Space

NASA SEES Interns Tackle Real-World Challenges in Lunar Exploration

Read full article at source ↗

Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 26/10/2026, 19:50:25 UTC.

Briefings

NASA SEES interns developed a sophisticated interactive dashboard for the IM-3 lunar mission, enabling users to vary engine and orbital parameters to analyze propellant margins. The MATRIX team, mentored by Dr. Kevin Crosby, applied the Modal Propellant Gauging (MPG) method to measure fuel mass in microgravity using acoustic tank responses. During summer 2026, the team reconstructed IM-3 trajectory data from public sources, identified reliable measurement windows for LOI and Powered Descent, and produced landing analysis for the Reiner Gamma region. Presenting at the SEES Annual Symposium in October 2026, the students demonstrated advanced analytical skills rivaling graduate students, with further presentations scheduled for the AGU Annual Meeting in December 2026.

Key points

• The NASA SEES MATRIX team developed an interactive dashboard allowing users to vary engine and orbital parameters to investigate propellant margins and landing zone availability for the IM-3 mission.
• Students applied the Modal Propellant Gauging (MPG) method, using acoustic responses of propellant tanks to estimate fuel mass during microgravity conditions.

Context

The NASA SEES Internship Program at the University of Texas Center for Space Research places high school students on mission-focused research teams. The MATRIX team focused on applying a method for measuring propellant mass in microgravity, a challenge central to NASA's Artemis missions, using publicly available mission data and computational simulations.

Limitations

The MATRIX team relied entirely on publicly available sources, including Intuitive Machines' published mission data and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility records. Because a complete IM-3 trajectory is not public, the team had to reconstruct flight paths and write algorithms. The analysis of propellant gauging windows and landing site distributions was based on limited public trajectory data and CFD simulations, with uncertainty regarding the exact range of possible propellant states during the mission.

Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 26/10/2026, 19:55:15 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.

View archived briefing on IPFS
bafybeiaft24bwd36ycay7gr3x62ieuteoccy4hufet6fqvugorcizvproy