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By NASA
X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Hong Kong/S. Zhang et al.; Radio: ATNF/CSIRO/ATCA; H-alpha: UK STFC/Royal Observatory Edinburgh; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk In 2009, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory released a captivating image: a pulsar and its surrounding nebula that is shaped like a hand.
Since then, astronomers have used Chandra and other telescopes to continue to observe this object. Now, new radio data from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), has been combined with Chandra’s X-ray data to provide a fresh view of this exploded star and its environment, to help understand its peculiar properties and shape.
At the center of this new image lies the pulsar B1509-58, a rapidly spinning neutron star that is only about 12 miles in diameter. This tiny object is responsible for producing an intricate nebula (called MSH 15-52) that spans over 150 light-years, or about 900 trillion miles. The nebula, which is produced by energetic particles, resembles a human hand with a palm and extended fingers pointing to the upper right in X-rays.
Labeled Version of the ImageX-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Hong Kong/S. Zhang et al.; Radio: ATNF/CSIRO/ATCA; H-alpha: UK STFC/Royal Observatory Edinburgh; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk The collapse of a massive star created the pulsar when much of the star crashed inward once it burned through its sustainable nuclear fuel. An ensuing explosion sent the star’s outer layers outward into space as a supernova.
The pulsar spins around almost seven times every second and has a strong magnetic field, about 15 trillion times stronger than the Earth’s. The rapid rotation and strong magnetic field make B1509-58 one of the most powerful electromagnetic generators in the Galaxy, enabling it to drive an energetic wind of electrons and other particles away from the pulsar, creating the nebula.
In this new composite image, the ATCA radio data (represented in red) has been combined with X-rays from Chandra (shown in blue, orange and yellow), along with an optical image of hydrogen gas (gold). The areas of overlap between the X-ray and radio data in MSH 15-52 show as purple. The optical image shows stars in the field of view along with parts of the supernova’s debris, the supernova remnant RCW 89. A labeled version of the figure shows the main features of the image.
Radio data from ATCA now reveals complex filaments that are aligned with the directions of the nebula’s magnetic field, shown by the short, straight, white lines in a supplementary image. These filaments could result from the collision of the pulsar’s particle wind with the supernova’s debris.
Complex Filaments Aligned with the Directions of the Nebula’s Magnetic FieldX-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Hong Kong/S. Zhang et al.; Radio: ATNF/CSIRO/ATCA; H-alpha: UK STFC/Royal Observatory Edinburgh; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk By comparing the radio and X-ray data, researchers identified key differences between the sources of the two types of light. In particular, some prominent X-ray features, including the jet towards the bottom of the image and the inner parts of the three “fingers” towards the top, are not detected in radio waves. This suggests that highly energetic particles are leaking out from a shock wave — similar to a supersonic plane’s sonic boom — near the pulsar and moving along magnetic field lines to create the fingers.
The radio data also shows that RCW 89’s structure is different from typical young supernova remnants. Much of the radio emission is patchy and closely matches clumps of X-ray and optical emission. It also extends well beyond the X-ray emission. All of these characteristics support the idea that RCW 89 is colliding with a dense cloud of nearby hydrogen gas.
However, the researchers do not fully understand all that the data is showing them. One area that is perplexing is the sharp boundary of X-ray emission in the upper right of the image that seems to be the blast wave from the supernova — see the labeled feature. Supernova blast waves are usually bright in radio waves for young supernova remnants like RCW 89, so it is surprising to researchers that there is no radio signal at the X-ray boundary.
MSH 15–52 and RCW 89 show many unique features not found in other young sources. There are, however, still many open questions regarding the formation and evolution of these structures. Further work is needed to provide better understanding of the complex interplay between the pulsar wind and the supernova debris.
A paper describing this work, led by Shumeng Zhang of the University of Hong Kong, with co-authors Stephen C.Y. Ng of the University of Hong Kong and Niccolo’ Bucciantini of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, has been published in The Astrophysical Journal and is available at https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/adf333.
