\n<\/p>\n
NASA is making strides with the\u00a0Artemis campaign\u00a0as key components for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket continue to make their way to\u00a0NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center. Teams with NASA and Boeing loaded the core stage boat-tail for Artemis III and the core stage engine section for Artemis IV onto the agency\u2019s Pegasus barge at\u00a0Michoud Assembly Facility\u00a0on Aug. 28.<\/p>\n
The core stage hardware joins the launch vehicle stage adapter for Artemis II, which was moved onto the barge at\u00a0NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center\u00a0on Aug. 21. Pegasus will ferry the multi-mission rocket hardware more than 900 miles to the Space Coast of Florida. Teams with the NASA\u2019s Exploration Ground Systems Program will prepare the launch vehicle stage adapter for Artemis II stacking operations inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, while the core stage hardware will be moved to Kennedy\u2019s Space Systems Processing Facility for outfitting. Beginning with Artemis III, core stages will undergo final assembly\u00a0at Kennedy.<\/p>\n
The launch vehicle stage adapter is essential for connecting the rocket\u2019s core stage to the upper stage. It also shields sensitive avionics and electrical components in the rocket\u2019s interim cryogenic propulsion stage from the intense vibrations and noise of launch.<\/p>\n
The boat-tail and engine section are crucial for the rocket\u2019s functionality. The boat-tail extends from the engine section, fitting snugly to protect the rocket\u2019s engines during launch. The engine section itself houses more than 500 sensors, 18 miles of cables, and key systems for fuel management and engine control, all packed into the bottom of the towering 212-foot core stage.<\/p>\n
NASA is working to land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA\u2019s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.<\/p>\n
Marshall manages the SLS Program and Michoud.<\/p>\n
\u203a Back to Top<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n By Wayne Smith<\/em><\/p>\n NASA\u2019s Student Launch competition kicks off its 25th year with the release of the 2025 handbook, detailing how teams can submit proposals by Sept. 11 for the event scheduled next spring near NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center.<\/p>\n Student Launch is an annual competition challenging middle school, high school, and college students to design, build, test, and launch a high-powered amateur rocket with a scientific or engineering payload. After a team is selected, they must meet documentation milestones and undergo detailed reviews throughout the school year.<\/p>\n Each year, NASA updates the university payload challenge to reflect current scientific and exploration missions. For the 2025 season, the payload challenge will again take inspiration from the\u00a0Artemis\u00a0missions, which seek to land the first woman and first person of color on the\u00a0Moon.<\/p>\n As Student Launch celebrates its 25th anniversary, the payload challenge will include \u201creports\u201d from\u00a0STEMnauts, non-living objects representing astronauts. The 2024 challenge tasked teams with safely deploying a lander mid-air for a group of four STEMnauts using metrics to support a survivable landing. The lander had to be deployed without a parachute and had a minimum weight limit of five pounds.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year, we\u2019re shifting the focus to communications for the payload challenge,\u201d said John Eckhart, technical coordinator for Student Launch at Marshall. \u201cThe STEMnaut \u2018crew\u2019 must relay real-time data to the student team\u2019s mission control. This helps connect Student Launch with the Artemis missions when NASA lands astronauts on the Moon.\u201d<\/p>\n Thousands of students participated in the\u00a02024 Student Launch competition\u00a0\u2013 making up 70 teams representing 24 states and Puerto Rico. Teams launched their rockets to an altitude between 4,000 and 6,000 feet, while attempting to make a successful landing and executing the payload mission. The University of Notre Dame was the overall winner of the 2024 event, which culminated with a launch day open to the public.<\/p>\n Student Launch began in 2000 when former Marshall Director Art Stephenson started a student rocket competition at the center. It started with just two universities in Huntsville competing \u2013 Alabama A&M University and the University of Alabama in Huntsville \u2013 but has continued to soar. Since its inception, thousands of students have participated in the agency\u2019s STEM competition, with many\u00a0going on to a career with NASA.<\/p>\n \u201cThis remarkable journey, spanning a quarter of a century, has been a testament to the dedication, ingenuity, and passion of countless students, educators, and mentors who have contributed to the program\u2019s success,\u201d Eckhart said. \u201cNASA Student Launch has been at the forefront of experiential education, providing students from middle school through university with unparalleled opportunities to engage in real-world engineering and scientific research. The program\u2019s core mission \u2013 to inspire and cultivate the next generation of aerospace professionals and space explorers \u2013 has not only been met but exceeded in ways we could have only dreamed of.\u201d<\/p>\n To encourage students to pursue degrees and careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), Marshall\u2019s Office of STEM Engagement hosts Student Launch, providing them with real-world experiences. Student Launch is one of NASA\u2019s nine\u00a0Artemis Student Challenges\u00a0\u2013 a variety of activities that expose students to the knowledge and technology required to achieve the goals of Artemis.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition to the\u00a0NASA Office of STEM Engagement\u2019s\u00a0Next Generation STEM project, NASA Space Operations Mission Directorate, Northrup Grumman, National Space Club Huntsville, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Association of Rocketry, Relativity Space and Bastion Technologies provide funding and leadership for the competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThese bright students rise to a nine-month challenge for Student Launch that tests their skills in engineering, design, and teamwork,\u201d said Kevin McGhaw, director of NASA\u2019s Office of STEM Engagement Southeast Region. \u201cThey are the Artemis Generation, the future scientists, engineers, and innovators who will lead us into the future of space exploration.