Endeavor

I napped too long today so now I am awake. While blogging about the Hazardous Weather Testbed, I had the computer tuned in to http://www.spaceflightnow.com where I was watching the NASA video of the new instrument going to the ISS. [mental note: I know so many acronyms that they are starting to repeat.] It is called the AMS and will look for really cool particles (dark matter hopefully) and figure out where they came from. Truly spectacular experimental platform. They do really cool science and I am always awestruck at how risk averse science can be. Especially at NASA. Risk averse probably isn't even in there vocabularly.

They probably use a word like redundancy. Take big risks but only if you can make a back up system for it. So I over-dramatize. Sh. This is my blog. Seriously though. They spend decades building equipment, that helps them design big experiments. The satellite that entered orbit around Mercury? They built a giant umbrella to protect it. They have fancier names like heat shields but whatever. The umbrella is made of stuff they had to dream up, before they could even consider flying to Mercury. And they had to prove it could withstand the heat and protect the satellite. They are so close to the sun, that the solar panels have to be at an angle to the sun or they would melt away. Talk about taking risks.

And that is yet another reason why watching shuttle flights is so powerful. It isn't just the 385,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and 143,000 gallons of liquid oxygen that are placed in two tanks in the external tank ... next to each other ... at -423 F and -298F respectively. It isn't just the fact that when mixed those volatile substances power the shuttle to orbit and oh by the way, makes water. Its all the stories of the astronauts, the science they do in space, the science produced to get to space, the engineering required to make it all work, and the payloads they carry that will produce more information which leads to robust and powerful understanding of the universe. And every now again we hear about the science that mission provides to us right here on this blue dot.

It was a risk to start with and it will always be risky to go beyond what we think we are capable of. Yet, this year NASA will launch or has launched a number of truly remarkable satellites. More space discovery awaits even though the shuttles will retire. Instead of mourning the loss of the shuttle fleet we should take the time to appreciate our accomplishments via the shuttle program. The next time we launch our astronauts into space, it could be aboard a commercial rocket. And that will be another milestone in space exploration. I hope I get to at least wait in line for my ticket into space.

Trying not to lose

http://www.spacenews.com/policy/110208-house-earth-science-funds-manned-spaceflight.html

The point of the article is a bunch of lawmakers who want to reorient NASA back to human spaceflight. They will do this by taking climate monitoring funding, referred to in the article as global warming funding, away.

I believe a policy like this does 3 things: gives lawmakers the power to control research directions (even if only on this one particular goal), it hurts the climate monitoring via satellite initiatives that we sorely need, and it presumes to send humans back to the moon via, I assume, the constellation program.

I don't think the moon is a good goal and I really like that commercial space transport and delivery is making significant accomplishments via SpaceX and Orbital Technologies. This is good but not great news, since I doubt these companies will profit much. I think we need to think big like Mars. The challenges Mars poses are grand. Materials science, engineering, biochemistry, chemistry, biology, psychology, psychiatry, nanotechnology, etc will all need to be utilized in a major way. It could be the sputnik moment. Of course, the obvious problem is that a Mars trip is one way, right now. And that is why the moon is the next "best" thing.

The satellite issue is important since both weather and climate rely on satellite monitoring. Satellite development is long and expensive but it pays in science even though it costs a ton. The most exciting in my mind is soil moisture which the US has not been able to do, but the Europeans have. Why does NASA do satellites and climate monitoring? Because its a natural fit. They build them, launch them, and monitor them. No other agency is qualified to do that.

The controlling of research dollars and directions by lawmakers ...well...I don't care to comment on that at the moment. These are people trying to save jobs at home to guarantee continued employment for their constituents. But really it aligns with their re-election priorities and that's why it makes more sense to them. The status quo is desirable for jobs and who can blame them. Keep what you have so you don't have to risk asking for money for new job development in your region. especially in a floundering economy.

I don't really have a good sense that this budget stuff will help without a reorganization of our goals ... both public and private. I like slogans like "win the future" because really what we have been doing is trying not to lose. We need high risk high reward activities and they cost money. It will take money and the will to take big risks. But trying not to lose is not working.

Challenger

I remember that cold morning in CT. I wanted to watch it, but the family wanted to the hit store (Bradleys, if I recall correctly). We came back to my aunts house, turned on the TV, and there was the explosion being replayed.

I was only 9.5 years old. I dont remember feeling bad about it, though I knew it was obviously tragic. My Dad used to wake me up for those 6am launches every once in a while. So I liked watching the shuttle take off. I knew nothing about it though. But I remember what followed after Challenger.

So I wrote to NASA asking for information. What I got back was an inch thick packet, for free, detailing everything there was to know about the shuttle (in laymens terms, complete with diagrams, and unclassified of course). I wrote reports with that literature. I even wrote after that to get information regarding the SRB O-ring failure, I think.

So, that was my hook to get started in science.

