Virtually speaking...
Mar. 8th, 2001 03:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexpgpYesterday's gig doing crew support had me working with Gennadi Padalka, who is the commander of the Expedition 4 backup crew. At the start of the day, we met at Building 9, but not in the large part of the building where the full-scale mockups are located, but over on the side, in a suite of offices that house - among other facilities - the Center's virtual reality laboratory.
The lab is a relatively small installation, but it is every computer geek's dream. High-powered CPUs on 6-inch centers. High-resolution displays. Equipment mockups. And, of course, an area set aside for state-of-the-art virtual-reality-based training.
This training session covered the operation of the SAFER, a Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue. This device, which was put through its paces during STS-92 last October, is attached to the spacesuit of all crew members who do extravehicular activities (EVAs), also known as "space walks." The SAFER is intended to be used in case a crew member loses physical contact - including the tethered connection - with the station while doing a space walk. In the absence of a device such as the SAFER, such loss of contact is potentially fatal, since there is no way to return to the station once you've separated from it.
The device consists of a network of 24 small valves that are directed in all directions around the astronaut, and which are connected - through some avionics and some pressure-reducers - to a tank filled with gaseous nitrogen to an initial pressure of 8000 pounds per square inch. The whole shebang is controlled by the free-floating astronaut once the system controller is deployed. This is done by working a catch that releases the controller, which looks like a Nintendo game pad on steroids.
After the lesson came the practice, with Gennadi donning a set of VR gear and getting calibrated for the exercise. The ground rules were stacked against him, to provide a safety margin.
First, his SAFER would start with the minimum acceptable charge of gas, 87%. Second, his rate of separation (how fast he was moving from the station as he floated free) was set at 1 foot per second. Third, his rate of rotation (how fast he was twisting in any of three axes) was set at 30 degrees per second in each axis, which meant that he would make one complete turn in the pitch, yaw, and roll axes every 8 seconds. Finally, it was assumed it would take him 30 seconds to deploy and turn on his controller.
Once activated, the SAFER automatically (and efficiently) stops the astronaut from tumbling. Given the ground rules, this generally reduces the gas available to return to about 70%. Subsequently, the astronaut must rotate in such a way as to see the station, and then move in a straight line back to the station. It's not as easy as it sounds, and there are some potential "gotchas" that can screw up your attempt to rescue yourself, but Padalka made it back okay in both runs.
The rest of the day was not as exciting. There was a class that taught the basics of using the so-called Pistol Grip Tool (PGT), and another class on various applications that will be used aboard the ISS.
Today's sim was rescheduled so that it runs into the early morning hours tomorrow. Considering my assignment on Friday starts relatively early in the morning, I elected to take a day off after this morning's telecon and recharge my batteries. It's all to the good, apparently, as I just got up a few minutes ago from a long-overdue mid-day nap, and feel much, much better.
Of course, not having my computer go belly up every 15 minutes is also a relieving sight.
Cheers...
The lab is a relatively small installation, but it is every computer geek's dream. High-powered CPUs on 6-inch centers. High-resolution displays. Equipment mockups. And, of course, an area set aside for state-of-the-art virtual-reality-based training.This training session covered the operation of the SAFER, a Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue. This device, which was put through its paces during STS-92 last October, is attached to the spacesuit of all crew members who do extravehicular activities (EVAs), also known as "space walks." The SAFER is intended to be used in case a crew member loses physical contact - including the tethered connection - with the station while doing a space walk. In the absence of a device such as the SAFER, such loss of contact is potentially fatal, since there is no way to return to the station once you've separated from it.
The device consists of a network of 24 small valves that are directed in all directions around the astronaut, and which are connected - through some avionics and some pressure-reducers - to a tank filled with gaseous nitrogen to an initial pressure of 8000 pounds per square inch. The whole shebang is controlled by the free-floating astronaut once the system controller is deployed. This is done by working a catch that releases the controller, which looks like a Nintendo game pad on steroids.
After the lesson came the practice, with Gennadi donning a set of VR gear and getting calibrated for the exercise. The ground rules were stacked against him, to provide a safety margin.
First, his SAFER would start with the minimum acceptable charge of gas, 87%. Second, his rate of separation (how fast he was moving from the station as he floated free) was set at 1 foot per second. Third, his rate of rotation (how fast he was twisting in any of three axes) was set at 30 degrees per second in each axis, which meant that he would make one complete turn in the pitch, yaw, and roll axes every 8 seconds. Finally, it was assumed it would take him 30 seconds to deploy and turn on his controller.
Once activated, the SAFER automatically (and efficiently) stops the astronaut from tumbling. Given the ground rules, this generally reduces the gas available to return to about 70%. Subsequently, the astronaut must rotate in such a way as to see the station, and then move in a straight line back to the station. It's not as easy as it sounds, and there are some potential "gotchas" that can screw up your attempt to rescue yourself, but Padalka made it back okay in both runs.The rest of the day was not as exciting. There was a class that taught the basics of using the so-called Pistol Grip Tool (PGT), and another class on various applications that will be used aboard the ISS.
Today's sim was rescheduled so that it runs into the early morning hours tomorrow. Considering my assignment on Friday starts relatively early in the morning, I elected to take a day off after this morning's telecon and recharge my batteries. It's all to the good, apparently, as I just got up a few minutes ago from a long-overdue mid-day nap, and feel much, much better.
Of course, not having my computer go belly up every 15 minutes is also a relieving sight.
Cheers...
