{"623975":{"#nid":"623975","#data":{"type":"news","title":"NASA Administrator James Bridenstine Visits Georgia Tech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWith the 50th anniversary of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/apollo\/missions\/apollo11.html\u0022\u003EApollo 11\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;moon landing still fresh in everyone\u0026rsquo;s minds,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/content\/nasa-administrator-bridenstine\u0022\u003ENASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;this week came to Georgia Tech to get a status report on what the next generation of astronauts may take with them into space five years from now.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We have to make sure we get this right, because quite frankly, if we\u0026rsquo;re going to land on the moon in 2024, we have to start now,\u0026rdquo; Bridenstine said during a July 31 tour of NASA-related research labs in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EDaniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ethe School of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe NASA delegation included\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/tomgraves.house.gov\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Congressman Tom Graves\u003C\/a\u003E; representatives for\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.perdue.senate.gov\/\u0022\u003EU.S. Senator David Perdue\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hice.house.gov\/\u0022\u003ECongressman Jody Hice\u003C\/a\u003E;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/spacetech\/about_us\/bios\/green_bio.html\u0022\u003EMike Green, director for communications \u0026amp; operations and chief of staff of NASA\u0026rsquo;s Space Technology Mission Directorate\u003C\/a\u003E; and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/robert-knotts-72b72855\u0022\u003ERobert Knotts\u003C\/a\u003E, Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s director of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gov.gatech.edu\/federal-relations\u0022\u003Efederal relations\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;When you look at what Georgia Tech is doing with NASA, there\u0026rsquo;s a lot of not just research, but applications that Georgia Tech is developing,\u0026rdquo; Bridenstine said. He was referring to the studies underway in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/reveals.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EREVEALS\u003C\/a\u003E(Radiation Effects on Volatiles and Exploration of Asteroids and Lunar Surfaces) lab run by chemistry and physics professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/faculty\/orlando\u0022\u003EThomas Orlando\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EREVEALS focuses on the physics and chemistry involved in how solar winds and micrometeorite impacts could help produce water \u0026ndash; from molecular hydrogen and oxygen \u0026ndash; for astronaut habitats on the Moon. The research also studies how the lunar regolith \u0026ndash; the dirt, rocks, and other materials covering solid rock \u0026ndash; could be harvested for building materials. REVEALS is also looking at the development of superdurable graphene-based composites for spacesuits, as well as how radiation detectors could be integrated into the suit materials to provide real-time readouts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;These efforts will mitigate health risks,\u0026rdquo; Orlando said. \u0026ldquo;Bridenstine and Graves were able to see the prototype detectors, the\u0026nbsp;polymers and [their] antistatic properties, as well as the novel table-top\u0026nbsp;accelerator we will use to test these.\u0026nbsp; These efforts are very important to NASA\u0026#39;s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/artemis\u0022\u003EARTEMIS\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;program, which plans to sends humans to the Moon by 2024.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBack to the Moon with ARTEMIS\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe NASA delegation\u0026rsquo;s visit to Georgia Tech included presentations at the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/schools\/aerospace-engineering\u0022\u003ESchool of Aerospace Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E, which showed off samples of its nanosatellites known as CubeSats. These are currently used in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ssdl.gatech.edu\/research\u0022\u003ERANGE\u003C\/a\u003E(Ranging and Nanosatellite Guidance Experiment) and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ssdl.gatech.edu\/research\u0022\u003ETARGIT\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(Tethering and Ranging Mission of the Georgia Institute of Technology.)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA RANGE CubeSat successfully launched in December 2018, making it the first time a Georgia Tech-built satellite was placed in orbit. Georgia Tech aerospace engineering students were also involved in the July 2019 launch of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ssdl.gatech.edu\/research\u0022\u003ELightsail-2\u003C\/a\u003E, a CubeSat containing a solar sail from the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.planetary.org\/\u0022\u003EPlanetary Society\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;championed by noted science advocate\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/billnye.com\/\u0022\u003EBill Nye\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Georgia Tech is building some of the propulsion capabilities for some of the CubeSats that are going to be going around the Moon for ARTEMIS 1 [an unmanned flight set to launch in 2020]\u0026rdquo; Bridenstine said. \u0026ldquo;We have not been to the Moon with humans since 1972. We\u0026rsquo;re going back. The first mission will be uncrewed. It\u0026rsquo;ll be a crew-type vehicle but without crew.