3 min read

International Space Station Welcomes Trio of Experiments Focused on Enhancing Life Beyond Earth

NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division is sending three physical sciences and space biology experiments and equipment to the International Space Station aboard Northrop Grumman’s 20th commercial resupply services mission. These experiments aim to pioneer scientific discovery, enable sustainable deep space exploration, and support transformative engineering.

The launch is scheduled to take place no earlier than Tuesday, January 30, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Using Microbes to Improve Plant Growth in Space

Plants will play a crucial role in space exploration because they provide a source of fresh food for astronauts, revitalize habitat air, and help recycle resources. However, to use plants effectively for space exploration, it is important to understand how they grow under the harsh environments of space.  Many microbes that are intimately associated with plants are known to improve the plant’s ability to tolerate environmental stresses on Earth. These beneficial microbes could also confer similar advantages to plants in space; however, we do not know how exposure to the space environment alters these associations.

Plant-Microbe Interactions in Space (Advanced Plant Experiments in Space; APEX-10) tests whether the beneficial microbe Trichoderma harzianum increases stress resilience and improves seedling growth of tomato plants (Lycopersicum esculentum) when the two are grown together in microgravity on the International Space Station. If so, this knowledge could help increase plant productivity on Earth as well as in space. The principal investigator for APEX-10 is Dr. Simon Gilroy with the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Dr. Simon Gilroy (left) and members of the APEX-10 team (Dr. Sarah Swanson, center and Dr. Arko Bashki) preparing their space experiments at the Kennedy Space Center. Dr. Gilroy is a Researcher and Professor in the Botany Department of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He works extensively with NASA on understanding how plants grow on the International Space Station and plans for using plants in life support on planetary bases.

University of Wisconsin

Understanding Microgravity-Associated Bone Loss

Despite rigorous exercise, astronauts face a major health problem in space travel: significant bone loss. The Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Microgravity Induced Bone Loss – Part A (MABL-A) research assesses the effects of microgravity on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), specifically their capacity to secrete bone-forming and bone-dissolving cytokines (small secreted proteins that affect other cells).

MSCs are known to play a role in making and repairing skeletal tissues. Results could provide a better understanding of the basic molecular mechanisms of bone loss caused by spaceflight and normal aging on Earth. The principal investigator for MABL-A is Dr. Abba Zubair with the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.

Dr. Abba Chedi Zubair is a Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.

Mayo Clinic

Studying Bacterial Growth in Space

Microbes, such as bacteria, cause numerous human diseases on Earth. It is possible that these same microbes could adversely affect the health of astronauts as they embark on future space missions. Therefore, a deeper understanding of how the spaceflight environment influences microbial growth could help develop strategies to counter their harmful effects.

Biological Research in Canisters-25 (BRIC-25) studies how microgravity affects the Accessory Gene Regulator (Agr) quorum-sensing system of Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterial pathogen that infects almost every human tissue and organ. The Agr quorum-sensing system is a key communication tool used by bacteria to form biofilms, regulate physiology, and affect their ability to cause disease.

By investigating the Agr system on the International Space Station, BRIC-25 researchers hope to uncover new insights into bacterial behavior in space. This knowledge could not only safeguard astronauts’ health, but also improve our understanding of bacterial adaptations on Earth. The principal investigator for BRIC-25 is Dr. Kelly Rice, with the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.

Dr. Kelly Rice is an associate professor in the University of Florida’s Department of Microbiology and Cell Science in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

About BPS

NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division pioneers scientific discovery and enables exploration by using space environments to conduct investigations not possible on Earth. Studying biological and physical phenomena under extreme conditions allows researchers to advance the fundamental scientific knowledge required to go farther and stay longer in space, while also benefitting life on Earth.

Share

• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  

Details

Last Updated

Jan 30, 2024

Related Terms

• Biological & Physical Sciences
• International Space Station (ISS)
• ISS Research
• Science & Research
• Space Biology
• Space Biology Program

from NASA https://ift.tt/9mABRkz

Earth’s Atmospheric Glow

This high exposure photograph revealed Earth’s atmospheric glow against the backdrop of a starry sky in this image taken from the International Space Station on Jan. 21, 2024. At the time, the orbital lab was 258 miles above the Pacific Ocean northeast of Papua New Guinea. The Nauka science module and Prichal docking module are visible at left.

