Have you ever wondered how there can be ice on the moon? Nine-year-old Olaf from Hillsborough, North Carolina, asked Curious Kids this question, and members of Georgia Tech’s Space Research Initiative — Glenn Lightsey, Thomas Orlando, and Frances Rivera-Hernández — had the answer.
Author: mbabcock9
Astronomy Club Lets Students Share Their Passion for the Stars
To see the historic event, 50 students from Georgia Tech’s Astronomy Club traveled to Missouri to view the solar eclipse on April 8. Read the full story to learn more.
Has the James Webb Space Telescope changed astrophysics?
Professor John Wise, director of Georgia Tech’s Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, joined Neil deGrasse Tyson on a panel of leading experts at the 25th annual Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate. The discussion centered on how the James Webb Space Telescope has changed astrophysics. View the full story to read more!
New Multidisciplinary Initiative Marks Golden Age for Space Research
The Georgia Institute of Technology has a long history in space research and exploration, from educating astronauts to developing and controlling spacecraft that can travel across the solar system.
Some Georgia Tech researchers solve cosmic mysteries such as how supermassive black holes were born — and others now are getting a better, sharper look at those black holes. There are investigators searching for the origins of life, and some leading multi-institutional projects exploring questions of how life evolved and about the presence of water in the lunar environment to enable the return of human explorers for a sustained period.
And that barely gets us into orbit — there’s a lot of Georgia Tech in space. Much of the work is supported by longtime Georgia Tech partners like NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Defense. But as space becomes more accessible, affordable, and necessary for commercial activity — and therefore more crowded — Tech is also developing expertise in space policy and business.
And now, plans are underway for the next big phase of Georgia Tech’s outer space mission with the launch of the Space Research Initiative (SRI) on campus. The SRI team will work to strengthen interdisciplinary relationships in space research at Georgia Tech, which will lead to creation of an Interdisciplinary Research Institute (IRI) by 2025.
Ramblin’ Wreck Orbits the Sun
Georgia Tech now owns an interplanetary “Ramblin’ Wreck” — a briefcase-sized spacecraft orbiting the sun, capping a student-led mission in the cosmos.
Right now, approximately 3.7 million miles from Earth, a small spacecraft the size of a briefcase is racing away from the planet by about 40,000 miles every day. And each day, sometimes twice, a team of 10 Georgia Tech undergraduate students communicate with it to monitor its health, respond to anomalies, and use its instruments for scientific studies.
Not only are they controlling the sun-circling satellite, but they also own it. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California has given Lunar Flashlight to Georgia Tech, making it the only higher education institution in full control of an interplanetary spacecraft. The designation is typically reserved for NASA or foreign governments.
“It’s really crazy. I didn’t imagine as an undergraduate that I would be talking to a satellite, let alone leading a team of 10 of my peers,” said Micah Pledger, an aerospace engineering student serving as missions operations lead. “Our team learns so much every day.”
AE Seminar Hiro Ono
January 13, 2025 from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.
From the surface of Mars to the ocean of Enceladus: Advancing the Frontier of Exploration with Adaptive Robots
Hiro Ono
Group Supervisor of the Robotic Mobility Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Monday, January 13
3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Guggenheim 246
Virtual Microsoft Teams
About the Seminar:
Robots have been at the forefront of Solar System exploration for over seven decades. Most recently, NASA’s Perseverance rover is on its mission to find a sign of ancient Martian life that might have existed billions of years ago. However, current Mars exploration requires ample environmental knowledge accumulated over decades and across multiple missions, resulting in a slow progression toward exploring unvisited worlds beyond Mars. I envision a new robotic space exploration (RSE) paradigm called RSE 3.0, in which a highly adaptive robotic system would explore previously unvisited worlds in one shot. As an instantiation of RSE 3.0, we developed the EELS (Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor) robot, a snake-like robot designed for exploring the potentially inhabited subsurface ocean of Enceladus, a small icy moon of Saturn. EELS combines highly versatile robotic hardware with intelligent, risk-aware autonomy so that it can flexibly adapt its behaviors after landing. We built prototypes of EELS and successfully tested them in a wide range of environments, including natural vertical holes on Athabasca Glacier in Canada. Adaptive and intelligent robots like EELS will be a key enabler of the RSE 3.0 paradigm, which would open the door to the exploration of more distant and challenging worlds than Mars. This seminar will start by describing the autonomous motion planning capability of the Perseverance rover, followed by research on AI/ML applications for future planetary rovers. The technologies and the field demonstrations of EELS will be presented in depth, with particular emphasis on autonomy. Finally, the vision and the potential of RSE 3.0 will be discussed with the audience.
