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PART 1: Connect with other teachers and STO
staff CONNECT WITH OTHER TEACHERS AND STO STAFF
One of the nice things I like about these online projects are the terrific (and brave) teachers who are involved. It isn't always easy to figure out how to use a resource like Shuttle Team Online effectively in the classroom, all while an administrator is saying "are you covering our curriculum". But your fellow teachers can help. Shuttle Team Online provides two ways to connect with your peers and with the STO staff: a weekly webchat and through a maillist. The details of the webchat were mentioned in the Back-to-school edition (STO #22). Basically, every Thursday at either noon or 3PM Pacific, folks gather online to chat. See the bottom of this page for details: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/events/interact.html A new mail list called "discuss" is now available. The list will provide a forum for teachers to discuss a wide variety of issues, concerns, teaching strategies, useful resources, project collaboration opportunities, and suggestions for the STO project. The goals are similar to the weekly WebChats described above, but the Email format will allow for more thoughtful discussion. Whereas WebChat demands an immediate response limited to a few sentences, "discuss" is not so constrained. The messages from discuss can be sent directly to your mail box. This is the most common way to participate in the discussion. For this option, every time a colleague shares a message, you'll receive it in your mailbox. To join the list this way, send an email message to: listmanager@quest.arc.nasa.gov In the message body, write only these words: subscribe discuss For those feeling like they already receive too much email, a digest of the discuss list is available. For this option, all the messages from a day are compiled into one bigger message which is forwarded to your email account. In this way, you'll receive all of the information, but the traffic will come only once per day. To join the list this way, send an email message to: listmanager@quest.arc.nasa.gov In the message body, write only these words: subscribe discuss-digest And for those that really don't want any more email, you may keep up with this list via the Web. Information about this option will be available soon. Please consider joining the chats or discussion list. My past experiences with these online conversations have been very rewarding, and I hope you'll have a similar feeling. Yours, Marc [Editor's note: Robert was the lead electronics technician for the Droplet Combustion Experiment (DCE) which recently flew on STS- 94. He has worked on many other experiments that have flown on the space shuttle. Robert's job involves the wiring, soldering, assembling, and inspecting of space flight hardware. He makes sure that the hardware is put together properly and meets NASA requirements.] WORKING INSIDE THE SPACE SHUTTLE
Robert Paulin http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/paulin.html September 8, l997 Because of the shortened mission of STS-83 due to a fuel cell problem, all the experiments (from NASA Lewis Research Center) were re-flown aboard Columbia in the history making re-flight on STS-94. Some of the experiments had to be refurbished on account of expending fuel and materials during the shortened flight. This posed a unique problem of servicing the experiments onboard Columbia, something that was never planned on in the development of the experiments. For the Droplet Combustion Experiment (DCE), the team had to service the experiment while it was still in its flight configuration, meaning it had to be refurbished while still in a rack inside of the Space Lab module onboard Columbia. Working inside the Space Shuttle is a whole different world than putting together an experiment in a clean room. For one thing, you have to be dressed in a "bunny" suit at all times while on the Shuttle. This is to prevent contamination of the inside of the orbiter. With so many people working on it, you could imagine how much debris that would accumulate, and any debris could cause an experiment to fail in space. All tools are tethered to you, so that they cannot be lost or dropped, and everything you bring onto the Shuttle is logged in and out. Again, this is to insure that nothing is left behind when the work is finished. Every step you take while performing a task aboard the Shuttle has to be extensively documented before you perform it. If there are any variations to the written procedure, everything stops until you get proper signatures and waivers from the original document. The work can become intense with up to eight people crammed into a small confined place for long periods of time. As for our experiment, DCE, we worked from April 27th until May 6th to refurbish the experiment. At first we thought it would be a simple procedure of just taking the experiment out of the rack in the Spacelab module. The first day things started out well. We met for a briefing of what we were going to do, and were told of the ins and outs of performing our tasks aboard Columbia. Things went well and according to our written procedure. I removed the electrical connections that interfaced the experiment to Spacelab, and then we proceeded to begin the operation of removal of the test chamber from a thick mounting plate that attached the whole experiment to a rack inside of Spacelab. Because of unforeseen circumstances, we could not remove the chamber from the rack. Instead, we opted to service DCE in the rack in Spacelab--a task that would be much harder to do, and a task that deviated from our written procedure. This meant that we had to have new procedures written up and signed off by proper Shuttle management. Even though it was now into the weekend, the dedicated people at Kennedy Space Center worked with us almost around the clock to ensure we finished our task. Aside from the grueling work of having to spend 12-hour days inside a confined space with seven other people, there is a sense of awe being aboard the Shuttle. For me, it (the Shuttle) was much bigger than I thought it would be. Spacelab, which is where all the experiments are located, however, was smaller than I thought it would be. I am proud to, as a co-worker put it, "have touched NASA holy ground." Fortunately, we came back with the memories, a few pictures, and most important of all, a project that was refurbished and flew again successfully onboard STS-94. [Editor's note: Bill is in charge of the building where payloads are processed. In this job, he must make sure that the building is fully ready to support all the needs of the people who are preparing payloads.] I MAKE SURE THAT THE PAYLOAD BUILDING IS IN SHAPE
