The agreement will enable bp and NASA to collaborate on an array of technologies. Photo courtesy of bp

Houston-based energy company bp America is helping NASA boost U.S. space exploration efforts.

Under an agreement signed August 7, bp and NASA will share digital technology and technical expertise developed over several decades. The energy company says the deal will help advance energy production on earth, and will help advance exploration of the moon, Mars, and other planets.

For example, the agreement will enable bp and NASA to collaborate on an array of technologies. This includes digital models and simulations that let engineers and scientists visualize equipment in remote locations more than 7,000 feet underwater or millions of miles away on another planet.

The bp-NASA partnership evolved thanks to the Space Act Agreement. This agreement, part of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, allows NASA to work with companies, universities, and other entities to propel space exploration.

In a news release, Ken Nguyen, principal technical program manager at bp, says: “bp has built a proud legacy of technological innovation as we deliver the energy the world needs today while investing in the energy system of tomorrow. As NASA pursues a sustained presence on the moon and Mars, we see a unique opportunity for bp and NASA to work collaboratively on the forefront of digital technology that will cultivate further innovation in energy and space.”

Initially, bp and NASA will focus on developing standards, and expanding the capabilities of visualization and simulation models. Subsequent phases might include:

  • Exchanging practices surrounding safety, communication, artificial intelligence, and other aspects of remote operations.
  • Collaborating on renewable energy, such as hydrogen, solar, regenerative fuel cells, and high-capacity batteries.

“Both bp and NASA are custodians of deep technical expertise, working in extreme environments — whether that’s at the bottom of the ocean or on the moon,” says Giovanni Cristofoli, senior vice president of bp Solutions. “Sharing what we know with each other will help us solve complex engineering problems faster, meaning we can focus on keeping energy flowing safely and delivering higher margins with lower emissions.”

This won’t be the first time bp and NASA have teamed up. Offshore workers from bp have undergone underwater escape training at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, the astronaut training pool near Johnson Space Center. In addition, NASA has used bp’s Castrol lubricants for more than 60 years.

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This article originally ran on EnergyCapital.

Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Rice University president Reginald DesRoches expanded upon their partnership. Photo by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University

Rice University boosts NASA's research and new lunar mission with renewed partnership

owls in space

Nearly 60 years ago, President John F. Kennedy made a bold declaration to the crowd of 40,000 gathered at Rice University’s football stadium — and to the world. America, said the young president, would land a man on the moon before the decade’s end.

“Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon,” Kennedy said in the now-iconic speech on September 12, 1962. “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

Indeed, heading back to the moon is hard, but the Ivy League of the South has just formalized a deal to assist NASA in doing so in the agency’s new lunar Artemis program. Rice University and NASA have extended their historic collaboration and partnership in which the two entities share research and develop educational outreach programs and opportunities.

Specifically, the new umbrella Space Act Agreement (SAA) covers participation by Rice and NASA personnel in joint research opportunities, STEM engagement, and educational activities, according to a Rice press announcement. This deal follows a decade of collaboration (starting with the 2012 SAA) and a previous extension in 2017.

And in a nod to the late president, the agreement also makes official NASA’s co-host participation in the upcoming Rice campus celebration that celebrates Kennedy’s legendary “We choose to go to the moon” speech. Rice will host public events from September 10-12.

This partnership invites the university to host and attend presentations at Johnson Space Center, including its Gateway to Space lecture series, and to NASA personnel to present at and attend the Rice Space Institute’s Space Frontiers lecture series, the Professional Science Masters in Space Studies seminar series, and other events, per a release.

The university will also seek ways to involve NASA researchers as visiting scholars, share information that could lead to collaborations, encourage Rice students to seek NASA internships, and pursue opportunities to engage in bioscience and human health and performance research.

Vanessa Wyche presents a special plaque to Rice University. Photo by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University

Rice has collaborated with NASA since the agency’s inception, including donating land for what’s now Johnson Space Center, as well as founding the first space science department in an academic institution. Rice alums in space include Shannon Walker, who holds three Rice degrees; Peggy Whitson, who holds the American record for the most time in space; and Nichole Ayers, who joined the space corps last year, Rice notes.

In July 2019, veterans of the Apollo program reunited at Rice Stadium to toast the anniversary of the first moon landing (Apollo 11) and take part in a NASA video to mark the 50-year milestone.

“NASA’s Johnson Space Center has a long history of working with colleges and universities since the early days of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs to help us achieve our human spaceflight missions,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of Johnson Space Center, in a statement. “We are eager to extend our partnership with Rice University to collaborate in vital research and technology development initiatives that will enable us to meet our nation’s exploration goals and advance human spaceflight as we work to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon under Artemis.”

Earlier this year, NASA also tapped University of Houston and Texas A&M University to expand partnerships at those institutions.

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This article originally ran on CultureMap.

