NASA

An Act To encourage the development of a commercial space industry in the United States, and for other purposes. Oct. 28, 1998 – [H.R. 1702] Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. (a) Short Title.–This Act may be cited as the “Commercial Space Act of 1998”. (b) Table of Contents.– Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Definitions. TITLE I–PROMOTION OF COMMERCIAL SPACE OPPORTUNITIES Sec. 101. Commercialization of Space Station. Sec. 102. Commercial space launch amendments. Sec. 103. Launch voucher demonstration program. Sec. 104. Promotion of United States Global Positioning System standards. Sec. 105. Acquisition of space science data. Sec. 106. Administration of Commercial Space Centers. Sec. 107. Sources of Earth science data. TITLE II–FEDERAL ACQUISITION OF SPACE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES Sec. 201. Requirement to procure commercial space transportation services. Sec. 202. Acquisition of commercial space transportation services. Sec. 203. Launch Services Purchase Act of 1990 amendments. Sec. 204. Shuttle privatization. Sec. 205. Use of excess intercontinental ballistic missiles. Sec. 206. National launch capability study. SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. For purposes of this Act– (1) the term “Administrator” means the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; (2) the term “commercial provider” means any person providing space transportation services or other space-related activities, primary control of which is held by persons other than Federal, State, local, and foreign governments; (3) the term “payload” means anything that a person undertakes to transport to, from, or within outer space, or in suborbital trajectory, by means of a space transportation vehicle, but does not include the space transportation vehicle itself except for its components which are specifically designed or adapted for that payload; (4) the term “space-related activities” includes research and development, manufacturing, processing, service, and other associated and support activities; (5) the term “space transportation services” means the preparation of a space transportation vehicle and its payloads for transportation to, from, or within outer space, or in suborbital trajectory, and the conduct of transporting a payload to, from, or within outer space, or in suborbital trajectory; (6) the term “space transportation vehicle” means any vehicle constructed for the purpose of operating in, or transporting a payload to, from, or within, outer space, or in suborbital trajectory, and includes any component of such vehicle not specifically designed or adapted for a payload; (7) the term “State” means each of the several States of the Union, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States; and (8) the term “United States commercial provider” means a commercial provider, organized under the laws of the United States or of a State, which is– (A) more than 50 percent owned by United States nationals; or (B) a subsidiary of a foreign company and the Secretary of Transportation finds that– (i) such subsidiary has in the past evidenced a substantial commitment to the United States market through– (I) investments in the United States in long-term research, development, and manufacturing (including the manufacture of major components and subassemblies); and (II) significant contributions to employment in the United States; and (ii) the country or countries in which such foreign company is incorporated or organized, and, if appropriate, in which it principally conducts its business, affords reciprocal treatment to companies described in subparagraph (A) comparable to that afforded to such foreign company’s subsidiary in the United States, as evidenced by– (I) providing comparable opportunities for companies described in subparagraph (A) to participate in Government sponsored research and development similar to that authorized under this Act; (II) providing no barriers, to companies described in subparagraph (A) with respect to local investment opportunities, that are not provided to foreign companies in the United States; and (III) providing adequate and effective protection for the intellectual property rights of companies described in subparagraph (A). TITLE I–PROMOTION OF COMMERCIAL SPACE OPPORTUNITIES SEC. 101. COMMERCIALIZATION OF SPACE STATION. (a) Policy.–The Congress declares that a priority goal of constructing the International Space Station is the economic development of Earth orbital space. The Congress further declares that free and competitive markets create the most efficient conditions for promoting economic development, and should therefore govern the economic development of Earth orbital space. The Congress further declares that the use of free market principles in operating, servicing, allocating the use of, and adding capabilities to the Space Station, and the resulting fullest possible engagement of commercial providers and participation of commercial users, will reduce Space Station operational costs for all partners and the Federal Government’s share of the United States burden to fund operations. (b) Reports.–(1) The Administrator shall deliver to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, within 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, a study that identifies and examines– (A) the opportunities for commercial providers to play a role in International Space Station activities, including operation, use, servicing, and augmentation; (B) the potential cost savings to be derived from commercial providers playing a role in each of these activities; (C) which of the opportunities described in subparagraph (A) the Administrator plans to make available to commercial providers in fiscal years 1999 and 2000; (D) the specific policies and initiatives the Administrator is advancing to encourage and facilitate these commercial opportunities; and (E) the revenues and cost reimbursements to the Federal Government from commercial users of the Space Station. (2) The Administrator shall deliver to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, within 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, an independently conducted market study that examines and evaluates potential industry interest in providing commercial goods and services for the operation, servicing, and augmentation of the International Space Station, and in the commercial use of the International Space Station. This study shall also include updates to the cost savings and revenue estimates made in the study described in paragraph (1) based on the external market assessment. (3) The Administrator shall deliver to the Congress, no later than the submission of the President’s annual budget request for fiscal year 2000, a report detailing how many proposals (whether solicited or not) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration received during calendar years 1997 and 1998 regarding commercial operation, servicing, utilization, or augmentation of the International Space Station, broken down by each of these four categories, and specifying how many agreements the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has entered into in response to these proposals, also broken down by these four categories. (4) Each of the studies and reports required by paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) shall include consideration of the potential role of State governments as brokers in promoting commercial participation in the International Space Station program. SEC. 102. COMMERCIAL SPACE LAUNCH AMENDMENTS. (a) Amendments.–Chapter 701 of title 49, United States Code, is amended– (1) in the table of sections– (A) by amending the item relating to section 70104 to read as follows: “70104. Restrictions on launches, operations, and reentries.”; (B) by amending the item relating to section 70108 to read as follows: “70108. Prohibition, suspension, and end of launches, operation of launch sites and reentry sites, and reentries.”; (C) by amending the item relating to section 70109 to read as follows: “70109. Preemption of scheduled launches or reentries.”; and (D) by adding at the end the following new items: “70120. Regulations. “70121. Report to Congress.”. (2) in section 70101– (A) by inserting “microgravity research,” after “information services,” in subsection (a)(3); (B) by inserting “, reentry,” after “launching” both places it appears in subsection (a)(4); (C) by inserting “, reentry vehicles,” after “launch vehicles” in subsection (a)(5); (D) by inserting “and reentry services” after “launch services” in subsection (a)(6); (E) by inserting “, reentries,” after “launches” both places it appears in subsection (a)(7); (F) by inserting “, reentry sites,” after “launch sites” in subsection (a)(8); (G) by inserting “and reentry services” after “launch services” in subsection (a)(8); (H) by inserting “reentry sites,” after “launch sites,” in subsection (a)(9); (I) by inserting “and reentry site” after “launch site” in subsection (a)(9); (J) by inserting “, reentry vehicles,” after “launch vehicles” in subsection (b)(2); (K) by striking “launch” in subsection (b)(2)(A); (L) by inserting “and reentry” after “conduct of commercial launch” in subsection (b)(3); (M) by striking “launch” after “and transfer commercial” in subsection (b)(3); and (N) by inserting “and development of reentry sites,” after “launch-site support facilities,” in subsection (b)(4); (3) in section 70102– (A) in paragraph (3)– (i) by striking “and any payload” and inserting in lieu thereof “or reentry vehicle and any payload from Earth”; (ii) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (C) and inserting in lieu thereof a comma; and (iii) by adding after subparagraph (C) the following: “including activities involved in the preparation of a launch vehicle or payload for launch, when those activities take place at a launch site in the United States.”; (B) by inserting “or reentry vehicle” after “means of a launch vehicle” in paragraph (8); (C) by redesignating paragraphs (10), (11), and (12) as paragraphs (14), (15), and (16), respectively; (D) by inserting after paragraph (9) the following new paragraphs: “(10) ‘reenter’ and `reentry’ mean to return or attempt to return, purposefully, a reentry vehicle and its payload, if any, from Earth orbit or from outer space to Earth. “(11) ‘reentry services’ means– “(A) activities involved in the preparation of a reentry vehicle and its payload, if any, for reentry; and “(B) the conduct of a reentry. “(12) ‘reentry site’ means the location on Earth to which a reentry vehicle is intended to return (as defined in a license the Secretary issues or transfers under this chapter). “(13) ‘reentry vehicle’ means a vehicle designed to return from Earth orbit or outer space to Earth, or a reusable launch vehicle designed to return from Earth orbit or outer space to Earth, substantially intact.”; and (E) by inserting “or reentry services” after “launch services” each place it appears in paragraph (15), as so redesignated by subparagraph (C) of this paragraph; (4) in section 70103(b)– (A) by inserting “and Reentries” after “Launches” in the subsection heading; (B) by inserting “and reentries” after “commercial space launches” in paragraph (1); and (C) by inserting “and reentry” after “space launch” in paragraph (2); (5) in section 70104– (A) by amending the section designation and heading to read as follows: “Sec. 70104. Restrictions on launches, operations, and reentries”; (B) by inserting “or reentry site, or to reenter a reentry vehicle,” after “operate a launch site” each place it appears in subsection (a); (C) by inserting “or reentry” after “launch or operation” in subsection (a)(3) and (4); (D) in subsection (b)– (i) by striking “launch license” and inserting in lieu thereof “license”; (ii) by inserting “or reenter” after “may launch”; and (iii) by inserting “or reentering” after “related to launching”; and (E) in subsection (c)– (i) by amending the subsection heading to read as follows: “Preventing Launches and Reentries.– ”; (ii) by inserting “or reentry” after “prevent the launch”; and (iii) by inserting “or reentry” after “decides the launch”; (6) in section 70105– (A) by inserting “(1)” before “A person may apply” in subsection (a); (B) by striking “receiving an application” both places it appears in subsection (a) and inserting in lieu thereof “accepting an application in accordance with criteria established pursuant to subsection (b)(2)(D)”; (C) NOTE: Notice. Deadline. by adding at the end of subsection (a) the following: “The Secretary shall transmit to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a written notice not later than 30 days after any occurrence when a license is not issued within the deadline established by this subsection. “(2) In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary may establish procedures for safety approvals of launch vehicles, reentry vehicles, safety systems, processes, services, or personnel that may be used in conducting licensed commercial space launch or reentry activities.”; (D) by inserting “or a reentry site, or the reentry of a reentry vehicle,” after “operation of a launch site” in subsection (b)(1); (E) by striking “or operation” and inserting in lieu thereof “, operation, or reentry” in subsection (b)(2)(A); (F) by striking “and” at the end of subsection (b)(2)(B); (G) by striking the period at the end of subsection (b)(2)(C) and inserting in lieu thereof “; and”; (H) by adding at the end of subsection (b)(2) the following new subparagraph: “(D) regulations establishing criteria for accepting or rejecting an application for a license under this chapter within 60 days after receipt of such application.”; and (I) by inserting “, including the requirement to obtain a license,” after “waive a requirement” in subsection (b)(3); (7) in section 70106(a)– (A) by inserting “or reentry site” after “observer at a launch site”; (B) by inserting “or reentry vehicle” after “assemble a launch vehicle”; and (C) by inserting “or reentry vehicle” after “with a launch vehicle”; (8) in section 70108– (A) by amending the section designation and heading to read as follows: “Sec. 70108. Prohibition, suspension, and end of launches, operation of launch sites and reentry sites, and reentries”; and (B) in subsection (a)– (i) by inserting “or reentry site, or reentry of a reentry vehicle,” after “operation of a launch site”; and (ii) by inserting “or reentry” after “launch or operation”; (9) in section 70109– (A) by amending the section designation and heading to read as follows: “Sec. 70109. Preemption of scheduled launches or reentries”; (B) in subsection (a)– (i) by inserting “or reentry” after “ensure that a launch”; (ii) by inserting “, reentry site,” after “United States Government launch site”; (iii) by inserting “or reentry date commitment” after “launch date commitment”; (iv) by inserting “or reentry” after “obtained for a launch”; (v) by inserting “, reentry site,” after “access to a launch site”; (vi) by inserting “, or services related to a reentry,” after “amount for launch services”; and (vii) by inserting “or reentry” after “the scheduled launch”; and (C) in subsection (c), by inserting “or reentry” after “prompt launching”; (10) in section 70110– (A) by inserting “or reentry” after “prevent the launch” in subsection (a)(2); and (B) by inserting “or reentry site, or reentry of a reentry vehicle,” after “operation of a launch site” in subsection (a)(3)(B); (11) in section 70111– (A) by inserting “or reentry” after “launch” in subsection (a)(1)(A); (B) by inserting “and reentry services” after “launch services” in subsection (a)(1)(B); (C) by inserting “or reentry services” after “or launch services” in subsection (a)(2); (D) by striking “source.” in subsection (a)(2) and inserting “source, whether such source is located on or off a Federal range.”; (E) by inserting “or reentry” after “commercial launch” both places it appears in subsection (b)(1); (F) by inserting “or reentry services” after “launch services” in subsection (b)(2)(C); (G) by inserting after subsection (b)(2) the following new paragraph: “(3) The Secretary shall ensure the establishment of uniform guidelines for, and consistent implementation of, this section by all Federal agencies.”; (H) by striking “or its payload for launch” in subsection (d) and inserting in lieu thereof “or reentry vehicle, or the payload of either, for launch or reentry”; and (I) by inserting “, reentry vehicle,” after “manufacturer of the launch vehicle” in subsection (d); (12) in section 70112– (A) in subsection (a)(1), by inserting “launch or reentry” after “(1) When a”; (B) by inserting “or reentry” after “one launch” in subsection (a)(3); (C) by inserting “or reentry services” after “launch services” in subsection (a)(4); (D) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting “launch or reentry” after “(1) A”; (E) by inserting “or reentry services” after “launch services” each place it appears in subsection (b); (F) by inserting “applicable” after “carried out under the” in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b); (G) by inserting “or Reentries” after “Launches” in the heading for subsection (e); (H) by inserting “or reentry site or a reentry” after “launch site” in subsection (e); and (I) in subsection (f ), by inserting “launch or reentry” after “carried out under a”; (13) in section 70113(a)(1) and (d)(1) and (2), by inserting “or reentry” after “one launch” each place it appears; (14) in section 70115(b)(1)(D)(i)– (A) by inserting “reentry site,” after “launch site,”; and (B) by inserting “or reentry vehicle” after “launch vehicle” both places it appears; (15) in section 70117– (A) by inserting “or reentry site, or to reenter a reentry vehicle” after “operate a launch site” in subsection (a); (B) by inserting “or reentry” after “approval of a space launch” in subsection (d); (C) by amending subsection (f ) to read as follows: “(f ) Launch Not an Export; Reentry Not an Import.–A launch vehicle, reentry vehicle, or payload that is launched or reentered is not, because of the launch or reentry, an export or import, respectively, for purposes of a law controlling exports or imports, except that payloads launched pursuant to foreign trade zone procedures as provided for under the Foreign Trade Zones Act (19 U.S.C. 81a-81u) shall be considered exports with regard to customs entry.”; and (D) in subsection (g)– (i) by striking “operation of a launch vehicle or launch site,” in paragraph (1) and inserting in lieu thereof “reentry, operation of a launch vehicle or reentry vehicle, operation of a launch site or reentry site,”; and (ii) by inserting “reentry,” after “launch,” in paragraph (2); and (16) by adding at the end the following new sections: “Sec. 70120. Regulations “(a) In General.–The Secretary of Transportation, within 9 months after the date of the enactment of this section, shall issue regulations to carry out this chapter that include– “(1) guidelines for industry and State governments to obtain sufficient insurance coverage for potential damages to third parties; “(2) procedures for requesting and obtaining licenses to launch a commercial launch vehicle; “(3) procedures for requesting and obtaining operator licenses for launch; “(4) procedures for requesting and obtaining launch site operator licenses; and “(5) procedures for the application of government indemnification. “(b) Reentry.–The Secretary of Transportation, within 6 months after the date of the enactment of this section, shall issue a notice of proposed rulemaking to carry out this chapter that includes– “(1) procedures for requesting and obtaining licenses to reenter a reentry vehicle; “(2) procedures for requesting and obtaining operator licenses for reentry; and “(3) procedures for requesting and obtaining reentry site operator licenses. “Sec. 70121. Report to Congress “The Secretary of Transportation shall submit to Congress an annual report to accompany the President’s budget request that– “(1) describes all activities undertaken under this chapter, including a description of the process for the application for and approval of licenses under this chapter and recommendations for legislation that may further commercial launches and reentries; and “(2) reviews the performance of the regulatory activities and the effectiveness of the Office of Commercial Space Transportation.”. (b) Authorization of Appropriations.