SPACE RESEARCH
NOTE: 25 years after man landed on the moon (July 20, 1969), space education and research continues at Purdue University.
June 1994
Neil Armstrong, A Down-To-Earth Leader
Larry Cargnino
Professor emeritus, aeronautical and astronautical engineering
Twenty-five years after being the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong is remembered as displaying leadership qualities even as a student, many years before his famous space trek. Cargnino taught Armstrong, who graduated from Purdue University in 1955 with a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering. Cargnino says Armstrong was a quiet, reserved young man, but bright-eyed and very perceptive.
Chix In Space
Ronald L. Hullinger
Professor, developmental anatomy
Director, veterinary medical education
He is principal investigator on Phase II of Purdue's "chix-in-space" project, which studies the effects of zero gravity on embryonic development and reproduction in space. The project started with chicken eggs in space, and the next step is a Joint venture with Slovak researchers to send Japanese quail eggs on future space flights. Hullinger says eggs, with their hard-shell coverings, are useful for studying development from conception.
Space Colonies, Next Stop Mars
Cary A. Mitchell
Professor, horticulture
Director, NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training in Bioregenerative Life Support
Some day soon man hopes to travel to Mars. We already know how to build the spacecraft; we have developed the fuel. The only things lacking are the food and air – more than a minor inconvenience.
A NASA center established at Purdue is planning to change that by developing technologies for self-sufficient colonies on the moon and on Mars, as well as life on the craft that would make the two-year journey to and from the red planet.
NSCORT researchers are looking at every angle of this question, including developing new foods, diets and waste disposal systems.
This multifaceted project also is producing results that will benefit people on Earth. Spinoffs could include a genetically engineered rice that provides all needed proteins for healthy diets (a boon for nutrition in developing countries); microbial systems that would reduce waste in landfills; methods to grow crops without pesticides or other chemicals; and clues to whether global warming is taking place.
A Look At The Makeup Of Mars
H. Roland Heydegger
Professor, chemistry;
Head of Department of Chemistry and Physics at Calumet
He will play a key role in analyzing the chemical composition of Mars' surface, using data obtained from three upcoming missions to Mars. Samples will be collected during three soft landing missions scheduled through 1996. Heydegger will join colleagues at the University of Chicago's Laboratory for Astrophysics and Space Research next spring to evaluate chemical surface data from the first mission, which will launch this fall from Russia. An Alpha-Proton X-ray instrument will be attached to a robot-like rover and will record data while moving about Mars' surface. The group will test for chemical composition by combining three techniques: alpha back-scattering, proton emission and X-ray fluorescence.
Space Still Inspires Students
John P. Sullivan
Head, School of Aeronautical and Astronautical
Engineering
Despite a tough job market, the lure of space still inspires young minds. Sullivan says students who have dreamed of becoming astronauts since they were young children come to the school, planning on careers in the space industry. 1995 marks the 50th anniversary of Purdue's School of Aeronautics and Astronuatics.
Getting There's Half The Battle
James M. Longuski
Assistant professor, aeronautics and astronautics
He and other Purdue researchers have found a way to get to Uranus, Neptune and Pluto in much the same fashion as Voyager's famous space trek past three planets. A gravity-assisted trajectory was discovered that would make the voyage possible sometime after the turn of the century. Longuski says that once the spacecraft reached Uranus, gravity would fling it on its way to the other two planets. Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratories are interested in this plan, which would cut the cost of such a long-term mission.
Orbiting Spacecraft
Robert E. Skelton
Professor, aeronautics and astronautics
Director, Space Systems Control Laboratory
The next generation of orbiting spacecraft are being designed in the Space Systems Control Laboratory. Skelton and his colleagues are developing a new design process that integrates the structure and control systems of orbiting spacecraft, including space stations. Previously, orbiting structures were built first, with the control systems added later. Skelton says integrating the control system with the design of the structure from the start will improve perfomance. Researchers at the laboratory recently finished redesigning the control systems of the Hubble Space Telescope.
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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