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By NASA
Explore This Section Science Goddard Space Flight Center Linking Satellite Data and… Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science 4 min read
Linking Satellite Data and Community Knowledge to Advance Alaskan Snow Science
Seasonal snow plays a significant role in global water and energy cycles, and billions of people worldwide rely on snowmelt for water resources needs, including water supply, hydropower, agriculture, and more. Monitoring snow water equivalent (SWE) is critical for supporting these applications and for mitigating damages caused by snowmelt flooding, avalanches, and other snow-related disasters. However, our ability to measure SWE remains a challenge, particularly in northern latitudes where in situ SWE observations are sparse and satellite observations are impacted by the boreal forest and environmental conditions. Despite limited in situ SWE measurements, local residents in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions provide a vast and valuable body of place-based knowledge and observations that are essential for understanding snowpack behavior in northern regions.
As part of a joint NASA SnowEx, NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) for American Indian and Alaska Native STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) Engagement (MAIANSE), and Global Learning & Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program partnership, a team of scientists including NASA intern Julia White (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks), Carrie Vuyovich (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), Alicia Joseph (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), and Christi Buffington (University of Alaska Fairbanks, GLOBE Implementation Office) is studying snow water equivalent (SWE) across Interior Alaska. This project combines satellite-based interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data, primarily from the Sentinel-1 satellite, with ground-based observations from the Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) network and GLOBE (Global Learning Observations to Benefit the Environment). Together, these data sources help the team investigate how SWE varies across the landscape and how it affects local ecosystems and communities. The team is also preparing for future integration of data from NASA’s upcoming NISAR (NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission, which is expected to enhance SWE retrieval capabilities.
After a collaborative visit to the classroom of Tammie Kovalenko in November 2024, Delta Junction junior and senior high school students in vocational agriculture (Vo Ag) classes, including members of Future Farmers of America (FFA), began collecting GLOBE data on a snowdrift located just outside their classroom. As the project progressed, students developed their own research questions. One student, Fianna Rooney, took the project even further — presenting research posters at both the GLOBE International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS) and both the FFA Regional and National Conventions. Her work highlights the growing role of Alaskan youth in science, and how student-led inquiry can enrich both education and research outcomes. (This trip was funded by the NASA Science Activation Program’s Arctic and Earth SIGNs – STEM Integrating GLOBE & NASA – project at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.)
In February 2025, the team collaborated with Delta Junction Junior High and High School students, along with the Delta Junction Trails Association, to conduct a GLOBE Intensive Observation Period (IOP), “Delta Junction Snowdrifts,” to collect Landcover photos, snow depth, and snow water equivalent data. Thanks to aligned interests and research goals at the Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF), the project was further expanded into Spring 2025. Collaborators from ASF and the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) collected high resolution airborne data over the snowdrift at the Delta Junction Junior and Senior High School. This complementary dataset helped strengthen connections between satellite observations and ground-based student measurements.
This effort, led by a NASA intern, scientists, students, and Alaskan community members, highlights the power of collaboration in advancing science and education. Next steps will include collaboration with Native Alaskan communities near Delta Junction, including the Healy Lake Tribe, whose vast, generational knowledge will be of great value to deepening our understanding of Alaskan snow dynamics.
Learn more about how NASA’s Science Activation program connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/
Julia White and Delta Junction student following GLOBE protocols for snow depth. Tori Brannan Share
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By NASA
Teresa Sindelar always knew she wanted to be a part of human spaceflight, but she was unsure how to make that dream a reality until a chance encounter with former NASA astronaut Tom Stafford when she was 11 years old.
The pair met in a local jewelry shop near Sindelar’s Nebraska home, where Gen. Stafford was signing autographs. In addition to his photo, Gen. Stafford gave Sindelar a valuable tip – she should check out the Kansas Cosmosphere, a space museum in Hutchinson, Kansas. “I proceeded to attend every camp the Cosmosphere offered as a student, interned during college, and worked there full time while earning my graduate degree,” Sindelar said.