–Section 70119 of title 49, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: “Sec. 70119. Authorization of appropriations “There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation for the activities of the Office of the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation– (1) $6,275,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1999; and (2) $6,600,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2000.”. (c) Effective Date.–The amendments made by subsection (a)(6)(B) shall take effect upon the effective date of final regulations issued pursuant to section 70105(b)(2)(D) of title 49, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(6)(H). SEC. 103. LAUNCH VOUCHER DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM. Section 504 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1993 (15 U.S.C. 5803) is amended– (1) in subsection (a)– (A) by striking “the Office of Commercial Programs within”; and (B) by striking “Such program shall not be effective after September 30, 1995.”; (2) by striking subsection (c); and (3) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as subsections (c) and (d), respectively. (a) Finding.–The Congress finds that the Global Positioning System, including satellites, signal equipment, ground stations, data links, and associated command and control facilities, has become an essential element in civil, scientific, and military space development because of the emergence of a United States commercial industry which provides Global Positioning System equipment and related services. (b) International Cooperation.–In order to support and sustain the Global Positioning System in a manner that will most effectively contribute to the national security, public safety, scientific, and economic interests of the United States, the Congress encourages the President to– (1) ensure the operation of the Global Positioning System on a continuous worldwide basis free of direct user fees; (2) enter into international agreements that promote cooperation with foreign governments and international organizations to– (A) establish the Global Positioning System and its augmentations as an acceptable international standard; and (B) eliminate any foreign barriers to applications of the Global Positioning System worldwide; and (3) provide clear direction and adequate resources to the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information so that on an international basis the Assistant Secretary can– (A) achieve and sustain efficient management of the electromagnetic spectrum used by the Global Positioning System; and (B) protect that spectrum from disruption and interference. (a) Acquisition From Commercial Providers.–The Administrator shall, to the extent possible and while satisfying the scientific or educational requirements of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and where appropriate, of other Federal agencies and scientific researchers, acquire, where cost effective, space science data from a commercial provider. (b) Treatment of Space Science Data as Commercial Item Under Acquisition Laws.–Acquisitions of space science data by the Administrator shall be carried out in accordance with applicable acquisition laws and regulations (including chapters 137 and 140 of title 10, United States Code). For purposes of such law and regulations, space science data shall be considered to be a commercial item. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to preclude the United States from acquiring, through contracts with commercial providers, sufficient rights in data to meet the needs of the scientific and educational community or the needs of other government activities. (c) Definition.–For purposes of this section, the term “space science data” includes scientific data concerning– (1) the elemental and mineralogical resources of the moon, asteroids, planets and their moons, and comets; (2) microgravity acceleration; and (3) solar storm monitoring. (d) Safety Standards.–Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the Federal Government from requiring compliance with applicable safety standards. (e) Limitation.–This section does not authorize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to provide financial assistance for the development of commercial systems for the collection of space science data. SEC. 106. ADMINISTRATION OF COMMERCIAL SPACE CENTERS. The Administrator shall administer the Commercial Space Center program in a coordinated manner from National Aeronautics and Space Administration headquarters in Washington, D.C. SEC. 107. SOURCES OF EARTH SCIENCE DATA. (a) Acquisition.–The Administrator shall, to the extent possible and while satisfying the scientific or educational requirements of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and where appropriate, of other Federal agencies and scientific researchers, acquire, where cost- effective, space-based and airborne Earth remote sensing data, services, distribution, and applications from a commercial provider. (b) Treatment as Commercial Item Under Acquisition Laws.– Acquisitions by the Administrator of the data, services, distribution, and applications referred to in subsection (a) shall be carried out in accordance with applicable acquisition laws and regulations (including chapters 137 and 140 of title 10, United States Code). For purposes of such law and regulations, such data, services, distribution, and applications shall be considered to be a commercial item. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to preclude the United States from acquiring, through contracts with commercial providers, sufficient rights in data to meet the needs of the scientific and educational community or the needs of other government activities. (c) Study.–(1) The Administrator shall conduct a study to determine the extent to which the baseline scientific requirements of Earth Science can be met by commercial providers, and how the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will meet such requirements which cannot be met by commercial providers. (2) The study conducted under this subsection shall– (A) make recommendations to promote the availability of information from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to commercial providers to enable commercial providers to better meet the baseline scientific requirements of Earth Science; (B) make recommendations to promote the dissemination to commercial providers of information on advanced technology research and development performed by or for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and (C) identify policy, regulatory, and legislative barriers to the implementation of the recommendations made under this subsection. (3) The results of the study conducted under this subsection shall be transmitted to the Congress within 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act. (d) Safety Standards.–Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the Federal Government from requiring compliance with applicable safety standards. (e) Administration and Execution.–This section shall be carried out as part of the Commercial Remote Sensing Program at the Stennis Space Center. (f ) Remote Sensing.– (1) Application contents.–Section 201(b) of the Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 5621(b)) is amended– (A) by inserting “(1)” after “National Security.–”; and (B) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: “(2) <<NOTE: Federal Register, publication.>> The Secretary, within 6 months after the date of the enactment of the Commercial Space Act of 1998, shall publish in the Federal Register a complete and specific list of all information required to comprise a complete application for a license under this title. An application shall be considered complete when the applicant has provided all information required by the list most recently published in the Federal Register before the date the application was first submitted. Unless the Secretary has, within 30 days after receipt of an application, notified the applicant of information necessary to complete an application, the Secretary may not deny the application on the basis of the absence of any such information.”. (2) Notification of agreements.–Section 202(b)(6) of the Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 5622(b)(6)) is amended by inserting “significant or substantial” after “Secretary of any”. TITLE II–FEDERAL ACQUISITION OF SPACE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES (a) In General.–Except as otherwise provided in this section, the Federal Government shall acquire space transportation services from United States commercial providers whenever such services are required in the course of its activities. To the maximum extent practicable, the Federal Government shall plan missions to accommodate the space transportation services capabilities of United States commercial providers. (b) Exceptions.–The Federal Government shall not be required to acquire space transportation services under subsection (a) if, on a case-by-case basis, the Administrator or, in the case of a national security issue, the Secretary of the Air Force, determines that– (1) a payload requires the unique capabilities of the Space Shuttle; (2) cost effective space transportation services that meet specific mission requirements would not be reasonably available from United States commercial providers when required; (3) the use of space transportation services from United States commercial providers poses an unacceptable risk of loss of a unique scientific opportunity; (4) the use of space transportation services from United States commercial providers is inconsistent with national security objectives; (5) the use of space transportation services from United States commercial providers is inconsistent with international agreements for international collaborative efforts relating to science and technology; (6) it is more cost effective to transport a payload in conjunction with a test or demonstration of a space transportation vehicle owned by the Federal Government; or (7) a payload can make use of the available cargo space on a Space Shuttle mission as a secondary payload, and such payload is consistent with the requirements of research, development, demonstration, scientific, commercial, and educational programs authorized by the Administrator. Nothing in this section shall prevent the Administrator from planning or negotiating agreements with foreign entities for the launch of Federal Government payloads for international collaborative efforts relating to science and technology. (c) Delayed Effect.–Subsection (a) shall not apply to space transportation services and space transportation vehicles acquired or owned by the Federal Government before the date of the enactment of this Act, or with respect to which a contract for such acquisition or ownership has been entered into before such date. (d) Historical Purposes.–This section shall not be construed to prohibit the Federal Government from acquiring, owning, or maintaining space transportation vehicles solely for historical display purposes. SEC. 202. ACQUISITION OF COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES. (b) Safety Standards.–Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the Federal Government from requiring compliance with applicable safety standards. SEC. 203. LAUNCH SERVICES PURCHASE ACT OF 1990 AMENDMENTS. The Launch Services Purchase Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 2465b et seq.) is amended– 1) by striking section 202; (2) in section 203– (A) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2); and (B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively; (3) by striking sections 204 and 205; and (4) in section 206– (A) by striking “(a) Commercial Payloads on the Space Shuttle.–”; and (B) by striking subsection (b). SEC. 204. SHUTTLE PRIVATIZATION. (a) Policy and Preparation.–The Administrator shall prepare for an orderly transition from the Federal operation, or Federal management of contracted operation, of space transportation systems to the Federal purchase of commercial space transportation services for all nonemergency space transportation requirements for transportation to and from Earth orbit, including human, cargo, and mixed payloads. In those preparations, the Administrator shall take into account the need for short-term economies, as well as the goal of restoring the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s research focus and its mandate to promote the fullest possible commercial use of space. As part of those preparations, the Administrator shall plan for the potential privatization of the Space Shuttle program. Such plan shall keep safety and cost effectiveness as high priorities. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from studying, designing, developing, or funding upgrades or modifications essential to the safe and economical operation of the Space Shuttle fleet. (b) Feasibility Study.–The Administrator shall conduct a study of the feasibility of implementing the recommendation of the Independent Shuttle Management Review Team that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration transition toward the privatization of the Space Shuttle. The study shall identify, discuss, and, where possible, present options for resolving, the major policy and legal issues that must be addressed before the Space Shuttle is privatized, including– (1) whether the Federal Government or the Space Shuttle contractor should own the Space Shuttle orbiters and ground facilities; (2) whether the Federal Government should indemnify the contractor for any third party liability arising from Space Shuttle operations, and, if so, under what terms and conditions; (3) whether payloads other than National Aeronautics and Space Administration payloads should be allowed to be launched on the Space Shuttle, how missions will be prioritized, and who will decide which mission flies and when; (4) whether commercial payloads should be allowed to be launched on the Space Shuttle and whether any classes of payloads should be made ineligible for launch consideration; (5) whether National Aeronautics and Space Administration and other Federal Government payloads should have priority over non-Federal payloads in the Space Shuttle launch assignments, and what policies should be developed to prioritize among payloads generally; (6) whether the public interest requires that certain Space Shuttle functions continue to be performed by the Federal Government; and (7) how much cost savings, if any, will be generated by privatization of the Space Shuttle. (c) Report to Congress.–Within 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall complete the study required under subsection (b) and shall submit a report on the study to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives. SEC. 205. USE OF EXCESS INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILES. (a) In general.–The Federal Government shall not– (1) convert any missile described in subsection (c) to a space transportation vehicle configuration; or (2) transfer ownership of any such missile to another person, except as provided in subsection (b). (b) Authorized Federal Uses.–(1) A missile described in subsection (c) may be converted for use as a space transportation vehicle by the Federal Government if, except as provided in paragraph (2) and at least 30 days before such conversion, the agency seeking to use the missile as a space transportation vehicle transmits to the Committee on National Security and the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives, and to the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, a certification that the use of such missile– (A) would result in cost savings to the Federal Government when compared to the cost of acquiring space transportation services from United States commercial providers; (B) meets all mission requirements of the agency, including performance, schedule, and risk requirements; (C) is consistent with international obligations of the United States; and (D) is approved by the Secretary of Defense or his designee. (2) The requirement under paragraph (1) that the certification described in that paragraph must be transmitted at least 30 days before conversion of the missile shall not apply if the Secretary of Defense determines that compliance with that requirement would be inconsistent with meeting immediate national security requirements. (c) Missiles Referred to.– The missiles referred to in this section are missiles owned by the United States that– (1) were formerly used by the Department of Defense for national defense purposes as intercontinental ballistic missiles; and (2) have been declared excess to United States national defense needs and are in compliance with international obligations of the United States. SEC. 206. NATIONAL LAUNCH CAPABILITY STUDY. (a) Findings.–Congress finds that a robust satellite and launch industry in the United States serves the interest of the United States by– (1) contributing to the economy of the United States; (2) strengthening employment, technological, and scientific interests of the United States; and (3) serving the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States. (b) Definitions.–In this section: (1) Secretary.–The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Defense. (2) Total potential national mission model.–The term “total potential national mission model” means a model that– (A) is determined by the Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator, to assess the total potential space missions to be conducted in the United States during a specified period of time; and (B) includes all launches in the United States (including launches conducted on or off a Federal range). (c) Report.– (1) In general.–Not <<NOTE: Deadline.>> later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, in consultation with the Administrator and appropriate representatives of the satellite and launch industry and the governments of States and political subdivisions thereof– (A) prepare a report that meets the requirements of this subsection; and (B) submit that report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives. (2) Requirements for report.–The report prepared under this subsection shall– (A) identify the total potential national mission model for the period beginning on the date of the report and ending on December 31, 2007; (B) identify the resources that are necessary or available to carry out the total potential national mission model described in subparagraph (A), including– (i) launch property and services of the Department of Defense, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and non-Federal facilities; and (ii) the ability to support commercial launch-on-demand on short notification, taking into account Federal requirements, at launch sites or test ranges in the United States; (C) identify each deficiency in the resources referred to in subparagraph (B); and (D) with respect to the deficiencies identified under subparagraph (C), include estimates of the level of funding necessary to address those deficiencies for the period described in subparagraph (A). (d) Recommendations.–Based on the reports under subsection (c), the Secretary, after consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Commerce, and representatives from interested private sector entities, States, and local governments, shall– (1) identify opportunities for investment by non-Federal entities (including States and political subdivisions thereof and private sector entities) to assist the Federal Government in providing launch capabilities for the commercial space industry in the United States; (2) identify one or more methods by which, if sufficient resources referred to in subsection (c)(2)(D) are not available to the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the control of the launch property and launch services of the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration may be transferred from theDepartment of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to– (A) one or more other Federal agencies; (B) one or more States (or subdivisions thereof); (C) one or more private sector entities; or (D) any combination of the entities described in subparagraphs (A) through (C); and (3) identify the technical, structural, and legal impediments associated with making launch sites or test ranges in the United States viable and competitive. Approved October 28, 1998. View the full article

