Number 8 May/June 2000 … Paper Conference a Success! ... Booz Allen Civil Space ... 11% of our total membership. I want to thank all of you who

H o u s t o n S e c t i o n

Volume 24 Number 8 www.jsc.nasa.gov/aiaa May/June 2000

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Student Paper Conference a Success!

The AIAA SPC Region IV award winners are pictured above. In the front row (l to r): Victor Hugo Soria(3rd – Graduate Division), Cynthia Hollingshead (1st – Aerospace History Division), Blanca Montoya (1st –Undergraduate Division), and Angela Braun (2nd – Undergraduate Division). In the back row (l to r):Patrick Goins (1st – Aerospace History Division), David Cusimano (3rd – Undergraduate Division), DanielGeorgiev (1st – Aerospace History Division), and Pat Chavez (1st – Graduate Division). The 2nd placeGraduate Division winner is not pictured. See the article on page 4.

Dr. Merri SanchezChairman

Michael OelkeTreasurer

William LangdocCouncilor

Dr. Garland BauchChairman-Elect

William AtwellCouncilor

Dr. Karen LoftinCouncilor

Russ FillerPast Chairman

Dr. Winston GoodrichCouncilor

Joseph MayerCouncilor

Dr. Michael LisanoVice-Chairman,

Operations

William HartwellCouncilor

Phillip PuddyCouncilor

John VollmerVice-Chairman,

Technical

Neil JohnsonCouncilor

Quin ShepperdCouncilor

Jorge MolinaSecretary

Steve KingCouncilor

HorizonsMay/June 2000

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AIAA Houston Section ♦ ONL INE ♦ www.jsc.nasa.gov/aiaa

News Membership Upcoming Events Committees Leadership Horizons

Horizons is the monthly newsletter (except for the months of July and August) of the Houston Sectionof the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. It is created by members of the HoustonSection and reproduced at the Houston Offices of Lockheed Martin. Opinions expressed herein, otherthan by elected Houston Section Officers, are those of the authors and do not necessarily representthe position of AIAA or the Houston Section. Please address all correspondence to the HoustonSection Chairman, Merri Sanchez, at NASA JSC, Mail Code OC, Houston, Texas 77058. Phone (281)244-8461; Fax (281) 244-8048; e-mail [email protected].

Publications ChairJohn Keener

Assistant EditorChristine Cornejo-Lopez

Contributing AuthorsBill Best Dr. Karin LoftinDarby Cooper Prof. Gretchen MieszkowskiStuart Corns Dr. Merri SanchezDr. Larry Friesen John Vollmer

FeaturesStudent Paper Conference a Success! 4

Election Results 6

New Systems Engineering Degree Offered by UHCL 6

Dinner Meeting with Max Faget: From NACA to NASA 7

Space Exploration Studies at the UHCL 8

Lunch and Learn with Dr. Laurel Kirkland: Mars Spectroscopy 10

Report: Workshop on Automation and Robotics 2000 11

AIAA Life Sciences, Space Processes, and HumanFactors Technical Committee 12

Lunch and Learn with Dr. Carlton Allen: Cosmic Pinball 13

Professional Development Classes Offered 14

Technical Committee News 15

Houston Membership at Record Level 15

In Every IssueChairman’s Corner 3

Calendar of Events 16

Executive Council Organization 17

This will be thelast issue ofHorizons untilSeptember


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Chairman’s CornerBy Dr. Merri Sanchez, Chairman

want to take thisopportunity and thank theentire section for your

support toward AIAA this year.This is the last month in theterm of this year's council. Iknow that I speak for the entirecouncil when I say that we haveall enjoyed working for you,hearing your comments, andtrying to bring you interestingdinner meeting programs, lunchand learn programs, andsymposiums. I appreciate thetime you have taken asindividuals to respond to oursurveys, and to respond byvolunteering your time inspecial activities such as theStudent Paper Competition,science fairs, etc.

I have personally found thisyear as your Chair to beespecially rewarding. With yourhelp, and the help of the councilwe were able to achieve thethree goals that I set when Itook office. Those goals were:

To inform our membership ofthe benefits of AIAA.

We have put up display boardsin 10 new buildings in the areato announce AIAA events,increased our publicity effortsfor events, increased our e-maildistribution, and have made anelectronic version of thenewsletter available. And wehave all benefited from theefforts of our web-master,Glenn Jenkinson, whocontinually amazes me withimprovements and additions tothe website. We have alsotried to bring the rewards ofmembership to the members.This year Norman Chaffee andWilliam Best were selected forthe National "Sustained Service

Award", Chester Vaughn wasselected as the Section andRegion IV "Engineer of theYear", and we supported thenomination of over 20 membersfor Associate Fellow, fourmembers for Fellow, and fourmembers for other nationalAIAA awards.

To inspire our studentmembers.

With the help of Nicole SmithMullins we nearly have all ofthe paper work completed tocharter a Student Branch at UHand we are working towardsestablishing a Student Branchat Rice. We had over 60students attend the first UHstudent branch meeting! TheTexas A&M Student Branchcontinues to thrive with over150 student members. Inaddition we have averagedover 5 student members ateach of our dinner meetings,with the Texas A&M StudentBranch making two specialgroup trips to attend. With thehelp of Joy Conrad we'veconducted two "Physics Is Fun"events averaging 60 studentsper event. Joy has also spearheaded our involvement in theMars Design contest and injudging local science fairs. AndDarby Cooper and hiscommittee deserve gold medalsfor the excellent job they did inconducting the Region IVStudent Paper Competition.

To increase our membershipto above 800 members, andto increase memberparticipation in sectionevents.

