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By Serena Whitfield<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cSafety Woven Throughout the Fabric of Marshall\u201d was the theme for Safety Day at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center on Sept. 26.<\/p>\n Kickoff activities were held in Building 4316 and other sites around the center.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is crucial to ensure that each of us weaves safety into everything we do, not only at work, but in our daily lives,\u201d Marshall Director Joseph Pelfrey said.<\/p>\n NASA started the Safety Day tradition following the space shuttle Columbia accident in 2003. Centers across the agency dedicate a day each year for team members to pause and reflect on keeping the work environment safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n This year\u2019s Safety Day began with a breakfast for employees, which was sponsored by Jacobs and Bastion Technologies. After breakfast, Bill Hill, director of the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate at Marshall, welcomed center team members before introducing Pelfrey.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the past year, Marshall\u2019s leadership and workforce have highlighted that transparency is an essential cultural attribute of our workforce and center,\u201d Pelfrey said. \u201cIt is also important to our core value of safety. Transparency fosters an environment where employees feel comfortable in reporting potential risks or safety concerns without fear of retribution. This openness ensures that issues are addressed early. It builds trust and accountability within our workforce, center, NASA, and external stakeholders.\u201d<\/p>\n Guest speaker Marceleus Venable, a purpose coach, trainer, and author, followed Pelfrey\u2019s remarks, telling team members to be safe by taking care of their physical and mental health. He encouraged them to take the time to pat themselves on the back for all their hard work and to appreciate their fellow workers at Marshall.<\/p>\n NASA astronaut Mark T. Vande Hei was the keynote speaker, encouraging employees to be team players in NASA\u2019s safety mission.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need a lot of talented team players to meet the challenges that we have for future space flights,\u201d said Vande Hei, who was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2009 and most recently served as a flight engineer on the International Space Station as part of Expedition 65 and 66. \u201cAlways try to do your best, but make sure that other people around you are doing their best as well and help them do that rather than you standing out as always being the best.\u201d<\/p>\n Micah Embry, the Safety Day 2024 chairperson, presented Vande Hei with a certificate for his participation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also during the event, Hill awarded the Golden Eagle Award to Peter Wreschinsky, a Jacobs Space Exploration Group employee. The award is part of the Mission Success is in Our Hands safety initiative, a collaboration between Marshall and Jacobs.<\/p>\n More than 400 civil servants and contractors participated in Safety Day, with organizational and vender booths providing information to employees across a variety of safety topics, including Emergency Management Services, fire protection, storm shelters, and more.<\/p>\n \u201cAs Marshall continues to be a leader at NASA and across the aerospace industry, \u2026 we must always be looking forward to improve our procedures and anticipate potential hazards,\u201d Pelfrey said. \u201cSafety is directly tied to our mission success. Without safety, we cannot achieve the goals we set for ourselves in space exploration, research, and innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n Whitfield is an intern supporting the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n The featured business unit for the month of September at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center was Lander Systems. Marshall leads the development of the systems needed to safely land humans on the Moon and, eventually Mars. This includes the Human Landing System Program (HLS), which manages the development of commercial lunar landing systems that will transport astronauts to and from the surface of the Moon as part of the agency\u2019s Artemis campaign.<\/p>\n For Artemis III and Artemis IV, NASA has selected SpaceX\u2019s Starship HLS, while Blue Origin\u2019s Blue Moon lander will be used for Artemis V. Having two distinct lunar lander designs, with different approaches to how they meet NASA\u2019s mission needs, provides more robustness while ensuring a regular cadence of Moon landings.<\/p>\n NASA works closely with its industry partners to mature the landers, exercising insight and offering collaboration to ensure astronaut safety and mission success. Through Artemis, NASA aims to land the first woman, first person of color, and first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface while advancing key science and discovery for the benefit of all.