If you’re looking for a nice two-story, walk-up* with spectacular views from the Moon, Mars or any potential deep space destination, look no further than the NASA Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU) and their newly added second level!

Of course, the HDU, the new second level and a soon to be added Hygiene Module together form the Deep Space Habitat configuration of the HDU that will be featured in this year’s D-RATS analog field test.

But, I am getting ahead of myself.  The essential 2^nd level has not been completely decided on yet. 

There are currently three different options being considered through a fascinating competition know as the X-Hab Academic Innovation Challenge.  Three Universities were selected from a number of entries to design, build and demonstrate their inflatable habitat concepts all the way from CAD drawings to a full scale demonstration unit.

Each school has one week to deploy their version of the interstellar penthouse on top of NASA’s current HDU at NASA Johnson Space Center.   The final demonstration units will be judged on many different criteria, such as ratio between the packed hab’s volume and the deployed hab’s volume, deployment time, lowest hourly pressure decay and self-support due to loss of internal pressure.  Coincidentally, these align perfectly with my every day living requirements!

The three schools are Oklahoma State University (June 6^th – 10^th,) the University of Maryland (June 13^th – 17^th) and the University of Wisconsin (June 20^th – 24^th.)  The pictures below were taken during our trip to NASA Johnson while the University of Maryland was testing and installing their demo unit.

University of Maryland unpacks and weighs their Hab Demo Unit. Credit: Co-Host

University of Maryland Hab Demo Unit soon to be joined with NASA's Hab Demo Unit.  Credit: Co-Host

University of Maryland's Hab Demo Unit Deployed!  Credit: Co-Host

All of the teams have overcome many different obstacles and engineering challenges to deliver their inflatable habs, but the learning experience from the process itself is invaluable.  As one student commented when asked about seeing their team’s demonstration being deployed, “I’m curious.  I’m excited, but we all really want to see if our ideas work well.”

For the winners?  Their demonstration will experience full field implementation during NASA’s analog field test in Arizone (D-RATS 2011.)  The winning design will be announced sometime during the week of June 27^th – July 1^st, 2011.

For the record, I volunteer to stay in the winner’s demonstration unit as long as they agree to fully return my security deposit when the analog is finished.  Plus, I SPLIT the utilities with my fellow medianauts from NASA EDGE.  Too many times, I’ve been left with the tab.

For more information on NASA's HDU and the Challenge, please visit the following sites:

NASA's HDU Project

X-Hab Academic Innovation Challenge

X-Hab Partner - The National Space Grant Foundation

Good Luck!  And may the best Hab win!

The Co-Host

*Walk-up can refer to the fact that a particular apartment is accessible via stairs only.  I mean that it is easily accessible by pedestrians that happen to be in the vicinity of building 220 at NASA Johnson or the Black Point Lava Flow in Arizona sometime in August 2011.

First, NASA EDGE wants to thank the many, many fans of the show that voted to nominate NASA EDGE for the Annual Podcast Awards for the 2^nd year in a row.  1.1 million total nominations were received this year for all podcasts, so to again be nominated means only one thing.  Our fans showed up BIG TIME.  What  an honor!

Second, voting begins December 1^st and continues all the way through December 15^th.  Again, we are calling on our fans to show their unprecedented support.  Like last year, we are up against some serious competition.  But if our fans have shown anything over the years, it is enthusiastic support.

So, hide your kids, hide your wives… I mean, FIND your kids, FIND your wives, and FIND your husbands, etc. and VOTE DAILY from December 1-15, 2010 to give NASA EDGE a chance to win the 6^th Annual Podcast Award in the category of “Best Video Podcast!” 

Even though we face serious competition, we know our fans will give it their best shot.  Who could ask for more?

Happy Voting,

The Co-Host

After glorious animation, a live webcast and a “Best of” vodcast, the success of the Orion Pad Abort 1 Flight Test continues to amaze.  These pictures come to us via our good buddies at White Sands Missile Range out in New Mexico, and for me they bring the experience home in a new way.

As one of the Orion Pad Abort 1 Team stated mid flight, “Today, we just saved astronauts’ lives.”  Even though there were no astronauts in the crew module for this test, NASA and their partners proved that the technology to save lives works.  And as we move forward, that is great news.

If you want to see high quality versions of these pictures, visit our flickr page.

NASA EDGE Flickr Page

Enjoy,

The Co-Host

You can see that the Attitude Control Motor fires immediately to provide control.  (photo: White Sands Missile Range)

Orion successfully reoriented for separation.  (Photo: White Sands Missile Range)

All three motor systems worked as planned.  Will the chutes deploy?  (Photo: White Sands Missile Range)

Gravity dictates that the Launch Abort System lands first.  (Photo: White Sands Missile Range)

The Orion descends safely!  And provides a very nice picture.  (Photo: White Sands Missile Range)

The Orion has landed!  (Photo: White Sands Missile Range)

I'm pretty sure I could have survived this ride!  (Photo: White Sands Missile Range)

Not the usual desert image, but a very welcome one for NASA.  (Photo: White Sands Missile Range)

NASA EDGE continues their unprecedented, unscripted journey through the world of video podcasting with their very first award nomination.  This is no small accomplishment considering that only two and half years ago, they weren’t sure that they would find an audience. 