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.
Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory Learn more about the Chandra X-ray Observatory and its mission here:
https://www.nasa.gov/chandra
https://chandra.si.edu
Visual Description
This release features a composite image of a nebula and pulsar that strongly resembles a cosmic hand reaching for a neon red cloud.
The neon red cloud sits near the top of the image, just to our right of center. Breaks in the cloud reveal interwoven strands of gold resembling spiderwebs, or a latticework substructure. This cloud is the remains of the supernova that formed the pulsar at the heart of the image. The pulsar, a rapidly spinning neutron star only 12 miles in diameter, is far too small to be seen in this image, which represents a region of space over 150 light-years across.
The bottom half of the image is dominated by a massive blue hand reaching up toward the pulsar and supernova cloud. This is an intricate nebula called MSH 15-52, an energetic wind of electrons and other particles driven away from the pulsar. The resemblance to a hand is undeniable. Inside the nebula, streaks and swirls of blue range from pale to navy, evoking a medical X-ray, or the yearning hand of a giant, cosmic ghost.
The hand and nebula are set against the blackness of space, surrounded by scores of gleaming golden specks. At our lower left, a golden hydrogen gas cloud extends beyond the edges of the image. In this composite, gold represents optical data; red represents ATCA radio data; and blue, orange, and yellow represent X-ray data from Chandra. Where the blue hand of the nebula overlaps with the radio data in red, the fingers appear hazy and purple.
News Media Contact
Megan Watzke
Chandra X-ray Center
Cambridge, Mass.
617-496-7998
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Corinne Beckinger
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
256-544-0034
corinne.m.beckinger@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Aug 20, 2025 EditorLee MohonContactCorinne M. Beckingercorinne.m.beckinger@nasa.gov Related Terms
Astrophysics Chandra X-Ray Observatory Marshall Astrophysics Marshall Space Flight Center Nebulae Pulsars The Universe Explore More
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By NASA
De izquierda a derecha, los astronautas de la NASA Victor Glover, piloto de Artemis II y Reid Wiseman, comandante de Artemis II, el astronauta de la CSA (Agencia Espacial Canadiense) Jeremy Hansen, especialista de misión para Artemis II, y la astronauta de la NASA Christina Koch, especialista de misión para Artemis II, se ponen los trajes espaciales y salen del Edificio de Operaciones y Control Neil A. Armstrong del Centro Espacial Kennedy de la NASA en Florida el 11 de agosto.Crédito: NASA/Kim Shiflett Read this release in English here.
La NASA ha abierto el plazo para la acreditación de los medios a un programa de eventos de varios días de duración para presentar a la nueva promoción de astronautas de Estados Unidos y proporcionar información sobre el vuelo de prueba tripulado de la misión Artemis II alrededor de la Luna. Las actividades tendrán lugar en septiembre en el Centro Espacial Johnson de la agencia en Houston.
Después de evaluar más de 8.000 solicitudes, la NASA presentará a su nueva generación de candidatos a astronauta de 2025 durante una ceremonia que se llevará a cabo el lunes 22 de septiembre a las 12:30 p.m. hora del este. Después de la ceremonia, los candidatos estarán disponibles para entrevistas con los medios.
El evento de selección de astronautas se transmitirá en vivo en NASA+, Netflix, Amazon Prime, el canal de YouTube de la agencia y en la cuenta de X de la NASA, en idioma inglés.
Los candidatos seleccionados se someterán a casi dos años de entrenamiento antes de graduarse como astronautas elegibles para el vuelo en las misiones de la agencia a la órbita baja de la Tierra, la Luna y, más adelante, el planeta Marte.
