Why do astronauts wear space suits? Is the space environment dangerous for humans?
WHY DO ASTRONAUTS WEAR SPACE SUITS?
Astronauts must be wearing their spacesuits when they get out of their spacecraft and are exposed to the "space environment," but why?
Is the space environment dangerous for humans?
A common definition of space is known as the Karman Line, an imaginary boundary 100 kilometers (62 miles) above mean sea level. Unfortunately, the danger zone after this line is not a suitable environment for humans to live. The most common reason for this is that there is little or no respirable oxygen in that area.
Almost all living organisms utilize oxygen for energy generation. As we breathe in, oxygen enters the lungs and diffuses into the blood. Our lungs, working as a tiny factory, throw out the carbon dioxide molecule formed by 2 oxygen and 1 carbon atom at the end of the process.
Although oxygen deprivation seems to be the only real danger, it is actually only one of the dangers.
So what could be done to avoid these and similar dangers?
If you are going to go to space one day, perhaps the most important thing to take with you may be the spacesuit. Spacesuits are like a small spacecraft and protect astronauts from dangers in space. The Primary Life Support System (PLSS), which looks like a backpack, provides the suit with pressurized oxygen and ventilation while removing carbon dioxide, water vapor, and trace contaminants.
The spacesuits used on the International Space Station today remain there all the time. In other words, astronauts do not have their own space suit. The same spacesuit can be worn by several astronauts, according to the assignments from the Mission Control Center.
So can every astronaut wear the same spacesuit?
As you can imagine, the physical structure of every astronaut is not the same. Some astronauts may be tall, some are short, some may be a little leaner or overweight than others. It is precisely for this reason that astronauts have space suits in three different sizes (small, medium and large) that they use on the International Space Station. Since the connection points of these spacesuit are the same, an astronaut can make a special combination from these three different sizes if needed.
What does the spacesuit protect us from?
First of all, it can eliminate the oxygen deprivation that we mentioned at the beginning for a certain period of time. Each spacesuit has two oxygen tanks that work with a carbon dioxide removal system to allow a 6 to 8.5 hour spacewalk. Afterwards, the astronaut must return to the space station in order to refill the empty oxygen tanks. Another danger is related to the temperature in space.
Is space hot or cold?
Unfortunately, the temperature in space is either too high or too low for the human body to stand. For example, ,if an astronaut would go on a spacewalk without a spacesuit when the sun is shining brightly, he or she would suddenly encounter a temperature of about 120 degrees Celsius with the effect of radiation.
Without the sun, the temperature suddenly drops to about -120 degrees Celsius. This situation happens very, very suddenly because there is no atmosphere in space. Here, the only thing that keeps the astronaut safe in these difficult conditions is again the spacesuit. Another important item on the spacesuit is the Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG), which incorporates clear plastic tubing through which chilled liquid water flows for body temperature control, as well as ventilation tubes for waste gas removal. Thus, the astronaut can always work comfortably in the spacesuit.
In addition to all these, the astronaut must wear a spacesuit to be protected from pressure, radiation and meteor dust.
Is there pressure in space?
Even though we can't feel it, air is constantly pressing down on us with a tremendous force. We cannot see this force with our eyes, but we constantly experience the results of this effect, especially when driving on steep hills or getting off an airplane. This pressure created by the air and the internal pressure created by the beat of our heart is constantly in balance. As we just explained, there is no air in space. This means that there is no air pressure in space. Therefore, spacesuits are inflated with a certain amount of air, just like a balloon, to apply the necessary external pressure to the astronaut. Thus, the body fluids of astronauts can remain in liquid form during a spacewalk.
Radiation in space
There is a special layer of atmosphere in the world that protects us from the harmful rays of the sun. For this reason, the sun does not affect us that much as long as we don’t fall a sleep under it on a summer day. However, since there is no atmosphere layer in space, the sun's harmful rays, also called radiation, can cause great harm to astronauts. Space suits have layers to protect astronauts from radiation and reflect incoming rays. Also included in the spacesuit is a gold-plated visor section to protect the astronauts' eyes.