(a) Anchor Tenancy Contracts.–Subject to appropriations, the Administrator or the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration may enter into multiyear anchor tenancy contracts for the purchase of a good or service if the appropriate Administrator determines that— (1) In general.–Contracts entered into under subsection (a) may provide for the payment of termination liability in the event that the Government terminates such contracts for its convenience. (2) the commercially procured good or service is cost effective; (3) the good or service is procured through a competitive process; (4) existing or potential customers for the good or service other than the United States Government have been specifically identified; (5) the long-term viability of the venture is not dependent upon a continued Government market or other nonreimbursable Government support; and (6) private capital is at risk in the venture. (b) Termination Liability.– (1) Contracts entered into under subsection (a) of this section may provide for the payment of termination liability in the event that the Government terminates such contracts for its convenience. (2) Fixed schedule of payments and limitation on liability.– Contracts that provide for the payment of termination liability, as described in paragraph (1), shall include a fixed schedule of such termination liability payments. Liability under such contracts shall not exceed the total payments which the Government would have made after the date of termination to purchase the good or service if the contract were not terminated. (3) Use of funds.–Subject to appropriations, funds available for such termination liability payments may be used for purchase of the good or service upon successful delivery of the good or service pursuant to the contract. In such case, sufficient funds shall remain available to cover any remaining termination liability. (c) Limitations.— (1)Duration.–Contracts entered into under this section shall not exceed 10 years in duration. (2) Fixed price.–Such contracts shall provide for delivery of the good or service on a firm, fixed price basis. (3) Performance specifications.–To the extent practicable, reasonable performance specifications shall be used to define technical requirements in such contracts. (4) Failure to perform.–In any such contract, the appropriate Administrator shall reserve the right to completely or partially terminate the contract without payment of such termination liability because of the contractor’s actual or anticipated failure to perform its contractual obligations. -SOURCE- (Pub. L. 111-314, Subtitle V, Chapter 505, Sec. 50503, Dec. 18, 2010, 124 Stat. 3405) View the full article

51 U.S.C. 50501 Sec. 50501. Definitions In this chapter: (1) Agency.–The term “agency” means an executive agency as defined in section 105 of title 5. (2) Anchor tenancy.–The term “anchor tenancy” means an arrangement in which the United States Government agrees to procure sufficient quantities of a commercial space product or service needed to meet Government mission requirements so that a commercial venture is made viable. (3) Commercial.–The term “commercial” means having— (A) private capital at risk; and (B) primary financial and management responsibility for the activity reside with the private sector. (4) Cost effective.–The term “cost effective” means costing no more than the available alternatives, determined by a comparison of all related direct and indirect costs including, in the case of Government costs, applicable Government labor and overhead costs as well as contractor charges, and taking into account the ability of each alternative to accommodate mission requirements as well as the related factors of risk, reliability, schedule, and technical performance. (5) Launch.–The term “launch” means to place, or attempt to place, a launch vehicle and its payload, if any, in a suborbital trajectory, in Earth orbit in outer space, or otherwise in outer space. (6) Launch services.–The term “launch services” means activities involved in the preparation of a launch vehicle and its payload for launch and the conduct of a launch. (7) Launch support facilities.–The term “launch support facilities” means facilities located at launch sites or launch ranges that are required to support launch activities, including launch vehicle assembly, launch vehicle operations and control, communications, flight safety functions, and payload operations, control, and processing. (8) Launch vehicle.–The term “launch vehicle” means any vehicle constructed for the purpose of operating in or placing a payload in outer space or in suborbital trajectories, and includes components of that vehicle. (9) Payload.–The term “payload” means an object which a person undertakes to launch, and includes subcomponents of the launch vehicle specifically designed or adapted for that object. (10) Payload integration services.–The term “payload integration services” means activities involved in integrating multiple payloads into a single payload for launch or integrating a payload with a launch vehicle. (11) Space recovery support facilities.–The term “space recovery support facilities” means facilities required to support activities related to the recovery of payloads returned from space to a space recovery site, including operations and control, communications, flight safety functions, and payload processing. (12) Space transportation infrastructure.–The term “space transportation infrastructure” means facilities, associated equipment, and real property (including launch sites, launch support facilities, space recovery sites, and space recovery support facilities) required to perform launch or space recovery activities. (13) State.–The term “State” means the several States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States. (14) United states.–The term “United States” means the States, collectively -SOURCE- (Pub. L. 111-314, Subtitle V, Chapter 505, Sec. 50501, Dec. 18, 2010, 124 Stat. 3404) View the full article

6 Min Read Human Resources The NSSC provides Human Resources (HR) services including: Benefits, Classification Appeals and Services, Development of Information Materials, Drug Testing, Electronic Official Personnel Folders (eOPF), Employee Notices, Employee Recognition and Awards, Financial Disclosure, General Employment Inquiries (GEI), HR Surveys, In-Processing, Leave Programs, Payroll, Personnel Action Processing (PAP), Retirement, Senior Executive Services (SES), Staffing, Suitability Adjudication, Survivor Benefits, Training Administration, Unemployment Compensation, and Workers’ Compensation. Benefits NASA offers a broad array of benefits programs, including health, dental, vision and life insurance, flexible spending accounts, and long-term care insurance to help meet the needs of you and your family. Classification Appeals The NSSC Classification Appeals Team reviews Agency-level appeals submitted by NASA employees who disagree with their current position classification and who wish to appeal their grade, occupational series, or pay system. The NSSC team supports the Agency by evaluating appeals and positions based upon OPM’s classification standards and issuing evaluation statements for final Agency decision. Classification Services Position Classification is the process used to evaluate the duties and responsibilities of a position in order to assign a proper title, occupational series and grade. The Classification Team ensures NASA’s classification program meets regulatory requirements and is consistent with OPM and Agency policy guidance. Development of Information Materials The HR Development of Information Materials Team supports NASA-wide requirements for HR document creation. Drug Testing The NSSC Drug Testing Team administers the NASA Drug Testing Program for applicants selected for or working in a Testing Designated Position (TDP) for all pre-employment, random, voluntary, post-accident or unsafe practice, reasonable suspicion, and follow-up testing. Tests are conducted for NASA employees in TDPs that work at Centers and Satellite locations. Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF) The eOPF is an electronic version of your Official Personnel Folder and contains all the official records required to document your Federal career. Employee Notices The NSSC issues NASA-wide employee notices on a variety of HR topics. These notices engage and inform the NASA civil service workforce in topics such as annual notifications required by Federal law and regulations, employee rights and responsibilities, and various benefits and entitlements. Employee Recognition and Awards The NSSC provides general administrative support to the Agency and all NASA Center Award Offices to advance Agency- and Center-specific award programs, including certificate production and maintenance of the NASA Automated Awards System (NAAS). Financial Disclosure The NSSC Financial Disclosure Team provides support to Agency ethics offices, human resources offices, and financial disclosure filers for Confidential Financial Disclosure Office of Government (OGE) Form 450, Public Financial Disclosure Report OGE Form 278e, and Periodic Transaction Report OGE Form 278-T through NASA’s Ethics Program Tracking System (EPTS) and related services. General Employment Inquiries Many individuals worldwide are interested in a NASA career. The NSSC provides a variety of HR support activities including responding to a broad variety of questions from the public regarding Federal employment at NASA. As the Agency resource for these types of inquiries, the NSSC General Employment Inquiry team is available to field requests for information on subjects such as how to apply for a NASA position, citizenship requirements, student programs, veteran employment, and other general employment information. For information about NASA jobs and the employment process, visit Careers at NASA. If you have general questions about the application process, student employment programs, opportunities for veterans, or other general employment questions, contact the NSSC by e-mail at nssc-contactcenter@nasa.gov or phone at 1-877-677-2123 (1-877-NSSC123). HR Surveys The NSSC supports, coordinates, facilitates, and administers customer/Agency surveys, and studies of interest to the Government, as requested by the Office of the Chief Human Capitol Officer (OCHCO) or the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity (ODEO). In-Processing The NSSC In-Processing Team provides service to new NASA civil servants, transferred employees, reemployed annuitants, reinstated, converted, and reassigned employees. Leave Programs NASA leave programs work in coordination with one another to provide the most flexibility possible to NASA employees who are experiencing a personal or family medical emergency. Payroll The NSSC) Payroll Office (NPO) reviews, validates, and delivers time and attendance data to the Department of the Interior (DOI) Interior Business Center (IBC) for NASA Centers. NPO acts as liaison between Centers, employees and IBC for other payroll related activities such as supplemental payments, prior pay period adjustments and settlement agreements. Personnel Action Request (PAR) PAP covers transactional HR activities that are necessary to appoint, separate, record, and maintain personnel changes for NASA employees. Retirement The NSSC provides general administrative, advisory, and transactional support for federal benefits programs to all NASA employees, calculates retirement estimates, and processes retirements packages. Senior Executive Services (SES) and Presidential Rank Award (PRA) The NSSC provides documentation support for NASA’s Senior Executive Service (SES) appointments and Presidential Rank Award (PRA) nominations. Staffing Staffing Services works directly with hiring managers across the Agency to fill their vacancies and hire the talent they need. OCHCO Executive Services Division and the Office of Inspector General provide these services to their respective areas. Suitability Adjudication The NSSC Suitability team ensures consistent, timely, and quality adjudication decisions to meet the hiring requirements delineated in the 2010 Presidential Memorandum (Improving the Federal Recruitment and Hiring Process) and adhering to OPM’s adjudication metrics. Survivor Benefits In the event of an employee’s passing, a NASA Benefits Specialist will help your survivor file all necessary claims for any survivor and dependent annuities, life insurance and other benefits which may be available to them. Your surviving family members are our highest priority. Training Administration The NSSC provides training purchases and training administration support for specified needs that are standard across the Agency. Training Purchases includes procuring standard training classes, “reserving” seats for specific on-site courses, updating data in NASA’s learning management system (LMS), and completing acquisitions. Training Administration, which transitioned to the NSSC in FY 2020, consists of administering Federal, Agency, and Center-mandated/required training to include entering training course information and employee training data into the LMS for updated training histories, supporting documents for offsite and onsite course requests, learning history, approved training forms, attendance and completion data, and course information; supporting Center Training Offices with the administration and payment of courses, and providing post-training support to include deploying course evaluations and compiling survey results, closing scheduled offerings and inactivating course items; and administering the Agency’s LMS (i.e., System for Administration, Training, and Educational Resources for NASA (SATERN). Unemployment Compensation The Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) program provides a weekly income for a limited period of time to unemployed former Federal civilian workers who meet eligibility requirements, to help them meet basic needs while searching for employment. Workers’ Compensation The NSSC provides Workers’ Compensation case management support for all NASA employees to assist injured employees in a timely and safe return to work. View the full article

