Tag: General

NASA’s First Two-way End-to-End Laser Communications System

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5 Min Read NASA’s First Two-way End-to-End Laser Communications System NASA's ILLUMA-T payload communicating with LCRD over laser signals. Credits: NASA/Dave Ryan NASA is demonstrating laser communications on multiple missions – showcasing the benefits infrared light can have for science and exploration missions transmitting terabytes of important data. The International Space Station is getting a “flashy” technology demonstration this November. The ILLUMA-T (Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal) payload is launching to the International Space Station to demonstrate how missions in low Earth…

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How NASA Is Protecting Europa Clipper From Space Radiation

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5 min read How NASA Is Protecting Europa Clipper From Space Radiation Engineers and technicians are seen closing the vault of NASA’s Europa Clipper in the main clean room of the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at JPL on Oct. 7. The vault will protect the electronics of the spacecraft as it orbits Jupiter. NASA/JPL-Caltech To explore the mysterious ice-encrusted moon Europa, the mission will need to endure bombardment by radiation and high-energy particles surrounding Jupiter. When NASA’s Europa Clipper begins orbiting Jupiter to investigate whether its ice-encased moon, Europa, has conditions…

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Dr. Natasha Schatzman Receives the Vertical Flight Society (VFS) 2023 Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Award 

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1 min read Dr. Natasha Schatzman Receives the Vertical Flight Society (VFS) 2023 Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Award  Dr. Natasha Schatzman, NASA Ames Research Center NASA / Dominic Hart In May 2023, Dr. Natasha Schatzman received the Vertical Flight Society Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Award for her vertical flight research at NASA Ames Research Center.  This annual award is given to a VFS member who is thirty-five years old or younger for outstanding contributions to vertical flight technology.  The award announcement notes that Dr. Schatzman “was recognized for outstanding vertical lift research (internationally recognized…

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All Together Now: Drill Joins Other Moon Rover Science Instruments

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A team of engineers from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and Honeybee Robotics in Altadena, California inspect TRIDENT – short for The Regolith Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain – shortly after its arrival at the integration and test facility. NASA/Robert Markowitz A team of engineers from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and Honeybee Robotics in Altadena, California, inspect TRIDENT – short for The Regolith Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain – shortly after its arrival at the integration and test facility. In the coming months, the team…

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NASA Conducts 1st Hot Fire of New RS-25 Certification Test Series

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2 min read NASA Conducts 1st Hot Fire of New RS-25 Certification Test Series NASA conducted the first hot fire of a new RS-25 test series Oct. 17, beginning the final round of certification testing ahead of production of an updated set of the engines for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The engines will help power future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. NASA completed a full duration, 550-second hot fire of the RS-25 certification engine Oct. 17, beginning a critical test series to support future SLS (Space…

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Larry Young Receives AIAA Wright Brothers Lectureship Award

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In June 2023, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) awarded the 2023 AIAA Wright Brothers Lectureship in Aeronautics to Larry Young, a researcher in the Aeromechanics Office at NASA Ames Research Center.  As part of this award, Mr. Young delivered a lecture titled “NASA Aeronautics Contributions to the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter” at the 2023 AIAA AVIATION Forum in San Diego, CA.  More information is at https://www.aiaa.org/news/news/2023/05/15/2023-aiaa-wright-brothers-lectureship-in-aeronautics-awarded-to-larry-a.-young-nasa-ames-research-center. YouTube video of the lecture can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vnxDNdyMD0. Larry A. Young, Aerospace Engineer, NASA Ames Research Center NASA

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National Disability Employment Awareness Month and Addressing Misconceptions of Depression

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The month of October marks National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The NDEAM observance was declared in 1988 by the United States Congress in efforts to raise awareness of disability employment needs and to celebrate the many and varied contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. This year’s NDEAM theme, chosen by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, is “Advancing Access and Equity” to honor the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the first major legislation to prohibit disability discrimination by federal agencies. One such disability many…

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NASA’s Webb Captures an Ethereal View of NGC 346

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3 min read NASA’s Webb Captures an Ethereal View of NGC 346 This new infrared image of NGC 346 from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) traces emission from cool gas and dust. In this image blue represents silicates and sooty chemical molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. More diffuse red emission shines from warm dust heated by the brightest and most massive stars in the heart of the region. Bright patches and filaments mark areas with abundant numbers of protostars. This image includes 7.7-micron light…

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NASA’s Global Science Hackathon Attracts Thousands of Participants

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NASA More than 50,000 participants have registered for the 2023 NASA Space Apps Challenge Saturday, Oct. 7, to Sunday, Oct. 8, which is the largest annual worldwide hackathon. During the two-day event, participants form teams and use software development, engineering, art, storytelling, science, and other skills to solve science-related challenges written by NASA personnel. Teams can be in-person at local events held around the world, or participate virtually. This year’s theme celebrates the benefits and successes created through sharing open data: Explore Open Science Together. “NASA has a 60-year legacy…

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