{"623929":{"#nid":"623929","#data":{"type":"news","title":"NASA Administrator Gets Closeup Look at Georgia Tech\u2019s Role in  Future Space Missions","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWith the 50th anniversary of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/apollo\/missions\/apollo11.html\u0022\u003EApollo 11\u003C\/a\u003E moon landing still fresh in everyone\u0026rsquo;s minds, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/content\/nasa-administrator-bridenstine\u0022\u003ENASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine\u003C\/a\u003E this week came to Georgia Tech to get a status report on what the next generation of astronauts may take with them into space five years from now.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We have to make sure we get this right, because quite frankly, if we\u0026rsquo;re going to land on the moon in 2024, we have to start now,\u0026rdquo; Bridenstine said during a July 31 tour of NASA-related research labs in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EDaniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ethe School of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe NASA delegation included \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/tomgraves.house.gov\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Congressman Tom Graves\u003C\/a\u003E; representatives for \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.perdue.senate.gov\/\u0022\u003EU.S. Senator David Perdue\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hice.house.gov\/\u0022\u003ECongressman Jody Hice\u003C\/a\u003E; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/spacetech\/about_us\/bios\/green_bio.html\u0022\u003EMike Green, director for communications \u0026amp; operations and chief of staff of NASA\u0026rsquo;s Space Technology Mission Directorate\u003C\/a\u003E; and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/robert-knotts-72b72855\u0022\u003ERobert Knotts\u003C\/a\u003E, Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s director of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gov.gatech.edu\/federal-relations\u0022\u003Efederal relations\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;When you look at what Georgia Tech is doing with NASA, there\u0026rsquo;s a lot of not just research, but applications that Georgia Tech is developing,\u0026rdquo; Bridenstine said. He was referring to the studies underway in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/reveals.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EREVEALS\u003C\/a\u003E (Radiation Effects on Volatiles and Exploration of Asteroids and Lunar Surfaces) lab run by chemistry and physics professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/faculty\/orlando\u0022\u003EThomas Orlando\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EREVEALS focuses on the physics and chemistry involved in how solar winds and micrometeorite impacts could help produce water \u0026ndash; from molecular hydrogen and oxygen \u0026ndash; for astronaut habitats on the Moon. The research also studies how the lunar regolith \u0026ndash; the dirt, rocks, and other materials covering solid rock \u0026ndash; could be harvested for building materials. REVEALS is also looking at the development of superdurable graphene-based composites for spacesuits, as well as how radiation detectors could be integrated into the suit materials to provide real-time readouts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;These efforts will mitigate health risks,\u0026rdquo; Orlando said. \u0026ldquo;Bridenstine and Graves were able to see the prototype detectors, the\u0026nbsp;polymers and [their] antistatic properties, as well as the novel table-top\u0026nbsp;accelerator we will use to test these.\u0026nbsp; These efforts are very important to NASA\u0026#39;s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/artemis\u0022\u003EARTEMIS\u003C\/a\u003E program, which plans to sends humans to the Moon by 2024.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBack to the Moon with ARTEMIS\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe NASA delegation\u0026rsquo;s visit to Georgia Tech included presentations at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/schools\/aerospace-engineering\u0022\u003ESchool of Aerospace Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E, which showed off samples of its nanosatellites known as CubeSats. These are currently used in \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ssdl.gatech.edu\/research\u0022\u003ERANGE\u003C\/a\u003E (Ranging and Nanosatellite Guidance Experiment) and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ssdl.gatech.edu\/research\u0022\u003ETARGIT\u003C\/a\u003E (Tethering and Ranging Mission of the Georgia Institute of Technology.)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA RANGE CubeSat successfully launched in December 2018, making it the first time a Georgia Tech-built satellite was placed in orbit. Georgia Tech aerospace engineering students were also involved in the July 2019 launch of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ssdl.gatech.edu\/research\u0022\u003ELightsail-2\u003C\/a\u003E, a CubeSat containing a solar sail from the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.planetary.org\/\u0022\u003EPlanetary Society\u003C\/a\u003E championed by noted science advocate \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/billnye.com\/\u0022\u003EBill Nye\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Georgia Tech is building some of the propulsion capabilities for some of the CubeSats that are going to be going around the Moon for ARTEMIS 1 [an unmanned flight set to launch in 2020]\u0026rdquo; Bridenstine said. \u0026ldquo;We have not been to the Moon with humans since 1972. We\u0026rsquo;re going back. The first mission will be uncrewed. It\u0026rsquo;ll be a crew-type vehicle but without crew.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBridenstine was impressed with what he saw. \u0026ldquo;All of those \u003Cem\u003Ein situ\u003C\/em\u003E resource utilization capabilities that are being developed here at Georgia Tech on behalf of NASA are amazing,\u0026rdquo; he said. Bridenstine held samples of the graphene-based materials being tested for future spacesuits and examined them while \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/user\/phillip-first\u0022\u003EPhillip First\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in the School of Physics who is part of the REVEALS team, explained his research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;When radiation goes through a material and creates some kind of defect, you detect it in most cases with luminescence in the material.