NASA Stennis Celebrates Milestone for Historic Autonomous Systems Mission

NASA’s Stennis Space Center and Sidus Space, Inc., marked another milestone February 15 for the Center’s first-ever in-flight autonomous systems software mission as a payload rider on the Sidus Space LizzieSat^TM small satellite.

“Each step brings us a step closer to deployment of ASTRA (Autonomous Satellite Technology for Resilient Applications) in space,” said Chris Carmichael, NASA Stennis Autonomous Systems Laboratory (ASL) Branch Chief. “We are excited with the progress as we continue to collaborate with Sidus Space on this truly historic mission for the Center.”

The ASTRA mission involves an autonomous systems hardware/software payload developed at NASA Stennis as a technology demonstrator in space aboard the Sidus Space premier satellite, LizzieSat ^TM -1 (LS-1). Sidus Space is responsible for the launch, deployment, and mission operation of the LS-1 satellite.

At some stage during the overall satellite mission that could last as long as two years, the NASA Stennis team will send commands to the Sidus Space flight computer to autonomously conduct targeted mission objectives with the ASTRA system. 

In preparation for the scheduled launch of the LS-1 mission this spring, officials at the Sidus Space integration facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida, reported it has completed integration testing of the ASTRA flight unit with the LS-1 satellite.

Sidus Space worked with members of the NASA Stennis ASL team to complete extensive integration and communications testing of the flight unit. The testing verified unit functionality, as well as the ability of the ASL team to upload software to the flight unit.

The latest achievement comes on the heels of a December milestone in which the ASL team completed a Flight Readiness Review of the baseline ASTRA flight software. Sidus Space is scheduled to launch the LS-1 satellite on the SpaceX Transporter 10, Falcon 9 rocket, this spring. LS-1 will be among dozens of small satellites launched on the SpaceX rocket. The LS-1 satellite is carrying six payloads to space, one of which is ASTRA.

The ASTRA project began as a proposal by early career employees at NASA Stennis and continues as a partnership project between the Center and Sidus Space. It marks the first time NASA Stennis ever has flown hardware/software into space.

For information about NASA’s Stennis Space Center, visit:

Stennis Space Center – NASA

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LaToya Dean

La NASA recibe al ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Uruguay para la firma de los Acuerdos de Artemis

Read this release in English here.

En una ceremonia celebrada el jueves 15 de febrero en la sede de la NASA en Washington, Uruguay se convirtió en el trigésimo sexto país en firmar los Acuerdos de Artemis. El administrador de la NASA, Bill Nelson, participó en la ceremonia de firma por parte de la agencia, y el ministro de Relaciones Exteriores, Omar Paganini, firmó estos acuerdos en nombre de Uruguay.

Los Acuerdos de Artemis establecen un conjunto práctico de principios para guiar la cooperación en materia de exploración espacial entre naciones.

También participaron en el evento:

• Pam Melroy, administradora adjunta de la NASA

• Karen Feldstein, administradora asociada de la Oficina de Relaciones Internacionales e Interinstitucionales de la NASA

• Kevin Sullivan, subsecretario adjunto del Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos

• Andrés Augusto Durán Hareau, embajador de Uruguay en Estados Unidos

• Heide Fulton, embajadora de Estados Unidos en Uruguay

“La NASA da la bienvenida a Uruguay como el miembro más reciente de la familia de los Acuerdos de Artemis”, dijo Nelson. “Estados Unidos y Uruguay comparten un compromiso con la democracia y la paz y, ahora, extendimos estos principios hacia el cosmos para comprometernos con la exploración del espacio de forma segura y transparente”.

Los Acuerdos de Artemis fueron establecidos en 2020 por Estados Unidos junto con otros siete países fundadores. Desde entonces, los signatarios de estos acuerdos han mantenido debates centrados en la mejor manera de poner en práctica los principios de los Acuerdos de Artemis.

