AWE’s “First Light” Images Received

NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) has recently captured initial images of the mesosphere from its perch on the International Space Station. AWE was installed on the Space Station on Nov. 18, and initial commands were sent to the instrument on Nov. 20. The first images recently captured, or “first light” images, represent a milestone that confirms the instrument is functioning as designed and the mission is operating as expected.

Three men stand in a darkened room, in front of two computer monitors with images of data on the screens.
AWE Ground Systems & Mission Operations Manager Pedro Sevilla of the Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL), along with Emeritus Principal Investigator Michael Taylor and Principal Investigator Ludger Scherliess of Utah State University’s College of Science, observe some of the first live images from the AWE instrument being transmitted from the International Space Station to AWE’s Mission Operations Center at SDL. Credit: SDL/Allison Bills

AWE is providing global-scale observations of atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs) at the mesopause region, 54 miles (87 kilometers) above Earth. Once researchers are able to analyze AWE’s observations, they will be able to study how AGWs form by weather events on Earth and are transported through Earth’s atmosphere. This will also help us understand AGWs broader role in the upper atmosphere known as the ionosphere-thermosphere-mesosphere and their effects on space weather. 

AWE is led by Ludger Scherliess at Utah State University in Logan, and it is managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory built the AWE instrument and provides the mission operations center.

AWE Successfully Installed on Space Station, Sending Down Data

Editor’s Note: This post was updated to include a link to footage of AWE’s installation on the International Space Station.

On Saturday, Nov. 18, at 2 p.m. EST, installation of NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) was completed on the International Space Station.

The video begins with the International Space Station soaring above Earth. As the Space Station turns, AWE, which is nestled on the bottom portion of the Space Station, comes into view.
From its unique vantage point on the International Space Station, NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) will look directly down into Earth’s atmosphere.
Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

By remotely controlling the Canadarm2 robotic arm, engineers first extracted AWE from SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft a couple days after it arrived at the station on Nov. 11. Then, on Saturday, using the Canadarm2 robotic arm again, engineers completed AWE’s installation onto the EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 1, a platform designed to support external payloads mounted to the International Space Station.

You can watch footage of the extraction from SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft and installation onto the EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 1 at NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio.

After sending initial commands to AWE on Monday, Nov. 20, the team has confirmed that the instrument has power. All four cameras are on and data is being received by the science team. The mission is operating as expected.

AWE will enable scientists to compute the size, energy, and momentum of atmospheric gravity waves, which can be formed by weather disturbances, such as thunderstorms or hurricanes. AWE is the first NASA mission to attempt this type of science to provide insight into how terrestrial weather impacts space weather which may affect satellite communications and tracking in orbit. AWE has joined NASA’s fleet of heliophysics missions studying the heliosphere – a vast interconnected system that includes the space surrounding Earth and other planets, out to the farthest limits of the Sun’s constantly flowing stream of solar wind.

AWE is led by Ludger Scherliess at Utah State University in Logan, and it is managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory built the AWE instrument and provides the mission operations center.

By Abbey Interrante
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 

New Principal Investigator to Lead NASA’s AWE Mission

NASA has named a new principal investigator for its newly launched Atmospheric Waves Experiment, or AWE. Effective as of Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, Ludger Scherliess, a physics professor at Utah State University, will lead the AWE science team. A native of Germany, Scherliess earned a doctoral degree in physics from Utah State University in 1997 and has been a researcher and professor at the university for about 25 years.

Nicola Fox, the Associate Administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, appointed Scherliess to succeed the retiring Michael Taylor, also of Utah State University. Taylor has studied upper atmospheric gravity waves for nearly four decades, conceived the AWE mission, and helped guide AWE through its successful launch to the International Space Station on Nov. 9.

