By Jim Gerard
Well, not too long. Only two weeks. And it's not winter yet: not until the Sun reaches the Winter Solstice at 9:47 am on Monday, December 21. But the point is that the OLC will only get occasional updates through the holiday season. Most of the INSPIRE staff will be with family over the holidays, and we know that you have some great plans as well. We hope you use this time to go back into the Discover section and find some activities to catch up with. Make them a present to yourself. Share them with your families and friends. Remember, if you want to apply for a Summer STEM Experience, the points you earn will play a role in the selection process! The OLC will be back at full speed on Monday, January 4 (Perihelion Day), 2010.
From all on the INSPIRE team to everyone in our virtual community, the very best wishes for a joyous holiday!
(And if you want to track Santa, check out the NORAD site!)
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
2009: An Online Year of Milestones
By Jason Townsend
As our turkey comas wear off from Thanksgiving and the chilled air of December settles in, a New Year looms around the corner. 2009 held many large events for NASA.gov. Almost 392,000 people watched the LCROSS impact video live on NASA.gov with 5.4 million visitors simultaneously looking at the NASA.gov Web site, the second-largest online event in our history. We also set a new bandwidth record during the LCROSS impact with data transfers of over 75.5 gigabits per second spread among live video and the Web site. All-told during the LCROSS impact event, we moved a total amount of data equal to over 85 terabytes or about the equivalent of 127,327 CD's.
NASA.gov also set milestones with the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission during STS-125. In addition to all the normal online activities that any shuttle mission usually garners, astronaut Mike Massimino captivated space enthusiasts around the world via Twitter by sending the first tweet from space. His Earth-shattering tweets also managed to amass @Astro_Mike over a million followers on Twitter, rivaling the likes of Ashton Kutcher. Additionally, the launch of STS-125 also resulted in our fourth-largest online event in NASA.gov history.
NASA delved deeper into our enthusiastic group of followers on Twitter by hosting 'Tweetups' where Twitter users learn about our programs and speak with astronauts. Thus far, Tweetups have been held at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Demand for attending the Tweetup to learn about STS-129 and view the launch of the Space Shuttle from Florida culminated with the filling of our 100 registration slots, plus all the spaces on our wait-list, in less than twenty minutes.
Other ground was broken in NASA's online communications with this fall's Operation Ice Bridge campaign, which featured an unprecedented level of near-real time coverage across cyberspace with tweets on Twitter, Webisodes on YouTube, photos on Flickr, and a blog on NASA Blogs. This precedent-setting social media coverage exceeded all expectations and is something that we hope to repeat in the years ahead.
Another large online event for NASA.gov was the launch of the Ares I-X Development Test flight. While lasting just a few minutes, the intrigue of the new rocket and it's successful test launch showed sustained interest in the days leading up to the launch, even after the first launch attempt was scrubbed.
Now that we've talked about some of our online highlights from 2009, what other NASA events interested you from throughout the year?
As our turkey comas wear off from Thanksgiving and the chilled air of December settles in, a New Year looms around the corner. 2009 held many large events for NASA.gov. Almost 392,000 people watched the LCROSS impact video live on NASA.gov with 5.4 million visitors simultaneously looking at the NASA.gov Web site, the second-largest online event in our history. We also set a new bandwidth record during the LCROSS impact with data transfers of over 75.5 gigabits per second spread among live video and the Web site. All-told during the LCROSS impact event, we moved a total amount of data equal to over 85 terabytes or about the equivalent of 127,327 CD's.
NASA.gov also set milestones with the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission during STS-125. In addition to all the normal online activities that any shuttle mission usually garners, astronaut Mike Massimino captivated space enthusiasts around the world via Twitter by sending the first tweet from space. His Earth-shattering tweets also managed to amass @Astro_Mike over a million followers on Twitter, rivaling the likes of Ashton Kutcher. Additionally, the launch of STS-125 also resulted in our fourth-largest online event in NASA.gov history.
NASA delved deeper into our enthusiastic group of followers on Twitter by hosting 'Tweetups' where Twitter users learn about our programs and speak with astronauts. Thus far, Tweetups have been held at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Demand for attending the Tweetup to learn about STS-129 and view the launch of the Space Shuttle from Florida culminated with the filling of our 100 registration slots, plus all the spaces on our wait-list, in less than twenty minutes.
Other ground was broken in NASA's online communications with this fall's Operation Ice Bridge campaign, which featured an unprecedented level of near-real time coverage across cyberspace with tweets on Twitter, Webisodes on YouTube, photos on Flickr, and a blog on NASA Blogs. This precedent-setting social media coverage exceeded all expectations and is something that we hope to repeat in the years ahead.
Another large online event for NASA.gov was the launch of the Ares I-X Development Test flight. While lasting just a few minutes, the intrigue of the new rocket and it's successful test launch showed sustained interest in the days leading up to the launch, even after the first launch attempt was scrubbed.
Now that we've talked about some of our online highlights from 2009, what other NASA events interested you from throughout the year?
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Fewer Southeastern Tornadoes Occur Following Dry Falls and Winters
By Gretchen Cook-Anderson
Perhaps Dorothy, from the famed film Wizard of Oz, should have hoped for a fall or wintertime drought. According to findings from a NASA-funded study published last June in Environmental Research Letters , dry fall and winter seasons in the southeastern United States mean it is less likely that Southern twisters will develop in springtime to sweep anyone off their feet.
Using rainfall data from NASA satellites, rain gauge information, and NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center tornado record dating back to 1952, University of Georgia meteorologists Marshall Shepherd and Tom Mote and Purdue University climatologist Dev Niyogi discovered a statistical tendency for drought-ravaged fall and winter seasons to pave the way for “below normal tornado days” in spring seasons that follow.
“This is conceptually similar to what Bill Gray’s been doing for more than 25 years when he predicts how active the hurricane season will be based on African rain,” said Shepherd, the study’s lead author, of the Colorado State University’s pioneer hurricane season forecaster.
They culled data from Northern Georgia and other parts of the southeast, but Shepherd and his colleagues believe their findings may have relevance for other regions. The new study also adds to the body of related work Shepherd and Niyogi are ushering, including their study earlier this year in the aftermath of Atlanta’s spring 2008 twister that linked urbanization and drought to tornado activity.
For Shepherd in particular, there’s no place like home when considering the geographical focus of much of his meteorological research. “Science is my proverbial yellow brick road,” explained Shepherd. “It’s taken me down some fascinating paths, especially in learning more in recent years about tornado phenomena in my own backyard.”
Perhaps Dorothy, from the famed film Wizard of Oz, should have hoped for a fall or wintertime drought. According to findings from a NASA-funded study published last June in Environmental Research Letters , dry fall and winter seasons in the southeastern United States mean it is less likely that Southern twisters will develop in springtime to sweep anyone off their feet.
Using rainfall data from NASA satellites, rain gauge information, and NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center tornado record dating back to 1952, University of Georgia meteorologists Marshall Shepherd and Tom Mote and Purdue University climatologist Dev Niyogi discovered a statistical tendency for drought-ravaged fall and winter seasons to pave the way for “below normal tornado days” in spring seasons that follow.“This is conceptually similar to what Bill Gray’s been doing for more than 25 years when he predicts how active the hurricane season will be based on African rain,” said Shepherd, the study’s lead author, of the Colorado State University’s pioneer hurricane season forecaster.
They culled data from Northern Georgia and other parts of the southeast, but Shepherd and his colleagues believe their findings may have relevance for other regions. The new study also adds to the body of related work Shepherd and Niyogi are ushering, including their study earlier this year in the aftermath of Atlanta’s spring 2008 twister that linked urbanization and drought to tornado activity.
For Shepherd in particular, there’s no place like home when considering the geographical focus of much of his meteorological research. “Science is my proverbial yellow brick road,” explained Shepherd. “It’s taken me down some fascinating paths, especially in learning more in recent years about tornado phenomena in my own backyard.”
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Tripping the Boundary Layer - Part 2
By Wayne Hale, JSC, Manager Space Shuttle Program
If we are to design future hypersonic aircraft and spacecraft, we need to understand this phenomenon in a very specific way. Precisely controlled data collection is required. That is what is going to happen on the next shuttle flight.
Here is a picture of the apparatus as it was being installed on Discovery in the Orbiter Processing Facility:
The older tiles have grayed with repeated flights, new tiles are shiny black, and the green painted aluminum skin is where tiles are yet to be installed. The wires hanging down are for the instrumentation. The black tile in the center of the picture has a quarter inch ridge down the middle of it, oriented crosswise to the airflow; that is our controlled trip mechanism.
If this experiment is successful, there are two more iterations with larger steps on the test tile.
Funny how it seems so simple, but it takes so much planning!
If we are successful, a better understanding of the transition will lead to a prediction capability. This will make it possible to design the engines and aircraft for the next leap forward in aircraft!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Tripping the Boundary Layer - Part 1
By Wayne Hale, JSC, Manager Space Shuttle Program
As I start this series, it occurs to me that "tripping the boundary layer" could be an article on social change - maybe I'll do that.
But for today it is an engineering subject. So buckle your seatbelt and hold your hat, we are off on an adventure in rocket science!
Aviation has been driven by the desire to fly higher and faster. Great strides have been made, especially up to the middle 1960's. But for the last few decades aircraft have been at a plateau in terms of speed and altitude. With the exception of rocket powered X planes, the boundary of high performance jets has been just faster than Mach 3 and up to about 100,000 ft. Even though there is the perennial dream of hypersonic transports carrying passengers across the globe in a fraction of today's aircraft, we don't seem to be advancing on that dream.
Part of the problem is we don't understand how to avoid tripping the boundary layer. There is precious little data at hypersonic speeds, and computer simulations are no good without data and the formulae derived from data to predict these things: garbage in; garbage out.
So, to start this discussion off, let us define the terms. (What the dickens are we talking about?)! What's a boundary layer and what does it mean to trip one?
In aviation, the boundary layer is a thin film of air closest to the wing, body, or engine of an aircraft. At the molecular level, the air immediately adjacent to the airplane is dragged along with the plane. Infinitesimally farther away, the air is being carried along at some fraction of the speed of the airplane, and at a longer way away from the airplane, the air is not moving at all, or at least not being dragged by the airplane. That distant air is called the "free stream" and the close by air - which is affected by the passage of the aircraft - is called the boundary layer. Typically aerospace engineers consider the boundary layer to be that close in part of the air that is being dragged along by the passing of the aircraft at a speed of 5% or more of the airplane. These boundary layers are thin, inches or fractions of an inch. They are important because the boundary layer causes most of the drag and most of the heating when an airplane is in flight.
Boundary layers, like all fluid flows, is either laminar or turbulent. Laminar flow is smooth, turbulent flow is, . . . well, . . . turbulent. You can see a good youtube video of this here:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NplrDarMDF8
And there is a really good wikipedia article on turbulence here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbulence
So why is all of this important? Exactly at this time there is a large effort by many companies and government agencies to develop hypersonic aircraft. NASA has even sponsored a couple of test flights. The problem, as it is for all types of aircraft flight, is drag and heating. When the boundary layer over the wings or in the engine is laminar, there is low drag and low heating; and when the boundary layer is turbulent, drag and heating increase dramatically. All boundary layers can be "tripped" or transition from laminar to turbulent flow.
