Former flight test instructor and current NASA test pilot Nils Larson reunited with former student and current astronaut Victor Glover on Oct. 21 during an open house at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
NASA / Dave Bowman
Nils Larson, aerospace engineer and test pilot for NASA’s X-59 aircraft, met up with his former student, Artemis II astronaut Victor Glover, on Saturday, Oct. 21 during an open house held at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The pilots originally met more than two decades ago when Larson was an instructor at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. Larson trained students – including Glover – using the T-38 aircraft.
“I always knew Victor would go far. It’s cool to think that far means the Moon,” said Larson, whose current test piloting work is critical to NASA’s Quesst mission. “I was excited to see him picked up as an astronaut, then get to fly to the International Space Station, and now he gets to go to the Moon as part of Artemis II. The sky’s not the limit anymore!”
Nearly 40,000 people attended the NASA Langley open house. Larson and Glover reunited at Langley’s hangar where other NASA legends, such as astronauts Neil Armstrong and Alan Shepard, trained on its historic Rendezvous Docking Simulator. The simulator remains a permanent fixture at the hangar.
New York Students to Hear from Astronaut Aboard Space Station
NASA astronaut and Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli works with the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device, or ARED, removing and replacing cables. The device uses adjustable resistive mechanisms to provide crew members a weight load while exercising to maintain muscle strength and mass in microgravity.
Students from Baldwin Union Free School District in Baldwin, New York, will have an opportunity this week to hear from an astronaut aboard the International Space Station. The Earth-to-space call will air live at 11 a.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 27, on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, an alumnus of Baldwin Union Free School District, will answer prerecorded questions from students.
Media interested in covering the event should RSVP no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 25, to Mary Furcht at furchtm@baldwinschools.org or 516-434-6012.
These educational opportunities for students to speak with astronauts living and working on the space station are provided by the Office of STEM Engagement’s Next Gen STEM project.
For almost 23 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts living in space aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Near Space Network.
Important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the International Space Station benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future exploration.
As part of Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars. Inspiring the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation – ensures America will continue to lead in space exploration and discovery.
See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station at:
NASA’s SpaceX CRS-29 Mission Flies Research to the Space Station
The 29th SpaceX commercial resupply services (CRS) mission for NASA carries scientific experiments and technology demonstrations, including studies of enhanced optical communications and measurement of atmospheric waves. The uncrewed SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than Nov. 5.
Download high-resolution photos and videos of the research mentioned in this article.
Here are details on some of the research launching to the orbiting lab:
Laser Communication from Space
NASA’s ILLUMA-T investigation tests technology to provide enhanced data communication capabilities on the space station. A terminal mounted on the station’s exterior uses laser or optical communications to send high-resolution information to the agency’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) system, which is in geosynchronous orbit around Earth. LCRD then beams the data to optical ground stations in Haleakala, Hawaii, and Table Mountain, California. The system uses invisible infrared light and can send and receive information at higher data rates than traditional radio frequency systems, making it possible to send more images and videos to and from the space station in a single transmission. The ILLUMA-T demonstration also paves the way for placing laser communications terminals on spacecraft orbiting the Moon or Mars.
ILLUMA-T and LCRD create NASA’s first two-way laser communications relay system. Laser communications can supplement the radio frequency systems that most space-based missions currently use to send data to and from Earth. According to acting ILLUMA-T project manager Glenn Jackson at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, laser systems are smaller, more lightweight, and use less power than radio systems. The smaller size frees up more room for science instruments, the lighter weight reduces launch costs, and lower power use results in less drain on spacecraft batteries.
Managed by NASA Goddard in partnership with NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory, ILLUMA-T is funded by the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
The ILLUMA-T laser communications system being prepared for launch at Goddard Space Flight Center.
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Watching Waves in the Atmosphere
NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) uses an infrared imaging instrument to measure the characteristics, distribution, and movement of atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs). These waves roll through Earth’s atmosphere when air is disturbed much like waves created by dropping a stone into water.
“Atmospheric gravity waves are one mechanism for transporting energy and momentum within the climate system and they play a role in defining the climate and its evolution,” says co-investigator Jeff Forbes of the University of Colorado Boulder. He explains that these waves are relatively small at the source but amplified at altitudes, and potentially indicate climate changes not readily observable at lower altitudes. This investigation’s long-term observations of physical processes in atmospheric circulation could increase insight into AGWs and improve understanding of Earth’s atmosphere, weather, and climate.
Researchers also are looking at how AGWs contribute to space weather, which refers to the varying conditions within the Solar System, including solar wind. Space weather affects space- and ground-based communications, navigation, and tracking systems. Scientists know little about exactly how AGWs influence space weather and this investigation could help fill in these knowledge gaps. Results could support development of ways to mitigate the effects of space weather.
The space station provides an ideal platform for the investigation given its altitude and geographic and time coverage.
“AWE is pioneering research, making the first global measurements of gravity waves at the edge of space,” Forbes says. “This is an important step forward in understanding waves in the atmosphere and their contributions to near-Earth space weather.”
