Living in Space

by Joan Marie Galat 

Photo credit: NASA

Astronauts have been living over our heads—in outer space—on a continuous basis since 2000. It takes three astronauts to run the International Space Station (ISS) but up to ten may be on board at one time. The entire structure is as big as a football field but the living area is only about the size of a five-bedroom house. Giant solar panels power the station. Some of the electricity is used to split water into gas to generate oxygen for the astronauts. The ISS orbits the Earth at a speed of 28,500 kilometres per hour. That’s eight kilometres a second—25 times faster than the speed of sound! 

I wanted to know what it’s like to live on the ISS, and made plans to write a book on the topic. As part of my research, I visited NASA facilities and watched a SpaceX Falcon heavy rocket launch. The result is the middle grade novel Mortimer: Rat Race to Space (DCB 2022). Written for ages 9-12, it tells the story of a journal-keeping lab rat who sets out to collect scientific evidence that will prove his species is the one that should colonize Mars. Mortimer records video for his future YouTube channel, but not everything goes as planned. He is forced to face new truths about dreams, friendships, and choosing the right thing to do. You can read an excerpt on Amazon.ca or Amazon.com. 

I collected much more information than I could use, including these facts: 

- Astronauts can’t be too tall or short. If you want to be an astronaut, try to grow taller than 62 inches but stay below 75 inches. 

- American astronauts must have 20/20 vision, even if that means wearing glasses, contacts, or undergoing eye surgery. 

- In the USA, jet pilots with at least 1000 hours of flying time, and teachers who have taught K-12, can apply to be astronauts. 

- Astronauts practice everything they’ll do in space on Earth. This includes how to fix malfunctioning equipment, use cameras, conduct experiments, make a meal, stow equipment, and even store trash. 

- Every astronaut has a university education and experience in engineering, biological science, physical science, or math. 

- Astronauts find out what it’s like to be weightless before they go into space. They practice floating inside a high flying plane known as the vomit comet. The plane flies to an altitude of 24,000 feet then climbs at a 45 degree angle to reach 34,000 feet. It then enters a controlled free fall which involves traveling to 24,000 feet in a gradual curve, following a 30-degree descent. This gives about 20 seconds of being weightless. The sensation of weightlessness makes a lot of people feel nauseous. Passengers in the vomit comet also feel 1.8 times heavier when the plane reaches its lowest point. 

- You can experience a few seconds of being weightless when you go down a sudden drop on a rollercoaster or other amusement park ride. 

If you’d like to see the International Space Station pass by at night, visit the Resources page of my website to access information on alerts for your area. If you’re an educator interested in a STEM or STEAM-themed presentation based on Mortimer: Rat Race to Space, contact me to ask about my virtual session—A Rat, A Rocket, and Science. As well as fun science, it includes literacy-building discussion on research, misinformation, and writing.

STEAM Benefits of Stop Motion Animation

by Joan Marie Galat  

I wasn’t looking for a new hobby when I discovered how fun it is to play with stop motion animation. Inspired by a friend’s video of a jigsaw puzzle completing itself, I decided to learn more about the technique of moving static objects in small increments and photographing each change. Playing back a series of frames makes objects appear to move, and you have animation.

Stop motion is a useful STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) building activity for the learners in your life, and intriguing because you can make anything appear to move! It’s easy to get started using free phone apps, such as iMotion. Common props include clay figures, Lego, and paper cut-outs. You can also alter images in increments on a whiteboard and photograph each change through the app. I like the challenge of using household objects. This no-shopping route is pandemic-friendly. You can take part without leaving home and spend as much time as like honing your skills. One of my first attempts was to make one of my books climb a flight of stairs.

    

 Next, I used letter tiles to announce a new book.

 

Then I tried to get fancy.

   

As well as encouraging creative expression, stop motion is an effective tool for illustrating science, as it requires breaking concepts into parts. Suppose you decide to demonstrate planet movement in our solar system. Your process would include arranging the planets in order, setting scaled distances to the Sun, and demonstrating speed of movement.

As you experiment, practical math themes arise. How can you best sequence images to tell a story? What happens if you move an object in smaller or larger increments? How do images present if you speed or slow your number of frames per second?