Since the space station became operational in November 2000, crew members have produced hundreds of thousands of images of the land, oceans, and atmosphere of Earth, and even of the Moon through Crew Earth Observations. Their photographs of Earth record how the planet changes over time due to human activity and natural events.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA/Andreas Mogensen

from NASA https://ift.tt/jMesUIE

NASA Search and Rescue Technology Saves Explorers, Enables Exploration

3 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

In 2023, NASA-developed search and rescue technologies aided first responders in locating and saving 350 lives in the United States. Now, NASA is incorporating that same technology in astronaut missions.

NASA’s Search and Rescue technologies enabled hundreds of lives saved in 2023.

NASA/Dave Ryan

NASA provides technical expertise to the international satellite-aided search and rescue effort known as Cospas-Sarsat. This technical expertise has enabled the development of multiple emergency location beacon types, which explorers can use when in need.

Should an explorer become distressed or lost, they can activate the 406 MHz frequency beacon. The beacon sends a distress signal to a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite in space, which then relays the signal location to the Cospas-Sarsat network. With the precise position of the beacon, the network can alert first responders anywhere in the world and initiate the rescue.

These beacons provide explorers with a sense of safety as they venture on land, air, and sea. There are three types of beacons available for users: personal locator beacons, used by hikers and other land explorers; emergency position indicating radio beacons, for boaters and sailors; and emergency locator transmitters for aircraft pilots.

In 2023, 51 rescues were made for activated personal locator beacons; 255 for emergency position indicating radio beacons; and 44 for emergency locator transmitters, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

NASA’s Search and Rescue office has a long legacy of Earth-based beacon development and is now applying that expertise to support NASA’s Artemis campaign. For Artemis I, beacons placed on the Orion spacecraft located the uncrewed capsule as it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after its 1.4-million-mile journey around the Moon and back.

Going further, for Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed mission under Artemis, the agency is including second-generation beacons called ANGEL (Advanced Next-Generation Emergency Locators) on the astronauts’ life preservers and installing another location beacon onto the Orion spacecraft capsule. In the event NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of CSA (Canadian Space Agency) may need to exit from Orion without the assistance of recovery personnel, NASA will be able to locate them immediately using the ANGEL beacon locations.

In July 2023, as part of the at-sea recovery testing for Artemis missions, search and rescue team members were aboard the USS John P. Murtha to validate ANGEL and the newly developed SAINT (SAR Intelligent Terminal) application, which tracks the beacons’ locations in real-time. The team is now readying itself for the next at-sea test of Artemis recovery procedures in February.

The Search and Rescue office is a part of the SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program office and is essential for NASA’s endeavors to the Moon and Mars. The office has a unique portfolio that advances NASA’s exploration capabilities while enabling the life-saving technology used by Earth-based adventurers.

NOAA manages the U.S. network region for Cospas-Sarsat, which relies on flight and ground technologies originally developed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The SCaN program at NASA Headquarters in Washington provides strategic oversight to the Search and Rescue office. U.S. region rescue efforts are led by the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force, and many other local rescue authorities.

By Kendall Murphy
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

@NASASCaN@NASAGoddard

@NASASCaN@NASAGoddard

@NASAGoddard

Share

Details

Last Updated

Jan 30, 2024

Editor

Kendall Murphy

Contact

Kendall Murphy

Location

Goddard Space Flight Center

Related Terms

• Space Communications Technology
• Goddard Space Flight Center
• Space Communications & Navigation Program

Explore More

3 min read

NASA Search and Rescue: Saving Earth-based Explorers and Enabling Exploration

Article 1 year ago

4 min read

NASA Search and Rescue Team Prepares for Safe Return of Artemis II Crew

When Artemis II NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Hammock Koch, and Canadian Space…

Article 6 months ago

4 min read

NASA Tests Beacon for Safe Recovery of Astronauts on Artemis Missions

Article 2 years ago

Keep Exploring

Discover Related Topics

Missions

Humans in Space

Climate Change

Solar System

from NASA https://ift.tt/MRdNTQw

5 min read

How is the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Different than the 2017 Eclipse?

On April 8, the Moon’s shadow will sweep across the United States, as millions will view a total solar eclipse. For many, preparing for this event brings memories of the magnificent total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017.

The total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, was photographed from Madras, Oregon. The black circle in the middle is the Moon. Surrounding it are white streams of light belonging to the Sun’s outer atmosphere, called the corona.

NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

In 2017, an estimated 215 million U.S. adults (88% of U.S. adults) viewed the solar eclipse, either directly or electronically. They experienced the Moon pass in front of the Sun, blocking part or all of our closest star’s bright face. The eclipse in 2024 could be even more exciting due to differences in the path, timing, and scientific research.

Wider, More Populated Path

The path of totality – where viewers can see the Moon totally block the Sun, revealing the star’s outer atmosphere, called the corona – is much wider during the upcoming total solar eclipse than it was during the eclipse in 2017. As the Moon orbits Earth, its distance from our planet varies. During the 2017 total solar eclipse, the Moon was a little bit farther away from Earth than it will be during upcoming total solar eclipse, causing the path of that eclipse to be a little skinnier. In 2017, the path ranged from about 62 to 71 miles wide. During the April eclipse, the path over North America will range between 108 and 122 miles wide – meaning at any given moment, this eclipse covers more ground. 

The 2024 eclipse path will also pass over more cities and densely populated areas than the 2017 path did. This will make it easier for more people to see totality. An estimated 31.6 million people live in the path of totality this year, compared to 12 million in 2017. An additional 150 million people live within 200 miles of the path of totality.

This map shows the path of the 2017 total solar eclipse, crossing from Oregon to South Carolina, and the 2024 total solar eclipse, crossing from Mexico into Texas, up to Maine, and exiting over Canada.

To see a map showing which areas will experience the partial solar eclipse and which areas will experience the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, click the arrows.

Ernest Wright/NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio

This map illustrates the paths of the Moon’s shadow across the U.S. during the 2024 total solar eclipse. On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North and Central America creating a path of totality. During a total solar eclipse, the Moon completely blocks the Sun while it passes between the Sun and Earth. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk and those standing in the path of totality may see the Sun’s outer atmosphere (the corona) if weather permits.

To see a map comparing the 2024 eclipse and the 2017 eclipse paths, click the arrows.

NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio/Michala Garrison; Eclipse Calculations By Ernie Wright, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

You don’t need to live within the path of totality to see the eclipse – in April, 99% of people who reside in the United States will be able to see the partial or total eclipse from where they live. Every contiguous U.S. state, plus parts of Alaska and Hawaii, will experience at least a partial solar eclipse.

Longer Time in Totality

In April, totality will last longer than it did in 2017. Seven years ago, the longest period of totality was experienced near Carbondale, Illinois, at 2 minutes, 42 seconds. 

For the upcoming eclipse, totality will last up to 4 minutes, 28 seconds, in an area about 25 minutes northwest of Torreón, Mexico. As the eclipse enters Texas, totality will last about 4 minutes, 26 seconds at the center of the eclipse’s path. Durations longer than 4 minutes stretch as far north as Economy, Indiana. Even as the eclipse exits the U.S. and enters Canada, the eclipse will last up to 3 minutes, 21 seconds. 

During any total solar eclipse, totality lasts the longest near the center of the path, widthwise, and decreases toward the edge. But those seeking totality shouldn’t worry that they need to be exactly at the center. The time in totality falls off pretty slowly until you get close to the edge.

Heightened Solar Activity

NASA/ESA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) captured this video of a coronal mass ejection on March 13, 2023.

NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Every 11 years or so, the Sun’s magnetic field flips, causing a cycle of increasing then decreasing solar activity. During solar minimum, there are fewer giant eruptions from the Sun, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections. But during solar maximum, the Sun becomes more active.

In 2017, the Sun was nearing solar minimum. Viewers of the total eclipse could see the breathtaking corona – but since the Sun was quiet, streamers flowing into the solar atmosphere were restricted to just the equatorial regions of the star. The Sun is more magnetically symmetrical during solar minimum, causing this simpler appearance. During the 2024 eclipse, the Sun will be in or near solar maximum, when the magnetic field is more like a tangled hairball. Streamers will likely be visible throughout the corona. In addition to that, viewers will have a better chance to see prominences – which appear as bright, pink curls or loops coming off the Sun.

With lucky timing, there could even be a chance to see a coronal mass ejection – a large eruption of solar material – during the eclipse.

Expanded Scientific Research

The third rocket launched on Oct. 14, 2023, during the annular solar eclipse leaves the launch pad. 