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBridenstine was impressed with what he saw. \u0026ldquo;All of those\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003Ein situ\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;resource utilization capabilities that are being developed here at Georgia Tech on behalf of NASA are amazing,\u0026rdquo; he said. Bridenstine held samples of the graphene-based materials being tested for future spacesuits and examined them while\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/user\/phillip-first\u0022\u003EPhillip First\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in the School of Physics who is part of the REVEALS team, explained his research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;When radiation goes through a material and creates some kind of defect, you detect it in most cases with luminescence in the material.\u0026rdquo; First said. \u0026ldquo;We want an electrical readout, so that you can dynamically monitor exactly the amount of radiation exposure.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe REVEALS team, along with members of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Industrial and Systems Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E, and the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gtri.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Research Institute\u003C\/a\u003E, also contribute to\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/homestri.ucdavis.edu\/\u0022\u003EHOME\u003C\/a\u003E, a new NASA-funded space research institute led by former astronaut\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/mae.ucdavis.edu\/directory\/stephen-robinson\u0022\u003ESteve Robinson\u003C\/a\u003E, REVEALS co-investigative lead based at the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ucdavis.edu\/\u0022\u003EUniversity of California, Davis\u003C\/a\u003E. Orlando said HOME leverages Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s strengths in data analytics, autonomous control, sensors, and robotics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;REVEALS is part of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cstar.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Space Technology and Research\u003C\/a\u003E, which was started eight years ago with the intention of contributing significantly to future long-term efforts in space science and technology,\u0026rdquo; Orlando said. \u0026ldquo;The efforts in REVEALS and HOME have been, and will continue to be, the cornerstone of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s efforts in human flight and human exploration of destinations such as the Moon and Mars.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe student-led difference\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt the REVEALS portion of the tour, Orlando told Bridenstine that the research had attracted more students to the Institute. \u0026ldquo;They would not have come to Georgia Tech unless we had this program,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;Georgia Tech already has a very strong program, but this has been a real magnet for bringing in people who are interested in space exploration.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESome of Orlando\u0026rsquo;s students participated in the presentations, and that also impressed Bridenstine.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The best thing about all of this is that Georgia Tech is embedding its students into these projects,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;NASA turns to Georgia Tech is do these projects, but the most valuable thing is that the students are getting hands-on exposure to these capabilities. They\u0026rsquo;re not just learning chemistry, calculus, physics, and all of the mathematics that are necessary. They\u0026rsquo;re also applying that in real-time to very real projects that are critically important to NASA, so that when they graduate, ultimately they\u0026rsquo;re ready to go to work.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re thrilled with the partnership \u0026ndash; the relationship between NASA and Georgia Tech \u0026ndash; and we\u0026rsquo;re looking forward to it continuing for a long time.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"NASA Administrator James Bridenstine gets a closeup look at Georgia Tech\u0027s role in current and future space missions."}],"uid":"34973","created_gmt":"2019-08-02 19:59:37","changed_gmt":"2019-08-02 21:14:16","author":"Evan Atkinson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-08-02T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-08-02T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"623977":{"id":"623977","type":"image","title":"NASA Administrator James Bridenstine Visits Georgia Tech","body":null,"created":"1564776659","gmt_created":"2019-08-02 20:10:59","changed":"1564776659","gmt_changed":"2019-08-02 20:10:59","alt":"NASA Administrator James Bridenstine Visits Georgia Tech","file":{"fid":"237658","name":"bridentstine1200.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bridentstine1200.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bridentstine1200.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":194961,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bridentstine1200.jpg?itok=-R-w6qwj"}}},"media_ids":["623977"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"408","name":"NASA"},{"id":"167146","name":"space"},{"id":"1325","name":"aerospace"},{"id":"168938","name":"scientists"},{"id":"167040","name":"science"},{"id":"169609","name":"satellite"},{"id":"167098","name":"space exploration"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERenay San Miguel, Communications Officer, College of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}