A continuación de este evento, la NASA ofrecerá una serie de sesiones informativas para los medios de comunicación el martes 23 de septiembre y el miércoles 24 de septiembre, donde se dará un anticipo de la misión Artemis II, programada para despegar no más tarde de abril de 2026. Este vuelo de prueba —que será lanzado a bordo del cohete Sistema de Lanzamiento Espacial (SLS, por sus siglas en inglés) y la nave espacial Orion— enviará a los astronautas de la NASA Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover y Christina Koch, junto con el astronauta de la CSA (Agencia Espacial Canadiense) Jeremy Hansen, en una misión alrededor de la Luna que durará cerca de 10 días.
Artemis II ayudará a comprobar el funcionamiento de los sistemas y el hardware necesarios para la exploración humana del espacio profundo. Esta misión es el primer vuelo tripulado de la campaña Artemis de la NASA, y es otro paso adelante hacia nuevas misiones tripuladas de Estados Unidos en la superficie de la Luna que ayudarán a la agencia a prepararse para enviar a astronautas estadounidenses a Marte.
Los eventos de las sesiones informativas de Artemis II serán transmitidos en vivo por el canal de YouTube y la cuenta de X de la agencia, en idioma inglés. Este enlace ofrece más información (en inglés) sobre cómo ver contenido a través de las diferentes plataformas de la NASA.
Después de las sesiones informativas, el 24 de septiembre la NASA ofrecerá una jornada para los medios de comunicación dedicada a Artemis II en el centro Johnson de la agencia, y mostrará las instalaciones de apoyo a la misión, los entrenadores y el hardware para las misiones Artemis. Asimismo, ofrecerá oportunidades de entrevistas con líderes, directores de vuelo, astronautas, científicos e ingenieros de esta campaña.
Los representantes de los medios que deseen participar en persona deben comunicarse con la sala de prensa del centro Johnson de la NASA llamando al teléfono 281-483-5111 o escribiendo al correo electrónico jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov, indicando a qué eventos desean asistir. Los medios confirmados recibirán detalles adicionales sobre su participación en estos eventos. Una copia de la política de acreditación de medios de la NASA está disponible (en inglés) en el sitio web de la agencia. Los plazos de la acreditación de medios para la selección de candidatos a astronauta y los eventos de Artemis II son los siguientes:
Los miembros de medios de comunicación con ciudadanía estadounidense que estén interesados en asistir en persona deben confirmar su asistencia a más tardar a las 5 p. m. hora del este del miércoles 17 de septiembre. Los miembros de medios de comunicación sin ciudadanía estadounidense deben confirmar su asistencia a más tardar a las 5 p. m. del miércoles 10 de septiembre.
Los medios que soliciten entrevistas en persona o virtuales con los candidatos a astronautas, los expertos de Artemis o la tripulación de Artemis II deben enviar sus solicitudes a la sala de prensa del centro Johnson de la NASA antes del miércoles 17 de septiembre. Las solicitudes de entrevistas en persona están sujetas a los plazos de acreditación indicados anteriormente.
La información sobre la selección de candidatos a astronauta y los eventos de Artemis II, incluida la lista de participantes de las sesiones informativas, es la siguiente (todos los horarios son en hora del este de Estados Unidos):
Lunes, 22 de septiembre
12:30 p.m.: 2025: Ceremonia de selección de candidatos a astronauta de 2025
Martes, 23 de septiembre
11 a.m.: Informe general sobre la misión Artemis II
Lakiesha Hawkins, administradora adjunta interina, Dirección de Misiones de Desarrollo de Sistemas de Exploración, sede central de la NASA Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, directora de lanzamiento de Artemis II, Centro Espacial Kennedy de la NASA en Florida Jeff Radigan, director de vuelo principal de Artemis II, centro Johnson de la NASA Judd Frieling, director principal de vuelo de ascenso de Artemis II, centro Johnson de la NASA Rick Henfling, director principal de vuelo de ingreso de Artemis II, centro Johnson de la NASA Daniel Florez, director de pruebas, Sistemas Terrestres de Exploración, centro Kennedy de la NASA [Florez es hispanohablante] 1 p.m.: Sesión informativa sobre ciencia y tecnología de Artemis II
Matt Ramsey, gerente de la misión Artemis II, sede central de la NASA Howard Hu, gerente del programa Orion, centro Johnson de la NASA Jake Bleacher, gerente de Ciencia, Uso de Tecnología e Integración, Dirección de Misiones de Desarrollo de Sistemas de Exploración, sede central de ka BASA Mark Clampin, administrador adjunto interino, Dirección de Misiones Científicas, sede central de la NASA Los medios que deseen participar por teléfono deben solicitar información de acceso telefónico antes de las 5 p. m. del 22 de septiembre, enviando un correo electrónico a la sala de prensa del centro Johnson de la NASA.
