Category: Space

TRT: 43:53 Sam Dove:When they call us to go do something, that’s what we do. Launch Countdown Sequence: EGS Program Chief Engineer, verify no constraints to launch. EGS Chief Engineer team has no constraints. I copy that. You are clear to launch. Five, four, three, two, one, and lift-off. All clear. Now passing through max q, maximum dynamic pressure. Welcome to space. Joshua Santora (Host): Welcome to the Rocket Ranch. I’m your host, Joshua Santora. When people think of the Kennedy Space Center, rockets are what likely come to mind. But we have more than rocket scientists here on…

NARRATOR In 2005, NASA launched the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to survey the Red Planet. At the time, the camera on board was the largest ever flown on a planetary mission. This allowed the orbiter to identify hazards that could harm landers and rovers. Additionally, the orbiter’s imaging spectrometer searched for water features, prospecting for resources and searching for evidence that water once filled the barren Martian landscape. In addition to its science mission, the spacecraft acted as a communications link, relaying high-resolution science data from rovers on the Red Planet’s surface. This is a common, secondary purpose for Martian…

A rerun of a conversation with Parimal Kopardekar, NASA’s senior technologist for the Air Transportation System at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. Transcript Matthew Buffington (Host):Welcome to the NASA in Silicon Valley podcast, episode 93. Our guest for this special rerun episode is a throwback to episode 41 with Parimal Kopardekar, better known as PK. PK’s NASA’s senior technologist for the Air Transportation System, and principal investigator for Unmanned Aerial Systems Traffic Management, also known as UTM. We discuss his work involving “the first A in NASA”: aeronautics. Back in May 2017, NASA, the FAA, and several…

How do astronauts exercise on the International Space Station? How do they train underwater? Tara Ruttley, associate chief scientist for microgravity research at NASA Headquarters, has worked on a lot of fascinating projects to support the human spaceflight program. She also holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience and discusses how NASA studies the brain health of astronauts. Jim Green:Our astronauts in space need all kinds of help. They need to be healthy. They need to work experiments. We need people on the ground to interact with them to make a mission happen. Tara Ruttley:Being a part of real-life space program…

Transcript: [0:01] Narrator: In regions of the world without light pollution, the nights are enriched with a vast field of stars. They twinkle above in a seemingly infinite multitude. (music) “Twinkle, twinkle, little starHow I wonder what you areUp above the world so highLike a diamond in the sky…” [0:36] Narrator: Amateur and professional astronomers spend their evenings watching the stars and galaxies, as well as planets and asteroids that look like stars because they reflect sunlight. When small asteroid grains travel through our atmosphere, they light up into Nature’s fireworks, bringing out droves of new stargazers to enjoy…

From Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars, explore the world of human spaceflight with NASA each week on the official podcast of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Listen to in-depth conversations with the astronauts, scientists and engineers who make it possible. On episode 378, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim discusses his upcoming mission to the International Space Station, his experience in the military and medical field, and his journey to becoming an astronaut. This episode was recorded December 6, 2024. Transcript Kenna Pell (Host) Houston, we have a podcast. Welcome to the official podcast of the NASA…

Bob Cabana: We looked down on Earth, not as citizens of any one country, but citizens of Planet Earth. [ Eagle screeches ] Launch Countdown Sequence: EGS Program Chief Engineer, verify no constraints to launch. EGS Chief Engineer team has no constraints. I copy that. You are clear to launch. Five, four, three, two, one, and lift-off. All clear. Now passing through max q, maximum dynamic pressure. Welcome to space. Joshua Santora (Host): Since the year 2000, there have been humans in space non-stop, every day. The International Space Station has been an engineering marvel, research laboratory, and platform…

NARRATOR It takes just a moment to send a message from Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, home of NASA’s Near Earth and Space Networks, where I am, to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, home of NASA’s Deep Space Network. I can look up a phone number in the NASA directory and call them. I could type an email. I could send an instant message. Collaboration between these NASA centers, some 2,500 miles apart has never been easier. Web conferences can be arranged within minutes. Should an in-person meeting be necessary, a five-hour flight could take…