<\/p>\n Learn more about HLS and meet some of the NASA Marshall teammates below who are working on the lunar landers:<\/p>\n Amy Buck has been working with Artemis systems since she first came to Marshall 10 years ago. Previously part of the cryogenic insulation team for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, Buck is now the materials discipline lead for HLS. In her role, she has the chance to work on nearly every piece of hardware for the two landers as she and her team work with each of the HLS providers to ensure compliance with NASA\u2019s requirements.<\/p>\n \u201cThe NASA HLS materials team is vital in supporting the design, testing, and manufacturing of the landers,\u201d Buck said. \u201cLanding on the Moon is central to the larger Artemis mission, and I\u2019m super excited to be part of the Artemis Generation.\u201d<\/p>\n Buck is most excited to see the first woman land on the Moon under Artemis and says she hopes it will inspire young girls \u2013 the next generation of engineers and scientists \u2013 to go into science and engineering.<\/p>\n Mission success is all in the details for Sean Underwood, the thermal discipline lead for HLS. The Georgia native works with a team responsible for ensuring that the lunar landers can operate in the Moon\u2019s harsh environment.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are unique thermal challenges associated with the Artemis III, IV, and V missions,\u201d Underwood said. \u201cOur primary objective is to manage thermal energy and heating rates, ensuring that HLS components and systems remain within thermal limits across all mission environments.\u201d<\/p>\n Underwood joined Marshall in 2020 and sees his role with Artemis as one that will shape the future of space exploration \u2013 and Marshall. \u201cMarshall Space Flight Center has been at the forefront of monumental space projects since its inception,\u201d he said. \u201cThrough Artemis, we are ensuring that the legacy of past missions continues to inspire and drive us forward.\u201d<\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n By Rick Smith<\/em><\/p>\n As any home or business owner in the Southern United States knows, maintaining energy costs while trying to keep cool in the sweltering summer months is no simple challenge.<\/p>\n But one \u201ccool\u201d new infrastructure upgrade at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center will reduce the center\u2019s utility costs by approximately $250,000 a year, shrinking Marshall\u2019s environmental footprint and streamlining long-term infrastructure maintenance costs.<\/p>\n It\u2019s called a thermal energy storage tank \u2013 60 feet high, 60 feet in diameter, each unit capable of holding approximately 1.125 million gallons of chilled water \u2013 and it represents another milestone for facilities engineers in Marshall\u2019s Office of Center Operations, whose tactics have already reduced center-wide energy expenditure by a dizzying 58.3% since fiscal year 2003.<\/p>\n Thermal energy storage is not a new process; it\u2019s been used for decades to maximize efficiency in temperature control, particularly among industrial facilities and large public venues from hospitals to indoor stadiums. At Marshall, the chilled water serves a critical purpose center-wide, circulating from a central plant via a network of underground pipes to help keep laboratories and other buildings temperate throughout the summer heat.<\/p>\n \u201cThe average team member might not realize it\u2019s chilled water, not just air, that keeps our labs, offices, and test facilities cool,\u201d said Marshall facilities engineer Angela Bell, who helped oversee the installation of the second tank. \u201cOur tanks operate at night, when utility prices drop and there is less overall demand on the regional energy grid, then send the chillwater out during the day.\u201d<\/p>\n Marshall\u2019s first tank was built and put into operation in 2008-2009. The second officially goes into service in October, joining its counterpart in creating chilled water overnight. Together, the tanks \u2013 situated adjacent to Building 4473 on the corner of Morris and Titan roads \u2013 provide an annual energy savings of roughly half a million dollars.<\/p>\n Marshall facilities engineer Connor McLean, who succeeded Bell as project manager for the new tank, noted that each thermal energy storage tank handles approximately 106,000 kilo-BTUs worth of cooling activity per day \u2013 or roughly 1,750 times as much cooling capacity as a central air system in a traditional family home.<\/p>\n Even with that considerable output, Marshall\u2019s original tank had been hard-pressed to keep up with demand across the entire center over the past decade and a half, as climate change steadily pushed temperatures to sustained extremes.