Slide show	Participants	Questions	Comments	Evaluations

NASA TELECONFERENCE, PARKWAY SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL

FRIDAY, JANUARY 31^ST, 2003, 8 A.M.

HOSTED BY

LESLEY GARNER, SCIENCE EDUCATION DIRECTOR, DYNAMAC

NASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

J. Richards, Dr. Dreschel	B. Vieux at Work	Dr. Wheeler, J. Richards	MER Mission Rover
B. Vieux/Peterson, Mrs. R		Mrs. R. and Dr. Dreschel

OUR DISTINGUISHED PARTICIPANTS News Article

Many thanks to Dr. Thomas Dreschel, Program Manager for Fundamental Space Biology Outreach (NASA, Kennedy Space Center), for providing us with such outstanding scientists to spend time with our Voyagers. They were brought face to face with top scientists who so ably helped them understand the coming voyage into the unknown to Mars and how a person would be able to survive this trip. Without this wonderful man's help down through the years, this program could never have attained what it has to date. The Teleconference opened with the scientists talking briefly about what people with their degrees might do around NASA.

The following statements will explain the slides that you have viewed already.

Click on the rocket to go back and forth to the slide show for information.

Barbara Vieux Peterson has degrees in chemistry and biology. For instance, people with these degrees in field ecology could have the job of counting manatees in the lagoons around the Kennedy Space Center KSC) or analyze air samples from spacecraft. Those in environmental monitoring groups monitor and evaluate the effects of space shuttle launches and operations on plants and animals living at KSC. The KSC property is one of the most pristine areas in the world.

These people have unusual jobs.  They go out in the water and test it, survey birds, manatees, and fish populations from the air. They evaluate the effects of NASA operations on the environment.

Monitoring the sea turtle population is a very serious job.  When it turns cold, turtles are stunned and those with the job of monitoring the turtles at KSC pull the stunned turtles to the shore, tag them, measure their health and then release them back in the water.

When the young sea turtles hatch, they look for light. Normally it would be light from the moon but now condos and hotels dot the shoreline and lights from these buildings confuse the turtles.  They have difficulty finding the ocean. KSC and others with buildings near the beach have initiated a program to make sure lights are out or do not affect the turtles during this time.  Hotels and motels have to turn lights out at certain times or get fined. Ecologists study the tracks in the sand made by the baby turtles to study what is happening when they try to find the ocean. With the shuttle lit up at night this could be a serious problem for sea turtle nesting. KSC scientists are vigilant about monitoring the natural habitat that surrounds it.

Lesley Garner has degrees in environmental biology and science education. She oversees a project to teach students how to study the Brassica butterfly. This butterfly will lay eggs on cabbages and a method was developed to collect these eggs on wax paper. Camouflage is a defense for the cocoon which makes them hard to find. The Brassica butterfly caterpillar has a food preference.  They only eat broccoli, cabbage, or closely-related plants. You can put a caterpillar in a Petri dish and see what plants they prefer.  Brassica butterflies are being used by students to develop research questions that may some day be tested in space. Currently, students are using motors to rotate the butterflies to study the effects of changing gravity on the butterfly development.  These studies may lead to research performed on the International Space Station.

Gus Koerner has degrees in biology and works in biological programs with
Dr. Ray Wheeler, Research Scientist and Plant Physiologist, in doing research and education programs regarding farming in space. Astronauts so far have eaten a variety of food in space. When going to Mars or the Moon, taking food with us like broccoli and shrimp, etc. will be very costly. Currently, astronauts take food, water and air in packages, stow the trash and bring it back with them to Earth. With extended missions to Mars and the Moon, we realize there is not enough space or energy to take all the food with us. On these missions we also have to have air; plants can regenerate oxygen to breathe. There is a need for advanced life support using plants just to stay alive. Plants, through photosynthesis, take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen; take nutrients and water in through their roots, process these nutrients and through transpiration, give off pure water. Plant production is very important. NASA is manipulating the breeding process for long term space travel. Plants that last longer, taste better and grow well hydroponically are needed. NASA is also studying lighting systems. For instance, lettuce can grow under light emitting diodes (LEDs). Some plants do not need the full spectrum of light so that red and blue LEDs can be used. LEDs last for a long, long time and can be used specifically for growing plants. NASA has also been testing microwave lamps. They have a very broad spectrum and give off much light. Nutrient delivery systems are also vital.  In the microgravity of space, things seem to float around. Providing plants with water is going to be a difficult thing to do. A plant chamber has been developed for growing plants in space called the Biomass Production Chamber. Water is fed to the plants using a growth medium that is like kitty litter and holds the water in place for the plants.

