Tag: People of Goddard

Astrophysicist Gioia Rau Explores Cosmic ‘Time Machines’

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To shape NASA’s path of exploration forward, Dr. Gioia Rau unravels stars and worlds beyond our solar system. Name: Dr. Gioia RauTitle: AstrophysicistOrganization: Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory, Astrophysics Division, Science Mission Directorate (Code 667) Dr. Gioia Rau is an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Photo courtesy of Gioia Rau What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? I’m an astrophysicist who studies both evolved stars, stars that about to die, and exoplanets, planets outside our solar system.…

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Childhood Snow Days Transformed Linette Boisvert into a Sea Ice Scientist

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Linette Boisvert turned a childhood love of snow into a career as a sea ice scientist studying climate change. Name: Linette BoisvertTitle: Assistant Lab Chief, Cryospheric Sciences Branch, and Deputy Project Scientist for the Aqua SatelliteFormal Job Classification: Sea Ice ScientistOrganization: Cryospheric Science Branch, Science Directorate (Code 615) “When it snowed, school was cancelled so I loved winter weather, and I was fascinated how weather could impact our daily lives,” said Linette. “One of my undergraduate classes had a guest lecturer talk about the Arctic and that is when decided that I…

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Aaron Vigil Helps Give SASS to Roman Space Telescope

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The stars in the big Wyoming skies inspired Aaron Vigil as a child to dream big. Today, he’s a mechanical engineer working on the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope at Goddard. Name: Aaron VigilTitle: Mechanical EngineerFormal Job Classification: Aerospace Technology, Flight StructuresOrganization: Mechanical Engineering, Engineering and Technology Directorate (Code 543) Aaron Vigil is a mechanical engineer at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Photo courtesy of Aaron Vigil What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How…

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Regina Caputo Charts the Future of High-Energy Astrophysics

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Research astrophysicist Regina Caputo puzzles out how the universe works by studying the most extreme events in the cosmos. ​​Name: Regina CaputoTitle: Research Astrophysicist Organization: Astroparticle Physics Laboratory (Code 661) Regina Caputo is a research astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. She focuses on technology development and support for gamma-ray telescopes. Photo credit: NASA/David Friedlander What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? I’m a research astrophysicist in the particle astrophysics lab at Goddard. I’m really interested in the most…

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There Are No Imaginary Boundaries for Dr. Ariadna Farrés-Basiana

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 Lee esta entrevista en español aquí Dr. Ariadna Farrés-Basiana would look up at the sky and marvel at the immensity of space when she was younger. Now, the bounds are limitless as she helps NASA explore the expansive universe by computing the trajectories and maneuvers to get a spacecraft into space. Name: Dr. Ariadna Farrés-BasianaTitle: Astrodynamics and solar radiation pressure specialist, Formal Job Classification: Scientific collaboratorOrganization Navigation and Mission Design Branch (Code 595)  Dr. Ariadna Farrés-Basiana is an astrodynamics and solar radiation pressure specialist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center…

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Jake Cupani: Increasing Visibility in Data Science

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Jake Cupani, a data science specialist, focuses on the intersection between data visualization and user experience — UX — design. Name: Jake CupaniTitle: Financial analytics support specialistOrganization: Financial Analytics and Systems Office, Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Code 156) Jake Cupani is a financial analytics support specialist at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Photo courtesy of Jake Cupani What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? I create data visualizations and dashboards to help visualize some of the key metrics…

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NASA Interns Blast Off for Their First Week at Goddard 

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Several hundred new faces walked through the gates of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for the first time on June 3. Who is this small army of motivated space-enthusiasts? It’s Goddard’s 2024 summer intern cohort. Across Goddard’s campuses, more than 300 on-site and virtual interns spend the 10-week program contributing across all manners of disciplines, science, engineering, finance, communications, and many more. From helping engineers who will send new space telescopes into orbit, to communicating NASA’s scientific discoveries to the world, this cohort of interns hopes to…

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Joshua Schlieder: Feet on the Ground, Head in the Stars

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8 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Name: Joshua Schlieder Title: Wide Field Instrument Scientist for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and Operations Project Scientist for the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory Formal Job Classification: Research Astrophysicist Organization: Stellar Astrophysics and Exoplanets Laboratory, Astrophysics Division, Sciences and Exploration Directorate (Code 667) Joshua Schlieder is the Wide Field Instrument scientist for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. “I am never bored (but sometimes stressed),” he said. “Every day is a new adventure.” Courtesy of Joshua Schlieder What…

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NASA Engineers Push Limits of Physics to Focus Light

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A pair of precision-orbiting small satellites will attempt to capture the first views ever of small-scale features near the surface of the Sun that scientists believe drive the heating and acceleration of solar wind. Heliophysicist Dr. Doug Rabin at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said photon sieves, a technology that can focus extreme ultraviolet light, should be able to resolve features 10 to 50 times smaller than what can be seen today with the Solar Dynamics Observatory’s EUV imager. Photon sieves like this are cut from a…

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NASA Audio Specialist Named in Forbes 30 Under 30 List of Innovators

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3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Katie Konans, NASA’s audio and podcasting lead at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is one of two NASA employees named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Class of 2024. The other agency honoree, Clare Luckey, is a systems engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Katie Konans is NASA’s audio and podcasting lead at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. NASA/Rob Andreoli Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list is a selection of young,…

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