The Atmospheric Waves Experiment is managed by Goddard for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters.
Scientists prepare the optical assembly for AWE for launch in a clean room at Space Dynamics Laboratory facilities.
Space Dynamics Laboratory/Allison Bills
More science going to the space station
Space Flight Induced Ovarian and Estrogen Signaling Dysfunction, Adaptation, and Recovery is a fundamental science investigation sponsored by NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division. It advances previous microgravity studies that seek to better understand the combined effects of spaceflight, nutritional, and environmental stresses on control of ovulation and resulting effects on the skeleton. Results of this study could help identify and treat the effects of stress on ovulation and improve bone health on Earth.
A section of ovarian tissue prepared for an investigation of ovarian function and bone health in space.
University of Kansas Medical Center
Aquamembrane-3, an investigation from ESA (European Space Agency), continues evaluation of replacing the multi-filtration beds used for water recovery on the space station with a type of membrane known as an Aquaporin Inside Membrane (AIM). These are membranes that incorporate proteins found in biological cells, known as aquaporins, to filter water faster while using less energy. Initial testing of AIM technology in 2015 showed that water filtration by membranes is possible in microgravity, and this follow-up testing could demonstrate how effectively the membranes eliminate contaminants in space station wastewater. Results could advance development of a complete and full-scale membrane-based water recovery system, improving water reclamation and reducing the amount of material that needs to be launched to the space station. This water filtration technology also could have applications in extreme environments on Earth, such as military and emergency settings, and for decentralized water systems in remote locations.
A pre-launch view of equipment for the Aquamembrane-3 investigation.
ESA
Gaucho Lung, sponsored by the ISS National Lab, studies how mucus lining the respiratory system affects delivery of drugs carried in a small amount of injected liquid, known as a liquid plug. Conducting this research in microgravity makes it possible to isolate the factors involved, including capillary or wicking forces, mucus characteristics, and gravity. Understanding the role of these factors could inform the development and optimization of targeted respiratory treatments. In addition, the work could contribute to new strategies to control contamination in tubing for liquids used in the health care and food industries.
An investigator at University of California Santa Barbara prepares the camera and work light for recording images from the Gaucho Lung investigation prior to launch.
NASA Sets Coverage for Roscosmos Spacewalk Outside Space Station
(April 18, 2022) — Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev waves to the camera while working outside the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module during a spacewalk that lasted for six hours and 37 minutes to outfit Nauka and configure the European robotic arm on the International Space Station’s Russian segment.
NASA will provide live coverage as two Roscosmos cosmonauts conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station Wednesday, Oct. 25, to install communications hardware and inspect a portion of the orbital complex.
Expedition 70 cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub will venture outside of the station’s Poisk module to install a synthetic radar communications system and release a nanosatellite to test solar sail technology. While outside the station, they also will inspect and photograph an external backup radiator on the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module that experienced a coolant leak on Oct. 9.
The spacewalk will be the 268th in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. It will be the sixth for Kononenko, who will wear the Orlan spacesuit with red stripes and the first for Chub, who will wear the spacesuit with blue stripes.
Get breaking news, images and features from the space station on the station blog, Instagram, Facebook, and X.
Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:
2021 NASA Aeronautics Academy UAS flight test for mapping ability.
Credits: NASA
About the NASA Academy at Langley
Langley’s NASA Academy’s rigorous and diverse summer research program prioritizes collaboration, teamwork, leadership, innovation, and creativity.
Academy participants experience the challenges aerospace professionals face while conducting their research. Along with a team research project, the program includes:
Invited lectures on technical topics
Weekly discussions with NASA professionals
Access to NASA’s advanced research facilities
What are the eligibility requirements?
Be a U.S. Citizen
Be pursuing a major in Engineering (Aero, Computer, Electrical, Mechanical, Systems), Computer Science, Mechatronics, Electronics Technology, Applied Math, Applied Physics, or a similar field.
Be a full-time student or recent graduate with a minimum GPA of 3.2 or higher.
Candidates are preferred to have completed at least three full college years (except for two-year college students transferring to a four-year institution), but those who have completed two full college years are welcome to apply.
Duration: The summer program runs for 10-12 weeks, from mid-May through August. The exact dates will be determined before the start of the program.
How to Apply?
To apply, you must submit a personal statement, a current resume, an unofficial transcript, two letters of recommendation from supervisors or college professors, and contact information (emails/phone) for the two references. Ready to apply? Please visit the Academy Application website to apply and learn more information about the eligibility requirements.
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Elizabeth Ward, Program Director, at elizabeth.b.ward@nasa.gov.
Images of 2022 NASA ARD (Aeronautics Research Directorate) MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH ACADEMY
Learn more about past NASA Academies
The 2022 Academy had 17 students nationwide and multidisciplinary participation from multiple states.
The 2021 NASA Academy at Langley Research Center had 23 students from 16 different universities and six different disciplines. They were able to spend time on the center for one day to test sensors they had developed for a NASA UAV.
