[NASA HQ News] NASA Invites Media to Next SpaceX Commercial Crew Space Station Launch

	December 21, 2022  MEDIA ADVISORY M22-186 NASA Invites Media to Next SpaceX Commercial Crew Space Station Launch space_x_crew_6.jpg (Aug. 11, 2022) --- The four crew members that comprise the SpaceX Crew-6 mission pose for a photo in their spacesuits during a training session at the company's headquarters in Hawthorne, California. From left are, Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev, Pilot Warren "Woody" Hoburg, Commander Stephen Bowen, and Mission Specialist Sultan Al Neyadi. Credits: SpaceX Media accreditation is now open for the launch of the sixth SpaceX commercial crew mission to the International Space Station for NASA. The earliest targeted launch date for the agency's SpaceX Crew-6 mission is mid-February 2023, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, mated atop a Falcon 9 rocket will carry two NASA astronauts, Mission Commander Stephen Bowen, and Pilot Woody Hoburg, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will join as mission specialists. This is the first spaceflight for Hoburg, Al Neyadi, and Fedyaev. It is the fourth mission to space for Bowen. Following a handover period on the space station, crew members from NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 mission will return to Earth aboard their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, Endurance. Media accreditation deadlines for the Crew-6 launch are as follows: U.S. media and U.S. citizens representing international media must apply by 11:59 p.m. EST Tuesday, Jan. 31. International media without U.S. citizenship must apply by 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5. All accreditation requests should be submitted online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov For questions about accreditation, please email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. Any special logistical requests, such as space for satellite trucks, tents, or electrical connections, should be requested to NASA Kennedy by Friday, Feb. 4 at: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. For other questions, please contact Kennedy's newsroom at 321-867-2468. Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo: 321-501-8425. For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew -end-
	Press Contacts Joshua Finch / Lora Bleacher Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / lora.v.bleacher@nasa.gov Brittney Thorpe / Kathleen Haas Ellis Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-867-2468 brittney.thorpe@nasa.gov / kathleen.h.ellis@nasa.gov Leah Cheshier Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov
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[NASA HQ News] NASA to Host Media Briefing on Space Station Spacecraft Leak Probe

	December 21, 2022  MEDIA ADVISORY M22-187 NASA to Host Media Briefing on Space Station Spacecraft Leak Probe soyuz_leak_briefing_advisory.jpg (Dec. 3, 2022) --- The International Space Station was orbiting 271 miles above the southern Pacific Ocean when NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Josh Cassada captured this photograph of the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module, the Prichal docking module, and the Soyuz MS-22 crew ship during a spacewalk. Credits: NASA NASA will host a media teleconference at 11 a.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 22, to discuss the ongoing investigation of an external leak that occurred Dec. 14, from the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the Rassvet module of the International Space Station. Live audio of the call will stream on the agency's website at: https://www.nasa.gov/live Briefing participants include: Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston Sergei Krikalev, executive director, Human Space Flight Programs, Roscosmos Media interested in participating by phone must contact the Johnson newsroom no later than one hour before the start of the call at: 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. The leak was first detected around 7:45 p.m. EST Dec. 14, when pressure sensors in the spacecraft's cooling loop showed low readings. At the time of the leak, Roscosmos cosmonauts were preparing to conduct a spacewalk. The spacewalk was postponed, so no crew members exited the space station or were exposed to the leaking coolant. NASA provided an additional inspection of the Soyuz exterior using the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm on Dec. 18. Images and data are being analyzed by Roscosmos. The agency also is closely monitoring Soyuz spacecraft temperatures, which remain within acceptable limits. NASA and Roscosmos are continuing to work together on a course of action following the ongoing analysis. The Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft carried NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin into space after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sept. 21. For updates, follow along on NASA's space station blog at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/ -end-
	Press Contacts Lora Bleacher Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 lora.v.bleacher@nasa.gov Sandra Jones Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
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[NASA HQ News] NASA Retires InSight Mars Lander Mission After Years of Science

	December 21, 2022  RELEASE 22-134 NASA Retires InSight Mars Lander Mission After Years of Science insight.jpg An image of the final selfie taken by NASA's InSight Mars lander on April 24, 2022, the 1,211th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The lander is covered with far more dust than it was in its first selfie, taken in December 2018, not long after landing – or in its second selfie, composed of images taken in March and April 2019. Because InSight's dusty solar panels are producing less power, the team will soon put the lander's robotic arm in its resting position (called the "retirement pose") for the last time in May of 2022. Credits: NASA NASA's InSight mission has ended after more than four years of collecting unique science on Mars. Mission controllers at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California were unable to contact the lander after two consecutive attempts, leading them to conclude the spacecraft's solar-powered batteries have run out of energy – a state engineers refer to as "dead bus." NASA had previously decided to declare the mission over if the lander missed two communication attempts. The agency will continue to listen for a signal from the lander, just in case, but hearing from it at this point is considered unlikely. The last time InSight communicated with Earth was Dec. 15. "I watched the launch and landing of this mission, and while saying goodbye to a spacecraft is always sad, the fascinating science InSight conducted is cause for celebration," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "The seismic data alone from this Discovery Program mission offers tremendous insights not just into Mars but other rocky bodies, including Earth." Short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, InSight set out to study the deep interior of Mars. The lander data has yielded details about Mars' interior layers, the surprisingly strong remnants beneath the surface of its extinct magnetic dynamo, weather on this part of Mars, and lots of quake activity. Its highly sensitive seismometer, along with daily monitoring performed by the French space agency Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) and the Marsquake Service managed by ETH Zurich, detected 1,319 marsquakes, including quakes caused by meteoroid impacts, the largest of which unearthed boulder-size chunks of ice late last year. Such impacts help scientists determine the age of the planet's surface, and data from the seismometer provides scientists a way to study the planet's crust, mantle, and core. "With InSight, seismology was the focus of a mission beyond Earth for the first time since the Apollo missions, when astronauts brought seismometers to the Moon," said Philippe Lognonné of Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, principal investigator of InSight's seismometer. "We broke new ground, and our science team can be proud of all that we've learned along the way." The seismometer was the last science instrument that remained powered on as dust accumulating on the lander's solar panels gradually reduced its energy, a process that began before NASA extended the mission earlier this year. "InSight has more than lived up to its name. As a scientist who's spent a career studying Mars, it's been a thrill to see what the lander has achieved, thanks to an entire team of people across the globe who helped make this mission a success," said Laurie Leshin, director of JPL, which manages the mission. "Yes, it's sad to say goodbye, but InSight's legacy will live on, informing and inspiring." All Mars missions face challenges, and InSight was no different. The lander featured a self-hammering spike – nicknamed "the mole" – that was intended to dig 16 feet (5 meters) down, trailing a sensor-laden tether that would measure heat within the planet, enabling scientists to calculate how much energy was left over from Mars' formation. Designed for the loose, sandy soil seen on other missions, the mole could not gain traction in the unexpectedly clumpy soil around InSight. The instrument, which was provided by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), eventually buried its 16-inch (40-centimeter) probe just slightly below the surface, collecting valuable data on the physical and thermal properties of the Martian soil along the way. This is useful for any future human or robotic missions that attempt to dig underground. The mission buried the mole to the extent possible thanks to engineers at JPL and DLR using the lander's robotic arm in inventive ways. Primarily intended to set science instruments on the Martian surface, the arm and its small scoop also helped remove dust from InSight's solar panels as power began to diminish. Counterintuitively, the mission determined they could sprinkle dirt from the scoop onto the panels during windy days, allowing the falling granules to gently sweep dust off the panels. "We've thought of InSight as our friend and colleague on Mars for the past four years, so it's hard to say goodbye," said Bruce Banerdt of JPL, the mission's principal investigator. "But it has earned its richly deserved retirement." JPL manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supports spacecraft operations for the mission. Several European partners, including France's CNES and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument to NASA, with the principal investigator at IPGP (Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris). Significant contributions for SEIS came from IPGP; the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany; the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in Switzerland; Imperial College London and Oxford University in the United Kingdom; and JPL. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain's Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) supplied the temperature and wind sensors. For more information about the mission, please go to: https://www.nasa.gov/insight -end-
	Press Contacts Karen Fox / Alana Johnson Headquarters, Washington 301-286-6284 / 202-358-1501 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov Andrew Good Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-393-2433 andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov
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[NASA HQ News] NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Sentinel-6B Mission