Miércoles, 24 de septiembre
10 a.m.: Conferencia de prensa de la tripulación de Artemis II
Reid Wiseman, comandante Victor Glover, pilot o Christina Koch, especialista de misión Jeremy Hansen, especialista de misión Los medios que deseen participar por teléfono deben solicitar información de acceso telefónico antes de las 5 p. m. del 23 de septiembre, enviando un correo electrónico a la sala de prensa del centro Johnson de la NASA.
Encuentre más información sobre cómo la NASA lidera las iniciativas de vuelos espaciales tripulados en el sitio web (en inglés):
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space
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Jimi Russell / Rachel Kraft / María José Viñas
Sede central de la NASA, Washington
202-358-1100
james.j.russell@nasa.gov / rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov / maria-jose.vinasgarcia@nasa.gov
Courtney Beasley / Chelsey Ballarte
Centro Espacial Johnson, Houston
281-910-4989
courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov / chelsey.n.ballarte@nasa.gov
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NASA en español Artemis Artemis 2 Candidate Astronauts Mars View the full article
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By NASA
From top left to right, NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot; Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander; CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, and NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, suit up and walk out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 11.Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett Lee esta nota de prensa en español aquí.
NASA is opening media accreditation for multi-day events to introduce America’s newest astronaut class and provide briefings for the Artemis II crewed test flight around the Moon. The activities will take place in September at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
After evaluating more than 8,000 applications, NASA will debut its 2025 class of astronaut candidates during a ceremony at 12:30 p.m. EDT on Monday, Sept. 22. Following the ceremony, the candidates will be available for media interviews.
The astronaut selection event will stream live on NASA+, Netflix, Amazon Prime, NASA’s YouTube channel, and the agency’s X account.
The selected candidates will undergo nearly two years of training before they graduate as flight-eligible astronauts for agency missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon, and ultimately, Mars.
Next, NASA will host a series of media briefings on Tuesday, Sept. 23, and Wednesday, Sept. 24, to preview the upcoming Artemis II mission, slated for no later than April 2026. The test flight, a launch of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on an approximately 10-day mission around the Moon.
Artemis II will help confirm the systems and hardware needed for human deep space exploration. This mission is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign and is another step toward new U.S.-crewed missions on the Moon’s surface that will help the agency prepare to send American astronauts to Mars.
The Artemis II events briefings will stream live on the agency’s YouTube channel and X account. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms.
Following the briefings, NASA will host an Artemis II media day at NASA Johnson on Sept. 24, to showcase mission support facilities, trainers, and hardware for Artemis missions, as well as offer interview opportunities with leaders, flight directors, astronauts, scientists, and engineers.
Media who wish to participate in person must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov and indicate which events they plan to attend. Confirmed media will receive additional details about participating in these events. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is available on the agency’s website. Media accreditation deadlines for the astronaut candidate selection and Artemis II events are as follows:
U.S. media interested in attending in person must RSVP no later than 5 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 17. International media without U.S. citizenship must RSVP no later than 5 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 10. Media requesting in-person or virtual interviews with the astronaut candidates, Artemis experts, or the Artemis II crew must submit requests to the NASA Johnson newsroom by Wednesday, Sept. 17. In-person interview requests are subject to the credentialing deadlines noted above.
