NAAA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL - "STATE OF THE UNION"
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? - The 1997 Marshall Academy
EDITOR'S CORNER - SPACE INTEREST POLL RESULTS
NAAA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL - "STATE OF THE UNION"
Greetings NAAA Members,
Hopefully, you are all doing well. This letter is from your newly elected executive council, and we would like to tell you our plans and ideas for the year, along with several requests for help. Our primary goal is to maintain and expand the role of the NAAA in promoting NASA Academy and its members within the aerospace community.
First, we would like to present our calendar of events and ongoing projects:
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| MARCH - Submittal of Tax Forms |
| JULY 4th - D.C. Reunion |
| AUGUST - Goddard Video Conference |
| OCTOBER - Annual Event |
| NOVEMBER - Elections |
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| Board of Advisors | Lead: Jeffrey Munson |
| Outreach | Temporary Lead: Srimal Wangu |
| Communications (area groups) | D.C.: Mike Moreau |
| L.A.: Jon Sims | |
| Denver: Brian Roberts | |
| Boston: Jim Chase (under construction) |
Second, there are a number of areas where we would like your input and help:
__________________________________________________________________
Item: NAAA
Website
Needs: Webmaster(s),
DESPERATELY
& Suggestions for site
Workload: 10 min. for suggestions,
10 to ? hours to integrate them
(If we have several, we can divide up the year into
shifts :).
Why:
Site has not been updated in some time
Many confused members of the public attempt to contact us
We would like to increase the number of features offered
Contact: Jim Chase (Pres.),
jimchase@mit.edu
__________________________________________________________________
Item: International
Space University (ISU) Relationship
Need: Committee
members
Workload: 2 hours to as much time
as you wish to provide
Why:
ISU is an organization with similar goals and interests.
There is the potential for some strong synergy
between our groups.
Contact: Srimal Wangu (VPO
& ISU alum), swangu@hotmail.com
__________________________________________________________________
Item: $$$$
FUNDRAISING
Need: Committee
Head, DESPERATELY
Committee members
Workload: Standard :)
Why:
We have lost our financial stability, and the government is
threatening intervention (i.e., we are nearly broke)
Contact: Mindy Delaney (VPF),
mdelaney@mit.edu
__________________________________________________________________
Item: SHIRTS
& PINS FOR SALE
Need: $5
for a pin
$25 for a shirt (or FREE with a $75 donation)
Workload: None
Why:
To promote NASA Academy and raise funds
Contact: Mindy Delaney (VPF),
mdelaney@mit.edu
__________________________________________________________________
Item: Review
of our NAAA ideas
Need: Committee
Members
Workload: Low
Why:
We would like to get input from members before any
new actions are undertaken
Contact: Jim Chase (Pres.),
jimchase@mit.edu
__________________________________________________________________
Item: Annual
Meeting
Need: Location
ideas
Workload: Negligible
Why:
We are beginning the process of deciding where to hold the
annual event in October
Contact: Srimal Wangu (VPO),
swangu@hotmail.com
__________________________________________________________________
Wow! That's it. We are looking forward to hearing from you, and we are also excited about the great year we are going to have! And finally, thank you for your interest and support.
Your executive council,
Jim Chase, President
Srimal Wangu, Vice President of Operations
Mindy Delaney, Vice President of Finance
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? - The 1997
Marshall Academy
Name: Alys Blair
Email: alys.blair@msfc.nasa.gov
Work company or school: University of Alabama in Huntsville
Work title and/or major and degree sought: MS in Atmospheric
Science
Major work/school project(s): Airborne Electric Field Mills
Discussion (2-3 paragraphs, can be personal and/or work-related):
I graduated from Belmont University (in Nashville)
in Dec.'97 and moved to Huntsville in June '98. Jamie (my husband)
was finally able to move here last October, and he is now a paramedic in
Huntsville. Jamie and I (and our 2 cats) are enjoying our new house
here.
I am studying Atmospheric Science at UAH and working
with Marshall's Atmospheric Electricity group. My first summer with
the group I participated in a field project and got to fly around Hurricane
Bonnie. (I love to fly, but I'd rather watch hurricanes on TV.)
For my thesis, I am comparing the lightning of land and oceanic storms.
