September 11, 2008: Mandatory Evacuation
Today, Hurricane Ike is in the Gulf. This morning we were situated at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and were right in its path. When we walked in this morning, everyone at NASA was covering up all the space modules that we had just explored yesterday, in a yellow tarp. We started performing a lab activity when we got a call about a mandatory evacuation by 12 o'clock noon. We decided to finish the lab the best we could, and then head for the airport. I found it amazing that even amidst all the craziness, everyone remained really calm
February 7, 2009: Regrouping in DC
So, we have just reconvened in D.C. in order to finish up Mission 5. Remember, we got "hurricaned-out" in Texas, and had to be evacuated? But now, everyone is here – Host Researcher Constance Adams; Teacher Argo Cindy; and Student Argos Hannah, Anthony, and myself. It was really great to be able to see everyone again, and I am excited to restart the learning/teaching process of energy sustainability and conservation. I still have so many questions that I would like to have answered before my time here is up. For example, today during a production meeting, Hannah stated, "Wow – there is a set amount of energy in this universe – no more, no less than what we already have. We have to harness that. That's amazing!"
After the comment, we all sat there nodding our heads. The idea that energy acts that way is mind-boggling! But additionally, I also wonder what ideas we already have about energy harvesting for the future – or more, what ideas we don't have, but need to find soon. So, that being said, I am very excited to be with my fellow Argonauts once more! Hopefully no hurricanes will hit, and we will be able to discover lots about energy!
February 8, 2009: Energy Efficiency
Mission 5 is about energy in the future – how we are going to deal with our imminent energy problems. This discussion has ultimately led us to connect science to the real world, and understand the impacts that science has on our lives. One way we did this was through an experiment with energy efficiency.
We performed a lab with Constance about energy efficiency using a lawn light. First, we identified the various parts of the device, and how each contributed to making the light work. The photovoltaic solar panels absorb the sunlight and store it in the batteries. When it becomes dark, the light sensor is able to sense that there is no more light and acts as a switch for the LED light – the energy comes from what was stored in the batteries. Second, we tried to figure out what the efficiency was for two different light bulbs. We timed the device's exposure to a studio light for 5, 10, and 15 seconds, and then the time that the LED light stayed lit. We figured out that for one of the lawn lights, it was a ratio of 5:1 (charge-time to light-time), and for the other it was 5:2. Approximately, the second was twice as efficient as the first. This allowed us to think and discuss the reasons why one light was more efficient than the other, and why energy efficiency. For an individual like Constance who has to tackle energy efficiency problems in outer space, figuring out stuff like this is really important. After the experiment, we had a Mission Debrief with Constance Adams, where we discussed everything we had learned. Ultimately, we came to the conclusion that everything about our future relates to and depends on energy.
Right now our world is faced with a number of problems, but one of the biggest is energy efficiency. Every day we are running out of more and more resources, and top of that, our current consumption of fossil fuels emits greenhouse gases that create problems like global warming. Unless we can solve the overarching problem of how we deal with energy, our future does not look so bright. Today, Hannah, Anthony, and I are only Argonauts – but our mission here with Constance Adams has taught us the simple fact that we must solve the energy crisis. We are part of the generation that must deal with today's energy problems, tomorrow. This Mission has also shown us that we have to create new technologies that will help with energy conservation, as well as develop the initiative necessary to solve the problem. Tackling the act of efficiently conserving and harnessing energy will be vital to for our future.
Q&A with Argonaut Madhu:
Where are some of the amazing places that Argos get to travel?
First of all, today we met our host researcher Constance Adams at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. We saw a Mars Land Rover, and then we traveled to Mars! We did one of the experiments on Mars, which is really just a rocky terrain that NASA designs to test various pieces of equipment for future missions to Mars. It's supposed to replicate the Martian surface. It was really hot, but also really fun.
Where else will we need to find energy solutions in the future?
In space! Today we went inside the Japanese Experimental Module (JEM) called Kibo, which means Hope. While we were filmed inside the module, we discussed the harnessing of energy for life in space. We had to design a building for a habitat on Mars. Cindy and I designed a greenhouse that would connect to Hannah and Anthony's kitchen.