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Volume 16 Issue 4December 2020

GoddardView

Trending – 2For 30th Anniversary, Hubble Release Images of 30 Celestial Gems – 3NASA Scientists Named AGU 2020 Union Honorees – 4Goddard Holiday Celebrations Go Virtual – 5Wallops Virtual Field Trips Reinvigorate Outreach – 6Hari Subedi Escaped Brutality to Become an Esteemed Optical Engineer at NASA – 8

On the cover: The Hubble Space Telescope depicts GAL-CLUS-022058s, the largest and one of the most complete Einstein rings ever discovered in the universe. It has been nicknamed by astronomers as the “Molten Ring,” alluding to its appearance and host constellation.

Image credit: ESA/Hubble Space Telescope and NASA, S. Jha; Acknowledgment: L. Shatz

Info

Goddard View is an official publication of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Goddard View showcas-es people and achievements in the Goddard community that support the center’s mission to explore, discover and understand our dynamic universe. Goddard View is published by the Goddard Office of Communications.

You may submit story ideas to the editor at darrell.d.delarosa@nasa.gov. All contributions are subject to editing and will be published as space allows.

Jaylen Brown Joins Goddard STEM DiscussionBoston Celtics star Jaylen Brown recently joined Goddard scientist Yari Collado-Vega and Goddard engineer Kenneth Harris II in a discussion about STEM education and its importance in inspiring future generations.

Scientists Explain Eclipses as Totality Hits South America

Scientists from the Goddard Helio-physics Science Division explained

the role of eclipses in NASA science during a virtual presentation as a total

solar eclipse passed over Chile and Argentina on Dec. 14, 2020.

The “Great Conjuction” ofJupiter and SaturnIn late December, Jupiter and Saturn made their closest passes to each other in the last 400 years. The align-ment occurred at night, allowing nearly everyone in the world to witness the rare “great conjunction.”

SOHO Celebrates 25 YearsSince its launch on Dec. 2, 1995,

the Solar and Heliospheric Observa-tory (SOHO) has became a source

for numerous scientific findings and an inspiration for follow-on missions.

SOHO is currently the longest-run-ning Sun-surveying spacecraft.

The Hubble Space Telescope turned 30 this year, and for the occasion, it’s sharing a present with you. NASA has just released dozens of newly processed Hubble images

featuring 30 dazzling galaxies, sparkling star clusters and ethereal nebulae.

And there’s something extra special about these 30 celestial gems: All of them can be seen through backyard telescopes. Some of them can also be spotted with binoculars or even the naked eye.

All of these celestial objects belong to a collection known to amateur astronomers as the Caldwell catalog. Compiled by British amateur astronomer and science communicator Sir Patrick Caldwell-Moore, the catalog was published by Sky & Telescope magazine 25 years ago in December 1995. It was inspired by the Messier catalog, assembled by French comet-hunter Charles Messier, which includes 110 relatively bright but fuzzy objects in the skies of the Northern Hemisphere that could accidentally be mistaken for comets. Caldwell’s catalog highlights 109 galaxies, star clusters and nebulae that are not included in Messier’s catalog, but are also bright enough to be seen by amateur astronomers. In addition, the Caldwell ob-jects are split between the Northern and Southern hemisphere skies, providing interesting targets for amateur astronomers around the world to pursue.

This newly released collection of more than 50 Hubble images features 30 objects in the Caldwell catalog. (Some of these 30 Caldwell objects appear in more than one new Hubble image.) These images have been taken by Hubble throughout its ca-reer and used for scientific research or engineering tests, but NASA had not fully processed the images for public release until now.

Because of Hubble’s detailed field of view, some of its pictures do not capture the entirety of a Caldwell object, sometimes instead zooming in on clusters of young stars in the arms of a spiral galaxy, stars on the outskirts of a cluster or the zombie star at the heart of a nebula. But in other cases, a mosaic of Hubble observations assemble to create a complete or nearly complete portrait of the celestial marvel.