WSMR Army Photo

During the total eclipse in 2024, NASA is funding several research initiatives that build on research done during the 2017 eclipse. The projects, which are led by researchers at different academic institutions, will study the Sun and its influence on Earth with a variety of instruments, including cameras aboard high-altitude research planes, ham radios, and more. In addition to those projects, instruments that were launched during the 2023 annular solar eclipse on three sounding rockets will again be launched during the upcoming total solar eclipse.

Two spacecraft designed to study the Sun’s corona – NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA’s Solar Orbiter – have also launched since the 2017 solar eclipse. These missions will provide insights from the corona itself, while viewers on Earth see it with their own eyes, providing an exciting opportunity to combine and compare viewpoints.

To learn more about the 2024 total solar eclipse and how you can safely watch it, visit NASA’s eclipse website.

By Abbey Interrante
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 

Special thanks to Michael Zeiler for his calculations on the populations in the eclipse path.

The 2017 total solar eclipse viewing analysis was conducted by Professor Jon D. Miller of the University of Michigan. This study was supported by a collaborative agreement between the University of Michigan and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (award NNX16AC66A).

from NASA https://ift.tt/BW2D0G7

NASA Awards Contract to Support Agency Enterprise Service Center

NASA has selected Inspiritec Inc. of Philadelphia, to provide contractor support for the Shared Services Center at the agency’s Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

This indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract allows for special project task orders at either the firm-fixed-price or based on level of effort. The contract includes a 60-day transition period beginning on Thursday, Feb. 1, followed by a one-year base period and four one-year option periods. The total award value is $35 million over a five-year potential performance period.

The contract’s services include support of NASA’s Customer Contact Center, Enterprise Service Desk, and Document Imaging and Mailroom.

For information about the agency and its programs, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov

-end-

Abbey Donaldson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
abbey.a.donaldson@nasa.gov

Jamie Mettler
Stennis Space Center, Miss.
228-813-6490
jamie.m.mettler@nasa.gov

from NASA https://ift.tt/sAfCaz8

NASA Space Tech Spinoffs Benefit Earth Medicine, Moon to Mars Tools

Squishy Robotics’ Tensegrity Sensor Robots help first responders determine their approach to a disaster scene. Firefighters used the robots during a subway attack exercise at the 2021 Unmanned Tactical Application Conference to detect gas leaks and other hazards.

Credits: FLYMOTION LLC

As NASA innovates for the benefit of all, what the agency develops for exploration has the potential to evolve into other technologies with broader use here on Earth. Many of those examples are highlighted in NASA’s annual Spinoff book including dozens of NASA-enabled medical innovations, as well other advancements.

This year’s publication, NASA’s 2024 Spinoff, features several commercialized technologies using the agency’s research and development expertise to impact everyday lives, including:

• Spherical “squishy” robots capable of dropping into dangerous situations before first responders enter
• “Digital winglets” aircraft-routing technology that’s enabling increased fuel efficiency and smoother flights 
• Lighter, more durable disc brake designs that produce less dust than traditional disc brakes
• Computer software to help businesses and communities cope with and recover from natural disasters like wildfires
• New 3D printing methods to additively manufacture rocket engines and other large aluminum parts 

“As we continue to push new frontiers and do the unimaginable, NASA’s scientists and engineers are constantly innovating and advancing technologies,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “A critical part of our mission is to quickly get those advances into the hands of companies and entrepreneurs who can use them to grow their businesses, open new markets, boost the economy, and raise the quality of life for everyone.”

The medical innovations include the first wireless arthroscope – a small tube carrying a camera inserted into the body during surgery – to receive clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which benefited from NASA’s experience with spacesuits and satellite batteries. Technologies for diagnosing illnesses like the coronavirus, hepatitis, and cancer have also stemmed from NASA’s space exploration and science endeavors. Even certain types of toothpaste originated from the agency’s efforts to grow crystals for electronics.

Additional 2024 Spinoff highlights include developments under NASA’s Artemis campaign, like a small, rugged video camera used to improve aircraft safety and a new method for detecting defects or damage in composite materials. Meanwhile, another spinoff story details the latest benefits of fuel cell technology created more than 50 years ago for Apollo, which is now poised to support terrestrial power grids based on renewable energy.

