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By European Space Agency
Imagine a near future where services such as satellite navigation, video conferencing, and file sharing are as seamless on the Moon as they are on Earth.
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By NASA
With over 34 years of experience in human spaceflight, Mark Sonoda has witnessed some of NASA’s most pivotal moments, from the startup of the International Space Station to the retirement of the space shuttle. As the acting associate program manager for the Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program (CLDP), he is set to help guide NASA through another monumental period: the commercialization of space.
Official portrait of Mark Sonoda. NASA/Bill Stafford Sonoda’s new role grants extraordinary opportunities to shape the future of human spaceflight. While NASA has maintained a leading presence in low Earth orbit since 1961, Sonoda shared how CLDP is “working to establish commercial low Earth orbit destinations owned and operated by private companies, where NASA is just one of many customers. This shift will open doors to even more advancements and benefits for humanity.”
Sonoda plans to leverage his decades of experience to support the growth of CLDP as it moves from early planning stages into a more operational phase. Specifically, he will apply his expertise in systems engineering and leadership to helping certify commercial destinations in low Earth orbit. One of his priorities is ensuring that the program team is set up for success with the right personnel, infrastructure, and resources to be successful as it grows.
Mark Sonoda visits the Lincoln Memorial during a trip to Washington, DC. Sonoda’s NASA experience has offered him many valuable lessons, the most important of which is the power of teamwork. He recalls a time when, as a station training lead, he realized that even the most well-prepared plans benefit from team collaboration. “A good team will always be stronger than an individual,” he shared, noting that the strength of NASA lies in its collective effort.
Looking ahead, Sonoda anticipates exciting opportunities to foster commercial partnerships. He is particularly optimistic that increased access to space for private companies and individuals will cultivate new innovations and public interest in space exploration. At the same time, he acknowledges that NASA must adapt to its new role in low Earth orbit, transitioning from being the primary driver of exploration to becoming one of many customers in a thriving commercial ecosystem.
Mark Sonoda is with his family. For the Artemis Generation, Sonoda hopes to pass on a legacy of inspiration and resilience. “I hope to leave behind a future where challenges are seen not as barriers, but as opportunities to make the world a better place.”
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By NASA
Young women, ages 11 to 18, from Atlanta, Georgia, with interests in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), pose for a photo on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, at the Launch and Landing Facility following their arrival at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Delta Air Lines Women Inspiring Our Next Generation (WING) flight, with the help of NASA Kennedy, showcases the various women-led STEM careers available at the Florida spaceport. NASA/Kim Shiflett For the third straight year, scores of young women flew to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to learn how to make their aviation dreams take flight as part of the Delta Air Lines Women Inspiring our Next Generation (WING) program. Their Boeing 737 aircraft, piloted by an all-female crew, carried 130 girls, ages 11 to 18, who hail from Atlanta area schools and aviation organizations with a strong focus on STEM.
They departed Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport just after sunrise on Sept. 20 and just a few hours later, stepped onto the runway of Kennedy’s Launch and Landing Facility, where dozens of space shuttle missions landed and current-day NASA astronauts arrive at ahead of their launches to the International Space Station.
A Delta plane, carrying an all-female crew and 130 young women ages 11 to 18, received a “water salute” upon arrival on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.NASA/Kim Shiflett “For more than 60 years, Kennedy Space Center has been the launching point for many of the missions that have inspired the nation and challenged generations of students to reach for the stars,” said NASA Kennedy Director Janet Petro. “As an aviator myself, today is especially exciting because it showcases the diverse range of career opportunities available to young women interested in pursuing fields in science, technology, engineering, and math.”
The girls received a bus tour of NASA Kennedy facilities and photo opportunities at Launch Complex 39B, where the first woman to set foot on the Moon will launch in the coming years on Artemis III. Then at the spaceport’s Space Systems Processing Facility, the girls heard firsthand from NASA Kennedy’s women leaders, who offered encouragement and words of wisdom.
