FAQ: NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Return Status

Editor’s note: This article was updated Aug. 20, 2024, to reflect the latest information from NASA’s Office of Communications.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the orbiting laboratory on June 6 aboard the Boeing Starliner after lifting off on June 5 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

During Starliner’s flight to the space station, engineers noticed some of the spacecraft’s thrusters did not perform as expected and several leaks in Starliner’s helium system also were observed. Engineering teams at NASA and Boeing have since conducted several thruster tests and in-depth data reviews to better understand the spacecraft. While engineers work to resolve technical issues before Starliner’s return to Earth, the astronaut duo have been working with the Expedition 71 crew, performing scientific research and maintenance activities.

NASA now plans to conduct two reviews – a Program Control Board and an Agency Flight Readiness Review – before deciding how it will safely return Wilmore and Williams from the station. NASA expects to decide on the path forward by the end of August.

Here are some frequently asked questions about their mission.

About the Mission and Delay

What is NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test?

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test launched on June 5, and is the first flight of the Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station with astronauts. The flight test aims to prove the system is ready for rotational missions to the space station. NASA wants two American spacecraft, in addition to the Roscosmos Soyuz spacecraft, capable of carrying astronauts to help ensure a permanent crew aboard the orbiting complex.

What are the goals of the Crew Flight Test?

This flight test aims to demonstrate Starliner’s ability to execute a six-month rotational mission to the space station. The flight test objectives were developed to support NASA’s certification process and gather the performance data needed to evaluate readiness ahead of long-duration flights.

Why is the Crew Flight Test staying longer than planned aboard the space station?

During Starliner’s flight to the space station, some of the spacecraft’s thrusters did not perform as expected and several leaks in Starliner’s helium system were observed. While the initial mission duration was planned for about a week, there is no rush to bring crew home, so NASA and Boeing are taking additional time to learn about the spacecraft. This is a lesson learned from the space shuttle Columbia accident. Our NASA and Boeing teams are poring over data from additional in-space and ground testing and analysis, providing mission managers data to make the best, safest decision on how and when to return crew home.

If there’s an emergency on the space station, how will Butch and Suni get home?

Starliner remains the primary option for Butch and Suni if an emergency occurs and they need to rapidly depart the station. There is no urgent need to bring them home, and NASA is using the extra time to understand the spacecraft’s technical issues before deciding on a return plan.

How long could Butch and Suni stay on the space station if they don’t come home on Starliner?

If NASA decides to return Starliner uncrewed, Butch and Suni would remain aboard station until late-February 2025. NASA would replan the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission by launching only two crew members instead of four in late September. Butch and Suni would then return to Earth after the regularly scheduled Crew-9 increment early next year.

Are Butch and Suni staying in space until 2025?

No decisions have been made. NASA continues to evaluate all options as it learns more about Starliner’s propulsion system. Butch and Suni may return home aboard Starliner, or they could come back as part of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission early next year.

Can Starliner fly without astronauts?

Yes, Starliner can undock and deorbit autonomously, if NASA decides to return the spacecraft uncrewed.

Could NASA send a SpaceX Dragon to bring Butch and Suni back?

If NASA decides to return them aboard a SpaceX Dragon, NASA will replan its SpaceX Crew-9 mission by launching only two crew members in late September instead of four. Butch and Suni would then return to Earth after the regularly scheduled Crew-9 increment early next year.

Why does NASA need two crew transportation systems?

The main goal of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program is two, unique human spaceflight systems. Should any one system encounter an issue, NASA still has the capability to launch and return crew to ensure safety and a continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station.

About the Astronauts

Are Butch and Suni stuck on the space station?

No, Butch and Suni are safe aboard the space station working alongside the Expedition 71 crew. They also have been actively involved in Starliner testing and technical meetings. Butch and Suni could return home aboard Starliner if an emergency arises. The agency also has other return options available, if needed, for both contingency and normal returning planning.

Are Suni and Butch prepared for a longer stay on the station?

Butch and Suni each have previously completed two long-duration stays aboard the station. NASA astronauts embark on missions fully aware of the various scenarios that may become reality. This mission is no different, and they understood the possibilities and unknowns of this test flight, including being aboard station longer than planned.

