Radio JOVE 2023 Solar Eclipse Observations

NASA’s Radio JOVE project wants your help to study the Sun! Radio JOVE, in partnership with the SunRISE Ground Radio Lab, is planning to use radio telescopes to make coordinated observations of the Sun for the 2024 solar eclipse. With our plans and training modules, you can build and use your own radio telescope and contribute data to this research effort. 

Radio JOVE’s amateur scientists from around the world observe and analyze natural radio emissions of Jupiter, the Sun, and our galaxy using their own easy to construct radio telescopes. Now Radio JOVE is studying the Sun at radio frequencies below 30 MHz to better understand the radio emissions caused by solar activity. We will learn about how energetic plasma in the sun’s  corona generates these waves, and how the waves travel through the Earth’s ionosphere.

Learn more and join us here: https://radiojove.gsfc.nasa.gov/joinin.php

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Dozens of Student Teams Worldwide to Compete in NASA Rover Challenge

NASA has selected 72 student teams to begin an engineering design challenge to build human-powered rovers that will compete next April at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, near the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2024, the Human Exploration Rover Challenge tasks high school, college, and university students to design, build, and test lightweight, human-powered rovers on an obstacle course simulating lunar and Martian terrain, all while completing mission-focused science tasks.

Participating teams represent 42 colleges and universities and 30 high schools from 24 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 13 other nations from around the world. NASA’s handbook has complete proposal guidelines and task challenges.

“Throughout this authentic learning challenge, NASA encourages students to improve their understanding of collaboration, inquiry, and problem-solving strategies,” said Vemitra Alexander, rover challenge activity lead, Office of STEM Engagement at NASA Marshall. “Improving these critical real-world skills will benefit our students throughout their academic and professional careers.”

Throughout the nine-month challenge, students will complete design and safety reviews to mirror the process used by NASA engineers and scientists. The agency also incorporates vehicle weight and size requirements encouraging students to consider lightweight construction materials and stowage efficiency to be replicate similar payload restrictions of NASA launch operations.

Teams earn points throughout the year by successfully completing design reviews and fabricating a rover capable of meeting all criteria while completing course obstacles and mission tasks. The teams with the highest number of points accumulated throughout the project year will win their respective divisions. The challenge will conclude with an event April 19 and April 20, 2024, at the U.S. Rocket and Space Center.

This competition is one of nine Artemis Student Challenges and reflects the goals of NASA’s Artemis program, which includes landing the first woman and first person of color on the Moon. It is managed by NASA’s Southeast Regional Office of STEM Engagement at Marshall. NASA uses challenges and competitions to further the agency’s goal of encouraging students to pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

For more information about the challenge, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/roverchallenge/home/index.html

-end-

Claire O’Shea
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
claire.a.oshea@nasa.gov

Christopher Blair
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034
christopher.e.blair@nasa.gov

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Roxana Bardan

NASA Targets 2024 for First Flight of X-59 Experimental Aircraft

NASA’s Quesst mission has adjusted the scheduled first flight of its X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft to 2024.

A one-of-a-kind experimental aircraft, the X-59 has required complex engineering from NASA researchers working with prime contractor Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. In addition to the aircraft’s design, the X-59 also combines new technology with systems and components from multiple, established aircraft, such as its landing gear from an F-16 and its life-support system adapted from an F-15.

As part of the demands of developing this unique aircraft, the Quesst team is working through several technical challenges identified over the course of 2023, when the X-59 had been scheduled to make its first flight.  Extra time is needed to fully integrate systems into the aircraft and ensure they work together as expected. The team is also resolving intermittent issues with some of the safety-redundant computers that control the aircraft’s systems.

Quesst made steady progress toward flight over the past year. The team installed the finishing touches to the X-59’s tail structure, which allowed them to finalize its electrical wiring and proceed to critical ground tests, and moved it from its assembly facility to the flight line to perform structural testing.

