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October’s Night Sky Notes: Let’s Go, LIGO!
Sep 30, 2025
September 2025 marks ten years since the first direct detection of gravitational waves as predicted by Albert Einstein’s 1916 theory of General Relativity.
These invisible ripples in space were first directly detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO).
Traveling at the speed of light (~186,000 miles per second), these waves stretch and squeeze the fabric of space itself, changing the distance between objects as they pass.
Waves In Space
Gravitational waves are created when massive objects accelerate in space, especially in violent events. LIGO detected the first gravitational waves when two black holes, orbiting one another, finally merged, creating ripples in space-time.
But these waves are not exclusive to black holes. If a star were to go supernova, it could produce the same effect. Neutron stars can also create these waves for various reasons.
While these waves are invisible to the human eye, this animation from NASA’s Science Visualization Studio shows the merger of two black holes and the waves they create in the process.
How It Works
A gravitational wave observatory, like LIGO, is built with two tunnels, each approximately 2.5 miles long, arranged in an "L" shape.
At the end of each tunnel, a highly polished 40 kg mirror (about 16 inches across) is mounted; this will reflect the laser beam that is sent from the observatory.
A laser beam is sent from the observatory room and split into two, with equal parts traveling down each tunnel, bouncing off the mirrors at the end.
When the beams return, they are recombined. If the arm lengths are perfectly equal, the light waves cancel out in just the right way, producing darkness at the detector.
But if a gravitational wave passes, it slightly stretches one arm while squeezing the other, so the returning beams no longer cancel perfectly, creating a flicker of light that reveals the wave’s presence.
The actual detection happens at the point of recombination, when even a minuscule stretching of one arm and squeezing of the other changes how long it takes the laser beams to return. This difference produces a measurable shift in the interference pattern.
To be certain that the signal is real and not local noise, both LIGO observatories — one in Washington State (LIGO Hanford) and the other in Louisiana (LIGO Livingston) — must record the same pattern within milliseconds.
When they do, it’s confirmation of a gravitational wave rippling through Earth. We don’t feel these waves as they pass through our planet, but we now have a method of detecting them!
Get Involved
With the help of two additional gravitational-wave observatories, VIRGO and KAGRA, there have been 300 black hole mergers detected in the past decade; some of which are confirmed, while others await further study.
While the average person may not have a laser interferometer lying around in the backyard, you can help with two projects geared toward detecting gravitational waves and the black holes that contribute to them:
Black Hole Hunters: Using data from the TESS satellite, you would study graphs of how the brightness of stars changes over time, looking for an effect called gravitational microlensing. This lensing effect can indicate that a massive object has passed in front of a star, such as a black hole.
Gravity Spy: You can help LIGO scientists with their gravitational wave research by looking for glitches that may mimic gravitational waves. By sorting out the mimics, we can train algorithms on how to detect the real thing.
You can also use gelatin, magnetic marbles, and a small mirror for a more hands-on demonstration on how gravitational waves move through space-time with JPL’s Dropping In With Gravitational Waves activity!
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/night-sky-network/octobers-night-sky-notes-lets-go-ligo/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/resources/lesson-plan/dropping-in-with-gravitational-waves/
Crew Works Advanced Science Hardware and Conducts Lab Inspections
September 30, 2025
Space science hardware once again topped the schedule for the Expedition 73 crew aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday.
Life support and electronics maintenance to keep the orbital outpost in tip-top shape filled the rest of the day for the space lab residents.
Spacecraft humidity removal gear and ultra-high temperature physics were the focus for Flight Engineers Jonny Kim of NASA and Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).
Kim installed and activated a new technology demonstration in the Harmony module testing the removal of moisture from a spacecraft’s environment for recycling.
Results may advance regenerative life support systems on future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond such due to the inability to resupply crews living and working farther away from Earth.
Yui worked in the Kibo laboratory module on the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF) processing samples inside the experimental device.
ELF uses lasers to safely heat materials to ultra-high temperatures as sensors and cameras measure thermophysical properties difficult to obtain in Earth’s gravity.
NASA Flight Engineer Mike Fincke installed the new Heat Transfer Host 2 fluid physics research hardware inside the Columbus laboratory module.
The advanced gear will look at two-phase heat transfer, or condensation when gas turns to liquid, potentially leading to the design of advanced thermal systems for spacecraft carrying humans on deep space missions.
NASA Flight Engineer Zena Cardman spent her day primarily on life support maintenance first transferring fluids inside the Destiny laboratory module.
Afterward, she collected airflow measurements and inspected ventilation systems throughout the space station’s U.S. segment with assistance from Kim.
Finally, Cardman inspected cables and insulation for signs of corrosion and degradation in the Unity and Harmony modules.
At the beginning of her shift, Cardman spent a few minutes swapping samples cassettes inside the Advanced Sample Experiment Processor-4 for an experiment investigating how to manufacture pharmaceuticals off the Earth.
Station Commander Sergey Ryzhikov of Roscosmos spent most of his shift replacing power supply components inside the Zarya module. He wrapped up his day jogging on the Zvezda service module’s treadmill for a regularly scheduled space fitness test.
Flight Engineer Alexey Zubritsky concentrated on maintenance throughout Tuesday servicing the Elektron oxygen generator in Zvezda and conducting the yearly inspection inside the Roscosmos segment’s modules for moisture, corrosion, or damage.
Flight Engineer Oleg Platonov explored how blood circulates to the microcirculatory system, the smallest blood vessels, in a crew member’s limbs using specialized blood pressure cuffs and electrodes.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2025/09/30/crew-works-advanced-science-hardware-and-conducts-lab-inspections/
OSDR and PSI Unveil New Consolidated Website
Sep 30, 2025
The Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) and Physical Sciences Informatics (PSI) has a new home.
As part of NASA’s website consolidation initiative, the OSDR and PSI site have officially transitioned to the Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) Data page, accessible through the “Data” menu on the Science Mission Directorate’s (SMD) website at science.nasa.gov.
This strategic move reflects NASA’s broader effort to streamline user access to resources, unify digital platforms, and provide a more consistent experience across the SMD divisions.
The OSDR and PSI consolidation brings together two powerful resources, giving researchers a single point of access to search both biological and physical sciences datasets.
By integrating these repositories, NASA is expanding opportunities for cross-disciplinary research, enabling scientists to draw connections across fields and gain deeper insights into how biology and physical systems respond to spaceflight environments.