How long would an extended stay for Butch and Suni compare to other space station mission lengths?

A typical stay aboard the International Space Station is about six months, and NASA astronauts also have remained on the space station for longer duration missions. Previous missions have given NASA volumes of data about long-duration spaceflight and its effects on the human body, which the agency applies to any crew mission.

Do the astronauts have what they need (e.g., food, clothing, oxygen, personal items, etc.)?

Yes. The International Space Station is well-stocked with everything the crew needs, including food, water, clothing, and oxygen. Additionally, NASA and its space station partners frequently launch resupply missions to the orbiting complex carrying additional supplies and cargo.

Recently, a Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft carrying 8,200 pounds of food, fuel, supplies, and science and a Progress resupply spacecraft carrying three tons of cargo arrived at the station. NASA has additional SpaceX resupply missions planned through the end of 2024.

What are they doing aboard the space station?

The crew continues to monitor Starliner’s flight systems and gather performance data for system certification. NASA also is taking advantage of Butch and Suni’s extra time aboard the orbital laboratory, where they have completed various science experiments, maintenance tasks, and assisted with spacewalk preparations. Some of the science they’ve recently completed includes new ways to produce fiber optic cables and growing plants aboard the orbiting complex.

Can they talk to their family and friends?

Butch and Suni enjoy many of the same comforts we have here on Earth. They can email, call, and video conference with their family and friends when they have “free time” aboard the International Space Station.

About the Return Plan

What are the other options for bringing Butch and Suni back?

NASA has two unique American space transportation systems capable of carrying crew to and from station. Although no decisions have been made, NASA is considering several options to return Butch and Suni from the space station, including returning aboard Starliner, if cleared, or as part of agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission in February 2025.

Is it safer to bring them home aboard a SpaceX Dragon?

Crewed test flights are inherently risky, and although rotation missions may seem routine, they also are not without risk. It is NASA’s job to evaluate that risk and determine whether it is acceptable for crew ahead of each flight.

What other steps is NASA taking to bring them home?

NASA adjusted SpaceX Crew-9 launch and the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 return, allowing more time to finalize Starliner return plans. NASA also is looking at crew assignments to ensure Butch and Suni can return with Crew-9, if needed.

For NASA’s blog and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

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Gary Daines

55 Years Ago: Apollo 11 Astronauts End Quarantine, Feted from Coast to Coast

On Aug. 10, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin completed their 21-day quarantine after returning from the Moon. The historic nature of their mission resulted in a very busy postflight schedule for Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin, starting with celebrations in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Houston. Scientists continued to examine the lunar samples the Apollo 11 astronauts returned from the Sea of Tranquility. NASA set its sights on additional lunar landing missions, announcing plans for a pinpoint landing by Apollo 12 in November 1969 that also included visiting the robotic Surveyor 3 that landed on the Moon in 1967. The agency announced the crews for the Apollo 13 and 14 missions planned for 1970. Including prime and backup crews, NASA had 18 astronauts training for lunar landing missions. Support astronauts brought that number to 32.

Apollo 11

Following their return from the Moon, Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin completed their 21-day quarantine in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL) at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), now NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. During their stay in the LRL, they worked on their pilot reports, conducted postflight debriefs including with the Apollo 12 crew, and Armstrong celebrated his 39^th birthday. On the evening of Aug. 10, they left the relative quiet of the LRL for a very hectic next few months. After spending a day reuniting with their families, the three reported back to their offices and held their postflight press conference on Aug. 12. The next day, they flew first to New York for a massive ticker tape parade, then on to Chicago for another big parade, ending the day in Los Angeles with a state dinner hosted by President Richard M. Nixon and attended by most active astronauts, members of Congress, 44 state governors, and 83 foreign ambassadors. They returned to Houston for a welcome home parade on Aug. 16, ending the day with a barbecue party and a tribute to the entire NASA team in the Astrodome, emceed by Frank Sinatra. Meanwhile, on Aug. 14, engineers shipped the Command Module Columbia to its manufacturer, the North American Rockwell plant in Downey, California, for postflight inspections. Scientists in the LRL eagerly continued their examinations of the 48 pounds of lunar material the Apollo 11 astronauts returned from the Sea of Tranquility.

