NASA — Tiny BurstCube's Tremendous Travelogue

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This image shows a small spacecraft on a table enclosed on all sides except the one facing the camera. The sides of the enclosure are clear while the top has two dark gray panels with a light gray frame. The backside is also gray and reflects a strip of light from the room. The spacecraft’s body is a vertical golden rectangle. Shiny black solar panels extend to either side and are much wider than the spacecraft itself. There are a few wires connected to the table, which are visible underneath it. It’s watermarked, “Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts.”ALT

Tiny BurstCube’s Tremendous Travelogue

Meet BurstCube! This shoebox-sized satellite is designed to study the most powerful explosions in the cosmos, called gamma-ray bursts. It detects gamma rays, the highest-energy form of light.

BurstCube may be small, but it had a huge journey to get to space.

Julie Cox, a mechanical engineer at Goddard, presses aluminized tape to the BurstCube instrument in a laboratory. Julie is wearing a mask, blue lab coat, and gloves, and is holding silver tweezers in one hand. The instrument, which is sitting on a table covered in hardware and tools, has raised silver-colored metal cylinders on top of a flat plate with triangular and rectangular cutouts. A roll of tape sits on the table in the foreground. The image is watermarked with “Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts.”ALT

First, BurstCube was designed and built at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Here you can see Julie Cox, an early career engineer, working on BurstCube’s gamma-ray detecting instrument in the Small Satellite Lab at Goddard.

BurstCube is a type of spacecraft called a CubeSat. These tiny missions give early career engineers and scientists the chance to learn about mission development — as well as do cool science!

This image shows a woman wearing a long-sleeved blue jacket and blue gloves. Her hair is bound up in a clip. She leans over a table, filling out a form. To the right, on the same table, is a shiny box within another clear box — the BurstCube satellite in its protective case. The dim room behind the woman is full of gray beams that cast shadows against the walls. There is an old white barn door in the far wall. The image is watermarked, “Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts.”ALT

Then, after assembling the spacecraft, the BurstCube team took it on the road to conduct a bunch of tests to determine how it will operate in space. Here you can see another early career engineer, Kate Gasaway, working on BurstCube at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

She and other members of the team used a special facility there to map BurstCube’s magnetic field. This will help them know where the instrument is pointing when it’s in space.

Three men in long-sleeved blue jackets, blue gloves, and red hard hats stand around a thermal vacuum chamber. The chamber has a square silver base and a conical white top. The man on the left is handing a wrench to a man standing on the base of the chamber. On the right, the third man looks up at the top of the chamber. They are in a lab with a high ceiling and lots of electrical equipment. An American flag hangs from the ceiling. The image is watermarked “Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts.”ALT

The next stop was back at Goddard, where the team put BurstCube in a vacuum chamber. You can see engineers Franklin Robinson, Elliot Schwartz, and Colton Cohill lowering the lid here. They changed the temperature inside so it was very hot and then very cold. This mimics the conditions BurstCube will experience in space as it orbits in and out of sunlight.

A man in a long-sleeved blue jacket, khaki pants, striped socks, and blue shoes sits on a rooftop. In front of him sits a small, shiny, rectangular spacecraft on top of a black case. Bundles of cables connect to the spacecraft and snake off to the right. He’s looking up at a dusky sky, which behind him is streaked with puffy pink and purple clouds. The horizon shows a line of treetops. The image is watermarked “Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts.”ALT

Then, up on a Goddard rooftop, the team — including early career engineer Justin Clavette — tested BurstCube’s GPS. This so-called open-sky test helps ensure the team can locate the satellite once it’s in orbit.

A black hard-shell box containing the tiny BurstCube satellite sits on a blue economy-class airplane seat by the window. The case has a blue circular NASA sticker, as well as a yellow square sticker, and three other multicolored stickers on the upper half of the case. It is strapped into the seat by a seatbelt. Outside of the window, the wing of the plane is visible, and beyond that, a faint view of the airport. The image is watermarked “Credit: NASA/Julie Cox.”ALT

The next big step in BurstCube’s journey was a flight to Houston! The team packed it up in a special case and took it to the airport. Of course, BurstCube got the window seat!

In this image, a figure in a checkered clean suit and blue gloves loads the BurstCube satellite into a long, gray, rectangular container on a blue table. BurstCube is a smaller rectangle, with gray sides and a shiny black top, where its solar panels rest. In the background, there’s another figure in a clean suit and gloves. There’s a slight reflection that shows this picture was taken through a window. The image is watermarked, “Credit: NASA/Lucia Tian.”ALT

Once in Texas, the BurstCube team joined their partners at Nanoracks (part of Voyager Space) to get their tiny spacecraft ready for launch. They loaded the satellite into a rectangular frame called a deployer, along with another small satellite called SNoOPI (Signals of Opportunity P-band Investigation). The deployer is used to push spacecraft into orbit from the International Space Station.

