Our Morning Was Truly Magical As We Gathered With Over 500 Enthusiastic People, Including Many Kids,

Just wrapped up an incredible hike in Fletcher Canyon! This 4-mile round trip took me 4 hours, with sections of medium difficulty that were totally worth it. Gaining an elevation of 991 ft and was rewarded with breathtaking views of a river bed and an impressive gorge at the end.

Nature never ceases to amaze!

Interview with Review Journal en Espanol

Speech at the Avi Kwa Ame one year Anniversary! To commemorate this special milestone and to reflect on the beauty and significance of our natural surroundings.

Thought of the day, Spring's Whisper in the Air

Though the celestial clock has yet to chime the official start of spring at 20:06 tonight, (Pacific time) the symphony of life around us is already tuning up to the melody of the season. #SpringIsHere in every sunbeam and sprouting leaf, and we're all invited to the early show!

Astronomically speaking, we're on the cusp of the vernal equinox, when day and night graciously share the stage in near-perfect balance. The Earth's tilt is about to bring us into a period of equal light and dark.

As we orbit our dependable star, we find ourselves in the embrace of warmer days, courtesy of the increasing angle of the sun's rays. It's a beautiful reminder that our planet's dance with the sun is as rhythmic as it is precise.

So while we count down the hours to the astronomical alignment that heralds the official start of spring, let's not wait to celebrate the changes all around us. The universe doesn't need an invitation to begin anew, and neither do we!

Feel the anticipation in the air? That's the universe conspiring to bring forth blossoms, longer days, and the freshness of a world reborn. Let's step outside and join the cosmic ballet!

Today's adventure on Mt. Charleston was both breathtaking and brisk! We tackled the Upper Bristlecone Trail without success, so we try the Lower Bristlecone Trailhead. Despite our determination, we only made it a few miles before hitting some serious ice.

With temperatures at a chilly 28°F, it was a true standoff with Mother Nature, but she won this round. Even so, the views and the experience were worth every frozen step!

Excited to celebrate Spring the Japanese way at the annual Japanese Spring Festival hosted by Kizuna! A day filled with cultural delights - from Japanese Tea Ceremonies to Kimono fashion, Origami, Calligraphy, Ikebana, traditional music and dance, and the delicious food.

A second amazing day presenting at Career Day to a 5 to 8 K group of enthusiastic kids who are eager to explore the mysteries of living on the Moon or Mars!

Their curiosity and insightful questions about space exploration and interplanetary living.

It's incredible to see the next generation so excited about the possibilities beyond our world.

Keep reaching for the stars, young explorers!

#SpaceExploration #MarsColonization #MoonMission #FutureAstronauts #careerdayfun

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s flight harness is transferred from the mock-up structure to the spacecraft flight structure.

Your Body is Wired Like a NASA Space Telescope. Sort Of.

If our Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope were alive, its nervous system would be the intricate wiring, or “harness,” that helps different parts of the observatory communicate with one another. Just like the human body sends information through nerves to function, Roman will send commands through this special harness to help achieve its mission: answering longstanding questions about dark energy, dark matter, and exoplanets, among other mind-bending cosmic queries. 

Roman’s harness weighs around 1,000 pounds and is made of about 32,000 wires and 900 connectors. If those parts were laid out end-to-end, they would be 45 miles long from start to finish. Coincidentally, the human body’s nerves would span the same distance if lined up. That’s far enough to reach nearly three-fourths of the way to space, twice as far as a marathon, or eight times taller than Mount Everest! 

An aerial view of the harness technicians working to secure Roman’s harness to the spacecraft flight structure.

Over a span of two years, 11 technicians spent time at the workbench and perched on ladders, cutting wire to length, carefully cleaning each component, and repeatedly connecting everything together.  

Space is usually freezing cold, but spacecraft that are in direct sunlight can get incredibly hot. Roman’s harness went through the Space Environment Simulator – a massive thermal vacuum chamber – to expose the components to the temperatures they’ll experience in space. Technicians “baked” vapors out of the harness to make sure they won’t cause problems later in orbit.  

Technicians work to secure Roman’s harness to the interior of the spacecraft flight structure. They are standing in the portion of the spacecraft bus where the propellant tanks will be mounted.  

The next step is for engineers to weave the harness through the flight structure in Goddard’s big clean room, a space almost perfectly free of dust and other particles. This process will be ongoing until most of the spacecraft components are assembled. The Roman Space Telescope is set to launch by May 2027. 

Learn more about the exciting science this mission will investigate on X and Facebook. 

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space! 

Exciting Discovery Alert!

Hey space enthusiasts, did you know that NASA's TESS has just uncovered a cosmic wonder?

NASA's exoplanet hunter just discovered a "weird" world named Phoenix that's defying expectations! This hot Neptune-sized planet is surprisingly small, old, and hot - and it's still got an atmosphere despite being super close to its red giant star.

According to the scientists, Phoenix should be a bare rock due to its proximity to the star, but instead, it is emerged from the flames with a nice and puffy atmosphere. It's a real mystery how it's managed to hang on!

Phoenix is part of a rare class of planets that orbit close to their stars, and its discovery shows just how diverse exoplanets can be. The team predicts that Phoenix will eventually spiral into its star in about 100 million years.

What can we learn from this peculiar planet? For one, it's giving us new insights on the late-stage evolution of planetary systems - including our own Earth! Who knows what secrets Phoenix holds about our planet's future?

So, let's get excited about this cosmic discovery and see what other mysteries NASA's TESS spacecraft will uncover!

I left an illustration shows the exoplanet Phoenix in the glare of its red giant parent star. (Image credit: Roberto Molar Candanosa/Johns Hopkins University)

First Hike of the Year: Pinto Valley Loop at Lake Mead

Today, we embarked on our first hike of the year through the stunning Pinto Valley Loop at Lake Mead.

The weather was perfect, staying no hotter than 63°F, which made the experience even more enjoyable.

The landscape was breathtaking, with beautiful mountains and incredible colors surrounding us. The trail was adorned with pretty cactus and intriguing plants with white leaves and tiny red fruits. Although the path wasn't always easy to distinguish, often following a riverbed, the adventure was well worth it.

While the elevation wasn't excessive, it was definitely more noticeable than it seemed at first glance. It took me 7 hours and 35 minutes to complete the hike, but every moment was rewarding.

Feeling grateful for the beauty of nature and excited for more adventures this year!