Archive for category Perspectives
Space Camp
Posted by Danielle in Perspectives on March 12, 2010
For a while now, I’ve been meaning to write about my experiences at Space Camp® — I went twice in high school, in the summers of 1994 and 1995. (I say “Space Camp” because that’s what people commonly know; really, I attended Space Academy Level II, two years in a row. Now they call it Advanced Space Academy®, and it has a spiffy new logo. I am quite envious. Do they make it in a patch? Because I’d buy one.)
Anyway, I was sitting here today with my U.S. Space & Rocket Center “Danielle” mug (lovingly carried back from Huntsville and camp in 1995), thinking that it was high time I talked about my camp experience. Space Camp changed my life. Truly! Just now I discovered and filled out the Alumni Survey (because hey, why not?), and the questions prompted me along the same lines as what I hoped to post here. Here are a couple of questions, and my answers.
How did camp affect your life or career choice?
Space Academy II ABSOLUTELY changed my life. I was interested in spaceflight from a very early age, but grew up in a rural area with nobody around that shared my interests.
My first year at camp was just before my junior year of high school. I was in a team of eight (six guys, one other girl), and we INSTANTLY got along: we ALL loved science fiction, ALL wanted to be astronauts, ALL liked the same movies and books and “nerdy” hobbies. For the first time in my life, I felt like I BELONGED somewhere. I fit in. That was mind-boggling for me. I came back a changed person, “flying” my space-nerd colors openly at school, and caring far less about what the “cool” people thought of my interests.
In the end, my career took a different path than my childhood goal of becoming an astronaut, but to this day, Space Camp remains one of the most powerful, wonderful experiences of my life. It gave me a much-needed boost, and I’m very grateful to have gone not once, but twice!
I still have my flight suit (although some of the patches are no longer attached; I have no idea what possessed me to take them off, but at least I know where they are), my team photos, my name tag for the suit and my wings. And my coffee mug. ♥
Tell us your favorite, funniest, and/or most inspiring camp memory, tradition, or activity.
Funny memory: During EDM, a shuttle crew member became “sick” with “constipation”, which we had to diagnose and treat. She acted this out by doubling over and repeatedly moaning “I FEEL the PAIN!!”
[Ed: The above is all I could fit in the survey box. It leaves out the fact that we were DYING of laughter. DYING. The "medical condition" assignments we randomly got were supposed to be Taken Very Seriously. Believe me, nobody could help this sick crew member, NOBODY, because we were collapsed all over the simulator, on both decks, and on the ladder, DYING of laughter. The counselors couldn't even get mad at us for not trying to diagnose the patient; they were laughing too.]
Both times I went, I was assigned to the shuttle pilot position, which is actually (imho) more fun (and intense!) than commander, because you have a LOT more switches to flip and buttons to press. (And procedures, OHHH the procedures.) My first EDM (extended-duration mission, the all-nighter/24-hour simulated mission), I was in Mission Control the whole time which sucked, ahem, which was not nearly as fun. Tiger Team was very frustrating. My second EDM, I was on the shuttle, which was a great experience for the aforementioned pilot-switch-flipping aspect, aforementioned funny story, and I also got to command the space station during the second half, which was cool.
To finish this off and to justify the several “digging” attempts to find this photo, here’s a picture of me and my dad, the day I flew home from Space Camp in 1994. (I wore my flight suit home. In fact, all of us that bought suits wore them flying home. We must have been a sight, running through the Atlanta airport..!!)
31st LPSC
Posted by Danielle in Perspectives on February 24, 2010
No, that’s not a typo in the title. Next week marks the 41st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, which made me a bit nostalgic about my LPSC experience, ten years ago next month. After my summer internship in 1999, I presented my research at my first (and only!) poster session the next spring, at the 31st LPSC.
So………… here I am, with my poster:
I think it’s rather pretty, for a poster. :D The session went well, but it was pretty nerve-wracking. I had no idea what to wear to a poster session, so I bought that little suit jacket and skirt (and was a bit overdressed as a result.) Still, I survived my first poster — and the conference was a blast.
I’m no longer “in” science, as it were, but I still like to keep up as I can on the latest in lunar studies. I’ll always love it, even if I’m not active in the field. I’d love to go to LPSC again, just for interest — and hey, there’s always interesting things to do in Houston!