In some of these experimental aircraft the engines [called SCRAM jets for Supersonic Combustion Ram jet engines] have only operated for a fraction of a second or a very few seconds. Why? Because the designers do not know how to cool them; they don't understand when or whether the boundary layer inside the engine is turbulent or laminar.
In some of these experimental aircraft, the engine begins to melt as soon as it is turned on; hence the extremely short operating times.
This is no good for a hypersonic passenger aircraft which might carry a hundred people from New York to Tokyo in a couple of hours.
Why do we not understand this phenomenon? Because it cannot be recreated in a wind tunnel or other experimental apparatus. The wind tunnels that have long enough flow durations to study this phenomenon run only up to about Mach 6. These hypersonic engines need to perform at Mach 8 or 10 or 12. There are "wind tunnels" that operate at high Mach numbers but only for fractions of a second; not long enough to understand the way in which a boundary layer works.
No aircraft fly that fast, missiles can achieve it briefly, but there is one platform that spends a serious amount of time flying through the atmosphere at speeds above Mach 6:
Its the space shuttle.
Tomorrow I'll talk about an experiment that will be on the next shuttle flight. An experiment which will study tripping the boundary layer.
With this knowledge, the designers just might be able to make a major advancement toward hypersonic passenger aircraft.
To hold your attention until my next post, here is a true story:
Around 1900 a young graduate student in physics was trying to do research on a problem that could earn him a doctorate degree. He started out studying the transition from laminar to turbulent flow in fluids. After months of work and study, he concluded that this problem was too hard. He would concentrate on an easier subject: atomic physics. His name was Niels Bohr and he won the Nobel prize for physics in 1922 for his work in quantum mechanics. And he was right; turbulence is harder. And we don't understand it yet.
As I start this series, it occurs to me that "tripping the boundary layer" could be an article on social change - maybe I'll do that.
But for today it is an engineering subject. So buckle your seatbelt and hold your hat, we are off on an adventure in rocket science!
Aviation has been driven by the desire to fly higher and faster. Great strides have been made, especially up to the middle 1960's. But for the last few decades aircraft have been at a plateau in terms of speed and altitude. With the exception of rocket powered X planes, the boundary of high performance jets has been just faster than Mach 3 and up to about 100,000 ft. Even though there is the perennial dream of hypersonic transports carrying passengers across the globe in a fraction of today's aircraft, we don't seem to be advancing on that dream.
Part of the problem is we don't understand how to avoid tripping the boundary layer. There is precious little data at hypersonic speeds, and computer simulations are no good without data and the formulae derived from data to predict these things: garbage in; garbage out.
So, to start this discussion off, let us define the terms. (What the dickens are we talking about?)! What's a boundary layer and what does it mean to trip one?
In aviation, the boundary layer is a thin film of air closest to the wing, body, or engine of an aircraft. At the molecular level, the air immediately adjacent to the airplane is dragged along with the plane. Infinitesimally farther away, the air is being carried along at some fraction of the speed of the airplane, and at a longer way away from the airplane, the air is not moving at all, or at least not being dragged by the airplane. That distant air is called the "free stream" and the close by air - which is affected by the passage of the aircraft - is called the boundary layer. Typically aerospace engineers consider the boundary layer to be that close in part of the air that is being dragged along by the passing of the aircraft at a speed of 5% or more of the airplane. These boundary layers are thin, inches or fractions of an inch. They are important because the boundary layer causes most of the drag and most of the heating when an airplane is in flight.
Boundary layers, like all fluid flows, is either laminar or turbulent. Laminar flow is smooth, turbulent flow is, . . . well, . . . turbulent. You can see a good youtube video of this here:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NplrDarMDF8
And there is a really good wikipedia article on turbulence here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbulence
So why is all of this important? Exactly at this time there is a large effort by many companies and government agencies to develop hypersonic aircraft. NASA has even sponsored a couple of test flights. The problem, as it is for all types of aircraft flight, is drag and heating. When the boundary layer over the wings or in the engine is laminar, there is low drag and low heating; and when the boundary layer is turbulent, drag and heating increase dramatically. All boundary layers can be "tripped" or transition from laminar to turbulent flow.
In some of these experimental aircraft the engines [called SCRAM jets for Supersonic Combustion Ram jet engines] have only operated for a fraction of a second or a very few seconds. Why? Because the designers do not know how to cool them; they don't understand when or whether the boundary layer inside the engine is turbulent or laminar.
In some of these experimental aircraft, the engine begins to melt as soon as it is turned on; hence the extremely short operating times.
This is no good for a hypersonic passenger aircraft which might carry a hundred people from New York to Tokyo in a couple of hours.
Why do we not understand this phenomenon? Because it cannot be recreated in a wind tunnel or other experimental apparatus. The wind tunnels that have long enough flow durations to study this phenomenon run only up to about Mach 6. These hypersonic engines need to perform at Mach 8 or 10 or 12. There are "wind tunnels" that operate at high Mach numbers but only for fractions of a second; not long enough to understand the way in which a boundary layer works.
No aircraft fly that fast, missiles can achieve it briefly, but there is one platform that spends a serious amount of time flying through the atmosphere at speeds above Mach 6:
Its the space shuttle.
Tomorrow I'll talk about an experiment that will be on the next shuttle flight. An experiment which will study tripping the boundary layer.
With this knowledge, the designers just might be able to make a major advancement toward hypersonic passenger aircraft.
To hold your attention until my next post, here is a true story:
Around 1900 a young graduate student in physics was trying to do research on a problem that could earn him a doctorate degree. He started out studying the transition from laminar to turbulent flow in fluids. After months of work and study, he concluded that this problem was too hard. He would concentrate on an easier subject: atomic physics. His name was Niels Bohr and he won the Nobel prize for physics in 1922 for his work in quantum mechanics. And he was right; turbulence is harder. And we don't understand it yet.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Find Your Way
By Logan Hamel
When I began my studies at the University of Wisconsin - Madison I was unsure which career path to choose. I anticipated that I would enjoy engineering due to my success in mathematics and physics as well as my love for problem solving. However, I was not ready to select a specific discipline within engineering. During my second semester I began to realize that a degree in Engineering Mechanics and Astronautics would be an excellent fit. This degree would allow me to maximize my coursework in my favorite subject, classical mechanics. Furthermore, the degree would provide the opportunity to move into the aerospace industry which was a thought that created additional motivation. I believe that through exploration of our solar system, we will learn valuable information about ourselves and begin to better understand our place within this universe. Despite my excitement about my new major, as a freshman I was still not completely confident in my decision. I also believed civil engineering would be a good fit for me as it would allow me to make a more direct impact in the community. However, as I continued my coursework and studied topics including structural mechanics and advanced dynamics, I became increasingly confident in my decision to pursue Engineering Mechanics and Astronautics.
As a junior at UW-Madison I was lucky enough to be selected for the engineering co-op program at United Space Alliance (USA). I moved to Houston, TX to work in the Ascent/Descent Flight Design department. I was very excited and my time at USA was everything that I hoped it would be. I learned a great deal about NASA’s space shuttle program and I performed analysis on the sensitivity of shuttle contingency abort scenarios to monthly weather fluctuations. The experience made me realize how important my role as an engineer would be and thus it motivated me to work even harder when I returned to school in the fall.
Last year I returned to school to pursue my Masters of Science in Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. At Georgia Tech my work has been focused on advanced rotorcraft design which was new to me at first, but I have found it to be a fascinating field of research. I will soon be graduating and I cannot wait to continue making my contributions to the aerospace engineering industry.
There have been two main highlights within my experience of engineering thus far. The first was the patenting of my senior design project, a ladder load lifting device. I was very excited to receive a patent so early in my career. It made me realize how much opportunity there is to impact our community through engineering. The second highlight was my experience as a member of Georgia Tech’s graduate student team which won first prize in NASA’s fundamental aeronautics program competition for the design of a supersonic airliner. I am very proud of the amount of progress my team was able accomplish in such a short time during the competition. The best part of each experience was working side by side with other motivated students who are equally passionate about aerospace design.
I believe that through hard work, dedication, and a little bit of luck all students will eventually find their way into a career which is motivating and inspiring.
When I began my studies at the University of Wisconsin - Madison I was unsure which career path to choose. I anticipated that I would enjoy engineering due to my success in mathematics and physics as well as my love for problem solving. However, I was not ready to select a specific discipline within engineering. During my second semester I began to realize that a degree in Engineering Mechanics and Astronautics would be an excellent fit. This degree would allow me to maximize my coursework in my favorite subject, classical mechanics. Furthermore, the degree would provide the opportunity to move into the aerospace industry which was a thought that created additional motivation. I believe that through exploration of our solar system, we will learn valuable information about ourselves and begin to better understand our place within this universe. Despite my excitement about my new major, as a freshman I was still not completely confident in my decision. I also believed civil engineering would be a good fit for me as it would allow me to make a more direct impact in the community. However, as I continued my coursework and studied topics including structural mechanics and advanced dynamics, I became increasingly confident in my decision to pursue Engineering Mechanics and Astronautics.
As a junior at UW-Madison I was lucky enough to be selected for the engineering co-op program at United Space Alliance (USA). I moved to Houston, TX to work in the Ascent/Descent Flight Design department. I was very excited and my time at USA was everything that I hoped it would be. I learned a great deal about NASA’s space shuttle program and I performed analysis on the sensitivity of shuttle contingency abort scenarios to monthly weather fluctuations. The experience made me realize how important my role as an engineer would be and thus it motivated me to work even harder when I returned to school in the fall.
Last year I returned to school to pursue my Masters of Science in Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. At Georgia Tech my work has been focused on advanced rotorcraft design which was new to me at first, but I have found it to be a fascinating field of research. I will soon be graduating and I cannot wait to continue making my contributions to the aerospace engineering industry.
There have been two main highlights within my experience of engineering thus far. The first was the patenting of my senior design project, a ladder load lifting device. I was very excited to receive a patent so early in my career. It made me realize how much opportunity there is to impact our community through engineering. The second highlight was my experience as a member of Georgia Tech’s graduate student team which won first prize in NASA’s fundamental aeronautics program competition for the design of a supersonic airliner. I am very proud of the amount of progress my team was able accomplish in such a short time during the competition. The best part of each experience was working side by side with other motivated students who are equally passionate about aerospace design.
I believe that through hard work, dedication, and a little bit of luck all students will eventually find their way into a career which is motivating and inspiring.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Cruising to the Moon
How long does it take humans to travel to the moon? Currently, Constellation is planning for the trans-lunar coast to take no longer than 4 days, or 96 hours. Apollo’s design requirement was for the coast time to range between 60 hours and 100 hours. The actual missions (Apollo 10-17) varied from 72 hours to 83 hours.
