Links to everyone's blogs are availabe on Erica's blog:

http://ericasti.blogspot.com/

Photos from today are available on Erica's PhotoBucket site:

http://s334.photobucket.com/albums/m407/sterlien/?albumview=grid

National Air and Space Museum

Yesterday, we visited the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, part of the Smithsonian Institution.



There were many different exhibits. Exhibits that we went to included:
- The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age
- Space Race
- Milestones of Flight
- Space: A Journey To Our Future
- Exploring The Planets
- Apollo to the Moon

While there were many exhibits and models, I didn't find the trip to be that interesting. It felt like we spent too much time there. After awhile, we started getting bored.



After visiting the museum, we took a quick tour of the monuments.

Hybrid cars project

We are doing group projects about hybrid cars. My group consists of me, Marcus, and Giovannie. Here is our website:

http://sites.google.com/site/hybridcars1837/

Motorcycles and trains

On thursday, we took a trip to the Harley-Davidson factory in York, and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, in Strasburg.

First was the Harley-Davidson factory, in York, PA. Upon arrival, we watched a short film about Harley-Davidson. Then, we went on our tour. It was partly interesting, although it was kind of confusing because we didn't tour everything in order.

Personally, I'm not at all interested in owning a motorcycle. I think that they are loud and obnoxious.



Next, we visited the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, in Strasburg, PA.



The museum consists of a large train shed, with many historic train cars in it. There is also an outdoor restoration yeard, and there are several exhibits at the front of the museum.

Since I have already been to this museum, there was not much new for me to see.

The Evolution of Space Suits

1. 
   

   Why wear a space suit?

   
   
   

   There is no atmospheric pressure and no oxygen in outer space to sustain life. Inside the spacecraft, the atmosphere can be controlled so that special clothing isn't needed, but when outside, humans need the protection of a space suit. Besides providing protection from bombardment by micrometeoroids, the space suit insulates the wearer from the temperature extremes of space.

   
   



2. Why are space suits white in color?
   
   

   White reflects heat in space, the same as it does here on Earth. Temperatures in direct sunlight in space can be over 275 °Fahrenheit.

   
   



3. Who is the prime NASA contractor for the design, development, and manufacture of space suits?
   
   

   ILC Dover, Inc.

   
   



4. What does EMU stand for?
   
   

   Extravehicular mobility unit

   
   



5. Describe the U.S. Navy Mark IV pressure suit.
   
   

   The Mark IV Pressure Suit is a forerunner of the space suit. It was originally developed for the crew of high-flying aircraft. It was made of aluminum-coated nylon and rubber garments.

   
   



6. Which space suits were composed of one piece?
   
   

   Apollo space suits

   
   



7. What were the goals of the Apollo mission?
   
   

   The Apollo Program spanned 5 years, from 1967 to 1972, and included 12 manned flights. Apollo’s goals went beyond landing Americans on the Moon and returning them safely to Earth. The goals included:

   
   
   
   
   
   • To establish the technology to meet other national interests in space
   
   
   
   • To achieve preeminence in space for the United States
   
   
   
   • To develop man’s capability to work in the lunar environment
   
   
   
   



8. 
   

   Describe the Apollo space suit.

   
   
   

   The Apollo space suit was designed to allow astronauts to venture outside of the spacecraft. Apollo space suit mobility was improved over earlier suits by use of molded rubber joints at the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees. Modifications to the suit waist for Apollo 15 through 17 missions added flexibility making it easier for crewmen to sit on the lunar rover vehicle.

   
   
   

   From the skin out, the Apollo A7LB space suit began with an astronaut-worn liquid-cooling garment, similar to a pair of long johns with a network of spaghetti-like tubing sewn onto the fabric. Cool water, circulating through the tubing, transferred metabolic heat from the Moon explorer's body to the backpack and into space.

   
   
   

   Apollo space helmets were formed from high strength polycarbonate and were attached to the space suit by a pressure-sealing neck-ring. Unlike Mercury and Gemini helmets, which were closely fitted and moved with the crewman's head, the Apollo helmet was fixed, and the head was free to move within. While walking on the Moon, Apollo crewmen wore an outer visor assembly over the helmet to shield against eye damaging ultraviolet radiation and to maintain head and face thermal comfort.

   
   
   

   Completing the Moon explorer's ensemble were lunar gloves and boots, both designed for the rigors of exploring, and the gloves for adjusting sensitive instruments. The new Apollo space suit was the first to have its own life support system rather than being dependent on an umbilical connection to the spacecraft.

   
   



9. What were the goals of the Gemini mission?
   
   

   The second U.S. manned space program was announced in January 1962. Its two-man crew gave it its name, Gemini, for the third constellation of the Zodiac and its twin stars, Castor and Pollux. Gemini involved 12 flights, including two unmanned flight tests of the equipment. Its major objectives were:

   
   
   
   
   
   • To subject man and equipment to space flight up to 2 weeks in duration
   
   
   
   • To rendezvous and dock with orbiting vehicles and to maneuver the docked combination by using the target vehicle's propulsion system
   
   
   
   • To perfect methods of entering the atmosphere and landing at a preselected point on land
   
   
   
   

For more, check out this website.

This is a link to an astronaut quiz. (Click on one of the pictures.)

I scored 30% correct.

Notable NASA Astronauts

Eileen Collins: I was the first female Shuttle pilot, and, after piloting two missions, I became the first (and currently only) female Shuttle commander. I commanded STS-93, on which the Chandra X-ray Observatory was deployed. My hometown is Elmira, New York. In 2005, I will command the STS-114 Return To Flight mission, which will carry a crew of seven to the International Space Station.