“I want you to look around you. The young women in this room are going to be the trailblazers of the Artemis Generation,” said Dicksy Chrostowski, director of the Office of Communications at NASA Kennedy. “You may very well live and work on the Moon, or be one of our first visitors to Mars. There is always a path to greatness for you to take, even if it’s hard to find.”
The girls of the Delta WING flight finished their day exploring the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex before reboarding the plane for their return trip to Atlanta. The experience of visiting NASA’s iconic spaceport and the lessons imparted by the women of NASA resonated with the girls.
From left to right, Savitri Thomas, management and program analyst; Ales-Cia Winsley, lead Space Launch System avionics engineer; and Alexandra Philip, metrology engineer, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, speak on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, to the young women of the Delta WING flight about their NASA careers and the value of STEM education.NASA/Kim Shiflett “As a woman of color, it’s great to see other women who look like me in these spaces and it’s very uplifting to hear their stories and how far they’ve come,” said Karsyn Britton-Mauge, a seventh grader from the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta. “Life is filled with ups and downs, and I am so inspired by the persistence in all the women who spoke to us today. They never stopped pursuing their dreams.”
The focus on STEM education as a path to a career in aviation has been a key feature of the annual Delta WING flight since the program launched in 2015. That’s when Delta General Manager of Pilot Development Beth Poole and Delta Pilot Cheri Rohlfing noted a conspicuous lack of women in certain roles of the airline industry, including mechanics, ground personnel, and especially pilots. They initiated Delta WING flights, spearheaded by Delta’s Flight Operations and organized and operated solely by women, as a way of inspiring and educating the next generation of young women on careers in aviation. This year’s trip to NASA Kennedy was the eighth Delta WING flight and third to Kennedy.
“The accomplishments of the future are going to be realized by the dreamers, innovators, and bright minds who are sitting in classrooms today,” Petro said. “And we want these students to know there is a place for them at NASA.”
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By NASA
NASA and Boeing welcomed Starliner back to Earth following the uncrewed spacecraft’s successful landing at 10:01 p.m. MDT Sept. 6, 2024, at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. Credit: NASA NASA and Boeing safely returned the uncrewed Starliner spacecraft following its landing at 10:01 p.m. MDT Sept. 6 at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, concluding a three-month flight test to the International Space Station.
“I am extremely proud of the work our collective team put into this entire flight test, and we are pleased to see Starliner’s safe return,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Even though it was necessary to return the spacecraft uncrewed, NASA and Boeing learned an incredible amount about Starliner in the most extreme environment possible. NASA looks forward to our continued work with the Boeing team to proceed toward certification of Starliner for crew rotation missions to the space station.”
The flight on June 5 was the first time astronauts launched aboard the Starliner. It was the third orbital flight of the spacecraft, and its second return from the orbiting laboratory. Starliner now will ship to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for inspection and processing.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program requires a spacecraft to fly a crewed test flight to prove the system is ready for regular flights to and from the orbiting laboratory. Following Starliner’s return, the agency will review all mission-related data.
“We are excited to have Starliner home safely. This was an important test flight for NASA in setting us up for future missions on the Starliner system,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “There was a lot of valuable learning that will enable our long-term success. I want to commend the entire team for their hard work and dedication over the past three months.”
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched on June 5 aboard Starliner for the agency’s Boeing Crewed Flight Test from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. On June 6, as Starliner approached the space station, NASA and Boeing identified helium leaks and experienced issues with the spacecraft’s reaction control thrusters. Following weeks of in-space and ground testing, technical interchange meetings, and agency reviews, NASA made the decision to prioritize safety and return Starliner without its crew. Wilmore and Williams will continue their work aboard station as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew, returning in February 2025 with the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
The crew flight test is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The goal of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station and low Earth orbit. This already is providing additional research time and has increased the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity’s microgravity testbed, including helping NASA prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.
Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew program at:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
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Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov
Leah Cheshier
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov
Steve Siceloff / Danielle Sempsrott / Stephanie Plucinsky
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-867-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov / danielle.c.sempsrott@nasa.gov / stephanie.n.plucinsky@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Sep 07, 2024 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Commercial Crew International Space Station (ISS) ISS Research View the full article
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