Skylab's Body Mass Measurement chair, the facility of the Body Mass Measurement experiment (M172), is shown here in this 1970 photograph. The M172 experiment determined the body mass of each crew member and observed changes in body masses during flight. Knowledge of exact body mass variations throughout the flight in significantly aided in the correlation of other medical data obtained during the flight. Mass measurements under zero-gravity conditions were achieved by the application of Newton's second law (force equals mass times acceleration). The Marshall Space Flight Center had program management responsibility for the development of Skylab hardware and experiments.
Astronaut Karen Nyberg,Expedition 36 flight engineer,performs a Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) Body Mass Measurement test in the U.S. Laboratory.
Vincent W. Converse of Rockford, Illinois proposed Skylab's student experiment ED-74, Mass Measurement, to measure mass in a weightless environment. This chart describes Converse's experiment. Mass is the quantity of matter in any object. The gravitational force between an object and the Earth is called weight, which is a result of the Earth's gravity acting upon the object's mass. Even though objects in Skylab were apparently weightless, their mass properties were unchanged. Measurement of mass is therefore an acceptable alternative to measurement of weight. The devices used in this experiment provided accurate mass measurements of the astronauts' weights, intakes, and body wastes throughout the missions. In March 1972, NASA and the National Science Teachers Association selected 25 experiment proposals for flight on Skylab. Science advisors from the Marshall Space Flight Center aided and assisted the students in developing the proposals for flight on Skylab.
ISS020-E-015853 (30 June 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 20 flight engineer, uses the IM mass measurement device to perform the PZEh-MO-8/Body Mass Measurement Russian biomedical routine assessments in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.
iss053e059889 (Sept. 28, 2017) --- Astronaut Joe Acaba calculates his mass inside the Columbus laboratory module using the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD). The device generates a known force against a crew member mounted on an extension arm with the resulting acceleration used to calculate the subject’s mass.
iss072e616384 (Feb. 11, 2025) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams measures her mass using a specialized device inside the International Space Station's Zvezda service module. The mass measurement device applies a known force to an attached astronaut and measures the resulting acceleration to acquire the crew member's mass. The result is based on a form of Newton's Second Law of Motion.
iss072e616386 (Feb. 11, 2025) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Nick Hague measures his mass using a specialized device inside the International Space Station's Zvezda service module. The mass measurement device applies a known force to an attached astronaut and measures the resulting acceleration to acquire the crew member's mass. The result is based on a form of Newton's Second Law of Motion.
ISS029-E-017480 (5 Oct. 2011) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, Expedition 29 flight engineer, uses the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.
ISS029-E-017474 (5 Oct. 2011) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, Expedition 29 flight engineer, prepares to use the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.
ISS019-E-014222 (6 May 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 19/20 flight engineer, uses the IM mass measurement device to perform the PZEh-MO-8/Body Mass Measurement Russian biomedical routine assessments in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.
ISS019-E-014216 (6 May 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 19/20 flight engineer, uses the IM mass measurement device to perform the PZEh-MO-8/Body Mass Measurement Russian biomedical routine assessments in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.
Rockford, Illinois high school student, Vincent Converse, discussed his proposed Skylab experiment with Dr. Robert Head (right) and Gene Greshman of Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). His experiment, “Zero Gravity Mass Measurement” used a simple leaf spring with the mass to be weighed attached to the end. The electronic package oscillated the spring at a specific rate and the results were recorded electronically. Converse was among 25 winners of a contest in which some 3,500 high school students proposed experiments for the following year’s Skylab mission. Of the 25 students, 6 did not see their experiments conducted on Skylab because the experiments were not compatible with Skylab hardware and timelines. Of the 19 remaining, 11 experiments required the manufacture of equipment, such as that of Converse’s experiment.
Measuring the mass and diameter of a planet reveals its density, which can give scientists clues about its composition. Scientists now know the density of the seven TRAPPIST-1 planets with a higher precision than any other planets in the universe, other than those in our own solar system. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23870
ISS032-E-010119 (27 July 2012) --- NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Expedition 32 flight engineer, uses a body mass measurement device (BMMD) in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide, flight engineer, is visible in the background.
ISS032-E-010111 (27 July 2012) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide, Expedition 32 flight engineer, uses a body mass measurement device (BMMD) in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.
ISS020-E-015513 (29 June 2009) --- European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne, Expedition 20 flight engineer, works with the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.
ISS020-E-015509 (29 June 2009) --- Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk, Expedition 20 flight engineer, works with the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.