We achieved the over 800 goalseveral months ago, which is

the first time in several yearswe have had this manymembers. To increaseparticipation we decided weneeded to find out what youwanted. So we sent outsurveys on activities andspeakers, and brought themembership three AIAADistinguished lecturers as wellas five other very interestingspeakers. Our dinner meetingattendance has increased by50% and we have averagedclose to 90 members per dinnermeeting. Our TechnicalCommittee chairs have alsobrought a variety of Lunch andLearns, with almost two permonth being held. We also hadover 30 papers presented atour Annual TechnicalSymposium, and supported theWorkshop on Automation andRobotics.

I have enjoyed the past yearand look forward to continuingto serve the section in variouscapacities in the future. Thankyou for the opportunity. Andthank you to the council foryour friendship, your support,your advice, and yourinvolvement. You are the bestteam!

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Student Paper Conference a Success!By Darby Cooper, Student Paper Conference Committee Chair

Student Paper Conference attendees on tour in Building 9 at JSC.

he Houston Section, along with the TexasA&M University student branch, hosted theRegion IV Student Paper Conference April

6-7, 2000. 52 students and faculty advisorsattended the two-day event held at the Universityof Houston Clear Lake and the Ramada Inn /NASA.

The students represented Texas A&M University,University of Texas – Austin, University of Texas –Arlington, Louisiana State University, OklahomaState University, University of New Mexico, Rice

University, and the University of Houston.Eighteen student papers were presented andscored by local judges in three divisions –undergraduate, graduate, and aerospace history.The judges selected the top papers in eachcategory for special recognition and cash awards.

In addition to the student presentations, theconference was held concurrently with the AnnualTechnical Symposium. This allowed the studentsto interact with professional members andobserve papers presented on the latest

Dr. Michael Gernhardt, a NASA Astronaut, talksabout Extravehicular Activity (EVA).

Bill Bastedo, Booz Allen Civil SpaceSystems, overviews the first US ISSAssembly mission.

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developments in the aerospace industry. Theconference also featured several key speakersincluding Dr. Michael Gernhardt, NASAAstronaut, speaking about EVA, Mr. Bill Bastedo,Booz Allen Civil Space Systems, providing onoverview of the first US mission to theInternational Space Station, and Mr. BrewsterShaw, Boeing, providing an excellent overview ofwhat the future holds in human spaceexploration. The conference culminated in anexclusive behind-the-scenes tour of NASA/JSCthat was a big hit with the students.

While sponsored by AIAA, the event was madepossible by the generous support of aerospacecompanies throughout the region including TheBoeing Company, Houston, TX, Lockheed MartinMissiles and Fire Control, Dallas, TX, LockheedMartin Tactical Aircraft Systems, Ft. Worth, TX,Bell Helicopter Textron, Dallas, TX, ProfessionalAerospace Contractors Association (PACA) ofNew Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, HoneywellInternational, Inc., Houston, TX, OceaneeringSpace Systems, Houston, TX, NASA AlumniLeague, Houston, TX, National Aeronautics andSpace Administration - Johnson Space Center -Office of External Relations, University ofHouston Clear Lake.

Graduate Division

1st Place Design of an OpticalDiagnostic for Turbulent ShearFlowPat ChavezUniversity of New Mexico

2nd Place Receptivity Prediction UsingAdjoint MethodsAlexander Dobrinsky and S.Scott CollisRice University

3rd Place Prediction of Flow Controlusing a DynamicallyDeforming AirfoilVictor Hugo SoriaUniversity of New Mexico

Undergraduate Division

1st Place Thermal ConductivityMeasurements of MetalHydride and Porous GraphiteCompactsBlanca MontoyaUniversity of New Mexico

2nd Place Drop Zone AerodynamicsChristopher Miller and AngelaBraunUniversity of Texas - Austin

3rd Place Modeling of Flows OverAirfoils at High ReynoldsNumbersDavid CusimanoLouisiana State University

Aerospace History Division

1st Place (tie) NASP: The Paper AirplaneCynthia Hollingshead andPatrick GoinsUniversity of Texas atArlington

Development of a PhotonPowered SailDaniel GeorgievUniversity of New Mexico

Brewster Shaw, Boeing, discusses the future ofhuman spaceflight.


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Election ResultsBy Merri Sanchez, Chairman

'd like to congratulate thefollowing people for beingelected to next year's

council. Officers serve a oneyear term, councilors serve atwo year term. Councilors arelimited to two consecutiveterms so I've indicated whetherthis is the first or second termfor each person.

We had the highest voterturnout in several years with 87members voting. This is about11% of our total membership. Iwant to thank all of you whotook the time to vote.

We had 9 folks running forcouncilor and could only elect5. All of the candidates should

feel proud to have volunteeredtheir service. I hope that thosewho were not elected willvolunteer to serve AIAA in othercapacities.

I'd also like to pass my thanks

on to the NominatingCommittee and the Teller'sCommittee for their work in theelection process in finding thecandidates, preparing theballots, and tabulating theresults.

New Systems Engineering Degree Offeredby UH – Clear LakeBy Stuart Corns, Systems Engineering Technical Committee Chair

HCL is offering a new SystemsEngineering degree with guidance fromNASA and the local aerospace community.

Information is available through our AIAA Websitewww.jsc.nasa.gov/aiaa.

Systems Engineering

The new systems engineering degree wasdesigned with inputs and guidance from localaerospace and petrochemical communities tomeet needs recognized by area high techorganizations, NASA headquarters, and nationaland international professional societies andinstitutions. This master's level program willprovide a timely and innovative response to meetthe need for an integrated program of instructionon research and service. Emphasis will be onconcurrent and multi-disciplinary engineering,including analysis and design issues of riskmanagement, trade-off and economic studies.

Software Engineering

This program focuses on the software engineeringof mission and safety critical computing systems.The success of this program is a major factor thatled to the recognition of software engineering as adiscipline for licensed professional engineers inTexas.