These new images join Hubble’s existing gallery of Caldwell objects, first published in December 2019. Hubble’s collection now includes 87 of the 109 Caldwell objects. For each listing in Hubble’s Caldwell catalog, a basic star chart shows observ-ers when and where they can find that object in the night sky, and a description suggests what type of observing equipment can be used to view it. The individual articles also explain Hubble’s images for those who prefer to just enjoy the tele-scope’s exquisite views.

Hubble was launched aboard space shuttle Discovery in April 1990. After being upgraded five times by crews of spacewalk-ing astronauts, Hubble, at 30 years old, is even better now than when it was launched and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that challenge and advance our funda-mental understanding of the cosmos.

To see the new images in Hubble’s Caldwell catalog, visit https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-s-caldwell-catalog. n

Above: This Hubble image captures Caldwell 78 (or NGC 6541), a globular star cluster roughly 22,000 light-years from Earth.

Image credit: NASA, ESA and G. Piotto (Università degli Studi di Padova); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic Univer-sity of America)

FOR 30TH ANNIVERSARY, HUBBLE RELEASES IMAGES OF 30 CELESTIAL GEMS

By Vanessa Thomas

3Volume 16 Issue 4 • December 2020

NASA SCIENTISTS NAMED AGU 2020 UNION HONOREESS

Nine individuals with NASA affiliations have been named 2020 Union honorees or fellows by the American Geo-physical Union (AGU) and will receive honors bestowed

by AGU for their excellence in scientific research, education, communication and outreach.

AGU is an organization dedicated to advancing the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of humanity through its schol-arly publications, conferences and outreach programs.

Three honorees are from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Barbara L. Giles, heliophysicist and senior project scientist for NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, was honored with AGU’s Edward A. Flinn III Award, given annually to mid-career or senior scientists who personify AGU’s motto of “unselfish cooperation in research” through their facilitating, coordinating and imple-menting of activities.

Claire L. Parkinson, climate scientist and author, was awarded the AGU Roger Revelle Medal, given annu-ally to one honoree in recognition of outstanding contributions in atmo-spheric sciences, atmosphere-ocean coupling, atmosphere-land coupling, biogeochemical cycles, climate or related aspects of the Earth system. Most of her work is in remote sensing-based studies of polar sea ice and its role in climate.

Ralph A. Kahn, senior research scientist specializing in aero-sols, was named an AGU fellow. The recognition was for pio-neering contributions to remote sensing of aerosol types, their distributions and their use for answering societal questions.

Two honorees were from NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. Ved Chirayath, director of the Laboratory for Ad-vanced Sensing in the Earth Science Division, was awarded the Charles S. Falkenberg Award, an annual honor sponsored by AGU and the Earth Science Information Partners to recog-nize an early- to mid-career scientist who has contributed to the quality of life, economic opportunities and stewardship of the planet through the use of Earth science information, and to the public’s awareness of the importance of understanding our planet.

Tamas I. Gombosi, space plasma physicist and a co-investiga-tor of the IMPACT plasma instrument on NASA’s STEREO

mission, of the University of Michigan and Ames, received the John Adam Fleming Medal, given annually to one honoree in recognition of original research and technical leadership in geomagnetism, atmospheric electricity, aeronomy, space physics and/or related sciences.

Isabella Velicogna, an Earth scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and adjunct professor at the University of California, Irvine, received the Joanne Simpson Medal for Mid-Career Scientists, given annually to two or three mid-

career honorees in recognition of their significant contributions to Earth and space science. Velicogna was also named a 2020 AGU fellow.

Glenn Scott Orton, a senior research scientist specializing in planetary sci-ence with an expertise in gas-planet atmospheres at JPL, was named an AGU fellow.

Sherri Boonstra, the principal inves-tigator of NASA L’SPACE Academy, a student collaboration program for NASA’s Lucy asteroid mission at Arizona State University in Tempe, was awarded the Excellence in Earth and Space Science Education Award, presented annually to a mid-career or senior scientist who demonstrates a sustained commitment to excellence

in geophysical education and has made long-lasting, positive impacts in the Earth and space sciences.

Martha Maiden, a recent NASA retiree from NASA Headquar-ters in Washington, received the AGU Ambassador Award for her work in sharing and making Earth science data accessible through the Earth Observing System.

