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UPDATE # 8 - January 9, l998 PART 1: Watch us grow! WATCH US GROW!
This morning I got the chance to interview Chris Maese, and am now in the
process of getting the information online for your enjoyment! What a busy
guy! Actually, I was teasing him in one of our email exchanges as I was
trying to figure out how to get a photo of him "at work." My comment was
"...my picture of you is that "at work" means running to the next
meeting!"
I'm delighted that Neurolab folks like Chris are willing to place the K-12
classroom as a high enough priority to spend their "catch-their-breath"
time with us.
All of this to say, we are continuing to grow this site. New bios and
journals are added periodically and one of the best ways for you to know
what's new is to check the "Welcome-News" section of NeurOn. That is
where I try to keep you posted on the latest additions/features of our
site.
We have begun to receive the inputs to the Logo design contest. See:
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/events/logo.html
and have decided to extend the deadline. Many of you plunged right into
the Great Habitat Debate, and want to work that through first. This is
your site, so consider the deadline extended to January 30.
Keep up the good work!
Linda
NEW CHATS PLANNED - JOIN US New Chats Planned - Join us
Please remember that it saves time to register before the time of the chat. Your registration is a reservation for each specific chat. Once you've chosen a login and password, you no longer have to go through that process. Below are the next two scheduled chats: Tuesday, January 13 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Pacific Time: Jeffrey Smith, Deputy Director, NASA Ames Biocomputation Center Jeff helps to coordinate research and technology development at the Biocomputation Center involving experiments such as Neurolab. Read Jeff's biography prior to joining this chat. Friday, January 16, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. Pacific Time: Chris Maese, Neurolab Payload Manager. Chris has the responsibility of ensuring that for 15 investigations, with both U.S. and international investigators, crew training is consistent and adequate to support the science objectives of the mission. Chris' bio will be online shortly, and has promised to "chat" with us if he is in town! GREAT HABITAT UPDATE
We're delighted to have a good-sized group joining us in the Great Habitat Debate project. If you have not yet done so, join the debate-nrn list to participate in the discussion of the process as classrooms do their research and begin their designs. As designs come in, they will be placed online to get some feedback from peers prior to review by our experts here at NASA. Join us! You can join this list easily online at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/events/habitat/debate-nrn-lwgate.html BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK - MARCH 16 - 22
Did you know there was such a week? Well, now you do, and you have some
time to plan something special for that week.
Brain Awareness Week as defined on the Website at
http://www.dana.org/brainweek/
is a nationwide effort organized by the Dana Alliance for Brain
Initiatives to promote the public and personal benefits of brain research.
The Dana Alliance is being joined in this effort by partners from the
National Institutes of Health, academic research institutions,
professional scientific organizations, and volunteer agencies from across
the country. Another good source of information is at:
http://www.sfn.org/BAW/index.html
What are we doing at NeurOn? Plans are brewing for a multimedia event
featuring YOU and a well-known expert online live! Stay tuned here for
further information. We'll let you know as details are worked out.