Left: In the Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL) at the Manned Spacecraft Center, now NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, left, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin line up for food in the LRL’s dining area. Middle: Buzz, left, Mike, and Neil enjoy a meal together in the LRL’s dining room. Right: Neil celebrates his 39^th birthday in the LRL.

Left: NASA engineer John K. Hirasaki opens the hatch to the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia for the first time in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL) at the Manned Spacecraft Center, now NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Middle: Mike Collins sits in Columbia’s hatch in the LRL. Right: While still aboard the U.S.S. Hornet, Mike wrote this inscription inside Columbia.

Collins’ inscription inside Columbia, first written while aboard the U.S.S. Hornet, and retraced in the LRL:
Spacecraft 107, alias Apollo 11, alias “Columbia”
The Best Ship to Come Down the Line
God Bless Her.
Michael Collins CMP

Aug. 5, 1969. In the Lunar Receiving Laboratory, scientists open the second Apollo 11 Lunar Sample Return Container and begin to examine the rock and soil samples.

Left: On Aug. 10, 1969, Buzz, left, Mike, and Neil exit the Lunar Receiving Laboratory at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), now NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, ending their 21-day quarantine. Middle: Morning of Aug. 12, Neil reports to work at his office in MSC’s Building 4. Right: Afternoon of Aug. 12, Buzz, left, Neil, and Mike meet the press in MSC’s auditorium.

Armstrong’s comments to open the press conference:

“It was our pleasure to participate in one great adventure. It’s an adventure that took place, not just in the month of July, but rather one that took place in the last decade. We … had the opportunity to share that adventure over its developing and unfolding in the past months and years. It’s our privilege today to share with you some of the details of that final month of July that was certainly the highlight, for the three of us, of that decade.”

Aug. 13, 1969. Left: An estimated four million people attend the ticker tape parade in New York City for the Apollo 11 astronauts. Middle: The ticker tape parade in Chicago drew two million people. Right: The Apollo 11 astronauts and their wives at the official state dinner in Los Angeles, hosted by President Richard M. Nixon.

Left: Aug. 14, 1969. NASA Administrator Thomas O. Paine, left, accompanies Buzz, Mike, and Neil on the plane back to Houston. Middle: Aug. 16. Ticker tape parade in downtown Houston attended by 250,000 people. Right: Aug. 16. Buzz, left, Neil, and Mike with emcee Frank Sinatra during the barbecue party in the Houston Astrodome.

Left: On Aug. 14, at Houston’s Ellington Air Force Base, workers load the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia into a Super Guppy for transport to the North American Rockwell plant in Downey, California. Middle: Workers in Downey inspect Columbia on Aug. 19. Right: Workers prepare to place Columbia in a chamber to bakeout any residual moisture to ready it for public display.

Apollo 11 science experiments. Left: Neil rolled up the Solar Wind Composition experiment at the end of the spacewalk and placed it inside the Apollo Lunar Sample Return Container that arrived in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory on July 26, 1969. Middle: Astronomers sent the first successful beam to the Laser Ranging Retroreflector on Aug. 1, 1969, and it remains available for use to this day. Right: The Passive Seismic Experiment returned useful data for three weeks but stopped responding to commands on Aug. 24, 1969, most likely due to overheating in the lunar Sun.

Apollo 12

At the time Apollo 11 returned from its historic journey, NASA had plans for nine more Apollo Moon landing missions. On July 29, Apollo Program Director Samuel C. Phillips at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., announced the launch date, Nov. 14, 1969, and the landing site, in the Ocean of Storms, for Apollo 12. The main goals of this second lunar landing included a precision touchdown near the Surveyor 3 spacecraft that landed there in April 1967, and an expanded science program conducted during two spacewalks, including the deployment of the first Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package (ALSEP), a suite of science instruments. The Apollo 12 prime crew of Commander Charles “Pete” Conrad, Command Module Pilot (CMP) Richard F. Gordon, and Lunar Module Pilot (LMP) Alan L. Bean and their backups David R. Scott, Alfred M. Worden, and James B. Irwin, began training after their assignment in April. In addition to rehearsing aspects of their flight in mission simulators, they practiced for the descent and precision landing, for the two spacewalks planned during their 31.5-hour lunar surface stay, including visiting and examining Surveyor 3, and for the expanded geology exploration. The latter included a three-day geology field trip to Hawaii with simulated lunar traverses. At NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the astronauts received a detailed briefing on the Surveyor spacecraft. At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, workers had already assembled their Saturn V rocket, with rollout to Launch Pad 39A planned for early September. The U.S. Navy chose the U.S.S. Hornet (CVS-12), the carrier that successfully recovered Apollo 11, to reprise its role as prime recovery ship for Apollo 12.