Resource recovery is another area being studied. Microbes can be used to break down waste plant parts and produce carbon dioxide and minerals for growing plants. When we wash our hands in space we call the water left over gray water; toilet water is called black water. Bacteria can be used to make this water useful for growing plants.  The water then contains nutrients, which are needed by the plants.  Methods are needed to use and recycle every resource. This is vital to the success of any space mission to places as far away as the Moon and Mars.

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QUESTIONS

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ZOFIE S.-How many people can go on the Mars trip at a time?

Most reference missions are up to 6 people.  How many go will depend upon how much food, air and water will be needed to sustain life for the long mission ahead.

ELLEN H.-How will we be able to get all the materials that we would need to Mars, such as food, water, oxygen, and housing materials?  It is so expensive, how can this be possible?

There are definite constraints in terms of carrying out the long-distance space mission.  It is very expensive because provisions are very heavy.  It will take a lot of rocket thrust to get such weight to Mars.  NASA is studying mechanisms of recycling and what length of stay would be more favorable for plants grow and keep the astronauts alive.   Launching something into space is costly: take my planner, at 10,000 dollars or more a pound, not too many planners will be going.  A gallon of milk or water would cost 85,000 to 100,000 dollars to launch.  The key is to take only what we can recycle and reuse. How much it costs when we go is very important because we are not going to be able to go back and get anything.  We have to have enough food, oxygen and medical supplies to survive for the time of stay or we have to have the ability to recycle.

PATRICK B.-Approximately how heavy is all the equipment necessary for exploring on Mars?

It is very heavy. Think in many tons.  The Lunar mission rocket, the Saturn V weighted approximately 76 million pounds.  The mission was for 7 days.

BRIAN L.-How do you get space junk?  How can we minimize space junk for a responsible space travel environment?

Retrieving space junk and using space is a very serious concern of NASA.  There are lots of satellites and pieces of previous missions floating around in space.  The main concern, as you go into orbit, is you do not want to crash into anything.  So far there have not been any efforts to retrieve space junk.  It is tracked so we can avoid this when we travel on a mission.   When most of our missions are complete, we either bring everything back or burn it up as it enters the Earth's atmosphere.

SCOTT P.-Because there is no gravity in space and nothing to pull the nutrients to the roots of plants, how will plants grow in space?  Because Astronauts will need so much food in space, does your research include trying to make plants grow faster in space?  If you grow fruit or vegetables in space, will they look or taste different? Have any discoveries been made from your testing that would help plant life on earth now?

Gravity does not go away in space but when you orbit the Earth, you are in a free-fall condition called microgravity.  This makes it seem like gravity has been removed.  Plants leaves will grow toward the light; roots grow toward the water to get nutrient solution.  Take away the light and roots, shoots and leaves will grow every which way due to microgravity.  Light can be used to direct plants because of phototropism.  If the plant is exposed to white or blue light, it will grow toward it.  Water causes the roots to grow toward it.  This process is called hydrotropism. Will food look or taste different?  Scientists are testing this.  Our anticipated answers: if we give them light, water and minerals, they should look and taste the same.  We do not know this yet for sure. Green, fresh plants make a real difference to astronauts. This is much different than what they usually eat.  On the Russian missions to MIR, they had a small garden and harvested green vegetables and this was psychologically very beneficial.  Astronauts usually eat dehydrated food. Green living things really improved the enjoyment of the mission.

