\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Marshall Star for October 9, 2024\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Category](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/blog-hurricane-milton-100724.png?w=900\")
<\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nMarshall Lends Insight, Expertise to Auburn Aerospace Industry Day Event<\/strong><\/h2>\nBy Rick Smith<\/em><\/p>\nNearly 500 students and faculty of Auburn University gathered on campus Sept. 30-Oct. 2 to hear lectures from leading NASA propulsion and engineering experts and to talk careers goals and opportunities with representatives of the U.S. space program and various aerospace industry firms.<\/p>\n
The Aerospace Industry Day event, exclusively focused on careers supporting rocketry and space exploration, was the first of its kind at Auburn. University spokespersons said they hope to make it an annual expo \u2013 and team members from NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center helped ensure the kickoff was a success.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n![\"Heather](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/auburn-day-1.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nHeather Haney, center, test and verification subsystem manager in the Space Launch System Program Office at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center, discusses aerospace career options with Auburn University faculty and students during Aerospace Industry Day events. <\/div>\nPhoto courtesy of Auburn University\/John Sluis<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cThe event marked a significant milestone for our organization and the university as a whole,\u201d said Austin Miranda, an Auburn aerospace engineering undergraduate and president of Auburn\u2019s chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. \u201cWe deeply appreciate NASA\u2019s participation, which significantly enriched the experience for our attendees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marshall managers and engineers in the Space Launch System<\/a> and Human Landing System<\/a> programs, the Engineering Directorate<\/a>, and the Space Nuclear Propulsion<\/a> Office presented guest lectures, staffed exhibit booths, and met informally with students. The event also included a pair of intensive focus sessions on propulsion engineering, face-to-face networking opportunities between students and NASA and industry leaders, and a career fair with Marshall, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, and more than a dozen leading aerospace industry companies.<\/p>\n\u201cAs an Auburn alum, it\u2019s always great to be able to return to the plains and engage in activities on campus,\u201d said Josh Whitehead, associate manager of the SLS Stages Element at Marshall.\u00a0\u201cI was impressed not only with the outstanding faculty who engaged from multiple engineering departments, but also with the engineering students who asked informed, insightful questions about NASA, our missions, and the new technologies we are developing to enable exploration of space.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mike Houts, nuclear research manager for NASA\u2019s Space Nuclear Propulsion Office at Marshall, also was struck by students\u2019 enthusiasm.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe students\u2019 depth of interest and understanding was impressive,\u201d he said. \u201cMany of them stayed to talk long after events were officially over, and several have already followed up by email. I foresee lots of \u2018win-win\u2019 potential moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\n\n![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/auburn-day-2.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nAlex Ifkovits, left, a Marshall liquid engine systems engineer, talks with an Auburn University student during Aerospace Industry Day events, which ran Sept. 30-Oct. 2. The event was the first of its kind at Auburn and is expected to become a perennial mainstay for the engineering curriculum. <\/div>\nPhoto courtesy of Auburn University\/John Sluis<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAmong the aerospace industry participants were representatives from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Jacobs Technology, Lockheed Martin, Relativity Space, Reliable Microsystems, RTX subsidiaries Pratt & Whitney and UTC Aerospace Systems, and Technology Service Corp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone was impressed with the level of knowledge and interest from Auburn students, many of whom waited in long lines to ask questions and talk about career opportunities,\u201d said Heather Haney, SLS Program test and verification subsystem manager. \u201cNASA has a great history of collaborating with Auburn to support our nation\u2019s space program, and that was reflected by the excitement on so many faces during the event.\u201d<\/p>\n
Auburn has contributed to a number of key Marshall endeavors in recent years, including support for Marshall\u2019s RAMPT (Rapid Analysis and Manufacturing Propulsion Technology<\/a>) project, refining a variety of additive manufacturing processes, and for a new laser-ablation technology study to develop multi-material 3D printers for use in microgravity. The latter is set to begin testing in spring 2025. Additive manufacturing research at Auburn was pivotal to development of NASA\u2019s 2024 Invention of the Year<\/a>, an innovative rocket engine thrust chamber liner and fabrication method. Auburn students also are perennial contenders in annual NASA STEM events, including the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge<\/a> and the Student Launch<\/a> rocketry competition.<\/p>\nThe Aerospace Industry Day event was hosted by Auburn\u2019s Office of Career Development and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.<\/p>\n
Smith, an Aeyon employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nNASA, SpaceX Secure Europa Clipper Ahead of Hurricane<\/strong><\/h2>\nNASA and SpaceX are standing down from the Oct. 10 launch attempt of the agency\u2019s Europa Clipper<\/a> mission due to anticipated hurricane conditions in the area.<\/p>\nHurricane Milton<\/a> is expected to move east to the Space Coast after making landfall on Florida\u2019s west coast. High winds and heavy rain are expected in the Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island regions on Florida\u2019s east coast. Launch teams have secured NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper spacecraft in SpaceX\u2019s hangar at Launch Complex 39A at the agency\u2019s Kennedy Space Center ahead of the severe weather, and the center began hurricane preparations Oct. 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ksc-20241002-ph-jbs02.png?w=1200\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nTechnicians encapsulated NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper spacecraft inside payload fairings Oct. 2 in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the agency\u2019s Kennedy Space Center.<\/div>\nNASA\/Ben Smegelsky<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cThe safety of launch team personnel is our highest priority, and all precautions will be taken to protect the Europa Clipper spacecraft,\u201d said Tim Dunn, senior launch director at NASA\u2019s Launch Services Program.<\/p>\n
On Oct. 4, workers transported NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper spacecraft from the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy to the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in the hangar as part of final launch preparations ahead of its journey to Jupiter\u2019s icy moon. While Europa Clipper\u2019s launch period opens Oct. 10, the window provides launch opportunities until Nov. 6.<\/p>\n
Once the storm passes, recovery teams will assess the safety of the spaceport before personnel return to work. Then launch teams will assess the launch processing facilities for damage from the storm.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce we have the \u2018all-clear\u2019 followed by facility assessment and any recovery actions, we will determine the next launch opportunity for this NASA flagship mission,\u201d Dunn said.<\/p>\n
Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) leads the development of the\u00a0Europa Clipper\u00a0mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, for NASA\u2019s Science Mission Directorate. The main spacecraft body was designed by APL in collaboration with JPL and NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center. The Planetary Missions Program Office<\/a> at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission. NASA\u2019s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, manages the launch service for the Europa Clipper spacecraft.<\/p>\n\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nCrew Departure Preps Continue Aboard Space Station<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe seven NASA astronauts aboard the\u00a0International Space Station<\/a>\u00a0relaxed and took a break Oct. 8 before the\u00a0SpaceX Crew-8<\/a>\u00a0mission leaves. Mission managers are monitoring weather conditions off the coast of Florida with Hurricane Milton.<\/p>\nExpedition 72<\/a>\u00a0flight engineers\u00a0Matthew Dominick<\/a>,\u00a0Mike Barratt<\/a>, and\u00a0Jeanette Epps<\/a>\u00a0of NASA and Alexander Grebenkin from Roscosmos are now targeting departure from the orbital outpost aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft for no earlier than 2:05 a.m. CDT on Oct. 13, pending weather. The Commercial Crew Program (CCP) crew is scheduled to call down to Mission Control Center for farewell remarks Oct. 10 at 8:15 a.m. Watch live coverage of both events on\u00a0NASA+<\/a>. Learn how to watch\u00a0NASA content<\/a>\u00a0through a variety of platforms, including social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Category](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/blog-hurricane-milton-100724-1.png?w=900\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nCategory 5 Hurricane Milton, packing winds of 175 miles per hour, is viewed in the Gulf of Mexico from the space station as it orbited overhead.<\/div>\nNASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nSpace biology and physics were the focus of research operations for the\u00a0Expedition 72\u00a0crew Oct. 7. NASA flight engineer\u00a0Nick Hague\u00a0worked in the\u00a0Columbus laboratory module\u00a0swapping filters inside the\u00a0BioLab<\/a>\u2019s incubator. BioLab supports the observation of microbes, cells, tissue cultures and more to understand the effects of weightlessness and radiation on organisms. NASA flight engineer\u00a0Don Pettit\u00a0set up a laptop computer on the\u00a0Cell Biology Experiment Facility, a research incubator with an artificial gravity generator, located in the\u00a0Kibo laboratory module.<\/p>\nStation Commander\u00a0Suni Williams\u00a0explored space physics mixing gel samples and observing with a\u00a0fluorescence microscope\u00a0how particles of different sizes\u00a0gel and coarsen. Results are expected to benefit the medicine, food, and cosmetic industries. NASA astronaut\u00a0Butch Wilmore, who has been aboard the station with Williams since\u00a0June 6<\/a>, trained to operate\u00a0advanced life support gear<\/a>\u00a0installed in the\u00a0Microgravity Science Glovebox<\/a>\u00a0for a different space physics experiment then relaxed the rest of the day.<\/p>\nThe Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center provides engineering and mission operations support for the space station, the CCP, and Artemis missions, as well as science and technology demonstration missions. The Payload Operations Integration Center within HOSC operates, plans, and coordinates the science experiments onboard the space station 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.<\/p>\n
\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nDave Reynolds Named Manager of Space Launch System Booster Office<\/strong><\/h2>\nDave Reynolds has been named to the Senior Executive Service position of manager of the Space Launch System (SLS) Booster Office at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center, effective immediately. In his role, Reynolds is responsible for the design, development, and flight of the solid rocket boosters for the SLS rocket, NASA\u2019s deep-space flagship rocket, designed for a new era of science and exploration.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n![\"Dave](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/msfc-202300509.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nDave Reynolds has been named to the Senior Executive Service position of manager of the Space Launch System (SLS) Booster Office at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center.<\/div>\nNASA\/Danielle Burleson<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nReynolds began his NASA career in Marshall\u2019s propulsion systems department in 2004 as a rocket engines component designer. Since 2020, Reynolds has served as the deputy program manager for the SLS Boosters Office. In this role, he was responsible for the execution of two major contracts with a combined value of $7.6 billion. He also served as an alternate to the manager for overseeing the performance, budget, schedule, and discretionary spending for developing, fabricating, and flying the SLS Boosters. Reynolds supervised a team of 31 civil servants and contractors and acted as the representative for the booster element in key SLS program reviews decision boards, milestones, and budget risk assessments.<\/p>\n