Meteor dusts that are faster than a bullet
Meteor dusts are small particles orbiting the earth. You might think; "How could a tiny dust particle hurt an astronaut?". Meteor dusts move in orbit of the Earth at a speed of approximately 24,000 km per hour. Therefore, when any small particle hits an astronaut, it can cause great damage. For this reason, there is a special protection shield in the upper part of the spacesuit and in the area called the Hard Upper Torso, which is similar to the structure of bulletproof vests. Thanks to this shield, the astronaut is protected from the vital damage that a meteor dust can cause.
What do astronauts eat and drink during a spacewalk?
Astronauts may have to take long space walks from time to time. The record belongs to two astronauts, Jim Voss and Susan Helms, who took a spacewalk for 8 hours and 56 minutes. Of course, astronauts can get hungry or thirsty during this long spacewalk. If necessary, you may think that they can go to the space station and have their food. But every minute in space is planned and very important. Taking off a spacesuit, that actually takes 15 minutes to put on with someone's help, can cost the astronaut half an hour, so the astronauts do not prefer to return to the space station and take a lunch break. NASA has found a solution to this issue as well.
Under normal circumstances, menus containing more than 1000 types of food are prepared for the International Space Station astronauts. These menus that include snacks can be consumed by astronauts at the station. There is also a high-calorie chocolate bar, fixed in a space suit helmet close to the mouth, so that astronauts can gain energy on challenging spacewalks. Especially on long spacewalks, astronauts enjoy the meal breaks where they consume these chocolates. Since they cannot use their hands, astronauts consume the chocolate bar by biting on it several times.
The next need of the astronaut consuming a high-calorie chocolate bar is of course water. At this point, a water bag located in the spacesuit helmet and a straw attached to this bag comes to aid. The tip of the straw can be opened and closed using only the mouth.
How much does a spacesuit cost?
The cost of a spacesuit is set at about $12 million. It can be said that this shield is cost-effective considering that a spacesuit is not crafted for every single astronaut and it can be used repeatedly for many years as long as there are no problems with it.
So what is the most expensive piece of a space suit?
Initially, it may look like the most expensive item on the space suit is the Primary Life Support System. This unit, which is responsible for adjusting the oxygen and the temperature levels, contains several electronic devices. However, in terms of cost, the parts that NASA spends the most are the gloves of the astronauts. Spacesuit gloves are the main limiting factor when it comes to working in space. Astronauts usually handle from 70 to 110 tools, tethers and associated equipment for a typical spacewalk. Like an inflated balloon, the fingers of the gloves resist the effort to bend them. Astronauts must fight that pressure with every movement of their hand, which is exhausting and sometimes results in injury. Furthermore, the joints of the glove are subject to wear that can lead to life-threatening leaks. For this reason, the gloves are specially designed to aid astronauts' mobility.
In a nutshell, spacesuits are basically wearable spacecrafts and can not only keep astronauts alive, but also feed them, allow them to communicate, and even be used as a toilet.
Would you like to be an astronaut? If you were an astronaut, what kind of spacesuit would you like to wear? You can share your comments with your friends on the following social media channels.
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AX-1 Mission & Its Importance
The Astronauts Flew in This Mission
The Purpose of the Mission
The Importance of the Mission
Astronaut Training for AX-1 Mission
The Astronaut From the AX-1 Crew Who Visited Space Camp Turkey
Who were on this mission?
Mission Commander Michael López-Alegría, a former NASA astronaut, also serves as vice president of Axiom Space. Larry Connor, who is on duty as a pilot, is both an entrepreneur and an activist from Ohio. In this mission, Connor both dived into the ocean in the same year and went to the Space Station afterwards. Eytan Stibbe, one of the mission specialists, previously served as a pilot in the Israeli air force and his expenses going into space were covered by the Israel Space Agency. Stibbe also become the second Israeli astronaut to go to space and the first Israeli astronaut to visit the International Space Station. Another Mission Specialist, Mark Pathy, is the CEO of MAVRIK Corporation.