Information for the astronaut candidate selection and Artemis II events, including briefing participants, is as follows (all times Eastern):
Monday, Sept. 22
12:30 p.m.: 2025 Astronaut Candidate Selection Ceremony
Tuesday, Sept. 23
11 a.m.: Artemis II Mission Overview Briefing
Lakiesha Hawkins, acting deputy associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Judd Frieling, lead Artemis II ascent flight director, NASA Johnson Jeff Radigan, lead Artemis II flight director, NASA Johnson Rick Henfling, lead Artemis II entry flight director, NASA Johnson Daniel Florez, test director, Exploration Ground Systems, NASA Kennedy 1 p.m.: Artemis II Science and Technology Briefing
Matt Ramsey, Artemis II mission manager, NASA Headquarters Howard Hu, Orion Program manager, NASA Johnson Jacob Bleacher, manager, Science, Technology Utilization, and Integration, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters Mark Clampin, acting deputy associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters Media who wish to participate by phone must request dial-in information by 5 p.m., Sept. 22, by emailing NASA Johnson’s newsroom.
Wednesday, Sept. 24
10 a.m.: Artemis II Crew News Conference
Reid Wiseman, commander Victor Glover, pilot Christina Koch, mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist Media who wish to participate by phone must request dial-in information by 5 p.m., Sept. 23, by emailing NASA Johnson’s newsroom.
Learn more about how NASA leads human spaceflight efforts at:
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space
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Jimi Russell / Rachel Kraft
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
james.j.russell@nasa.gov / rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov
Courtney Beasley / Chelsey Ballarte
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-910-4989
courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov / chelsey.n.ballarte@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Aug 20, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Artemis Artemis 2 Candidate Astronauts Humans in Space Mars View the full article
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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Dwarf planet Ceres is shown in these enhanced-color renderings that use images from NASA’s Dawn mission. New thermal and chemicals models that rely on the mission’s data indicate Ceres may have long ago had conditions suitable for life.NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA The dwarf planet is cold now, but new research paints a picture of Ceres hosting a deep, long-lived energy source that may have maintained habitable conditions in the past.
New NASA research has found that Ceres may have had a lasting source of chemical energy: the right types of molecules needed to fuel some microbial metabolisms. Although there is no evidence that microorganisms ever existed on Ceres, the finding supports theories that this intriguing dwarf planet, which is the largest body in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, may have once had conditions suitable to support single-celled lifeforms.
Science data from NASA’s Dawn mission, which ended in 2018, previously showed that the bright, reflective regions on Ceres’ surface are mostly made of salts left over from liquid that percolated up from underground. Later analysis in 2020 found that the source of this liquid was an enormous reservoir of brine, or salty water, below the surface. In other research, the Dawn mission also revealed evidence that Ceres has organic material in the form of carbon molecules — essential, though not sufficient on its own, to support microbial cells.
The presence of water and carbon molecules are two critical pieces of the habitability puzzle on Ceres. The new findings offer the third: a long-lasting source of chemical energy in Ceres’ ancient past that could have made it possible for microorganisms to survive. This result does not mean that Ceres had life, but rather, that there likely was “food” available should life have ever arisen on Ceres.
This illustration depicts the interior of dwarf planet Ceres, including the transfer of water and gases from the rocky core to a reservoir of salty water. Carbon dioxide and methane are among the molecules carrying chemical energy beneath Ceres’ surface.NASA/JPL-Caltech In the study, published in Science Advances on Aug. 20, the authors built thermal and chemical models mimicking the temperature and composition of Ceres’ interior over time. They found that 2.5 billion years or so ago, Ceres’ subsurface ocean may have had a steady supply of hot water containing dissolved gases traveling up from metamorphosed rocks in the rocky core. The heat came from the decay of radioactive elements within the dwarf planet’s rocky interior that occurred when Ceres was young — an internal process thought to be common in our solar system.