ISS032-E-010109 (27 July 2012) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide, Expedition 32 flight engineer, uses a body mass measurement device (BMMD) in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.
Rockford, Illinois high school student, Vincent Converse (right), is greeted by astronauts Russell L. Schweickart and Owen K. Garriott during a tour of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Converse was among 25 winners of a contest in which some 3,500 high school students proposed experiments for the following year’s Skylab mission. His experiment, “Zero Gravity Mass Measurement” used a simple leaf spring with the mass to be weighed attached to the end. An electronic package oscillated the spring at a specific rate and the results were recorded electronically. The nationwide scientific competition was sponsored by the National Science Teachers Association and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The winning students, along with their parents and sponsor teachers, visited MSFC where they met with scientists and engineers, participated in design reviews for their experiments, and toured MSFC facilities. Of the 25 students, 6 did not see their experiments conducted on Skylab because the experiments were not compatible with Skylab hardware and timelines. Of the 19 remaining, 11 experiments required the manufacture of additional equipme
Rockford, Illinois high school student, Vincent Converse (left), and Robert Head of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), check out the equipment to be used in conducting the student’s experiment aboard the Skylab the following year. His experiment, “Zero Gravity Mass Measurement” used a simple leaf spring with the mass to be weighed attached to the end. An electronic package oscillated the spring at a specific rate and the results were recorded electronically. Converse was among 25 winners of a contest in which some 3,500 high school students proposed experiments for the following year’s Skylab mission. The nationwide scientific competition was sponsored by the National Science Teachers Association and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The winning students, along with their parents and sponsor teachers, visited MSFC two months earlier where they met with scientists and engineers, participated in design reviews for their experiments, and toured MSFC facilities. Of the 25 students, 6 did not see their experiments conducted on Skylab because the experiments were not compatible with Skylab hardware and timelines. Of the 19 remaining, 11 experiments required the manufacture of additional equipment.
This graph shows the percentage abundance of five gases in the atmosphere of Mars, as measured by the Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer instrument of the SAM instrument suite onboard Curiosity.
These maps of the near and far side of the moon show gravity gradients as measured by NASA GRAIL mission. Red and blue areas indicate stronger gradients due to underlying mass anomalies.
This image, made by the quadrupole mass spectrometer in the SAM suite of instruments in NASA Curiosity Mars rover. shows the ratio of the argon isotope argon-36 to the heavier argon isotope argon-38, in various measurements.
Saturn small moon Daphnis is caught in the act of raising waves on the edges of the Keeler gap, which is the thin dark band in the left half of the image. Waves like these allow scientists to locate small moons in gaps and measure their masses.
Left to right: Electrical Test Engineer Esha Murty and Integration and Test Lead Cody Colley prepare the ASTERIA spacecraft for mass-properties measurements in April 2017 prior to spacecraft delivery ahead of launch. ASTERIA was deployed from the International Space Station in November 2017. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23406
S73-20622 (March 1973) --- Scientist-astronaut Joseph P. Kerwin, science pilot of the first manned Skylab mission, demonstrates the Body Mass Measurement Experiment (M172) during Skylab training at the Johnson Space Center. Dr. Kerwin is in the work and experiments area of the crew quarters of the Skylab Orbital Workshop (OWS) trainer at JSC. The M172 experiment will demonstrate body mass measurement in a null gravity environment, validate theoretical behavior of this method, and support those medical experiments for which body mass measurements are required. The data to be collected in support of M172 are: preflight calibration of the body mass measurement device and measurements of known masses up to 100 kilograms (220 pounds) three times during each Skylab mission. The device, a spring/flexure pivot-mounted chair, will also be used for daily determination of the crewmen?s weight, which will be manually logged and voice recorded for subsequent telemetered transmission. Photo credit: NASA
ISS021-E-014503 (12 Oct. 2009) --- NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, Expedition 21 flight engineer, uses the IM mass measurement device to perform the PZEh-MO-8/Body Mass Measurement Russian biomedical routine assessments in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.
ISS037-E-006478 (3 Oct. 2013) --- NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, Expedition 37 flight engineer, performs Body Mass Measurement activities using the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) in the Columbus laboratory aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station.
ISS023-E-052104 (26 May 2010) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi, Expedition 23 flight engineer, uses the IM mass measurement device to perform the PZEh-MO-8/Body Mass Measurement Russian biomedical routine assessments in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.
