NRP POST 2023 Issue 1

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

A Publication of NASA Research Park

THE

Berkeley Engineering, 

Tomorrow Begins 

Today
NRP Post

2 www.nasa.gov

IN THIS ISSUE

3 | Berkeley Engineering

Berkeley Engineering - A New Generation 

in Aerospace

4 | Unleashing the Power of 

Interval-Training Exercise

Potential Breakthrough for Persistent 

Post-Concussive Symptoms

6 | CMU to Lead NASA Space 

Technology Research Institute

A new NASA Space Technology Research 

Institute (STRI) led by Carnegie Mellon University

8 | Bloom Energy Demonstrates 

Hydrogen Production 

Bloom Energy Demonstrates Hydrogen Production with 

the World’s Most Efficient Electrolyzer and Largest Solid 

Oxide System

10 | Berkeley’s National, Global 

Momentum Show

National, Global Momentum Show it’s Time for Open 

Science Action, Experts say

12 | USGS Partners with NASA

Hyperspectral At All Altitudes: Flight Testing USGS 

Hyperspectral Imagers on Stratospheric Aircraft

15 | Moffett Field Celebrates 

90th Anniversary

April was a very important month this year at NRP, especially April 12th

16 | Upcoming iNARTE® Certified ESD 

AeroSpace & Defense Engineer Training

iNARTE® Certified ESD AeroSpace & 

Defense Engineer TrainingTM to be conducted On-site at 

NASA Ames Research Center by RMV
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On Tuesday, May 2nd, students from the University of California, Berkeley visited NASA Ames to 

learn about the research being conducted at the center. The group of visitors were led by Professor Panos 

Papadopoulos, the Director of Aerospace Engineering Programs. He brought the entire freshman class 

of the new aerospace engineering undergraduate major, as well as the student leaders of the different aerospace clubs active on the campus for this visit. Professors Mark Mueller and Murat Arcak were also 

part of the group of visitors. The visitors learned about 

the Mars Helicopter and NASA internships, toured the 

Arc Jet Facility, the Unitary Wind Tunnel Complex, the 

NASA Advanced Supercomputing Facility, the Systems Health, Analytics, Resilience and Physics modeling (SHARP) lab, and the UAVs that support Earth 

Science missions, and met with Director Eugene Tu at 

the end of the day. After the tour, Prof. Papadopoulos 

said the students were “raving about the visit.” One 

can imagine the excitement they’re feeling about what 

their future holds in aerospace.

Berkeley Engineering

A New Generation in Aerospace
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Understanding PPCS and the Need for Novel 

Interventions:

Persistent post-concussive symptoms refer to 

the lingering physical, emotional, cognitive, and 

social impairments experienced by individuals 

after experiencing concussive events. While most 

concussions resolve within a few weeks, a significant proportion of patients continue to suffer from symptoms for weeks, months, or even 

years. Conventional management strategies have 

focused on rest and gradual return to physical 

and cognitive activities. However, recent 

research has suggested that exercise and 

physical activity could play a crucial role 

in promoting recovery and reducing symptoms in individuals with PPCS.

Unleashing the Power of Interval-Training 

Exercise: A Potential Breakthrough for 

Persistent Post-Concussive Symptoms

Persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS) can significantly impact the lives of individuals who have 

experienced a concussive event. While rest has been the traditional approach, recent studies have suggested that progressive physical activity may be beneficial for those with PPCS. In a pilot study conducted by Yi-Ning Wu and colleagues, the effects of a 12-session moderate intensity-interval-training program 

with blood flow restriction (BFR) and body cooling (BC) were examined on individuals with PPCS for less 

than one year. This article delves into the findings of this study, shedding light on the potential of interval-training exercise to alleviate post-concussive symptoms and promote stable recovery.

