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By NASA
Across 42 years at NASA, Wade Sisler — executive producer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland—watched the edge of human knowledge progress. During that time, the tools for visualizing and communicating those discoveries evolved just as rapidly.
Executive Producer Wade Sisler has worked at NASA for 42 years, starting at the agency’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, and now at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.Credit: Courtesy of Wade Sisler “I’ve spent my career surrounded by people with amazing curiosity and intellect, pursuing questions that could change the way we see the universe, both literally and metaphorically,” Sisler said.
From his start as a student photographer at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, Sisler ultimately became a creative force behind some of NASA’s most iconic science storytelling. He transitioned to videography when he realized the wonder and understanding the medium could convey.
Photos taken by Sisler between 1985 and 1992 that showcase emerging NASA technologies.Credit: NASA/Wade Sisler “The fidelity of the story you could tell with pictures through video was so impactful,” he said. “It was just pure awe. So I gave up my Hasselblads, trading the sheer beauty of imagery for the much more powerful storytelling tools that came with the emerging field of video — specifically the ability to take the audience with you to experience the mission.”
From Space Frogs to the Eagle Nebula
In the 1980s and ’90s, Sisler worked as a producer on a wide range of projects, translating complex research into short documentaries and educational broadcasts.
“We were helping people see things that had never been seen before, and showing them relationships that they never knew existed,” he said.
In one of his favorite early assignments, Sisler worked with astronaut Mae Jemison for a video project on space frogs. Jemison was studying how frog embryos develop in microgravity on the space shuttle. Sisler also had a hand in early virtual reality systems, producing one of the first videos depicting how VR could work.
Sisler (left) stands alongside coworkers Marty Curry, Eric James, and branch chief Roland Michealis — fellow members of the photography team at NASA Ames.Credit: Courtesy of Wade Sisler Sisler eventually moved from NASA Ames to NASA Headquarters in Washington. There, he helped modernize NASA TV.
“They were shifting it from just mission-oriented content to a television news feed, exploring ideas to align with national news interests,” he said.
In one of his pilot stories, he produced a video and story news package about the Hubble Space Telescope’s observations of the Eagle Nebula.
“They handed me a 16-by-20-inch print of the Eagle Nebula right after Hubble imaged it,” he said. His team used a robotic camera to pan around the image while narration explained what viewers were seeing. “We wondered if we put that little microcosm of a story into a news feed, would anybody use it? And it ended up being used thousands and thousands of times, validating the NASA TV model with a bona fide science story and giving me a glimpse of the exciting stuff I could do.”
While at NASA Headquarters, Sisler also negotiated an IMAX agreement that led to new 3D films (including ones Sisler worked on, like the 1997 “Mission to Mir” and 2002 “Space Station 3D”). After a few years, he moved on to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, in 1997 as an executive producer. Goddard’s communications team was small and had little experience in visual storytelling, so he joined the team to nurture its growth.
Sisler stands alongside Office of Communications collaborators Laura Betz and Thaddeus Cesari at the immersive “Beyond the Light” exhibit of James Webb Space Telescope imagery at ARTECHOUSE in Washington, D.C.Credit: Courtesy of Wade Sisler Science for the Senses
In the late ’90s, Wade teamed up with NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio (based at NASA Goddard) and lead visualizer Horace Mitchell to explore a new frontier in science storytelling. While NASA was already known for its iconic space imagery, much of its data deals with invisible phenomena or abstract processes that aren’t inherently visual. By bringing together scientists, artists, and producers, Sisler helped transform data into visualizations and animations for broader audiences.
“We had to invent ways of visualizing the invisible so meaning was more easily conveyed,” he said. “The result was stories that were not just newsworthy—they were often stunningly beautiful and showed the connections and workings of the Earth and universe in ways we had never seen before.”
The team had a breakout hit in 1998 with an El Niño visualization, which helped drive public understanding of the phenomenon. Sisler also helped launch a NASA Goddard program to link scientific experts with news stations around the world.
“We wanted to put the authentic voices of scientists in the chair to convey their sense of awe while telling people scientifically why it matters,” he said. “Pairing their voices with great visualizations was an unbeatable combination and that became the fundamental way we tell science stories.”
Sisler’s storytelling journey evolved into increasingly ambitious creative partnerships that brought NASA science to new cultural spaces. With “Cosmic Cycles,” a collaboration with the National Philharmonic, Wade helped create a program that paired music from a live symphony with high-resolution NASA imagery, inviting viewers to experience the celestial scenery emotionally, not just intellectually.