So, what was this mission for?
The main purpose of the mission was for a private company to perform a mission to the space station using the launch facilities of another private company called SpaceX. The work on the space station was also continued with some particular experiments carried out during the mission. The purpose of this mission actually escalates us to a very different level.
Why is the mission so important?
Although the mission seems like just 4 astronauts going to space, it actually shows us that a new era has begun for the International Space Station. In this case, companies will be able to train their own astronauts under the supervision of agencies such as NASA or ROSCOSMOS, and after the necessary fee is paid, the International Space Station will become an experimental center for all people. All these can be done without the need for a country, contribution or membership. For example, after making the necessary investments, a company from Turkey will be able train their astronauts and send them to the International Space Station, with the help of space agencies. In addition, first-hand results can be obtained for experiments that can only be done in space, regardless of the state or an agency.
So, what kind of training was given to these astronauts?
The astronauts on the AX-1 mission underwent 700 to 1000 hours of training over 10 months for safety, health, space station systems, and launch processes before launch. In fact, NASA has even upgraded its training standards in this process by updating its training procedures for the AX-1 mission. Since space is both a beautiful and a very risky environment, spending even 1 minute on the space station requires astronauts to take these trainings.
Which face is familiar to us on this mission?
Mission commander Michael López-Alegría is a much more experienced former NASA astronaut than the other 3 crew members. López-Alegría, a Spanish-American, visited the International Space Station aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor on the mission STS-113 in 2002. After 20 years, astronaut López-Alegría, had an opportunity to visit the space station with the SpaceX Dragon capsule named "Endeavor", which is also the name of the shuttle he went to space in 2002. Also he visited Space Camp Turkey in 2013 and made an unforgettable presentation on space travel to our campers who participated in our6-Day Galactic Summer Camp.
Space tourism continues to develop day by day and becomes cheaper than before. Do you think we will be able to see countries in space that have never been to space before?
[description] => With the acceleration of technology and space studies, there has been another first in the recent days. Axiom Space, which is not affiliated with a public space agency such as NASA, ESA, ROSCOSMOS, successfully completed its first mission, AX-1, to the International Space Station with its 4 astronauts. [keywords] => Axiom Space, Ax-1 mission, what is ax1, the importance of ax1 mission, why ax1 mission is important, ax-1 mission crew, the purpose of the ax-1 mission, astronaut training for ax-1 mission, Michael Lopez-Alegria, Larry Connor, Eytan Stibbe, Mark Pathy, international space station, space tourism, will space station be used in future, can anyone go to space, what kind of training ax-1 crew had, space travel [extra] => [{"key":"","value":""}] [created_date] => 2022-05-05 17:17:54 [updated_date] => 2022-05-13 17:52:30 [lang] => en [active] => 1 [search] => 1 [facebook_piksel] => ) [1] => stdClass Object ( [id] => 847 [parent] => 23 [order] => 3 [lang_id] => e17816b9e5c8d371d929e95e50ac0134 [title] => ARTEMIS MOON MISSIONS [subtitle] => 03.31.2022 [header_img] => 0 [list_img] => upload/media/artemis-moon-missions.png [summary] => NASA aims to launch manned missions to the Moon again. Although one of the main goals here may seem to establish a permanent settlement on the lunar surface, the real goal is actually much bigger. [content] =>
Here we are sharing the most special moments of Moon Landing back in 69' and dreaming of a settlement on the lunar surface which can be observed with naked eye from earth within the third issue of our Astro Newsletter.
You will get goose bumps when you hear Neil Armstrong's famous words after mankind's historical achievement!
