Clint Cragg is a hero, and he never thought he would be. Nor did he plan to be. But his name is on many lips in light of the rescue of the Chilean miners.
Clint Cragg is principal engineer with the NASA Engineering and Safety Center at Langley Research Center. When the cave-in occurred, two doctors and a psychologist from NASA traveled to Chile to offer advice and assistance because of their knowledge and experience of survival in harsh environments. Cragg went along to see if there was anything else that NASA could offer.
While in Chile, Cragg talked with engineers from the Chilean navy who were discussing and planning a design for a rescue vehicle. He offered assistance in determining the requirements for the vehicle. Cragg was only in Chile for three days. However, the engineers there contacted him by email to accept his offer of assistance.
Cragg relates, “I put together a team of engineers from almost every center around the agency. Over the course of three days we hammered out a 12 to 13 page list of requirements for the capsule and sent that to the Chilean Minister of Health.”
The team suggested about 75 design features. A sampling of the suggested requirements: an oxygen supply, including technology that would reduce friction as the vehicle was traveling up and down the drilled shaft, also that the vehicle be constructed such that a single miner could simply enter and secure himself.
“After we had sent the requirements, I got some communication from one of the Chilean navy commanders intimately involved in the design process of the capsule,” Cragg reported. “He told me that they had incorporated most of the suggestions we had provided to them.
“There are a couple of things I’ll remember most about this whole experience. One is the openness and graciousness of the Chilean people. I thought they were very supportive of our visit and very supportive of the things we recommended they ought to do.
“The other thing I’m taking away from this is our agency really has a lot of exceptional people. The 20 or so engineers who offered to drop everything and work with me for three days to put this requirements list together really exemplify the things that NASA stands for.”
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Don't Let the Dream Die
After seven months of intense and confusing wrangling, the House followed (for the most part) the Senate and voted an authorization bill for NASA. I'm not here to offer opinion of the bill, nor of the political machinations which brought all this on. There is plenty of that on other blogs and sufficient in the news.
I'm here for only one reason. Whatever path NASA is compelled to take, please do not let the dream die. There has been a great deal of hostility and criticism piled on NASA in these last several months. Some of it is credible, most of it is not. I realize that a great many people don't have insight into the workings of NASA, nor the budget process, no the technical insight to grasp why NASA may have seemed slow in the past to produce a follow-on to shuttle. I'm not here to criticize them either.
My one and only desire is to implore, with all my strength and ability, because that seems to be the only way to get through all the impediments. Don't let the dream die. The dream of space flight and exploration. There are reasons aplenty to push outward from the earth. There are practical reasons, such as technology development. There are less pragmatic reasons, such as the human nature to explore the unknown. Also, there are so many other reasons which I haven't breathed. And anyone who truly wants to understand NASA and the reason for its being should assay to comprehend all the reasons. If an individual just doesn't get why any nation would spend billions on space exploration, then this person should work to see the overall picture, not just one image. Though I do understand that there are so many people who do not want to understand, nor be bothered with trying to.
That leaves the burden to push for NASA's continued presence in space to those of us who do get it...and want it and support it. That's what this is about. In a time of splintering because of differing motives and differing political views and differing objectives for the nation's space program, let those of us who do support space exploration come together in support for that objective and keep the dream from dying.
Go outside tonight and look up. Look at the thin crescent moon. Look at Jupiter and Venus shining brightly. See all the stars so far away, so unknown and beckoning. Check http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/skywatch.cgi?country=United+States and watch for the bright light of the International Space Station speeding over your head. We are already a permanent presence in space. There are men and women up there living and working and increasing our knowledge of outer space and inner space...our space. Think about that. What does it mean to you? If it means nothing, then I challenge you to reconsider and visit www.nasa.gov to find out more about NASA and all it has done and continues to do. If the knowledge that people are living in space excites you, then spread the excitement. Let your representatives know how you feel. Take a friend outside and share your excitement. It can be very contagious. And that contagion is life for NASA. Spread it generously.
And don't let the dream die.
I'm here for only one reason. Whatever path NASA is compelled to take, please do not let the dream die. There has been a great deal of hostility and criticism piled on NASA in these last several months. Some of it is credible, most of it is not. I realize that a great many people don't have insight into the workings of NASA, nor the budget process, no the technical insight to grasp why NASA may have seemed slow in the past to produce a follow-on to shuttle. I'm not here to criticize them either.
My one and only desire is to implore, with all my strength and ability, because that seems to be the only way to get through all the impediments. Don't let the dream die. The dream of space flight and exploration. There are reasons aplenty to push outward from the earth. There are practical reasons, such as technology development. There are less pragmatic reasons, such as the human nature to explore the unknown. Also, there are so many other reasons which I haven't breathed. And anyone who truly wants to understand NASA and the reason for its being should assay to comprehend all the reasons. If an individual just doesn't get why any nation would spend billions on space exploration, then this person should work to see the overall picture, not just one image. Though I do understand that there are so many people who do not want to understand, nor be bothered with trying to.
That leaves the burden to push for NASA's continued presence in space to those of us who do get it...and want it and support it. That's what this is about. In a time of splintering because of differing motives and differing political views and differing objectives for the nation's space program, let those of us who do support space exploration come together in support for that objective and keep the dream from dying.
Go outside tonight and look up. Look at the thin crescent moon. Look at Jupiter and Venus shining brightly. See all the stars so far away, so unknown and beckoning. Check http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/skywatch.cgi?country=United+States and watch for the bright light of the International Space Station speeding over your head. We are already a permanent presence in space. There are men and women up there living and working and increasing our knowledge of outer space and inner space...our space. Think about that. What does it mean to you? If it means nothing, then I challenge you to reconsider and visit www.nasa.gov to find out more about NASA and all it has done and continues to do. If the knowledge that people are living in space excites you, then spread the excitement. Let your representatives know how you feel. Take a friend outside and share your excitement. It can be very contagious. And that contagion is life for NASA. Spread it generously.
And don't let the dream die.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
