Spin Signatures in Horizon-Resolved Images of LLAGN
Speaker
Dr. Daniel Palumbo, Harvard University
Abstract
With the advent of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), near-horizon black hole imaging with sub-mm very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) is now routine for the two sources for which terrestrial VLBI is sufficient to resolve the black hole shadow: Messier 87* and Sagittarius A*. Since the first images of M87*, the theoretical analysis of these images has advanced a broad class of black hole spin tracers in horizon-resolving observations, all of which have complex interplay with the astrophysical conditions near the horizon. Meanwhile, space VLBI mission concepts such as the Black Hole Explorer aim to drastically improve the angular resolution available via sub-mm VLBI, resolving out the primary accretion disk image to isolate the strongly lensed “photon ring,” which more robustly exposes black hole mass, spin, and viewing inclination to distant observers. In this talk, I will detail the spin signatures in both of these angular resolution regimes, and how they work together to build a “robustness ladder” for spin measurement with which the spins of many more low-luminosity AGN will soon become accessible as sub-mm VLBI sensitivity, frequency coverage, angular resolution improves. The resulting local “spin census” will help fill in missing pieces of the history of accretion and merging in the broader AGN population.
Coupling Driven H2 Excitation in Seyferts: GATOS JWST/MRS
Speaker
Daniel Delaney, University of Alaska
Abstract
We utilize James Webb Space Telescope/Mid Infrared Instrument (JWST/MIRI) Integral Field Unit observations from the Galaxy Activity, Torus and Outflow Survey to investigate the diverse range of ionized outflow rates of obscured active galactic nuclei (AGN) with similar bolometric luminosity and explore potential associations with AGN feedback. We explore spatial correlations between ionized emission potentially associated with fast shocks ([Fe II]5.34μm) and the excitation of H2. We further constrain our investigation to the inner 400 pc (the nuclear and circumnuclear regions r < 200 pc), and estimate the excitation temperature and column density of H2 assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium and using the S(1)–S(8) rotational H2 emission lines visible to JWST/MIRI spectroscopy. We report the molecular gas temperature of the deprojected 400 pc nuclear region to correlate with the ionized mass outflow rate. We also observe a stronger degree of spatial correlation between [Fe II]5.34μm emission and H2 gas temperature. We observe regions of enhanced [Fe II]5.34μm/[Ar II]6.99μm spatially coincident with the ionization cones of objects with higher ionized outflow rates and [Fe II]5.34μm/[Ar II]6.99μm in the deprojected 400 pc nuclear region to scale positively with both the ionized outflow rate and the estimated molecular gas temperature. We do not observe the estimated jet cavity power within the central 400 pc as strongly correlated with the ionized mass outflow rate or molecular gas temperature of the nuclear region. We take the preceding observations to suggest a higher degree of interaction between AGN outflows and the circumnuclear disk.
Seminar Connection
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From Micro to Macro: Connecting the Physics of Galaxy Formation Across Scales
Speaker
Drummond Fielding, New York University
Abstract
Galaxy formation is controlled by the cycling of diffuse gas through the ISM, CGM, and larger-scale environment, but predictive models remain limited by unresolved microphysics. I will discuss how sub-pc processes—including cosmic-ray transport, magnetic reconnection, and turbulent mixing—regulate multiphase structure, energy and momentum transport, and the launching of galactic winds. I will then describe how simulations, analytic models, and new multi-scale numerical methods can connect these processes to kpc-scale feedback and Mpc-scale galaxy evolution. The aim is to build physically grounded models of gas cycling that can sharpen our interpretation of observations and move galaxy formation theory beyond phenomenological feedback prescriptions.
How NASA’s Artemis III Lander Test Will Pave Way for Moon Landings
Before Artemis astronauts land on the Moon’s surface in 2028, NASA will conduct the Artemis III demonstration mission in 2027, allowing teams on Earth and in orbit to practice rendezvous and docking operations between commercial human landing systems and the Orion spacecraft. Data from that mission, along with future uncrewed demonstration missions at the Moon, will support astronaut safety and mission success for crewed lunar landings.