Two people stand next to each other and smile at the camera. Each is wearing a yellow polo shirt with the letters "AWE" on their upper left chest.
Ludger Scherliess (left), the new principal investigator for NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE), stands next to Michael Taylor (right), who is retiring as the mission’s principal investigator.
Credits: Utah State University/Mary-Ann Muffoletto

Launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as part of NASA’s SpaceX CRS-29 commercial resupply mission, the AWE instrument arrived at the International Space Station on Nov. 11. It is expected to be installed on the outside of the station later this month. 

Once science operations begin, AWE will take advantage of its position on the space station to continuously image airglow in Earth’s atmosphere, studying undulations in the air known as atmospheric gravity waves around the globe to help us better understand the connections between terrestrial weather and space weather.

AWE Launches to Space Station

Set against a black sky, a rocket rises above a launch pad with a bright yellow glow and trail of white smoke directly beneath it. Plumes of white smoke billow around the launch pad on the ground. In the foreground, the light from the rocket engine is reflected in dark waters.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, on the company’s 29th commercial resupply services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 8:28 p.m. EST. Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett

At 8:28 p.m. EST on Nov. 9, 2023, NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment, or AWE, lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the 29th commercial resupply mission (CRS-29) for NASA.

An uncrewed SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying AWE and over 6,000 pounds of other cargo autonomously docked with the International Space Station at 5:07 a.m. EST on Nov. 11.

Once installed on the outside of the space station, AWE will spend two years studying undulations in the air known as atmospheric gravity waves to understand the flow of energy through Earth’s upper atmosphere and space, helping us better understand the connections between terrestrial weather and space weather.

At night, a large, white rocket stands straight up in the middle of the image. On either side are tall towers. The bottom of the rocket is bright, as if it's lighting up, and golden smoke starts to fill the bottom of the image.
Credits: NASA

NASA Telecon to Discuss AWE Mission, Space Station Payloads

NASA will host a media teleconference at 11 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 26, to discuss the Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) and other International Space Station payloads launching in November. AWE’s mission is to help us better understand the interactions between weather on Earth and in space. 

Audio of the media call will stream live at: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv.

The AWE instrument appears wrapped in silver metallic blankets as it lays horizontally on a metal platform in a large clean room.
The Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) flight instrument sits on a support structure in a clean room.
Credits: Allison Bills/SDL

AWE is one of many research and technology experiments bound for the space station next month aboard the agency’s SpaceX 29th commercial resupply services mission. The telecon will also discuss a laser communications system launching to the space station alongside AWE.

Launch is targeted for no earlier than 10:01 p.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 5. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carried on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket, will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

To ask questions during the teleconference, media must RSVP no later than two hours before the event to Claire O’Shea at claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. The public can submit questions on social media using #AskNASA.

Click here to read the full media release.

For AWE media resources, visit this page.

NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment Completes Space Environment Tests

NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) has successfully completed critical space environment tests. Planned for launch to the International Space Station in November 2023, AWE will study atmospheric gravity waves in Earth’s atmosphere to help us better understand the connections between terrestrial weather and space.

“AWE is a highly sensitive, precise science instrument designed to be fitted on the International Space Station and operate in the harsh space environment,” said Burt Lamborn, AWE project manager at Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL), which is building the instrument for NASA. “To ensure that AWE will survive launch turbulence and operate as designed once in space, SDL put the instrument through its paces on the ground.”

The AWE instrument appears wrapped in silver metallic blankets and lit by blue lights as it lays horizontally on a metal platform in a large clean room. On the left end of the spacecraft is a dark, round cover with the word "TOP" on it.
NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment, or AWE, is shown with its remove-before-flight covers in this photo taken on May 26, 2023, at Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory. Credits: SDL/Allison Bills

AWE’s environmental tests included:

    • Electromagnetic interference/electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC) testing to ensure AWE does not produce or emit electromagnetic signals that could interfere with other critical equipment on the International Space Station.
    • Exposing AWE to a variety of high-level noise sources to ensure that any interference originating from the space station will not impair AWE’s observations.
    • Tests to verify ruggedness and reliability, electrostatic discharge, and voltage spikes.
    • Vibration and strength validation testing using a shaker table that simulated the predicted conditions during launch.
    • Thermal vacuum testing to demonstrate the performance and operation of the AWE instrument in a simulated flight environment.
    • Instrument calibration in a vacuum chamber, which simulated on-orbit environmental conditions.

