Members Can Post Anonymously On This Site
Paraglider captures unexpected visitor at the top of the Great Pyramid of Giza
-
Similar Topics
-
By NASA
Sometimes an unexpected turn in a carefully planned career path leads to surprising opportunities for growth and exciting new experiences. For Jason Phillips, that turn steered toward NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Official portrait of Jason Phillips.NASA/Bill Stafford Phillips joined the U.S. Air Force in 1994 and planned to serve for at least 20 years, but in 2010—while preparing for a third deployment after 14 years of service—he found himself facing a medical separation from the military. “In a very short amount of time I had to figure out next steps for a career and lifestyle that no longer involved being an active duty servicemember,” he said.
Thanks to a special hiring authority obtained by Peterson Air Force Base’s Office of Procurement, Phillips was able to transition to the civil service and apply his experience as an Air Force contracting officer to a new role. Phillips returned home to Houston and shifted from a Defense Department job to NASA as a contract specialist, spending his first 10 years at Johnson supporting all aspects of the Center Operations Directorate. He was then tasked with the challenge of serving as a lead contracting officer within Johnson’s procurement office for the International Space Station Program.
Phillips currently leads a team of highly skilled acquisition professionals who support a variety of contracts that sustain the International Space Station’s operations, maximize science conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory, and pave the way for a seamless transition to commercial low Earth orbit destinations. He oversees the team’s daily work, which includes strategic planning and acquisition of contracts valued at more than $21 billion. Specifically, the team handles NASA’s Cargo Resupply Services contracts, a cooperative agreement with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, and the Research, Engineering & Mission Integration Services-2 contract.
Jason Phillips (left) and Johnson Office of Procurement colleagues attend a National Contract Management Association conference at the Gilruth Center in 2016. NASA/James Blair “I am responsible for providing high-quality procurement products, services, and support to ensure that executive and technical customer needs are met and exceeded while maintaining compliance with applicable statutes, regulations, and guidelines,” he said. That work has included modifying the program’s original acquisition strategy to minimize delays, target cost savings, and emphasize critical infrastructure and services such as the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems aboard the space station.
Phillips enjoys seeing the direct impact of his work. “This career field almost always allows me to see the fruits of my labor, whether I am procuring office supplies and equipment or managing construction projects,” he said, noting that the remodeling of Johnson’s building 20 was his first project at the center. He is also proud to have supported the career progression of fellow procurement professionals and technical staff. “It’s a nod to those who came before me and provided me with their leadership and technical knowledge of procurement.”
Jason Phillips received an Individual Contribution Award for continuous support in Johnson’s Office of Procurement from NASA Assistant Administrator for Procurement Karla Jackson in 2022.NASA/Robert Markowitz Phillips said that staying humble and accountable is key to finding mission-focused solutions that benefit everyone. He also cautioned against making assumptions. “The people around you are very willing to offer thoughts and insights into a solution to your problem,” he said. “There is so much knowledge to be gained by listening.”
He encourages the Artemis Generation to seek opportunities to expand their technical knowledge and grow professionally. “Help yourself so that you may help others.”
Explore More
2 min read How Are We Made of Star Stuff? We Asked a NASA Expert: Episode 58
Article 14 hours ago 5 min read NASA 3D Wind Measuring Laser Aims to Improve Forecasts from Air, Space
Article 15 hours ago 3 min read Lunar Space Station Module for NASA’s Artemis Campaign to Begin Final Outfitting
Article 3 days ago View the full article
-
By European Space Agency
On 28 March 2025, a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck central Myanmar, sending shockwaves through the region. While the country is still dealing with the devasting aftermath, scientists have used radar images from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites to reveal a detailed picture of how the ground shifted as a result of the quake – offering new insights into the mechanics of the tectonic Sagaing Fault and the scale of the seismic rupture.
View the full article
-
By European Space Agency
Image: This very high-resolution image captures the Egyptian city of Giza and its surrounding area, including the world-famous Giza Pyramid Complex. View the full article
-
By NASA
Explore Hubble Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact on Human Spaceflight Astro Community Impacts Science Hubble Science Science Themes Science Highlights Science Behind Discoveries Hubble’s Partners in Science Universe Uncovered Explore the Night Sky Observatory Hubble Observatory Hubble Design Mission Operations Missions to Hubble Hubble vs Webb Team Hubble Team Career Aspirations Hubble Astronauts News Hubble News Social Media Media Resources Multimedia Multimedia Images Videos Sonifications Podcasts e-Books Online Activities Lithographs Fact Sheets Posters Hubble on the NASA App Glossary More 35th Anniversary Online Activities 2 min read
Hubble Captures a Star’s Swan Song
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the planetary nebula Kohoutek 4-55. ESA/Hubble & NASA, K. Noll The swirling, paint-like clouds in the darkness of space in this stunning image seem surreal, like a portal to another world opening up before us. In fact, the subject of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is very real. We are seeing vast clouds of ionized atoms and molecules, thrown into space by a dying star. This is a planetary nebula named Kohoutek 4-55, a member of the Milky Way galaxy situated just 4,600 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus (the Swan).