“On Earth, when hot water from deep underground mixes with the ocean, the result is often a buffet for microbes — a feast of chemical energy. So it could have big implications if we could determine whether Ceres’ ocean had an influx of hydrothermal fluid in the past,” said Sam Courville, lead author of the study. Now based at Arizona State University in Tempe, he led the research while working as an intern at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which also managed the Dawn mission.
Catching Chill
The Ceres we know today is unlikely to be habitable. It is cooler, with more ice and less water than in the past. There is currently insufficient heat from radioactive decay within Ceres to keep the water from freezing, and what liquid remains has become a concentrated brine.
The period when Ceres would most likely have been habitable was between a half-billion and 2 billion years after it formed (or about 2.5 billion to 4 billion years ago), when its rocky core reached its peak temperature. That’s when warm fluids would have been introduced into Ceres’ underground water.
The dwarf planet also doesn’t have the benefit of present-day internal heating generated by the push and pull of orbiting a large planet, like Saturn’s moon Enceladus and Jupiter’s moon Europa do. So Ceres’ greatest potential for habitability-fueling energy was in the past.
This result has implications for water-rich objects throughout the outer solar system, too. Many of the other icy moons and dwarf planets that are of similar size to Ceres (about 585 miles, or 940 kilometers, in diameter) and don’t have significant internal heating from the gravitational pull of planets could have also had a period of habitability in their past.
More About Dawn
A division of Caltech in Pasadena, JPL managed Dawn’s mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn was a project of the directorate’s Discovery Program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. JPL was responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Northrop Grumman in Dulles, Virginia, designed and built the spacecraft. The German Aerospace Center, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Italian Space Agency and Italian National Astrophysical Institute were international partners on the mission team.
For a complete list of mission participants, visit:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/dawn/overview/
News Media Contacts
Gretchen McCartney
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-287-4115
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NASA Headquarters, Washington
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Last Updated Aug 20, 2025 Related Terms
Dawn Asteroids Ceres Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Solar System Vesta Explore More
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By NASA
Dr. Steven “Steve” Platnick took the NASA agency Deferred Resignation Program (DRP). His last work day was August 8, 2025. Steve spent more than three decades at, or associated with, NASA. While he began his civil servant career at the NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in 2002, his Goddard association went back to 1993, first as a contractor and then as one of the earliest employees of the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET), a cooperative agreement between the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and GSFC’s Earth Science Division. At JCET Steve helped lead the development of the Atmosphere Physics Track curricula. Previously, he had held an NRC post-doctoral fellow at the NASA’s Ames Research Center. Along with his research work on cloud remote sensing from satellite and airborne sensors, Steve served as the Deputy Director for Atmospheres in GSFC’s Earth Sciences Division from January 2015–July 2024.
Dr. Steve Platnick Image credit: NASA During his time at NASA, Steve played an integral role in the sustainability and advancement of NASA’s Earth Observing System platforms and data. In 2008, he took over as the Earth Observing System (EOS) Senior Project Scientist from Michael King. In this role, he led the EOS Project Science Office, which included support for related EOS facility airborne sensors, ground networks, and calibration labs. The office also supported The Earth Observer newsletter, the NASA Earth Observatory, and other outreach and exhibit activities on behalf of NASA Headquarter’s Earth Science Division and Science Mission Directorate (further details below). From January 2003 – February 2010, Steve served as the Aqua Deputy Project Scientist.
