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The VIRGINIA SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUM recently awarded the GEISE RESEARCH GROUP a grant to support an undergraduate research project. Under the direction and mentorship of assistant professor of chemical engineering GEOFFREY M. GEISE, undergraduate students will work with graduate researchers in Geise’s lab to investigate a new approach to designing polymer electrolyte membranes to make lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries viable for space applications. The project will focus on engineering advanced membranes to be used as battery separators in extreme environments. Batteries made using advanced technologies are expected to be a critical part of addressing space-based energy storage needs associated with NASA’s ARTEMIS MISSION for moon and Mars exploration.

See the original article here.

📸: University of Virginia

After 205 days in space and 3,280 orbits of Earth, astronaut Jessica Meir landed safely back on earth at 1:16 a.m. EDT in a remote area of Kazakhstan.

Meir, along with  Soyuz Commander Oleg Skripochka and fellow NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan will travel by helicopter to Baikonur after being given preliminary health checks. Meir and Morgan will then board a NASA plane and fly back to Houston.

Read the full article here.

📸: #Click2Houston

Join us when local students get to ask Maine astronauts a question while they are on the ISS!

On April 13, between 1:15-1:35 EDT, NASA Astronauts and Maine natives, Christopher Cassidy and Jessica Meir will make Maine history, and some lucky Maine students will be a part of it. For the first time, two Maine astronauts will be on board the International Space Station at the same time and students from Maine will be able to ask them both questions via video recordings. This historic event will be broadcasted live on NASA TV and on the Agency’s website https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive

See full article and press release here.

📸: #WAGMTV

Many scientists believe there’s another planet like Earth somewhere in the universe, and the search to find it is about to begin.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be more powerful than its predecessors and will be able to see further into space to discover distant planets in far-off galaxies. It will even give us the tools to search for indications of an atmosphere that could sustain life. It’s currently scheduled to launch into space on March 30, 2021.

There are certainly larger Earth-bound telescopes, but as its name implies, the JWST will roam above the atmosphere, providing more powerful unobstructed views of the heavens than even the historic Hubble Space Telescope could offer. Funded by NASA in conjunction with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the infrared Webb telescope weighs 6 metric tons and will orbit 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. It boasts many new technological advances, including a deployable sunshield and a folding segmented mirror.

Read the full article

📸: Chris Gunn, #NASA

Being stuck at home can be challenging. When I lived on the International Space Station for nearly a year, it wasn’t easy. When I went to sleep, I was at work. When I woke up, I was still at work. Flying in space is probably the only job you absolutely cannot quit.

But I learned some things during my time up there that I’d like to share — because they are about to come in handy again, as we all confine ourselves at home to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Here are a few tips on living in isolation, from someone who has been there.

Read Astronaut Scott Kelly’s suggestions.

📸: Bill Ingalls, NASA

Media are invited to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to watch the arrival of the Orion spacecraft for Artemis I. The crew and service module stack will be offloaded from NASA’s Super Guppy aircraft after its return flight home from NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio. The offloading activity will happen the morning of March 24 at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy, operated by Space Florida. Arrival and offloading are dependent on favorable weather conditions and are subject to change.

Read the full article here.

At NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, four people lived and worked inside one windowless capsule for 45 days in the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) to simulate a long-duration mission to Mars’ moon, Phobos. Brian Dykas of Ohio, Carrie Harris of Washington, Daniel Monlux of Utah and Osama Alian of Michigan entered the mock spacecraft on Jan. 24 and emerged on March 9 to their waiting families and friends. Researchers use HERA missions to gather data about how teams work together in close quarters for long periods. What researchers are learning is helping NASA prepare for Artemis missions to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.

See original article on this HERA mission here.