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a huge stride in critical system redundancy,\u201d McLean said. \u201cHaving the second tank enables us to run both concurrently or give one of them some necessary downtime without loss of center-wide functionality. That added capability makes Marshall more resilient and bolsters our confidence in our ability to handle unforeseen challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n The electricity that powers the storage tanks is a mix \u2013 hydroelectric, fossil fuels, nuclear, and an increasing amount of renewable energy sources \u2013 provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority via the U.S. Army, from whom NASA leases property on Redstone Arsenal.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe tanks will be tremendous cost-savers for the next 40-50 years,\u201d Bell said. \u201cThey allow us to use energy much more efficiently, based on past energy consumption levels \u2013 and that allows Marshall to do other things with those dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the past 20 years, Marshall has reinvested energy savings and facilities cost underruns back into center operations, often to fund new, cost-saving overhauls: upgrading facility HVAC systems or replacing obsolete lighting with more efficient LEDs.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we didn\u2019t reduce consumption, our projected utility costs would be around $30 million per year,\u201d said Rhonda Truitt, Marshall\u2019s energy and water manager. \u201cThanks to efficient strategizing, encouraged and championed by Marshall and NASA leadership, we typically operate in the range of just $16-18 million per year.\u201d<\/p>\n Such strategies have enabled Marshall to effectively keep its infrastructure budget flat since the early 2010s \u2013 reducing overall energy consumption and replacing outdated facilities with more cost-conscious, environmentally friendly modern buildings, a program known among facilities engineers as \u201crepair by replacement.\u201d<\/p>\n The U.S. Army at Redstone doesn\u2019t employ a central chiller plant of its own, but the Marshall facilities team works \u201cvery closely\u201d with their counterparts on the military side.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a great working relationship,\u201d Truitt said. \u201cThe real advantage of our system is that by reducing our peak energy demand, it reduces it for all of Redstone \u2013 which benefits the rest of the Arsenal and the lower Tennessee Valley.\u201d<\/p>\n The new tank goes into operation just in time for the start of National Energy Awareness Month in October \u2013 and Truitt and her team encourage the Marshall workforce to continue to practice sensible energy conservation tactics even as sweat-inducing temperatures subside.<\/p>\n \u201cTurn off lights and computer monitors wherever possible, don\u2019t leave doors or windows propped open, and be mindful of all the small things that can add up over time,\u201d Truitt said. \u201cOur goal is always to help team members do their jobs in the most efficient way possible, to accomplish Marshall\u2019s objectives and conserve our energy budget without impeding the mission.\u201d<\/p>\n Thanks to the center\u2019s new thermal energy storage tank, that should be no sweat.<\/p>\n Smith, an Aeyon employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n Rae Ann Meyer, front right, deputy director of NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center, is joined by members of the NASA Advisory Council and NASA Headquarters staff Oct. 1 at Marshall. The group toured various areas across the center during their visit Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Council members are appointed by the NASA administrator to provide advice and make recommendations on programs, policies, and other matters pertaining to the agency\u2019s mission. (NASA\/Charles Beason)<\/em><\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center continued the tradition of honoring engineers for their exceptional efforts on Commercial Crew Program (CCP) missions to the International Space Station on Sept. 4, with a plaque hanging for Expedition 70 at the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC). Holding their plaques are, from left, Shelby Bates, Ali Reilly, Chris Buckley, Mandy Clayton, Elease Smith, Sara Dennis, Stephanie Stoll, John Griffin, Kylie Keeton, and Blake Parker. Team members are nominated from Marshall, Johnson Space Center, and Kennedy Space Center to hang the plaque of the mission they supported. <\/em>Expedition 70<\/em> \u2013 which ended April 5 \u2013 researched heart health, cancer treatments, space manufacturing techniques, and more during their long-duration stay in Earth orbit. The HOSC provides engineering and mission operations support for the space station, the CCP, and Artemis missions, as well as science and technology demonstration missions. The Payload Operations Integration Center within HOSC operates, plans, and coordinates the science experiments onboard the space station 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. (NASA\/Charles Beason)<\/em><\/p>\n Buckley, left, signs an Expedition 70 plaque as Dennis looks on.