Reynolds\u2019 previous roles include leading the development program for the SLS Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension effort starting in 2016, officially being selected as the development program manager in 2019. In this role he was responsible for creating the strategic plan and initiating the early development phases for the SLS Block II Booster. He also served as a SLS Booster subsystem manager from 2013-2019 where he was responsible for the management of the SLS motor cases, igniters, and small motors.<\/p>\n
From 2012-2013, Reynolds participated in a temporary rotational assignment with the Defense Intelligence Agency\u2019s Missile and Space Intelligence Center where he acted as the NASA liaison as a propulsion subject matter expert and supported military intelligence assessments of foreign weapon systems. From 2002-2004, Reynolds was a design engineer at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake, California, where he served as a propulsion designer specializing in the design, fabrication, and testing of U.S. Navy weapons propulsion systems.<\/p>\n
Reynolds holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration and Management from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He holds two patents for additive manufacturing technologies and has received numerous NASA awards including the Outstanding Leadership Medal, the Exceptional Achievement Medal, and the Silver Snoopy.<\/p>\n
\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nNASA Announces Teams to Compete in International Rover Challenge<\/strong><\/h2>\nBy Wayne Smith<\/em><\/p>\nNASA has selected 75 student\u00a0teams<\/a>\u00a0to begin an engineering design challenge to build rovers that will compete next spring at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center near the agency\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center. The competition is one of the agency\u2019s Artemis Student Challenges, encouraging students to pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ceb-7389.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nA team competes in the 2024 Human Exploration Rover Challenge as supporters cheer them on.<\/div>\nNASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRecognized as NASA\u2019s leading international student challenge, the 31st annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge<\/a> (HERC) aims to put competitors in the mindset of NASA\u2019s Artemis campaign as they pitch an engineering design for a lunar terrain vehicle which simulates astronauts piloting a vehicle, exploring the lunar surface while overcoming various obstacles.<\/p>\nParticipating teams\u00a0represent 35 colleges and\u00a0universities, 38 high schools, and two middle schools from 20 states, Puerto Rico, and 16 other nations from around the world. The 31st annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) is scheduled to begin on April 11, 2025. The challenge is managed by NASA\u2019s Southeast Regional\u00a0Office of STEM Engagement<\/a>\u00a0at Marshall.<\/p>\nFollowing a 2024 competition that garnered international attention, NASA expanded the challenge to include a remote-control division, Remote-Operated Vehicular Research, and invited middle school students to participate. The\u00a02025 HERC Handbook<\/a>\u00a0includes guidelines for the new remote-control division and updates for the human-powered division.<\/p>\nNASA\u2019s Artemis Student Challenges reflects the goals of the\u00a0Artemis<\/a>\u00a0campaign, which seeks to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon while establishing a long-term presence for science and exploration.<\/p>\nMore than 1,000 students with 72 teams from around the world participated in the\u00a02024 challenge<\/a>\u00a0as HERC celebrated its 30th anniversary as a NASA competition. Since its inception in 1994, more than 15,000 students have participated in HERC \u2013 with many\u00a0former students<\/a>\u00a0now working at NASA, or within the aerospace industry.\u00a0<\/p>\nSmith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nAgency Selects Teams for 2025 Student Launch Challenge<\/strong><\/h2>\nBy Wayne Smith<\/em><\/p>\nNASA has selected 71\u00a0teams<\/a>\u00a0from across the U.S. to participate in its 25th annual Student Launch Challenge<\/a>, one of the agency\u2019s Artemis Student Challenges. The competition is aimed at inspiring Artemis Generation students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for the benefit of humanity.<\/p>\nAs part of the challenge, teams will design, build, and fly a high-powered amateur rocket and scientific payload. They also must meet documentation milestones and undergo detailed reviews throughout the school year.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n![\"Students](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/3be53480-bccf-473a-a274-57029cc9b9d0.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nStudents celebrate after a successful performance in the 2024 Student Launch competition at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama.<\/div>\nNASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe nine-month-long challenge will culminate with on-site events starting on April 30, 2025. Final launches are scheduled for May 3, at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, just minutes north of NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center. Teams are not required to travel for their final launch, having the option to launch from a qualified site. Details are outlined in the\u00a0Student Launch Handbook<\/a>.<\/p>\nEach year, NASA updates the university payload challenge to reflect current scientific and exploration missions. For the 2025 season, the payload challenge will again take inspiration from the\u00a0Artemis<\/a>\u00a0missions, which seek to land the first woman and first person of color on the\u00a0Moon, and pave the way for future human exploration of Mars.<\/p>\nAs Student Launch celebrates its 25th anniversary, the payload challenge will include reports from\u00a0STEMnauts<\/a>, non-living objects representing astronauts. The STEMnaut crew must relay real-time data to the student team\u2019s mission control via radio frequency, simulating the communication that will be required when the Artemis crew achieves its lunar landing.<\/p>\nUniversity and college teams are required to meet the 2025 payload requirements set by NASA, but middle and high school teams have the option to tackle the same challenge or design their own payload experiment.<\/p>\n
Student teams will undergo detailed reviews by NASA personnel to ensure the safety and feasibility of their rocket and payload designs. The team closest to their target will win the Altitude Award, one of multiple awards presented to teams at the end of the competition. Other awards include overall winner, vehicle design, experiment design, and social media presence.<\/p>\n
In addition to the engineering and science objectives of the challenge, students must also participate in outreach efforts such as engaging with local schools and maintaining active social media accounts. Student Launch is an all-encompassing challenge and aims to prepare the next generation for the professional world of space exploration.<\/p>\n
The Student Launch Challenge is managed by Marshall\u2019s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM). Additional funding and support are provided by\u00a0NASA\u2019s OSTEM<\/a>\u00a0via the Next Gen STEM project, NASA\u2019s Space Operations Mission Directorate, Northrup Grumman, National Space Club Huntsville, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Association of Rocketry, Relativity Space, and Bastion Technologies.<\/p>\nSmith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nNASA\u2019s Laser Comms Demo Makes Deep Space Record, Completes First Phase<\/strong><\/h2>\nNASA\u2019s Deep Space Optical Communications<\/a> technology demonstration broke yet another record for laser communications this summer by sending a laser signal from Earth to NASA\u2019s Psyche spacecraft about 290 million miles away. That\u2019s the same distance between our planet and Mars when the two planets are farthest apart.<\/p>\nSoon after reaching that milestone on July 29, the\u00a0technology demonstration<\/a>\u00a0concluded the first phase of its operations since\u00a0launching<\/a>\u00a0aboard\u00a0Psyche<\/a>\u00a0on Oct. 13, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"NASA\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/1-dsoc-uplink.png?w=1881\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nNASA\u2019s Psyche spacecraft is depicted receiving a laser signal from the Deep Space Optical Communications uplink ground station at JPL\u2019s Table Mountain Facility in this artist\u2019s concept. The DSOC experiment consists of an uplink and downlink station, plus a flight laser transceiver flying with Psyche.<\/div>\nNASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cThe milestone is significant. Laser communication requires a very high level of precision, and before we launched with Psyche, we didn\u2019t know how much performance degradation we would see at our farthest distances,\u201d said Meera Srinivasan, the project\u2019s operations lead at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. \u201cNow the techniques we use to track and point have been verified, confirming that optical communications can be a robust and transformative way to explore the solar system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Managed by JPL, the Deep Space Optical Communications experiment consists of a flight\u00a0laser transceiver<\/a>\u00a0and two ground stations. Caltech\u2019s historic 200-inch aperture Hale Telescope at Caltech\u2019s\u00a0Palomar Observatory<\/a>\u00a0in San Diego County, California, acts as the downlink station to which the laser transceiver sends its data from deep space. The\u00a0Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory<\/a>\u00a0at JPL\u2019s Table Mountain facility near Wrightwood, California, acts as the uplink station, capable of transmitting 7 kilowatts of laser power to send data to the transceiver.<\/p>\nBy transporting data at rates up to 100 times higher than radio frequencies, lasers can enable the transmission of complex scientific information as well as high-definition imagery and video, which are needed to support humanity\u2019s next giant leap when\u00a0astronauts travel to Mars<\/a>\u00a0and beyond.<\/p>\nAs for the spacecraft, Psyche remains healthy and stable,\u00a0using ion propulsion<\/a>\u00a0to accelerate toward a metal-rich asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.<\/p>\nThe technology demonstration\u2019s data is sent to and from Psyche as bits encoded in near-infrared light, which has a higher frequency than radio waves. That higher frequency enables more data to be packed into a transmission, allowing far higher rates of data transfer.<\/p>\n
Even when Psyche was about 33 million miles away \u2013 comparable to Mars\u2019 closest approach to Earth \u2013 the technology demonstration could transmit data at the\u00a0system\u2019s maximum rate<\/a>\u00a0of 267 megabits per second. That bit rate is similar to broadband internet download speeds. As the spacecraft travels\u00a0farther away<\/a>, the rate at which it can send and receive data is reduced, as expected.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>This 45-second ultra-high-definition video was streamed via laser from deep space by NASA\u2019s Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration June 24, when the Psyche spacecraft was 240 million miles from Earth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOn June 24, when Psyche was about 240 million miles from Earth \u2013 more than 2\u00bd times the distance between our planet and the Sun \u2013 the project achieved a sustained downlink data rate of 6.25 megabits per second, with a maximum rate of 8.3 megabits per second. While this rate is significantly lower than the experiment\u2019s maximum, it is far higher than what a radio frequency communications system using comparable power can achieve over that distance.<\/p>\n
The goal of Deep Space Optical Communications is to demonstrate technology that can reliably transmit data at higher speeds than other space communication technologies like radio frequency systems. In seeking to achieve this goal, the project had an opportunity to test unique data sets like art and high-definition video along with\u00a0engineering data<\/a>\u00a0from the Psyche spacecraft. For example, one downlink included digital versions of Arizona State University\u2019s \u201cPsyche Inspired<\/a>\u201d artwork, images of the team\u2019s pets, and a 45-second ultra-high-definition video that spoofs television test patterns from the previous century and depicts scenes from Earth and space.<\/p>\nThe technology demonstration beamed the\u00a0first ultra-high-definition video<\/a>\u00a0from space, featuring a cat named Taters, from the Psyche spacecraft to Earth on Dec. 11, 2023, from 19 million miles away. (Artwork, images, and videos were uploaded to Psyche and stored in its memory before launch.)<\/p>\n\u201cA key goal for the system was to prove that the data-rate reduction was proportional to the\u00a0inverse square of distance<\/a>,\u201d said Abi Biswas, the technology demonstration\u2019s project technologist at JPL. \u201cWe met that goal and transferred huge quantities of test data to and from the Psyche spacecraft via laser.\u201d Almost 11 terabits of data have been downlinked during the first phase of the demo.<\/p>\nThe flight transceiver is powered down and will be powered back up on Nov. 4. That activity will prove that the flight hardware can operate for at least a year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll power on the flight laser transceiver and do a short checkout of its functionality,\u201d said Ken Andrews, project flight operations lead at JPL. \u201cOnce that\u2019s achieved, we can look forward to operating the transceiver at its full design capabilities during our post-conjunction phase that starts later in the year.\u201d<\/p>\n