The book also features several technologies NASA has identified as promising future spinoffs and information on how to license agency tech. Since the 1970s, thousands of NASA technologies have found their way into many scientific and technical disciplines, impacting nearly every American industry.

“As NASA’s longest continuously running program, we continue to increase the number of technologies we license year-over-year while streamlining the development path from the government to the commercial sector,” said Daniel Lockney, Technology Transfer program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “These commercialization success stories continually prove the benefits of transitioning agency technologies into private hands, where the real impacts are made.”

Spinoffs are part of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and its Technology Transfer program. Tech Transfer is charged with finding broad, innovative applications for NASA-developed technology through partnerships and licensing agreements, ensuring agency investments benefit the nation and the world.

To read the latest issue of Spinoff, visit:

https://spinoff.nasa.gov

-end-

Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
james.j.russell@nasa.gov

Share

Details

Last Updated

Jan 29, 2024

Location

NASA Headquarters

Related Terms

• Space Technology Mission Directorate
• Spinoffs
• Technology Transfer

from NASA https://ift.tt/DTXUORu

A New Home for Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Prototype

NASA/Joel Kowsky

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter’s aerial prototype is seen at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steve F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va, Dec. 15, 2023. The prototype, which was the first to prove it was possible to fly in a simulated Mars environment at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was donated to the museum.

Ingenuity’s history-making mission on Mars recently came to an end after one or more of its rotor blades sustained damage during landing, rendering it incapable of flight. Originally designed as a technology demonstration to perform up to five experimental test flights over 30 days, the first aircraft on another world operated from the Martian surface for almost three years, performed 72 flights, and flew more than 14 times farther than planned while logging more than two hours of total flight time.

Join the celebration of Ingenuity’s successful mission by using the #ThanksIngenuity hashtag on social media.

Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

from NASA https://ift.tt/W3G7Fzp

1 min read

Thank You, Jovian Vortex Hunters! The Hunt Is Over…for Now.

Some of the vortices identified by Jovian Vortex Hunter volunteers.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Sankar

We did it! The Jovian Vortex Hunter project, launched on Zooniverse in June 2022, is out of data as of December 23, 2023. 

Over 6,000 registered volunteers joined the project to view images from NASA’s JunoCam instrument of the swirling clouds in Jupiter’s atmosphere and draw on them using a computer mouse. Together, they contributed over a million marked-up images indicating exciting features such as vortices, where winds move in circular patterns. If you’re one of these volunteers, thank you! 

The newly marked-up data from the Jovian Vortex Hunters project revealed more than 7,000 vortexes, a much bigger collection than earlier studies contained. The hard work of our volunteers resulted in trends nobody had seen before! For example, the new data shows that white and dark ovals are more prominent in the higher latitudes, while the brown vortices are in the mid-latitudes.

Want to see those trends (and others) for yourself? Read the Jovian Vortex Hunters Blog! And stay tuned… The science team is hard at work analyzing the data and writing up papers on the results. They hope to launch another round of the Jovian Vortex Hunters project soon. 

Share

• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  

Details

Last Updated

Jan 29, 2024

Editor

NASA Science Editorial Team

Related Terms

• Citizen Science
• Planetary Science

from NASA https://ift.tt/fPm7T9w

NASA Marks Halfway Point for Artemis Moon Rocket Engine Certification Series

2 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

NASA completed a full-duration, 500-second hot fire of an RS-25 certification engine Jan. 27, marking the halfway point in a critical test series to support future SLS (Space Launch System) missions to the Moon and beyond as NASA explores the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all.

NASA/Danny Nowlin

NASA completed the sixth of 12 scheduled RS-25 engine certification tests in a critical series for future flights of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket as engineers conducted a full-duration hot fire Jan. 27 at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

The current series builds on previous hot fire testing conducted at NASA Stennis to help certify production of new RS-25 engines by lead contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3 Harris Technologies company. The new engines will help power NASA’s SLS rocket on future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond, beginning with Artemis V.

Having reached the halfway point in a 12-test RS-25 certification series, teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center will install a second production nozzle (shown) on the engine to gather additional performance data during the remaining scheduled hot fires.

Aerojet Rocketdyne

NASA completed a full-duration, 500-second hot fire of an RS-25 certification engine Jan. 27, marking the halfway point in a critical test series to support future SLS (Space Launch System) missions to the Moon and beyond as NASA explores the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all.

