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Presented by:
Steve Parker Greg Rodgers
Stephen F. Austin State University
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Brief Overview
• Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program
• Origin of Project
• Experiences
• Future flights and Research
• Acknowledgements
• Multimedia
Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program
(RGSFOP)
• RGSFOP is a program sponsored by NASA and administered by the Texas Space Grant Consortium
• There goal is to prepare “America’s college Students for Research Aboard the INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION”
RGSFOP Homepage
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• Reduced Gravity Program is operated by NASA
• Based out of Johnson Space Center
• Flights out of Ellington AFB in Houston, Texas and Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio
• Student Flight Opportunities is flown out of Houston, Texas only
• Fly DC-9 and modified KC-135 aircraft• KC-135 is a converted “tanker” and is a
variant of the Boeing 707• Only KC-135 is flown for Student Flight
Opportunities • “Weightless Wonder V” was built in 1963 and
has used approximately ½ of its parabolic lifespan by time of flight
Flight Operations Web page
• Back
• “The Texas Space Grant Consortium is a group of 34 institutions which include universities, industrial organizations, non-profit organizations, and government agencies within Texas that are joined to ensure that the benefits of space research and technology are available to all Texans.”
• Includes Universities, Colleges, and High Schools
• Administered the RGSFOP for seven years• Contact point for proposals and general
questions relating to student flight opportunities
• Offer grants and scholarships to members of their organization
• Offered SFA a grant to cover travel expenses
• Has recently announced that they will no longer administer the Student Flight Opportunities, but will continue to support their other interests
TSGC HomepageBack
• SFA decided to participate in this program • Sent a team to fly on the KC-135 using the
Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)• Team members:
Steve Parker – Team Contact
Greg Rodgers
Ryan Williams
Ryan Meador
Michael Johnson
Team Web page
Advisor: Dr. Robert Friedfeld
Origin of Project
• A team of four started over two years ago with several ideas– Build own active vibration isolation unit– Build a vacuum chamber– Try Electrodepositing Copper Indium
Diselenide (CuInSe2) onto substrate
– Growing Crystal structures
• Problems with some of the ideas– Active Vibration Isolation systems are
complicated and expensive– Electrodeposition takes 5 to 10 minutes– Time for crystal growth
• Settled on flying and successfully imaging with the AFM and if possible achieving atomic resolution
• Speculated that vibrations from the platform, whether KC-135 or ISS, were a serious problem– Purchased a commercial brand active vibration
platform to correct problem
• Acoustical sounds were a problem– Built a vacuum chamber
• Started with design ideas and improved them – CAD drawings
• Simultaneously started on the paperwork for the Spring 2001 Proposal– Needed to have clear objective/goal– Describe aspects of experiment– Considered safety factors– Weight requirements– Reasons NASA/TSGC should allow for research– Costs– Public Outreach
• First proposal was denied• next
back
• Started on Summer 2001 proposal– Clarified why this would be beneficial for
NASA/TSGC– Clarified objective/goals– Incorporated more safety features and factors– More specific on weights– Better CAD drawings– More elaborate public outreach program
• Continuing to manufacture parts and purchase material for project
• Second proposal was accepted on April 23, 2001
• Test Equipment Data Package (TEDP) was next hurdle– All materials had to be listed (bolts, nuts, frame
structure, etc…)– All voltage and current draws had to be
established– All equipment had to be examined for safety– Everything on assembly must take a 9-g shock– Weight distribution for footprint must not
exceed 200 lbs/ft2
– Involved knowledge of Statics/Dynamics and involved a great deal of calculations
• Collected additional paperwork– Flight physicals– Emergency forms– Visitor information– Flight preference– Journalist Information
• Continued to manufacture and assemble parts, order parts, test ideas and started a dizzying array of checklists
• Problems encountered– TEDP was returned for clarifications– Design elements for frame were not working as
thought or planned• Example:
– Footprint cannot exert more than 200 lbs/ft2
– Design sought was not practical to build
– Had to reconfigure the footprint for optimal load distribution
– Came up with 9 steel bars that are 23 ½ in long by 9 in wide arranged in a ladder box formation
– Example Calculation
• Take 23 ½ in x 2 in = 47 in2
• 9 bars x 47 in2 = 423 in2
• 423 in2 / 144 in2/ft2 = 2.9375 ft2
• Weight of experimental platform is estimated at 500 lbs
• Take 500 lbs / 2.9375 ft2 = 170.2127 lbs/ft2
• This is under the 200 lbs/ft2 maximum set by NASA and will be acceptable for use
– Few parts were not easily found– Time running out
