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UPDATE # 43 - May 12, 1998 PART 1: Chat with an astronaut
Here is an opportunity with very little advance notice. This coming Thursday, May 14, you'll have a chance to chat with Astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria; the event will be held from 11AM -Noon Pacific. Since Michael is fluent in both Spanish and English, the chat will be bilingual. So if you ask questions in English, your answer will be in English; if your question is Spanish, so too will be your reply. If you you'd like to ask questions, you must pre-register. There is still room in the chat room now, but space is filling up quickly. To get involved, please visit this web page: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/events/interact.html TWO DAYS FILLED WITH CHATS
The goal of Space Day is to advance science, math and technology education and inspire future generations to realize the vision of our space pioneers. Space Day '98 takes place on Thursday, May 21. In anticipation of that day, Quest is hosting a two full days of QuestChats on May 19 and May 20. During these days, classrooms will be able to interact with NASA experts from our various projects in real time. Besides Space Shuttle and International Space Station folks, experts on Mars and aeronautics and other NASA activities will be represented. See all of the details and register to participate at: http://quest/common/spaceday.html SURVEY COMING; PLEASE HELP US
Since we are spending US taxpayer dollars on Space Team Online, we have to demonstrate to NASA management that the project is having an outreach impact. To assess the impact, we will be conducting a survey of the Space Team Online audience in a week or two. Please help us by taking the time to respond to this survey at that time. It should only take a few minutes. A significant response rate to the survey will best help us make a case to NASA management that Space Team Online is worth continuing into the future. In addition, this survey will be the only way we can assess the demographics of the audience we serve. Though we reach many more people then a traditional NASA outreach program, if we cannot present information about that large audience, we don't get much credit. So please, when the time comes, take a few moments to help us in this small way. [Editor's note: Rob works for NASA as an experiment processing engineer. Experiment processing involves the test and check-out of scientific experiments that are scheduled to fly in space.] NEUROLAB IS ON ITS WAY! NOW, IT'S TIME FOR "SLEEP"
Rob Kuczajda http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/kuczajda.html April 22, l998 Well the Neurolab mission is finally underway. I have been very busy the past few months working on the Astronaut Lung Function Experiment (ALFE) and the other hardware that comprise the overall experiment on "sleep." The sleep experiment is designed to study and improve the astronauts' sleep patterns in zero gravity. The experiment is really comprised of two investigations. The first one studies the effect of melatonin on sleep. Melatonin is a hormone that triggers sleepiness in the body. On orbit, the astronauts will be given a dose of melatonin and their body will be monitored to determine if their sleep patterns are altered. The second investigation is on respiration. That's where the ALFE hardware comes in. The astronauts breathe into the mouthpiece of ALFE which delivers a mixture of different gasses. An advanced gas analyzer can then determine the amount of gasses absorbed and exhausted by the body. It is felt that a change in respiration and altered levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood can be one factor leading to sleeplessness. The exciting thing about the sleep experiment is that the results can be used back on Earth. Maybe one day we will be able to get a better night's sleep in fewer hours or lessen the effects of jet-lag! The launch of the Neurolab payload was very exciting to me because of all the hard work I put into it. Unfortunately, I had to watch it from my home in Orlando (I was on the night shift prior to launch) so it looked like a tiny speck in the sky from 50 miles away. Lucky for me it was on TV also! From what I have heard, the experiment is performing like a champ on-orbit! There is rumor that there may be a Neurolab 2 mission later this year. If that is indeed true, I will look forward to again working with all the scientists, engineers, and astronauts who made the sleep experiment a great success. [Editor's note: Brad has been the Integrated Project Team Lead for Neurolab and managed a project team of 65-85 total members, consisting of engineers, scientists, trainers, technicians, etc. Below is a note written from Kennedy Space Center to his team back at Ames Research Center. This story comes from NeurOn (http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron), a project about the STS-90 NeuroLab mission.] STS-90 LANDING PICTURE PERFECT WHILE GATORS ROAR http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/team/berch.html May 3, l998 Just wanted to share with you some of the excitement, sights and sounds of today's landing of the STS-90 Neurolab Mission and to thank each of you for your hard work and dedication that has made this mission possible! Today's weather could not have been more perfect for a space shuttle landing. With miles of visibility, low humidity, and winds of less than 5 miles per hour it was truly a perfect day. Many of us on the team met near the space shuttle runway and waited anxiously for the twin sonic booms that signify that the space shuttle is coming home. As we waited, a very large Florida alligator was seen basking in the sun close to our viewing area. Then something uncanny occurred as the space shuttle broke the sound barrier and the sonic booms shook the area. Our gator friend arched his back and began loudly roaring back to this intruder that dared to wake or challenge him! As we watched, the space shuttle descended for a picture perfect landing and the alligator continued to arch his back, thrash his tail and growl at the Space Shuttle Columbia! This was definitely a landing day image and feeling of exuberance that we are not likely to forget! At the present time, everything is going well with our destow operations with rodents and crickets returned to Hangar L, Toadfish back in the SSPF and CEBAS back in the O&C building. Some of our stowage hardware has been returned to our labs with more to come over the next 24-48 hours. While a good deal of work remains to be done, I wanted to send out a quick thank you for your perseverance, dedication, and willingness to get the job done and to do it right! It has been a real pleasure working with all of you on this mission and I look forward to returning back to ARC on May 11. Have a great Neurolab Day! Sincerely, Brad [Editor's note: Andy is a computer engineer who works on the ground support equipment at Kennedy Space Center. Andy develops automated systems that control the ground support equipment. Some of these systems focus on data acquisition; they use sensors to take measurements and display them to an operator. Other systems are automated machines (robots) that move to perform tasks.] A GATHERING OF ROBOT PEOPLE