This photograph shows a rocket launching. The bottom of the image is filled with green vegetation interspersed with blue water. The sky is blue, with white clouds visible in the distance. The rocket is in the air, about two-thirds of the way to the top, followed by a fiery tail. Directly below it, at ground level, is white and gray plume of smoke. This image is watermarked, “Credit: NASA/Glenn Benson”ALT

From Houston, BurstCube traveled to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, where it launched on SpaceX’s 30th commercial resupply servicing mission on March 21, 2024. BurstCube traveled to the station along with some other small satellites, science experiments, as well as a supply of fresh fruit and coffee for the astronauts.

In this photograph, the CRS-30 cargo mission is shown docking with the International Space Station. Against a black background, a white cone — the cargo mission — is attached to a cylinder with a whitish top. There are boxes in the foreground. The image is watermarked, “Credit: NASA.”ALT

A few days later, the mission docked at the space station, and the astronauts aboard began unloading all the supplies, including BurstCube!

In this animated GIF, a boxy white tube extends at a 45-degree angle from the bottom right-hand corner. After a moment, two small, dark, rectangular objects come out of the tube. These are the BurstCube and SNoOPI CubeSats. They’re very close together initially, but as they move out of frame, they start to separate. In the background is the blue marble of Earth streaked with white clouds, as seen from the International Space Station. The image is watermarked “Credit: NASA.”ALT

And finally, on April 18, 2024, BurstCube was released into orbit. The team will spend a month getting the satellite ready to search the skies for gamma-ray bursts. Then finally, after a long journey, this tiny satellite can embark on its big mission!

This is a photo of nine members of the BurstCube team. BurstCube is the shoebox-sized satellite sitting behind a clear case in the middle of the group. In the photo are three women and six men. Four people standing form a back row, and the remaining five kneel in front of them on a tile floor. Each wears a brightly colored protective jacket and some are attached by gray cords to the surfaces to help them avoid accumulating static electricity. On the ground in front of the team members is bright yellow caution tape. To the left of the image is additional equipment. The photo is watermarked “Credit NASA/Sophia Roberts.”ALT

BurstCube wouldn’t be the spacecraft it is today without the input of many early career engineers and scientists. Are you interested in learning more about how you can participate in a mission like this one? There are opportunities for students in middle and high school as well as college!

Keep up on BurstCube’s journey with NASA Universe on X and Facebook. And make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

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CAPSTONE: Testing a Path to the Moon

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Before NASA’s Artemis astronauts head to the Moon, a microwave oven-sized spacecraft will help lead the way. The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, or CAPSTONE, is a CubeSat mission set to launch in spring of 2022. For at least six months, the small spacecraft will fly a unique elongated path around the Moon. Its trajectory—known as a near rectilinear halo orbit—has never been flown before! Once tried and tested, the same orbit will be home to NASA’s future lunar space station Gateway. Here are five things to know:

1. The 55-pound (25 kg) spacecraft is equipped with solar arrays, a camera, and antennae for communication and navigation.

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2. Powerful thrusters will help propel the CubeSat toward the Moon.

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3. CAPSTONE will fly a unique elongated path around the Moon for at least six months.

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4. At its closest approach, it will come within 2,100 miles (3,380 km) of the Moon’s North Pole.

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5. The same orbit will be home to Gateway— our future outpost for Artemis astronauts heading to the Moon and beyond.

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CAPSTONE is commercially owned and operated by Advanced Space in Westminster, Colorado. NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate funds the demonstration mission. The program is based at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. The development of CAPSTONE’s navigation technology is supported by NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer program. The Artemis Campaign Development Division within NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate funds the launch and supports mission operations. The Launch Services Program at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida manages the launch.

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For the Benefit of All: Assistive Tech Developed from NASA Tech

What do modern cochlear implants and robotic gloves have in common? They were derived from NASA technology. We’ve made it easier to find and use our patented inventions that could help create products that enhance life for people with disabilities.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which highlights the contributions of American workers with disabilities – many of whom use assistive technology on the job. Take a look at these assistive technologies that are NASA spinoffs.

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What Makes the Artemis Moon Mission NASA’s Next Leap Forward?