Official portrait of Teresa Sindelar.NASA She discovered a passion for teaching and mentoring young students through her work in the museum’s education department and a stint as a high school science teacher. When she began looking for opportunities at NASA, she sought a position that melded instruction with technical work. “I like pouring into others and watching them grow,” she said.
Today, Sindelar is a chief training officer (CTO) within the Flight Operations Directorate at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Along with her fellow CTOs, Sindelar oversees the correct and complete training of NASA astronauts, crew members representing international partners, and all flight controllers. “I put the pieces together,” she said. “It is my job to make sure instructors, schedulers, outside partners, facility managers, and others are all in sync.” She added that CTOs have a unique position because they see the big picture of a training flow and understand the long-term training goals and objectives.
Teresa Sindelar received a 2025 Space Flight Awareness Program Honoree Award, presented by NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik.NASA “I get to do a lot of cool things and go to a lot of cool places,” she said, noting that the training facilities at Johnson and other NASA centers, as well as facilities managed by international partners, are top-notch. While she does enjoy watching astronauts work through problems and learn new systems, she has a special fondness for flight controller training and mentoring young professionals. “What fills my cup the most is seeing a brand-new employee right out of college blossom into a confident flight controller, do their job well, and make our missions better,” she said. “I like knowing that I had something to do with that.”
Sindelar has been part of the Johnson team since 2010 and worked as an educator in what was then called the center’s Office of Education and as a crew training instructor in the Space Medicine Operations Directorate before becoming a CTO. In March 2025, Sindelar received a Space Flight Awareness Program Honoree Award for her outstanding leadership in the Private Astronaut Mission (PAM) program, which is an important component of NASA’s strategy for enabling a robust and competitive commercial economy in low Earth orbit. As the lead CTO for the third PAM, Axiom Mission 3, Sindelar managed training while identifying critical inefficiencies, enhancing mission safety and performance. She spearheaded a key stakeholder retreat to streamline operations, reorganized training resources for improved accessibility, and implemented efficiency improvements that optimized mission support. Sindelar’s work was recognized during an award ceremony at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and she got to attend the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission as a special guest.
In her 15 years with the agency, she has learned the importance of leading by example. “My team needs to see that I meet the bar I set,” she said. “Leading is about motivating your people so they are committed, not just compliant.”
Teresa Sindelar (front row, third from left) and her Space Medicine Operations crew training team with the crew members of Expedition 48.NASA Keeping a team motivated and on track is particularly important to training success and safety. “We only get a matter of months to train astronauts to do the most hazardous activities that humans have done, or to train flight controllers who literally have the mission and the lives of astronauts in their hands,” Sindelar said, adding that they cannot afford to have an unfocused or indifferent team.
Sindelar observed that Johnson’s training team is acutely aware of their responsibilities. “We live and work in the same communities as the crew members,” she said. “We see them at school functions, at the grocery store, at the park. We know their families are counting on us to bring their loved ones home safely.”
She has also learned that her voice matters. “When I was a young professional, I just never felt I could be influential, but the only person holding me back was me,” she said. “I had to learn to trust in my own instincts. That was definitely outside of my comfort zone.” She credits her mentors with helping her build confidence and knowing when and how to speak up. “I have had many giants of the spaceflight community mold and shape me in my career, from my counselors at the Cosmosphere all the way to flight directors and astronauts,” she said. “It is my privilege to learn from them, and I am grateful to each of them.”
Outside of work, Sindelar uses her voice in a different way – as part of her church choir. She also plays piano, stating that she is as passionate about music and volunteerism as she is about human spaceflight. She is a member of the Friendswood Volunteer Fire Department, as well, serving on its rehab team and as the department’s chaplain
Teresa Sindelar (second from right) and her family with a Friendswood Volunteer Fire Department fire engine. Image courtesy of Teresa Sindelar As NASA prepares to return humans to the Moon and journey on to Mars, Sindelar hopes she has taught the next generation of explorers enough so they can show the world the wonders of the universe. “This next generation will see and do things my generation never even thought of,” she said, adding that it is time for them to start leading. “Use your voice. Take care of each other along the way. Reach out and help the next one in line.”
