ISAS 2011 Academy 2 Day 3

The students were up bright and early this morning in order to catch their plane to San Jose, California, and eventually arrive at Ames Research Center. As the students piled onto the bus, they ran through mental checklists in their heads and jabbered excitedly with one another about what they would see that day. They arrived at the airport and made it through security without any trouble and ended up at the gate just before boarding began.

The flight to San Jose was quick and uneventful, and the students were greeted at the airport by a coach bus waiting to take them to Ames. The students stayed at the Navy Lodge, a hotel only a short walk from the entrance to Ames. In order to experience as much of the base as possible, the students dropped their belongings into one of the rooms and immediately entered the facility.

Students on the airplane

Their experience began with free time in the Ames Visitor’s Center, which was filled with interactive exhibits and a gift shop. The students received their first taste of Ames by exploring the multiple exhibits highlighting some of the center’s most famous and most recent contributions to NASA. The students also could sit down and view a live presentation detailing the structure of the universe.

At the Visitor's Center

After spending some time in the visitor’s center, the students were soon led by both the Director of Education at NASA Ames, Tom Clausen, and Education Specialist Tony Leavitt through Ames until the students reached the cafeteria on the base; Megabytes. The students were able to luncheon amongst soldiers and NASA scientists and even visit a secondary gift shop.

Directly after the luncheon, the students were led to a large auditorium to take part in the Director’s Colloquium Summer Session 2011. The Colloquium provides an opportunity for scientists and researchers to present ideas and results of experiments to others at Ames curious about their work. The students were fortunate to listen to a presentation by Dr. Natalie Batalha, a Co-Investigator working on the Kepler mission. After launching in 2009, the Kepler spacecraft has been searching for what fraction of stars in the galaxy harbor potentially habitable, earth-size planets. The students learned that Kepler has been one of NASA’s most recent and successful missions, having identified 21 definite earth-size planets with over a thousand more awaiting confirmation. Dr. Batalha inspired many of the students to even ask questions during a Q+A session despite the auditorium being filled with other scientists.

Students preparing to enter the Director's Colloquium

After the Colloquium, the students were split into two different groups in order to cover more ground during the day. The students were to visit three different facilities before the day ended. One of the facilities that the students visited was the 20 G centrifuge. The centrifuge is a facility used to test equipment, animals, and human beings’ tolerance to increased g forces. The students all listened intently as one of the scientists from the centrifuge discussed the history and the many uses of the centrifuge.

Another one of the facilities was called the VMS or Vertical Motion Simulator. The simulator was used by astronauts, including Idaho’s own Barbara Morgan, to practice controlling the space shuttle when landing. With a full range of motion, the simulator is one of the most realistic experiences of flying, without ever actually lifting off. The students crowded up against the window on the viewing platform as the simulator moved and rotated throughout an 11-story structure. As they watched a live feed from within the simulator, the students could not help but feel envious as a pilot maneuvered a simulated tilt-rotor aircraft above Ames Research Center.

Although tired from a long day of travelling, the students were taken to the last facility of the day, the breath-takingly large 80x120 wind tunnel. This wind tunnel, the largest in the world, is 80 feet high by 120 feet wide and has been where NASA has tested such renowned technologies as the space shuttle, parachutes for rovers and shuttles, and even an F-18 Blue Angels jet. The students also found out that many of the chutes tested in the wind tunnel were also dropped over their own state of Idaho during further testing. The students were led into the wind tunnel by Dr. Bill Warmbrodt who emphasized that the most important mission a scientist can be a part of is inspiring and educating younger students. His stories about the wind tunnel brought many smiles to the students who were already feeling the effects of the long day.

Listening to Dr. Bill Warmbrodt

Students in front of the 80x120 intake

Immediately after visiting the wind tunnel, the students were taken to a 1/3 scale model of the space shuttle for a quick and professional photo opportunity. Here the teams were assembled by color, with their respective mentors, and finally with the other teams and mentors intermingled for a ISAS group picture before heading back to Navy Lodge.

Upon returning to Navy Lodge, the students came back happy and tired, ready to dive into the delicious plates of lasagna and salad provided by the staff. While eating, the students were joined by a panel of scientists from Ames with expert knowledge to share with the four teams to help design their mission. The students were able to interact with the scientists and use their experience to enhance their missions. Afterwards, the students were allowed free time to relax and unwind from the long day.

These blogs will continue to be uploaded daily, once the students have completed their final activities each night. A more "live" version of the days' events are being uploaded onto the ISAS Summer Academy Facebook  page, as well as to Twitterat ISAS_Academy. The students are eager to continue exploring Ames Research Center and have another busy day ahead of them.

