Images

Sphaeralcea ambigua, a native plant seeded during RestoreNet experiments, thriving at the Lake Pleasant RestoreNet site in the Sonoran Desert.

Close up of Sonoran Desert flowers, including California poppy, lupines, and purple owl's clover

The RestoreNet plot at McDowell Sonoran Preserve was surrounded by blooming native wildflowers, including purple owl's clover (Castillejia exserta).

NASA and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) welcome the community to a series of Space Economy Workshops intended to coordinate the development of new technologies to detect and assess off-world mineral resources, as well as to discuss the challenges and opportunities for an off-world mineral resource economy. 

In 2022, we piloted RestoreNet V2.0 testing soil inoculation from undegraded reference sites, seed balls (white balls in photo), and pitting treatments (small indentions). Soil inoculation with healthy soils is expected to increase beneficial microbes at the degraded restoration site. Soil microbes can help reduce water stress in plants. Photo by Hannah Farrell.

Diverse plants growing in a connectivity modified (ConMod) treatment in the Sonoran Desert. Photo by Molly McCormick.

A collage of images depicts shoreline habitat and wildlife that use the Salton Sea area in southern California.

UAS Research Center BisonCore Project, using onboard autopilot systems, BisonCore on Sandy the Rover instructs the Autopilot to deviate course to follow the UAS Engineer around the parking lot. Acting like a ‘duckling’. 

UASRC BisonCore Project, using onboard systems inherent to commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) Autopilots, BisonCore-Vehicle Formation Program predicts the path of the vehicle ahead. 

Image showing IAU-approved nomenclature for surface features on asteroid Didymos

Image showing IAU-approved nomenclature for surface features on asteroid Dimophos

Left to Right: Trond Loke (Norsk Elektro Optikk), Isaac Anderson (USGS) and Liz Hyde (USGS) standing in front of the NASA ER-2 aircraft, during deployment to NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, Palmdale, CA.

Natural color image from the first flight of the high-altitude HySpex V-1240.  Image is oriented with respect to true North, and is centered around Colombia, CA. 

USGS National Innovation Center UAS Research Center's BisonCore Project, augments an autonomous rover to navigate around obstacles through a hallway, in a GPS Denied Environment. Augmentation done through payload directed operations on data from stereo depth sensors. White circle depicts vehicle’s desired direction.

In June 2022, Mendenhall Fellow Sabine Loos (Research Civil Engineer in the Geological Hazards Science Center) presented a seminar to USGS's Earthquake Science Center at Moffett Field, CA, where Max Schneider (Research Statistician) works as a Mendenhall Fellow.

A low-flying helicopter towing a geophysical device collects scientific data on groundwater and geology. Information collected during these surveys can help with studying critical mineral resources, natural hazards and groundwater potential.

A helicopter rigged with an airborne geophysical survey collecting equipment. Information collected during these surveys can help with studying critical mineral resources, natural hazards and groundwater potential. A cow is here too.

RestoreNet treatments include soil pits and connectivity modifiers (ConMods), seen here at a RestoreNet site in the Sonoran Desert.

Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge lies at the southern end of Ruby Valley in northeast Nevada. For more information visit the Ruby Lake NWR website.

UAS Research Center's BisonCore Project, Autonomous Rover Sandy is equipped with a single board companion computer (with BisonCore installed), and various sensors useful for augmentation testing and development. 

A map showing North America's tropical-to-temperate transition zone. Red, orange, and yellow depict the more tropical zones, and blues depict the more temperate zones, based on to the coldest recorded temperature for each area between 1980 and 2009.