So why would it take longer on the future missions? It may not actually. At this point, Constellation is in the requirements definition and preliminary design phase for the lunar exploration portion of the program therefore requirements are set for the most stressing - maximum and minimum - types of conditions.
The trans-lunar cruise duration is a function of the energy or change in velocity (delta-V) applied at the trans-lunar injection, or TLI, burn. The energy requirements for the TLI burn will vary depending on where the planned landing site is located on the moon and when the mission is launched, among other factors. So, if a mission is launched on a more favorable opportunity, less energy will be required for the TLI burn and the trip would be quicker.
Since Constellation is planning for worst-case conditions at this point, the transfer time in the current plan minimizes the amount of propellant, and therefore the mass, required for trans-lunar injection. When Constellation flies actual missions to the moon, there will likely be the same flexibility as Apollo to shorten the duration of the flight toward the moon if it is desirable to do so.
So why would it take longer on the future missions? It may not actually. At this point, Constellation is in the requirements definition and preliminary design phase for the lunar exploration portion of the program therefore requirements are set for the most stressing - maximum and minimum - types of conditions.
The trans-lunar cruise duration is a function of the energy or change in velocity (delta-V) applied at the trans-lunar injection, or TLI, burn. The energy requirements for the TLI burn will vary depending on where the planned landing site is located on the moon and when the mission is launched, among other factors. So, if a mission is launched on a more favorable opportunity, less energy will be required for the TLI burn and the trip would be quicker.
Since Constellation is planning for worst-case conditions at this point, the transfer time in the current plan minimizes the amount of propellant, and therefore the mass, required for trans-lunar injection. When Constellation flies actual missions to the moon, there will likely be the same flexibility as Apollo to shorten the duration of the flight toward the moon if it is desirable to do so.
Artist’s concept of NASA’s Orion crew exploration vehicle and
Altair Lunar Lander while the Earth departure stage
performs the trans-lunar injection burn (JSC2009-E-031248).
Monday, November 16, 2009
A Perspective from a Baby Boomer
By Steven Gonzalez, Deputy, Advanced Planning Office, JSC
I must admit that last week I got that pleased, grateful feeling like the one I get from being "carded" at the grocery store checkout line when I purchase a bottle of wine. It has been a while since I was the age of a Gen Y'er, but I took it as a great complement to be mistaken for one last week. For those that do not know me, I am a "Baby Boomer" with 20 years of experience at JSC and most of my blog entries have been from a "boomer" perspective. Granted, those that know me best would not categorize me as having the typical "Baby Boomer" perspective, but is there really a perspective that captures an entire Generation? No, but I do think there is a difference between the image we have of NASA before we arrive and the image after we have been supporting this great organization. So, let me share how the image changed for me and why it is good to revisit our original vision. To that end, join me in visualizing those two images.
For many in my generation it was the Apollo program or Star Trek that sealed our future with NASA. For me it was the original voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Yes, I am one of those that would love to see the mission of the agency to be, "To Boldly Go where No one has gone before." My expectation was that upon entering the gates of NASA, I would find someone working on the Warp drive or a transporter. I thought that there would be people working on projects that pushed the boundaries of space and time. I expected Mission Control to look like the deck of the Enterprise. Instead, I found the Apollo Mission Control configuration that worked exceedingly well into the late 1980's. Now don't get me wrong; I believe that we are executing some very exciting missions and have some incredible technology projects occurring in various organizations around the Agency. My point is that my vision of where NASA was heading was different from the reality. I also found that many of my colleagues shared the same opinion.
Over the past 20 years that vision has been challenged by the realities of what is currently possible in the realm of human spaceflight. My original naiveté was reframed by the wisdom gained over the years and yet, there is much to be gained from recapturing the original vision we had when we first drove through the front gate. About 10 years ago I tried to recapture my initial feeling when I first arrived at JSC. It's a long, but great story that can be found in the archived article from the NASA ASK magazine. The end result was that I was able to create a lab focused on looking at the leading and even bleeding edge of technology development. I found exciting research occurring inside and outside the agency that reminded me of the Star Trek technologies. There was the quantum pair possibility of either instant communication over large distances or teleportation and the potential holodeck application of the 3D visualization research at the University of Central Florida. In recapturing my original vision I found labs around the Agency that were collaborating and searching for new, creative ideas around the world.
Today I find myself wondering, what was that original vision of NASA for many of my Generation and the following Generations? What are the reasons why that original vision was not achieved? I carry a Motorola Razr in my pocket to communicate, so why can't NASA push the boundaries of space and time? Earlier this year the Advanced Planning office asked a team of Generation Y leaders where they wanted JSC to be when they became Center Director or Program Managers. We were asked by many, "Why did you ask Gen Y?" Partly, because they remember the feeling and vision they first had when they arrived at NASA. So think back and recall your original expectations when you arrived at NASA and hold it up to the view gained from wisdom over the years. Then see what unfolds. Yes, I am looking for my fellow Baby Boomers and Gen X'ers to offer their view of the future! Does your original expectation match the reality of where you are at now, FANTASTIC! Please, let me know. If it doesn't, in what ways does it not match?
I must admit that last week I got that pleased, grateful feeling like the one I get from being "carded" at the grocery store checkout line when I purchase a bottle of wine. It has been a while since I was the age of a Gen Y'er, but I took it as a great complement to be mistaken for one last week. For those that do not know me, I am a "Baby Boomer" with 20 years of experience at JSC and most of my blog entries have been from a "boomer" perspective. Granted, those that know me best would not categorize me as having the typical "Baby Boomer" perspective, but is there really a perspective that captures an entire Generation? No, but I do think there is a difference between the image we have of NASA before we arrive and the image after we have been supporting this great organization. So, let me share how the image changed for me and why it is good to revisit our original vision. To that end, join me in visualizing those two images.
For many in my generation it was the Apollo program or Star Trek that sealed our future with NASA. For me it was the original voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Yes, I am one of those that would love to see the mission of the agency to be, "To Boldly Go where No one has gone before." My expectation was that upon entering the gates of NASA, I would find someone working on the Warp drive or a transporter. I thought that there would be people working on projects that pushed the boundaries of space and time. I expected Mission Control to look like the deck of the Enterprise. Instead, I found the Apollo Mission Control configuration that worked exceedingly well into the late 1980's. Now don't get me wrong; I believe that we are executing some very exciting missions and have some incredible technology projects occurring in various organizations around the Agency. My point is that my vision of where NASA was heading was different from the reality. I also found that many of my colleagues shared the same opinion.
Over the past 20 years that vision has been challenged by the realities of what is currently possible in the realm of human spaceflight. My original naiveté was reframed by the wisdom gained over the years and yet, there is much to be gained from recapturing the original vision we had when we first drove through the front gate. About 10 years ago I tried to recapture my initial feeling when I first arrived at JSC. It's a long, but great story that can be found in the archived article from the NASA ASK magazine. The end result was that I was able to create a lab focused on looking at the leading and even bleeding edge of technology development. I found exciting research occurring inside and outside the agency that reminded me of the Star Trek technologies. There was the quantum pair possibility of either instant communication over large distances or teleportation and the potential holodeck application of the 3D visualization research at the University of Central Florida. In recapturing my original vision I found labs around the Agency that were collaborating and searching for new, creative ideas around the world.
Today I find myself wondering, what was that original vision of NASA for many of my Generation and the following Generations? What are the reasons why that original vision was not achieved? I carry a Motorola Razr in my pocket to communicate, so why can't NASA push the boundaries of space and time? Earlier this year the Advanced Planning office asked a team of Generation Y leaders where they wanted JSC to be when they became Center Director or Program Managers. We were asked by many, "Why did you ask Gen Y?" Partly, because they remember the feeling and vision they first had when they arrived at NASA. So think back and recall your original expectations when you arrived at NASA and hold it up to the view gained from wisdom over the years. Then see what unfolds. Yes, I am looking for my fellow Baby Boomers and Gen X'ers to offer their view of the future! Does your original expectation match the reality of where you are at now, FANTASTIC! Please, let me know. If it doesn't, in what ways does it not match?
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Astronaut Insertion Technician
George Brittingham is often one of the last people an astronaut sees before launch. As an insertion technician, Brittingham is a member of the closeout crew, which helps the astronauts get into the space shuttle as it is prepared for flight. Brittingham also makes sure the astronauts and rescue personnel know what to do if something goes wrong.
What is your job, and how do you support astronauts for space travel?
I am an insertion technician, responsible for crew ingress (or entry) prior to flight, the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (a practice run of launch day, using the actual orbiter), and training events. This also includes ensuring the crew has the correct crew-worn/carry-on equipment and that all suit-related items are functioning and fit properly. I am one of seven members of the shuttle closeout crew, which has the responsibility to rescue the astronauts in the event of an emergency. I assist the crew with exiting the orbiter after landing and make certain all equipment is properly removed. I also train fire rescue and medical personnel on capabilities of the Advanced Crew Escape Suits, or ACES. I conduct briefings on how to perform emergency extractions from the orbiter seats, as well as emergency suit removal.
Why are spacesuits needed for launch and landing?
The suit is part of the shuttle egress (or exit) system. If the orbiter were to lose cabin pressure, the suit would inflate automatically to protect the crew member while creating a survivable environment for each crew member.
How did you get your current position?
I received my experience while serving on active duty in the Air Force. I worked on essentially the same equipment that is being used for the shuttle crew members. It was an easy transition. There are only minor differences in the Air Force equipment and the NASA equipment. The ingress process is different, ... [but] the criticality and importance is still the same. My initial position was as a suit technician within Crew Escape Equipment Lab of United Space Alliance. When the opportunity to become an insertion technician presented itself, I volunteered for the position.
Were you involved with NASA as a student in high school or college, and, if so, in what projects were you involved?
Unfortunately I was not. However, as a child I would always like to watch the Apollo launches and thought about working at NASA if I had the opportunity.
What are the challenges your team faces in working with this aspect of spacesuits?
The challenges include maintaining and supplying hardware to support a rigorous training and flight schedule and ensuring equipment is received in flight-ready condition.
As NASA prepares to go back to the moon, what changes will be needed for the design of spacesuits that you support?
A spacesuit able to protect and sustain the astronaut during launch, re-entry and landing, as well be adaptable to the lunar environment, is needed.
What else would you want to tell people about your job or your experiences with astronaut support?
I feel fortunate to have a job like this. Not many people within the NASA family get to interact with the astronauts on a daily basis as well as participate in an integral part of space exploration.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
From Intern to Aerospace Technician
Heather Paul works at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston as part of the Constellation spacesuit team. She works on the life support designs for the next-generation spacesuits that astronauts will wear on the moon and Mars. Find out more about Ms. Paul and how she went from college student to NASA engineer.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Deer Park, a small town on Long Island in New York. I went to John F. Kennedy Elementary School, and attended seventh grade at Robert Frost Junior High School. I then moved to Atlanta, Georgia and attended Sutton Middle School for eighth grade. I went to North Atlanta High School, and majored in dance in the magnet for the performing arts.
Growing up, I liked to read many types of books, but I especially liked science fiction. I have always wanted to be an astronaut, although I also had interests in being a dancer.