By Ted Triano, NRP Post Editor, June 30, 2023

The Role of Interval-Training Exercise with 

BFR and BC:

The pilot study conducted by Wu and colleagues 

aimed to investigate the effects of interval-training exercise with BFR and BC on individuals with 

PPCS. The study included 25 adults who were 

randomly assigned to either the experimental 

group (exercise with BFR and BC) or the control group (exercise without BFR and BC). Both 

groups engaged in 12 sessions of moderate 

intensity interval-training exercise over a span of 

six weeks, twice a week.
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Promising Findings and Reduced Symptom 

Fluctuations:

The results of the study showed promising outcomes for the experimental group. During the 

intervention period, individuals in the experimental group experienced significantly less fluctuation in overall symptom severity, cognitive domain 

severity, and mood domain severity compared to 

the control group. The experimental group also 

exhibited more stable symptom recovery during 

the follow-up period, with reduced symptom fluctuations and stable recovery in the cognitive and 

sleep domains. Additionally, the severity of mood 

and sleep symptoms remained more stable in the 

experimental group during the follow-up period.

Understanding the Mechanisms: BFR, BC, and 

Exercise Adaptations:

The use of blood flow restriction (BFR) and body 

cooling (BC) during interval-training exercise holds 

potential benefits for individuals with PPCS. BFR, 

achieved through the application of pressure cuffs, 

creates hypoxic conditions and forces the body 

to utilize anaerobic metabolism, potentially aiding 

in neuroprotection and brain health. BC may help 

minimize the impact of exercise-induced heat production on brain functions. Interval training, with 

its short bouts of exercise and rest intervals, has 

shown positive effects on autonomic and cardiovascular functions. The combination of these 

modalities may allow individuals with PPCS to tolerate exercise better and reap its benefits at lower 

intensities.

Implications and Future Directions:

The pilot study suggests that moderate intensity-interval-training exercise with BFR and BC can 

alleviate post-concussive symptoms in individuals 

with PPCS for less than one year. These findings 

have significant implications for the management 

and recovery of individuals with PPCS, offering a 

potential alternative to the traditional rest-based 

approach. Further research with larger sample sizes and longer intervention periods is warranted to 

validate and expand upon these initial findings.

Conclusion:

The pilot study conducted by Wu and colleagues 

provides valuable insights into the effects of interval-training exercise with BFR and BC on individuals with PPCS. The results indicate that this novel 

approach may promote stable recovery.

Original study and source for this article:

Yi-Ning Wu, Caroline Stark, Jessica Gravel, Matthew White, Josh Avery, Terrie Enis, and Robert C. 

Cantu. Effects of Interval-Training Exercise on People 

Who Have Had Persistent Post-Concussive Symptoms for Less Than One Year: A Pilot Study Journal 

of Neurotrauma March 2021.573-581. 

http://doi.org/10.1089/neu.2019.6915

pdf version of original article:

https://vasper.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/

Journal-of-Neurotrauma-38-5-573-004.pdf
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I

n space travel, custom parts for vehicles such 

as rockets and satellites are often needed 

quickly to accommodate changes in design, 

as well as for repair and functionality purposes. 

Additive manufacturing is an ideal technology to 

meet these needs, as components can be made 

through a relatively short cycle of design, build, 

and test. However, this cycle must be continually 

refined in order to ensure the quality and reliability of the 3D printed parts.

A new NASA Space Technology Research Institute (STRI) led by Carnegie Mellon University 

seeks to shorten the cycle required to design, 

manufacture, and test parts that can withstand 

the conditions of space travel through the development of models for qualification and certification (Q&C).

First set up in 2016, the overall STRI program 

aims to strengthen NASA’s ties to the academic 

CMU to Lead NASA Space 

Technology Research Institute

By Monica Cooney

A new NASA Space Technology Research Institute (STRI) led by 

Carnegie Mellon University seeks to shorten the cycle required to 

design, manufacture, and test parts that can withstand the conditions of space travel through constructing models for qualification 

and certification.

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community through long-term, sustained investment in research and technology development, 

while also fostering talent among highly-skilled 

engineers, scientists, and technologists.

The $15 million project, Institute for Model-based 

Qualification & Certification of Additive Manufacturing (IMQCAM), will be co-directed by Tony 

Rollett, a professor of materials science and engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and Somnath Ghosh, a professor of civil and systems engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

“In order to make a printed product have predictable properties, we need to understand more 

about what its internal structure is, how it depends on the printing process, and what properties it has,” said Rollett. “The STRI affords us 

an opportunity for a major collaboration through 

which we can construct the models that our partners at NASA very much need in order to do their 

work.”

