NASA Space Technology
By Celine Smith
Extra than 100,000 other folks from the field over gathered April 8 in Russellville, Arkansas, to understanding an astronomical syzygy – the alignment of the Solar, Moon, and Earth – setting up a solar eclipse with totality lasting 4 minutes and 12 seconds.
Crew participants from NASA’s Marshall Pickle Flight Heart and others traveled to Arkansas to present tutorial alternatives connected to the eclipse. Experts from NASA’s Stennis Pickle Heart, Kennedy Pickle Heart, and NASA Headquarters, along with representatives of the Arkansas Air Nationwide Guard and the Paris Observatory in Muedon, France, joined the Marshall physique of workers.
“I’ve performed outreach before, but nothing on this scale,” said Patrick Koehn, heliophysics evaluation and analysis lead at NASA Headquarters. “The logistics had been on one other stage, it modified into once impressive to be aware it reach together, and I’m thrilled we engaged so many of us.”
Within the times main as much as the eclipse, NASA hosted shows and outreach actions for the general public and gave presentations for college students at Arkansas Tech University and the Russellville College District. Company had been also given an different to meet retired NASA astronaut Mike Massimino, who signed autographs and greeted the crowds.
Marshall Heart Director Joseph Pelfrey also attended this celestial ride, giving remarks on the Russellville watch party in regards to the eclipse and the work of Marshall’s Heliophysics and Planetary Science Branch.
“Attributable to our collaboration with the metropolis of Russellville, we helped host one amongst the agency’s most a success eclipse events,” Pelfrey said. “Other folk came from across the nation and the field to portion the ride with us. It modified into once unparalleled to understanding my first total solar eclipse alongside the Marshall physique of workers in Arkansas.”
Russellville modified into once one amongst the cities featured in NASA’s are living eclipse broadcast, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse: Throughout the Eyes of NASA. The three-hour broadcast lined the route of the eclipse across 15 states, from Texas to Maine, garnering greater than 1,000,000 are living viewers. Currently, the published has greater than 13 million views. Russellville modified into once illustrious for its sure skies, providing spectators with one amongst primarily the most seen sightings of the eclipse.
The 2024 solar eclipse modified into once especially spectacular attributable to the prominences seen throughout totality. Solar safe cameras captured the fiery red arcs around the fringe of the Moon and Solar.
“This modified into once my first total solar eclipse, and it modified into once an superior ride,” said Bob Loper, evaluation astrophysicist at Marshall. “It modified into once unparalleled to be aware phenomena I’ve spent my profession finding out – actually seeing solar prominences of the Solar modified into once an ride I’ll by no design neglect.”
Look extra photography of the April 8 eclipse from NASA.
Smith, a Media Fusion employee, supports the Marshall Space of job of Communications.
Chad Summers has been named as the director of the Take a look at Laboratory for the Engineering Directorate at NASA’s Marshall Pickle Flight Heart, effective April 21.
An integral section of the Engineering Directorate, the Take a look at Laboratory comprises a extensive differ of specialized capabilities NASA uses to conduct attempting out for arena flight hardware evaluation, pattern, qualification, acceptance, and anomaly decision. As director, Summers will provide executive leadership for all aspects of the Laboratory, at the side of physique of workers, funds, infrastructure, and operations for attempting out.
Summers has been the executive of the Structural Construct and Evaluation Division at Marshall since 2019. In that characteristic, he supervised a division of civil service and contractor engineers to shriek the a success invent, pattern, and integration of immense, complex launch autos and spacecraft systems to meet NASA’s Human Exploration and Science Mission targets. From 2018 to 2019, Summers modified into once the division’s deputy chief.
From 2015 to 2018, he modified into once chief of the Systems Requirements and Verification department. Summers led the Systems Construct and Definition department from 2011 to 2015. From 2007 to 2011, he modified into once chief of the Systems Requirements, Interfaces, and Verification department. Summers modified into once deputy chief of the Engine Systems and Well-known Propulsion Systems department from 2004 to 2007.
