25 Years of COOL SPACE Projects

Automatic Geophysical Observatory

256 kB Hard Drive

First Computers in Antarctica Included these two - Apple 2e

ATS-3 Antennas on roof of Main Dome at South Pole

First Phone Call via Satellite from South Pole – Dec 15, 1984

First Email from South Pole - Dec 15, 1984

This message comes to you from Goddard Space Flight Center, via the First South Pole Satellite Data Relay Link – ATS-3 to South Pole - Nimbus 7/Landsat 4&5 to McMurdo - Intelsat to Washington, DC. ( The only polar-orbiting Space Shuttle)

First Long Duration Balloon Flight from AntarcticaGRAD – Jan 11, 1988

Gamma Ray Detector – GRAD - on Ross Ice Shelf

Ultra LDB launched 9 Jan 2011

NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS)

TDRS Proof of Concept: 300Mbps from Black Island – Jan 1992 (Darwin Smith, lead)

Portcom: 1Watt & 3” antenna

Empty USAF radome moved 600 feet on Crater Hill, to see TDRS sats, Jan 2001

Satellites for Weather and Communications – circa 1990’s

Imaging Ozone by Satellite for NSF Balloon Science

Conversion to Launch Supports in January, 1994

VIP Trip to Thule, Greenland on NASA Administrator’s Private Jet - 1993

Ozone Imaging at Thule Air Base, Greenland - 1994

Resurrect a Tumbling SatelliteResurrect a Tumbling Satellite

ProblemProblem: How to command a Tumbling satellite How to command a Tumbling satellite when its internal power sources are deadwhen its internal power sources are dead

Background: Commanding from Around the earth was ineffective for almost three years. The satellite condition was unknown. Perhaps the thermal expansions have released the short but with tumbling the arrays are not lit by Sun long enough to power up the Spacecraftwas shorted out due to a thermal expansion

Solution: Send commands from Antarctica while Spacecraft is illuminated by Albedo

International Monitoring Platform, 1973 - 2008

Eight 30-ft Yagi Antennas on 60-ft tower in McMurdo, 1995 - 1997

Mike Staal:First Moon Bounce Communication From AntarcticaJan 1995

New Geosync Satellite Links to South Pole in 1994: GOES-3 & InMarSat-F1

South Pole Internet Enables Real time coverage of Comet Impacting Jupiter in mid-1994

ARCTIC

North Pole 1999

Portcom-Downloading at 40 mph

Solar Array

Indian Valley Middle School

Ice Drill at Refueling Stop

Dog Sledding Around the World

First actual Classroom Lesson@ 90N was conducted by NASA in April 2001

NASA at the North PoleNASA at the North PoleProblem:Problem: How to make ground truth measurements of Sea Ice near 90NHow to make ground truth measurements of Sea Ice near 90N

Background:Background:• Correlate surface properties Satellites can measure to sea ice massCorrelate surface properties Satellites can measure to sea ice mass• Sea Ice near 90N is not accessible by normal meansSea Ice near 90N is not accessible by normal means• Takes too long to do field work with a normal teamTakes too long to do field work with a normal team

Solution:Solution: • Use a team of college students and professors Use a team of college students and professors • Have experts layout the procedures and provide critical equipmentHave experts layout the procedures and provide critical equipment• Adapt to existing Russian Commercial ServicesAdapt to existing Russian Commercial Services• Native Americans provide Chartered logistics consistent with their grantNative Americans provide Chartered logistics consistent with their grant

NASA Robotics for College Engineering Students

Robotic Arm in Antarctica, Remotely Controlled from Michigan

GREAT Project 2008Antarctica & Alaska

Store-and-Forward NetworkingRelay stores data while not in view of Earth

Relay Range

Relay transmits data when in view of Earth

Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) is an effort to develop and standardize a message-based, store-and-forward system with reliability, security, and quality of service.

North to Alaska – Pt Barrow

First Pole – Pole Phone Call & Internet

1993: This $750k system led us to develop a PC-based Weather Imaging system

NASA GMS Weather Imaging System set up in Chiang Mi, Thailand - 1993

Students Processing Satellite DataProblem:Problem: How to enable students to process satellite weather image data in realtimeHow to enable students to process satellite weather image data in realtime

BackgroundBackground::• NOAA intends for users to have access to realtime weather dataNOAA intends for users to have access to realtime weather data• Cost a fortune to collect 2Mbps & process it with mainframe computers Cost a fortune to collect 2Mbps & process it with mainframe computers • Too complicated for students to handleToo complicated for students to handle

Solution:Solution:• Tailor the RF Receiver, Bit Sync, Frame Sync to one jobTailor the RF Receiver, Bit Sync, Frame Sync to one job• Put these functions on PC boards inside a PCPut these functions on PC boards inside a PC• Develop an 8-bit version of the Processing Software for a 486 PCDevelop an 8-bit version of the Processing Software for a 486 PC• As PCs get more powerful the processing gets faster, better, cheaperAs PCs get more powerful the processing gets faster, better, cheaper

Exploring Technology withSatellite Imagery

HRPT Weather System for Thule Air Base

IT Guru Dave Beverley

You Be The Scientist

YBTS Team minus Dave