Luis Ortiz’s Post

Open #metascience is a rare gift and most powerful source of innovation in #research and #technology development. To facilitate #transitiontooperations, turn the common interpretation of #TRL progression on its head by starting with #implementationscience, and then be open to its insights for #use-inspired basic research with built-in paths for #translationalresearch. Well done #NASA, again.

Just published! - open-access summary of our discussion from a NASA meeting last summer on private astronaut missions. Our SMEs identified behavioral health and team-oriented knowledge gaps, countermeasure needs, and competencies to target for future R&D. Hopefully, this stimulates some thinking.

Dealing with the Unexpected: Lessons from Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams What do you do when an 8-day mission turns into 8 months in space? Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, currently aboard the ISS, are showing us how to handle the unexpected with grace and resilience. Their extended stay far from loved ones hasn’t dampened their spirits. Instead, they’ve adapted, stayed positive, and embraced their mission with an open mind. This is a powerful reminder for all of us. When projects stretch longer than anticipated or when crisis hits, our reaction defines success. It’s about staying connected, fostering resilience, and maintaining focus on the bigger picture. Like Butch and Suni, we need to adapt, support each other, and keep our eyes on the goal—knowing that every challenge is an opportunity for growth. How are you leading your team through the unexpected? Let's take a page from space explorers who continue to move forward, even when the journey gets longer than planned. 🌍🚀 Listen to NASA Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams News Conference From Space Station - https://lnkd.in/g4-bbdG7 #LeadershipInAction #Resilience #Adaptability #Teamwork #GrowthMindset #RemoteWork #SpaceMission #HRLeadership #PositiveThinking #MissionSuccess

NASA faces a unique challenge with the Boeing Starliner astronauts needing to return to Earth on a SpaceX spacecraft, highlighting the complexities of cross-compatibility in space missions. - 🚀 Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams might have to ride back to Earth on SpaceX's Crew Dragon due to issues with Boeing's Starliner. - 🧑🚀 Boeing’s spacesuits aren’t compatible with SpaceX’s systems, creating a potential safety concern for the return trip. - 🌍 NASA is considering solutions, including sending new spacesuits on a future SpaceX mission or flying the astronauts back without suits. #SpaceExploration #NASA #SpaceTech - 🚀 NASA’s Commercial Crew Program awarded contracts to both Boeing and SpaceX, leading to separate development paths without cross-compatibility requirements. - 🔧 The challenge arose because NASA prioritized innovation and safety milestones over uniformity, allowing companies to design independently. - 📅 A decision on how to safely bring the astronauts back is expected soon, with 2025 being the target for the return mission. - 🛰️ The situation underscores the importance of planning for interoperability in future space missions to avoid similar issues. https://lnkd.in/gkk8rUTX

https://buff.ly/3zlHSee NASA astronauts Kate Rubins and Andre Douglas recently performed four moonwalk simulations to help NASA prepare for its Artemis III mission. Due to launch in September 2026, Artemis III will land two, yet-to-be-selected, astronauts at the Moon’s South Pole for the first time. Traveling to space requires immense preparation, not just for the astronauts, but for the hundreds of people who work in the background. That’s why Earth-based simulations are key. They allow spacesuit and tool designers to see their designs in action. Flight controllers who monitor spacecraft systems and the crew’s activities get to practice catching early signs of technical issues or threats to astronaut safety. And scientists use simulations to practice making geologic observations from afar through descriptions from astronauts. Between May 13 and May 22, 2024, Rubins and Douglas trudged through northern Arizona’s San Francisco Volcanic Field, a geologically Moon-like destination shaped by millions of years of volcanic eruptions. There, they made observations of the soil and rocks around them and collected samples. After the moonwalks, the astronauts tested technology that could be used on Artemis missions, including a heads-up display that uses augmented reality to help with navigation, and lighting beacons that could help guide a crew back to a lunar lander. Dozens of engineers and scientists came along with Rubins and Douglas. Some were in the field alongside the crew. Others joined remotely from a mock mission control center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in a more realistic imitation of what it’ll take to work with a crew that’s some 240,000 miles away on the lunar surface. Here's a look behind the scenes of a “moonwalk.” Note: PSI Senior Scientist Cathy Weitz participated in this test.

The primary obstacle to human space exploration is psychological (for astronauts) not technical (for spaceships).

https://lnkd.in/dGAyDDqe Time: ‘The space agency had planned to send four astronauts around the moon late this year, but pushed the flight to September 2025’ Cost: ‘NASA’s moon-landing effort has been delayed repeatedly over the past decade, adding to billions of dollars to the cost. Government audits project the total program costs at $93 billion through 2025.’ Scope/Quality: “Safety is our top priority,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. The delays will “give Artemis teams more time to work through the challenges.” Some projects have the luxury of using ‘Safety’ as permanent excuse for delay and costs overrun. While Safety is critically important I assume it always was in the scope, the program delivery plan includes safety challenges and risks, and time/cost contingency was calculated based on these risks. Or not?

NASA Picks 3 Companies to Help Astronauts Drive Around the Moon: NASA announced on Wednesday that they have selected three companies to develop preliminary designs for vehicles to take astronauts around the south polar region of the Moon. "After the astronauts return to Earth, these vehicles would be able to self-drive around as robotic explorers, similar to NASA's rovers on Mars," reports the New York Times. "The self-driving capability would also allow the vehicle to meet the next astronaut mission at a different location." From the report: The companies are Intuitive Machines of Houston, which in February successfully landed a robotic spacecraft on the moon; Lunar Outpost of Golden, Colo.; and Venturi Astrolab of Hawthorne, Calif. Only one of the three will actually build a vehicle for NASA and send it to the moon. NASA had asked for proposals of what it called the lunar terrain vehicle, or L.T.V., that could drive at speeds up to 9.3 miles per hour, travel a dozen miles on a single charge and allow astronauts to drive around for eight hours. The agency will work with the three companies for a year to further develop their designs. Then NASA will choose one of them for the demonstration phase. The L.T.V. will not be ready in time for the astronauts of Artemis III, the first landing in NASA's return-to-the-moon program, which is currently scheduled for 2026. The plan is for the L.T.V. to be on the lunar surface ahead of Artemis V, the third astronaut landing that is expected in 2030, said Lara Kearney, manager of the extravehicular activity and human surface mobility program at the NASA Johnson Space Center. "If they can get there earlier, we'll take it earlier," Ms. Kearney said. The L.T.V. contract will be worth up to $4.6 billion over the next 15 years -- five years of development and then a decade of operations on the moon, most of it going to the winner of this competition. But Ms. Kearney said the contracts allow NASA to later finance the development of additional rovers, or allow other companies to compete in the future. Read more of this story at Slashdot.