Chamber That Conditioned Astronauts To Zero Gravity And Motion Sickness. Let’s Just Say A Lot Of People

I had the awesome opportunity to have coffee with Johnson Space Center (JSC) Director Ellen Ochoa and Deputy Director Mark Geyer. Above I am pictured to the left of Ochoa in a red blazer and I look pretty serious writing notes. JSC leaders have been striving to hear voices from employees up high, in the trenches, wise, and new. Recently JSC Center and Deputy Directors have hosted coffees to share their goals for JSC and listen to concerns. Ochoa and Geyer shared their vision of JSC 2.016, how NASA can do more with less resources and deliver what is expected and beyond on current missions. Out of all NASA contractors and civil servants I was randomly selected to share my perspective and concerns as a Co-Op.

JSC 2.016

It's no secret that NASA's budget is far less than it was during the Apollo Era. NASA's budget was over 4% of the federal budget during the Space Race to the Moon and now below 1% despite NASA's goals to journey to Mars. Keeping realistic in funds and resources JSC 2.016 is a mantra adopted by NASA employees to do more with the resources they have. At the coffee Ochoa shared that the goals of JSC 2.016 is to ensure our work is pushing forward NASA's current missions, enabling change by listening to and adopting new ideas, removing obstacles that hinder progress, and share NASA's missions with communities.

Concerns

Before attending the coffee I polled JSC interns and Co-Ops to see if they had  concerns and questions to share. Within moments of the coffee starting Ochoa and Geyer shared essential insights on how NASA’s mission is evolving in a five, ten and beyond year sense - it was very Carl Sagan Cosmos-esk. Once I was brought to this level of long-term thinking my key concern broadened from specifics. During my opportunity to talk I mentioned the concern about the vagueness of the Journey to Mars mission compared to the solidity of Space Launch System, Orion, Space Station and Commercial Crew missions. I was surprised to hear that fluidity of our Journey to Mars is actually intended. Discoveries and knowledge from Space Launch System, Orion, Space Station and Commercial Crew missions are necessary before solidifying the Journey to Mars. During those missions we will collect a lot of data on the vehicles that will be carrying our astronauts, learn new things we didn’t plan to learn and test the waters with deep space collaboration with private industries and international partners. Fluidity is the nature of NASA’s long-term impact on humanity which is unique to all other forces in the world advocating for short term instant gratification (short term can even mean one year, eight years and even decades compared to humanity as a whole). NASA must deliver what is expected of us and beyond on these current solid missions to ensure more solidified Mars related mission in the future.

We Still Need NASA

With all the SpaceX, Lockheed Martin and general private space industry hype some may have the impression that we no longer need NASA for space exploration. Articles titled "U.S. government should fund private space companies, not NASA" paint false claims of competition between government space missions and private industry. During this coffee this misconception of competition was expunged and I was re-energized about why we still need NASA. NASA, as a subset of the US Government, awards contracts to private space companies that would otherwise not be able to pursue these aerospace endeavors because they do not bring in a profit. The government can risk to make these long-term investments without certainty of short-term instant gratification like profit. There is a tendency to forget that NASA has been contracting work to private companies since the 1960s. Grumman Aircraft was contracted to build the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) in 1962. Being a government agency, NASA can foster a unique relationship between other countries space agencies such as ROSCOSMOS, JAXA and ESA. Through decades NASA is the government agency that has lead the cohesiveness and steady beat of the drum of space exploration progress.

I'm Just A Bill: NCCWSL Day Two

"Stand up if you agree and stay seated if you disagree. Then we will pass microphones so you can share your side". NCCWSL has been challenging girls to speak up during this "Find Your Voice" session since 1991. A typical first group activity does not include discussing you view point on polarized topics in front of 500 some women. The packed ballroom was asked; Will a women become President within your lifetime, is College a confidence booster, and does society accept how you identify. None of these were leadership questions but questions some conference goers navigate on a daily bases. Attendees shared stories about their success going to college as a first generation student, being energized to learn by being involved in student government and taking a tally of how many students would like to run for President. I shared that women that are studying in degrees other than political science can run for President too.

