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UPDATE # 110 - February 22, 2000 PART 1: Busy Times at NASA Quest BUSY TIMES AT NASA QUEST
A couple of heads-up notices follow so you can mark your calendar even before the web pages are born: The week of March 13 through 17 will mark a cooperative effort between NASA Quest's Space Team Online and Classroom Connect. Throughout the week, the space shuttle will be spotlighted, complete with chats, mystery sounds, questions and other challenges. That same week, on Monday at 1:00pm PST, we will feature a WebCast with Astronaut Mike Anderson. The focus of this event will be on Technology Centers created by HUD (Housing and Urban Development) to serve the inner city youth. Naturally because it will be on the Internet, everyone is invited. Segment 3 of the SRTM WebCasts: Mission Follow-up has been postponed to accommodate schedules. The new date will be March 28th. Mark your calendar as we chat live with principals in this important mapping mission. We are hoping to have one of the astronauts who was involved in the mission join us too. You may notice that I have shortened the Events section. It was brought to my attention that it was getting a little lengthy, and because it is available online, the list needn't be duplicated here. Hope that works for you. For a complete listing of STO chats, to pre-register and/or join the go to: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/common/events.cgi?prj_sto We successfully completed another puzzle, thanks to Stephanie Wong, our puzzle expert and long-time STO affiliate from Canada! Thanks Stephanie. Three successful answers were received for the final challenge! Congratulations to Ashley, Christopher and William for your persistence to the end! The challenge picture and answer may be viewed at: http://quest.nasa.gov/space/events/ksc99/puzzle Hopefully next time we'll have more participation. Linda Conrad lindac@quest.nasa.gov THIS WEEK'S EVENTS
Special Features:
February is Black History Month. To celebrate, NASA Quest will host a
series of QuestChats and forums with African American scientists and
engineers who contribute their work in support of NASA's mission and
goals. The schedule, which may be added to over time, can be found at
http://quest.nasa.gov/qchats/special/mlk00/
Additionally, this week (February 22 through 25) is National Engineers'
Week. For a schedule of special events see:
http://quest.nasa.gov/qchats/special/eweek00/
To Pre-register and Join the Chats listed below at:
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/common/events.cgi?prj_sto
->Thursday, February 24; 10-11 am PST (1-2 pm EST; 6-7pm GMT)
Black History Month QuestChat with Jennifer Murray
->Thursday, February 24, 11am-12 noon PST (2-3pm EST; 7-8pm GMT)
Black History Month and National Engineers' Week QuestChat with Tony
Bruins .
Friday, February 25; 9-10am PST (Noon-1pm EST; 5-6pm GMT)
National Engineers' Week QuestChat with Keith Zimmerman
->February 25, 2000 Deadline to register your class for the March 2000
Lift Off! Lift Off takes place March 20, 2000
In cooperation with MC2 Learning Systems, "Projects From Space" is
offering your students the chance to join the men and women of NASA who
are working to make survival in space a reality. Through research and
collaboration with other classrooms across North America, students will be
learning and creating an understanding of space survival. For more
information see: http://quest.nasa.gov/space/events
[Editor's note: Joe works with contractors on design, manufacturing, testing and implementation of hardware for the International Space Station. Below he gives us an update on a student project he's been involved with, and wrote about in his last journal.] THREE OAKS MIDDLE SCHOOL'S PAYLOAD PROJECT
By Joe Delai http://quest.nasa.gov/space/team/delai.html Interviewer: Brandt Secosh February 14, 2000 The launch delay of STS 99 couldn'9t have worked out better for Three Oaks Middle School. Several students from Three Oaks have been working on an experiment over the past two years that is soon to be formally proposed to NASA. A meeting was scheduled for February 11, 2000, to run the proposal through a final "redline" briefing. When STS 99 was delayed to launch on February 11th, the students knew they were in for a real treat - they would have the opportunity to view the STS 99 launch! Many of the students had never seen a launch in person even though they are Florida residents. Several had seen night launches, but had never witnessed a day launch. All of that would change at the conclusion of this visit to Kennedy Space Center. Joe Delai and I met the students, teachers and principal of Three Oaks at 9:45 am. We would be the official escorts for the launch, as well as the briefing that would take place immediately after the launch. Once everyone was checked in and badges were issued, we were off to the Banana Creek viewing site. Banana Creek is one of the best viewing areas on the center. In fact it is where many of the astronauts' families view the launch. We arrived at Banana Creek at 11:00 a.m. and the first request was for a group photograph to prove that they were really here! The students then had plenty of time to visit the Saturn / Apollo facility before viewing the STS 99 launch. Three Oaks Middle school students have been involved with the development of a bacteria growth experiment over the past two years. Today'9s meeting would be the final look at the proposal. The Students met with various NASA Life Science personnel at Kennedy to discuss the document and procedures that will be used on orbit, should the experiment be approved. This has been a great learning experience for all of the students and faculty involved. Numerous corrections had already been made to the document and the meeting today found yet a few more corrections. This is not to say that the students have done a bad job in the initial write-up. They have become very aware that the proposal must be very accurate and precise or it may not be taken seriously. Dr. Phillip Scarpa, a veteran flight surgeon has been overseeing the project