Left: Lunar front side showing the landing sites for Apollo 11 and 12. Right: Surveyor 3 took this panorama of its landing site in April 1967, also the targeted site for Apollo 12.

Left: Apollo 12 astronauts Charles “Pete” Conrad, left, and Alan L. Bean at the Lunar Landing Research Facility (LLRF) at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Middle left: Apollo 12 backup astronaut David R. Scott at the LLRF. Middle right: Conrad, left, and Bean during the Aug. 9-11 geology field trip to Hawaii. Right: Conrad practices opening an Apollo Lunar Sample Return Container during simulated one-sixth gravity aboard a KC-135 aircraft.

Apollo 13 and 14

On Aug. 6, 1969, NASA announced the crews for Apollo 13 and 14, the third and fourth Moon landing missions. At the time of the announcement, Apollo 13 had a planned launch date in March 1970 and a proposed landing site at the Fra Mauro region in the lunar highlands, the first landing site not in the relatively flat lunar maria. Apollo 14 aimed for a July 1970 mission with the Crater Censorinus area in the lunar highlands to the southeast of the Sea of Tranquility as a tentative landing site. Plans for both missions called for two lunar surface excursions totaling about six hours with a lunar stay duration of 35 hours. As on Apollo 12, the crews planned to deploy an ALSEP suite of science instruments, in addition to conducting the geology field work of documenting and collecting rock and soil samples for return to scientists on Earth for analysis. 

The Apollo 13 crew of James A. Lovell, left, Thomas K. “Ken” Mattingly, and Fred W. Haise.

The prime crew for Apollo 13 consisted of Commander James A. Lovell, CMP Thomas K. “Ken” Mattingly, and LMP Fred W. Haise. Lovell would make his fourth space mission aboard Apollo 13, having flown on Gemini VII and XII as well as orbiting the Moon during Apollo 8 – making him the first person to travel to the Moon twice. Neither Mattingly nor Haise had flown in space before, although Haise had served with Lovell on the Apollo 11 backup crew. The Apollo 13 backup crew consisted of John W. Young, John L. Swigert, and Charles M. Duke. Young had flown three previous missions, Gemini 3 and X and more recently aboard Apollo 10, the Moon landing dress rehearsal flight. Swigert and Duke had no spaceflight experience, although Duke served as capsule communicator during Apollo 10 as well as during the Apollo 11 Moon landing.

Left: The Saturn V for Apollo 13 rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to relocate it from High Bay 2 to High Bay 1. Right: The Apollo 13 Saturn V rolls back in to High Bay 1 of the VAB.

Flight hardware for Apollo 13 had already arrived at KSC. Workers in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) completed stacking of the three Saturn V rocket stages in High Bay 2 on July 31. They added a boilerplate Apollo spacecraft to the top of the rocket, and in a roll-around maneuver on Aug. 8, the stack left the VAB, crawled to the other side of the building, and rolled back inside to High Bay 1. North American Rockwell delivered the Command and Service Modules to KSC on June 26, where workers in the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building (MSOB) mated the two modules four days later in preparation for preflight testing in altitude chambers. The Lunar Module (LM) ascent and descent stages arrived at KSC on June 27 and 28, respectively, from their manufacturer, the Grumman Aircraft Corporation in Bethpage, New York. Following a docking test between the CM and LM, workers in the MSOB mated the two stages of the LM on July 15.

The Apollo 14 crew of Alan B. Shepard, left, Stuart A. Roosa, and Edgar D. Mitchell.