Slowly we rolled to Capitol Hill following the view point sharing session. Led by a Representative from Connecticut we admired statues given to the Capitol Hill from each state, retired meeting rooms and historic paintings. Later we attended a panel featuring five women who have served as Chiefs of Staff on Capitol Hill; Margaux Matter, Kristin Nicholson, Betsy Hawkins, Rhonda Foxx, and Jenifer DeCasper. A Chief of Staff works for a representative to manage, communicate the representatives views, schedule, manage budgets and gate keeps what/ who is the representative's top priority. Here is some of the advice the Chiefs of Staff shared with us...

*There needs to be more women at Capitol Hill in order to accurately represent constituent population.

*Once you have crawled through the pipeline, which is clogged, work harder than everyone else.

*The most important thing you have is your integrity and reputation.

*Make your own luck by being observant, seizing opportunities and going above and beyond.

*If you want to run for office start thinking about money sources ASAP. Emily's list is a great funding resource. Find an experienced fundraiser who knows what resources to pull from.

*Put yourself where women are not. Ask for the tax, budget and defense portfolios to work on.

Following the stint at the Capitol we were graced by the presence and persistence of five amazing women: Cleopatra Campbell (long time defense attorney), Danielle Feinberg (Disney Pixar light animator), Roise Rios (43rd Treasurer of the United States, her signature is on all of the paper money), Amanda Nguyen (got Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights passed), and Crystal Valentine (one of the top 10 poets in the world). One of my favorite messages include "become memorable by not doing what everyone else is doing" following a story by Danielle about how she was the only 8th grader who took apart a lawn mower, put it back together and successfully use it to mow. 

Saturn V - the rocket built to fly is now a grounded beast. #techisbeautiful #NASAIntern #jsc

Guess what day it is?! Have to post this video every year: https://youtu.be/G_bOA3qrC-c Link to FIRST Robotics Kick Off webcast starting 9amCT with preshow and 9:30amCT with new game info: http://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc/2017-broadcast

Go Green: Conserve Water, Land & Air Resources

Christopher Nolan’s 2014 motion picture “Interstellar” depicts future earth careening towards an environmentally apocalyptic demise.  Humans did not care for Earth well enough which has led to dustbowl-esk storms, lack of resources, and the need to establish humanity elsewhere. Although this outlook is extreme this science fiction prediction can become reality.  NASA’s Global Climate change webpage complied findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and US Global Change research Program. In this report NASA expands on the environmental out look of the Midwest describing Extreme heat, flooding and risks to the Great Lakes. On that same site NASA reports the highest levels of carbon dioxide, 1.4 degree avg. raise in temperature, and 1.5 million sq. km less trees.

No matter who or what there is to blame it is time that we respond to this call to action and find ways we can be more environmentally friendly every day. No one wants to hear they need to retire their favorite mudding truck or stop eating bacon. Below is how you should respond to this call to action to go green. We will be focusing on going green to preserve water, earth, and air resources.

WATER

California is settling in its fourth year of little rainfall and record breaking temperatures as reported by US News and World Report Article “Climate Change Caused California Drought” by Jeff Nesbit written on April 14th, 2015 . The drought has already hit the average American’s pocketbook with a price hike in berries, salad, and beef. Concerns of our daily expenses aside the science behind this drought is unquestionable and due to climate change. Despite Earth being covered in 70% water, fresh available drinking water is becoming more and more of a valuable resource and should be preserved.

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) released a WaterSense Guide on how to save water last updated April 3rd, 2015 with tips on easy things you can do to save water.