My mother is my greatest role model. She is a strong, intelligent, independent woman who taught me to set my goals high and always believe in myself.
Where did you go to school and what program did you intern with under NASA?
I attended Auburn University and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. (The Spanish degree was for fun - I just happen to love learning foreign languages!) I chose Auburn because of its cooperative education connection with NASA. I was a cooperative education student at Johnson Space Center. I applied when I was a sophomore at Auburn University, and was accepted to start working the fall of my junior year. I began alternating between school and work semesters, getting real-world experience in Life Sciences, Propulsion, EVA Operations, and EVA Tools and Space Suits. I continued to co-op while pursuing my Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. After so much time working as an undergraduate co-op, I knew that I wanted to work with EVA, so I used my graduate co-op tours to focus on the work in that area to get more experience and work on my thesis, which was directly linked to my co-op work.
Could you describe your internship and share some lessons learned? Was there any advice that specifically helped you achieve your goals?
Working gave me the opportunity to take the theories and equations learned in school and apply them to real engineering problems. I am the type of person that learns best through hands-on experience, so sometimes I struggled in school with classes that were based on a lot of theory. When I was able to put those theories to work and see the results, everything made a lot more sense, and it gave me a better appreciation for the topics I was studying.
Co-oping in various areas gave me more insight into the diversity of the field of mechanical engineering, and it helped me to narrow down the career choices. I figured out what I wanted to do, and more importantly, what I did not want to do.
Also, co-oping gave me a break from school. Engineering school is very challenging, and I would often look forward to the end of the term because I knew that I would be coming to Houston to put my new knowledge to the test. After working for a while, I would look forward to the end of my co-op term, because I knew I would return to school and to all of my friends. So unlike many people who pushed through school without co-oping or interning, I never got "burnt out," and was able to really appreciate what I was doing while I was doing it. I learned a lot about time management, and became much more efficient while studying, which also improved my grades.
Work to be as well-rounded as possible. Straight A's are great, but if all you do is study, you're missing out on a lot of wonderful life experiences that are just as important in your development as your studies. NASA needs engineers that can not only do the work exceptionally well, but also be able to communicate the results through documentation and verbal communication. Study hard and work to get the best grades that you can, but also take the time to have extracurricular activities.
Get involved with NASA programs early. There are so many educational opportunities that NASA has available for students of all ages. Students interested in working with NASA should get involved in as many ways as they can. By working with our programs, students can not only learn about what NASA does, they also learn more about what they are interested in, and more importantly what they don't want to do in terms of careers.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Persistance - Never Give Up
By Bob Cabana, Director, Kennedy Space Center
NASA Astronaut, STS-41,53,65,88
As a young midshipman at the Naval Academy, I had the opportunity to tour the Kennedy Space Center and to see the launch of Apollo 13. The day before launch we were inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, and I can remember seeing the Saturn V rockets being stacked to go to the Moon. It was awe inspiring. Standing there, it was difficult to believe that I might one day have the opportunity to fly in space, let alone be the Director of the Kennedy Space Center. I just wanted to fly jets, and I couldn’t wait to graduate and get started.
Everyone needs dreams and goals to reach for. When I’m asked, “How do you become an astronaut?”, I reply, “Persistence—set a goal for yourself and never give up till you achieve it. Then move on toward a new goal. It is also important to do something you really enjoy, because if you enjoy it, you’re going to excel at it.”
Ever since I saw the Wright Flyer and the Spirit of St. Louis hanging from the ceiling of the Smithsonian when I was five years old, all I ever wanted to do was to fly airplanes. I read every book I could about the aces of World War II and Korea and the test pilots of the ‘50s and ‘60s. I spent hours at the Naval Air Station in Minneapolis watching the A-4Cs and P-2 Neptunes come and go. The Naval Academy seemed like the best way to reach my goal. I was the first alternate from the state of Minnesota, and when the principal candidate declined his appointment, I was on my way to Annapolis.
I chose a commission in the Marine Corps after graduation, and following the Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, I was headed to Pensacola for flight training. As a math major at the Naval Academy with a strong engineering background, I was well prepared for the ground school classes. Unfortunately, I failed my eye test, so I ended up going through Naval Flight Officer (NFO) training, eventually becoming an A-6 bombardier-navigator. I enjoyed it, but I still wanted to be a pilot. After three years as an NFO and passing numerous eye tests, I was able to get orders back to Pensacola for pilot flight training. I loved it! With 1,000 flight hours under my belt, I decided to tackle my next goal and apply for Navy Test Pilot School. I didn’t get picked up on the first try, but six months later I was off to Patuxent River, Maryland, for test pilot training. There I could use all the math and engineering that I loved, along with my flying skills. It was a dream come true. After test pilot training, I realized that I met all the requirements to apply to be an astronaut. I didn’t make it on the first try for that either, but I reapplied and was fortunate enough to make it on the second try.
As I set each successive goal, I was always doing something that I really enjoyed and was able to make valuable contributions at each step along the way.
So the moral of the story is this: Do something you really enjoy and excel at it, have intermediate goals to reach your long-term goal, and never give up. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it and are persistent.
NASA Astronaut, STS-41,53,65,88
As a young midshipman at the Naval Academy, I had the opportunity to tour the Kennedy Space Center and to see the launch of Apollo 13. The day before launch we were inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, and I can remember seeing the Saturn V rockets being stacked to go to the Moon. It was awe inspiring. Standing there, it was difficult to believe that I might one day have the opportunity to fly in space, let alone be the Director of the Kennedy Space Center. I just wanted to fly jets, and I couldn’t wait to graduate and get started.
Everyone needs dreams and goals to reach for. When I’m asked, “How do you become an astronaut?”, I reply, “Persistence—set a goal for yourself and never give up till you achieve it. Then move on toward a new goal. It is also important to do something you really enjoy, because if you enjoy it, you’re going to excel at it.”
Ever since I saw the Wright Flyer and the Spirit of St. Louis hanging from the ceiling of the Smithsonian when I was five years old, all I ever wanted to do was to fly airplanes. I read every book I could about the aces of World War II and Korea and the test pilots of the ‘50s and ‘60s. I spent hours at the Naval Air Station in Minneapolis watching the A-4Cs and P-2 Neptunes come and go. The Naval Academy seemed like the best way to reach my goal. I was the first alternate from the state of Minnesota, and when the principal candidate declined his appointment, I was on my way to Annapolis.
I chose a commission in the Marine Corps after graduation, and following the Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, I was headed to Pensacola for flight training. As a math major at the Naval Academy with a strong engineering background, I was well prepared for the ground school classes. Unfortunately, I failed my eye test, so I ended up going through Naval Flight Officer (NFO) training, eventually becoming an A-6 bombardier-navigator. I enjoyed it, but I still wanted to be a pilot. After three years as an NFO and passing numerous eye tests, I was able to get orders back to Pensacola for pilot flight training. I loved it! With 1,000 flight hours under my belt, I decided to tackle my next goal and apply for Navy Test Pilot School. I didn’t get picked up on the first try, but six months later I was off to Patuxent River, Maryland, for test pilot training. There I could use all the math and engineering that I loved, along with my flying skills. It was a dream come true. After test pilot training, I realized that I met all the requirements to apply to be an astronaut. I didn’t make it on the first try for that either, but I reapplied and was fortunate enough to make it on the second try.
As I set each successive goal, I was always doing something that I really enjoyed and was able to make valuable contributions at each step along the way.
So the moral of the story is this: Do something you really enjoy and excel at it, have intermediate goals to reach your long-term goal, and never give up. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it and are persistent.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
I Was Hooked II
By Ingrid Desilvestre
Executive Officer to the Deputy Center Director
Ames Research Center
When I was a kid, my entire school would gather to watch NASA rockets launch and capsules parachute into the ocean. The space program would grow to influence all of our lives in a huge way – but it seemed a much bigger part of our lives then than it probably seems to be to your lives today. Today, we take the benefits of the space program more for granted.
But then – then, I was hooked. I thought it was so cool that, years later, when a NASA representative came to my grad school, I made a point of going to his presentation. At that point, working for NASA was an abandoned dream. I not only knew I wouldn’t be an astronaut, I knew I wouldn’t even be an Earth-bound rocket scientist. Instead, I had majored in political science and history and was about to get a degree in international affairs. But that day I found out that it takes more than astronauts and rocket scientists to manage the U.S. space program.
NASA, it turns out, accomplishes a lot of its goals by working cooperatively with other countries. The biggest and best example is the International Space Station. Sixteen countries partnered to build it, and so far astronauts from 14 countries have visited. Foreign astronauts have flown on the Space Shuttle as well. Also, many NASA missions carry foreign instruments and components (and vice versa). For example, the U.S. mission to Saturn, Cassini, carried a European probe that landed on the moon Titan. U.S. instruments flew on the recent Indian mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan. Space cooperation with the Soviet Union quietly kept the two nations talking during some of the coldest days of the cold war.
So I took my international degree straight to NASA Headquarters and became a Soviet desk officer, working on life sciences and solar physics cooperation with the USSR (you learn the science as you go along!). After that, my responsibilities included collaboration with Latin American countries, Germany, Canada, Scandinavia, and, for a little while, the European Space Agency and Japan. I got to travel a lot, learn a lot, and meet interesting people.
And then, I got the best job you can have at NASA if you can’t be an astronaut: I became the NASA Representative in Spain. NASA had representatives in Spain and Australia because we have deep space communications complexes there – stations with huge dish antennas that receive signals from and send commands to spacecraft exploring distant planets. I served in the U.S. Embassy and helped negotiate an agreement between the governments of Spain and the United States for the complex. It was fun, to be the NASA Rep and live abroad.
I came back to the United States to a different job, executive officer to the Center Director at Ames. Right now, I’m the executive officer to the deputy center director. That doesn’t involve a whole lot of international stuff, or science and engineering, but, like I said, it takes more than rocket scientists and engineers to build a space program.
(Ms. Desilvestre will be our LiveRoom guest for our Freshman chat Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009 at 8:00pm CT)
Executive Officer to the Deputy Center Director
Ames Research Center
When I was a kid, my entire school would gather to watch NASA rockets launch and capsules parachute into the ocean. The space program would grow to influence all of our lives in a huge way – but it seemed a much bigger part of our lives then than it probably seems to be to your lives today. Today, we take the benefits of the space program more for granted.
But then – then, I was hooked. I thought it was so cool that, years later, when a NASA representative came to my grad school, I made a point of going to his presentation. At that point, working for NASA was an abandoned dream. I not only knew I wouldn’t be an astronaut, I knew I wouldn’t even be an Earth-bound rocket scientist. Instead, I had majored in political science and history and was about to get a degree in international affairs. But that day I found out that it takes more than astronauts and rocket scientists to manage the U.S. space program.
