Life on Mars? Two students attend NASA's summer programme

Two DIT students were last year given the opportunity to attend the annual space studies summer programme in NASA. We invited them to tell us about their impressions of life in a space research centre.
 
Paul Duffy is a postgraduate researcher in the School of Manufacturing and Design Engineering in DIT Bolton St. He is being supervised by Dr Gerry Woods, Dr James Walsh and Dr Sean O’Hogain and is developing a water quality monitoring and control system incorporating an automated e coli sensor. His research may lead to a range of applications such as monitoring drinking water and industrial process control.

Patrick Crowley qualified as an electrician before he started electrical services engineering in DIT Kevin Street. He was awarded his Bachelor of Technology Degree in May 2009. Patrick pursued research on 'A study of photosynthesis under artificial lighting' for his final year project. Recently he won a gold medal in Ireland for a presentation on his research in the Young Lighter of the Year Competition held by the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineering and the Society of Light and Lighting. Patrick then represented Ireland and DIT at the competition final in London in February where he received an international award. In addition, he presented his work at other International lighting competitions and also the Institute of Lighting Engineers’ 40th Anniversary conference.

Paul and Patrick have recently returned from spending 9 weeks attending the Space Studies Program (SSP) run by the International Space University, held this year in NASA Ames Research Centre, California. In order to attend the course they received sponsorship form DIT, Enterprise Ireland, the European Space Agency and the Gogarty Scholarship.

The course consisted of four weeks of core lectures covering a wide range of topics from rocket propulsion to international cooperation. At the end of the core lecture series students sat a four hour exam based on the lectures. Following this the course was split into different departments for two weeks of intensive activities. The departments were Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Space Systems Engineering, Satellite Applications, Business and Management, Law and Policy and Space and Society. Activities included workshops, site visits, lectures by industry professionals and experiments. Students were assessed at the end of the department activities by presenting a review paper or the results of an individual/small group project. The final three weeks of the course were allotted to team projects.

Students were able to choose from one of three projects: ACCESS Mars - studying the use of lava tubes on Mars as a habitation solution; DREAM - developing disaster relief management using satellite technology for the World Bank; and SAFEN - Earth reviewing space based renewable energy solutions. The team projects culminated in presentations to many industry professionals and officials from space agencies around the world and the publication of a 100 page report.

Paul: ‘I really had a great summer. Aerospace is something which has interested me for a long time. However, being based in Ireland limits the exposure one can get to the industry. I heard of the course through Mark Wylie, another postgraduate in DIT, who attended last year’s SSP in Barcelona. Being based at NASA was very interesting. Ames Research Centre is the lead centre for the LCROSS mission which is set to impact the moon this autumn. The plume from the impact will be visible from Earth! They are also developing miniature lunar landers. And it’s home to the world’s biggest wind tunnel where they tested the space shuttle. The Centre is based in the heart of Silicon Valley so there are a lot of huge companies right next door like Google and Yahoo.'

Patrick: ‘I can easily say that summer at NASA Ames was an experience of a life time. The Space Studies Program offered quite a broad and interesting core curriculum covering all disciplines related to space including: space science, space engineering, systems engineering, space policy and law, business and management, and space and society. The class was made up of 140 people representing 36 different countries.  The participants came from different professional backgrounds, including engineers, lawyers, artists, space technology engineers, biologists and even the first Korean woman to go to space. I learned a lot of new skills from them and made a lot of new friends.’

Paul: ‘I found the core lectures very interesting. Most of the material was new to me and I felt I got a good grounding in most areas of the industry. For my department project I teamed up with two other guys and we conducted an experiment entitled "The Effects of Gender Distribution on Group Dynamics". It involved getting groups with different gender make ups and putting them through a series of tests. It didn’t really work out that well but it was the first time that any of my team had tried to run a psychological experiment before. It’s not something I ever thought I’d end up doing but it was good fun and at least I learned how not to run a psychological experiment!’

Patrick: 'The core lectures were very intense but equally interesting. For the department project I presented my further research on "The Role of Artificial Lighting for Photosynthesis in Space". I had previous research done and my new findings were suitable applications for this technology on primarily longer space missions to places like Mars. I received very positive feedback as they would like to use my presentation for teaching in the core lectures next year.'

Paul: 'Unfortunately, I broke my ankle just after the core lectures so I missed a lot of the activities and site visits. Although, I did manage to do a parabolic flight which was really good fun. During the flight we simulated lunar, Martian and zero gravity. It’s definitely something I recommend everybody to try.'

Patrick: 'There was a choice of entry into different departments to suit the various backgrounds. I chose the life science department as it looked particularly interesting and was related to my previous research. We attended presentations in Stanford University on robotic surgery and had the opportunity to perform surgery on dummies using the latest robotic technology. In addition, activities in our department involved dissecting hearts, lungs and practising our suturing skills on a pig’s leg.

We also diagnosed illnesses using role play and conducted extra vehicular activity (EVA) and neutral buoyancy training for a satellite repair mission. We had a video conference with NASA staff in Devon Island who were testing manned rovers and space suits.

The final three weeks were dedicated to our team project which was designing a habitat for an initial human settlement in caves on Mars. I was one of 54 members of the “ACCESS Mars” team. I was part of the life support systems and engineering group. I was responsible for the lighting design and greenhouse design which would provide food and oxygen for the habitants. In addition, future concepts (e.g. simulating daylight within the cave), suggestions for the project, referencing and editing were part of my contribution.'

Paul: 'I was also part of the ACCESS Mars project. I studied the psychological issues involved with subsurface habitation and general medical problems associated with Martian exploration. I was also part of the report editing team along with three others. It involved a lot of late nights. The hardest part was trying to fit the work of 50 people into 100 pages, but I think we did a pretty good job of it. The report and final presentation received a lot of positive feedback.

With regard to my future plans I hope to move into the aerospace industry after I finish my current research and the contacts I made during the SSP will be very useful when I do. Currently we are establishing a space research group within DIT to help both undergraduates and postgraduates become involved in aerospace.

Paddy: 'I intend to utilize the amazing experience I gained from the staff and my classmates at NASA Ames to carry on learning, working and meeting people in a positive manner. I have started a new job as a graduate engineer and furthering my studies will be an ongoing priority.'

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