ISS Science Mission Planning
Images/EH/ISSComposite.jpgAlong with the Space Station as it orbits Earth, investigate the slowly moving solar panels, the space shuttle or the view of Earth. Go inside and join the crew for drills or use the SAGE system (picture 1) to measure contaminants in Earth's atmosphere. Adventurous? Try piloting the small CRV craft away from the Station without hitting anything (picture 2). In the end, come away with an appreciation of ISS and its potential that you're not likely to forget.
Stardust Mission
Images/EH/StardustComposite.jpgSending a spacecraft on a 5-year mission to travel past a comet's nucleus to collect pictures, information and comet material and returning it to Earth is a challenge. Feel the danger as the spacecraft approaches the comet and is hammered by particles of various sizes, each traveling at 6 times the speed of a rifle bullet. Using mission simulations designed to explore the risks and rewards, help plan a successful Stardust mission.
Shoemaker-Levy 9 Comet
Images/EH/Shoemaker.jpgExperience the effects of a comet fragment, originally 5 miles in diameter, as it slams into Jupiter's atmosphere. On July 18, 1994 the world watched as the impact of this fractured comet sent fireballs thousands of miles high into the Jovian sky. Using accurate supercomputer simulations we can control time and ride the comet, experiencing firsthand the awe and beauty of this incredible event and discovering the snowball effect.
Surgical Modeling
Images/EH/Surgical.jpgUnderstand the need and nature of surgical procedures before they occur. Using real MRI information and actual blood pressure, temperature and heart rate data, move inside a model of the patient's head to investigate an actual brain lesion and plan a surgical procedure to remove it. In this simulated world, mistakes are simply part of the learning experience.
Functioning Devices
Images/EH/Maze.jpgShrink down and travel freely inside devices, from electrical components to mechanical marvels, as they actually operate. Take them apart while they continue to run and then try to put them back together again, as in the case of this complex electro-mechanical gear assembly. Experience the unexpected elegance and wonder of man-made objects around us.
Pluto Explorer
Images/EH/Pluto.jpgJourney with the Pluto Explorer as it passes Uranus on its way to explore the unusual binary system of Pluto and its moon Charon. The world's first robotic mission to Pluto is scheduled for launch in 2006.
