Newsletter #6 - January 6th, 2004

Mars Gravity Biosatellite will provide the first data on the adaptation of the mammalian body to the partial gravity of 0.38g found on the surface of Mars. It will help provide answers to one of the critical outstanding questions in the planning of future human expeditions to the Red Planet. Mars Gravity is led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Washington (UW) and the University of Queensland (UQ).

In this edition:
1. WATCH THIS SPACE - Mars Gravity Notices
2. EVENT HORIZON - News and Views on Events
3. TECH LIFE - Science and Engineering Updates
4. LIL’ BIT OF SOL - Team Member News


1. WATCH THIS SPACE
Mars Gravity Notices

MIT INDEPENDENT ACTIVITIES PERIOD

During the annual January Independent Activities Period, the MIT Mars Gravity team will be sponsoring a number of activities open to the entire MIT Community. They are:

Friday work sessions - Each Friday, the team will open its doors to the MIT community, and invite interested individuals to work on an aspect of the project. Opportunities exist to contribute to engineering design and testing, fundraising and business activities, and overall management. No prior experience is required.

Brown Bag Lunch - Bring your lunch and hear a brief presentation on an aspect of the Mars Gravity project. Each Friday, a different team lead will speak about their group and its current activities. Presentations will be given about the Overall Program, Science Objectives and Current Activities, Payload Engineering Design, and Systems Engineering Challenges

Educational Outreach - Teach school children about space! During IAP, students from the Mars Gravity project will be going out to local Boston schools to teach children about the Mars Gravity project, Mars, and space exploration. The MIT community is welcome to join our team as it inspires the next generation of explorers.

Speaker - A speaker event is being planned for January, open to the entire MIT community.

For more information about getting involved with these events, check the MIT IAP website at http://web.mit.edu/iap/, or email info@marsgravity.org

UW SPEAKER SERIES CONTINUES

In January, the UW team will continue its Mars Gravity Speaker Series by hosting Ray Hansen, a reliability engineer at Aerojet Redmond. Mr. Hansen, a 2001 graduate of UW Aero and Astro engineering, will discuss failure modes and effects analysis, an important tool for safe design of any system.

Did you know?
During the four decades of the space age, an experiment observing mammals in a gravity level between 0g and 1g for more than a few days has never been undertaken. The presence of Earth’s 1g gravity field precludes realistic experiments on the ground. Much experience has been gained in the near-0g of human orbital spaceflight, and it is well known that the absence of gravity has a marked effect on astronauts. However the precise way that the level of gravity moderates key physiological processes in multi-cellular animals and mammals in particular, remains a mystery.

2. EVENT HORIZON
News and Views on Events

NEW WEBSITE MAKEOVER

Our website has received a welcome makeover and we invite you to check it out! If you have any problems accessing this site, any suggestions, or if you are viewing it from an unusual location, please let us know at webmaster@marsgravity.org. Thanks to MIT team member Sylvain Bruni for his fabulous efforts!

PRESENTATION TO MIT CORPORATION

Program Manager Paul Wooster, Science Director Erika Wagner, Development Director Christy Bueso, Deputy Program Manager Audrey Schaffer, and Payload Manager Marcus Lopez attended the quarterly MIT Corporation lunch in December. The Corporation is MIT’s board of trustees and has oversight over all of MIT’s activities. Paul and Erika presented the Mars Gravity project to the Corporation and were warmly received. We'd like to thank the Chairman of the Corporation, Dana Mead, for all of his support and for asking us to present.

UW HOSTS LOCKMART SPEAKER

The UW Mars Gravity team hosted Mr. Richard Warwick in November. Visiting from Lockheed Martin Astronautics in Denver, he has been involved as a systems design engineer in most of NASA's planned and accomplished Mars Missions of the past 7 years, and is currently the systems design lead for the 2007 Phoenix Mars Lander mission. Mr. Warwick spoke about systems engineering issues involved in Mars missions. Over 40 people attended this evening event, including undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty staff from the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department.