Satellite communications that enable banking, navigation, telephony, entertainment, and many more applications can be disrupted by impacts from atmospheric gravity waves and from adverse space weather. Scientists hope to gain new knowledge from AWE that will help them more accurately forecast the impact on communications from atmospheric waves and space weather while allowing mission planners and satellite operators to plan contingencies.

Learn more about AWE here.

Media contacts:

Denise Hill
Heliophysics Communications Lead
NASA Headquarters
202-308-2071
denise.hill@nasa.gov

Eric Warren
Director, Public Relations
Space Dynamics Laboratory
435-881-8439
eric.warren@sdl.usu.edu

AWE Set to Launch in November

Editor’s Note: The launch date for AWE has moved to Nov. 1, 2023. The title and launch date have been updated to reflect the change.

NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment, or AWE, is set to launch in November 2023. From its perch aboard the International Space Station 250 miles above Earth, AWE will study atmospheric gravity waves to better understand how they transport energy into Earth’s upper atmosphere and affect space weather.

Three scientists in all-white clean room suits stand around a metal table. They are looking at a large, cylindrical metal object with wires coming out of it.
SDL Engineer and Scientist Brian Thompson, Engineering Associate Dave Griffin, and Mission Assurance Manager Russ Kirkham are pictured mounting the AWE Opto-Mechanical Assembly (OMA) to the flight EXPRESS Payload Adapter (ExPA) at SDL facilities on Utah State University’s Innovation Campus. Credits: SDL/Allison Bills

Gravity waves, also known as buoyancy waves, are a common phenomenon that connect the lower and upper atmospheric regions by transporting heat and momentum upwards. They’re created near Earth’s surface by atmospheric disturbances such as air flowing over mountains and severe weather like thunderstorms and tropical cyclones. These different sources produce gravity waves with very different sizes and speeds that, up until now, have been very difficult to measure comprehensively from space with one instrument.

AWE’s two-year mission will, for the first time, remotely measure a broad range of sizes and speeds of gravity waves as they travel through the atmosphere, 50 miles above Earth’s surface. These measurements will provide new information about the sources of gravity waves, how they travel, and how they vary with the seasons. By better understanding the physics of gravity waves, scientists will better understand – and be better equipped to forecast – key processes affecting atmospheric weather, space weather, and climate.

Measuring the energy that gravity waves transport to the upper atmosphere is critical for understanding how terrestrial weather affects space weather. Space weather is caused when high-energy radiation and particles from the Sun interact with Earth’s magnetic field and upper atmosphere. Space weather effects can disrupt GPS navigation and radio communications systems, and they also pose a threat to spacecraft in low Earth orbit. The amount of energy transported by gravity waves into the upper atmosphere is an important missing piece of information for understanding space weather effects.

AWE will join NASA’s fleet of heliophysics satellites studying the vast interconnected system that includes the space surrounding Earth and other planets out to the farthest limits of the Sun’s constantly flowing stream of solar wind. AWE will complement NASA’s other upper-atmospheric missions such as the Ionospheric Connection Explorer and the Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk, which both study features in the upper atmosphere on larger scales than AWE.

AWE is led by Michael Taylor at Utah State University in Logan, and it is managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory is building the AWE instrument and will provide the mission operations center.

By Mara Johnson-Groh
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 

AWE Completes Space Environment Tests

NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) has successfully completed its critical space environment tests. Planned for launch to the International Space Station, AWE will study gravity waves in Earth’s atmosphere to gain a deeper knowledge of the connections caused by climate systems throughout our atmosphere and between the atmosphere and space.

