Physics is Fun 2000 Sparked Imagination

By Joy Conrad, Pre-College Outreach Chair

Francis Mount and Educator Associate Georgia Colyer helped with registration, and several other Educator Associates came to enjoy the demos and possibly get some classroom ideas.  At the conclusion, the kids ran off with AIAA planes and pencils supplied by National and hopefully a little more appreciation of physics and engineering.

Bill Best was kind enough to point out an error in the January edition of Horizons in the article, “Dinner Meeting with Dr. Kenneth Cox:  Earth Observations from Orbit” on page 8.  The one of the topics article discussed the use of Apollo era photos in comparison with recent shuttle photos to provide information regarding long-term changes.  Dying lakes is an example of one of the long-term changes that can be seen.  In the article, the work “lakes” was inadvertently omitted.  We apologize for the error.

By Dr. Merri Sanchez, Chairman
 

I'd like to encourage all of you to help support the events we have coming up the next couple of months.  There are some wonderful opportunities.  Starting with our upcoming dinner programs.  I believe that our next three speakers will be the most interesting we have had this year.

February 28 we will host Capt. Michael Coats, Vice President of Reusable Space Transpiration Systems for Lockheed Martin, and a former astronaut.  Mike will be speaking on the "Challenges and Demands of a Spacefaring Race".  This dinner will also be in conjunction with the Human Space Transportation and Exploration Workshop that will be held at Moody Gardens in Galveston February 29-March 1, 2000.

March 16 we will host our second AIAA Distinguished Lecturer, Dr. Seth Shostak.  Seth will speak on the "Search for Extraterrestrials".  He has assured me that his talk is both serious, telling how we are accomplishing the search, and entertaining.  In fact, how could ET not be entertaining!  We are also going to be having a membership drive in conjunction with this meeting.

April 20 we will host Dr. John Lienhard from the University of Houston.  His talk will tie in with his regular radio program of "Engines of our Ingenuity".

Our technical committees have also rounded up a full slate of spring "Lunch and Learn" programs, including topics from Life Sciences, GN&C, and Astrodynamics and Space Sciences.  Be sure and check the calendar and website for updates to these.

And our primary activity of the year is coming up April 6-7, when we will be co-hosting the Region IV Student Paper Competition, and the Annual Technical Symposium.  The papers will be presented at the UH-CL campus.  I strongly encourage you to volunteer to be a written or oral judge for the student papers, and to prepare a paper to present at our symposium.  This will be the first time the SPC has been held in conjunction with a professional symposium in our region, and we are really looking forward to promoting student and professional interactions.  The call for papers for the ATS should be out by the time you receive this newsletter, so start your writing now!   Contact Darby Cooper for more information about the SPC, or John Vollmer for more information about the ATS.

By Dr. Merri Sanchez, Chairman

National AIAA election ballots will be mailed out the end of February.  Please take time to vote for the national and
regional officers.  The ballot is often times a difficult choice, but your vote counts!  In addition, you will be receiving a ballot from AIAA national to change the AIAA constitution.  PLEASE vote and return this ballot.  At least 15% of the national members must vote to change the constitution and the national elections usually has less than 10% of the members voting.  The constitutional changes being proposed are to essentially clean up the by-laws to allow AIAA to charter an international region VII.  Our international membership is growing, and national feels that an international region would allow their interests to be met better than if they are absorbed into our sections.  The AIAA name will NOT be changing.