Will humanity travel to the Moon again?
What is the most challenging thing while going into space?
What is planned with the Artemis Moon Missions?
Is the Moon going to be a transfer station while travelling to the Mars?
"Last 5%" the words of Buzz Aldrin, pilot of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing Module, echoed in the mission control center on July 20, 1969, at 8:16 PM in Houston.
Two astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, were only 30 meters above the surface of the Moon. But they only had 5% of their fuel left. Buzz Aldrin checked the gauges once again and he said "last 22 meters" to Neil.
When the clocks showed 8:17 p.m., theLunar Lander Eagle seemed to be reborn in a dust cloud on the Moon's surface with two astronauts inside. This new achievement of mankind echoed throughout the universe with the words of mission commander Neil Armstrong who remained silent till then, “Houston, Tranquility base here, Eagle has landed!".
About 2 hours later, at 10:56 p.m. (EDT), the first human trace to be left on the lunar surface was made by Neil Armstrong as follows;
“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.
Thus, human beings set foot on a celestial body other than Earth for the first time.
Now, exactly 53 years later, another rocket is making its final preparations for the same target on the ramp where the Saturn V rocket, which took mankind to the Moon for the first time, was launched. The rocket, called the Space Launch System (SLS), aims to take humanity back to the Moon. But this time, it is planned to establish a permanent settlement there rather than just visiting.
In the past weeks, NASA has completed its full fuel test called the "Wet Dress Rehearsal", which is the last test of the SLS rocket within the new space program called Artemis. The test is called “Wet Dress Rehearsal” since this test involves the process of filling and emptying all liquid fuels into tanks. This last test is also a sign for the real launch time approaching.
The first mission will be unmanned. SLS will will provide the initial thrust to carry the Orion space capsule, jointly developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, into orbit of the Moon. Afterwards, Orion will return to Earth by making one full orbit around the Moon.
NASA aims to launch manned missions to the Moon again in 2024.
A rocket launched from Earth needs to consume tons of fuel to escape the Earth's gravitational force and reach its orbit. According to Newton's third law of motion, the thrust coming from a rocket engine is called "action", and rising of the rocket as a result of this action is called "reaction". Since Earth's gravitational force is too strong, the thrust must be more powerful than the weight of rocket for the reaction to occur.
Manned missions to be launched to Mars in the future will also consume a lot of fuel due to this gravitational force. If an object is thrown into space from a celestial body with 6 times less gravitational force, it will be possible to travel much farther using much less fuel. That's why establishing a base on the lunar surface and reaching Mars or other celestial bodies from there is planned.
In addition, if the missions are accomplished, NASA is preparing to blaze a trail by sending the first woman to Moon. Since all 12 astronauts who walked on the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972 were men, this time, NASA is working on sending the first female astronaut to walk on the Moon with the Artemis program.
What do you think how the Moon, shining like a golden disk in the sky especially during the full moon, will look like after all these missions?
Will we one day be able to sit and watch the launches from the lunar surface with our telescopes while today it is necessary to go to the rocket launch site to watch the launches into space?
We are holding our breath for it!
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The second issue of our Astro Newsletter, feeding space enthusiasts with science, is ready to reveal the unknown about the most asked topic about space.
Black Holes
Let's go on a journey into the unknown and illuminate the darkest spots of the universe together.
Did you know that even light cannot escape from the black holes because of their high gravitational force?
What are Black Holes?
Stellar-Mass Black Holes
Intermediate Black Holes
Supermassive Black Holes
Can You See Inside of Black Holes?
Since it does not contain even a light inside or around it, this unknown place is called a "black hole". The name was first used in 1967 by theoretical physicist John Wheeler in a conference at NASA.
How do we see black holes that don't even have light?
The importance of the light in observation of the universe is enormous. In simple observation telescopes that we use to observe space from Earth, an image is obtained as a result of magnifying the light of the celestial body in space with the help of a lens. In such a case, it will be impossible to observe a black hole which does not have even light by using observation telescopes.
