Space & Physics

Lagniappe for February 2024

Explore the February 2024 edition featuring: Gator Speaks There are two reasons why the last Thursday in January and the month of February are important at NASA moving ahead as the Artemis Generation. Having been around for decades as the NASA Stennis mascot, it is easy to forget important things if you are not intentional […]

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Feb 1, 2024 - 21:00

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Lagniappe for February 2024

This view of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was generated using data collected by the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard the agency's Perseverance Mars rover on Aug. 2, 2023.

Explore the February 2024 issue, highlighted by NASA reaching the halfway point for the Artemis Moon Rocket Engine Certification Series, NASA’s Day of Remembrance, and what fuels a NASA Stennis Test Operations Leader.

Explore the February 2024 edition featuring:

RS-25 Test on Jan. 27
Day of Remembrance
NASA Spinoff

Gator Speaks

Gator, a cartoon drawing of an alligator wearing a red shirt and blue pants, sits with crossed-legs staring into space.

Gator Speaks

NASA Stennis

There are two reasons why the last Thursday in January and the month of February are important at NASA moving ahead as the Artemis Generation.

Having been around for decades as the NASA Stennis mascot, it is easy to forget important things if you are not intentional about remembering. For newer folks, whether new employees at NASA Stennis or new fans of NASA in general, it is easy not to know something if you are never told about it.

NASA intentionally carves out time each January for a Day of Remembrance to honor members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery, including the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia.

This current moment in space history is a tribute to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. One of the best ways NASA honors the sacrifice made by the previous crew members is by embracing safety as one of the core values at NASA.

This is the cornerstone for mission success as NASA prepares to send the first Artemis astronauts to the Moon. The four astronauts will venture around the Moon on Artemis II as part of NASA’s path to creating a long-term presence on the lunar surface for science and exploration.

The NASA safety culture benefits astronauts, employees, and even surrounding communities where employees participate in daily life. This is a reminder every day at NASA, and especially on the final Thursday in January.

Going forward, the annual Day of Remembrance leads into Black History Month (observed each February), which brings the opportunity to recognize Black Americans who have made contributions to America and NASA’s space program.

One such person is the late NASA astronaut Ronald McNair, who was honored during the Day of Remembrance. McNair, the second Black astronaut to fly to space, was a member of the Challenger crew. He is one of many African Americans whose contributions helped pave the way for NASA to take giant leaps in space exploration for the Artemis Generation.

May we never forget that it is through the sacrifice and contributions of all that NASA explores for the benefit of all. May we never fail to honor those who have come before us, and may we always remember there is space for everybody – in NASA and all of life.

NASA Stennis Top News

NASA Day of Remembrance Honors Fallen Heroes

A man stands behind a lectern. A memorial wreath is displayed next to him.

NASA’s Stennis Space Center and NASA Shared Services Center leaders commemorate NASA Day of Remembrance on Jan. 25 with a ceremony at the south Mississippi site. Rodney McKellip, NASA Stennis associate director (right), and Ken Newton, NASA Shared Services Center acting executive director, observe a moment of silence as employees honor members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery, including the crews of Apollo 1, and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia.

NASA/Danny Nowlin

NASA Marks Halfway Point for Artemis Moon Rocket Engine Certification Series

NASA completed the sixth of 12 scheduled RS-25 engine certification tests in a critical series for future flights of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket as engineers conducted a full-duration hot fire Jan. 27 at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

NASA Continues Artemis Moon Rocket Engine Tests with 1st Hot Fire of 2024

NASA continued a critical test series for future flights of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket in support of the Artemis campaign on Jan. 17 with a full-duration hot fire of the RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

NASA Spinoffs Feature NASA Stennis Developed Technologies

As NASA innovates for the benefit of all, what the agency develops for exploration has the potential to evolve into other technologies with broader use here on Earth. Many of those examples are highlighted in NASA’s annual Spinoff book including dozens of NASA-enabled medical innovations, as well other advancements in 3D printing, robots, and brake designs.

Center Activities

Leadership Class Visits NASA Stennis

The Pearl River County Leadership Class stands in front of the Thad Cochran Test Stand during a NASA Stennis site tour on Jan. 18. The group learned about the RS-25 engine certification test series underway for future flights of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and preparations for Green Run testing at the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-2) for NASA’s Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) in support of the Artemis program. EUS is expected to fly on the Artemis IV mission. Prior to that time, it will undergo a series of integrated systems tests to demonstrate it is ready to fly. Through Artemis, NASA will send the first woman and first person of color to the Moon. The agency will use what is learned on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.

NASA Stennis

Employees View RS-25 Engine Test

employees gather at the viewing site to witness

Sitewide employees at NASA’s Stennis Space Center watch the RS-25 test conducted on Jan. 23 as NASA continued a critical test series for future Artemis flights of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The full-duration hot fire on the Fred Haise Test Stand is part of a 12-test series to certify production of new RS-25 engines by lead contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company. The new engines will help power SLS rocket on Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond, beginning with Artemis V.

NASA/Danny Nowlin

NASA Joins Students for Space Day Event

elementary students assemble to hear presentation

NASA Visitor Relations Specialist Nick Middleton shares a presentation with Woodley Elementary students on Jan. 26 in Hattiesburg. As part of the Artemis Generation, the more than 100 students from five pre-K and kindergarten classes learned about the Moon and space exploration. Through Artemis, NASA will send the first woman and first person of color to the Moon. As NASA explores the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all, the agency will use what is learned on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap of sending astronauts to Mars.

NASA/Samone Wilson

NASA in the News

Employee Profile

Maury Vander, wearing a navy-colored jacket, smiles at the camera. He is standing in the foreground with the Thad Cochran Test Stand in the background.

Maury Vander stands at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, where he has worked more than 30 years supporting NASA’s mission of space exploration.

NASA/Danny Nowlin

One thing has remained constant throughout Maury Vander’s career with NASA – the satisfaction of being part of a team working to innovate and benefit the agency and the aerospace industry at large.

Looking Back: NASA Stennis Meets Testing Needs

In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan unveiled plans for a National Aerospace Plane (NASP). In May 1992, NASA’s Stennis Space Center was selected to initially test new materials for the NASP that would be able to withstand the extreme change in temperature the plane would endure when it flew into Earth’s orbit and then landed in destinations across the globe. In January 1993, foundations for the various tanks needed for the new High Heat Flux Facility at NASA Stennis were poured. Even though the facility was designed to support the NASP project, NASA Stennis leaders and engineers are always thinking towards the future. To that end, they not only equipped the facility to handle testing of NASP components but designed it with the ability to evolve into a versatile test complex able to handle a range of test projects. Thus, even after the NASP program was cancelled, the leadership at NASA Stennis continued to evolve the test facility to meet the needs of the future. What began as the High Heat Flux Facility is now cell 1 on the E-2 Test Stand at the south Mississippi site.

NASA Stennis

Additional Resources

Subscription Info

Lagniappe is published monthly by the Office of Communications at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The NASA Stennis office may be contacted by at 228-688-3333 (phone); ssc-office-of-communications@mail.nasa.gov (email); or NASA OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS, Attn: LAGNIAPPE, Mail code IA00, Building 1111 Room 173, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (mail).

The Lagniappe staff includes: Managing Editor Lacy Thompson, Editor Bo Black, and photographer Danny Nowlin.

To subscribe to the monthly publication, please email the following to ssc-office-of-communications@mail.nasa.gov – name, location (city/state), email address.