From its unique vantage point on the International Space Station, AWE will look directly down into Earth’s atmosphere to study how gravity waves travel through the upper atmosphere. Data collected by AWE will enable scientists to determine the physics and characteristics of atmospheric gravity waves and how terrestrial weather influences the ionosphere, which can affect communication with satellites.

Astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photo from the International Space Station on August 9, 2015, showing our galaxy and our home world posing together beyond the orbital outpost. The Milky Way stretches below the curve of Earth’s limb in the scene that also records a faint red band of airglow. Credit: NASA/Scott Kelly

The AWE mission is focused on understanding gravity waves in Earth’s atmosphere at altitudes between 50 and 500 kilometers, called the ionosphere-thermosphere-mesosphere system. Space weather in this region – the ionosphere in particular – can significantly disrupt space-based communication systems we rely on due to the high concentration of electrically charged particles there. By studying atmospheric gravity waves, scientists will understand more about how Earth’s weather influences upper atmospheric properties.

“AWE is a highly sensitive, precise science instrument designed to be fitted on the International Space Station and operate in the harsh space environment,” said Burt Lamborn, AWE project manager at Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL), where the tests were conducted. “To ensure that AWE will survive launch turbulence and operate as designed once in space, SDL put the instrument through its paces on the ground.”

The AWE instrument underwent electromagnetic interference/electromagnetic compatibility testing to ensure it does not produce or emit electromagnetic signals that could interfere with other equipment onboard the space station, and to verify that interference from the space station will not impair AWE’s ability to produce data. AWE was also subjected to vibration testing on a shaker table that simulated the predicted launch vibration that AWE will experience. During thermal vacuum testing, AWE experienced a simulated flight environment, including cycling between hot and cold temperature extremes. Engineers performed a full-system calibration to verify that the instrument meets mission requirements and to demonstrate its performance and limitations under operational conditions.

AWE is led by Michael Taylor at Utah State University in Logan, and it is managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory is building the AWE instrument and will provide the mission operations center.

NASA’s AWE Mission to Study Airglow

NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) will study atmospheric gravity waves to understand the flow of energy through Earth’s upper atmosphere and space. Powerful waves are formed by weather disturbances, such as strong thunderstorms, brewing hurricanes, or winds rushing upward over massive obstacles at Earth’s surface, like the towering Andes Mountains.

The bottom half shows a dark, cloudy Earth from above. The middle of the image, outlining the Earth is a glowing line, that goes from orange, to teal green. Above the Earth, there is a dark starry sky. There is a red foggy line – airglow. Peaking out from the top is the International Space Station.
This image taken from the International Space Station shows swaths of airglow hovering in Earth’s atmosphere. NASA’s new Atmospheric Waves Experiment will observe airglow from a perch on the space station to help scientists understand, and ultimately improve forecasts of, space weather changes in the upper atmosphere. Credits: NASA

AWE will fly on the International Space Station. By using the space station orbit to its advantage, AWE will look directly down on the atmospheric waves, surveying and measuring their properties.

The better we understand the physics and characteristics of these waves, the better we understand – and ultimately, can better forecast – our atmosphere, weather, and climate.

AWE joins NASA’s heliophysics mission fleet, which studies a vast interconnected system from the space surrounding Earth and other planets to the farthest limits of the Sun’s constantly flowing stream of solar wind. AWE will complement NASA’s two other upper atmosphere missions, the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) and Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD). While ICON and GOLD study large-scale features in the upper atmosphere, the gravity waves AWE will study are comparatively small. The result is a comprehensive set of observations dedicated to exploring the relationship between Earth’s atmosphere and the space around us.

AWE is led by Michael Taylor at Utah State University in Logan, and it is managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory is building the AWE instrument and will provide the mission operations center.

Prepare to be in awe!

By Matina Douzenis
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.