“Nos sentimos honrados de tener la oportunidad de presentar la cooperación espacial como un nuevo capítulo en la sólida agenda bilateral entre Uruguay y Estados Unidos”, dijo Paganini. “Estamos seguros de que esta ceremonia de firma no es un fin en sí misma, sino el comienzo de una nueva vía bilateral basada en actividades intensivas en conocimiento y de nuevas oportunidades para nuestro pueblo”.

Los Acuerdos de Artemis fortalecen e implementan obligaciones clave del Tratado sobre el Espacio Ultraterrestre de 1967. También fortalecen el compromiso de Estados Unidos y las naciones signatarias con el Convenio de Registro y el Acuerdo de Rescate y Devolución, así como las mejores prácticas que tienen el respaldo de la NASA y sus socios, incluyendo la divulgación pública de datos científicos

Se espera que en los próximos meses y años más países firmen estos acuerdos, los cuales fomentan actividades seguras, pacíficas y prósperas en el espacio. Aprende más acerca de los Acuerdos de Artemis en el siguiente sitio web en inglés:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords

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Faith McKie / Roxana Bardan
Sede, Washington
202-358-1600
faith.mckie@nasa.gov / roxana.bardan@nasa.gov

María José Viñas
Sede, Washington
202-358-1600
maria-jose.vinasgarcia@nasa.gov

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Roxana Bardan

Martians Wanted: NASA Opens Call for Simulated Yearlong Mars Mission

NASA is seeking applicants to participate in its next simulated one-year Mars surface mission to help inform the agency’s plans for human exploration of the Red Planet. The second of three planned ground-based missions called CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) is scheduled to kick off in spring 2025.

Each CHAPEA mission involves a four-person volunteer crew living and working inside a 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed habitat based at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The habitat, called the Mars Dune Alpha, simulates the challenges of a mission on Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failures, communication delays, and other environmental stressors. Crew tasks include simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, habitat maintenance, exercise, and crop growth.

NASA is looking for healthy, motivated U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are non-smokers, 30-55 years old, and proficient in English for effective communication between crewmates and mission control. Applicants should have a strong desire for unique, rewarding adventures and interest in contributing to NASA’s work to prepare for the first human journey to Mars.

The deadline for applicants is Tuesday, April 2.

https://chapea.nasa.gov/

Crew selection will follow additional standard NASA criteria for astronaut candidate applicants. A master’s degree in a STEM field such as engineering, mathematics, or biological, physical or computer science from an accredited institution with at least two years of professional STEM experience or a minimum of one thousand hours piloting an aircraft is required. Candidates who have completed two years of work toward a doctoral program in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, completed a medical degree, or a test pilot program will also be considered. With four years of professional experience, applicants who have completed military officer training or a bachelor of science degree in a STEM field may be considered.

Compensation for participating in the mission is available. More information will be provided during the candidate screening process.

As NASA works to establish a long-term presence for scientific discovery and exploration on the Moon through the Artemis campaign, CHAPEA missions provide important scientific data to validate systems and develop solutions for future missions to the Red Planet. With the first CHAPEA crew more than halfway through their yearlong mission, NASA is using research gained through the simulated missions to help inform crew health and performance support during Mars expeditions.

Under NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon, land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all.

For more about CHAPEA, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/chapea/

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Rachel Kraft
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov

Anna Schneider/Laura Sorto
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov/laura.g.sorto@nasa.gov