Computer Engineering

The UHCL program in computer engineeringcomplements the new systems engineeringprogram and the existing software engineeringprogram by focusing on the hardware andcommunication issues of modern computingcontrol and communications systems. Currentspecialization includes computer control systems,automation and robotics, fault tolerant computing,telecommunications and networking.

U

Vice-Chair Operations: Jorge Molina, Boeing

Vice-Chair Technical: Glenn Jenkinson, Boeing

Treasurer: Michael Oelke, Oceaneering

Secretary: William Proft, Lockheed Martin

Councilors: William Atwell (term #2), Boeing

Winston Goodrich (term #2), NASA

Monica Visinsky (term #1), Oceaneering

William Langdoc (term #2), NASA

John Vollmer (term #1), Boeing

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Dinner Meeting with Max FagetFrom NACA to NASABy Bill Best

he Houston section hada real treat on May 25thwhen Max Faget gave

an interesting talk on the earlydays of NASA. The short reportbelow is my recollection of hisaddress and any errors aremine and certainly cannot beattributed to Max. He focusedon Langley at the time of thecreation of NASA and thedevelopment of the Mercurycapsule.

In 1917 Congress created aone-man agency, the NationalAdvisory Committee on Aero-nautics (NACA) because theybelieved that the Europeannations as a result of the WW Iexperience were getting aheadof the United States in the newfield of aviation. Almost 40years later the federal govern-ment created NASA as a resultof another world power puttinga satellite in orbit after WW II.

In 1922, NACA had beenchanged to the LangleyLaboratories. And most of itshistory the primary customersof Langley was the military whowere very interested inaeronautical research. But in1958, then PresidentEisenhower wanted a civilianagency to respond to the Sovietchallenge rather than permit themilitary to do so. Hence theNational Aeronautic and SpaceAdministration was born inOctober of 1958, a year afterSputnik.

Langley at that time wasdescribed by Max as a "bottomup" organization. He meant thatthe workers at the bottom came

up with new ideas and projectsand management would findthe resources so that theproject could proceed. Theusual present day managementarrangement is more of a "topdown" structure.

Since Sputnik the people atLangley had been thinkingabout how to build a capsule totake a man to space. HarveyAllen at Ames argued that thebest shape for ballistic missilewarheads was a high drag bluntnose rather than a low dragpointed cone. Max went toAmes and Harvey convincedhim in a few minutes. A bluntshape reduces the heat loadsfor reentry by spreading theheat load over a longer periodof time and reduces the peaktemperatures. The blunt shapealso results in a higher altitudefor any given velocity. Windtunnel tests confirmed that thebest 'bluntness' (ratio ofdiameter of vehicle to radius ofnose) was about 0.5. Byserendipity it turns out that theheat load is evenly distributedover a blunt nose so that theablation material can be spreadevenly over the nosesimplifying the manufacturingprocess. Another feature of thedesign was that on ascent thecrewman was in a supineposition for the +G (6/7) loads,and was also in a supineposition for the reentry and thenegative Gs.

Langley had a wind tunnelcalled a "spin tunnel" since thehot research item at the timewas understanding andpreventing aircraft spins. The

capsule design was believed tobe dynamically unstable butstatically stable (like a fallingleaf), which tests confirmed. Toreduce the instabilities, a rearend was added to the capsuleand to provide additionalcapability, control jets were alsoadded. By early 1958 the basicdesign was complete and aboilerplate was built as usualcompletely in house.

When it was determined that anAtlas missile (which had nothad a successful flight) wouldbe required for flight test, Maxmade a call to Convair to findout when a missile would beready for use. He was given anAugust date so that became theflight test date. The flight testoccurred in September andactually the Atlas failed to putthe capsule in orbit butachieved enough velocity toprove the reentry design wasgood. In early 1960 McDonnellwas put under contract and in1962 John Glenn made the firstU.S. orbital flight.

The design and test was donein a remarkably short time. Maxattributes that to good peopleand the fact the bottom uporganizational structurepermitted failure: people wereabsolutely ready to try thingsthat didn’t work. As he says,"you learn a lot more fromthings that don’t work than fromthings that do". I am very gladthat I did not miss this particularevening and was present whenMax was presented with thenew Houston section coffeemug as a souvenir of theevening.

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Space and Exploration Studies atUH – Clear LakeBy Prof. Gretchen Mieszkowski, Director ofHumanities at UHCL

s an AIAA member, you know you’re part ofexploration history. Think how muchsatisfaction it would give you to know the

history you’re a part of.

Fall 2000, the University of Houston-Clear Lake islaunching a concentration in Space and ExplorationStudies as part of its M.A. in Humanities degree.Courses emphasize the historical, philosophical,and global meaning of the space pioneers’achievement. Application requirement for thisprogram is a bachelor’s degree in any field from anaccredited institution. Classes are scheduledprimarily in the evening to meet the needs of adultstudents, and all classes will be given at theUniversity of Houston–Clear Lake campus.

Through study of the history, politics, and literatureof exploration, this concentration’s coursesexamine the relationship of space exploration toexploration throughout the ages. Concentrationcourses also investigate humanity’s future in spaceand stress the intercultural understanding neededfor international cooperation in space exploration.Courses in cultural diversity and writing for today’sworkplace are also available in this degree. As afinal project, you may choose to write an oralhistory of a space traveler’s experiences or ahistorical study of an as yet unchronicled NASAproject.

The first course in this concentration, “The Historyof Exploration” from pre-history to the 21st century,will be offered Monday evenings in the fall of 2000.Taught by University of Houston-Clear LakeProfessor Keith Parsons, it will include topics suchas Lewis and Clark; the discovery of the Americas;and the peopling of the earth: the Arctic toPatagonia to Australia. Course books will includeBoorstin’s The Discoverers, Ambrose’s UndauntedCourage, and McCurdy’s Space and the AmericanImagination.

Evening courses in Writing for the Workplace andCultural Diversity will also be available fall 2000and can be included in the M.A. degree.

