ear flaps? Big fuzzy earmuffs? You will definitely want these! While they may look a bit silly, you will be toasty inside, with nice warm ears rather than frigid lobes in danger of frostbite. Besides, you will be in the dark: who cares what you look like? 10. A warm thermos A thermos full of your favorites warm liquid-hot chocolate, soup, coffee, tea- is your best friend during these long winter nights. One final thing to remember: however cold you think you are, there is probably someone somewhere else who is in an even colder location…like, say, an amateur astronomer in Antarctica: Karim Agabi bundled up for some observing in Antartica Credit: Guillaume Dargaud With these tips you are sure to have a much warmer and cozier time checking out the beautiful jewels of the winter night. Stay warm, and don’t let the frost bite! Originally posted by Dave Prosper: December 2016 Last Updated by Kat Troche: November 2023 View the full article

Axiom Mission 3 Launches to the International Space Station (Official NASA Broadcast)

Rollout of Our Experimental Supersonic X-Plane on This Week @NASA – January 12, 2024

“I started the Brightest Stars Foundation 16 years ago because I realized there were no little ones in the pipeline who looked like me coming up. Because I had accomplished so much, it was important for me to pay it forward. I’ve mentored scores and scores of young people – early career professionals in high school, in college, and from all over the world – so they could be inspired and empowered by my career and my journey. “It’s about hard work. It’s about determination. It’s about focus. It’s about tenacity. And most importantly, it’s about believing in yourself. Because sometimes others don’t believe in you, so it’s important to get into the zone and say, ‘I am going! I know my path, and I can do this!’ “My mentoring style is about being authentic but also being vulnerable and sharing all the ups and the downs, the trials and the tribulations of my journey and career. This is not an easy field, so as one of the few womenof color in the field, it is important to share in a way that empowers and inspires those that want to follow in my footsteps. “You must have grit, resilience, courage and strength. I’m able to really share all the wisdom and the lessons I’ve learned throughout my career with [the students I mentor], and that makes a difference.” — Dr. Camille Alleyne, Deputy Program Manager, Commercial LEO Development Program, NASA’s Johnson Space Center Image Credit: NASA / Kim Shiflett Interviewer: NASA / Thalia Patrinos Check out some of our other Faces of NASA. View the full article

NASA NASA will join an Astrobotic media teleconference at 12 p.m. EST, Thursday, Jan. 18, to discuss updates on their Peregrine Mission One, which is carrying science for the agency as part of its Commercial Lunar Provider Services (CLPS) initiative. The audio-only teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website. Following a successful launch on Jan. 8, Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander experienced a propulsion issue after the spacecraft entered its operational state. This is preventing Astrobotic from achieving a soft landing on the Moon. Aboard the Peregrine spacecraft are five NASA science instruments, several of which are receiving power and gathering data. Participants on the call include: Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for Exploration, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington John Thornton, CEO, Astrobotic, Pittsburgh To participate in the teleconference, media must RSVP online no later than two hours before the start of the call to Astrobotic. Learn more about CLPS at: https://nasa.gov/clps -end- Karen Fox Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov Nilufar Ramji Johnson Space Flight Center, Houston 281-383-5111 nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov Alivia Chapla Astrobotic 412-682-3282 alivia.chapla@astrobotic.com Share Details Last Updated Jan 12, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsNASA HeadquartersArtemisCommercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)Johnson Space Center View the full article

NASA NASA has selected 12 companies to provide research, engineering, and mission integration services for the International Space Station Program. The $478 million Research, Engineering & Mission Integration Services-2 or REMIS-2 contract will support the work of the International Space Station Program based at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The companies will provide spaceflight, ground hardware and software, sustaining engineering functions and services, payload facility integration, and research mission integration operations services. Each company will receive a multiple-award, indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed price and cost-plus-fixed-fee task orders. The seven-year contract begins Friday and extends through Sept. 30, 2030, with an option to extend through Sept. 30, 2032. The companies selected are: Aegis Aerospace, Inc., Houston Axient Corp, Huntsville, Alabama Cimarron Software Services, Houston Consolidated Safety Services, Exploration Park, Florida JES Tech, Houston KBR Wyle, Fulton, Maryland Leidos, Webster, Texas Metis, Albuquerque, New Mexico Oceaneering, Houston Tec-Masters, Huntsville Teledyne Brown Engineering, Huntsville University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama The majority of the work will take place at contractor facilities across the country. Services also may be required at other NASA centers, contractor or subcontractor locations, or vendor facilities as requirements warrant. The contract also includes a small business reserve, which was fulfilled by selecting Aegis, Cimarron, Consolidated Safety Services, JES Tech, Metis, and Tec-Masters. For more information about NASA and its programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov. – -end- Roxana Bardan Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 roxana.bardan@nasa.gov Sandra Jones Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Jan 12, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsJohnson Space CenterNASA Headquarters View the full article