And on the local front, Garland Bauch will be heading the nominating committee for our local AIAA elections.  We need to have our ballot defined by the first week of April.  If you would be interested in being on the nominating committee, please contact Garland Bauch or Merri Sanchez.  If you would be interested in being on the ballot for one of the following offices, please contact Garland Bauch:

· Chairman Elect (one year as chair elect then the following year at the Chair)
· Councilors     (5 councilor positions are opening)
· Vice- Chairman Technical · Secretary
· Treasurer · Vice-Chairman Operations

By Dr. Karin Loftin, Life Sciences, Space Processes and Human Factors Technical Committee Chairman
 

AIAA Life Sciences, Space Processes and Human Factors Technical Committee sponsored a February “Lunch and Learn.”  Dr. Johnny Conkin presented "Protection Against Decompression Sickness on Mars," on Tuesday February 15, 2000.  Dr. Conkin presented a multi-media event that addressed the challenges of living and working on Mars.  He stressed that a cost-effective approach to explore Mars is to use the available resources, such as water and atmospheric gases.  Nitrogen and Argon are available and could form the inert gas component of a habitat atmosphere proposed at 8, 9, or 10 pounds per square inch (psia). Oxygen could be generated from carbon dioxide and water. The EVA suit currently specified for a pressure of 3.75 psia will provide the vehicle to explore the surface of Mars.  However, with the pressure change from the habitat to the EVA suit, decompression sickness (DCS) or the bends, becomes a serious risk especially with Argon in the breathing mixture.  Dr. Conkin discussed in detail the methods he used to calculate the comparative risk of DCS during EVA from the 3 proposed habitats.  This type of analysis and future studies using simulated Martian atmospheres will be crucial to enable unrestricted and safe exploration of Mars.

Thank you to Dr. Conkin for his presentation and everyone who attended.  We hope everyone will join us in the EVA session at the Annual Technical Symposium on April 6-7.  We are currently seeking speakers on various topics related to EVA, both hardware, life support, and medical/physiological topics.  If you are interested in participating, please call me at 281-244-1122 or kloftin@ems.jsc.nasa.gov.

Update: Space Science and Astronomy Technical Committee

By Dr. Larry Friesen, Space Sciences and Astronomy Technical Committee Chairman
 

The Space Science and Astronomy Technical Committee has set up a "Lunch and Learn" for Wednesday, April 19.  This will be a combined event with the JSC Astronomy Brown Bag Seminar chaired by Al Jackson.  The Lunch and Learn will take place from 12:00 noon to 1:00 PM in Conference Room 129 at JSC Building 31.  Dr. Carl Allen, a planetary scientist at JSC, will be discussing the book he and Dr. Carolyn Sumners of the Burke Baker Planetarium have written:  "Cosmic Pinball."  The book deals with the science of comets, meteors, asteroids, and their potential impact hazard for Earth.  Keep your eye out for flyers.

I am also working on a possible Lunch and Learn for May.  Right now, it looks as if the most probable date will be Tuesday, May 30.  Current plans are to hold the “Lunch and Learn” at the Center for Advanced Space Studies (CASS), perhaps better known to some of you as the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI).  Dr. Laurel Kirkland, one of the scientists at LPI, will be speaking on the topic of Mars Spectroscopy.  More on this when details are finalized.

We can still use some more members on this committee.  If you're interested in the subject matter, contact me by phone at (281) 334-5268 or by e-mail at lfriesen@genie.idt.net.

By Nicole Smith
 

On Wednesday, February 16, 2000, a group of approximately sixty University of Houston students met on their campus to learn more about AIAA.  Students from the School of Engineering, as well as the Departments of Mathematics and Physics, gathered between evening classes.  The meeting was opened with a brief introduction of AIAA.  The students learned what sort of benefits AIAA could bring them, and then they saw firsthand that being a student member in the area of one of the largest AIAA Professional Sections definitely has its privileges!  Paul Hill, an ISS Flight Director, spoke to the students about the International Space Station assembly.  The students were enthralled with the photographs and schematics that he showed them.  Paul spoke about the ISS in general, showed the ISS as it is now, and talked about the numerous assembly simulations that are run with computers and in the NBL.  After speaking with the students for an hour, Paul continued to answer questions and engage in discussion with the students for over another hour!  The University of Houston students were very excited about the lecture and much interest has been gained in forming a UH student branch of AIAA!  It is projected that a student branch will be in place there by the end of the academic year.