NASA, it turns out, accomplishes a lot of its goals by working cooperatively with other countries. The biggest and best example is the International Space Station. Sixteen countries partnered to build it, and so far astronauts from 14 countries have visited. Foreign astronauts have flown on the Space Shuttle as well. Also, many NASA missions carry foreign instruments and components (and vice versa). For example, the U.S. mission to Saturn, Cassini, carried a European probe that landed on the moon Titan. U.S. instruments flew on the recent Indian mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan. Space cooperation with the Soviet Union quietly kept the two nations talking during some of the coldest days of the cold war.
So I took my international degree straight to NASA Headquarters and became a Soviet desk officer, working on life sciences and solar physics cooperation with the USSR (you learn the science as you go along!). After that, my responsibilities included collaboration with Latin American countries, Germany, Canada, Scandinavia, and, for a little while, the European Space Agency and Japan. I got to travel a lot, learn a lot, and meet interesting people.
And then, I got the best job you can have at NASA if you can’t be an astronaut: I became the NASA Representative in Spain. NASA had representatives in Spain and Australia because we have deep space communications complexes there – stations with huge dish antennas that receive signals from and send commands to spacecraft exploring distant planets. I served in the U.S. Embassy and helped negotiate an agreement between the governments of Spain and the United States for the complex. It was fun, to be the NASA Rep and live abroad.
I came back to the United States to a different job, executive officer to the Center Director at Ames. Right now, I’m the executive officer to the deputy center director. That doesn’t involve a whole lot of international stuff, or science and engineering, but, like I said, it takes more than rocket scientists and engineers to build a space program.
(Ms. Desilvestre will be our LiveRoom guest for our Freshman chat Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009 at 8:00pm CT)
Monday, November 2, 2009
I Was Hooked
By Robert Haberly, Ames Research Center
I was looking over the weather charts in the back of San Jose State's meteorology lab one day when I noticed a yellow technical paper lying on a nearby desk. I was a graduate student at the time searching around for a research thesis topic. What got my attention about this paper was its title: Development of the Venus Atmosphere. I didn't understand the paper much, but I was astonished to learn that Venus' atmosphere was mostly carbon dioxide, that it surface pressure was about 90 bars (about 90 times higher than Earth's), and its surface temperature was over 700° Kelvin (hot enough to melt lead). Good Lord, I thought, how did that happen? What about the other planets in the solar system? Do they too have bizarre atmospheres with weird surface conditions?
As I looked for answers to these questions (which turned out to be YES, they do have bizarre atmospheres and weird surface conditions) it suddenly dawned on me that our planet is pretty unique. And having been taught (actually - drilled) that physics is universal and its laws apply to everything, I reasoned that there must be a perfectly logical explanation to why the other planets are so different. In fact, it seemed to me that the other planets provide natural laboratories for us to test out our theories of what determines the Earth's weather and climate.
Having come to this revelation, I decided to approach Dr. Christopher Reigel, my Master's Thesis advisor, about doing a thesis on the meteorology of another planet. Fortunately, he knew someone at NASA/Ames Research Center who was actively involved in this kind of research. At the time NASA was sending spacecraft to Mars to try to determine if it had life (it still is). Much of the information coming back from these missions (Mariner 9 and Viking) was related to the atmosphere and climate system. Ames researcher Dr. Jim Pollack was one of the few scientists in the world who was studying planetary atmospheres and Mars in particular. Dr. Reigel introduced me to Jim and the rest is history.
I was hooked. Working with Jim Pollack opened a door to a world I never thought I be part of - planetary exploration. But Jim admonished me that if I wanted to stay part of it, I needed to get a Ph.D. So I did, and I eventually got hired at Ames where to this day I continue to conduct research on planetary atmospheres and get to work with people who study subjects ranging from planetary interiors to solar system formation and astrobiology. It is a very stimulating environment and lots of fun! But most importantly, it is very satisfying to know that the work I do contributes to our understanding of the universe we live in.
I was looking over the weather charts in the back of San Jose State's meteorology lab one day when I noticed a yellow technical paper lying on a nearby desk. I was a graduate student at the time searching around for a research thesis topic. What got my attention about this paper was its title: Development of the Venus Atmosphere. I didn't understand the paper much, but I was astonished to learn that Venus' atmosphere was mostly carbon dioxide, that it surface pressure was about 90 bars (about 90 times higher than Earth's), and its surface temperature was over 700° Kelvin (hot enough to melt lead). Good Lord, I thought, how did that happen? What about the other planets in the solar system? Do they too have bizarre atmospheres with weird surface conditions?
As I looked for answers to these questions (which turned out to be YES, they do have bizarre atmospheres and weird surface conditions) it suddenly dawned on me that our planet is pretty unique. And having been taught (actually - drilled) that physics is universal and its laws apply to everything, I reasoned that there must be a perfectly logical explanation to why the other planets are so different. In fact, it seemed to me that the other planets provide natural laboratories for us to test out our theories of what determines the Earth's weather and climate.
Having come to this revelation, I decided to approach Dr. Christopher Reigel, my Master's Thesis advisor, about doing a thesis on the meteorology of another planet. Fortunately, he knew someone at NASA/Ames Research Center who was actively involved in this kind of research. At the time NASA was sending spacecraft to Mars to try to determine if it had life (it still is). Much of the information coming back from these missions (Mariner 9 and Viking) was related to the atmosphere and climate system. Ames researcher Dr. Jim Pollack was one of the few scientists in the world who was studying planetary atmospheres and Mars in particular. Dr. Reigel introduced me to Jim and the rest is history.
I was hooked. Working with Jim Pollack opened a door to a world I never thought I be part of - planetary exploration. But Jim admonished me that if I wanted to stay part of it, I needed to get a Ph.D. So I did, and I eventually got hired at Ames where to this day I continue to conduct research on planetary atmospheres and get to work with people who study subjects ranging from planetary interiors to solar system formation and astrobiology. It is a very stimulating environment and lots of fun! But most importantly, it is very satisfying to know that the work I do contributes to our understanding of the universe we live in.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Triboelectrification
By Jim Gerard, KSC, FL
Those watching the launch countdown (and hold, and scrub) may have heard the term 'triboelectrification' used as a reason to postpone and finally scrub the launch. So what is triboelectrification? If you ever received static shock on a winter day after walking across the carpet, or watched how abalone clings after rubbing it on your head, you have experienced triboelectrification - the production of electrostatic charges by friction.
Specifically, NASA is concerned about a type of triboelectrification they refer to as "P-static" (the P is for precipitation). If the rocket ascends through a cloud, the water in the cloud can produce a corona of static that may interfere with telemetry coming from and to the rocket. In a worst case scenario, a malfunctioning and wayward rocket may not receive the destruct signal from the range safety officer at Cape Canaveral due to this corona.
NASA uses ground based weather observations, weather balloons, and observer aircraft provided by the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Station. Once they give the all clear, we can get under way!
By the way, the launch of Apollo 12 taught NASA the danger of turboelectric shock when the Saturn V was launched during a mild rain. As the Saturn booster sped through the rain clouds, it became the world's longest lightning rod. A bolt of electricity had struck the spacecraft and traveled all the way to the ground, 6,000 feet below, along the column of hot, charged gases of the Saturn's exhaust plume. The bolt knocked the Apollo spacecraft's power-producing fuel cells off line, and astronauts saw more warning lights then they had ever encountered in a simulation training. Even though Ares I-X is uncrewed, NASA is still understandably reluctant to again tempt such a fate.
Those watching the launch countdown (and hold, and scrub) may have heard the term 'triboelectrification' used as a reason to postpone and finally scrub the launch. So what is triboelectrification? If you ever received static shock on a winter day after walking across the carpet, or watched how abalone clings after rubbing it on your head, you have experienced triboelectrification - the production of electrostatic charges by friction.
Specifically, NASA is concerned about a type of triboelectrification they refer to as "P-static" (the P is for precipitation). If the rocket ascends through a cloud, the water in the cloud can produce a corona of static that may interfere with telemetry coming from and to the rocket. In a worst case scenario, a malfunctioning and wayward rocket may not receive the destruct signal from the range safety officer at Cape Canaveral due to this corona.
NASA uses ground based weather observations, weather balloons, and observer aircraft provided by the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Station. Once they give the all clear, we can get under way!
By the way, the launch of Apollo 12 taught NASA the danger of turboelectric shock when the Saturn V was launched during a mild rain. As the Saturn booster sped through the rain clouds, it became the world's longest lightning rod. A bolt of electricity had struck the spacecraft and traveled all the way to the ground, 6,000 feet below, along the column of hot, charged gases of the Saturn's exhaust plume. The bolt knocked the Apollo spacecraft's power-producing fuel cells off line, and astronauts saw more warning lights then they had ever encountered in a simulation training. Even though Ares I-X is uncrewed, NASA is still understandably reluctant to again tempt such a fate.
Saturn V Launch Umbilical Tower struck by lightning from Apollo 12
Friday, October 23, 2009
Engineers
By Willie Costa
For some of us, it begins early on in life. We see a plane flying overhead with the grace and elegance of a bird, or maybe we go to an air show and hear the roar of the engines as jet fighters wheel and race overhead. Perhaps we see them in museums, calm and quiet and hinting at the glorious history that has come before us. Maybe we just see them on TV and become fascinated by what they can do. Maybe we take the stick in our hands and see for ourselves what it’s like to float 10,000 feet in the air with nothing between ourselves and the ground but our jeans and the thin plastic sheet of the cockpit. We all have different reasons, but the thing that unites us is simple:
We love things that fly.
I fell into engineering almost accidentally. As a pilot, I know firsthand how planes fly – and, more importantly, how they are supposed to fly. As someone who is never satisfied with the way things are, it was only natural that I be attracted to ways in which I could make things be the way I thought they should be. Engineering is what allows me to realize my dreams in physical form. But to actually be able to do what you want as a job – to get paid to do what you would gladly be doing anyway? Very little in the world can compare to that.
The road is long, the requirements hard, the demands extreme. But the payoff makes the struggle worthwhile. When you enter a design paper that does better than anyone thought it should, or when something you created takes off for the first time and flies exactly the way YOU said it would, the effort is worthwhile. The satisfaction you feel is immeasurable. Everything you touch seems lighter. Every sound becomes a song. Horns play in your shoes.
And you know that, come tomorrow, you get to do it all over again.
Engineering is unique in that everything we do, step by step, is in hard substance. The results of our efforts are put on display each and every day for all the world to see. We are not lawyers, architects, or doctors – we cannot argue away our mistakes, or cover them behind vines and shrubbery, or disavow that one of our mistakes ruined someone’s life. We simply cannot deny our responsibility. We cannot deny that we did it. Engineers are the ones who shape the world. We create what has never been, and make it work no matter what it takes and no matter the objections. We are fearless in the face of impossible odds. Others may make more money, but that is their consolation prize for being unable to do what we do. And one day, when we are gone and long since forgotten, the efforts of our lives will remain, quietly attesting to the skill with which we performed our craft. Our work makes us immortal.