Indoors you can turn the tap off while shaving or brushing your teeth, spend less time in the shower, add food waste to a compost pile instead of the garbage disposal, and fix leaks. Outside create a water smart landscape that utilizes slopes and plant vegetation that requires little water. In addition to EPA’s tips I have taken special interest into how ingredients in hygienic products effect wildlife in lakes and rivers. A report from Minneapolis St.Paul’s NBC news station KARE 11 reported “Study finds antibiotics in Minnesota groundwater” by Associated Press June 28th, 2014. A government study finds that measurable levels of antibiotics, detergents and other consumer chemicals are turning up in Minnesota Ground Water. These come from landfills, septic systems. And sewage treatment plants. I have not gone as far as scraping hand washing and showering all together but have been buying hygienic products with ingredients that do not effect water resources. Below are hygienic products from lush. I have gotten shampoo bars that last much longer than liquid shampoo which contain all natural ingredients except Sodium lauryl sulfate, antibacterial free soaps, and No Rinse Shampoos. No rinse shampoos sound like they would not clean as well but it is one of the ways long haired astronauts on the International Space Station clean their hair.

EARTH

When I think about preserving land resources I imagine reducing garbage in landfills, reducing the use of plastics, and disposing of things that must be thrown away correctly.

Once again the EPA, our MVP for environmental tips, reports Tips for Reducing Solid Waste last updated November 15th, 2012.

Reduce the amount of products you buy with unnecessary packaging Buy recyclable products. Sell and donate items. Buy, maintain, and repair durable products. There are times however when you absolutely have to toss something out like a corroded batteries, medicine, old cans of paint, and meds. This is what our local WLSSD Western Lake Superior Sanitary District is for and other hazarous waste collections sites are for. Be mindful of what you throw out, recycle, and keep for hazardous waste collection this spring. A guide can be found here: http://www.wlssd.com/uploads/HHW_Guide_Apr_2010.pdf

AIR

The topic of conserving air resources may be pickup truck owner’s least favorite topic as again reported by NASA’s global climate change webpage car emissions accounts for the large spike of carbon dioxide in the air following the industrial revolution. This time The American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest posted Clean Air Choice with ideas on how to conserve clean air with unfortunately no update time.

Carpool while if you and your friends are going to the same location such as class. Shut off your engine of you are stopped more than a minute so don’t be texting in your car in the parking confusing people who want to take your spot. Lastly avoid rapid acceleration and hard breaking.

In response to the call to cation to go green I have mentioned some of ways to conserve out air, earth, and water resources as I mentioned here today. These tips included little things you can do every day to make a positive environmental impact with little inconvenience to you.

The idea to relocated humanity has been explored in Interstellar and considered by NASA to set up a habitat on Mars. If you have ever seen pictures of Mars it may have some of the basic requirements for inhabiting but it looks rocky, boring, and bleak. We got this one fully habitably planets, with only a few possible habitable planets many light-years away, so let’s take care of it.

Works Cited

"American Lung Association Clean Air Choice: Conservation Tips." American Lung Association Clean Air Choice: Conservation Tips. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. http://www.cleanairchoice.org/air/tips.cfm

Associated Press. "Study Finds Antibiotics in Minnesota Groundwater." KARE 11 Minneapolis St. Paul, MN A Gannett Company NBC. N.p., 28 June 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. http://www.kare11.com/story/news/local/2014/06/28/study-finds-antibiotics-in-minnesota-groundwater/11618827/

"Global Climate Change: Effects." Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. NASA Global Climate Change Vital Signs of the Planet, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. http://climate.nasa.gov/effects/

Household Hazardous Wastes. Duluth: WLSSD, 2010. Western Lake Superior Sanitary District. Web.