	December 20, 2022  CONTRACT RELEASE C22-033 NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Sentinel-6B Mission nasa-logo-web-rgb.jpg NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for the Sentinel-6B mission. Sentinel-6B will continue the long-term global sea level data record begun in 1992 by Topex/Poseidon followed by Jason 1, 2, 3, and Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich. The mission is a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ESA (European Space Agency), and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. This is a firm fixed price contract with a value of approximately $94 million, which includes launch services and other mission related costs. The Sentinel-6B mission currently is targeted to launch November 2025, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Sentinel-6B will use a radar altimeter to bounce signals off the ocean surface and deliver continuity of ocean topography measurements. The mission also will collect high-resolution vertical profiles of temperature, using the Global Navigation Satellite System Radio-Occultation sounding technique, to assess temperature changes in Earth's atmosphere and improve weather prediction models. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for program management of the SpaceX launch services. The Sentinel-6B project office is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: https://www.nasa.gov -end-
	Press Contacts Gerelle Dodson Headquarters, Washington 202-358-4637 gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov Patti Bielling Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-501-7575 patricia.a.bielling@nasa.gov
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[NASA HQ News] NASA to Air Live Coverage of US Spacewalk for Solar Array Installation

	December 19, 2022  MEDIA ADVISORY M22-185 NASA to Air Live Coverage of US Spacewalk for Solar Array Installation cassada_rides_the_robotic_arm.jpg NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Josh Cassada is photographed on Dec. 3, holding a roll-out solar array as he rides the Canadarm2 robotic arm toward the Starboard-4 truss segment installation site. Credits: NASA NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station will conduct a spacewalk on Wednesday, Dec. 21, to install a rollout solar array to increase electrical power in support of operations and scientific research. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 7:45 a.m. EST and last about seven hours. The agency will provide live coverage of the spacewalk beginning at 6:30 a.m. on NASA Television, the app, and the agency's website. Expedition 68 Flight Engineers Frank Rubio and Josh Cassada will exit the station's Quest airlock to install an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) to augment power generation for the 4A power channel on the station's port truss. Rubio will serve as extravehicular crew member 1 (EV 1) and will wear a suit with red stripes. Cassada will serve as extravehicular crew member 2 (EV 2) and will wear an unmarked suit. The spacewalk will be the third in both Cassada and Rubio's careers. If more time is needed to complete the iROSA installation, a second spacewalk may be conducted on Tuesday, Dec. 27. This will be the fourth iROSA installed on station out of a total six planned for installation. Overall, the iROSAs will increase power generation capability by up to 30%, increasing the station's total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts. The iROSA arrived at the space station Nov. 27, following a launch aboard the agency's 26th SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply mission Nov. 26. Cassada and Rubio are in the midst of a science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions, including NASA's Artemis missions to the Moon. Get breaking news, images and features from the space station on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Learn more about the International Space Station and its crew at: https://www.nasa.gov/station -end-
	Press Contacts Lora Bleacher Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 lora.v.bleacher@nasa.gov Sandra Jones Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
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[NASA HQ News] NASA Launches International Mission to Survey Earth’s Water

