NASA Moon Observing Instrument to Get Another Shot at Lunar Ops

NASA Moon Observing Instrument to Get Another Shot at Lunar Ops

Image shows a silver square science instrument on blue table
The Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) for NASA’s Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission is prepared for packing inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 21, 2023. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface.
NASA/Kim Shiflett

A NASA-developed technology that recently proved its capabilities in the harsh environment of space will soon head back to the Moon to search for gases trapped under the lunar surface thanks to a new Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between NASA and commercial company Magna Petra Corp.

The Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSOLO) successfully demonstrated the full range of its hardware in lunar conditions during the Intuitive Machines 2 mission earlier this year. Under the new agreement, a second MSOLO, mounted on a commercial rover, will launch to the Moon no earlier than 2026. Once on the lunar surface, it will measure low molecular weight volatiles in hopes of inferring the presence of rare isotopes, such as Helium-3, which is theorized to exist, trapped in the regolith, or lunar dust, of the Moon.

“This new mission opportunity will help us determine what volatiles are present in the lunar surface, while also providing scientific insight for Magna Petra’s goals,” said Roberto Aguilar Ayala, research physicist at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “Learning more about the lunar volatiles and their isotopes supports NASA’s goal of sustaining long-term human space exploration. We will need to extract resources locally to enhance the capabilities of our astronauts to further exploration opportunities on the lunar surface.”

The MSOLO instrument will be integrated on a commercial rover, selected by Magna Petra. The rover will allow MSOLO to gather the data needed for researchers to understand which low-molecular weight gases reside within the Moon’s surface.

NASA will work with the partner to integrate MSOLO so that it will function properly with the rover, and the partner will analyze and share data in real time with NASA to understand the location of these volatiles on the Moon and their ability to be extracted in the future.

Magna Petra hopes to understand the presence of Helium-3 isotope within the Moon’s surface, with the ultimate goal of collecting it and bringing it back to Earth for use in a variety of industries, including energy production through nuclear fusion, quantum computing, health care, and specialized laboratory equipment.

The MSOLO instrument began as a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer designed to analyze volatiles used in the manufacturing of semi-conductors, which helped keep NASA’s development costs down. NASA modified the device to withstand the rigors of spaceflight and the Moon’s harsh conditions. On its first journey to the Moon, MSOLO was part of the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment 1.

Signed on April 2, the reimbursable agreement is the first of its kind established at NASA Kennedy. Under the agreement, Magna Petra will reimburse NASA for costs such as supporting MSOLO integration and testing with the rover, pre-mission preparation and mission operations of the instruments, and expertise in system engineering, avionics, and software.

“This innovative agreement promises to provide valuable data to both partners,” said Jonathan Baker, chief of Spaceport Development at NASA Kennedy. “This approach demonstrates NASA’s commitment to finding unique ways to work with commercial industry to help advance technology in a fiscally responsible way and enabling innovation for the benefit of humankind.”

Throughout the mission, NASA will retain ownership of MSOLO. Once the mission is complete, the instrument will no longer have access to power and communications and will remain on the surface of the Moon. The valuable data gathered during the mission will be submitted to the Planetary Data System for public dissemination.

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Messod C. Bendayan

How Are We Made of Star Stuff? We Asked a NASA Expert: Episode 58

How Are We Made of Star Stuff? We Asked a NASA Expert: Episode 58

2 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

How are we made of star stuff?

Well, the important thing to understand about this question is that it’s not an analogy, it’s literally true.

The elements in our bodies, the elements that make up our bones, the trees we see outside, the other planets in the solar system, other stars in the galaxy. These were all part of stars that existed well before our Sun and Earth and solar system were even formed.

The universe existed for billions of years before we did. And all of these elements that you see on the periodic table, you see carbon and oxygen and silicon and iron, the common elements throughout the universe, were all put there by previous generations of stars that either blew off winds like the Sun blows off a solar wind, or exploded in supernova explosions and thrust their elements throughout the universe.

These are the same things that we can trace with modern telescopes, like the Hubble Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory. These are all elements that we can map out in the universe with these observatories and trace back to the same things that form us and the elemental abundances that we see in stars now are the same things that we see in the Earth’s crust, we see in asteroids. And so we know that these are the same elements that were once part of these stars.

So the question of, “How are we made of star stuff?”, in the words of Carl Sagan, “The cosmos is within us. We are made of star stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.”

[END VIDEO TRANSCRIPT]

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Emily Furfaro

NASA 3D Wind Measuring Laser Aims to Improve Forecasts from Air, Space

NASA 3D Wind Measuring Laser Aims to Improve Forecasts from Air, Space

5 Min Read

NASA 3D Wind Measuring Laser Aims to Improve Forecasts from Air, Space

A grey map of the Northeastern United States is the background image, and colorful lines illustrating data gathered along the aircraft's path is broken into three titles aerosol and cloud backscatter, wind direction, and wind speed.

