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NASA Develops Wireless Tile Scanner for Space Shuttle Inspection

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NASA Develops Wireless Tile Scanner for Space Shuttle Inspection August 2007 NASA, Microsoft launch collaboration with immersive photography NASA and Microsoft Corporation a more global view of the launch facil- provided us with some outstanding of Redmond, Wash., have released an ity. The software uses photographs images, and the result is an experience interactive, 3-D photographic collec- from standard digital cameras to that will wow anyone wanting to get a tion of the space shuttle Endeavour construct a 3-D view that can be navi- closer look at NASA’s missions.” preparing for its upcoming mission to gated and explored online. The NASA The NASA collections were created the International Space Station. Endea- images can be viewed at Microsoft’s in collaboration between Microsoft’s vour launched from NASA Kennedy Live Labs at: http://labs.live.com Live Lab, Kennedy and NASA Ames. Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8. “This collaboration with Microsoft “We see potential to use Photo- For the first time, people around gives the public a new way to explore synth for a variety of future mission the world can view hundreds of high and participate in America’s space activities, from inspecting the Interna- resolution photographs of Endeav- program,” said William Gerstenmaier, tional Space Station and the Hubble our, Launch Pad 39A and the Vehicle NASA’s associate administrator for Space Telescope to viewing landing Assembly Building at Kennedy in Space Operations, Washington. “We’re sites on the moon and Mars,” said a unique 3-D viewer. NASA and also looking into using this new tech- Chris C. Kemp, director of Strategic Microsoft’s Live Labs team developed nology to support future missions.” Business Development at Ames. the online experience using hundreds “With Photosynth, we take pic- Photosynth was created in col- of photographs and a photo-imaging tures of an environment and knit them laboration between Microsoft and the technology called Photosynth. Using a together into an experience that peo- University of Washington. The soft- click-and-drag interface, viewers can ple can move through like a 3-D video ware combines hundreds or thousands zoom in to see intimate details of the game,” said Microsoft Live Labs Ar- of regular digital photos of a scene shuttle booster rockets or zoom out for chitect Blaise Aguera y Arcas. “NASA continued on page 10 NASA develops wireless tile scanner for space shuttle inspection A new space shuttle tile inspection database,” said Joe Lavelle, a senior “This tool allows the inspectors to method using NASA-built, wireless engineer and project manager at Ames. determine with very high confidence scanners is replacing manual inspec- whether a shuttle tile needs to be re- tion. The new process began with the placed or just repaired.” shuttle mission STS-118. “When they made the measure- Technicians used six new scanners ments manually with the scales, they to look for cracks and other imperfec- had to estimate the volume of flaws to tions in some of the 24,000 tiles that a worst-case value because they could cover space shuttle Endeavour. The not precisely measure the volume agency designed and built the new with any accuracy,” Lavelle explained. tools at NASA Ames. In the past, “With this scanner, they will actually workers at Kennedy visually analyzed save tiles and the time-consuming tiles and measured dings and cracks process of replacing them.” with small hand-held scales. The thermal tiles on the space “The new method is much faster shuttle protect it from the extreme heat and more accurate because the depth generated during re-entry into the and volume measurements of the continued on page 3 flaws and their locations are wire- lessly transmitted into a computer On the Inside . Editor’s Note: Page 2 - NASA engineer works to develop Next month’s September 2007 issue of new airplane to seek water on Mars the Astrogram will be the final paper Page 5 - NASA robots practice moon survey copy of the newsletter. Beginning NASA photo by Dominic Hart in the Arctic Circle October 2007, the Astrogram will be accessible online only at: http:// This image, taken at NASA Ames where the Page 6 - NASA Ames software monitors scanner was developed, shows sample shuttle www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/ Space Station gyroscopes tiles being scanned to illustrate how technicians astrogram/2007/07astrograms.html Page 12 - Ames Ongoing Events would use the new tool to evaluate tiles on the Page 13 - Ames Classifieds space shuttle orbiter. www.nasa.gov NASA engineer works to develop new airplane to seek water on Mars You might think it is impossible on the surface.” According to Lemke, ference between water ice and liquid to fly an airplane over Mars, but it is if the airplane could land on the lip of water, again