NASA/Danny Nowlin

NASA completed a full-duration, 500-second hot fire of an RS-25 certification engine Jan. 27, marking the halfway point in a critical test series to support future SLS (Space Launch System) missions to the Moon and beyond as NASA explores the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all.

NASA/Danny Nowlin

Operators fired the RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand for almost eight-and-a-half minutes (500 seconds) – the same amount of time needed to help launch SLS – and at power levels ranging between 80% to 113%. New RS-25 engines will power up to the 111% level to provide additional thrust for launch of SLS. Testing up to the 113% power level provides a margin of operational safety.

Now at the halfway point in the series, teams will install a new certification nozzle on the engine. Installation of the new nozzle will allow engineers to gather additional performance data from a second production unit. Following installation next month, testing will resume at Stennis with six additional hot fires scheduled through March.

For each Artemis mission, four RS-25 engines, along with a pair of solid rocket boosters, power the SLS, producing more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Under NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon, land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all.

For information about NASA’s Stennis Space Center, visit:

Stennis Space Center – NASA

Share

Details

Last Updated

Jan 29, 2024

Editor

NASA Stennis Communications

Contact

C. Lacy Thompson

calvin.l.thompson@nasa.gov / (228) 688-3333

Location

Stennis Space Center

Related Terms

• Stennis Space Center
• Marshall Space Flight Center
• Space Launch System (SLS)

Explore More

23 min read

The Marshall Star for January 24, 2024

Article 5 days ago

3 min read

NASA’s IXPE Awarded Prestigious Prize in High-energy Astronomy

Article 6 days ago

28 min read

The Marshall Star for January 17, 2024

Article 2 weeks ago

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

Doing Business with NASA Stennis

About NASA Stennis

Visit NASA Stennis

NASA Stennis Media Resources

from NASA https://ift.tt/I4135Bj

NASA Awards Contract for Aviation, Railroad Safety Reporting Systems

NASA

NASA has awarded a contract to Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. of McLean, Virginia, for the maintenance and operation of incident reporting programs and continuing development to improve current and future reporting systems.

The Aviation Safety Reporting System and Related Systems award is a cost-plus-fixed-fee indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract managed by the Human Systems Integration Division at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.

The contract will support NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System and the agency’s Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS). The award for continuation of work includes a 60-day phase-in period beginning Friday, Feb. 9, a two-year base period beginning April 9, followed by a two-year and a one-year option ending on April 8, 2029. The potential total value of the contract is roughly $38.4 million.

The Aviation Safety Reporting System, managed out of NASA Ames on behalf of the Federal Aviation Administration, collects voluntarily submitted aviation safety incident and situation reports and alerts the FAA to related hazards. The group also works to diagnose the underlying causes of each reported event. The C3RS railroad reporting system, also managed by Ames, collects and analyzes reports on unsafe conditions or events in the railroad industry to help prevent more serious incidents in the future.

Work performed under the contract will be conducted at Booz Allen Hamilton’s facilities in Sunnyvale, California, may include development of additional related systems by providing maintenance and operation of voluntary, independent, and confidential incident reporting programs.

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov.

-end-

Abbey Donaldson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
abbey.a.donaldson@nasa.gov

Hillary Smith
Ames Research Center, Silicon Valley, Calif.
650-604-4789
hillary.smith@nasa.gov

Share

Details

Last Updated

Jan 26, 2024

Location

NASA Headquarters

Related Terms

• Ames Research Center

from NASA https://ift.tt/P7aVCqY

NASA Offers Virtual Activities for Northrop Grumman’s Next Resupply Mission

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo craft is pictured moments away from being captured by the Canadarm2 robotic arm controlled by NASA astronaut and Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg from inside the International Space Station.

NASA

NASA invites the public to participate in virtual activities ahead of the launch of Northrop Grumman’s 20th commercial resupply services mission for the agency.

Mission teams are targeting 12:29 p.m. EST Monday, Jan. 29, for launch of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Cygnus will deliver new science investigations, food, supplies, and equipment to the crew aboard the International Space Station.

Members of the public can register to attend the launch virtually. As a virtual guest, you have access to curated resources, schedule changes, and mission-specific information delivered straight to your inbox. Following each activity, virtual guests will receive a commemorative stamp for their virtual guest passport.