Astronauts will need much food.  We have to have plants that grow faster, grow shorter as well as make more fruit.  Because the mission is so costly, the plants that grow have to produce a lot of fruit. If a tomato plant produced one tomato, it would not feed many astronauts.  We want it to produce as much fruit as possible.  This falls into your last question: Discoveries. Scientists all over our nation and the world are doing research on plants that will grow in space.  What we discover will mean a lot to us; if a plant can produce more tomatoes that taste better and can grow with the use of robotics, we can feed more people with less space.  As cities get bigger and we have less space for growing plants, efficient plant production will be very important here on Earth.

STEFANIE S.-In your opinion, when are you going to send humans to Mars? 

When we know that it is 99.99 percent sure we can get them back safely.  We are looking at the year 2030.  Mice will go to Mars in 2006.

COLBY F.-What is your job?  What is your typical work day like?  Does the group you work in have a name?  What did you study in college to get your job? Do you help with the rockets or do you study samples from the voyages? Do you enjoy your job?

We love our jobs.  Our typical work day is like many others.  My particular job is to help teachers find out what types of activities they can do in class.  There are so many different jobs here at Kennedy Space Center requiring different degrees, this is a tough question to answer in the time we have.

ANISHA T.-How is a Mar's Volcano different from a Volcano on Earth? Mars Atmosphere has high nitrogen content; Nitrogen with Oxygen can be explosive!!  Have there been any studies done on Drug extraction from the soil of Mars?  (Proteins have high amounts of Nitrogen.) Is any soil being evaluated for use on Earth?

Mars does indeed have volcanoes.  We know this from photos.  All of the volcanoes are inactive and dormant.  It appears that there have been no recent eruptions in millions of years.  Olympus Mons, the largest volcano, is 50,000 feet in elevation. It is the highest volcano or mountain in the solar system.  Mar’s atmosphere has nitrogen but is mostly carbon dioxide or CO2.  This is the compound we breathe out.  There is also very little oxygen.  Nitrogen is not explosive. Geologists are very interested in the soil and want to get there and get enough samples to see what elements are available. There have been no drug extractions so far.  Some of the early missions found elements present including iron, silicon and oxygen. There does not appear to be many compounds for drugs there.  Complicated organic compounds would not occur in Martian soil.  There is a great deal of interest in analyzing the soil on Mars.  We want this research to help future mission into space.  Bringing soil and samples back is very important for doing analysis.  It is difficult to bring samples back, but this is planned for future missions.

NIKKI D-How many probes have been sent to Mars?  Is NASA planning on sending anyone to Mars soon?

We have sent up to now, 31 probes, fly-bys, landings and satellites.  We plan our human Mars mission by 2030.  There will be some robotic missions in between.

MITCH M.-How often would we have to send water and food to Mars for the people there?  What type of money would we use on Mars?  Would there be the same types of jobs on Mars that we have here on Earth?  Would we have to play different sports on Mars due to the gravity issue?  Would we have real teachers in schools on Mars or learn via Teleconference?

We will have to grow or take with us all we need on such a distant and expensive long-term mission.  The astronauts might be cash less.  They could at most use credit cards.  Remember, everything weighs a lot to take and is very expensive to take.  There will be all types of jobs. There will be many different disciplines.  Scientists will help the people grow food. There will be different sports just like here on Earth but ones that will work on Mars.  Teachers will play a large role and will do certain types of teleconferencing to Earth letting classroom know what we are doing and help all people learn. 

COLLEEN C.-Are you involved in the research that is going on in the Space Station? What kind of college degrees does NASA look for when hiring scientists and engineers?

I am actively involved in research going on at the International Space Station.  We study microgravity and how it will help to produce pharmaceuticals to help people, materials to make electronics for homes, cars and industries.  We are involved in the biological research with plants.  There was an experiment called the PESTO which was growing wheat in space. Something important to remember about NASA is that no matter what discipline you are in you have to be a good team member.  To be employed here someday, you need to work hard in school, learn how to get along with others, exercise and keep your bodies healthy from an early age.

MARISSA S.- If one of the Astronauts dies on Mars, will the whole crew go back to Earth or bury the person on Mars?

