NASA shows off new AI tools that can help with scientific research
At the Supercomputing Conference of SC2024, Nicola Fox, Associate Administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, described new computing tools intended to advance space science. NASA plans to use a major language model across all its science divisions, supported by core models tailored to Earth sciences, heliophysics, astrophysics, planetary sciences, and biological and physical sciences. This strategy was illustrated using a basic heliophysics model, which applies extensive data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory to predict solar wind events and monitor sunspot activity.
Evolution of space computers and the Voyager missions
Fox told how NASA’s Voyager missions, launched in the 1970s, served as milestones in computer technology for space exploration. These spacecraft worked with early semiconductor memory and provided unique insights, including discoveries of Jupiter’s faint ring and Saturn’s extra moons.
Although far surpassed by modern technology, the Voyager missions revealed the possibilities for future computational breakthroughs in space science. Since then, NASA’s computing requirements have expanded, with more than 140 petabytes of data now stored and shared under open science policies, allowing global scientists to access and benefit from NASA’s capabilities. research.
Advances in real-time data and Earth observation
NASA’s Earth Information Center was presented as a good example of federal cooperation. It integrated data on environmental changes with insights from agencies such as NOAA and the EPA.
Using data from satellite missions, Fox demonstrated NASA’s ability to observe natural events such as wildfires in near real time. She also noted advances in the detection of wildfires by polar orbiting satellites, allowing for accurate tracking of hotspots. She said data-driven efforts like these are critical as NASA continues to improve monitoring of natural phenomena on Earth.
Searching for life beyond Earth
Towards the end, she discussed NASA’s ongoing research into extraterrestrial life. Recent studies of exoplanets, such as LP 791-18d, underscore this goal. NASA’s observatories, including the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). It has facilitated the detection of thousands of exoplanets and aided in the search for conditions that could support life beyond Earth.
Fox concluded by highlighting the powerful role that AI and computers now play in analyzing the vast data sets produced by NASA’s missions, making it possible to explore questions that were previously out of reach.
