VAB Stories

What does it take to send astronauts to and from Mars? We discuss the challenges of designing a crewed Mars mission with SMAB engineer Patrick Chai, the lead of NASA Langley Research Center’s Mars Architecture Team. Credits: NASA/Advanced Concepts Laboratory.

What’s the right orbit for a satellite to provide the best science possible? We talk with SMAB engineer Vianni Ricano Cadenas about her work aiding the NASA Earth Science Division. Credits: NASA Jet Propulsion Lab

As the number of satellites in orbit grows, NASA needs to understand how they might collaborate to help answer big questions about space science. Aerospace engineer Ben Merrel talks about his work exploring the reliability and effectiveness of satellite constellations.

Tim Lewis is both a strategic and systems thinker. He doesn’t make decisions about engineering or science, but he is responsible for building a consensus that enables those decisions to be made. 

Marie Ivanco, an aerospace engineer and decision science expert, explains how she tackles the challenges of designing new science mission architectures in a way that meets objectives from interested parties around the world. Credits: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Chase Lynch is focused on helping to create crew timelines, particularly when it comes to maintaining the systems that make off-world living possible. Find out where he discovered a treasure-trove of maintenance data to help inform his work.

Astronauts will be staying for longer periods of time on the Moon. Melanie Grande has imagined a sustainable way to keep them safe while they're living and working there.

Several United States government agencies utilize space to achieve their organizational goals, but how do these different organizations achieve mutual cooperation in space? We discuss this and more with SMAB analyst Gregory Benjamin. Credits: NASA.