	December 16, 2022  RELEASE 22-133 NASA Launches International Mission to Survey Earth's Water swot_launch_photo.jpg A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches with the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft onboard, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Jointly developed by NASA and Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and United Kingdom Space Agency, SWOT is the first satellite mission that will observe nearly all water on Earth's surface, measuring the height of water in the planet's lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and the ocean. Credits: NASA/Keegan Barber A satellite built for NASA and the French space agency Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) to observe nearly all the water on our planet's surface lifted off on its way to low-Earth orbit at 3:46 a.m. PST on Friday. The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft also has contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the UK Space Agency. The SWOT spacecraft launched atop a SpaceX rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California with a prime mission of three years. The satellite will measure the height of water in freshwater bodies and the ocean on more than 90% of Earth's surface. This information will provide insights into how the ocean influences climate change; how a warming world affects lakes, rivers, and reservoirs; and how communities can better prepare for disasters, such as floods. After SWOT separated from the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, ground controllers successfully acquired the satellite's signal. Initial telemetry reports showed the spacecraft in good health. SWOT will now undergo a series of checks and calibrations before it starts collecting science data in about six months. "Warming seas, extreme weather, more severe wildfires – these are only some of the consequences humanity is facing due to climate change," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "The climate crisis requires an all-hands-on-deck approach, and SWOT is the realization of a long-standing international partnership that will ultimately better equip communities so that they can face these challenges." SWOT will cover the entire Earth's surface between 78 degrees south and 78 degrees north latitude at least once every 21 days, sending back about one terabyte of unprocessed data per day. The scientific heart of the spacecraft is an innovative instrument called the Ka-band radar interferometer (KaRIn), which marks a major technological advance. KaRIn bounces radar pulses off the water's surface and receives the return signal using two antennas on either side of the spacecraft. This arrangement – one signal, two antennas – will enable engineers to precisely determine the height of the water's surface across two swaths at a time, each of them 30 miles (50 kilometers) wide. "We're eager to see SWOT in action," said Karen St. Germain, NASA Earth Science Division director. "This satellite embodies how we are improving life on Earth through science and technological innovations. The data that innovation will provide is essential to better understanding how Earth's air, water, and ecosystems interact – and how people can thrive on our changing planet." Among the many benefits the SWOT mission will provide is a significantly clearer picture of Earth's freshwater bodies. It will provide data on more than 95% of the world's lakes larger than 15 acres (62,500 square meters) and rivers wider than 330 feet (100 meters) across. Currently, freshwater researchers have reliable measurements for only a few thousand lakes around the world. SWOT will push that number into the millions. Along the coast, SWOT will provide information on sea level, filling in observational gaps in areas that don't have tide gauges or other instruments that measure sea surface height. Over time, that data can help researchers better track sea level rise, which will directly impact communities and coastal ecosystems. Such an ambitious mission is possible because of NASA's long-standing commitment to working with agencies around the world to study Earth and its climate. NASA and CNES have built upon a decades-long relationship that started in the 1980s to monitor Earth's oceans. This collaboration pioneered the use of a space-based instrument called an altimeter to study sea level with the launch of the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite in 1992. "This mission marks the continuity of 30 years of collaboration between NASA and CNES in altimetry," said Caroline Laurent, CNES Orbital Systems and Applications director. "It shows how international collaboration can be achieved through a breakthrough mission that will help us better understand climate change and its effects around the world." SWOT measurements will also help researchers, policymakers, and resource managers better assess and plan for things, including floods and droughts. By providing information on where the water is – where it's coming from and where it's going – researchers can improve flood projections for rivers and monitor drought effects on lakes and reservoirs. "SWOT will provide vital information, given the urgent challenges posed by climate change and sea level rise," said Laurie Leshin, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) director. JPL developed the KaRIn instrument and manages the U.S. portion of the mission. "That SWOT will fill gaps in our knowledge and inform future action is the direct result of commitment, innovation, and collaboration going back many years. We're excited to get SWOT science underway." More Mission Information JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, leads the U.S. component of the project. For the flight system payload, NASA is providing the KaRIn instrument, a GPS science receiver, a laser retroreflector, a two-beam microwave radiometer, and NASA instrument operations. CNES is providing the Doppler Orbitography and Radioposition Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) system, the dual frequency Poseidon altimeter (developed by Thales Alenia Space), the KaRIn radio-frequency subsystem (together with Thales Alenia Space and with support from the UK Space Agency), the satellite platform, and ground control segment. CSA is providing the KaRIn high-power transmitter assembly. NASA is providing the launch vehicle and the agency's Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy Space Center, is managing the associated launch services. To learn more about SWOT, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/swot -end-
	Press Contacts Tylar Greene Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0030 tylar.greene@nasa.gov Jane J. Lee / Andrew Wang Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-0307 / 626-379-6874 jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov / andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov Leejay Lockhart / Laura Aguiar Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-747-8310 / 321-593-6245 leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov / laura.aguiar@nasa.gov
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[NASA HQ News] NASA Awards Contract to Maintain Webb Telescope Operations

	December 15, 2022  C22-032 NASA Awards Contract to Maintain Webb Telescope Operations nasa-logo-web-rgb.jpg NASA has selected Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation of Redondo Beach, California, to support the James Webb Space Telescope Phase E – Operations and Sustainment contract. The contract is a sole source cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with a value of $31,186,099. The period of performance is from Dec. 25 to June 24, 2027. The contractor will provide the products and services required to monitor and maintain Webb spacecraft systems including the spacecraft bus, optics/telescope, and sunshield; maintain and update the spacecraft flight software; and trend spacecraft performance and recommend corrections and updates required for spacecraft health and safety. The work will be performed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore and at the contractor's facility. NASA's Webb telescope is the world's premier space science observatory. Webb is helping solve mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov -end-
	Press Contacts Gerelle Dodson Headquarters, Washington 202-358-4637 gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov Cynthia M. O'Carroll                                                                      Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 301-286-4787 cynthia.m.ocarroll@nasa.gov
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[NASA HQ News] NASA, AST & Science Sign Joint Spaceflight Safety Agreement

	December 15, 2022  RELEASE 22-131 NASA, AST & Science Sign Joint Spaceflight Safety Agreement NASA and AST & Science, a subsidiary of AST SpaceMobile, Inc., have signed a joint agreement to formalize both parties' strong interest in the sharing of information to maintain and improve space safety. This agreement enables a deeper level of coordination, cooperation, and data sharing, and defines the arrangement, responsibilities, and procedures for flight safety coordination. The focus of the agreement is on conjunction avoidance and launch collision avoidance between NASA spacecraft and AST SpaceMobile's test satellite, BlueWalker 3, currently in orbit, including the company's planned constellation of large satellites. A conjunction is defined as a close approach between two objects in space, usually at very high speed. "Safety is one of NASA's core goals – in the workplace, in our mission operations, and in our responsibility as global citizens," said NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana. "We are always looking for opportunities to improve our safety, and by working more closely together with AST SpaceMobile, we can mitigate collisions that might otherwise adversely impact our mission success." AST SpaceMobile's spacecraft, BlueWalker 3 test satellite and the BlueBird constellation, are equipped with a high impulse, low thrust maneuvering system that may require complex risk mitigation maneuver plans. Both NASA and AST SpaceMobile benefit from this enhanced interaction by ensuring all parties involved are fully aware of the exact location of spacecraft and debris in orbit resulting in a safer space environment for all. NASA and the Department of Defense have decades of experience in proactively managing collision risks, as well as potential impacts. Effective mitigation relies on inter-operator coordination, accurate data, a sound technical basis for risk analysis, as well as proactive processes for appropriate actions to mitigate risks. By working together through this agreement, the approach to collision avoidance can be improved for all users. In addition to this agreement, NASA is supporting growth in the U.S. commercial space sector through the release of the Spacecraft Conjunction Assessment and Collision Avoidance Best Practices Handbook, which the agency issued in December 2020 to improve global awareness of space activity and to share NASA lessons learned regarding close approach coordination and mitigation. For more information about NASA's programs and projects, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/ -end-
	Press Contacts Joshua Finch Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
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Inbox Astronomy: Two Exoplanets May Be Mostly Water, NASA's Hubble and Spitzer Find

INBOX ASTRONOMY

Two Exoplanets May Be Mostly Water, NASA's Hubble and Spitzer Find

Release date: Thursday, December 15, 2022 11:00:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Pair of Super-Earths Have 1,000-Mile-Deep Oceans

In the 1995 post-apocalyptic action film "Waterworld" Earth's polar ice caps have completely melted, and the sea level has risen to over 5 miles, covering nearly all of the land. Astronomers have uncovered a pair of planets that are true "water worlds," unlike any planet found in our solar system.

Slightly larger than Earth, they don't have the density of rock. And yet, they are denser than the gas-giant outer planets orbiting our Sun. So, what are they made of? The best answer is that these exoplanets have global oceans at least 500 times deeper than the average depth of Earth's oceans, which simply are a wet veneer on a rocky ball.