MASTER OF ARTS INHUMANITIESSpace and Exploration StudiesConcentrationFull Member: Association of Graduate Liberal StudiesPrograms

“That’s one small step for man—one giant leap for mankind.”

Neil A. Armstrong, on the moon - 1969

Does exploration send your imagination soaring?Space exploration, of course, but also the voyagesof Odysseus, Marco Polo, Columbus, Lewis andClark, Darwin, Cook, and Amundsen? Would youlike to study exploration broadly conceived, withemphasis on technology, politics, internationalinteraction, and the re-visioning of exploration asliterary symbol and cultural myth? An M.A. inHumanities with a concentration in Space andExploration Studies allows you to earn an advanceddegree as you analyze space and exploration froma multi-disciplinary perspective.

This concentration welcomes all Humanitiesgraduate students interested in exploration andspace. It is designed in particular for the teams ofspace pioneers who are making exploration historywith NASA and NASA’s contractors. The aim of thisconcentration is to give you the depth and breadthof understanding to integrate your role intohumankind’s age-old enterprise of exploration anddiscovery.

The University of Houston-Clear Lake's M.A. inHumanities is a broad, interdisciplinary degreedesigned to help you unlock your creativity, developyour capacity for reflection and judgment, gainvisual literacy, improve your writing skills, andacquire self-knowledge and cross-culturalunderstanding. It will enrich both your personal andprofessional life. You will elect 12 hours of Spaceand Exploration Studies courses within Track I ofthis degree. The rest of your electives can be anyhumanities courses you choose, but you may wantthem to support your Space and Exploration Studiesconcentration directly.

To be admitted to this degree program, you musthold a bachelor's degree from an accredited collegeor university. Participants come from a variety ofoccupations: engineering, business, law, teaching,homemaking, medicine, banking, nursing,retirement, and many others. Classes arescheduled primarily in the evening to meet theneeds of adult students.

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Requirements

Track I: Texts – Space and ExplorationStudies Concentration (12 hrs.)Choose 4 of the following courses:• Humn 5231: History of Exploration (from the

voyages of Odysseus, Columbus, and Darwinto the beginning of the space age)

• Hist 5135: American Frontiers: Exploration,Politics, and Technology (technology and thefrontier; Lewis and Clark; the prairie statepioneers; space exploration)

• Litr 5738: Literature of Exploration (historicalnovels, memoirs, speculative fiction; terrestrialand space exploration; from Robinson Crusoeto Red Mars)

• Humn 5232: Our Future in Space (currenttrends, potential events, emerging issues;emphasis on space policy)

• Hist 5531: International Politics andTechnology – may be repeated for credit(planned emphasis: space policy and Russia,China, and Japan)

Electives: Humanities courses (3 or 9 hrs.depending on Master’s Option)• 30 hr. degree: one elective may be a Human

Sciences course.• 36 hr. degree: up to three electives may be

Human Sciences courses.

Electives of Special Interest (**indicates HumanSciences course):• Hist 5138: Local History Seminar

(recommended for master’s option projects inoral history)

• Humn 5131: Writing for Today’s Workplace I• Humn 5132: Writing for Today’s Workplace

II (from instructions to e-mail to the formalreport; the writing and presenting ofprofessional documents)

• Anth 5535: Cultures of Asia**• Crcl 5031: Cultural Diversity**• Futr 5334: World Futures**• Psyc 5338: Cross-cultural

Communications**• Psyc 5439: International Training**• Soci 5238: Negotiating Across Cultures**

The Core - (9 hrs.)The core of the M.A. in Humanities is a requiredsequence of three "Texts and Images" courses,which integrate the study of great works ofliterature and art. "Texts and Images I” begins

with ancient epics such as the Gilgamesh andHomeric epics, matches them withMesopotamian art and classical Greeksculpture, and concludes with medieval andRenaissance writers and artists such asDante, Michelangelo, Christine de Pizan, andArtemesia Gentileschi. "Texts and Images II"concerns western culture from the 18ththrough the 20th century: writers and artistsfrom Rousseau and Goya to Toni Morrisonand Georgia O'Keeffe. "Texts and Images III,"designed to increase awareness of culturaldiversity, breaks away from traditionalconcentration on western civilization to studytouchstones of literature and art from Asia,Africa, and Native America. These coursesprovide rich background for Space andExploration studies.

Master's Options:• Thesis - 6 hrs. (30 hrs. total)• Project - 6 hrs plus 6 hrs. electives from

HSH courses (36 hrs. total)• Internship - 6 hrs. plus 6 hrs. electives from

HSH courses (36 hrs. total)

The thesis, project, or internship serves as theculminating experience for each student'sdegree program. Students should choose amaster's option with an interdisciplinary Spaceand Exploration focus. The thesis isordinarily a substantial, documented researchpaper in a traditional subject area, or acreative work of poetry or fiction. A Spaceand Exploration Studies thesis might well be ahistory of a little-known NASA project, or abrief science-fiction novel. Projects takemany forms: an oral history, for instance, thatwould preserve the memories of a spacevoyager, or lesson plans for a space andexploration unit for middle or high schoolstudents. Internships may be arranged bystudents to translate their interest in thehumanities and Space and ExplorationStudies into preparation for employment.

For more information contact:Professor Gretchen Mieszkowski, Director ofHumanities at (281) 283-3312 [email protected] or Ms. Ann Hinojosa,Advising Coordinator at (281) 283-33332700 Bay Area Blvd., Houston, TX 77058


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Lunch and Learn with Dr. Laurel KirklandMars SpectroscopyBy Larry J. Friesen, Space Science and Astronomy Technical Committee Chair

n May 30, 2000, theSpace Science andAstronomy Technical

Committee held a Lunch andLearn from noon to 1:00 PM inthe Hess Room at the Centerfor Advanced Space Studies(CASS). Dr. Laurel Kirkland, aplanetary scientist at the Lunarand Planetary Institute (LPI),spoke about spectroscopicobservations of the planetMars, primarily in the infrared(IR) region of the spectrum, andwhat has been learned fromsuch observations.

