Space Sciences Laboratory
@ucbssl.bsky.social
The Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) at UC Berkeley is a preeminent university lab for space research and has participated in 50+ NASA missions since 1959.
John Tomsick, PI of NASA's COSI mission, describes the practical applications resulting from gamma ray detectors. From PET scans to radiation monitoring to protecting astronauts, Compton imaging technology has a profound impact on our health and safety.
October 10, 2025 at 5:56 PM
John Tomsick, PI of NASA's COSI mission, describes the practical applications resulting from gamma ray detectors. From PET scans to radiation monitoring to protecting astronauts, Compton imaging technology has a profound impact on our health and safety.
Reposted by Space Sciences Laboratory
With sadness and gratitude, we honor George F. Smoot III—Berkeley Lab scientist since 1974 and 2006 Nobel Laureate in Physics—who has passed away at 80. His “baby picture” of the universe changed cosmology. https://elements.lbl.gov/news/honoring-the-legacy-of-george-smoot/
@nobelprize.bsky.social
@nobelprize.bsky.social
September 29, 2025 at 3:14 PM
With sadness and gratitude, we honor George F. Smoot III—Berkeley Lab scientist since 1974 and 2006 Nobel Laureate in Physics—who has passed away at 80. His “baby picture” of the universe changed cosmology. https://elements.lbl.gov/news/honoring-the-legacy-of-george-smoot/
@nobelprize.bsky.social
@nobelprize.bsky.social
The Carruthers mission and SSL were featured by KQED. Of the mission, our director Lindy Elkins-Tanton said, “Our big strength over time has been space weather...How does it affect our Earth’s atmosphere?... And that’s exactly what we’re going to be looking at."
www.kqed.org/science/1998...
www.kqed.org/science/1998...
A New Eye on Earth's Edge: UC Berkeley-Guided Space Telescope Has Liftoff | KQED
A UC Berkeley lab is controlling a NASA mission to study the farthest reaches of Earth’s atmosphere from afar using the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory.
www.kqed.org
September 27, 2025 at 3:29 PM
The Carruthers mission and SSL were featured by KQED. Of the mission, our director Lindy Elkins-Tanton said, “Our big strength over time has been space weather...How does it affect our Earth’s atmosphere?... And that’s exactly what we’re going to be looking at."
www.kqed.org/science/1998...
www.kqed.org/science/1998...
Scenes from our Mission Operations Center during launch of NASA's Carruthers, IMAP and SWFO-L1 on Sept 24. SSL operates Carruthers, built the instrumentation and contributes to the science. We also built an instrument for SWFO-L1 and lead an experiment on IMAP.
September 25, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Scenes from our Mission Operations Center during launch of NASA's Carruthers, IMAP and SWFO-L1 on Sept 24. SSL operates Carruthers, built the instrumentation and contributes to the science. We also built an instrument for SWFO-L1 and lead an experiment on IMAP.
NASA's Carruthers mission launched this morning and is communicating with the Mission Operations Center at the @UCBerkeley
Space Sciences Laboratory.
Read more 👇
ssl.berkeley.edu/nasas-carrut...
Space Sciences Laboratory.
Read more 👇
ssl.berkeley.edu/nasas-carrut...
September 24, 2025 at 4:57 PM
NASA's Carruthers mission launched this morning and is communicating with the Mission Operations Center at the @UCBerkeley
Space Sciences Laboratory.
Read more 👇
ssl.berkeley.edu/nasas-carrut...
Space Sciences Laboratory.
Read more 👇
ssl.berkeley.edu/nasas-carrut...
Carruthers and ESCAPADE were featured in this @berkeleyside.org story on SSL's many contributions to space science and exploration.
UC Berkeley is about to go to Mars
From a Berkeley Hills control room, a team from Cal’s Space Sciences Laboratory is set to lead the first university-run mission to Mars.
www.berkeleyside.org
September 24, 2025 at 4:23 AM
Carruthers and ESCAPADE were featured in this @berkeleyside.org story on SSL's many contributions to space science and exploration.
It's a big week here at SSL. We built instruments for all three of the spacecraft that are scheduled to launch this week and expand our understanding of harmful space weather (IMAP, SWFO-L1 and Carruthers).
www.nasa.gov/news-release...
www.nasa.gov/news-release...
NASA Sets Launch Coverage for Space Weather Missions - NASA
NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for an observatory designed to study space weather and explore and map the boundaries of
www.nasa.gov
September 22, 2025 at 6:43 PM
It's a big week here at SSL. We built instruments for all three of the spacecraft that are scheduled to launch this week and expand our understanding of harmful space weather (IMAP, SWFO-L1 and Carruthers).
www.nasa.gov/news-release...
www.nasa.gov/news-release...
Space science benefits every American. University space science programs are part of a vast aerospace economy that boosts local economies in every state in the country.
#SpeakUp4Science #StandUpForUC
#SpeakUp4Science #StandUpForUC
September 10, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Space science benefits every American. University space science programs are part of a vast aerospace economy that boosts local economies in every state in the country.