Instead of the NASA Goddard team creating a video to go along with music, “The composer drew inspiration from video produced by Goddard,” Sisler said. “It’s one of the best examples of science and art in mutual orbit.”
From left: Multimedia Producer Scott Wiessinger of NASA Goddard, Sisler, maestro Piotr Gajewski of the National Philharmonic, and composer Henry Dehlinger participate in a panel discussion about “Cosmic Cycles: A Space Symphony,” a collaboration between NASA Goddard and the National Philharmonic.Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky That blending of science and artistic expression reached a new scale in “Beyond the Light,” an art show developed with ARTECHOUSE and James Webb Space Telescope communications lead Laura Betz. Sisler linked artists with NASA scientists to turn cutting-edge astrophysics into a gallery-scale sensory experience. Most recently, Sisler championed a major documentary on Webb called “Cosmic Dawn.” The 1.5-hour film brings viewers on an unprecedented journey through Webb’s delicate assembly, rigorous testing, and triumphant launch.
Many of NASA’s flagship communication programs trace their roots to small teams that Sisler helped assemble and guide. He took a builder’s approach, rolling up his sleeves, testing ideas, and empowering others to scale them. From science storytelling and satellite media tours to the rise of NASA’s audio storytelling, Spanish-language content, Conceptual Image Laboratory animations, social media presence, and live broadcast programming, Sisler played a key role in turning bright ideas into enduring agency assets.
For each of these projects, Sisler worked behind the scenes as a creative force and a connector, bringing together filmmakers, animators, composers, scientists, engineers, astronauts, museum curators, data visualizers, and educators.
Lighting the Way
Despite many accolades, Sisler said his proudest accomplishment is the success of the internship program he has led for NASA Goddard’s Office of Communications.
Sisler has served as a mentor for many interns over the years, including students like Talya Lerner, center, standing next to Ed Campion, then-Goddard news chief. Sisler has referred to his own career as “the internship that never ended” because he had so many opportunities to explore different areas of communications. Credit: NASA/Bill Hrybyk “The thing that stays with me most is seeing where our former interns have landed,” he said. Many now lead their own programs within NASA, shaping the next generation of science storytelling from inside the agency. Others have taken their skills beyond NASA, contributing to science and technology literacy through media, education, and public engagement. “It’s been a privilege to help launch so many of these careers. I’ve always believed that when you combine mentorship, meaningful work, and a little creative freedom, you create a ripple effect that lasts for decades.”
Sisler’s own NASA journey began with a Pathways internship at NASA Ames while he was studying journalism at Baylor University in Texas. His work there drew him into visual storytelling, which led him to pursue photography, video, and science photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. As he alternated semesters between school and NASA Ames, he refined both his interests and his skills.
Sisler’s goal as an internship program coordinator was to help give the next generation of science communicators the same opportunity. He developed a communication “boot camp” to help interns develop their storytelling chops in many areas and figure out which were their favorites.
“All the interesting stuff happens at the intersections of people’s passions,” he said. “The best, most powerful thing I think I’ve done in my time at NASA is to help guide the next wave of science communicators. Seeing their success is the gift that keeps on giving.”
By Ashley Balzer
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
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Last Updated Aug 07, 2025 EditorAshley BalzerContactAshley Balzerashley.m.balzer@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
People of NASA Ames Research Center Goddard Space Flight Center Internships People of Ames People of Goddard View the full article
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By NASA
Credit: NASA NASA has selected seven companies to assist the agency with architectural and engineering services at multiple agency centers and facilities.
The Western Regional Architect-Engineer Services is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contract has a total estimated value not to exceed $75 million. The contract was awarded on July 14 with a five-year period of performance with the possibility of a six-month extension.
The selected contractors are:
DYNOTEC-KZF JV LLC of Columbus, Ohio Merrick-IMEG JV LLP of Greenwood Village, Colorado G Squared Design of Lakewood, Colorado Kal Architects Inc. of Irvine, California AECOM Technical Services Inc. of Los Angeles Stell SIA Sala O’Brien LLC DBA S3, LLC (S3) of Mountlake Terrace, Washington Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. of Arlington, Virginia Under the contract, the awarded companies will support general construction, alteration, modification, maintenance and repair, new construction of buildings, facilities, and real property for NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley and Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Support also includes optional back-up capacity in support of other NASA centers and federal tenants at agency facilities, including NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in Fort Irwin, California, and the NASA launch alliance at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
For information about NASA and other agency programs, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov
-end-
Tiernan Doyle
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
tiernan.doyle@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Jul 15, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
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By NASA
Dwayne Lavigne works as a controls engineer at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, where he supports NASA’s Artemis mission by programming specialized computers for engine testing.NASA/Danny Nowlin As a controls engineer at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, Dwayne Lavigne does not just fix problems – he helps put pieces together at America’s largest rocket propulsion test site.