However, if there is a star or high-density gas component near the black hole, the black hole can pull them right into itself.
Those pulled materials form a structure called accretion disk around the black hole. This structure creates a spiral structure just like a sink drain towards the inside of the black hole, and the objects following this structure are swallowed by the black hole. The accretion disk orbits around the black hole at almost the speed of light, and the temperature rises to millions of degrees due to the collision or friction of the particles in the disk. At this stage, a black hole can be mentioned when this temperature is detected by advanced telescopes that make X-ray observations.
The supermassive black hole in the center of gigantic elliptical galaxy M87 was observed with this method for the first time in April 2019 as part of the Event Horizon Telescope project.
There are three different types of black holes, which we can classify as larger or smaller like every other object in the universe.
Stellar-Mass Black Holes
They are also called remnants of massive stars. The diameters of these black holes are typically between 16 and 48 km. Depending on the mass of the star, this type of black hole is formed when a star much larger than the Sun explodes and collapses with a supernova. If the mass of the star is relatively low, a star called Neutron may form instead of a black hole when this collapse stops at one point. The proportion of these black holes in the observable universe is about 1%. Although this percentage may seem small, scientists think that there are more than 40 Centrillion (40x1018) stellar-mass black holes in the observable universe.
These are slightly larger than stellar-mass black holes and way smaller than supermassive black holes were introduced in 2021. It was first discovered by scientists following a gamma-ray burst. These black holes are also formed as a result of collapse of the star but this time the star is way bigger. The mass of the first discovered mid-level black hole is 55 thousand times greater than the Sun.
The biggest, most surprising, and most intriguing black holes are supermassive black holes. The mass of these black holes is billions of times greater than the Sun. According to a general theory, there is one of these black holes at the center of each galaxy. For example, Sagittarius A, believed to be located in the center of our own galaxy (Milky Way), has a mass of about 4 million times greater than the mass of the Sun.
Researches continue on how supermassive black holes form. As a result of these studies, the most supported theory is that supermassive black holes may have formed from collapsing interstellar hydrogen clouds in the early history of the universe. According to another theory, these black holes were formed as a result of the merging of more than one black hole and accumulating excess mass over the centuries.
Unfortunately, we cannot see inside black holes where even light is trapped. However, according to astrophysical theories, the center of a black hole is also known as the place where the mass of the entire black hole is concentrated in a small point of infinite density (singularity). This point is thought of as the center of that enormous gravitational force of the black hole. We can only understand the gravitational force here with quantum physics. However, since we do not yet have a quantum theory of gravity, it is unfortunately impossible to define what actually happens at the center of a black hole.
Thanks to the developing technology, we photographed a black hole for the first time using eight different telescopes from all over the world. Also, we are building Quantum computers by developing technological systems, trying to make calculations with those computers and trying to reveal the secrets of the universe day by day.
Do you think the secrets of black holes will be solved in the near future? Will Einstein’s and Hawking's theories be proven?
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Astro Newsletter has been an outstanding information source on space science for both the students and dedicated teachers since 2007.
We would like to invite the future explorers to our web page to learn latest news about space science.
Today’s topic is related with the year we are currently in, 2022. Last year, despite the COVID-19 situation, we saw a lot of new discoveries and launches. No worries though, all these different space related missions will continue in 2022!
Activating a new space telescope, deorbiting an asteroid with a spacecraft and exploring a metal-rich asteroid; just some of the main missions that are expected to be completed in 2022.
Now let’s find out what is expected to take place in the year 2022 regarding space sciences;
Since 2018, all space enthusiasts were waiting for the launch of James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Lots of changes were happening with the telescope and unfortunately, all we heard was back to back delays. But finally, JWST launched into space last year. This space telescope has a primary mirror with an approximately 6.5 meter diameter, which would give it a significantly larger collecting area than the HubbleSpaceTelescope’s mirror. Hubble has a much smaller mirror with 2.4 meters in diameter and its corresponding collecting area is 4.5 m2, giving Webb around 6.25 times more space! We are looking forward to getting the first images from JWST in June 2022 as NASA declared!