This demonstration is the latest in a series of optical communication experiments funded by the Space Technology Mission Directorate\u2019s Technology Demonstration Missions Program managed at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center and the agency\u2019s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program within the Space Operations Mission Directorate. Development of the flight laser transceiver is supported by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, L3 Harris, CACI, First Mode, and Controlled Dynamics Inc. Fibertek, Coherent, Caltech Optical Observatories, and Dotfast support the ground systems. Some of the technology was developed through\u00a0NASA\u2019s Small Business Innovation Research<\/a>\u00a0program.<\/p>\nPsyche is the 14th mission selected as part of\u00a0NASA\u2019s Discovery Program<\/a>, which is managed by Marshall.<\/p>\n\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nAncient Oort Cloud Comet to Make First Documented Pass by Earth in Mid-October<\/strong><\/h2>\nBy Rick Smith<\/em><\/p>\nAn ancient celestial traveler will make its first close pass by Earth in mid-October. Mark those calendars \u2013 because it won\u2019t be back for another 80,000 years.<\/p>\n
The Oort Cloud<\/a> comet, called C\/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, was discovered in 2023, approaching the inner solar system on its highly elliptical orbit for the first time in documented human history. It was identified by observers at China\u2019s Tsuchinshan \u2013 or \u201cPurple Mountain\u201d \u2013 Observatory and an ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) telescope in South Africa. The comet was officially named in honor of both observatories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/comet-lovejoy.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nComets with long, elliptical orbits around the Sun may reach perihelion \u2013 their closest point to our star \u2013 too rarely to observe more than once in a lifetime. This comet, Lovejoy (C\/2014 Q2), reached perihelion in early February 2015, and isn\u2019t expected to do so again until 2633. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which is expected to come within approximately 44 million miles of Earth on Oct. 12, will not enter the inner solar system again for some 80,000 years.<\/div>\nNASA\/Damian Peach<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe comet successfully made its closest transit past the Sun on Sept. 27. Scientists surmised it might well break up during that pass, its volatile and icy composition unable to withstand the intense heat of our parent star, but it survived more or less intact \u2013 and is now on track to come within approximately 44 million miles of Earth on Oct. 12.<\/p>\n
\u201cComets are more fragile than people may realize, thanks to the effects of passing close to the Sun on their internal water ice and volatiles such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide,\u201d said NASA astronomer Bill Cooke, who leads the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center. \u201cComet Kohoutek<\/a>, which reached the inner solar system in 1973, broke up while passing too close to the Sun. Comet Ison<\/a> similarly failed to survive the Sun\u2019s intense heat and gravity during perihelion in 2013.\u201d<\/p>\nThough Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be ideally positioned to view from the Southern Hemisphere, spotters above the equator should have a good chance as well. Peak visibility will occur Oct. 9-10, once the half-moon begins to move away from the comet.<\/p>\n
Choose a dark vantage point just after full nightfall, Cooke recommended. Looking to the southwest, roughly 10 degrees above the horizon, identify the constellations of Sagittarius and Scorpio. Tsuchinshan-ATLAS should be visible between them. By Oct. 14, the comet may remain visible at the midway point between the bright star Arcturus and the planet Venus.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd savor the view,\u201d Cooke advised \u2013 because by early November, the comet will be gone again for the next 800 centuries.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s highly unlikely Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be visible in daylight hours, except perhaps at twilight, Cooke said. In the past 300 years of astronomical observation, only nine previous comets have been bright enough to spot during the day. The last were Comet West<\/a> in 1976 and, under ideal conditions, Comet Hale-Bopp<\/a> in 1997.<\/p>\nThe brightness of comets is measured on the same scale we use for stars, one that has been in use since roughly 150 B.C., when it was devised by the ancient scholar Hipparchus and refined by the astronomer Ptolemy. Stellar magnitude is measured on a logarithmic scale, which makes a magnitude 1 star exactly 100 times brighter than a magnitude 6 star. The lower the number the brighter the object, making it more likely to be clearly seen, whether by telescope or the naked eye.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n![\"Comets](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/comet-ison.jpg?w=1200\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nComets traveling through the inner solar system aren\u2019t uncommon, but many never survive a close pass by the Sun. Icy comet ISON, photographed here on Nov. 19, 2013, reached solar perihelion later that month \u2013 but couldn\u2019t endure the punishing heat and gravity so close to Earth\u2019s parent star and disintegrated. <\/div>\nNASA\/Aaron Kingery<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cTypically, a comet would have to reach a magnitude of \u20136 to \u201310 to be seen in daylight,\u201d Cooke said. \u201cThat\u2019s extremely rare.\u201d<\/p>\n
At peak visibility in the northern hemisphere, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS\u2019s brightness is estimated at between 2 and 4. In comparison, the brightest visible star in the night sky, Sirius, has a magnitude of \u20131.46. At its brightest, solar reflection from Venus is a magnitude of \u20134. The International Space Station sometimes achieves a relative brightness of \u20136.<\/p>\n
Comets are often hard to predict because they\u2019re extended objects, Cooke noted, with their brightness spread out and often dimmer than their magnitude suggests. At the same time, they may benefit from a phenomenon called \u201cforward scattering,\u201d which causes sunlight to bounce more intensely off all the gas and debris in the comet\u2019s tail and its coma \u2013 the glowing nebula that develops around it during close stellar orbit \u2013 and causing a more intense brightening effect for observers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there is a lot of forward scattering, the comet could be as bright as magnitude \u20131,\u201d Cooke said. That could make it \u201cvisible to the unaided eye or truly spectacular with binoculars or a small telescope.\u201d<\/p>\n
What will become of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS? Cooke noted that it is not expected to draw too near the planetary giants of our system, but eventually could be flung out of the solar system \u2013 like a stone from a sling \u2013 due to the gravitational influence of other worlds and its own tenuous bond with the Sun.<\/p>\n
But the hardy traveler likely still has miles to go yet. \u201cI learned a long time ago not to gamble on comets,\u201d Cooke said. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to wait and see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith, an Aeyon employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nVia NASA Plane, Scientists Find New Gamma-ray Emission in Storm Clouds<\/strong><\/h2>\nThere\u2019s more to thunderclouds than rain and lightning. Along with visible light emissions, thunderclouds can produce intense bursts of gamma rays, the most energetic form of light, that last for millionths of a second. The clouds can also glow steadily with gamma rays for seconds to minutes at a time.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n![\"NASA\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/tropical-thunderstorm.png?w=1536\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nNASA\u2019s high-flying ER-2 airplane carries instrumentation in this artist\u2019s impression of the ALOFT mission to record gamma rays (colored purple for illustration) from thunderclouds. <\/div>\nOscar van der Velde<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nResearchers using NASA airborne platforms have now found a new kind of gamma-ray emission that\u2019s shorter in duration than the steady glows and longer than the microsecond bursts. They\u2019re calling it a flickering gamma-ray flash. The discovery fills in a missing link in scientists\u2019 understanding of thundercloud radiation and provides new insights into the mechanisms that produce lightning. The insights, in turn, could lead to more accurate lightning risk estimates for people, aircraft, and spacecraft.<\/p>\n
Researchers from the University of Bergen in Norway led the study in collaboration with scientists from NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center and Goddard Space Flight Center, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and multiple universities in the U.S., Mexico, Colombia, and Europe. The findings were described in a\u00a0pair<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0papers<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Nature<\/em>, published Oct. 2.<\/p>\nThe international research team made their discovery while flying a battery of detectors aboard a NASA ER-2 research aircraft. In July 2023, the ER-2 set out on a series of 10 flights from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The plane flew figure-eight flight patterns a few miles above tropical thunderclouds in the Caribbean and Central America, providing unprecedented views of cloud activity.<\/p>\n
The scientific payload was developed for the Airborne Lightning Observatory for Fly\u2019s Eye Geostationary Lightning Mapper Simulator and Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (ALOFT) campaign. Instrumentation in the payload included weather radars along with multiple sensors for measuring gamma rays, lightning flashes, and microwave emissions from clouds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The researchers had hoped ALOFT instruments would observe fast radiation bursts known as terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs). The flashes,\u00a0first discovered in 1992<\/a>\u00a0by NASA\u2019s Compton Gamma Ray Observatory spacecraft, accompany some lightning strikes and last only millionths of a second. Despite their high intensity and their association with visible lightning, few TGFs have been spotted during previous aircraft-based studies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cI went to a meeting just before the ALOFT campaign,\u201d said principal investigator Nikolai \u00d8stgaard, a space physicist with the University of Bergen. \u201cAnd they asked me: \u2018How many TGFs are you going to see?\u2019 I said: \u2018Either we\u2019ll see zero, or we\u2019ll see a lot.\u2019 And then we happened to see 130.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, the flickering gamma-ray flashes were a complete surprise.<\/p>\n
<\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nMarshall Lends Insight, Expertise to Auburn Aerospace Industry Day Event<\/strong><\/h2>\nBy Rick Smith<\/em><\/p>\nNearly 500 students and faculty of Auburn University gathered on campus Sept. 30-Oct. 2 to hear lectures from leading NASA propulsion and engineering experts and to talk careers goals and opportunities with representatives of the U.S. space program and various aerospace industry firms.<\/p>\n
