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This article is for students grades 5-8.

What is Pi?

Pi is a number. You might know it as 3.14 or the symbol π. But it’s way more than that!

What Makes Pi Special?

Pi is an irrational number. That means it goes on forever and it never repeats its sequence of numbers. Pi has been calculated to more than one trillion digits! But NASA scientists and engineers use far fewer digits in their calculations. Usually, the approximation of 3.14 is precise enough.

Pi is the circumference of a circle divided by the circle’s diameter. Pi is the same for any circle, no matter how big or small. It is a mathematical constant.

———————————————————————————————

Words to Know

irrational number: a number that cannot be expressed as a simple fraction

circumference: the distance around a circle

diameter: the distance of a straight line across the center of a circle

———————————————————————————————

How Is Pi Used?

Pi is used in lots of ways. It’s fundamental for calculating anything that involves circles, curves, or spheres. It’s used in geometry, physics, engineering, and even computer science.

How Does NASA Use Pi?

NASA missions depend on pi. Let’s look at a few examples.

Astronauts returning home from the International Space Station use parachutes to slow their spacecraft down for a safe landing. But just how big do the parachutes need to be? NASA uses pi to calculate the circular area required to slow a spacecraft as it moves through the atmosphere.

Planetary scientists use pi to learn about the materials inside a planet or asteroid. They use pi to determine the object’s volume. Combined with the object’s mass, they can determine the density of the object. Since we know the densities of planetary materials like rock, ice, and metal, scientists can make informed guesses about what the planet or asteroid might be made of.

Did you know that spacecraft fuel tanks are usually sphere-shaped? Rocket scientists use pi to figure out how much fuel a spacecraft will need. They also use pi to compute how much fuel is available in spacecraft tanks and how quickly that fuel travels through their cylindrical fuel lines.

To learn more ways pi helps NASA explore our home planet and beyond, check out 18 Ways NASA Uses Pi.

Career Corner

Are you interested in a career that uses pi? Many different occupations use this mathematical wonder. Here are a few examples:

• Manufacturing technician: Turning designs into reality takes skilled technicians. Fabrication and assembly of robotic equipment and spacecraft parts often involve curves that must be precisely calculated. Being able to follow intricate instructions is key. Trade school training and skills such as operating forklifts and heavy machinery may be required.
• Mars rover driver: Driving a rover on Mars is not like driving a car on Earth. There are no steering wheels on Mars rovers. Instead, operators on Earth send commands to the rovers. These might include turning wheels or moving a robotic arm, and those functions use degrees calculated using pi. College degrees in robotics and software engineering might lead to this career.
• Planetary scientist: What are objects in our solar system made of? And where did the planets, moons, asteroids, and comets come from? Planetary scientists use pi to answer these questions and more as they study our celestial neighborhood. A college degree is key to being an expert in this field, but subject areas can vary from physics to astronomy, or even geology.

Explore More

How Many Decimals of Pi Do We Need Anyway?
The NASA Pi Day Challenge

On Monday, NASA announced Bradley Flick, director of NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, will retire Thursday, March 19, after a nearly 40-year career advancing aeronautics and flight research.

Flick began his NASA journey in 1986 as a flight systems engineer and rose through the ranks to lead the center. His career spanned historic achievements by NASA, bookended by the groundbreaking X‑29 forward-swept wing aircraft and the first flight of the X‑59 quiet supersonic technology aircraft and including many other experimental flight research and airborne science projects in support of NASA and the nation.

“Brad’s career reflects the kind of disciplined engineering and steady leadership NASA relies on to tackle difficult problems,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “For nearly four decades, he contributed to some of the agency’s most challenging flight research efforts—from the X-29 through the first flight of the X-59—and helped strengthen the team and capabilities at Armstrong along the way. NASA is grateful for his service and the example he’s set for the next generation of engineers and flight test professionals.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from Clarkson University, Flick joined NASA, working on the F/A-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle project. In 1988, he moved to the Operations Engineering branch, where he played a lead role in developing experimental systems including thrust vectoring control, emergency electrical and hydraulic systems, and the spin recovery parachute system. He also served as mission controller for about 100 HARV research flights.

He later earned a master’s degree in engineering management from Rochester Institute of Technology, which supported his progression through increasingly responsible leadership roles. Before his appointment as center director on Dec. 5, 2022, following a period as acting director, Flick held leadership positions spanning engineering and operations, including Flight Systems branch chief, acting associate director for Flight Operations, center chief engineer (where he chaired the Airworthiness and Flight Safety Review Board), deputy director and director for Research and Engineering, and deputy center director.