From left to right: A grey hollow pyramid-shaped lightning tower, the white Orion spacecraft and the top of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in orange, the Moon in faint white and gray, the Mobile Launcher with many pipes and levels in gray and red. The background is blue skies. Credit: NASA/Ben SmegelskyALT

When NASA astronauts return to the Moon through Artemis, they will benefit from decades of innovation, research, and technological advancements. We’ll establish long-term lunar science and exploration capabilities at the Moon and inspire a new generation of explorers—the Artemis Generation.

Cloudy skies are the backdrop behind the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, which is reflected in the windows of a vehicle to the left of the photo. The SLS is orange with two white boosters on either side, and the spacecraft is white, next to a gray pyramid-shaped lightning tower and Mobile Launcher with many pipes and levels in gray and red. Credit: NASA/Aubrey GemignaniALT

Meet the Space Launch System rocket, or SLS. This next-generation super heavy-lift rocket was designed to send astronauts and their cargo farther into deep space than any rocket we’ve ever built. During liftoff, SLS will produce 8.8 million pounds (4 million kg) of maximum thrust, 15 percent more than the Saturn V rocket.

The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft sit inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center. The rocket is orange, with two white boosters on either side. The Orion Spacecraft is at the top and white. The VAB has many levels with walkways, pipes, and structures around the rocket. Credit: NASA/Kim ShiflettALT

SLS will launch the Orion spacecraft into deep space. Orion is the only spacecraft capable of human deep space flight and high-speed return to Earth from the vicinity of the Moon. More than just a crew module, Orion has a launch abort system to keep astronauts safe if an emergency happens during launch, and a European-built service module, which is the powerhouse that fuels and propels Orion and keeps astronauts alive with water, oxygen, power, and temperature control.

The Space Launch System rocket stands upright on the launchpad. The background is the sky dominated by clouds. The rocket has an orange central fuel tank with two white rocket boosters on either side. The Crawler-Transporter 2 is in the foreground with its massive tread-like wheels. Credit: NASA/Kim ShiflettALT

Orion and SLS will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with help from Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) teams. EGS operates the systems and facilities necessary to process and launch rockets and spacecraft during assembly, transport, launch, and recovery.

An artist's depiction of Gateway, the Moon-orbiting space station. Gateway is seen in gray with red solar arrays; behind it, the Moon is gray, black, and white, as well as the blackness of space. Credit: NASA/Alberto BertolinALT

The knowledge we’ve gained while operating the International Space Station has opened new opportunities for long-term exploration of the Moon’s surface. Gateway, a vital component of our Artemis plans, is a Moon-orbiting space station that will serve as a staging post for human expeditions to the lunar surface. Crewed and uncrewed landers that dock to Gateway will be able to transport crew, cargo, and scientific equipment to the surface.

An artist's depiction of astronauts working on the Moon. The astronaut suits are white with silver helmets; they work on the gray lunar surface. Credit: NASAALT

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The Apollo Program gave humanity its first experience traveling to a foreign world. Now, America and the world are ready for the next era of space exploration. NASA plans to send the first woman and first person of color to the lunar surface and inspire the next generation of explorers.

An artist's depiction of Orion traversing above the surface of the Moon, with Earth in the background. Orion is white and gray, the Moon's shadowy surface is white and black, and the Earth is surrounded by the blackness of space and is faintly blue and black. Credit: NASA/Liam YanulisALT

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The latest astronaut candidate graduates, a group of men and women of different races and ethnicities, greet the audience (not pictured) at their graduation ceremony. The candidates all wear blue jumpsuits with patches on them. Behind them is a black and gold graphic of a star streaking upwards. The background has white dots on it that resemble distant stars. Credit: NASAALT

Our newest class of astronaut candidates graduated on March 5, 2024. This means they’re now eligible for spaceflight assignments to the International Space Station, the Moon, and beyond! In the next twelve posts, we’ll introduce these new astronauts.

Do you want to be a NASA astronaut? Applications are now open.

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Space provides a dark backdrop for this image, with small twinkling stars dotting the background. At the center of the image is the artist’s illustration of the Psyche asteroid with deep craters and metal all around. The Psyche spacecraft is in the front, with the main body in the middle of large solar arrays on each side. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASUALT

Let’s Explore a Metal-Rich Asteroid 🤘

Between Mars and Jupiter, there lies a unique, metal-rich asteroid named Psyche. Psyche’s special because it looks like it is part or all of the metallic interior of a planetesimal—an early planetary building block of our solar system. For the first time, we have the chance to visit a planetary core and possibly learn more about the turbulent history that created terrestrial planets.