NASA’s Newly Unveiled X-59 Quiet Supersonic Plane Eyes First Flight (Trailer)

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the apron outside Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility at dawn in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to address one of the primary challenges to supersonic flight over land by making sonic booms quieter.Lockheed Martin Skunk Works NASA and Lockheed Martin formally debuted the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft Friday. Using this one-of-a-kind experimental airplane, NASA aims to gather data that could revolutionize air travel, paving the way for a new generation of commercial aircraft that can travel faster than the speed of sound. “This is a major accomplishment made possible only through the hard work and ingenuity from NASA and the entire X-59 team,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “In just a few short years we’ve gone from an ambitious concept to reality. NASA’s X-59 will help change the way we travel, bringing us closer together in much less time.” Melroy and other senior officials revealed the aircraft during a ceremony hosted by prime contractor Lockheed Martin Skunk Works at its Palmdale, California facility. The X-59 is at the center of NASA’s Quesst mission, which focuses on providing data to help regulators reconsider rules that prohibit commercial supersonic flight over land. For 50 years, the U.S. and other nations have prohibited such flights because of the disturbance caused by loud, startling sonic booms on the communities below. The X-59 is expected to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound, or 925 mph. Its design, shaping and technologies will allow the aircraft to achieve these speeds while generating a quieter sonic thump. “It’s thrilling to consider the level of ambition behind Quesst and its potential benefits,” said Bob Pearce, associate administrator for aeronautics research at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “NASA will share the data and technology we generate from this one-of-a-kind mission with regulators and with industry. By demonstrating the possibility of quiet commercial supersonic travel over land, we seek to open new commercial markets for U.S. companies and benefit travelers around the world.” With rollout complete, the Quesst team will shift to its next steps in preparation for first flight: integrated systems testing, engine runs, and taxi testing for the X-59. The aircraft is set to take off for the first time later this year, followed by its first quiet supersonic flight. The Quesst team will conduct several of the aircraft’s flight tests at Skunk Works before transferring it to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, which will serve as its base of operations. “Across both teams, talented, dedicated, and passionate scientists, engineers, and production artisans have collaborated to develop and produce this aircraft,” said John Clark, vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. “We’re honored to be a part of this journey to shape the future of supersonic travel over land alongside NASA and our suppliers.” Once NASA completes flight tests, the agency will fly the aircraft over several to-be-selected cities across the U.S., collecting input about the sound the X-59 generates and how people perceive it. NASA will provide that data to the Federal Aviation Administration and international regulators. The X-59 is a unique experimental airplane, not a prototype – its technologies are meant to inform future generations of quiet supersonic aircraft. At 99.7 feet long and 29.5 feet wide, the aircraft’s shape and the technological advancements it houses will make quiet supersonic flight possible. The X-59’s thin, tapered nose accounts for almost a third of its length and will break up the shock waves that would ordinarily result in a supersonic aircraft causing a sonic boom. Due to this configuration, the cockpit is located almost halfway down the length of the aircraft – and does not have a forward-facing window. Instead, the Quesst team developed the eXternal Vision System, a series of high-resolution cameras feeding a 4K monitor in the cockpit. The Quesst team also designed the aircraft with its engine mounted on top and gave it a smooth underside to help keep shockwaves from merging behind the aircraft and causing a sonic boom. For more information about Quesst, visit: www.nasa.gov/Quesst -end- Rob Margetta Headquarters, Washington 202-763-5012 robert.j.margetta@nasa.gov Sasha Ellis Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia 757-864-5473 sasha.c.ellis@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Jan 12, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsAeronauticsAeronautics Research Mission DirectorateAmes Research CenterArmstrong Flight Research CenterCommercial Supersonic TechnologyGlenn Research CenterIntegrated Aviation Systems ProgramLangley Research CenterLow Boom Flight DemonstratorNASA AircraftQuesst (X-59)Quesst: The VehicleSupersonic Flight View the full article