The Aerospace Industry Day event, exclusively focused on careers supporting rocketry and space exploration, was the first of its kind at Auburn. University spokespersons said they hope to make it an annual expo \u2013 and team members from NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center helped ensure the kickoff was a success.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\nHeather Haney, center, test and verification subsystem manager in the Space Launch System Program Office at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center, discusses aerospace career options with Auburn University faculty and students during Aerospace Industry Day events. <\/div>\nPhoto courtesy of Auburn University\/John Sluis<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cThe event marked a significant milestone for our organization and the university as a whole,\u201d said Austin Miranda, an Auburn aerospace engineering undergraduate and president of Auburn\u2019s chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. \u201cWe deeply appreciate NASA\u2019s participation, which significantly enriched the experience for our attendees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marshall managers and engineers in the Space Launch System<\/a> and Human Landing System<\/a> programs, the Engineering Directorate<\/a>, and the Space Nuclear Propulsion<\/a> Office presented guest lectures, staffed exhibit booths, and met informally with students. The event also included a pair of intensive focus sessions on propulsion engineering, face-to-face networking opportunities between students and NASA and industry leaders, and a career fair with Marshall, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, and more than a dozen leading aerospace industry companies.<\/p>\n\u201cAs an Auburn alum, it\u2019s always great to be able to return to the plains and engage in activities on campus,\u201d said Josh Whitehead, associate manager of the SLS Stages Element at Marshall.\u00a0\u201cI was impressed not only with the outstanding faculty who engaged from multiple engineering departments, but also with the engineering students who asked informed, insightful questions about NASA, our missions, and the new technologies we are developing to enable exploration of space.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mike Houts, nuclear research manager for NASA\u2019s Space Nuclear Propulsion Office at Marshall, also was struck by students\u2019 enthusiasm.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe students\u2019 depth of interest and understanding was impressive,\u201d he said. \u201cMany of them stayed to talk long after events were officially over, and several have already followed up by email. I foresee lots of \u2018win-win\u2019 potential moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\nAlex Ifkovits, left, a Marshall liquid engine systems engineer, talks with an Auburn University student during Aerospace Industry Day events, which ran Sept. 30-Oct. 2. The event was the first of its kind at Auburn and is expected to become a perennial mainstay for the engineering curriculum. <\/div>\nPhoto courtesy of Auburn University\/John Sluis<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAmong the aerospace industry participants were representatives from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Jacobs Technology, Lockheed Martin, Relativity Space, Reliable Microsystems, RTX subsidiaries Pratt & Whitney and UTC Aerospace Systems, and Technology Service Corp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone was impressed with the level of knowledge and interest from Auburn students, many of whom waited in long lines to ask questions and talk about career opportunities,\u201d said Heather Haney, SLS Program test and verification subsystem manager. \u201cNASA has a great history of collaborating with Auburn to support our nation\u2019s space program, and that was reflected by the excitement on so many faces during the event.\u201d<\/p>\n
Auburn has contributed to a number of key Marshall endeavors in recent years, including support for Marshall\u2019s RAMPT (Rapid Analysis and Manufacturing Propulsion Technology<\/a>) project, refining a variety of additive manufacturing processes, and for a new laser-ablation technology study to develop multi-material 3D printers for use in microgravity. The latter is set to begin testing in spring 2025. Additive manufacturing research at Auburn was pivotal to development of NASA\u2019s 2024 Invention of the Year<\/a>, an innovative rocket engine thrust chamber liner and fabrication method. Auburn students also are perennial contenders in annual NASA STEM events, including the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge<\/a> and the Student Launch<\/a> rocketry competition.<\/p>\nThe Aerospace Industry Day event was hosted by Auburn\u2019s Office of Career Development and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.<\/p>\n
Smith, an Aeyon employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nNASA, SpaceX Secure Europa Clipper Ahead of Hurricane<\/strong><\/h2>\nNASA and SpaceX are standing down from the Oct. 10 launch attempt of the agency\u2019s Europa Clipper<\/a> mission due to anticipated hurricane conditions in the area.<\/p>\nHurricane Milton<\/a> is expected to move east to the Space Coast after making landfall on Florida\u2019s west coast. High winds and heavy rain are expected in the Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island regions on Florida\u2019s east coast. Launch teams have secured NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper spacecraft in SpaceX\u2019s hangar at Launch Complex 39A at the agency\u2019s Kennedy Space Center ahead of the severe weather, and the center began hurricane preparations Oct. 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\nTechnicians encapsulated NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper spacecraft inside payload fairings Oct. 2 in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the agency\u2019s Kennedy Space Center.<\/div>\nNASA\/Ben Smegelsky<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cThe safety of launch team personnel is our highest priority, and all precautions will be taken to protect the Europa Clipper spacecraft,\u201d said Tim Dunn, senior launch director at NASA\u2019s Launch Services Program.<\/p>\n
On Oct. 4, workers transported NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper spacecraft from the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy to the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in the hangar as part of final launch preparations ahead of its journey to Jupiter\u2019s icy moon. While Europa Clipper\u2019s launch period opens Oct. 10, the window provides launch opportunities until Nov. 6.<\/p>\n
Once the storm passes, recovery teams will assess the safety of the spaceport before personnel return to work. Then launch teams will assess the launch processing facilities for damage from the storm.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce we have the \u2018all-clear\u2019 followed by facility assessment and any recovery actions, we will determine the next launch opportunity for this NASA flagship mission,\u201d Dunn said.<\/p>\n
Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) leads the development of the\u00a0Europa Clipper\u00a0mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, for NASA\u2019s Science Mission Directorate. The main spacecraft body was designed by APL in collaboration with JPL and NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center. The Planetary Missions Program Office<\/a> at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission. NASA\u2019s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, manages the launch service for the Europa Clipper spacecraft.<\/p>\n\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nCrew Departure Preps Continue Aboard Space Station<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe seven NASA astronauts aboard the\u00a0International Space Station<\/a>\u00a0relaxed and took a break Oct. 8 before the\u00a0SpaceX Crew-8<\/a>\u00a0mission leaves. Mission managers are monitoring weather conditions off the coast of Florida with Hurricane Milton.<\/p>\nExpedition 72<\/a>\u00a0flight engineers\u00a0Matthew Dominick<\/a>,\u00a0Mike Barratt<\/a>, and\u00a0Jeanette Epps<\/a>\u00a0of NASA and Alexander Grebenkin from Roscosmos are now targeting departure from the orbital outpost aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft for no earlier than 2:05 a.m. CDT on Oct. 13, pending weather. The Commercial Crew Program (CCP) crew is scheduled to call down to Mission Control Center for farewell remarks Oct. 10 at 8:15 a.m. Watch live coverage of both events on\u00a0NASA+<\/a>. Learn how to watch\u00a0NASA content<\/a>\u00a0through a variety of platforms, including social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\nCategory 5 Hurricane Milton, packing winds of 175 miles per hour, is viewed in the Gulf of Mexico from the space station as it orbited overhead.<\/div>\nNASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nSpace biology and physics were the focus of research operations for the\u00a0Expedition 72\u00a0crew Oct. 7. NASA flight engineer\u00a0Nick Hague\u00a0worked in the\u00a0Columbus laboratory module\u00a0swapping filters inside the\u00a0BioLab<\/a>\u2019s incubator. BioLab supports the observation of microbes, cells, tissue cultures and more to understand the effects of weightlessness and radiation on organisms. NASA flight engineer\u00a0Don Pettit\u00a0set up a laptop computer on the\u00a0Cell Biology Experiment Facility, a research incubator with an artificial gravity generator, located in the\u00a0Kibo laboratory module.<\/p>\nStation Commander\u00a0Suni Williams\u00a0explored space physics mixing gel samples and observing with a\u00a0fluorescence microscope\u00a0how particles of different sizes\u00a0gel and coarsen. Results are expected to benefit the medicine, food, and cosmetic industries. NASA astronaut\u00a0Butch Wilmore, who has been aboard the station with Williams since\u00a0June 6<\/a>, trained to operate\u00a0advanced life support gear<\/a>\u00a0installed in the\u00a0Microgravity Science Glovebox<\/a>\u00a0for a different space physics experiment then relaxed the rest of the day.<\/p>\nThe Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center provides engineering and mission operations support for the space station, the CCP, and Artemis missions, as well as science and technology demonstration missions. The Payload Operations Integration Center within HOSC operates, plans, and coordinates the science experiments onboard the space station 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.<\/p>\n
\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nDave Reynolds Named Manager of Space Launch System Booster Office<\/strong><\/h2>\nDave Reynolds has been named to the Senior Executive Service position of manager of the Space Launch System (SLS) Booster Office at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center, effective immediately. In his role, Reynolds is responsible for the design, development, and flight of the solid rocket boosters for the SLS rocket, NASA\u2019s deep-space flagship rocket, designed for a new era of science and exploration.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\nDave Reynolds has been named to the Senior Executive Service position of manager of the Space Launch System (SLS) Booster Office at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center.<\/div>\nNASA\/Danielle Burleson<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nReynolds began his NASA career in Marshall\u2019s propulsion systems department in 2004 as a rocket engines component designer. Since 2020, Reynolds has served as the deputy program manager for the SLS Boosters Office. In this role, he was responsible for the execution of two major contracts with a combined value of $7.6 billion. He also served as an alternate to the manager for overseeing the performance, budget, schedule, and discretionary spending for developing, fabricating, and flying the SLS Boosters. Reynolds supervised a team of 31 civil servants and contractors and acted as the representative for the booster element in key SLS program reviews decision boards, milestones, and budget risk assessments.<\/p>\n
Reynolds\u2019 previous roles include leading the development program for the SLS Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension effort starting in 2016, officially being selected as the development program manager in 2019. In this role he was responsible for creating the strategic plan and initiating the early development phases for the SLS Block II Booster. He also served as a SLS Booster subsystem manager from 2013-2019 where he was responsible for the management of the SLS motor cases, igniters, and small motors.<\/p>\n
From 2012-2013, Reynolds participated in a temporary rotational assignment with the Defense Intelligence Agency\u2019s Missile and Space Intelligence Center where he acted as the NASA liaison as a propulsion subject matter expert and supported military intelligence assessments of foreign weapon systems. From 2002-2004, Reynolds was a design engineer at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake, California, where he served as a propulsion designer specializing in the design, fabrication, and testing of U.S. Navy weapons propulsion systems.<\/p>\n
Reynolds holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration and Management from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He holds two patents for additive manufacturing technologies and has received numerous NASA awards including the Outstanding Leadership Medal, the Exceptional Achievement Medal, and the Silver Snoopy.<\/p>\n
