Innovation Now
Short-form stories highlighting space-related research and emerging technologies.
Lighting the Way
In this episode of Innovation Now, host Jennifer Pulley explores NASA Glenn Research Center's breakthrough regenerative fuel cell, a compact system that stores energy by combining hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity and then recharges by splitting water. The device, roughly the size of a sedan, contains nearly 270 sensors and 1,000 components, and is designed to function through the Moon’s two‑week-long, cold, dark nights. Engineers highlight its potential to serve as a reliable, rechargeable power source for future lunar habitats, offering a battery‑like solution without the weight penalties of traditional storage. The discussion underscores the fuel cell’s role in enabling sustainable, long‑term human presence on the Moon.
To the Next Level
In this episode of Innovation Now, Flight Test Campaign Manager Vanessa Priestmeyer explains NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program, which partners researchers with commercial launch providers to test emerging space technologies on high‑altitude balloons, rockets, and parabolic flights. She highlights how these...
Golden Eagles on the Move
In this episode of Innovation Now, host Jennifer Pulley explores how NASA satellite data is being integrated with GPS tracking of golden eagles to improve conservation efforts. Scientists combine observations from Landsat, MODIS, and the Global Precipitation Measurement mission with...
A Rendezvous with Hubble
The episode recounts the 2009 Space Shuttle Atlantis mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, highlighting NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin's decision to reverse the cancellation of the rescue‑critical servicing flight. It describes the launch logistics, including Endeavour on standby...
A Model MoM
The episode discusses MOM (Model of Models), a new flood‑forecasting tool that blends open‑source hydrological models with satellite data to deliver sub‑watershed flood severity updates multiple times daily. Dr. Maggie Glasgow of the University of Alabama explains how NASA and...
Helping Farmers
In this episode of Innovation Now, host Jennifer Pulley explores NASA’s Landsat program and its new application, OpenET, an interactive platform that lets farmers calculate evapotranspiration to gauge water use. The discussion highlights how Landsat’s half‑century of satellite imagery enables...
Fuel in the Tank
In this episode of Innovation Now, host Jennifer Pulley explores the challenge of measuring propellant levels in spacecraft tanks where low gravity prevents fuel from settling at the bottom. NASA engineers are developing Radiofrequency Mass Gauges (RFMG), which use an...
Measuring Blood Volume
In this episode of Innovation Now, host Jennifer Pulley explores the DrainBrain 2.0 experiment aboard the International Space Station, which measures how blood moves from the brain to the heart in microgravity using neck and chest sensors. The researchers explain...
Annealing
The episode explains how NASA engineers rescued JunoCam, the visible-light camera on the Juno spacecraft, from severe radiation damage by using annealing—heating the camera’s sensor to repair defects. After initial annealing restored image quality for a few orbits, deeper radiation...
Flowers on Mars
In this episode of Innovation Now, host Jennifer Pulley explores the challenges and breakthroughs in growing plants—especially flowering crops—on Mars. She explains how experiments aboard the International Space Station have shown that microgravity affects plant morphology but does not prevent...
Seeking Exoplanets
In this episode of Innovation Now, host Jennifer Pulley explores NASA's Hybrid Observatory concept, which pairs an orbiting starshade with a large ground‑based telescope to directly image Earth‑like exoplanets. The discussion highlights how reflected light from distant worlds can reveal...
Laser Welding
The episode explores how laser welding could enable the assembly and repair of large structures in space as NASA prepares for lunar and Martian missions. Researchers from Ohio State University, in partnership with NASA engineers, demonstrated a portable laser welding...
Talking to the CAPCOM
In this brief episode, host Jennifer Pulley explains why NASA missions like Artemis II feature a single voice—the CAPCOM—communicating with astronauts. She outlines the CAPCOM’s role as the sole authorized conduit between mission control and the crew, noting that the position...
A Telescope for the People
The episode explores the legacy of the Hubble Space Telescope, dubbed the "People's Telescope," highlighting its launch in 1990, its innovative in‑orbit servicing model, and the five shuttle missions that repaired and upgraded it, including fixing its flawed mirror. It...
Science Officers
The episode explores NASA's new Science Officer role in mission control, a position dedicated to overseeing lunar science and geology during Artemis missions. It traces the evolution of science operations from Apollo to Artemis II, highlighting how astronauts acted as...