#SpeakUp4Science #StandUpForUC
#SpeakUp4Science #StandUpForUC
Space science is important for all Americans. Private aerospace ventures benefit immensely from the training pipeline made possible by university space science programs. #SpeakUp4Science
September 9, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Space science is important for all Americans. Private aerospace ventures benefit immensely from the training pipeline made possible by university space science programs. #SpeakUp4Science
NASA's PADRE mission, led and built by SSL, measures X-rays emitted by solar flares at a fraction of the cost of previous missions. Its launch marks 45 years of SSL missions aimed at understanding the Sun and harmful space weather. #SpeakUp4Science
www.ssl.berkeley.edu/padre-aims-t...
www.ssl.berkeley.edu/padre-aims-t...
PADRE aims to reveal secrets of solar flares
NASA’s PADRE mission will measure hard X-rays emitted during solar flares. It is poised to unlock the secrets of solar flares at a fraction of the cost of previous missions.
www.ssl.berkeley.edu
September 8, 2025 at 5:12 PM
NASA's PADRE mission, led and built by SSL, measures X-rays emitted by solar flares at a fraction of the cost of previous missions. Its launch marks 45 years of SSL missions aimed at understanding the Sun and harmful space weather. #SpeakUp4Science
www.ssl.berkeley.edu/padre-aims-t...
www.ssl.berkeley.edu/padre-aims-t...
Big thank you to Lara Waldrop for the talk at SSL. Lara leads the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory. It will orbit the Sun to capture UV images of Earth’s exosphere. SSL built many of the instruments and will contribute to the research and operate the spacecraft.
August 28, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Big thank you to Lara Waldrop for the talk at SSL. Lara leads the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory. It will orbit the Sun to capture UV images of Earth’s exosphere. SSL built many of the instruments and will contribute to the research and operate the spacecraft.
Reposted by Space Sciences Laboratory
Our next #MFAUM25 speaker is Zack Gainsforth from the UC Berkeley Soace Sciences Laboratory, telling us about their work at the Foundry studying samples from the OSIRIS-REX mission to the asteroid Bennu! @ucbssl.bsky.social @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social
August 14, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Our next #MFAUM25 speaker is Zack Gainsforth from the UC Berkeley Soace Sciences Laboratory, telling us about their work at the Foundry studying samples from the OSIRIS-REX mission to the asteroid Bennu! @ucbssl.bsky.social @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social
Thank you to "Aurora Guy" @vincentledvina.bsky.social for stopping by @ucbssl.bsky.social to tell us about your efforts to engage citizen scientists and aurora chasers in space weather research.
August 8, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Thank you to "Aurora Guy" @vincentledvina.bsky.social for stopping by @ucbssl.bsky.social to tell us about your efforts to engage citizen scientists and aurora chasers in space weather research.
America needs the strongest possible NASA, commercial space and university network to remain safe, growing, and inspiring. Space science underpins our national security, boosts local economies, develops new technologies/resources and reveals where we stand in the cosmos.
August 5, 2025 at 8:04 PM
America needs the strongest possible NASA, commercial space and university network to remain safe, growing, and inspiring. Space science underpins our national security, boosts local economies, develops new technologies/resources and reveals where we stand in the cosmos.
The Solar Polarization and Directivity X-Ray Experiment (PADRE), led by SSL, launched today. PADRE will measure polarization and directivity of hard X-rays emitted during solar flares with the aim of developing better prediction models for solar emission events.
June 24, 2025 at 1:19 AM
The Solar Polarization and Directivity X-Ray Experiment (PADRE), led by SSL, launched today. PADRE will measure polarization and directivity of hard X-rays emitted during solar flares with the aim of developing better prediction models for solar emission events.
John Bonnell, project physicist at SSL, describes NASA's
TRACERS Mission, which will study the magnetopause (the boundary between the Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind) with the aim of better understanding space weather.
TRACERS Mission, which will study the magnetopause (the boundary between the Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind) with the aim of better understanding space weather.
June 18, 2025 at 9:48 PM
John Bonnell, project physicist at SSL, describes NASA's
TRACERS Mission, which will study the magnetopause (the boundary between the Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind) with the aim of better understanding space weather.
TRACERS Mission, which will study the magnetopause (the boundary between the Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind) with the aim of better understanding space weather.
Join SSL researcher and mission specialist Martin Sirk for an observational astronomy class far from city lights in the
Sierra Nevada this summer.
sierra.sfsu.edu/astr-216-pra...
Sierra Nevada this summer.
sierra.sfsu.edu/astr-216-pra...
June 4, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Join SSL researcher and mission specialist Martin Sirk for an observational astronomy class far from city lights in the
Sierra Nevada this summer.
sierra.sfsu.edu/astr-216-pra...
Sierra Nevada this summer.
sierra.sfsu.edu/astr-216-pra...
