Congratulations, you have been chosen as the NRG (Energy) officer for this important mission. As the NRG officer, you will be conducting vital calculations to help the Navigation (NAV) team safely guide the Spacecraft and its crew on this mission. You will also be working with the HAZ team in case of an emergency that could result in a danger to the crew.
You will need to follow every step on this page, without skipping a single step. If you find at any point that the readings from the spacecraft are not safe, you must inform the crew!
You will be communicating with other teams using the CHAT and your MICROPHONE.
When using CHAT you will see your messages and directions in Purple. Make sure you use the drop down menu to select the correct team you want to send the message to. Once you have typed it in the CHAT, make sure to hit Enter so that the team receives it.
When using the MICROPHONE your directions and reading will be in Green . Unmute your MICROPHONE, read your message and make sure you mute after.
SOLAR ARRAY RESEARCH
Follow these directions for researching the SOLAR ARRAY.
- You will be receiving ammeter readings for the solar panels onboard the Spacecraft. Read more about the solar array and the importance of ammeter readings below.
SOLAR ARRAY
The solar array contains solar cells that recharge the Spacecraft batteries when they are facing the Sun. Your team is responsible for determining the relationship between the solar array angle and the Sun. During an emergency, the solar array must be angled so that maximum energy can be received by the Spacecraft.
This image is of Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski on the end of a robotic arm repairing ripped solar panels.
2. Answer the SOLAR ARRAY RESEARCH QUESTIONS below. You may need this information later in the mission. Make sure to write it down on the Notepad provided or your own notes. Click “Submit” when you finish answering the questions.
SOLAR ARRAY RESEARCH QUESTIONS
OPEN SOLAR ARRAY RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Notepad
SOLAR ARRAY
Follow these directions for analyzing the SOLAR ARRAY.
1. Go to CHAT and send this message to COM:
The NRG team is checking the ammeter reading at 60 degrees.
2. Open the ammeter and take the current reading.
Ammeter - 60 Degrees
Ammeter Reading at 60 degrees
1. Go to CHAT and send this message to COM:
The ammeter reading at 60 degrees is ___________ amps.
2. Open the SOLAR ARRAY TESTING DATA LOG and enter the ammeter reading. You may need this information later in the mission. Make sure to write it down on the Notepad provided or your own notes.
SOLAR ARRAY TESTING DATA LOG
OPEN SOLAR ARRAY TESTING DATA LOG - 60 DEGREES
Notepad
5. Once this is completed, move on to 30 degrees. Locate the CHAT in your call software and send the following message to “COM.”
The NRG team has a message for the Mission Commander. We are checking the ammeter reading at 30 degrees.
6. Open the ammeter and take the current reading.
Ammeter - 30 Degrees
7. Go to CHAT and send this message to “COM”:
The ammeter reading at 30 degrees is ___________ amps.
8. Open the SOLAR ARRAY TESTING DATA LOG and enter the ammeter reading. You may need this information later in the mission. Make sure to write it down on the Notepad provided or your own notes.
SOLAR ARRAY TESTING DATA LOG – 30 DEGREES
OPEN SOLAR ARRAY TESTING DATA LOG - 30 DEGREES
Notepad
9. Once this is completed, move on to 0 degrees. Send the following message to “COM” in the CHAT.
The NRG team has a message for the Mission Commander. We are checking the ammeter reading at 0 degrees
10. Open the ammeter and take the current reading and type in the data in the SOLAR ARRAY TESTING DATA LOG below. Make sure to click “Submit” after answering the questions.
Ammeter - 0 Degrees
11. Open the SOLAR ARRAY TESTING DATA LOG below and enter the ammeter reading. You may need this information later in the mission. Make sure to write it down on the Notepad provided or your own notes.
SOLAR ARRAY TESTING DATA LOG – 0 DEGREES
OPEN SOLAR ARRAY TESTING DATA LOG - 0 DEGREES
12. Using the data from the ammeters, open the SOLAR ARRAY ANALYSIS DATA LOG and determine which array recieves the most energy.
SOLAR ARRAY ANALYSIS DATA LOG
OPEN SOLAR ARRAY ANALYSIS DATA LOG - 0 DEGREES
Notepad
Notepad
NUCLEAR THERMAL ELECTRIC PROPULSION RESEARCH
Follow these directions for researching NUCLEAR THERMAL ELECTRIC PROPULSION.
1. You will be working with the NAV team to determine accurate thrust levels, duration levels, and rocket fuel for the Spacecraft. Read more about the nuclear thermal electric rocket below.
NUCLEAR THERMAL ELECTRIC PROPULSION
The Spacecraft has a nuclear thermal electric rocket powered by heating up liquid hydrogen. The rocket helps speed up transportation time in space, reducing radiation exposure for the crew. The hydrogen propellant even provides an extra radiation shield for the crew.