The soggy worlds orbit the red dwarf star Kepler-138, located 218 light-years away in the constellation Lyra. The planets were found in 2014 with NASA's Kepler Space Observatory. Follow-up observations with the Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes found that the planets must be composed largely of water. The spectral signature of water wasn't directly observed. But this conclusion is based on their density, which is calculated from comparing their size and mass.

Don't expect to find fish in the global oceans. They are probably too warm and under very high pressure, and so there's no such thing as a discrete boundary between the ocean surface and planet atmosphere.

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Inbox Astronomy: NASA=?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=99s_?=Webb Unveils Young Stars in Early Stages of Formation

INBOX ASTRONOMY

NASA's Webb Unveils Young Stars in Early Stages of Formation

Release date: Thursday, December 15, 2022 10:00:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Webb's Infrared Capabilities Pierce Through Dust Clouds to Make Rare Find

Searching for buried treasure can be a painstaking, even frustrating, process. Sifting through the proverbial sand for hours and hours, to rarely hit the jackpot, is common. However, with NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, researchers are getting a taste of these often elusive bounties.

A "deep dive" for buried treasure into one of Webb's iconic First Images, the Cosmic Cliffs, has revealed a hotbed of young stars in a particularly elusive stage of development. Close analysis of data from a specific wavelength of light, only captured by Webb, is now opening new doors to intriguing finds.

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[NASA HQ News] NASA’s Big 2022: Historic Moon Mission, Webb Telescope Images, More