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) January 15th, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a federal holiday designated as the National Day of Service. For the month of January, we will be celebrating OSBP in the Community! Join us as we spotlight how our advocacy extends beyond our commitment to small businesses. Truphelia M. Parker- Program Specialist, NASA Headquarters What organization do you volunteer with? Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Minority Student Academic Achievement Committee (MSAAC) Why did you choose to volunteer with this organization? I am the product of the Columbus Public School System in Ohio and a life-long supporter of public education. I come from a family committed to justice and social change. As a parent of two sons, I serve as their advocate and as the MSAAC Vice Chair and MSAAC Delegate for my son’s schools, I can do the same for more than 80K+ students in Loudoun County. Many parents do not know how to advocate for their children nor that they have the right to. My role is to help provide guidance, resources, and support in a family’s education journey. What does volunteering mean to you? “It takes a village to raise a child” is a proverb that means a community of people must interact positively with children them to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment. That is what volunteering means to me. Making a conscious decision to be a part of “the village” and positively impact change. Naeemah A. Lee- Program Specialist, NASA Headquarters What organization do you volunteer with? Meals on Wheels Why did you choose to volunteer with this organization? My faith and heart is dedicated to serving others that are in need. Volunteering with meals on wheels allows me to bring healthy food to seniors who are living independently without family and that are not mobile. What does volunteering mean to you? Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual freely giving time to help the community. Robert O. Betts- Small Business Specialist, ITPO/Langley Research Center What organization do you volunteer with? York County VA Board of Elections Why did you choose to volunteer this organization? Following the lead of my mother. She volunteered for years serving as a local election official in our hometown. She always felt it was so important as an American to exercise your right to vote. What does volunteering mean to you? Volunteering to work at the election polls has been a very rewarding experience and gives me the opportunity to give back to my community and country. My wife volunteers at the polls too so it gives me an opportunity to serve with her. I also think it has set a good example for our kids on the importance of exercising your right to vote and volunteering. Djaataa Onanuga- Small Business Specialist, Goddard Space Flight Center What organization do you volunteer with? Lake Arbor Foundation Why did you choose to volunteer with this organization? I volunteer with the Lake Arbor Foundation because I am passionate about empowering the next generation. Through mentorship and support programs, I aim to contribute to the personal and educational development of young individuals. Witnessing their growth, resilience and enthusiasm is incredibly rewarding and I believe investing time in the youth today is an investment in a brighter future for our community. What does volunteering mean to you? Volunteering, to me, is a heartfelt commitment to making a positive impact without expecting anything in return. It embodies a sense of responsibility towards the well-being of others and the community. The act of volunteering allows me to contribute my time and skills to causes I care about, fostering a sense of connection, empathy, and fulfillment in the process. i i View the full article

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s C-130 cargo aircraft releases a dart-shaped test vehicle above the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground on Jan. 9 to begin the testing sequence for a Boeing Starliner parachute system. Credit: U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground NASA’s C-130 Hercules, managed at Wallops Flight Facility’s Aircraft Office in Virginia, provided aerial delivery support for a successful commercial crew parachute airdrop test Jan. 9 at the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. This week’s testing was in support of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and partner, Boeing, which are developing crew transportation capability to and from the International Space Station. Up for testing was a modified parachute system for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The system, which involved two ringsail parachutes, required a demonstration set in stressed conditions to certify successful deployment. During the demonstration, the Wallops C-130 team deployed a 27,000-pound payload comprised of the Parachute Compartment Drop Test Vehicle and Mid-Altitude Deployment System. The team released the payload from an altitude of 13,000 feet while coordinating and timing their efforts with U.S. Army UH-60s and a NASA AFRC B-200 aircraft used to capture photos and video documentation of the mission. The Wallops C-130 team has supported 16 successful commercial crew parachute airdrop tests since 2018. For more information, visit nasa.gov/wallops. Share Details Last Updated Jan 12, 2024 EditorOlivia F. LittletonContactOlivia F. Littletonolivia.f.littleton@nasa.gov Related TermsCommercial CrewCommercial SpaceNASA AircraftWallops Flight Facility Explore More 5 min read Experience the Launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Article 7 days ago 4 min read NASA Adjusts Agreements to Benefit Commercial Station Development Article 1 week ago 2 min read NASA Wallops Signs Space Act Agreement to Support STEM Outreach Article 2 weeks ago View the full article