The redesigned OSDR website continues to serve as a hub for open access to space science data, offering a modernized layout, improved navigation, and direct pathways to explore datasets and analysis tools, and submit data through the submission portals enabled by OSDR and PSI.
Whether you are a scientist seeking resources for new investigations, a student learning about space research, or a collaborator from another discipline, the updated platform makes accessing NASA’s open science data easier than ever.
Check out the new BPS Data and OSDR, and PSI websites now!
The launch of the new consolidated OSDR and PSI websites underscores NASA’s commitment to open science and to advancing knowledge through transparent, accessible, and reusable data.
By situating OSDR under the BPS data ecosystem and combining it with PSI, NASA is strengthening visibility, fostering collaboration, and ensuring that both biological and physical sciences research in space continues to thrive.
https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/biological-physical-sciences/osdr-and-psi-unveil-new-consolidated-website/
https://science.nasa.gov/biological-physical/data/
https://science.nasa.gov/biological-physical/data/osdr/
https://science.nasa.gov/physical-sciences-informatics-psi/history-of-physical-science-informatics/
https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/news/blog/harmonized-landsat-sentinel-2-hls-data-now-available-microsofts-planetary-computer
Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) Data Now Available on Microsoft's Planetary Computer
Sept. 30, 2025
Since their initial release in 2021, the data products from NASA’s Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) project have become an indispensable resource for informing scientific discovery, facilitating environmental monitoring, and monitoring global sustainability.
Now, Microsoft has made it easier for researchers, developers, and decision-makers to access and benefit from the HLS project’s efforts.
Through a collaboration with NASA, HLS data is now available on Microsoft Azure—Microsoft’s cloud platform—and accessible through Microsoft’s Planetary Computer.
Planetary Computer provides access to a multi-petabyte catalog of global environmental data presented in consistent, analysis-ready formats.
Users can access a variety of data through application programming interfaces (APIs) and directly via Azure storage. This flexible scientific environment allows users to analyze the data as well as build applications to use on top of the platform.
Enhancing Land Monitoring Capabilities with High-Resolution Imagery
HLS provides a seamless set of surface reflectance records from the Operational Land Imager (OLI) aboard the NASA/USGS Landsat-8/9 and Multi-Spectral Instrument (MSI) aboard the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2A/B remote sensing satellites.
By harmonizing these datasets, NASA provides a continuous, high-resolution view of our planet, which allows for better analysis of land use changes, vegetation health, water resources, and more.
The HLS project was created in response to the needs of the U.S. Federal Government identified by the Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG) biennial survey.
In that assessment, federal agencies and end users identified a need for more frequent Landsat-like observations to track short-term changes in vegetation and other land components to support agricultural monitoring and land cover classification at moderate to high resolution in both the visible and thermal components of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The project's data products, which are distributed by NASA's Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC), greatly improve current publicly available remote sensing land monitoring capabilities, particularly in terms of the frequency of land surface observations through time.
The harmonization of HLS ensures that the Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 collection (30-meter spatial resolution with a 16-day repeat period) and the Sentinel-2A/B collection (10 to 20-meter spatial resolution with a five-day repeat period) can be used as if they were a single collection.
Through HLS, land surface observations can be acquired at an unprecedented 30-meter spatial resolution every two to three days.
These frequent revisit times allow for time series imagery of land surface applications at the field/plot scale, which supports a wide range of applications including agricultural health, insect infestations, and natural hazard impacts.
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HLS’s harmonizing algorithm was developed by the HLS Science Team and is ported and operated by the Interagency Implementation and Advanced Concepts Team (IMPACT) located at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
The data products are archived at and distributed by NASA's LP DAAC, which is a partnership between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Coordination between these partners on the data life cycle ensures that HLS data are high-quality, freely available, and accessible to end users with low latency.
Innovation Across a Range of Applications
With HLS data hosted on Azure and available via Microsoft Planetary Computer, users can scale complex environmental computations and apply Microsoft’s AI and cloud-based analytics to drive innovation across a range of applications.
For example, by combining HLS data with Azure artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and high-performance computing services, users can:
Automate land cover classification and vegetation monitoring
Detect changes in urban development and deforestation trends
Develop AI models to predict environmental patterns
Create interactive geospatial applications that simplify decision-making
Already, IMPACT and Microsoft have worked together to create a prototype NASA Earth Copilot, an AI-powered assistant that helps scientists and policymakers discover, interpret, and analyze geospatial data using natural language queries such as “What was the impact of Hurricane Ian in Sanibel Island?” or “How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect air quality in the U.S.?” AI will then retrieve relevant datasets, making the process seamless and intuitive.
These tools let researchers spend less time on data retrieval and more on analysis, enable educators to more easily engage students in Earth science, and help policymakers make more informed decisions on disaster preparedness, urban development, and hazard mitigation.
Get Started
To begin leveraging HLS data on the Microsoft Planetary Computer, visit the dataset’s landing page to learn more about integrating it with Azure’s AI, machine learning, and data analytics tools.
Microsoft and NASA also offer comprehensive training resources to help you make the most of these capabilities.
Learn how to build AI-powered applications using Azure OpenAI, process geospatial data efficiently, and deploy scalable solutions in the cloud by accessing Microsoft Azure training materials and tutorials. (An Azure account is not required to access these tutorials.)
NASA and NASA-funded science teams can request an Azure subscription through NASA’s SMCE. Visit https://smce.nasa.gov/ for details.
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NASA, Blue Origin Invite Media to Attend Mars Mission Launch
Sep 30, 2025
NASA and Blue Origin are reopening media accreditation for the launch of the agency’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission.
The twin ESCAPADE spacecraft will study the solar wind’s interaction with Mars, providing insight into the planet’s real-time response to space weather and how solar activity drives atmospheric escape.
This will be the second launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket.
Media interested in covering ESCAPADE launch activities must apply for media credentials. Media who previously applied for media credentials for the ESCAPADE launch do not need to reapply.
U.S. media and U.S. citizens representing international media must apply by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 13. Media accreditation requests should be submitted online to: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov.
A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. For questions about accreditation, please email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.
For other mission questions, please contact NASA Kennedy’s newsroom: 321-867-2468.
Blue Origin is targeting later this fall for the launch of New Glenn’s second mission (NG-2) from Space Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Accredited media will have the opportunity to participate in prelaunch media activities and cover the launch.
Once a specific launch date is targeted, NASA and Blue Origin will communicate additional details regarding the media event schedule.