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Axiom Space announces new CEO amid strategic leadership change

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Six months after promoting Tejpaul Bhatia from chief revenue officer to CEO, commercial space infrastructure and human spaceflight services provider Axiom Space has replaced him.

On Oct. 15, Houston-based Axiom announced Jonathan Cirtain has succeeded Bhatia as CEO. Bhatia joined Axiom in 2021. Cirtain remains the company’s president, a role he assumed in June, according to his LinkedIn profile.

In a news release, Axiom said Cirtain’s appointment as CEO is a “strategic leadership change” aimed at advancing the company’s development of space infrastructure.

Axiom hired Cirtain as president in June, according to his LinkedIn profile. The company didn’t publicly announce that move.

Kam Ghaffarian, co-founder and executive chairman of Axiom, said Cirtain’s “proven track record of leadership and commitment to excellence align perfectly with our mission of building era-defining space infrastructure that will drive exploration and fuel the global space economy.”

Aside from praising Cirtain, Ghaffarian expressed his “sincere gratitude” for Bhatia’s work at Axiom, including his leadership as CEO during “a significant transition period.”

Bhatia was promoted to CEO in April after helping Axiom gain more than $1 billion in contracts, Space News reported. He succeeded Ghaffarian as CEO. Axiom didn’t indicate whether Bhatia quit or was terminated.

Cirtain, an astrophysicist, was a senior executive at BWX Technologies, a supplier of nuclear components and fuel, for eight years before joining Axiom. Earlier, Cirtain spent nearly nine years in various roles at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. He previously co-founded a machine learning company specializing in Earth observation.

“Axiom Space is pioneering the commercialization of low-Earth orbit infrastructure while accelerating advancements in human spaceflight technologies,” Cirtain said. “I look forward to continuing our team’s important work of driving innovation to support expanded access to space and off-planet capabilities that will underpin the future of space exploration.”

Among other projects, Axiom is developing the world’s first commercial space station, creating next-generation spacesuits for astronauts and sending astronauts on low-Earth orbit missions.

Houston billionaire benefactors will donate almost entire fortune to charity

Giving Back

Houston billionaires Rich and Nancy Kinder plan to donate an astounding 95% of their multi-billion-dollar wealth to charities, they told ABC13's Melanie Lawson.

The news comes as the Kinder Foundation announced an $18.5 million expansion project for Emancipation Park in the heart of Third Ward. That historic park was founded by slaves in 1872.

The Kinders are one of the wealthiest couples in the nation, worth $11.4 billion, according to Forbes. You've certainly seen the Kinder name on buildings and facilities around the city of Houston.

The Kinders are also among the most generous, giving away hundreds of millions to Houston institutions and charities. Their plan is to give away almost all of their wealth, or more than $10 billion.

Rich Kinder helped build oil and gas pipeline giant Kinder Morgan, but he stepped down as CEO more than a decade ago for a what he calls a bigger cause.

"Well, I think we'd all like to leave the world a little better place than we found it," he said. "And we just felt early on that the right thing to do was to try to give most or all of that away. So that's what we plan to do during our lifetime and after our death."

They found kindred spirits as one of the first couples to sign The Giving Pledge, established by billionaires Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

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Continue reading the full story, with video, on ABC13.com.

Mark Cuban calls AI ‘the greater democratizer’ for young entrepreneurs

eyes on AI

Texas billionaire Mark Cuban—whose investment portfolio includes Houston-based Holliball, a startup that makes and sells large inflatable holiday ornaments—believes AI is leveling the playing field for budding low-income entrepreneurs.

At the recent Clover x Shark Tank Summit in Las Vegas, the Shark Tank alum called AI “the greater democratizer.”

Cuban told Axios that free and low-cost AI tools enable disadvantaged teenagers to compete with seasoned professionals.

“Right now, if you’re a 14- to 18-year-old and you’re in not-so-good circumstances, you have access to the best professors and the best consultants,” Cuban said. “It allows people who otherwise would not have access to any resources to have access to the best resources in real time. You can compete with anybody.”

While Cuban believes AI is “the great democratizer” for low-income young people, low-income workers still face hurdles in navigating the AI landscape, according to Public Works Partners, an urban planning and consulting firm. The firm says access to AI among low-income workers may be limited due to cost, insufficient digital literacy and infrastructure gaps.

“Without adequate resources and training, these workers may struggle to adapt to AI-driven workplaces or access the educational opportunities necessary to acquire new skills,” Public Works Partners said.

Texas 2036, a public policy organization focused on the state’s future, reported in January AI jobs in Texas are projected to grow 27 percent over the next decade. The number 2036 refers to the year when Texas will celebrate its bicentennial.

As for the current state of AI, Cuban said he doesn’t think the economy is witnessing an AI bubble comparable to the dot-com bubble, which lasted from 1998 to 2000.

“The difference is, the improvement in technology basically slowed to a trickle,” Cuban said of the dot-com era. “We’re nowhere near the improvement in technology slowing to a trickle in AI.”