TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
February 25, 2025
M41: The Little Beehive Star Cluster
Why are there so many bright blue stars? Stars are usually born in clusters, and the brightest and most massive of these stars typically glow blue. Less-bright, non-blue stars like our Sun surely also exist in this M41 star cluster but are harder to see. A few bright orange-appearing red giant stars are visible. The red-light filaments are emitted by diffuse hydrogen gas, a color that was specifically filtered and enhanced in this image. In a hundred million years or so, the bright blue stars will have exploded in supernovas and disappeared, while the slightly different trajectories of the fainter stars will cause this picturesque open cluster to disperse. Similarly, billions of years ago, our own Sun was likely born into a star cluster like M41, but it has long since drifted apart from its sister stars. The featured image was captured over four hours with Chilescope T2 in Chile.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Blue Origin New Shepard Mission NS-30
February 25, 2025, 9:30 AM CST / 15:30 UTC.
Blue Origin's 10th human flight, NS-30, will lift off from Launch Site One in West Texas on Tuesday, February 25. The New Shepard launch window opens at 9:30 AM CST / 15:30 UTC.
The webcast will start at T-35 minutes.
https://www.blueorigin.com/missions/ns-30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXRzcSw_bdc
'Two Legs At A Time': NASA Astronaut Shows Hilarious Way To Wear Pants In Space
February 26, 2025, 03:12 IST
Dressing in space presents a unique challenge due to the absence of gravity, making it tricky to put on clothing.
To overcome this, astronauts develop creative techniques, and NASA chemical engineer Don Pettit recently showcased one such method.
On February 21, the flight engineer shared a captivating video on X (formerly Twitter), demonstrating his innovative way of putting on pants while floating aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The now-viral clip left viewers both amused and amazed.
The astronaut, floating in mid-air, smoothly descended straight into his trousers. Rather than the usual one-leg-at-a-time method, Pettit jumped into them with both legs at once.
Isn’t it fun to watch? Don Pettit posted the video with a simple caption. It read, “Two legs at a time!"
The light-hearted video quickly went viral, sparking a wave of hilarious reactions from users who were amused by the quirky glimpse into everyday life in space.
“I thought you were going to land right in them at first. Haha. That might be fun to try," commented a user.
An individual playfully commented, “Missed opportunity to not have the theme from Space Odyssey 2001 playing for this."
“Such a pro! Well done," said another. Another added, “This is the real content that I needed! I attempted to recreate this on Earth, and well…it didn’t go well."
“Wish I could do that! What a timesaver!" posted a user.
Don Pettit, the 69-year-old is an accomplished American astronaut, chemical engineer, and inventor. Born in Silverton, Oregon, in 1955, he is known for his work with NASA.
Pettit has spent more than 370 days in space and over 13 spacewalk hours across multiple missions, including expeditions to the International Space Station (ISS) and a Space Shuttle mission.
Selected as a NASA astronaut in 1996, Don Pettit first travelled to space in 2002 aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-113) as part of Expedition 6, spending over five months on the ISS.
He returned in 2008 on STS-126 as a flight engineer to deliver equipment to the station and again in 2011-2012 for Expedition 30/31, logging another six months in orbit.
On September 11, 2024, he launched to the ISS aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner.
Currently, Pettit is serving as a flight engineer and a member of the Expedition 72 crew, where he will spend approximately six months conducting scientific research and maintaining the space station.
https://www.news18.com/viral/two-legs-at-a-time-nasa-astronaut-shows-hilarious-way-to-wear-pants-in-space-aa-9240169.html
https://twitter.com/astro_Pettit/status/1892817575240757304
Asteroid that sparked concerns no longer poses threat: NASA
02/25/25 10:28 AM ET
An asteroid that sparked concerns about potentially hitting Earth no longer poses a significant threat of slamming into our planet, according to NASA’s latest analysis.
The asteroid, Asteroid 2024 YR4, which was first spotted in late 2024, now has a 0.004 percent chance of hitting our planet and is “expected to safely pass by Earth in 2032,” NASA said in the newest update that was published on Monday.
The 2024 YR4, first detected by telescopes on Dec. 27 last year, previously had a “very small, but notable chance” of ramming into Earth in 2032.
With further observations, experts at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (JPL) Center for Near-Earth Object Studies determined “more precise models” of the asteroid’s trajectory show “there is no significant potential for this asteroid to impact our planet for the next century.”