"NASA's OCO-2 Will Track Our Impact on Airborne Carbon." Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. NASA, 26 June 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. http://climate.nasa.gov/news/1109/

Nesbit, Jeff. "At the Edge: Climate Change Caused California Drought." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 14 Apr. 2015. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/at-the-edge/2015/04/14/climate-change-and-the-california-drought

"Tips for Reducing Solid Waste." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. http://www.epa.gov/osw/wycd/catbook/the12.htm

"Water Sense Start Saving." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. http://www.epa.gov/watersense/our_water/start_saving.html

Soon I will be returning to mission control for my fourth Co-Op tour at NASA Johnson Space Center. I will be joining Inventory Stowage Officers (ISO) team in mission control. ISO ensures supplies and experiments are delivered to the International Space Station, completed experiments return to Earth in one piece and space garbage successfully burns up in the atmosphere and does not land in someone's backyard. Last  mission control Co-Op I sat console with ISO and watched Kjell Lindgren load the Japanese HTV-5 cargo ship with garbage playfully floating through station with the bags of garbage. I have a feeling ISO will be busy after a long pattern of cargo ship failures and the most recent Russian Progress 65 cargo failure (as SpaceX calls it, rapid unscheduled disassembly) transporting a space toilet, updated space suits and Christmas presents for the astronauts from their families. I expect work I will be doing with ISO will include logistics work on what has priority to be sent up to space station and collaborating with scientists about how their experiment with be stored. Additionally, Super Bowl LI in Houston and the Hidden Figures premiere are NASA related events I am looking forward to.

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

* Often a live feed of Houston's Mission Control is streamed on NASA TV. My colleagues enjoy trying to catch me picking my nose when sitting console.

* Learn about the programmers behind the Apollo mission in the new movie Hidden Figures.

* Check out everything NASA accomplished in 2016 jam packed in a 3.5 minute video.

* Learn programming with Code.org, Elementary, Middle School, High School and Beyond.

Pokemon Go Has Taken Over NASA! Before work, at lunch and after work interns gather at Pokemon lures and battle at Johnson Space Center's gyms. There is a Saturn V, Mission Control and Apollo Statue gym! It appears the majority of NASA folk are blue team. Our unique Pokemon include Jynx, Venasaur and Mewoth.

Falcon 9 Sticks the Landing

Game changing launch of Iridium Next mission, Land of Falcon 9 first stage landing and deployment of 10 satellites in low earth orbit by SpaceX. These satellites will provide important data to first responders on Earth. The first stage landing was captured entirely by the Falcon 9's point of view. First launch following SpaceX's 2016 explosion. SpaceX worked with NASA, Airforce and other groups to identify the cause and find a solution. The 2016 was caused by carbon dioxide build up between stage 2's layer of aluminum and carbon fiber wrap.

Stage one successfully lands on barge named “Just Read the Instructions”.

Stage carrying the Iridium Next satellites glows red.

Liftoff with critical small one minute launch window.

Falcon 9′s fins adjust for landing on sea barge. 

Ideas for Teachers: Apollo Mission Control Simulation Lesson Plan

In this activity students will watch clips of system failures from Apollo 13 movie and must come up with their own solutions to the problem. This activity would be good for 3rd or 4th graders but can be modified to be harder or easier.

Introduce the Flight Positions

Split up students into five groups EECOM (Electrical Environmental and Communication) Power, EECOM Environment, BOOSTER, GNC (Guidance and Navigation Control). and SURGEON. They should have paper and a writing utensil.  

Teacher: "You are each flight controllers in NASA's Mission Control in Houston, TX. Have a picture on the board of NASA's mission control. For this mission I am the flight director but you are all  experts on a space craft system. You are in charge of three astronauts heading to the Moon in this space craft. If you have something you want communicated to the astronaut you must tell me. Have a picture of the Apollo 13 command module attached to the Lunar Lander on the board.

Point at EECOM Power

Teacher: "EECOM Power, you are in charge of the power system that keeps the communication system, computers, heat, and lights on the space craft. You will get data on the battery level, amps, volts and which systems are on."

Point at EECOM Environment

Teacher: "EECOM Environment, you are in charge of the air system on board the space craft. This means scrubbing the carbon out of the air and supplying enough oxygen. You will get data on the O2 CO2 and poisonous gas levels."