NASA will post updates on launch preparations for the twin Martian orbiters on the ESCAPADE blog.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-blue-origin-invite-media-to-attend-mars-mission-launch/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/escapade/
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/escapade/
Jupiter’s Volcanic Moon Io
Sep 30, 2025
During its close flyby of Jupiter’s moon Io on December 30, 2023, NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured some of the most detailed imagery ever of Io’s volcanic surface.
In this image, taken by the JunoCam instrument from about 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) above the moon, Io’s night side [left lobe] is illuminated by “Jupitershine,” which is sunlight reflected from the planet’s surface.
This image is the NASA Science Image of the Month for October 2025. Each month, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate chooses an image to feature, offering desktop wallpaper downloads, as well as links to related topics, activities, and games.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/jupiters-volcanic-moon-io/
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex remains open despite federal government shutdown
October 1, 2025
The full impact of the federal government shutdown is unclear, but at least there's good news for tourists going to KSC. The Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Visitor Complex remains open despite the federal government shutdown.
“Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is operated for NASA by Delaware North and is not supported by government or taxpayer funding and therefore we are able to remain open,” the KSC Visitor Complex said on X Wednesday morning to assure tourists not to cancel their upcoming plans.
All of the KSC Complex’s exhibits and attractions are still open, the organization confirmed.
The federal government shut down at midnight Wednesday after gridlock between Republicans and Democrats over health care funding. Health care subsidies from the Affordable Care Act are going to be ending soon for millions of people, which will make insurance premiums rise nationally.
With the federal government shut down, about 750,000 federal employees are expected to be furloughed. Some could permanently lose their job, as President Donald Trump’s administration is considering firing them, The Associated Press reported.
Trump threatened to target Democrats’ priorities and warned about “cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like,” according to the AP.
The full impact of the federal government shutdown is unclear.
At least for people heading to see the Saturn V rocket or the retired Atlantis, their trips won’t be spoiled. Kennedy Space Center has become a must-see tourism destination during the revival of regular rocket launches on the coast.
SpaceX and Blue Origin and other private companies are taking off in the skies, drawing visitors to witness rocket launches.
KSC is on track for at least 100 launches this year. But the most anticipated launch is scheduled for 2026, as Americans look to return to the moon in Artemis II.
KSC Visitor Complex recently added a new stop onto its popular bus tour and regularly holds special ticketed events, like the upcoming Taste of Space.
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/758763-kennedy-space-center-visitor-complex-remains-open-despite-federal-government-shutdown/
https://x.com/ExploreSpaceKSC/status/1973349736402002348
https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/
Advancing Europe’s quantum secure communications from space
01/10/2025
The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a €50 million contract with aerospace company Thales Alenia Space to begin the preliminary design phase of the Security And cryptoGrAphic (SAGA) mission.
This agreement enables SAGA to continue to its preliminary design review, marking a relevant step towards establishing secure, space-based communications using quantum technologies.
SAGA, developed by ESA, aims to demonstrate quantum key distribution (QKD) via satellites, complementing ground quantum encryption networks currently under development across European Union Member States.
Using quantum mechanical principles, it is possible to produce cryptographic keys that shut down when there is any attempt at observation or tampering.
By enabling secure transmission of encryption keys over long distances, SAGA will contribute to the resilience of Europe’s digital infrastructure and support the protection of sensitive government and institutional data.
The mission is part of the broader European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI), a joint initiative between ESA and the European Commission.
EuroQCI works towards creating a pan-European network that links ground-based and space-based quantum systems, boosting cybersecurity across industries ranging from energy and healthcare to defence and emergency response. It will become one of the pillars of Europe’s cybersecurity strategy.
The contract with Thales Alenia Space, signed during the Quantum Europe Forum in Brussels on 1 October, will support the development of technologies, system prototypes, and a demonstration of the critical technologies involved for the satellite’s success.
The preliminary design review is expected within two years, after which ESA will continue with the manufacturing phase.
The contract was signed by Antonio Sturiale, Director of Domain Telecommunication Italy at Thales Alenia Space, and Laurent Jaffart, Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications at ESA, in the presence of Aymard de Touzalin, Head of Unit, Emerging & Disruptive Technologies at DG CNECT, European Commission.
Unlike other ESA-led quantum missions such as EAGLE-1 and QKDSat, which focus on commercial quantum communication, SAGA is tailored to support classified and critical data flows.
This includes communications essential to governments related to national and public safety.
Laurent Jaffart said: “With SAGA, our aim is to ambitiously advance satellite communications, furthering Europe’s digital sovereignty, cybersecurity and industrial competitiveness in the quantum era.
We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Thales Alenia Space, which puts our Member States at the forefront of the race for truly secure connectivity.”
“I am very pleased that Thales Alenia Space will contribute to strengthening Europe’s technological independence by advancing optical and quantum technologies,” said Thales Alenia Space CEO, Hervé Derrey.
“By leveraging its longstanding expertise in secure space communications and cutting-edge quantum technologies, Thales Alenia Space is proud to collaborate with ESA and multiple European space agencies for a secure and resilient connectivity infrastructure that will benefit governments and citizens alike, paving the way for the future of commercial optical communications both in Europe and worldwide.”
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Connectivity_and_Secure_Communications/Advancing_Europe_s_quantum_secure_communications_from_space
On this day! Oct. 1, 1958: Happy Birthday, NASA!
October 1, 2025
NASA was shutdown on the same day it opened.
On Oct. 1, 1958, NASA was born! The space agency officially opened for business on this day. President Eisenhower had signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law two months earlier in response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik.
The U.S. didn't want to get left behind in the space race, so Congress created NASA as an organized effort to advance space research and technology.
NASA absorbed the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) along with its 8,000 employees and three laboratories.
https://www.space.com/39251-on-this-day-in-space.html
European Space Agency and Korea AeroSpace Administration embark on new cooperation
01/10/2025
The European Space Agency and the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) have announced they will work together on peaceful uses of space, starting with space weather monitoring and sharing space communications facilities.
A Memorandum of Understanding for enhanced cooperation was signed at the 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Sydney, Australia, and is supported by formal announcements of cooperation on network and operations, as well as an intention to work together on space weather.
KASA was formed in 2024 to manage South Korea’s space development, and discussions on partnership with ESA began at IAC in Milan just under a year ago.
Under an implementing arrangement, the agencies may use each other’s ground stations for telemetry, tracking and command functions.
