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Living and Working in Space: Energy |
The NASA/NSTA Symposium: Living and Working in Space - Energy took place in room
303 of the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, MD, on Saturday, November 4,
2006. Thirty-eight educators were in attendance, representing the states of California,
Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
The team of presenters included Dr. Terry Kucera from NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center, Steven Johnson from NASA's Johnson Space Center, Sheri Klug from Arizona
State University, and Don Boonstra also from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
The symposium focused on the topics of energy, spacecraft power systems, the International
Space Station, habitats, and the space shuttle mission STS-115. NSTA would like
to thank all the participants and the presenters for a job well done!
The program started with an introductory administrative session during which Flavio
Mendez, Symposia and Web Seminars Program Manager at NSTA, familiarized participants
with the contents of their folders, including the agenda, the talent release form,
the pre-assessment form, and the session's learning outcomes. Steven Johnson started
the program showing video footage of the STS-115 astronauts installing a new set
of solar panels on the International Space Station. Don Boonstra and Sheri Klug
followed Mr. Johnson with a quick overview of the day's activities and a challenge
to the participants - by the end of the program, participants working in teams must
design a Martian habitat able to support a crew of six for an extended period of
time.
The presentations moved quickly, first Steven Johnson talked about different spacecraft
power systems and their pros and cons. He featured three types of power systems:
solar (and batteries), fuel cells, and nuclear power. Educators present asked many
questions regarding the best use of power systems for missions near the Sun as well
as deep space missions. Don Boonstra followed this presentation with an activity
about solar panels. Working in teams, educators used a solar panel to power a motor
to make a disc rotate. During the activity participants were tasked to explore different
variables that would affect the efficiency of the panels. For the activity, some
teachers went outside the building, and others stayed inside and used lamps to simulate
the Sun. At the end of the activity Mr. Boonstra engaged the participants in a discussion
regarding their findings in the activity. Variables they discovered affect the solar
panels efficiency included: the angle between the Sun and the panel, dust on top
of the panels, different color filters on top of the panels, and changing the cable
connections between the panel and motor.
The second part of the symposium started with a presentation from Dr. Kucera about
the Sun. The Sun provides the energy used at the International Space Station and
rovers currently working on the surface of Mars. The Sun's radiation can be harmful
to astronauts living and working in space. Astronauts must wear special clothing
(spacesuits) to protect themselves from this radiation. Large explosions on the
surface of the Sun are monitored all the time by astronomers on the Earth. When
these occur, astronauts must stay inside the Station in a shielded area to avoid
illness or death. Kucera also talked about the inverse square law of light. The
amount of solar energy received in an area decreases as the distance from the Sun
is increased. Understanding this law is critical for engineers to calculate the
amount of solar energy available, say at Mars or beyond. The second and final activity
was the design of the Martian habitat. Sheri Klug facilitated the activity after
giving the participants an overview of the Red planet and an update on the status
of the Martian rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Educators worked in teams to design
their habitat and when finished shared their work with the larger group and explained
the ideas included in their designs.
See the presenters' PowerPoint presentations:
Movie Clips
Want to learn more about this symposium? Check out the photo gallery, browse the
program's agenda, and read the presenters' biographical sketches.
For more information contact symposia@nsta.org
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