ISS037-E-006475 (3 Oct. 2013) --- NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, Expedition 37 flight engineer, performs Body Mass Measurement activities using the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) in the Columbus laboratory aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station.
iss068e038127 (Jan. 5, 2023) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Josh Cassada checks out and calibrates the mass measurement device that calculates the mass of biological research samples aboard the International Space Station.
iss061e021362 (Oct. 30, 2019) --- From left, NASA Flight Engineer Andrew Morgan and Commander Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency) set up a work space in the Columbus laboratory module. Parmitano would soon test a device in Columbus that measures an astronaut’s mass using Newton’s Second Law of Motion. The device, named the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device, applies a known force to an attached astronaut and the resulting acceleration is used to calculate an astronaut’s mass.
ISS035-E-017874 (8 April 2013) --- NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, Expedition 35 flight engineer, performs Body Mass Measurement activities using the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) in the Columbus European Laboratory aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station. Since crew members can?t weigh themselves in zero-g, they use this method as the next best thing. Skylab astronauts, the first NASA crew members to fly in space for over a month at a time, some 40 years ago, used a body mass measurement device that was somewhat different from this.
STEP will carry concentric test masses to Earth orbit to test a fundamental assumption underlying Einstein's theory of general relativity: that gravitational mass is equivalent to inertial mass. STEP is a 21st-century version of the test that Galileo is said to have performed by dropping a carnon ball and a musket ball simultaneously from the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa to compare their accelerations. During the STEP experiment, four pairs of test masses will be falling around the Earth, and their accelerations will be measured by superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDS). The extended time sensitivity of the instruments will allow the measurements to be a million times more accurate than those made in modern ground-based tests.
GRACE-FO has completed its first mission phase and demonstrated the performance of the precise ranging system that enables its measurements of how mass migrates around Earth. Along the satellites' ground track (top), the inter-spacecraft distance between them changes as the mass distribution underneath (i.e., from mountains, etc.) varies. The small changes measured by the Microwave Ranging Instrument (middle) agree well with topographic features along the orbit (bottom). https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22507
iss071e113128 (May 22, 2024) --- Expedition 71 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick works in the International Space Station's Columbus laboratory module performing maintenance on the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device, or SLAMMD. The human research device applies a known force to a crew member then calculates body mass using a form of Newton’s Second Law of Motion, force equals mass times acceleration.
iss064e019119 (Jan. 4, 2021) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 64 Flight Engineer Shannon Walker works in the European Columbus laboratory module to set up a unique device that calculates the mass of cargo aboard the International Space Station. Known as SLAMMD, or Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device, it uses a form of Newton's Second Law of Motion and applies a known force to an object or an astronaut with the resulting acceleration used to calculate mass in microgravity
ISS034-E-026569 (11 Jan. 2013) --- NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, Expedition 34 commander, uses the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.
ISS032-E-024289 (26 Aug. 2012) --- NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, Expedition 32 flight engineer, uses the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.
ISS038-E-008293 (25 Nov. 2013) --- NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, Expedition 38 flight engineer, uses a body mass measurement device (BMMD) in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.
ISS030-E-117437 (1 Feb. 2012) --- NASA astronaut Dan Burbank, Expedition 30 commander, uses the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.
ISS034-E-026654 (11 Jan. 2013) --- NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, Expedition 34 flight engineer, uses the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.
ISS032-E-024285 (26 Aug. 2012) --- NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Expedition 32 flight engineer, uses the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.
ISS016-E-033800 (27 March 2008) --- NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman, Expedition 16 flight engineer, uses a body mass measurement device (BMMD) in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.
ISS031-E-157943 (26 June 2012) --- European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers, Expedition 31 flight engineer, uses a body mass measurement device (BMMD) in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.
View of Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Chris Hadfield, Expedition 34 Flight Engineer (FE), using the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) in the Columbus Module. Photo was taken during Expedition 34.
S85-26553 (Feb 1985) --- STS-40/SLS-1 payload specialist Millie Hughes-Fulford sits strapped in the special device scientists have developed for determining mass on orbit. As the chair swings back and forth, a timer records how much the crewmember's mass retards the chair's movement. Dr. Hughes-Fulford will be joined by three mission specialists, the mission commander, the pilot and a second payload specialist for the scheduled 10-day Spacelab Life Sciences-1 (SLS-1) mission. The flight is totally dedicated to biological and medical experimentation.