<\/em> (NASA\/Charles Beason)<\/em><\/p>\n Dennis hangs the Expedition 70 plaque inside the Huntsville Operations Support Center. (NASA\/Charles Beason)<\/em><\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov arrived at the International Space Station on Sept. 29 as the SpaceX Dragon Freedom docked to the orbiting complex at 4:30 p.m. CDT, joining Expedition 72\u00a0for a five-month science research mission aboard the orbiting laboratory.<\/p>\n The two crew members of NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-9 mission launched at 12:17 p.m. CDT Sept. 28 for a science expedition aboard the International Space Station. This is the first human spaceflight mission launched from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and the agency\u2019s ninth commercial crew rotation mission to the space station.<\/p>\n The duo joined the space station\u2019s Expedition 72 crew of NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps, Don Pettit, Butch Wilmore, and Suni Williams, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner. The number of crew aboard the space station increased to 11 for a short time until Crew-8 members Barratt, Dominick, Epps, and Grebenkin depart the space station early this month.<\/p>\n The crewmates will conduct more than 200\u00a0scientific investigations, including blood clotting studies, moisture effects on plants grown in space, and vision changes in astronauts during their mission. Following their stay aboard the space station, Hague and Gorbunov will be joined by Williams and Wilmore to return to Earth in February 2025.<\/p>\n With this mission, NASA continues to maximize the use of the orbiting laboratory, where people have lived and worked continuously for more than 23 years, testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to operate future commercial destinations in low Earth orbit and explore farther from Earth. Research conducted at the space station benefits people on Earth and paves the way for future long-duration missions to the Moon under NASA\u2019s Artemis campaign, and beyond.<\/p>\n Learn more about NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-9 mission and the agency\u2019s Commercial Crew Program. Follow the\u00a0space station blog for updates on station activities.<\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n A costumed gorilla pacer leads a group of runners during \u201cRacin\u2019 the Station\u201d duathlon, a run\/bike\/run event where the participants \u201craced\u201d the International Space Station. The event was Sept. 28 at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center, which is on Redstone Arsenal. \u201cRacin\u2019 the Station\u201d is an annual event where participants try to complete the course faster than it takes the space station to complete one Earth orbit, which is every 91 minutes, 12 seconds. Organizers track the starting location of the space station at the race start, and a costumed pacer keeps up with the station time on the course as a visual marker for participants to stay ahead of.\u00a0 Before the race, organizers drew a to-scale SLS (Space Launch System) Block 1 rocket in chalk onto the Activities Building parking lot near the race transition area. The opening ceremonies featured a video of the Artemis 1 launch, with the race starting with the launch of a model rocket. \u201cThe rain was a first for race day since we started this event in 2012,\u201d said Kent Criswell, race organizer for Marshall. \u201cBut we still had a safe race with 106 individuals and 13 relay teams finishing.\u201d The event is organized by the\u00a0<\/em>Team Rocket Triathlon Club<\/em>\u00a0in Huntsville and by the Marshall Association, a professional employee service organization at the Marshall Center whose members include civil service employees, retirees and contractors. Proceeds from the registration fee for the event go to the Marshall Association scholarship fund. Race results can be found <\/em>here<\/em>. (NASA\/Charles Beason)<\/em><\/p>\n Participants take off in the bike portion of the \u201cRacin\u2019 the Station\u201d duathlon. (NASA\/Charles Beason)<\/em><\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n By Savannah Bullard<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n A new NASA competition, the LunaRecycle Challenge, is open and offering $3 million in prizes for innovations in recycling material waste on deep space missions.\u00a0<\/p>\n As NASA continues efforts toward long-duration human space travel, including building a sustained human presence on the Moon through its Artemis missions, the agency needs novel solutions for processing inorganic waste streams like food packaging, discarded clothing, and science experiment materials. While previous efforts focused on the reduction of trash mass and volume, this challenge will prioritize technologies for recycling waste into usable products needed for off-planet science and exploration activities. \u00a0<\/p>\n \n