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n By Wayne Smith<\/em><\/p>\n Following a 2024 competition that garnered international attention, NASA is expanding its\u00a0Human Exploration Rover Challenge\u00a0(HERC) to include a remote control division and inviting middle school students to participate.<\/p>\n The 31st annual competition is scheduled for April 11-12, 2025, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, near NASA\u2019s\u00a0Marshall Space Flight Center. HERC is managed by NASA\u2019s Southeast Regional\u00a0Office of STEM Engagement\u00a0at Marshall. The\u00a0HERC 2025 Handbook\u00a0has been released, with guidelines for the new remote control (RC) division \u2013 ROVR (Remote-Operated Vehicular Research) \u2013 and detailing updates for the human-powered division.<\/p>\n \u201cOur RC division significantly lowers the barrier to entry for schools who don\u2019t have access to manufacturing facilities, have less funding, or who are motivated to compete but don\u2019t have the technical mentorship required to design and manufacture a safe human-powered rover,\u201d said Chris Joren, HERC technical coordinator. \u201cWe are also opening up HERC to middle school students for the first time. The RC division is inherently safer and less physically intensive, so we invite middle school teams and organizations to submit a proposal to be a part of HERC 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n Another change for 2025 is the removal of task sites on the course for the human-powered rover division, allowing teams to focus on their rover\u2019s design. Recognized as NASA\u2019s leading international student challenge, the 2025 challenge aims to put competitors in the mindset of the Artemis campaign as they pitch an engineering design for a lunar terrain vehicle \u2013 they are astronauts piloting a vehicle, exploring the lunar surface while overcoming various obstacles.<\/p>\n \u201cThe HERC team wanted to put together a challenge that allows students to gain 21st century skills, workforce readiness skills, and skills that are transferable,\u201d said Vemitra Alexander, HERC activity lead. \u201cThe students have opportunities to learn and apply the engineering design process model, gain public speaking skills, participate in community outreach, and learn the art of collaborating with their peers. I am very excited about HERC\u2019s growth and the impact it has on the students we serve nationally and internationally.\u201d<\/p>\n Students interested in designing, developing, building, and testing rovers for Moon and Mars exploration are invited to submit their proposals to NASA through Sept. 19.<\/p>\n More than 1,000 students with 72 teams from around the world participated in the\u00a02024 challenge\u00a0as HERC celebrated its 30th anniversary as a NASA competition. Participating\u00a0teams\u00a0represented 42 colleges and\u00a0universities and 30 high schools from 24 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 13 other nations from around the world.<\/p>\n \u201cWe saw a massive jump in recognition, not only from within the agency as NASA Chief Technologist A.C. Charania attended the event, but with several of our international teams meeting dignitaries and ambassadors from their home countries to cheer them on,\u201d Joren said. \u201cThe most impressive thing will always be the dedication and resilience of the students and their mentors. No matter what gets thrown at these students, they still roll up to the start line singing songs and waving flags.\u201d<\/p>\n HERC is one of NASA\u2019s eight\u00a0Artemis Student Challenges\u00a0reflecting the goals of the\u00a0Artemis\u00a0campaign, which seeks to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon while establishing a long-term presence for science and exploration. NASA uses such challenges to encourage students to pursue degrees and careers in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since its inception in 1994, more than 15,000 students have participated in HERC \u2013 with many\u00a0former students\u00a0now working at NASA, or within the aerospace industry.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n A quarter of a century ago, NASA released the \u201cfirst light\u201d images from the agency\u2019s Chandra X-ray Observatory. This introduction to the world of Chandra\u2019s high-resolution X-ray imaging capabilities included an unprecedented view of Cassiopeia A, the remains of an exploded star located about 11,000 light-years from Earth. Over the years, Chandra\u2019s views of Cassiopeia A have become some of the telescope\u2019s best-known images.<\/p>\n To mark the anniversary of this milestone, new sonifications of three images \u2013 including Cassiopeia A (Cas A) \u2013 are being released. Sonification is a process that translates astronomical data into sound, similar to how digital data are more routinely turned into images. This translation process preserves the science of the data from its original digital state but provides an alternative pathway to experiencing the data.<\/p>\n This sonification of Cas A features data from Chandra as well as NASA\u2019s James Webb, Hubble, and retired Spitzer space telescopes. The scan starts at the neutron star at the center of the remnant, marked by a triangle sound, and moves outward. Astronomers first saw this neutron star when Chandra\u2019s inaugural observations were released 25 years ago this week. Chandra\u2019s X-rays also reveal debris from the exploded star that is expanding outward into space. The brighter parts of the image are conveyed through louder volume and higher pitched sounds. X-ray data from Chandra are mapped to modified piano sounds, while infrared data from Webb and Spitzer, which detect warmed dust embedded in the hot gas, have been assigned to various string and brass instruments. Stars that Hubble detects are played with crotales, or small cymbals.<\/p>\n Another new sonification features the spectacular cosmic vista of 30 Doradus, one of the largest and brightest regions of star formation close to the Milky Way. This sonification again combines X-rays from Chandra with infrared data from Webb. As the scan moves from left to right across the image, the volume heard again corresponds to the brightness seen. Light toward the top of the image is mapped to higher pitched notes. X-rays from Chandra, which reveal gas that has been superheated by shock waves generated by the winds from massive stars, are heard as airy synthesizer sounds. Meanwhile, Webb\u2019s infrared data show cooler gas that provides the raw ingredients for future stars. These data are mapped to a range of sounds including soft, low musical pitches (red regions), a wind-like sound (white regions), piano-like synthesizer notes indicating very bright stars, and a rain-stick sound for stars in a central cluster.<\/p>\n \n