iss032e016954 (8/11/2012) --- A view of Spacecraft Single Event Enviroments at High Shielding Mass (HiMassSEE) kit 4 in U.S. Lab aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Spacecraft Single Event Environments at High Shielding Mass (HiMassSEE) measures space radiation interactions with spacecraft structure and shielding using several passive track detector technologies to provide a more accurate definition of International Space Station (ISS) payload accommodations, radiation transport model validation, and flight demonstration data on advanced microelectronics and chemical dosimeters.
jsc2011e080236 (8/25/2011) --- A preflight view of Hi Shielding Mass Single Event Environment (HiMassSEE) Kit 1 within plastic bag. Spacecraft Single Event Environments at High Shielding Mass (HiMassSEE) measures space radiation interactions with spacecraft structure and shielding using several passive track detector technologies to provide a more accurate definition of International Space Station (ISS) payload accommodations, radiation transport model validation, and flight demonstration data on advanced microelectronics and chemical dosimeters.
ISS016-E-033799 (27 March 2008) --- Russian Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, Expedition 16 flight engineer, uses a body mass measurement device (BMMD) in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.
ISS020-E-015893 (29 June 2009) --- European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne, Expedition 20 flight engineer, works with the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.
ISS034-E-026582 (11 Jan. 2013) --- Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield, Expedition 34 flight engineer, uses the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.
Sam Choi and Naiara Pinto observe Google Earth overlaid with in almost real time what the synthetic aperture radar is mapping from the C-20A aircraft. Researchers were in the sky and on the ground to take measurements of plant mass, distribution of trees, shrubs and ground cover and the diversity of plants and how much carbon is absorbed by them.
ISS032-E-024283 (26 Aug. 2012) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide, Expedition 32 flight engineer, uses the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station.
Tiny Epimetheus is dwarfed by adjacent slivers of the A and F rings. But is it really? Looks can be deceiving! There is approximately 10 to 20 times more mass in that tiny dot than in the piece of the A ring visible in this image! In total, Saturn's rings have about as much mass as a few times the mass of the moon Mimas. (This mass estimate comes from measuring the waves raised in the rings by moons like Epimetheus.) The rings look physically larger than any moon because the individual ring particles are very small, giving them a large surface area for a given mass. Epimetheus (70 miles or 113 kilometers across), on the other hand, has a small surface area per mass compared to the rings, making it look deceptively small. This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 19 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Dec. 5, 2014. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 1.2 million miles (2 million kilometers) from Epimetheus and at a Sun-Epimetheus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 40 degrees. Image scale is 7 miles (12 kilometers) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18302
The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) twin satellites, attached to turntable fixtures, at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. GRACE-FO will extend GRACE's legacy of scientific achievements, which range from tracking mass changes of Earth's polar ice sheets and estimating global groundwater changes, to measuring the mass changes of large earthquakes and inferring changes in deep ocean currents, a driving force in climate. To date, GRACE observations have been used in more than 4,300 research publications. Its measurements provide a unique view of the Earth system and have far-reaching benefits to society, such as providing insights into where global groundwater resources may be shrinking or growing and where dry soils are contributing to drought. GRACE-FO is planned to fly at least five years. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22340
The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) twin satellites, attached to turntable fixtures, at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. GRACE-FO will extend GRACE's legacy of scientific achievements, which range from tracking mass changes of Earth's polar ice sheets and estimating global groundwater changes, to measuring the mass changes of large earthquakes and inferring changes in deep ocean currents, a driving force in climate. To date, GRACE observations have been used in more than 4,300 research publications. Its measurements provide a unique view of the Earth system and have far-reaching benefits to society, such as providing insights into where global groundwater resources may be shrinking or growing and where dry soils are contributing to drought. GRACE-FO is planned to fly at least five years. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22341
The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) twin satellites, attached to turntable fixtures, at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. GRACE-FO will extend GRACE's legacy of scientific achievements, which range from tracking mass changes of Earth's polar ice sheets and estimating global groundwater changes, to measuring the mass changes of large earthquakes and inferring changes in deep ocean currents, a driving force in climate. To date, GRACE observations have been used in more than 4,300 research publications. Its measurements provide a unique view of the Earth system and have far-reaching benefits to society, such as providing insights into where global groundwater resources may be shrinking or growing and where dry soils are contributing to drought. GRACE-FO is planned to fly at least five years. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22338
One of the two Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) satellites and its turntable fixture at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. GRACE-FO will extend GRACE's legacy of scientific achievements, which range from tracking mass changes of Earth's polar ice sheets and estimating global groundwater changes, to measuring the mass changes of large earthquakes and inferring changes in deep ocean currents, a driving force in climate. To date, GRACE observations have been used in more than 4,300 research publications. Its measurements provide a unique view of the Earth system and have far-reaching benefits to society, such as providing insights into where global groundwater resources may be shrinking or growing and where dry soils are contributing to drought. GRACE-FO is planned to fly at least five years. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22339