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Meet the Four Artemis Astronauts Who Will Fly Around the Moon

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Today, we revealed the four astronauts who will fly around the Moon during the Artemis II mission, scheduled to launch in 2024. Get to know them:

Christina Koch

NASA astronaut Christina Hammock Koch poses for a portrait in her orange Artemis flight suit. The suit has blue trim around the neck and shoulders, with three patches: one with the U.S. flag on her left shoulder, one with her name and a pair of wings on her chest, and one with the NASA “meatball” insignia faintly visible beneath the second. The background is dark, and the photo is lit to focus on Koch’s face, which is facing the camera with a dignified expression. Credit: NASAALT

Meet the first member of our Artemis II crew: mission specialist Christina Koch. Koch visited the International Space Station in 2019, where she participated in the first all-woman spacewalk with Jessica Meir. She began her NASA career as an electrical engineer at Goddard Space Flight Center.

Jeremy Hansen

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen poses for a portrait in his orange Artemis flight suit. The suit has blue trim around the neck and shoulders, with three patches: one with the Canadian flag on his left shoulder, one with his name and a pair of wings on his chest, and one bearing the logo of the Canadian Space Agency faintly visible beneath the second. The background is dark, and the photo is lit to focus on Hansen’s face, which is facing the camera with a dignified expression. Credit: NASAALT

Representing the Canadian Space Agency is Jeremy Hansen from London, Ontario. Col. Hansen was a fighter pilot with Canadian Armed Forces before joining the Canadian Space Agency, and currently works with NASA on astronaut training and mission operations. This will be Col. Hansen’s first mission in space.

Victor Glover

NASA astronaut Victor Glover poses for a portrait in his orange Artemis flight suit. The suit has blue trim around the neck and shoulders, with three patches: one with the U.S. flag on his left shoulder, one with his name and a pair of wings on his chest, and one with the NASA “meatball” insignia faintly visible beneath the second. The background is dark, and the photo is lit to focus on Glover’s face, which is facing the camera with a dignified expression. Credit: NASAALT

Victor Glover is our Artemis II pilot. Glover is part of our 2013 class of NASA astronauts and was the pilot for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission. He’s logged 3,000 flight hours in more than 40 different aircraft.

Reid Wiseman

NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman poses for a portrait in his orange Artemis flight suit. The suit has blue trim around the neck and shoulders, with three patches: one with the U.S. flag on his left shoulder, one with his name and a pair of wings on his chest, and one with the NASA “meatball” insignia faintly visible beneath the second. The background is dark, and the photo is lit to focus on Wiseman's face, which is facing the camera with a dignified expression. Credit: NASAALT

…and rounding out our Artemis II crew: mission commander Reid Wiseman. Wiseman lived and worked aboard the International Space Station as a flight engineer in 2014. He also commanded the undersea research mission NEEMO21, and most recently served as Chief of the NASA astronauts.

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25 Years of Exploring the Universe with NASA’s Chandra Xray Observatory

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Illustration of the Chandra telescope in orbit around Earth. Credit: NASA/CXC & J. Vaughan

On July 23, 1999, the space shuttle Columbia launched into orbit carrying NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. August 26 marked 25 years since Chandra released its first images.

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What is Artemis I?

The SLS and Orion spacecraft can be seen in the foreground with a full Moon to the left of the spacecraft. The SLS is orange, Orion is white, and the Moon is grey and white. A lightning tower is to the left of the Moon. Credit: NASA/Ben SmegelskyALT

On November 14, NASA is set to launch the uncrewed Artemis I flight test to the Moon and back. Artemis I is the first integrated flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and Exploration Ground Systems at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. These are the same systems that will bring future Artemis astronauts to the Moon.

The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), mobile launcher, and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket can all be seen from a low-angle perspective. The VAB is a large grey and white cube-shaped building with large doors. The mobile launcher is grey, black, and white, with many pipes and levels, and the SLS rocket is orange with two white boosters on either side. Credit: NASA/Ben SmegelskyALT

Standing 322 feet (98 meters) tall, the SLS rocket comprises of a core stage, an upper stage, two solid boosters, and four RS-25 engines. The SLS rocket is the most powerful rocket in the world, able to carry 59,500 pounds (27 metric tons) of payloads to deep space — more than any other vehicle. With its unprecedented power, SLS is the only rocket that can send the Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and cargo directly to the Moon on a single mission.

The massive Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) is a large grey and white cube-shaped building with large doors. It has an American flag on it, along with the NASA meatball logo and the Artemis mission logo. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket stands to the right of the VAB. The SLS is orange with two white boosters on either side. Credit: NASA/Kim ShiflettALT

Before launch, Artemis I has some big help: the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at KSC is the largest single-story building in the world. The VAB was constructed for the assembly of the Apollo/Saturn V Moon rocket, and this is where the SLS rocket is assembled, maintained, and integrated with the Orion spacecraft. 