“The latest observations have further reduced the uncertainty of its future trajectory, and the range of possible locations the asteroid could be on Dec. 22, 2032, has moved farther away from the Earth,” NASA said.
While Earth might not be in harm’s way, our moon is not entirely in the clear, according to NASA.
The space agency said there is currently a 1.7 percent chance the asteroid could “impact” the Moon on Dec. 22, 2032.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will continue to examine the asteroid in March “to further gain insights about its size for scientific purposes.”
The space agency added that despite the asteroid no longer being a “significant impact hazard” to planet Earth, it was an “invaluable opportunity for experts at NASA and its partner institutions to test planetary defense science and notification processes.”
https://thehill.com/homenews/space/5162687-asteroid-2024-yr4-impact-chance/
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/iss-research/science-in-orbit-results-published-on-space-station-research-in-2024/
https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-research-and-technology/space-station-research-results/
Science in Orbit: Results Published on Space Station Research in 2024
Feb 25, 2025
NASA and its international partners have hosted research experiments and fostered collaboration aboard the International Space Station for over 25 years.
More than 4,000 investigations have been conducted, resulting in over 4,400 research publications with 361 in 2024 alone.
Space station research continues to advance technology on Earth and prepare for future space exploration missions.
Below is a selection of scientific results that were published over the past year. For more space station research achievements and additional information about the findings mentioned here, check out the 2024 Annual Highlights of Results.
Making stronger cement
NASA’s Microgravity Investigation of Cement Solidification (MICS) observes the hydration reaction and hardening process of cement paste on the space station.
As part of this experiment, researchers used artificial intelligence to create 3D models from 2D microscope images of cement samples formed in microgravity.
Characteristics such as pore distribution and crystal growth can impact the integrity of any concrete-like material, and these artificial intelligence models allow for predicting internal structures that can only be adequately captured in 3D.
Results from the MICS investigation improve researchers’ understanding of cement hardening and could support innovations for civil engineering, construction, and manufacturing of industrial materials on exploration missions.
Creating Ideal Clusters
The JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Colloidal Clusters investigation uses the attractive forces between oppositely charged particles to form pyramid-shaped clusters.
These clusters are a key building block for the diamond lattice, an ideal structure in materials with advanced light-manipulation capabilities. Researchers immobilized clusters on the space station using a holding gel with increased durability.
The clusters returned to Earth can scatter light in the visible to near-infrared range used in optical and laser communications systems.
By characterizing these clusters, scientists can gain insights into particle aggregation in nature and learn how to effectively control light reflection for technologies that bend light, such as specialized sensors, high-speed computing components, and even novel cloaking devices.
Controlling Bubble Formation
NASA’s Optical Imaging of Bubble Dynamics on Nanostructured Surfaces studies how different types of surfaces affect bubbles generated by boiling water on the space station.
Researchers found that boiling in microgravity generates larger bubbles and that bubbles grow about 30 times faster than on Earth.
Results also show that surfaces with finer microstructures generate slower bubble formation due to changes in the rate of heat transfer.
Fundamental insights into bubble growth could improve thermal cooling systems and sensors that use bubbles.
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Evaluating Cellular Responses to Space
The ESA (European Space Agency) investigation Cytoskeleton attempts to uncover how microgravity impacts important regulatory processes that control cell multiplication, programmed cell death, and gene expression.
Researchers cultured a model of human bone cells and identified 24 pathways that are affected by microgravity.
Cultures from the space station showed a reduction of cellular expansion and increased activity in pathways associated with inflammation, cell stress, and iron-dependent cell death.
These results help to shed light on cellular processes related to aging and the microgravity response, which could feed into the development of future countermeasures to help maintain astronaut health and performance.
Improving Spatial Awareness
The CSA (Canadian Space Agency) investigation Wayfinding investigates the impact of long-duration exposure to microgravity on the orientation skills in astronauts.
Researchers identified reduced activity in spatial processing regions of the brain after spaceflight, particularly those involved in visual perception and orientation of spatial attention.
In microgravity, astronauts cannot process balance cues normally provided by gravity, affecting their ability to perform complex spatial tasks.
A better understanding of spatial processes in space allows researchers to find new strategies to improve the work environment and reduce the impact of microgravity on the spatial cognition of astronauts.
Monitoring low Earth orbit
The Roscomos-ESA-Italian Space Agency investigation Mini-EUSO (Multiwavelength Imaging New Instrument for the Extreme Universe Space Observatory) is a multipurpose telescope designed to examine light emissions entering Earth’s atmosphere.