This graph presents known properties of the seven TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets (labeled b through h), showing how they stack up to the inner rocky worlds in our own solar system. The horizontal axis shows the level of illumination that each planet receives from its host star. TRAPPIST-1 is a mere 9 percent the mass of our Sun, and its temperature is much cooler. But because the TRAPPIST-1 planets orbit so closely to their star, they receive comparable levels of light and heat to Earth and its neighboring planets. The vertical axis shows the densities of the planets. Density, calculated based on a planet's mass and volume, is the first important step in understanding a planet's composition. The plot shows that the TRAPPIST-1 planet densities range from being similar to Earth and Venus at the upper end, down to values comparable to Mars at the lower end. The relative sizes of the planets are indicated by the circles. The masses and densities of the TRAPPIST-1 planets were determined by careful measurements of slight variations in the timings of their orbits using extensive observations made by NASA's Spitzer and Kepler space telescopes, in combination with data from Hubble and a number of ground-based telescopes. These measurements are the most precise to date for any system of exoplanets. By comparing these measurements with theoretical models of how planets form and evolve, researchers have determined that they are all rocky in overall composition. Estimates suggest the lower-density planets could have large quantities of water -- as much as 5 percent by mass for TRAPPIST-1d. Earth, in comparison, has only about 0.02 percent of its mass in the form of water. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22095
Packing light is the idea behind the Zero Launch Mass 3-D Printer. Instead of loading up on heavy building supplies, a large scale 3-D printer capable of using recycled plastic waste and dirt at the destination as construction material would save mass and money when launching robotic precursor missions to build infrastructure on the Moon or Mars in preparation for human habitation. To make this a reality, Nathan Gelino, a researcher engineer with NASA’s Swamp Works at Kennedy Space Center, measured the temperature of a test specimen from the 3-D printer Tuesday as an early step in characterizing printed material strength properties. Material temperature plays a large role in the strength of bonds between layers.
iss032e016946 (8/11/2012) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide poses with the HiMassSEE (Spacecraft Single Event Environments at High Shielding Mass) kits 1,2,3 and 4 in the U.S. Lab aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Spacecraft Single Event Environments at High Shielding Mass (HiMassSEE) measures space radiation interactions with spacecraft structure and shielding using several passive track detector technologies to provide a more accurate definition of International Space Station (ISS) payload accommodations, radiation transport model validation, and flight demonstration data on advanced microelectronics and chemical dosimeters.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Several Lead Zirconate Titanate, or PZT, mass gaging sensors have been attached to a composite tank during a test inside a laboratory at the Cryogenics Testbed Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The PZT-based system was developed at Kennedy as a way to measure the mass of a fluid and the structural health of a tank using vibration signatures on Earth or in reduced/zero g gravity. The mass gaging technology has received approval to be on the first sub-orbital flight on the Virgin Galactic Space Plane in 2015. NASA experiments using the PZT technology will be used by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in conjunction with Carthage College on a fluid transfer experiment. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper
Nathan Gelino, a NASA research engineer at Kennedy Space Center in Florida displays a 3-D printed cylinder used for compression testing. Engineers at the center’s Swamp Works measured how much force it takes to break the structure before moving on to 3-D printing with a simulated lunar regolith, or dirt, and polymers. Next, Gelino and his group are working on a Zero Launch Mass 3-D printer that can be used for construction projects on the Moon and Mars, even for troops in remote locations here on Earth. Zero launch mass refers to the fact that the printer uses these pellets to prove that space explorers can use resources at their destination instead of taking everything with them, saving them launch mass and money. Gelino and his team are working with Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a system that can 3-D print barracks in remote locations on Earth, using the resources they have where they are.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Several Lead Zirconate Titanate, or PZT, mass gaging sensors have been attached to a composite tank during a test inside a laboratory at the Cryogenics Testbed Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The PZT-based system was developed at Kennedy as a way to measure the mass of a fluid and the structural health of a tank using vibration signatures on Earth or in reduced/zero g gravity. The mass gaging technology has received approval to be on the first sub-orbital flight on the Virgin Galactic Space Plane in 2015. NASA experiments using the PZT technology will be used by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in conjunction with Carthage College on a fluid transfer experiment. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper
Nathan Gelino, a NASA research engineer at Kennedy Space Center in Florida displays a 3-D printed cylinder used for compression testing. Engineers at the center’s Swamp Works measured how much force it takes to break the structure before moving on to 3-D printing with a simulated lunar regolith, or dirt, and polymers. Next, Gelino and his group are working on a Zero Launch Mass 3-D printer that can be used for construction projects on the Moon and Mars, even for troops in remote locations here on Earth. Zero launch mass refers to the fact that the printer uses these pellets to prove that space explorers can use resources at their destination instead of taking everything with them, saving them launch mass and money. Gelino and his team are working with Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a system that can 3-D print barracks in remote locations on Earth, using the resources they have where they are.
