SHSU Researcher Joins NASA Mission to Explore the Universe's Smallest Galaxies

SHSU Researcher Joins NASA Mission to Explore the Universe's Smallest Galaxies 

A Sam Houston State University faculty member is contributing to an ambitious NASA space mission that aims to uncover new insights into the origins and evolution of galaxies, stars and some of the universe's most powerful cosmic events. 

Annalisa Citro, an assistant professor in SHSU's Department of Physics and Astronomy, is part of the international science team for NASA's UltraViolet EXplorer (UVEX) mission. UVEX is NASA's next Medium-Class Explorer mission, scheduled to launch in 2030. 

Citro serves on the mission's Low-Mass, Low-Metallicity Galaxy Frontier science team, which focuses on studying smaller galaxies containing relatively low concentrations of heavy elements. Working alongside researchers led by Danielle Berg of the University of Texas at Austin, Citro will help investigate how carbon is produced and distributed in some of the smallest, most metal-poor galaxies known. 

Because carbon is the fundamental building block of life as we know it, understanding how it forms and spreads throughout galaxies could provide valuable insights into one of life's key ingredients and the conditions that make planets and life possible. 

"One of the most exciting aspects of this research is the opportunity to better understand where the elements essential to life come from," Citro said. "By studying these small, metal-poor galaxies, we can gain insight into how the universe evolved over billions of years. I'm excited to contribute to a mission that will help answer some of these fundamental questions." 

Equipped with advanced ultraviolet imaging and spectroscopy instruments, UVEX will survey the ultraviolet sky, complementing major observatories such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Its planned survey will be approximately 50 to 100 times more sensitive than NASA’s earlier Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) mission, allowing researchers to identify and study galaxies in unprecedented detail. 

The UVEX mission is led by principal investigator Fiona Harrison of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), with a science team representing research institutions around the world. Its observations are expected to generate a wealth of scientific data, supporting discoveries in astronomy and astrophysics for years to come. 

"Dr. Citro's participation in the UVEX mission demonstrates the opportunities that emerge when our faculty engage in scientific initiatives of international significance,” said Esther Olaleye, vice president for Research and Sponsored Programs. "Supporting this kind of scholarship is central to our vision for the future of research at SHSU.” 

For more information about the mission, visit www.uvex.caltech.edu.