A conversation with Alan Rhodes, instrument development manager for the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, and Harvey Moseley a senior astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Transcript Abby Tabor: Welcome to NASA in Silicon Valley episode 94. This week we have two guests, Alan Rhodes and Harvey Moseley. They’re here to talk to us about SOFIA, our flying telescope that studies the universe from 45,000 feet. They also explain their work creating new instruments for SOFIA, including ones that will help us understand how water vapor, ice…

What’s the difference between climate and weather? How does NASA monitor changing sea levels, melting glaciers, and other effects of climate change? Gavin Schmidt, NASA’s acting senior climate advisor, explains how rising temperatures lead to many complex changes both in the oceans and on land. When it comes to climate change: “It’s real. It’s us. But we still have choices about how bad we let it get,” he says. Jim Green:NASA has been observing the Earth from space for several decades and seeing some astounding changes. Gavin Schmidt:It’s real. It’s us. But we still have choices about how bad…

Transcript (music) [0:05] Narrator: This episode revolves around a love story. Love between a man and a woman, but also the love they shared for exploring the universe. Carolyn Spellmann met Gene Shoemaker in 1948. Gene was her brother’s college roommate, and the best man at his wedding. Here’s Carolyn. Carolyn Shoemaker: For a few days before the wedding, my brother and his to-be wife, who was my best friend, and Gene, went out and did various things, exploring the area and just having fun. I was growing to like Gene more and more as time passed. He always…

From Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars, explore the world of human spaceflight with NASA each week on the official podcast of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Listen to in-depth conversations with the astronauts, scientists and engineers who make it possible. On episode 379, NASA and Axiom Space experts discuss the lunar spacesuit Axiom is developing that astronauts will wear when they step foot on the Moon again during the Artemis III mission. This episode was recorded February 19, 2025. Transcript Dane Turner (Host) Houston, we have a podcast. Welcome to the official podcast of the…

Joshua Santora (Host): What if you had to live and work in the same room as all of your trash? Not just the bottle you just tossed, or the sandwich wrapper from lunch, but all of your waste, including what comes out of your body. [ Eagle screeches ] Launch Countdown Sequence: EGS Program Chief Engineer, verify no constraints to launch. EGS Chief Engineer team has no constraints. I copy that. You are clear to launch. Five, four, three, two, one, and lift-off. All clear. Now passing through max q, maximum dynamic pressure. Welcome to space. Joshua Santora (Host):…

NARRATOR As you round the corner of Charles Street, just north of Baltimore, a sweeping expanse of green lawn directs the eye to an imposing gray-stoned building adorned with a large, square bell tower. Wheeler Hall, as it’s known, was built in 1933, the first academic building on the campus of Loyola Blakefield High School, my alma mater. As you climb the wide stairs to the third floor, past classrooms of students studying archaic Greek or Latin, you find the ceiling slip away, opening into an airy expanse of carved wooden beams and arches. Your nostrils fill with the…

A conversation with Lynn Harper, who leads emerging commercial space efforts for the Space Portal office here at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, and Monsi Roman, who manages NASA’s Centennial Challenges program at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Transcript Kimberly Minafra: You’re listening to NASA in Silicon Valley episode 95. I’m Kimberly Minafra, and this week our guests are Lynn Harper, who leads emerging commercial space efforts for the Space Portal office, here at NASA Ames, and Monsi Roman, who manages NASA’s Centennial Challenges Program at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.…

What’s inside a planet? We can’t drill into the center of Earth. But with the upcoming Psyche mission, scientists will have the opportunity to visit a unique object in the asteroid belt called Psyche, which may be the exposed metallic core of a planetary body that stopped growing before it became a big planet like Earth. Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton describes her fascination with Psyche as well as the rock record here on Earth. Jim Green:A mission to the most mysterious asteroid in the asteroid belt is getting ready to fly. What is that object? And why is it important…