Live launch coverage will begin at 12:15 p.m. and air on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and on the agency’s website, with prelaunch events starting Wednesday, Jan. 24. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms. For more information, follow NASA’s International Space Station blog.

from NASA https://ift.tt/2tbViJD

NASA’s LRO Spots Japan’s Moon Lander

1 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

On Jan. 19, 2024, at 10:20 a.m. EST, the JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) landed on the lunar surface. Five days later, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft passed over the landing site and photographed SLIM.

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of the JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) SLIM lander on the Moon’s surface on Jan. 24, 2024. SLIM landed at 13.3160 degrees south latitude, 25.2510 degrees east longitude, at an elevation of minus 2,992 feet (minus 912 meters). The image is 2,887 feet wide (880 meters), and lunar north is up. (LROC NAC frame M14607392143L)

NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University

LRO acquired the image at an altitude of about 50 miles (80 km). Bright streaks on the left side of the image are rocky material ejected from the nearby, relatively young Shioli crater.

Japan is the fifth nation to complete a soft landing on the lunar surface.

This image pair shows LRO views of the area surrounding the SLIM site before (frame M1254087075L) and after (frame M1460739214L) its landing. Note the slight change in reflectance around the lander due to engine exhaust sweeping the surface. These images are enlarged by a factor of two, and are about 1,444 feet (440 meters) wide.

NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University

A composite image dividing the before image from after. Features that are the same in both images disappear, highlighting the changes in surface brightness from the rocket plume. The image is 2,887 feet wide (880 meters), and lunar north is up.

NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University

LRO is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Launched on June 18, 2009, LRO has collected a treasure trove of data with its seven powerful instruments, making an invaluable contribution to our knowledge about the Moon. Arizona State University manages and operates the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, LROC.

More on this story from Arizona State University's LRO Camera website

Media Contact:
Nancy N. Jones
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

@NASAGoddard@NASAMoon

@NASAGoddard@NASAMoon

@NASAGoddard@NASASolarSystem

Share

Details

Last Updated

Jan 26, 2024

Editor

Madison Arnold

Contact

Nancy N. Jones

nancy.n.jones@nasa.gov

Location

Goddard Space Flight Center

Related Terms

• Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)
• Earth's Moon
• Goddard Space Flight Center
• The Solar System

from NASA https://ift.tt/jrYNpPR

5 min read

2023 NASA International Space Apps Challenge Announces 10 Global Winners

This Earth observation was captured during a day pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station on September 2, 2014.

European Space Agency Astronaut Alexander Gerst

Ten teams from around the world have been named the Global Winners of the 2023 NASA International Space Apps Challenge. The Challenge is the largest annual global hackathon, and gives participants the opportunity to engage with real world problems we face on Earth and in space.

The 2023 NASA Space Apps Challenge welcomed 57,999 registered participants, including space, science, technology, and storytelling enthusiasts of all ages. Participants came together from 152 countries and territories to celebrate a Year of Open Science with the theme of “Explore Open Science Together” in collaboration with NASA’s Transform to Open Science (TOPS). Teams used NASA and Space Agency Partner free and open data to address challenges written by NASA Subject Matter Experts. Challenges ranged in topic from climate change to biodiversity, space exploration, and data visualization.

The 2023 Global Winners represent the highest rated projects out of 5,556 submissions, as determined by subject matter experts from NASA and 13 Space Agency Partners.

“The NASA International Space Apps Challenge is the perfect example of global cooperation – uniting the next generation of innovators across 152 countries this year into a community that contributes to NASA’s mission for the benefit of all,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Lowering the boundaries of science through the NASA Space Apps Challenge is paramount for inspiring the next generation – the Artemis Generation – so that they can solve today’s problems on Earth and in space for tomorrow’s future. Congratulations to the 2023 Global Winners of the NASA Space Apps Challenge.”

In this year’s live Global Winners announcement, former NASA astronaut Dr. Cady Coleman praised the innovation and collaboration of the NASA Space Apps community and the Global Winners.

“Participants’ innovative solutions using NASA and Space Agency Partner open data and their commitment to global collaboration are paving the way for a more inclusive scientific community for the next generation of scientists, technologists, designers, and storytellers,” said Coleman. “Their projects show the power of what we can accomplish with open science and knowledge sharing.”

The ten 2023 NASA Space Apps Challenge Global Winners are:

Best Use of Science Award: LunarTech Ensemble

Challenge: Make a Moonquake Map 2.0!