Last Night (Launch)
Posted by Danielle in Perspectives, Picspam on February 9, 2010
Here they are, the photos from yesterday morning’s launch — the last night launch of the Space Shuttle. It makes me sad.
I mean really, each “last” is just so, so sad.
Maybe it sounds childish, but why does this all have to come to an end??
It’s a thing of beauty. It breathes fire into the night skies. It leaps. It roars.
Columbia
Posted by Danielle in Perspectives on February 1, 2010
Space Shuttle Columbia over Houston, July 27, 1999 - © Danielle Signor
I mentioned on Twitter last week that the Columbia anniversary is something I take pretty personally, so I’m not going to attempt to make some happy-ooh-cool-space post like I typically do. Instead I’m sharing a picture I took of Columbia (STS-93) en route to a night landing in Florida, which I took from the rocket park at Johnson Space Center during my summer internship there. (Well, my internship was at LPI to be precise; we had access to JSC and used it whenever possible. Because we could. It was fun.)
ANYWAY we decided to watch the reentry at the rocket park because it was nice and dark, and in a fit of desperation, having stupidly forgotten my tripod I took this long exposure and somehow unconsciously tracked the shuttle’s path. DUMB. LUCK. It’s probably my favorite picture from that summer, especially given what happened on this day, seven years ago….
Earlier that summer, us interns went to the public welcome-back slideshow/ceremony for STS-96 at Space Center Houston. It was my first encounter with astronauts in Houston (it was just a week or two after we’d all arrived.) I seem to remember the rookies getting their pins, but I was in such an awed daze that it’s hard to say for sure. What I do remember was getting autographs after the presentation was over. Most of the crew looked tired, inured to the procedure; signing, a polite word or two, next please. All except one: a radiant young man, brimming with energy, asking each person’s name, writing a personalized message along with his signature, chatting with everyone in turn.
I don’t relate this to bag on anyone for not being astronaut-y enough; I’m sure dealing with the public is exhausting even under the best of circumstances. It’s just that this man shone out in the crowd, and I never forgot his smiling face, his kind words, and the scripture he wrote down under his autograph (Proverbs 3:5-6.) I met a lot of astronauts that summer, a lot of really incredible people, but this was the one that always stuck out to me (and still does; the memory hasn’t dimmed in a decade.)
His name was Rick Husband.
We Remember
Posted by Danielle in Perspectives on January 29, 2010
January 27, 1967 — Apollo 1
Grissom • White • Chaffee
January 28, 1986 — Challenger/STS-51L
Scobee • Smith • Resnik • Onizuka
McNair • Jarvis • McAuliffe
February 1, 2003 — Columbia/STS-107
Husband • McCool • Anderson • Brown
Chawla • Clark • Ramon
Shuttle Program Patches — Editor’s Choice
Posted by Danielle in News & Happenings, Perspectives on January 11, 2010
When I first heard of the NASA employee patch design contest to commemorate the end of the shuttle program later this year, I was really excited to see what people would come up with. I’ve always loved patch designs — the layers of meaning and symbolism, and that the patch is team-designed, allowing the people involved to incorporate personal touches (and in-jokes, at times.) For this contest, 85 design concepts were submitted in all, and I had great fun before Christmas checking them all out. I definitely had my favorites.
15 finalists were selected on January 4, and while I agree with some of the picks (they were some of my favorites as well; more on that below), there were two designs I am really surprised to NOT see in the final 15. I’m featuring these two designs as an “editor’s choice” of sorts. Because… why not? It’s my blog, and these artists deserve a shoutout!
I guess I should disclose that I know the artist behind this patch — but really, I think this is a standout design because of its simplicity. There aren’t any words on the patch, but it doesn’t need any. In my opinion, this design expresses everything about the Shuttle program, commemorates the astronauts that fell along the way, and highlights the major achievements, all without “saying” a word. It’s beautifully done.
Here’s the artist-supplied caption:
The five orbiters shown represent Columbia, Challenger, Atlantis, Discovery, and Endeavour. The fourteen stars are to represent each of those who lost their lives on shuttle missions, with one of the stars having six points like a Star of David, in honor of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon (as was seen in the STS-107 patch). Also shown is the earth, because the shuttle was bound to low earth orbit. Finally, two of the shuttle program’s greatest and most recognizable accomplishments are represented- the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope.