• Corrections were made and final assembly occurred one week before departure to Houston
• Padding was added to frame structure for safety
Padding
Experiences
• Had to travel to Houston area for 11 days– Take all supplies– Brought backup materials– Fortunate that we are located only 3
hours away almost all of the other teams had to fly to Houston and had their projects shipped by truck or air
– Only team to represent Texas until flight days
• Upon arrival at Ellington Field each team had to check in and make sure proper identification was obtained
• For the first couple of days each team had time to setup their experiment and prepare for the Test Readiness Review (TRR)
• This time was also used to socialize with other Universities and Colleges
• We Were present for a welcoming ceremony for recently returning Astronauts
• Attendance to lectures were mandatory– Overall almost an entire day was spent in
classrooms– Everything from the atmosphere to survival
techniques were taught – At the end of the class discussions a test was
given to review the past 3 days• Everyone passed
– Place classroom video here– Place coriolis video here
• A Hyperbaric chamber flight is required for all individuals flying on the KC-135 aircraft
• Individuals spend approximately 90 minutes in the chamber purging their bodies of nitrogen, experiencing first hand the effects of hypoxia and learn how to cope with lack of oxygen
• The chamber simulates the oxygen level at 25,000 ft
• Place chamber video here
• Before any experiment can fly on the KC-135 aircraft it must undergo scrutiny during a Test Readiness Review (TRR)
• Seven individuals ranging from safety engineers to aircraft maintenance personnel review each experiment – They listen to a two minute presentation by a
selected team member– They ask any questions they may have and
then make suggestions on how to make your experiment safer
– Any one of the safety officers can ground a crew
Place video of TRR here
• After each team has completed the chamber flight and passed the TRR they are allowed to load their experiment onto the aircraft
• Each team is allowed two days of flight– For SFA 2 flight team members + 1
journalist flew on day 1 and the remaining 2 flight team members flew on day 2
• A flight lasts from 90 to 120 minutes depending on conditions
• Anywhere from 30 to 40 parabolas are completed during this time
• A parabola starts around 24,000 ft and its vertex is typically near 34,000 ft– Actual flight paths may vary– For August 2, 2001 the “deck”, or lowest
altitude of the parabola, was reported at 7,500 ft!!!!!!
– During the top portion of a parabola weightlessness is achieved
– At the beginning of this maneuver the tail of the plane is “kicked” to allow the plane to regain lift once it starts to dive
Diagrams
• The first parabola is not an easy one– Your body tells you quickly that you should
not be there– People have a tendency to grab on to the
nearest item and hold on for dear life– Insert movie here (Mike)
• After about 3 completed parabolas things begin to get easier
• Some people can adapt well enough to endure the entire flight without getting “sick” or becoming a “kill”
• The voyage can be unpleasant
• Concentrating on your experiment and duties is not as easy as initially thought
• 2-g’s are experienced while the plane pulls out of the dive– A person can be seriously hurt if he/she does
not heed the 5 second “feet down” warning– Moving around during 2-g’s is NOT
recommended– Limit head movements
Future flights and Research
• There is room for improvement
• A few improvements:– Passive vibration isolation to complement
the active vibration system
– Smaller and lighter frame structure
– Better data acquisition • Accelerometer data
– In flight sample change
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Takeoff Parabolas
Turn Around
MartianLunar
Landing
Accelerometer Data for the Entire Flight
Ups and DownTurn
Around“Weightless”3/8 g “Martian”1/6 g “Lunar”
~2g
Ups and Downs
Zero g
~2 g
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• Additional flights are needed– To acquire atomic resolution of a sample– Images– Improve the vibration isolation system– Test more than one sample– Tethered “free float” experiment– To compile a first-rate procedure for operation– To fine tune components for future placement on the
ISS
• Existing structure can be modified and used • Other structures can be built• Other proposals can be made and other
experiments producednext
back
• Other considerations:– Funding – grants, fundraisers and donations– Future teams– Upcoming proposals
• Contacts:– Dr. Robert Friedfeld
• Office – 322 I
• E-mail [email protected]
– Steve Parker– Ryan Williams
Acknowledgements
• Team members
• Department of Physics and Astronomy– Dr. Harry Downing – Dr. Dan Bruton
• Texas Space Grant Consortium
• NASA Reduced Gravity Program
• Department of Biology
• Bennet Montes and the use of the shop
• Dr. Robert Friedfeld– Show video of plaque and Friedfeld
Multimedia
AudioComputer has a problem
First Parabola anxiety
VideoTake off
Parabola
Apollo 13 Filming
Ryan Meador talking w/ ground
Superman
TRR
Chamber Ride
Twirling Around