Guest Column Mark Geyer Advance Commercialization;Advance Things and Do Differently. categories: into grouped Accelerate three be can Mission; that actions We JSC future. devised updated challenges 2.017 ofthe the meet 2017, for to develop our plans January including to weplan how 2 American to competitiveness. benefits 258NASA’s promoting congressionalvisits, missions office the and companies completed and participating also While NASA there, conference 95 the from attended companies, representing 28 states. 240 companies. About participants supporting the from perspective and gained plan strategic communicatedto 16. its agency the There, supplier’sOperations conference Feb. in from Washington, 15 D.C., System Development and System/Ground Launch annual Orion/Space Mission Accelerate areas. these effectiveness. To and acenter, as thrive to ways enhanceefficiency our find wemust mission. progression reminds onthe anatural see that can to focus us Mission;to the Enable Change; and Make you Successful), Programs picture. bigger take this year,the into fits please consider do also you work the how to Space we plan Exploration.” specific Whileactions are some there “Leading Human reminding our missionforemost, and that us first is, JSC DEPUTY DIRECTOR JOHNSON SPACE CENTER’S LEADERSHIP TEAM

I wanted to describe a few key to describe afew items I wanted going to JSC onat relative 2016’s at back look If you areas Connect (Remove focus Obstacles; areas, focus three This these graphic new 3shows onpage JSC leadership and Orion Program management supported the JSC the leadership management supported and Orion Program LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER met in in met administration is to achieve to do. wehave committed what new the instill confidence wecan with way best The our plans. EM-1 wecontinue the to work that stressed baseline and execute also Bill plan. our current than sooner orbit low-Earth beyond astronauts accelerate wecan getting onways us should inform assessment administration is excited weare able to do. what about new and the nation, missions to the are critically viewed as important our that positive signalNASA a very to reflects this action that werecognize steps, appropriate determines next the agency the While their and presented findings study Lightfoot. to completed the His team given action. was since has the and Operations, Exploration (EM-1) in 2019. Bill Gerstenmaier, Human associatefor administrator feasibility ofaccelerating mission Mission-1 acrewed Exploration for onthe going was to do astudy NASA announced that Lightfoot property rights or constraints put on the use of the NASA meatball, meatball, NASA ofthe use onthe put or constraints rights property issues such as intellectual with within NASA, barriers at will look cohesively other companies. from orflyingmore hardware We working prevent from us that processes and constraints support CommercializationAdvance 18 months. next withinspacesuit the components and key Support Environmental and Life some Control advanced test ofideas round anew to flight are starting They in orbit. hardware to ways Spaceflyand continues test Station to find innovative Whether or not the agency decides to fly agency on crew the EM-1, ornot Whether this Robert Administrator Acting NASA when A key was moment Our specific Our implementation ideasthis year center on mission- to accelerate our missions, attempt In International another the

PHOTO: NASA which prevent us from engaging with potential partners. This may Outreach is reaching the pivotal point where final recommendations also translate to blending the acquisition of services that the will be brought forward to NASA management. Additional BSAs on Commercial Cargo and Crew Programs rely on into NASA technical authority/technical excellence, security other areas. and institutional operational safety are also JSC continues to play a vital role in the upcoming. Broad Area Announcements relative In closing, I would also like to to deep space habitation. NASA is highlight the importance of safety. targeting late spring for the initiation With the successful launch of SpaceX of phase 2. By summer, JSC will 10, SpaceX has resumed delivering support the testing of some of cargo to space station. Our these concepts. Russian partners also successfully Do Things Differently launched Progress 66. Returning Our activities in this area build on these systems to flight reflects previous JSC 2.0 activities, with a the dedication and abilities of our focus on certain concepts. partners, both commercial and JSC is looking to develop a mobile international. Their recent accidents app for employees that will provide remind us that the space launch better and faster access to useful JSC business is far from routine. Attention services and information. For example, to quality and critical processes will one day you might be able to see the status always be essential to our success. of a purchase order or the latest schedule of key This year will see key milestones for all of milestones within a couple of clicks. our major programs. Thank you for your continued The Business Services Assessment (BSA) for Education and dedication to our mission.