About the Speaker:
Hiro Ono is the Group Supervisor of the Robotic Mobility Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Currently, he serves as the PI of the EELS project to create a highly versatile and intelligent robot for exploring unknown environments such as Enceladus vents. As a member of the Mars 2020 Rover (M2020) Mission, he supports tactical robotic operations. Previously, he developed M2020’s autonomous driving algorithm and also led the landing site traversability analysis. His research interest is centered around the application of robotic autonomy to space exploration, with an emphasis on machine learning applications to perception, data interpretation, and risk-aware decision-making. Before joining JPL in 2013, he was an assistant professor at Keio University in Japan. He graduated from MIT with PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2012. A father of a rebellious princess and a mischievous munchkin. Go Red Sox and Hanshin Tigers.
Astronomy on Tap Atlanta – Limerick Junction Dec. 5
December 5, 2024 at 6:30 pm: Each Astronomy on Tap event features accessible, engaging presentations on space and science topics ranging from planets to black holes to galaxies to the beginning of the Universe, along with trivia, games, prizes, music, and other surprises!
Limerick Junction Pub @ 822 North Highland Avenue Northeast Atlanta
On November 7, 2024 and December 5, 2024 at 6:30 pm
Planetary Science Astrobiology Seminar Nov 22
November 22, 2024 at11am: Format: Hybrid, In person at ES&T L1175 and Virtual via Zoom (synchronous) at 11am
Virtual meeting information
Link: https://gatech.zoom.us/j/99025161765?pwd=2BpUpWZkyazaaZIvEnTTcECpvy1E5D.1
Meeting ID: 990 2516 1765
Passcode: 564312
Phone: +1 669 444 9171 US
Aug. 23 Dr. Frances Rivera-Hernández & Dr. Christopher Carr (Welcome,
Astrobiology updates, and announcements)
Aug. 30 Dr. Yubo Su, Princeton
Sept. 6 Dr. James Wray, Georgia Tech
Sept. 13 Dr. Xinting Yu, UT San Antonio
Sept. 20 Dr. Ziyu Huang, Georgia Tech
Sept. 27 Dr. Indujaa Ganesh, GT (ExplOrigins Event) – Diferent Zoom link!!!
Oct. 4 Dr. Margaret Kosal, Georgia Tech
Oct. 11 Dr. Hubbard James, Agnes Scott
Oct. 18 TBD
Oct. 25 Dr. Alka Rani, NASA MSFC
Nov. 1 TBD
Nov. 15 Dr. Olga Harrington Pinto Auburn University (may move to Nov. 1st.)
Nov. 22 TBD
New Space IRI Executive Director Town Hall
November 19, 2024 from 12pm to 1pm.
Join the Space IRI Executive Director Search Town Hall: Share your Input!
We invite you to join us for a hybrid town hall on Tuesday, November 19, from noon to 1:00 p.m., to discuss the search for the executive director of the new Space Research Institute (SRI). This event will be hosted both in-person at the atrium in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) main building (755 Ferst Dr, NW Atlanta, GA 30332) and virtually on Microsoft Teams. All Georgia Tech personnel and affiliated faculty are welcome!
Our goal is to keep the community informed about the search process, answer your questions, and gather your feedback on what qualities and priorities you believe are essential for the future executive director. Julia Kubanek, Georgia Tech’s vice president for interdisciplinary research, will kick off this important discussion. Your input is crucial as we shape the future leadership of the SRI, so we hope to see you there!
If you are unable to attend the town hall, we encourage you to fill out a brief survey to share your thoughts.
For more information visit the event page here.
Planetary Science Astrobiology Seminar Nov 15
November 15, 2024 at 11am: Format: Hybrid, In person at ES&T L1175 and Virtual via Zoom (synchronous) at 11am
Virtual meeting information
Link: https://gatech.zoom.us/j/99025161765?pwd=2BpUpWZkyazaaZIvEnTTcECpvy1E5D.1
Meeting ID: 990 2516 1765
Passcode: 564312
Phone: +1 669 444 9171 US
Aug. 23 Dr. Frances Rivera-Hernández & Dr. Christopher Carr (Welcome,
Astrobiology updates, and announcements)
Aug. 30 Dr. Yubo Su, Princeton
Sept. 6 Dr. James Wray, Georgia Tech
Sept. 13 Dr. Xinting Yu, UT San Antonio
Sept. 20 Dr. Ziyu Huang, Georgia Tech
Sept. 27 Dr. Indujaa Ganesh, GT (ExplOrigins Event) – Diferent Zoom link!!!
Oct. 4 Dr. Margaret Kosal, Georgia Tech
Oct. 11 Dr. Hubbard James, Agnes Scott
Oct. 18 TBD
Oct. 25 Dr. Alka Rani, NASA MSFC
Nov. 1 TBD
Nov. 15 Dr. Olga Harrington Pinto Auburn University (may move to Nov. 1st.)
Nov. 22 TBD