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UPDATE # 51 - September 19, 1998 PART 1: Sink, swim and lots of weather
UPCOMING CHATS
Registration is required to actively participate in all chats.
(Chats may be observed without registering.) Please see:
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/chats
for full instructions on how to register for the chats or your choice.
->Wednesday, September 23, 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Pacific
Time: Rick Pettegrew, associate staff scientist
Rick and his team study "the basics" of combustion science. They try to
better understand the characteristics and behavior of fire by performing
experiments in reduced gravity environments. See Rick's bio at:
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/pettegrew.html
FEATURED CHALLENGE PROJECT CHATS:
A full listing of the Challenge Projects chats may be found at:
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/chats/challenge_chats.html
There will additionally be Webcasts for those of you who have the "higher
end" machines and can receive video over the Internet. See the calendar
for a full schedule and information on how to join us.
->Wednesday, September 23, 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time:
James Cameron, film writer, director and producer
->Thursday, September 24, 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time:
Robert Phillips, professor emeritus, Department of Physiology, Colorado
State University and
Thomas F. Rogers, chairman, The Sofron Foundation/president, The Space
Transportation Association
->Friday, September 25 there will be two webcasts. The 7:30 a.m. will be
with former astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, and the 11:30 a.m. will be with the
Indiana School for the Deaf.
->Saturday, September 26, 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time: Christine
Wells, professor emerita, Arizona State University
->Sunday, September 27, 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time: Christopher Roosa, former
congressional staff member, U.S. Marine Corps (son of Apollo 14 astronaut,
Stuart Roosa) and
Eugene Roddenberry, technical advisor, "Earth: Final Conflict" (son of
Gene Roddenberry of Star Trek fame) and
John-Henry Williams, president, Hiller Communications (son of baseball
hall of famer, Ted Williams)
->Sunday, September 27, 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time:
Sebastian O'Kelly, assistant to Senator John Glenn joins
Eugene Roddenberry
->Monday, September 28, 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time: Jennifer McCarter, public
affairs specialist joins Eugene Roddenberry
->Monday, September 28, 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time: Sonya
Renner, development director, Space Center Houston
->Tuesday, September 29, 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time:
Patsy Donn, professor/director, Counseling and Psychological Services
Center, Ball State University and
Thomas R. Leaird, businessman; vice chair, YMCA National SCUBA Program
Advisory Committee; Secretary: Muncie YMCA Board of Directors
->Wednesday, September 30, 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time:
Rose Grymes, Life Sciences Outreach program manager and
Tom Whittaker, professor, Adventure Education, Prescott College who this
May became the first disabled person to summit Mount Everest.
Arriving Key Largo - First Impressions
by Linda Conrad September 15, l998 Packing up to "move our studio" to Key Largo was it's own adventure. The docking station that the computer will sit on in the underwater station, and from which we intend to do our video encoding, was a little of an unknown. The tests before departure had proven the system to be a bit fragile and touchy, and we didn't want to risk any possible damage in transport. Bill spent considerable time and effort finding fillers to complement the large case we were able to borrow from the video group. It was fortunate that we took the precautions as we watched the "care" (not!) with which the case was handled. Bill and I arrived in Key Largo after several false turns as we tried to understand an unnamed turnpike: it was simply referred to as THE turnpike. We did arrive and spent the evening discovering that all hotels do not have grounded outlets (something we needed to use our computers) nor phone lines that allowed dial-out to the Internet. Our very gracious host worked with us to solve the two problems so we hope there will be no interruption in our communication - though it will be challenging! This morning we spent our time getting to know the Marine Resources Development Foundation (MRDF), a five-acre center that will host the Scott Carpenter Space Analog Station during the Challenge Mission. It is located in Key Largo, Florida on the Largo Sound, and it is an attractive tropical marine environment. I was impressed with the greenery, but it wasn't long before Florida provided with the reason for the lush plant growth: a huge tropical storm! It felt like the sky was falling, and we just decided that we were in for a pretty wet time. Ginette, of the MRDF, gave us a terrific walk-around tour and then suggested that we might want to join Chris in the boat that was scheduled to tow the station from John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park where it would be off loaded and put into the water. Stay tuned for a full photo version of this fun and wet adventure! For pictures of our first impressions, see the photo page at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/challenge/team/journals/conrad/09-15-98a.html [Editor's note: Robin is project coordinator of the MARS (Mission to America's Remarkable Students) Outreach Program, a program the centers around the Scott Carpenter Station. She has been a key player in "installing" the station since arriving in Key Largo the 15th.] KEY LARGO - FIRST FOUR DAYS by Robin Folsom http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/challenge/team/folsom.html September 15, l998 6:00 a.m. comes rather early when everyone has been working late to get the station ready for its three-week adventure. Gail Hebert, my NASA counterpart, and I decided that we could play "connect-the-dots" with the bruises we had acquired over the past several weeks on our legs. So there we were, packed and ready for our drive: Gail and I, Dick (a NASA retiree), and Mike and Russ, both Dynamac wildlife biologists. It was amazing, the amount of stress and excitement in the air at the same time. We pulled away at 8 a.m. sharp with "clump" (the Station's anchor) and support barge in tow. Dennis and Joe would follow shortly with the Station. The drive was uneventful except for the continuous rain that made the job for Mike and Russ that much harder since they were doing the towing. By the time we reached Key Largo, the rain was coming down horizontally. we unpacked and waited for the time to go meet the rest of our team, including the Station. We headed off for John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park where the Station would arrive to be floated off the trailer, and there they were, right as expected at 5 p.m. The drive had done nothing to dull the bright yellow of her hull. After what seemed