Our first lecture today was by Canadian Astronaut Bob Thirsk. He talked about preparing for an Extended Duration Mission (EDM) on board the International Space Station (ISS). Everything he said applies to our SSP time this summer. Here's a brief recap:
- In order to have a happy / productive crew, it is necessary that each person takes care of himself or herself.
- It feels better to be ahead of daily tasks than behind.
- If you're not having fun you're doing something wrong.
- Put stressful situations into perspective.
- You've got to figure out how to deal with separation from family
- Be flexible
- You can interpret everything positively or negatively
- Hang out with positive people
- Pace yourself - don't be a workaholic
- Ask for help when you need it
- Preserve your personal space (at least 30 min alone time per day)
- Set realistic goals so you don't burn out
- Your team includes the ground crew (I love you, Mitch!)
- Develop relationships early
- Discuss group expectations
After lunch half of the Human-Robotic Cooperation Team had the opportunity to visit Magna Steyr where they assemble Astin Martin Rapide and Mini Countryman! We saw the Mini part of the factory. So cool!! There are about 300 robots in the Mini assembly line and only 3 in Astin Martin. I really liked seeing the body assembly robots. Sparks flew everywhere from the spot welding. It was very dramatic! We also saw the Countryman post-paint. They are so colorful in bright blue, navy blue, white, black, silver, dark silver and brown. Each one is different and is custom ordered. We saw the finished cars rolling off the line. Ten percent of them go through the rain test before shipping. This field trip was to show us robots in action. The most exciting robot they had on the Mini line was the one that puts the wheels on the car. It can "see" the incoming wheel, assess its orientation, "see" the car on the line, match its speed, rotate the tire to the appropriate angle and put it on. Pretty sophisticated!
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After our tour we came back for dinner and then watched 4 teams compete in the Rube Goldberg competition. A Rube Goldberg machine is basically an intentionally over-Engineered machine that performs a very simple task. For this competition, the students were given no money and no supplies. For example watch this.... Honda "Cog" video
Here is a picture of their creation. For more, see my Facebook page.
So that was today! Really fun! Nevertheless, I am counting the days until I can be home with Mitch. :-)
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