Tag: NASA Centers & Facilities

Station Science Top News: Dec. 13, 2024

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Benchmarks for solidifying metal alloys Researchers report benchmark data for modeling the growth of specific types of microstructures that form during solidification of metal alloys under different conditions. These microstructures affect the properties of materials and products such as refrigeration devices and solar cells. The ESA (European Space Agency) Columnar-to-Equiaxed Transition in Solidification Processing (CETSOL) investigation studied the processes of metal alloy solidification and the crystal patterns that form as liquids transition to solids. Results could improve ground-based development of lightweight, high-performance structural materials for space and ground applications. Microgravity…

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NASA Awards Multi-Center Administrative Support Services Contract

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Credit: NASA NASA has selected FedSync-BFS, LLC of Alexandria, Virginia, to provide administrative services for multiple NASA centers. The Multi-Center Administrative Support Services Contract is a firm-fixed-price and indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a value not to exceed $200 million during a five-year ordering period. The performance period begins April 1, 2025. Contracted work will take place in six NASA centers and facilities, including Johnson Space Center in Houston, Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Stennis Space Center near…

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NASA Kennedy Top 24 Stories of 2024

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A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:06 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. SpaceX From sending crew members to the International Space Station to launching a spacecraft to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa to determine if it could support life, 2024 was a busy record setting year for NASA and its partners at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. JANUARYFirst Lunar Lander Takes Flight The first flight of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload…

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Art Meets Exploration: Cosmic Connections in Galveston

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The Texas Art Education Association hosted its annual conference from Nov. 14–16 at Moody Gardens Hotel & Convention Center in Galveston, Texas, drawing nearly 3,000 educators, administrators, and artists.   This year’s theme, “Cosmic Connections: SPACE, the Last Frontier and the Element of Art,” celebrated the fusion of creativity and space exploration, with NASA’s Johnson Space Center participating for the first time to inspire the Artemis Generation art educators.   Johnson Space Center volunteers Raul Tijerina (left), building graphics lead for the International Space Station Program; Gary Johnson (middle), technical manager in…

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NASA Awards Test Operations Contract

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Credit: NASA NASA has selected Sierra Lobo, Inc. of Fremont, Ohio, to provide for test operations, test support, and technical system maintenance activities at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The NASA Stennis Test Operations Contract is fixed-price, level-of-effort contract that has a value of approximately $47 million. The performance period begins July 1, 2025, and extends three years, with a one-year base period and two one-year option periods. The contract will provide test operations support for customers in the NASA Stennis test complex. It also will…

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Shooting for the Stars: NASA Lights Up the Court at Toyota Center 

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On Nov. 6, 2024, NASA Night brought cosmic excitement to the Toyota Center, where Johnson Space Center employees joined 16,208 fans who interacted with NASA as they watched the Houston Rockets claim victory over the San Antonio Spurs.  Energy soared as International Space Station Program Manager Dana Weigel stepped up to take the first shot.  International Space Station Program Manager Dana Weigel takes the first shot on Nov. 6, 2024, as the Houston Rockets go up against the San Antonio Spurs at Toyota Center. NASA/Helen Arase Vargas The ceremonial first…

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From Houston to the Moon: Johnson’s Thermal Vacuum Chamber Tests Lunar Solar Technology 

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Imagine designing technology that can survive on the Moon for up to a decade, providing a continuous energy supply. NASA selected three companies to develop such systems, aimed at providing a power source at the Moon’s South Pole for Artemis missions.  Three companies were awarded contracts in 2022 with plans to test their self-sustaining solar arrays at the Johnson Space Center’s Space Environment Simulation Laboratory (SESL) in Houston, specifically in Chamber A in building 32. The prototypes tested to date have undergone rigorous evaluations to ensure the technology can withstand…

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Part Ojibwe, All NASA: Linda Spuler’s Role in Protecting Johnson Space Center 

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Linda Spuler, emergency manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, believes that everyone has a story. “Our stories highlight what we have in common, but they also make us each unique,” she said.  Spuler has worked at Johnson for over 32 years, spending most of her career in Center Operations. Her story has involved helping to coordinate emergency response teams at Johnson in preparation for natural disasters. “Since Johnson is situated on the coast, a good portion of my job revolves around planning for hurricanes,” she said.    Spuler has…

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Station Science Top News: Nov. 15, 2024

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Anthocyanins protect seeds in space After exposure to space outside the International Space Station, purple-pigmented rice seeds rich in anthocyanin had higher germination rates than non-pigmented white rice seeds. This result suggests that anthocyanin, a flavonoid known to protect plants from UV irradiation, could help preserve seed viability on future space missions. Plants are key components for systems being designed to produce nutrients and recycle carbon for future sustained space habitation, but space has been shown to reduce seed viability. Tanpopo-3, part of a series of investigations from JAXA (Japan…

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