Psyche mission team members prepare the spacecraft at a facility near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in late July, just after the solar arrays were folded and stowed.NASA/Kim Shiflett NASA is inviting the public to take part in virtual activities ahead of the launch of NASA’s Psyche spacecraft. The Psyche spacecraft will travel about 2.2 billion miles to study a metal-rich asteroid of the same name. The asteroid, which lies in the outer portion of the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, may be part of a core of a planetesimal (a building block of a planet) and can tell us more about planetary cores and Earth’s own formation. Psyche is targeting liftoff at 10:16 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 12, on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft also is hosting a technology demonstration, NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC), which will be the first test of laser communications beyond the Moon. Members of the public can register to attend the launch virtually. As a virtual guest, you have access to curated resources, schedule changes, and mission-specific information delivered straight to your inbox. Following each activity, virtual guests will receive a commemorative stamp for their virtual guest passport. The live launch broadcast will begin at 9:30 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 12, and will air on YouTube, X, Facebook, Twitch, Daily Motion, the NASA app, www.nasa.gov/nasatv, and NASA’s UHD Channel. For more information about the Psyche mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/psyche. View the full article

3 min read Stellar Sights in this New Hubble Galaxy Snapshot NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, ESA, A. Filippenko (University of California – Berkeley), R. Foley (University of California – Santa Cruz), C. Kilpatrick (Northwestern University), and D. Sand (University of Arizona); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America) Hubble is sharing a brand new galaxy image every day through October 7, 2023! Visit our website daily, or follow along on X, Facebook, and Instagram. Bright blue spiral arms twist around the bright-white center of this starry galaxy. This new NASA Hubble Space Telescope image features NGC 6951, a barred spiral galaxy 78 million light-years away in the Cepheus constellation. Discovered independently by French astronomer Jerome Coggia in 1877 and American astronomer Lewis Swift in 1878, NGC 6951 intrigues scientists with its stellar history. The galaxy had its highest rates of star formation about 800 million years ago, then sat quietly for 300 million years before beginning to birth stars again. The average age of a star cluster, or gravitationally-bound group of stars, in this galaxy is 200 to 300 million years old, though some are as old as one billion years. Turbulent regions of gas, shown in dark red, surround the bright blue pinpricks that are star clusters. Astronomers often classify NGC 6951 as a Type II Seyfert galaxy, a type of active galaxy that emits large amounts of infrared radiation and has slow-moving gaseous matter near its center. Some astronomers classify NGC 6951 as a low-ionization nuclear emission-line region (LINER) galaxy, which is similar to a Type II Seyfert galaxy but with a cooler nucleus that emits weakly ionized or neutral atoms like oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. The whole galaxy is about 75,000 light-years across, and since it is close to the northern celestial pole, it is visible from the northern hemisphere. At the center of NGC 6951 lies a supermassive black hole surrounded by a ring of stars, gas, and dust about 3,700 light-years across. This “circumnuclear ring” is between 1 and 1.5 billion years old and has been forming stars for most of that time. Scientists hypothesize that interstellar gas flows through the dense, starry bar of the galaxy to the circumnuclear ring, which supplies new material for star formation. Up to 40 percent of the mass in the ring comes from relatively new stars that are less than 100 million years old. Spiral lanes of dust, shown in dark orange, connect the center of the galaxy to its outer regions, contributing more material for future star formation. Some of the stars in NGC 6951 have also experienced terrific stellar explosions known as supernovae; astronomers have counted as many as six supernovae in this galaxy in the past 25 years. Scientists continue to study NGC 6951 to better understand the environments that produce supernovae. Studying the emissions from supernovae helps astronomers understand the progenitor star, its age, luminosity, and position. This image used data from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys. The data is in both visible and infrared light. See the new images and learn more about galaxies Media Contact: Claire Andreoli NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD claire.andreoli@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Oct 04, 2023 Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Contact Related Terms Astrophysics Division Galaxies Goddard Space Flight Center Hubble Space Telescope Missions Science Mission Directorate Seyfert Galaxies Spiral Galaxies The Universe Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Stars Stories Galaxies Stories Exoplanets Our Solar System View the full article

3 min read NASA’s Modern History Makers: Abigail Rodriguez Abigail Rodriguez poses in front of the concentrator mirror in the Electric Propulsion and Power Laboratory at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. Credits: NASA/Bridget Caswell <back to gallery Finding a job at NASA doesn’t always happen on the first try. For Abigail Rodriguez, she wasn’t going to let anything get in her way of working for NASA and was resilient in finding a job where she could use her civil engineering degree. Rodriguez attended multiple job fairs and applied online until she found an opportunity that was the perfect fit. She accepted a spring internship at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and near the end of her time at Kennedy, she received a call from NASA’s Glenn Research Center offering her a summer internship in Cleveland. “I went home for two weeks; then I was back on a plane again to come here for my summer internship,” Rodriguez said. Home for Rodriguez is Añasco, Puerto Rico. Growing up in the public school system, she was involved with numerous extracurricular activities and always had her sights set on NASA. “We grew up in the shuttle era, watching all the launches and landings,” Rodriguez said. “Building a space station was something as a kid you couldn’t comprehend, but it was so cool.” Among her extracurriculars was an after-school program that promoted math and science among students grades 4 through 12. “That’s where I got a lot of interest in going into STEM,” Rodriguez said. “We did so many interesting projects and learned the physics of everything. We were all creative minds, and it was something I really liked.” She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in engineering management. After four other internships with NASA, she accepted a Pathways Intership in safety and mission assurance in 2013. A decade later, she leads safety and mission assurance for the Fission Surface Power project, which aims to design a fission power system that would provide at least 40 kilowatts of power — enough to continuously run 30 households for 10 years – and demonstrate it on the Moon. “The farther we go away from the Sun, the more we will need to rely on innovative energy sources like nuclear,” Rodriguez said. “I’m setting the path for future projects and, hopefully, making this a lot easier for the person who comes after me.” In her role, Rodriguez ensures the project and its technical planning are consistent with NASA’s safety and mission assurance design processes, specifications, rules, and best practices. She supervises reliability assessments, environmental impact statements, and approval processes, as well as collaborates with outside agencies like the Department of Energy and Department of Transportation. Exposure to exciting projects like this has kept Rodriguez in the field of safety. She’s had the opportunity to work on projects ranging from an International Space Station experiment to one focused on monitoring environmental conditions in Lake Erie. “In safety, you touch so many different areas that NASA is involved in,” Rodriguez said. “It’s intimidating, but it makes me feel proud I’m here.” NASA is in a Golden Era of aeronautics and space exploration. In partnership with commercial and private businesses, NASA is currently making history with significant missions such as Artemis, Quesst, and electrified aviation. The NASA’s Modern History Makers series highlights members of NASA Glenn’s workforce who make these remarkable missions possible. Jacqueline Minerd NASA’s Glenn Research Center Explore More 7 min read ASSURE 2023 Article 17 hours ago 5 min read Shaigh Sisk: Keeping the Wheels Turning in Projects and Pottery Project support specialist Shaigh Sisk helps keep things running in Goddard's Exploration and Space Communications… Article 18 hours ago 4 min read NASA and Bastion: A Collaborative Teamwork Advancing Deep Space Exploration and Ensuring Safety in Missions Article 22 hours ago View the full article

5 min read OpenET Launches a New API NASA / Ames On Tuesday, October 3, NASA Ames’ OpenET program launched an application programming interface (API) for its widely-used Data Explorer tool. OpenET is a program providing satellite-based information on evapotranspiration (ET) and agricultural water use, currently deployed across the 23 westernmost continental states. Data is provided at a scale of individual fields, or a quarter acre per pixel, and available at daily, monthly, and annual time scales. The current Data Explorer is freely available online, with the intent that anyone with an internet connection can easily access, download, retrieve and review data on water management. The October 3 launch of the API comes as the second piece of a three-part initiative to achieve this goal: stage one was the creation of the Data Explorer itself. Stage two, the new API, is designed to allow data to be more easily retrieved and integrated with a variety of water management applications on local, state, or federal levels. The program’s manager, Forrest Melton, saw many applications of the new API, “for on-farm water management, for irrigation scheduling, for use in irrigation design, or for use in development of water balances for an individual irrigation district or watershed. The API is the piece that will allow partners in the water resources management and agricultural sectors to begin to much more easily and automatically integrate data from OpenET into other applications and tools.” The API is the piece that will allow partners in the water resources management and agricultural sectors to begin to much more easily and automatically integrate data from OpenET into other applications and tools.” Forrest melton OpenET Program Manager There are currently 10 states retrieving and incorporating information from OpenET into various state water data information systems; the API will now make it easier to formalize and automate the data retrievals, and hopefully enable more states to integrate satellite data into their water management platforms in the future. This map showcases five different uses of OpenET data across the westernmost United States. In an example of the need and efficacy of OpenET’s data systems, the new API is already being used as part of the Delta Alternative Compliance Plan. California passed a law at the end of 2021 requiring the monitoring and reporting of specific elements of water usage, affecting nearly every farm in the Delta: an expensive, complex, and time-consuming ask. Farmers worked with the Delta Water Master to propose the use of OpenET, facilitating the automatic integration of data from the data explorer with California’s State Water Resources Control Board report management system. Melton remarked on the significant impact the integration had on the farmers’ workloads: “The process for reporting water use in the Delta that used to take farmers half a day to a day, they can now complete in about ten minutes. [It also] saves them thousands of dollars per year in cost for deploying and maintaining flow meters.” The process for reporting water use in the Delta that used to take farmers half a day to a day, they can now complete in about ten minutes. [It also] saves them thousands of dollars per year in cost for deploying and maintaining flow meters. Forrest melton OpenET Program Manager Water resource management has historically been a controversial subject for California, and Melton said it is gratifying to help create a “win-win” opportunity that is mutually beneficial for both parties; “They’ve had record levels of reporting this last year. We know it’s saved farmers money [and] time, and given the state more consistent data across the Delta, which is a critical nexus for water management in the state. […] It’s a bit in the weeds, I think, for the general audience. But for folks that work in water and understand how challenging some of these things have been, it’s a huge, huge win.” OpenET Program Manager Forrest Melton stands in field with two California farmers, checking satellite data about water usage. The OpenET team is also talking to the Western States Water Council about integrating satellite data into Upper Colorado River Basin demand management programs; an initiative the new API will be a critical piece of. Unlike the Delta, operating within this watershed would focus less on water use reporting and more on supporting the development of incentive-based water conservation. In short, such a program would allow farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural water rights holders to apply for funding to conserve water in the Colorado River Basin. Developing a water conservation incentive program, however, is just one of the intended outcomes of the new API. Other goals stretch across the nation, and include: Implementing the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in California Provisioning engineering firms and consultants to support multiple groundwater sustainability agencies Supporting the USGS National Water Census and National Hydrologic Model Supporting the Columbia River Basin evapotranspiration mapping tool; a multi-state initiative co- developed by the Oregon Water Resources Department, Idaho Department of Water Resources and Washington Department of Ecology Providing low latency data and forecasted information to support irrigation scheduling, thereby aiding individual farmers and ranchers Creating the API has taken Melton and his teams years of work, partnering closely with end-user agencies and organizations to test and refine the platform before its official release. This initial launch will go out to roughly 10,000 registered users, with the intent for wider promotion once the initial wave of usage is passed and the platform is performing smoothly. Looking at what is next for OpenET, Melton stated that the third stage of the open data architecture will be geared towards individual farmers and ranchers, creating custom reporting tools for farm and ranch management support. This final iteration will focus on providing a user-friendly interface to engage with those that may be interested in the technology but not have the programming background to synthesize the data sets in a way they can use. The graphical user interface, formally titled the OpenET Farm and Ranch Management Support (FARMS) tool, will sit on top of the API and guide users through the basics of setting up queries and running recurring reports. Melton was optimistic that a prototype of FARMS could be ready in early 2024. About the AuthorMilan LoiaconoScience Communication SpecialistMilan Loiacono is a science communication specialist for the Earth Science Division at NASA Ames Research Center. Share Details Last Updated Oct 03, 2023 Related Terms EarthWater on Earth Explore More 5 min read NASA-Led Study Pinpoints Areas of New York City Sinking, Rising Article 6 days ago 3 min read Goddard Team Wins NASA 2023 Software of the Year Award NASA has awarded the prestigious NASA Software of the Year (SOY) Award to a team… Article 1 week ago 5 min read Arctic Sea Ice 6th Lowest on Record; Antarctic Sees Record Low Growth Arctic sea ice likely reached its annual minimum extent on September 19, 2023, making it… Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