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Roxana Bardan

NASA Goddard’s Beginnings in Project Vanguard

In the dawn of the Space Age, a group of scientists and engineers from the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) had their eye on a new frontier: the uncharted expanse of space. Project Vanguard, initiated in 1955, aimed to launch the first American satellite into Earth orbit as part of the International Geophysical Year (July 1957 to December 1958). Led by NRL, it envisioned a three-stage rocket design and emphasized scientific instrumentation over military application while showcasing American ingenuity. Despite its ambitious goals, Project Vanguard encountered difficulties. The first five Vanguard launch attempts suffered critical failures, earning it the nickname “Flopnik” in the press. The public, eager for American success in space following the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik 1, was disappointed in Vanguard’s performance. However, Vanguard’s legacy extends beyond its initial setbacks. On March 17, 1958, Vanguard TV-4, also known as Vanguard I, achieved orbit to become America’s second satellite and the world’s fourth artificial satellite in space. This success marked a major milestone and instilled renewed confidence in the project. Today, Vanguard I remains in space as the oldest satellite orbiting the Earth.

A few months after the launch of Vanguard I in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Act was passed establishing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and on May 1, 1959, NASA Administrator Dr. T. Keith Glennan announced that the Beltsville Space Center would become Goddard Space Flight Center. The center would be under the overall guidance of Dr. Abe Silverstein, then Director of Space Flight Development at NASA Headquarters.

Recognizing the expertise and dedication of the NRL team, NASA transferred many employees from Project Vanguard to form the nucleus of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The migration of NRL scientists and engineers to Goddard wasn’t merely a paperwork shuffle, it was the transfer of their vital knowledge and experience.

Their impact was immediate. While initially tasked with completing Vanguard’s mission, the Goddard center quickly expanded its scope, encompassing Earth science, astrophysics, and space exploration. Early Goddard employees formed the core of several projects, including the Explorer series of satellites and the Television Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS) Program. They tackled the challenges of satellite communication, laying the groundwork for technologies that would be used for years.

Goddard’s dedication ceremony took place on March 16, 1961, but its employees were hard at work well before that day. According to one employee’s account, the Applied Mathematics Branch moved from an office in Anacostia to the Greenbelt site on May 9, 1960. Other employees from a Massachusetts Avenue office building in Washington, DC, arrived around the same time. Those early days at Goddard were not easy. Parking lots had not been paved and signs at the center directed employees to park their cars under a large grove of oak trees. Some buildings did not yet have running water and portable toilets were available outside.

In celebration of Vanguard II’s sixtieth anniversary in 2019, the Goddard Archives installed newly preserved flight spares of Vanguard II and Vanguard III. Vanguard II hangs in the atrium of Building 33 and Vanguard III hangs in the visitor’s center. The Goddard Archives also hosted an event to highlight Goddard’s roots in Project Vanguard. In attendance were NRL historian Angelina Callahan, who gave a short talk about NRL and Project Vanguard, and five employees who worked at Goddard when it was first established. The legacy of the early work at NASA Goddard endures, not just in its scientific achievements, but also in its inspiring work exploring the frontiers of our universe.

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Atmospheric Science Branch Chief Dr. Charles Gatebe

“I was born and raised in Kenya and come from a very humble background. I’m one of nine kids and the third born, meaning that I started responsibilities very early because we had to help our mother. Almost every two to three years, she had a baby, so you can imagine she was a very, very strong woman and powerful, too. When I think about that past, she is the person, and my father as well, who taught us that we can overcome any obstacle. It doesn’t matter what it is.

“I remember going to school without fees, and they would send me home. One time, when I was complaining about being sent home because of my lack of school fees, [my mother] could see I was affected by all this. She told me, ‘Those kids you see out there that look like they come from higher, well-off families came to this world the same way you came. So, you are no different than them. Don’t look at the material wealth and think you are less than them.’ 

“That’s the background that shaped me. It instilled a sense of believing in yourself. Anyone you see on the streets, their color or background doesn’t matter; we all come into this world the same way. You’re equipped with skills, so find your passion and go for it. 

“When I look at that background, it’s the one that has helped me come this far.”

– Dr. Charles Gatebe, Chief of Atmospheric Science Branch, NASA’s Ames Research Center

Image Credit: NASA / Brandon Torres
Interviewer: NASA / Tahira Allen

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Michelle Zajac