\u0026rdquo; First said. \u0026ldquo;We want an electrical readout, so that you can dynamically monitor exactly the amount of radiation exposure.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe REVEALS team, along with members of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Industrial and Systems Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E, and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gtri.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Research Institute\u003C\/a\u003E, also contribute to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/homestri.ucdavis.edu\/\u0022\u003EHOME\u003C\/a\u003E, a new NASA-funded space research institute led by former astronaut \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/mae.ucdavis.edu\/directory\/stephen-robinson\u0022\u003ESteve Robinson\u003C\/a\u003E, REVEALS co-investigative lead based at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ucdavis.edu\/\u0022\u003EUniversity of California, Davis\u003C\/a\u003E. Orlando said HOME leverages Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s strengths in data analytics, autonomous control, sensors, and robotics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;REVEALS is part of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cstar.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Space Technology and Research\u003C\/a\u003E, which was started eight years ago with the intention of contributing significantly to future long-term efforts in space science and technology,\u0026rdquo; Orlando said. \u0026ldquo;The efforts in REVEALS and HOME have been, and will continue to be, the cornerstone of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s efforts in human flight and human exploration of destinations such as the Moon and Mars.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe student-led difference \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt the REVEALS portion of the tour, Orlando told Bridenstine that the research had attracted more students to the Institute. \u0026ldquo;They would not have come to Georgia Tech unless we had this program,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;Georgia Tech already has a very strong program, but this has been a real magnet for bringing in people who are interested in space exploration.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESome of Orlando\u0026rsquo;s students participated in the presentations, and that also impressed Bridenstine.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The best thing about all of this is that Georgia Tech is embedding its students into these projects,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;NASA turns to Georgia Tech is do these projects, but the most valuable thing is that the students are getting hands-on exposure to these capabilities. They\u0026rsquo;re not just learning chemistry, calculus, physics, and all of the mathematics that are necessary. They\u0026rsquo;re also applying that in real time to very real projects that are critically important to NASA, so that when they graduate, ultimately they\u0026rsquo;re ready to go to work.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re thrilled with the partnership \u0026ndash; the relationship between NASA and Georgia Tech \u0026ndash; and we\u0026rsquo;re looking forward to it continuing for a long time.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Jim Bridenstine surveys College of Sciences research on space suits, habitats"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and Georgia Congressman Tom Graves this week toured the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry to get updates on the latest space exploration-related research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"NASA officials and politicans tour Georgia Tech to look at the latest space exploration research."}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2019-08-01 20:08:44","changed_gmt":"2020-12-17 21:34:31","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-08-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-08-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"623930":{"id":"623930","type":"image","title":"(From left) Georgia Congressman Tom Graves, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Thom Orlando, and postdoctoral researcher Zach Seibers in the REVEALS lab. (Photo by Renay San Miguel)","body":null,"created":"1564690278","gmt_created":"2019-08-01 20:11:18","changed":"1564690278","gmt_changed":"2019-08-01 20:11:18","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237642","name":"NASA visit 2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/NASA%20visit%202.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/NASA%20visit%202.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2574917,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/NASA%20visit%202.jpg?itok=7FdfJ7Eq"}},"623931":{"id":"623931","type":"image","title":"A NASA delegation led by Administrator Jim Bridenstine visited Thom Orlando\u2019s REVEALS research lab July 31, 2019. (Photo by Renay San Miguel)","body":null,"created":"1564690375","gmt_created":"2019-08-01 20:12:55","changed":"1564764452","gmt_changed":"2019-08-02 16:47:32","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237643","name":"NASA visit 1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/NASA%20visit%201.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/NASA%20visit%201.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2585213,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/NASA%20visit%201.jpg?itok=eGs3ydmR"}}},"media_ids":["623930","623931"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/565151","title":"Can Solar Winds Form Water on the Moon and Mercury?"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"136","name":"Aerospace"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"408","name":"NASA"},{"id":"181878","name":"Jim Bridenstine"},{"id":"173834","name":"REVEALS"},{"id":"95521","name":"Thomas Orlando"},{"id":"166928","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"167589","name":"School of Aerospace Engineering"},{"id":"181879","name":"Tom Graves"},{"id":"133211","name":"ARTEMIS"},{"id":"4191","name":"moon"},{"id":"181880","name":"regolith"},{"id":"7617","name":"radiation"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}