\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nNASA Announces Teams to Compete in International Rover Challenge<\/strong><\/h2>\nBy Wayne Smith<\/em><\/p>\nNASA has selected 75 student\u00a0teams<\/a>\u00a0to begin an engineering design challenge to build rovers that will compete next spring at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center near the agency\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center. The competition is one of the agency\u2019s Artemis Student Challenges, encouraging students to pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\nA team competes in the 2024 Human Exploration Rover Challenge as supporters cheer them on.<\/div>\nNASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRecognized as NASA\u2019s leading international student challenge, the 31st annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge<\/a> (HERC) aims to put competitors in the mindset of NASA\u2019s Artemis campaign as they pitch an engineering design for a lunar terrain vehicle which simulates astronauts piloting a vehicle, exploring the lunar surface while overcoming various obstacles.<\/p>\nParticipating teams\u00a0represent 35 colleges and\u00a0universities, 38 high schools, and two middle schools from 20 states, Puerto Rico, and 16 other nations from around the world. The 31st annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) is scheduled to begin on April 11, 2025. The challenge is managed by NASA\u2019s Southeast Regional\u00a0Office of STEM Engagement<\/a>\u00a0at Marshall.<\/p>\nFollowing a 2024 competition that garnered international attention, NASA expanded the challenge to include a remote-control division, Remote-Operated Vehicular Research, and invited middle school students to participate. The\u00a02025 HERC Handbook<\/a>\u00a0includes guidelines for the new remote-control division and updates for the human-powered division.<\/p>\nNASA\u2019s Artemis Student Challenges reflects the goals of the\u00a0Artemis<\/a>\u00a0campaign, which seeks to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon while establishing a long-term presence for science and exploration.<\/p>\nMore than 1,000 students with 72 teams from around the world participated in the\u00a02024 challenge<\/a>\u00a0as HERC celebrated its 30th anniversary as a NASA competition. Since its inception in 1994, more than 15,000 students have participated in HERC \u2013 with many\u00a0former students<\/a>\u00a0now working at NASA, or within the aerospace industry.\u00a0<\/p>\nSmith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nAgency Selects Teams for 2025 Student Launch Challenge<\/strong><\/h2>\nBy Wayne Smith<\/em><\/p>\nNASA has selected 71\u00a0teams<\/a>\u00a0from across the U.S. to participate in its 25th annual Student Launch Challenge<\/a>, one of the agency\u2019s Artemis Student Challenges. The competition is aimed at inspiring Artemis Generation students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for the benefit of humanity.<\/p>\nAs part of the challenge, teams will design, build, and fly a high-powered amateur rocket and scientific payload. They also must meet documentation milestones and undergo detailed reviews throughout the school year.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\nStudents celebrate after a successful performance in the 2024 Student Launch competition at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama.<\/div>\nNASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe nine-month-long challenge will culminate with on-site events starting on April 30, 2025. Final launches are scheduled for May 3, at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, just minutes north of NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center. Teams are not required to travel for their final launch, having the option to launch from a qualified site. Details are outlined in the\u00a0Student Launch Handbook<\/a>.<\/p>\nEach year, NASA updates the university payload challenge to reflect current scientific and exploration missions. For the 2025 season, the payload challenge will again take inspiration from the\u00a0Artemis<\/a>\u00a0missions, which seek to land the first woman and first person of color on the\u00a0Moon, and pave the way for future human exploration of Mars.<\/p>\nAs Student Launch celebrates its 25th anniversary, the payload challenge will include reports from\u00a0STEMnauts<\/a>, non-living objects representing astronauts. The STEMnaut crew must relay real-time data to the student team\u2019s mission control via radio frequency, simulating the communication that will be required when the Artemis crew achieves its lunar landing.<\/p>\nUniversity and college teams are required to meet the 2025 payload requirements set by NASA, but middle and high school teams have the option to tackle the same challenge or design their own payload experiment.<\/p>\n
Student teams will undergo detailed reviews by NASA personnel to ensure the safety and feasibility of their rocket and payload designs. The team closest to their target will win the Altitude Award, one of multiple awards presented to teams at the end of the competition. Other awards include overall winner, vehicle design, experiment design, and social media presence.<\/p>\n
In addition to the engineering and science objectives of the challenge, students must also participate in outreach efforts such as engaging with local schools and maintaining active social media accounts. Student Launch is an all-encompassing challenge and aims to prepare the next generation for the professional world of space exploration.<\/p>\n
The Student Launch Challenge is managed by Marshall\u2019s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM). Additional funding and support are provided by\u00a0NASA\u2019s OSTEM<\/a>\u00a0via the Next Gen STEM project, NASA\u2019s Space Operations Mission Directorate, Northrup Grumman, National Space Club Huntsville, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Association of Rocketry, Relativity Space, and Bastion Technologies.<\/p>\nSmith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nNASA\u2019s Laser Comms Demo Makes Deep Space Record, Completes First Phase<\/strong><\/h2>\nNASA\u2019s Deep Space Optical Communications<\/a> technology demonstration broke yet another record for laser communications this summer by sending a laser signal from Earth to NASA\u2019s Psyche spacecraft about 290 million miles away. That\u2019s the same distance between our planet and Mars when the two planets are farthest apart.<\/p>\nSoon after reaching that milestone on July 29, the\u00a0technology demonstration<\/a>\u00a0concluded the first phase of its operations since\u00a0launching<\/a>\u00a0aboard\u00a0Psyche<\/a>\u00a0on Oct. 13, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\nNASA\u2019s Psyche spacecraft is depicted receiving a laser signal from the Deep Space Optical Communications uplink ground station at JPL\u2019s Table Mountain Facility in this artist\u2019s concept. The DSOC experiment consists of an uplink and downlink station, plus a flight laser transceiver flying with Psyche.<\/div>\nNASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cThe milestone is significant. Laser communication requires a very high level of precision, and before we launched with Psyche, we didn\u2019t know how much performance degradation we would see at our farthest distances,\u201d said Meera Srinivasan, the project\u2019s operations lead at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. \u201cNow the techniques we use to track and point have been verified, confirming that optical communications can be a robust and transformative way to explore the solar system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Managed by JPL, the Deep Space Optical Communications experiment consists of a flight\u00a0laser transceiver<\/a>\u00a0and two ground stations. Caltech\u2019s historic 200-inch aperture Hale Telescope at Caltech\u2019s\u00a0Palomar Observatory<\/a>\u00a0in San Diego County, California, acts as the downlink station to which the laser transceiver sends its data from deep space. The\u00a0Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory<\/a>\u00a0at JPL\u2019s Table Mountain facility near Wrightwood, California, acts as the uplink station, capable of transmitting 7 kilowatts of laser power to send data to the transceiver.<\/p>\nBy transporting data at rates up to 100 times higher than radio frequencies, lasers can enable the transmission of complex scientific information as well as high-definition imagery and video, which are needed to support humanity\u2019s next giant leap when\u00a0astronauts travel to Mars<\/a>\u00a0and beyond.<\/p>\nAs for the spacecraft, Psyche remains healthy and stable,\u00a0using ion propulsion<\/a>\u00a0to accelerate toward a metal-rich asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.<\/p>\nThe technology demonstration\u2019s data is sent to and from Psyche as bits encoded in near-infrared light, which has a higher frequency than radio waves. That higher frequency enables more data to be packed into a transmission, allowing far higher rates of data transfer.<\/p>\n
Even when Psyche was about 33 million miles away \u2013 comparable to Mars\u2019 closest approach to Earth \u2013 the technology demonstration could transmit data at the\u00a0system\u2019s maximum rate<\/a>\u00a0of 267 megabits per second. That bit rate is similar to broadband internet download speeds. As the spacecraft travels\u00a0farther away<\/a>, the rate at which it can send and receive data is reduced, as expected.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>This 45-second ultra-high-definition video was streamed via laser from deep space by NASA\u2019s Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration June 24, when the Psyche spacecraft was 240 million miles from Earth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOn June 24, when Psyche was about 240 million miles from Earth \u2013 more than 2\u00bd times the distance between our planet and the Sun \u2013 the project achieved a sustained downlink data rate of 6.25 megabits per second, with a maximum rate of 8.3 megabits per second. While this rate is significantly lower than the experiment\u2019s maximum, it is far higher than what a radio frequency communications system using comparable power can achieve over that distance.<\/p>\n
The goal of Deep Space Optical Communications is to demonstrate technology that can reliably transmit data at higher speeds than other space communication technologies like radio frequency systems. In seeking to achieve this goal, the project had an opportunity to test unique data sets like art and high-definition video along with\u00a0engineering data<\/a>\u00a0from the Psyche spacecraft. For example, one downlink included digital versions of Arizona State University\u2019s \u201cPsyche Inspired<\/a>\u201d artwork, images of the team\u2019s pets, and a 45-second ultra-high-definition video that spoofs television test patterns from the previous century and depicts scenes from Earth and space.<\/p>\nThe technology demonstration beamed the\u00a0first ultra-high-definition video<\/a>\u00a0from space, featuring a cat named Taters, from the Psyche spacecraft to Earth on Dec. 11, 2023, from 19 million miles away. (Artwork, images, and videos were uploaded to Psyche and stored in its memory before launch.)<\/p>\n\u201cA key goal for the system was to prove that the data-rate reduction was proportional to the\u00a0inverse square of distance<\/a>,\u201d said Abi Biswas, the technology demonstration\u2019s project technologist at JPL. \u201cWe met that goal and transferred huge quantities of test data to and from the Psyche spacecraft via laser.\u201d Almost 11 terabits of data have been downlinked during the first phase of the demo.<\/p>\nThe flight transceiver is powered down and will be powered back up on Nov. 4. That activity will prove that the flight hardware can operate for at least a year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll power on the flight laser transceiver and do a short checkout of its functionality,\u201d said Ken Andrews, project flight operations lead at JPL. \u201cOnce that\u2019s achieved, we can look forward to operating the transceiver at its full design capabilities during our post-conjunction phase that starts later in the year.\u201d<\/p>\n
This demonstration is the latest in a series of optical communication experiments funded by the Space Technology Mission Directorate\u2019s Technology Demonstration Missions Program managed at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center and the agency\u2019s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program within the Space Operations Mission Directorate. Development of the flight laser transceiver is supported by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, L3 Harris, CACI, First Mode, and Controlled Dynamics Inc. Fibertek, Coherent, Caltech Optical Observatories, and Dotfast support the ground systems. Some of the technology was developed through\u00a0NASA\u2019s Small Business Innovation Research<\/a>\u00a0program.<\/p>\nPsyche is the 14th mission selected as part of\u00a0NASA\u2019s Discovery Program<\/a>, which is managed by Marshall.<\/p>\n\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nAncient Oort Cloud Comet to Make First Documented Pass by Earth in Mid-October<\/strong><\/h2>\nBy Rick Smith<\/em><\/p>\nAn ancient celestial traveler will make its first close pass by Earth in mid-October. Mark those calendars \u2013 because it won\u2019t be back for another 80,000 years.<\/p>\n
The Oort Cloud<\/a> comet, called C\/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, was discovered in 2023, approaching the inner solar system on its highly elliptical orbit for the first time in documented human history. It was identified by observers at China\u2019s Tsuchinshan \u2013 or \u201cPurple Mountain\u201d \u2013 Observatory and an ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) telescope in South Africa. The comet was officially named in honor of both observatories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\nComets with long, elliptical orbits around the Sun may reach perihelion \u2013 their closest point to our star \u2013 too rarely to observe more than once in a lifetime. This comet, Lovejoy (C\/2014 Q2), reached perihelion in early February 2015, and isn\u2019t expected to do so again until 2633. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which is expected to come within approximately 44 million miles of Earth on Oct. 12, will not enter the inner solar system again for some 80,000 years.<\/div>\nNASA\/Damian Peach<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe comet successfully made its closest transit past the Sun on Sept. 27. Scientists surmised it might well break up during that pass, its volatile and icy composition unable to withstand the intense heat of our parent star, but it survived more or less intact \u2013 and is now on track to come within approximately 44 million miles of Earth on Oct. 12.<\/p>\n
\u201cComets are more fragile than people may realize, thanks to the effects of passing close to the Sun on their internal water ice and volatiles such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide,\u201d said NASA astronomer Bill Cooke, who leads the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center. \u201cComet Kohoutek<\/a>, which reached the inner solar system in 1973, broke up while passing too close to the Sun. Comet Ison<\/a> similarly failed to survive the Sun\u2019s intense heat and gravity during perihelion in 2013.\u201d<\/p>\nThough Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be ideally positioned to view from the Southern Hemisphere, spotters above the equator should have a good chance as well. Peak visibility will occur Oct. 9-10, once the half-moon begins to move away from the comet.<\/p>\n