2-Psyche Mission
Another amazing mission is coming from Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) named Psyche.
It has been announced that the Psyche Mission will launch on August 1, 2022.
This mission will be a journey to one of the metal-rich asteroids called Psyche, which is currently orbiting within the asteroid belt. You may ask “Why this asteroid?”, well asteroid Psyche appears to be the nickel-iron core of an early planet. Which means it could have secrets about the early solar system that would allow us to understand previously unexplored building blocks of planet formations.
3-DART in Space!
Double Asteroid Redirection Test Mission -shortly DART- is a planetary defense technology test and in this mission, a spacecraft will clash with an asteroid in order to change its course. Thanks to this mission, we will have a chance to practice how to prevent a hazardous asteroid that could impact Earth. During this mission, the asteroid named Dimorphos will be used as the target. The DART spacecraft will smash into Dimorphos on September 26, 2022.
4-Three New Missions for Venus
Three new missions targeting planet Venus will be developed by NASA and European Space Agency(ESA) in 2022.
ESA’s EnVision will conduct some observations of Venus to understand its history.
On the other hand, NASA’s DAVINCI+ (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging), as an atmospheric entry probe, can provide the direct measurements of Venus’s atmosphere.
Also VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) will generate the global topography data of Venus. Humanity will make the most comprehensive study of Venus ever with these missions.
Davinci+ mission has been postponed to 2029, EnVision and VERITAS programs have been postponed to the 2030s.
5-Mission to Jupiter’s Icy Moons!
JUICE - Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer will be one of the large-class missions according to ESA’s Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 program. The mission is planned to observe the gas giant Jupiter and its largest moons Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. The scientists will be able to characterize the conditions on the Jovian icy satellites and they will look for habitable environments on the three ocean-bearing worlds, Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto.
6-New Wheels on Mars
2022 ExoMars Rover and Surface Platform are designed to understand if there ever was life on Mars. The mission is led collaboratively by ESA and Roscosmos. NASA also participates in the mission by providing critical elements to the premier astrobiology instrument on the rover. ExoMars rover and its surface platform are scheduled to launch anywhere between August and October, 2022.
7-Milestones and Decades on Mars!
It has been so long since the first rover on Mars. Sojourner and its mothership Pathfinder had landed 25 years ago, on July 4, 1997. This means, as humanity, we have been collecting data with wheels on Mars since 1997 and with existing and new missions, we shall continue to do so. Also, Curiosity rover landed on Mars back in 2012. This means we will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of that amazing landing. Besides Pathfinder and Sojourner, Curiosity rover is still functional and continues to collect data for humanity.
8-Touching the Sun Again, This Time Much Closer
Last year, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe had flown through the Sun’s corona and gained information about the magnetic field of the Sun and sampled the particles. Parker's closest encounter with Sun occurred on February 25, 2022. You might have been concerned about the spacecraft, but there is no need to be concerned. Because, even during the closest encounter, as Parker Solar Probe’s heat shield temperature reaches 1377 Celsius degrees, the instruments inside will stay as cool as they are in room temperature.
9-Private Companies on the Moon
The last human existence on the moon was in 1972 with 2 Apollo astronauts. In the future, with the Artemis Program, humanity will go there again, only this time for a permanent settlement. NASA started a huge campaign and invited several private sector companies to build all types of structures on the Moon. In 2022, as a part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), two companies; Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines have scheduled launches and they will deliver scientific payloads to the Moon.
10-Optical Communication
If you have already participated in our distance learning programs FEP and PSSP, we are quite sure that you will remember the optical communication tech from our Living and Working in Space project topic. This year, with the Psyche mission, Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) systems will also launch. Thanks to these systems, we will have faster communication and will be able to send and receive larger amount of data via higher data rates.