There is much less lightning associated with oceanic storms, and it isn't
fully understood why. I anticipate to graduate with a Masters this
May. I recently passed my Prelims, so after my Masters, I will start
working toward a Ph.D.
Name: Isaac Boxx
Email: igboxx@mail.utexas.edu
Homepage: www.ae.utexas.edu/~igboxx
Current contact info: (512) 478 4602
Work company or school: University of Texas At Austin, Graduate
Student
Work title and/or major and degree sought: Masters / Ph.D. -
Aerospace Engineering.
Work/school contact info: As Above
Major work/school project(s): I'm studying the effect of buoyancy
on large scale turbulent structures in turbulent jet flames.
My project uses microgravity to separate buoyancy
and momentum effects. .
Discussion (2-3 paragraphs, can be personal and/or work-related):
I've been busy since '97. Taking Nate's lead
I built and flew a project in the NASA Vomit comit. My team was studying
how mist (formed through depressurization of shuttle cargo bays during
launch) found it's way to the optics of a princeton UV space telescope
and ruined it. Very interesting project, and a great excuse to fly
the KC-135.
After that, I worked at Syracuse University on applied
mathematics for the summer. My boss and I were developing an innovative
way of studying turbulent data signals using wavelets. Hard work
but it paid well, so who can complain? The following summer, I worked
out at Los Alamos on a research study in a shock tube. We were
looking at fluid instabilities often seen in detonations. Now I am
working at UT on a project of my own looking at turbulent jet flames in
microgravity.
Outside of work, life's been great. I'm having
a great time down here in Austin. It's such a great city. The
weather is definitely an improvement over gloomy new jersey. I could
get used to all this sun. The people are great and the town is so
much fun.
Name: Melissa Kirk
Email: mkirk@sky.net
Work company or school: University of Kansas
Work title and/or major and degree sought: Ph.D.
Mechanical Engineering
Major work/school project(s): Active vibration control
of flexible structures
Discussion (2-3 paragraphs, can be personal and/or work-related):
I finished my course work for the Ph.D. degree in
December 1999. I am doing the background research for my dissertation.
My dissertation is about intelligent control of vibration of flexible structures.
I am trying to figure out where the current state of research in smart
structures is lacking, so I can select a topic. There are many applications
for control of flexible structures, including active noise control in aircraft
cabins and precision pointing control of space-based telescopes.
I love to look at the night sky. There is
no more beautiful a sight than the gaseous tendrils of the Great Nebula
in Orion. As a member of the Astronomical Society of Kansas City
(ASKC) I search for minor planets and comets, and I host star parties for
members of the general public. I hope to make my first discovery
of an asteroid this year.
My husband, John, and I have been married for 10
years, and we have two dogs. They are two-year-old Basenji female
littermates. Basenjis have short hair, curly tails, wrinkles above
their eyes, and pointy ears. They bark much less than other breeds.
Basenjis originated in Africa, they hunt by sight, and they are not very
obedient. Sometimes a Basenji knows when his owner has called him,
but decides that whatever he is smelling is more interesting. My
dogs' names are Isis and Nephthys. Isis has a white and red coat
and weighs 19 lbs. Nephthys has a white, red, and black coat and
weighs 26 lbs. In Egyptian mythology, Isis and Nephthys were protector
goddesses of the pharaohs as they journeyed to the afterlife.
My dogs sure love to run and chase each other.
Name: Matthew A. Meineke
E-mail: mmeineke@nd.edu
Current Contact Info: 370 Pin Oak Circle, Mishawaka, IN 46545
School: University of Notre Dame
Title: Lowly Graduate Peon, I'm seeking my Ph.D. in Chemistry
School contact info: best through e-mail, office number: 219-631-7681
Major Projects: none currently
Discussion:
This is my first year here at Notre Dame. I graduated
in the spring of '99 from Western Kentucky University and promptly moved
to South Bend/Mishawaka IN. I also was married over this past summer and
adjusting to married life has been pretty good. (Interesting note: I proposed
to Kelly on the last night of the NASA Academy Program.) Currently I have
chosen theoretical chemistry as my research area at Notre Dame. Right now
I am learning to program before I can start making simulations of liquids
and solids. Eventually I will work on simulating the diffusion of anesthetic
molecules through a cell membrane. If things go well, I should have a Ph.D.
by '04 or '05.