2 Min Read Financial Management The NSSC provides Accounts Payable (AP), Accounts Receivable (AR), Travel, and Fund Balance with Treasury (FBWT) services for each of the NASA Centers and Headquarters (HQ). Additionally, the NSSC provides services for Conference Reporting, Extended Temporary Duty (ETDY) Assistance, Relocation Services, and support for the Agency Travel/Fleet Card Programs. Accounts Payable NSSC Accounts Payable processes all accounts payable invoices, centrally billed accounts, and government charge card transactions for the Agency. Accounts Receivable The NSSC provides consolidated billing and collection for reimbursable and non-reimbursable Accounts Receivable. Travel The NSSC provides Travel Reimbursement services for all authorized Agency travel including: domestic, foreign, ETDY, and Change of Station. Vendor Payment NASA is committed to expedient and accurate payment of invoices. The NSSC provides invoice payments, tips to avoid delayed payments and answers to questions you may have about the payment of your invoice. Fund Balance with Treasury The NSSC prepares and reports the Statement of Transactions (FMS 224) and associated reports to Treasury according to the accounting policy and related management requirements necessary to establish financial control over NASA’s FBWT and other cash resources not part of the FBWT. Change of Station The NSSC provides all necessary resources to ensure that your Change of Station will occur in a smooth transition. Domestic Travel If you are planning to travel on official NASA business anywhere in the United States and are wondering what steps you need to take prior to your departure, the NSSC Domestic Travel team will help with your travel. Foreign Travel If you are you planning to travel on official NASA business outside of the United States and are wondering what steps you need to take to ensure a successful trip, the NSSC Foreign Travel team will help with your travel. Extended Travel If you are planning on going on ETDY with NASA and are wondering what steps you need to complete a successful trip, the NSSC Extended Travel team will help with your travel. Travel Card The NSSC executes oversight for the Agency Travel and Fleet Card Programs by conducting liaison activities with HQ and the bank, providing guidance and regulatory reporting as required under the provisions of the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-123, Appendix B. Fleet Card NASA provides the J.P. Morgan Chase and US Bank Fleet Card for each NASA owned vehicle in direct support for the purchase of fuel and minor maintenance. This card program offers widespread acceptance for employee drivers as well as innovative technology to assist NASA Fleet managers to control costs. View the full article

NASA Statute (51 U.S.C. § 20141) and Regulations (14 CFR Section 1221.1) pertaining to the use of the NASA name and insignia. Reference (18 U.S.C. § 1017) for provisions concerning penalties for use of the NASA Seal in a manner other than as authorized by (14 CFR Section 1221.1) Reference (18 U.S.C. § 701) for provisions concerning penalties for use of the NASA Insignia, NASA Logotype, or NASA Program Identifier in a manner other than as authorized by (14 CFR Section 1221.1). View the full article

4 Min Read Procurement The NSSC provides a variety of Procurement services across NASA to satisfy the evolving acquisition needs of the Agency. 1102 Training Program/The Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting Officer’s Representatives (FAC-COR) The NSSC supports the General Schedule (GS) 1102 Training Program by procuring and scheduling training courses required for Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting (FAC-C). The NSSC serves as the point of contact for contract specialists in the Agency 1102 training program. The FAC-COR program is for a program a FAC-COR program is for acquisituion professionals in the Federal Government performing contract management activities and functions. Contracting Officer’s Representatives (CORs) play a critical role in ensuring that contractors meet the commitment of their contracts. They facilitate proper development of requirements and assist Contracting Officers in developing and managing their contracts. The propose of this program is to establish training and experience requirements for those acquisition professionals. The NSSC also coordinates the Agency FAC-C by receiving and reviewing FAC-C applications and forwarding the acceptable applications to Headquarters (HQ) for approval. Upon HQ approval, the NSSC issues certificates to the contract specialist. Grants Activities Branch (GAB) The NSSC supports the Agency’s internal effort to create an environment conducive to streamlining and simplifying grants and cooperative agreements. NASA, through the establishment of the NSSC, has transitioned to a consolidated model for the award and administration of all Agency grants and cooperative agreements. The consolidation is designed to achieve efficient and effective service, improve data quality, standardize processes, leverage skills and investments, and provide economies of scale. Research Activities Branch (RAB) – The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs The SBIR/STTR programs provide an opportunity for small, high technology companies and research institutions (RI) to participate in Government sponsored research and development (R&D) efforts in key technology areas. NASA SBIR Phase I contracts have a period of performance for 6 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts have a period of performance up to 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000. The STTR Phase I contracts last for 13 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts last for 24 months with the maximum contract value of $750,000. Small Business Program The NSSC Small Business Office is responsible for providing outreach and liaison support to industry (both large and small businesses) and other members of the private sector. These activities are accomplished through a combination of individual counseling sessions, dissemination of information on upcoming NSSC procurement opportunities, and participation in local small business outreach events. The NSSC small business specialist also serves as the primary advisor to the NSSC acquisition community on all matters related to small business. Agency Contracts The NSSC’s Agency Contracting Program furthers NASA’s commitment for the creation and utilization of Agency contracts to satisfy common Center requirements and supports the Agency’s Strategic Sourcing Program. Agency Contracting can operate on many levels, including: intra-center, center-wide, and government-wide basis, depending upon the commodity or service being acquired. Agency Contracting identifies and logically groups together similar requirements so that they may be procured efficiently. Enterprise License Management Team (ELMT) The Enterprise License Management Team (ELMT) provides support for the discovery, analysis, establishment and management of Agency enterprise software licensing. The ELMT manages initiatives for licensing and contract consolidation and negotiate standard pricing for selected software for NASA. The ELMT maintains licensing and contract consolidation initiatives activities for NASA and negotiates economy of scale pricing for selected software. The Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting Officer’s Representatives (FAC-COR) This program is for acquisition professionals in the Federal Government performing contract management activities and functions. Contracting Officer’s Representatives (CORs) play a critical role in ensuring that contractors meet the commitment of their contracts. They facilitate proper development of requirements and assist Contracting Officers in developing and managing their contracts. The purpose of this program is to establish training and experience requirements for those acquisition professionals. Purchase Card (P-Card) The NSSC Purchase Card Team, comprised of both Civil Servant and Service Providers, provides a wide range of services to the Agency’s P-Card Community, comprised of approximately 700 cardholders and 600 approving officials, spending on average of $100 million per year. Some of the services and operational support provided include cardholder reconciliation assistance, responding to audit requests, providing data in reply to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, performing account reviews, conducting cardholder audits, and answering daily inquiries. Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) The SAT Team provides NASA leadership with unprecedented insight into simplified acquisition purchasing activity of the Agency by consolidation SAT purchases at or below $250,000 within scope in the shared services environment. View the full article

7 min read ASSURE 2023 /wp-content/plugins/nasa-blocks/assets/images/article-a-example-01.jpgSpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 11:50 p.m. EST on March 6, 2020, carrying the uncrewed cargo Dragon spacecraft on its journey to the International Space Station for NASA and SpaceXs 20th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-20) mission.NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Terry ASSURE 2023 8th International Workshop on Assurance Cases for Software-intensive Systems Toulouse, France September 19, 2023 ASSURE 2023 is live UPDATES 2023-05-30: Notifications sent to authors 2023-05-01: Submission deadline extended to May 15 2023-04-20: The ASSURE 2023 website is live! Introduction The 8th International Workshop on Assurance Cases for Software-intensive Systems (ASSURE 2023) is being collocated this year with SafeComp 2023, and aims to provide an international forum for high-quality contributions on the application of assurance case principles and techniques to provide confidence that the dependability properties of critical software-intensive systems have been met. ASSURE 2023 will be hybrid and run on Central European Time (CET). The main goals of the workshop are to: Explore techniques for the creation and assessment of assurance cases for software-intensive systems Examine the role of assurance cases in the engineering lifecycle of critical systems Identify the dimension of effective practice in the development and evaluation of assurance cases Investigate the relationship between dependability techniques and assurance cases Identify critical research challenges and define a roadmap for future development We invite high-quality research, practice, tools, and position papers, as well as papers containing new, forward-looking ideas and emerging results, works-in-progress, and reflections on current research examined through new perspectives, calling for future research directions. See the full Call for Papers, for more details on topics. Also view the submission deadlines, and guidelines. 2023 ASSURE – SASSUR Joint Workshop Program 8:00 9:00 Registration 9:00 9:05 Welcome 9:05 10:00 Welcome Keynote – Safety Cases: in Theory and Reality Philippa Ryan Conmy 10:00 10:30 Coffee Break 10:30 11:00 Invited Talk – Driving the Development Process from the Safety Case Christopher Hobbs, Simon Diemert, and Jeff Joyce 11:00 11:30 Computer-Aided Generation of Assurance Cases T.E. Wang, C. Oh, M. Low, I. Amundson, Z. Daw, A. Pinto, M.L. Chiodo, G. Wang, S. Hasan, R. Melville, P. Nuzzo 11:30 12:00 RACK: A Semantic Model and Triplestore for Curation of Assurance Case Evidence A. Moitra, P. Cuddihy, K. Siu, D. Archer, E. Mertens, D. Russell, K. Quick, V. Robert, B. Meng 12:00 13:00 Lunch 13:00 13:30 Using Assurance Cases to Prevent Malicious Behaviour from Targeting Safety Vulnerabilities V. Bandur, M. Lawford, S. Mosser, R. Paige, V. Pantelic, A. Wassyng 13:30 14:00 Constructing Security Cases Based on Formal Verification of Security Requirements in Alloy M. Zeroual, B. Hamid, M. Adedjouma, J. Jaskolka 14:00 14:30 Assurance Cases for Timing Properties of Automotive TSN Networks R. Kapinski, V. Pantelic, V. Bandur, A. Wassyng, M. Lawford 14:30 15:00 A Methodology for the Qualification of Operating Systems and Hypervisors for the deployment in IoT devices I. Bicchierai, E. Schiavone, M.L. Itria, L. Falai, A. Bondavalli 15:00 15:30 Coffee Break 15:30 16:00 Toward Dependability Assurance Framework for Autonomous Systems Y. Matsuno, T. Takai, M. Okada, T. Tsuchiya 16:00 16:45 Concluding Keynote – NASA’s Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) Vision for an Objectives-Driven, Risk-Informed, and Case-Assured Framework A. Diventi 16:45 Conclusion Important Dates Paper submission: 15 May 2023 2 May 2023 Author notification: 25 May 2023 Camera-ready papers: 5 June 2023 Workshop: 19 September 2023 Call for Papers Software plays a key role in high-risk systems, e.g., safety and security-critical systems. Assurance cases have been recommended or mandated for software-intensive systems in a number of domains, and are a promising way forward for assurance of autonomous systems. The goals of the 2023 Workshop on Assurance Cases for Softwareintensive Systems (ASSURE 2023) are to: explore techniques for creating and assessing assurance cases for software-intensive systems, especially those enabling autonomy, including structured argumentation, graphical notations, narrative forms, etc. examine the role of assurance cases in the engineering lifecycle of critical systems; identify the dimensions of effective practice in the development and evaluation of assurance cases; investigate the relationship between dependability techniques and assurance cases; and, identify critical research directions, define a roadmap for future development, and formulate challenge problems. The workshop will be hybrid, and run on Central European Time (CET). We solicit high-quality contributions (research, practice, tools, and position papers) on the application of assurance case principles and techniques to assure that the dependability properties of critical software-intensive systems have been met. ASSURE 2023 additionally solicits papers that contain new, forward-looking, ideas with emerging results and concrete plans for comprehensive empirical validation, works-in-progress, as well as reflections that examine current research under a new lens, calling for future research directions. Papers should attempt to address the workshop goals in general. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Assurance issues in emerging paradigms, e.g., autonomous and AI-based systems, including self-driving cars, unmanned aircraft systems, complex health care and decision making systems, etc. Standards: Industry guidelines and standards are increasingly requiring the development of assurance cases, e.g., the automotive standard ISO 26262, the FDA guidance on the total product life cycle for infusion pumps and the OMG standard on argumentation (Structured Assurance Case Metamodel, SACM). Certification and Regulations: The role and usage of assurance cases in the certification of critical systems, as well as to show compliance to regulations. Empiricism Empirical assessment of the applicability of assurance cases in different domains and certification regimes. Dependable architectures: How do fault-tolerant architectures and design measures such as diversity and partitioning relate to assurance cases? Dependability analysis: What are the relationships between dependability analysis techniques and the assurance case paradigm? Safety and security co-engineering: What are the impacts of security on safety, particularly safety cases and how can safety and security cases (e.g., as proposed in ISO 26262 and J3062 respectively) be reconciled? Tools: Using the output from software engineering tools (testing, formal verification, code generators) as evidence in assurance cases / using tools for the modeling, analysis and management of assurance cases. More generally, the role of formal verification in the wider context of assurance. Application of formal techniques for the creation, analysis, reuse, and modularization of arguments. Exploration of relevant techniques for assurance cases for real-time, concurrent, and distributed systems. Assurance of software quality attributes, e.g., safety, security and maintainability as well as dependability in general, including tradeoffs, and exploring notions of the quality of assurance cases themselves. Domain-specific assurance issues, in domains such as aerospace, automotive, healthcare, defense and power. Reuse and Modularization: Contracts and patterns for improving the reuse of assurance case structures. Relations between different formalisms and paradigms of assurance and argumentation, such as Goal Structuring Notation, STAMP, IBIS, and goal-oriented formalisms such as KAOS. Submission Submission Guidelines Papers will be peer-reviewed by at least 3 program committee members, and accepted papers will be published in the SAFECOMP 2023 Workshop proceedings, to be published by Springer in the Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) series. All papers must be original work not published, or in submission, elsewhere. Submission will be via EasyChair. Papers should be submitted in PDF only. Please verify that papers can be reliably printed and viewed on screen before submission. Papers should conform to the LNCS paper formatting guidelines. Regular (research, or practice), Tools, and Experience papers can be up to 10 pages, including figures, references, and any appendices. Note that authors of accepted tools papers will be expected to give a demonstration of the tool(s) at the workshop. Papers describing the experience of an organization in developing assurance cases are particularly welcome. Position papers, and papers presenting new ideas, works-in-progress, and emerging results can be 6 pages, including figures, references, and any appendices. Committees Workshop Chairs Ewen Denney, KBR / NASA Ames, USA Ibrahim Habli, University of York, UK Ganesh Pai, KBR / NASA Ames, USA Program Committee Chih-Hong Cheng, Fraunhofer IKS and TU Munchen, Germany Alan Wassyng, McMaster University, Canada Philippa Ryan Conmy, University of York, England Irfan Sljivo, KBR/NASA Ames Research Center, USA Martin Feather, JPL, USA Yoshiki Kinoshita, Kanagawa University, Japan Kenji Taguchi, National Institute of Informatics, Japan Daniel Schneider, Fraunhofer, Germany Simon Burton, Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems, Germany Sean White, NHS, England Contact Us 8th International Workshop on Assurance Cases for Software-intensive Systems Toulouse, France September 19, 2023 If you have questions about paper topics, submission and/or about ASSURE 2023 in general, please contact the Workshop Organizers. Facebook logo @NASA@NASAKennedy@NASASocial@Space_Station@ISS_Research @NASA@NASAKennedy@ISS@ISSNational Lab Instagram logo @NASA@NASAKennedy@ISS@ISSNational Lab@SpaceX Linkedin logo @NASA@Space_Station Read More Share Details Last Updated Oct 03, 2023 Related Terms General Explore More 5 min read Clues to Psyche Asteroid’s Metallic Nature Found in SOFIA Data Article 1 day ago 1 min read Near-Earth Asteroids as of September 2023 September 2023 Each month, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office releases a monthly update featuring the most recent figures on NASA’s planetary defense efforts, near-Earth object… Article 4 days ago 1 min read Huntsville Symphony String Quartet Performs at Marshall Article 4 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System View the full article

