Nueva Students Become Scientists: Space Academy tests limits as students craft an experiment sent to the International Space Station. BY
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What’s no bigger than a shoebox, was designed by Nueva students, and could make space travel safer and more comfortable in the future? A: AN EXPERIMENT SENT INTO SPACE THAT MEASURES HOW HOT AIR MOVES IN A MICROGRAVITY ENVIRONMENT. The experiment was the work of the Experiments in Space Academy, a weekly elective that ran from August 2016 through March 2017 for students in the fifth to eighth grades. The culmination came on June 3, when the experiment was launched into space by SpaceX along with a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Jenko Hwong, a Nueva parent, brought this opportunity to us through the Quest Institute, an organization that, among other endeavors, has helped launch more than 100 student-designed experiments into space. This was a perfect fit with our sixth-grade science curriculum, which includes a lot of space and astronomy. Together, we cosponsored the work of ten students, who became known as Team Microvection. Their efforts spanned not only the science curriculum, but incorporated social-emotional learning, design thinking, and plenty of hands-on construction. “When I first heard about Space Academy, it was surreal to think that we could actually send something into space,” said Alexa W. “I thought only NASA engineers got to do that.” Once, that was true. But now, students’ experiments can be placed on top of a rocket, launched, and orbited to the ISS, where astronauts dock with the spacecraft and load the cargo into the space station. Once in place, the experiment runs and beams data back down to earth. This presents an incredible opportunity for everyone involved, students and teachers alike.
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DEVELOPING A HYPOTHESIS As with all good scientific inquiries, our students started with questions and parameters. Because space and load limits on the ISS are tight, our experiment would have to be compact and lightweight. It also had to meet NASA’s safety requirements. That meant nothing involving bacteria, for example, because of the danger it would pose to the astronauts who live in the ISS. Looking at the big picture, the team defined its goal to “expand our knowledge of space and the laws of nature and how they may change in different environments.” They chose to examine natural convection, the science of natural cooling and heating, and forced convection, the science of using fans to forcefully cool things. The Quest Institute is an organization that, among other endeavors, has helped launch more than 100 studentdesigned experiments into space.
Hypothesis Hot air will spread out in a spherical shape, instead of rising.
Specifically, they decided to explore how heat moves in a microgravity environment like the ISS. They knew from classwork that hot air rises on Earth because of gravity. But the ISS is in orbit, continuously “falling” toward the earth. There is no “up” or “down” when you’re in orbit. Thus, objects and air behave differently. The students’ hypothesis was that hot air would spread out in a spherical shape, instead of rising.
BUILDING, TESTING, REBUILDING Hypothesis in hand, it was time for the students to design the experiment itself from the ground up. They divided themselves into four teams, with Livi P. serving as project manager. The teams used design thinking, characterized by brainstorming solutions and rapid prototyping of the various components. The Science team detailed the hypothesis and gathered data on how heat and humidity act on Earth. Holden J., Sam R., and Sam P. of the Hardware team were challenged to design a cube that contained three temperature sensors and a motor to keep the contents of the cube dry and to ensure the contents of the cube wouldn’t shift during flight. The experiment also had to be as lightweight and compact as possible. After all, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on top of the Falcon 9 Rocket would already be carrying 6,000 pounds of equipment to the ISS. The Electrical team started with nothing more than a power source and a light bulb, then created a circuit board that would accomplish one simple task: turn the light bulb on and off. From there, the team expanded the circuit board to run all of the sensors, the motor, and other components. As Alexa W. and Ava G. explained when Team Microvection presented their work in a school assembly, “We made sure all the equipment is linked to a common power source and receives the voltage it needs, is connected with the cube, and so on.”
Sophia E. and Clayton M. of the Science Team collected data on how hot air acts on Earth and hypothesized its actions in space. On Earth, the top sensor is warmer because hot air rises. In space, the students expect all of the sensors to have the same readings, apart from wavering as the air floats around.
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Meanwhile, Software team members Colin D. and Eli P. sharpened their coding skills by creating code that could run a heating element, turn fans on and off to ensure a stable temperature, and run remotely with the push of a single button. And of course it had to be compatible with the prototype created by the Hardware team.
Alexa W. and Ava G. inserted wires in a plastic “breadboard” — a term of art used by circuit-board designers — that were then bridged together strategically. Each wire has its own purpose and each has its own polarity, negative or positive.
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Where to watch the SpaceX launch:
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Launch video: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=WXBFqFaECYA Dragon intercept with ISS: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=o9eDjo34tJo SpaceX webcast: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=JuZBOUMsYws (Start at 19:54; go to 27:08, 28:30, and 32:50 to see solar arrays deployed) Dragon spacecraft re-entering Earth’s atmosphere after mission completion on July 3, 2017: http://www.mercurynews. com/2017/07/03/seespacex-dragon-capsulereenter-earthsatmosphere-in-thisamazing-photo/
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Science, our experiment Our experiment: • Testing how it reacts in space • Heating multiple runs • Using heat lamp • Testing how air moves Hypothesis 1: Hot air will spread out like a sphere. Hypothesis 2: How will level of humidity affect this experiment?
“OUR GOAL: TO EXPAND OUR KNOWLEDGE OF SPACE AND THE LAWS OF NATURE AND HOW THEY MAY CHANGE.” All of the teams employed the rapid prototyping that is essential to the design thinking mindset and process. Many of our students were familiar with circuits, but this experiment presented many new challenges, like fine-tuning voltages and resistance and working out hiccups in the code or in the wiring. Every time they encountered a problem, they had to pick apart the prototype piece by piece, testing each part, to find out exactly which piece was failing. It took a lot of patience, collaboration, and focus to iron out the bugs. “This experience was so much more involved and interactive than I expected, “ said Sam P.
PREPARING FOR LAUNCH Eight weeks before launch, the finalized prototype was complete, and Jenko hand-delivered it to NASA’s headquarters in Houston for final approval. After a few days’ weather-related delay, Falcon 9 launched on Saturday, June 3, 2017, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with the members of Team Microvection watching the live-stream from their homes. We replayed the launch for the Middle School the following Monday, with the audio turned up full volume. It was incredible to witness Nueva’s first venture into space exploration.
down to Earth, so it could be re-used in the future. Our involvement aside, this was a historic launch. It was the first time SpaceX had relaunched a Dragon spacecraft. This technique is a big step forward in lowering the cost of space flight. (See p. 20 for links to watch the launch and other events.) The Dragon spacecraft took two days to reach the ISS and remained there for four weeks. During that period, the Team Microvection experiment ran and sent data back to Earth in real time via radio signals. The Dragon spacecraft splashed down to Earth on July 3.
ANALYZING THE RESULTS Students are now waiting to process the data. Once the data from the ISS is available, they will compare it to the experiments they recorded here on Earth, where gravity drags down cooler, denser air. This was one of the most authentic scientific experiences that Nueva students have undertaken. Our students became true engineers, designers, and programmers. They relied on each other for support and expertise, and worked as a team toward a common goal. They persevered through obstacles and many challenges. It was an experience where they pushed to and through their limits. u
After delivering the Dragon spacecraft into orbit, the Falcon 9 rocket performed a vertical landing back
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