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![]() | On July 20, 1969 American astronaut Neil Armstrong descended the ladder of his lunar lander to step on soil which no human had touched before. It is now the year 2015 and the Moon missions continue.... |
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| This time, a permanent base will be established there. One final decision needs to be made: where is the best site for the landing and building the base? |
The new millennium is still young, but humans are preparing to return to the Moon, spurred on by the verification of ice water on the lunar surface by the Lunar Prospector in 1998. Composed of hydrogen and oxygen - the elements that make up water - the lunar ice provides a core resource for long-term human presence on the lunar surface. |
Lunar Prospector was followed by a series of successful robotic missions designed to prove the concept that ice water can be harvested. Once collected, the ice water can be turned into drinking water, oxygen for life support on a lunar base, nutrients as the basis for agriculture, components needed for rocket fuel, or, when combined with lunar soil, the basics for construction materials.
Not only did those robotic missions successfully prove the concept, but since then, additional robotic staging missions have landed and begun manufacturing these essential resources. As part of the Return to the Moon mission, this crew of astronauts will - for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 - land on the surface of the Moon. This time the astronauts are there to establish a permanent base with the core goals of:
The Return to the Moon mission begins with the spacecraft in Earth's orbit and the Mission Control team monitoring the crew's status. The crew aboard the spacecraft will leave Earth's orbit and travel to the Moon using the latest in transport technology to reduce the travel time. In addition to verifying the best site for the establishment of the lunar base during the course of the mission, the crew will build and launch a probe to the lunar surface, recover a probe that is stranded in space, and repair the damaged probe.
The Mission Teams:
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Some information has been previously obtained from the potential lunar base sites. A detailed study has determined that the base site must contain soils, metals, and potentially useful resources such as helium-3. Rock and soil samples, soil composition, and seismic information have been gathered by previous missions from portions of the potential sites. Experiments on soil and rock samples from other possible sites must be performed in order to determine the best site for the lunar base. The crew will navigate their spacecraft to the Moon and plot an acceptable orbit.
Together the crew will place their spaceship into lunar orbit and make the important decision about the location of the first permanent lunar base. To gather the data needed to analyze potential lunar base sites, the crew will have to function as a team and utilize their best communications and analytical skills.
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| Data Team (DATA) | |
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| Probe Team (PROBE) | |
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| Communications Team (COM) | |
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| Life Support (LS) | |
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| Remote Team (REM) | |
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| Isolation Team (ISO) | |
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| Medical Team (MED) | |
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Environmental scientists collect data from all over the Earth's surface. This raw data is analyzed to obtain a global view of Earth's environment on a daily, seasonal, annual, and long-term basis. A common data collection technique is the use of Earth-based probes. Probes are placed at many different locations on Earth's surface to measure important environmental conditions such as ocean temperatures, currents, and vegetation, as well as troposphere (lower atmosphere), land vegetation, temperatures, and ground moisture.
The information collected by these probes is transmitted to a low-Earth orbiting (LEO) satellite. The LEO satellite then transmits the probe information to ground-based stations such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, or to a Geosynchronous Orbiting (GEO) satellite, which in turn transmits the information to the ground-based stations.
In the summer of the year 2137, the LEO satellite collecting probe data has malfunctioned and must be replaced. The elite ERS-I Emergency Response Squad composed of 8 teams trained in satellite design and environmental survey has been called in. One half of the ERS-I crew has been stationed on a LEO Spacelab and is working diligently to construct a new satellite to deploy into orbit for data collection.
Since the Earth-based probes are designed to transmit data on a regular basis to the LEO satellite, they contain very little data storage capacity. While the ERS-I Satellite Team is constructing the new satellite, the data collection teams (GEOsphere, HYDROsphere, ATMosphere, BIOsphere, and ECOsphere) must collect and transmit data from areas near the probes to Mission Control.
The other half of the ERS-I crew has been stationed on Earth in the Ops Center of Mission Control. These team members analyze the probe data and compare it to historical data in order to correlate relationships. Additionally, Mission Control, along with their Spacelab teammates, examines sensor data for environmental conditions that might pose a threat to planet Earth and its inhabitants. Transmission of data and information occurs with the aid of two teams, COM (COMmunication) and DAX (Data Acquisition and EXamination). DAX has the additional duty of conducting research to aid the investigation of the data collection teams.
Once the LEO satellite is constructed and deployed, it can resume the job of data collection and transmission. The ERS-I Emergency Response Squad can return to Earth with a greater knowledge about their home planet and a sense of accomplishment, having completed a successful mission.
Encounter Earth Teams
COM (COMmunication): Team members will be responsible for all verbal messages transferred between Mission Control and the Spacelab.
DAX (Data Acquisition and EXamination): Team members will be responsible for data that must travel between Mission Control and the Spacelab. The will also be the primary researchers for the Spacelab and Mission Control crews.
SAT (Satellite): Team members will determine the correct communication frequencies for Earth probes, satellites, and Earth laboratories. They will build and deploy a new low-Earth orbiting satellite to replace a non-functioning satellite.
GEO (Geosphere): Team members will determine whether ocean temperature and/or currents are directly related to sea level. During emergencies, team members will use robots to collect soil samples to be tested for pH and determine the effect of flooding on different land areas.
HYDRO (Hydrosphere): Team members will determine whether ocean temperatures and/or currents are directly related to ocean vegetation. During emergencies, team members will perform pH tests on the water supply and test water for total dissolved solids and chlorine.
ATM (Atmosphere): Team members will determine whether rainfall and/or temperature are directly related to cloud cover. During emergencies, team members will determine the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water and do qualitative analysis of gas using a spectroscope.
BIO (Biosphere): These team members will determine whether vegetation is directly related to the ground moisture and/or temperature. During emergencies, team members may simulate the amount of light that passes through volcanic ash and determine the effect of an oil spill in the ocean.
ECO (Ecosphere): Team members will determine whether population density is directly related to lights observed at night. During emergencies, team members will determine the effect of CO2 on plants and use a microscope to determine the portability of water.
Sample questions from the Encounter Earth Baseline studies log sheet
ATM station data log
Mark each area on the map with a • and neatly record annual averages or otals for that area next to the •.
After you have completed 3 areas, answer the questions working with your SS/MC teammates. If you need more
space, use an arrow to show where data belongs. Refer back to the RESULTS” table on screen if you need to recall data you’ve collected.
MC Team: Ave Annual Cloud Cover
1. Describe what you think “percent cloud cover” means.
2. What patterns might be indicated in the distribution of average cloud cover?
3. Based on what you know about that part of the world, does the data match what you know about the climate of that area?
4. What other measurements could you make in that part of the world that might correlate with what you observe?
5. Look at the data from the BIO team to see if your data correlates with their data in any way. Explain your observations.
6. How does the cloud cover change with the seasons?
SS Team: Ave Annual Temperature & Total Annual Rainfall
1. Define what you think “total annual rainfall” means.
2. What patterns might be indicated in the distribution of average precipitation?
3. Does the data match what you know about the climate of that area?
4. Do you see any similarities in patterns between precipitation and cloud cover? Does it make sense?
5. What other measurements could you make in that part of the world that might correlate with what you observe?
6. Look at the data from the BIO team to see if your data correlates with their data in any way. Explain your observations.
7. How has the average precipitation changed with the seasons?