This graph presents measured properties of the seven TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets (labeled b through h), showing how they stack up with one another as well as with Earth and the other inner rocky worlds in our own solar system. The relative sizes of the planets are indicated by the circles. All of the known TRAPPIST-1 planets are larger than Mars, with five of them within 15% of the diameter of Earth. The vertical axis shows the uncompressed densities of the planets. Density, calculated from a planet's mass and volume, is the first important step in understanding its composition. Uncompressed density takes into account that the larger a planet is, the more its own gravity will pack the planet's material together and increase its density. Uncompressed density, therefore, usually provides a better means of comparing the composition of planets. The plot shows that the uncompressed densities of the TRAPPIST-1 planets are similar to one another, suggesting they may have all have a similar composition. The four rocky planets in our own solar system show more variation in density compared to the seven TRAPPIST-1 planets. Mercury, for example, contains a much higher percentage of iron than the other three rocky planets and thus has a much higher uncompressed density. The horizontal axis shows the level of illumination that each planet receives from its host star. The TRAPPIST-1 star is a mere 9% the mass of our Sun, and its temperature is much cooler. But because the TRAPPIST-1 planets orbit so closely to their star, they receive comparable levels of light and heat to Earth and its neighboring planets. The corresponding "habitable zones" — regions where an Earth-like planet could potentially support liquid water on its surface — of the two planetary systems are indicated near the top of the plot. The the two zones do not line up exactly because the cooler TRAPPIST-1 star emitting more of its light in the form of infrared radiation that is more efficiently absorbed by an Earth-like atmosphere. Since it takes less illumination to reach the same temperatures, the habitable zone shifts farther away from the star. The masses and densities of the TRAPPIST-1 planets were determined by measurements of slight variations in the timings of their orbits using extensive observations made by NASA's Spitzer and Kepler space telescopes, in combination with data from Hubble and a number of ground-based telescopes. The latest analysis, which includes Spitzer's complete record of over 1,000 hours of TRAPPIST-1 observations, has reduced the uncertainties of the mass measurements to a mere 3-6%. These are among the most accurate measurements of planetary masses anywhere outside of our solar system. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24371
The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) spacecraft bus with mass mockups installed is lifted before structural proof testing at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland on May 26th, 2021. PACE's unprecedented spectral coverage will provide the first-ever global measurements designed to identify phytoplankton community composition. The mission will make global ocean color measurements, using the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), to provide extended data records on ocean ecology and global biogeochemistry along with polarimetry measurements, using the Spectro-polarimeter for Planetary Exploration (SPEXone) and the Hyper Angular Research Polarimeter (HARP2) to provide extended data records on clouds and aerosols. The Earth-observing satellite mission, built at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, will continue and advance observations of global ocean color, biogeochemistry, and ecology, as well as the carbon cycle, aerosols and clouds.
Michael Watkins, GRACE-FO science lead and director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, discusses the upcoming launch of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission, Monday, April 30, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The twin GRACE-FO spacecraft will measure and monitor monthly changes in how mass is redistributed within and among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as within Earth itself. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
Frank Flechtner, GRACE-FO project manager for the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) in Potsdam, Germany, participates in a briefing on the upcoming launch of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission via a remote video link, Monday, April 30, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The twin GRACE-FO spacecraft will measure and monitor monthly changes in how mass is redistributed within and among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as within Earth itself. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
jsc2020e012432 (2/27/2020) --- A preflight view of the total mass measurement of Neutron-1 after complete integration. The NanoRacks-NEUTRON-1 investigation maps neutron abundance in low-Earth orbit. Data gathered on global neutron counts could contribute to better understanding of the complex relationship between Earth and the Sun. Image courtesy of HSFL
David Jarrett, GRACE-FO program executive in the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters is seen during a Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission prelaunch media briefing, Monday, May 21, 2018, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The twin GRACE-FO spacecraft will measure changes in how mass is redistributed within and among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as within Earth itself. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Lockheed Martin technicians at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans complete the final assembly of the crew seat for the Artemis I flight on Sept. 23, 2020. The seat will hold a mass simulator and measure launch and landing loads during the flight which will see Orion travel 40,000 miles past the Moon. The seat will also be reused on Artemis II, Orion's first crewed flight.