AGU notes that all of its honorees – scientists, leaders, educa-tors, journalists and communicators – have made outstanding achievements and contributions to the Earth and space sci-ences community. These individuals embody the AGU shared vision of a thriving, sustainable and equitable future for all, powered by discovery, innovation and action. These honor-ees have built their work with integrity, respect, diversity and collaboration, along with deep engagement in education and outreach. n

Center: AGU honorees

Credits: All images NASA, except Tamas I. Gombosi, photo: Joseph Xu, University of Michigan

By Rob Gutro

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GODDARD HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS GO VIRTUAL

From Microsoft Teams gatherings to playful car-toons, Goddard divisions, directorates and advisory committees found creative ways to celebrate the

holidays together amid the coronavirus pandemic. n Image credits: NASA/Goddard/Equal Accessibility Advisory Committee/Hispanic Advisory Committee for Employees

Volume 16 Issue 4 • December 2020 5

WALLOPS VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS REINVIGORATE OUTREACH By Mark Edwards

COVID-19 has presented an unexpected challenge that is arguably more difficult than sending any rocket into space: keeping students engaged in

their online classes. The Wallops Visitor Center is making strides to keep students engaged and continue its mission to inspire a passion for STEM through its new virtual field trip program.

A normal school year is already stressful for teachers and students alike. Teachers scramble to put together assign-ments while trying to keep their students interested in what’s being taught. Now that everything is virtual, they have to adjust their teaching style to keep the attention of students learning at the dinner table, on the couch or even in the bed.

So, as schools adjust to this new environment, the Wal-lops Visitor Center is finding ways to keep its field trips fun, educational and – in light of COVID-19 – virtual.

Pre-COVID, virtual field trips only made up about 4 to 5% of people the Wallops Visitor Center served. The virtual trips usually consisted of presentations, while in-person trips had the advantage of hands-on activities, like launch-ing model rockets. When all the trips became virtual, it be-came clear that the standard presentation wouldn’t be as engaging for students or presenters. So, the visitor center team began working on adapting in-person activities to the virtual environment.

Sarah Needs, the visitor center informational education specialist, gives a lot of presentations and has an energy that makes every presentation feel like the first one she’s giving that day. She’s able to get something out of kids that is often a struggle to get virtually: feedback. Often times, virtual presentations consist of casting questions into a void of muted mics and being met with silence. Needs is able to engage students through her energetic presentation style and practical activities. This piques interest and helps students be far more active in seeking knowledge.

The flow of Needs’ virtual trips is very smooth. She starts with a brief presentation that gives some NASA history and connects it back to what NASA is today. She uses this as an opportunity to assess how much the students know about NASA and space. This will determine the flow of the conversation and determine to what detail she needs to answer while dispersing the awkward atmosphere of a virtual meeting.

The real fun begins when Needs introduces the prepared activity. You can see some students’ eyes light up as they pull out the craft supplies. As they follow Needs’ instruc-tions, the gears in their minds are turning full speed as they create a model of our solar system. Hands shoot up immediately to ask questions about how far the planets are from Earth and how parts of our solar system affect others.

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WALLOPS VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS REINVIGORATE OUTREACHWatching these virtual field trips reveals how much adding a level of interactivity helps students’ understanding. With one question, the conversation that followed was particu-larly informative: Why is Venus hotter when Mercury is closer to the Sun?

Through that question, the class was able to learn about Venus’ atmosphere and how it affects conditions on the planet. This may seem like a small fun fact now, but it sets the groundwork to understanding the importance of our own atmosphere. Having that base understanding and curiosity is what will help students understand climate change and the benefits of environmental responsibility in the future.

There is also the advantage of breaking that initial awk-wardness of virtual instruction. Kids are smart, and it can be difficult for them to ignore the lack of normalcy that comes with virtual instruction.

“There was one story of this little girl who hadn’t turned on her camera all year. But during the tour, she actually turned her camera on and asked some good questions. I think what we’re doing at Wallops and at NASA catches people’s attention and lets them engage in ways they normally can’t,” said Amy Barra, Wallops Visitor Center director.

One unexpected advantage of these virtual field trips is that the visitor center is no longer limited to serving schools within a reasonable driving distance of Wallops. Wallops conducted 14 field trips in the first month, and only one school would have been able to physically ac-cess Wallops had there been no pandemic.