Country/Territory: Egypt

This team developed a website and immersive game to help people understand and visualize the lunar seismic data gathered by instruments left behind during NASA’s Apollo missions.

Learn more about LunarTech Ensemble’s winning project

Best Use of Data Award: Storm Prophet

Challenge: Develop the Oracle of DSCOVR

Country/Territory: Ukraine

Team “Storm Prophet” created a data model to accurately predict geomagnetic storm levels using data analysis and LSTM models.

Learn more about Storm Prophet’s winning project

Best Use of Technology Award: Spacebee

Challenge: Make a Moonquake Map 2.0!

Country/Territory: United States and Argentina (Universal Event)

This team developed a website that integrates moonquake data collected by seismometers deployed on Apollo missions, including the moonquake locations, type of moonquake, and date and data plots based on ALSEP Apollo experiments data.

Learn more about Spacebee’s winning project

Galactic Impact Award: Greetings from Earth!!

Challenge: Ocean Gardens

Country/Territory: Brazil

This team developed an interactive website that provides a visualization of NASA data that allows the user to visualize oceans not merely as vast expanses of water, but as the gardens of our planet, regulating climate and nurturing diverse life forms.

Learn more about Greetings from Earth!!’s winning project

Best Mission Concept Award: ASTROGENESIS

Challenge: Planetary Tourism Office

Country/Territory: Peru

This team created an interactive platform that allows you to explore the cosmos by creating personalized itineraries to visit planets, moons, and other celestial destinations.

Learn more about ASTROGENESIS’s winning project

Most Inspirational Award: Space Quest Maidens – Donzelas da Missao Espacial

Challenge: Eclipses: Perspective is Everything

Country/Territory: Brazil

This team developed an interactive educational tool called ECLIPSE: CELESTIAL SHADOWS to teach children about the mechanics of eclipses.

Learn more about Space Quest Maidens – Donzelas da Missão Espacials winning project

Best Storytelling Award: TeamVoyagers

Challenge: Everything Starts with Water

Country/Territory: Bangladesh

Team Voyagers built an interactive web-based game that tells the imperative story of the complexities of the water cycle, as well as the urgent need to understand the climate’s impact on freshwater resources.

Learn more about Team Voyagers’ winning project

Global Connection Award: Arcobaleno

Challenge: Immersed in the Sounds of Space

Country/Territory: Brazil

Team Arcoboleno created a method that transforms 2D and 3D images into a sensory experience. Their project aims to provide people with sight impairments a way to connect with the world and explore the cosmos through the sonification of NASA open data.

Learn more about Arcobaleno’s winning project

Art & Technology Award: Oogway Comics

Challenge: Habitable Exoplanets: Creating Worlds Beyond Our Own

Country/Territory: Tajikistan

Oogway Comics used NASA data to conceptualize an exoplanet suitable for life and developed a comic book to tell the planet’s story.

Learn more about Oogway Comics’ winning project

Local Impact Award: $quality_over_quantity

Challenge: Explore a Biodiversity Hotspot with Imaging Spectroscopy

Country/Territory: Taiwan

This team developed a method to explore local biodiversity hotspots and prioritize protection of areas with more efficiency.

Learn more about $quality_over_quantitys’ winning project

You can watch the Global Winners Announcement HERE.

Interested in participating in the 2024 NASA Space Apps Challenge? Mark your calendars for Oct. 5 and 6!

Registration will open later this year. At that time, participants will be able to register for a Local Event hosted by NASA Space Apps Local Leads around the world.

Space Apps is funded by NASA’s Earth Science Division through a contract with Booz Allen Hamilton, Mindgrub, and SecondMuse.

Share

• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  

Details

Last Updated

Jan 26, 2024

Related Terms

• Astrophysics
• Biological & Physical Sciences
• Earth Science
• Get Involved
• Heliophysics
• Planetary Science
• Science Mission Directorate
• Uncategorized

Explore More

1 min read

Hubble Studies a Sparkling Galaxy Pair

Article


4 hours ago

1 min read

Hubble Views a Galaxy Settling into Old Age

Article


6 hours ago

2 min read

Hubble Captures a Faint Bridge of Stars

Article


1 day ago

Keep Exploring

Discover Related Topics

Missions

Humans in Space

Climate Change

Solar System

from NASA https://ift.tt/gyJZOSc