Dive Deep into Creativity: Discover, Share, Inspire
First - Blog Posts
Ah shit
So, we started dnd with a campaign based off a book series the dm really likes, and apparently he can't find any fanfiction of it anywhere...
So
Yeah
Someone said to post our sessions (I think this was me) and someone else said to post on Tumblr (this was who the hell knows) and..
Yeah
Now we're here
I'll do one post for each session and we've already had three, so expect more hopefully
(FYI, book series is Arinthian line)
Haven't read it myself but someone else in the party started and I have only heard good things about it 👍
anyway
Characters are-
May: 12 and Atlas: 13 (brother and sister)
Asher: 16? (Random dude they met (still a player))
Rest are the actual characters and/or npc's
Not too many npc's as the dm (as far as I know) does really well with keeping with plot and having cannon characters we enteract with.
So, yeah, first session! :D
(Need fecken food🚶♀️)
_____________
Atlas woke to the smell of smoke only to open his eyes to a raging fire not far from him. He leaped out of bed, running around, trying to find what had happened to cause such a flame to take their normally tame home. He leaves his room and looks down the hall not long before he sees the door to his sister's room do the same, her head poking out, mimicking her brother's. They ran to the front door, barely making it out and falling into the snow right outside before some parts of the house started collapsing.
The fire seemed to be only the beginning, as when the two looked out to try to spot their parents, their eyes only landed on the corpses of them, surrounded by guards in strange armor. The king grinning down at said bodies.
"Well damn," A (May's player) stated with a look of half surprise, half amusement at the quick start.
"Uhhh," J (Atlas' player) muttered with a look of slight panic. Yes, he is the one who read the book.
"Well, what do you wanna do?" The dm questioned.
"We should probably try to sneak out" -J with sarcasm.
"Yeeeaah" -A
The siblings, sensing the very clear danger, turned to try to make a quiet getaway.
"Alright, roll for stealth." -dm
"Ah, shit." -A, with a slight history of bad rolls.
Both roll, A successful and J failure.
May, with her smaller form, managed to silently sneak past falling wood and burnt straw with little to no sound, successfully making it to the white woods next to their house. Atlas, not so much, comically stepping on a stick as he passes, looking up to see the alerted guard.
"K, roll a wis save." -dm
J rolls a wisdom save and succeeds.
"Do you look up?" -dm to A
"No, I just look at where he broke the stick" -A, (thinking: with a look of 'wtf, a stick, really?')
One of the guards locks eyes with Atlas. Atlas, for a moment, gets a strange feeling when he sees the guard but quickly brushes it off. He takes off running, attempting to flee in a different direction than his sister. He runs and runs for what feels like forever, the cold air burning his lungs before he hears the guard stop suddenly.
He continues to run for a little longer before slowing down and turning to see that the corpse of a guard had stopped as if there was an invisible wall. It looked forward at him for a moment before turning around and walking back as if it had all never happened.
Atlas stands there stuned for what felt like hours, but couldn't have been minutes. When he gains his composer again, he turns to where he thinks he saw May run off in.
"Roll investigation." -dm
Rolls and it lands low, but not a one, thankfully.
"It takes you a while, but you do find her." -dm
Atlas wondered for what definitely had to be at least an hour or two before hearing sniffling in a bush. He walks over cautiously before spotting his sister's dark, shaggy hair poking out of some leaves.
He walked over, making a little more noise, trying to alert May of his presence. When May's head turned so quick that Atlas felt like his own neck hurt from it, she spotted her brother and rushed over to him, pulling him into a bone crushing hug. She sobbed into his shirt for several minutes, him crying quietly into her hair.
Atlas was the first to get the tears to slow, he knew he needed to stay strong for his sister.
"Yeah, May is balling her eyes out." -A
"Atlas is definitely upset, but he knows he needs to hold it together for now." -J
"What do you guys wanna do now?" -dm
"We should probably set up camp, start a fire." -J
"Let's get closer to the buildings so they think the smoke is just another building." -A
J gives a thumbs up.
Atlas and May managed to gather themselves enough to get a plan for surviving. They got close enough to hide the smoke, but far enough that they didn't have to directly watch their home burn.
Atlas started the fire while May went off to look for edible berries and any other food.
"Roll survival" -dm
A roles and gets a natural 20.
"Hell yeah!" -A
"Holy shit!" -J
"You find everything, you know exactly what's edible." -dm while laughing.
"I got extra training with mom and dad." -A joked.
"You were the bakers favorite, so he taught you much more. As in, he loves you more than his own son." -dm
This caused the whole party to start laughing.
