Bringing Farmer Perspectives to NASA: FIAT Visits Goddard Space Flight Center and NASA Headquarters

Members of the NASA Acres Farm Innovation Ambassador Team (FIAT) visited NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and NASA Headquarters for a day of collaboration with the scientists, engineers, and leaders developing NASA's Earth observation and space exploration capabilities for the benefit of American agriculture.

The visit kicked off a week of NASA Acres events, including the FIAT Congressional Reception on Capitol Hill and the NASA Acres Science Meeting, bringing together producers, researchers, NASA leadership, policymakers, and partners to strengthen collaboration across the agricultural innovation ecosystem.

FIAT is NASA Acres' nationwide network of farmers, crop consultants, extension professionals, and researchers who work alongside scientists around the country to help ensure Earth observation technologies best meet the needs of American agriculture. By bringing producers directly into the research process, NASA Acres helps accelerate the development and adoption of satellite-enabled tools that deliver practical value to producers.

At NASA Goddard, FIAT members received an inside look at the science, technology, and operations behind NASA's Earth observation missions. The morning began with an overview of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope from Assistant Research Scientist Rebekah Hounsell, followed by a tour of the Spacecraft Integration and Testing Facility led by Tom Neumann, Acting Director of the Goddard Earth Sciences Division. FIAT members then visited the Earth Science Mission Operations Center with Michael Machado, Earth Science Mission Operations Constellation Manager, to learn how NASA manages its fleet of Earth-observing satellites. The visit concluded with a Hyperwall presentation by Miguel Roman, Deputy Director for Atmospheres and Data Science, highlighting the power of NASA's Earth observation data and visualization capabilities. Throughout the day, FIAT members met directly with NASA scientists and mission leaders to better understand how satellite observations are collected, managed, and transformed into information that can support agricultural decision-making.

The visit continued at NASA Headquarters, where FIAT members toured the Earth Information Center and met with NASA Earth Science leadership for a roundtable discussion. Producers shared firsthand perspectives on the challenges facing modern agriculture, discussed priorities for future research, and explored how NASA Earth observations can continue to address real-world agricultural needs.

These conversations exemplify one of the defining principles of the NASA Acres approach: bringing end users and researchers together throughout the innovation process rather than waiting until technologies are complete. Farmers provide critical insight into operational realities, emerging challenges, and decision-making needs, helping ensure new tools are practical, trusted, and ready for adoption.

As NASA continues to invest in Earth observation science, partnerships like FIAT help ensure those investments translate into real-world impact. By connecting the people developing new technologies with the people who use them every day, NASA Acres is helping move innovations from orbit to the field, strengthening the productivity, resilience, and competitiveness of American agriculture.