Over the course of five years, the institute will develop detailed computer models, or digital twins, 

for additively manufactured parts that have been 

validated against experimental data, verified 

against physical mechanisms, and subjected to 

rigorous uncertainty quantification protocols. The 

models will evaluate response to fatigue in spaceflight materials that are currently used for 3D printing, as well as introducing and qualifying new materials.

The project outcomes will serve as a vital resource 

for partners at NASA, as the models will enable 

them to better predict the parts’ performance 

abilities.

The Institute will also serve as a catalyst for recruiting and training students and post-docs to 

have a comprehensive understanding of the additive manufacturing Q&C process and be the future leaders in the field. Students from across institutional partners will be mentored by both STRI 

team members and NASA researchers throughout 

the project.

Carnegie Mellon faculty members Sneha Prabha Narra, Mohadeseh Taheri-Mousavi, and 

Bryan Webler will also contribute their expertise 

to the institute.

Additional institutional partners on the project include Vanderbilt University, University of Texas at 

San Antonio, University of Virginia, Case Western 

Reserve University, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Southwest Research Institute, and Pratt & Whitney.

For media inquiries, please contact 

Monica Cooney at 

mcooney@andrew.cmu.edu

Tony Rollett, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering

“The STRI affords us an opportunity for a major 

collaboration through which we can construct the 

models that our partners at NASA very much need.”

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SAN JOSE, Calif. – May 3, 2023 – Bloom Energy (NYSE:BE) has begun generating hydrogen from the 

world’s largest solid oxide electrolyzer installation at NASA’s 

Ames Research Center, the historic Moffett Field research 

facility in Mountain View, California. This high-temperature, 

high-efficiency unit produces 20-25% more hydrogen per 

megawatt (MW) than commercially demonstrated lower 

temperature electrolyzers such as proton electrolyte membrane (PEM) or alkaline. 

This electrolyzer demonstration showcases the maturity, 

efficiency and commercial readiness of Bloom’s solid oxide technology for large-scale, clean hydrogen production. 

The 4 MW Bloom ElectrolyzerTM, delivering the equivalent 

of over 2.4 metric tonnes per day of hydrogen output, was 

built, installed and operationalized in a span of two months 

to demonstrate the speed and ease of deployment. 

“This demonstration is a major milestone for reaching 

net-zero goals,” said KR Sridhar, Ph.D., Founder, Chairman 

and CEO of Bloom Energy. “Hydrogen will be essential for 

storing intermittent and curtailed energy and for decarbonizing industrial energy use. Commercially viable electrolyzers are the key to unlocking the energy storage puzzle, and 

solid oxide electrolyzers offer inherently superior technology and economic advantages. Bloom Energy, as the global 

leader in solid oxide technology, is proud to share this exciting demonstration with the world: our product is ready for 

prime time.”

The current demonstration expands on Bloom’s recent 

project on a 100 kW system located at the Department of 

Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL) which achieved record-breaking electrolyzer efficiency. In the ongoing project, 

4500 hours of full load operations have been completed 

with a Bloom ElectrolyzerTM producing hydrogen more efficiently than any other process – over 25% more efficiently 

than low-temperature electrolysis. 

The INL steam and load simulations replicated nuclear 

power conditions to validate full capability of technology application at nuclear facilities, and the pilot results revealed 

the Bloom Electrolyzer producing hydrogen at 37.7 kWh 

per kg of hydrogen. Dynamic testing conducted at INL included ramping down the system from 100 percent of rated 

power to 5 percent in less than 10 minutes without adverse 

system impacts. Even at 5 percent of rated load, the energy 

efficiency (kWh/kg) was as good or better than other elecBloom Energy Demonstrates Hydrogen Production 

with the World’s Most Efficient Electrolyzer and Largest Solid Oxide System

Installation shows commercial readiness, superior performance and scalability of Bloom technology

PRESS RELEASE MAY 3, 2023
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trolyzer technologies at their 100% rated capacity. These 

results will be presented at the Department of Energy’s Annual Review Meeting in Washington DC on June 7, 2023. 