Bill Gary http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/gary.html September 8, l997 Our titles are changing, but my basic role has been in facilities management. I'm the facility manager at the Operations and Checkout building at Kennedy Space Center, which is the largest building in the industrial area. This is where we process many of our horizontal payloads and Spacelab-like missions. So, much of my involvement deals with making sure that the facility is operational from not only the processing area, but the administrative and engineering areas--ensuring the HPAC is operational, along with elevators, doors and other facilities. Two other things that we have become involved in recently deal with the old attitude chambers which are still installed in the high bay but have been inactive since the Apollo program. At that time they were used for leak checks on the Apollo Lunar Module. However, there's been a recent need, identified from the Space Shuttle Program, to do some leak checks on some space station elements before they're launched. So, there is currently an activity occurring to reactivate one of the attitude chambers. My role has been to coordinate some of the work effort, in terms of support, because the attitude chambers extend through the floor into what is called a "tunnel area" of the processing bay. The processing bay is an area that is confined and reaches low oxygen levels at times. So we have a system of oxygen monitors that are constantly in operation in that area that monitor the oxygen level. Therefore, if anyone goes into the area to work, they will be warned if the oxygen level falls to an unsafe level. Additionally, we have had some problems with some water that backed up through a drain somewhere. The water contaminated the floor in some areas near the attitude chambers. So one of the things we had to coordinate was having Environmental Services sample the contaminated water on the floor to make sure no personnel hazards existed, and that whatever was contained in the flood water would not be harmful to people if they were in contact with it. We completed the sampling and cleaned up the water, and concluded that although it looks bad, it's not harmful to humans. We then had to coordinate with our base contractor to dispose of the water in a proper way. The next day, we had to coordinate with our security people to obtain the appropriate badges for people who would be working in the area because the High Bay Processing area is a controlled area. We are also supporting the design group that is going to be putting together a statement of work to make the modifications to the attitude chamber so that it can be used again. These activities have been occupying quite a bit of my time--coordinating the appropriate people, and making sure no operations are occurring in the area that would preclude them from working. We're also nearing the end of a major upgrade to the fire alarm and detection system throughout the Operations and Checkout building. We've been involved with the upgrade since it began approximately one year ago. We've needed to coordinate access to certain areas for certain personnel, as well as to notify the regular employees when alarm testing would occur in certain areas, since bells would be ringing and lights would be flashing. So we need to make sure we notify the general population that testing is occurring, and that should there be an actual emergency, they should call an emergency number rather than use a regular emergency system. Additionally, we have a contracting company in the building that is modifying some of the restrooms and the doors to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This means that the restrooms must be accessible to people, for example, who are confined to a wheelchair. When installing the electrical doors for the ADA requirements, we use those that we think best fit our needs, and insure that they're lockable. Normally, we don't lock the doors at the space center, since we have security guards around the center. But because hurricane season takes up much of the year in Florida, we need to be able to secure the facility from any hurricane threatening to hit land near the space center. We also make sure the doors open for an appropriate amount of time that allows a person in a wheelchair to enter and exit safely without becoming trapped in the doors. So we test the doors and note any changes that need to be made. So we've been coordinating the work effort with the contracting company. Sometimes they must close off particular areas, so we must ensure that they erect some type of enclosure that prevents dust and debris from entering the building, as well as minimize the noise level, since they use equipment such as jackhammers and saws to cut concrete. Once they're finished, we inspect the work to insure it has been done properly. Once the modifications have started in the restrooms, we once again must coordinated with the waste water people, to make sure that water is shut off to those restrooms, so that water will not leak everywhere. At the same time, we must make sure that water reaches other areas that need it, such as the cafeteria, other restrooms, and the astronaut crew quarters. So it takes quite a bit of coordination with various maintenance and operations groups to make sure things run smoothly. [Editor's note: Chuck is in charge of having the necessary storable propellants at the launch pads. These chemicals must meet purity and quantity requirements they must be in the right container. Chuck has to know who wants what, when, where, how much, how much will it cost, what to do with leftovers, how to fix it if it doesn't work, etc.] HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE NITROGEN TO GET FROM HERE TO THERE?
