So Thursday we attended a professional development workshop. This was nice because there was a lot of information on the different opportunities for students and teachers at NASA. I should give a plug for the Teaching From Space Website at this point. The best place to click on it “get students involved” followed by your grade level. I really like EarthKam which gives you photos taken from the International Space Station. If you want to perform your own microgravity experiment, NASA has a 2.2 second drop tube you can use. The experiment is called Wing or DIME depending on your grade level. I remember a couple years ago, the Academy students were thinking of launching a Weather Balloon and NASA has a BalloonSAT program.
After our workshop, our NASA Mentor, CJ, took us on a tour of her lab. Just outside of her lab in the Famous Building JSC Building 220 is the Vacuum Chamber A It is actually a US Historical Landmark. They have been using it to test out the James Webb Telescope. The photos on the NASA website are better than my photo.
This is the Biggest Vac Chamber they have!
CJ works on a small robot called Robonaut. I was really amazed with the tour. R2B is currently living on the International Space Station in the Destiny Module. They are working on R2C, and yes, someday there will be an R2D2. We got to see R2C, but all the photos included here are of R2B. Not only is the strength of R2 amazing, but also the sensitivity. It knows it if knocks into something and goes into safe mode.
The combination of strength, durability, and sensitivity is amazing. All built by engineers in the US from NASA and General Motors. I remember in St. Louis at the FIRST Robotics Competition being really impressed with ASIMO, which is made by Honda. But I got the feeling that if ASIMO were to get slide tackled then he wouldn’t do to well. And in a dark alley, I think I would rather have Robonaut watching my back over ASIMO.
BUA Group with Robonaut
Uh, Laurie, don't look behind you.....
He likes to shake hands and pose for the camera (R2, not me)
BIG Muscles