NASA is working with two American companies to develop the human landing systems that will safely transport astronauts from lunar orbit to the Moon’s surface and back for future Artemis missions. For Artemis III, both SpaceX and Blue Origin will fly test versions, or test articles, of the crewed landers that will be used for future Moon landings. The lander test articles will launch by commercial rockets, while the Artemis III crew will launch to low Earth orbit in Orion atop the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.
Stage setting for crewed flights
NASA and the human landing system providers have been working closely together to plan and determine capabilities for the Artemis III mission. With missions fast approaching, both SpaceX and Blue Origin are optimizing hardware availability and capability. SpaceX plans to use the company’s latest version of Starship and basis of the future Starship HLS, called Version 3, while Blue Origin will test their planned HLS crew cabin, allowing each company to apply lessons learned prior to uncrewed and crewed missions on the Moon.
“Each human landing system provider has taken a different approach to the Artemis III mission,” said Steve Creech, program manager, Human Landing System Program, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “Ultimately, SpaceX and Blue Origin have put forward a list of aggressive objectives and goals intended to complement upcoming uncrewed demonstration missions at the Moon so that we can gain both understanding and confidence in the spacecraft and launch vehicles prior to a crewed landing. The lander prototype designs will inform future development efforts and will continue to mature over the next year.”
For the Artemis III mission, the Blue Moon test lander will be based on Blue Origin’s current architecture for its Mark 2 crew lander, incorporating all the major avionics and flight software and control systems to ensure flight operations from this demonstration mission can directly translate to crewed lunar flights. Up to two crew members, donning orange Orion crew survival system suits, will open the hatch to enter the Blue Origin test lander. The production hardware must incorporate many of the same systems and subsystems, including an Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS), a crew cabin, and avionics.
These artist’s concepts depict Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 human landing system test article in Earth orbit and docked with NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of NASA’s upcoming Artemis III demonstration mission in low Earth orbit.
Blue Origin
These artist’s concepts depict Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 human landing system test article in Earth orbit and docked with NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of NASA’s upcoming Artemis III demonstration mission in low Earth orbit.
Blue Origin
The Blue Origin lander also will fly with an instrumented lunar surface spacesuit mass simulator. Like the suited “Moonikin” manikin that flew aboard Orion during the uncrewed Artemis I test flight, the low-fidelity spacesuit mass simulator will provide real-time feedback about the environment within the Blue Moon crew cabin.
SpaceX’s Starship lander test article will use a Starship Version 3, currently in production and testing, with an added docking system installed on the nose of the 171-foot (52-m) spacecraft, enabling NASA and SpaceX to evaluate how the entire integrated stack of Orion and the Starship test lander interact. NASA and SpaceX are identifying controllability and communications tests for the Artemis III mission. Astronauts will not enter the Starship test lander during Artemis III.
These artist’s concepts depict NASA’s Orion spacecraft and SpaceX’s Starship human landing system test article during docking operations as part of NASA’s upcoming Artemis III demonstration mission in low Earth orbit.
SpaceX
These artist’s concepts depict NASA’s Orion spacecraft and SpaceX’s Starship human landing system test article during docking operations as part of NASA’s upcoming Artemis III demonstration mission in low Earth orbit.
SpaceX
Launch cadence
NASA, SpaceX, and Blue Origin will launch three of the world’s most powerful rockets within a short timeframe of one another, exercising ground processing, launch crews, and facilities as well as control centers, networking, and data exchange at key sites across the country during two separate, back-to-back rendezvous and docking maneuvers between Orion and the lander test articles, before a safe splashdown of the Artemis III crew in Orion.
“Artemis III will be a highly choreographed dance with a demanding launch sequence across multiple launch pads and equally demanding mission operations for our ground and flight crews, making it one of the most complex and ambitious missions NASA has ever undertaken,” said Jeremy Parsons, Artemis program manager. “The demonstration mission will set the stage before our next giant leap. NASA’s expertise in systems engineering and integration, as well as launch and mission operations in low Earth orbit, will bring the mission together.”
For future crewed missions to the Moon, NASA and one of the commercial lander partners will execute a “dual launch campaign,” prepositioning the lander in orbit to await a crewed Orion, launched on SLS. Launching the three rockets in succession of one another for Artemis III offers a unique opportunity to practice launch processing and operations.
Blue Origin’s lander test article is planned to launch first and will be able to loiter in space for up to 30 days, allowing for checkouts in orbit prior to the launch of SLS and Orion from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Blue Origin test article will launch at a set trajectory to meet a designated “parking” orbit for these systems checks.
Artemis III will be a highly choreographed dance with a demanding launch sequence across multiple launch pads and equally demanding mission operations for our ground and flight crews, making it one of the most complex and ambitious missions NASA has ever undertaken.
Jeremy Parsons
Artemis program manager
Following the completion of Blue Origin’s rendezvous and docking operations testing and the Artemis III crewed launch on SLS, SpaceX will launch its Starship lander test article to rendezvous with Orion and its crew for its phase of on-orbit testing.
Throughout the Artemis III mission, Orion will fly in a circular orbit. All three rockets will have more launch opportunities than are available for a lunar mission and will be able to reach the designated mission altitude in a single launch.
Docking operations
During docking and undocking operations, Orion and the Artemis III crew will use the lander test articles as the targets, while Orion will operate as the chaser spacecraft. This is the same configuration planned for future crew landing mission to the Moon.
NASA will ensure both test landers are mission ready and crew safe prior to Artemis III. These verifications will be based on functional and performance requirements for the test lander designs and hazard controls for hardware and software, ensuring the Artemis III astronauts inside Orion are safe throughout both docking phases of the mission.
SpaceX and Blue Origin have already tested their docking capabilities for their respective landers on the ground. SpaceX’s docking capability was qualified in 2023; Blue Origin conducted development ground testing on its pressurized docking system earlier this year.
A key difference between the docking capabilities of both lander test articles will be the location of docking. Orion will dock along the side of the Blue Moon test lander, adjacent to the crew cabin. Later, Orion will dock nose-to-nose with the giant SpaceX test lander.
Software testing between spacecrafts will help demonstrate that the commercial human landing system prototypes and Orion can meet at a precise time and location in space. When Orion docks with the Blue Moon test lander, the Orion spacecraft’s software will control the docked spacecraft. Meanwhile, the SpaceX test article will control the docked spacecraft for the second portion of the mission. During the docking phases, teams with NASA and the commercial partners will be able to test hardware and software interoperability, as well as dynamics of how the integrated lander-Orion spacecraft moves in space.
Through the Artemis program, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars – for the benefit of all.
All the young people the Guardian spoke to disagreed with aspects of the government’s proposed block
Sixteen- and 17-year-olds in Britain are to be encouraged to observe a midnight to 6am social media curfew but will be able to opt out by changing their account settings.
From next spring, they will be urged to refrain from using certain apps, with the block being switched on by default. But the curfew will not be mandatory and can be overridden.
Using the Yebes 40-m and IRAM 30-m radio telescopes, astronomers have discovered erythrulose, a four-carbon sugar commonly found in raspberries and sunless tanning cosmetics, in the molecular cloud G+0.693-0.027.
The feature was part of the new AI image generator, Muse Image, and allowed AI-generated images to be created using content from public Instagram accounts. By specifying a public account with an @mention, users could let the AI model use the person’s images as a reference without informing the account holder.
The launch quickly prompted concerns about privacy and the risk of abuse, with critics saying the feature could be used to create manipulated or offensive images based on other people’s public content.
Meta said its the goal was to give users a creative tool where they could decide for themselves whether their public content could be used. But it removed the feature after feedback that the feature did not meet expectations.
Wally Funk, who in 2021 became the oldest woman to fly into space—60 years after she and 12 other women sought the same opportunity as NASA's original astronauts—died on Wednesday at 87 years old.
Funk was the last living member of the First Lady Astronaut Trainees (FLATs, or as they were later dubbed by the media, the Mercury 13), a group of women pilots who volunteered to go through the same physical and psychological tests as the United States' first spacemen.
Despite performing as well or better than their male counterparts, though, the Lovelace Woman in Space Program was conducted separately from NASA, and the space agency required that its astronauts be test pilots with jet time. The US military, however, did not accept women into its flight programs.
A recent groundbreaking study published in The Lancet’s eClinical Medicine reveals that a culturally tailored continuity of midwifery care model significantly improves perinatal outcomes for First Nations families in Victoria, Australia. This innovative approach, known as the Baggarrook Yurrongi or “Women’s Journey” model, ensures that women expecting First Nations babies receive consistent care from a known midwife throughout pregnancy, birth, and the early postnatal period.
Developed collaboratively with First Nations health organizations and maternity services, the Baggarrook Yurrongi model addresses the unique cultural needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. The study analyzed over 164,000 births from three major hospitals, including outcomes for more than 2,000 First Nations babies. Researchers utilized a prospective, non-randomized design, comparing data before (2012–2017) and after (2017–2022) the model’s implementation to assess its real-world efficacy.
The findings demonstrated monumental improvements: there was a 45% increase in the rate of healthy births among First Nations babies. Additionally, the likelihood of low birthweight decreased by 33%, preterm births by 36%, and neonatal intensive care admissions by 30%. Mothers were also 86% more likely to initiate breastfeeding, underscoring enhanced postnatal engagement and infant health support.
Lead researcher Professor Della Forster emphasized the significance of culturally informed midwifery continuity care, highlighting its role in bridging healthcare disparities. By fostering trust and cultural safety, the model encourages better health practices and outcomes, marking a notable stride toward closing the persistent gap in Indigenous perinatal health.
Key to the success of this approach is the trusted relationship a known midwife builds with expectant mothers—crucial for communities historically wary of healthcare systems. Programs like Mercy Hospital for Women’s Nangnak Baban Murrup and Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital’s Galinjera have demonstrated both high uptake and satisfaction levels among clients and midwives alike, indicating sustainable integration into standard maternity care.
Clinical Midwife Specialist Evelyn Burns remarked that this continuity of care model profoundly impacts women’s confidence and connection during pregnancy. The study’s robust dataset and positive qualitative feedback from both families and clinicians provide compelling evidence for broader adoption across Australian maternity services.
This research not only validates the efficacy of culturally tailored care models but advocates for their expansion nationwide to ensure equitable and effective maternity healthcare for all First Nations families. The findings represent a pivotal shift in perinatal care paradigms, blending cultural competence with clinical excellence to improve long-term maternal and infant health outcomes.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: The effect of culturally tailored continuity of midwifery care on perinatal outcomes for women having a first Nations baby in Victoria, Australia: a prospective non-randomised translational study
News Publication Date: 24-Jun-2026
Web References: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(26)00281-6/fulltext
References: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2026.104028
Image Credits: La Trobe University
Keywords: Health care, First Nations, midwifery continuity, perinatal outcomes, culturally tailored care
1 July 2026 2:00pm -3:00pm ET 11:00am – 12:00 pm PT
community
Cosmic Origins
Type
Seminar
Why and Where Do We Want to Put Telescopes on the Moon?
Speaker
Nivedita Mahesh, CU Boulder
Abstract
The Moon is emerging as a uniquely valuable platform for astrophysics, enabling observations that neither Earth nor free-flying spacecraft can support. This talk surveys the scientific motivation across four complementary regimes. At low radio frequencies, the radio-quiet lunar farside opens a window onto the cosmological Dark Ages and the magnetospheres of exoplanets. In the mid-band gravitational-wave regime, the Moon’s low seismic activity bridges the sensitivity gap between terrestrial and space-based detectors. At ultraviolet wavelengths, its natural vacuum and long coherence times allow high-resolution stellar imaging beyond what is possible on Earth. And in the far-infrared, the cold, stable conditions of permanently shadowed regions offer a naturally cryogenic, absorption-free site for probing star and planet formation and the obscured Universe.
For each regime, I will share updates from the mission concept leads on the efforts now developing within the Astrophysics from the Moon, Mars & Beyond (AMMB) Science Interest Group. Together, these cases point to a paradigm shift: astrophysics from the Moon is becoming not just desirable but necessary.
The Moon is emerging as a uniquely valuable platform for astrophysics, enabling observations that neither Earth nor free-flying spacecraft can support. This talk surveys the scientific motivation across four complementary regimes. At low radio frequencies, the radio-quiet lunar farside opens a window onto the cosmological Dark Ages and the magnetospheres of exoplanets. In the mid-band gravitational-wave regime, the Moon’s low seismic activity bridges the sensitivity gap between terrestrial and space-based detectors. At ultraviolet wavelengths, its natural vacuum and long coherence times allow high-resolution stellar imaging beyond what is possible on Earth. And in the far-infrared, the cold, stable conditions of permanently shadowed regions offer a naturally cryogenic, absorption-free site for probing star and planet formation and the obscured Universe.
For each regime, I will share updates from the mission concept leads on the efforts now developing within the Astrophysics from the Moon, Mars & Beyond (AMMB) Science Interest Group. Together, these cases point to a paradigm shift: astrophysics from the Moon is becoming not just desirable but necessary.
Swara Ravindranath | Deputy Chief Scientist of NASA’s Cosmic Origins Program (NASA GSFC)
Abstract
Cosmic Origins Science covers a broad range of topics that are fundamental to our understanding of the evolution of structure in the Universe and the physical processes that can explain the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets that we observe today. The various space telescopes that operate across the electromagnetic spectrum have been crucial to address some of the most fundamental questions related to our cosmic origins. The landscape of Space Astronomy is evolving fast with innovative technology, industry partnerships, and new commercial launch capabilities. In this talk, I will review the Cosmic Origins Program and discuss the new opportunities that offer strategic pathways for focused-science missions.
Ad ASTRA Workshop Abstract and Mission Concept Deadline Extended to 1 July 2026
23 June 2026
Dear Astrophysics Strategic Technology & Research Accelerator (ASTRA) community members-
As we prepare for our Ad ASTRA Community Science workshop, we are writing to share important updates regarding workshop abstract submissions, as well as ASTRA Mission Concept submissions.
Ad ASTRA Workshop
The deadline for abstract submission for the Workshop has been extended to 1 July 2026.
Submit workshop abstracts via the workshop webpage. If you have already submitted an abstract and would like to modify it based on the guidelines above, please delete your previous contribution and send another submission. Note while talks will be focused on science and technological capability themes, we encourage participants to present their mission concepts as posters, and will offer the opportunity to present as posters any abstracts for which there is insufficient room in the parallel sessions.
ASTRA Mission Concepts
The deadline for submitting ASTRA Mission Concept Documents has also been extended to 1 July 2026.
The most recent decadal survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics (released in late 2021) identified the most compelling science goals, presented a program of ground- and space-based activities for future investment, and recommended critical actions to support the foundations of the profession as well as the technologies and tools needed to carry out the science. At the request of NASA, NSF, and DOE, this midterm assessment reviews progress towards the priorities from the decadal survey.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) shall convene an ad hoc committee to review the responses of NASA’s Astrophysics program, NSF’s Astronomy program, and DOE’s Cosmic Frontiers program (hereafter the Agencies’ programs) to previous National Academies advice, primarily the 2020 National Academies decadal survey, “Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s” (Astro2020).
The committee’s review will include the following tasks:
Scientific and Technical Landscape: Identify and evaluate the most significant scientific discoveries, technological advancements that could impact implementation, changes to the facilities landscape, and relevant programmatic changes in astronomy and astrophysics since the publication of Astro2020.
Alignment with Decadal Priorities: Assess the extent to which the programs of the relevant agencies align with the strategies, goals, and priorities outlined in Astro2020 and other pertinent National Academies reports in the context of the Agencies’ current strategic priorities and budgets thus far allotted to them.
Recommendations for Maximizing Scientific Return: Considering 1 – the advice provided since the publication of Astro2020 by any Federal Advisory Committees active at the time, 2 – the Agencies’ strategic plans, and 3 – the mid-decade contingencies described in the decadal survey, recommend actions that maximize the scientific return of the Agencies’ programs.
Foundational and Enabling Activities: Evaluate progress and alignment with recommendations on foundational activities, including workforce development, technology maturation, and data infrastructure.
Consideration of International Partnerships and Cross-Agency Opportunities: Assess opportunities to advance the implementation of priorities outlined in Astro2020 that are presented by changes in international partnerships and cross-agency cooperative capabilities.
The review should not revisit or alter the scientific priorities or mission recommendations provided in the decadal survey and related National Academies reports but may assess progress in implementation of the recommended science and activities portfolio and on other potential activities in preparation for the next decadal survey.