Summers has nearly 30 years of ride at NASA and worked at both Kennedy Pickle Heart and Stennis Pickle Heart before coming to Marshall in 2001 as a take a look at operations supervisor within the Subsequent Generation Launch Skills Venture Space of job.
He has got several of the agency’s perfect awards, at the side of NASA’s Excellent Management Medal, Distinctive Service Medal, Marshall Director’s Commendation, and quite so much of Neighborhood Success and Particular Service awards.
A local of Titusville, Florida, Summers got his bachelor’s diploma in mechanical engineering from the University of Central Florida. He lives in Huntsville along with his wife, Jennifer.
NASA will maintain fun the Thirtieth anniversary of theHuman Exploration Rover Fretwhen the opponents returns to the U.S. Pickle & Rocket Heart’s Aviation Fret Course in Huntsville April 19-20. The occasion is free and launch to the general public with rover excursions occurring every day from 7:30 a.m. to a few p.m. or till the closing rover completes the obstacle course.
NASA selected 72 pupil teams in October to delivery an engineering invent mission to develop human-powered rovers that might compete on the course shut to the agency’s Marshall Pickle Flight Heart.
The general public is invited to take a look at greater than 600 college students from around the field strive to navigate a complex obstacle course by piloting a human-powered vehicle of their very accept as true with invent and manufacturing.
Participatingteamspicture 42 schools and universities and 30 excessive schools from 24 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 13 other worldwide locations from around the field. NASA’shandbookhas full proposal pointers and job challenges.
To full the 2024 season, NASA will host an in-person awards ceremony April 20 at 5 p.m. within the Pickle Camp Operations Heart on the rocket heart. NASA and trade representatives will most recent quite so much of awards highlighting physique of workers successes all the design via the past eight-month-long engineering invent project, at the side of awards for easiest rover invent, easiest pit crew award, easiest social media presence, and heaps other accomplishments.
The Human Exploration Rover Fret projects excessive college, school, and university college students around the field to invent, develop, and take a look at their gentle-weight, human-powered rovers on a course simulating lunar and Martian terrain, all while completing mission-centered science projects. Eligible teams compete to be among the tip three finishers of their divisions, and to accumulate awards for easiest vehicle invent, easiest rookie physique of workers, and extra.
The mission every 365 days attracts a total bunch of college students from around the field and reflects the targets of NASA’sArtemis marketing campaignthat would perchance per chance well also simply land the first girl and first person of coloration on the Moon.
The occasion modified into once launched in 1994 as the NASA Gargantuan Moonbuggy Scamper – a collegiate opponents to commemorate the twenty fifth anniversary of theApollo 11 lunar touchdown.It expanded in 1996 to contain excessive college teams, evolving again in 2014 into the NASA Human Exploration Rover Fret. Since its inception, greater than 15,000 college students maintain participated. Many dilapidated opponents now work within the aerospace trade, at the side of with NASA.
The Human Exploration Rover Fret is managed by NASA’s Southeast Regional Space of job of STEM Engagement at Marshall and is one amongst eightArtemis Pupil Challenges. NASA’sSpace of job of STEM Engagementuses challenges and competitions to extra the agency’s aim of encouraging college students to pursue degrees and careers in science, skills, engineering, and arithmetic.
Groups at NASA’s Marshall Pickle Flight Heart executed a new payload adapter take a look at article and readied it for structural attempting out, arena to delivery later this spring. This marks a valuable milestone on the mosey to the hardware’s debut on the upgraded Block 1B configuration of NASA’s SLS (Pickle Launch Machine) rocket with Artemis IV.
The composite payload adapter is an evolution from the Orion stage adapter historical within the Block 1 configuration of the first three Artemis missions.
Uncover extra about SLS.
