Tag: Ames Research Center

NASA Develops Pod to Help Autonomous Aircraft Operators 

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The NASA Airborne Instrumentation for Real-world Video of Urban Environments (AIRVUE) sensor pod is attached to the base of a NASA helicopter at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida in April 2024 before a flight to test the pod’s cameras and sensors. The AIRVUE pod will be used to collect data for autonomous aircraft like air taxis, drones, or other Advanced Air Mobility aircraft. NASA/Isaac Watson For self-flying aircraft to take to the skies, they need to learn about their environments to avoid hazards. NASA aeronautics researchers recently…

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NASA CubeSats Launch as Commercial Rideshares

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A pair of CubeSats from NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator series launched on SpaceX’s Transporter-11 rideshare mission at 11:56 a.m. PDT Friday, August 16, from Vandenburg Space Force Base in California. Photo credit: SpaceX A pair of CubeSats from NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator, or PTD, series lifted off on SpaceX’s Transporter-11 rideshare mission at 11:56 a.m. PDT Friday, August 16, from Vandenburg Space Force Base in California. The two small satellites, PTD-4 and PTD-R, will help advance NASA’s efforts to validate novel technologies and increase small spacecraft capabilities in order to…

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NASA Ames to Host Supercomputing Resources for UC Berkeley Researchers

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The Cabeus supercomputer at the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Facility at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley NASA/Michelle Moyer Under a new agreement, NASA will host supercomputing resources for the University of California, Berkeley, at the agency’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. The agreement is part of an expanding partnership between Ames and UC Berkeley and will support the development of novel computing algorithms and software for a wide variety of scientific and technology areas. Per the three-year Reimbursable Space Act Agreement, the UC Berkeley supercomputer and…

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NASA Public Engagement Specialist Loves to Inspire Kids with STEM

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Jonas Dino speaks to students at the Cezar Chavez Middle School in Union City, California, as part of a NASA-sponsored traveling space museum tour of Bay Area schools. Careers at NASA were not on his radar growing up. But Jonas Dino, public engagement specialist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, ended up with his perfect job that involves connecting people with NASA. One of the best parts of his job is to learn first-hand about NASA’s cutting-edge research and translate these concepts to the next generation. “I’m…

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Eight CubeSats Lift Off for NASA on Firefly Aerospace Rocket!

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Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket leaves a glowing trail above the skies of Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on July 3, 2024. Photo credit: Firefly Aerospace/Trevor Mahlmann As part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative, Firefly Aerospace launched eight small satellites on July 3 aboard the company’s Alpha rocket. Named “Noise of Summer,” the rocket successfully lifted off from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 9:04 p.m. PDT. The CubeSat missions were designed by universities and NASA centers and cover science that includes climate studies,…

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Liftoff! Redesigned NASA Ames Visitor Center Engages Kids, Families

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1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Chabot Space & Science Center director Adam Tobin, right, welcomes NASA Ames center director Eugene Tu, left, and deputy center director David Korsmeyer, center, to the updated NASA Ames Visitor Center. NASA/Donald Richey The San Francisco Bay Area has a new and interactive way to learn more about the innovative work of NASA’s Ames Research Center.  A newly redesigned NASA Ames Visitor Center at Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California, reopened to the public June 22 at…

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NASA’s ELaNa 43 Prepares for Firefly Aerospace Launch

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A Satellite for Optimal Control and Imaging (SOC-i) CubeSat awaits integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Thursday, June 6, 2024. SOC-i, along with several other CubeSats, will launch to space on an Alpha rocket during NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract. NASA NASA is readying for the launch of several small satellites to space, built with the help of students, educators, and researchers from across…

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Astronaut Nicole Mann Throws First Pitch at Giants-Angels Game  

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NASA/Brandon Torres NASA astronaut Nicole Mann waves as she is introduced before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the San Francisco Giants versus Los Angeles Angels game at Oracle Park in San Francisco on June 14, 2024. Mann was honored for her accomplishments at the Giants’ Native American Heritage Night. She is the first Indigenous woman from NASA to go to space, having served as commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission, which launched in 2022.  

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NASA Ames Astrogram – May/June 2024

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Swarming for Success: Starling Completes Primary Mission by Tara Friesen After ten months in orbit, the Starling spacecraft swarm successfully demonstrated its primary mission’s key objectives, representing significant achievements in the capability of swarm configurations.  Swarms of satellites may one day be used in deep space exploration. An autonomous network of spacecraft could self-navigate, manage scientific experiments, and execute maneuvers to respond to environmental changes without the burden of significant communications delays between the swarm and Earth.  The four CubeSate spacecraft that make up the Starling swarm have demonstrated success in autonomous…

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NASA Research Park Public Documents

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3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Economic Benefits Study: 2015 Economic Benefits Study 2010 Economic Benefits Study 2010 Economic Benefits Study – Appendices Development Plans: NASA Ames Development Plan – Dec 2002 Environmental Issues and Management Plan US Fish and Wildlife Service Information Consultations on Proposed Development of NASA Ames Research Center Record of Decision NASA Research Park Environmental Reports: Building 19 Lead, Asbestos, Mold Report – Feb 2002 Lead Impacted Soil Summary – Jul 2002 Lead Impacted Soil Sampling – Jan 2003 Environmental Management…

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