Friday, 31 January 2025

Meet the Space Ops Team: Lindsai Bland

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

With more than 17 years of experience at NASA, Lindsai Bland has been an integral part of the agency, contributing to multiple Earth observing system missions at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Now, Bland ensures the agency’s communications and navigation resources meet overall needs and requirements as the Mission Operations Interface Lead for NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program. 

A large antenna, part of the Deep Space Network, sits on top of a hill at sunset. The sky around the antenna is a bright orange but bleeds into a dark blue around the edges of the image.
This sunset photo shows Deep Space Station 14 (DSS-14), the 230-foot-wide (70-meter) antenna at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California, part of NASA’s Deep Space Network. The network’s three complexes around the globe support communications with dozens of deep space missions. DSS-14 is also the agency’s Goldstone Solar System Radar, which is used to observe asteroids that come close to Earth.

The program, managed through the agency’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, is responsible for all of NASA’s space communications operations, including the Near Space Network and Deep Space Network, which have enabled the success of more than 100 NASA and non-NASA missions. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station, missions monitoring Earth’s weather and effects of climate change, and spacecraft exploring the Moon and beyond all depend on NASA’s Near Space and Deep Space Networks to provide robust communications services. As interface lead, Bland works with teams to guarantee that critical data is transmitted between spacecraft and desired control center.  

“Working with the SCaN program gives me the opportunity to be a part of a variety of mission types with endless science objectives,” said Bland. “Joining this team has been a highlight of my career, and tackling new challenges has been incredibly rewarding.” 

Looking ahead, Bland envisions that NASA will persevere in expanding the boundaries of space exploration, especially as the agency partners with international and U.S. industry in support of commercially owned and operated low Earth orbit destinations. 

Lindsai Bland, Mission Operations Interface Lead for the Space Communications and Navigation Division

“I think NASA will continue to push the boundaries of the aerospace industry and physical science studies,” she says. “NASA will take risks in exploration, bringing along industries and businesses to help further our goals.” 

Outside of her work at NASA, Bland is passionate about the arts. She was an avid dancer from a young age, training in ballet, modern, and jazz. Bland also enjoys making her own cosmetics. She believes strongly in giving back to her community and dedicates some of her personal time to community services effort around Montgomery County, Maryland. 

Bland’s career at NASA is a testament to her dedication, expertise, and passion for science and space exploration. Bland will continue to NASA’s mission in expand our understanding and study of our solar system and universe in captivating new ways. 

NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate maintains a continuous human presence in space for the benefit of people on Earth. The programs within the directorate are the heart of NASA’s space exploration efforts, enabling Artemis, commercial space, science, and other agency missions through communication, launch services, research capabilities, and crew support. 

To learn more about NASA’s Space Operation Mission Directorate, visit:  

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/space-operations



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Hubble Spots a Supernova

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Hubble Spots a Supernova

In the exact center a supernova is visible as a small but bright blue dot. It lies atop the outer disk of a hazy-looking galaxy, which has a somewhat warped shape. Around this are a number of minor galaxies visible as glowing disks, and some points of light that are stars near to us, on a black background. A few bright stars hold X-shaped spikes that are optical artefacts from the telescope.
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a supernova in the constellation Gemini.
ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. J. Foley (UC Santa Cruz)

The subject of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is a supernova-hosting galaxy located about 600 million light-years away in the constellation Gemini. Hubble captured this image roughly two months after a supernova named SN 2022aajn was discovered. The supernova is visible as a blue dot at the center of the image, brightening the hazy body of the galaxy.

Other than the announcement of its discovery in November 2022, SN 2022aajn has never been the subject of published research. Why then would Hubble observe this supernova? SN 2022aajn is what’s known as a Type Ia supernova, which results from the explosion of the core of a dead star. Supernovae of this type help astronomers measure the distance to faraway galaxies. This is possible because Type Ia supernovae have the same intrinsic luminosity — no matter how bright they seem from Earth, they put out the same amount of light as other Type Ia supernovae. By comparing the observed brightness to the known intrinsic brightness, researchers can calculate the distance to the supernova and its host galaxy.

This seemingly simple way of measuring distances is complicated by cosmic dust. The farther away a supernova is, the fainter and redder it will appear — but intergalactic dust can make a supernova appear fainter and redder as well. To understand this complication, researchers will use Hubble to survey a total of 100 Type Ia supernovae in seven wavelength bands from ultraviolet to near-infrared. This image combines data taken at four infrared wavelengths. Infrared light passes through dust more easily than visible or ultraviolet light. By comparing the brightness of the sampled supernovae across different wavelengths, researchers can disentangle the effects of dust and distance, helping to improve measurements of galaxies billions of light-years away.