Earlier than the Orion spacecraft is stacked atop NASA’s distinguished SLS (Pickle Launch Machine) rocket sooner than theArtemis IImission, engineers will keep it via a assortment of rigorous assessments to be certain that it’s ready for lunar flight. In preparation for attempting out, teams on the agency’s Kennedy Pickle Heart maintain made valuable upgrades to the altitude chamber the place attempting out will occur.
Several of the assessments take pickle interior one amongst two altitude chambers within the excessive bay of theNeil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout (O&C) Buildingat Kennedy. These assessments, which started on April 10, contain attempting out electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic compatibility, which show the probability of the spacecraft when subjected to internally and externally generated electromagnetic energy and confirm that all systems develop as they’d throughout the mission.
To put together for the assessments, the west altitude chamber modified into once upgraded to take a look at the spacecraft in a vacuum atmosphere that simulates an altitude of as much as 250,000 toes. These upgrades re-activated altitude chamber attempting out capabilities for the Orion spacecraft at Kennedy. Earlier vacuum attempting out on the Orion spacecraft for Artemis I took pickle at NASA’s Glenn Compare Heart. Groups also installed a30-ton cranewithin the O&C to steal and lower the Orion crew and service module stack into the chamber, steal and lower the chamber’s lid, and switch the spacecraft across the excessive bay.
On April 4, teams loaded the Artemis II spacecraft into the altitude chamber. This occasion marks the first time, for the reason that Apollo attempting out, that a spacecraft designed for human exploration of arena has entered the chamber for attempting out. After attempting out is full, the spacecraft will return to the Final Meeting and Systems Sorting out, or FAST, cell within the O&C for added work. Later this summer, teams will steal Orion succor into the altitude chamber to conduct a take a look at that simulates as shut as doable the conditions within the vacuum of deep arena.
In the beginning historical to take a look at environmental and life abet systems on the lunar and uncover modules throughout the Apollo Program, the interior of every altitude chamber measures 33 toes in diameter and 44 toes excessive and modified into once designed to simulate the vacuum same of as much as 200,000 toes in a deep arena atmosphere. Both chambers had been rated for astronaut crews to characteristic flight systems throughout assessments.
After Apollo, the chambers had been historical for leak assessments on pressurized modules deliv ered by the Pickle Shuttle Program for the International Pickle Web snarl.
Extra upgrades to the west chamber contain a brand new oxygen deficiency monitoring system that offers actual-time monitoring of the oxygen ranges and a brand new airflow system. New LED lights modified the old lighting system, and tool from the Apollo days modified into once eradicated. A rigidity control system modified into once added to the chamber that offers valid control of rigidity ranges. Two new pumps take away the air from the chamber to develop a vacuum. New guardrails and service platforms modified the older platforms within the chamber.
A new control room overlooks the upgraded chamber. It comprises several workstations and communication gear. The chamber control and monitoring system modified into once upgraded to take care of operation of the full remotely managed hardware and subsystems that invent up the vacuum attempting out ability.
“It modified into once different to handbook a various and distinctive physique of workers to re-spark off a ability for attempting out the NASA’s next era spacecraft that might lift humans succor to the Moon,” said Marie Reed, West Altitude Chamber Reactivation Venture Supervisor. “The physique of workers of greater than 70 aerospace professionals, integrated folk from NASA, Lockheed Martin, Artic Slope Compare Corps, Jacobs Engineering, and each self-discipline condominium doable. This project required long hours of dedication and distinctive coordination to permit the a success turn-around and activation in time for this Artemis II spacecraft attempting out.”
NASA’sArtemis IImission will lift four astronauts aboard the agency’s Orion spacecraft on an roughly 10-day take a look at flight around the Moon and succor to Earth, the first crewed flight beneath Artemis that might take a look at Orion’s life abet systems sooner than future missions. Below theArtemismarketing campaign, NASA will return humanity to the lunar surface, this time sending humans to search out the lunar South Pole recount.