Choose a dark vantage point just after full nightfall, Cooke recommended. Looking to the southwest, roughly 10 degrees above the horizon, identify the constellations of Sagittarius and Scorpio. Tsuchinshan-ATLAS should be visible between them. By Oct. 14, the comet may remain visible at the midway point between the bright star Arcturus and the planet Venus.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd savor the view,\u201d Cooke advised \u2013 because by early November, the comet will be gone again for the next 800 centuries.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s highly unlikely Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be visible in daylight hours, except perhaps at twilight, Cooke said. In the past 300 years of astronomical observation, only nine previous comets have been bright enough to spot during the day. The last were Comet West<\/a> in 1976 and, under ideal conditions, Comet Hale-Bopp<\/a> in 1997.<\/p>\nThe brightness of comets is measured on the same scale we use for stars, one that has been in use since roughly 150 B.C., when it was devised by the ancient scholar Hipparchus and refined by the astronomer Ptolemy. Stellar magnitude is measured on a logarithmic scale, which makes a magnitude 1 star exactly 100 times brighter than a magnitude 6 star. The lower the number the brighter the object, making it more likely to be clearly seen, whether by telescope or the naked eye.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\nComets traveling through the inner solar system aren\u2019t uncommon, but many never survive a close pass by the Sun. Icy comet ISON, photographed here on Nov. 19, 2013, reached solar perihelion later that month \u2013 but couldn\u2019t endure the punishing heat and gravity so close to Earth\u2019s parent star and disintegrated. <\/div>\nNASA\/Aaron Kingery<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cTypically, a comet would have to reach a magnitude of \u20136 to \u201310 to be seen in daylight,\u201d Cooke said. \u201cThat\u2019s extremely rare.\u201d<\/p>\n
At peak visibility in the northern hemisphere, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS\u2019s brightness is estimated at between 2 and 4. In comparison, the brightest visible star in the night sky, Sirius, has a magnitude of \u20131.46. At its brightest, solar reflection from Venus is a magnitude of \u20134. The International Space Station sometimes achieves a relative brightness of \u20136.<\/p>\n
Comets are often hard to predict because they\u2019re extended objects, Cooke noted, with their brightness spread out and often dimmer than their magnitude suggests. At the same time, they may benefit from a phenomenon called \u201cforward scattering,\u201d which causes sunlight to bounce more intensely off all the gas and debris in the comet\u2019s tail and its coma \u2013 the glowing nebula that develops around it during close stellar orbit \u2013 and causing a more intense brightening effect for observers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there is a lot of forward scattering, the comet could be as bright as magnitude \u20131,\u201d Cooke said. That could make it \u201cvisible to the unaided eye or truly spectacular with binoculars or a small telescope.\u201d<\/p>\n
What will become of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS? Cooke noted that it is not expected to draw too near the planetary giants of our system, but eventually could be flung out of the solar system \u2013 like a stone from a sling \u2013 due to the gravitational influence of other worlds and its own tenuous bond with the Sun.<\/p>\n
But the hardy traveler likely still has miles to go yet. \u201cI learned a long time ago not to gamble on comets,\u201d Cooke said. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to wait and see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith, an Aeyon employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\nVia NASA Plane, Scientists Find New Gamma-ray Emission in Storm Clouds<\/strong><\/h2>\nThere\u2019s more to thunderclouds than rain and lightning. Along with visible light emissions, thunderclouds can produce intense bursts of gamma rays, the most energetic form of light, that last for millionths of a second. The clouds can also glow steadily with gamma rays for seconds to minutes at a time.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\nNASA\u2019s high-flying ER-2 airplane carries instrumentation in this artist\u2019s impression of the ALOFT mission to record gamma rays (colored purple for illustration) from thunderclouds. <\/div>\nOscar van der Velde<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nResearchers using NASA airborne platforms have now found a new kind of gamma-ray emission that\u2019s shorter in duration than the steady glows and longer than the microsecond bursts. They\u2019re calling it a flickering gamma-ray flash. The discovery fills in a missing link in scientists\u2019 understanding of thundercloud radiation and provides new insights into the mechanisms that produce lightning. The insights, in turn, could lead to more accurate lightning risk estimates for people, aircraft, and spacecraft.<\/p>\n
Researchers from the University of Bergen in Norway led the study in collaboration with scientists from NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center and Goddard Space Flight Center, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and multiple universities in the U.S., Mexico, Colombia, and Europe. The findings were described in a\u00a0pair<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0papers<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Nature<\/em>, published Oct. 2.<\/p>\nThe international research team made their discovery while flying a battery of detectors aboard a NASA ER-2 research aircraft. In July 2023, the ER-2 set out on a series of 10 flights from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The plane flew figure-eight flight patterns a few miles above tropical thunderclouds in the Caribbean and Central America, providing unprecedented views of cloud activity.<\/p>\n
The scientific payload was developed for the Airborne Lightning Observatory for Fly\u2019s Eye Geostationary Lightning Mapper Simulator and Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (ALOFT) campaign. Instrumentation in the payload included weather radars along with multiple sensors for measuring gamma rays, lightning flashes, and microwave emissions from clouds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The researchers had hoped ALOFT instruments would observe fast radiation bursts known as terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs). The flashes,\u00a0first discovered in 1992<\/a>\u00a0by NASA\u2019s Compton Gamma Ray Observatory spacecraft, accompany some lightning strikes and last only millionths of a second. Despite their high intensity and their association with visible lightning, few TGFs have been spotted during previous aircraft-based studies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cI went to a meeting just before the ALOFT campaign,\u201d said principal investigator Nikolai \u00d8stgaard, a space physicist with the University of Bergen. \u201cAnd they asked me: \u2018How many TGFs are you going to see?\u2019 I said: \u2018Either we\u2019ll see zero, or we\u2019ll see a lot.\u2019 And then we happened to see 130.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, the flickering gamma-ray flashes were a complete surprise.<\/p>\n
Nearly 500 students and faculty of Auburn University gathered on campus Sept. 30-Oct. 2 to hear lectures from leading NASA propulsion and engineering experts and to talk careers goals and opportunities with representatives of the U.S. space program and various aerospace industry firms.<\/p>\n
The Aerospace Industry Day event, exclusively focused on careers supporting rocketry and space exploration, was the first of its kind at Auburn. University spokespersons said they hope to make it an annual expo \u2013 and team members from NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center helped ensure the kickoff was a success.<\/p>\n
![\"Heather](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/auburn-day-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\u201cThe event marked a significant milestone for our organization and the university as a whole,\u201d said Austin Miranda, an Auburn aerospace engineering undergraduate and president of Auburn\u2019s chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. \u201cWe deeply appreciate NASA\u2019s participation, which significantly enriched the experience for our attendees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marshall managers and engineers in the Space Launch System<\/a> and Human Landing System<\/a> programs, the Engineering Directorate<\/a>, and the Space Nuclear Propulsion<\/a> Office presented guest lectures, staffed exhibit booths, and met informally with students. The event also included a pair of intensive focus sessions on propulsion engineering, face-to-face networking opportunities between students and NASA and industry leaders, and a career fair with Marshall, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, and more than a dozen leading aerospace industry companies.<\/p>\n \u201cAs an Auburn alum, it\u2019s always great to be able to return to the plains and engage in activities on campus,\u201d said Josh Whitehead, associate manager of the SLS Stages Element at Marshall.\u00a0\u201cI was impressed not only with the outstanding faculty who engaged from multiple engineering departments, but also with the engineering students who asked informed, insightful questions about NASA, our missions, and the new technologies we are developing to enable exploration of space.\u201d<\/p>\n Mike Houts, nuclear research manager for NASA\u2019s Space Nuclear Propulsion Office at Marshall, also was struck by students\u2019 enthusiasm.<\/p>\n \u201cThe students\u2019 depth of interest and understanding was impressive,\u201d he said. \u201cMany of them stayed to talk long after events were officially over, and several have already followed up by email. I foresee lots of \u2018win-win\u2019 potential moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Among the aerospace industry participants were representatives from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Jacobs Technology, Lockheed Martin, Relativity Space, Reliable Microsystems, RTX subsidiaries Pratt & Whitney and UTC Aerospace Systems, and Technology Service Corp.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone was impressed with the level of knowledge and interest from Auburn students, many of whom waited in long lines to ask questions and talk about career opportunities,\u201d said Heather Haney, SLS Program test and verification subsystem manager. \u201cNASA has a great history of collaborating with Auburn to support our nation\u2019s space program, and that was reflected by the excitement on so many faces during the event.\u201d<\/p>\n Auburn has contributed to a number of key Marshall endeavors in recent years, including support for Marshall\u2019s RAMPT (Rapid Analysis and Manufacturing Propulsion Technology<\/a>) project, refining a variety of additive manufacturing processes, and for a new laser-ablation technology study to develop multi-material 3D printers for use in microgravity. The latter is set to begin testing in spring 2025. Additive manufacturing research at Auburn was pivotal to development of NASA\u2019s 2024 Invention of the Year<\/a>, an innovative rocket engine thrust chamber liner and fabrication method. Auburn students also are perennial contenders in annual NASA STEM events, including the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge<\/a> and the Student Launch<\/a> rocketry competition.<\/p>\n The Aerospace Industry Day event was hosted by Auburn\u2019s Office of Career Development and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.<\/p>\n Smith, an Aeyon employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n NASA and SpaceX are standing down from the Oct. 10 launch attempt of the agency\u2019s Europa Clipper<\/a> mission due to anticipated hurricane conditions in the area.<\/p>\n Hurricane Milton<\/a> is expected to move east to the Space Coast after making landfall on Florida\u2019s west coast. High winds and heavy rain are expected in the Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island regions on Florida\u2019s east coast. Launch teams have secured NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper spacecraft in SpaceX\u2019s hangar at Launch Complex 39A at the agency\u2019s Kennedy Space Center ahead of the severe weather, and the center began hurricane preparations Oct. 6.<\/p>\n \u201cThe safety of launch team personnel is our highest priority, and all precautions will be taken to protect the Europa Clipper spacecraft,\u201d said Tim Dunn, senior launch director at NASA\u2019s Launch Services Program.<\/p>\n On Oct. 4, workers transported NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper spacecraft from the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy to the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in the hangar as part of final launch preparations ahead of its journey to Jupiter\u2019s icy moon. While Europa Clipper\u2019s launch period opens Oct. 10, the window provides launch opportunities until Nov. 6.