“The amount of electricity needed by the electrolyzer 

to make hydrogen will be the most dominant factor in 

determining hydrogen production cost. For this reason, the 

efficiency of the electrolyzer, the electricity needed to produce a kilogram of hydrogen becomes the most critical figure of merit. This 4 MW demonstration at the NASA Ames 

Research Center proves that the energy efficiency of our 

large-scale electrolyzer is similar to the small-scale system 

tested at INL highlighting the strength of our modular architecture,” said Dr. Ravi Prasher, Chief Technology Officer of 

Bloom Energy. “The electrolyzer product is leveraging the 

Bloom platform knowhow of more than 1 GW of solid oxide 

fuel cells deployed in the field and providing approximately 

1 trillion cumulative cell operating hours. The same technology platform that can convert natural gas and hydrogen 

to electricity can be used reversibly to convert electricity to 

hydrogen. With Bloom’s high-efficiency, high-temperature 

solid oxide electrolyzers, we are one step closer to a decarbonized future powered by low-cost clean hydrogen.” 

This demonstration represents a “full circle moment” for the 

company, which can trace its roots to work performed as 

part of NASA’s Mars Space Program in the early 2000s. 

Dr. KR Sridhar and his team were charged with creating a 

technology that could sustain life on Mars. They built electrolyzers capable of producing oxygen and fuel from solar 

electricity on Mars, and operated the device in the reverse 

direction as a fuel cell to produce electricity. They soon 

realized that their technology could have an even greater 

impact here on Earth and founded Bloom Energy in 2001 

with the mission to make clean, reliable energy affordable 

for everyone on earth. This hydrogen demonstration is at 

the NASA Moffett Field site where Bloom Energy started 

operations over 20 years ago in a 7000 sq. ft. garage. 

Today, Bloom has grown into a $1.2 billion company with 

sales across the U.S. and to four countries in Asia and two 

countries in Europe, and it has developed more than 2 GW 

of manufacturing capacity at its manufacturing plants in 

Fremont, Ca., and Newark, Del. Bloom’s energy servers 

support data centers, hospitals, retail, universities and food 

producers with clean, AlwaysOn power. 

Media and qualified parties are invited to schedule a visit to 

see the demonstration at NASA’s Ames Research Center at 

Moffett Field from May 15-30, 2023. For more information 

and to schedule your visit to the 4 MW Bloom Electrolyzer,TM the world’s largest and most efficient solid oxide electrolyzer, go to: www.bloomenergy.com/bloomelectrolyzer/.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are subject to the safe harbor provisions of 

the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events 

or our future financial or operating performance. In some 

cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” 

“could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “should,” 

“will” and “would” or the negative of these words or similar terms or expressions that concern Bloom’s expectations, strategy, priorities, plans or intentions. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: 

Bloom’s expectations regarding the efficiency, hydrogen 

production per MW, commercial readiness and readiness 

for prime time of the Bloom Electrolyzer; progress towards 

net-zero goals and a decarbonized future; the essentialness of hydrogen; the future of energy storage solutions; 

the technological and economic superiority of solid oxide 

electrolyzers; and Bloom’s long-term commitment to particular industries, regions, policies or imperatives. More 

information on potential risks and uncertainties that may 

impact Bloom’s business are set forth in Bloom’s periodic 

reports filed with the SEC, including its Annual Report on 

Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed 

with the SEC on February 21, 2023, as well as subsequent 

reports filed with or furnished to the SEC from time to time. 

Bloom assumes no obligation to, and does not currently 

intend to, update any such forward-looking statements. 

About Bloom Energy

Bloom Energy empowers businesses and communities to 

responsibly take charge of their energy. The company’s 

leading solid oxide platform for distributed generation of 

electricity and hydrogen is changing the future of energy. 

Fortune 100 companies around the world turn to Bloom 

Energy as a trusted partner to deliver lower carbon energy today and a net-zero future. For more information, visit www.bloomenergy.com. 

Media Contact: Tom Flannigan, 

press@bloomenergy.com

 

Investor Relations: Ed Vallejo, 267.370.9717, 

Edward.Vallejo@bloomenergy.com
10 www.nasa.gov

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The federal government and research institutions 

must make science more accessible, reproducible 

and inclusive, NASA and UC Berkeley leaders said 

at an Oct. 26 event on campus hosted by the Division of 

Computing, Data Science, and Society at Berkeley.

It’s also urgent to diversify who is doing the scientific work, NASA and Berkeley experts said. While these 

aren’t new calls to action, national and global momentum 

makes it the right moment to take decisive action, they 

said.