It complements a similar arrangement in place since 2011 with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), which is an affiliated research institute of KASA.
ESA’s European Space Tracking (Estrack) network has a core of six stations in six countries, including three deep space antennas, while the agreement will open access to the Korea Deep Space Antenna in Yeoju.
This cooperation will boost resilience for missions by filling gaps in coverage and providing back-up tracking stations should the main facility not be available because of environmental reasons or congestion.
In addition, ESA and KASA signed a Joint Statement of Intent to express interest in cooperation in space weather monitoring and capability development.
The agencies could potentially combine data from ESA's upcoming Vigil mission to Lagrange point L5 and a planned KASA solar probe mission to L4.
Cooperation between the missions would deepen research on solar activity and space weather forecasting, supporting the goal of a comprehensive space weather service in the 2030s.
Speaking at the signing in Sydney, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said:
“This is an important moment for Europe and South Korea, opening up great opportunities for our space interests, and strengthening existing systems through cooperation.
In ESA, we are excited to learn from our colleagues in KASA, and to share our experience to reach complementary goals."
KASA Administrator Yoon Young-bin said: "KASA’s objectives include enhancing global space cooperation. Today, we have taken an important step and we look forward to our shared journey in cooperation in space activities for peaceful purposes.”
Future areas of cooperation that are also covered by the Memorandum of Understanding include space science, space exploration, human spaceflight, space applications, space-based infrastructure, space industry and academic networking, space sustainability and space mission assurance.
Further areas of cooperation are also open for agreement under the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding.
Both agencies also have extensive interests in satellite navigation, as KASA will develop the Korea Positioning System to enhance regional navigation.
Collaboration between the two agencies on missions such as LEO-PNT is expected to improve satellite navigation accuracy and stability, as well as enhance the mutual reinforcement and reliability of satellite navigation signals.
https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Corporate_news/European_Space_Agency_and_Korea_AeroSpace_Administration_embark_on_new_cooperation
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Cassini-Huygens/Cassini_proves_complex_chemistry_in_Enceladus_ocean
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02655-y
Cassini proves complex chemistry in Enceladus ocean
01/10/2025
Scientists digging through data collected by the Cassini spacecraft have found new complex organic molecules spewing from Saturn’s moon Enceladus.
This is a clear sign that complex chemical reactions are taking place within its underground ocean. Some of these reactions could be part of chains that lead to even more complex, potentially biologically relevant molecules.
Published today in Nature Astronomy, this discovery further strengthens the case for a dedicated European Space Agency (ESA) mission to orbit and land on Enceladus.
In 2005, Cassini found the first evidence that Enceladus has a hidden ocean beneath its icy surface. Jets of water burst from cracks close to the moon’s south pole, shooting ice grains into space.
Smaller than grains of sand, some of the tiny pieces of ice fall back onto the moon’s surface, whilst others escape and form a ring around Saturn that traces Enceladus’s orbit.
Lead author Nozair Khawaja explains what we already knew: “Cassini was detecting samples from Enceladus all the time as it flew through Saturn’s E ring.
We had already found many organic molecules in these ice grains, including precursors for amino acids.
The ice grains in the ring can be hundreds of years old. As they have aged, they may have been ‘weathered’ and therefore altered by intense space radiation.
Scientists wanted to investigate fresh grains ejected much more recently to get a better idea of what exactly is going on in Enceladus’s ocean.
Fortunately, we already had the data. Back in 2008, Cassini flew straight through the icy spray.
Pristine grains ejected only minutes before hit the spacecraft’s Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) instrument at about 18 km/s.
These were not only the freshest ice grains Cassini had ever detected, but also the fastest.
The speed mattered. Nozair explains why:
“The ice grains contain not just frozen water, but also other molecules, including organics. At lower impact speeds, the ice shatters, and the signal from clusters of water molecules can hide the signal from certain organic molecules.
But when the ice grains hit CDA fast, water molecules don’t cluster, and we have a chance to see these previously hidden signals.”
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It took years to build up knowledge from previous flybys and then apply it to decipher this data. But now, Nozair’s team has revealed what kind of molecules were present inside the fresh ice grains.
They saw that certain organic molecules that had already been found distributed in the E ring were also present in the fresh ice grains. This confirms that they are created within Enceladus’s ocean.
They also found totally new molecules that had never been seen before in ice grains from Enceladus.
For the chemists reading, the newly detected molecular fragments included aliphatic, (hetero)cyclic ester/alkenes, ethers/ethyl and, tentatively, nitrogen- and oxygen-bearing compounds.
On Earth, these same molecules are involved in the chains of chemical reactions that ultimately lead to the more complex molecules that are essential for life.
“There are many possible pathways from the organic molecules we found in the Cassini data to potentially biologically relevant compounds, which enhances the likelihood that the moon is habitable,” says Nozair.
“There is much more in the data that we are currently exploring, so we are looking forward to finding out more in the near future.”
Co-author Frank Postberg adds: “These molecules we found in the freshly ejected material prove that the complex organic molecules Cassini detected in Saturn’s E ring are not just a product of long exposure to space, but are readily available in Enceladus’s ocean.”
Nicolas Altobelli, ESA Cassini project scientist adds: “It’s fantastic to see new discoveries emerging from Cassini data almost two decades after it was collected. It really showcases the long-term impact of our space missions.
I look forward to comparing data from Cassini with data from ESA’s other missions to visit the icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter.”
Returning to Enceladus
Discoveries from Cassini are valuable for planning a future ESA mission dedicated to Enceladus. Studies for this ambitious mission have already begun. The plan is to fly through the jets and even land on the moon's south polar terrain to collect samples.
A team of scientists and engineers is already considering the selection of modern scientific instruments that the spacecraft would carry. This latest result made using CDA will help guide that decision.
Enceladus ticks all the boxes to be a habitable environment that could support life: the presence of liquid water, a source of energy, a specific set of chemical elements and complex organic molecules.
A mission that takes measurements directly from the moon’s surface, seeking out signs of life, would offer Europe a front seat in Solar System science.
“Even not finding life on Enceladus would be a huge discovery, because it raises serious questions about why life is not present in such an environment when the right conditions are there,” says Nozair.
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https://bioengineer.org/laser-sintering-3d-prints-silver-electronics-in-space/
Laser Sintering 3D-Prints Silver Electronics in Space
October 1, 2025
In a groundbreaking advancement for the future of space exploration and in-orbit manufacturing, researchers have unveiled a pioneering method for fabricating electronic devices in microgravity environments.