3D wind measurements from NASA’s Aerosol Wind Profiler instrument flying on board a specially mounted aircraft along the East Coast of the U.S. and across the Great Lakes region on Oct. 15, 2024.

Credits:
NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio

Since last fall, NASA scientists have flown an advanced 3D Doppler wind lidar instrument across the United States to collect nearly 100 hours of data — including a flight through a hurricane. The goal? To demonstrate the unique capability of the Aerosol Wind Profiler (AWP) instrument to gather extremely precise measurements of wind direction, wind speed, and aerosol concentration – all crucial elements for accurate weather forecasting.

Weather phenomena like severe thunderstorms and hurricanes develop rapidly, so improving predictions requires more accurate wind observations.

“There is a lack of global wind measurements above Earth’s surface,” explained Kris Bedka, the AWP principal investigator at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. “Winds are measured by commercial aircraft as they fly to their destinations and by weather balloons launched up to twice per day from just 1,300 sites across the globe. From space, winds are estimated by tracking cloud and water vapor movement from satellite images.”

However, in areas without clouds or where water vapor patterns cannot be easily tracked, there are typically no reliable wind measurements. The AWP instrument seeks to fill these gaps with detailed 3D wind profiles.

A person can be seen standing in the rear of the photo looking out at large oblong and box shaped instruments on the floorboard of a specially modified aircraft.
The AWP instrument (foreground) and HALO instrument (background) was integrated onto the floorboard of NASA’s G-III aircraft. Kris Bedka, project principal investigator, sitting in the rear of the plane, monitored the data during a flight on Sept. 26, 2024.
NASA/Maurice Cross

Mounted to an aircraft with viewing ports underneath it, AWP emits 200 laser energy pulses per second that scatter and reflect off aerosol particles — such as pollution, dust, smoke, sea salt, and clouds — in the air. Aerosol and cloud particle movement causes the laser pulse wavelength to change, a concept known as the Doppler effect.

The AWP instrument sends these pulses in two directions, oriented 90 degrees apart from each other. Combined, they create a 3D profile of wind vectors, representing both wind speed and direction.

We are measuring winds at different altitudes in the atmosphere simultaneously with extremely high detail and accuracy.

Kris bedka

Kris bedka

NASA Research Physical Scientist

“The Aerosol Wind Profiler is able to measure wind speed and direction, but not just at one given point,” Bedka said. “Instead, we are measuring winds at different altitudes in the atmosphere simultaneously with extremely high detail and accuracy.”

Vectors help researchers and meteorologists understand the weather, so AWP’s measurements could significantly advance weather modeling and forecasting. For this reason, the instrument was chosen to be part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Venture Program, which seeks data from new technologies that can fill gaps in current weather forecasting systems. NASA’s Weather Program also saw mutual benefit in NOAA’s investments and provided additional support to increase the return on investment for both agencies.

On board NASA’s Gulfstream III (G-III) aircraft, AWP was paired with the agency’s High-Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) that measures water vapor, aerosols, and cloud properties through a combined differential absorption and high spectral resolution lidar.

Working together for the first time, AWP measured winds, HALO collected water vapor and aerosol data, and NOAA dropsondes (small instruments dropped from a tube in the bottom of the aircraft) gathered temperature, water vapor, and wind data.

A man wearing ear protection headphones can be seen standing near two men sitting as they all look at data screens while flying science mission flights for AWP.
The AWP and HALO instrument teams observing incoming data on board NASA’s G-III aircraft over Tennessee while heading south to observe Hurricane Helene. Sept. 26, 2024.
NASA/Maurice Cross

“With our instrument package on board small, affordable-to-operate aircraft, we have a very powerful capability,” said Bedka. “The combination of AWP and HALO is NASA’s next-generation airborne weather remote sensing package, which we hope to also fly aboard satellites to benefit everyone across the globe.”

The combination of AWP and HALO is NASA’s next-generation airborne weather remote sensing package.

kris bedka

kris bedka

NASA Research Physical Scientist

The animation below, based on AWP data, shows the complexity and structure of aerosol layers present in the atmosphere. Current prediction models do not accurately simulate how aerosols are organized throughout the breadth of the atmosphere, said Bedka.

This visualization shows AWP 3D measurements gathered on Oct. 15, 2024, as NASA’s G-III aircraft flew along the East Coast of the U.S. and across the Great Lakes region. Laser light that returns to AWP as backscatter from aerosol particles and clouds allows for measurement of wind direction, speed, and aerosol concentration as seen in the separation of data layers.
NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio

“When we took off on this particular day, I thought that we would be finding a clear atmosphere with little to no aerosol return because we were flying into what was the first real blast of cool Canadian air of the fall,” described Bedka. “What we found was quite the opposite: an aerosol-rich environment which provided excellent signal to accurately measure winds.” 

During the Joint Venture flights, Hurricane Helene was making landfall in Florida. The AWP crew of two pilots and five science team members quickly created a flight plan to gather wind measurements along the outer bands of the severe storm.

