Elyna Niles-Carnes

Freelance Producer at Freelance

Public Affairs Writer at NASA

Articles

NASA Kennedy digs latest robot test

3 weeks ago | phys.org | Elyna Niles-Carnes |Gaby Clark |Andrew Zinin

NASA's RASSOR (Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot) undergoes testing to extract simulated regolith, or the loose, fragmental material on the moon's surface, inside of the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations Lab at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 27. Ben Burdess, mechanical engineer at NASA Kennedy, observes RASSOR's counterrotating drums digging up the lunar dust and creating a three-foot berm.
Future Engineers Shine at NASA’s 2025 Lunabotics Robotics Competition

3 weeks ago | nasa.gov | Elyna Niles-Carnes

And the winner is… the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. The Utah Student Robotics Club won the grand prize Artemis Award on May 22 for NASA’s 2025 Lunabotics Challenge held at The Astronauts Memorial Foundation’s Center for Space Education at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. “Win was our motto for the whole year,” said Brycen Chaney, University of Utah, president of student robotics.
NASA Kennedy Digs Latest Robot Test

3 weeks ago | nasa.gov | Elyna Niles-Carnes

NASA’s RASSOR (Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot) undergoes testing to extract simulated regolith, or the loose, fragmental material on the Moon’s surface, inside of the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations Lab at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 27. Ben Burdess, mechanical engineer at NASA Kennedy, observes RASSOR’s counterrotating drums digging up the lunar dust and creating a three-foot berm.
Integrated Testing on Horizon for Artemis II Launch Preparations

1 month ago | nasa.gov | Elyna Niles-Carnes

Teams responsible for preparing and launching Artemis II at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are set to begin a series of integrated tests to get ready for the mission. With the upper stage of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) integrated with other elements of the rocket, engineers are set to start the tests to confirm rocket and ground systems are working and communicating as planned.
Clara Wright - NASA

1 month ago | nasa.gov | Elyna Niles-Carnes

Clara Wright is the acting chief of the Laboratories, Development, and Testing Division within the Engineering Directorate at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In a position she’s held since March 2025, Wright oversees a team of over 300 highly experienced engineers, scientists, and technicians who perform testing, materials analysis, prototyping, research, and processing for launch and flight programs at NASA Kennedy. Wright has nearly two decades of experience working as a NASA engineer.
NASA Kennedy Engages STEM Participants

1 month ago | nasa.gov | Elyna Niles-Carnes

Students from Eau Gallie High School in Melbourne, Florida, visited the Prototype Development Laboratory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, April 28, 2025. The science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) participants are interested in technical trades and had the chance to hear from technicians at the Prototype Development Laboratory who design, fabricate, and evaluate protypes, test articles, and test support equipment.
NASA Kennedy Breathes Life into Moon Soil Testing

1 month ago | nasa.gov | Elyna Niles-Carnes

As NASA works to establish a long-term presence on the Moon, researchers have reached a breakthrough by extracting oxygen at a commercial scale from simulated lunar soil at Swamp Works at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The achievement moves NASA one step closer to its goal of utilizing resources on the Moon and beyond instead of relying only on supplies shipped from Earth. NASA Kennedy researchers in the Exploration Research and Technology programs teamed up with Lunar Resources Inc.
NASA Kennedy Breathes Life into Moon Soil Testing

1 month ago | moondaily.com | Elyna Niles-Carnes

NASA Kennedy Breathes Life into Moon Soil Testingby Elyna Niles-Carnes for NASA NewsWashington DC (SPX) May 06, 2025 As NASA works to establish a long-term presence on the Moon, researchers have reached a breakthrough by extracting oxygen at a commercial scale from simulated lunar soil at Swamp Works at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Rosaly J. Santos-Ebaugh, P.E.

2 months ago | nasa.gov | Elyna Niles-Carnes

Rosaly J. Santos-Ebaugh serves as the acting chief of the Medical and Environmental Services Division within the Spaceport Integration and Services organization at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. She is responsible for leading the planning, policy development and implementation of programs in the Aerospace Medicine and Occupational Health Branch, the Environmental Assurance Branch, and the Environmental Management Branch.
NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket Gets New Addition

2 months ago | nasa.gov | Elyna Niles-Carnes

NASA’s Artemis II Moon rocket is taking shape following the successful integration of the launch vehicle stage adapter onto the SLS (Space Launch System) core stage on April 12 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program used a 325-ton crane to hoist the launch vehicle adapter almost 250 feet in the air and slowly lower it onto the core stage.