NASA designated Commander Alan B. Shepard, CMP Stuart A. Roosa, and LMP Edgar D. Mitchell as the prime crew for Apollo 14. Shepard, the first American in space when he launched aboard his Freedom 7 spacecraft in May 1961, recently returned to flight status after a surgical intervention cured his Ménière’s disease, an inner ear disorder. Neither Roosa nor Mitchell had spaceflight experience. The backup crew consisted of Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald E. Evans, and Joe H. Engle. Cernan had flown in space twice before, on Gemini IX and more recently on Apollo 10. Evans and Engle had not flown in space before, although Engle earned astronaut wings as a pilot with the U.S. Air Force flying the X-15 rocket plane above the 50-mile altitude required to qualify as an astronaut on three of his 16 flights.

Left: Apollo 14 astronauts Alan B. Shepard, center, and Edgar D. Mitchell, in baseball cap, during the Idaho geology field trip. Right: Apollo 14 backup crew members Eugene A. Cernan, left, and Joe H. Engle during the Idaho geology field trip.

The Apollo 14 astronauts jumped right into their geology training. On Aug. 14, Shepard, Mitchell, and Engle spent the day at the United States Geological Service’s (USGS) Crater Field near Flagstaff, Arizona, including getting a geologist’s lecture on the mechanisms of crater formation. On Aug. 22 and 23, Cernan joined them on a geology field trip to Idaho, where they visited Craters of the Moon National Monument, Butte Crater lava tubes, Ammon pumice quarries, and the Wapi volcanic fields. Geologists chose these sites for training because at the time Apollo 14 planned to visit a presumed volcanic area on the Moon.

NASA management changes

Left: Samuel C. Phillips, Apollo Program Director at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., during the Apollo 11 launch in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Middle left: Rocco A. Petrone, director of launch operations at KSC, seen here at the Apollo 11 rollout, succeeded Phillips. Middle right: George S. Trimble, left, deputy director of the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), now NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, with MSC Director Robert R. Gilruth in 1967. Right: Christopher C. Kraft, director of flight operations at MSC, seen here in Mission Control following the Apollo 11 splashdown, succeeded Trimble.

Several changes in senior NASA leadership took place following Apollo 11. At NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., Phillips retired as Apollo Program Director, having served in that position since 1964, and returned to the U.S. Air Force. Rocco A. Petrone, director of launch operations at KSC since 1966, succeeded him. George S. Trimble announced his retirement as MSC deputy director effective Sept. 30, having served in that role since October 1967. In November 1969, MSC Director Robert R. Gilruth named Christopher C. Kraft to succeed Trimble as his deputy.

To be continued …

News from around the world in August 1969:

August 2 – President Nixon the first sitting U.S. president to visit a communist capital when he meets with Romanian President Nicolai Ceausescu in Bucharest.

August 5 – Mariner 7 returns close-up images during its fly-by of Mars.

August 14 – NASA accepts seven pilots from the U.S. Air Force’s canceled Manned Orbiting Laboratory as its Group 7 astronauts.

August 15-18 – Three-day Woodstock music festival in Bethel, New York, draws nearly half a million attendees.

August 21 – The first GAP store opens in San Francisco.

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Sols 4280-4281: Last Call at Kings Canyon

Earth planning date: Monday, Aug. 19, 2024

Curiosity successfully completed the drill sequence at the Kings Canyon site within the Gediz Vallis channel. Today was a smooth planning day as we decided to stay put for sols 4280 and 4281 to obtain APXS data of the drill tailings (the crushed rock removed from the drill hole) before we reposition the rover nearby for our next set of observations. The science team is eagerly plotting the rover’s next move and is looking forward to all the interesting targets along the route ahead! 

ChemCam had a very busy day with multiple activities in the plan. ChemCam LIBS will examine the chemistry of rocks at nearby “Cathedral Lake” and “Royce Lakes” to analyze the fresh surfaces that were recently broken by the weight of the rover driving over them. Mastcam will provide their standard documentation images of these locations after the LIBS instrument zaps each target.  ChemCam planned two long distance RMI images and one passive RMI image to get a closer view of the diversity of rocks at Milestone Peak and the upper channel and the yardang unit – a white, wind-sculped rock that caps the mound in Gale crater. 

In our current workspace, we planned a MAHLI image and will use the dust removal tool (DRT) to characterize the grain size of the light-toned rock near our drill location at “Gabbot Pass.” Mastam has amassed a beautiful collection of mosaics at our current location and therefore included only one small Mastcam mosaic of the nearby Texoli butte that will provide context for a recently acquired ChemCam LD RMI image. The environmental theme group planned surveys to search for dust devils as well as measurements to observe the amount of dust in the atmosphere. 