Frank Webb, GRACE-FO project scientist at JPL, discusses the upcoming launch of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission, Monday, April 30, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The twin GRACE-FO spacecraft will measure and monitor monthly changes in how mass is redistributed within and among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as within Earth itself. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
Lockheed Martin technicians at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans complete the final assembly of the crew seat for the Artemis I flight on Sept. 23, 2020. The seat will hold a mass simulator and measure launch and landing loads during the flight which will see Orion travel 40,000 miles past the Moon. The seat will also be reused on Artemis II, Orion's first crewed flight.
In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician remove a protective cover on the Cosmic-Ray Energetics and Mass investigation, or CREAM, instrument. It is designed to measure the charges of cosmic rays to better understand what gives them such incredible energies, and how that effects the composition of the universe. The instrument will be launched to the space station on the SpaceX CRS-12 commercial resupply mission in August 2017.
Lockheed Martin technicians at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans complete the final assembly of the crew seat for the Artemis I flight on Sept. 23, 2020. The seat will hold a mass simulator and measure launch and landing loads during the flight which will see Orion travel 40,000 miles past the Moon. The seat will also be reused on Artemis II, Orion's first crewed flight.
Phil Morton, NASA GRACE-FO project manager at JPL, second from right, discusses the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission during a prelaunch media briefing, Monday, May 21, 2018, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The twin GRACE-FO spacecraft will measure changes in how mass is redistributed within and among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as within Earth itself. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Michael Watkins, GRACE-FO science lead and director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, discusses the upcoming launch of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission, Monday, April 30, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The twin GRACE-FO spacecraft will measure and monitor monthly changes in how mass is redistributed within and among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as within Earth itself. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
Lockheed Martin technicians at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans complete the final assembly of the crew seat for the Artemis I flight on Sept. 23, 2020. The seat will hold a mass simulator and measure launch and landing loads during the flight which will see Orion travel 40,000 miles past the Moon. The seat will also be reused on Artemis II, Orion's first crewed flight.
JSC2000E01555 (January 2000) --- A one-dimensional representation of Earth indicates only a portion of the total anticipated coverage area for the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The primary objective of SRTM is to acquire a high-resolution topographic map of the Earth's land mass (between 60 degrees north and 56 degrees south latitude) and to test new technologies for deployment of large rigid structures and measurement of their distortions to extremely high precision.
CAPE KENNEDY, Fla. -- At Cape Kennedy Air Force Station in Florida, a thrust augmented improved Delta lifts off with a three hundred eighty five pound geodetic Explorer spacecraft, designated GEOS-A. The spacecraft contains five geodetic instrumentation systems to provide simultaneous measurements that scientists require to establish a more precise model of the Earth's gravitational field, and to map a world coordinate system relating points on, or near the surface to the common center of mass. This will be the first launch for the improved Delta second stage. Photo Credit: NASA
Phil Morton, NASA GRACE-FO project manager at JPL, discusses the upcoming launch of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission, Monday, April 30, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The twin GRACE-FO spacecraft will measure and monitor monthly changes in how mass is redistributed within and among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as within Earth itself. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
David Jarrett, GRACE-FO program executive in the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters, discusses the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission during a prelaunch media briefing, Monday, May 21, 2018, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The twin GRACE-FO spacecraft will measure changes in how mass is redistributed within and among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as within Earth itself. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
ISS012-E-12577 (16 Dec. 2005) --- Astronaut William S. (Bill) McArthur Jr., Expedition 12 commander and NASA space station science officer, sets up the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) hardware attached to the Human Research Facility (HRF) rack in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.
iss051e033988 (5/2/2017) --- European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Pesquet is photographed with the Tanks Bag and Science Arm for the Fluid Dynamics in Space (FLUIDICS) experiment. Image was taken in the Columbus European Laboratory during preparations for the first run of the experiment. The FLUIDICS investigation evaluates the Center of Mass (CoM) position regarding a temperature gradient on a representation of a fuel tank. The observation of capillary wave turbulence on the surface of a fluid layer in a low-gravity environment can provide insights into measuring the existing volume in a sphere.
iss051e036148 (5/3/2016) --- European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Pesquet works with Fluid Dynamics in Space (FLUIDICS) hardware during the completion of experiment runs. FE Jack Fischer is visible in the background. Image was taken in the Columbus European Laboratory. The FLUIDICS investigation evaluates the Center of Mass (CoM) position regarding a temperature gradient on a representation of a fuel tank. The observation of capillary wave turbulence on the surface of a fluid layer in a low-gravity environment can provide insights into measuring the existing volume in a sphere.