The X-59 will demonstrate the ability to fly supersonic, or faster than the speed of sound, while reducing the normally loud sonic boom to a quiet sonic thump. NASA plans to fly the X-59 over several communities to gather data on how people perceive the sound it produces. The agency will provide that information to U.S. and international regulators to potentially adjust rules that currently prohibit commercial supersonic flight over land.

NASA’s top priorities for any mission are safety and ensuring success. For Quesst, that means not only being sure that the X-59 is safe before it flies, but safe in the long term and reliable during the community test phase. The aircraft is currently undergoing integrated testing, which must be completed before it flies. Once that stage is complete, the aircraft will continue its journey with a flight readiness review, at which point NASA plans to release a more specific timeline for first flight.

Quesst is a mission with the potential to revolutionize commercial aviation travel by dramatically reducing travel time. Safely and reliably flying the X-59 is critical for NASA to achieve those benefits. The agency is committed to a thorough review and testing process that results in the success of that mission.

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National Disability Employment Awareness Month and Addressing Misconceptions of Depression

The month of October marks National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The NDEAM observance was declared in 1988 by the United States Congress in efforts to raise awareness of disability employment needs and to celebrate the many and varied contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities.

This year’s NDEAM theme, chosen by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, is “Advancing Access and Equity” to honor the 50^th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the first major legislation to prohibit disability discrimination by federal agencies.

One such disability many people know about is depression. Promoting awareness, reducing stigma, and improving access to mental health support are crucial steps in advancing equity for this population.

Over the years, there has been extensive knowledge shared about depression, but there are still many stereotypes today. The American Psychiatric Society defines depression as “a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act.” This disability will affect one in 15 adults in any given year and has been found to affect one to six people during their lifetime. Depression can happen to anyone, even those who appear to be happy who laugh and smile. As described in a medical article titled, Survey of Public Knowledge and Stigma Towards Depression,“some depressed persons hide their distress and might smile in public, which makes it difficult for others to notice that they are depressed.”

Symptoms of depression vary from mild, to moderate, to severe and can include feeling sad, having a loss of energy, losing interest in things that used to be enjoyed, insomnia, feeling guilty or worthless, difficulty making decisions, and in severe cases suicide.

One common misconception regarding depression is that it is the same as grief, however it is different than grief even though they may have common attributes. When someone grieves, (for example, over the loss of a loved one) they will feel sad but one’s self-esteem is typically not affected throughout the grieving process, whereas someone suffering from depression will often have feelings of worthlessness.

Another misconception, or negative stigma regarding depression is that someone with depression is violent, weak, or lazy. These are also inaccurate, and negatively impact those with depression from seeking help. Untreated depression will often cause a decline in employee work performance as well as increase presenteeism (an employee is at work but not engaged) or absenteeism (employees missing days of work). In addition to this, employees often do not seek treatment out of fear of how it will affect their job or out of concern for their confidentiality. The best way to support a colleague or employee who is struggling with mental health is by being empathic and supportive.

Employees who are experiencing depression are protected under the Rehabilitation Act and cannot be discriminated or harassed at work because of their condition. If an employee is experiencing depression, they may also request a Reasonable Accommodation from their supervisor or the Disability Program Manager. Reasonable Accommodations help to make the workplace more accessible (such as physical barriers that make facilities/equipment inaccessible) and equitable by making a modification or adjustment to a job, an employment practice, or the work environment that makes it possible for a qualified individual with a disability to enjoy equal employment opportunities.

For information about NASA’s Reasonable Accommodations policy and process, please visit: nasa.gov/reasonable accommodations.

For more information regarding NDEAM, Depression, or Reasonable Accommodations, please visit the following sites:

• National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2023 | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov)
• Disability IN: A Starting Guide on Disability Etiquette (disabilityin.org)
• American Psychiatric Association: What is Depression?
• Mental Health America: Depression in the Workplace
• Mental Health America: Supporting Employees/Colleagues with Mental Health Concerns
• NASA: Reasonable Accommodations

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