NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

A crowning moment 📡👑 This week, a 34-meter antenna under construction at NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex reached a key milestone: The installation of its 133-ton reflector dish! As the Sun rose on Dec. 18, a nearly-600-ton crawler slowly lowered the metal skeleton of the antenna’s 112-foot-wide (34-meter-wide) parabolic reflector on to a 20-meter-high (65-foot-high) alidade, a platform atop the antenna’s pedestal that will steer the reflector during operations. Then, a crew bolted the large structure into place. Following the main lift, engineers carried out a lighter lift to place what’s called a quadripod into the center of the upward facing reflector. A four-legged support structure weighing 16 ½ tons, the quadripod will next be fitted with a curved subreflector that will direct radio frequency signals from deep space that bounce off the main reflector into the antenna’s pedestal below.   Next steps: to fit panels onto the steel skeleton to create a curved surface to reflect radio frequency signals. Known as a multi-frequency beam waveguide antenna, DSS-23 will boost the DSN’s capacity and enhance NASA’s deep space communications capabilities for decades to come. Learn more: go.nasa.gov/41QF0T7

Meet SPHEREx, NASA's next cosmic mapmaker – targeting launch in late February 2025. This space telescope will scan the entire sky, charting the positions of hundreds of millions of galaxies in 102 infrared wavelengths. Here are its 3 science goals: go.nasa.gov/4hvbmYT

After 3.5 months and 1,640 feet (500 m) of vertical climb, including slopes up to a 20% grade, Perseverance is leaving the crater it's been exploring since landing on the Red Planet in 2021. The rover will now embark on its fifth campaign, which promises to be even more scientifically intriguing, and probably somewhat easier-going, now that the six-wheeler has completed its long climb to the top. More on what lies ahead: go.nasa.gov/3ZzboGV

“There is still so much that we don’t know – and I actually think that’s kind of cool.” Meet Sarah Elizabeth McCandless, an interplanetary navigator on the Europa Clipper mission team. Her role ensures the spacecraft makes it to Jupiter and that it can safely complete its observations of Europa. Hear how her passion for exploration – from piloting planes to participating a 45-day simulated Mars mission – shaped her career at NASA ⬇️

Congratulations to Suzanne Smrekar on receiving the American Geophysical Union's Fred Whipple Award! As the leader of the upcoming VERITAS mission, Smrekar is spearheading efforts to uncover the secrets of Venus's geology and atmosphere. She is JPL's first recipient of this prestigious award, which recognizes exceptional contributions to the field of planetary science. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gcmbXhV9

Here at JPL, we like to help young minds grow – and what better way to do that than with an invention challenge? Today, we held our 25th annual Invention Challenge, which involved more than 200 high school students bringing handcrafted devices to JPL to compete alongside professional engineers. The goal? Launch 50 small chocolate-coated peanut candies onto a target about 16 feet (5 meters) away. Learn more about this annual competition: go.nasa.gov/4f6A6E8

"To follow in the footsteps of Ed Stone is to walk the path of a giant." Today, we unveiled a memorial honoring Ed Stone, who was best known as the longtime project scientist of the Voyager mission. Stretching through the heart of the lab, the Dr. Edward Stone Exploration Trail traces the arc of Stone’s distinguished career and the long journeys of the twin Voyager space probes. Designed with simple line drawings, 24 disc-shaped plaques along the trail offer career and mission highlights while evoking the Golden Record aboard both spacecraft. More on the legacy reflected in this memorial: https://lnkd.in/grps32JT

Before the Perseverance rover seals a sample tube, its CacheCam snaps a photo of the rock core inside to preserve the record. Compiled into a stunning montage, these high-resolution images highlight the diversity of materials obtained during the rover’s first 3.5 years on the Red Planet. But this is just the first step. The NASA-ESA #MarsSampleReturn campaign intends to bring these samples – and more yet to be collected – to labs on Earth, where we can begin to answer questions as varied as the rocks inside each of these tubes. See what makes these samples so intriguing to scientists: https://lnkd.in/gkpAtv-X

Hello, December skies! ✨ This month, enjoy dazzling views of Venus, see Jupiter at its brightest, and look for the Winter Triangle. Early morning skywatchers might spot some of the brighter Geminids through moonlight when the meteor shower peaks after midnight on Dec. 14. More skywatching tips: go.nasa.gov/37ePy0B

“Here on Earth, where there’s water, there’s life." Meet Valeria Salazar, a systems engineer on the Europa Clipper mission who helped integrate and assemble hundreds of components that make up the spacecraft. As a child growing up in Mexico, Salazar learned about NASA and dreamed of working at the agency one day. She started her career as an intern, and after finishing school, became a member of the Europa Clipper team.