Dr. Kirkland first explained thatthere are two major infraredwavelength regions of interestfor planetary observations,reflected IR and thermal IR,and that these give us differenttypes of information. ReflectedIR starts at the red end of thevisible spectrum. The spectralbands in reflected IR aregenerated primarily byelectrons changing to states ofhigher or lower energy withinan atom or molecule, much asthey are in the visiblewavelength region. This regiongives us primarily informationabout iron mineralogy.

Thermal IR is at longerwavelengths than reflected IR,and arises primarily frommolecular vibrations. What welearn most about in thermal IRare particle size, surfaceroughness, and silicatemineralogy. Thus we see thatthe two wavelength regionsgive us complementaryinformation.

Dr. Kirkland then took usthrough a brief history ofinfrared spectroscopicinstruments that have beenflown on various spacecraftwhich have visited Mars.Infrared instruments have beenflown on Mariners 6 and 7,Mariner 9, the Russian Phobos2 probe, and the Mars GlobalSurveyor. These instrumentshave covered differentwavelength regions. Somecovered both reflected andthermal IR, some looked only atthe reflected region, and somelooked only at thermal IR. Theinstruments have also haddifferent spectral resolutions(meaning how many spectralslices they showed perwavelength interval, looking atan individual pixel) and differentspatial resolutions (meaninghow many pixels they resolveper unit area on the surface ofMars). The instruments withthe best spectral resolutionhave NOT been the ones withthe best spatial resolution. It ishard to get both at once withinthe weight and complexityconstraints of a givenspacecraft.

It is also important to be awarethat in the thermal IR, there is amajor transmission featurecaused by dust aerosols inMars's atmosphere whichmakes it difficult to distinguishwhat is actually on the surface.

Finally, Dr. Kirklandsummarized a few of the thingswe have learned about Marsfrom IR spectroscopy. By the

1960's, mostly from ground-based telescopes, we learnedthat Mars's surface has ironoxides, chemically boundwater, and might have a type ofmineral called pyroxene. Theinformation about iron oxidesand pyroxene was supportedby the 1989 Phobos 2 probe.In 1969, we learned from theinstruments on Mariner 6 and 7that the aerosol in the Martianatmosphere included silicates,that there was a haze in theatmosphere which wasprobably frozen carbon dioxideand ice, and confirmed that thesouth polar cap has frozencarbon dioxide. In 1971, theinstrument on board Mariner 9gave us more information aboutthe aerosol composition andshowed us that Mars has waterice clouds. However, thespectral resolution of theaerosols was not very precise,so many ideas have been putforward for materials thatCOULD be consistent with thespectra, and there has been agreat deal of debate about thesubject.

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Report: Workshop on Automation andRobotics 2000By Bill Best

he Automation andRobotics TechnicalCommittee of the

Houston section sponsored aWorkshop on Automation andRobotics (WAR 2000) at theGilruth Center on the morningof May 24th. The event was co-sponsored by the InstrumentSociety of America (ISA) andthe Robotics and ExpertSystems Division of JSC. WAR2000 was followed by aluncheon keynote address forInnovations 2000, a seminarsponsored by the Clear LakeCouncil of Technical Societies.Dr. Gary Funk, consultant,served as general chairman forthe workshop.

WAR 2000 included threepresentations followed by apanel discussion. The panelwas composed of the threespeakers plus, Cliff Farmer,moderator from the Automation,Robotics and Simulationdivision, JSC. The firstpresentation by Dr. Steven E.Fredrickson (ER2) describedthe Autonomous ExtravehicularRobotic Camera (AERCam).One form of the device flew onSTS-87 and provided somespectacular pictures andproved the concept. Animproved version (10 lbs and 7inch diameter) should be readyfor flight test in 2001. DennisLawler (ER2) gave the secondpresentation, "RobotProgramming via HumanDemonstration", describingsome of the difficulties in writingprograms for even simple tasksfor a robot to perform. The third

presentation on "Robonaut"was given by Dr. RobertAmbrose (ER4/Metrica Corp.).Robonaut is a robot whichfollows the motions of aninstrumented human. Robonautconsists of a four fingeredflexible hand, an opposedthumb, a wrist, elbow, shoulder,neck and torso and a head withbinocular vision. Robonaut hasastonishing dexterity, thatenables it to pick up tools andmanipulate them with thethumb and fingers. A versionbuilt to solve a particularproblem could be ready to fly intwo years since Robonaut hasmodular construction. Thepanel discussion focused onsuch topics as the present stateof the art in robotics, limitingfactors, problems with roboticprograms etc. One limitingfactor in the field, other thanproject funding, is the shortageof qualified people in the field.Another item of interest is thatcurrently we separate the robotand the human (for safety). Tomake better use of robots wemust learn to integrate theabilities of both.

Innovations 2000, GeneralChair Jane Malin, Ph.D, was aseries of papers on a widevariety of topics. A few arelisted:

• Interactive TechnicalManuals

• A Microwave HeartCatheter for Treatment ofVentricular Tachycardia

• An Introduction To PatentLaw

• The Triage Process forAnalyzing Risk

The workshop and seminarwere connected by a luncheonpresentation by Gerald R.White, CEO GRTW, Inc., whohas 27 years in the field ofautomation and processcontrol. He described how theanalysis process works byusing the example of achemical plant. He showed howthe seven (usual) layers ofdisassociation can describe allthe processes and interfacesinvolved. The information isnecessary to understand thedifferent levels of the processesinvolved before improvementcan be implemented. Theprocess can be applied to DODprojects as well. As an examplethe 13,000 feet of binder shelfspace describing the B1bomber was reduced to 5 feet!

