Live Chat Roundup: April 28, 2011

By Jim Gerard, INSPIRE Education Specialist, KSC, FL

Things get pretty intense around Kennedy Space Center leading up to a launch.  Of course, there is the preparation of the vehicle, the pad, and the astronauts who will ride the flame, but there is also a lot of work dealing with the people who are coming to witness the event.  That is where the Education Office here at KSC plays its role.  And this was some of what we chatted about in last night's Live Chat.

Clay Anderson chatting with Tweeters

Because of a last minute change of plans, our scheduled speaker had to cancel, so I filled in with a somewhat impromptu presentation on today's launch.  33 students joined in as we chatted about the mission and the crew of STS-134.  I talked a little about the the tour group I escorted yesterday, which was members of the NASA Tweetup.  NASA invited 150 tweeters to travel (at their own expense) to KSC to be part of the launch experience.  They have a series of briefing which included a chat with astronaut Clay Anderson, tour the VAB and Apollo/Saturn V Center, and hung out with Levar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Seth Green (Family Guy, Robot Chicken).  The whole time the tweeted out what they heard and saw.  If you have a Twitter account, you can follow them using #NASATweetup.

If you missed the fun last night, you can check out the archived version of Live Chat 4/28 - STS-134.  And don't forget the quiz to get 50 points!

Happy Easter from The International Space Station

By Astronaut Ron Garan, International Space Station
For more information, please visit http://www.FragileOasis.org.

I am writing this very early Easter morning. I took pictures of the Holy Land and other areas in the region yesterday, April 23rd, and thought it appropriate to share with everyone.

Jerusalem

It's interesting that I've spent one Easter (2006) living on the bottom of the ocean during the NEEMO-9 mission and now I'm spending one in space.

The Nile River

I understand how blessed I am to have the opportunity to celebrate Easter while marveling at God's creation that we call home.

Looking back to the southwest, toward Israel and Egypt

It really is true that the Earth looks very peaceful from space. It was surreal to be directly over Libya with a beautiful view to the east of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.

Near the borders of Libya, Egypt and Sudan

My Easter prayer is that all the inhabitants of our Fragile Oasis come to the realization that we are in this together; that we are all riding together through the universe on this spaceship we call Earth; that love and understanding can conquer all, and that nothing is impossible if we overcome our differences, and then work together to solve the problems facing our world

Haifa, in the foothills of Mount Carmel in Northern Israel

J-2X Progress: Engine Assembly, Volume 4

By Bill Greene, MSFC, AL

It's been about three weeks since I last reported on the progress of J-2X Engine 10001 assembly.  What I would like to do is show you pictures of great big additions to the engine, but the truth is that for the last few weeks the engineers and technicians have been diligently plugging away at smaller stuff, at the details.

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen." – John Wooden

I would hazard to guess that Coach Wooden was talking about basketball – or maybe life in general – when he spoke these words, but on a rocket engine, everything has to work so the details of the big stuff and of the little stuff are equally vital.

So, here are some pictures and some details…

We'll start with a picture of the overall assembly and the addition of the item in the dashed, red oval on the right-hand side of the picture.  That is the gas generator.  Yep, that little thing powers both turbopumps and therefore is the driving force behind the whole engine.  Here is a closer picture.

As I've mentioned before, during the whole assembly process, things either have covers attached or are wrapped in tape and other protective media so that no debris gets in the engine and so that delicate parts are not damaged.  You can see that here on the gas generator.

Note that in the image of the gas generator above, you will see the "U-duct" from an earlier blog series entry regarding Direct Metal Laser Sintering.  This, right here on the engine, is the piece for which we may have found a future innovative manufacturing method.

Next is a picture of a mounting plate.  This is not even a primary piece of the engine if you were looking at a schematic, but it's a vital piece nonetheless.  On this mounting panel sits the two Main Injector Exciter Units (MIEUs).  An MIEU is analogous to the ignition coil in your automobile engine but with a good bit more punch.  We use two units for redundancy to further ensure overall reliability.  If, in the morning, your ignition coil goes dead in your station wagon, well you're just stuck in your driveway.  However, if during a launch mission you can't get the J-2X started, then you're stuck somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean at two or three hundred thousand feet.  That's a somewhat more treacherous situation.  So we use very highly reliable parts and we use two parallel units.

What makes this mounting plate interesting is that it has vibration isolators so that the noise and shaking of the engine don't impact the electrical components of the units.  Those eight circles on the mounting plate are the tops of the isolators so there are four for each unit.  Kinda cool little details.

Next, more mounts.  In the picture below, you will see two rectangular items, each with eight holes.  These are mounts on which will eventually reside pressure transducers.  There are several such transducer mounts across the engine.  These particular mounts are installed on the arms that hold the oxidizer turbopump.  So, we have mounts installed on mounts and you can begin to understand the complex layering that an engine assembly represents.

One strategy that is used quite often during the assembly process is to do stuff unattached from the main assembly itself.  Over on a separate bench, you put together a bunch of smaller pieces and then take this whole subassembly over to the engine for installation.  Over the past couple of weeks, this is exactly what has been done with the ancillary line "raceway."  Below is the completed raceway subassembly. 

