The Mars Yard is an outdoor test area which simulates the Martian surface. It is used to test robotic prototypes in rocky, sandy terrain similar to that found on Mars. There, the group met with several members of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) team (Rob Steele, Sean Haggart, and Keith Rosette) who described the Spirit and Opportunity rovers and how they compared to the larger rover that was also in the Mars Yard.
The next stop was the Spacecraft Assembly Facility (SAF), the cleanroom where the MER Rovers (and countless other spacecraft) were assembled. It is essential that the SAF remain completely sterile; technicians in the cleanroom must be covered head to toe in special suits at all times. Here they met Rob Manning, the Chief Engineer for the Mars Exploration program - a very charismatic and dynamic man. Mr. Manning described his job as the EDL (entry, descent and landing) manager for the MER mission. He also described the incredible tension and excitement of the process of landing the rovers safely on Mars. Mr. Manning’s story left a great impression on students and adults alike.
After the tour of the SAF, the group was given a 3-D amimation demo of the journey the MER Rovers took through space. Wearing 3-D glasses, the kids were treated to a roller coaster-like ride to the Martian surface. Dr. Eric De Jong, a planetary scientist and visualization technology expert, was responsible for developing the 3-D animation and led the presentation.
After lunch, the students met with Dr. Ashley Stroupe, the first female “Rover Driver”. Dr. Stroupe is responsible for the day to day maneuvering of the rovers on Mars, and makes important decisions about how to complete scientific objectives such as analyzing the geology of surface features, or searching for evidence of water. Dr. Stroupe described her job as the “Rover Driver”; explaining the process of communicating with and maneuvering the rovers safely, all while collecting important scientific data.
Next, the group toured the ISIL (In-Situ Instrument Lab) with John Callas, the MER Project Manager. The ISIL is an in indoor simulation of the Martian surface, where scaled down models of the rovers are tested. The group finished up the day by seeing a model of the lunar space station which will be completed by 2020. The space station will be manned for weeks at a time and will be used as a springboard for future missions to explore the solar system.
The day was long and the group was tired - but everyone was very excited about this once in a lifetime experience. The students from Clark Magnet decided upon an art piece based on the concept of "Tenegrity" - a combination of tension and integrity that allows six steel bars to form a figure that balances on three points, with none of the six bars touching each other. It's held together with tension created by wires. They decided to do this specific project because they felt it represented the same concept of teamwork they saw at JPL, where a variety of individuals each do specific jobs with one goal in mind. On the tour, the students witnessed how teamwork is necessary to sucessfully complete a project that requires so many individual parts (human and mechanical) to function in unison. This realization is reflected in their wonderful metaphoric portrait of the Jet Propulsion Lab. Click HERE to see a photo of the finished project. |