Sindelar keeps a reminder of that important message on her desk: the picture Gen. Stafford signed all those years ago.
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By Space Force
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By NASA
Editor’s note: This interview was conducted in October 2023.
As the International Space Station approaches 25 years of continuous human presence on Nov. 2, 2025, it is a meaningful moment to recognize those who have been there since the beginning—sharing the remarkable achievements of human spaceflight with the world.
If you have ever witnessed the live coverage of a NASA spacewalk or launch, then you know the captivating voice of celestial storyteller Rob Navias. Navias effortlessly blends expertise, enthusiasm, and profound insight into every mission.
Rob Navias on console in the Mission Control Center covering an Extravehicular Activity aboard the International Space Station. NASA/Bill Stafford I relay the facts and data with history in mind. You need to maintain a sense of history if you're going to be able to tell the contemporary story properly.
Rob Navias
Public Affairs Officer and Mission Commentator
Navias works within the Office of Public Affairs on mission operations and television in NASA Johnson Space Center’s Office of Communications, leading public affairs activities involving launches and landings of U.S. astronauts and international partner crew members. He is iconically known as the voice of NASA.
He has been a part of some of the most impactful moments in space exploration history, communicating the facts in real time with unmatched clarity. He covered every shuttle mission from the maiden launch of Columbia in April 1981 to Atlantis’ final voyage in July 2011. Navias is known for connecting others accurately and honestly to key moments in time.
Navias’ extraordinary contributions to space communications garnered him the 2017 Space Communicator Award from the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation. This prestigious accolade is presented to individuals or teams who have made remarkable contributions to public understanding and appreciation of space exploration. Navias’ unwavering dedication to NASA was recognized with the 2023 Length of Federal Service Award, commemorating his 30-year commitment to the agency.
His legacy continued on screen in Cosmic Dawn, the NASA documentary exploring the James Webb Space Telescope’s incredible journey. Featured for his role as the launch commentator during Webb’s Christmas Day 2021 liftoff, Navias brought historical context and lived experience to one of NASA’s most ambitious missions.
As long as we can maintain a shared vision and curiosity, all nations can go a long way up to the universe.
Rob Navias
Public Affairs Officer and Mission Commentator
He began his broadcast career as a correspondent for networks covering the Space Shuttle Program. Before joining NASA in 1993, Navias had a 25-year career in broadcast journalism where he reported the voyage of Pioneer 11, a robotic space probe that studied the asteroid belt and the rings of Saturn, as well as the test flights for the Space Shuttle Enterprise at Edwards Air Force Base in California and the Voyager missions from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Navias also covered the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project as a broadcast journalist. That first international human spaceflight showed the world there was a way for nations to work together peacefully for a common goal, Navias stated.
“Once the commitment was made to fund the construction of an international space station, it broadened the agency’s scope to work multiple programs that could be a stepping stone beyond low Earth orbit,” Navias said.
Rob Navias (left), accompanied by Phil Engelauf and John Shannon, during an STS-114 Flight Director press briefing.NASA I think the greatest legacy of the International Space Station will ultimately be the diplomatic oasis it has provided in orbit for exploration and scientific research.
ROB Navias
Public Affairs Officer and Mission Commentator
Navias explained that during his time at NASA, he has learned a lot about himself. “The day you stop absorbing information, the day that you grow tired of learning new things is the day you need to walk away,” he said. “The challenge of spaceflight keeps me here at NASA.”
Navias underscored the importance of nurturing and retaining the agency’s brilliant workforce who have shaped the pioneering mindset of human space exploration. He believes blending talent, resources, and industry expertise is the key to returning to the Moon and going to Mars. This collaborative mindset has not only resulted in establishing a laboratory in low Earth orbit but also paved the way for future missions.
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By Space Force
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