All those things are expected to be done just in a year. So imagine a decade. What do you think awaits humanity in the field of space science in the next 10 years?
[description] => 10 Things about Space Science for 2022! Activating a new space telescope, deorbiting an asteroid with a spacecraft and exploring a metal-rich asteroid; just some of the main missions that are expected to be completed in 2022. [keywords] => Astro Newsletter, future explorers, deorbiting an asteroid with a spacecraft, exploring a metal-rich asteroid, James Webb Space Telescope, JWST, Hubble Space Telescope, NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Psyche, metal-rich asteroids called Psyche, Double Asteroid Redirection Test Mission, DART, Dimorphos, planet Venus, European Space Agency, ESA), EnVision, DAVINCI+, Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging, VERITAS, Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy, JUICE - Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, Cosmic Vision, largest moons Europa, Ganymede , Callisto, Jovian icy satellites, 2022 ExoMars Rover and Surface Platform, Mars, Roscosmos, Sojourner, Pathfinder, Curiosity rover, Parker Solar Probe, Apollo astronauts, Artemis Program, Moon, NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services, CLPS, Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines, Living and Working in Space, Deep Space Optical Communications, DSOC, space news [extra] => [{"key":"","value":""}] [created_date] => 2022-01-27 18:05:35 [updated_date] => 2022-04-29 16:26:33 [lang] => en [active] => 1 [search] => 1 [facebook_piksel] => ) [4] => stdClass Object ( [id] => 820 [parent] => 23 [order] => 8 [lang_id] => 944fc7406525f1adc642401dbbd091a4 [title] => Space Camp Turkey Through The Eyes Of An Experienced Chaperone [subtitle] => 09.21.2021 [header_img] => 0 [list_img] => 0 [summary] => It’s been over 21 years since the grand opening of Space Camp Turkey. During this time, thousands of students and teachers have attended our programs. All the feedback we received from our participants motivated us to do our work even better, and also helped us to improve ourselves. Of course some of the positive feedbacks came from our beloved chaperones. [content] =>
Space Camp Turkey Through The Eyes Of An Experienced Chaperone
Below is an interview we’ve conducted with one of our experienced chaperones; Mrs. Elizabeth Wahlert – Athanassiadis, Country Coordinator of Greece for Space Camp Turkey. We would like to thank her and all the other teachers/chaperones very much and hope to have many more collaborations together.
When did you first attend a program at Space Camp Turkey? Do you remember your feelings at that time?
In January of 2003, I accepted an invitation from ESBAS and Space Camp Turkey (SCT) to come to Izmir, visit the premises and meet the organizers of the programme. My enthusiastic interest in SCT and the scholarship programme resulted in the opportunity to award scholarships to ten deserving teenagers from Athens, Greece and my responsibility for them when we came to SCT in July of 2003. My close professional and personal affiliation with SCT has spanned seventeen years. I remember all of the students who were members of that original team from Athens. They are now 28 years old and are leaders in their chosen professions. Some live and work in Greece, but the vast majority of these young adults have chosen to live and work abroad.
What were the reactions / impressions of the first group of students you brought? Are you still in touch with some of them?
Our first SCT MISSION in July of 2003 was unforgettable and truly unique. Student participants and their educator coordinators had come from the four corners of the globe; New York, California, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Israel among others. To this day, those who were members of the Greek delegation talk about that experience. Extensive and meticulous arrangements had been made to make it possible for the students to ask questions to the astronauts who were on a space mission orbiting over Turkey. The excitement was electric among everyone at SCT as the connection was made and the students asked their carefully written questions and received answers from the astronauts in space. Filming of the activities of that week resulted in a DVD that we were given and which I still treasure as a visual reminder of that truly amazing world class experience.