CALL FOR PAPERS   Abstracts Due: March 15th

Theme: Pioneering A New Millennium Of Technology And Discovery

Where: University of Houston Clear Lake

When: April 6th & 7th, 2000

What: This year’s ATS will be conducted in parallel with the AIAA Region IV Student Paper Competition providing a unique opportunity for communication between top students and experienced professionals in aerospace and engineering technology. Subject of your choice, including: Missions, Systems, and Operations - STS, ISS, and beyond; International Projects; Commercialization and Privatization of Space; Industry Paradigm Shifts; Advances in Engineering, Systems, Software, Robotics, VR and AI; Advances in Human Engineering and Studies; Advances in Computers, Networks, and the Internet; Advances in Environmental, Planetary, and Life Sciences.

Guidelines:

1.  Abstracts should be 250 words or less.

2.  Formal publication is not required and presentations are welcome.

3. Demonstrations and exhibits of hardware or software products are encouraged, either as part of the presentation or stand-alone.

4.  Presentation limited to 25 minutes including Q&A.

5.  It is the responsibility of the presenter to insure that all applicable government and company regulations are adhered to.

Details & Contacts:
 
 

AIAA Houston Section Hosts
Region IV Student Paper Conference

By Darby Cooper, Student Paper Conference Chairman
 

The 48th Annual AIAA Region IV Student Paper Conference (SPC) will be held at the University of Houston – Clear Lake (UHCL) on April 6-7, 2000.  Student participants will be housed at the Ramada Inn/NASA in Clear Lake, Texas.  The event is co-hosted by the AIAA Houston Section and Texas A&M University Student Branch.  The SPC will be held concurrently with the Houston Section’s Annual Technical Symposium.  The combination of these two events will afford all of the participants an excellent opportunity for interaction between student and professional members.

The combined conferences will begin with registration on Thursday, April 6th.  Student registration will be available from 9 am to noon.  On Thursday lunch will be provided and include a guest speaker.  Thursday afternoon will have paper sessions for both student and professional papers.  Thursday evening will feature a guest speaker targeted to student interests.  Friday morning will again have professional and student paper presentations.  Friday's luncheon will highlight the student’s accomplishments with the presentation of awards.  Friday afternoon will be spent touring the NASA/Johnson Space Center, which will conclude around 5 pm.

Participants
The conference will include student participants from: Texas A&M University, University of Texas – Austin, University of Texas- Arlington, Texas Christian University, Louisiana State University, University of Houston, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, and Rice University.

In addition, the Houston Section’s Annual Technical Symposium, being held concurrently with the Student Paper Competition, will feature presentations by practicing engineers on the latest advances in aeronautics and astronautics.

Location
The 2000 AIAA Region IV Student Paper Conference will be held on the campus of the University of Houston – Clear Lake.
For More Information
For more information, students can contact their faculty advisor, local student branch, or Darby G. Cooper, Student Paper Conference Chair, at 281-538-6100 extension 20 or by email at dgcooper@neostar-astro.com.  Additional information will be made available on the AIAA Houston Section web site as it becomes available:  http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/aiaa.
 

Tentative Agenda
 Thursday, April 6, 2000
 

 Friday, April 7, 2000
 
 

Members Needed to Judge
at Student Paper Conference April 6th and 7th

By David Lechner
 

Volunteers for judging are needed to provide written and formal feedback for the AIAA Region IV Student Paper Conference being held April 6th and 7th 2000 at the University of Houston Clear Lake Campus. The Houston Professional Section along with the Texas A&M University Student Branch is hosting the student paper conference.  As hosts it is our responsibility to provide the students with feedback on the quality of their work and presentations.  With approximately 20 papers and presentations expected for the Region IV conference, a strong judging team will be essential.  Members are needed to volunteer as judges for the Student Paper Conference.