Improving Imager Cloud Algorithms
Steve was actively involved in the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Science Team serving as the Lead for the MODIS Atmosphere Discipline Team (cloud, aerosol and clear sky products) since 2008 and as the NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP)/JPSS Atmosphere Discipline Lead/co-Lead from 2012–2020. His research team enhanced, maintained, and evaluated MODIS and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) cloud algorithms that included Level-2 (L2) Cloud Optical/Microphysical Properties components (MOD06 and MYD06 for MODIS on Terra and Aqua, respectively) and the Atmosphere Discipline Team Level-3 (L3) spatial/temporal products (MOD08, MYD08). The L2 cloud algorithms were developed to retrieve thermodynamic phase, optical thickness, effective particle radius, and derived water path for liquid and ice clouds, among other associated datasets. Working closely with longtime University of Wisconsin-Madison colleagues, the team also developed the CLDPROP continuity products designed to bridge the MODIS and VIIRS cloud data records by addressing differences in the spectral coverage between the two sensors; this product is currently in production for VIIRS on Suomi NPP and NOAA-20, as well as MODIS Aqua. The team also ported their CLDPROP code to Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) R-series Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and sister sensors as a research demonstration effort.
Steve’s working group participation included the Global Energy and Water Exchanges (GEWEX) Cloud Assessment Working Group (2008–present); the International Cloud Working Group (ICWG), which is part of the Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites (CGMS), and its original incarnation, the Cloud Retrieval Evaluation Working (CREW) since 2009; and the NASA Observations for Modeling Intercomparison Studies (obs4MIPs) Working Group (2011–2013). Other notable roles included Deputy Chair of the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Science Definition Team (2011–2012) and membership in the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) Science Definition Team (2009–2011), the ABI Cloud Team (2005–2009), and the Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) Mission Concept Team (2010-2011).
Steve has participated in numerous major airborne field campaigns over his career. His key ER-2 flight scientist and/or science team management roles included the Monterey Area Ship Track experiment (MAST,1994), First (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Regional Experiment – Arctic Cloud Experiment [FIRE-ACE, 1998], Southern Africa Fire-Atmosphere Research Initiative (SAFARI-2000), Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers – Florida Area Cirrus Experiment (CRYSTAL-FACE, 2002), and Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling (TC4, 2007).
Supporting Earth Science Communications
Through his EOS Project Science Office role, Steve has been supportive of the activities of NASA’s Science Support Office (SSO) and personally participated in many NASA Science exhibits at both national and international scientific conferences, including serving as a Hyperwall presenter numerous times.
For The Earth Observer newsletter publication team in particular, Steve replaced Michael King as Acting EOS Senior Project Scientist in June 2008, taking over the authorship of “The Editor’s Corner” beginning with the May–June 2008 issue [Volume 20, Issue 3]. The Acting label was removed beginning with the January–February 2010 issue [Volume 22, Issue 1]. Steve has been a champion of continuing to retain a historical record of NASA science team meetings to maintain a chronology of advances made by different groups within the NASA Earth Science community. He was supportive of the Executive Editor’s efforts to create a series called “Perspectives on EOS,” which ran from 2008–2011 and told the stories of the early years of the EOS Program from the point of view of those who lived them. He also supported the development of articles to commemorate the 25th and 30th anniversary of The Earth Observer. Later, Steve helped guide the transition of the newsletter from a print publication – the November–December 2022 issue was the last printed issue – to fully online by July 2024, a few months after the publication’s 35th anniversary. The Earth Observer team will miss Steve’s keen insight, historical perspective, and encouragement that he has shown through his leadership for the past 85 issues of print and online publications.
A Career Recognized through Awards and Honors
Throughout his career, Steve has amassed numerous honors, including the Goddard William Nordberg Memorial Award for Earth Science in 2023 and the Verner E. Suomi Award from the American Meteorological Society (AMS) in 2016. He was named an AMS Fellow that same year. He received two NASA Agency Honor Awards – the Exceptional Achievement Medal in 2008 and the Exceptional Service Medal in 2015.
Steve received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in electrical engineering from Duke University and the University of California, Berkeley, respectively. He earned a Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences from the University of Arizona.
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