IMAGE OF THE QUARTER

In the image above, women scientists gather in a meeting room March, the Women’s History Month, kicked off with a live-stream at NASA in 1959. At the far left is Lucille Coltrane. Lucille was a event on March 7 presented by Johnson Space Center’s Office of computer at Langley Research Center. Next to Lucille is Jean Clark Equal Opportunity and Diversity and Women Excelling in Life Keating, an aerospace engineer. The third woman from the left is and Leadership Employee Resource Group. Margot Lee Shetterly, Katherine Collie Speegle, a mathematician. The woman standing writer, researcher, entrepreneur and author of “Hidden Figures: is Doris “Dot” Lee, who worked on a team with Katherine Collie The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Speegle. Next to Doris is Ruth I. Whitman, an engineer in the Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race,” discusses her pilotless aircraft division. The woman seated on the right of Ruth book and its journey from concept to publication to movie release is Emily Stephens Mueller, a computer who worked with the Space from NASA’s Langley Research Center. Task Group.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER 3 Six cool CubeSats changing the way we learn about space

BY JENNY HOWARD Fox-1, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation - TRADITIONALLY, SPACE EXPLORATION has been seen Kensington, Maryland as something that only a select few will have the chance to 2 The Fox-1 CubeSat, designed by The Radio do. Students look to astronauts to share their experiences and Amateur Satellite Corporation, is an educationally investigations, learning about the effects of microgravity only in focused satellite equipped with a two-way communication theory. The CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) is changing that fact device, requiring only a walkie- by giving students, educators, nonprofits and private companies talkie-style radio and small the opportunity to launch CubeSats, or small satellites, into antenna. Access to the satellites orbit to complete scientific investigations or conduct technology radio transmission is accessible demonstrations of their own innovation. to the general public. Fox-1 is Groups develop a mission concept, submit it to NASA for a equipped with several different flight opportunity and then build and deliver to NASA their own science, technology, engineering CubeSat that will fly as auxiliary payloads on rockets or accompany and math (STEM) educational

a spacecraft on the way to the International Space Station, where opportunities, sponsored by AMSAT PHOTO: it will be launched into orbit for approximately 120 days of space universities. Penn State University engineering students exploration and science. Here are six CubeSats that are changing the contributed a three-axis Micro-Electromechanical System way students learn about space. gyroscope to measure the spin and movements of the satellite, while Vanderbilt University provided hardware to record occurrences of radiation-induced upsets in off-the-shelf memory STMSat-1, St. Thomas More Cathedral School - chips. Fox-1 launched as a part of ELaNa XII on the National Arlington, Virginia Reconnaissance Office’s (NRO’s) L-55 mission in October 2015. 1 The STMSat-1 CubeSat was developed in its entirety by elementary-aged students at the St. Thomas More Cathedral School in Arlington, Virginia. Each of the 400 students at the school, from pre-kindergarten to FIREBIRD-1 A/B, Montana State University - eighth grade, had a hand in designing, developing or testing Bozeman, Montana the satellite. STMSat-1 became the first CubeSat launched by 3 Students and faculty at Montana State University a primary school, and boarded the Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo provided insight into acceleration and loss resupply spacecraft as a part of the Educational Launch of processes in the outer Van Allen Radiation Belt, a layer Nanosatellites IX (ELaNa IX) with the University of Colorado, of energetically charged particles held in place around a Boulder, and the University of Michigan. magnetized planet—Earth, in this case. Focused Investigations of Relativistic Electron Burst, Intensity, Range and Dynamics (FIREBIRD-1 A/B) gave undergraduate and graduate STEM students the opportunity to develop real-life spaceflight hardware. The small satellite flew as a part of the ELaNa II on the NROL-39 mission in December 2013. PHOTO: ST. THOMAS MORE CATHEDRAL SCHOOL THOMAS MORE CATHEDRAL ST. PHOTO: PHOTO: MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITYSCHOOL STATE MONTANA PHOTO:

4 LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER CAPE-3, University of Louisiana at Lafayette - MakerSat-0, Northwest Nazarene University - 4 Lafayette, Louisiana 6 Nampa, Idaho Students and faculty at the University of Louisiana Faculty and students from Northwest Nazarene at Lafayette are helping to put space into the hands of every University are developing MakerSat-0, a small satellite that will teacher and student through the development of Cajun demonstrate the feasibility of using a 3-D-printed structural Advanced Picosatellite frame. It is made of 3-D-printed rails that slide and snap Experiment-3 (CAPE- together, allowing the satellite to be assembled on Earth in 3). This “smartphone approximately five minutes. MakerSat-0 will pave the way for CubeSat classroom” will MakerSat-1, a CubeSat that will be printed and assembled allow any smartphone aboard the station, taking advantage of the weightless user to interact with environment. Currently, CubeSats must be made from materials the satellite via an app that can withstand the forces from a launch. By printing and and design their own assembling CubeSats in a microgravity environment, researchers CubeSat experiments. will be able to use more fragile frames and materials that,

The CAPE-3 CubeSat is LAFAYETTE AT UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA PHOTO: on Earth, wouldn’t support their own weight. MakerSat-0 is the third in a series of manifested on ELaNa XIV for launch no earlier than July 2017. CAPE CubeSat missions manifested on ELaNa XX for launch to space station no earlier than December 2017 on Virgin Galactic.

BisonSat, Salish Kootenai College - Pablo, 5 Montana College students from Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Montana, developed BisonSat, a small satellite which, using passive magnetic stabilization, would capture color images of the Earth below. Images taken of the Flathead Indian NAZARENE UNIVERSITY NORTHWEST PHOTO: Reservation in northwest Montana have engaged tribal students and communities in NASA’s mission. Using solar power, the small satellite’s mission was to measure atmospheric aerosols, cloud formations and hydrologic processes. This was the first CubeSat to be designed, tested and operated by tribal college students. BisonSat launched as part of ELaNa XII on the NROL-55 mission in October 2015.

Since CSLI’s launch in 2010, 119 CubeSats have been chosen to participate in the program, representing submissions from 32 states—just 18 states shy of NASA’s goal to launch a small satellite developed in each of the nation’s 50 states by 2020.

PHOTO: SALISH KOOTENAI COLLEGE PHOTO: For more images and information about CubeSats in the CSLI program, visit: http://tinyurl.com/m3wqzhp

LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER 5 BY CATHERINE RAGIN WILLIAMS

IN THE FIGHT the way it is, that kind of chill, goosebumpy thing happens. It’s AGAINST incredible how much more beautiful the collection of all these CHILDHOOD individual paintings coming together can be. There are these Hope, CANCER, doctors extremes of the stories there. Sadly, some of the kids that painted must be equipped with us on these suits are not with us anymore.” with the very The reality is bleak. But the suits … oh, they are beautiful, Courage and best of medicine, reflecting in vibrant magnificence the little ones who painted technology and their hearts and souls into them. The project not only offers a science. The Space Unity for all Suit Art Project, initiated by the MD Anderson Cancer Center Arts in Medicine Program in collaboration with NASA Johnson Space Center, spacesuit manufacturer ILC Dover, retired astronaut Nicole Stott and later with the agency’s international partners, gave kids some weapons of their own to combat their harsh diagnoses: paintbrushes. Using simple paintbrushes and paint, pediatric cancer patients employed whorls of color to form creations that would make anyone smile. These mini masterpieces, painted on fabric canvas,

were later stitched together into intricate, flamboyant spacesuits NASA/PHOTO that any superhero (or astronaut) would be proud to don. But what Retired astronaut Nicole Stott paints with a pediatric became evident throughout the process to create these stunning cancer patient for the Space Suit Art Project. works is that the real superheroes embodying Hope, Courage and Unity—the names of the spacesuits—were the children all along. “When you look at the art suits, you see each individual painting therapeutic escape for those at a time when they feel most isolated and alone, but highlights how, in partnership, we are stronger together.