This innovative approach leverages laser sintering techniques applied to electrohydrodynamic inkjet-printed silver, enabling the production of intricate and high-performance conductive components far beyond Earth’s confines.
The novel integration of these technologies signals a transformative leap in the way electronic circuits and devices can be assembled directly in space, circumventing many of the traditional constraints and logistical challenges faced by current manufacturing paradigms.
The core technological breakthrough lies in the marriage of electrohydrodynamic inkjet printing with precise laser sintering processes under microgravity conditions.
Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) inkjet printing distinguishes itself from conventional inkjet methodologies by manipulating the deposition of material through electric fields, affording superior resolution and fine control over nanoscale architectures.
This allows for finely patterned silver inks to be deposited onto substrates suitable for space operation.
Subsequently, laser sintering acts as a means to consolidate these printed silver nanoparticles, fusing them into a continuous, electrically conductive path essential for integrated circuits and electronic device functionality.
Conducting this entire fabrication cycle within a microgravity environment presents unique scientific and engineering challenges.
Traditional manufacturing methods on Earth rely on gravity-influenced powder flow and material consolidation, phenomena intrinsically altered in orbit.
Surface tension, capillary forces, and material evaporation behave differently, necessitating an in-depth understanding of fluid and thermal dynamics in space.
By meticulously studying these effects, the researchers have optimized their parameters for inkjet printing and laser sintering, ensuring structural integrity and electrical performance of the resulting devices are uncompromised despite the absence of gravity.
The implementation of laser sintering in microgravity is particularly noteworthy. Laser sintering employs high-energy laser beams to selectively heat printed metallic nanoparticles, causing them to fuse without melting the substrate material.
This process requires precise control over laser power, scan speed, and interaction time to achieve optimal particle fusion without damaging the underlying layers.
In microgravity, where heat dissipation differs markedly from Earth-based environments, calibrating these parameters was essential.
The study demonstrates that despite these hurdles, laser sintering can be effectively scaled and controlled, producing conductive pathways with comparable—or even superior—electrical and mechanical properties to those fabricated under terrestrial conditions.
Beyond the technical triumph, the implications of this research are profound for the strategic autonomy of space missions.
Historically, space-based electronic components have been pre-manufactured on Earth, then transported into orbit, a process fraught with logistical, cost, and reliability concerns.
The capability to print and sinter conductive silver patterns directly in space paves the way for on-demand manufacturing of electronic devices, enabling rapid prototyping, repair, and customization without dependence on Earth-supplied hardware.
This flexibility could revolutionize satellite servicing, deep-space probes, and habitat construction by integrating electronic device fabrication into the operational workflow.
Furthermore, this laser sintering approach supports scalability and precision.
The EHD inkjet printing facilitates deposition of ultra-fine silver lines, essential for miniaturizing circuits to meet the complex demands of next-generation electronics.
When coupled with the rapid, localized heating offered by laser sintering, manufacturing speed is significantly increased while retaining high precision.
This synergy could unlock a new realm of in-situ electronics manufacturing, tailored for modular assembly and deployment in diverse off-world settings.
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The researchers also accentuate the broader material science implications of their findings. Conductive silver inks, when optimized for microgravity application, exemplify a class of nanomaterials suitable for space technology advancement.
Understanding how nanoparticle behavior evolves in reduced gravity provides insights into colloidal stability, ink rheology, and particle coalescence mechanisms.
This foundational knowledge has potential crossover applications in additive manufacturing of other functional materials, expanding the toolkit available for fabricating complex devices within extraterrestrial environments.
Critically, the study employed extensive experimentation aboard parabolic flights and suborbital platforms simulating microgravity conditions, combined with rigorous ground-based analogs, ensuring that their approach is both robust and adaptable.
This multi-tiered validation framework strengthens the case for eventual deployment on orbital stations and lunar or Martian habitats.
The researchers suggest that future work will focus on integrating multi-material printing and exploring the synergy between different conductive and insulating inks, thus moving closer to full device fabrication capabilities in space.
In essence, laser sintering of EHD inkjet-printed silver marks a pioneering frontier in the realm of additive manufacturing beyond Earth.
It transforms the traditional boundaries of electronics production by leveraging the intrinsic properties of microgravity to facilitate innovative material processing techniques.
As humanity ventures deeper into space, such capabilities will be indispensable for maintaining equipment, advancing scientific research, and fostering sustainable extraterrestrial infrastructure.
The research embodies the convergence of physics, materials science, and aerospace engineering, exemplifying interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at solving real-world challenges.
It underscores a paradigm shift where space manufacturing is no longer a mere conceptual possibility but a tangible technological reality.
The methods elucidated here could serve as a prototype for next-generation manufacturing units aboard the International Space Station or future commercial orbital platforms, thus accelerating the commercialization and scientific output of orbital infrastructure.
Moreover, the environmental advantage should not be overlooked. In-space manufacturing reduces the need for launching complex electronics from Earth, which entails substantial energy and material costs.
By enabling on-site production, mission planners can cut down payload mass and volume, leading to more economical and sustainable space operations.
This innovation thus aligns with broader goals of space exploration—maximizing efficiency while reducing ecological footprints.
This breakthrough also stimulates the technological imagination regarding self-sustaining space habitats.
Future lunar bases or Martian colonies could utilize in-situ manufacturing for building and repairing electronics vital for life-support systems, communication arrays, and scientific instruments.
The potential ability to recycle materials on-site and feed them into these printing and sintering processes further enhances operational independence, marking a step toward closed-loop life support and resource management in space.
While challenges remain in terms of automating these processes and integrating them into viable production lines, the demonstrated feasibility of laser sintering electrohydrodynamic inkjet-printed silver in microgravity is a seminal milestone.
It invites further research into material longevity, multi-layer device fabrication, and hybrid manufacturing processes that combine additive and subtractive techniques optimized for space-specific conditions.
In conclusion, the fusion of EHD inkjet printing and laser sintering technologies epitomizes the ingenuity driving modern space manufacturing research.
This work does more than push the envelope of what is technologically feasible; it creates new pathways for transforming human presence and activity beyond Earth.
As space missions become increasingly complex and ambitious, in-situ manufacturing technologies such as this will be instrumental in ensuring their success, enabling humanity to not only explore but also to thrive in the cosmos.