like a too perfect deployment, Dennis, Joe and Russ rode the Station back to the MRDF. What a sight they made! The three of them perched up there like the Three Musketeers, boat hooks in hand. Now it was time for a semi-celebration - we had made it! We headed for a little Mexican place around the corner to reflect on the journey to this point; we still had a long way to go. Morning came and, with it again, rain. We got the barge in the water just fine using he MRDF ramp. We figured we would be getting wet anyhow - what's a little rain. Dennis and I road the barge to the front of the canal leading to the MRDF when we realized what a sail the shed made. At that point we all jumped into the water and just swam it in. Now we had to get the clump into the water. Unlike the barge, it needed a deeper ramp, so off to the Pennekamp we went, again. After another near perfect deployment, we had to get the clump back. We hooked up the boat and were off. Russ and I in our dive suits jumped on to make sure everything went well. When you have a 5,000 pound steel plate under you, you have a tendency to ride very low in the water. Now remember, it's still raining. The mile-and-a-half ride seemed like it took forever. The wind wasn't bad, but when you are sitting at water level with no protection from the rain, it tends to get a tad cold. Boy, were we glad to see the dock. Another successful day! We were ready to go for submergence. First the clump was set on the bottom by filling the ballast tanks full of water. She sank nice and slow, and allowed for perfect placement. Everything was going so well, Dennis and Joe decided to put the legs on the station before lunch. We came back from lunch ready to see all our hard work finally realized with our station safely under 30 feet of sea water. It took only three hours, and she looked almost surreal. As I floated above her, it didn't seem real - she almost came to life. Back for our Mexican celebration. Day four now - and the rain is giving way to blue skies and hopes for more good luck. We spent most of the day doing finish work, getting all the systems up and running. Some of our California crew have arrived and have already been water trained and in the station to set up the computer networks. As I sit and look out into the lagoon at the black night water, there is a bright glow on the bottom. That glow is the lights on the station as Chris Olstead prepares her for the first night's stay. All I can think is, "We've come so far!" [Editor's note: Lori is a member of the Quest Team, and is our liaison with the STO team at the Johnson Space Center] A BUSY DAY AT THE JSC WEATHER CENTER http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/keith.html August 26, l998 I visited the JSC Weather Center today. Lead Meteorologist Steve Sokol showed me around. Because of all the activity out in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Atlantic Ocean, there is lots to see on the many different computer screens in the center. Sometimes the middle of hurricane season is busy. Today, Hurricane Bonnie is pummeling the southeast U.S. coast. Hurricane Danielle is behind her, headed in the same direction. Hurricane Howard is in the Pacific Ocean. We also, here in the Galveston/Houston area, had remnants of our first tropical storm -- Charley. It was nothing too major. I've been through a few hurricanes in my time. As we live SO CLOSE to the water now, if a storm were to hit, my family would not ride it out at home this time. We would go to higher ground in a hurry. The JSC on-site weather center is a neat place. Some of the computers are picking up Doppler Radar and some are programmed to pick up satellite images. The weather forecasters can read the tides and the wind speeds. The way the Doppler radar works is really cool. Steve Sokol explained that Doppler radar picks up any movement of air, along with the reflectivity of rain drops, hail or snow (precipitation). It can also read wind speed and direction. I have included some of the print-outs I got that day for you to look at, below. The computers are also able to read radar and satellite images from different sites all over the world. Infrared satellite pictures are available via the European weather satellite, Meteosat. It was quite fascinating to see the weather in Africa and Spain at that moment. All of the different landing sites are programmed in for instant information access. This is especially critical when the shuttle is taking off and landing. They also use the University of Wisconsin's weather system, MCIDAS, which stands for Man Computer Interactive Data Access System. This system is available on all the terminals in the weather center. The crew of the Space Flight Meteorology Group works from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. On a daily basis, the center keeps up with the local weather activity, logging in certain activities. When thunderstorms are in the area, once they are within five miles of NASA, there is a list of people that the weather center notifies, including Space Center Houston, the aircraft operations people at Ellington Field, and Brown & Root in Building 48 on-site. Brown & Root oversees the back-up diesel power generators used if there is a power outage at JSC. NASA wants to be prepared with their own back-up generators in a timely manner should there be a power outage. Sometimes adverse weather conditions have prompted NASA to change the dismissal hour of its employees to help ease traffic congestion. The main responsibility of the weather center, though, is forecasting the weather for the various sites for the shuttle missions. The flight director is their customer and they are part of the Flight Control Team. Usually about 48 hours before the launch, the weather center is manned 24 hours a day. After the launch, they go back to normal operating hours and add another midnight shift. The day before landing, they go back on a 24 hour watch. Their job is critical to the safe launch and return of the vehicle. During shuttle missions, they usually have two lead forecasters: one monitors the CONUS (Continental United States) sites and one monitors the TAL (Trans-Atlantic Landing) sites. The CONUS includes Florida, California, and New Mexico landing sites. Even when there is not an active mission, the weather center practices forecasting the various sites daily. If all CONUS and TAL landing sites have bad weather for landing, the launch doesn't take place, even if the launch forecast is good. The weather crew here talks to the Florida weather people using the WeatherNet on the DVIS, a NASA communications system. Steve tells me there can be no thunderstorms within 20 miles of the site for launch and within 30 miles of the site for landing. Sometimes when the landing weather is bad, the shuttle is sent around the Earth one more time to let the bad weather pass. It is preferable to land in Florida, as it is more economical. If the shuttle lands someplace else it has to be shipped back to Florida. It was an interesting and exciting day, and I hope to visit again. I learned a lot and I hope you did, too. You can check out the NASA-JSC public weather site at: http://shuttle.nasa.gov/weather/.
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