<\/p>\n Once the storm passes, recovery teams will assess the safety of the spaceport before personnel return to work. Then launch teams will assess the launch processing facilities for damage from the storm.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce we have the \u2018all-clear\u2019 followed by facility assessment and any recovery actions, we will determine the next launch opportunity for this NASA flagship mission,\u201d Dunn said.<\/p>\n Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) leads the development of the\u00a0Europa Clipper\u00a0mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, for NASA\u2019s Science Mission Directorate. The main spacecraft body was designed by APL in collaboration with JPL and NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center. The Planetary Missions Program Office<\/a> at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission. NASA\u2019s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, manages the launch service for the Europa Clipper spacecraft.<\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n The seven NASA astronauts aboard the\u00a0International Space Station<\/a>\u00a0relaxed and took a break Oct. 8 before the\u00a0SpaceX Crew-8<\/a>\u00a0mission leaves. Mission managers are monitoring weather conditions off the coast of Florida with Hurricane Milton.<\/p>\n Expedition 72<\/a>\u00a0flight engineers\u00a0Matthew Dominick<\/a>,\u00a0Mike Barratt<\/a>, and\u00a0Jeanette Epps<\/a>\u00a0of NASA and Alexander Grebenkin from Roscosmos are now targeting departure from the orbital outpost aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft for no earlier than 2:05 a.m. CDT on Oct. 13, pending weather. The Commercial Crew Program (CCP) crew is scheduled to call down to Mission Control Center for farewell remarks Oct. 10 at 8:15 a.m. Watch live coverage of both events on\u00a0NASA+<\/a>. Learn how to watch\u00a0NASA content<\/a>\u00a0through a variety of platforms, including social media.<\/p>\n Space biology and physics were the focus of research operations for the\u00a0Expedition 72\u00a0crew Oct. 7. NASA flight engineer\u00a0Nick Hague\u00a0worked in the\u00a0Columbus laboratory module\u00a0swapping filters inside the\u00a0BioLab<\/a>\u2019s incubator. BioLab supports the observation of microbes, cells, tissue cultures and more to understand the effects of weightlessness and radiation on organisms. NASA flight engineer\u00a0Don Pettit\u00a0set up a laptop computer on the\u00a0Cell Biology Experiment Facility, a research incubator with an artificial gravity generator, located in the\u00a0Kibo laboratory module.<\/p>\n Station Commander\u00a0Suni Williams\u00a0explored space physics mixing gel samples and observing with a\u00a0fluorescence microscope\u00a0how particles of different sizes\u00a0gel and coarsen. Results are expected to benefit the medicine, food, and cosmetic industries. NASA astronaut\u00a0Butch Wilmore, who has been aboard the station with Williams since\u00a0June 6<\/a>, trained to operate\u00a0advanced life support gear<\/a>\u00a0installed in the\u00a0Microgravity Science Glovebox<\/a>\u00a0for a different space physics experiment then relaxed the rest of the day.<\/p>\n The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center provides engineering and mission operations support for the space station, the CCP, and Artemis missions, as well as science and technology demonstration missions. The Payload Operations Integration Center within HOSC operates, plans, and coordinates the science experiments onboard the space station 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.<\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n Dave Reynolds has been named to the Senior Executive Service position of manager of the Space Launch System (SLS) Booster Office at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center, effective immediately. In his role, Reynolds is responsible for the design, development, and flight of the solid rocket boosters for the SLS rocket, NASA\u2019s deep-space flagship rocket, designed for a new era of science and exploration.<\/p>\n Reynolds began his NASA career in Marshall\u2019s propulsion systems department in 2004 as a rocket engines component designer. Since 2020, Reynolds has served as the deputy program manager for the SLS Boosters Office. In this role, he was responsible for the execution of two major contracts with a combined value of $7.6 billion. He also served as an alternate to the manager for overseeing the performance, budget, schedule, and discretionary spending for developing, fabricating, and flying the SLS Boosters. Reynolds supervised a team of 31 civil servants and contractors and acted as the representative for the booster element in key SLS program reviews decision boards, milestones, and budget risk assessments.<\/p>\n Reynolds\u2019 previous roles include leading the development program for the SLS Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension effort starting in 2016, officially being selected as the development program manager in 2019. In this role he was responsible for creating the strategic plan and initiating the early development phases for the SLS Block II Booster. He also served as a SLS Booster subsystem manager from 2013-2019 where he was responsible for the management of the SLS motor cases, igniters, and small motors.<\/p>\n From 2012-2013, Reynolds participated in a temporary rotational assignment with the Defense Intelligence Agency\u2019s Missile and Space Intelligence Center where he acted as the NASA liaison as a propulsion subject matter expert and supported military intelligence assessments of foreign weapon systems. From 2002-2004, Reynolds was a design engineer at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake, California, where he served as a propulsion designer specializing in the design, fabrication, and testing of U.S. Navy weapons propulsion systems.<\/p>\n Reynolds holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration and Management from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He holds two patents for additive manufacturing technologies and has received numerous NASA awards including the Outstanding Leadership Medal, the Exceptional Achievement Medal, and the Silver Snoopy.<\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n By Wayne Smith<\/em><\/p>\n NASA has selected 75 student\u00a0teams<\/a>\u00a0to begin an engineering design challenge to build rovers that will compete next spring at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center near the agency\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center. The competition is one of the agency\u2019s Artemis Student Challenges, encouraging students to pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Recognized as NASA\u2019s leading international student challenge, the 31st annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge<\/a> (HERC) aims to put competitors in the mindset of NASA\u2019s Artemis campaign as they pitch an engineering design for a lunar terrain vehicle which simulates astronauts piloting a vehicle, exploring the lunar surface while overcoming various obstacles.<\/p>\n Participating teams\u00a0represent 35 colleges and\u00a0universities, 38 high schools, and two middle schools from 20 states, Puerto Rico, and 16 other nations from around the world. The 31st annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) is scheduled to begin on April 11, 2025. The challenge is managed by NASA\u2019s Southeast Regional\u00a0Office of STEM Engagement<\/a>\u00a0at Marshall.<\/p>\n Following a 2024 competition that garnered international attention, NASA expanded the challenge to include a remote-control division, Remote-Operated Vehicular Research, and invited middle school students to participate. The\u00a02025 HERC Handbook<\/a>\u00a0includes guidelines for the new remote-control division and updates for the human-powered division.<\/p>\n NASA\u2019s Artemis Student Challenges reflects the goals of the\u00a0Artemis<\/a>\u00a0campaign, which seeks to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon while establishing a long-term presence for science and exploration.<\/p>\n More than 1,000 students with 72 teams from around the world participated in the\u00a02024 challenge<\/a>\u00a0as HERC celebrated its 30th anniversary as a NASA competition. Since its inception in 1994, more than 15,000 students have participated in HERC \u2013 with many\u00a0former students<\/a>\u00a0now working at NASA, or within the aerospace industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n By Wayne Smith<\/em><\/p>\n NASA has selected 71\u00a0teams<\/a>\u00a0from across the U.S. to participate in its 25th annual Student Launch Challenge<\/a>, one of the agency\u2019s Artemis Student Challenges. The competition is aimed at inspiring Artemis Generation students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for the benefit of humanity.<\/p>\n As part of the challenge, teams will design, build, and fly a high-powered amateur rocket and scientific payload. They also must meet documentation milestones and undergo detailed reviews throughout the school year.<\/p>\n The nine-month-long challenge will culminate with on-site events starting on April 30, 2025. Final launches are scheduled for May 3, at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, just minutes north of NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center. Teams are not required to travel for their final launch, having the option to launch from a qualified site. Details are outlined in the\u00a0Student Launch Handbook<\/a>.<\/p>\n Each year, NASA updates the university payload challenge to reflect current scientific and exploration missions. For the 2025 season, the payload challenge will again take inspiration from the\u00a0Artemis<\/a>\u00a0missions, which seek to land the first woman and first person of color on the\u00a0Moon, and pave the way for future human exploration of Mars.<\/p>\n As Student Launch celebrates its 25th anniversary, the payload challenge will include reports from\u00a0STEMnauts<\/a>, non-living objects representing astronauts. The STEMnaut crew must relay real-time data to the student team\u2019s mission control via radio frequency, simulating the communication that will be required when the Artemis crew achieves its lunar landing.<\/p>\n University and college teams are required to meet the 2025 payload requirements set by NASA, but middle and high school teams have the option to tackle the same challenge or design their own payload experiment.<\/p>\n Student teams will undergo detailed reviews by NASA personnel to ensure the safety and feasibility of their rocket and payload designs. The team closest to their target will win the Altitude Award, one of multiple awards presented to teams at the end of the competition. Other awards include overall winner, vehicle design, experiment design, and social media presence.<\/p>\n In addition to the engineering and science objectives of the challenge, students must also participate in outreach efforts such as engaging with local schools and maintaining active social media accounts. Student Launch is an all-encompassing challenge and aims to prepare the next generation for the professional world of space exploration.<\/p>\n The Student Launch Challenge is managed by Marshall\u2019s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM). Additional funding and support are provided by\u00a0NASA\u2019s OSTEM<\/a>\u00a0via the Next Gen STEM project, NASA\u2019s Space Operations Mission Directorate, Northrup Grumman, National Space Club Huntsville, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Association of Rocketry, Relativity Space, and Bastion Technologies.<\/p>\n Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n NASA\u2019s Deep Space Optical Communications<\/a> technology demonstration broke yet another record for laser communications this summer by sending a laser signal from Earth to NASA\u2019s Psyche spacecraft about 290 million miles away. That\u2019s the same distance between our planet and Mars when the two planets are farthest apart.<\/p>\n Soon after reaching that milestone on July 29, the\u00a0technology demonstration<\/a>\u00a0concluded the first phase of its operations since\u00a0launching<\/a>\u00a0aboard\u00a0Psyche<\/a>\u00a0on Oct. 13, 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cThe milestone is significant. Laser communication requires a very high level of precision, and before we launched with Psyche, we didn\u2019t know how much performance degradation we would see at our farthest distances,\u201d said Meera Srinivasan, the project\u2019s operations lead at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. \u201cNow the techniques we use to track and point have been verified, confirming that optical communications can be a robust and transformative way to explore the solar system.\u201d<\/p>\n Managed by JPL, the Deep Space Optical Communications experiment consists of a flight\u00a0laser transceiver<\/a>\u00a0and two ground stations. Caltech\u2019s historic 200-inch aperture Hale Telescope at Caltech\u2019s\u00a0Palomar Observatory<\/a>\u00a0in San Diego County, California, acts as the downlink station to which the laser transceiver sends its data from deep space. The\u00a0Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory<\/a>\u00a0at JPL\u2019s Table Mountain facility near Wrightwood, California, acts as the uplink station, capable of transmitting 7 kilowatts of laser power to send data to the transceiver.<\/p>\n By transporting data at rates up to 100 times higher than radio frequencies, lasers can enable the transmission of complex scientific information as well as high-definition imagery and video, which are needed to support humanity\u2019s next giant leap when\u00a0astronauts travel to Mars<\/a>\u00a0and beyond.