A very useful day and for only$12 (speakers ate free) and alunch! Wait until next year!

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AIAA Life Sciences, Space Processes, andHuman Factors Technical CommitteeBy Dr. Karin C. Loftin, Ph.D., Life Sciences, Space Processes and Human FactorsTechnical Committee Chair

he AIAA Life Sciences,Space Processes andHuman Factors

Technical Committee sponsored3 sessions on space extra-vehicular activities (EVA) at the2000 AIAA Annual TechnicalSymposium. On the afternoonof Thursday, April 6, Mr. WilliamAtwell (Boeing) chaired thesession, Medical Issues in EVA,and I chaired the later sessionon EVA Applications for ISS.On Friday morning, April 7, Dr.Frances Mount (NASA) chairedthe session on EVATechnologies Outlook. Allsession had between 10 and 20attendees, stimulating thoughtfuldiscussions on these critical andtimely topics.

One of the highlights was theluncheon seminar by AstronautMichael Gernhardt (NASA) on‘The Biomedical andOperational Aspects ofPerforming the First SpaceWalks’ from the InternationalSpace Station. Dr. Gernhardtpresented the development of anew prebreathe protocol that willshorten the duration of oxygenprebreathe prior to six-hourspace walks. As an interestingfollow-up, Ms Lisa Holmesly(Barrios Technologies) outlinedthe schedule for the two-hourprebreathe during ISSoperations later in an afternoonsession.

The medical issues in EVA werereviewed by Dr. Johnny Conkin(NSBRI), myself (Wyle LifeSciences), and Dr. MichaelPowell (NASA). Dr. Conkinreviewed the impact on EVA

operations of classifying skinmottling as Type II (Severe)decompression sickness (DCS)as it is currently or Type I (minorbends or joint pain). Herecommended a reevaluation ofthe current classificationscheme based on a criticalreview of historical cases and ofcurrent practices in diving andflying operations around theworld.

My discussion of the metaboliccost of EVA reminded us thatexercise is an added risk forDCS, and an evaluation of theexpenditure of metabolic energyin past missions allows us toplan for the future. Dr. Powellfinished the session with adiscussion of a bubble-detectingtool, the precordial DopplerUltrasound Gas BubbleDetector. The amount ofbubbles circulating in the bloodhas been correlated withincreased risk of DCS in bothanimal and humandecompression studies.

A special feature, especially forthe students attending thesession, was the demonstrationof the EVA suit and liquidcooling garment. RetiredAstronaut Don Peterson hadarranged for this demonstration.He presented a talk entitled, ‘AnAstronaut’s View of Extra-Vehicular Activity.’ Dr. SuzanneSchneider (NASA) then gave usan overview of the ISS exerciseprotocols and hardwaredevelopment. Exercise will bean important factor in keepingmuscles conditioned for EVA.

Dr. Bowen Loftin (University ofHouston) closed the Thursdayafternoon session by focusingon the application of virtualreality technology in training andplanning for EVA operations aswell as for simulation-basedspace suit design. Studies areunderway to increase the haptic(touch) capabilities of virtualenvironments and to understandbetter how to simulate theactions of specific musclegroups critical in EVAoperations and suit fit.

On Friday morning, Dr. FrancesMead (NASA) opened the EVATechnologies Outlook session.Mr. Gerald E. Miller (USA)presented a very informativediscussion of EVA Operations.As Lead of the RussianOperations until last year, hehas been involved inorchestrating the Shuttle-MirEVA and all aspects of planningISS EVA. Cost-effective newtechnologies will have to bedeveloped to meet the specialrequirements for EVA, e.g. EVAtraining at the Neutral BuoyancyLaboratory is very costly andvirtual reality may become theprimary tool in training for futureEVA.

Dr. John Stanford (NASA) of theEVA Project Office then directedour thoughts to future planetaryexplorations of Mars beginningin the year of 2007. The EVAhuman factors that have to beconsidered are very differentfrom Shuttle and ISS EVA.

…See Life Sciences Committeeon Page 14

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Lunch and Learn with Dr. Carlton AllenCosmic PinballBy Dr. Larry J. Friesen, Space Science and Astronomy Technical Committee Chair

n Wednesday April 19,2000, the AIAA SpaceScience and Astronomy

Technical Committee held a"Lunch and Learn" as a jointevent with the JSC AstronomyBrown Bag Seminar, chaired byDr. Al Jackson. Dr. CarltonAllen spoke on "CosmicPinball", the title of a bookwritten Dr. Allen and Dr.Carolyn Sumners of the BurkeBaker Planetarium. The Lunchand Learn and the book dealtwith comets, meteors,asteroids, and their possibleimpact hazard for Earth.

Dr. Allen first mentioned aneducational package onmeteors and related topicsdeveloped by JSC scientistscalled "Exploring MeteoriteMysteries", meant forelementary and high schoolteachers.

Dr. Allen then discussedcomets and asteroids assources of meteors andmeteorites. Comets are smallbodies of ice and dust in theouter solar system that didn'tget swept up when the planetswere forming, many of them inthe Oort cloud, which extendsout to a significant fraction ofthe distance to the nearest star.Occasionally a comet in theouter solar system gets nudgedinto a highly eccentric orbit thattakes it into the inner solarsystem. When it gets nearenough to the sun, some of itsice evaporates; it sheds someof its dust, and forms the comaand tail, which makes thesometimes-spectacular displaywe see from Earth. The dust

shed forms streams that makemeteor showers. Meteors in ashower are typically pinheadsize or smaller and burn uphigh in the atmosphere.

