Tuesday September 9, 2008
When we arrived at NASA's Johnson Space Center today we had to go through security and get passes that we had to wear the whole time we were there. They may even have run a background check on us!
The first real filming that we did was really hard because we had to do it several times. The shot was with all four of us walking into a huge building were every manned spacecraft that was in use today had full size mock-ups. It was a mammoth room. The shot that we did took us five or six times to get right. I never claimed to be a great actor and so acting "surprised" the sixth time I walked into a room was hard for me.
I met our Host Researcher Constance Adams today and she was nice. The rest of that day we filmed things with Ms. Adams. Learning what she did and what a space architect does was interesting. A lot of our discussion with her was in the scale model of the International Space Station. One of the cool things she told us was that working with NASA was unique because they always build two of what they send into space so they have a backup and so they have a model they can train with. Imagine if they had built a scale model of the Empire State Building before they built the real one, and now we'd have two of them!
We also started working on an experiment on "Mars." Obviously we didn't get to go to the real Mars but they have a large rocky field that was designed to look like the surface of Mars. It was really hot and uncomfortable so our experiment didn't turn out as well as it could have. We were supposed to design and build a cooling system for a box that represented a spacecraft. We needed to create a system that removed heat from the box like a cold-water radiator would do for your house. Our first attempt was a good concept but we didn't build it well.
While we were eating lunch we got to go out into the parking lot and see them testing a new design for a lunar surface vehicle. It was not like any vehicle that I had ever seen before. It was cool because they knew that the astronauts would be more comfortable standing up in their rigid spacesuits and so you rode it standing instead of sitting.
Later in the day we did the experiment again. The second box was better constructed and it was a success, but when we tried to compare it to the first, a cloud came overhead. That variable dropped the temperature in both boxes so that our readings were inconclusive. By the end of the day I was exhausted.
When we got back to the hotel we all looked at the television because there was a hurricane, Hurricane Ike, in the Gulf of Mexico heading in our general direction. I hope we get to stay in Houston but I'm not sure that we will be able to. Will it hit us or curve east?
Wednesday September 10, 2008
This morning we went to NASA and continued to film with Constance Adams. We spent most of the morning filming in the Japanese Experimental Module (JEM). It is a model of a module that is really up on the International Space Station right now. How cool!
We talked about the experiment from the previous day. We drew conclusions from our work about how NASA engineers and scientists would have similar problems with their real space ships and have to overcome them. It was interesting to be able to take something that I had done myself and be able to see how the science could be applied to real world problems.
In the afternoon we worked on designing a piece of a module for a settlement on Mars. Argo Hannah and I had to try to design a kitchen that would be energy efficient, recycle water, and be lightweight so it could be transported to the settlement. Constance Adams did a great job explaining many of the problems that needed to be solved in order for us to ever live on Mars. We had to consider things like how the sun was weaker on Mars and how to make everything as light as possible due to the astronomical cost of transportation. (Pun intended.) We didn't get to finish our models today because of all our questions and planning so we left them for the next day.
We are hoping that Hurricane Ike will miss Houston but we are now not very hopeful that we will get our wish. It was forecasted to make landfall close to us so we are probably going to have to leave early.
Houston Mission – Take Two (Washington D.C.)
Saturday February 7, 2009
I was very excited to get to complete my mission with Constance Adams and the other JASON Argonauts, particularly because we were evacuated for Hurricane Ike! Since I am still fifteen I had to fly as an unaccompanied minor. I am 6'3" and over 200 pounds. The man who checked us in refused to believe that I wanted to fly this way. He kept insisting that I wasn't going that way. My mom assured him that I was and that it had been prepaid. Sure enough when he checked it was in the system so I got to wear another bracelet with paw prints on it. The lady at the gate also laughed at us when we said I was flying unaccompanied minor. On the bright side I got a free beverage on the plane.
Sunday February 8, 2009
Today's shooting was at the headquarters of National Geographic. We set up our experiment. The experiment consisted of two solar yard lights that we were going to test for efficiency and voltage. We measured the efficiency on the two types of yard lights and then compared them. We talked about the efficiency of a circuit, solar panel and storage source (battery). It was interesting to see how the two solar panels produced energy in differing amount and efficiencies. That took up most of the morning.
For dinner we went to an Ethiopian restaurant! That was a new experience. First of all they give you no utensils. They replace it with this sponge-like bread to scoop up your food. I am an adventurous eater who likes hot and spicy food so I picked a very spicy lamb dish. Unfortunately it was not nearly as spicy as I thought it would be and everyone else's food looked better than mine. Oh well. It was still fun. After dinner, we worked on our team journal and went to bed. It was a good day.
Q&A with Argonaut Anthony:
What's it like being in front of the camera all the time?
One of the things about JASON that is the most different from regular life is that everything is taped. You always have to be thinking about the next good question that you can ask. It is very intense most of the time but that is also what makes it fun. There is a real sense that the things you get to do with JASON and the people and places you get to experience are unique and you want to make the most of it. The cameras add to that feeling.
What would you tell other students who want to be Argonauts?
If you are even considering applying to be an Argonaut you should do it. There is probably nothing else that you could do that will give you access to more interesting people, and amazing locations than JASON. Being able to film in the International Space Station model was something very few people in the world get to experience and that was only one of the incredible things I got to do. The biggest thing I would tell future Argonauts is this. Enjoy every minute because it ends fast.