Transcript (music) Narrator:Planet Earth: our spaceship through the Cosmos. In the next season of “On a Mission,” we’ll travel to the ends of the Earth with scientists who study the cycles of our planet – from the air we breathe, to the ground beneath our feet. Ten episodes, starting next week. (music) Run time = (0:28) Season 3 episodes: Episode 1: An Astronaut’s View of Earth Oct. 20, 2020 – You might think you know Earth, but astronaut’s views from outer space help us see our world in a whole new light. Episode 2: Genesis Oct. 27, 2020 –…

From Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars, explore the world of human spaceflight with NASA each week on the official podcast of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Listen to in-depth conversations with the astronauts, scientists and engineers who make it possible. On episode 380, four flight controllers from NASA’s Mission Control Center discuss how they create astronauts’ daily schedules, track where all equipment is stored, and manage electricity and internet on the space station. This episode was recorded December 18, 2024. Transcript Courtney Beasley Houston, we have a podcast. Welcome to the official podcast of the…

When NASA’s 2025 astronaut candidates arrived at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston this fall, they stepped into history, sharing a common mission to master the skills and teamwork that define NASA’s next era of exploration.  Selected from a pool of more than 8,000 applicants, the new class represents a range of backgrounds — military test pilots, engineers, a physician, and a scientist — but all were inspired by moments in their lives that set them on a path to space.   They will spend nearly two years in training before becoming eligible for missions to low Earth orbit,…

As the Sun enters a period of heightened activity, students now have a new way to explore its powerful effects on Earth and space. NASA’s Heliophysics Education Activation Team (NASA HEAT), in collaboration with My NASA Data, has released a new set of classroom resources that invite students and educators to engage with real NASA mission data to study space weather phenomena in real time. Hands-On Learning with Real NASA Data Developed as part of NASA HEAT’s mission to increase awareness and understanding of heliophysics, these new materials help learners connect directly with the science of the Sun and…

Joshua Santora: Making your morning commute across the sea of tranquility. Waking up to a Martian sunrise. Vacationing on Jupiter’s moon Europa. Pure science fiction… Or is it? Launch Countdown Sequence: EGS Program Chief Engineer, verify no constraints to launch. EGS Chief Engineer team has no constraints. I copy that. You are clear to launch. Five, four, three, two, one, and lift-off. All clear. Now passing through max q, maximum dynamic pressure. Welcome to space. Joshua Santora: While the idea of space travel is a staple of countless science fiction novels and motion pictures, the reality is that you,…

NARRATOR Dan Curry is a filmmaker, artist and visual effects producer with an incredible legacy. His work on Star Trek garnered seven Emmy awards and 15 nominations. He has served as visual effects department head at Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox, and as a governor of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, among other important roles. Though best known for his visual effects work on Star Trek, he used his expertise in martial arts to develop the iconic Bat’leth, Mek’leth and other weapons used by Klingon warriors. Aside from Star Trek, Dan’s critically acclaimed art…

A conversation with Donovan Mathias and Eric Stern. Eric is a research scientist here at Ames who supports the agency’s Planetary Defense initiative, and Donovan is an aerospace engineer in the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division. Transcript Kimberly Minafra:You’re listening to NASA in Silicon Valley episode 96. I’m Kimberly Minafra. This week our guests are Eric Stern and Donovan Mathias. Eric is a research scientist here at Ames who supports the agency’s Planetary Defense initiative, and Donovan is an aerospace engineer in the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division. Eric and Donovan are talking about the research they conduct on meteor entry…

The idea for NASA’s Mars Ingenuity helicopter began at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory with a team of dedicated engineers who believed in something seemingly impossible. MiMi Aung served as the project manager on the helicopter, which has now achieved nine flights on Mars. In this episode of Gravity Assist, she shares the history of the helicopter project as well as her secrets for leading groups of people to accomplish things no one has ever done before. Jim Green:We know how to land a rover on Mars. But what does it really take to fly a helicopter on the red…