Researchers report that Mini-EUSO data has helped to develop a new machine learning algorithm to detect space debris and meteors that move across the field of view of the telescope.
The algorithm showed increased precision for meteor detection and identified characteristics such as rotation rate.
The algorithm could be implemented on ground-based telescopes or satellites to identify space debris, meteors, or asteroids and increase the safety of space activities.
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call the hotline
Jaw-dropping footage from NASA's Blue Ghost spaceship reveals close-up of the Moon - with Earth rising and setting in the background
Updated: 10:04 EST, 25 February 2025
Since leaving Earth on January 15, NASA's Blue Ghost lander has been sending back some stunning mages of space.
Now, the autonomous lander has captured a truly jaw-dropping view as it records a unique close-up of the moon.
In an incredible video, you can see the distant Earth rising and setting behind the curve of the lunar surface.
Taken on February 18, the timelapse reveals the stunning view from the Blue Ghost lander as it completed its second orbit, from about 75 miles (120 km) away.
Having now circumnavigated the moon three times, the lander's operator, US private firm Firefly Aerospace, is making final preparations before touchdown on March 2.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Firefly Aerospace wrote: 'Earth rise, Earth set, repeat!'
Meanwhile, on social media, space fans have been wowed by the incredible glimpse of our lunar satellite, with its incredible patchwork of deep craters.
One commenter wrote: 'What a cool time to be alive! The Moon up close once again!'
The robotic Blue Ghost lunar lander was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
On board are 10 NASA science investigations and technology demonstrations as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.
These include instruments to record data on the lunar surface and experimental GPS tracking systems.
Over a weeks-long journey, the lander travelled roughly 238,855 miles (384,400 km) and entered lunar orbit on February 13 where it was scheduled to wait for 16 days.
On its way, Blue Ghost captured incredible images of Earth as it shrunk into a small pale dot in the distance.
While orbiting the moon, Blue Ghost has been completing a series of engine burns to bring it into a tighter orbit.
On February 18, the lander completed a three-minute and 18-second burn to push itself into a significantly lower elliptical orbit around the moon.
Shortly after lowering itself down, Blue Ghost recorded a flyby of the far side of the moon (usually hidden from Earth) at an altitude of just 75 miles (120km).
Although it is commonly referred to as the 'dark side' of the moon because it always faces away from Earth, this side receives just as much light from the sun as the near side.
On social media, many commenters rushed to share their admiration and amazement.
'Good luck! One small landing, one giant leap', one commenter wrote on X.
Another wrote: 'Well this is the coolest thing I've seen in weeks', while one impressed commenter chimed in: 'This is my favorite video now'.
Of course, not everyone online was so impressed and some conspiratorially-minded commenters even questioned whether the footage was real.
One conspiracy theorist wrote: 'What a joke. gotta be a serious sheep to think this is real footage. hilarious'.
'It looks like cheap plastic moon', wrote one commenter.
Another claimed: 'If you believe this, you are not thinking critically. Good luck.'
Blue Ghost completed its third and final lunar orbit as of Monday and is making preparations for its last manoeuvres.
Next, the lander will perform a 16-second burn to enter a very low and nearly circular orbit around the moon.
Finally, once the spacecraft falls to 62 miles (100km) above the surface, it will fire its engines for 19 seconds to drop its path down to the landing site.
Blue Ghost is expected to land on the eastern edge of the moon's Earth-facing side near an ancient volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within the 300-mile-wide (483 km) basin of the Mare Crisium, or 'Sea of Crises'.
From there, it will use its scientific payloads to gather information about the moon.
This includes making use of a lunar sunset to study a phenomenon called 'dust levitation' in which dust appears to float above the surface.
This was first sketched by Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene Cernan during NASA's last mission to the moon over 50 years ago.
Blue Ghost will then operate for 14 Earth days until the near side of the moon is cast into shadow, plunging the lander into the freezing lunar night.
With temperatures as low as -130°C (-208°F) and no light to charge its batteries, this is expected to break the lander's electronics and put an end to the mission.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14433787/footage-NASA-Blue-Ghost-Moon.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCbbgtrXaZ4
Support mounts for moving NASA headquarters to Florida
Updated Feb. 25, 2025
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday reiterated his support for relocating the country’s federal space agency to the Space Coast of Florida.
NASA is currently stationed in Washington, D.C., but those headquarters are slated to be demolished.
Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., on Monday proclaimed her support for NASA making the move down to the Sunshine State.
“The move would save taxpayers money, encourage collaboration with private space companies, and tap into Florida’s talented workforce in the aerospace industry to spur further innovation,” Moody said.
DeSantis on Tuesday called such an action “a no-brainer for DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency].”
“Right now the Feds are planning on a building a new, expensive headquarters in DC for NASA — even though very few NASA employees have showed up to the current DC office over the past four years,” the governor said.
Drumming up support: Moody isn’t the only federal official to advocate for the move.
“Florida’s Space Coast, home to key facilities like the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, is uniquely positioned to support this transformation and strengthen America’s leadership in space exploration,” said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., in January.
Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., represents the Space Coast in Washington, and also backed the relocation earlier in February.
“I think that’s the best way to go where the action is as opposed to where the bureaucrats work,” he said.
The congressman said that the NASA building in Washington is only 8% occupied.
Appealing to Trump: Before President Donald Trump took the oath of office, DeSantis earlier in January laid out his argument for why the Trump administration should set the plan in motion
“They have this massive building in Washington, DC, and like nobody goes to it, so why not just shutter it and move everybody down here?” the governor said.
“I think they’re planning on spending like a half a billion to build a new building up in D.C. that no one will ever go to either.”
“So hopefully, with the new administration coming in, they’ll see a great opportunity to just headquarter NASA here on the Space Coast of Florida.
I think that’d be very, very fitting,” he said.
The Space Coast encompasses the east coast portion of Florida in Brevard County.
https://flvoicenews.com/desantis-backs-sen-ashley-moodys-push-to-move-nasa-hq-to-florida/
Five Facts About NASA’s Moon Bound Technology
Feb 24, 2025
NASA is sending revolutionary technologies to the Moon aboard Intuitive Machines’ second lunar delivery as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign to establish a long-term presence on the lunar surface.
As part of this CLPS flight to the Moon, NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate will test novel technologies to learn more about what lies beneath the lunar surface, explore its challenging terrain, and improve in-space communication.
The launch window for Intuitive Machines’ second CLPS delivery, IM-2, opens no earlier than Wednesday, Feb. 26 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
After the Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C class lunar lander reaches Mons Mouton, a lunar plateau near the Moon’s South Pole region, it will deploy several NASA and commercial technologies including a drill and mass spectrometer, a new cellular communication network, and a small drone that will survey difficult terrain before returning valuable data to Earth.
Here are five things to know about this unique mission to the Moon, the technologies we are sending, and the teams making it happen!
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Lunar South Pole Exploration
IM-2’s landing site is known as one of the flatter regions in the South Pole region, suitable to meet Intuitive Machines’ requirement for a lit landing corridor and acceptable terrain slope.
The landing location was selected by Intuitive Machines using data acquired by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
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New Technology Demonstrations
NASA’s Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment, known as PRIME-1, is a suite of two instruments – a drill and mass spectrometer – designed to demonstrate our capability to look for ice and other resources that could be extracted and used to produce propellant and breathable oxygen for future explorers.
The PRIME-1 technology will dig up to about three feet below the surface into the lunar soil where it lands, gaining key insight into the soil’s characteristics and temperature while detecting other resources that may lie beneath the surface.
Data from the PRIME-1 technology demonstration will be made available to the public following the mission, enabling partners to accelerate the development of new missions and innovative technologies.
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Mobile Robots
Upon landing on the lunar surface, two commercial Tipping Point technology demonstrations will be deployed near Intuitive Machines’ lander, Tipping Points are collaborations between NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and industry that foster the development of commercial space capabilities and benefit future NASA missions.
The first is a small hopping drone developed by Intuitive Machines. The hopper, named Grace, will deploy as a secondary payload from the lander and enable high-resolution surveying of the lunar surface, including permanently shadowed craters around the landing site.
Grace is designed to bypass obstacles such as steep inclines, boulders, and craters to cover a lot of terrain while moving quickly, which is a valuable capability to support future missions on the Moon and other planets, including Mars.
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Lunar Surface Communication
The next Tipping Point technology will test a Lunar Surface Communications System developed by Nokia.
This system employs the same cellular technology used here on Earth, reconceptualized by Nokia Bell Labs to meet the unique requirements of a lunar mission.
The Lunar Surface Communications System will demonstrate proximity communications between the lander, a Lunar Outpost rover, and the hopper.
