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Students Take on Airborne Field Research with NASA
3 min read
Students Take on Airborne Field Research with NASAThe gusty wind didn’t make it easy to hold tight to a balloon so large. The balloon, a scientific instrument called an ozonesonde, was about to be released into the atmosphere above the Texas Gulf Coast by students from NASA’s SARP (Student Airborne Research Program), which concluded its summer session July 27. The balloon’s job was to measure ozone concentrations as it rose through the atmosphere.
The SARP students in the atmosphere group prepare a weather balloon by filling it up with helium. The weather balloon will measure ozone in the atmosphere as it rises. NASA/Sofie Bates
A dozen of the 48 undergraduate students participated in atmospheric field research. Guided by instrument scientists, university professors, and graduate students, the SARP students prepared the ozonesondes for takeoff. They chemically treated instrument cells attached to the sensor, wrangled the balloons during inflation, and finally, released them into the sky. As the balloons flew, the students monitored the data.
“This research program is a unique experience for students where they have the opportunity to see the different careers related to Earth system science,” said Yaitza Luna-Cruz, program manager for NASA’s Early Career Research Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Each student was assigned to one of four disciplines: atmospheric science, oceans, terrestrial ecology, or hydrology. They gathered field data, designed individual research projects, and presented their findings at the end of the program. When possible, they cross-checked their measurements with NASA satellite missions.
SARP students and instrument scientists walk away from NASA’s Gulfstream G-V aircraft after their science flight. NASA/Erica McNamee
“This is such an awesome experience,” said Marin Stevens, a chemistry student from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, minutes after she released the ozonesonde into the atmosphere. “It’s way beyond what I would have expected.”
Airborne science was a highlight of the program. Five science aircraft supported the program this year, including NASA’s Gulfstream G-III, GV, and C-20A, Dynamic Aviation’s B200, and a P-III from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Students worked alongside scientists operating various instruments, such as a laser designed to collect measurements on particulates in the atmosphere.
For many students, their time in Houston was their first foray into field research, and, like the students releasing the balloons, they were eager to continue to learn and experience hands-on science. After the first two weeks, the cohort split into two, with half of the students traveling to California and half to Virginia to continue their research.
SARP students celebrate finishing their first flight by making the NASA worm. NASA/Sofie Bates
“The coolest part of SARP is the passion everyone has,” said Joelle Hopkins, SARP project manager, NASA Headquarters. “It’s so enjoyable to work with scientists, faculty, and graduate mentors who are passionate about the science, sharing the science with the students, and building the next generation of scientists.”
The annual eight-week program enhances what students are learning in the classroom by giving them hands-on field experience. It is designed to be a steppingstone into a career in field research or other STEM fields. Students participate in all aspects of a scientific campaign, including data collection, data analysis, and research. They attend science lectures and workshops, join research flights, and accompany scientists into the field.
To learn more about NASA’s Airborne Science Program, visit:
https://airbornescience.nasa.gov/
By Erica McNamee
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Share Details Last Updated Jul 31, 2026 Editor Jenny Marder Contact Erica McNamee erica.s.mcnamee@nasa.gov Location Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms Explore More 5 min read Surf, Turf, Above Earth: Students Participate in NASA Field ResearchFlying over and tromping through watery landscapes along the East Coast, working alongside NASA scientists,…
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NASA astronaut Deniz Burnham will embark on her first mission to the International Space Station, serving as an Expedition 76 flight engineer.
Burnham will launch aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-30 spacecraft with cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin and Konstantin Borisov. Launch is targeted for March 2027, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and the trio will spend about seven months aboard the orbiting laboratory.
During her expedition, Burnham will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars and to benefit people on Earth.
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For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.
To learn more about International Space Station research, operations, and its crews, visit:
-end-
Joshua Finch
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
Anna Schneider
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov
NASA Assigns Astronaut Deniz Burnham to First Space Station Mission
NASA astronaut Deniz Burnham will embark on her first mission to the International Space Station, serving as an Expedition 76 flight engineer.
Burnham will launch aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-30 spacecraft with cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin and Konstantin Borisov. Launch is targeted for March 2027, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and the trio will spend about seven months aboard the orbiting laboratory.
During her expedition, Burnham will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars and to benefit people on Earth.
Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021, Burnham graduated with the agency’s 23rd astronaut class in 2024. Born at Incirlik Air Base in Adana, Turkey, Burnham moved frequently while growing up in a military family. She was living in Wasilla, Alaska, at the time of her selection.
A former intern at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, Burnham earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of California, San Diego, and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. An experienced leader in the energy industry, she spent more than a decade managing onsite drilling operations on oil rigs across North America. Burnham also served in the U.S. Navy Reserves as an engineering duty officer. She is a licensed private pilot with ratings for airplane single engine land and sea, instrument airplane, and rotorcraft-helicopter.
For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.
To learn more about International Space Station research, operations, and its crews, visit:
-end-
Joshua Finch
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
Anna Schneider
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov
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Explore the galaxy through an interactive map.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Macarena Garcia Marin (ESA Office at STScI)
Starburst Galaxy Centaurus A
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Centaurus A is 11 million light-years away from Earth, relatively close in cosmic terms. Yet, unlike most nearby galaxies, it is very active, making it a powerful laboratory for understanding how galaxies and black holes grow and evolve together.
Explore the galaxy through an interactive map.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Macarena Garcia Marin (ESA Office at STScI)
Starburst Galaxy Centaurus A
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The post Wandering Supermassive Black Hole Found at the Edge of its Galaxy appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
The Exciting Plan to Photograph an Alien Continent
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Mars' Double Storm Problem
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