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Media Contact:

Claire Andreoli (claire.andreoli@nasa.gov)
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

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Jan 30, 2025
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Sols 4439-4440: A Lunar New Year on Mars

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Sols 4439-4440: A Lunar New Year on Mars

A grayscale image from the Martian surface shows very rocky, medium gray terrain in the foreground leading to a gently sloping hill on the horizon at left, and a smaller butte at image center. The ground is covered in medium-sized rocks of many shapes and angles pushing up from the soil. Prominent in the center foreground is a medium-sized, wedge-shaped rock that points toward the right and is much darker than the surrounding terrain.
NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity captured this image, which includes the prominent wedge-shaped block in the foreground, the imaging target dubbed “Vasquez Rocks” — named after a site in Southern California that’s been a popular filming location for movies and television, including several episodes of “Star Trek.” Curiosity acquired this image using its Left Navigation Camera on sol 4437 — Martian day 4,437 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — on Jan. 29, 2025, at 04:25:25 UTC.
NASA/JPL-Caltech

Earth planning date: Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025

We’re planning sols 4439 and 4440 on the first day of the Lunar New Year here on Earth, and I’m the Geology/Mineralogy Science Theme Lead for today. The new year is a time for all kinds of abundance and good luck, and we are certainly lucky to be celebrating another new year on Mars with the Curiosity rover!

The rover’s current position is on the north side of the “Texoli” butte west of the “Rustic Canyon” crater, and we are on our way southwest through the layered sulfate unit toward a possible boxwork structure that we hope to study later this year. Today’s workspace included a couple of representative bedrock blocks with contrasting textures, so we planned an APXS elemental chemistry measurement on one (“Deer Springs”) and a LIBS elemental measurement on another (“Taco Peak”).

For imaging, there were quite a few targets in view making it possible to advance a variety of science goals. The ChemCam remote imager was used for a mosaic on “Wilkerson Butte” to observe the pattern of resistant and recessive layering. Mastcam mosaics explored some distant landforms (“Sandstone Peak,” “Wella’s Peak”) as well as fractures, block shapes and textures, and aeolian ripples closer to the rover (“Tahquitz Peak,” “Mount Islip,” “Vasquez Rocks,” “Dawson Saddle”). Our regular environmental science measurements were made as well, to track atmospheric opacity and dust activity. So our planning sols include an abundance of targets indeed.

Fun fact: Today’s name “Vasquez Rocks” comes from a site on Earth in Southern California that has been a popular spot for science fiction filming, appearing in several episodes of “Star Trek” going back to the original series!

Written by Lucy Lim, Participating Scientist at Goddard Space Flight Center

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Jan 31, 2025

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Sols 4437-4438: Coordinating our Dance Moves



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SPHEREx’s Concentric Cones

A spacecraft with a distinct cone shape sits in a clean room. A person in a white suit that covers them from head to toe shines a penlight on the observatory. The walls of the clean room are lit with blue and red lights.
Short for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, SPHEREx will create a map of the cosmos like no other. Using a technique called spectroscopy to image the entire sky in 102 wavelengths of infrared light, SPHEREx will gather information about the composition of and distance to millions of galaxies and stars. With this map, scientists will study what happened in the first fraction of a second after the big bang, how galaxies formed and evolved, and the origins of water in planetary systems in our galaxy.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/BAE Systems

NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) observatory rests horizontally in this April 2024 image taken at BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado. This orientation shows the observatory’s three layers of photon shields – the metallic concentric cones.

Over a two-year planned mission, the SPHEREx Observatory will collect data on more than 450 million galaxies along with more than 100 million stars in the Milky Way in order to explore the origins of the universe.

Tune in at 12 p.m. EST Jan. 31, 2025, to hear agency experts preview the mission. SPHEREx is targeted to launch no earlier than Feb. 27, 2025.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/BAE Systems



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Thursday, 30 January 2025

NASA, Partners to Welcome Fourth Axiom Space Mission to Space Station

The Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4, crew will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than Spring 2025. From left to right: Tibor Kapu of Hungary, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland.
The Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4, crew will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than Spring 2025. From left to right: Tibor Kapu of Hungary, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland.
Credit: SpaceX

NASA and its international partners have approved the crew for Axiom Space’s fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, launching from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than spring 2025.

Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission, while ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.

“I am excited to see continued interest and dedication for the private astronaut missions aboard the International Space Station,” said Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s International Space Station Program at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “As NASA looks toward the future of low Earth orbit, private astronaut missions help pave the way and expand access to the unique microgravity environment.”

The Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4, crew will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and travel to the space station. Once docked, the private astronauts plan to spend up to 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting a mission comprised of science, outreach, and commercial activities. The mission will send the first ISRO astronaut to the station as part of a joint effort between NASA and the Indian space agency. The private mission also carries the first astronauts from Poland and Hungary to stay aboard the space station.