ISS037-E-001078 (12 Sept. 2013) --- European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, Expedition 37 flight engineer, performs in-flight maintenance behind a rack in Tranquility node of the International Space Station. Parmitano replaced a mass spectrometer inside the Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA). The MCA measures the levels of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen and water vapor inside the space station’s atmosphere.
Lockheed Martin technicians at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans complete the final assembly of the crew seat for the Artemis I flight on Sept. 23, 2020. The seat will hold a mass simulator and measure launch and landing loads during the flight which will see Orion travel 40,000 miles past the Moon. The seat will also be reused on Artemis II, Orion's first crewed flight.
Phil Morton, NASA GRACE-FO project manager at JPL, discusses the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission during a prelaunch media briefing, Monday, May 21, 2018, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The twin GRACE-FO spacecraft will measure changes in how mass is redistributed within and among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as within Earth itself. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
iss066e146914 (2/22/2022) --- A view of a transparent FLUIDICS sphere aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The FLUIDICS investigation evaluates the Center of Mass (CoM) position regarding a temperature gradient on a representation of a fuel tank. The observation of capillary wave turbulence on the surface of a fluid layer in a low-gravity environment can provide insights into measuring the existing volume in a sphere.
ISS012-E-12641 (16 Dec. 2005) --- Astronaut William S. (Bill) McArthur Jr., Expedition 12 commander and NASA space station science officer, stows the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) hardware after conducting test operations. SLAMMD hardware was stowed in a stowage drawer on the Human Research Facility (HRF) rack in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.
Lockheed Martin technicians at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans complete the final assembly of the crew seat for the Artemis I flight on Sept. 23, 2020. The seat will hold a mass simulator and measure launch and landing loads during the flight which will see Orion travel 40,000 miles past the Moon. The seat will also be reused on Artemis II, Orion's first crewed flight.
In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians and engineers remove a protective cover on the Cosmic-Ray Energetics and Mass investigation, or CREAM, instrument. It is designed to measure the charges of cosmic rays to better understand what gives them such incredible energies, and how that effects the composition of the universe. The instrument will be launched to the space station on the SpaceX CRS-12 commercial resupply mission in August 2017.
A model of one of the twin Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) spacecraft is seen following a pre-launch briefing on the mission, Monday, April 30, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The twin GRACE-FO spacecraft will measure and monitor monthly changes in how mass is redistributed within and among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as within Earth itself. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
ISS040-E-123262 (2 Sept. 2014) --- NASA astronaut Steve Swanson, Expedition 40 commander, sets up the Portable Pulmonary Function System hardware for Sprint VO2max sessions in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. The Sprint experiment measures the effectiveness of high-intensity, low-volume exercise training in minimizing the loss of muscle mass and bone density that occurs during spaceflight.
Phil Morton, NASA GRACE-FO project manager at JPL discusses the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission during a prelaunch media briefing, Monday, May 21, 2018, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The twin GRACE-FO spacecraft will measure changes in how mass is redistributed within and among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as within Earth itself. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians and engineers inspect the Cosmic-Ray Energetics and Mass investigation, or CREAM, instrument. It is designed to measure the charges of cosmic rays to better understand what gives them such incredible energies, and how that effects the composition of the universe. The instrument will be launched to the space station on the SpaceX CRS-12 commercial resupply mission in August 2017.
iss066e146847 (2/22/2022) --- A view of a transparent FLUIDICS sphere aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The FLUIDICS investigation evaluates the Center of Mass (CoM) position regarding a temperature gradient on a representation of a fuel tank. The observation of capillary wave turbulence on the surface of a fluid layer in a low-gravity environment can provide insights into measuring the existing volume in a sphere.
Lockheed Martin technicians at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans complete the final assembly of the crew seat for the Artemis I flight on Sept. 23, 2020. The seat will hold a mass simulator and measure launch and landing loads during the flight which will see Orion travel 40,000 miles past the Moon. The seat will also be reused on Artemis II, Orion's first crewed flight.