For time lapse photos of the Artemis II steal into the vacuum chamber search advice from:Artemis II Orion Vac Chamber Take and Load Operations
Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory are working last assessments and making ready the agency’sEuropa Clipperspacecraft for the following leg of its mosey: launching from NASA’s Kennedy Pickle Heart. Europa Clipper, that would perchance per chance well also simply orbit Jupiter and focal point on the planet’s ice-encased moon Europa, is expected to mosey away JPL later this spring. Its launch duration opens Oct. 10.
Individuals of the media keep on “bunny suits” – outfits to provide protection to the extensive spacecraft from contamination – to be aware Europa Clipper up shut in JPL’s historicalSpacecraft Meeting Facilityon April 11. Venture Supervisor Jordan Evans, Launch-to-Mars Mission Supervisor Tracy Drain, Venture Workers Scientist Samuel Howell, and Meeting, Take a look at, and Launch Operations Cable Harness Engineer Luis Aguila had been on the neat room floor, while Deputy Venture Supervisor Tim Larson, and Mission Designer Ricardo Restrepo had been within the gallery above to camouflage the mission and its targets.
Planning of the mission started in2013and Europa Clipper modified into once formallyconfirmed by NASAas a mission in 2019. The day out to Jupiter is expected to take about six years, with flybys of Mars and Earth. Reaching the fuel giant in 2030, the spacecraft will orbit Jupiter while flying by Europa dozens of events, dipping as shut as 16 miles from the moon’s surface to safe data with its distinguished suite ofscience instruments. The plan will abet scientists be taught in regards to the ocean beneath the moon’s cool shell, design Europa’s surface composition and geology, and hunt for any likely plumes of water vapor that would perchance per chance well also simply be venting from the crust.
“After over a decade of laborious work and mission-fixing, we’re so proud to showcase the nearly full Europa Clipper spacecraft to the field,” Evans said. “As predominant elements came in from institutions across the globe, it’s been exciting to be aware facets develop into a greater total. We can’t wait to get this spacecraft to the Jupiter system.”
At the occasion, a cutaway mannequin exhibiting the moon’s layers and a globe of the moon helped journalists be taught why Europa is such an appealing object of be taught about. On hand with the information had been Venture Workers Scientist and Assistant Science Systems Engineer Kate Craft from the Johns Hopkins Utilized Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, and, from JPL, Venture Scientist Robert Pappalardo, Deputy Venture Scientist Bonnie Buratti, and Science Communications Lead Cynthia Phillips.
Previous Earth, Europa is taken into myth one amongst primarily the most promising potentially liveable environments in our solar system. Whereas Europa Clipper is now not a life-detection mission, its most predominant science aim is to resolve whether or now not there are locations below the moon’s cool surface that would perchance per chance well abet life.
When the most predominant section of the spacecraft arrives at Kennedy Pickle Heart in a few months, engineers will attain making ready Europa Clipper for launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, attaching its giant solar arrays and fastidiously tucking the spacecraft within the tablet that rides on high of the rocket. Then Europa Clipper will seemingly be succesful to delivery its arena odyssey.
Europa Clipper’s three most predominant science targets are to resolve the thickness of the moon’s cool shell and its surface interactions with the ocean below, to investigate its composition, and to indicate its geology. The mission’s detailed exploration of Europa will abet scientists greater realize the astrobiological likely for liveable worlds beyond our planet.
Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL leads the enchancment of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Utilized Physics Laboratory (APL) for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. APL designed the most predominant spacecraft physique in collaboration with JPL and NASA’s Goddard Pickle Flight Heart. The Planetary Missions Program Space of job at NASA’s Marshall Pickle Flight Heart executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission.
The arena of a roar enraged in regards to the NASA/ESAHubble Pickle Telescopeis the spiral galaxy IC 4633, located 100 million gentle-years a long way from us within the constellation Apus. IC 4633 is a galaxy rich in giant name-forming job and hosts an active galactic nucleus at its core. From our point of be taught about, the galaxy is tilted mostly in direction of us, giving astronomers a pretty staunch be taught about of its billions of stars.