Engineering comes into play as creators brainstorm approaches and solutions. Like engineers, animators must revise and try again before sharing results. Animating science and engineering concepts puts art into learning, keeping students interested. It’s easy to work literacy skills in too, as you storyboard your ideas. Stop motion endeavors build technological expertise, encouraging students to experience media from a creator’s perspective. This encourages critical thinking, when consuming media. How did they do that? How can I find out? 

Stop motion was used to make Isle of Dogs, Chicken Run, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, The Lego Movie, Shaun the Sheep, and many other films. You can find plenty of examples on YouTube including a few on my channel, such as Alien Telescope Invasion.

   

For more ideas on how to get creative using engineering, check out Solve This! Wild and Wacky Challenges for the Genius Engineer in You (National Geographic Kids).

Meet Comet NEOWISE!

by Joan Marie Galat

A comet, often called a dirty snowball, is a frozen collection of rock, dust, and gases that orbits the Sun. When a comet approaches the Sun, heat causes the comet's shape to change. Frozen gases thaw, creating a tail that can stretch millions of kilometres into space. Now the comet looks like another one of its nicknames—a long-haired star!

    Night sky observers have been aware of comets for a very long time. Chinese astronomers kept records that show Halley’s Comet was observed in 240 B.C. Scientists are very interested in studying comets because they formed at the same time as our solar system. Their research may help scientists understand how the building blocks of life reached Earth.

    An exciting new comet was discovered on March 27, 2020. Visible with the naked eye from a dark location, the new comet, named NEOWISE, is five kilometres (three miles) wide, with a tail stretching hundreds to thousands of kilometres. Its name comes from the initials of NASA’s satellite observatory: the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. Though billions of comets exist, Comet NEOWISE is one of only 3,655 identified comets.

 

Observe NEOWISE

In the northern hemisphere, NEOWISE is visible in the northwest sky after sunset. You can find it in the vicinity of the Big Dipper. I was able to spot it with binoculars, which made it appear like a great, pale smudge across the sky. A telescope brings it into better focus, as seen in this photo taken near Cold Lake, Alberta, by Shaula Corr of aurorasbycorr.com(Visit Shaula's website to view more comet images. You can even order a framed print.)

    NASA offers tips on how to view NEOWISE, which will appear higher in the sky into August. Look soon because the comet is already dimming as it travels to the outer region of the solar system. Once it is out of sight, NEOWISE will not reappear for another 6800 years.

 

Quick Facts about Comets 

- Comets have egg-shaped orbits. 

- When a comet travels far enough away from the Sun, its tail will disappear.

 

- A comet that gets too close to a planet or the Sun may crash into it! 

 

-The center of a comet, called its nucleus, can be the size of a small town. When a comet gets close to the Sun, its head will grow larger than most planets.

 

- Meteor showers, which can last from hours to days, occur when Earth passes through a part of the sky where a comet left behind dust particles. That’s why meteor showers are visible around the same dates every year. 

 

Discover More about Space

I had the pleasure of writing about comets in my most recent book:  (National Geographic Kids). To discover how to go "dot-to-dot in the-sky" to use the constellations as a map to find comets and other night sky objects, see these titles in my You will also find tips for spotting meteors. Next time you see one, think of the comets that have passed through our part of the universe. Space is an amazing place!

Joan Marie Galat is the author of more than 20 books for children and adults. Many of her titles focus on astronomy, space, and other STEM/STEAM topics.

The Art of Presenting Science = Literally!

Post by Helaine Becker

I had the great pleasure of working with illustrator Dow Phumiruk on Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13, which "launched" earlier this summer.

Dow's artwork, in my opinion, is stunning, and really brought the book to the next level. I was curious as to how she blended her knowledge of math and science with her artwork to create such effective illustrations. So I asked her.

Here is the result of that interview:

H: Your artwork in Counting on Katherine is so beautiful. But it's more than that - I can tell that it's historically accurate too. Can you describe your process - how did you research the illustrations in Counting on Katherine?

D: So much research!!

I started with online sources from NASA. I also watched online interviews with Katherine Johnson herself, which I found to be the most helpful to learn about her personality. I read about the start of NASA, about the solar system. I filled a folder on my computer with screenshots of images I thought might be useful for reference. I read the Hidden Figures narrative nonfiction book by Margot Shetterly (the movie did not come out until after my final art was turned in). I made trips to the library to look through books about space. I also looked at maps and images of what West Virginia looked like in the 1930s, including the Greenbrier Inn in her hometown, and what her classrooms might have looked like back then. I looked at online clothing ads and patterns as well as old photographs to see what styles of clothing best represented the fashion of each phase of her life. And of course, I found as many photographs of Katherine herself at different ages.