“We have all these capabilities to do science that we 

didn’t have just a few years ago,” said Chelle Gentemann, 

science lead for the new $40 million, 5-year Transform to 

Open Science (TOPS) mission at NASA. “We have plans 

and policies around the globe that are being updated to 

support open science.”

“We want to do this now,” Gentemann said.

NASA has named 2023 its year of open science.

Open science is the practice of making studies and the 

underpinning data, software and hardware designs freely accessible. This makes it easier to verify, replicate 

and accelerate discovery. It’s especially important now, 

speakers said. Trust in science has waned, even as scientific responses to challenges from combating Covid-19 to 

climate change become more visible to the public.

“Open science and open source tools and platforms are 

the future – the future of science and indeed the future 

of society,” said Jennifer Chayes, UC Berkeley’s Division 

of Computing, Data Science, and Society associate provost and School of Information dean. “Berkeley has a 

long tradition of open source contributions... in research, 

education and impact in the world.”

Lika Guhathakurta, senior advisor for new initiatives at 

Goddard Space Flight Center and program scientist at 

NASA, and Fernando Pérez, an associate professor in 

Berkeley’s Statistics Department, also spoke at the event.

‘Creating a more equitable science’

National, Global Momentum Show it’s Time 

for Open Science Action, Experts say

By Rachel Leven - October 28, 2022

“Open science and open source tools and platforms 

are the future – the future of science and indeed the 

future of society,“ Jennifer Chayes, UC Berkeley’s Division of Computing, Data Science, 

and Society associate provost and School of Information dean. Environmental Engineering

UC Berkeley CDSS Associate 

Provost Jennifer Chayes moderates a discussion on the imperativeness of open 

science with NASA officials Lika Guhathakurta and Chelle Gentemann and 

Berkeley Statistics Associate Professor Fernando Pérez. (Photo/ Michelle Tran/ 

Berkeley Computing, Data Science, and Society)

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Open science has historically been a grassroots movement. For example, Pérez invented one of the foundational tools for analyzing large amounts of data in a transparent and collaborative way – IPython – as a physics Ph.D. 

student struggling to complete his dissertation.

Berkeley and Cal Poly researchers collaborated to 

advance the tool, which evolved into Project Jupyter. It 

has been used by scientists worldwide to do groundbreaking work like capturing the first image of a black 

hole. Pérez said the collaborative nature and accessibility of the open science movement has been crucial to bringing young, diverse scientists into the fold. 

Leaders must be intentional about keeping these values, 

as more institutional funding is offered and bigger companies join the movement, Pérez said.

“One of the key considerations has been, ‘How do we 

design a model for decision-making, governance and participation that allows one engineer or person in Argentina 

or Colombia to participate on a reasonably equal footing 

with a team of engineers from Amazon or Google or Microsoft or Adobe,’” Pérez said. “We want those teams... 

but we also don’t want them to overwhelm this open 

space of voices that often have not been heard.”

Gentemann said her team is working to retain historically 

marginalized people and groups who have been thriving 

in this open science space. To do that, her team has created opportunities like monthly forums to listen to and 

collaborate with the community. They’re also focused on 

making competition for new NASA funding more equitable. 

“The evidence is overwhelming. Diverse groups not only 

ask better questions — they get the answers faster, and 

they have more impact,” Gentemann said. “That’s part 

of this evolution towards open science, this evolution 

towards a new platform and voices creating a more equitable science.”

Speakers mentioned additional challenges. Leaders must 

identify how to maintain projects and tools for the long 

term, so scientists can continue to build off their work. 

They also must figure out how to make the creation, sharing and maintenance of open-source tools part of scientists’ valued career paths, rather than solely succeeding 

in science through publishing research.

Berkeley is a welcoming space for those young people 

who are ready to invest in open science, Chayes said.

“This community is attracting people who are willing to 

take risks to create something new,” Chayes said. “The 

world is coming around, and we’re here to lend you support.”