Most meteorites that reach theground are broken-off chunksnot of comets, but of anotherform of "leftover" from theformation of the solar system:asteroids. However, about onein a thousand meteoritescomes from the Moon andanother one in a thousandcomes from Mars. Mostasteroids are in the "main belt"between the orbits of Mars andJupiter, a region of the earlysolar system where thegravitational tugs of massiveJupiter kept things too stirredup for a planet to form. Everyso often, collisions betweenmain belt asteroids put debrisfragments into orbits that crossthe orbits of one or more of theinner planets. Most fragmentsin that sort of orbit are going tocollide with one of the planetsor get tossed out of the solarsystem altogether.

Meteorites give us samples oftwo kinds of asteroids: thoselarge enough and hot enoughearly in their history to becomedifferentiated, and those thatwere not. From differentiatedasteroids we have samples ofthe iron-nickel cores, thesilicate mantles and crusts, andstony-iron meteorites, whichare samples from the interfaceregion between the metalliccores and the rocky outerportions.

Large enough meteors,asteroids, or comets can causelocal, regional, or global havocif they collide with Earth,depending on the size of theimpacting body. Earth bearsthe scars of numerous pastencounters - one of which, 65million years ago, wiped out thedinosaurs and many otherkinds of living organisms.Some noteworthy collisionshave happened in historic timesas well, such as the 1908Tunguska explosion in Siberia,fortunately not in a heavilypopulated area. We were ableto see fragments of cometShoemaker-Levy 9 makingmultiple impacts...fortunatelyinto Jupiter's atmosphereinstead of onto Earth's surface.On a large time scale, suchimpacts are virtually certain tohappen again.

What are we citizens of Earthdoing about this hazard?Surveys are under way to lookfor potentially Earth-threateningasteroids; however, funding isnot consistent. Researchersare also seeking to developmethods for spottingthreatening comets far out inthe solar system - about thedistance of Jupiter. It should benoted that surveys with currenttechniques can find kilometer-sized asteroids, but notbuilding-size rocks of the sizethat made meteor crater,Arizona, and which wouldcause severe local damage if,for instance, one struck a city.

Thanks to Dr. Allen for hispresentation and to everyonewho attended.

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Professional Development Classes OfferedBy Merri Sanchez, Chairman

IAA has several coursesbeing offered thissummer for professional

development. For moreinformation or to register youcan contact the AIAA CustomerService at 800-639-2422, orwww.aiaa.org. The upcomingcourses are listed at the right.

Life SciencesCommitteeContinued from Page 12

Studies to develop human androbotic interfaces for planetarywork and designing atransportation vehicle with aquick EMU interface for transferare in the plans.

The final presentation by Dr.Powell returned us to themedical topic of the DCS riskduring EVA. DCS risk is alsoincreased dramatically if air-breaks occur during pureoxygen prebreathe. Thepurpose of prebreathe is toremove nitrogen from thetissues while air-breaks wouldintroduce more nitrogen into thetissue. The question occurred,how much nitrogen. Dr. Powellestimated the amount ofnitrogen that would bereabsorbed by the tissuesdepending on the length ofoxygen prebreathe, length of theair-break, and tissue nitrogensaturation.

AIAA Life Sciences, SpaceProcesses, and Human FactorsTechnical Committee would like

to thank all the speakers fortheir participation in heighteningour awareness of EVA issues,both medical and operations,and all of you who attended. Itwas a wonderful opportunity for

students and professionals inEVA operations, engineering,and science to interact. Watchfor announcements about futureLunch ‘n’ Learn topics to furtherstimulates your thoughts.

ALiquid Rocket Propulsion -Evolution andAdvancements IIJuly 20-21Huntsville, AL

Future Flight Propulsion:Advanced Concepts inRocket Propulsion, NuclearSystems, AdvancedPhysics, adn High-EnergyDensity PropellantsJuly 20-2Huntsville, AL

Solid Rocket Propulsion:Status and EvolutionJuly 20-21Huntsville, AL

Development andAcquistion of AdvancedCombat AircraftJuly 31-August 2Arlington, VA

Fundamentals of Tacticialand Strategic MissileGuidanceJuly 31-August 2Arlington, VA

Advanced Tactical andStrategic Missile GuidanceAugust 3-4Arlington, VA

Fundamentals of LaunchVehicle and MissileAerodynamicsAugust 12-13Denver, CO

Tactical Missile DesignAugust 12-13Denver, CO

Bootstrap Approach toPropeller AircraftPerformanceAugust 12-13Denver, CO

Integrated Navigation andGuidance SystemsAugust 12-13Denver, CO

Frequency-DomainModeling and TestingThroughout the FlightVehicle DevelopmentAugust 13Denver, CO

Optimal Design inMultidisciplinary SystemsSeptember 9-10Long Beach, CA

Aircraft Conceptual DesignSeptember 11-15Arlington, VA

Vulnerability of BallisticMissiles to Direct HitWarhead TechnologySeptember 11-12Arlington, VA

Courses Offered This Summer


♦15♦

Technical Committee NewsBy John Vollmer, Vice Chair – Technical

e are currently in the process ofidentifying Technical Committee Chairsfor next years activities. The following

have accepted to continue as Committee Chairsfor next year: Karin Loftin, Life Sciences TechnicalCommittee, Larry Jay Friesen, Space Science andAstronomy Technical Committee, Kamlesh Lulla,In-Space Imaging and Crew Observations TechCommittee.

Safety & Mission Assurance - JamesBurrescia Committee Chair

We would like to welcome James Burrescia as thenew Safety & Mission Assurance Technical Chair.James is the Director of S&MA for United SpaceAlliance (USA) Texas Region.

Space Science & Astronomy - LarryFriesen Committee Chair

A Lunch and Learn event was held as a jointevent with the JSC Astronomy Brown BagSeminar April 19 in building 31 at JSC. Dr.Carlton Allen spoke on "Cosmic Pinball", a bookwritten by Dr. Allen and Dr. Carolyn Sumners ofBurke Baker Planetarium. The event was wellattended. Thanks to Dr. Albert Jackson forhelping to organize this event.