Planetary nebulae are the spectacular final display at the end of a giant star’s life. Once a red giant star has exhausted its available fuel and shed its last layers of gas, its compact core will contract further, enabling a final burst of nuclear fusion. The exposed core reaches extremely hot temperatures, radiating ultraviolet light that energizes the enormous clouds of gas cast off by the star. The ultraviolet light ionizes atoms in the gas, making the clouds glow brightly. In this image, red and orange indicate nitrogen, green is hydrogen, and blue shows oxygen. Kohoutek 4-55 has an uncommon, multi-layered form: a faint layer of gas surrounds a bright inner ring, all wrapped in a broad halo of ionized nitrogen. The spectacle is bittersweet, as the brief phase of fusion in the core will end after only tens of thousands of years, leaving a white dwarf that will never illuminate the clouds around it again.
This image itself was also the final work of one of Hubble’s instruments: the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). Installed in 1993 to replace the original Wide Field and Planetary Camera, WFPC2 was responsible for some of Hubble’s most enduring images and fascinating discoveries. Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 replaced WFPC2 in 2009, during Hubble’s final servicing mission. A mere ten days before astronauts removed Hubble’s WFPC2 from the telescope, the instrument collected the data used in this image: a fitting send-off after 16 years of discoveries. Image processors used the latest and most advanced processing techniques to bring the data to life one more time, producing this breathtaking new view of Kohoutek 4-55.
Facebook logo @NASAHubble @NASAHubble Instagram logo @NASAHubble Share
Details
Last Updated Apr 10, 2025 Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
Hubble Space Telescope Astrophysics Astrophysics Division Emission Nebulae Goddard Space Flight Center Nebulae Planetary Nebulae Stars The Universe Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Hubble
Hubble Space Telescope
Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.
The Death Throes of Stars
From colliding neutron stars to exploding supernovae, Hubble reveals new details of some of the mysteries surrounding the deaths of…
Exploring the Birth of Stars
Seeing ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light helps Hubble uncover the mysteries of star formation.
Hubble’s Nebulae
View the full article
-
By European Space Agency
Image: This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image shows part of one of the world’s natural wonders – the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea off the east coast of Queensland, Australia.
Zoom in to explore this image at its full resolution or click on the circles to learn more.
The Great Barrier Reef extends for nearly 2300 km and covers an area of more than 344 000 sq km, approximately the size of Italy. It is the largest living organism on Earth and the only living thing the naked eye can see from space.
Despite its name, the Great Barrier Reef is not a single reef, but an interlinked system of about 3000 reefs and 900 coral islands, divided by narrow passages. An area of biodiversity equal in importance to tropical rainforests, the reef hosts more than 1500 species of tropical fish, 400 types of coral, hundreds of species of bird and seaweed and thousands of marine animals, including sharks, barracuda and turtles.
In recognition of its significance the reef was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.
The section of reef seen here is the southern part off the coast of the Shire of Livingstone in Central Queensland. Part of the mainland and the islands surrounding the coast are visible in the bottom left corner. The tan-coloured sea along the coasts is due to sediment in the water.
A chain of small coral islands can be seen scattered across the centre of the image. The blue hues of the coral contrast with the dark waters of the Coral Sea.
Part of the reef is covered by clouds dominating the upper part of the image. The clouds form a surprisingly straight line, also visible as a distinct shadow cast over the islands below.
Coral reefs worldwide suffer regular damage due to climate change, pollution, ocean acidification and fishing. Furthermore, they are increasingly under threat from coral bleaching, which occurs when the algae that makes up the coral die, causing it to turn white. This phenomenon is associated with increased water temperatures, low salinity and high sunlight levels.
While these coral reefs are ecologically important, they are difficult to map from survey vessels or aircraft because of their remote and shallow location. From their vantage point in space, Earth-observing satellites such as Copernicus Sentinel-2, offer the means to monitor the health of reefs across the globe.
View the full article
-
-
Check out these Videos
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.