Jennifer Chayes

Associate Provost, Computing, 

Data Science, and 

Society UC Berkeley

Dr. Chelle Gentemann Dr. Lika Guhathakurta Professor Fernando Pérez

Event Speakers

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Hyperspectral At All Altitudes: Flight 

Testing USGS Hyperspectral Imagers 

on Stratospheric Aircraft

USGS partners with NASA and industry to explore science use 

cases for high-altitude hyperspectral imagery 

Opportunity

USGS and our partners are exploring high-altitude 

hyperspectral imagery to solve a diverse set of science 

challenges, from ecosystem mapping and critical mineral detection to flooding and pre- and post-wildfire 

landscape metrics. This work builds on our own hyperspectral community’s world-class spectra library, which 

is currently used to interpret ground and airborne observations. Additional data from NASA’s Airborne Visible 

Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) provides best-inclass hyperspectral imagery, including upcoming acquisitions for the Mineral Resource Program. 

With support from the National Land Imaging Program, 

engineers at USGS Moffett Field are exploring a value-add to AVIRIS data, using a relatively low-cost hyperspectral imaging sensor that can be deployed on UAS 

flying in the stratosphere, and at all altitudes below that. 

The concept of operations is to explore how flight altitude impacts the science one can do with hyperspectral 

data, identifying which bands are key to doing that science, and assessing data quality and sensor performance 

from commercial off-the-shelf imagers. By reducing cost 

and other barriers to hyperspectral data collection at all 

altitudes, this new capability will advance our ability to 

focus this technology on impactful science challenges. In 

essence, USGS is bringing the sensors, while NASA and 

private industry are providing elements of system integration and sensor calibration, as well as flight platforms. 

The Geology Minerals Energy and Geophysics Science 

Center hosts the National Innovation Center, which provides guidance and direction for UAS Research Center 

staff engineers Elizabeth Hyde and Isaac Anderson.

Liz and Isaac partnered with scientists and engineers 

from NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC), and Norsk Elektro 

Optikk (NEO) to integrate and fly a modified, high-altitude 

HySpex V-1240 imaging sensor on NASA’s ER-2 (image 

at right). Private industry partners at Swift Engineering assisted in testing the modified sensor’s durability 

under high-altitude conditions. The sensor rode in the 

nose-cone of the ER-2 during NASA’s Western Diversity 

Time Series 2022 campaign over California, which carried AVIRIS, MASTER, HyTES and PICARD instruments. 

Testing the performance of this modified, lightweight, 

size and power system is the first step to creating a lowcost hyperspectral imaging capacity, from the ground to 

the stratosphere. 

Preparing For The Flight

To prepare for the ER-2 flight, as well as planned stratospheric UAS flights in 2023, the team worked with NEO 

and the Swift Engineering team to reduce the weight 

of the payload, calibrate the sensor for stratospheric 

flight, and test it for resistance to low temperatures and 

pressures at high altitudes. The Swift team had already 

designed and built a payload housing for their high-altitude aircraft, which was further engineered and adapted to fit on the ER-2 aircraft. NEO engineers developed 

an external power adapter to enable pilot-control of the 

sensor. NASA AFRC engineers and technicians modified existing ER-2 hardware to accompany the modified 

HySpex payload, preformed thermal vacuum testing and 

sensor calibration. After delivery, USGS engineers and 

NASA scientists further tested the system in the Airborne 

Science Facility lab at NASA Ames.

By Tim Newman & Eric Reichard- November 18, 2022

High-altitude version of the HySpex Mjolnir V-1240 installed 

in the nose of the ER-2. This assembly is speciallyfocused for 

high-altitude imagery and has a lightweight housing design for 

use on High Altitude Long Endurance UAS. Photo Credit: Liz 

Hyde (USGS)
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Figure 2

The Flight

The initial flight of the Western Diversity Time Series 

2022 campaign was the first stratospheric flight carrying a HySpex imager. The campaign flew swaths in 

the Sierra Nevada foothills, near Lake Tahoe (see image 

below), areas in the San Francisco Bay Area, Santa 

Barbara coast, the Los Angeles Basin, and a broader 

area near Lake Tahoe, including the initial stages of the 

Mosquito fire, which burned west of the Tahoe Basin. 

The USGS data are currently being loaded into NASA 

Earth Exchange (NEX) to enable automated workflows, 

high-end computing power, and data processing, to 

aid USGS researchers in data analysis and application 

development.

Upcoming Opportunities

USGS is in discussions with stratospheric UAS platform providers to schedule test flights on High Altitude, 

Long Endurance (HALE) aircraft. Flights may occur as 

early as Spring 2023 on the Swift Ultra Long Endurance 

UAS, as well as the Sceye airship, with the goal of looking at critical minerals in New Mexico. The initial phase 

of this effort is to prove the efficacy of stratospheric 

hyperspectral observations, potentially leading to regular deployments on HALE uncrewed aircraft. 