NASA’s “Spacey Casey” welcomes visitors to NASA Langley Research Center.NASA 2 min read News Media Invited To Preview NASA Langley’s Open House HAMPTON, Virginia – NASA Langley Research Center invites members of the media to join Director Clayton P. Turner Oct. 16 for a preview of the 2023 Open House. This special tour will highlight some of Langley’s facilities and work in space, aeronautics and Earth science that the public can expect to see during the center’s Open House on Oct. 21. Media preview schedule: 8:30 – Arrive at Langley, meet at Badge and Pass for escort to the Integrated Engineering Services Building (IESB) 9:00 – Welcome from Center Director Clayton Turner, who will also lead the tour 9:15 – Board bus 9:30 – Visit the National Transonic Facility (NTF) 10:30 – Visit Buildings 1148/Structures and Materials Lab and 1293/Structural Dynamics Test Laboratory 11:30 – Visit Building 1244/Aircraft Hangar 12:30 – Return to IESB Media outlets wishing to participate must contact Sondra Woodward at 757-848-7690 no later than noon, Friday, Oct. 13. Media must arrive no later than 8:30 a.m. at the Badge and Pass Office to receive their badges. Attendees are not required to stay for the duration of the tour, and arrangements will be made for those who want to leave early. For media: Images: https://www.nasa.gov/langley/images Video: https://www.nasa.gov/langley/videos 2017 Open House video Additional resources: Attractions: https://oh.larc.nasa.gov/oh/openhouse/#activities Parking: https://oh.larc.nasa.gov/oh/openhouse/parking/ FAQ: https://oh.larc.nasa.gov/oh/openhouse/faq/ Map: https://oh.larc.nasa.gov/oh/openhouse/map/ –end– Sondra Woodward Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia 757-848-7690 sondra.woodward@nasa.gov View the full article

Shaigh Sisk, planner and scheduler for the Optical to Orion project in the Laser-Enhanced Mission Navigation and Operational Services (LEMNOS) office, enjoys traveling near water when she isn’t at work.Credits: Courtesy of Shaigh Sisk Name: Shaigh Sisk Title: Project Support Specialist Organization: Exploration and Space Communications Projects (ESC), Code 450 What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission? I provide administrative support to division management and scientists on multiple tasks and projects. I also facilitate and streamline processes for official government travel and government purchases using a government credit card. What is your educational background? How did you come to Goddard? In 2017, I earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Maryland University College in environmental management. My dream job through college was to work for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, where I started working in 2017 supporting their education department. In 2019, after a friend who worked at Goddard said how much she loved working here, I came to Goddard into my current position because of greater opportunities. What is the most interesting work you have done at Goddard? I started shortly before the COVID shutdown and associated restrictions. I had to navigate the COVID policies in terms of government travel and purchasing, which have changed over the last two years. One benefit is that sorting out these new processes and restrictions have allowed me to work with a great number of people at Goddard. Project support specialist Shaigh Sisk provides administrative support to several divisions and tasks at Goddard, helping with things like travel and project management. Her six-word memoir, she says, is “Dive in, the water is great!”Credits: Courtesy of Shaigh Sisk Who are your mentors? Until recently, I directly supported Stephanie Getty, the director of our division. Her position keeps evolving so I have to keep up with her. She is brilliant! She supports so many amazing scientific ventures and is a phenomenal leader. She truly cares about the people in the workforce as individuals. I was five months pregnant with my first child in March 2020 as we went into lockdown. Stephanie is a great role model, as she is a working mom of two in a leadership position. She is always very understanding about work-life balance and is an inspiration, especially on really hard days, to do your best and keep going forward. She has recommended me for opportunities to consult with other individuals in the directorate’s office to streamline policies and processes relating to travel. Also, Juri Schauermann, the assistant director, has encouraged me and provided opportunities to work on tasks that continuously improve my skills. Juri creates a work environment that is fun and efficient. She is an amazing female role model balancing a successful career and a family of six. I feel grateful to have her as a supportive mentor but also as a friend. What do you like most about working at Goddard? It would be my group of people. Our front office group is very supportive and tight knit. I feel fortunate to work with people who look out for each other, and they are truly my work family The first thing we do Monday morning is catch up with each other as a group to go over what our week looks like and form a game plan. We ask about each other’s weekends, vacations, and children. Aside from everyone being amazing humans, we are all spectacular at what we do and keep the division running super smooth. The culture of Goddard is just unmatched. Where do you hope to be in five years? Over the next few years, I want to explore and develop skills in project management. In five years, I want to have gained experience in leading projects and tasks that I am excited about and continue to work with people at Goddard within different disciplines. What I love about my current position is that after only three years, I have been exposed to so many avenues. Project support specialist Shaigh Sisk creates pottery when she’s not at work. “I love the opportunity that pottery provides to mesh creativity and science,” she said.Credits: Courtesy of Shaigh Sisk What are your hobbies? In my spare time I love spending time at a local pottery studio near my house and creating new forms on the pottery wheel. I hope to one day have my own little pottery studio at my house where I can have a place to be creative and continue to practice a craft I started doing in high school. I love the opportunity that pottery provides to mesh creativity and science. After you create your form, it all comes down to chemistry. One of the most interesting examples of chemistry in pottery that I’ve experienced is Raku firing. This is an ancient Japanese ceramics technique that uses a mixture of high heat, combustibles, and starvation of oxygen to create unique and random colors within the glaze depending on how the different elements react. Where is your favorite place in the world and why? Anywhere near water. I find water very tranquil and relaxing, and I love how my senses come alive when I’m near it. I’m fascinated with the different ecosystems that exist within and around water. A trip to the state of Washington to see killer and humpback whales swim freely in their natural habitat was an unexplainable experience for me. My travel destinations are always chosen around what aquatic creatures I can interact with. My dream place to visit would be the Galapagos Islands. What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words. Dive in, the water is great! Editor’s Note: At the time of this interview, Shaigh worked as a lead project support specialist in the Solar System Exploration Division, and her answers reflect her work at that time. As of February 2023, she now works as the planner and scheduler for the Optical to Orion project in the Laser-Enhanced Mission Navigation and Operational Services (LEMNOS) office, while still supporting the SSED office group. 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. By Elizabeth M. Jarrell NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Share Details Last Updated Oct 03, 2023 Related Terms Communicating and Navigating with MissionsGoddard Space Flight CenterPeople of GoddardTechnology Explore More 3 min read Hubble Records Rare Radio Galaxy Hubble is sharing a brand new galaxy image every day through October 7, 2023! Visit… Article 1 day ago 3 min read Two NASA Goddard Earth Scientists Receive AGU Awards Dr. Dalia Kirschbaum and Dr. John Bolten, both of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in… Article 4 days ago 3 min read NASA’s Webb Receives IAF Excellence in Industry Award Article 4 days ago View the full article

NASA/Bill Ingalls NASA astronaut Frank Rubio landed in Kazakhstan on Sept. 27, 2023, after spending 371 days in space aboard the International Space Station. Rubio’s mission is the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut in history. While on the space station, Rubio completed 5,963 orbits of the Earth. See the highlights of his year in space. Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls View the full article

NASA research pilot Scott “Jelly” Howe tested specialized retinal movement tracking glasses at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Bridgeport, Connecticut on June 27, 2023. The glasses will help researchers working to design air taxis understand how a pilot visually experiences the cockpit and interacts with flight navigation tools.NASA/Dr. Tyler Fettrow Air taxis may become an important part of the U.S. transportation ecosystem, quickly carrying people relatively short distances – and eventually some may fly without a pilot aboard. NASA is helping prepare for that future with research to ensure that fully autonomous flight technology is safe. Currently, a NASA study team is evaluating how autonomous software can work with flight navigation tools. And to get that information, they’re investigating how human pilots interact with the new flight navigation technology. This work, involving the agency’s research pilots, software developers, and flight engineers, is critical for NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility mission, which envisions a future of new air transportation options including air taxis and delivery drones. The research is part of an automation software development collaboration between NASA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky. During an upcoming test, NASA research pilot Scott “Jelly” Howe will wear specially designed glasses that track the movement of his pupils, as well as biometric sensors that measure his body temperature and brain activity during flight. Data gathered will include Howe’s real-time reactions to ground control instructions, aircraft controls, the presence of other aircraft, and weather. The research will also monitor his use of a specially designed tablet into which he will select algorithm suggested flight path options and manually input commands. Biometric indicators such as dilated pupils, increased brain activity, elevated heart rate, respiration, and temperature can reveal when a pilot is experiencing excessive workload or heightened stress levels. The data gathered through this study will provide insight into pilots’ tendencies during flight. NASA researchers will use that data to improve future autonomous systems, so they can respond to hazards like human pilots would, paving the way for air taxi operations in the U.S. airspace “The biometric devices we employ enable us to quantify physiological aspects that are typically subconscious,” said NASA human factors researcher Dr. Tyler Fettrow. “Through these devices, we capture eye tracking data, providing insights into where the pilot’s attention is focused, the duration of their fixations, and changes in pupil dilation.” This type of human-factors research is important because of the unique challenges involved with integrating air taxis in the existing airspace system, where autonomous systems will have to avoid obstacles like other aircraft, buildings, birds, and weather. NASA is looking at the larger blueprint of how these aircraft will be integrated into the national airspace. “Advanced Air Mobility systems typically involve a high degree of automation and interaction between the humans and technology,” Fettrow said. “Designing interfaces that provide clear situational awareness, appropriate alerts and notifications, and effective communication channels is vital for safe operations.” Share Details Last Updated Oct 03, 2023 Editor Cody S. Lydon Contact Location Armstrong Flight Research Center Related Terms AeronauticsAeronautics ResearchAeronautics Research Mission DirectorateAir Traffic SolutionsAirspace Operations and Safety ProgramAmes Research CenterArmstrong Flight Research CenterDrones & YouFlight InnovationLangley Research CenterTechnology Demonstration Explore More 5 min read Clues to Psyche Asteroid’s Metallic Nature Found in SOFIA Data Article 23 hours ago 2 min read NASA Research Challenge Selects Two New Student-Led Teams Article 6 days ago 5 min read New Simulations Shed Light on Origins of Saturn’s Rings and Icy Moons Article 7 days ago View the full article