Name: Zine Smith
Email: zine.smith@trw.com
Current contact info: 250 Saddle Rock Court, Harvest, AL
Work company or school: Work: TRW School: University of Alabama
Huntsville
Work title and/or major and degree sought: Title: Engineer Degree
Working On: MS Plasma Physics
Work/school contact info: Phone (256) 830-3565
Major work/school project(s): Work: National Missile Defense
Ames 1998 Academy… you're up next! Please send me your entry in a timely manner!
Name:
Email:
Homepage:
Current contact info:
Work company or school:
Work title and/or major and degree sought:
Major work/school project(s):
Discussion (2-3 paragraphs, can be personal and/or work-related):
EDITOR'S CORNER - SPACE INTEREST
POLL RESULTS
What makes people do what they do? How are dreams inspired? How did those of us already interested in space exploration become so? Can we use the means of our inspiration to then inspire others? These and other questions, combined with my personal curiosity, are what spawned the January Space Interest Poll. Both the similarity and the diversity of the answers were surprising. The results of the poll are summarized below and followed by some of my thoughts on the outcome.
Total Number of Responses: 42
QUESTION 1 - How old were you when you became actively interested in
space?
Ages 0 to 4
7.14%
Ages 4 to 8
30.95%
Ages 8 to 12
26.19%
Ages 12 to 16
9.52%
Ages 16 to 20
16.67%
Ages 20 to 24
9.52%
Ages 24+
0.00%
QUESTION 2 - How did you become interested in space? Who/what
sparked your interest in space?
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| Watched a launch on TV |
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| Classroom experience |
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| Teacher/mentor/hero inspired |
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| Saw a movie |
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movies include Space Camp, Star Wars, and The Right Stuff |
| Visited a science museum, planetarium, or telescope |
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| Space Camp experience |
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| Toured a NASA center |
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| Read a book |
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| Watched a launch in person |
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| Voyager Pics in the Newspaper, Omni magazine article |
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| Don't remember |
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| Space LEGO sets |
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| Owned a telescope growing up |
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| Participated in NASA Academy or SLSTP |
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| TV show - Cosmos |
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| Attended an air show |
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| Model rocket launches in 4-H |
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| Seeing Halley's Comet |
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| First wanted to be a pilot, then an astronaut |
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QUESTION 3 - What aspect of space were you interested in first?
Being an astronaut
47.62%
Planetary exploration
30.95%
Astronomy
26.19%
Building manned spacecraft
9.52%
Discovering what's out there/life
in the universe/SETI 7.14%
Mission to Planet Earth
4.76%
Building unmanned spacecraft
2.38%
Living in space long-term,
ie ISS
2.38%
Access to outstanding dedicated
research facilities 2.38%
QUESTION 3 - Did your interest in space influence your scholastic pursuits
in:
Elementary School?
14.29% Yes
Junior High School?
26.19% Yes
High School?
64.29% Yes
College?
90.48% Yes
Grad School?
88.10% Yes
QUESTION 4 - If yes to any of the above, did it influence you to:
take more math?
61.90%
take more science?
73.81%
take extra electives that
were space-related, such as astronomy? 52.38%
work harder to excel in
school in general? 59.52%
select a major/graduate
research field? 78.57%
What major/field? Aerospace Engineering
12 people
Physics
7 people
Mechanical Engineering 7 people
Math
2 people
Electrical Engineering 2 people
Biology, Chemistry, Teaching, Biotechnology, Astronomy, Computer Science,
Micropaleontology, and Engineering each had 1 person
QUESTION 5 - How have you participated in promoting space issues and
endeavors?
Excited friends/relatives/co-workers/acquaintances
about space issues
88.10%
Joined space-related organizations
or groups
80.95%
Made presentations to schools/businesses/other
organizations promoting space
73.81%
Volunteered/worked for a
space education group (planetarium, museum, Space Camp, etc)
40.48%
Responded to letter campaigns
directly requesting you to write letters to Congress
35.71%
Independently wrote letters
to Congress on space issues
30.95%
Circulated space-related
petitions
23.81%
Work for NASA or in astronomy
or other space industry
4.76%
Active in public outreach
through the Mars Society
2.38%
Participated in and initiated
space-related research activities
2.38%
Rocketry with elementary
school kids and Boy Scouts
2.38%
Host star parties
2.38%
QUESTION 6 - What is the most important space endeavor in your opinion?
