Ben Franklin grad part of NASA mission to explore ‘Psyche’ asteroid
Ben Franklin grad part of NASA mission to explore ‘Psyche’ asteroid NASA is aiming the ‘Psyche’ spacecraft toward an asteroid, also named “Psyche,” that’s orbiting the sun, to launch on Friday, Oct. 13. The spacecraft must align perfectly with a moving target and if all goes as planned, it will reach the asteroid in 2029. Lance Landrum, who graduated from Ben Franklin High school in New Orleans in 2003, is a NASA “Guidance, Navigation and Control Engineer” and joined the Army after his tour of duty would be limited to desolate places like Afghanistan and Iraq. He learned about sophisticated computer software, satellite communication, GPS, and other technical skills that he uses today at NASA. Landrum says he'll take his kids to see the launch, currently scheduled for 9:19 a.m. CST.
Opublikowany : 2 lata temu za pomocą Susan Roesgen w Science
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — For NASA to successfully launch the ‘Psyche’ spacecraft on Friday, Oct. 13, Lance Landrum says it will be like throwing a “lasso” to capture a racehorse — the spacecraft must align perfectly with a moving target.
NASA is aiming the Psyche spacecraft toward an asteroid, also named “Psyche,” that’s orbiting the sun.
“Imagine standing inside of the track at the Fairgrounds with a lasso in your hands,” Landrum said in an email. “Your job is to lasso one of the racehorses. You know you will only have a few seconds to accomplish this task when everything is lined up perfectly. If you miss, then you have to wait for the horses to come back around the track.”
If all goes as planned, the spacecraft will reach the asteroid in 2029, and the asteroid’s gravity will pull the spacecraft into its orbit.
According to NASA, the Psyche mission will gather information about the asteroid’s origin and composition. NASA says the asteroid’s “metal-rich” exterior is similar to the core of the Earth, making the mission a good way to glean information about how planets like Earth are formed.
Landrum, who graduated from Ben Franklin High school in New Orleans in 2003, is a NASA “Guidance, Navigation and Control Engineer” — a role he never envisioned when he got out of high school.
He says it was a “lost and wandering time” in his life, so he joined the Army, wanting to “see the world,” before realizing his tour of duty would be limited to desolate places like Afghanistan and Iraq.
But as member of the Army’s Military Intelligence Systems, Landrum learned about sophisticated computer software, satellite communication, GPS, and other technical skills that he uses today at NASA.
After the Army, Landrum backpacked in the western states, still unsure of his life’s path. He spent time learning to teach yoga at an ashram near Montreal, became a kids’ counselor, and did other odd jobs until got an electrical engineering degree from the University of Southern Florida in Tampa.
While he was there, an internship at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral led to the start of his career.
Landrum says he’ll take his kids to see the launch, currently scheduled for 9:19 a.m. CST.
“We send missions all over the solar system to get a better understanding of our universe,” said Landrum, “but also we learn so much about our own planet and our own home. It is truly remarkable what we are able to accomplish when we work together.”
Tematy: Space, NASA