“There are a lot of interesting problems to solve, and they are never the same,” Lavigne said. “Sometimes, it is like solving a very cool puzzle and can be pretty satisfying.”
Lavigne programs specialized computers called programmable logic controllers. They are extremely fast and reliable for automating precisely timed operations during rocket engine tests as NASA Stennis supports the agency’s Artemis missions to explore the Moon and build the foundation for the first crewed mission to Mars.
However, the system will not act unless certain parameters are met in the proper sequence. It can be a complex relationship. Sometimes, 20 or 30 things must be in the correct configuration to perform an operation, such as making a valve open or close, or turning a motor on or off.
The Picayune, Mississippi, native is responsible for establishing new signal paths between test hardware and the specialized computers.
He also develops the human machine interface for the controls. The interface is a screen graphic that test engineers use to interact with hardware.
Lavigne has worked with NASA for more than a decade. One of his proudest work moments came when he contributed to development of an automated test sequencing routine used during all RS-25 engine tests on the Fred Haise Test Stand.
“We’ve had many successful tests over the years, and each one is a point of pride,” he said.
When Lavigne works on the test stand, he works with the test hardware and interacts with technicians and engineers who perform different tasks than he does. It provides an appreciation for the group effort it takes to support NASA’s mission.
“The group of people I work with are driven to get the job done and get it done right,” he said.
In total, Lavigne has been part of the NASA Stennis federal city for 26 years. He initially worked as a contractor with the Naval Oceanographic Office as a data entry operator and with the Naval Research Laboratory as a software developer.
September marks 55 years since NASA Stennis became a federal city. NASA, and more than 50 companies, organizations, and agencies located onsite share in operating costs, which allows tenants to direct more of their funding to individual missions.
“Stennis has a talented workforce accomplishing many different tasks,” said Lavigne. “The three agencies I’ve worked with at NASA Stennis are all very focused on doing the job correctly and professionally. In all three agencies, people realize that lives could be at risk if mistakes are made or shortcuts are taken.”
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By NASA
Astrophysics Science Video Producer – Goddard Space Flight Center
Growing up in Detroit with a camera in her hand, Sophia Roberts — now an award-winning astrophysics science video producer—never imagined that one day her path would wind through clean rooms, vacuum chambers, and even a beryllium mine. But framing the final frontier sometimes requires traveling through some of Earth’s less-explored corners.
Sophia Roberts is an astrophysics Science video producer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. She films space hardware assembly and explains complicated topics, weaving science and art together.Credit: Courtesy of Sophia Roberts Sophia received her first camera from her father, a photography enthusiast, when she was just five or six years old. “I’ve basically been snapping away ever since!” she says.
With a natural curiosity and enthusiasm for science, Sophia pursued a degree in biology at Oberlin College in Ohio. There, she discovered that she could blend her two passions.
“I often lingered in lab sessions, not to finish an experiment but to photograph it,” Sophia says. “I had an epiphany at the beginning of class one day, which always opened with clips from BBC nature documentaries. I decided right then that I would be one of the people who make those videos one day.”
Part of Sophia’s role currently involves documenting NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is taking shape and being tested at NASA Goddard. She captured a cosmic selfie while photographing the telescope’s primary mirror, which was designed and built by L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York, before it was integrated with other components.Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts She initially thought that meant wildlife filmmaking—perched in a blind on a mountainside, waiting hours for an animal to appear. That dream led her to Montana State University, where she learned to blend scientific rigor with visual storytelling through their science and natural history filmmaking master’s program.
While completing her degree, Sophia worked as a traveling presenter for the Montana Space Grant Consortium. “I was mainly giving presentations about NASA missions and showing kids beautiful images of space,” she says. “That was my first true introduction to NASA. I loved being able to watch the children’s eyes light up when they saw what’s out there in space.”
Sophia then completed an internship at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History while completing her thesis. Once she graduated, she landed a year-long fellowship at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, as an Earth science news fellow. In this role, she focused on packaging up stories through satellite imagery and explanations.
Sophia holds a Webby award she, Mike McClare (left), and Michael Starobin (right) won for their broadcasts of the James Webb Space Telescope’s launch, deployment, and first images.Credit: James Hartley She leaned into her videography skills in her next role, as part of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope team.
“Webb is one of my great loves in life,” she says. “I learned to negotiate with engineers for the perfect shot, navigate NASA’s protocols, and work with mission partners. I only spent five years on Webb, but it feels like it was half my life. Still—it was everything.”