May quickly locates the berries, edible flowers, all with practiced ease. She brings back an arm full and lays them out for her and her brother to start eating.
"Show off," Atlas says, laughing lightly and ruffles May's hair. Atlas was only a year older but always acted more maturely than the typical 12 year old. Atlas knew he had to take charge now, knew he needed to keep his sister safe...
No matter how crazy she acts sometimes.
The next day, they got up, and Atlas led the way back to their, now ash, home. They tried not to think too hard on it as they dug around the remains. Atlas made quick work of finding a strange book. It didn't look like their usual story books, which surprised them, as that was all they ever knew was in their house.
"Wait, THAT book?!" -J
"Yep" -dm
Atlas pockets that for later.
May digs through for any rations.
"Roll investigation."
A rolls, getting a natural 19.
A throws their hands up in victory.
"Yes! I find all the food!"
That night, they had a fire that was burning out with a tent holding in what little heat they had from the soft breeze that felt like it was cutting through them. Atlas was looking over their rations, just talking out loud.
May was at the small opening of the tent, just sitting there, half listening to her brother when something strange caught her eye.
"Roll a d20 real fast." -dm
A rolls, and it lands low. A grimaces.
"You look down and see ice slowly crawling up your finger, barely making it to the knuckle before receding and repeating."
A sits there in confusion then amazing.
"That's so cool!"
May watches as what looks like vines of ice slowly slither up her finger. She wasn't sure what to do, but it didn't matter as she was too stuned to do anything while the ice went back down before rising again.
"Hey.. Atlas?" May attempts to get her brother's attention, but he continues to ramble. She makes a few more calls before yelling at him. He makes a sharp turn to her, still on guard with what happened only a few hours ago.
All train of thought stopped, however, when he looked down at what she was referring to. Just as she was, Atlas was frozen in place, confused before a thought came over him. He rushed over to the book he had pulled from the remains of their home and looked through.
He brought it over to May, showing her where it talks of "Arcanery" and how to control it. This confused them both, weren't their parents just.. well.... what were they? They never seemed to really need anything. This was all thought by Atlas, as May was busy with the seemingly alive ice on her finger.
"This is so cool! Hello little guy!" May leaned in, trying to get a closer look, completely infatuated by it.
"Do you say that?"- dm
"Yeah, it just sounds so cute." -A
"It quickly retreats, as if embarrassed."- dm
"Dang it!"- A
The ice quickly retreated from her finger after the comment. This upset May. She began talking to it, apologizing repeatedly. To any passerby, she looked crazy, talking to nothing.
Atlas went from amazement to confusion at May's choice of passing the time. He went back to reading the book. (The dm has us roll to see how far we get through each chapter, but I can't remember off the top of my head how far we got)
When he got as far as he felt he could for the night, he offered the book to May. She took it with no other words exchanged. She didn't get as far into the book before giving up for the night. They ate their fill of their dinner and attempted to drift to sleep.
Why does it need to be gay and lesbian??? You already have a really good concept here! Why???
idk how to write straight people 😔
This is NOT nyo Poland, I repeat, THIS IS NOT NYO POLAND!!!!! (Sorry I'm lowkey scared to post this idfk)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ONE OF THE COOLEST PPL IK, @starxapple!!!
this is one of her ocs, amalthea,a blessed gal
i drew her a bit out of character lol but SHE A SASSY ONE
lov u strapps!!!!! <333
01
The void beckons to the faulted.
FINALLY! I AM FINALLY FINISHED!.. This is my FIRST EVER photoshop artwork, I’ve worked on it for 5 FREAKIN HOURS! Now is 3 a.m., my head is ready to explode but I’m so FREAKIN HAPPY!
5 Out-of-This World Technologies Developed for Our Webb Space Telescope
Our James Webb Space Telescope is the most ambitious and complex space science observatory ever built. It will study every phase in the history of our universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the evolution of our own Solar System.
In order to carry out such a daring mission, many innovative and powerful new technologies were developed specifically to enable Webb to achieve its primary mission.
Here are 5 technologies that were developed to help Webb push the boundaries of space exploration and discovery:
1. Microshutters
Microshutters are basically tiny windows with shutters that each measure 100 by 200 microns, or about the size of a bundle of only a few human hairs.
The microshutter device will record the spectra of light from distant objects (spectroscopy is simply the science of measuring the intensity of light at different wavelengths. The graphical representations of these measurements are called spectra.)
Other spectroscopic instruments have flown in space before but none have had the capability to enable high-resolution observation of up to 100 objects simultaneously, which means much more scientific investigating can get done in less time.