“Working with the talented and diverse Ax-4 crew has been a deeply rewarding experience,” said Whitson. “Witnessing their selfless dedication and commitment to expanding horizons and creating opportunities for their nations in space exploration is truly remarkable. Each crew member brings unique strengths and perspectives, making our mission not just a scientific endeavor, but a testament to human ingenuity and teamwork. The importance of our mission is about pushing the limits of what we can achieve together and inspiring future generations to dream bigger and reach farther.”

The first private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 1, lifted off in April 2022 for a 17-day mission aboard the orbiting laboratory. The second private astronaut mission to the station, Axiom Mission 2, also was commanded by Whitson and launched in May 2023 with four private astronauts who spent eight days in orbit. The most recent private astronaut mission, Axiom Mission 3, launched in January 2024; the crew spent 18 days docked to the space station.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth. For more than 24 years, NASA has supported a continuous human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, through which astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time.

The space station is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy. NASA’s goal is to achieve a strong economy in low Earth orbit where the agency can purchase services as one of many customers to meet its science and research objectives in microgravity. NASA’s commercial strategy for low Earth orbit will provide the government with reliable and safe services at a lower cost, enabling the agency to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars while also continuing to use low Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions. 

Learn more about NASA’s commercial space strategy at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-space

-end-

Josh Finch / Claire O’Shea
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov

Anna Schneider
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov

Alexis DeJarnette
Axiom Space
850-368-9446
alexis@axiomspace.com

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6 NASA Experiments on Materials, Benefitting Space and Earth

A Lysozyme crystal grown in microgravity, viewed under a microscope using X-ray crystallography.
NASA

Did you know that NASA conducts ground-breaking research in space on materials like metals, foams, and crystals? This research could lead to next-generation technology that both enables deep-space exploration and benefits humanity.  

Here are six studies scientists have conducted on the International Space Station that could have profound implications for future space travel and also improve products widely used on Earth:  

  • 01

    Advancing construction and repairing techniques with liquid metals 

    Researchers are looking at the effects of microgravity on the liquid metals formed during brazing, a technology used to bond materials at temperatures above 450 degrees Celsius.  The Brazing of Aluminum alloys In Space (BRAINS) experiment aboard the International Space Station studies how alloys join with a range of other materials, such as ceramics or other metals. 
     
    In space, brazing could be used to construct vehicles, habitats, and other systems needed for space missions, and repair them if damaged. Advanced brazing technologies discovered in space may also be used in the construction and repair of structures on Earth.

  • 02

    Improving materials used for high-powered lasers 

    Another study on the space station is looking at the growth of semiconductor crystals based on Zinc selenide (ZnSe) in microgravity.  ZnSe is an important semiconductor used on Earth for optical devices and infrared lasers.  
     
    Researchers are investigating the impact of microgravity on the growth of these crystals and comparing the results to those grown on Earth.  A better understanding of the impact of microgravity on crystal growth could open the door to expanded commercial use of space.  

  • 03

    Researching ways to make stronger metal 

    Metal alloys, which are created by combining two or more metallic elements, are used in everything from hardware to kitchen appliances, automobiles, and even the space station itself. Alloys are created by cooling a liquid metal until it hardens into a solid.  
     
    Researchers on the space station are investigating how metal alloys melt and take shape in a controlled microgravity environment. While brazing aims to repair or bond two separate materials, this experiment looks at casting or molding things from liquid metals. In metal castings, the solid grows by forming millions of snowflake-like crystals called dendrites. The shape of the dendrites affects the strength of the metal alloys.  
     
    Findings are expected to significantly impact our ability to produce metals with greater strength, for both space and on Earth applications.  

  • 04

    Exploring stability and mechanics of foams and bubbly liquids

    Studying how foams and bubbly liquids evolve in microgravity over time is another important NASA investigation. These experiments will provide guidance for how to control the flow and separation of bubbly liquids. This knowledge is crucial for developing a water recovery and recycling device for future space exploration to Mars.  
     
    On Earth, foams are found in everything from food and cosmetics to paper and petroleum. A better understanding of their stability and mechanics is important for creating sustainable, more efficient processes and improved materials.  

  • 05

    Improving performance and lowering cost of “superglass” 

    Scientists are conducting experiments on supercooled metal oxides (space soil and rock) to better understand how molten materials can be processed in microgravity. Manufacturing new products in space is critical to long-term efforts to develop habitats in space and on other planets. It will require the use of available resources in space, including soil and rocks.  
     
    Data from the research also has far-reaching implications on Earth. It could help improve the performance and lower the cost of materials that are used in the production of cell phone displays, lasers, and glass for automobiles.  