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Working Together
NASA is working with several U.S. companies to deliver technology and science to the lunar surface through the agency’s CLPS initiative.
NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate plays a unique role in the IM-2 mission by strategically combining CLPS with NASA’s Tipping Point mechanism to maximize the potential benefit of this mission to NASA, industry, and the nation.
NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative and Game Changing Development program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate led the maturation, development, and implementation of pivotal in-situ resource utilization, communication, and mobility technologies flying on IM-2.
Join NASA to watch full mission updates, from launch to landing on NASA+, and share your experience on social media. Mission updates will be made available on NASA’s Artemis blog.
https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/five-facts-about-nasas-moon-bound-technology/
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-names-acting-associate-administrator-more-leadership-changes/
https://www.nasa.gov/people/vanessa-e-wyche/
NASA Names Acting Associate Administrator, More Leadership Changes
Feb 24, 2025
NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro announced Monday Vanessa Wyche will serve as the acting associate administrator for the agency at NASA Headquarters in Washington, effective immediately.
Wyche, who had been the director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, is detailed as Petro’s senior advisor leading the agency’s center directors and mission directorate associate administrators.
She will act as the agency’s chief operating officer for about 18,000 civil servant employees and an annual budget of more than $25 billion. Stephen Koerner will become the acting center director of NASA Johnson.
The agency also named Jackie Jester as associate administrator for the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs and announced Catherine Koerner, associate administrator for the agency’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate will retire effective Friday, Feb. 28.
Lori Glaze, currently the deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development will become the mission directorate’s acting associate administrator.
“As we continue to advance our mission, it’s crucial that we have strong, experienced leaders in place,” Petro said.
“Vanessa will bring exceptional leadership to NASA’s senior ranks, helping guide our workforce toward the opportunities that lie ahead, while Steve will continue to provide steadfast leadership at NASA Johnson.
Jackie’s return to the agency will ensure we remain closely aligned with national priorities as we work with Congress.
Cathy’s legacy is one of unwavering dedication to human spaceflight, and we are grateful for her years of service.
Lori’s leadership will continue to build on that legacy as we push forward in our exploration efforts.
These appointments reflect NASA’s unwavering commitment to excellence, and I have full confidence that each of these leaders will carry our vision forward with purpose, integrity, and a relentless drive to succeed.”
Prior to her new role, Wyche was the director NASA Johnson – home to America’s astronaut corps, Mission Control Center, International Space Station, Orion and Gateway Programs, and its more than 11,000 civil service and contractor employees.
Her responsibilities included a broad range of human spaceflight activities, including development and operation of human spacecraft, NASA astronaut selection and training, mission control, commercialization of low Earth orbit, and leading NASA Johnson in exploring the Moon and Mars.
During her 35-year career, Wyche has served in several leadership roles, including Johnson’s deputy center director, director of Exploration Integration and Science Directorate, flight manager of several Space Shuttle Program missions, and executive officer in the Office of the Administrator.
A native of South Carolina, Wyche earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Master of Science in Bioengineering from Clemson University.
As deputy director of NASA Johnson, Stephen Koerner, oversaw strategic workforce planning, serves as the Designated Agency Safety Health Officer, and supported the Johnson center director in mission reviews.
Before his appointment in July 2021, Koerner held various leadership roles at NASA Johnson, including director of the Flight Operations Directorate, associate director, chief financial officer, deputy director of flight operations, and deputy director of mission operations.
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In her new role as the associate administrator for the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, Jester will direct a staff responsible for managing and coordinating all communication with the U.S. Congress, as well as serve as a senior advisor to agency leaders on legislative matters.
Jester rejoins the agency after serving as the senior director for government affairs at Relativity Space’s Washington office where she led policy engagement for the company.
Prior to her time with Relativity, she served as a policy advisor at NASA and at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
She has served as a professional staff member for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
She has spent time in state government as the Chief Legislative Aide to a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
Jester has significant experience advising on space policy issues, aviation operations and safety policy, and has helped develop numerous pieces of legislation.
With a 34-year career at NASA, Catherine Koerner has been instrumental in leading NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, overseeing the development of the agency’s deep space exploration approach.
Previously, she was the deputy associate administrator for the mission directorate. Her extensive career at NASA includes roles such as the Orion program manager, director of the Human Health and Performance Directorate, former NASA flight director, several leadership positions within the International Space Station Program during its assembly phase and helping to foster a commercial space industry in low Earth orbit.