Read more about how the microshutters work HERE.
2. The Backplane
Webb's backplane is the large structure that holds and supports the big hexagonal mirrors of the telescope, you can think of it as the telescope’s “spine”. The backplane has an important job as it must carry not only the 6.5 m (over 21 foot) diameter primary mirror plus other telescope optics, but also the entire module of scientific instruments. It also needs to be essentially motionless while the mirrors move to see far into deep space. All told, the backplane carries more than 2400kg (2.5 tons) of hardware.
This structure is also designed to provide unprecedented thermal stability performance at temperatures colder than -400°F (-240°C). At these temperatures, the backplane was engineered to be steady down to 32 nanometers, which is 1/10,000 the diameter of a human hair!
Read more about the backplane HERE.
3. The Mirrors
One of the Webb Space Telescope's science goals is to look back through time to when galaxies were first forming. Webb will do this by observing galaxies that are very distant, at over 13 billion light years away from us. To see such far-off and faint objects, Webb needs a large mirror.
Webb's scientists and engineers determined that a primary mirror 6.5 meters across is what was needed to measure the light from these distant galaxies. Building a mirror this large is challenging, even for use on the ground. Plus, a mirror this large has never been launched into space before!
If the Hubble Space Telescope's 2.4-meter mirror were scaled to be large enough for Webb, it would be too heavy to launch into orbit. The Webb team had to find new ways to build the mirror so that it would be light enough - only 1/10 of the mass of Hubble's mirror per unit area - yet very strong.
Read more about how we designed and created Webb’s unique mirrors HERE.
4. Wavefront Sensing and Control
Wavefront sensing and control is a technical term used to describe the subsystem that was required to sense and correct any errors in the telescope’s optics. This is especially necessary because all 18 segments have to work together as a single giant mirror.
The work performed on the telescope optics resulted in a NASA tech spinoff for diagnosing eye conditions and accurate mapping of the eye. This spinoff supports research in cataracts, keratoconus (an eye condition that causes reduced vision), and eye movement – and improvements in the LASIK procedure.
Read more about the tech spinoff HERE.
5. Sunshield and Sunshield Coating
Webb’s primary science comes from infrared light, which is essentially heat energy. To detect the extremely faint heat signals of astronomical objects that are incredibly far away, the telescope itself has to be very cold and stable. This means we not only have to protect Webb from external sources of light and heat (like the Sun and the Earth), but we also have to make all the telescope elements very cold so they don't emit their own heat energy that could swamp the sensitive instruments. The temperature also must be kept constant so that materials aren't shrinking and expanding, which would throw off the precise alignment of the optics.
Each of the five layers of the sunshield is incredibly thin. Despite the thin layers, they will keep the cold side of the telescope at around -400°F (-240°C), while the Sun-facing side will be 185°F (85°C). This means you could actually freeze nitrogen on the cold side (not just liquify it), and almost boil water on the hot side. The sunshield gives the telescope the equivalent protection of a sunscreen with SPF 1 million!
Read more about Webb’s incredible sunshield HERE.
Learn more about the Webb Space Telescope and other complex technologies that have been created for the first time by visiting THIS page.
For the latest updates and news on the Webb Space Telescope, follow the mission on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.
Just some of the fun happening here at the FLL Robotfest qualifier for World Class!!! #omgrobots #fll #frc #first #firstinflorida #smash #havenofear #smashishere #trophies #ambassadoroffun #alfe #qualifier #robots #omgrobots #worldclass #robotfest
Hello there
Hey you! Im Ellie. And that’s my first entry!
Yay! Im very motivated! ...probably too motivated. But I'm just so excited right now to share all the thingies of my mind. Yeah... I don't even know what to say. I have so many ideas and things in my head, but I have no words to describe them. -That... makes no sense. Anyway, as I said, I have so many thingies on my list and if I have no idea what i could tell you, then just do what I want spontaneously. I mean - yolo! You onyl live ones, don't you? ; 3 So I'm happy to pour you the chaos of my head out and tell you what's going on in it when I don't say anything. And I can tell you - there is a lot going on! So if you feel like stopping by, you are welcome to do so. I would be happy. Oh! And one last thing - im really sorry for my bad english, so if you'll find some mistakes, please forgive me for them.