For some of us, it begins early on in life. We see a plane flying overhead with the grace and elegance of a bird, or maybe we go to an air show and hear the roar of the engines as jet fighters wheel and race overhead. Perhaps we see them in museums, calm and quiet and hinting at the glorious history that has come before us. Maybe we just see them on TV and become fascinated by what they can do. Maybe we take the stick in our hands and see for ourselves what it’s like to float 10,000 feet in the air with nothing between ourselves and the ground but our jeans and the thin plastic sheet of the cockpit. We all have different reasons, but the thing that unites us is simple:
We love things that fly.
I fell into engineering almost accidentally. As a pilot, I know firsthand how planes fly – and, more importantly, how they are supposed to fly. As someone who is never satisfied with the way things are, it was only natural that I be attracted to ways in which I could make things be the way I thought they should be. Engineering is what allows me to realize my dreams in physical form. But to actually be able to do what you want as a job – to get paid to do what you would gladly be doing anyway? Very little in the world can compare to that.
The road is long, the requirements hard, the demands extreme. But the payoff makes the struggle worthwhile. When you enter a design paper that does better than anyone thought it should, or when something you created takes off for the first time and flies exactly the way YOU said it would, the effort is worthwhile. The satisfaction you feel is immeasurable. Everything you touch seems lighter. Every sound becomes a song. Horns play in your shoes.
And you know that, come tomorrow, you get to do it all over again.
Engineering is unique in that everything we do, step by step, is in hard substance. The results of our efforts are put on display each and every day for all the world to see. We are not lawyers, architects, or doctors – we cannot argue away our mistakes, or cover them behind vines and shrubbery, or disavow that one of our mistakes ruined someone’s life. We simply cannot deny our responsibility. We cannot deny that we did it. Engineers are the ones who shape the world. We create what has never been, and make it work no matter what it takes and no matter the objections. We are fearless in the face of impossible odds. Others may make more money, but that is their consolation prize for being unable to do what we do. And one day, when we are gone and long since forgotten, the efforts of our lives will remain, quietly attesting to the skill with which we performed our craft. Our work makes us immortal.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
It’s All About What You Say And How You Say It
By Michael McPeake, NASA Ames Research Center
Engineering is about doing great things in a group setting. It’s a group effort and it’s the group that succeeds. Hello, my name is Michael McPeake and I graduated from Purdue University in May with a BS in Aerospace Engineering. My senior design team tied for second place in NASA’s 2009 Fundamental Aeronautics Program design competition; as a result, I received an internship at NASA’s Ames Research Center. The work I did over the summer led to a part time position with a NASA subcontractor which is where I am currently working.
It seems rather surreal to be working at NASA. But looking back I can identify several things in my education that I found to be most useful. Team work and brainstorming experience during high school prepared me to take a more leadership position in group work at Purdue. I went to a project based learning high school, where science topics were taught through group projects instead of book assignments. Many high school physics courses use this teaching method to demonstrate fundamental physical principles. Communication courses are also very important in high school and college. Public speaking will force you to get familiar with public criticism, the same type of criticism that you may receive when pitching an idea to an engineering group.
Regardless of whatever field you do get into, it is important to get as much experience as possible during college. Recruiters’ look for industry experience and then at academic performance. The easiest way of doing this is to volunteer for an undergraduate research position for one of your professors. Then when summer comes around apply for internships at a company you’re interested in working at. Keep in mind that whatever industry you get into, you will have to deal with being the odd person out for awhile. People are very careful about allowing newcomers into their industry, and as such some of the biggest obstacles that you will encounter are those created by people who are threatened by your presence. Don’t let anyone tell you who you are, where you are going or how you are going to get there. The STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) fields are growing and there many wonderful opportunities on the horizon.
Engineering is about doing great things in a group setting. It’s a group effort and it’s the group that succeeds. Hello, my name is Michael McPeake and I graduated from Purdue University in May with a BS in Aerospace Engineering. My senior design team tied for second place in NASA’s 2009 Fundamental Aeronautics Program design competition; as a result, I received an internship at NASA’s Ames Research Center. The work I did over the summer led to a part time position with a NASA subcontractor which is where I am currently working.
It seems rather surreal to be working at NASA. But looking back I can identify several things in my education that I found to be most useful. Team work and brainstorming experience during high school prepared me to take a more leadership position in group work at Purdue. I went to a project based learning high school, where science topics were taught through group projects instead of book assignments. Many high school physics courses use this teaching method to demonstrate fundamental physical principles. Communication courses are also very important in high school and college. Public speaking will force you to get familiar with public criticism, the same type of criticism that you may receive when pitching an idea to an engineering group.
Regardless of whatever field you do get into, it is important to get as much experience as possible during college. Recruiters’ look for industry experience and then at academic performance. The easiest way of doing this is to volunteer for an undergraduate research position for one of your professors. Then when summer comes around apply for internships at a company you’re interested in working at. Keep in mind that whatever industry you get into, you will have to deal with being the odd person out for awhile. People are very careful about allowing newcomers into their industry, and as such some of the biggest obstacles that you will encounter are those created by people who are threatened by your presence. Don’t let anyone tell you who you are, where you are going or how you are going to get there. The STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) fields are growing and there many wonderful opportunities on the horizon.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Ultimate Parachute Test
By Jennifer Morcone, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center public affairs office
How do you stop a 200,000-pound solid rocket motor from ending up at the bottom on the Atlantic Ocean? With the biggest, strongest rocket parachutes ever built of course! And they are snuggly packed in the forward section of the Ares I-X rocket, awaiting their debut performance. The Ares I-X flight will be the first full flight test of the Ares I first stage parachute system.
NASA, ATK and other partners have successfully tested each element of the parachute system. In fact, over the last three years, the team has conducted three pilot, two drogue, three single main, and one main cluster parachute drop tests at Yuma Proving Ground in Yuma, Az.
But Ares I-X will be the best test of the whole kit and caboodle because of the unique flight profile.
"You simply can't drop 200,000 pounds out of a plane. The only way we can do drop testing is from a C-17 aircraft and there is a 90,000 pound load limit. The Ares booster weighs more than double that," said Ron King, Ares first stage deceleration subsystem manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Al. "And Ares I-X is the only test of the entire flight sequence from start to finish, or separation to splashdown as it will be."
The Ares deceleration system consists of three types of parachutes: (1) a small pilot chute which pulls out the drogue chute; (2) a 68-foot diameter drogue chute and (3) three 150-foot diameter main parachutes. Here's how the sequence goes:
The Ares I-X first stage separates from the upper stage at 124 seconds into the test flight, at an altitude of 130,000 feet. The vehicle's four tumble motors then fire to slow the first stage for its return trip to Earth and eventual recovery. At an altitude of about 15,000-feet the nose cone is jettisoned, immediately deploying the pilot parachute. The pilot chute will in turn deploy the 68-foot drogue parachute, which is the workhorse of the system and will re-orient the booster to vertical and slow it to acceptable conditions for main parachute deployment. At about 4,000 feet, the separation at the base of the forward skirt extension occurs, pulling out the three 150-foot diameter main chutes packed within. These majestic red, white and blue canopies slow the booster even more, carrying it gently to splashdown.
"The velocity and re-entry environments we'll see on Ares I-X are a bit less than Ares I, but we will get a great deal of data to help us refine the final flight hardware designs," said King. "We can't wait to see our giant parachutes off the coast of Florida."
Jennifer Morcone, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center public affairs office
How do you stop a 200,000-pound solid rocket motor from ending up at the bottom on the Atlantic Ocean? With the biggest, strongest rocket parachutes ever built of course! And they are snuggly packed in the forward section of the Ares I-X rocket, awaiting their debut performance. The Ares I-X flight will be the first full flight test of the Ares I first stage parachute system.
NASA and ATK have successfully conducted nine development tests of the parachute
system including the main cluster parachute test on May 20, 2009. Credit: U.S. Army
Yuma Proving Ground
NASA, ATK and other partners have successfully tested each element of the parachute system. In fact, over the last three years, the team has conducted three pilot, two drogue, three single main, and one main cluster parachute drop tests at Yuma Proving Ground in Yuma, Az.
But Ares I-X will be the best test of the whole kit and caboodle because of the unique flight profile.
"You simply can't drop 200,000 pounds out of a plane. The only way we can do drop testing is from a C-17 aircraft and there is a 90,000 pound load limit. The Ares booster weighs more than double that," said Ron King, Ares first stage deceleration subsystem manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Al. "And Ares I-X is the only test of the entire flight sequence from start to finish, or separation to splashdown as it will be."
On October 9, 2009 NASA and industry engineers dropped a 72,000 pound test payload
from the back of a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft from an altitude of 25,000 feet, tying the
record for the heaviest load ever extracted from the aircraft during flight. This drop test
was designed to push the main parachute's canopy to its limit -- supporting a
250,000-pound dynamic load. The payload included the main parachute for the Ares I
rocket. Credit: U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground
The Ares deceleration system consists of three types of parachutes: (1) a small pilot chute which pulls out the drogue chute; (2) a 68-foot diameter drogue chute and (3) three 150-foot diameter main parachutes. Here's how the sequence goes:
The Ares I-X first stage separates from the upper stage at 124 seconds into the test flight, at an altitude of 130,000 feet. The vehicle's four tumble motors then fire to slow the first stage for its return trip to Earth and eventual recovery. At an altitude of about 15,000-feet the nose cone is jettisoned, immediately deploying the pilot parachute. The pilot chute will in turn deploy the 68-foot drogue parachute, which is the workhorse of the system and will re-orient the booster to vertical and slow it to acceptable conditions for main parachute deployment. At about 4,000 feet, the separation at the base of the forward skirt extension occurs, pulling out the three 150-foot diameter main chutes packed within. These majestic red, white and blue canopies slow the booster even more, carrying it gently to splashdown.
Artist concept of the Ares I-X first stage recovery sequence. Credit: ATK
"The velocity and re-entry environments we'll see on Ares I-X are a bit less than Ares I, but we will get a great deal of data to help us refine the final flight hardware designs," said King. "We can't wait to see our giant parachutes off the coast of Florida."
Jennifer Morcone, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center public affairs office
Monday, October 19, 2009
An Intern Experience
By Edric San Miguel
My name is Edric San Miguel. I am a senior from Granby High School in Norfolk, VA. Currently, I am a student intern at NASA Langley Research Center under the Langley Aerospace Summer Scholars (LARSS). I became involved with this NASA internship through my participation in the Fundamental Aeronautics Student Competition.
Just like any other NASA interns, I would describe my experience at NASA as phenomenal and life-changing. As a high school student, this experience gave me a chance to explore what Aerospace Engineers actually do at NASA before I even decide on what to major in for college. This motivated me to pursue a degree in Aerospace Engineering at Virginia Tech University.
All the NASA employees are very nice and helpful to one another. Before I started my internship, I felt intimidated by the thought of working with NASA engineers and college level students who know so much more that I do in Aeronautics. However, when I actually began working with them, I didn’t have any reason to feel intimidated anymore. They are always ready and willing to help. I was even able to do a presentation for the Aeronautics Research Directorate without being nervous. I am currently employed at NASA’s Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch (ASAB) under the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate (SACD). I am working with a group of interns and mentors on a modeling program that NASA is developing. This program will make it easier and quicker to model aircraft.