All of the lines and brackets and nuts and bolts were separate pieces when the engineers and technicians began. 

Each line in that assembly is different since each line represents different fluids coming to or coming from the engine at different pressures and temperatures.  There is helium, oxygen, hydrogen, and even nitrogen.  There are pressures over 3,000 psi and less than 50 psi.  There are temperatures approaching the boiling point of water and those less than 400 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.  Thus, some of these lines shrink from the cold.  Some of them stiffen with high pressure.  Yet all of them have to be flexible to accommodate the gimballing of the engine and every one of them is vital either to the engine or to the vehicle.  In other words, it is a complex design, a complex manufacturing process, and a complex subassembly to put together.  And it all has to be correct.  Details, details, details!

Lastly, I'd like to toss in a cool picture from the test stand.  Below is a picture from test stand A-2, with the engine mass simulator installed.  This is where J-2X Engine 10001 will be tested.  The brightly painted, yellow hunk of metal is supposed to weigh the same as a J-2X and have the same dimensions.  It's used for checkouts of various systems including the test stand.

Another thing of note in that picture from A-2 is large gray object to the right.  That is half of a water-spray system that will be used during testing when no nozzle extension is installed on the engine.  Near the top of the picture is a hinge painted bright red.  When deployed, the gray water-spray structure will have been swung down so that its two pieces (the one shown and the other one to the left and out of the picture) join at the bottom of the engine nozzle.  This is all part of the system to deal with the substantial, combustible, fast moving, and very hot exhaust from the engine during test.  This water-spray system was installed specifically for J-2X testing.

That's where we stand.  The details of the engine assembly are coming together, with more parts arriving at the NASA Stennis Space Center every day, and with the test stand is being readied to accept installation of the engine.  This is Volume 4 of the assembly saga.  By the time Volume 5 is ready for the blog, we should be very close to having a fully assembled engine.  Wahoo!

Live Chat Roundup: April 21, 2011

By Jim Gerard, INSPIRE Education Specialist, KSC, FL

Last night's Live Chat hosted David Seidel from the education office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.  David had a great presentation on the history and mission of the JPL.  He told how it started with a small group of rocket enthusiasts at nearby Caltech, then helped the Army develop rockets before becoming part of NASA in 1958.  About the size of Disneyland (but, says David, "our Tomorrowland is real!"), JPL offers full mission support for robotic spacecraft, from planning and design to construction to operation.  David was comfortable with the video camera and did the full presentation using the video option.  Let us know how that worked for you, whether you were able to watch the video and the presentation at the same time.

Due to some difficulties we only had 20 in attendance during the chat.  Our help desk received many emails asking for help, but it is closed at that time.  Here is what we would like you to do next time if you have difficulty:

All students who post to the Sign-Up thread on the Discussion Board are enrolled in a group for that chat.  An email list is generated from the group, and is then sent out with information about the chat.  This usually occurs 30 - 45 minutes prior to the chat.  If you get the email, you are in the invited group and the link to the chat should be active on the Room List 15 minutes before the chat.  If you try too early, the link will not be active.  The page may be cached so, if the room does not appear after the 15 minute mark, empty your browser cache and refresh your page.  If you still have difficulty, email Mr. Gerard (the address is on the invite email) and he will help you get on the chat.

Next week, we will hear from Goddard Space Flight Center's Dr. Aprille Ericsson about Women in NASA.  Aprille has a great story to share and I hope many of you will join us.  Remember, it is not just for girls!

Poll of the Week: Long Duration Space Flight

By Jim Gerard, NASA Education Specialist, KSC, FL

Keeping humans alive in low Earth orbit has been a challenge that has been overcome with at least a small degree of confidence.  The next challenge is to translate that into longer and longer terms and then to greater distances.  With the knowledge gained from the International Space Station we can plan and prepare for a journey to Mars or near-Earth asteroids.  But will that be enough to go further into the Solar System, and eventually beyond?

This weeks poll asked how you think NASA would solve this problem.  The solutions offered are right out of science fiction (we'll explore some of these more in the NASA @the Movies Live Chat in May) but that does not mean they shouldn't be investigated.  Placing a spacecrafts occupants into a hibernative sleep or suspended animation overcomes the challenge of supplying travelers over the long journey.  Generation ships allow for normal lifespans, and only require a robust technology that will last years or even centuries.  But neither of these solutions attempt to solve the greater problem - how to shorten the time.  That's were exotic propulsion systems enter the picture, including faster than light travel.  But read what was posted on the Discussion Board:

I'm going with suspended animation--if we wanted to travel faster than the speed of light, we'd need some major technological and physics breakthroughs.  Suspended animation seems more plausible at the moment.