	December 13, 2022  RELEASE 22-132 NASA's Big 2022: Historic Moon Mission, Webb Telescope Images, More nasa_2022_town_hall.jpg NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, second from left, NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana, second from right, and Michelle Jones of NASA Communications, right, are seen Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, during an end-of-the year all hands with senior leadership at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Nelson, Melroy, and Cabana highlighted the agency's 2022 accomplishments and looked forward to what is coming in 2023 and beyond. Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky 2022 is one for the history books as NASA caps off another astronomical year. NASA launched its mega Moon rocket for the first time, sending its uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the Moon; kicked off a new era in astronomy with the Webb Space Telescope's record-breaking new imagery from the cosmos; moved an asteroid in humanity's first ever planetary defense demonstration; working with its partners, sent astronauts on regular missions to the International Space Station, tested new technologies, including an inflatable heat shield for Mars; continued development of quieter supersonic aircraft, and much more.   On Nov. 28, 2022, Orion reached its maximum distance from Earth during the Artemis I mission when it was 268,563 miles away from our home planet. Credits: NASA "There is no doubt that 2022 was out of this world! From the history-making splashdown of the Artemis I mission, to the groundbreaking images from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to the innovative LOFTID technology demonstration, the smashing success of the DART mission, incredible progress in our aeronautics programs, and the growth of partnerships with commercial and international partners, 2022 will go down in the history books as one of the most accomplished years across all of NASA's missions," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "There's so much to look forward to in 2023 too: More stunning discoveries from Webb telescope, climate missions that will tell us more about how our Earth is changing, continued science on the International Space Station, groundbreaking aeronautics developments with the X-59 and X-57 experimental aircraft, the selection of the first astronauts to go to the Moon in more than 50 years, and more. Space is the place and NASA proves humanity's reach is limitless!" In support of the Biden-Harris Administration's priorities, the agency remained a global leader in providing data related to climate change including unveiling a concept for a new Earth Information Center, and published NASA's first Equity Action Plan. Congress also passed, for the first time in five years, a NASA Authorization Act. And in 2022, NASA reached a decade of excellence by being named as the Best Place to Work in the federal government among large agencies by the Partnership for Public Service for an unprecedented 10th consecutive time.  Below is a summary of accomplishments, demonstrating how in 2022, NASA explored the unknown in air and space, innovated for the benefit of humanity, and inspired the world through discovery. Preparing for human lunar exploration Among the accomplishments for NASA's human spaceflight programs, the agency successfully launched, for the first time, its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which put NASA's Orion spacecraft on a path that traveled farther than any spacecraft built for astronauts has been before. Through Artemis, the agency advanced plans to send the first woman and first of color to the Moon. Leading up to the historic   NASA's Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches on the Artemis I flight test, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, from Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credits: NASA Nov. 16 launch of Artemis I, as well as a successful Orion splashdown on Dec. 11, NASA completed multiple key milestones for SLS, Orion, and ground systems: Worked to assemble the rocket's core stage at the agency's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and the crew module at Kennedy, selected the vehicle that will transport astronauts to the launch pad, and qualified the final launch abort system engine for the Artemis II mission, the first flight with crew. Completed manufacturing the booster segments and delivered the engine section to Kennedy for the Artemis III mission, which will be humanity's first return to the lunar surface in more than 50 years and land the first woman on the Moon. Fired a ground-based version of a booster in Promontory, Utah, for future missions, completed the critical design review for the more powerful evolved configuration of the SLS rocket, known as Block 1B, and began moving toward a services contract model for long-term SLS hardware production and operations to reduce costs. The agency also completed numerous key Artemis milestones that will ensure not only a human return to the lunar surface, but long-term exploration on and around the Moon in preparation for sending the first astronauts to Mars: Identified 13 candidate landing regions near the lunar South Pole where the next American astronauts on the Moon could land during Artemis III, selected Axiom Space to provide the moonwalking system, including spacesuits, that astronauts will use during Artemis III, as well as awarded a task order to Collins Aerospace to develop new spacesuits for the International Space Station. Awarded a contract modification to SpaceX to further develop its Starship human landing system to meet agency requirements for long-term human exploration of the Moon, including a second crewed landing demonstration mission during Artemis IV, and announced a call to companies to provide proposals for sustainable lunar lander development as the agency works toward a regular cadence of Moon landings beyond Artemis IV. Issued a draft request for proposals for Lunar Terrain Vehicle services to solicit companies' feedback and completed desert analog mission with crew in a simulated lunar environment to test pressurized rover operations and moonwalks for future Artemis missions. Built on past international partnerships for long-term exploration at the Moon with Japan and South Africa, as well as added new signatories through the Artemis Accords with Bahrain, Colombia, Israel, Nigeria, Romania, Rwanda, and Singapore. Released a revised set of Moon to Mars Objectives, forming a blueprint for shaping human exploration throughout the solar system. Researchers from the University of Florida grew Arabidopsis thaliana plants in lunar soil gathered during Apollo missions, showing that plants have the potential to grow on the Moon. Maintaining human presence in low-Earth orbit The NASA Authorization Act passed by Congress extended America's participation in the International Space Station through at least Sept. 30, 2030, enabling the U.S. to continue to reap the benefits for the next decade while the agency works with American industry to develop commercial destinations and markets for a thriving space economy. This was the 22nd continuous year of human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory. Here are some accomplishments in 2022: NASA and SpaceX successfully launched and returned crew members to and from the International Space Station from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Regular crew rotation flights to and from station continue to help maximize science in space, including: NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kjell Lindgren, Mark Vande Hei, Bob Hines, Jessica Watkins, Frank Rubio, Nicole Mann, and Josh Cassada lived and worked aboard the station.  This year saw Vande Hei completing the longest single human spaceflight mission by an American with a record-breaking 355 days in space. Crew-3 returned to Earth in May with Barron, Chari and Marshburn, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer. During their science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory, the Crew-3 astronauts conducted experiments, including a study on concrete hardening in microgravity, research on cotton varieties that could help develop drought-resistant plants, and executed a space archaeology study that could provide information that contributes to the design of future space habitats. Crew-4 launched in April and returned in October with Hines, Lindgren, and Watkins, as well as ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti after completing 170 days in orbit. Crew-4 continued work on investigations documenting how improvements to the space diet affect immune function and the gut microbiome, determining the effect of fuel temperature on the flammability of a material, exploring possible adverse effects on astronaut hearing from equipment noise and microgravity, and studying whether additives increase or decrease the stability of emulsions. Crew-5 arrived at station in October carrying Mann and Cassada, as well as JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina. Crew-5 is spending several months aboard the space station conducting new scientific research in areas such as cardiovascular health, bioprinting, and fluid behavior in microgravity to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and to benefit life on Earth. NASA and Boeing successfully launched and returned the company's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and landed in the desert of the western United States, completing the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) to the space station to help prove the system is ready to fly astronauts. Starliner and its crew of NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams are preparing for the first flight with astronauts in 2023, the final demonstration prior to regular flights to the microgravity complex. Crew members welcomed the first NASA-enabled private astronaut mission, Axiom Mission 1, to the orbital complex advancing the agency's goal of commercializing low-Earth orbit. Space station crew members are planned to complete 14 spacewalks to upgrade and conduct maintenance at the orbiting laboratory. NASA astronauts continued work to install the International Space Station Rollout Solar Arrays (iROSA), which will increase power generation capability by up to 30% when fully complete, and its partners continued outfitting the Nauka module and new European robotic arm. Northrop Grumman's Cygnus spacecraft completed its first limited reboost of the International Space Station – the first mission to feature this enhanced capability as a standard service for NASA. The International Space Station performed a critical demonstration focused on in-orbit housekeeping by deploying about 172 pounds of trash from the NanoRacks Bishop Airlock for a safe disposal in Earth's atmosphere. Four commercial cargo missions delivered more than 30,000 pounds of science investigations, tools, and critical supplies to the space station, and two returned about 8,900 pounds of investigations and equipment to researchers on Earth.  