I felt that each of the orbiters should be shown as they were all so important to the program. As someone that works on them, each seems to have its own personality, in a way. In commemorating the program, I wanted to honor the fallen astronauts. Let us never forget them and what we learned from losing them. I also thought it was important to include two shining examples of what was accomplished by the shuttle program: the International Space Station for the amazing science that has been and continues to be performed there, and the Hubble Space Telescope for bringing the heavens so much closer to earth in crisp, clear images.
And my other pick is this one:
What immediately drew me to this patch is how different it looks. The colors aren’t typical (compared to the other entries), and the design is very unique — it incorporates a sundial motif, which gives it extra awesome points in my opinion. I think the text is fantastic, I love the navy and gold, and I like the symbolism:
The concept is simple–remember life at every hour. The patch commemorates the life of the orbiter and the lives of those astronauts lost onboard Challenger and Columbia. Through life, memories are made, and the success of the Space Shuttle Program is remembered.
In graphic form, the patch is a sundial. The years 1981 (the first shuttle launch) and 2010 (the last) are fitted at the two edges. The space shuttle orbiter is shown as a blueprint–the beginning–embarking on a journey into a sunset–the end. The two gold shuttles flanking the patch represent Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003). And the seven stars represent the crew of seven from those two flights. The center star is slightly larger to accentuate the center of the sundial. The shuttle is the main object of the sundial (the tail being the gnomon) and it pulls the seven stars forward as it flies. However, the shuttle does not cast a shadow in the design–its legacy is vivid. And the last element of the patch sums up the overall concept with the Latin verse, Tempus omnia sed memorias privat–time deprives all but memories.
That last bit bolded by me, because I like it.
As for my favorites from the 15 finalists, here’s the ones I think are particularly strong (the last one is my favorite):
Astronaut, Age 5
Posted by Danielle in Perspectives on October 22, 2009
Astronaut, by me (at age 5)
I found this drawing of mine in a box a few months ago, lovingly packed away by my mother. I drew this at the age of five (yes, the astronaut is me. The glitter and sequins really make the piece.) It’s now framed and hanging in my office, alongside three space artworks of mine from high school, a picture I took of Space Shuttle Columbia landing, and a signed picture of Gene Cernan (Apollo 17) on the lunar surface.
I was lucky enough to catch Cernan’s book signing for The Last Man on the Moon at Johnson Space Center in 1999 — limited to JSC employees (and LPI interns with enough security clearance for the cafeteria and employee store.) If you bought the book at the employee store, they threw in a free 8×10 photo, which Cernan also signed.
Maybe by the time I go to the moon, they’ll have those gold-glitter boots!
50 Years of Space Exploration
Posted by Danielle in Perspectives, Picspam on October 14, 2009
Found this amazing graphic on this blog, a map by National Geographic (which has it as a Flash-based thing; the image above links to a much larger image for your downloading pleasure.)
Ancient Astronomy
Posted by Danielle in Perspectives on May 14, 2009
Astronomical observation goes back to the dawn of civilization, and digging around online yielded this neat interactive atlas of ancient astronomy — starts at continents and refines on down from there. Also, the Wikipedia entry on archaeoastronomy is pretty darned extensive, and covers a lot of different cultures and time periods. (Ancient civilizations are a fascination of mine, so the amount of pictures made me a little giddy.)
Archaeoastronomy can be applied to all cultures and all time periods. The meanings of the sky vary from culture to culture; nevertheless there are scientific methods which can be applied across cultures when examining ancient beliefs. It is perhaps the need to balance the social and scientific aspects of archaeoastronomy which led Clive Ruggles to describe it as: “…[A] field with academic work of high quality at one end but uncontrolled speculation bordering on lunacy at the other.”
As for me, I’m just going to oggle the Nebra skydisk:
Sunset
Posted by Danielle in Perspectives on May 12, 2009
I spotted this image on NASA’s STS-125 image gallery page (as opposed to Kennedy Space Center’s media gallery, which is not working this morning, for some reason.) I love the colors. It’s imagery with a deeper meaning for me, as this is the last Hubble servicing mission, and one of the last Shuttle missions before it retires next year. I grew up with the Space Shuttle, and as much as the US is ready for newer space technology, I’m sad to see it go.
Godspeed.
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