NASA Ames recognizes Stars of the Month for November 2026

The NASA Ames Science Directorate recognized Alyssa Villanueva, Steve Howell, and Samuel LeBlanc as Stars of the Month for November 2026. The agency said their contributions to the NASA mission showed the entrepreneurial spirit, technical expertise, and collaborative disposition needed to explore the world and beyond. The announcement was published Thursday 12 November 2026.

Villanueva is an engineer at Blue Marble in the Space Biosciences Division. She works on the LEIA team, which focuses on the Lunar Explorer Instrument for space biology Applications. The agency recognized her technical excellence, dedication, and support for the team. It also recognized her work in preparing and carrying out engineering validation testing.

Villanueva was recognized as the Space Biosciences Star. The announcement said she had contributed to LEIA every day and had been essential to test efforts. Her work included preparation and execution of engineering validation testing.

Howell was recognized for leading scientific teams on numerous international space missions. The agency said his pioneering work in astronomical instrumentation had significantly advanced imaging with space-based and ground-based telescopes.

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific recently recognized Howell's lifetime of major contributions to astronomy with the Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal. The announcement described the honor as prestigious.

LeBlanc is a research scientist for the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute in the Earth Science Division. The agency recognized his exceptional technical leadership and innovative thinking in advancing Ames' flight planning capabilities for NASA airborne science missions.

The announcement said LeBlanc's contributions had placed Ames at the forefront of airborne science flight planning within and outside the Agency. It said they had enabled successful and cost-effective missions that maximize scientific returns.