Oct. 5th, 2002

Brian Grigsby

EPO (Educational and Public Outreach)—How it will happen.

Through a grant awarded by the IDEAS program, educators and students will be able to experience first hand the process of conducting a NASA science expedition. So, how will we communicate with classrooms from Licancabur, Chile to classrooms back in the United States? Technology today has made many corners of the globe accessible, and has allowed students across the world to communicate virtually instantaneously with each other.

For this expedition, we will use equipment such as, satellite phones, laptop computers, and digital cameras. This will allow us to communicate with students on a daily basis from the field. With the digital camera, we will be able email images back to the website for students to view, so they can gain a perspective to the activities taking place in the field, as well as visualize the land where the expedition will be conducted.

In order to conduct the EPO, we needed to come up with ways to communicate and charge the computer batteries. In Antofagasta, and San Pedro, this will not be a problem because there will be phone access, and power access. But when we are in the field (where we will be the majority of the time) there is no reliable power source for powering up our batteries or available communication. The solution: Solar power and satellite communications.

The Communication Equipment:

Solar panels are more portable and affordable than ever. Simply enough, the panel collects the sun’s energy, and then converts that to usable power. The panel has an adapter on it that allows us to plug into it with what we call an inverter, which converts the energy from the solar panel into electrical energy that can be used by our equipment.

The laptop will allow us to download images from the digital camera, and with the advancement of technologies in digital recording, we can now record pictures on a small card, and then transfer that directly into the laptop. This makes the capturing of the expedition much easier, and allows us to show students during the same day of activities, what the scientists are doing.

To upload these images, we will need to compose emails, and attach the pictures to these emails. Then, using the satellite phone, we will connect with the satellite overhead, and transfer the images back to our web specialist back in Redding, Ca. This will then be uploaded to the website for classrooms to access.

Not only do I have to pack all of this equipment with me in the field, I need to be sure that I have the proper clothing, and safety equipment to weather the harshest of conditions. All the members of the team need to be concerned about the conditions this environment. We need clothing such as polar fleece, waterproof gear, and warm inner layers of clothing. Safety equipment such as helmets, walking poles, first aid kits, altitude sickness medicine, emergency bivys and other equipment will prepare us for any situation that could arise.