SPACEX FALCON UNVEILED

The SpaceX Falcon was unveiled on 3 December at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. This event showcased a key feature of the new rocket - its ability to be prepared and transported horizontally as a complete unit, and rotated into position at the launch pad. CEO Elon Musk has advised that the first launch of the Falcon is scheduled for March from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California. Progress on the Falcon has been nothing short of remarkable. The Falcon is the Mars Gravity baseline launch vehicle. With an expected unit cost of US$6m, Mars Gravity has secured commitments to cover approximately half this cost.

iCAMPUS PROJECT NEARING COMPLETION

The iCampus initiative is an MIT-Microsoft alliance funding student projects that utilize technology to enhance student life, provide an educational opportunity, or change the world! Using an iCampus grant, Mars Gravity has over the last year developed information systems infrastructure aimed at facilitating collaboration between team members across two continents and three time zones. Tools include a filesharing system, an email list server, task and action item tracking tools, conferencing applications, including audio and video conferencing, and application screen sharing. iCampus work is nearing completion, with computers ready to ship to UW and UQ. We thank the folks at iCampus for their generous support and team members responsible for the implementation.

UQ VACATION WORK IN FULL SWING

The UQ team currently has a complement of 14 students working full time on EDLS preliminary design, led by EDLS Manager and recent BE graduate Adriaan Window. The group includes a number of students from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), one of the three main universities in Brisbane. The QUT students are complementary to the UQ effort, trained in systems and avionics engineering. Australian engineering students must undertake 12 weeks of industrial experience to be awarded their BE, and this is the second intensive southern summer session for the UQ team.

A THANK YOU TO SPONSORS

The Mars Gravity Biosatellite Program would not be possible with out the generous support of our numerous sponsors. We’d in particular like to thank the recent support provided by MIT’s Office of the Vice President for Research, the MIT Edgerton Center, and the Aerojet Redmond branch of the GenCorp Foundation. All our donors are actively supporting and encouraging educational excellence in science and engineering and advancing the exploration of space. If you are interested in contributing, please visit our website or email info@marsgravity.org

3. TECH LIFE
Science and Engineering Updates

NASA FREE FLYER WORKSHOP

Program Manager Paul Wooster and Science Director Erika Wagner attended a Free Flyer Workshop held this December at NASA Ames Research Centre south of San Francisco, and sponsored by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Sciences Division. The workshop discussed the potential development of a free flyer satellite program within NASA. Such a program has been debated within the agency for decades and would follow upon successful NASA collaboration with Russia’s free-flyer missions. Potential payloads for the free flyer program could align very well with Mars Gravity's current design, and we may be well positioned to support the objectives of this program if and when it receives approval in Washington D.C. some time in the future.

4. LIL’ BIT OF SOL
Team Member News

RACHEL HEADS DOWN UNDER

Engineering Manager Rachel Lee will be traveling to Australia this January to work side-by-side with UQ team members, as they aim to complete preliminary design of the Entry, Descent, and Landing System. Rachel is currently a sophomore at MIT, majoring in Aerospace Engineering. Her visit will help strengthen systems level engineering collaboration and provide added motivation for the UQ team. Be sure to pack some sunscreen, Rachel!

MEMBER PROFILE: BEN MCGRUER (UQ)

Age: 20
Current academic/employment status:
3rd Year BE(Mech&Space) Student / Part-time Car Detailer.
Education:
Brisbane Boys College.
What do you do in Mars Gravity?
UQ Resource Manager, Entry subsystem CFD.
How long have you been involved in Mars Gravity?
10 months
What do you hope to get out of Mars Gravity?
Real space engineering experience, new contacts, and the chance to be directly involved in a very exciting project.
What have you already got out of Mars Gravity?
A lot of news friends, some great experience, and a trip to MIT.
Favorite TV Show:
Black Books (slightly obscure English comedy).
Favorite Band:
Black Sabbath.
Favorite Book:
Black Beauty... seriously, probably The Magician by Raymond Feist.
Favorite Sport:
Cross-Country Running.
Favorite Meal:
Full Roast Dinner.
Favorite Sweets:
Chocolate.
Last movie you saw?
Thirteen Days.
Last CD you bought?
A Split Enz one.
Best thing you've ever done?
Climbing the highest mountain in Iceland (nearly made the peak).
Best advice ever received?
"Don't worry, she'll be right..."

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