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G3 (Strong) Geomagnetic Storm Conditions Observed
Wednesday, October 01, 2025 05:48 UTC
G3 (Strong) geomagnetic storm conditions were observed at 30/0525 UTC due to persistent CME influences. G3 levels are expected through 30/1200 UTC.
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/g3-strong-geomagnetic-storm-conditions-observed-0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cESN5vhYPmY (Deadly Quake, Solar Storm Continuing, Microbes | S0 News Oct.1.2025)
https://spaceweathernews.com/
Blue Origin and Luxembourg Partner on Oasis-1 Mission to Map Lunar Resources
Sep 30, 2025
Blue Origin today announced Project Oasis, a multi-phase initiative to identify key lunar resources from orbit, assess them on the ground, and harness them in situ. Oasis-1, alongside Luxembourg partners, is the first mission in the Oasis campaign.
It will create the most detailed high-resolution maps to date of lunar water ice, Helium-3, radionuclides, rare earth elements, precious metals, and other materials crucial for humanity’s expansion into space for the benefit of Earth.
Harnessing the water ice found by Oasis-1 could provide hydrogen and oxygen for spacecraft propellant, positioning the Moon as an off-world refueling station for orbital destinations and deep space missions.
Additionally, lunar resources could support local lunar surface power, advanced in-space manufacturing, clean energy systems, and reduced reliance on terrestrial extraction on Earth.
"Once we know what's really there and how to access it, everything changes," said Pat Remias, vice president, Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering.
"Project Oasis creates the foundation for a thriving space economy that benefits everyone, including the billions of individuals on Earth who will benefit from space-based resources."
Project Oasis makes the construction of space infrastructure economically viable and strategically sustainable by integrating low-cost space transportation with in-situ resource utilization.
While Oasis-1 will carry out resource prospecting, it will be further enabled through Blue Alchemist, which will process regolith into useful products like oxygen, solar cells, and power cables.
Together, these efforts seek to transform the Moon into a resource and power hub, lowering costs and complexity for missions to Mars and beyond, making asteroid harnessing viable in the future, and enabling greater sustainability on Earth.
In partnership with Luxembourg and its national space agency, Project Oasis is being developed jointly by Blue Origin's Space Resources Center of Excellence (SRCE), the world's largest dedicated facility for space resources prospecting and utilization, and the company’s international office in Luxembourg.
GOMSpace and ESRIC in Luxembourg are also supporting the project.
Project Oasis addresses a fundamental challenge in space development: the prohibitive cost of transporting materials from Earth.
By producing propellant and construction materials from lunar resources, the program aims to reduce deep-space mission costs by up to 90% through in-space refueling, enable permanent lunar settlements with locally sourced building materials, establish strategic resource security for national space capabilities, and provide a platform for international collaboration to unlock the vast potential of space resources.
Project Oasis employs neutron spectroscopy to quantify subsurface water ice concentrations to one-meter depths, the most reliable method for resource assessments.
The ultra-low orbital altitude enables unprecedented spatial resolution impossible with traditional high-altitude orbiters.
Additional instruments include magnetometers for metal detection and multispectral imaging for Helium-3 and geological mapping, with controlled impact sequences maximizing data collection for precise extraction site selection.
https://www.blueorigin.com/news/blue-origin-luxembourg-partner-on-oasis-1-mission
JWST delivers 1st weather report of nearby world with no sun — stormy and covered with auroras
September 30, 2025
The latest weather forecast doesn't come from Dublin, London or New York — it comes from deep space, where a lonely world drifts without a sun and glows with auroras more dazzling than Earth's northern lights.
The world, called SIMP-0136, is about 200 million years old and lies about 20 light-years away in the constellation Pisces. It isn't quite a world nor a star.
Astronomers classify it as a brown dwarf, sometimes dubbed "failed stars." Like stars, this world forms from collapsing clouds of gas, but it never grows massive enough to sustain hydrogen fusion in its core — the defining trait of a star.
And unlike Earth, SIMP-0136 doesn't orbit its own sun. It's a rogue world that spins once every two and a half hours as it floats freely through space.
Now, thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have delivered the most detailed "weather report" yet for this strange world, tracking subtle changes in its atmosphere over a full rotation.
The study, published Sept. 26 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, is the first to track how a brown dwarf's atmosphere changes as it spins, revealing shifts in temperature, chemistry and clouds.
Astronomers say the findings open a new window onto the weather of worlds beyond our solar system.
"These are some of the most precise measurements of the atmosphere of any extra-solar object to date, and the first time that changes in the atmospheric properties have been directly measured," study lead author Evert Nasedkin of the Trinity College Dublin in Ireland said in a statement.
"Understanding these weather processes will be crucial as we continue to discover and characterise exoworlds in the future," study co-author Johanna Vos of Trinity College Dublin said in the same statement.
The JWST's sensitive instruments captured minute changes in brightness as SIMP-0136 spun, letting scientists map its atmospheric layers.
Astronomers had long suspected the flickering light came from patchy clouds. Instead, the study found that SIMP-0136's clouds, made of sand-like grains of hot silicates, are remarkably stable.
The real drama was instead unfolding higher up in the atmosphere, where the team discovered a layer of air nearly 570 degrees Fahrenheit (300 degrees Celsius) warmer than models predicted.
According to the study, the extra warmth is most likely caused by auroras.
On Earth, auroras appear as shimmering curtains of light when charged particles from the solar wind interact with our world's magnetic field.
On SIMP-0136, however, a much stronger magnetic field supercharges this effect, with charged particles slamming into the atmosphere so forcefully that they not only glow but also pump energy into the air itself, heating the world's upper layers.
JWST also detected tiny temperature swings of less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) in deeper layers, the study notes.
Those tiny temperature changes might be caused by huge storm systems, possibly like Jupiter's Great Red Spot, moving across the surface as the world spins, scientists say.
Because brown dwarfs like SIMP-0136 aren't swamped by the glare of a parent star, they serve as ideal stand-ins for giant exoworlds that orbit distant suns.
By studying their weather in such detail, astronomers are beginning to piece together how atmospheres behave on distant worlds.
With JWST and future observatories such as the Extremely Large Telescope and NASA's planned Habitable Worlds Observatory, astronomers hope to use the same techniques on worlds orbiting distant stars and uncover how their weather shifts and evolves over time.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/james-webb-space-telescope/jwst-delivers-1st-weather-report-of-nearby-world-with-no-sun-stormy-and-covered-with-auroras
https://www.tcd.ie/news_events/articles/2025/northern-lights-james-webb/
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2025/10/aa55370-25/aa55370-25.html
Our moon's 2 sides are more different than we thought, lunar samples reveal
September 30, 2025
Lunar samples reveal the far side of the moon, hidden from Earth's view, may have a cooler interior than the near side.
China's Chang'e 6 mission returned the first-ever samples from the far side of the moon in June 2024.
A recent analysis of these fragments, collected from a vast crater inside the moon's South Pole–Aitken (SPA) basin, found that the samples were about 180°F (100°C) cooler than near-side samples gathered by NASA's Apollo missions.
"The near side and far side of the moon are very different at the surface and potentially in the interior. It is one of the great mysteries of the moon," Yang Li, co-author of the study, said in a statement.
"We call it the two-faced moon. A dramatic difference in temperature between the near and far side of the mantle has long been hypothesized, but our study provides the first evidence using real samples."
Unlike the smoother, darker near side marked by vast volcanic plains, the far side has a thicker crust, is more mountainous and heavily cratered and contains far fewer lava-filled basins.
The new findings suggest these differences extend beneath the surface into the moon's interior.
Based on their analysis, the researchers estimate the Chang'e 6 samples were about 2.8 billion years old and formed from lava deep within the moon's mantle at a temperature of about 2,012°F (1,100°C) — roughly 180°F (100°C) cooler than samples from the near side.
The team combined computer simulations with satellite data, modeling how hot the rock was when it crystallized and estimating the temperature of its "parent rock," or the material that melted into magma before solidifying into the sample collected.
The far side is thought to have fewer heat-producing elements, such as uranium, thorium, potassium, phosphorus and rare earth elements — collectively referred to as KREEP.
These elements release heat through radioactive decay. If they migrated toward the near side early in the moon's history, that could explain why it remained hotter, more volcanically active and chemically distinct.
How this imbalance arose remains uncertain. Some theories propose a colossal asteroid impact redistributed the moon’s interior, while others suggest the moon once had a smaller sibling that merged unevenly, enriching the near side with heat-producing elements.
Earth’s gravitational pull may also have influenced the distribution of elements, according to the statement. .
"These findings take us a step closer to understanding the two faces of the moon," Xuelin Zhu, co-author of the study, said in the statement.
"They show us that the differences between the near and far side are not only at the surface but go deep into the interior."
Although the study does not reveal the moon's present-day internal temperatures, researchers say any thermal divide could have persisted for billions of years, shaping the lunar landscape we see today.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/moon/our-moons-2-sides-are-more-different-than-we-thought-lunar-samples-reveal
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-025-01815-z
A hidden ocean may have once existed on Uranus' moon Ariel
October 1, 2025
Ariel, one of Uranus' icy moons, may once have concealed a vast ocean more than 100 miles (170 kilometers) deep beneath its frozen crust, according to new research.
The findings add to growing evidence that Uranus' moons could have been ocean worlds in the distant past.
At 720 miles (1,159 kilometers) across, Ariel is smaller than many of the moons orbiting the planets Jupiter and Saturn.
Yet, its surface is exceptionally bright and unusually complex, with ancient cratered terrain lying alongside much younger, smoother plains likely shaped by cryovolcanism, a type of volcanism that happens on icy bodies
"Ariel is pretty unique in terms of icy moons," study co-author Alex Patthoff, a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona, said in a statement.
Led by Caleb Strom of the University of North Dakota, the researchers set out to determine Ariel's past interior structure and orbital eccentricity — how much its orbit once strayed from a perfect circle — to explain the dramatic features visible on the moon's surface today.
To do this, the team modeled how Uranus' gravity would have stretched and squeezed Ariel over time, fracturing and reshaping the moon's icy crust.
The analysis concluded Ariel's orbit once had an eccentricity of about 0.04, roughly 40 times greater than what it exhibits today.
That would have made its orbit four times more eccentric than Europa, Jupiter's icy moon that displays a fractured, geologically active surface.
The scale of Ariel's cracks and ridges, the researchers inferred, could only be explained if the crust was flexing over a liquid layer.
Either Ariel harbored a massive ocean covered by a relatively thin ice shell, or a smaller ocean paired with stronger orbital stresses.
"But either way, we need an ocean to be able to create the fractures that we are seeing on Ariel's surface," Patthoff said in the statement.
This work follows a 2024 study by the same team that found evidence of a past subsurface ocean on Miranda, another of Uranus' moons. Together, the findings suggest Uranus may once have hosted multiple ocean-bearing satellites.
"We are finding evidence that the Uranus system may harbor twin ocean worlds," study co-author Tom Nordheim of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, who is the principal investigator of the NASA grant supporting the research, said in the statement.
Subsurface oceans are a central focus in planetary science because they represent potential habitats for life.
Liquid water provides the chemistry needed for biology, and in hidden oceans beneath ice shells, tidal heating or radioactive decay can supply the energy to sustain it, even far from the sun.
Although scientists do not yet know when Ariel's ocean formed, how long it lasted, or whether it still exists in some form, the study offers valuable insight into how such oceans evolve in the outer solar system.
The study also bolsters growing calls for a dedicated mission to Uranus. The Uranus Orbiter and Probe, recommended by the National Academies' planetary science decadal survey as NASA's highest-priority flagship mission to begin in 2023–2032, would orbit the planet for at least five years, release an atmospheric probe and explore its rings and moons in detail.
Although Congress has not yet allocated funding, scientists argue such a mission could answer major questions about Uranus' extreme tilt, its dense ring system and its potentially ocean-bearing moons.
Much remains unknown about Uranus, and such a mission could be transformative — similar to how NASA's Cassini mission revolutionized knowledge of Saturn, uncovering the dynamics of its rings and revealing Titan as a world with lakes, rain and a complex atmosphere, Kathleen Mandt, a planetary scientist at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, previously told Space.com.
So far, spacecraft have only imaged the southern hemispheres of Ariel and Miranda.
The team's models may help predict what a future mission could discover in their unexplored northern regions, including additional fractures, ridges and resurfaced terrain.