Glaze has a distinguished background in planetary science, previously serving as the director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division before joining Explorations Systems Development.
Prior to her tenure at NASA Headquarters in Washington, she was the chief of the Planetary Geology, Geophysics and Geochemistry Laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the Deputy Director of Goddard’s Solar System Exploration Division.
She has been a leading advocate for Venus exploration, serving as the principal investigator for the Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging mission.
Glaze earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees in Physics from the University of Texas at Arlington and a doctorate in Environmental Science from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom.
Her prior experience includes roles at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and at Proxemy Research as Vice President and Senior Research Scientist.
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https://www.openculture.com/2016/07/stanley-kubricks-daughter-vivian-debunks-the-age-old-moon-landing-conspiracy-theory.html
NASA associate administrator for exploration to retire
February 24, 2025
The head of NASA’s exploration programs is leaving the agency in the latest leadership shakeup since the start of the Trump administration.
NASA announced Feb. 24 that Cathy Koerner would retire from the agency at the end of the week as associate administrator for exploration systems development. Koerner has served in that role since the end of 2023.
Koerner spent 34 years at NASA in various roles, including Orion program manager and deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development.
She took the position of associate administrator for exploration systems development when Jim Free, the previous person in that role, became associate administrator, the highest civil-service position at the agency.
Free retired from the agency last week after 30 years at NASA.
It came a month after the Trump administration passed him over to serve as acting administrator, after some initial confusion, instead selecting Janet Petro, director of the Kennedy Space Center, to lead the agency while awaiting the Senate confirmation of Jared Isaacman.
“Cathy’s legacy is one of unwavering dedication to human spaceflight, and we are grateful for her years of service,” Petro said in a statement.
The departures of both Free and Koerner have raised new questions about the future of the Artemis lunar exploration campaign, the central part of the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) they led over the last several years.
The Trump administration is reportedly scrutinizing Artemis but has yet to provide any formal direction on any changes to it.
However, sources in the agency say they are interpreting the sudden departures of Free and Koerner as signs of impending major changes.
Replacing Koerner on an acting basis will be Lori Glaze, the deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development.
Glaze is a planetary scientist who for several years was director of the agency’s planetary science division. She took a detail in ESDMD last spring and, several months later, elected to stay in that directorate as deputy associate administrator.
NASA also announced Feb. 24 that Vanessa Wyche, director of the Johnson Space Center, has become acting associate administrator, succeeding Free. She has been at NASA for 35 years, including nearly four years as director of JSC.
“Vanessa will bring exceptional leadership to NASA’s senior ranks, helping guide our workforce toward the opportunities that lie ahead,” Petro said in the statement.
In another move announced at the same time, NASA hired Jackie Jester as associate administrator for the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs.
She had been senior director for government affairs at launch vehicle developer Relativity Space and had previously worked at NASA as a policy advisor.
“What did you do” memo resolution
The agency also finalized its response to a memo sent by the Office of Personnel Management Feb. 22, asking all federal employees to provide bullet points on their accomplishments in the last week.
Elon Musk, the de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), had stated on social media that employees who did not respond by the Feb. 24 deadline would be fired.
NASA officials had initially provided employees with conflicting advice on how to deal with the memo, with some encouraging staff to respond and others recommending holding off.
They later recommended across the board that employees not reply.
In a statement to reporters Feb. 24, NASA said that it was not requiring employees to respond.
“NASA leadership is responding to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) request on behalf of the agency workforce,” an agency spokesperson said.
“You are not required to respond, and there is no impact to your employment with the agency if you choose not to respond,” Petro said in an internal message to NASA employees.
That guidance aligned with many other federal agencies, who called on their employees not to respond to the email. OPM itself reportedly informed agencies Feb. 24 that responses to the email were no longer required.
However, Musk reiterated his threats to fire nonresponsive employees. “Subject to the discretion of the President, they will be given another chance,” he posted on social media late Feb. 24 of employees who did not respond.
“Failure to respond a second time will result in termination.”
https://spacenews.com/nasa-associate-administrator-for-exploration-to-retire/
https://www.nasa.gov/people/catherine-koerner/
Here's an older interview from Project Camelot with William Tompkins about that.
Have we been wrong about why Mars is red?
25/02/2025
The Red Planet’s iconic rusty dust has a much wetter history than previously assumed, find scientists combining European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA spacecraft data with new laboratory experiments on replica Mars dust.