Well, they have.  Almost three years and 3.2 million downloads later, NASA EDGE is now recognized in the company of such internet greats and fellow nominees as “Buzz out Loud,” “Diggnation” and “Filmriot” just to name a few.

In fact, the 5^th Annual Podcast Awards, managed by Podcast Connect Inc., mentioned on their web site that this year’s competition received more than 321,000 nominations for over 3500 different shows.

Be sure to vote for NASA EDGE

You can vote once a day from November 13^th to November 30^th, 2009 by visiting www.podcastawards.com.  NASA EDGE is listed in the “Best Video Podcast” category with 9 other video podcasts.

If you’re already a fan of NASA EDGE, please vote for them.  If you haven’t seen or heard of NASA EDGE, visit their home page at www.nasa.gov/nasaedge and download any or all  of their 46 video podcasts.  You will not be disappointed.

What is NASA EDGE?

NASA EDGE is different.  Unscripted and unpredictable, NASA EDGE takes a unique look in and around the greatest space program on the planet.  They have hosted the Great Moonbuggy Race, examined NASA spinoff technology at the X Games,  followed the Desert-RATS with an unconventional set of duct tape boots, coined the term Magnetospherence and even made an appearance on ESPN’s nationally syndicated Mike & Mike in the Morning Show.

Their latest Vodcast added a new wrinkle.  In October they covered NASA’s historic Ares I-X Flight Demonstration live on the web.  That show featured the entire broadcast team and an attempt at defining and redefining ‘triboelectrification.’

Of course, NASA EDGE isn’t just a video podcast.  If you have questions, comments or thoughts about NASA or NASA EDGE, you can friend them on facebook and ask questions, chat or check out some exclusive facebook videos. 

Or if you just want to keep up with their latest shows or activities you can follow them on twitter (@NASA_EDGE.)

If all goes well, you’ll hear from them the second they win their very first award!

Ares I-X performs flawless rotation shortly into flight.  Photo: Ron Beard

Ares I-X creates sonic shockwaves while breaking the sound barrier.  Photo: Ron Beard

All initial signs of the flight demonstration are good.  Of course, Ares I-X’s real success will come several weeks from now when all of the data is collected, analyzed and utilized to develop a new space flight vehicle.  This data is exactly what triboelectrification could have compromised.

What is triboelectrification?  Quite simply, it is what kids have been doing to their siblings and friends for years; shuffling their feet and shocking their intended targets with an unsuspecting electrically charged touch.  Obviously, in the case of Ares I-X, there were more significant consequences than an angry peer.

Let’s break the word down.  Tribo is the Greek root, meaning friction.  According to the Oxford English Dictionary, tribology “is the study of friction, wear and lubrication and the design of bearings; the science of interacting surfaces in relative motion.”  So, the big concern around launch time of Ares I-X was that building electrostatic charges would be created by the friction created on and around Ares I-X during the flight.  If those electrostatic charges discharged onto the rocket, many of the data collecting sensors might be compromised.  If the data was compromised, NASA would have an aesthetically pleasing flight to remember but very little data to use to improving the vehicle.

The next obvious question is why tribolelectrification isn’t a concern for other launches (Saturn V launches, Shuttle launches, etc.)? The decals on Ares I-X were a possible culprit.  If that is true, then NASA should have used the very popular Triboelectrification NASA EDGE stickers/decals.  I can’t vouch for the other vehicles, but my guess is that NASA EDGE will be an intregal part of the soon to be formed anti-triboelectrification task force.  The first order of business; all wool sweaters, hush puppies and shag carpet will be banned from NASA Centers.  It is a symbolic move, to be sure.  But it is a start. 

What do you think?

BLACK POINT LAVA FLOW, AZ (NASA EDGE PRESS)  Life moves pretty fast across the lava flow in Arizona for the NASA Desert Research and Technology Studies  Team (D-RATS.)  At approximately 7:00am local time, NASA EDGE Set Therapist and Everyman were separated from their more studious counterparts and whisked away to the remote LER testing area by D-RATS taskmasters Joe Kosmo and Barbara Romig for exclusive coverage of the eighth day of a 14 day mission.

NASA EDGE brought back some stunning video and photos, but Ron explained that the pictures don’t tell the entire story.

“It’s really the little things.  We were instructed not to interact with the two test subjects.  I mean, if they are staring into the sun and claiming that they’re heading North, you don’t correct them.  Not that that happened.  That was just an example.” 

Franklin added, “We are so used to correcting the Co-Host.  It was actually a challenge not to interact or intervene.  But it’s cool, because everybody learns more by working through the errors and kinks along the way.”

Despite dry heat, malfunctioning communications equipment, uncooperative weather and a relentlessly rugged drive into the desert, the mission is going well and NASA, the D-RATS and even NASA EDGE are learning and making progress.

Joe Kosmo put it best when he said quite simply, “we are out here to learn.”

Here are just a few photos of today’s activity in the desert.

The LER drives toward some questionable weather. Credit: Ron Beard

Check out the cool observation bubble.  Is that Brent in there?  Credit: Ron Beard

They don't have full suits, but they are going through all of the important motions.  Credit: Ron Beard

This pic would never be taken on the Moon, except for the thumbs up!  Credit: Ron Beard