Andy Bradley http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/bradley.html May 8, l998 I just returned from the 1998 U.S. Space and Robotics Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Many of the projects and concepts that are being worked on are very exciting, and the opportunity to share ideas with scientists and engineers from around the world was great! The focus this year was on applications that will eventually get us to the moon and/or Mars, as well as applications for the International Space Station. During the convention, I presented a paper on the Advanced Life Support Automated Remote Manipulator (ALSARM). ALSARM is a robotic arm that I have had the opportunity to work on at Kennedy Space Center. It is presently used to record plant growth data in the Bio-Mass Production Chamber (BPC). In the future, it will be configured with a manipulator (hand) that will allow it to be used for collecting plant samples in the BPC. My presentation addressed the project, in general, and many of the problems that we encountered and the challenges that we had to overcome. I also chaired a session in which I moderated for a group of participants that focused on robot-operator interfaces. Throughout the week, I attended many presentations, all of which were impressive and inspiring! During all of these activities, I was able to exchange ideas with researchers throughout the world and observe many of the robotic applications that they are involved with. One of the interesting people I met was Jergen Rossman, who is the department head for the Institute of Robotics in Germany, and currently a visiting professor at the University of Southern California. Professor Rossman is doing some fascinating work with robotic interfacing using an advisory system that is capable of interpreting actions that the operator wants to accomplish. An example of this would be to consider a simple series of tasks that a robot would be expected to do, such as: move to a specific location; open a door; remove an item; place the item in a specific area; and close the door. In the current robotic applications, the operator would have to consider each action and absorb themselves in accomplishing each specific step to complete the task. Professor Rossman's concept would translate the intent of the operator (high level) and complete each step of the task (low level) through its translation process. This capability was demonstrated in a virtual laboratory using virtual people. The operator used a virtual glove to do things such as open a cabinet and remove a tray of samples. The computer system interpreted the high level task and determined what specific robot motion was needed to conduct the low-level task, or action. Another impressive presentation had to do with the design and control of manipulators. A robotic levitating hand that used light signals to open and close the fingers was demonstrated. The hand literally floats in the air using a combination of fixed magnets and electromagnets. The demonstration environment was approximately two feet in radius and was able to move up and down approximately 6 inches! I was curious about the weight lifting capability of the hand and was informed that when more power was applied, more weight could be lifted. I also had the opportunity to enjoy some of the beautiful scenery in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Being a "flatlander" from Florida, I was really impressed by the mountains in the surrounding area. I was also treated to seeing snow, which I haven't seen in quite some time! I was able to find the time to take in some of the Indian carvings known as Petroglyphs. Of course, I also had my fill of the great Mexican cuisine! I soon found out that everything (even breakfast) was served with chili peppers. The only question was which color -- red or green?! To say the least, this conference was interesting and inspiring, and I was very encouraged by what I saw. We have more and better tools than at any time in our history, and our access to information is growing by leaps and bounds. I believe that we are on the verge of many wonderful discoveries in our world. STATUS OF COLUMBIA PROCESSING
Below, we'll provide some details about the post flight work being done after STS-90 and the subsequent processing of Columbia as it prepares to fly again as STS-93. 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, the big news for Columbia was the successful Neurolab mission (STS-90) which flew from April 17 to May 3. At the conclusion of the mission, Neurolab scientists and their research teams gathered at KSC to begin preliminary ground processing of the valuable data gleaned from STS-90Ős nervous system experiments. NASA had considered reflying the Neurolab mission, but on May 5 NASA managers decided against this option. As a result, KSC workers are now focused on processing Columbia for the AXAF mission on STS-93. Following routine orbiter safing, servicing and payload destow activities at the Shuttle Landing Facility, Columbia was towed to OPF bay 3, arriving at about midnight. The postflight draining of cryogenic reactants from the orbiter's power reactant storage and distribution system was completed. This made it safe for technicians to access Columbia's aft compartment. Preliminary inspections of Columbia's lower surface revealed no significant damage with only 73 total "debris hits" of which 11 measured 1 inch or greater. Work to destow the flight crew equipment is in work. Post-flight inspections of Columbia's main engines are complete; also the removal of Columbia's main landing gear wheels and tires is complete. Brake assembly removal was slated for May 12. Orbiter power system validations are complete and functional checks of the orbiter's forward reaction control system (FRCS) are also complete. FRCS disconnection began on May 12. Workers have demated Neurolab's electrical connections and then Neurolab removal efforts began. STS-93 SCHEDULED OPERATIONAL MILESTONES (dates are target only): - Tunnel adapter removal (May 14) - Main engine heat shield removal (May 20) - Shuttle main engine removal (May 21)
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