NASA Engineer Honored as Girl Scouts ‘Woman of Distinction’

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Danielle Koch, an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, was honored by the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio as a 2024 Woman of Distinction. She accepted the award during a ceremony on May 16. Credit: Girl Scouts of North East Ohio/Andrew Jordan You’d think a NASA aerospace engineer who spends her days inside a giant dome researching how to make plane engines quieter and spacecraft systems more efficient would have a pretty booked schedule. Still,…

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NASA Around the World: Interns Teach Virtual Lessons in Kenya

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Video Credit: NASA/Dennis Brown, TechLit Africa When it comes to inspiring the next generation, NASA interns know no bounds. Interns at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland taught students 7,600 miles away in Mogotio, Kenya, but thanks to technology, they didn’t travel a single mile. Collaborating with TechLit Africa — a non-profit organization that teaches digital skills in Kenyan rural primary schools — interns shared virtual lessons on robot simulation, artificial intelligence, and drawing and modeling applications. Nelly Cheboi,…

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NASA Glenn Joins Big Hoopla STEM Challenge

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Sam Chamberlin, NASA Glenn Office of STEM Engagement, guides young guests in a hands-on activity demonstrating shape memory alloys during the Big Hoopla STEM Challenge. Credit: NASA/Catherine Graves  NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland joined in the adventure of the Big Hoopla STEM Challenge held at the Dayton Convention Center on March 17. The free family event for kids (K-8) tied together the excitement of college basketball and the power of STEM education. NASA Glenn Deputy Center Director Dawn…

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Cleveland School Students Learn About STEM Careers  

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Cleveland Metropolitan School District high school students learned about how a robotic dog named “Astro” serves as the eyes and ears for NASA employees conducting inspections in noisy facilities. Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna  NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland opened its doors to Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) students to explore various Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers.     NASA Glenn’s Office of STEM Engagement invited high school students onsite to explore center facilities and talk to NASA experts during…

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NASA Noise Prediction Tool Supports Users in Air Taxi Industry

1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The results from a NASA software tool called OVERFLOW, used to model the flow of air around aircraft, are shown in this image. NASA Several air taxi companies are using a NASA-developed computer software tool to predict aircraft noise and aerodynamic performance. This tool allows manufacturers working in fields related to NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility mission to see early in the aircraft development process how design elements like propellors or wings would perform. This saves the industry time and…

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Tech Today: Suspended Solar Panels See the Light

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is an example of a concentrated solar power plant, which works by having hundreds of reflective panels heating up a central tower. The problem of keeping sunlight directed at the receiver throughout the day brought Jim Clair to request NASA’s help in validating the suspended design now used in Skysun solar power systems. Credit: Cliff Ho/U.S. Department of Energy In the 80 years since the shocking collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in…

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NASA Awards Spaceflight Development, Operations Contract

NASA has selected Sierra Lobo Inc. of Fremont, Ohio, to support spaceflight hardware design, development, testing, and operations at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.  The Space Flight Systems Development and Operations Contract III is a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract featuring a cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity provision with a maximum potential value of approximately $282.1 million. The 90-day phase-in period is anticipated to begin on Tuesday, Feb. 27, followed by a three-year base period and two two-year option periods. The systems development and operations contract encompasses the development and delivery of technology…

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Flame Burns Out on NASA’s Long-Running Spacecraft Fire Experiment

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) A sample of fabric burns inside an uncrewed Cygnus cargo craft during a previous Spacecraft Fire Safety Experiment investigation, Saffire-IV. Credit: NASA NASA recently concluded the final mission of its Spacecraft Fire Safety Experiment, or Saffire, putting a blazing end to an eight-year series of investigations that provided insights into fire’s behavior in space. The final experiment, Saffire-VI, launched to the International Space Station in August 2023 and concluded its mission on Jan. 9, when the Northrop Grumman Cygnus…

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First Look: Spaceplane Stacked and Shaken at NASA Test Facility

2 Min Read First Look: Spaceplane Stacked and Shaken at NASA Test Facility Nose-up and bathed in soft blue lights, Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spaceplane and its Shooting Star cargo module cast dramatic shadows onto the walls of NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, as members of the media got their first glimpse of the towering 55-foot-tall stack on Feb. 1. The spaceplane and its cargo module are undergoing testing at the facility to prepare for the extreme environment of space. To view this video please enable JavaScript,…

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