Judges are needed with a variety of backgrounds and interests.  An effort will be made to match student topics with members’ areas of interest.  Technical judges will be asked to review between 2-5 papers, requiring 2-4 hours of reading and scoring.  Audio judges will be asked to evaluate at least one session, requiring 3-4 hours of listening to presentations, asking questions, and scoring.  AIAA provides incentive to the students in the form of cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in both undergraduate and graduate divisions.  Determining who receives these prizes, and who represents Region IV at the National Student Conference, is the responsibility of the two sets of judges.

Audio judges will be asked to evaluate paper presentations during one or more of the conference sessions.  There will be two concurrent sessions Thursday afternoon and Friday morning (April 6th and 7th).  Each session will last 2-2.5 hours and consists of 3-4 presentations (each presentation is 20 minutes with 10 minutes allowed for questions).

Technical (written) judges will receive the papers in mid-March, before the conference and will need to read, evaluate and return the papers prior to the beginning of the conference.  On average, each technical judge will be asked to review 3-5 papers.  The technical judges (usually two for each paper) evaluate and score the written papers based on the overall technical content, the practical application, the originality of the content, and the style and form used in the paper.

Scores from the technical judging are combined with scores from a panel of three audio judges.  Each paper is evaluated on the technical content, practical application, the originality of the paper, and the delivery of the paper as well as the knowledge the paper’s author(s) demonstrate.  In addition, the audio judges have the opportunity to ask the presenter(s) questions about their work.

Members are needed to fulfill these roles - if you would like to volunteer to help judge this year’s student conference or if you have any questions please contact David Lechner by email at david.f.lechner@usahq.unitedspacealliance.com or Darby G. Cooper at 281-538-6100 extension 20.
 

Houston Section Gains New Members!!

By Darby Cooper, Membership Chair
 

The Houston Section was selected to participate in a pilot AIAA program called the Trial Membership Campaign.  This Program provides an opportunity for current AIAA members to recruit co-workers and friends by offering a FREE nine-month membership in AIAA.  The trial members receive full benefits, including Aerospace America, discounts on AIAA journal subscriptions, and inclusion in all of the exciting Houston Section events. With the addition of our 47 new members from the Trial Membership Program, the Houston Section has just broken the 800-member mark!!

New AIAA Houston Section Members
 
 

Cranium Cruncher

By Norman Chaffee
 

Well, it's been a couple of months since you heard from me. Here's a write-up I prepared for you in Nov. 1999, but I think it's still good.

Rats! I didn't fool any of you with the October puzzle! After catching several folks with my September offering, every one got the October challenge right. If you'll remember, I wrote nine digits in a row, as follows

9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1

and asked you to insert four plus or minus signs in order to create a mathematical expression that equaled 100. The correct answer is

98 - 76 + 54 + 3 + 21 = 100

At the time I am writing this I have received correct answers from the following people:

· Frank Baiamonte
· Steve King
· David Abuisi
· Gary Noyes
· Ronny Newman
· Anthony Spinler
· Ben Ostrofsky
· Joy Conrad
· Nick Wilson
· Jim Harder
· Hubert Brasseaux
· Frances Mount
· Steve Berry
· Tom Mulder

Congratulations to each of you!   My random program to select a winner from among the pool of correct answers, has selected Gary Noyes as the winner. Great work, Gary!  You'll receive a free meal at any AIAA monthly program over the next 12 months as your prize. Bon Appetit!

Now, see how you do with this one for the February issue.

What is the longest word you can make by using the middle row of keys on your keyboard, and only using each letter once, (e.g., the letters a, s, d, f, g, h, j, k, l). One example is FLASH. Can you do better than that?  Obscure words are OK but they must be found in an unabridged English dictionary! Good luck! The winner, like Gary Noyes, will receive a free AIAA meal during the next year.

Send your answers to me at Norman.H.Chaffee1@jsc.nasa.gov or by paper
mail to Norman Chaffee, Mail Code AP2, NASA-JSC, Houston, TX  77058.

Norm Chaffee