Surviving the Harsh Environment of Space

A few lies:

1. Removing the battery from your cell phone makes it charge faster.
2. It will be bronze in the morning.
3. The cake.

This last week was possibly one of the heaviest work-wise that I've had in a while. It couldn't actually have been that bad since I only remember getting less than 7 hours of sleep once. School has been pretty easy this quarter so far actually. Perhaps I'm just slacking.

I had a lab report due Tuesday, Structures and Spacecraft Environments homework due Wednesday and a Structures midterm Wednesday. I also had an Aerothermodynamics III quiz and a Spacecraft Environments Midterm today (Thursday). 

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Courtesy: nasa.gov

Interesting...

Spacecraft Environments is a pretty interesting class not simply because of the material covered, but because it, along with the associated lab next quarter, is possibly not found in any other undergraduate program in the country. The courses were developed in reaction to industry feedback. Graduates performed well in many ways, yet many lacked the knowledge of why spacecraft look the way they do and why they need certain components, etc. It makes sense that knowledge of the environmental effects on spacecraft would be essential in design and execution of missions in space.

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This weekend was supposed to be packed as we prepared for our first launch attempt this coming Monday. Our oxidizer isn't arriving until Monday, and we won't be able to get the powder we need for the ejection charge until next week. Oh well.

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"Not-know-it-alls"

This is space. It does not cooperate.
Courtesy: The Martian

After so many trips up there, humans have learned a lot about space. We've also done a great job at making it more dangerous. However, despite our advances and engineering feats, there are still mysteries, surprises, and failures that serve as reminders that we don't know everything. Some of the equations we use for calculating orbital debris flux or solar intensity are stuffed full of random-looking coefficients that scientists made up, based on data collected. We're just trying to make it fit the model. We don't necessarily have a grasp on what's going on.

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You'd be surprised how hard it is to find black powder where we live. Well, you actually might not. What we need can be ordered, but the hazmat fee is almost $30 which more than doubles the cost. A local store here carries it, but only orders it for the hunting season which I guess is around October? Good to know.

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Trying to get it right

Spacecraft glow on shuttle.
Courtesy: NASA

I think that it's obvious for many people why it's important to do all you can to make sure something will work before sending millions of dollars into space on top of a controlled explosion. A major obstacle is that the space environment is very difficult to recreate on Earth's surface. Vacuum chambers, rail-guns, and other devices help, but not many can be used in conjunction for synergistic effects. Plus, you know what they say.  Failing to plan for any aspect of the space environment can easily result in complete failure of the mission. So many things can go wrong even when you're aware and plan for them.

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Despite having only rockets and lines of code in my brain, I was able to give a talk last month and I don't think I used any aerospace analogies this time. We also had Christmas. I guess a lot has happened since my last post.

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LDEF - The Real Thing

Stands for: Long Duration Exposure Facility

With the space shuttle, prolonged in-space experiments became possible. In class we learned about the LDEF, which carried panels with different materials all over the outside of a cylinder shape. Besides being able to view the effects on many different coatings and materials, LDEF also made possible the observation of the effects on different surfaces based on their orientation. This included the forward direction versus the sides and back of the space craft. Some coatings changed color while others eroded and some held intact. The experiment was so valuable for its ability to directly measure the effects of the space environment, that similar experiments have also been done on the International Space Station (ISS). 

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In my talk I was strangely given the choice of what I wanted to speak on, which was frightening as I usually get lost in my own thoughts when that happens. Luckily I was given an alternative topic which I blended with things that I had been thinking about lately.

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Our LDEF

This experiment reminded me of a YSA fireside I went to in Oakland after I got home from my mission. The speaker talked about how collision survival rates in cars rose after safety advancements were made thanks to the implementation of crash test dummies. Like the LDEF, a dummy is put right where the action is. The idea is that the dummy undergoes the same exact experience a human would, leaving estimations from complex models and equations behind and going for real, accurate data. The speaker's point was that our crash test dummy for life, of course, is Jesus Christ.

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The truth is that I've felt an increase in compassion for those going through difficulties, whether I'm aware of them or not. This compassion is imperfect, but is becoming more consistent. I reflected on my parents' challenges in a way that I hadn't before. After then considering my own challenges, and extending that to those around me, I've come to the conclusion that compassion is a catalyst which allows humankind to grow together. Think about that the next time you want to flip off the driver next to you.

Unfortunately, we can only do so much for each other. Sometimes I feel like sympathy only goes so far. In a way I've felt like my trials were like personal spiritual experiences. I think that one reason why it's not always appropriate to share them is because they usually don't mean as much to other people. I may have an increased feeling of sympathy for my parents as I get older and relate to them more, but unless I went through what they did, that sympathy is all I can have for them.

I don't know what it's like to grow up in an abusive home. I wasn't a marine in Vietnam. I've never lost children to miscarriages, buried a child, or had a rebellious child leave the church. I've never been through a divorce. Though I've never been swimming in cash, I've also haven't faced long-term unemployment or lost my home to foreclosure.

Everyone gets their own unique set of circumstances in life, and we're often ignorant of each other's. Thankfully, we have a loving Heavenly Father and His Son.

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The Book of Mormon, Alma 7

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

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Christ's love was so great that just knowing about the human experience wasn't enough. He could have known everything through the Spirit, but decided to experience it himself. He preferred to be empathetic instead of merely sympathetic. Who better to judge us than Him?

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13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

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To all of you also trying to survive the harsh environment of mortality: know that the Savior knows precisely what is coming your way as well as what you are made of. More importantly, He's already been there and is ready to help with any situation. Mer and I have witnessed first hand that, though we have our challenges, we've also been blessed with prayers answered, the knowledge of the Gospel, and each other.

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"As we rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, He can help us endure our trials, sicknesses, and pain. We can be filled with joy, peace, and consolation. All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ."

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