I definitely agree, suspended animation seems the most reasonable. Generation ships would be an option, except that it would be very bad for the kids developmentally to grow up surrounded only by family. This is not to say family is not necessary, but children also need more people around to stimulate them. Physically, the low gravity environment would be terrible for bone structure and muscle development. The kids would never learn to walk, and would never grow proper bone density, a sure cause of osteoporosis. Also, it wouldn't really be fair to expect them to grow up on a ship instead of a planet, like humans were designed to do, not to mention maybe they would like to live their own lives, rather than continue the dream of their parents, however noble the dream may be. Faster than light is impossible according to the quantum mechanical model. It has been proven that light speed is the speed limit of the universe for real particles. So unless NASA has simply decided to break the speed limit, (and hope the cops don't notice! ;) ), warp flights are definitely out. A shame, too. :( And NASA never solving this problem is not an option. What's the point of all the discovery exploration stuff if we're just gonna be defeated over minor obstacles. There is an answer. Right now, from the options on this poll, I would say suspended animation. That would work nicely. NASA may also find another solution, one that no one even has a clue about. But they will find something. :)

FTL technology would be best, but even if we only get speed of light technology, while the time factor is a problem, the people on the ship will hardly age because of relativity. Since time slows down as the speed of light is approached, at the speed of light the passengers will age almost none, so they will still be about the same age that they left at even if it takes 40 years to get to where you are going. We will also need to figure out gravity manipulation for this to be plausible, though.

It would be kinda annoying though when they get back, to have not aged at all and everyone else they know is dead. The mission would have been forgotten by the time 80 years went by.

This weeks poll asks your opinion on where the orbiters will retire.  As always, use the Discussion Board to champion your opinion and challenge others!

Live Chat Roundup: April 14, 2011

By Jim Gerard, INSPIRE Education Specialist, KSC, FL

At every NASA center, schedules can change at the last moment due to circumstances beyond our control.  One key aspect of working in large groups is flexibility, as many of you found working in some of INSPIRE's group projects this last year.  I was informed on Wednesday that our scheduled Live Chat speaker would be unable to attend, so I leaped to action and created a presentation to share last night.  21 were in attendance for the night, and I appreciated the great questions.  You can check out the chat in the Live Chat archive, and then take the quiz.

Next week, Mr. David Siedel will talk to the OLC Live Chat about the Jet Propulsion laboratory in California.  Sign up now to be part of this great chat!

Space Shuttle 30th Anniversary

(We thought you would like to read this letter NASA Administrator Chrles Bolden sent to the NASA workforce.)

Thirty years ago today, Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center for the very first time. In a flight that lasted 54 hours, NASA proved an amazing piece of technology. For 30 years, the best workforce in the world has launched 133 shuttle flights, dedicated to making each better than the last.

I want to thank each and every person who has ever been part of the shuttle workforce over the years for your significant contribution to this American accomplishment. You've helped make the world a better place and should take pride in that. Today belongs not just to the 360 men and women who have flown on the shuttle, but to all of you who have helped their missions to succeed.

Your work means a great deal to me personally. Those of us who have flown the shuttle put our lives in your hands each time we flew, and I never doubted that all of you on the ground, in launch and mission control, in orbiter processing, in every phase of the program, were absolutely dedicated, and among the most skilled and committed people I have ever known.

The shuttle has provided this nation with many firsts, with many proud moments, and it has helped the United States to lead the world in space exploration. Over three decades, this flagship program has become part of the fabric of our nation's history. It's helped us improve communications on Earth and to understand our home planet better. It's set scientific satellites like Magellan and Ulysses speeding on their missions into the solar system and launched Hubble and Chandra to explore the universe.

The shuttle program has given us tremendous knowledge about a reusable spacecraft and launch system from which future commercial systems will benefit. It's enabled construction of the International Space Station, our foothold for human exploration, which is leading to breakthroughs in human health and microgravity research. And it’s provided “first ever” astronaut flight and command opportunities for women and minorities.

We'll never forget the crews of Challenger and Columbia. Many of us counted them as our personal friends, and their achievements will live on in the spirit of perseverance and grit and hope in which they lived and worked. They were all true heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to this country.

The human spaceflight program will continue with astronauts living and working on the International Space Station until at least 2020. We wouldn't have been able to build that orbiting outpost without the shuttle. We wouldn't have established that model of global cooperation that serves as a guidepost for how we can work together toward the greater things of which we are capable as human beings.

With the last flight of Atlantis in June, the shuttles stop flying, but they don't stop inspiring, and they don’t stop being part of the fabric of America. Three museums and one NASA Center will have a shuttle orbiter to continue to tell the story of human spaceflight and American accomplishment.

There were many worthy institutions who requested an orbiter and far too few to go around. But millions of Americans and people from around the world will continue to learn from these amazing vehicles and the stories of their crews and their missions in their new homes.

The shuttle's retirement is bittersweet for us, but I am also very excited about our future. A future that is bright and open to us because of the shuttle program. We could not be reaching for new heights and developing the next generation of capabilities without the technological breakthroughs of the shuttle and the many lessons learned that we will carry forward. Our commitment to human spaceflight is steadfast, and with this amazing workforce, we will continue to lead the world in human space exploration and discovery.

Charlie B.