"Ultimately, we just need to go back to the Uranus system and see for ourselves," Nordheim said in the statement.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/uranus/a-hidden-ocean-may-have-once-existed-on-uranus-moon-ariel
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0019103525003707?via%3Dihub
https://www.ssc.spaceforce.mil/Newsroom/Article-Display/Article/4319232/new-class-of-military-space-leadership-commemorated-on-schriever-wall-of-honor
New Class of Military Space Leadership Commemorated on Schriever Wall of Honor
Sept. 30, 2025
The names of six highly accomplished military and civilian leaders in space and missile development were inscribed onto the Schriever Wall of Honor at a ceremony officiated by Col. Andrew S. Menschner, deputy commander of Space Systems Command (SSC) on September 4 in the Schriever Courtyard at Los Angeles Air Force Base (LA AFB).
During his dedication to the honorees, Col. Menschner remarked, “To have one’s name inscribed on this wall is to be a part of General Schriever’s legacy – one that protects our nation and reaches into space.
Our country’s progress and prosperity are built upon the shoulders of General Schriever and the other giants inscribed on this wall. Long before we called ourselves Guardians and before Guardian values were established, General Schriever had already displayed these qualities.
Today, we recognize the character, commitment, connection and courage in all honorees, both military and civilian. Determination and imagination are the markings of those that stood apart, and today we recognize this in all six of our honorees.”
Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, direct reporting program manager, Golden Dome for America who previously served as the vice chief of the United States Space Force and was the former commander of Space Systems Command, was among the distinguished guests in attendance and took the stage to pay tribute to this year’s class of honorees.
“We owe all six of these great men and their families a huge debt of gratitude,” said Guetlein. “They embody what it means to be leaders and innovators. We are here today in part because they thought differently; they dared to lead differently, and they made a difference.
They had visions of a better world and made those visions come true. We are safer as a nation today, as well as our children and our children’s children, because of their efforts. It is only fitting that they join the likes of General Schriever on this wall.
To the honorees and their families, thank you for your service. Thank you for your selfless commitment. Thank you from a very grateful nation.”
The annual event ceremony, held at SSC headquarters, is named for Gen. Bernard Schriever, who successfully led the Air Force’s ballistic missile and satellite projects during the early years of the Cold War and was commander of SSC’s original predecessor organization, the Western Development Division.
This year’s event theme was “Forging the Future: Honoring Space Pioneers Who Lit the Way,” which draws inspiration from a quote by Gen. Schriever himself, who said, “The day when we can no longer look into the past with pride and into the future with confidence is the day we have lost our way.”
With support from industry partners, the Air & Space Forces Association's Schriever chapter sponsored and commissioned a statue of General Schriever, and in 2007, the statue and wall of honor were dedicated as the General Schriever Memorial.
The first six names were engraved on the wall in 2014, when SSC celebrated its 60th anniversary; the class of 2025 brings the number honored to 72.
The 2025 Class of Schriever Wall of Honor honorees includes:
USAF Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Samuel A Greaves – A 1982 Cornell University graduate, Lt. Gen. Greaves’ nearly four-decade career in the U.S. Air Force stands as a blueprint of excellence, innovation, and service.
From his early days at Vandenberg Air Force Base to commanding roles at Cape Canaveral and the Space and Missile Systems Center, his leadership helped shape the future of U.S. space launch and satellite operations.
A few of his career highlights include commanding the first successful launch of the Wideband Global SATCOM satellite, leading the first competitive National Security Space launch contract in 15+ years, opening the door for SpaceX, being appointed director of the Missile Defense Agency, driving layered Ballistic Missile Defense system development, and earning the prestigious Command Space Badge for hands-on launch crew experience.
Even in retirement, Lt. Gen. Greaves continues to serve the Nation through industry leadership, bridging government and private sectors in space innovation.
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USAF Col. (Ret.) Jack L. Hyslop – With over 30 years of dedicated service to the U.S. Air Force, Col. Hyslop was a key architect in the evolution of America’s ballistic missile and reentry vehicle technology.
From flying C-119s in France to leading groundbreaking missile test programs at Vandenberg, his career was defined by innovation and impact.
Col. Hyslop's leadership in the Advanced Ballistic Reentry Systems program directly supported the development of the Navy’s TRIDENT Strategic Flight Test - paving the way for future Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile systems.
His legacy lives on in every mission that relies on the precision, safety, and power of modern missile and space technology.
Dr. Donald Jortner – Often referred to as a founding father of the United States’ spacecraft vulnerability and hardness program, Dr. Jortner’s legacy is rooted in a lifetime of innovation, service, and impact.
From his early days conducting thermodynamics research at Edwards Air Force Base to leading the development of nuclear survivability systems for more than 70 satellite systems, his work fundamentally shaped modern space and defense architecture.
He founded and led the Hardness & Survivability Lab, growing it to a 300-person team and spearheading advancements that ensured space-based and airborne assets could withstand nuclear and electromagnetic pulse threats.
His team's efforts directly contributed to the survivability of vital systems, and fortified the Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) infrastructure.
Through groundbreaking patents, published research, and technical leadership, Dr. Jortner helped create the foundation for resilient space operations that remain essential to national security today.
USAF Col (Ret.) Douglas L. Loverro – A visionary whose work shaped the future of national security at the U.S. Space Force.
Mr. Loverro invented the supersonic chemical oxygen-iodine laser while at Kirtland Air Force Base, later key to the Airborne Laser system, earning him the Air Force Invention Award in 1985.
Over a 30+ year career, he led the Global Positioning Systems (GPS) program, directed major space systems at the National Reconnaissance Office, and set national space policy as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space.
Now president of Loverro Consulting, he continues to lead in space strategy and innovation.
USAF Col. (Ret.) Mr. David W. Madden – With over three decades of distinguished service in military space systems, Mr. Madden’s leadership shaped some of the most critical programs in national security at the U.S. Space Force.
As director of the GPS Wing at SSC’s predecessor organization, Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) he drove modernization efforts that led to the most capable GPS constellation in history.
Later, as executive director of SMC, he managed multi-billion-dollar satellite communications programs and championed innovation across the enterprise.
One of his most remarkable achievements was leading the successful 14-month recovery of the AEHF-1 satellite - a mission that showcased his technical acumen, problem-solving skills, and ability to lead under pressure.
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Thomas D, Taverney – A true space pioneer, Maj. Gen. Taverney helped design the Air Force’s Airborne Anti-Satellite (ASAT) system, an innovation that flew on a Convair F-106 Delta Dart using a modified MHV on an AGM-78 missile.
From leading Titan launch investigations to shaping missile tracking payloads for SDA, his legacy continues to orbit the future of U.S. space operations.
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