This video shows monitors tracking the AWP science team’s location in the western outer bands of Hurricane Helene off the coast of Florida with views outside of the aircraft looking at turbulent storm clouds on Sept. 26, 2024.
NASA/Kris Bedka

“A 3D wind profile can significantly improve weather forecasts, particularly for storms and hurricanes,” said Harshesh Patel, NOAA’s acting Joint Venture Program manager. “NASA Langley specializes in the development of coherent Doppler wind lidar technology and this AWP concept has potential to provide better performance for NOAA’s needs.”

The flight plan of NASA’s G-III aircraft – outfitted with the Aerosol Wind Profiler – as it gathered data across the Southeastern U.S. and flew through portions of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 26, 2024. The flight plan is overlaid atop a NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-16 (GOES) satellite image from that day.
NASA/John Cooney

The flights of the AWP lidar are serving as a proving ground for possible integration into a future satellite mission.

“The need to improve global 3D wind models requires a space-based platform,” added Patel. “Instruments like AWP have specific space-based applications that potentially align with NOAA’s mission to provide critical data for improving weather forecasting.”

The image shows an aerial view of grey skies above and thick, broken cloud cover below.
A view of the outer bands of Hurricane Helene off the coast of Florida during NASA’s science flights demonstrating the Aerosol Wind Profiler instrument on Sept. 26, 2024.
NASA/Maurice Cross

After the NOAA flights, AWP and HALO were sent to central California for the Westcoast & Heartland Hyperspectral Microwave Sensor Intensive Experiment  and the Active Passive profiling Experiment, which was supported by NASA’s Planetary Boundary Layer Decadal Survey Incubation Program and NASA Weather Programs. These missions studied atmospheric processes within the planetary boundary layer, the lowest part of the atmosphere, that drives the weather conditions we experience on the ground. 

To learn more about lidar instruments at NASA visit:

NASA Langley Research Center: Generations of Lidar Expertise

About the Author

Charles G. Hatfield

Charles G. Hatfield

Science Public Affairs Officer, NASA Langley Research Center

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Last Updated

Apr 28, 2025

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Charles G. Hatfield

Seeing the Cygnus Loop in a New Way

Seeing the Cygnus Loop in a New Way

The remnant resembles a wispy cloud in oranges, blues, purples, and whites, shaped like a backwards letter C. The remnant is set against a backdrop of scattered stars.
X-ray: NASA/SAO/CXC; Optical: John Stone (Astrobin); Image Processing: NASA/SAO/CXC/L. Frattre, N. Wolk

The Cygnus Loop, also known as the Veil Nebula, is a supernova remnant – the remains of the explosive death of a massive star. Studying images like these leads to discovery, but NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory provides another way to experience this data: three-dimensional (3D) models that allow people to explore – and print – examples of stars in the early and end stages of their lives.

The 3D model of the Cygnus Loop is the result of a simulation describing the interaction of a blast wave from the explosion with an isolated cloud of the interstellar medium (that is, dust and gas in between the stars). Chandra sees the blast wave and other material that has been heated to millions of degrees. These 3D models are based on state-of-the-art theoretical models, computational algorithms, and observations from space-based telescopes like Chandra that give us accurate pictures of these cosmic objects and how they evolve over time.

See more 3D printable models of cosmic objects.

Image credit: X-ray: NASA/SAO/CXC; Optical: John Stone (Astrobin); Image Processing: NASA/SAO/CXC/L. Frattre, N. Wolk

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Monika Luabeya

Earth Science Showcase – Kids Art Collection

Earth Science Showcase – Kids Art Collection

1 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

On April 16, 2025, the Earth Science Division at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley held an Earth Science Showcase to share its work with the center and their families. As part of this event, kids were invited to share something they like about the Earth. These are their masterpieces.

Sora U. Age 9. “Wildlife”

A child's drawing displays five circleas: one with green trees, one with an orange tiger, one with a bird on a tree branch, one with a yellow flower, and one with a capybara swimming.
Sora U. Age 9. “Wildlife”

Wesley P. Age 2.5. “Pale Blue”

Blue and green squiggles on white paper, in roughly circular shapes.
Wesley P. Age 2.5. “Pale Blue”

Kira U. Age 5. “Hawaii”

A child's drawing, marker on white paper: a rainbow with clouds at each end, and an ocean beneath it full of fish. In the middle is a girl with pigtails and a dress, colored in yellow.
Kira U. Age 5. “Hawaii”

Anonymous. “eARTh”

Marker drawn on white paper: stick figure-style tree outline, with purple clouds, a red bird, a blue butterfly, a pink flower, a pink heart, and a blue and green globe.
Anonymous. “eARTh”

Brooks P. Age 8mo. “Squiggles”

Blue and green squiggles on white paper, in roughly circular shapes.
Brooks P. Age 8mo. “Squiggles”

About the Author

Milan Loiacono

Milan Loiacono

Science Communication Specialist

Milan Loiacono is a science communication specialist for the Earth Science Division at NASA Ames Research Center.

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Milan Loiacono