NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Inspiring the next generation of problem solvers 💡 For many students, the FIRST Robotics competition is more than just a game – it’s a chance to learn directly from STEM professionals. Engineers and scientists worked alongside high school students as they competed in this year's intense, ocean-themed robotics challenge. For the LA regional competition, JPL has coordinated volunteers – and provided coaching and mentoring to teams, judges, and other competition support – for 25 years. go.nasa.gov/4iQBkps

The deadline is approaching to apply for NASA’s 37th annual Planetary Science Summer School program, a three-month-long career development program for doctoral students, recent Ph.D.s, postdocs, and junior faculty who have a strong interest in science-driven robotic space exploration missions.   Participants learn the process of developing a hypothesis-driven robotic space mission in a concurrent engineering environment while getting an in-depth, first-hand look at mission design, life cycle, costs, schedule and the trade-offs inherent in each.   View details and eligibility requirements, and submit your application by March 18: https://lnkd.in/eRiabxGC

Happy Pi Day! Pi is a never-ending mathematical constant that many NASA and JPL engineers and scientists use when making calculations… but how many digits do they really need? An engineer explains the answer: go.nasa.gov/3Dm57aJ

In case you missed it: On Tuesday, NASA’s next cosmic mapmaker – SPHEREx – launched to begin its quest to help scientists better understand the structure of the universe, how galaxies form and evolve, and the origins and abundance of water and other key ingredients for life in our galaxy. Here are some highlights from launch 🚀

NASA’s newest astrophysics observatory is on its way to study the origins of our universe and the history of galaxies and to search for the ingredients of life in our galaxy. 🚀 SPHEREx lifted off at 8:10 p.m. PDT on March 11 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Teams have received full acquisition of signal from the observatory, indicating that the spacecraft is functioning nominally and is power positive. It will begin its two-year prime mission after a roughly one-month checkout period, during which engineers and scientists will make sure the spacecraft is working properly. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gniNJE_i  

Two NASA science missions – SPHEREx and PUNCH – will soon begin their journeys of discovery. The JPL-managed SPHEREx mission will survey the sky in optical and infrared light, gathering data on more than 450 million galaxies, and 100 million stars in our own galaxy. Launch is set for Saturday, March 8, at 7:10pm PT / 10:10pm ET: https://lnkd.in/gdjhwX4C

Planning to attend next week's Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas? JPL scientists will be there presenting multiple oral talks and papers related to the planet Uranus. These presentations and others will help JPL and the community plan for the Uranus Orbiter and Probe mission, the highest priority new Flagship in the Planetary and Astrobiology Decadal Survey from 2023.   • Tuesday, March 11: Two paper presentations about the moons of Uranus, 4:40pm and 4:50pm (Details: https://lnkd.in/gtKiCvie)   • Thursday, March 13: Five presentations led by JPL scientists on the planet's origin, interior and magnetosphere, 2:15-3:45pm (Details: https://lnkd.in/gUQE6rJK), plus two additional papers on the moon of Uranus that will be presented in the poster session on Thursday evening   We hope to see you there!

After decades of discovery, engineers are making tough calls to extend the twin Voyager missions. Voyager 1’s Cosmic Ray Subsystem, which helped confirm its passage into interstellar space, has now been turned off. Next, Voyager 2’s Low-Energy Charged Particle instrument will be powered down, its motor having completed more than 8.5 million steps over the mission's 47 years. Three science instruments will continue to operate on each spacecraft. These spacecraft have been resilient far beyond expectations, and each of these decisions helps them continue sending back invaluable data from the space between the stars. Learn more: go.nasa.gov/4koaCpV

What’s up, skywatchers? It's March! 🌕 A total lunar eclipse will be visible across the Americas overnight on March 13 and into the 14th, depending on your time zone. Other highlights for the month include Jupiter and Mars high in the evening skies, and a chance to spot fast-moving Mercury for those in the Northern Hemisphere March 7-9. More skywatching tips: go.nasa.gov/whatsup

Lunar Trailblazer is ready to go to the Moon, and launch is set for TONIGHT at 4:16pm PT! This small satellite mission will map the Moon’s water with precision, paving the way for future explorers to generate oxygen and even fuel. And despite its size, Lunar Trailblazer is packed with cutting-edge technology that will deepen our understanding of lunar resources. It’s riding along the Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission that's set to launch from Kennedy Space Center. Here are 6 things to know about the mission: go.nasa.gov/3Xm2Anv