NASA/PHOTO “It is fundamental to understand that science, progress, technology and exploration have no boundaries,” said Luca Parmitano, an ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut who painted on the Unity spacesuit with kids in Germany. “They can only thrive when we share our discoveries. I found out in the [International Space Station] that nothing creates a sense of unity and purpose more than having a common vision. Astronauts from all over the world can come from different cultural backgrounds and legacies but, ultimately, speak a common language and share a goal, and Art that makes them all teammates. Crew members don't worry about spacesuits Hope, nationalities; when in orbit, we work as one team. In much the same Unity and Courage (worn way, doctors and scientists who are looking for a cure for cancer by NASA astronaut Kate share a vision, a goal. And no matter where they are in the world,

Rubins) are reunited inNASA/PHOTO mission their common dream makes them part of a single team whose control Houston during a ultimate purpose is to stop this disease.” downlink from the Unity, the last suit completed, especially lives up to its namesake. International It was created during a 12-day world tour, becoming a true global Space Station. masterpiece. Stott and Ian Cion, the mastermind behind the project from MD Anderson’s Arts in Medicine Program, traveled to the four headquartered cities of the international space agencies as a beautiful piece of artwork, and each can get you thinking that contributed to and helped build the space station. There, about the stories of the children and families behind them,” they visited cancer hospitals in the area to inspire and paint said Stott, an artist herself. “And then you look at it all together, with the children in treatment—helped by some local astronauts

6 LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER David Graziosi with ILC Dover (standing, far left) and Ian Cion with MD Anderson’s Arts in Medicine Program (standing, at center) raise their hands with the kids—and adults—instrumental in bringing the colorful suits to life. Standing in her flight suit is Stott. Kneeling, also in a flight suit, is NASA astronaut Reid Weisman. NASA/PHOTO and cosmonauts—and acquired the pieces of canvas that would all kids. While I was with them, we talked about their future, what exemplify joining forces. The children’s art returned to Houston, they wanted to be when they grow up. I think those conversations where spacesuit engineers from ILC Dover assembled the artwork that we take for granted felt very special for them. It gave them a into its final, living form. window of normalcy where saying ‘I want to be an astronaut when For art, you see, is immortal. I grow up’ was a real possibility. It’s also something that moved “For these children and their families, it very much becomes a me, as the father of two young daughters. Finally, I was impressed kind of legacy thing as well,” Stott said. “One of the patients we by their skill at drawing and creating things straight out of their had on the Courage suit had been imagination.” in treatment at MD Anderson The suits beautifully illuminate for quite a while. She decided to each patient’s strength through paint a string of elephants on the adversity. right arm of the Courage suit: a “Some of these kids coming in, mother elephant, a father elephant they’re so tired, and they probably [and] two little kid elephants. The don’t even think they want to paint,” significance of her painting this on Stott said. “And then, within like 10 the Courage suit was that she and minutes, there’s this strength that all of her family members got the just comes from being there with NASA/PHOTO same image tattooed on their arms these other kids and families. They to honor her life and legacy—all ILC Dover spacesuit technician Whitney Lowery stitches tiny canvas paint whatever it is … nobody [tells] knowing that she was not going to masterpieces together to make a spacesuit representing the stories them what to paint, you just paint be with them for long. It was their and symbols that matter most to children fighting cancer. whatever you want. There’s definitely way of staying a family forever. By an underlying healing aspect her painting the elephants on the Courage suit, she delivered her associated with it—the power [of] separating yourself from what own message of hope, courage and unity to the whole world she you’re really going through at the time.” would be leaving behind.” The lively Courage flight suit that was worked on and then worn There is a lot of light within the darkness, especially in the in space by astronaut Kate Rubins on her recent space station company of merry pigments. Emboldened with hope and courage, mission just returned home aboard SpaceX 10. Now all three suits many of the hard-fought battles waged are won. are united and on display at Space Center Houston. “It was such an overwhelming experience on many different “I think the thing that struck me when we first started talking levels,” Parmitano said. “I was certainly touched by their love for about this, all I kept thinking was, ‘OK, we’ve got to do more than life. As much as they could, they wanted to be normal children, suits—we’ve got to let the world know about the incredible research with all the expectations, dreams and desires that are universal for we are doing aboard the International Space Station to battle these

LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER 7 NASA/PHOTO 8 international project ledby NASA withESA (EuropeanSpace Agency) Telescope. The mostpowerful space telescope ever built, itisan technique to lightuptheprimary mirror. technicians appearasablur. Healsousedaspecial light “painting” shutter openfor alongerthannormal timesothemovement of the appearance because it’s alongexposure.” Heleft thecamera’s easier to find in thedark. ultraviolet flashlights to inspect for contamination, because it’s contamination control engineer usedabright flashlightandspecial after itexperienced vibration andacoustic testing. The Space FlightCenter inGreenbelt, Maryland. Systems Development andIntegration Facility atNASA’s Goddard image asthey conduct a “lights outinspection” intheSpacecraft and itsexpansive goldenmirrorslook like ghostly wraithsinthis Telescope (JWST)? The technicians whoareinspecting thetelescope cleanroom thatcurrently housesNASA’s James Webb Space What happenswhenthelightsareturnedoutinenormous greater ofsomething is part in space. NASA laboratory microgravity it could possibly ofresearch help our aboard the reached be with and isgoal, the …that But Earth. eviscerated from to be community It ignores ignores boundaries, humanity. Itwill require aunited Earth.” the for Earth, the off have together been working world the peacefully and quietly, all over from quite our crews honestly, that successfully and how and our internationalwe have partners with exemplifies] project involved. people the relationshipsthe [The spirit all among iscollaborative remarkable is the thing most that side, the technology but the science from side, that at look can you sideworking by side You the in from this that at battle. look can are all partners said. “We Stott ofdiseases here onEarth,’” types Ghosts of inspectionspast BYROB GUTRO

The cleanroomlightswere turnedoff to inspect thet Cancer It’s is bigger bigger Houston. than our country. than The JWST isthescientific successor to NASA’s HubbleSpace NASA photographer ChrisGunnsaid, “The people haveaghostly LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER Space for Art exhibit opening. exhibit Art for Space unveiled the are at Unity and Here, Hope this spring. Space Center at Houston once reunited more Unity and Courage Hope, elescope land atJohnsonSpace Center this April for morerigoroustesting. and theCanadian Space Agency. Look for thebehemothtelescope to a future. a human being. every of bestow can We benefit the for kids, these for https://go.usa.gov/xXYpB. https://go.usa.gov/xXYpB. Features: JSC on more out Find exploration? even begin to describe it.” themselves. not does for Courage see they future the for hopefully and healing—andglimpse power ofart into the to live ability the and all involved, ofus provided has on this them, a project with are an amazingProject source ofinspiration,” said. “Working Stott coexist in peace? Is there room for creativity in the realm of space space of realm the in creativity for room there Is peace? in coexist “All children ofthe and families involved Space Suit the Art with Can art and science, technology, engineering and math subjects subjects math and engineering technology, science, and art Can

NASA/PHOTO: CHRIS GUNN JSC astronomer plays key role in stunning planetary discovery

BY BILL JEFFS

ASTRONOMERS HAVE DISCOVERED SEVEN possible chances discovery of the most unique, complex and awe-inspiring system to find life with roughly seven Earth-sized planets very close to an ever seen, which has captivated the whole world, is truly humbling— ultra-cool dwarf star some 40 light-years from Earth, including three and really exciting!” (possibly four, depending on which models you consider) orbiting At about 40 light-years (235 trillion miles) from Earth, the in the star’s habitable zone, where liquid water could be present on system of planets is, astronomically speaking, very close to us in the surface. The star system is the first to feature at least three Earth the constellation Aquarius. Because they analogues within the so-called “Goldilocks” zone of their parent star, are located outside of our solar system, This and the first to include seven terrestrial planets—any of which might these planets are scientifically known artist’s concept have sub-surface water. as exoplanets. shows what the The discovery was announced at a news briefing Feb. 22 at NASA Spitzer confirmed the existence TRAPPIST-1 planetary system Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and in the journal Nature. of two of these planets, and the may look like based on available data about the planets’ diameters, masses and distances from the host star. NASA/JPL-CALTECH

