|
   |
 |
|
N E U R O N - Neurolab Online Project UPDATE # 10 - January 23, l998 PART 1: We're still growing! WE'RE STILL GROWING
This week I've had the adventure of previewing the videos that
are a part of this project brought to you by What's in the News.
If you've not looked at them recently, you've missed the
address for ordering the videos (in case they aren't being aired
in your area) and the place to order your experiment kits so that
you can be participate by doing experiments in your classroom and
then have your results compared with NASA's.
See http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/video
Also in the "new" department is the sneak preview we are giving you
into our plans for Brain Awareness Week. Please don't hold me to
everything there - we're still planning. I just wanted to give you a
"heads-up" so you will be ready to join us for a live broadcast! See:
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/events/baw
With the launch of STS-89 yesterday, we're next! Now if you don't find
that exciting, I can't understand why! As for me, I'll continue in my
frenzied dash, trying to catch up with your team, and share their
experiences with you. With less than 10 weeks to launch,
Keep up the good work,
Linda
GREAT HABITAT DEBATE UPDATE
We're into the last week and a half of this activity, and I am in the
process of putting up our first completed drawing and description.
Many of you have been actively discussing your work, and we look forward
to receiving your habitat pictures. For information on how to submit
these materials see the GHD pages at:
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/events/habitat
And be sure to join Chris Barreras to discuss "the real thing" February 4.
See more on this below.
LOGO ENTRIES ONLINE - SEND US YOURS!
We still have several days to receive entries in the Design a Logo for
the eight scientific teams involved in the Neurolab mission. Take a look
at the ones that are already online, and vote for your favorites!
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/events/logo/entry.html
CHATS COMING UP
Wednesday, February 4 at 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Pacific Time:
Chris Barreras, Payloads Engineer
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/team/barreras.html
Chris is working to make sure that when the rodents fly on Neurolab in
April that they will get plenty of water, food, air, and they can go to
the bathroom. He should be able to give you some great inputs on your
submitted Great Habitat Designs!
----------
Thursday, February 19 at 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Pacific Time:
Joint NeurOn and Space Team Online Chat with Janis Davis-Street
Nutritionist
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/team/davis.html
Janis works in the life sciences division at NASA Johnson Space Center.
She is part of a team whose job is determining the nutritional
requirements for space flight, which includes, finding out what foods and
nutrients are important for the astronauts as they venture into space.
Notice: Janis will be featured in the Nutritionist Career Video Segment
scheduled to air on launch day (April 2)!
[Karina is a long-time member of Space Team Online, recently drafted to participate in the video career segments of NeurOn. She is a aerospace technologist and trains astronauts to walk in space. Below she described one of the training facilities] THE NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LABORATORY AND EVA TRAINING
By Karina Shook http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/team/shook.html One of the most important training facilities we use is called the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory - a huge indoor pool. The pool is 102 ft x 202 ft. and 40 ft deep! The astronauts get in their spacesuits and practice their tasks on mockups of the space shuttle in the pool. Soon, they'll be practicing on mockups of the space station. SCUBA divers in the pool use weights to make the astronauts in their spacesuits "neutrally buoyant," which means that they'll neither sink nor float. That way, it's a lot like being weightless in space. Not every shuttle flight has an EVA planned, but we always train the crew for an EVA in case they needed to go out to fix anything on the shuttle or payload. An example would be if the motor failed that drives the huge payload bay doors closed. The doors have to be closed for the shuttle to come back to Earth, so the astronauts could go out on an EVA and manually winch the doors closed. We have never needed to do that, though. On a flight where we PLAN to do an EVA, there are always a lot of special tools for those tasks. We recently finished the second Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission on STS-82. The astronauts fixed some things on the telescope and switched some scientific instruments out for different ones that will allow astronomers on the ground to do things they haven't been able to do yet. We train the astronauts to use the special tools for those jobs, and also how to do each task. [Editor's note: Dave is a mission specialist, the Canadian Space Agency member of the Neurolab crew. Below you will find the description he sent with a photo journal as he and the other astronauts train for STS-90. This segment ties in well with Karina's report above. To see the photos, go to http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/team/journals/williams/12-30.html] PRACTICING SPACE WALKING UNDERWATER by Dave Williams December 30, l997 Well, here is the first of a two part submission on STS-90 training in the past 2 weeks of December. With all of the preparation for the holidays I did not get a chance to send it off before Christmas. There were many exciting training activities that took place but one of the highlights was our first run in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL), the large swimming pool where we practice our space walking techniques. On every shuttle mission there are two crew members identified to perform a space walk if there are problems with the payload bay doors, the radiators or the Ku band antenna. Rick Linnehan is EV1 and I will be EV2 with Kay Hire acting as our IVA crew member overseeing the progress of the space walk from the aft flight deck of the shuttle. The first lesson in the series of 4 classes at the NBL, lasted 4 hours and reviewed all of the procedures for manually closing the payload bay doors. I have enclosed a number of digital underwater photos (Isn't technology marvelous?) showing some of these activities. [See them at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/team/journals/williams/12-30.html ] The first slide show me maneuvering in the airlock to allow Rick to attach my safety tether to my right waist tether D ring. Once I am safely tethered I can exit the airlock, shown in airlock slide 2, after which we maneuver to release our tether slider on the slide wire that travels the length of the shuttle at the edge of the payload bay. This provides a safe path for each EV crew member to move (translate) along the payload bay of the shuttle. NEUROLAB CREW WEBSITE
You will find the STS-90 crew's own website at:
http://www.psu.edu/nasa
I was impressed! I think you will be too.
SUBSCRIBING & UNSUBSCRIBING: HOW TO DO IT!
|
||
|
|
|