Nonetheless, we can’t fully treasure the elements of this galaxy – on the least in seen gentle – because it’s partially hid by a stretch of darkish filth (lower-correct third of the image). This darkish nebula is section of the Chamaeleon giant name-forming recount, itself located handiest around 500 gentle-years from us, in a nearby section of our Milky Design galaxy. The darkish clouds within the Chamaeleon recount accept as true with a immense condominium of the southern sky, maintaining their namesake constellation but also encroaching on nearby constellations, love Apus. The cloud is smartly-studied for its treasury of younger stars, particularly the cloud Cha I, which bothHubbleand the NASA/ESA/CSAJames Webb Pickle Telescopemaintain imaged.
The cloud overlapping IC 4633 lies east of the smartly-known Cha I, II, and III, and is in overall veritably called MW9 and the South Celestial Serpent. Classified as an integrated flux nebula (IFN) – a cloud of fuel and filth within the Milky Design galaxy that’s now not shut to to any single giant name and is handiest faintly lit by the full gentle of the full galaxy’s stars – this extensive, slim path of faint fuel that snakes over the southern celestial pole is a long way extra subdued taking a be taught about than its neighbors. Hubble has no mission making out the South Celestial Serpent, despite the real fact that this image captures handiest a minute section of it.
NASA has confirmed itsDragonflyrotorcraft mission to Saturn’s natural-rich moon Titan. The choice allows the mission to development to completion of last invent, followed by the constructing and attempting out of your total spacecraft and science instruments.
“Dragonfly is a spectacular science mission with giant neighborhood curiosity, and we are enraged to take the following steps on this mission,” said Nicky Fox, affiliate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. “Exploring Titan will push the boundaries of what we can attain with rotorcraft outside of Earth.”
In early 2023, the mission efficientlyhanded the full success criteriaof its Preliminary Construct Overview. Within the period in-between, on the different hand, the mission modified into once asked to build an updated funds and time desk to suit into primarily the most recent funding atmosphere. This updated plan modified into once supplied andconditionally authorisedin November 2023, pending the end result of the fiscal 365 days 2025 funds job. Within the intervening time, the mission modified into once authorized to proceed with work on last mission invent and fabrication to be certain that that the mission stayed on time desk.
With the launch of the president’s fiscal 365 days 2025 funds request, Dragonfly is confirmed with a total lifecycle stamp of $3.35 billion and a launch date of July 2028. This reflects a stamp magnify of about two events the proposed stamp and a extend of greater than two years from when the mission modified into once initially selected in 2019. Following that different, NASA had to tell the project to replan quite so much of events attributable to funding constraints in fiscal years 2020 via 2022. The project incurred extra costs attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic, provide chain will increase, and the outcomes of an in-depth invent iteration. To make amends for the delayed arrival at Titan, NASA also supplied extra funding for a heavy-steal launch vehicle to shorten the mission’s cruise section.
The rotorcraft, centered to reach at Titan in 2034, will fly to dozens of promising areas on the moon, shopping for prebiotic chemical processes usual on both Titan and the early Earth before life developed. Dragonfly marks the first time NASA will fly a vehicle for science on one other planetary physique. The rotorcraft has eight rotors and flies love a immense drone.
Dragonfly is being designed and built beneath the direction of the Johns Hopkins Utilized Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, which manages the mission for NASA. Elizabeth Turtle of APL is the major investigator. The physique of workers involves key companions at NASA’s Goddard Pickle Flight Heart; Lockheed Martin Pickle in Littleton, Colorado; NASA’s Ames Compare Heart; NASA’s Langley Compare Heart; Penn Remark University in Remark College, Pennsylvania; Malin Pickle Science Systems in San Diego, California; Honeybee Robotics in Pasadena, California; NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory; CNES (Centre Nationwide d’Etudes Spatiales) in Paris; the German Aerospace Heart (DLR) in Cologne, Germany; and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) in Tokyo.
Dragonfly is the fourth mission in NASA’s New Frontiers Program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Pickle Flight Heart for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate.