[Editor's note: Brad manages the day-to-day activities of the "Integrated Process Team" to ensure that the Ames Research Center experiments and animal habitats are developed, are well tested and perform well during the Neurolab flight.] A pictorial version is available online at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/team/journals/berch/12-12.html LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
by Brad Berch http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/team/berch.html December 12, l997 Today is Friday, December 12th, and the last day of planned experiment testing in the O&C [operations and checkout] Building (at Kennedy Space Center) and prior to Christmas. After the first of the year [1998] the Spacelab Module will be moved to the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) where it will be installed into the Space Shuttle Columbia. Two weeks of experiment hardware testing have gone well, but the team, including myself, will be glad to finish today's testing and get a full night's rest. Most of our test days have started at 0700 [7:00 a.m.] and have finished anywhere from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Maybe, I will finally get some Christmas shopping done this weekend prior to my return trip home next week. . . Our primary objective today is to get access to the Spacelab and to find locations inside the Spacelab where rodents, which will be part of the E-132 experiment, can be subjected to light pulses of specified intensity during inflight operations. Light intensity and quality are important aspects of Dr. Fuller's E-132 experiment that is looking at the effects of spaceflight on circadian rhythms and homeostasis [part of the Neuronal Plasticity Team]. The time allowed to us in the Spacelab Module was limited by the KSC Level III/II team, who agreed to do this on a non-interference basis and only after much discussion and negotiation. . . Spacelab locations that were evaluated for this light pulse operation were generally away from the LBNP [Lower Body Negative Pressure] and VFEU [Vestibular Function Experiment Units] activities which were ongoing during our test opportunity. The entire test was photo-documented (by Stefan Rosner) using the digital camera and should allow the project and Dr. Fuller to select an appropriate location for the light pulse flight activity. The equipment used for the light intensity measurements and spectral analysis was provided and operated by Neil Yorio of the Dynamac Corporation located at Hangar L. These folks are experts in the analysis of light as part of the Plant Space Biology and Advanced Life Support Projects. The equipment provided by Neil included a Quantum Sensor for photon-to-lux measurement and a Spectroradiometer for spectral analysis. A data sheet was used to record photon/lux measurements, while data from the Spectroradiometer will be downloaded and provide to us in the near future. The following Spacelab locations were evaluated and found to provide light intensity levels acceptable (275-325 lux) for the E-132 experiment as described in the test requirements. Spacelab Location Location Light Intensity Locker R10B 2 inches from locker top 4.2 photons or 311 Lux Locker R9B 1 inch from locker top 4.0 photons or 298 Lux Locker L10B 2 inches from locker top 3.8 photons or 281 Lux Placement of the GPTU for the locations listed above included centering the GPTU under the Spacelab Light, to the extent possible, given that the Spacelab handrails prevented complete centering. Spacelab locations that did not appear acceptable, and that were tested, included L8B and all overhead locker locations. Locker L8B is not desirable due to possible interference of GPTU sock and the adjacent LSLE refrigerator freezer fan operation. All overhead locker locations have light obstructions that would yield lux values slightly above 100 lux. It is important to note that other Spacelab Locker locations may be acceptable beyond those listed above. If the described locations are found to be not suitable due to operational or other constraints, then additional testing would need to occur in the spacelab at a later date (in the OPF). For planning purposes, if this test is repeated, two to four hours should be allotted with three personnel supporting the test and in the Spacelab Module. One G handling constraints made it difficult to maintain the Animal Holding Box above the Rodent RAHF Cage. Note: this problem may not be isolated to 1G as much room in the GPTU sock allows for the Animal Holding Box to slide to the side of the RAHF Cage. Measurements were taken with and without the RAHF cage underneath the Animal Holding Box with no appreciable difference in light readings between the two test configurations. Light measurements given above were performed with the Animal Holding Box configured within the GPTU and Quantum Sensor Probe configured at 90 degrees away from the GPTU door. The Animal Holding Box was maintained during measurements in close proximity to the GPTU door as would be the case in the Zero G configuration. Well, as you might be thinking, a picture here will be worth a thousand words. I would estimate that the digital photos and spectral analysis will be available by week's end. To perform this test I wanted to point out that I had great support from Stefan (as usual) who photo documented and also participated in the test and Neil Yorio who dropped everything he was doing to meet the very narrow window of opportunity that KSC Level III/II management team provided to us. Neil and I played on the same softball team a few years ago when I worked at KSC on the Life Sciences Support Contract. It sure helps to stay in touch with old friends and colleagues! Thanks again Neil! MISSION SPONSORED WEBSITE OPENED
Mission Management sponsored Web Neurolab Website in now open. Its
purpose is to inform the public about the science, operations and
benefits of the Neurolab mission. The address is:
http://neurolab.jsc.nasa.gov
SUBSCRIBING & UNSUBSCRIBING: HOW TO DO IT!
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