That mission took her to some unforgettable places, like a mine in Delta, Utah, where raw material for Webb’s mirrors was unearthed. “It was this giant, spiral pit where they were mining beryllium at just 0.02% concentration,” Sophia says. The process was as otherworldly as the location.
In 2021, Sophia traveled to Delta, Utah to capture behind-the-scenes footage of raw material for the James Webb Space Telescope’s mirrors being unearthed. In this gif, a drone captures an aerial view of the site.Credit: Scott Rogers She also documented thermal vacuum testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in a giant pill-shaped chamber with a 40-foot round door. “I had to take confined space training to crawl around in the area underneath the chamber,” she says. “It felt like spelunking.”
Once Webb launched, Sophia pivoted to covering many of NASA’s smaller astrophysics missions along with the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. These days, she can often be found gowned up in a “bunny suit” in the largest clean room at Goddard to document space telescope assembly, or in a studio recording science explanations.
Sophia stands in the largest clean room at Goddard, where she documents space hardware coming together. Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn “I love capturing the visual stories and helping fill in the gaps to help people understand NASA research,” Sophia says. “I try to focus on the things that will get people excited about the science so they’ll stop scrolling to find out more.”
For Sophia, the process is often as exhilarating as the result. “I love venturing out to remote places where science is being done,” she says. “I’d love to film a balloon launch in Antarctica someday!”
Jacob Pinter (left), host of NASA’s Curious Universe Podcast, leads a discussion with Sophia Roberts (center), a NASA video producer who documented the Webb project, and Paul Geithner (right), former deputy project manager for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, following a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Md. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into Webb’s assembly, testing, and launch. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky To others who dream of pursuing a similar career, Sophia recommends diving in headfirst. “With cameras readily available and free online platforms, it’s never been easier to get into the media,” she says. “You just have to be careful to research your topic and sources, making sure you really know what you’re sharing and understand that science is always evolving as we learn more.” And Sophia emphasizes how important storytelling is for conveying information, especially when it’s as complex as astrophysics. “Studying science is wonderful, but I also think helping people visualize it is magical.”
By Ashley Balzer
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
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Last Updated Jun 27, 2025 EditorAshley BalzerContactAshley Balzerashley.m.balzer@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
People of Goddard James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope People of NASA View the full article
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By NASA
2 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA Systems Engineer Daniel Eng serves his second year as a judge for the Aerospace Valley Robotics Competition at the Palmdale Aerospace Academy in Palmdale, California, in 2019. NASA/Lauren Hughes As a child in the 1960s, Daniel Eng spent his weekends in New York City’s garment district in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, clipping loose threads off finished clothing. He worked alongside his mother, a seamstress, and his father, a steam press operator, where he developed an eye for detail and a passion for learning. Now, he applies these capabilities at NASA, where he works as an engineer for the Air Mobility Pathfinders project.
“I often wonder whether the NASA worm magnet that someone left on my refrigerator in college, which I kept all these years, may have something to do with me ending up at NASA,” Eng said.
His route to NASA was not straightforward. Eng dropped out of high school to join the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He earned a GED certificate while on active duty and after his service earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
After college, Eng worked as a researcher investigating laser communications for the U.S. Navy, work which launched his career in aerospace. He then held jobs at several global corporations before landing at NASA.
NASA systems engineer, Daniel Eng, right, talks with student participants at the 2019 Aerospace Valley Robotics Competition at the Palmdale Aerospace Academy in Palmdale, California.NASA/Lauren Hughes “Looking back now, the Navy was ‘my launching point’ into the aerospace industry,” Eng said. “In more than four decades, I held various positions rising through the ranks ranging from circuit card design to systems analyst to production support to project and program management for advanced technology systems on a multitude of military and commercial aircraft projects.”
Today, he uses virtual models to plan and develop flight test requirements for piloted and automated aircraft, which will help guide future air taxi operations in cities.
“Engineers can virtually test computer models of designs, concepts, and operations before they are in place or even built, providing a safe and cost-effective way to verify the processes work the way they should,” Eng said.
He tells his grandkids to stay curious and ask a lot of questions so they can learn as much as possible.
“Be courteous, humble, kind, and respectful of people, and always remind yourself that you are just one human being among many ‘Earthlings,’” Eng said. “Teamwork is a very important aspect of success because rarely, if ever, does one person succeed on their own without help from others.”
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Last Updated Jun 09, 2025 EditorDede DiniusContactLaura Mitchelllaura.a.mitchell@nasa.govLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related Terms
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