Selected seven new additions to the team of flight directors to oversee operations of the space station, commercial crew, and Artemis missions to the Moon. Advancing our understanding of Earth, climate change In 2022, NASA continued its commitment to understanding impacts of climate change on planet Earth, maintaining its role as a leader in understanding climate and Earth science. Among the accomplishments in this area, the agency: Launched NASA's newest Earth science instrument to the International Space Station -- the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation, or EMIT, which is providing information about how mineral dust affects the heating and cooling of the planet and which has a capability to detect methane. Plans to launch the Surface Water Ocean Topography mission in partnership with the French space agency Centre National d'Études Spatiales, which will provide a global survey of nearly all water on Earth's surface, providing insight into the ocean's role in how climate change unfolds. Announced and released the first concept for NASA's Earth Information Center, which will allow people to see how our planet is changing. It will also provide easy-to-use information and resources to support decision makers in developing the tools they need to mitigate, adapt, and respond to climate change. Celebrated 50 years of the Landsat program in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, continuing to help scientists track both natural and human-caused changes on Earth's land surface. Continued field campaigns that provide information about Earth's changing climate, including impacts on the Arctic region, the effects of intense summer thunderstorms, and ocean and atmosphere dynamics and their impacts on Earth's climate Along with partners, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, NASA continued to put Earth science data into the hands of America's farmers to help them increase food security, improve crop resilience, and reduce the volatility of food prices. NASA participated in the Commodity Classic conference for the first time, America's largest farmer-led, farmer-focused educational and agricultural experience. NASA's Cynthia Rosenzweig received the 2022 World Food Prize from the World Food Prize Foundation for her research to understand the relationship between climate and food systems and forecast how both will change in the future. Announced NASA's new domestic agriculture consortium at the University of Maryland, which will lead management of $15 million, supporting efforts to increase and enable sustained uses of Earth observations for the advancement of U.S. agricultural practices. Worked with national and international partners to collaborate on a global response to climate change, with actions including participating in the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference, issuing a comprehensive climate action plan with FEMA, finalizing an agreement with ESA  to advance global understanding of Earth science and ensure continuity of Earth observation, and continuing a 60-year successful partnership with the Australian Space Agency to study Earth's changing climate. Conducted, or participated in, a series of climate change studies related to rising sea level, global surface temperatures and melting Arctic ice, Continued planning for the next generation of Earth-observing satellites designed to propel us forward in understanding our changing planet -- NASA's Earth System Observatory. Launched two weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, building on a partnership of over 50 years, successfully launching more than 60 satellites to improve weather forecasting, severe storm and hurricane prediction, and climate observations. Solar system, beyond While preparing for a robotic return to the lunar surface, NASA advanced its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative closer to home. Meanwhile, farther in the solar system, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope deployed and captured new images, Hubble continued to make new discoveries, the agency conducted two Venus flybys, and more:   Behind the curtain of dust and gas in these "Cosmic Cliffs" are previously hidden baby stars, now uncovered by James Webb Space Telescope. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI NASA's James Webb Space Telescope successfully unfolded into its final configuration in space, including the unprecedented deployment of its tennis court-sized sunshield. In July, NASA and its partners unveiled Webb's first full-color images and spectroscopic data. Since then, Webb has drawn back the curtain on some of the earliest galaxies ever observed; studied the atmospheres of exoplanets in more detail than ever before; and offered new views of planets in our own solar system, capturing the clearest look at Neptune's rings in decades. The U.S. Postal Service celebrated Webb's successes by issuing a new stamp featuring an illustration of the telescope. NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) successfully impacted its target asteroid in the world's first-ever test for planetary defense. Since then, the mission's Investigation Team confirmed DART's kinetic impact successfully moved its target asteroid into a new orbit, marking the first-time humanity has ever altered a celestial body's motion in space.   DART's final look at the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos before impact. The spacecraft's on board DRACO imager took this final image ~4 miles (~6 kilometers) from the asteroid and only 1 second before impact. DART's impact occurred during transmission of the image to Earth, resulting in a partial picture. The image shows a patch of the asteroid that is 51 feet 16 meters) across. Ecliptic north is toward the bottom of the image. This image is shown as it appears on the DRACO detector and is mirror flipped across the x-axis from reality. Credits: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL Through CLPS, NASA selected two new science instrument suites – including one that will study the mysterious Gruithuisen Domes for the first time – for priority Artemis science on the Moon through the agency's Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) call for proposals.  NASA also awarded Draper a contract to deliver Artemis science investigations to the Moon in 2025. The experiments riding on Draper's SERIES-2 lander are headed to Schrödinger Basin, a large lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon, close to the lunar South Pole. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope spotted the farthest individual star ever seen, whose light took 12.9 billion years to reach Earth – a huge leap further back in time from the previous record holder. For the first time, Hubble also provided direct evidence for a lone black hole drifting through interstellar space by a precise mass measurement of the phantom object. In a cosmic milestone, the total number of confirmed exoplanets in NASA's Exoplanet Archive reached 5,000, representing a 30-year journey of discovery led by NASA space telescopes. NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) began its science mission in space. Since then, IXPE has revealed the shape and orientation of matter around black holes, surprised astronomers with unexpected findings on the magnetic field orientations of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, and helped solve the mystery surrounding a black hole jet. Solar Cycle 25 is nearing solar maximum in 2025 and the Sun's activity is already exceeding expectations. Smothered in thick clouds, Venus' surface is usually shrouded from sight. But in two flybys of the planet, Parker used its Wide-Field Imager, or WISPR, to capture its first images of Venus in visible light. When the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted in January, it sent atmospheric shock waves, sonic booms, and tsunami waves around the world. Scientists analyzed data from NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, mission and ESA's Swarm satellites to find that the volcano's effects also reached space.  As Voyager, NASA's longest-lived mission, logs 45 years in space and studies the very nature of space far beyond the planets, NASA selected Geospace Dynamics Constellation to help improve our understanding of the dynamics of the Sun, the Sun-Earth connection, and the constantly changing space environment. Multi-slit Solar Explorer and HelioSwarm missions to help improve our understanding of the dynamics of the Sun, the Sun-Earth connection, and the constantly changing space environment. Researchers continued to pioneer scientific discovery using NASA's Cold Atom Lab, the first quantum physics facility aboard the International Space Station. Supporting future Artemis missions and lunar science with Biological Experiment-01. Four investigations aboard Artemis I helped pave the way for future missions to the Moon and beyond. Celebrated 25 years of continuous robotic exploration of Mars, with at least one spacecraft operating at all times, either on the surface or in orbit around the planet. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter now is scouting for a possible landing spot for a future Mars Sample Return campaign. NASA and ESA entered into a formal agreement on the next step in their campaign to return scientifically selected samples from Mars and are proceeding with the creation of a sample tube depot on the Red Planet. After eight successful years of science operations, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) completed its final science flight. This now-retired mission leaves behind a legacy of scientific accomplishments and engineering ingenuity. Developing New Technologies for Benefit of All NASA advances capabilities for space exploration, tapping entrepreneurs, researchers, and innovators across the country for solutions that will enable missions for decades to come. From launching space missions to demonstrating advanced technologies to supporting the development of early-stage concepts, 2022 highlights include: CAPSTONE – short for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment – launched and entered a unique orbit at the Moon, beginning its mission to test the orbit planned for Artemis' Gateway outpost and demonstrate new technologies.   The Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID, heat shield rests on the deck of the recovery boat after it splashed down and was retrieved from the Pacific Ocean. Credits: NASA/Greg Swanson LOFTID, or the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, successfully demonstrated an inflatable heat shield technology that could be used for human missions to Mars. The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) began its in-orbit experiments to test a new way to send data from space. Launched Lunar Flashlight to the Moon, where the small satellite will use lasers to hunt for ice in permanently shadowed regions at the Moon's South Pole. An instrument on the Perseverance rover, MOXIE – short for the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment – completed more runs on the Red Planet, producing a total of 140 minutes to date of breathable oxygen from Mars' carbon dioxide rich atmosphere. NASA and the Department of Energy announced fission surface power concept awards to three companies. Awarded a contract for the development of a next-generation spaceflight computing processor to enable future exploration missions. Selected three companies to further advance work on deployable vertical solar array systems that will help power the agency's human and robotic exploration of the Moon under Artemis. More than 700 organizations from all 50 U.S. states and 46 countries joined NASA in fostering lunar technology development through the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium.   Winners of the inaugural NASA TechLeap Prize – Autonomous Observation Challenge No. 1 tested their technologies on high-altitude balloon flights less than a year after the competition was launched. NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts fostered early-stage, futuristic ideas, such as custom, 3D-printed spacesuits, swimming micro-robots to explore ocean worlds, and a new kind of solar sail. NASA's Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs supported the investment of approximately $230 million to hundreds of U.S. small businesses to foster technology development supporting the agency's goals. NASA transferred technologies and software to industry and entrepreneurs, executing 164 licensing agreements and 4,772 software usage agreements. Agency investments in the development of novel roll-out solar arrays (ROSAs) were used to power the DART mission and enable a sufficient future power supply for the International Space Station. Early career researchers advanced agency capabilities in areas including nanosensor technologies, dynamic visual displays for spacesuit helmets, and modular, reconfigurable robotic arms for in-space assembly through new and continuing projects under the Early Career Initiative. In partnership with multiple agencies, NASA issued a joint solicitation to extend the lifespan of 3D tissue chips. Progressing toward new era of air travel NASA worked with its partners and the private sector to advance sustainable aviation by developing and testing new green technologies that will revolutionize air transportation. The knowledge and technology generated by the agency will provide regulators and industry with new ways to integrate sustainable solutions. Over the past year, the agency: Supported research to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 through its Sustainable Flight National Partnership, including composite material testing under Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing and the development of a smaller engine core through Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core. Reached new milestones in its Quesst mission with its centerpiece, the X-59 quiet supersonic demonstrator aircraft, starting with critical ground tests and ending the year with the installation of the aircraft's engine. Other progress included wind tunnel tests at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and in Japan. Tested the high-voltage systems and batteries for the all-electric X-57 Maxwell aircraft before installing its 400-pound battery packs, paving the way for future ground and flight tests. The project will share its knowledge to advance U.S. development of smaller sustainable all-electric vehicles. Issued a call for private sector proposals under its Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project for an aircraft and technologies that can help inform the design of low-emission, single-aisle commercial airliners in the near future. NASA will issue an award in early 2023. Completed ground tests with the Boeing ecoDemonstrator program to compare the levels of soot particles in sustainable aviation fuel versus traditional jet fuel burning in a 777-200ER aircraft's engines. Formalized an international research agreement and added new partners to its Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) mission. AAM projects explored how to integrate autonomous drones and other future aircraft into emergency response, healthcare, and perimeter surveillance. Research also addressed the noise new aircraft may generate and vertiports they'll need to take off and land. Unveiled upgrades to the AAM National Campaign's Mobile Operations Facility, which be used to support AAM flight testing. Tested Transonic Truss-Braced Wing aircraft technology designed to burn 8-10% less fuel than traditional winged aircraft. Conducted research for the agency and private sector using its Electric Aircraft Testbed including tests of a hybrid electric propulsion system powerful enough for a single-aisle commercial airliner. Advanced development of an innovative, solid-state battery pack that would be lighter, safer, and more suited to aviation than today's batteries. Used a 3D printing process to develop a new metal alloy, known as GRX-810, that can be used for applications including the insides of aircraft and rocket engines. The alloy can endure temperatures over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit and survive 2,000 times longer than existing alloys. Partnered with Boeing to create shape-shifting devices that can raise or lower an airplane's vortex generators, wing components that cut down on drag a save on fuel consumption. Provided researchers from the Scalable Traffic Management for Emergency Response Operations with training from the U.S. Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to understand controlled burns and aerial firefighting strategies. Broke ground for the Flight Dynamics Research Facility at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. This new wind tunnel will have new capabilities and lower maintenance costs. Conducted crash tests at Langley of a model of a midsize jet and a full-scale urban air mobility-style passenger vehicle, generating data about the resilience of composite materials and the likelihood of injuries in crashes. Selected new participants for the University Leadership Initiative, with students and researchers taking on some of the toughest challenges in aeronautics. Launched its newest competition for university students, Runway Functions: Predict Reconfigurations at U.S. Airports. Prioritizing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) This year, NASA developed and launched an agencywide DEIA Strategic Plan to recruit, hire, support, engage, and retain the most talented and promising individuals, from all backgrounds and life experiences, to be part of the NASA family. NASA also: Launched its first Equity Action Plan to expand opportunities for traditionally underserved, underrepresented, and untapped communities to work with and learn from NASA. Through its Spanish-language outreach, NASA continued to translate many of its products, particularly those related to the agency's science missions. As part of the Equity Action Plan, NASA is committed to growing its Spanish-language communications team and translation capabilities. Ensured accessibility of NASA collected Earth science information, by making 54 of the most requested environmental data sets available on the cloud, with full transfer of NASA Earth science data to the cloud by 2025. Supported ongoing efforts to advance racial equity and expand research opportunities for historically underserved and underrepresented communities in the federal government through Earth science research grants for Minority Serving Institutions. Hosted an Equity Stakeholder Town Hall to openly share ideas on how the agency will continue to support underserved and underrepresented communities, and to gain insights from attendees on how to best implement the next phase of the plan. NASA awarded 39 proposals ($6.9 million for up to three years) focused on advancing progress on equity and environmental justice in the U.S. through the application of Earth science, geospatial, and socioeconomic information. Developed a 360-degree, interactive Artemis exhibit for nationwide events that includes excerpts from NASA's First Woman graphic novel and underscores the agency's plans to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon. NASA astronaut Nicole Mann was the first Indigenous woman for NASA to go to space as part of Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station, and NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins became the first Black woman to serve a long duration mission aboard the orbiting laboratory. Produced and released a documentary, The Color of Space, featuring a conversation between seven current and former Black astronauts, each of whom were selected to become part of NASA's astronaut corps and train for missions to space.    Collaborated with Google Arts & Culture to showcase the contributions of NASA's LGBTQ+ employees and how their work advances the agency's priorities. Launched the SMD Bridge Program to foster collaboration and partnerships between NASA centers and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Minority-Serving Institutions, Primarily Undergraduate Institutions, and high research universities. The program focuses on paid research and engineering internships, apprenticeships, and research experiences for faculty. Hosted a series of dialogues with agency leaders and other subject matter experts during the 51st Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference in Washington. Hosted a Twitter Spaces with science experts who discussed how space imagery is an experience people can read, touch, and hear via alternative text, rich image descriptions, tactile panels, 3D printed models, tactile plates, and sonifications. Connected more than 220 industry stakeholders and businesses with federal procurement experts and other leaders during its first virtual LGBTQ+ Vendor Equity Forum. Inspiring Artemis Generation through Science, Technology, Education, and Math Through a variety of STEM outreach activities, NASA sought to inspire a new generation of students and encourage them to become the next scientists, engineers, and astronauts. NASA conducts its STEM work through partnering with key organizations, awarding a variety of grants, and more. STEM highlights in 2022 include: NASA Administrator Bill Nelson helped kick-off a new initiative to deliver food and hands-on STEM kits, called Artemis Learning Lunchboxes, this summer. The joint initiative with the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), has since expanded across the country, landing most recently at public school in Washington Dec. 8. Collaborated with the Department of Education to enhance the federal Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Scholar Recognition Program using NASA entrepreneurial expertise. A NASA pitch competition