Carina Alden is a Space Weather Analyst, Outreach Coordinator, and Communications Lead with the Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office (M2M SWAO) in the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. As part of the M2M SWAO team, Carina monitors and analyzes space weather in real-time using satellite imagery, in-situ data, and tools provided by the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC). This includes populating CCMC's Database Of Notifications Knowledge and Information (DONKI) catalog and CME Scoreboard with space weather event details. Additionally, Carina works closely with NASA's Heliophysics Communication Team by providing her space weather expertise for posts used on NASA's social media pages as well as at outreach events.
While at NASA, Carina has had the opportunity to present about M2M SWAO at national conferences, participate in educational activities internationally, and support some of NASA's missions including Artemis (returning to the Moon and onto Mars), the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and Parker Solar Probe (PSP).
Prior to joining the Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office (M2M SWAO), Carina spent four summers in the realm of heliophysics with internship experiences at the National Solar Observatory (NSO), Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), and two within the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Carina’s passion for space weather began during her freshman year of college when she was first introduced to the subject at the National American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual Meeting in 2014. Since then, she chased knowledge through her summer internships (2015-2018), as a space weather mathematician for a NASA SBIR proposal (2020), and as a student representative for NOAA’s Space Weather Workshop (2019).
Carina has had the privilege of sharing her knowledge with the Heliophysics Communication Team and during NASA outreach events. Some of her favorite events have been staffing the NASA booth at the 2023 Annular Eclipse in Kerrville, TX; Summer Solstice Live Shots (2023) in the NASA studio; and the SUNday Experiment at NASA’s visitor center (2024).
Outside of her work at NASA, Carina enjoys spending time with her two cats Salem and Eclipse, photographing nature and weddings, watching TV and movies, and gaming with friends on Twitch.