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, with the Orion capsule atop, slowly rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building on the crawler-transporter 2. The crawler is grey with treads and walkways, and the SLS is orange with two white boosters on either side. Credit: NASA/Kim ShiflettALT

The mobile launcher is used to assemble, process, and launch the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. The massive structure consists of a two-story base and a tower equipped with a number of connection lines to provide the rocket and spacecraft with power, communications, coolant, and fuel prior to launch.

The crawler-transporter 2 is on the left, with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on the right of this photo. The crawler is grey with treads and walkways, and the SLS is orange with two white boosters on either side. The sky is blue with fluffy white clouds in the background. Credit: NASA/Joel KowskyALT

Capable of carrying 18 million pounds (8.2 million kg) and the size of a baseball infield, crawler-transporter 2 will transport SLS and Orion the 4.2 miles (6.8 km) to Launch Pad 39B. This historic launch pad was where the Apollo 10 mission lifted off from on May 18, 1969, to rehearse the first Moon landing.

An artist’s rendition of the Orion flight shows a portion of a blue and white Earth in a semi-circle at the bottom of this photo; at the center, a white and grey Orion heads towards a semi-lit Moon in grey. The rest of the image is black, with some small stars dotted throughout. Credit: NASA/Liam YanulisALT

During the launch, SLS will generate around 8.8 million pounds (~4.0 million kg) of thrust, propelling the Orion spacecraft into Earth’s orbit. Then, Orion will perform a Trans Lunar Injection to begin the path to the Moon. The spacecraft will orbit the Moon, traveling 40,000 miles beyond the far side of the Moon — farther than any human-rated spacecraft has ever flown.

An artist’s rendition of the Orion spacecraft is in the foreground in front of the Moon. The perspective is from one of the spacecraft’s solar arrays. The solar array is black, with white and orange dots throughout. The spacecraft has a large NASA logo in red and is grey, white, and black overall. Credit: NASA/Liam YanulisALT

The Orion spacecraft is designed to carry astronauts on deep space missions farther than ever before. Orion contains the habitable volume of about two minivans, enough living space for four people for up to 21 days. Future astronauts will be able to prepare food, exercise, and yes, have a bathroom. Orion also has a launch abort system to keep astronauts safe if an emergency happens during launch, and a European-built service module that fuels and propels the spacecraft.

Commander Moonikin Campos, a manikin, sits aboard the Orion spacecraft in the Orion Crew Survival suit, which is orange with blue straps. The helmet is white with a black tinted visor. A black hose connects to the suit, and the blue background shows NASA and Artemis logos. Credit: NASA/Frank MichauxALT

While the Artemis I flight test is uncrewed, the Orion spacecraft will not be empty: there will be three manikins aboard the vehicle. Commander Moonikin Campos will be sitting in the commander’s seat, collecting data on the vibrations and accelerations future astronauts will experience on the journey to the Moon. He is joined with two phantom torsos, Helga and Zohar, in a partnership with the German Aerospace Center and Israeli Space Agency to test a radiation protection vest.

Seen from above is the upside-down, open interior of the Orion capsule with 10 CubeSats secured onto its walls. The interior is yellowish-green and textured, and the exterior of the capsule segment is white with a few black panels. It sits in a processing facility with white walls and servicing platforms surrounding the spacecraft. Credit: NASA/Cory HustonALT

A host of shoebox-sized satellites called CubeSats help enable science and technology experiments that could enhance our understanding of deep space travel and the Moon while providing critical information for future Artemis missions.

An artist’s rendition of the Orion spacecraft reentering Earth’s atmosphere. Orion is an orange streak coming from the top right to the left center of the photo, and Earth is seen at night with city lights as dots and a thin strip of atmosphere beneath the Sun. Credit: NASA/Liam YanulisALT

At the end of the four-week mission, the Orion spacecraft will return to Earth. Orion will travel at 25,000 mph (40,000 km per hour) before slowing down to 300 mph (480 km per hour) once it enters the Earth’s atmosphere. After the parachutes deploy, the spacecraft will glide in at approximately 20 mph (32 km per hour) before splashdown about 60 miles (100 km) off the coast of California. NASA’s recovery team and the U.S. Navy will retrieve the Orion spacecraft from the Pacific Ocean.

A large gray ship in the background is deploying small boats, with the Orion spacecraft has large inflatable balloons on top. Credit: NASAALT

With the ultimate goal of establishing a long-term presence on the Moon, Artemis I is a critical step as NASA prepares to send humans to Mars and beyond.

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