NASA Ames Stars of the Month: November 2026

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The NASA Ames Science Directorate recognizes the outstanding contributions of (pictured left to right) Alyssa Villanueva, Steve Howell, and Samuel LeBlanc. Their commitment to the NASA mission represents the entrepreneurial spirit, technical expertise, and collaborative disposition needed to explore this world and beyond.

Alyssa Villaneuva is an engineer at Blue Marble in the Space Biosciences Division on the LEIA (Lunar Explorer Instrument for space biology Applications) team. Alyssa is recognized for technical excellence, dedication and boundless support to the rest of the team. She goes above and beyond in contributing to LEIA every day and has been essential in all the test efforts, in particular with preparation and execution of engineering validation testing.

Steve Howell is recognized for his leadership of scientific teams for numerous international space missions. His pioneering work in astronomical instrumentation have significantly advanced both space- and ground-based telescope imaging. In kind, the Astronomical society has recently recognized Steve’s lifetime of major contributions to the field with the prestigious Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

Samuel LeBlanc is a research scientist for the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute in the Earth Science Division. Sam is recognized for exceptional technical leadership and innovative thinking in advancing Ames’ flight planning capabilities for NASA airborne science missions. Sam’s contributions have placed Ames at the forefront of airborne science flight planning within and outside the Agency, enabling successful and cost-effective missions that maximize scientific returns.