The following endeavors are ranked by highest total score (score in
parentheses) received:
Manned missions to Mars (268)
International Space Station (267)
Manned return to the Moon (248)
Planetary exploration (241)
Updating manned spacecraft, ie replacing the Shuttle/Soyuz with current
technology (229)
Unmanned missions to Mars (223)
Mission to Planet Earth, ie using space technology to monitor and help
the environment (210)
Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence and similar searches for any life
off Earth (181)
Astronomical activities, ie search for extrasolar planets, etc. (179)
Creating public excitement for space exploration, especially in youth,
keeping imagination alive (41)
Deep space probes, ie autonomous robotic exploration beyond Earth and Solar
System (9)
Advancement of private/commercial space development (7)
Unmanned return to the Moon (4)
Identify objects that could collide with Earth and cause catastrophic damage
(2)
Updating large booster capability and reliability (1)
Use NASA for an R&D agency rather than a political pawn (1)
EDITOR'S COMMENTARY ON POLL RESULTS by Erin Robinson
I found it extremely interesting that the majority of NASA Academy Alumni began to be interested in space exploration in elementary school, with several more discovering space in the following years of junior high and high school. Although some who were inspired in elementary school were motivated at that time to excel in technical subjects that would take them to space, the majority didn't feel the influence scholastically until high school, and almost all who responded felt the influence of their interest in space guiding their college performance.
The top experience inspiring interest in space was viewing a launch on television. There is some correlation between those who became interested at a very young age and those who first became interested through seeing a launch. I can't help but wonder if this is partially a product of many of us being in elementary school when the Space Shuttle Era began and public excitement was high enough that we watched launches on TV in school. Well, we at least watched those first launches at my elementary school and it was a big deal. In my experience, that public education interest tapered off over the years to the point that we didn't see the Challenger Accident live. So then my question would be, how many young school children now get the opportunity to see the Shuttle or other spacecraft launches live while in school? Are there kids who will miss the opportunity to fall in love with space exploration simply because they are never exposed to the excitement of the endeavor?
In looking at how we participate in promoting space exploration, it appears that we do very well within our own spheres of influence, informing and hopefully exciting those within easy reach and supporting larger space organizations on an individual level. This is great and I especially applaud the large numbers of folks who have made presentations to schools and businesses promoting space interest. However, there is room for improvement - especially along the lines of using our political influence. Extending the poll to represent the general behavior of the NAAA as a whole, a whole two-thirds of us, nearly 200 people, have the potential to add their voices and letters and active support to national space programs. Can 300 people - approximately the whole NAAA membership - make a difference in the world, in how space exploration is pursued now and in the future? Yes, definitely. Just ask those who participated in the Space Generation Forum as a part of the United Nations UNISPACE Conference this summer. It is possible to make a difference. May I challenge each of us to make it our personal responsibility in the year 2000 to make sure the dream stays alive?
As for what space endeavors are most important to us as NASA Academy Alumni, it seems clear that manned space exploration holds a high position in our regard. This is likely influenced by the fact that 40% of those polled want(ed) to be astronauts. It was in this ranking of what is important in space exploration that the greatest diversity in the NAAA was revealed. While we are all interested in space, the focus of our interests spans the whole spectrum of possibilities. Through our NASA experience we have probably seen how different space research groups compete with each other over whose work is more important and that is certainly not what we want in the NAAA. I really liked what Joe Mueller (Dryden '97, Ames '98) said on this point and I'll sign off with his remarks:
"What are we striving so hard to achieve? It doesn't matter, as
long as we keep striving so hard. The progress of humanity is better
measured by the will we have to explore and what we hope to discover than
whatever it is we may actually find. The most important endeavor
will be to bring purpose, honor, excitement and integrity back to our quest
of constant exploration."
Your comments and suggestions are welcome.
Newsletter Editor: Erin Robinson erobinson@mail.arc.nasa.gov
The Executive Committee: ec@nasa-academy.org
Jim Chase, President president@nasa-academy.org
Srimal Wangu, Vice-president
of Operations vp-ops@nasa.academy.org
Mindy Delaney, Vice-president
of Finance vp-finance@nasa.academy.org