Flick’s leadership and technical expertise shaped flight research at NASA. His work advanced aeronautics and pushed the boundaries of aviation technology. As NASA continues to lead innovations in sustainable aviation and supersonic flight, his contributions will remain an integral part of that legacy.

Troy Asher will serve as acting center director, effective Friday, March 20. Asher previously served as director, Flight Operations, at NASA Armstrong.

For more about NASA’s missions, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov

-end-

Bethany Stevens / Cheryl Warner
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov

Dede Dinius
Armstrong Flight Research Center, California
661-276-5701
darin.l.dinius@nasa.gov

Read this media advisory in English here.

La NASA ofrecerá una rueda de prensa a las 3 p.m. EDT (hora del este) del jueves 12 de marzo para dar a conocer el progreso de la misión tripulada Artemis II alrededor de la Luna. La rueda de prensa tendrá lugar en el Centro Espacial Kennedy de la agencia en Florida, tras la conclusión de la evaluación de aptitud para el vuelo de Artemis II.
La rueda de prensa se transmitirá en vivo en el canal de  YouTube de la agencia. Aprenda a transmitir contenido de la NASA a través de diversas plataformas en línea, incluidas las redes sociales, según disponibilidad.

Entre los participantes de la NASA se encuentran:

• Jared Isaacman, administrador
• Lori Glaze, administradora asociada interina, Dirección de Misiones de Sistemas de Exploración
• John Honeycutt, director del equipo de gestión de la misión Artemis II
• Shawn Quinn, director del Programa de Sistemas Terrestres de Exploración.
• Norm Knight, director, Dirección de Operaciones de Vuelo

La asistencia en persona a este evento en el centro Kennedy está abierta a los medios de comunicación previamente acreditados para el lanzamiento de Artemis II. Para participar virtualmente, los medios de comunicación deben confirmar su asistencia y solicitar los detalles de la llamada al menos 30 minutos antes del inicio del evento a la sala de prensa del centro Kennedy: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov. La política de acreditación de medios de la NASA está disponible en línea (en inglés).

La NASA continúa su trabajo en el cohete Sistema de Lanzamiento Espacial y la nave espacial Orion en el Edificio de Ensamblaje de Vehículos del centro Kennedy antes de un segundo traslado a la plataforma de lanzamiento a finales de este mes, antes de un posible lanzamiento en abril.

Como parte de una edad de oro de innovación y exploración, Artemis allanará el camino para nuevas misiones tripuladas estadounidenses en la superficie lunar, como preparación para enviar a los primeros astronautas a Marte.

Para más información sobre el programa Artemis, visite:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis (inglés)

https://ciencia.nasa.gov/artemis (español)

-fin-

Bethany Stevens / Rachel Kraft / María José Viñas
Sede central, Washington
202-358-1600
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov / maria-jose.vinasgarcia@nasa.gov

Tiffany Fairley
Centro Espacial Kennedy, Florida
321-747-8306
tiffany.l.fairley@nasa.gov

NASA will host a news conference at 3 p.m. EDT, Thursday, March 12, to highlight progress toward the Artemis II crewed mission around the Moon. The media briefing will take place from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida after the conclusion of an Artemis II Flight Readiness Review.

The news conference will stream live on the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media, as available.

NASA participants include:

• Administrator Jared Isaacman
• Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate
• John Honeycutt, chair, Artemis II Mission Management Team
• Shawn Quinn, manager, Exploration Ground Systems Program
• Norm Knight, director, Flight Operations Directorate

This event is open in-person for media previously credentialed at NASA Kennedy for the Artemis II launch. To participate virtually, media must RSVP for call details no later than 30 minutes prior to the start of the event to the newsroom at NASA Kennedy: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov. NASA’s media credentialing policy is online.

NASA is continuing work on the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft in NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building before a second rollout to the launch pad later this month ahead of a potential launch in April.

As part of Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

To learn more about the Artemis program, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

-end-

Bethany Stevens / Rachel Kraft
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov

Tiffany Fairley
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-747-8306
tiffany.l.fairley@nasa.gov

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) partnered with Materials and Processes and Flammability subject matter experts from the Johnson Space Center, White Sands Test Facility, and the Marshall Space Flight Center to design and develop a test for evaluating the effectiveness of material assemblies to serve as a barrier between a potential cabin ignition source based on typical flammable materials in the habitable volume of spacecraft.

Download PDF: Flammability Testing Configuration and Approach of Barrier Material Assemblies Designed for Space Flight Applications

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