Este mapa de la Tierra en 2023 muestra las anomalías de la temperatura global de la superficie, es decir, cuánto más cálida o más fría estuvo cada región del planeta en comparación con el promedio del período de 1951 a 1980. Las temperaturas normales se muestran en blanco, las superiores a las normales en rojo y naranja, y las inferiores a las normales en azul. Una versión animada de este mapa muestra la evolución de las anomalías de la temperatura global a lo largo del tiempo, desde 1880. Descarga esta visualización del Estudio de Visualización Científica Goddard de la NASA: https://svsdev.gsfc.nasa.gov/5207.Credits: Estudio de Visualización Científica del Centro Goddard de la NASA Read this release in English here. En el año 2023, la temperatura promedio de la superficie de la Tierra fue la más cálida que se haya registrado, según un análisis de la NASA. Las temperaturas globales del año pasado estuvieron alrededor de 1,2 grados Celsius (2,1 grados Fahrenheit) por encima del promedio para el período de referencia de la NASA (de 1951 a 1980), informaron científicos del Instituto Goddard de Investigaciones Espaciales (GISS, por sus siglas en inglés) de la NASA en Nueva York. “El informe de la temperatura global de la NASA y la NOAA confirma lo que miles de millones de personas alrededor del mundo experimentaron el año pasado: estamos frente a una crisis climática”, dijo el administrador de la NASA Bill Nelson. “Desde calor extremo, a incendios forestales, hasta el aumento del nivel del mar, podemos ver que nuestra Tierra está cambiando. Todavía queda trabajo por hacer, pero el presidente Biden y comunidades de todo Estados Unidos están tomando más medidas que nunca para reducir los riesgos climáticos y ayudar a las comunidades a ser más resistentes, y la NASA seguirá utilizando nuestra posición estratégica en el espacio para traer a la Tierra datos climáticos críticos que sean comprensibles y accesibles para todas las personas. La NASA y la Administración Biden-Harris están trabajando para proteger nuestro planeta y a sus habitantes, para esta generación y para la siguiente”. En 2023, cientos de millones de personas en todo el planeta experimentaron calor extremo, y cada mes, de junio a diciembre, estableció un récord mundial para el mes respectivo. Julio fue el mes más caluroso jamás registrado. En general, la Tierra fue alrededor de 1,4 grados Celsius (o unos 2,5 grados Fahrenheit) más calurosa en 2023 que el promedio de finales del siglo XIX, cuando comenzó el mantenimiento de los registros modernos. “El calentamiento excepcional que estamos experimentando no es algo que hayamos visto en la historia de la humanidad”, dijo Gavin Schmidt, director del GISS. “Se debe principalmente a nuestras emisiones de combustibles fósiles, y estamos observando sus impactos en las olas de calor, las lluvias intensas y las inundaciones costeras”. Si bien los científicos tienen pruebas concluyentes de que la tendencia del planeta al calentamiento a largo plazo está impulsada por la actividad humana, siguen examinando otros fenómenos que pueden afectar los cambios anuales o plurianuales del clima, como El Niño, los aerosoles y la contaminación, y las erupciones volcánicas. Normalmente, la mayor fuente de variabilidad interanual es el patrón climático oceánico El Niño-Oscilación del Sur, en el océano Pacífico. El patrón tiene dos fases, El Niño y La Niña, cuando las temperaturas de la superficie del mar a lo largo del ecuador cambian entre temperaturas más cálidas, promedio y más frías. En el período de 2020 a 2022, el océano Pacífico experimentó tres fenómenos consecutivos de La Niña, los cuales tienden a enfriar las temperaturas globales. En mayo de 2023, el océano pasó de La Niña a El Niño, lo que a menudo coincide con los años más calurosos en los registros. Sin embargo, las temperaturas récord en la segunda mitad de 2023 ocurrieron antes del pico del actual fenómeno de El Niño. Los científicos esperan observar los mayores impactos de El Niño en febrero, marzo y abril. Esta visualización de datos, que se actualiza mensualmente, muestra el ciclo estacional de variación de la temperatura en la superficie de la Tierra, y cómo esas temperaturas se desvían de la media entre 1951 y 1980. Los datos proceden del Análisis de la Temperatura Superficial del GISS y son de acceso público aquí. Las desviaciones estacionales de temperatura se basan en los datos del reanálisis MERRA-2 