The third week dawned better than the second as the students began settling into their new life at Ames. Though still needing a lot of assistance (and reminders, gentle nudging, etc.) from me, they were starting to find their way. My project on the other hand was still up in the air. Monday was the Mission Readiness Review where slides were presented (even some cool ones I’d made got in there J) and the team asked headquarters if they could proceed with the mission to Railroad Valley. Its really been eye-opening to see how all these projects work and how many dang hoops they have to jump through to undergo a research project! Though its understandable considering all the things that could go wrong when you are doing things such as NASA folks do J Happily the mission passed and the Alpha jet was prepared to do some test flights to see how the Picarro instrument reacted to changes in altitude, temperature, etc. The Alpha has 2 missile looking things under each wing. These were originally used for fuel but two of those have been reconfigured to house experimental equipment. One of the wing pods holds the Picarro instrument that measures CO2, methane and water at a rate of 3 readings per second. A wing pod on the other wing holds an ozone instrument that, as you may guess, measures ozone. Unfortunately, the Picarro instrument had been acting up this week and was not collecting data, as it should. The first problem that was noticed was that the pump was overheating at high altitudes. Seems a bit counterintuitive since high altitudes = cooler air, but as the pump runs and generates heat there was not enough of that cool air to cool it down. So, after a failed attempt to cool the pump while preheating the instrument on the ground, a new pump was installed. The Alpha jet then went on another test flight only to return, once again, with no dat. This time it was a software glitch. Glitch was corrected, plane sent up again and when it came back down we HAD DATA!! Very exciting for all, unfortunately, it was only part of the flight path…software had not recorded all of the flight. So, yet again the company was called to correct the problem. In the end, because everyone was not trusting Picarro software, a jumpdrive was put into the instrument and data was collected for complete flight! Very frustrating for all (except me of course, I’m just the peon J), but in the end we were all elated to have data to analyze. The idea is that the Alpha jet will make regular flights to RRV from here on out, to possibly test seasonal changes in CO2 and methane, so they were happy to have a working instrument. Test flights began on Friday the 17th and the first “successful” flight (partial data recovery) was Wednesday.
The evening of the 17th I took a nice long walk around the boundary of NASA Ames and it sort of felt like home. The north/northeast portion of the campus runs along the Bay and there is a nice walking path through wetlands. Frogs chorused, birds sang and bugs buzzed. A peaceful walk and a nice way to end the week.
360* from my spot on the NE edge of Ames campus
Saturday I began my day in what is becoming a bit of a routine, drinking amazing coffee at Dana Street Roasting Company. The coffee shop is in downtown Mountain View and has a nice granola vibe, friendly staff and really, really good coffee…oh, and they have free wi-fi J They make a drink called Thai coffee, which seems to be coffee with sweetened condensed milk in it – wow, AMAZING!!! My new drink of choice, narrowly beating out its competitor the blended mocha. Please note, “began my day” was around 3 o’clock in the afternoon, I needed a little morning siesta before I headed out into the big wide world, who doesn’t?!
Sunday, my student Nicole and I headed to San Jose to check out the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. The museum boasts the largest exhibit of Egyptian artifacts in western North America. A very cool place and pictures tell more than words, unfortunately I forgot my camera L But, I did have my phone, so I took pics but they aren’t of the best quality. Lots of history and I was wishing Mom was there so she could fill me in on things instead of having to read all the signs! J I know Mom would have loved it and I found it all very fascinating.
Week four was highlighted by a visit and presentation by the newly appointed chief scientist of NASA, Waleed Abdulati. He was an excellent speaker and though there was a bit of budget talk mixed into his presentation, it was a very inspiring talk. I must admit that before I began collaborating with my now friends, at Ames, I was one of those people that thought NASA was a bit unnecessary. However, all that I've learned in the amazing science they do beyond looking into space, and how much even that "looking into space" has affected and improved our daily lives, I've totally changed my views! Especially when you see the <1% of the national budget that is allotted to NASA, we actually get quite a return on our money in that one! After his talk I had the opportunity to meet Waleed when all the PI's of the Earth Science Division met with him to discuss the goals and current projects in the division.
NASA Chief Scientist Waleed Abdulati
Another major perk to weeks 3 & 4 was my first trip to Trader Joe's. An experience those of you that have been there will envy and those of you that haven't must try! I'd heard lots about the great products at Trader Joe's and did believe it but was so, so happy to find that my expectations were not only met but exceeded. An awesome grocery store which provided me with the amazing caprese salad all week. Sounds delectable doesn't it?! ;)
Mini heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, organic basil and a perfect balsamic glaze
…and you go to Alcatraz” Sunday I was able to make the first (definitely not last) trip to San Francisco. Nicole and an intern from the UAE (Mejd) joined me. We hopped on the CalTrain in Mountain View and after a few stops the train was packed! Our trip coincided with the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade and people from all over the Bay area were dressed up and ready to celebrate. Once we arrived at the station we walked to Market Street and watched a bit of the parade – a very colorful sight! Fun to experience but we couldn’t stay for long because we had a ferry to catch.
Gay Pride Parade San Francisco 2011
After catching a few of the many public transportation options we arrived at Pier 33. Since we had a few minutes to spare we were able to grab lunch at an extremely overpriced hot dog stand. One benefit was that Mejd had never tried a corndog so Nicole and I got to witness her first one J We also got to rest our feet – Mejd wasn’t quite dressed for walking around San Fran in her heels and light top!
We got in line early so we could get good seats on the ferry and an incredible view of the Rock. Upon arrival the rules were told to the crowd from the ferry and we were on our own. We headed to the main prison where we got headphones and started our audio tour. It was awesome and made me want to learn more about Alcatraz! The tour, narrated by former wardens and inmates, took you through the rows of cells and along with telling you about daily life in the prison, it told of escape attempts. One which wasn’t successful, the other where 3 men entered the water and were never seen again – Nicole, ever the conspiracy theorist, is sure they’re still alive J
On the ferry at Pier 33
Alcatraz from the ferry
On the ferry
View of San Francisco from the ferry
Typical prison cell
Recreation yard
Key stolen in the first escape attempt in which 3 guards were killed and the prisoners held the prison for 2 days.
Pock marks in the cement from the grenades thrown in when prisoners controlled the prison for 2 days
Prison cell showing some of the things prisoners did to keep themselves busy, including crochet
Fake head used by 3 prisoners that dug through the vent to escape. They made it to the water but their bodies were never seen afterward.
Nicole on Alcatraz with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background
Cafeteria at Alcatraz - The knives were outlined in the cupboard so they could see that all were replaced at the end of each day.
Ordering dinner at the Indian Curry House
The ride home...before they fell asleep :)
Loving the blog, Miss City Slicker!! :) San Jose must get more sunshine than San Fran because your hair is so light - looks great! Love and miss you dearly...
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