(June 9, 2023) — NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg rides the Canadarm2 robotic arm while maneuvering a roll-out solar array toward the International Space Station’s truss structure 257 miles above the Pacific Ocean. In the rear, is the SpaceX Dragon crew vehicle that docked to the Harmony module’s forward port on March 3 carrying four SpaceX Crew-6 crew members.Credits: NASA Two upcoming spacewalks outside the International Space Station to conduct science research and station maintenance will feature NASA astronauts, both first-time spacewalkers. NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara will participate in spacewalks on Thursday, Oct. 12, and Friday, Oct. 20, with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen joining her on the first, and NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli joining her on the second. Agency experts will preview the spacewalks during a news conference at 1 p.m. EDT on Friday, Oct. 6, from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Live coverage of the news conference and spacewalks will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. News conference participants are: Dana Weigel, deputy manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson Elias Myrmo, spacewalk flight director, NASA Johnson Faruq Sabur, U.S. spacewalk 89 officer, NASA Johnson Sandra Fletcher, U.S. spacewalk 90 officer, NASA Johnson Media interested in participating in person or by phone must contact the Johnson newsroom no later than 10 a.m., Friday, Oct. 6, by calling 281-483-5111 or emailing jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. To ask questions by phone, reporters must dial into the news conference no later than 15 minutes prior to the start of the call. Questions may also be submitted on social media using #AskNASA. The first spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and last about six hours with NASA TV coverage beginning at 8:30 a.m. On Oct. 12, O’Hara and Mogensen will exit the station’s Quest airlock to collect samples for analysis to see whether microorganisms may exist on the exterior of the orbital complex. They also will replace a high-definition camera on the port truss of the station and conduct other maintenance work to prepare for future spacewalks. O’Hara will serve as extravehicular activity (EVA) crew member 1 and will wear a suit with red stripes. Mogensen will serve as extravehicular crew member 2 and will wear an unmarked suit. U.S. spacewalk 89 will be the first spacewalk for both crew members. On Oct. 20, O’Hara and Moghbeli will complete the removal of a faulty electronics box, called a Radio Frequency Group, from a communications antenna on the starboard truss of the station and replace one of twelve Trundle Bearing Assemblies on the port truss Solar Alpha Rotary Joint. The bearings enable the station’s solar arrays to rotate properly to track the sun as the station orbits the Earth. During this spacewalk, Moghbeli will serve as EVA crew member 1 and O’Hara will serve as EVA crew member 2. U.S. spacewalk 90 will be the first spacewalk for Moghbeli and second for O’Hara. The second spacewalk will begin at 7:30 a.m. and last approximately six and a half hours with NASA TV coverage beginning at 6 a.m. Get breaking news, images and features from the space station on the station blog, Instagram, Facebook, and X. Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at: https://www.nasa.gov/station -end- Lora Bleacher / Julian Coltre Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 lora.v.bleacher@nasa.gov / julian.n.coltre@nasa.gov Sandra Jones Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Oct 03, 2023 Location NASA Headquarters Related Terms Humans in SpaceInternational Space Station (ISS)Missions View the full article

4 min read Start Your Engines: NASA to Begin Critical Testing for Future Artemis Missions Crews bring RS-25 developmental engine E0525 to the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Aug. 30 for the upcoming certification test series. The first test of the 12-test series is Thursday, Oct. 5 at NASA Stennis.NASA / Danny Nowlin NASA will begin a new RS-25 test series Oct. 5, the final round of certification testing ahead of production of an updated set of the engines for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The engines will help power future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. A series of 12 tests stretching into 2024 is scheduled to occur on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The tests are a key step for lead SLS engines contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company, to produce engines that will help power the SLS rocket, beginning with Artemis V. “NASA and our industry partners continue to make steady progress toward restarting production of the RS-25 engines for the first time since the space shuttle era as we prepare for our more ambitious missions to deep space under Artemis with the SLS rocket,” said Johnny Heflin, liquid engines manager for SLS at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “The upcoming fall test series builds off previous hot fire testing already conducted at NASA Stennis to help certify a new design that will make this storied spaceflight engine even more powerful.” For each Artemis mission, four RS-25 engines, along with a pair of solid rocket boosters, power the SLS rocket, producing more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Following a “test like you fly” approach, all 12 tests in the new series are scheduled for at least 500 seconds, the same amount of time the engines must fire during an actual launch. The 12-test series will use developmental engine E0525 to collect data for the final RS-25 design certification review. The engine features a second set of new key components, including a nozzle, hydraulic actuators, flex ducts, and turbopumps. The components match design features of those used during the initial certification test series completed at the south Mississippi site in June. “Testing a second set of hardware during this next phase of our certification test series will give us repeatability to ensure we have sound processes for building our new engines,” said Mike Lauer, RS-25 deputy program manager at Aerojet Rocketdyne. “The successful testing of the brand-new certification engine proved our engineering was sound – that the new design is capable of meeting requirements at operating extremes and durations. This next test series will help confirm our manufacturing processes will reliably create production engines that will meet these same requirements.” Operators will fire the engine at power levels varying between 80% and 113% to test performance in multiple scenarios. The first four Artemis missions are using modified space shuttle main engines that can power up to 109% of their rated level. New RS-25 engines will power up to the 111% level to provide additional thrust. Testing up to the 113% power level provides a margin of operational safety. The longest test of the new series is planned for 650 seconds. Crews will conduct a gimbal test of the engine to ensure it can pivot as needed to help SLS maintain stability and trajectory during flight. The Oct. 5 test is scheduled for 550 seconds and will fire the RS-25 engine up to 111% power level. Overall, a total of 6,350 seconds of hot fire is planned for the series. With completion of the campaign, it is anticipated all systems will be “go” to produce 24 new RS-25 engines using the updated design for missions beginning with Artemis V. “Testing at the historic Fred Haise Test Stand is critical to ensure that our astronauts fly safely,” said Chip Ellis, project manager for RS-25 testing at NASA Stennis. “The test team takes great care to ensure these engines will operate as designed to launch NASA payloads and astronauts to the Moon and beyond.” Through Artemis, NASA will use innovative technologies and collaborate with commercial and international partners to explore more of the Moon than ever. The agency will use what is learned on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap of sending the first astronauts to Mars. For information about NASA’s Stennis Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/centers/stennis/ C. Lacy Thompson Stennis Space Center, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi 228-363-5499 calvin.l.thompson@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Oct 03, 2023 Editor Contact Location Stennis Space Center Related Terms Stennis Space Center Explore More 4 min read Data Tells Story of NASA Moon Rocket Engine Tests Article 1 week ago 5 min read NASA Achieves Key Milestone for Production of Future Artemis Engines Article 2 months ago 4 min read Stennis Flashback: NASA Test Series Leads to Bold Space Shuttle Flight It may have been small, but the white puff of smoke exiting the B-2 Test… Article 5 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics from NASA Stennis Doing Business with NASA Stennis About NASA Stennis Visit NASA Stennis NASA Stennis Media Resources View the full article

As we continue to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, the NASA Office of Small Business Programs is pleased to share the contributions of Bastion Technologies Inc. (Bastion), a Hispanic-owned company that supports NASA’s missions. Their primary role is in Safety & Mission Assurance at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. This includes systems engineering, where they have worked on design and analysis activities for the International Space Station, space shuttle, and Artemis programs. Bastion engages in critical assessments to ensure the highest standards of safety and reliability in NASA missions. Their team provides mission assurance support for both crewed and uncrewed flight systems at various other NASA centers such as Stennis Space Center, Ames Research Center, Glenn Research Center, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In addition to supporting the success of NASA missions, they have prioritized the safety of our astronauts and valuable payloads. As a result, Bastion has received the Marshall Space Flight Center Safety Award for maintaining an exemplary safety record, with 2 million work hours without any injuries.  NASA has also recognized Bastion with the Space Flight Awareness Award for their role in multiple aspects of the Space Launch Program, particularly in ensuring the successful delivery and launch of the Artemis I launch vehicle.  During Artemis I, NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System), soared into the sky and sent the Orion spacecraft on a 1.4-million-mile journey beyond the Moon and back. The Space Launch System is NASA’s heavy-lift rocket and serves as the cornerstone for human exploration beyond Earth’s orbit. The SLS is the only rocket capable of sending the Orion spacecraft, four astronauts, and transporting extensive cargo directly to the Moon within a single mission.  Liftoff! NASA’s Space Launch System carrying the Orion spacecraft lifts off the pad at Launch Complex 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 16, 2022. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown. a They have also aided in a 12-test series of the new RS-25 engines at the agency’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, which are integral to future SLS rocket missions. For over three decades, the RS-25 engine powered the space shuttle, completing 135 missions. This engine stands as one of the most rigorously tested large rocket engines in history, with over 3,000 starts and an accumulated firing time exceeding 1 million seconds through ground tests and flight. Throughout the Space Shuttle Program, the RS-25 underwent numerous design enhancements aimed at improving durability, reliability, safety, and performance. Four RS-25 engines attached to the core stage for Artemis I Furthermore, Bastion’s assistance in projects such as the Sample Cartridge Assembly and Copper Indium Sulfide Defect Growth  has been critical in completing the CISDG-C1 hardware for shipment and launch on the 28th SpaceX commercial resupply services mission for NASA. It launched to the International Space Station from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 3, 2023.  On this mission, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft transported several thousand pounds of essential hardware,  scientific experiments, and technology demonstrations. It also encompassed research on plant stress adaptation, investigations into genetic structures known as telomeres, as well as the deployment of satellite projects designed by Canadian students.  Embed Video: https://youtu.be/KMB9fvH-EsM Lastly, Bastion’s contribution to the Life Science Glovebox payload has seen a significant increase, with them completing 2.5 times as many integrated safety assessments in 2023 as they did in 2022. The Life Sciences Glovebox is a sealed work area in the International Space Station  which provides bioisolation and waste control. Crew members can perform experimental procedures in cell, insect, aquatic, plant, and animal developmental biology. NASA’s new Life Sciences Glovebox undergoes testing at Marshall prior to its scheduled Sept. 10 flight to the International Space Station. The research facility is 26 inches high, 35 inches wide and 24 inches deep, with a 15-cubic-foot workspace.NASA/MSFC/Steve Moon Hispanic professional continues to influence his daily work with NASA and Bastion in profound ways. “Growing up in a culturally rich and diverse background, I have brought a unique perspective to problem-solving and teamwork. I’ve learned to adapt to different challenges and appreciate the value of diversity in the workplace,” says Hernandez.   He goes on to emphasize that Bastion actively supports mentorship and advocates for underrepresented minorities in STEM fields, aiming to inspire the next generation of diverse professionals to reach for the stars.  “Bastion’s journey supporting NASA has been deeply influenced by my heritage, which has driven our company to excel and promote diversity within the agency. Bastion is proud to contribute to NASA’s mission and play our part in advancing our understanding of the universe.” – Jorge Hernandez By: Maliya Malik NASA Office Of Small Business Programs Intern View the full article