aquí. Credits: Estudio de Visualización Científica del Centro Goddard de la NASA Los científicos también han investigado los posibles impactos de la erupción de enero de 2022 del volcán submarino Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, el cual arrojó vapor de agua y partículas finas, o aerosoles, a la estratosfera. Un estudio reciente descubrió que los aerosoles volcánicos, al reflejar la luz solar lejos de la superficie de la Tierra, provocaron un ligero enfriamiento general de unos 0,1 grados Celsius (menos de 0,2 grados Fahrenheit) en el hemisferio sur después de la erupción. “Incluso con factores de enfriamiento ocasionales, como volcanes o aerosoles, seguiremos batiendo récords mientras las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero sigan aumentando”, afirmó Schmidt. “Y, desafortunadamente, el año pasado nuevamente volvimos a establecer un nuevo récord de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero”. “El año récord de 2023 subraya la importancia de tomar medidas urgentes y continuadas para hacer frente al cambio climático”, declaró Pam Melroy, administradora adjunta de la NASA. “La legislación reciente ha proporcionado la mayor inversión climática del gobierno de EE.UU., incluyendo miles de millones para fortalecer la resiliencia de EE.UU. a los crecientes impactos de la crisis climática. En su calidad de agencia centrada en el estudio de nuestro clima cambiante, la flota de satélites de observación de la Tierra de la NASA seguirá proporcionando datos críticos de nuestro planeta a escala para ayudar a toda la gente a tomar decisiones informadas”. Ciencia abierta en acción La NASA prepara su registro de temperaturas utilizando los datos de la temperatura del aire de la superficie recopilados de decenas de miles de estaciones meteorológicas, así como datos de la temperatura de la superficie del mar adquiridos por instrumentos en barcos y boyas. Estos datos son analizados utilizando métodos que toman en cuenta el variado distanciamiento de las estaciones de temperatura en todo el mundo y los efectos del calor urbano que podrían sesgar los cálculos. Los análisis independientes de la Administración Nacional Oceánica y Atmosférica (NOAA, por sus siglas en inglés) y el Centro Hadley (parte de la Oficina Meteorológica del Reino Unido) concluyeron que las temperaturas globales de la superficie para 2023 fueron las más altas desde que comenzaron los registros modernos. Estos científicos utilizan gran parte de los mismos datos de temperatura en sus análisis, pero emplean diferentes metodologías. Aunque las clasificaciones pueden diferir ligeramente entre los registros, estos coinciden en términos generales y muestran el mismo calentamiento continuo a largo plazo en las últimas décadas. Aprovechando medio siglo de investigaciones, observaciones, y modelos, la Administración Biden-Harris, incluyendo la NASA y varios socios federales, recientemente lanzaron el Centro de Gases de Efecto Invernadero de EE.UU. para que los responsables de la toma de decisiones y los ciudadanos puedan acceder fácilmente a datos climáticos críticos. Este centro apoya la colaboración entre agencias gubernamentales de EE.UU. y socios del sector privado y organizaciones sin fines de lucro, para poner a disposición en línea datos aéreos, terrestres y espaciales y recursos. El conjunto completo de datos de la NASA sobre las temperaturas de la superficie global hasta 2023, así como los detalles con el código de cómo los científicos de la NASA llevaron a cabo sus análisis, están disponibles públicamente en el GISS. GISS es un laboratorio de la NASA administrado por la División de Ciencias de la Tierra en el Centro de Vuelo Espacial Goddard de la agencia en Greenbelt, Maryland. Este laboratorio está afiliado al instituto de la Tierra y la Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas de la Universidad de Columbia en Nueva York. Para más información sobre la NASA, visita: https://www.nasa.gov/es María José Viñas / Karen Fox Sede, Washington 240-458-0248 / 202-358-1600 maria-jose.vinasgarcia@nasa.gov / karen.fox@nasa.gov Peter Jacobs Centro de Vuelo Espacial Goddard de la NASA Greenbelt, MD 301-286-0535 peter.jacobs@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Jan 12, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsNASA HeadquartersClimate ChangeEarthGoddard Institute for Space StudiesGoddard Space Flight Center View the full article