  • 06

    Advancing 3D printing and manufacturing through “soft matter” research

    Space exploration to Mars and beyond will require astronauts to have the ability to build new equipment and materials in space. To make that a reality, space station researchers conducted a number of experiments looking at the behavior of colloids, or “soft matter,” in a microgravity environment.  
     
    This research could have a variety of applications on Earth, including the development of chemical energy, improvements to communications technologies, and enhancements to photonic materials used to control and manipulate light.   

Related Resources: 

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 phenomenon 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. 



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Geyser Season on Mars

Gas geysers on Mars blow out dark, triangle-shaped fans of dust and sand onto the red Martian surface.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

This Oct. 29, 2018, image from the HiRISE camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captures geysers of gas and dust that occur in springtime in the South Polar region of Mars. As the Sun rises higher in the sky, the thick coating of carbon dioxide ice that accumulated over the winter begins to warm and then turn to vapor. Sunlight penetrates through the transparent ice and is absorbed at the base of the ice layer. The gas that forms because of the warming escapes through weaknesses in the ice and erupts in the form of geysers.

HiRISE, or the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, is a powerful camera that takes pictures covering vast areas of Martian terrain while being able to see features as small as a kitchen table.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona



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Sols 4437-4438: Coordinating our Dance Moves

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Sols 4437-4438: Coordinating our Dance Moves

A grayscale image from the Martian surface shows very rocky, medium gray terrain in the foreground leading to a gently sloping hill on the horizon at left, and a smaller butte at image center. The ground is covered in medium-sized rocks of many shapes and angles pushing up from the soil.
NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Left Navigation Camera on sol 4435 — Martian day 4,435 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — on Jan. 27, 2025, at 02:23:35 UTC.
NASA/JPL-Caltech

Earth planning date: Monday, Jan. 27, 2025

I was Geology and Mineralogy (Geo) Science Team lead today, and my day started with a bang and a drum roll — delivered by a rare winter thunderstorm (rare here in England, at least). I did lose power for a few minutes, but thanks to laptop batteries and phone Wi-Fi, I think no one noticed … so, shhh, don’t tell the boss!

Planning was especially interesting as we had a decision to make, whether we want to align ChemCam and APXS observations with each other and focus on one target, or whether we want two different targets. As Geo Science Team lead, it is my role to facilitate this discussion, but that is always fun — and easy. Many colleagues come with well-prepared reasons for why they want to have a certain observation in today’s plan, and I always learn something new about Mars, or geology, or both when those discussions happen. Weighing all arguments carefully, we decided for the coordinated dance of contact and remote science observations on a bedrock target we named “Desert View.” APXS will start the dance, followed by ChemCam active and one RMI image on the same location. Closing out the dance will be MAHLI, by imaging the APXS target that at this point will have the laser pits.

Such a coordinated observation will allow us to see how the rock reacts to the interaction with the laser. We have done this many times, and often learnt interesting things about the mineralogy of the rock. But more than 10 years ago, there was an even more ambitious coordination exercise: On sol 687 the imaging on a target called “Nova” was timed so that Mastcam actually captured the laser spark in the image. While that’s useful for engineering purposes, as a mineralogist I want to see the effect on the rock. Here is the result of that “spark” on target Nova on sol 687.

But back to today’s planning. Apart from the coordinated observations, ChemCam also adds to the Remote Micro Imager coverage of Gould Mesa with a vertical RMI observation that is designed to cover all the nice layers in the mesa, just like a stratigraphic column. Mastcam is looking back at the Rustic Canyon crater to get a new angle. Craters are three-dimensional and looking at it from all sides will help decipher the nature of this small crater, and also make full use of the window into the underground that it offers. Mastcam has two more mosaics, “Condor Peak” and “Boulder Basin,” which are both looking at interesting features in the landscape: Condor Peak at a newly visible butte, and Boulder Basin at bedrock targets in the near-field, to ascertain the structures and textures are still the same as they have been, or document any possible changes. Mars has surprised us before, so we try to look as often as power and other resources allow, even if only to confirm that nothing has changed. You can see the blocks that we are using for this observation in the grayscale Navigation Camera image above; we especially like it when upturned blocks give us a different view, while flat lying blocks in the same image show the “regular” perspective.

After the targeted science is completed, the rover will continue its drive along the planned route, to see what Mars has to offer on the next stop. After the drive, MARDI will take its image, and ChemCam do an autonomous observation, picking its own target. Also after the drive is a set of atmospheric observations to look at dust levels and search for dust devils. Continuous observations throughout include the DAN instrument’s observation of the surface and measurements of wind and temperature.

With that, the plan is again making best use of all the power we have available… and here in England the weather has improved, inside my power is back to normal, and outside it’s all back to the proverbial rain this small island is so famous for.

Written by Susanne Schwenzer, Planetary Geologist at The Open University

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Sols 4434-4436: Last Call for Clouds



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