Teacher Summer
Research Program
Talina Grimes & Fatah Kadigun
Houston Independent School District
How have we spent
our time?
Consulting

Meeting with Dr. David Boyle and
STC Staff to develop strategies for:
Increasing student interest in aerospace
engineering
 Increasing productivity of students
involved in the Space Engineering
Institute (SEI)
 Marketing the SEI to underrepresented
minorities at the high school level

Research
Working with researchers on Wireless
Interference Testing and Electromagnetic
Docking Station for the Mini AERCam
 Proofreading a draft of Celestial Navigation

and Positioning
Testing and helping to edit a NASA test plan
for the Wireless Interference research
 Sitting in on a teleconference with NASA
regarding the Wireless Interference Research

Mini-AERCam
A free-flying robot for
space exploration
AERCam Concept
AERCam = Autonomous Extravehicular
Robotic Camera
 Free-flying robotic platform for visual and
non-visual sensing in support of human space
activities
 Emphasis on “small” and increasingly
“intelligent”

AERCam Roles in Human Space
Flight:
Enhance extravehicular activity (EVA)
crew productivity
 Provide better camera views for
berthing and maintenance operations
 Provide telepresence inspection
 Provide platform for sensor positioning
in areas potentially inaccessible to EVA
crew

Anticipated AERCam Mission
Scenario for ISS

Mission scenario under
either teleoperation or
autonomous control:

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Deploy from home base
Maneuver to region of
interest while avoiding
obstacles
Perform desired inspection
or viewing
Return to home base
Recharge power and
propulsion
8
AERCam Sprint
9
Mini AERCam Docking
Station Testbed
Electromagnet Proximity
Test
Electromagnet Proximity TestPurpose


Define the requirements of electromagnet use as a
component of a docking mechanism design.
Measure the magnetic force exerted on a test
specimen by the electromagnets as a function of
distance.
 Collect sufficient empirical data to define the
maximum distance at which a force could be
measured from a representative electromagnet
 Define the general force vs. distance profile up to
as close as possible to the electromagnet surface.
 Collect this data as a function of voltage for each
electromagnet.
The Lesson
uses NASA’s Mini-AERCam as a ‘hook’
to illustrate uses of electromagnets
in space.
 will be part of a unit on
electromagnetism.
 may be used to introduce
electromagnetism or as a
culminating activity for the unit.
 is designed for two 90 minute class
periods.

DAY 1
Introduce Mini-AERCam.
 Illicit ideas from students on how
to dock the AERCam to the ISS.
 Allow students discovery time
with the Vernier Magnetic Field
Sensors
 Have students conduct the
instruction–driven investigation,
Electromagnets– Winding Things
Up

DAY 1, continued…
Electromagnets– Winding Things Up

Determine how electromagnetic field
strength varies with the number of wire
coils around an iron nail.
Build an electromagnet
 Use TI-83 graphing calculator, CBL, and
magnetic field sensor to measure magnetic field
strength
 Make a graph of the data
 Draw conclusions about the number of wire
winds and magnetic field strength

Purpose/Objectives
DAY 1, continued…
Electromagnets– Winding Things Up
A direct relationship exists between the number
of winds and the magnetic field strength. The
graph of magnetic field vs. number of coils is
linear.
 Students can predict the magnetic field strength
for various numbers of coils by interpolating
from the graph or by multiplying the slope by
the number of coils. Students could perform an
experiment to confirm their predictions.

Results/Conclusion
DAY 1, continued…
Electromagnets– Winding Things Up
Sample Results
DAY 1 Exit Ticket
How does the number of
coils affect the magnetic
field of an electromagnet?
 What application does
NASA have planned for
electromagnets on the
International Space
Station?

DAY 2
Review Day 1
conclusions.
 Have students
conduct the inquirydriven investigation
Electromagnetism—
Going the Distance.

DAY 2, continued…
Electromagnetism– Going the Distance

Design and conduct an experiment to
determine quantitatively how the magnetic
field strength varies with distance
Build an electromagnet
 Use TI-83 graphing calculator, CBL, and
magnetic field sensor to measure magnetic field
strength
 Design a data table and graph of the data
 Draw conclusions about the distance from the
detector and magnetic field strength

Purpose/Objectives
DAY 2, continued…
Electromagnetism– Going the Distance

An inverse relationship exists between
magnetic field strength and distance.
As the distance increases, magnetic field
strength decreases. The relationship
models an inverse cubic function where
the field approaches zero and remains
there for any distance greater than the
threshold.
Results/Conclusion
DAY 2, continued…
Electromagnetism– Going the Distance
Sample Results
DAY 2 Exit Ticket
What is the relationship
between magnetic field
strength and distance?
 How does the space
environment complicate
experimental design for
engineers?

ISS Wireless Interference
Contents
Overview
 Tasks

Interference
 Development
 Radiation
 Headset housing design

Status / Progress
 Future Work

Overview

Objective:
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To develop a Wireless headset for the
crew aboard the shuttle and the ISS.
Wireless Cable Replacement for
the ISS (WCRISS)

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research and enhancement of
commercially available wireless
communication technology such as
Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11 for use
aboard the International Space
Station and other space.
Research how interference affects
wireless technologies.
Tasks: Interference Testing

Evaluate interference effects between
different wireless technologies.

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Effects of coexistance between Bluetooth
and IEEE 802.11b
Evaluate performance of wireless
signals.

How range affects bandwidth
Test Plan
Full functional test has 176 steps.
 Testing shall be conducted in closed setting and
open setting. (Electromagnetic Interference
Room, EMI and outdoors)
 Setup and configuration of the testing
equipment.
 Testing of the 802.11 wireless technology
independently. (2 computers)
 Testing of the Bluetooth wireless technology
independently. (2 computers)
 Testing of both wireless technologies
simultaneously. (4 computers)
Status / Progress

Signal Testing


Interference Testing

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Produced Map showing contours of bandwidth for
802.11a, 802.11b, and Bluetooth.
Obtained interference effects on bandwidth on a
controlled environment and outdoors.
Preliminary Results (see graphs and
averages)
Conclusion
Wireless headset replacement is a significant
upgrade that will keep space technology
updated.
 Wireless research helps JSC by evaluating
alternatives to the legacy products in space.
 By implementing a comm infrastructure on
ISS compatible with modern earth based
systems, NASA will gain important future
enhancements by enabling the next
generation of space engineers to think in
terms of technologies directly similar to the
ones they use in their day-to-day activities.

Special Thanks to…
National Science Foundation
Spacecraft
Technology Center
at Texas A&M University
Teacher Summer
Research Program
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Dr. David Boyle
Ms. Diane Hurtado
Mr. Joe Perez
Pedro Davalos
Maria Puente
Amanda Coots
Ian Horbaczewski
Damaris Sarria
(STC)