by how reflective it is,” a crater or edge Lemke noted. The airplane would of a cliff, then the probably also have a camera, he said. craft could use Previous Mars airplane missions radar to look for were judged to be extremely exciting signs of water be- scientifically, but very risky technically, low the ground’s so they were not selected, according surface. to Lemke. Mars airplane missions are Radar will go technically challenging because “the through very dry planetary exploration community has photo by Naval Laboratory Research surface material no experience with flying airplanes on with very little other planets,” Lemke said. change, but a wa- “One of the main technical chal- The MATADOR Mars airplane concept is seen here ‘flying’ over the Mars ter layer would be lenges was to build an airplane that landscape. The plane could be designed to carry a variety of instruments, such as a hundred times could be folded to fit inside an entry ground-penetrating radar to search for water near a gully on Mars. more reflective, capsule,” Lemke observed. “It’s a cap- Lemke observed. sule - usually conical in shape. It’s got possible. Actually, glider-like airplanes Carbon dioxide would echo radar a heat shield on it. It enters the martian that, in theory, could ride the wispy air with yet a different reflectivity, he atmosphere from space and protects of the red planet have been on draw- added. the payload inside,” he explained. ing boards for the last 30 years. “You should be able to tell the dif- A second challenge is that the air- One of the latest proposals is to fly continued on page 3 a rocket-powered Mars airplane and land on the edge of a cliff in search of water, a fluid that is essential to life, as Alan Stern shares science mission updates we know it. In August, Alan Stern, Associ- “For the last three years, I’ve been ate Administrator of the Science developing a Mars airplane concept Mission Directorate (SMD), visited that is specifically designed to ac- Ames to meet with and talk to the complish a soft landing,” said Larry Ames scientists and employees. Lemke, a NASA Ames engineer who It was his first visit to the center recently submitted his proposal to since he was appointed AA. He was James Eric by photo NASA space agency officials. “You use small pleased to have the opportunity rocket motors to land like a Harrier to answer questions and share his vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) vision for SMD’s research and scien- airplane lands. The idea would be to tific exploration programs. conduct a precision landing near Mars Stern began his presentation by gullies to look for subsurface water,” citing four SMD core objectives: to he explained. get more science done within our NASA Associate Administrator for budget; to ensure the success of Science Alan Stern issued a request NASA’s ‘Vision for Space Explora- for information for small landers that tion;’ to promote U.S. leadership for could be secondary payloads on future all science disciplines; and to create Associate Administrator of the Science Mission missions to Mars. The first opportu- a better workplace. He said that Directorate (SMD) Alan Stern recently visited nity for a secondary payload Mars retiring the space shuttle in 2010 and Ames to meet with the employees at the center mission might be in 2013 on the Mars developing new human spaceflight to answer and discuss questions about SMD’s Science Orbiter (MSO), according to systems prevented the previously research and scientific exploration programs. Lemke. planned rate of growth for science. Lemke’s plan calls for the airplane Additional objectives included year grants. Audience questions to have ground-penetrating radar to increasing the number of flights, ranged from concerns about the search for water near a gully on Mars expanding foreign collaboration amount of paperwork required to after the plane lands. Scientists have and suborbital research, recreat- do their jobs, to perpetually compet- found Mars gullies from about 330 feet ing a lunar science community and ing for funding for research grants (100 meters) to 660 feet (200 meters) accelerating progress on the Earth and programs. down steep walls, according to Lemke. Science Decadal Survey. Accom- Stern previously served as “The gullies always appear on plishments cited were returning the executive director of the Space Sci- steep walls like a crater or a cliff, and Near Earth Object program to SMD, ence and Engineering Division at the gullies all appear partway down adding $3M to NASA Astrobiology the Southwest Research Institute, a wall,” Lemke said. “The theory is Institute’s budget, and funding four- Boulder, Colo. there is an underground water layer, BY RUTH DASSO MARLAIRE and every so often the water pops out Astrogram August 2007 NASA engineer works to develop new airplane to seek water on Mars continued from page 2 plane must unfold itself in mid air, ac- explained.
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