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With the lights out, the ISRU Pilot Excavator digs in regolith bin during testing inside Swamp Works at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 28, 2022. Tests use a gravity assist offload system to simulate reduced gravity conditions found on the Moon. On the surface of the Moon, mining robots like the Pilot Excavator will excavate the regolith and take the material to a processing plant where usable elements such as hydrogen, oxygen and water can be extracted for life support systems. The Pilot Excavator can scoop up icy regolith which can be used to make operations on the Moon sustainable. Image Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux
Podcast Episode 144: Mining the Moon with NASA’s IPEx Robot

What does it take to mine the Moon? Engineers behind NASA’s ISRU Pilot Excavator, known as IPEx, are digging into the answers.  

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November 2024 INSIGHT Now Available

Don’t miss the latest issue of INSIGHT, APPEL Knowledge Services’ online publication featuring our new podcast episodes, columns, articles, lessons learned and more. We invite you to read it today on our website.

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Banner image showing the Small Steps, Giant Leaps logo featuring an illustration of an astronaut leaping from the Moon to Mars. The image on the right of the banner is of a man using a virtual reality headset with controls for NASA simulator training. The text above reads 143: NASA Training Simulators.
Podcast Episode 143: NASA Training Simulators

Before leaving the ground, astronauts prepare for spaceflight by immersing themselves in life-like training simulators. NASA’s Simulation and Graphics Branch makes it happen, and it’s critical to the success of humans in space.

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Artist rendering of the Europa Clipper spacecraft flying near Jupiter's moon, Europa. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Podcast Episode 142: Europa Clipper: Voyage to a Water World

Could Jupiter’s icy moon Europa harbor the conditions for life in the ocean beneath its icy crust? The Europa Clipper mission is on a voyage to find out.

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Featured Video: Eyes on Infrastructure: How the NISAR Satellite Will Help Keep Communities Safer

NISAR, a new satellite mission developed by NASA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), will continuously scan the globe, tracking changes to Earth’s surface and providing insights that could help efforts to mitigate risks to dams, levees, bridges, and other critical infrastructure.

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October 2024 INSIGHT Now Available

Don’t miss the latest issue of INSIGHT, APPEL Knowledge Services’ online publication featuring our new podcast episodes, columns, articles, lessons learned and more. We invite you to read it today on our website.

Read More
NASA’s Glenn Research Center will host the 4th Annual NASA Knowledge Workshop, a hybrid event, with both in-person and virtual attendees, on November 6, 2024. The event will focus on knowledge continuity and succession planning. Credit: NASA
NASA’s GRC to Host Knowledge Workshop

Hybrid event will focus on succession and continuity.

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Podcast episode promo graphic featuring the Small Steps, Giant Leaps logo on the left third of the image. The main image is an illustration of the binary asteroid Didymos with the DART spacecraft approaching it. The text superimposed on top says #141: Planetary Defense at NASA
Podcast Episode 141: Planetary Defense at NASA

The best planetary defense is a good planetary offense. Learn how NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office works to detect, track, and mitigate threats from asteroids and other near-Earth objects.

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Illustration of a neural network showing bright blue and white lines. On the left is a box that says New Podcast Episode and below it is the logo of the podcast which depicts an astronaut leaping from the Moon to Mars. On the right, overlayed on the neural network image, are the words #140: Artificial Intelligence at NASA.
Podcast Episode 140: Artificial Intelligence at NASA

NASA has a long history with AI, using it in various applications like autonomous Mars rover navigation and detecting planets in other solar systems. Today, NASA is embracing AI for more members of the workforce, enabling innovation.

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