Point at BOOSTER

Teacher: "You are in charge of the boosters that fly the astronauts too and from the Moon. You make sure that there is enough fuel to accomplish each task. You will get data on the fuel level and functioning boosters."

Point at GNC

Teacher: "You are in charge of making sure the space capsule is flying in the right direction. You will get data on the flight path of the space craft."

Point at SURGEON

Teacher: "You are in charge of the health of the astronauts. You will get data on their temperature, vital organs, and comments from them on their well being,"

Above are examples of data slides you can display I made with an old Mission Control Picture. Note that these levels and figures in coming up simulation data are not very accurate. For example - in reality over 15% CO2 would cause black outs and brain asphyxiation. What is most important is that data is fluctuating and the students learn what data is important, how to write down observations and react.

Begin Mission

Pull up the current and nominal flight data on the board.

Teacher: "Here is the current data for each of your systems. Write them down because they may change and you may need to fix your systems when something goes wrong."

Students write down data.

Houston We've Had A Problem

Teacher: "These three astronauts are on a mission to the Moon, but something goes horribly wrong. And you have to do something about it. Let's see what happened..."

Show this clip: https://youtu.be/kAmsi05P9Uw

Teacher: "You are tens of thousands of miles away from the astronauts but must fix the problem. Pull up the new set of data. Here the latest data. Tell me whats wrong and how you think we can fix it.

Students write down new data and discuss among themselves whats going on. Students then let the flight director know whats going wrong. Change the data three times so it fluctuates, don't wait for students to write everything down, this is a real time crisis and things won't run as planned.

Example of data slide 4, the vitals show error because in real life the Apollo 13 astronauts took off their vital sensors for privacy.

Teacher checks in with EECOM Power and lets students share their thoughts

Teacher: "Looks like we are loosing power rapidly and can only use certain devices at once. We need to figure out how keep the astronauts alive, send data back to Earth using the computers, and collect enough data on board so we can keep each flight team updated. Hand them batteries, paper clips/ wires, lights and switches. Each light represents an electrical device on board. You must find the correct electrical configuration to power the devices and order in which they must be powered on."

Teacher checks in with EECOM Environment & SURGEON and lets students share their thoughts

Teacher: "Looks like we are losing oxygen for the astronauts to breath. How long till its all gone? Students suggest answers. Here are the materials on board to create a new air filter. This square peg in a round hole. Make it work. Dump the materials on their table." Inspired by this clip: https://youtu.be/C2YZnTL596Q

Teacher checks in with BOOSTER  & GNC and lets students share their thoughts

Teacher: Has BOOSTER & GNC sit closer to each other "Looks like we are off trajectory to the moon, the lunar lander is broken, the space craft is accelerating in the wrong direction we are losing fuel and the only logical thing to do now is head back to Earth. Both of you are needed to solve this problem. Give them a model of Earth, Moon, Capsule and attached Moon Lander. Work together to figure out how to then back to Earth with limited fuel."

Teacher: Talking to all. "Once you come up with a solution come up to the front and explain to your fellow flight controllers what you came up with and why it will work. The other flight controllers can argue if they think it won't work and why. Astronaut lives are at stake so it is necessarily to speak up if something is a faulty idea or you have a better solution."

Students work to solve their problems. Give them a little bit of time to work on it. After each team presents their solution.

Teacher: "Let's see how the NASA engineers solve the problems you were given..."

Note: You may want to scan these clips for swear words before showing them in class. And end the clip accordingly.

EECOM Power: https://youtu.be/KhoXFVQsIxw

EECOM Environment & SURGEON: https://youtu.be/Zm5nUEG5Bjo

BOOSTER & GNC: https://youtu.be/gmLgi5mdTVo

Teacher: "Lastly let's see if the crew makes it back after your adjustments"

https://youtu.be/-1BPx5Wsm7k

Celebrate with astronaut ice cream!