That same summer, in July of 2003, Bill Stavroulakis, who was a member of that first SCT MISSION from Greece, was given the Outstanding Camper medal. Bill Stavroulakis holds a degree from the National Technical University of Athens and currently lives in San Francisco, California. He is the Senior Software Engineer at a company designing self-driving automobiles that will be the wave of the future in the automotive industry. Another young woman who was a member of our first SCT team found the experience to be life changing and went on to pursue her interest in Physics at an outstanding university in Scotland. She received a PhD in Robotics with an affiliation with the needs of the international space exploration programmes.
How many times and in which programs have you participated over the years? What were your impressions as an educator?
In conversing with other SCT chaperones from around the world , I have detected a certain amount of surprise and disbelief when I tell them that I have organized Greek SCT teams and personally brought them to SCT on at least fourteen different occasions. As an international educator, it is important to learn from young people by communicating with them, observing them in real life learning experiences, and watching them interact with other teenagers from around the world while assuming leadership roles in team based activities. It is through the SCT experience that we as educators envision the futures of our students who have been chosen to receive SCT scholarships. Most have gone on to realize my dreams for their futures. Several have received PhDs from reputable universities in Europe and the United States in the fields of Astrophysics and Robotics with a focus on space technology and exploration. Others have won international grants for projects relating to Physics and high power telescopes. I am proud to say that all have gone on to be leaders in their chosen professions and careers.
Can you share a memory you have from your days at Space Camp Turkey?
The numerous memories of my SCT experiences have given me considerable pride and joy as an international educator. Most significantly, I am proud of all the Greek scholarship recipients, but in particular those who, on six different occasions, have been awarded either the Outstanding Camper medal or the Right Stuff medal at graduation ceremonies at the end of their Space Camp Turkey experiences.
Do you have a message for families and children who want to participate in the programs?
Over the course of the past seventeen years, hundreds of deserving Greek teenagers from the Athens metropolitan area have had the opportunity to participate in the 6 day International Space Camp Turkey programme. Each one of these students has acknowledged that this was a world class learning experience. Some of the teenagers decided to return and participate in the programme more than once. In fact, one young man took part in four SCT summer experiences and served as a student leader for four consecutive years. He had his own mission . . . he wanted to be selected as the Outstanding Camper. On his fourth and final mission he realized his personal goal and SCT mission!
[description] => Below is an interview we’ve conducted with one of our experienced chaperones; Mrs. Elizabeth Wahlert – Athanassiadis, Country Coordinator of Greece for Space Camp Turkey. [keywords] => space camp turkey interview, chaperone thoughts [extra] => [{"key":"","value":""}] [created_date] => 2021-09-21 10:57:26 [updated_date] => 2021-09-21 15:56:44 [lang] => en [active] => 1 [search] => 1 [facebook_piksel] => ) )
With the acceleration of technology and space studies, there has been another first in the recent days. Axiom Space, which is not affiliated with a public space agency such as NASA, ESA, ROSCOSMOS, successfully completed its first mission, AX-1, to the International Space Station with its 4 astronauts.
NASA aims to launch manned missions to the Moon again. Although one of the main goals here may seem to establish a permanent settlement on the lunar surface, the real goal is actually much bigger.
We still do not know exactly what its structure is. It absorbs even the light around it due to its incredible gravitation. It, even considered as a door to an alternative universe according to some theories among thousands of different theories of scientists, is the topic for this issue. What do you think it is?
We would like to share our first Astro Newsletter via Space Camp Turkey webpage. Activating a new space telescope, deorbiting an asteroid with a spacecraft and exploring a metal-rich asteroid; just some of the main missions that are expected to be completed in 2022...
It’s been over 21 years since the grand opening of Space Camp Turkey. During this time, thousands of students and teachers have attended our programs. All the feedback we received from our participants motivated us to do our work even better, and also helped us to improve ourselves. Of course some of the positive feedbacks came from our beloved chaperones.
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