H: What were the biggest challenges? Biggest surprises?

D: The biggest challenge was the above-described quest for accuracy, from the math to the scenery from her childhood. It was really difficult to find enough photo reference from that long ago. Little details were hard to discern, like if her family might have owned a car upon moving to Institute, West Virginia. In addition, her achievements spanned decades, and this meant learning as much as I could about the evolution of our space program over this long period of time.

I was surprised about Katherine in general. I didn't know who she was upon receiving the pitch for this project. I couldn't believe I had not heard of her before. The more I learned about her life, the more I grew inspired!

H: The endpapers are stunning. They show a blackboard covered with mathematical equations and math problems. How did you, a)think to do this for the book, and b) come up with the material to put on the board?  

D:  I wanted to represent Katherine's genius with math-filled chalkboards. Picturing her as a young girl in front of these chalkboards made sense to emphasize the extent of her abilities since early childhood.

Coming up with the information to fill the chalkboards was not easy! I may have been proficient at math in my youth, but now advanced math is a challenge. Basic algebra and word problems, like the picnic pies and the rocket ship questions, are not a problem for me to make up. I was able to easily google search equations for circumference, radius, volumes of different shapes for example, to make up the ice cream cone question (in which I do not clarify is the volume of the parts of a one scoop cone, by the way!). Sometimes, as for the rocket ship trajectory question, I’d leave off needed information to answer the question (so that I wouldn't need to have an answer!).

  

I used multiple sources for the rest and especially for the higher level math and physics seen in the book. I got lots of help from my family, sampling bits from my girls' homework (their work spanned algebra to calculus) and basic physics equations from my husband’s old physics book (he is a former engineer). I also found some information online, altering the source by replacing letters and figures so it would not be just copied. In compiling this together to fill the board, I would sometimes intentionally obscure parts.

In the end, I would remind myself that this is a book about a mathematician and her brilliance and not a math textbook to keep myself from hyperventilating.

What projects are you working on now???

I have a couple books in the works, but they have not been announced yet. I will say that I am very excited to be both author and illustrator for these upcoming projects!

Crochet Your Own Coral Reef - and Help Save the Planet

Post by Helaine Becker

All images courtesy Institute of Figuring

The coral reefs of our planet are in danger. That's one reason a group of crafters are getting together to create artificial reefs - out of wool! Not only are they making something of extreme beauty, but their creation is bringing awareness of the reef's troubles to museum visitors. It's also helping to teach people about topology - the science of shape.

Image courtesy Institute of Figuring

The Crochet the Reef project is a brainchild of two sisters,  Margaret and Christine Wertheim, of the Institute For Figuring.

They began the project in 2005 in their Los Angeles living room but gradually the project - and their gorgous woolly reef -  began to expand into other cities and countries. It  has now become a worldwide movement that engages communities across the globe from Chicago, New York and London, to Melbourne, Dublin and Capetown. The Crochet Reef is a unique fusion of art, science, mathematics, handicraft and community practice that may well be the largest community art project in the world. Eager crafters can create their own sub reefs! ( For information, on how, click here.  )

Image courtesy Institute of Figuring

The inspiration for making crochet reef forms begins with the technique of "hyperbolic crochet" discovered in 1997 by Cornell University mathematician Dr. Daina Taimina. The Wertheim sisters  elaborated upon it to develop a whole taxonomy of reef-life forms. 

The method for making these forms is a simple pattern or algorithm. On its own it it produces a mathematically pure shape. By varying this algorithm, however, the sisters discovered they could create endless variations and permutations of shape and form.

One fascinating aspect of this project is how it addresses the dangers of a disappearing habitat with that of a disappearing craft. Traditionally, crocheting has been a feminine pastime and one sniffed at by men as being a less important technology than, say, IT. However, crocheting can not only produce many useful and beautiful materials, it can also be an excellent tool for exploring mathematical problems. 

To see the crochet reef in person, you can visit the Museum of Art and Design in New York until January 22, 2017. Or check the Institute for Figuring website for other exhibit locations near you. 

Image courtesy Institute of Figuring

What Goes Around Comes Around - Undersea Carousel Style!