Dr. Susan Lederer, NASA planetary and space scientist in the international team used Spitzer data to confirm the five additional Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division at Johnson ones, increasing the number of known planets in the system to Space Center and coauthor of the Nature paper, is a member of the seven. In addition to the Spitzer discovery, the HST has initiated international team of astronomers that discovered this particularly the screening of the atmospheres of the six innermost planets, unique planetary system. The discovery began with the first transit including all those that may be inside the habitable zone. These seen with Belgium’s Transiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small observations aim to assess the presence of puffy, hydrogen- Telescope—or TRAPPIST— observatory in Chile in September 2015. dominated atmospheres, typical for gaseous worlds like Neptune or Lederer’s observations using the United Kingdom Infra-Red Saturn, around these planets. Last May, the team observed the two Telescope (UKIRT) in Hawaii were vital to confirming that TRAPPIST- innermost planets with the HST and found no evidence for such 1c (the second planet) was indeed a planet. The latest stunning puffy atmospheres. This strengthened the case that the planets announcement of the system of seven planets included data closest to the star are rocky in nature. The latest results from more acquired with seven ground-based telescopes (including UKIRT) and recent HST observations of the planets within the habitable zone NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) are under review now, with publication expected soon. has already been used for atmospheric studies for six of the planets, Any of these seven planets could have liquid water, the key to life and Kepler Space Telescope data, to be released shortly, will also be as we know it. In contrast to our sun, the TRAPPIST-1 star—classified analyzed. as an ultra-cool red dwarf—is so cool that liquid water could survive “Never did I imagine that I could say I was part of a team on planets orbiting very close to it—closer than is possible on that discovered even one planet,” Lederer said. “To be part of the planets in our solar system. In fact, a “year” for each of (continued on page 12)

LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER 9

#SpaceBowl BY MORGAN MCALLISTER

SUPER BOWL LI KICKED OFF AT NRG STADIUM in February with internationally, and offered them a firsthand look at human spaceflight. NASA’s Johnson Space Center there to remind everyone why Houston is We connected with behind-the-scenes coordinators involved in the known as “Space City.” With 413 businesses participating in the big game, Super Bowl in several unique ways. Among the many folks we connected Johnson went to work building new relationships and strengthening with were the Houston Super Bowl Host Committee, who designed existing ties. Partnerships are critical to NASA’s deep space journey, and orchestrated Super Bowl Live activities in downtown Houston; the and a Houston Super Bowl meant access to new audiences and fresh NFL, who coordinated the game at NRG; various levels of community opportunities. stakeholders; marketing companies for some of the largest sports- Johnson coordinated closely with the Houston Super Bowl Host equipment companies; high-profile event partners; and, of course, the Committee, city of Houston, the National Football League (NFL) and media. Many of these connections are leading to follow-up conversations others to participate in Super Bowl Live, host VIP visitors and conduct which offer NASA the opportunity to consider collaboration or, at the social media outreach. In addition, we enacted Space Act Agreements very least, benchmark and share best practices.” with both the Houston Super Bowl Host Committee and the NFL. Johnson’s outreach and partnership efforts weren’t limited to tours A 10-day space-themed showcase of all things football and Houston and traditional media. A 10-day #SpaceBowl campaign across our social hosted at Discovery Green Park, Super Bowl Live was a monumental media accounts, in collaboration with other NASA centers and social success—with Johnson front and center. Through a number of interactive media news sources, helped get our message out. The campaign reached demonstrations and exhibits, we offered visitors the chance to connect 571 million and counting online users, tapping into a vast mix of non- with space experts. An Orion capsule model, Curiosity Rover replica and traditional audiences. Space Exploration Vehicle model were on display as well, and the Future “There were so many opportunities to reach new audiences with