NASA official policy says we would make every attempt to bring a person back but much would depend upon the circumstances where and when the death occurred.  There would always be the option if we had to leave someone there, that they would be buried and future missions would bring them back to their families.  This is a very complicated question.  Policy development regarding this is still ongoing.

DANIEL M.-Can plants grow on the surface of Mars?  What type of animal or plant will exist on easily on Mars?

We are 99 percent sure that plants will not grow on Mars without protection.  It has such an extreme environment.  CO2, radiation, low pressure and extreme winds would make plant growth impossible.  We would need domes and greenhouses.  What animal could exist there?  We just do not know yet. Currently we are concentrating on controlling closed environments for sustaining life on Mars for humans and plants.  As a sideline, the Japanese have proposed goats might be used for food.  They can take in non-edible things, eat, and recycle.  If we want to make Mars habitable, we will have to provide much protection for the people, plants and other animals that we take there.

ALISON S-What do you have to do to be an Astronaut?  Are we the only living things in the Universe? Do you think there is another Universe?

Everyday we discover how vast the Universe really is. The Hubble has allowed us to see farther and farther into the Universe.  There are millions of galaxies.  Each galaxy has a collection of stars which number in the hundreds of billions.  Each star might have a solar system with planets.  Opportunities for having other solar systems like we live in means the opportunity is there for life to exist elsewhere.  It is exciting just to think about it. Space is the final frontier.  Our definitions will change.  We are not sure what final is anymore.  This new learning gives us new opportunities to learn more.  Never close your mind.  Be open to learning new things.  This class is helping your mind to learn about your constantly changing universe.

SAMANTHA B-Why did you become the NASA Scientist you are today? How much would you need in medical supplies for the trip and stay on Mars?

We have already answered the first part of your question.  It would depend upon the mission and how many people were on board as to the amount of medical supplies we would take. PETER D-Why has a human being not been sent to Mars yet?  When you send the first person to Mars, how old do you think we Voyagers will be? Humans have not gone yet due to a combination of many things.  The main reason is the expense.  Much technology would need to be developed and this would need a commitment from NASA and other agencies toward that objective. We have a space station and missions committed to and have to finish those first.  We have to improve the rocket propulsions and life support systems.  We are capable of making those improvements and are very anxious to see this opportunity come.  How old will the participants of the first Mars Mission be:  Probably there will be a range of ages. Astronauts range in age form 30 to 50.  John Glenn went into space a second time at 78. I once heard that if we wanted to go to Mars today, we could.  The trouble is if we send someone there, there might only be a small to moderate chance they could return alive.  NASA has requirements for safety which could probably not be met with current technology.  NASA will not send anyone out without believing that they can go to Mars and return safely.

LAURA P-Could you use a cell phone in space?

There will be no cell phones.  Earth cell phones need towers 100 feet tall. We have radios in space which can access satellites.  We are perfecting this technology.  We probably would not have cell phones now without the space research NASA has done.

REBECCA P-How many people will be able to go to Mars the first time?

A basic mission involves six people.  How many will go to Mars depends upon their capabilities, what we will undertake, finding qualified individuals with more than one specialty. For instance, a doctor in charge of medical problems might also be an engineer.  Mechanical systems also have to be fixed and maintained.  There would also have to be a life support specialist. The size, number of crew, combinations of personalities and specialties that would be best for such a mission, will be a real challenge to this Mission.

MICHAEL E-Where are the robots tested that will go to Mars?

JPL does a lot of testing of robotics and they are currently testing one of the robotic systems here.  They have designed a robotic pod that sits in a greenhouse and talks to other pods and measures temperature and moisture.  They are around the launch pad. They talk to each other and can turn on and off equipment and fix anything that might be wrong.  Robots are so important because they can do tasks such as turning their arms or hands all the way around.  They can go into unsafe areas and fix equipment and just do a variety of tasks that people could not do safely on Mars.