2. Answer the NUCLEAR THERMAL ELECTRIC PROPULSION RESEARCH QUESTION below.You may need this information later in the mission. Make sure to write it down on the Notepad provided or your own notes. Click “Submit” when you finish answering the question.
NUCLEAR THERMAL ELECTRIC PROPULSION RESEARCH QUESTION
OPEN NUCLEAR RESEARCH QUESTION
Notepad
THRUST RESEARCH
1. Read the following information about THRUST to understand how we will speed up or slow down the Spacecraft.
THRUST
Thrust is the force which moves a spacecraft through the air and through space.
Thrust is generated by the propulsion system of the Spacecraft through the application of Newton’s third law of motion; For every action there is an equal and opposite re-action. If the Spacecraft is slowing down, we will need to turn the Spacecraft around so that the engines thrust is in reverse to slow down the Spacecraft. If the Spacecraft is speeding up, we will keep it in the same direction and fire the engines to direct the trust behind the Spacecraft and propel it faster.
Thrust is measured in Newtons.
2. Answer the THRUST RESEARCH QUESTIONS below. Click “Submit” when you finish answering the questions. You may need this information later in the mission. Make sure to write it down on the Notepad provided or your own notes.
THRUST RESEARCH QUESTIONS
OPEN RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Notepad
EUROPA ORBIT INSERTION
1. Read the information on Spacecraft travel by clicking on the box labeled EUROPA APPROACH.
EUROPA APPROACH
Once the Spacecraft has reached Europa, it will need to orbit it. Europa is traveling at 50,000 km/hr. We will need to reach Europa and then allow the gravity of Europa to pull us into their orbit. The Spacecraft needs to go 3500 km/hr to be pulled into an orbit around Europa allowing Europa’s gravity to dominate.
2. Open the ORBIT INSERTION DATA LOG and determine the direction and thrust needed to enter Europa’s orbit. You may need this information later in the mission. Make sure to write it down on the Notepad provided or your own notes. Click “Submit” when you finish answering the question.
OPEN DATA LOG
3. Once this is completed, locate the CHAT in your call software. Make sure to send the following message to both “COM” and “NAV,” with the Plan you chose. You are sending it once to “COM” and again to “NAV“
The NRG team has a message for the NAV team. The plan we have chosen to insert the Spacecraft into Europa’s orbit is Plan ___.
Notepad
SPACECRAFT RETURN TO JUPITER GATEWAY
1. The Spacecraft is now traveling at 7,293 km/hr. The Spacecraft needs to travel at 50,000 km/hr to return to the Jupiter Gateway and be outside the radiation belts.
2. Open the EUROPA RETURN TO GATEWAY DATA LOG and determine the direction and thrust needed to return to the Jupiter Gateway. You may need this information later in the mission. Make sure to write it down on the Notepad provided or your own notes. Click “Submit” when you finish answering the question.
OPEN DATA LOG
Notepad
3. Once this is completed, locate the CHAT in your call software. Make sure to send the following message to both “COM” and “NAV.” You are sending it once to “COM” and again to “NAV“
The NRG team has a message for NAV. The plan we have chosen to return the Spacecraft to the Jupiter Gateway is Plan ___.
4. Once this is completed, unmute the MICROPHONE and read the following message:
The NRG team has completed all their tasks.
5. As the NRG team you must continue your training in how the Sun makes energy. Continue on to Nuclear Fusion.
NUCLEAR FUSION
How the Sun Makes Energy
Create nuclear fusion reactions and create energy to power the spacecraft. Train on fusion by going to: Helios: How the Sun Makes Energy
EMERGENCY
When you find an emergency onboard the Spacecraft, you will need to walk the Mission Commander through fixing the emergency. You will be speaking directly to the Mission Commander, so you must have your microphone enabled. Follow these instructions to begin:
1. The HAZ team will contact you shortly regarding which debris impact panel is causing the emergency. They will also let you know specific instructions to fix the emergency, and refer back to your SOLAR ARRAY TESTING DATA LOG and SOLAR ARRAY ANALYSIS DATA LOG as needed.
2. Locate the MICROPHONE button on your call software.
3. To test that it works, say the entirety of the following message to Mission Commander:
“This is NRG to Spacecraft, Do you read me, over?”
4. Wait for a response from the Mission Commander. If there is no response, press or click the MICROPHONE button to ensure you are not muted, and then resend the message. If you get a response from the Mission Commander, that means the communication system is working, and you may continue to the next step.
5. Read to the Mission Commander these instructions to solve the emergency. Be sure to fill in the blanks in the message, giving the Mission Commander the best solar array angle (in degrees) based on the messages you should have received from the HAZ team.
“EMERGENCY! Debris Impact Panel #___ has a dangerous impact hole reading. Immediately realign the solar panels to ___ degrees.”
6. The HAZ team will be contacting you again with further instructions.