Chuck Davis http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/cdavis.html July 25, l997 The Shuttle Program uses gaseous nitrogen to purge various systems to maintain cleanliness (keep dry and dirt/dust-free), or to prevent fire/explosions (eliminate oxygen), and as a pressurant (activate valves, pressurize tanks, etc.). The nitrogen is supplied by a commercial air-separation plant located just outside KSC property. A 32-mile long, 7000 psig, pipeline routes the nitrogen to various Shuttle, payload, and Cape Canaveral Air Station launch facilities. A couple of Shuttle launches ago, the vehicle engineering people who monitor the Shuttle purge systems noticed an increase in argon content in the nitrogen purges from around 5 to 10 parts per million (ppm) to around 100 ppm. They asked why the increase? The explanation is that during high-flowrate nitrogen usage (up to 15,000 scfm), the air-separation system is supplemented with liquid nitrogen that is pumped to high pressure and vaporized to a gas. Actually, at high-flows, the nitrogen going to the pad is about 80 percent from LN2 source. The vehicle engineering people don't like their instrumentation to show changes in purge gas readings because it would indicate a problem or they have to explain why it isn't a problem. The argon-content increase can't be avoided since it is intrinsic to the liquid nitrogen. Therefore, they requested I determine how long a "slug of high-argon nitrogen" would take to go from the plant to the launch pad. In my "spare time" I have finally completed 9 pages of calculations in a program called MathCad (a true time saver!!) and determined the "slug of high-argon nitrogen" takes three to four hours to go from the plant to the pad, depending on which of four pipelines are considered (two per pad). In doing this, I also included the beginning of pressure-drop calculations and the ability to model the entire 32-mile system - to be completed in my spare time. I have relayed the flow-times to the vehicle engineering people. Now, during the next Shuttle countdown, they can confidently state that an increase in argon-content of the nitrogen purging various Shuttle systems is due to the arrival of the liquid nitrogen after three to four hours of high nitrogen flow rates. STATUS OF COLUMBIA PROCESSING
Below and in the future, we'll provide some details about the post flight work being done after STS-94 and the subsequent processing of Columbia as it gets ready to fly again as STS-87. These reports will contain jargon and unfamiliar terms; our intent is not to confuse you, but to provide a glimpse at all the steps involved. Detailed daily reports about Columbia's processing can be found at the NASA Shuttle Status web site at http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/status/status.htm Since the last updates-sto message, servicing of Columbia's freon coolant loop No. 2 and oxidizer cross-feed line leak checks were completed. The orbiter's payload bay is being configured to support the United States Microgravity Payload-4 (USMP-4). Insulation removal continues on Columbia's elevons and corrosion repair is in work on the external tank doors. Work to waterproof the Shuttle's thermal protection system was completed yesterday and window polishing continues. The installation of Shuttle main engines No. 1 and No. 2 was postponed pending conclusion of the Shuttle Program's block II engine evaluations (a fire in an engine on a test stand caused some concerns). Currently the plan is begin the installation next week. Evaluations of the remote manipulator system (RMS) or robot arm have revealed faulty digital amplifiers in the joints of the arm. Managers plan to replace the RMS with one that was removed from Discovery earlier this week. STS-87 booster assembly operations continue in the Vehicle Assembly Building and stacking of the left hand SRB segments began.
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