for students at higher education institutions it became part of the HBCU Scholar Recognition Program, part of the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity. The competition will be a small-scale version of NASA's Minority University Education and Research Program (MUREP) Innovation and Tech Transfer Idea Competition (MITTIC). The agency's Minority University Education and Research Program (MUREP) Innovation and Tech Transfer Idea Competition (MITTIC), a Shark Tank-style competition for students at minority-serving institutions, was officially included in the 2022 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) Scholar Recognition Program. Awarded a total of nearly $600,000 to 10 minority-serving institutions (MSIs) across the U.S. to amplify the voices of diverse innovators and help their ideas find a way into NASA's programs through MUREP and STMD through M-STTR. Chose two students as winners of the Lunabotics Junior Contest, a national competition for K-12 students featuring the agency's Artemis missions. Contestants were charged with designing a robot that can dig and move lunar soil, or regolith, from one area of the lunar South Pole to a holding container near a future Artemis Moon base. design. Selected 57 winning teams in its inaugural nationwide TechRise Student Challenge, designed to attract, engage, and prepare future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics professionals. Produced several educational resources for schools and educators to bring the excitement of NASA's missions to classrooms including Artemis Learning Pathways, Artemis Camp Guide, James Webb Space Telescope Toolkit, and Earth Science Toolkit. Vice President Kamala Harris hosted an evening of NASA STEM activities at the Naval Observatory for military families and local students and their families in June, which included a special screening of Disney Pixar's Lightyear. NASA and Rice University in Houston hosted multiple events in September to celebrate the 60th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's historic speech at Rice Stadium, rallying the nation to land astronauts on the Moon before the end of the decade and bring the crew safely back to Earth. Awarded more than $4 million to institutions across the U.S. to help bring the excitement of authentic NASA experiences to groups of middle and high school students who are traditionally underserved and underrepresented in STEM. Public engagement Inspiration remains the foundation of NASA's public engagement programs. While safely returning to regularly conducting in-person activities as well as hosting virtual events and digital communications, NASA provided opportunities to connect people around the world with agency content. Highlights in 2022 included: Grew the agency's social media following to 330 million so far in 2022 – up 18 percent from 280 million in 2021.   Shares on social media posts across the agency reached 8.7 million in 2022, surpassing the pace of 2021 (8.3 million shares), but lower than 2020's record of 12.7 million shares, stimulated by NASA's SpaceX demonstration flight with crew and the Mars Perseverance rover launch.   Four flagship NASA accounts reached follower milestones this year, passing 65 million (Twitter), 25 million (Facebook) and 85 million (Instagram). NASA's flagship YouTube channel passed 10 million subscribers. The NASA Headquarters photo team surpassed three million followers on Twitter and over 36,000 followers on Flickr.  On Sept. 26, the audience for our DART mission's intentional crash into target asteroid Dimorphos peaked at one million live viewers; the audience for the liftoff of Artemis I peaked at 960,000 viewers on Nov. 16. Many more viewers watched recordings of agency broadcasts, with the Artemis I launch, our first-ever live launch broadcast in HD, surpassing 10 million YouTube plays. The replay of DART's impact has gotten more than 5.4 million views.  "The Astronaut's Perspective" was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary category. This video includes beautiful Earth views and reflections from NASA and international partner astronauts.   NASA hosted 14 Twitter Spaces in 2022, including the agency's first-ever Spaces events in Spanish. Over 465,000 unique listeners joined a live Spaces.   Returned to hosting in-person NASA Social events in 2022, beginning with NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 launch to the International Space Station. Social media guests also attended NASA Socials for the reveal of the Webb telescope's first images, the DART mission impact, the launch of SpaceX Crew-5, and the Artemis I test flight.    Won three Webby Awards and five People's Voice Webbys in 2022 and had two additional nominees and four honorees.  On NASA.gov, the "Where Is Webb" feature tracking the telescope's journey to L2 and deployment had 36 million pageviews in 2022, the fourth-most-visited page on all NASA websites. Six of the top 10 most-viewed agency news releases in 2022 were about the telescope; two of these releases were in Spanish.   There were almost 4.5 million pageviews of the Send Your Name on Artemis special feature, with nearly 3.4 million members of the public signing up for a boarding pass around the Moon on Artemis I. Web specials highlighting Artemis, the Artemis I test flight, and tracking Artemis I each topped 2 million pageviews.  During the first half of the Artemis I 25-day flight test, the app for tracking the mission received more than 2.1 million visits. NASA launched a virtual educational platform for STEM+Arts Day and a digital launch packet, focused on the agency's Webb telescope. The agency incorporated images from the Webb Telescope in its exhibits and media events at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the International Astronautical Congress in Paris. Among the many collaborations that allowed NASA to educate and inspire new audiences: Astronaut Snoopy took a ride around the Moon on Orion as the zero gravity indicator for the Artemis I mission as part of a partnership with Peanuts Worldwide that extends back to the Apollo era. LEGO Education held a four-day build event at NASA Kennedy featuring STEM challenges connected to the "Build to Launch" STEM series that LEGO Education created in partnership with NASA. The agency also worked with LEGO to help identify NASA content that fed into several Artemis-inspired LEGO City Moon sets. Krispy Kreme released a one-day Artemis doughnut to celebrate Artemis I. NASA and Google Arts & Culture partnered to create a digital gallery called, "Our Solar System: A 3D adventure through our cosmic neighborhood with NASA," which includes more than 60 3D models of planets, Moons and NASA spacecraft. These models, along with a newly released SLS 3D model, are also featured via Google Search results. NASA worked with Google on a Webb telescope Doodle celebrating the first images, as well as a DART easter egg where, after the successful DART asteroid redirect, results on Google's search page were skewed when a user searched for DART on Google's home page. Multiple screens in Times Square and in Piccadilly Circus featured the Webb First Light Images shortly after their release in July, sharing the excitement these images created with even more people around the world. NASA unveiled a new partnership with Crayola Education in 2021 and worked with Crayola and Harper Publishing to help celebrate the 75th anniversary of the iconic children's story, Goodnight Moon. NASA worked with Mattel and the ISS National Lab, which sponsored the project, to film NASA astronauts Kayla Baron and Raja Chari on the space station for an episode of a Barbie series, "You Can Be Anything."  The purpose of the free video was to inspire young students to be interested in STEM careers. NASA maintains high visibility, engaging new audiences in innovative ways, whether it's through partnerships, arts or entertainment projects that reach millions of people. In 2022, NASA collaborated on over 150 documentary projects, 29 notable television programs and 19 feature films which reached audiences globally.   NASA developed an exhibition of 15 pieces from the agency's art collection at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, which had not been on display in over a decade. New items included the Kehinde Wiley Moon Person award, on loan from MTV, and Andy Warhol paintings in the collection. NASA collaborated with studios on feature films, including Roland Emmerich's Moonfall starring Halle Berry (Lionsgate), Lightyear (Disney), Richard Linklater's Apollo 10/1-2 (Netflix), A Million Miles Away (Amazon: post-production) starring Michael Pena, and Project Artemis (Apple TV: preproduction) produced by Scarlett Johansson. The agency also collaborated on more than a dozen Artemis documentaries with outlets ranging from Smithsonian/Paramount+ to National Geographic/Disney. TV programs of note include Snoopy Season 2 (Apple TV), Top Chef, Jeopardy, and Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, which included an interview with Webb Space Telescope Program Director Greg Robinson The agency attracted major talent for various mission related projects and outreach initiatives. These included: Video content for Artemis I with Eddie Vedder, Yo-Yo Ma and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Josh Groban and Herbie Hancock, Jack Black, Keke Palmer, Patrick Wilson and Chris Evans.  Halle Berry conducted an Instagram live with NASA's Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche and NASA astronaut Victor Glover. She also walked the red carpet for Moonfall with NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps. NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn visited the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory with Chris Evans for a tour and downlink with the space station. Marshburn also attended the premiere of Buzz Lightyear. A special screening of the film was held at the VP's residence with NASA astronauts, Keke Palmer and Uzo Aduba. Coldplay did a special Webb image global release during their concert tour in Berlin.  Additional talent that visited NASA's Johnson including Carrie Underwood, Taraji P. Henson, Nick Jonas, and Marshawn Lynch. Actor Channing Tatum visited NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  Space station downlinks were arranged between astronauts and Eddie Vedder, Jack Black, Richard Linklater and Yo-Yo Ma. Special movie screenings aboard the space station included Apollo 10-1/2 and Buzz Lightyear. NASA also participated in a National Symphony Orchestra concert at Wolf Trap for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back with a special segment on the Webb telescope. For more about NASA's missions, research, and discoveries, visit: https://www.nasa.gov -end-
	Press Contacts Jackie McGuinness / Cheryl Warner Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 jackie.mcguinness@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov
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