Looking ahead, we will reposition the rover slightly to access “Fourth Recess Lake” to quantify its chemistry for comparison to past and future observations within the Gediz Vallis channel. And after that, it’s McDonald Pass or bust!

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Entrepreneurs Challenge Prize Winner Uses Artificial Intelligence to Identify Methane Emissions

The NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) instituted the Entrepreneurs Challenge to identify innovative ideas and technologies from small business start-ups with the potential to advance the agency’s science goals. Geolabe—a prize winner in the latest Entrepreneurs Challenge—has developed a way to use artificial intelligence to identify global methane emissions. Methane is a greenhouse gas that significantly contributes to global warming, and this promising new technology could provide data to help decision makers develop strategies to mitigate climate change.

SMD sponsored Entrepreneurs Challenge events in 2020, 2021, and 2023. Challenge winners were awarded prize money—in 2023 the total Entrepreneurs Challenge prize value was $1M. To help leverage external funding sources for the development of innovative technologies of interest to NASA, SMD involved the venture capital community in Entrepreneurs Challenge events. Numerous challenge winners have subsequently received funding from both NASA and external sources (e.g., other government agencies or the venture capital community) to further develop their technologies.

Each Entrepreneurs Challenge solicited submissions in specific focus areas such as mass spectrometry technology, quantum sensors, metamaterials-based sensor technologies, and more. The focus areas of the latest 2023 challenge included lunar surface payloads and climate science.

A recent Entrepreneurs Challenge success story involves 2023 challenge winner Geolabe—a startup founded by Dr. Claudia Hulbert and Dr. Bertrand Rouet-Leduc in 2020 in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The Geolabe team developed a method that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically detect methane emissions on a global scale.

As global temperatures rise to record highs, the pressure to curb greenhouse gas emissions has intensified. Limiting methane emissions is particularly important since methane is the second largest contributor to global warming, and is estimated to account for approximately a third of global warming to date. Moreover, because methane stays in the atmosphere for a shorter amount of time compared to CO₂, curbing methane emissions is widely considered to be one of the fastest ways to slow down the rate of global warming.

However, monitoring methane emissions and determining their quantities has been challenging due to the limitations of existing detection methods. Methane plumes are invisible and odorless, so they are typically detected with specialized equipment such as infrared cameras. The difficulty in finding these leaks from space is akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Leaks are distributed around the globe, and most of the methane plumes are relatively small, making them easy to miss in satellite data.

Multispectral satellite imagery has emerged as a viable methane detection tool in recent years, enabling routine measurements of methane plumes at a global scale every few days. However, with respect to methane, these measurements suffer from very poor signal to noise ratio, which has thus far allowed detection of only very large emissions (2-3 tons/hour) using manual methods.

The Geolabe team has developed a deep learning architecture that automatically identifies methane signatures in existing open-source spectral satellite data and deconvolves the signal from the noise. This AI method enables automatic detection of methane leaks at 200kg/hour and above, which account for over 85% of the methane emissions in well-studied, large oil and gas basins. Information gained using this new technique could help inform efforts to mitigate methane emissions on Earth and automatically validate their effects. This Geolabe project was featured in Nature Communications on May 14, 2024.

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Hubble Examines a Possible Relic

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image captures the dwarf irregular galaxy UGC 4879 or VV124. As this image illustrates, Hubble’s high resolution can detect individual stars, even in the densest parts of the galaxy. This allows astronomers to better determine the galaxy’s distance, and the composition and age of its stars.

UGC 4879 is an isolated dwarf galaxy, lying just beyond our own Local Group of galaxies some four million light-years away. Because of its isolation, astronomers are studying UGC 4879 to determine if it is a relatively undisturbed, old galaxy. Theories suggest that the lowest mass dwarf galaxies may have been the first galaxies to form. If UGC 4879 is a relic of the early universe, it could provide clues to the hierarchical structure and evolution of galaxies, galaxy clusters, and even the universe itself. 

The image combines data from two Hubble observing programs, both focused on learning more about dwarf galaxies: how they form and evolve.

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Media Contact:

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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