Photos of the SSL/@laspatcu.bsky.social-built AETHER sensor, designed to measure electric field fluctuations in the ionosphere. The full instrument is designed for use on NASA’s Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) mission to study coupling between the magnetosphere and the ionosphere.
May 29, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Photos of the SSL/@laspatcu.bsky.social-built AETHER sensor, designed to measure electric field fluctuations in the ionosphere. The full instrument is designed for use on NASA’s Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) mission to study coupling between the magnetosphere and the ionosphere.
Congratulations to former SSL undergrad Corina Dunn for being a finalist for the 2025 University Medal! Corina worked with SSL from 2022-2024.
news.berkeley.edu/2025/05/08/i...
news.berkeley.edu/2025/05/08/i...
In turbulent times, 2025 University Medal finalists excelled through idealism, hard work - Berkeley News
Students in the UC Berkeley Class of 2025 worked against a backdrop of historic social and political instability. The University Medal finalists met challenges head-on, and their early accomplishments...
news.berkeley.edu
May 14, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Congratulations to former SSL undergrad Corina Dunn for being a finalist for the 2025 University Medal! Corina worked with SSL from 2022-2024.
news.berkeley.edu/2025/05/08/i...
news.berkeley.edu/2025/05/08/i...
Big thanks to @edwinkite.bsky.social whose talk on prospects for terraforming Mars filled our conference room and elicited lively discussion.
May 12, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Big thanks to @edwinkite.bsky.social whose talk on prospects for terraforming Mars filled our conference room and elicited lively discussion.
SSL's designate director, Lindy Elkins-Tanton, discusses her research, leadership style and NASA's Psyche mission.
May 8, 2025 at 10:35 PM
SSL's designate director, Lindy Elkins-Tanton, discusses her research, leadership style and NASA's Psyche mission.
Reposted by Space Sciences Laboratory
Planetary scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton heads to UC Berkeley to lead the Space Sciences Laboratory, effective July 1. Welcome, Lindy! news.berkeley.edu/2025/05/06/p...
Planetary scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton to head Space Sciences Laboratory - Berkeley News
A professor at Arizona State University, she leads NASA's Psyche mission, the first to explore a metallic asteroid.
news.berkeley.edu
May 6, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Planetary scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton heads to UC Berkeley to lead the Space Sciences Laboratory, effective July 1. Welcome, Lindy! news.berkeley.edu/2025/05/06/p...
Our amazing undergraduate interns staffed SSL's table at Cal Day on Saturday, April 19th. They talked up SSL's undergraduate opportunities with admitted students and parents who posed for selfies with our out-of-this-world photo accessories.
LOOK: SSL Cal Day table inspires out-of-this-world selfies
Our amazing undergraduate interns staffed SSL's table at Cal Day on Saturday, April 19th. They talked up SSL's undergraduate opportunities with admitted students and parents who posed for selfies with our out-of-this-world photo accessories. If visitors could point out a specific instrument on our ESCAPADE Lego model, they'd win an ESCAPADE sticker and Pegasus rocket paper airplane. According to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, 3,389 students checked in to attend Cal Day, and 341 admitted students accepted their offer to attend Cal at the Accept Your Offer station (including an 628 students who had already accepted their offer).
www.ssl.berkeley.edu
April 22, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Our amazing undergraduate interns staffed SSL's table at Cal Day on Saturday, April 19th. They talked up SSL's undergraduate opportunities with admitted students and parents who posed for selfies with our out-of-this-world photo accessories.
The Auroral Acceleration Symposium in Honor of Charles W. (Chuck) Carlson wrapped up on Thursday, April 10th. The event included 24 talks on auroral investigations.
Auroral Acceleration Symposium aims to inspire next generation of space scientists
Symposium in honor of Chuck Carlson encourages new research on data from legacy auroral missions The Auroral Acceleration Symposium in Honor of Charles W. (Chuck) Carlson wrapped up on Thursday, April 10th. The event held at UC Berkeley’s Faculty Club attracted some 65 participants and included 24 talks on topics focusing on satellite and rocket investigations of the aurora including the latest findings and opportunities for further research.
www.ssl.berkeley.edu
April 15, 2025 at 7:59 PM
The Auroral Acceleration Symposium in Honor of Charles W. (Chuck) Carlson wrapped up on Thursday, April 10th. The event included 24 talks on auroral investigations.
Aerospace Engineer Bradley Pafchek and Aerospace Instrumentation Mechanical Engineer Matt Rubly assembling the payload for NASA’s Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) satellite mission at the Space Sciences Laboratory.
See more at: www.ssl.berkeley.edu
See more at: www.ssl.berkeley.edu
March 27, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Aerospace Engineer Bradley Pafchek and Aerospace Instrumentation Mechanical Engineer Matt Rubly assembling the payload for NASA’s Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) satellite mission at the Space Sciences Laboratory.
See more at: www.ssl.berkeley.edu
See more at: www.ssl.berkeley.edu