The results suggest that Mars rusted early in the planet’s ancient past, when liquid water was more widespread.
Mars is easily identifiable in the night sky by its prominent red hue. Thanks to the fleet of spacecraft that have studied the planet over the last decades, we know that this red colour is due to rusted iron minerals in the dust.
That is, iron bound up in Mars’s rocks has at some point reacted with liquid water, or water and oxygen in the air, similar to how rust forms on Earth.
Over billions of years this rusty material – iron oxide – has been broken down into dust and spread all around the planet by winds, a process that continues today.
But iron oxides come in many flavours, and the exact chemistry of martian rust has been intensely debated because how it formed is a window into the planet’s environmental conditions at the time.
And closely linked to that is the question of whether Mars has ever been habitable.
Previous studies of the iron oxide component of the martian dust based on spacecraft observations alone did not find evidence of water contained within it.
Researchers had therefore concluded that this particular type of iron oxide must be hematite, formed under dry surface conditions through reactions with the martian atmosphere over billions of years – after Mars’s early wet period.
However, new analysis of spacecraft observations in combination with novel laboratory techniques shows that Mars’s red colour is better matched by iron oxides containing water, known as ferrihydrite.
Ferrihydrite typically forms quickly in the presence of cool water, and so must have formed when Mars still had water on its surface.
The ferrihydrite has kept its watery signature to the present day, despite being ground down and spread around the planet since its formation.
“We were trying to create a replica martian dust in the laboratory using different types of iron oxide.
We found that ferrihydrite mixed with basalt, a volcanic rock, best fits the minerals seen by spacecraft at Mars,” says lead author Adomas Valantinas, a postdoc at Brown University in the US, formerly at the University of Bern in Switzerland where he started his work with ESA’s Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) data.
“Mars is still the Red Planet. It’s just that our understanding of why Mars is red has been transformed.
The major implication is that because ferrihydrite could only have formed when water was still present on the surface, Mars rusted earlier than we previously thought.
Moreover, the ferrihydrite remains stable under present-day conditions on Mars.”
Other studies have also suggested ferrihydrite might be present in martian dust, but Adomas and colleagues have provided the first comprehensive proof through the unique combination of space mission data and novel laboratory experiments.
They created the replica martian dust using an advanced grinder machine to achieve the realistic dust grain size equivalent to 1/100th of a human hair.
They then analysed their samples using the same techniques as orbiting spacecraft in order to make a direct comparison, finally identifying ferrihydrite as the best match.
“This study is the result of the complementary datasets from the fleet of international missions exploring Mars from orbit and at ground level,” says Colin Wilson, ESA’s TGO and Mars Express project scientist.
Mars Express’s analysis of the dust’s mineralogy helped show that even highly dusty regions of the planet contain water-rich minerals.
And thanks to TGO’s unique orbit that allows it to see the same region under different illumination conditions and angles, the team could disentangle particle size and composition, essential for recreating the correct dust size in the lab.
Data from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, together with ground-based measurements from NASA Mars rovers Curiosity, Pathfinder and Opportunity, also helped make the case for ferrihydrite.
“We eagerly await the results from upcoming missions like ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover and the NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return, which will allow us to probe deeper into what makes Mars red,” adds Colin.
“Some of the samples already collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover and awaiting return to Earth include dust; once we get these precious samples into the lab, we’ll be able to measure exactly how much ferrihydrite the dust contains, and what this means for our understanding of the history of water – and the possibility for life – on Mars.”
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Have_we_been_wrong_about_why_Mars_is_red
NASA to Provide Coverage of Progress 91 Launch, Space Station Docking
Feb 24, 2025
NASA will provide live launch and docking coverage of a Roscosmos cargo spacecraft delivering approximately three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the crew aboard the International Space Station.
The unpiloted Roscosmos Progress 91 spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 4:24 p.m. EST, Thursday, Feb. 27 (2:24 a.m. Baikonur time, Friday, Feb. 28), on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Live launch coverage will begin at 4 p.m. on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
After a two-day in-orbit journey to the station, the spacecraft will dock autonomously to the aft port of the Zvezda service module at 6:03 p.m. Saturday, March 1.
NASA’s rendezvous and docking coverage will begin at 5:15 p.m. on NASA+.
The Progress 91 spacecraft will remain docked to the space station for approximately six months before departing for re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of trash loaded by the crew.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-to-provide-coverage-of-progress-91-launch-space-station-docking/