Overall NASA Langley Research Center is a wonderful environment to work at and it brings to mind all the scientific accomplishments from the past and the vision they have for the future.
My name is Edric San Miguel. I am a senior from Granby High School in Norfolk, VA. Currently, I am a student intern at NASA Langley Research Center under the Langley Aerospace Summer Scholars (LARSS). I became involved with this NASA internship through my participation in the Fundamental Aeronautics Student Competition.
Just like any other NASA interns, I would describe my experience at NASA as phenomenal and life-changing. As a high school student, this experience gave me a chance to explore what Aerospace Engineers actually do at NASA before I even decide on what to major in for college. This motivated me to pursue a degree in Aerospace Engineering at Virginia Tech University.
All the NASA employees are very nice and helpful to one another. Before I started my internship, I felt intimidated by the thought of working with NASA engineers and college level students who know so much more that I do in Aeronautics. However, when I actually began working with them, I didn’t have any reason to feel intimidated anymore. They are always ready and willing to help. I was even able to do a presentation for the Aeronautics Research Directorate without being nervous. I am currently employed at NASA’s Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch (ASAB) under the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate (SACD). I am working with a group of interns and mentors on a modeling program that NASA is developing. This program will make it easier and quicker to model aircraft.
Overall NASA Langley Research Center is a wonderful environment to work at and it brings to mind all the scientific accomplishments from the past and the vision they have for the future.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Langley Research Center
By Dr. Elizabeth Ward, LaRC
To help the United States return humans to the moon in the 21st century, NASA came back to where it started the space program, Langley Research Center. Langley trained not only the Mercury 7 astronauts, but also the astronauts involved with Gemini and Apollo. Some of the first lunar landing test flights were conducted at Langley’s research facilities in the 1960s and in 2009, the Orion vehicle models are being tested at the same site. But Langley is more than a place where astronauts were trained and space vehicles are tested.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration began with an act of Congress in 1958, less than a year after Sputnik I made its first orbit around the Earth in October of 1957. Prior to the space agency, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, NACA, led US research in aeronautics for both military and civilian application.
The oldest of the NACA research facilities, Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory (now Langley Research Center), began its work in 1917 in partnership with the Army Air Corps (became the US Air Force). Over 90 years later, a fleet of F-22 Raptors sit at Langley Air Force Base along with NASA wind tunnels that have been used to test aircraft since the NACA days. Locally referred to as the “East Side,” NASA has facilities on both the Air Force Base grounds and on a West Side non-military tract of land adjacent to it.
In the Langley full scale tunnel such notable aviators as Howard Hughes, Charles Lindbergh, Orville Wright, and Amelia Earhart are pictured in a photo of the tunnel taken in the 1930s. Working on the same grounds in 2009, employees have a sense of the history and achievements of their predecessors. Engineers still come from all over the globe to use facilities at NASA Langley to ensure that aircraft designs are flight worthy. But Langley is more than its facilities or its history.
Langley’s strength today is its people…engineers, scientists, technicians, and support staff. In the past Langley solved some of the biggest problems of manned flight. Today its researchers continue to tackle big problems like making air travel safer, more environmentally friendly, faster, and quieter; gathering and analyzing data on global climate phenomena; and developing new materials and structures for space access.
But who will work here in the future? Who will continue to search for solutions to the big technical problems? We hope it will be some of you. As part of the INSPIRE program you have the rare opportunity to engage with some of the current NASA employees. Take advantage of it. Ask questions; find out what you want to know that can help you with a career choice or a college choice. If opportunities come along for you to apply for something at NASA or in school, go for it. In all things, do your best, but don’t think you have to have it all together or be perfect, because no one has it all together and no one is perfect. Just do what you love and be the best that you can be. It will serve you well now and throughout your lifetime.
To help the United States return humans to the moon in the 21st century, NASA came back to where it started the space program, Langley Research Center. Langley trained not only the Mercury 7 astronauts, but also the astronauts involved with Gemini and Apollo. Some of the first lunar landing test flights were conducted at Langley’s research facilities in the 1960s and in 2009, the Orion vehicle models are being tested at the same site. But Langley is more than a place where astronauts were trained and space vehicles are tested.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration began with an act of Congress in 1958, less than a year after Sputnik I made its first orbit around the Earth in October of 1957. Prior to the space agency, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, NACA, led US research in aeronautics for both military and civilian application.
The oldest of the NACA research facilities, Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory (now Langley Research Center), began its work in 1917 in partnership with the Army Air Corps (became the US Air Force). Over 90 years later, a fleet of F-22 Raptors sit at Langley Air Force Base along with NASA wind tunnels that have been used to test aircraft since the NACA days. Locally referred to as the “East Side,” NASA has facilities on both the Air Force Base grounds and on a West Side non-military tract of land adjacent to it.
In the Langley full scale tunnel such notable aviators as Howard Hughes, Charles Lindbergh, Orville Wright, and Amelia Earhart are pictured in a photo of the tunnel taken in the 1930s. Working on the same grounds in 2009, employees have a sense of the history and achievements of their predecessors. Engineers still come from all over the globe to use facilities at NASA Langley to ensure that aircraft designs are flight worthy. But Langley is more than its facilities or its history.
Langley’s strength today is its people…engineers, scientists, technicians, and support staff. In the past Langley solved some of the biggest problems of manned flight. Today its researchers continue to tackle big problems like making air travel safer, more environmentally friendly, faster, and quieter; gathering and analyzing data on global climate phenomena; and developing new materials and structures for space access.
But who will work here in the future? Who will continue to search for solutions to the big technical problems? We hope it will be some of you. As part of the INSPIRE program you have the rare opportunity to engage with some of the current NASA employees. Take advantage of it. Ask questions; find out what you want to know that can help you with a career choice or a college choice. If opportunities come along for you to apply for something at NASA or in school, go for it. In all things, do your best, but don’t think you have to have it all together or be perfect, because no one has it all together and no one is perfect. Just do what you love and be the best that you can be. It will serve you well now and throughout your lifetime.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
LCROSS - What Happened?
By Jim Gerard, INSPIRE Education Specialist
Last week, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, completed its 113-day mission by crashing into the surface of the moon. Preceding the satellite was the bus-sized Centaur booster stage that accompanied it most of the way. Many of you knew this was going to happen from the day it was launched piggyback with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter on June 18. NASA predicted the impact would raise a could of debris 10 meters in altitude, rising over the limb of the moon, that would be visible to telescopes on earth.
I was at my telescopes eyepiece watching – a long shot to see anything as those of us on the east coast were already in daylight, but I was hoping the scientists had underestimated the effect of the impact. I remembered reading about the monks in 1178 AD who witnessed “two horns of light” while looking at the moon, which some astronomers speculate was the creation of crater Giordano Bruno. I thought if they could see that with the unaided eye, I might get to see something with my scope.
The time came, and went. Nothing to be seen. Did I miss it? Was I looking in the right place? Did I mess up the time? I went inside to check NASA TV and used the DVR to rewind back to impact time. Nothing there either. Meanwhile, I hear the scientist say that it was successful with data returned to earth. The bombing of the moon that had been trumpeted in the news was a fizzle.
This is one of the difficulties in communicating science to others. Predictions are made – most conscientious scientists will be conservative in their predictions, but often excitement tends to cause over speculation. We really did not know what would happen when the Centaur and LCROSS impacted the moon, although we did have a precedent. In1971, the Saturn V S-IVB third stage of the Apollo 14 mission slammed into the moon at 2.54 km/sec. It left a crater 35 m in diameter, ejecting debris for 1.5 km. Although smaller, the Centaur was traveling faster, and was predicted to evacuate a larger crater and produce a much larger plume. In fact, both of these events occurred, observed by LCROSS and LRO, just not from earth.
Sometimes science can produce a wonderful show that helps to motivate and interest the general public, and sometimes we get disappointed. Nature is fickle. There is a difference between what you see on a tour at Kennedy Space Center and what you see on the Jungle Cruise at the Magic Kingdom. The important thing is not the show, but the data returned. And in that respect, LCROSS was very successful.
Last week, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, completed its 113-day mission by crashing into the surface of the moon. Preceding the satellite was the bus-sized Centaur booster stage that accompanied it most of the way. Many of you knew this was going to happen from the day it was launched piggyback with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter on June 18. NASA predicted the impact would raise a could of debris 10 meters in altitude, rising over the limb of the moon, that would be visible to telescopes on earth.
I was at my telescopes eyepiece watching – a long shot to see anything as those of us on the east coast were already in daylight, but I was hoping the scientists had underestimated the effect of the impact. I remembered reading about the monks in 1178 AD who witnessed “two horns of light” while looking at the moon, which some astronomers speculate was the creation of crater Giordano Bruno. I thought if they could see that with the unaided eye, I might get to see something with my scope.
The time came, and went. Nothing to be seen. Did I miss it? Was I looking in the right place? Did I mess up the time? I went inside to check NASA TV and used the DVR to rewind back to impact time. Nothing there either. Meanwhile, I hear the scientist say that it was successful with data returned to earth. The bombing of the moon that had been trumpeted in the news was a fizzle.
This is one of the difficulties in communicating science to others. Predictions are made – most conscientious scientists will be conservative in their predictions, but often excitement tends to cause over speculation. We really did not know what would happen when the Centaur and LCROSS impacted the moon, although we did have a precedent. In1971, the Saturn V S-IVB third stage of the Apollo 14 mission slammed into the moon at 2.54 km/sec. It left a crater 35 m in diameter, ejecting debris for 1.5 km. Although smaller, the Centaur was traveling faster, and was predicted to evacuate a larger crater and produce a much larger plume. In fact, both of these events occurred, observed by LCROSS and LRO, just not from earth.
Sometimes science can produce a wonderful show that helps to motivate and interest the general public, and sometimes we get disappointed. Nature is fickle. There is a difference between what you see on a tour at Kennedy Space Center and what you see on the Jungle Cruise at the Magic Kingdom. The important thing is not the show, but the data returned. And in that respect, LCROSS was very successful.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Welcome to NASA's Langley Research Center!
When the United States decided to return to the moon, NASA returned to where the U.S. space program started, near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in Hampton, Va. NASA's Langley Research Center was the initial home of the first astronauts, the Mercury 7. Now the Center is working to design and test a new launch abort system for the next generation space capsules.
Solving the tough problems in air, space and earth science is what Langley is known for. Its reputation for exceptional research started soon after Langley was established as the United States' first civilian aeronautics laboratory in 1917.
Researchers at Langley are focusing on some of the biggest technical challenges of our time: global climate change, access to space and revolutionizing airplanes and the air transportation system.
Langley scientists study the atmosphere to improve life here on Earth and to better understand the conditions planes and spacecraft fly through. Langley engineers work on technologies to make civilian and military planers safer, quieter and more efficient, while designing tomorrow's supersonic and even hypersonic aircraft. Langley researchers analyze materials and structures to help spacecraft withstand unforgiving extraterrestrial environments.