<\/p>\n As for the spacecraft, Psyche remains healthy and stable,\u00a0using ion propulsion<\/a>\u00a0to accelerate toward a metal-rich asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.<\/p>\n The technology demonstration\u2019s data is sent to and from Psyche as bits encoded in near-infrared light, which has a higher frequency than radio waves. That higher frequency enables more data to be packed into a transmission, allowing far higher rates of data transfer.<\/p>\n Even when Psyche was about 33 million miles away \u2013 comparable to Mars\u2019 closest approach to Earth \u2013 the technology demonstration could transmit data at the\u00a0system\u2019s maximum rate<\/a>\u00a0of 267 megabits per second. That bit rate is similar to broadband internet download speeds. As the spacecraft travels\u00a0farther away<\/a>, the rate at which it can send and receive data is reduced, as expected.<\/p>\n On June 24, when Psyche was about 240 million miles from Earth \u2013 more than 2\u00bd times the distance between our planet and the Sun \u2013 the project achieved a sustained downlink data rate of 6.25 megabits per second, with a maximum rate of 8.3 megabits per second. While this rate is significantly lower than the experiment\u2019s maximum, it is far higher than what a radio frequency communications system using comparable power can achieve over that distance.<\/p>\n The goal of Deep Space Optical Communications is to demonstrate technology that can reliably transmit data at higher speeds than other space communication technologies like radio frequency systems. In seeking to achieve this goal, the project had an opportunity to test unique data sets like art and high-definition video along with\u00a0engineering data<\/a>\u00a0from the Psyche spacecraft. For example, one downlink included digital versions of Arizona State University\u2019s \u201cPsyche Inspired<\/a>\u201d artwork, images of the team\u2019s pets, and a 45-second ultra-high-definition video that spoofs television test patterns from the previous century and depicts scenes from Earth and space.<\/p>\n The technology demonstration beamed the\u00a0first ultra-high-definition video<\/a>\u00a0from space, featuring a cat named Taters, from the Psyche spacecraft to Earth on Dec. 11, 2023, from 19 million miles away. (Artwork, images, and videos were uploaded to Psyche and stored in its memory before launch.)<\/p>\n \u201cA key goal for the system was to prove that the data-rate reduction was proportional to the\u00a0inverse square of distance<\/a>,\u201d said Abi Biswas, the technology demonstration\u2019s project technologist at JPL. \u201cWe met that goal and transferred huge quantities of test data to and from the Psyche spacecraft via laser.\u201d Almost 11 terabits of data have been downlinked during the first phase of the demo.<\/p>\n The flight transceiver is powered down and will be powered back up on Nov. 4. That activity will prove that the flight hardware can operate for at least a year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll power on the flight laser transceiver and do a short checkout of its functionality,\u201d said Ken Andrews, project flight operations lead at JPL. \u201cOnce that\u2019s achieved, we can look forward to operating the transceiver at its full design capabilities during our post-conjunction phase that starts later in the year.\u201d<\/p>\n This demonstration is the latest in a series of optical communication experiments funded by the Space Technology Mission Directorate\u2019s Technology Demonstration Missions Program managed at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center and the agency\u2019s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program within the Space Operations Mission Directorate. Development of the flight laser transceiver is supported by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, L3 Harris, CACI, First Mode, and Controlled Dynamics Inc. Fibertek, Coherent, Caltech Optical Observatories, and Dotfast support the ground systems. Some of the technology was developed through\u00a0NASA\u2019s Small Business Innovation Research<\/a>\u00a0program.<\/p>\n Psyche is the 14th mission selected as part of\u00a0NASA\u2019s Discovery Program<\/a>, which is managed by Marshall.<\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n By Rick Smith<\/em><\/p>\n An ancient celestial traveler will make its first close pass by Earth in mid-October. Mark those calendars \u2013 because it won\u2019t be back for another 80,000 years.<\/p>\n The Oort Cloud<\/a> comet, called C\/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, was discovered in 2023, approaching the inner solar system on its highly elliptical orbit for the first time in documented human history. It was identified by observers at China\u2019s Tsuchinshan \u2013 or \u201cPurple Mountain\u201d \u2013 Observatory and an ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) telescope in South Africa. The comet was officially named in honor of both observatories.<\/p>\n The comet successfully made its closest transit past the Sun on Sept. 27. Scientists surmised it might well break up during that pass, its volatile and icy composition unable to withstand the intense heat of our parent star, but it survived more or less intact \u2013 and is now on track to come within approximately 44 million miles of Earth on Oct. 12.<\/p>\n \u201cComets are more fragile than people may realize, thanks to the effects of passing close to the Sun on their internal water ice and volatiles such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide,\u201d said NASA astronomer Bill Cooke, who leads the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center. \u201cComet Kohoutek<\/a>, which reached the inner solar system in 1973, broke up while passing too close to the Sun. Comet Ison<\/a> similarly failed to survive the Sun\u2019s intense heat and gravity during perihelion in 2013.\u201d<\/p>\n Though Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be ideally positioned to view from the Southern Hemisphere, spotters above the equator should have a good chance as well. Peak visibility will occur Oct. 9-10, once the half-moon begins to move away from the comet.<\/p>\n Choose a dark vantage point just after full nightfall, Cooke recommended. Looking to the southwest, roughly 10 degrees above the horizon, identify the constellations of Sagittarius and Scorpio. Tsuchinshan-ATLAS should be visible between them. By Oct. 14, the comet may remain visible at the midway point between the bright star Arcturus and the planet Venus.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd savor the view,\u201d Cooke advised \u2013 because by early November, the comet will be gone again for the next 800 centuries.<\/p>\n It\u2019s highly unlikely Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be visible in daylight hours, except perhaps at twilight, Cooke said. In the past 300 years of astronomical observation, only nine previous comets have been bright enough to spot during the day. The last were Comet West<\/a> in 1976 and, under ideal conditions, Comet Hale-Bopp<\/a> in 1997.<\/p>\n The brightness of comets is measured on the same scale we use for stars, one that has been in use since roughly 150 B.C., when it was devised by the ancient scholar Hipparchus and refined by the astronomer Ptolemy. Stellar magnitude is measured on a logarithmic scale, which makes a magnitude 1 star exactly 100 times brighter than a magnitude 6 star. The lower the number the brighter the object, making it more likely to be clearly seen, whether by telescope or the naked eye.<\/p>\n \u201cTypically, a comet would have to reach a magnitude of \u20136 to \u201310 to be seen in daylight,\u201d Cooke said. \u201cThat\u2019s extremely rare.\u201d<\/p>\n At peak visibility in the northern hemisphere, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS\u2019s brightness is estimated at between 2 and 4. In comparison, the brightest visible star in the night sky, Sirius, has a magnitude of \u20131.46. At its brightest, solar reflection from Venus is a magnitude of \u20134. The International Space Station sometimes achieves a relative brightness of \u20136.<\/p>\n Comets are often hard to predict because they\u2019re extended objects, Cooke noted, with their brightness spread out and often dimmer than their magnitude suggests. At the same time, they may benefit from a phenomenon called \u201cforward scattering,\u201d which causes sunlight to bounce more intensely off all the gas and debris in the comet\u2019s tail and its coma \u2013 the glowing nebula that develops around it during close stellar orbit \u2013 and causing a more intense brightening effect for observers.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there is a lot of forward scattering, the comet could be as bright as magnitude \u20131,\u201d Cooke said. That could make it \u201cvisible to the unaided eye or truly spectacular with binoculars or a small telescope.\u201d<\/p>\n What will become of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS? Cooke noted that it is not expected to draw too near the planetary giants of our system, but eventually could be flung out of the solar system \u2013 like a stone from a sling \u2013 due to the gravitational influence of other worlds and its own tenuous bond with the Sun.<\/p>\n But the hardy traveler likely still has miles to go yet. \u201cI learned a long time ago not to gamble on comets,\u201d Cooke said. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to wait and see.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith, an Aeyon employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s more to thunderclouds than rain and lightning. Along with visible light emissions, thunderclouds can produce intense bursts of gamma rays, the most energetic form of light, that last for millionths of a second. The clouds can also glow steadily with gamma rays for seconds to minutes at a time.<\/p>\n Researchers using NASA airborne platforms have now found a new kind of gamma-ray emission that\u2019s shorter in duration than the steady glows and longer than the microsecond bursts. They\u2019re calling it a flickering gamma-ray flash. The discovery fills in a missing link in scientists\u2019 understanding of thundercloud radiation and provides new insights into the mechanisms that produce lightning. The insights, in turn, could lead to more accurate lightning risk estimates for people, aircraft, and spacecraft.<\/p>\n Researchers from the University of Bergen in Norway led the study in collaboration with scientists from NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center and Goddard Space Flight Center, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and multiple universities in the U.S., Mexico, Colombia, and Europe. The findings were described in a\u00a0pair<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0papers<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Nature<\/em>, published Oct. 2.<\/p>\n The international research team made their discovery while flying a battery of detectors aboard a NASA ER-2 research aircraft. In July 2023, the ER-2 set out on a series of 10 flights from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The plane flew figure-eight flight patterns a few miles above tropical thunderclouds in the Caribbean and Central America, providing unprecedented views of cloud activity.<\/p>\n The scientific payload was developed for the Airborne Lightning Observatory for Fly\u2019s Eye Geostationary Lightning Mapper Simulator and Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (ALOFT) campaign. Instrumentation in the payload included weather radars along with multiple sensors for measuring gamma rays, lightning flashes, and microwave emissions from clouds.\u00a0<\/p>\n The researchers had hoped ALOFT instruments would observe fast radiation bursts known as terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs). The flashes,\u00a0first discovered in 1992<\/a>\u00a0by NASA\u2019s Compton Gamma Ray Observatory spacecraft, accompany some lightning strikes and last only millionths of a second. Despite their high intensity and their association with visible lightning, few TGFs have been spotted during previous aircraft-based studies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI went to a meeting just before the ALOFT campaign,\u201d said principal investigator Nikolai \u00d8stgaard, a space physicist with the University of Bergen. \u201cAnd they asked me: \u2018How many TGFs are you going to see?\u2019 I said: \u2018Either we\u2019ll see zero, or we\u2019ll see a lot.\u2019 And then we happened to see 130.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n However, the flickering gamma-ray flashes were a complete surprise.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/figure>NASA, SpaceX Secure Europa Clipper Ahead of Hurricane<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/figure>Crew Departure Preps Continue Aboard Space Station<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/figure>Dave Reynolds Named Manager of Space Launch System Booster Office<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/figure>NASA Announces Teams to Compete in International Rover Challenge<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/figure>Agency Selects Teams for 2025 Student Launch Challenge<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/figure>NASA\u2019s Laser Comms Demo Makes Deep Space Record, Completes First Phase<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/figure>Ancient Oort Cloud Comet to Make First Documented Pass by Earth in Mid-October<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure>Via NASA Plane, Scientists Find New Gamma-ray Emission in Storm Clouds<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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