“It’s interesting watching the data come in about where these requests are coming from. The visitor center has been able to reach audiences we didn’t have the opportu-nity to reach before,” said Barra.

The amount of outside outreach has been surprising. Even in the midst of a pandemic, parents, students and teach-ers are thinking about NASA and how they can become more engaged in STEM. Students are even taking the time to send thank you notes to the presenters and organizers. This extra effort is not only appreciated, but it also vali-dates the NASA community’s efforts in inspiring youth to pursue a career in STEM. n

Above (left): Wicomico Day School’s third grade class shows off scale models of our solar system during a virtual field trip.

Above (right): Seventh grade students from The Found-ers Academy in Manchester, N.H., take a virtual trip with presenter Sarah Needs (top right). Image credit: NASA

Volume 16 Issue 4 • December 2020 7

HARI SUBEDI ESCAPED BRUTALITY TO BECOME AN ESTEEMED OPTICAL ENGINEER AT NASA

By Elizabeth M. JarrellWhat do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission?

I mainly work on emerging technologies for imaging planets outside our solar system called exoplanets. I am now working on the Roman Space Telescope mission’s prism spectroscopy system.

Where did you grow up?

My story is somewhat unusual. I was born in Bhutan. In the 1990s, Bhutan conducted an ethnic cleansing of people of Nepalese origin. I was fourth-generation Bhutanese of Nepal-ese origin living in Bhutan. When I was about 1, we fled Bhu-tan. I grew up on the plains of Nepal in a U.N. refugee camp.

We had free classes at the U.N. camp, all in English, through 10th grade. Then, I qualified for and finished high school in Kathmandu, Nepal, on a full tuition waiver thanks to scoring the highest on the entrance test. I was mostly interested in math-ematics and science.

What was life like growing up in a U.N. refugee camp?

The United Nations had seven refu-gee camps in eastern Nepal. Ours had about 10,000 people. Our camp is gone, but about 15,000 people remain in these camps. The United Nations delivered food every two weeks. We were not supposed to go outside of the camp per government rules. However, we were allowed to go to outside places for education, beyond 10th level, if we could afford to pay.

My parents, two older brothers and I lived in a one-room hut my father built with U.N.-provided materials. The walls were bamboo, the roof was thatch and the floor was dirt. It rained a lot, but the thatch roof generally kept the dirt floor dry. The United Nations gave us clothes.

My father, a teacher, worked in the camp training other teach-ers. He was able to earn some money, which made us better off than many others. The United Nations had a health center. Very ill people were treated at regional hospitals.

How did you get from Nepal to the United States?

In 2008, when I had just finished high school in Nepal, the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program brought my family and me to Arizona. We are now U.S. citizens. My family lives in Maryland now.

Why did you decide to become an optical engineer?

I was always interested in space. Growing up, we did not have electricity. We spent a lot of time looking up at the skies, stars and planets. I wanted to understand the skies and the stars, to learn if life existed on any of them. I did not know how to do that, but I started with studying engineering. My hope was to work for NASA someday. Everywhere in the world, people

know about NASA. We read about it in local papers and heard about it on the radio.

How did you come to Goddard?

During my college years, I worked multiple jobs, including at a public library and an electronics store, and after-school tutor-ing for high school students. In graduate school, I was a teacher’s assistant. My Princeton adviser told me that Goddard had a Pathways internship program and that I could work on the Large UV/Optical/IR Sur-veyor (LUVOIR) concept. In 2017, I came to Goddard as a Pathways intern working on LUVOIR. My first day at Goddard was on the same day as the 2017 solar eclipse. It

was a great way to start. I was really excited! It was one of the happiest moments of my life!

What is your role as a member of the Diversity and Inclu-sion (D&I) Committee?

In 2019, I became a member of the D&I Committee. I want to make Goddard more inclusive and have some ideas about community outreach. I proposed having a paper airplane com-petition for the local elementary schools. Everyone liked the suggestion, and we are working on it. Goddard has done an excellent job toward being diverse and inclusive. n

Center: Hari Subedi at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Photo courtesy: Hari Subedi