Johnson Space Center team members pose with NFL players. PHOTO: BILL STAFFORD PHOTO: NASA Flight virtual reality experience, featuring a trip to Mars aboard a drop celebrities and sports media from our own backyard who shared their tower, offered breathless excitement for visitors of all ages. stories on social media,” said External Relations Office Social Media A total of 1.3 million attendees made their way through Super Bowl Specialist Hayley Fick. “We have relationships now with local Houston Live, with 14,220 experiencing the drop-tower trip and another 31,620 sports media that we’ve never had before, and we shared everything we opting for a more stationary Virtual Reality Mars experience. Spaceflight did online. Our message even went international, and we were able to partners such as Aerojet, Rocketdyne, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop strike a balance to deliver content that sports fans everywhere would Grumman, Orbital ATK, Raytheon Company and the Coalition for Deep find relatable.” Space Exploration added their voices to ours, building awareness of the The night of the Super Bowl, the International Space Station crew commercial opportunities space presents. participated in the all-important “NFL Pre-Game Show,” which was “one Back at Johnson, we offered 39 VIP tours for approximately 550 guests. of the best chances all year to reach Americans,” Fick said. These tours leveraged business and cultural influencers as ambassadors There’s no doubt that the Johnson team scored a touchdown with of our message. More than 70 media guests toured the center before its contributions to Super Bowl LI. By doing things differently and the big game, including representatives from ESPN, Fox Sports, “Fox & capitalizing on the biggest night of TV, NASA formed new relationships Friends,” “Good Morning America,” NFL Network and Yahoo Sports. All that will position the agency to accelerate its mission. Also, the game totaled, the cumulative audience for media covering NASA during Super and its coordinating events showed taxpayers that their investment Bowl LI topped 300 million. in science and exploration is bettering humanity. It’s something every “My experience was about more than just the connection between sports—and space—fan can cheer about, whether football season is in JSC and football,” said External Relations Office Acting Director Debbie season or not. Conder. “We engaged a new audience of stakeholders nationally and

10 LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER

#SpaceBowl snapshots

JSC Director Ellen Ochoa and guests virtually journey to Mars aboard the Future Flight experience drop tower. PHOTO: BILL STAFFORD PHOTO: NASA

Young Super Bowl Live visitors prove it’s never too early to learn about space. PHOTO: BILL STAFFORD BILL STAFFORD PHOTO: NASA

Super Bowl Live allowed tourists, Houstonians and business visitors a chance to experience the space program for themselves.

Live from the Mission Control Center—Fox Films NFL commentator Jimmy Johnson shares NASA’s human space exploration story with football fans.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER 11 PRSRTTD S U.S. POSTAGE PAID WEBSTER.TX Permit No. 39

The Roundup is an official publication of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, and is published by the External Relations Office for all Space Center employees. The Roundup office is located at the Johnson Space Center, Building 2. The mail code is AD94. Visit our website at: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/roundup/ roundup_toc.html For distribution questions or to suggest a story idea, send an email to [email protected].

Catherine Ragin Williams Editor Logan Goodson Graphic Design Lynnette Madison NASA Publication Manager OR CURRENT RESIDENT

JSC astronomer plays key role in stunning planetary discovery (continued from page 9)

other components of a planet’s atmosphere. Astronomers also will analyze planets’ temperatures and surface pressures—key factors in assessing habitability. NASA/JPL-CALTECH This illustration shows the possible surface of TRAPPIST-1f, one of the newly discovered planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system. Scientists using the Spitzer Space Telescope and ground-based telescopes have discovered that there are seven Earth-sized planets in the system.

the four planets in the potential habitable zone of TRAPPIST-1 lasts a mere four Earth days to just over 12 Earth days in length, all well within a Mercury-sized orbit. Astronomers, including Lederer, now have their eyes firmly set and waiting for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to launch next year. Three times the size of Hubble, scientists can hardly wait for the discoveries it may uncover. “With the capabilities of JWST and a star system where any of the seven planets might have water, including a truly unprecedented number in the habitable zone, we might have just found the system that could change our views forever on whether life exists anywhere outside our solar system,” Lederer said. “So stay tuned.” With much greater sensitivity, the JWST will be able to detect the chemical fingerprints of water, methane, oxygen, ozone and

12 LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER