NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are set to return to Earth soon, ending an unexpected nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The duo launched on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft June 5, 2024, for what was meant to be a routine 10-day mission. Instead, technical issues kept them in orbit far longer than planned, delaying their return as engineers worked to resolve the spacecraft's problems.
Rice University, a key partner in space exploration since the dawn of the U.S. space program, has experts available to discuss the mission, the challenges of extended spaceflight and other space-related topics.
Solar activity and space exploration
David Alexander, professor of physics and astronomy, director of the Rice Space Institute (RSI) and executive committee member of the Texas Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium, specializes in solar physics and exoplanetary science.
Alexander's research extends across the broader landscape of space exploration, including discoveries made from the ISS and the potential for future developments at Houston Spaceport, an urban commercial spaceport, and the Texas Space Commission, which promotes innovation across the state's civil, commercial and military aerospace domains.
Astronaut health and performance
John DeWitt, director of applied sports science, spent more than 20 years at NASA's Johnson Space Center focusing on astronaut health, conducting experiments on the ISS and in parabolic flights to understand better how the body adapts in space. His work includes developing strategies to prevent muscle and bone loss in space, which is critical for long-term missions like those to Mars. DeWitt's expertise spans astronaut health before, during and after space missions.
Astronaut teamwork and training
Eduardo Salas, the Allyn R. and Gladys M. Cline Professor of Psychological Sciences, is an expert in teamwork dynamics, including how astronauts can optimize performance and overcome the extreme conditions of long-duration space missions. Salas' research supports NASA's preparation for Mars, ensuring astronaut teams can sustain effective collaboration during extended exploration missions.
Space travel and space weather
Patricia Reiff , professor of physics and astronomy and associate director of outreach programs at the RSI, has more than a half-century of experience in space plasma physics. Reiff is a leading expert on space weather, a phenomenon shaped by the sun's activity that includes auroras, solar flares and cosmic rays.
Mars surface and rover operations
Kirsten Siebach, assistant professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, is a key member of the Mars Perseverance rover team whose mission is to explore Jezero Crater on Mars in search of signs of ancient life and to collect samples that may contain evidence of microbial life. Siebach studies Mars' water history and surface activity, providing critical insights into how Mars can inform our understanding of Earth.
Space robotics and autonomy
Lydia Kavraki, the Noah Harding Professor of Computer Science, is a pioneer in robotic autonomy, including space robotics. Her work includes developing motion-planning systems for NASA's humanoid robot, Robonaut 2, which was used aboard the ISS in 2011 as the first humanoid robot in space.
Artificial intelligence in space exploration
Sanjoy Paul, executive director of Rice Nexus and director of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Houston Institute, focuses on the role of AI in space missions including its role in enabling more efficient decision-making and enhancing robotic operations.
His research explores how AI can monitor spacecraft operations and the health of astronauts; examines how AI can help power the ISS; studies the use of cybersecurity in in-space computing or edge data centers in space; and analyzes data collected on the moon and Mars and image data of the Earth taken from space.