Gene Cernan:I was the last man on the Moon. I was the commander of Apollo 17, the last manned mission to land on the Moon in 1972.
Alan Shepard was my hero. I was named as Alan Shepard’s backup commander for Apollo 14. By the time of that flight, I actually had more spaceflight experience than Shepard.
As a pilot, I became the second American to walk in space during the Gemini IX mission in 1966.
In 1969, Commander Tom Stafford and I piloted a lunar lander to within 8 nautical miles of the surface of the Moon, in preparation for the Apollo 11 Moon landing.




Jan Davis:I am a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions, including the first U.S. flight to carry a Russian cosmonaut. Today, I am involved in spaceflight, as the director of Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
I flew with the first Japanese astronaut on the Shuttle during my first flight.
Persistence was a key to my success. I applied to the astronaut program three times before being accepted.
I was a mission specialist on Endeavour STS-47, Discovery STS-60, and Discovery STS-85. Science experiments were conducted on a Spacelab module during the STS-47 1992 joint U.S.-Japanese mission. I served as payload commander on the STS-85 1997 Shuttle flight.




Ed Lu: I was NASA’s science officer on the Expedition 7 mission to the International Space Station from April until October 2003. Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and I were the first two-person crew to live on board the Station following the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia in February 2003.
I became the first NASA astronaut to both launch and land aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
I was one of the first American astronauts to return from a long-duration spaceflight with almost no loss in bone density and little loss in muscle strength. The crew was given an “exercise prescription” for the workout they had to perform. “And, I did extra on top of that on my own."




Pam Melroy: I am a United States Air Force pilot and test pilot, and have flown over 5,000 hours in 45 different types of aircraft.
I served in Operation Just Cause and Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Since becoming an astronaut, I have piloted two Space Shuttle flights and have flown over 8 million miles in space.
On STS-92 with my crewmates, I used the Space Shuttle’s robotic arm to assemble key elements to the International Space Station. On STS-112, the crew completed more installation of the Space Station, taking three space walks. STS-112 was the first Shuttle mission to use a camera to view the External Tank, providing a live view of the launch to viewers and flight controllers.




Charles Camarda: I am preparing for my first Space Shuttle flight. I will be a mission specialist aboard STS-114, the Return to Flight voyage of the Space Shuttle program!
As a kid, the Mercury 7 astronauts were my heroes. I studied science and engineering, and aimed for a career with NASA. The first time I applied for an opening as a mission specialist in 1978, I didn’t have enough experience at that time and wasn’t selected. I reapplied 18 years later, and that perseverance paid off.
I first worked for NASA’s Langley Research Center as a research scientist, working with Space Shuttle-related projects. I have received over 21 NASA awards for technical innovations and accomplishments, an award for one of the top 100 technical innovations of 1983, and hold seven patents.
After 2 years of astronaut training, I have worked in the Astronaut Office Spacecraft Systems and Operations Branch, and have been a backup crew member of the International Space Station Expedition 8 crew.




Peggy Whitson: I spent 6 months on the International Space Station and was the Station’s first Science Officer. As part of the Expedition 5 crew, I was in space for over 184 days.
In space, I really liked peanut butter.
I developed a process for separating blood cells from plasma for storage on the Space Station.
I am from Beaconsfield, Iowa. I love gardening, especially taking care of flowers. My father is a soybean farmer. In space, I worked on a soybean experiment, taking seeds, growing them, harvesting new seeds, and seeing if the genes changed in anyway.
I performed a 4-hour space walk to install parts of the Space Station structures.




Leland Melvin: I am a former football player. I played football at the University of Richmond. I still hold Richmond’s career records for receptions and receiving yards. I played football for the Detroit Lions in 1986 and later spent time with the Dallas Cowboys and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League before retiring due to injuries.
My parents are educators. My favorite subject in school was mathematics. Some of my favorite books were Curious George and The Little Engine That Could. Curious George reminded me of myself—curious to the point of getting into trouble sometimes. The Little Engine That Could gave me the motto I use to this day—“I think I can, I think I can.”
I worked at NASA’s Langley Research Center helping to develop fiber optic sensors.
My hobbies are photography, skateboarding, and cross cross-country motorcycle riding. I have also been a tennis instructor.

SEPTA trip report

Yesterday, we took a trip to Philadelphia. We visited SEPTA's control center, as well as their Midvale bus facility.

The control center was neat. There were screens all over showing various train routes. There was also a bus control area, which had screens showing the status of various bus routes.

At the Midvale bus facility, SEPTA's largest, we learned about daily bus operations. We also learned about what it is like to be a bus driver. They told us that some bus drivers make 60-80K a year.

It was a good trip.

Segways

I think Segways are fancy toys for rich people. They may be cool and environmentally sound, but they are impractical. Also, they seem to scream laziness.







Still, I think Segways do have certain fields where they are useful.

Battleship New Jersey and the Seaport Museum

On thursday, we took a trip to Battleship New Jersey, on the Camden waterfront, and the Independence Seaport Museum, on the Philadelphia waterfront.



Battleship New Jersey was the better of the two trips. We were led on a tour by a Navy veteran. The tour was interesting. He said the BSN was the longest battleship ever built by the US Navy. It was also the longest-serving. It had a crew of several thousand men, yet only one ever died abord the ship. Inside, it was somewhat cramped.

After the tour, we ate lunch abord the ship.





Next, we visited the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia.

The museum was pretty boring.

Outside of the museum, there sat a submarine and a battleship, both of which we visited. The submarine had small doors. It was cool.

The end.