I am not sure if NASA ever truly recovered after that disaster. It took 33 months or so for the next shuttle to launch. An eternity in kid time. But I remembered it was well advertised.
It took a while but I got down tothe Cape to see a shuttle launch. Still cant find that videotape. That would be awesome to show the family. I think I saw it go up in 1992.

the final frontier

Its Space. Its naturally cool. Its dreamy, dark, and mysterious. And yet we avoid it like a plague.

Oh its too difficult to go there. Its too expensive. Whatever.

Miles O Brien wrote a peice on facebook that Kristi pointed me too. Maybe after some spell checking and adding some grammar, it should be posted on CNN.com.

His piece says one thing:
if you dare to dream, then you must be willing to meet that challenge ... but beware ... the dream is much harder than you imagined and you will need to be better than you give yourself credit for.

And that is what makes it so worthwhile. When you set the bar higher than you think you can go, you end up achieving more. And dreams are about meeting all the little challenges and when they are put together its the collection of challenges that equal the dream.

back to space.

NASA is a great representation of science. Underfunded and still overachieves. Mars rovers that last like ten times longer than planned. Mars Phoenix which observed ice, and ice clouds, and dug in the dirt. The jupiter flyby, the saturn flyby, the Mercury flyby, the comet crasher, hubble telescope. sure hubble failed but only because NASA was retasked for a mission with a lower bar. We dont need to use the moon to get to MARS.

Large Hadron Collider

Pretty awesome machine. I am excited to see what kind of discoveries will be made in the next decade. Who knows. Maybe what they learn about the early universe, quantum physics, etc. will help the world out.

I havent done too much research on the subject but I hope to do so soon. I just heard the collider is broken till spring 2009. I am patient. Lofty science projects funded at 8 Billion will turn out good science. The only real question is how US scientists will capitalize, bring home the knowledge, and train the next generation of physicists. It may be delayed but in my opinion this is one of those projects where two things can happen:
1. Physicist boom both in terms of people and investments (private and public),
2. Bust in the form of longer time till discovery.

I am sure all the nanatechnology people are eager to hear whats going on. Plus all the computer scientists will need to invent new stuff to handle not only the data, but its visualization and analysis. This latter part will fuel discovery in other areas.

Reflection

Before my memory fades, I wanted to recall who got me into science fully.
1. Dad waking me up early to watch the Space Shuttle launch.

2. High school: Mr. Arpaia (sp?) demoted me to sub "college track" generalscience for the start of 9th grade. I was not pleased, but my slacker mentality landed me there and I think he knew I couldnt a swift kick to the head. Mrs. Rierra very quickly moved me back to college track where I continued to do well in her class. Mrs. Beattie in biology kept me in college prep but moved me up again for chemistrywhereIstarted to appreciate that I was indeed capable of being intelligent. It also made me believe I was smart ... something I would later need to achieve in college again.

there also were the other outstanding teacers I had: Mrs. Altieri, Mrs Ploski, Ms Nicholari, Mrs. Stellavato, Mr. Moriarty, and possibly others.

Ms Nicholari: "Jim, you have put us all to sleep with your monotone reading." her honesty made me take seriously my enrollment in the Dale Carnegie Public speaking class.

Mrs Stell: her honest, fun, inspiring classes were great. her personality really shined through,and her passion was obvious and most appreciated.

Mrs Ploski: Always happy, always proud, and very much able and willing to pass out compliments. Algebra with her was my favorite all around class.

Mrs. Altieri: funny, smart, and a great teacher.
Mr. Moriarty: A great guy. Inspiring and passionate. Someone who was animated, intelligent, and encouraging.

3. College: Dr. Vince idone, Dr. Lance Bosart, Dr. Ray Arritt, Dr. Eyad Atollah, Dr. Sheryl Honikman, Dr. H. Richter, Dr. B. Hornbuckle, Dr. S. E. Taylor, Dr. Paul Ruscher, Dr. James O'Brien, Dr. N. LaSuer.

All of these people were inspiring and motivational. They were/are dynamic, down to earth, approachable and available. They all had something encouraging to say or share, or they were able to impart some of their passion and pass on wisdom. I am lucky Ihad them as teachers. I am also lucky because having been taught by the best I have tried to acquire those same skills. Ilook forward to the day when I can teach again.

4. the storm chase. nothing better than putting your skills to the test. Its refreshing to get out and chase and put your skills to the test. A good challenge is very motivating and inspiring. Mother nature always puts on a show worthy of quantatative and qualitative analysis and enlightenment.

Mars

NASA landed the Phoenix probe. Awe inspiring. The news coverage is always disheartening, as the most horendous news takes center stage. A bunch of scientists and engineers land the craft *perfectly* with what appears to be all instruments working, pictures flowing, and science ready. Awesome. Talk about a field project ... this is no way on par with the recent Met field projects though VORTEX2 folks should take notes since the recent tornado's attracted so much attention.

Can't wait for more pictures from Mars, cant wait for the science either. Tell me all about H20 on the red planet!