In conjunction with the modified high-altitude instrument, a second HySpex imager (Mjolnir VS-620) is 

being procured by USGS to cover flight regimes under 

40,000 ft. Thanks to ongoing collaborations with NASA 

Ames, this “standard” altitude instrument will have the 

opportunity to fly on either UAS or crewed aircraft at 

lower altitudes. This imager has a wider spectral range 

(400 to 2500 nm), and while it is physically larger than 

the high-altitude version, it is capable of being flown 

on the upcoming heavy-lift sUAS in the Department 

of the Interior (DOI) fleet as well as crewed aircraft, 

such as the NASA B200 King Air. USGS engineers are 

also planning to develop and integrate a package that 

can be flown at much lower altitudes using DOI sUAS 

assets. Together, this suite of capabilities will ultimately enable USGS to gather data from low (0-1,000 ft), 

medium (1,000 – 40,000 ft) and high (40,000+) altitudes. 

Increasing USGS Hyperspectral Data Capacity

Advancing USGS’s ability to gather hyperspectral data 

from low, medium, and high altitudes, using a variety 

of UAS platforms, will increase our capacity to collect, 

process, and interpret hyperspectral data for a broad 

range of earth science applications. By demonstrating 

sensor flexibility across UAS platforms and altitudes, 

USGS can greatly increase our observational and monitoring capabilities, and improve post-event situational awareness, as well as develop longer-term, repeat 

visit missions over critical areas and phenomena of 

interest. We invite the broad USGS community to take 

advantage of these new imaging spectrometers, either 

through stratospheric applications, or through sUAS 

deployments working with the National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO).

For more information on the Hyperspectral At All 

Altitudes effort, contact NIC Director Jonathan 

Stock.

Tim Newman

Program Coordinator, National Land Imaging 

Eric Reichard

Director, Southwest Region

Natural color image from the first flight of the high-altitude 

HySpex V-1240. Image is oriented with respect to true 

North, and is centered around Colombia, CA. Image Credit: USGS

Trond Loke (NEO), Isaac Anderson (USGS) and Liz Hyde 

(USGS) standing in front of the NASA ER-2, during deployment to NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, Palmdale, 

CA. Photo Credit: USGS
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April was a very important month this year at 

NRP, especially on April 12th. This date marked 

the 90th anniversary of the establishment of 

Moffett Field, as well as NASA’s celebration of 

“Man in Space”, and the honoring of cosmonaut 

Yuri Gagarin, the first man launched into space 

on April 12th, 1961. 

To mark these two significant milestones, the 

Moffett Field Historical Society and Museum displayed numerous artifacts on loan from NASA 

Ames, including a Moon Rock, space shuttle 

tiles, and other unique space-related artifacts 

and ephemera. 

In addition, the Moffett Museum highlighted their 

numerous permanent NASA displays, including 

rare, 5 and 6 degree of freedom simulator models of large simulators used in the past at Ames, 

that prepared astronauts for the extreme g-forces they were expected to encounter during 

space flight, along with pictures of various lifting 

bodies and aircraft under test conditions in the 

large wind tunnel. Other displays include a Harrier Jump Jet cockpit, and three NASA research 

aircraft that are displayed in our Air Park. 

Numerous additional NASA and NACA-related 

pictures can be found throughout the museum, 

depicting many of NASA Ames’ research projects, including one-of-a-kind research aircraft 

from various eras. Of note is a picture of Neal 

Armstrong at Moffett Field during preparations 

for his historic landing and walk on the moon. 

The Moffett Museum is open Wednesday 

through Saturday, 10 am to 3 pm. Our 

docents are always here to educate and 

inform, and docent-led tours are available 

for larger groups with prior arrangement.

Moffett Field Museum 

90th Anniversary as Well 

as “Man in Space”

Tom Spink, President

Jeff Wasel PhD, Museum Executive Director

Photos by Tom Spink and Jeff Wasel

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Since 2009, RMV Technology Group LLC (RMV), 

NRP Industry Partner and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, has been located 

onsite at NASA Ames Research Park in Building 19 

where USGS is now remodeling the entire building. 