Photo: http://www.seaglasscarousel.nyc/the-seaglass-story/ 

Post by Helaine Becker


A fantastic new carousel  called Seaglass opened in New York City yesterday. According to Show Canada, the group that fabricated the structure, "visitors find themselves within a musical seashell structure of 30 illuminated fish of different changing sparkling colors and species." 

The fish are up to 4.5 m tall, made of translucent fibreglass "reminiscent of frosted colored pebbles of sea glass." They rise, fall and swirl about in invisible 'currents' much like real fish do in the ocean.  (See a video of the carousel in operation here) It looks totally spectacular, and I can't wait to get to New York so I can ride it myself!

Photo: http://www.seaglasscarousel.nyc/the-seaglass-story/ 

My friend Stephen Sywak was part of the engineering team (McLaren Engineering Group) that helped make the carousel come to life. He has very kindly answered my questions about the engineering challenges involved in making this complicated and gorgeous work of art. This is what he told me, in short:

Can you describe the carousel for me?

It's a multi-axis carousel.  There's a main turntable, but within the main turntable are three smaller turntables.  And on THOSE turntables, there are a number of "fish," like the horses on an old-timey carousel, except for a few things....

Photo: http://www.seaglasscarousel.nyc/the-seaglass-story/ 

* You ride INSIDE the fish, not on top of them

* The post that the fish move up and down on only goes BELOW the fish.  On a carousel horse, it goes THROUGH the horse, from the floor to the canopy.  Structurally, and  from a control point  of view, it's a lot harder to do it THIS way.

* The fish not only move round on the large carousel, but they swing back and forth because of the smaller carousel.  And then they swing back and forth AGAIN, on their own poles.  AND they move up and down on their own poles (There are a few fish on  the MAIN carousel that only move a little or not all; some of these are designed to accommodate wheelchairs.).

So how do you make it all go "swish?" 

The main carousel and the smaller carousels are driven by industrial motors.  The motors run gearboxes, and the gearboxes run "ring bearings" (large, geared bearings--like you would see on a tank turret).  They provide about 20-30 HP for the main carousel, and 8-10 HP each for the small ones.

The fish are mounted to custom hydraulic cylinders.  But we didn't use hydraulics to run them up and down.  The hydraulic cylinders are perfect for guiding and positioning the rods beneath the fish, and holding them stable.  They are designed to handle linear and rotary motion.  Why reinvent, when it's cheaper to buy an existing product?  (That was my idea, by the way!)  Instead, we used two standard electrical motors (and gearboxes) to do the local lifting and the local turning. 

If I recall correctly,  a giant "slip ring" at the center of the table brings in all the power and control signals.  It allows the central turntable to rotate round and round without winding up a bunch of cables.  The inner (smaller) turntables, and the fish themselves, only spin partially around.  We used "Cable Chains" to bring power and signal to them.

We used industrial control systems both for safety, and to allow us to simplify and reduce the number of signals crossing the main, central slip ring.  Basically, it's running on a network, like computers in an office, or a network you might have at home.  But it's got layers of security on it, so that it can't be "hacked."

I never ever considered the possibility that someone would hack a merry-go-round. Go figure. 

***

What were the key challenges in  taking this idea from the drawing board to Battery Park?

One key challenge was was that we had to work very closely with the artists to make sure that we could implement their vision.  There were a few occasions where the "artist" types even took their lead from our designers and engineers! 

On the physical side, there was the fact that the structure on which the Carousel's turntables sit is all below ground. It's about 8-10 feet "tall," but it's all under foot!   

Photo: http://www.seaglasscarousel.nyc/the-seaglass-story/ 

We also had to make sure that all the various motions of the fish (large turntable, small turntable, fish "wag" and fish "heave" up and down) didn't make the riders heave their respective breakfasts and lunches. 

Thanks for that image. What's your next coolio project?

I'm currently working on a test set-up for an actuator (motor, gears, sensors, etc.) that rotates the solar arrays  on geo-synchronous satellites. If it turns out I know what I'm doing, then I hope I get to work on some of the actuator designs for the next Curiosity mission, slated for 2020.   

WOW! From undersea to outer space! An engineer's life is full of thrills! But now the most important question of all: Do you get to ride on the Seaglass Carousel for free?

Unfortunately, no.  But it's only $5!

Ok then. I'll book my ticket to New York and get in line.