A second Lunch and Learn was held May 30 atthe Center for Advanced Space Studies (CASS)with speaker Dr. Laurel Kirkland, a planetaryscientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI).

In Space Imaging and Crew Observations- Dr. Kam Lulla Committee Chair

Dr. Kamiesh Lulla was Dinner Speaker for AIAAhouston Section meeting in January and gave apresentation on "35 Years of Earth Observationsfrom Space".

Automation and Robotics - Dr. ZafarTaqvi Committee Chair

Organized INNOVATIONS 2000 and Workshopon Automation and Robotics (WAR 2000). GilruthCenter JSC, May 24th. The WAR was held in themorning and Gerald R. White, C.E.O., GRTW Inc.,Past President ICS is the keynote luncheonspeaker. INNOVATIONS was held the second halfof the day. This workshop was co-sponsored bythe Instrument Society of America, Robotics andExpert Systems Division. AIAA has severalexcellent papers supporting this workshop.

Houston Membership at Record LevelBy Darby Cooper, Membership Chair

he Houston SectionMembership has reached afour year high! We now

haveover 800 members for the firsttime since 1996! Please keep youmembership current and continue toencourage your colleagues to join theleading aerospace professionalsociety.

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♦16♦

Calendar of EventsJune 2000TBD Lunch and Learn

TBD Telecon with Australian Section

6/1 Executive Council Meeting

6/2 Clear Lake City Technical SocietiesAnnual Awards Banquet, Gilruth Center

6/7 Newsletter Inputs Due

6/15 Fellow and Honorary Fellow nominationsdue to National

6/22 Honor and Awards Banquet

6/30 Annual Report due to Regional andNational

6/30 Award Forms due to Regional andNational for Membership, Public Policy,Communication, Young Professionals,Career Enhancement, Newsletter

6/30 Budget and Audit Report due toRegional and National

6/30 Mailing Label Request Form due toRegional and National

July 20007/1 Award nominations due to National for:

Aerospace Contribution, J. LelandAtwood, Haley Space Flight Award,Losey Atmospheric Sciences, LawrenceSperry, National Faculty Advisor,Pendray Aerospace Literature, SpaceProcessing, Space Science, MissileSystems, Systems Effectiveness &Safety, Speas Airport Award, AerospaceCommunications

7/15 Fellow and Honorary Fellow Referencesdue to National

7/21-22 RAC meeting and Regional LeadershipConference, Las Vegas, Nevada

1999-2000 Houston Section Executive Council

GNCDouglas Yazell

281-244-3925

Comm & TrackingDr. Zafar Taqvi

281- 244-4436, Dynacs

Systems EngineeringStuart Corns

281-336-4291, Boeing

SR&QAJim Burrescia

281-282-2601, USA

LifeSci & SpaceProcDr. Karen Loftin

281-244-1122, Wyle Lab

EVARobert Yowell

281-483-4074, NASA

Past-ChairmanRuss Filler

281-483-6904, USA

PublicationsJohn Keener

281-333-7086, Lockheed

PublicitySteve King

281-333-6646, Lockheed

AstrodynamicsDr. Albert Jackson

281-483-5037, Lockheed

Automation & RoboticsDr. Zafar Taqvi

281-244-4436, Dynacs

HistoryEdward Jablonski

281-336-4294, Dynacs

Intr Space ActDr. Zafar Taqvi

281-244-4436, Dynacs

In-Space ImagingDr. Kamlesh Lulla

281-483-5159, NASA

Space Sc & AstronomyDr. Larry Friesen

281-334-5268

Councilors

William Atwell 281-853-1636, BoeingDr. Winston Goodrich 281-244-0122, NASAWilliam Hartwell 281-244-8665, BoeingNeil Johnson 281-228-5462, OceaneeringSteve King 281-333-6646, Lockheed MartinWilliam Langdoc 281-483-5970, NASADr. Karin Loftin 281-244-1122, Wyle LabJoseph Mayer 281-336-5372, BoeingQuin Shepperd 281-244-4953, BoeingPhillip Puddy 281-326-1457

ChairmanDr. Merri Sanchez

281-244-8461, NASAChair-ElectDr. Garland Bauch

281-483-1309, NASATreasurerMichael Oelke

281-228-5410, Oceaneering

MembershipDarby Cooper

281-538-6100 x20, NeoStar

Public PolicyJohn Bendle

281-483-6935, USA

WebmasterGlenn Jenkinson

281-336-4528, Boeing

Professional DevDr. Ivan Berrios

281-336-4495, Boeing

Conference Chairs

Student Paper Competition Darby Cooper

Annual Technical Symposium John Vollmer

Workshop on Automation Dr. Zafar Taqviand Robotics

SecretaryJorge Molina

281-336-5048, Boeing

Vice Chair-TechnicalJohn Vollmer

281-336-4623, Boeing

ProgramsDr. Michael Lisano

281-483-7144, LinCom

Young ProfessionalsKevin Butler

281-282-3466, USA

ScholarshipDr. Suzan Voss

281-244-7935, NASA

Pre-CollegeJoy Conrad

281-480-4101 x220, Averstar

Honors & AwardsRakesh Bhargava

713-977-7770 x1319, U. Ensco

Vice Chair-Ops Dr. Michael Lisano

281-483-7144, LinCom

College and Co-OpNicole Smith Mullins281-333-7450, NASA

Evolution of FlightRuss Filler

281-483-6904, USA

as of 5/24/00

H o u s t o n S e c t i o nP.O. Box 57524Webster, TX 77598

May/June 2000

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT NO. 1Webster, Texas

Documents

Number 8 May/June 2000 … Paper Conference a Success! ... Booz Allen Civil Space ... 11% of our total membership. I want to thank all of you who