and is pictured at the far end of the table in this photograph. He makes his experience available to the students and offers advice on the proposal. He also evaluates the project for its scientific significance, and safety. Joe Delai is a mentor in the Kennedy Space Center Virtual Science Mentor program and a Space Team Online member. He has been a key supporter and consultant for this project since its conception. Joe Delai has been working with this class for the entire duration of the project and feels very confident that the proposal will be ready after this final editing process. The project was also evaluated for its procedural efficiency and safety. Although the experiment has been tested literally hundreds of times, the students demonstrated the project yet again during the meeting. The students developed the containment bag that will keep the petri dishes with ecoli bacteria contained. The bag is simple and very effective. The students are seen demonstrating the containment bag in this photograph. Essentially, it is like a sandwich a bag with a pharmaceutical glove joined to it that allows the user to move and manipulate what is inside the bag. Once the experiment is placed in the bag, it is sealed and will be air-tight for the duration of the flight. All of the students commented on how much work it has been to prepare the documentation for the experiment. They pointed out that conceptualizing the experiment was the easy part. The hard work has been the testing and marketing. We will soon know if the Three Oaks Middle School project will be flown on an upcoming mission. They have certainly put in the work and even if it doesn'9t get accepted, they have learned a lot about the scientific process. They have even gone tot he extent of designing mission patches for their experiment, as shown in this photograph. Good Luck Three Oaks Middle School! that Three Oaks Middle School is working on. [Editor's note: Again STO correspondent, Brandt takes us there so we can see and feel the excitement of a shuttle landing. The journal may be seen with pictures at: http://quest.nasa.gov/space/team/journals/secosh/02-23-00.html ] STS 99 Returns to Kennedy Space Center! http://quest.nasa.gov/space/team/secosh.html February 23, 2000 As always, the return of the Space Shuttle to the Space Coast is defined by the dual sonic booms. You would think that everyone here was accustomed to the sound, but that doesn't seem to be the case - even when it is expected! The crew of STS 99 returned to the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center at 6:22 p.m. EST landing on runway 33. Mission Commander, Kevin R. Kregel; Mission Pilot, Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie; Mission Specialist's, Janet L. Kavandi; Janice E. Voss; Mamoru Mohri and Gerhard P.J. Thiele traveled 4 millions miles in space and mapped more than 47 million square miles of the earth's surface during the SRTM! The crewmembers will be returning to their homes to reunite with their families and Endeavor will be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility, Bay 2. The crews at Kennedy Space Center will begin processing Endeavor for the STS-97, International Space Station flight 4A. The launch of STS 99 was one of the best I have ever seen. The mission was a complete success and was highlighted by the crew adjusting to an adverse fuel problem in which they had to conserve fuel due to a faulty propulsion nozzle on the SRTM mast. The landing was a compliment to this incredible mission and to the crew that performed the mission.
A FINAL NOTE ON STS-99
Space Shuttle Endeavour returned to Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing
Facility (SLF) February 22 p.m. EST. After traveling 4 million miles in
space and mapping more than 47 million square miles of the earth's
surface, the orbiter and six-member flight crew made a flawless landing on
KSC's Runway 33 on the second of two Florida landing opportunities. The
first opportunity was at 4:50 p.m., but crosswinds at the SLF violated
established weather constraints.
The flight crew will remain overnight in Florida and return to their homes
in Houston, TX, tomorrow at about 11 a.m. EST. Shuttle ground crews at KSC
will begin towing Endeavour to Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 at about
9:45 p.m. with arrival at the Shuttle hangar expected about one hour
later. Shuttle Endeavour will now begin processing for its next Shuttle
mission, STS-97, International Space Station flight 4A.
Main Gear Touchdown: 6:22:23:174
Nose Gear Touchdown: 6:22:34:569
Wheels Stop: 6:23:25:529
RE: MISSION: STS-101, 3rd ISS Flight (2A.2a) - carrying SPACEHAB
Shuttle Processing Note: Atlantis' main propulsion system leak checks are
complete. Tuesday work began to install the transfer tunnel adapter in the
orbiter's payload bay. Orbiter electrical wiring inspection, repair and
protection continue.
Mission Note: Managers named a modified STS-101 crew today to prepare the
space station for the arrival of the Zvezda service module. The STS-101
crew includes Commander Jim Halsell, Pilot Scott Horowitz, and Mission
Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeffrey Williams, James Voss, Susan Helms
and Yuri Usachev.
RE: MISSION: STS-106 -- 4th ISS Flight (2A.2b)
Last Friday, managers from NASA's Space Shuttle and International Space
Station (ISS) programs confirmed plans to fly an additional Space Shuttle
mission to the ISS this year. The plan distributes the original STS-101
mission objectives between two flights: STS-101 and STS-106. With both
missions slated for flight aboard Shuttle Atlantis, mission STS-101
remains targeted for launch no earlier than April 13 and the STS-106
launch will occur no earlier than Aug. 19.
Astronauts on the new STS-106 mission will complete service module support
tasks on orbit, transfer supplies and outfit ISS for the first
long-duration crew. The STS-106 crew includes Commander Terrence Wilcutt,
Pilot Scott Altman, and Mission Specialists Dan Burbank, Ed Lu, Richard
Mastracchio, Yuri Malenchenko, and Boris Morukov.
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