Recently moved to our new headquarters at the Space 

Portal, RMV enjoys a better usage of our ESD Materials Testing Laboratory and a separate office for the 

RMV staff. It’s a great view and we can see the ongoing 

transformation of the dirigible hangar into a State-ofthe-Art R&D facility by Planetary Ventures.

The RMV unique training platform (Virtual and Onsite) 

continually updates the ESD requirements for Mission 

critical projects for the benefit of NASA, the DoD and 

the DOE. The NEW and revised NASA STD-8739.6, 

Section 7 is now required of all federal contractors that 

package, handle, store and transport ultra-sensitive 

devices. The intensive 5-day course will be held onsite 

at NASA Ames Research Center from April 24-28, 2023 

for active NASA ESD Program Managers that work on 

ESD control at NASA, the DOE and the DoD.

As required, this course is taken every two years for 

NASA ESD Program Managers. The last course was 

held in 2021 virtually due to the pandemic in full swing 

during that time. Shortly thereafter, Bob Vermillion 

received an Award of Excellence from NASA on the 

redesigned Virtual Training platform that replaced the 

RMV On-Site Hands On Training for NASA since 2014.

Designed and developed by RMV (the Creator of 

Hands-On ESD Space & Defense Training) for US civil 

servants and contractors that require robust quality 

and reliability in harsh environments, the onsite training 

is software driven and records ESD events in real time, 

combined with live demonstrations, experiments and 

Hands-On Training of ESD 2021 iNARTE® Certified 

Space & Defense ESD Program MonitorTM Training for 

GRC iNARTE® Digital Badge for Achievements and 

Credentials Instrumentation. Workshops and breakout 

sessions will be held throughout the week to reinforce 

the training process. For all current and future courses held onsite, RMV has implemented safety guidance 

rules for the ARC participants.

The 5-day course will include ESD/ESA Issues and 

CubeSat Integrity, Equipment Standards, Equipment Reliability and Harsh Environments, Class 0A & 

0B Safeguards, ESD Packaging & Materials, Material 

Handling, Storage & Transport, How to Locate ESD 

Events before Launch, ESD Counterfeit Threats, Utilizing ESD Instrumentation and Case Studies, Workstation EPA Verification & Certification Measurements for 

NASA STD 8739.6B, Section 7, ANSI ESDS20.21 and 

applicable MIL STDS., ESD Assessments and Troubleshooting, ESD impact upon Equipment Reliability for 

Mission Critical program.

A remote exam proctored by Exemplar Global (ASQ 

family of companies), the 3rd party international global 

certification body, is taken on the last day. The iNARTE® Digital Badge can share your credentials and 

achievements online in a way that is simple, trusted, 

and can be verified in real time online.

For more information on the upcoming 

On-Site ESD Training Course, please contact 

Renee Mitchell direct at 650-964-4792 or 

email renee@esdrmv.com. Also, visit the site at 

www.esdaerospacetraining.org

Upcoming iNARTE® Certified ESD AeroSpace & 

Defense Engineer TrainingTM to be conducted Onsite 

at NASA Ames Research Center by RMV

Renee Mitchell, President, RMV Technology Group LLC

Moffett Field, California, 10 February 2023

ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE

(ESD)

Aerospace & Defense Engineer

www.nasa.gov/researchpark 15
16 www.nasa.gov

NRP Post

NP-2023-07-02-ARC

On March 29, 2023, leaders from Office of Strategic Infrastructure 

and Facility Real Estate Division visited Ames, NASA Research 

Park and toured the Planetary Ventures Bay View Campus.

On June 7-8, 2023, the National Academies committee visited 

Ames and NASA Research Park, met with Center leadership, 

toured major facilities and engaged in listening sessions with 

employees.

On May 18, 2023, Ames hosted leaders from International 

Space University (ISU). Mejghan Haider, Director of NASA 

Research Park and Lisa Lockyer, Director Legislative Affairs 

toured Professor Pascale Ehrenfreund, President of ISU, and 

Ken Davidian.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NRP 

A Publication of NASA Research Park

POST

NASA Research Park

Editor, Layout and Design: TED TRIANO

Phone: (650) 604-2NRP

Email: arc-dl-nrp-post@mail.nasa.gov

Website: www.nasa.gov/researchpark