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COMMENTS

Mrs. Vieux Peterson, thanks for your explanation of why we should keep lights off at night for the turtles.  I had heard some parts of it from my teachers but you explained it well enough for me to really understand it. Dr. Koerner, thanks for spending your time talking to us.  You helped me really understand a lot about farming in space as well as taking care of my brains and body from this early age on. Ms. Garner, thanks for organizing this Teleconference.  You did a really great job.  I really liked the Power Point Presentation. Dr. Wheeler, Thank you for talking to us about life on Mars.  You were so easy to understand and we appreciate you volunteering your time to talk to kids.

First of all, Lesley, your first Teleconference was a smashing success.

The Power Point presentation was so interesting, moved along fast enough to hold the elementary aged child's attention.  The explanations were so clear and easy to understand.  All four of you had great vocal delivery.

I stress team work , getting along with your teammate, knowing your material, being able to depend upon one another, not being afraid to try something new and just plain connecting to one another in all my classes.  Hearing you stress working hard in school, taking care of ones body, getting along with others and exposing oneself to new information, just made my day.

I am anxious to see the video and feel it is something that any class would benefit from seeing.  The content was very profound and brought the students into the world of science and career possibilities in a way that they will never forget.

The parents in attendance were just amazed at the depth and content of the Teleconference and very touched that you all would take time from your busy schedule to organize something of this caliber for elementary children.

Martha and Jan, and the NASA technicians:  words cannot express my delight over the high quality tech work today in making this presentation today a 100% success.  Jane, Pam and I are just stunned at the amount of information that was presented today and that such young children as the third graders could be still for so long.

Principal Gary Mazzola:  Your appearance and talk with the boys and girls was deeply appreciated and yes, you have great equipment and what a wonderful bridge for the boys and girls who will someday attend Parkway South High School.

Principal Annie Ritter, Asst. Principal Mike Schultz:  Many thanks for allowing this program to be at Barretts Elementary and being so supportive.  We do have an outstanding school and District.  The boys and girls represented our School in the highest level possible in behavior, understanding and inquisitiveness to the world around them, team work, discipline and appearance.  We three directors were sooooo proud.

Again, Jane, Pam, John and I thank you, Lesley, for your hard work at getting together such a fabulous team.

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STUDENT EVALUATIONS

On Friday, January 31, our Mars group went to Parkway South High for a Teleconference with NASA. I liked the fact that we got to talk to people from Kennedy Space Center. I wished that we had gotten to talk to the NASA scientists longer. Participating in this changed my life; now I can go around saying that I talked to NASA scientists.

I thought the Teleconference was cool. Being able to talk to real scientists was what I liked the most.

I wish the TV screen covered the whole entire wall. After the Teleconference, I looked at science differently.  I am so glad I went. 

When I went to our Mars Teleconference, I liked it a lot. It was fun, like talking to other people in a space station.

I really liked how they answered the questions fast,  and they answered so I could understand it. It was scary at first, when I came in, and when I was about to ask my question, but once I asked my question I was not scared.

There were a few things that I wished were different. The camera was too high. The other thing that I wished was different was the way the kids sat. I think they should have been at a round table.

Participating in the Teleconference changed my life because this was like a once in a lifetime opportunity;  you really never get a chance to talk one on one to some of the people from the NASA space program.

It had an impact on my life from walking in to walking out. First, I walked in with no idea as to what  the answers to my questions were and when I walked out , I became more interested about Space than I was when I walked in.

I thought the Teleconference with the NASA scientists was very interesting. I was most interested in their efforts to grow plants in space. This would be important if we are ever going to have a civilization in space.

The NASA scientists are using different colors of light to help the plants grow. On the Space Station, some astronauts grew a little garden and ate the food from it. Not only was their garden successful, but it was psychologically healthy for the astronauts to eat fresh food.

It was fun to ask questions, especially when several of the scientists gave answers. Being able to talk to the NASA scientists made me feel really special because I got to do something very few kids have done.

What We Learned

Besse Welsh, Flute
Mozart Rondo K.V. Anh. 184
Orchester des Konservatoriums Bern
Leitung: Jakob Stampfli
Stadtkirche Thum

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