The first crew to take part in a yearlong NASA Mars analog mission reached a milestone of 100 days inside the 1,700-square-foot habitat on October 3. The four person, volunteer crew entered the CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space center in Houston on June 25 to begin a 378-day Mars surface simulation. Throughout their mission, the crew is carrying out different types of mission activities future astronauts will take part in during a human Mars mission, including simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, habitat maintenance, personal hygiene, exercise, and crop growth. While the CHAPEA crew is also simulating Mars-realistic communication delay of up to 22-minutes one-way, they have periodically captured and shared images of their experience. Nathan Jones, CHAPEA mission 1 medical officer, gives Anca Selariu, CHAPEA mission 1 science officer, the first haircut inside the simulated Mars habitat.NASA/CHAPEA crew Nathan Jones participates in a simulated “Marswalk” inside the 1,200 square foot sandbox, which is connected to the habitat through an airlock.NASA/CHAPEA crew CHAPEA crew members Ross Brockwell and Anca Selariu complete geology work using the glovebox inside the habitat.NASA/CHAPEA crew NASA is leading a return to the Moon for long-term science and exploration. Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. Lessons learned on and around the Moon and activities like CHAPEA on the ground will prepare NASA for the next giant leap: sending astronauts to Mars. Explore More 3 min read NASA Mars Analog Crew to Test Food Systems, Crop Growth Article 3 months ago 1 min read First CHAPEA Crew Begins 378-Day Mission Article 3 months ago 5 min read NASA Selects Participants for One-Year Mars Analog Mission Article 3 months ago View the full article

NASA logoCredits: NASA NASA has selected seven companies to provide commercial data in support of the agency’s Earth science research. The Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition Program will acquire Earth observation data and related services from commercial sources for NASA. This fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract will be effective for a period of five years with an option to extend services an additional six-months. The maximum potential value is cumulatively $476 million among all contractors selected. The following companies were selected as part of this full and open competition: Airbus DS Geo, Inc. of Herndon, Virginia Capella Space Corp. of San Francisco GHGSat, Inc. of Montreal Maxar Intelligence, Inc. of Westminster, Colorado Space Sciences and Engineering (dba PlanetiQ) of Golden, Colorado Spire Global Subsidiary, Inc. of Vienna, Virginia Umbra Lab, Inc., of Santa Barbara, California The contract serves as a flexible method for NASA to acquire data from commercial sources that support NASA’s Earth science research and application activities. An emphasis will be placed on data acquired by commercial satellite constellations, affording the means of complementing NASA’s Earth observations data with higher resolutions, increased temporal frequency or other novel capabilities. This contract will provide a cost-effective means to complement the suite of Earth observations acquired by NASA and other U.S. government agencies, as well as international partners and agencies. NASA will require end user license agreements to enable broad levels of dissemination and shareability of the commercial data. There is a set of government-defined license tiers associated with all contracts and task orders awarded for scientific non-commercial use. For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov -end- Abbey Donaldson Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 abbey.a.donaldson@nasa.gov View the full article

Environmental Portrait of Jennifer L. Turner for Faces of NASA Project. NASA / James Blair “I can almost directly trace my entire career back to [my extracurriculars] in high school and a mentor I had. My first foray into engineering was this high school program called the Robotics Science Academy. It was basically my high school’s attempt to put together a curriculum that was designed specifically to prepare students for an engineering track in college. But since it was the first year of trying this program, there were only about eight of us. The high school teacher leading the robotics track, Mr. Donelson, was always [encouraging] about trying new things and getting out of our comfort zone. And I think that always really helped me.” “So I owe a lot to him, for sure. He would stay after school with us and walk us through our assignments, and ended up encouraging us to enter an underwater robotics competition. Because we were fairly landlocked – which is obviously not great for underwater robotics that are meant for deep sea missions — we sort of lucked our way into the international competition.” “Even so, we ended up winning a “bang for your buck” award based on the amount of tasks we completed in the mission and the cost of our robot, because the cost was very, very low. It was just this Frankenstein monstrosity of PVC pipes and messy high schooler soldering and wiring. But no matter how it looked, I was lucky to have teachers like Mr. Donelson to push all of us forward.” Image Credit: NASA / James Blair Check out some of our other Faces of NASA. View the full article

On Oct. 1, 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) officially began operations. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act the previous July, creating NASA to lead America’s civilian space program in response to Soviet advances in space exploration. T. Keith Glennan and Hugh L. Dryden were sworn in as NASA’s first administrator and deputy administrator, respectively. As its core, the new agency incorporated the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), founded in 1915 to advance aeronautics research in the United States. The NACA elements included three large research laboratories and two small test facilities. Projects and facilities transferred from other agencies to augment NASA’s capabilities. Within days of opening, NASA began work on America’s first human spaceflight program. Left: NASA Deputy Administrator Hugh L. Dryden, left, introduces NASA Administrator T. Keith Glennan as he prepares to deliver a filmed address to NACA employees about the impending transition to NASA. Middle: The Dolley Madison House on LaFayette Square in Washington, D.C., NASA’s first headquarters building. Right: The main entrance to the Dolley Madison House. In a filmed address delivered to all NACA employees shortly before the transition, Glennan explained that the change to the new organization should not affect their daily lives, even though the new agency would over time take on more responsibilities. Indeed, the transition for the existing 8,000 NACA employees proved rather seamless. They went home on Sept. 30 as NACA employees and reported for work on Oct. 1 as NASA employees, without change to their daily routines. On Oct. 1, Glennan addressed the 170-member headquarters staff in the courtyard of the Dolley Madison House on Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., that served as NASA’s first headquarters. Left: The logo for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) on the wall of the 8-foot transonic pressure wind tunnel at the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, now NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Right: The entrance sign to the NACA Ames Aeronautical Laboratory, now NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. Left: The entrance sign to NACA’s Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. Right: The entrance sign to the renamed NASA Lewis Research Center, now NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. Left: The NACA High Speed Flight Station, now NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Right: Workers removing the NACA logo at the High Speed Flight Station. Three NACA research laboratories – Langley Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia; Ames Aeronautical Laboratory in Mountain View, California; and Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory in Cleveland, Ohio – and two small test facilities – the Muroc Dry Lake in California’s high desert for high-speed flight research, and one for sounding rockets at Wallops Island in Virginia – transferred to NASA on Oct. 1, with a total of 8,000 employees and an annual budget of $100 million. By Dec. 31, 1958, NASA had absorbed elements of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency in Huntsville, Alabama, the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., including its Project Vanguard, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, a contractor facility operated by the California Institute of Technology. These added 420 employees and 2,300 contractors to the workforce and brought the agency’s appropriations to more than $330 million. It also acquired a high-priority rocket engine development project from the U.S. Air Force. Over time, the Agency established or incorporated additional centers and facilities to meet the growing needs of the nation’s space program. Today, 10 field centers across the nation work together to accomplish NASA’s varied missions. Left: The headquarters building for the Space Task Group at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Middle: An early cutaway representation of a Mercury capsule. Right: An early representation of rocket engines for human spaceflight, including the F-1 at right. President Eisenhower gave NASA overall responsibility for developing America’s human spaceflight program. The new agency inherited two large top priority projects in this arena. The first involved developing a spacecraft capable of carrying a single human into space and returning him safely to Earth. Engineers at Langley had conducted studies in this area since 1952, and on Oct. 8, 1958, Glennan gave the formal approval for the formation of a team at Langley to develop this capability. On Nov. 5, the Space Task Group (STG) formally came into existence, with Robert R. Gilruth named as project manager and Charles J. Donlan as his assistant. Thanks to their previous work, the STG released the specifications for the crewed capsule on Nov. 14, mailing them three days later to 20 prospective companies that had expressed an interest in bidding on the project that NASA formally named Project Mercury on Nov. 26. On Jan. 9, 1959, NASA selected the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation of St. Louis to develop the spacecraft. The second major high-priority project involved the development of a 1.5-million-pound thrust rocket engine to power a future large space booster. The new agency inherited studies conducted by the U.S. Air Force, and by mid-December, NASA selected the Rocketdyne Division of North American Aviation to develop the F-1 engine that later powered the Saturn V moon rocket. Left: Pioneer 1 shortly before its launch on a Thor-Able rocket. Middle: Replica of Pioneer 1 on display at the Smithsonian Institute’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. Image credit: courtesy National Air and Space Museum. Right: Engineers inspect Pioneer 3 before launch. The nearly identical Pioneer 4 became the first American spacecraft to reach solar orbit. The new agency inherited satellite programs from other agencies. The first of these, part of a program of lunar orbiters inherited from the U.S. Air Force, launched on Oct. 11, 1958, under the auspices of NASA although the Air Force conducted the operations. Pioneer 1 blasted off aboard a Thor-Able rocket from a fledgling launch facility at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Although it did not achieve its intended mission to orbit the Moon due to a rocket malfunction, Pioneer 1 did reach a then record altitude of about 70,000 miles. The probe returned scientific data confirming the existence of the Van Allen radiation belts until it burned up on reentry in the Earth’s atmosphere 43 hours after launch. Two other Pioneers met similar fates in November and December. Pioneer 4, although it missed the Moon, became the first American spacecraft to enter solar orbit in March 1959. In the subsequent decades, NASA launched spacecraft to unlock the mysteries of the universe, dispatched probes to make close up observations of every planet in the solar system, sent men on voyages to the Moon, built a space station to maintain a permanent human presence in space, and today is preparing to return astronauts to the Moon. Share Details Last Updated Oct 02, 2023 Related Terms NASA History Explore More 16 min read 35 Years Ago: STS-26 Returns the Space Shuttle to Flight Article 5 days ago 9 min read 50 Years Ago: Skylab 3 Astronauts Splash Down after Record 59 Days in Space Article 1 week ago 3 min read Forget Movie Magic, NASA Armstrong has the Real Thing Article 3 weeks ago View the full article

Substantive Areas The following sites provide substantive information on matters of concern to the Contracts and Acquisition Integrity Law Practice Group: Searchable versions of the current Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and NASA FAR Supplement (NFS). NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement Handbook — NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement Handbook, NASA Procedures and Guidelines (NPG) 5800.1E, on the NASA On-Line Directives Information System (NODIS). Useful Federal and Other Links Acquisition Central → Defense Acquisition Regulations System → Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy (DPAP) → General Accounting Office (GAO) Bid Protest Decisions → “Government Executive” A-76 and Outsourcing Page → NASA Acquisition Internet Service (NAIS) → NASA Procurement Library → View the full article

When the asteroid Psyche has its first close-up with a NASA spacecraft, scientists hypothesize they will find a metal-rich asteroid. It could be part or all of the iron-rich interior of a planetesimal, an early planetary building block, that was stripped of its outer rocky shell as it repeatedly collided with other large bodies during the early formation of the solar system. New research from scientists at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley suggests that is exactly what the agency’s Psyche mission will find. An artist’s concept depicting the metal-rich asteroid Psyche, which is located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU Led by Anicia Arredondo, the paper’s first author and a postdoctoral researcher at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, and Maggie McAdam, Ames research scientist and principal investigator, the team observed Psyche in Feb. 2022 using NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). The now-retired observatory was a Boeing 747SP aircraft modified to carry a reflecting telescope. As a flying telescope, SOFIA collected data that was not affected by Earth’s lower atmosphere and made observations from all over the world, including over the oceans. For the first time, SOFIA was able to gather data from every part of Psyche’s surface. It also allowed the team to collect data about the materials that make up Psyche’s surface – information that could not be gathered from ground-based telescopes. Psyche’s potential to answer many questions about planet formation is a key reason why it was selected for close observation by a spacecraft. Scientists believe that planets like Earth, Mars, and Mercury have metallic cores, but they are buried too far below the planets’ mantles and crusts to see or measure directly. If Psyche is confirmed to be a planetary core, it can help scientists understand what is inside the Earth and other large planetary bodies. Psyche’s size is also important for advancing scientific understanding of Earth-like planets. It is the largest M-type (metallic) asteroid in our solar system and is long enough to cover the distance from New York City to Baltimore, Maryland. This means Psyche is more likely to show differentiation, which is when the materials inside a planet separate from one another, with the heaviest materials sinking to the middle and forming cores. “Every time a new study of Psyche is published, it raises more questions,” said Arredondo, who was a postdoctoral researcher at Ames on the SOFIA mission when the Psyche observations were collected. “Our findings suggest the asteroid is very complex and likely holds many other surprises. The possibility of the unexpected is one of the most exciting parts of a mission to study an unexplored body, and we look forward to gaining a more detailed understanding of Psyche’s origins.” NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is shown in a clean room on June 26, 2023, at the Astrotech Space Operations facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.NASA/Frank Michaux More about the Psyche and SOFIA missions: Arizona State University leads the Psyche mission. A division of Caltech in Pasadena, JPL is responsible for the mission’s overall management, system engineering, integration and test, and mission operations. Maxar Technologies in Palo Alto, California, provided the high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft chassis. Psyche is the 14th mission selected as part of NASA’s Discovery Program, managed by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, is managing the launch service. SOFIA was a joint project of NASA and the German Space Agency at DLR. DLR provided the telescope, scheduled aircraft maintenance, and other support for the mission. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley managed the SOFIA program, science, and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association, headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and the German SOFIA Institute at the University of Stuttgart. The aircraft was maintained and operated by NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703, in Palmdale, California. SOFIA achieved full operational capability in 2014 and concluded its final science flight on Sept. 29, 2022. For news media: Members of the news media interested in covering this topic should reach out to the Ames newsroom. View the full article