ISAS 2011 Academy 2 Day 2

The students’ day began with a trip to the Simplot/Micron building at Boise State University, where they had a video conference with the NASA Chief Historian Dr. Bill Barry. Dr. Barry discussed the importance of space exploration not only to NASA, but also to the technological advancements consumers enjoy every day. The students were able to witness a complete view of NASA’s responsibilities to society from space flights to education. Students were able to receive a personal and in-depth discussion about exactly what NASA wants to pursue now that the space shuttle has been retired. Students also were surprised to learn about the newest influence of private sector companies on space travel. When given the opportunity, students were encouraged to ask questions concerning the future of space exploration, tips for their missions here at ISAS, as well as recommendations for their futures. 

The students then traversed across campus to the Boise State Engineering Building in order to listen to Jason Budinoff, an Aerospace Engineer from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. He discussed with the students what responsibilities would be expected from the four different teams. The discussion opened with a quote that set the mood for the rest of the Academy, “You guys are all now NASA.” His personal experience in the field proved valuable in helping the students understand the gravity of the project they were undertaking. After learning what jobs they were to be involved with, the four teams (Red, Gray, Blue, and White) split up the Mars mission into four separate arenas: Mission Integration, Getting There, Living There, and Working There. The students became more lively and inquisitive upon hearing what was going to be required of them throughout the next week.

Students listening to Jason Budinoff

The guidelines for their mission were purposefully vague: Go to the Poles (on Mars), Stay for 30 days, and Come back. After discussion, the students split up into teams to debate further the goals of their teams and to develop the mission outline into a detailed mission plan. They then grouped back together, and presented their research to the entire Academy. They also had the opportunity to share their findings with Jason Budinoff where he was able to critique their work.

When the students returned from lunch, they were met with a discussion with Superintendent Tom Luna. He impressed upon the students the importance of education, and how the world has become entirely reliant upon information. “We have transitioned to an information age, and we need to make sure we have prepared students for an information age.” He discussed how students in Idaho are doing fairly well compared to national standards, but national standards are no longer the only necessary regulation that students need to adhere to. The Superintendent stressed how students now, and in the future, will be competing for jobs and internships on a grand international scale. The students were also applauded for their success, and given a challenge. “We set a high expectation, you guys have risen to that expectation…then you get to back to school next year to hopefully be a positive influence on other students about Math, Science, and Engineering…Be the leaders in your school.” Superintendent Luna wanted to let the students know that the newest standards of education in Idaho, are standards that are necessary for their success,“These standards are career and college ready.” He then opened the floor to the students to ask questions and hold a conversation. The students were responsive, and asked many different questions concerning education in Idaho, and what is being done to improve it for future students. 

“We have transitioned to an information age, and we need to make sure we have prepared students for an information age.” -- Superintendent Tom Luna

Students then split to work in their teams even further in order to meet their deadlines. After working for an hour, the students were then able to listen to a presentation about rockets by Corey Morasch from Micron  and Dr. David Hassinger. The students were amazed as a twelve foot rocket was casually brought into the lecture hall. The students learned about different fuels and rockets that are available to the everyday hobbyist, and were even able to watch videos of launches from both spectator and rocket point of views. 

Rockets!

The students were also given a presentation from Boise State University’s own Microgravity University Team. The students were fascinated with the stories from the Microgravity Team about their rides and experiments in the Zero G plane, affectionately known as the “Vomit Comet”. Both presentations helped the students gain a stronger understanding of the limitations of trying to reach space and what is necessary to remain in space.

Later in the evening, the students were also visited by Woody Sobey From the Discovery Center of Idaho  for a course in robotics. Four students from each team who expressed interest in robotics were selected to work on the team’s rovers. Being such a complicated system, Woody let the students know that they were about to cram a week’s worth of material into about a three hour time slot. The students immediately rolled up their sleeves and dived into working on the robots. Many different students took charge and displayed impressive leadership skills when organizing the robots. They all impressively worked hard to make their robots respond to different programs and follow a rigid set of instructions. The students who decided to not work on the robots split up into different computer labs to work on their mission. Students researched and held meetings throughout the evening, looking forward to the exciting day of travel which lay ahead.

Students working on robots

With the day winding down, the students began to prepare themselves for the exciting trip to NASA Ames Research Center during day three and four of the ISAS Summer Academy. These blogs will continue to be uploaded daily, once the students have completed their final activities each night. A more "live" version of the days' events are being uploaded onto the ISAS Summer Academy Facebook page, as well as to Twitter at ISAS_Academy. The students have established themselves as mission control and are now ready for the trip to Ames Research Center. 

--Andrew Schrader, Jaime Guevara, LaCinda Villanueva--