NASA Langley's decades of contributions in aerospace, atmospheric sciences and technology commercialization are engineering a better future for all of us. Some of the benefits may surprise you.
When swimwear manufacturer Speedo wanted to develop a new faster swimsuit, it called on NASA Langley's expertise in drag reduction, gained through years of studying aircraft aerodynamics. Fabric tested in a Langley wind tunnel is now being worn by champion swimmers worldwide.
NASA Langley researchers are working to continue the legacy earned over the past 90 years. They are changing the way the world lives.
Solving the tough problems in air, space and earth science is what Langley is known for. Its reputation for exceptional research started soon after Langley was established as the United States' first civilian aeronautics laboratory in 1917.
Researchers at Langley are focusing on some of the biggest technical challenges of our time: global climate change, access to space and revolutionizing airplanes and the air transportation system.
Langley scientists study the atmosphere to improve life here on Earth and to better understand the conditions planes and spacecraft fly through. Langley engineers work on technologies to make civilian and military planers safer, quieter and more efficient, while designing tomorrow's supersonic and even hypersonic aircraft. Langley researchers analyze materials and structures to help spacecraft withstand unforgiving extraterrestrial environments.
NASA Langley's decades of contributions in aerospace, atmospheric sciences and technology commercialization are engineering a better future for all of us. Some of the benefits may surprise you.
When swimwear manufacturer Speedo wanted to develop a new faster swimsuit, it called on NASA Langley's expertise in drag reduction, gained through years of studying aircraft aerodynamics. Fabric tested in a Langley wind tunnel is now being worn by champion swimmers worldwide.
NASA Langley researchers are working to continue the legacy earned over the past 90 years. They are changing the way the world lives.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Saying Goodbye to a Really Amazing Spacecraft (and Team)
By Paul.D Tompkins, LCROSS Flight Director
Well, we all knew it was going to happen. It was inevitable. It was the whole design of the mission. LCROSS was destined to end its wonderfully fantastic journey by intentionally crashing into a permanently shadowed crater at the south pole of the Moon. We are the ones who devised this fate for LCROSS. So why should we be surprised (and just a little bit sad) now that the time has finally come?
As a proud member of the LCROSS Science Team and as the Observation Campaign Coordinator, I would have to say that working on this mission has been one of the highlights of my career thus far. The mission itself is truly amazing (We’re impacting the Moon! We’re looking to see if there’s water ice at the poles! We’re going to this utterly unexplored place in our Solar System, so close to home, and are so excited about what we’re yet to learn!). LCROSS is so important to both science and exploration. This mission is blazing a new path in how to build small, robust spacecraft both on schedule and on budget. LCROSS uses eight (yes eight!) commercial off-the-shelf instruments for its payload – also a very novel way for NASA to get more bang for the buck as well as good science to boot. The technical aspects of the LCROSS mission are astounding, but none of this would be possible without the dedication of the *people* working on this project.
The LCROSS Team is made up of an amazing cadre of individuals. LCROSS has a relatively lean and nimble team. There’s still a lot of work to be done to send a spacecraft to the Moon, and so that means that everyone has to pull together to make things happen. If somebody is extra busy and needs help, you help them. If there’s something that needs to be done and you’ve never done it before, you figure out how to do it. If you are stuck and need some assistance, just ask your teammates and without hesitation people are willing to help. We all naturally come together to get the job done. There is a high level of trust and commitment on this team, starting with the top Project management and all the way through the people working the nitty-gritty technical aspects. It is truly a glorious experience to work with a team such as this. The best part is that everyone is working towards a common goal, and everyone is willing and able to contribute in whatever way is needed in order to achieve the objective. It is amazing what a group of people can do when presented with a fascinating project and an exciting challenge.
And it’s not just the Project folks who have helped make this happen, but it’s all of the students and members of the general public who have so substantially contributed to the successes of LCROSS. Student interns at NASA Ames have had the opportunity to work with real honest-to-goodness flight hardware. Not everyone has the opportunity in college to hold an instrument that will be on the Moon within the next year! Such opportunities are tremendously powerful for encouraging the students of today to continue the pursuit of careers in math, science, and engineering. Amateur astronomers from around the world have been imaging LCROSS in the night sky during its trip to the Moon and are planning to collect observations of the impacts as well. This is a great way to actively participate in a NASA mission. We’ve also been having a great time keeping folks updated regarding LCROSS activities through our NASA website as well as the LCROSS Facebook and Twitter accounts. Thousands of people are following LCROSS on these sites and we’re thrilled to be able to have a two-way dialog to discuss all things lunar!
So, although this mission was destined to end in a spectacular grande finale culminating with two lunar impacts, it is a bit sad to see this phase of the project come to a close. However, next up is the exciting analysis of the data to try and learn all we can about these enigmatic regions on our very own Moon. And here’s to hoping there are lots more missions coming up in the future, because we are fired up and ready to go!
Well, we all knew it was going to happen. It was inevitable. It was the whole design of the mission. LCROSS was destined to end its wonderfully fantastic journey by intentionally crashing into a permanently shadowed crater at the south pole of the Moon. We are the ones who devised this fate for LCROSS. So why should we be surprised (and just a little bit sad) now that the time has finally come?
As a proud member of the LCROSS Science Team and as the Observation Campaign Coordinator, I would have to say that working on this mission has been one of the highlights of my career thus far. The mission itself is truly amazing (We’re impacting the Moon! We’re looking to see if there’s water ice at the poles! We’re going to this utterly unexplored place in our Solar System, so close to home, and are so excited about what we’re yet to learn!). LCROSS is so important to both science and exploration. This mission is blazing a new path in how to build small, robust spacecraft both on schedule and on budget. LCROSS uses eight (yes eight!) commercial off-the-shelf instruments for its payload – also a very novel way for NASA to get more bang for the buck as well as good science to boot. The technical aspects of the LCROSS mission are astounding, but none of this would be possible without the dedication of the *people* working on this project.
The LCROSS Team is made up of an amazing cadre of individuals. LCROSS has a relatively lean and nimble team. There’s still a lot of work to be done to send a spacecraft to the Moon, and so that means that everyone has to pull together to make things happen. If somebody is extra busy and needs help, you help them. If there’s something that needs to be done and you’ve never done it before, you figure out how to do it. If you are stuck and need some assistance, just ask your teammates and without hesitation people are willing to help. We all naturally come together to get the job done. There is a high level of trust and commitment on this team, starting with the top Project management and all the way through the people working the nitty-gritty technical aspects. It is truly a glorious experience to work with a team such as this. The best part is that everyone is working towards a common goal, and everyone is willing and able to contribute in whatever way is needed in order to achieve the objective. It is amazing what a group of people can do when presented with a fascinating project and an exciting challenge.
And it’s not just the Project folks who have helped make this happen, but it’s all of the students and members of the general public who have so substantially contributed to the successes of LCROSS. Student interns at NASA Ames have had the opportunity to work with real honest-to-goodness flight hardware. Not everyone has the opportunity in college to hold an instrument that will be on the Moon within the next year! Such opportunities are tremendously powerful for encouraging the students of today to continue the pursuit of careers in math, science, and engineering. Amateur astronomers from around the world have been imaging LCROSS in the night sky during its trip to the Moon and are planning to collect observations of the impacts as well. This is a great way to actively participate in a NASA mission. We’ve also been having a great time keeping folks updated regarding LCROSS activities through our NASA website as well as the LCROSS Facebook and Twitter accounts. Thousands of people are following LCROSS on these sites and we’re thrilled to be able to have a two-way dialog to discuss all things lunar!
So, although this mission was destined to end in a spectacular grande finale culminating with two lunar impacts, it is a bit sad to see this phase of the project come to a close. However, next up is the exciting analysis of the data to try and learn all we can about these enigmatic regions on our very own Moon. And here’s to hoping there are lots more missions coming up in the future, because we are fired up and ready to go!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
It's Been Worth the Wait!
As a 30 year-old research assistant at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, I have a unique perspective of the Apollo missions. I was not alive when humans last walked on the moon; the Apollo missions were part of my parents' generation. With live televised coverage from the lunar surface and glossy photo spreads in magazines, places like Tranquility Base, the Descartes Highlands, and Fra Mauro became familiar during the Apollo program. However after the final Apollo mission left the moon, many forgot these significant lunar landmarks. That changes today. With the amazing images of the Apollo landing sites taken through NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), the Apollo landing sites are once again significant for today's generation.
These images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), released July 17, show
five of the six Apollo landing sites with arrows pointing out the lunar descent
module visible resting on the lunar surface. (NASA/GSFC/ASU)
View other images of the moon in our blog's Flickr gallery.
For me, these photos have an additional dimension as they remind me of why I've always been interested in the moon. In the mid 1960s my father worked on the Apollo program, building parts for the astronauts' backpacks, known as the Portable Life Support Systems (PLSS). At the end of each lunar landing mission, in order to reduce the mass launched into lunar orbit, the astronauts would toss the PLSS' onto the lunar surface; they were left behind and quickly forgotten. However, those who built the PLSS did not forget them. Before the packs were finished and shipped off, the engineers would etch their signatures on parts of the PLSS frame. So when the packs were left on the moon, the signatures also remained as a permanent monument to their achievements. So now when I look at these amazing photos, I can't see those backpacks in these images, future images of the sites may show them, but I do see places where my dad's name will be found forever.
This photo from the Apollo 17 mission shows the Portable Life Support Systems
backpack that Noah's father worked on in the foreground. (NASA)
Welcome to the INSPIRE Blog!
By Jim Gerard, INSPIRE Education Specialist
A new feature for the OLC this year will be our INSPIRE blog. Many of you are familiar with blogs, and some of you may even have your own blog! Ours will be a little different in that each week we will have a post provided by a different contributor from the NASA family. These contributing authors will write about their work, experiences, and the people that inspired them. Some blogs may offer a glimpse into the inner workings of NASA, while others may be motivational.
Another feature of blogs is the ability to comment on shared information. After each OLC post, there will be a link back to the Discussion Board where you can leave a comment or ask a question. Since our contributors are not part of the OLC, we will collect questions and forward them to our contributors for replies to be posted later.
We are looking all over NASA for people who can contribute to our blog, including some of the mentors that worked with students during the Summer STEM Experiences. We hope the INSPIRE blog will be an interesting and personal way to learn more what goes on at NASA.
A new feature for the OLC this year will be our INSPIRE blog. Many of you are familiar with blogs, and some of you may even have your own blog! Ours will be a little different in that each week we will have a post provided by a different contributor from the NASA family. These contributing authors will write about their work, experiences, and the people that inspired them. Some blogs may offer a glimpse into the inner workings of NASA, while others may be motivational.
Another feature of blogs is the ability to comment on shared information. After each OLC post, there will be a link back to the Discussion Board where you can leave a comment or ask a question. Since our contributors are not part of the OLC, we will collect questions and forward them to our contributors for replies to be posted later.
We are looking all over NASA for people who can contribute to our blog, including some of the mentors that worked with students during the Summer STEM Experiences. We hope the INSPIRE blog will be an interesting and personal way to learn more what goes on at NASA.
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