Returned to Space Center Houston for our Level 9 Tour today.
We were part of the limited group (12) for the 11:45 tour. Folks on the tour where from a short drive away in Texas, elsewhere in the USA as well as Germany, Egypt and Canada (us and a couple from Montreal. QC).
We all (14 with driver and tour guide) fit into a large van and departed after our pictures were taken and we went through a security check. We will travel on (and off) the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) which is NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) center for human spaceflight training, research and flight control. The center consists of a complex of 100 buildings constructed on 1,620 acres in Houston, TX. A workforce of 12-13 thousand employees work here for NASA or project contractors. JSC is home to the United States astronaut corps and is responsible for training astronauts from both the U.S. and its international partners which include Canada. It is often popularly referred to by its central function: i.e. "Mission Control".
First stop was the Rocket Building. We did this yesterday on the Tram Tour. Then it was we "look and took" (pictures). Today it included a wealth of interesting information from our guide (Irwin). We have now seen all 3 Saturn V rockets left in existence (Cape Canaveral, FL; Huntsville, AL and here in Houston, TX). This is the only one that is totally complete. It was ready to go as Apollo 18 when funding for the program was cancelled by Congress.
It was now time for lunch in one of the two JSC (Johnson Space Center) cafeterias. This was included in the price of the tour. We sat among (but didn't recognize) many of the scientists and astronauts. Our guide pointed out several including a Canadian Astronaut. I now can't remember a single name.
After lunch we travelled off the JSC campus to the Neutral Bouyancy Laboratory. This water tank is 202 feet long, 102 feet wide and 40 feet 6 inches deep and contains 6.2 million gallons of water. Astronauts (for the International Space Station) were training.
They work on life-size replicas of the ISS (International Space Station) modules to develope the skills necessary to perform repairs and maintenance tasks in space. Weightlessness (in the water) is achieved by pressurizing the actual space suites to 4 PSI (pounds per square inch). Training sessions may last as long as 8 hours with most being between 4 and 6 hours in length. Each astronaut is accompanied in the water by up to 6 Scuba Divers.
Two divers video (we watched actual live operations on video screens) to document and help in technique development and skill building. Two divers monitor all safety issues and two manage other aspects like the umbilical cord connecting each astronaut. Astronauts often train in pairs as they operate in space using the "Buddy" system.
Our next stop was "Mission Control". Unlike the Tram Tour we were in the actual room - not the viewing gallery.
What a difference sitting in the actual chairs at the actual control consoles. The wealth of information provided by our guide was phenomenal giving us insight into the history that we had lived through years ago. The American flag in the picture was a backup that was not used and brought back from the moon. It is an exact match for the one left there by Apollo 11.
On the wall is a mirror. The inscription reads: "This mirror flown on
Aquarius, LM-7, to the moon April 11-17, 1970. Returned by a greatful Apollo 13
crew to "reflect the images" of the people in Mission Control who got us
back!"
As well as the historic "Apollo" era Mission Control Center to the area that is under construction and will be "Mission Control" for the upcoming Orion flights. Here each control area looks more like a home office desk than the "traditional" control center.
We also went to the ISS Mission Control. Here we watched the as the Space Station (left screen) as it went from being in the darkness of space to being illuminated by sunlight. The ISS transitions from "day" to "night" every 90 minutes as it orbits the earth.
We also got to watch over the shoulder of systems controllers as they worked. We could also see a laser experiment on another monitor as well as the position of the ISS on the huge center screen systems map.
From there we boarded the van and rode over to the Space Vehicle Mockup
Facility (SVMF) which develops, operates and maintains the mockup and trainer
facilities to support astronaut training and engineering activities. In other words, it is here that the astronauts train on simulators which include the Canadarm.
Factoid: The Flight Simulator for pilot training was a Canadian invention. The world’s first flight simulator ride experience (1986) "Tour of the Universe" originated in Canada at the CN Tower. BTDT! (Been There, Done That).
The Canadarm, first used in 1981, was a mechanical arm used on the Space Shuttle to move materials from the payload bay to its deployment position. After the Columbia disaster it was also used to inspect the thermal protection tiles on the Space Shuttle. It has subsequently been used on over 50 shuttle missions.
Since the installation of the Canadarm2 on ISS, the two arms have been used to hand over segments of the station for assembly from the Shuttle's Canadarm to the ISS Canadarm2. The use of both elements in tandem has earned the media's use of "Canadian Handshake" in describing this task.
I am sure the remaining Space Shuttle trainers will be removed as it has been decommissioned. ISS training models here will still be used for training for the remaining life span of the Space Station.
The most interesting devices were the several rover vehicle variations which even include an original sketch taped to a locker.
Wow! A 12 wheel drive ATV! We saw a video of rovers being tested in the Arizona desert which included the new space suit that is in development. Currently astronauts require a whole day of preparation to be able to do a "Space Walk". The new combo suit will only require 15 minutes to do an EVA (Extravehicular Activity).
One unit looked like a half-robot on wheels. It operates by remote control or programs and includes AI (Artificial Intelligence) allowing it to "Think".
They were also working on "walking" device that looked like C3P0 (a Star Wars robot) from the legs down.
We did not see; but were informed of the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) that is under development. It is an electro-magnetic thruster designed for spacecraft propulsion that uses radio waves to ionize and heat a propellant. Magnetic fields are then used to accelerate the resulting plasma thus generating thrust. Costa Rican scientist and former astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz (Irwin said he often sees him around JSC in his yellow Corvette) created the VASIMR concept and has been working on its development since 1977. VASIMR is not suitable to launch payloads from the surface of the Earth due to its low thrust-to-weight ratio and the need of a vacuum in which to operate. This makes it ideal for use in space where it would function as an upper stage for cargo, reducing the fuel requirements for in-space transportation. The engine is expected to perform the following functions at a fraction of the cost of chemical technologies. A test on the ISS is expected by 2014. This breakthrough technology could reduce the travel time on a Mars mission from 2.5 years to 5 months. Wow! The future is at hand.
We started today's adventure at 11:45 am and returned to Space Center Houston a little after 5 pm. What an experience!
On the way back to the RV park I stopped at Lowe's (a "Big Box" Building Supply store) to pick up a 4 foot piece of 1inch galvanized pipe. The heavy load of clothes and a few hard bumps took it's toll on the wooden clothes rod in the RV's closet on the way to Houston. I fixed the rod and Charlotte re-racked the clothes.
We will depart tomorrow - destination - somewhere East of here. Update to follow.
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