Rohit Goeptar, an electromagnetic/radio frequency analyst with NASA’s Launch Services Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, reviews a radio frequency link budget analysis for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope from his office. Goeptar is among the engineers and technicians sworn in as new NASA civil servants as part of NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman’s workforce directive to restore technical core competencies within the civil servants ranks.
NASA/Amanda Griffin
Rohit Goeptar was born into a poor family in Suriname, South America, the kind where both parents work three jobs and they still can only provide food and shelter for their family. At around age six, his family moved to California to start a new life. Only two years later, he moved back to South America with his father while his mother stayed in the United States and remarried. When he was 13, he became a U.S. citizen and he and his brothers returned to live with their mother in California.
At 19, Goeptar joined the U.S. Marine Corps where he spent six years as a technical operator. During one deployment to the Philippines, Goeptar helped set up communication systems for individuals who needed to contact their loved ones after a typhoon ripped through entire towns.
“I was lost, the Marine Corps gave me an opportunity,” Goeptar recalled.
While the Marines taught him useful skills, his life had not been the easiest. He lost not one, but two, fathers to suicide, and a short first marriage ended with him being unhoused on the streets of Kissimmee, Florida, for six months. But Goeptar eventually found his way.
As with most underdog stories, there was another person in the shadows behind his rise to success.
“Your brain works in mysterious ways,” his now wife told him a short while after they met. She then filled out college applications for him, and he eventually applied to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
While raising three kids, going to school full-time pursuing a computer engineering and electrical engineering degree simultaneously, Goeptar got the call that changed his life.
“In spring 2025, I was driving to pick my son up from school when a gentleman from Kennedy calls, telling me he’s seen my resume and do I have time for a quick interview,” Goeptar recounted.
He pulled on the side of the road and took part in an impromptu job interview.
Two weeks later, he had an in-person interview with others from Kennedy and two weeks after that, he had a contractor badge at America’s premier spaceport.
After starting as an intern under the Expendable Launch Vehicle Integrated Support, or ELVIS, contract, then moving to part-time until he graduated from the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, then full-time at the beginning of 2026, Goeptar was one of the ELVIS contractors who applied and were picked up to become civil servants recently.
Rohit Goeptar, an electromagnetic/radio frequency analyst with NASA’s Launch Services Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, reviews a radio frequency link budget analysis for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope with a colleague.
NASA/Amanda Griffin
Now an employee of NASA’s Launch Services Program, Goeptar works with electromagnetic interference, electromagnetic compatibility, and radio frequency. It is his job throughout the entirety of the mission to analyze and ensure avionic boxes or anything electrically powered doesn’t interfere with any other systems. He also ensures independent systems are compatible when brought together. And finally, he conducts model radio frequency link analysis for different rockets and science demonstrations payloads. These may belong to NASA or commercial partners, and he is responsible for ensuring uninterrupted communication with the ground. In his short time at Kennedy, Goeptar has worked on Sentinel-6B, JPSS-4 (Joint Polar Satellite System), and IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) missions.
And as far as his wife’s assessment that his brain works differently, he proved that within a year at Kennedy when he noticed an analytical issue his team wasn’t tracking. Once a rocket launches, it does a pitch, yaw, and roll. The analysis the team had been conducting didn’t account for this movement, which meant it wasn’t as accurate as it could be. He presented his solution to the team lead, and it now enables NASA data and partner data to be much more in sync.
“There is no greater feeling, being able to serve. It’s more than serving the public, it’s serving our country. It’s serving the future of our country,” Goeptar said with tears brimming in his eyes. “Being able to give back to that same government that gave me an opportunity to be where I’m at today. There’s no greater feeling than that.”
Meanwhile, Goeptar’s 11-year-old takes most of the credit for his landing at the space center, a NASA enthusiast, his son believes he spoke it into existence.
Rohit Goeptar, an electromagnetic/radio frequency analyst with NASA’s Launch Services Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, poses for a photograph with his children.
NASA/Rohit Goeptar
“One day he wants to become an astronaut,” Goeptar said with joy on his face. “And I told him I will guide him until the day that I die. Maybe my last mission could be the one my son flies on. I’m not going to stop until that day happens.”
Rohit’s positive streak continues as he recently was accepted into electrical engineering master’s programs at both Johns Hopkins University, and UCF.
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