Have a great day! Ellie
TS👑
*don’t say it, don’t say it OKAY I’m saying it:* I’M FEELIN 32. And Alana is feeling 30. Don’t worry we tested everyone! Thank you so much for the birthday wishes, I love you all so much 🥰🎂
You can add more people to group conversations that already include 3 or more people. To add people to a group conversation in Instagram Direct, first go...
your I received first my stylist ago a get Pinteres navy personal so couple It own stitch fix https stitchfix com referral You You parka weeks fun is of
What a Kill retro air teal and lessons taught life Life Mockingbird jordan Lessons Book the from Scout Clubs character Scouts Finch us To
organization summer silver Organizations handy Keep this Organization station with locket and necklace gear DIY swimsuit beach pool organized Swimsuits Gears
your I received first my stylist ago a get Pinteres navy personal so couple It own stitch fix https stitchfix com referral You You parka weeks fun is of
your## ## # # # ## # # # # # # ## # # # # # #
Grow mens Grass designer Seeds brand Fast to Time and First Grass How wallet
Pallets free Ideas Furniture Budget Friendly Pallets Designs Pallet and Pallet Outdoor for Furniture
Grow mens Grass designer Seeds brand Fast to Time and First Grass How wallet
Grow## #
Time First Fast air jordan and Seeds Grow Grass Grass How shoes to
air Furniture Pallet and Outdoor Pallets Designs Ideas max sew Budget Pallet Furniture redskins Pallets Friendly washington no
Time First Fast air jordan and Seeds Grow Grass Grass How shoes to
Time# # # # #
sh Birthdays arora google Birthday Clubhouse and First Mickey Ideas Clubhouse Party Mickey Mouse Mouse Clubhouses
and colorful lbs Paris Palermo Olivia Paris turbo Dior Palermo trainer gains florals real muin Olivia Style
Bottom Black Bikinis fashion Bikini and usa online Bikini Ipad Frankies App korean store Black Marina Bikinis
sh Birthdays arora google Birthday Clubhouse and First Mickey Ideas Clubhouse Party Mickey Mouse Mouse Clubhouses
sh # # #
Stowage Success: NASA Co-Op #3 Week 16
Last week at my third Co-Op tour at NASA Johnson concluded with successful handover and continuation of the stowage app. I passed on development leadership to a full-time employee after receiving green light from managers. I consider this outcome to be a mission accomplished.
After receiving feedback from non-biased data takers, I met with app developers to prioritize how to move forward with app development. As a result the development team wants to designate a point of contact to learn about stowage ops just as I have to understand what the customer, crew member, would benefit the most from. The developers plan to take the feedback to refine app functionality and interface to make it more intuitive. Additionally, after comments from users like, “what do I do next?”, implement a procedure based app and conduct more user tests after refinements with an explicit tutorial.
Following my exit pitch to management about the stowage app I was awarded a Flight Operations Challenge Coin earned by exemplifying Mission Control values during my Spring Co-Op tour with the Inventory and Stowage Officers. These values include; discipline, competence, confidence, responsibility, toughness, teamwork, and vigilance.
Res Gesta Per Excellentiam -
Achieve through Excellence
This tour has been the most challenging and enjoyable so far. This fall I will be joining OSO (Operations Support Officer) team in Mission control.
You thought volunteering at Houston FIRST Robotics Championships was enough robots for me?
WRONG
I attended the St. Louis Championship too on my way home from Houston! My "Robot" Mater the Duluth East Daredevils and local team Esko Subzero Robotics competed.
It's good that we are moving the St.Louis Championship to Detroit next year because the roof started leaking on the field! Note the plastic tarp covering part of the field.
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
This week at NASA < 3 minute video summary.
First ever virtual career summit Wednesday May 24th hosted by NASA with insight on internships.
Why Co-Op during college?
Astronaut Jack Fischer chats with MIT students about space life.
Johnson Space Center Director, Ellen Ochoa, is inducted in astronaut hall of fame.
Hello Worlds: NASA Co-Op #3 Week 15
This year launched the inaugural dual FIRST Robotics Championships in Houston and St. Louis. Before, only one Championship dubbed "Worlds" was hosted where teams around the world competed for one title. Due to the growth of the teams involved in robotics, FIRST has decided to split Worlds into a North and South Championships with the intent to bring the winning alliance form each championship to battle it out during a live televised event. Unfortunately this means a Northern team will never be able to compete against a Southern team unless they win championships or pay to attend an out of state regional earlier in the season. There was ~700 teams, 15k students and 30k attendees!
My time volunteering was fantastically frantic! Resetting the Steamworks play field after each match for the robotics teams was a challenge requiring over 400 wiffle balls be picked up and dozens of yellow gears to be stacked.
Worked on the "Newton" FRC field. Winners from this field competed in the finals held in Houston's Minute Maid Park where their Astros baseball team plays. Logistics of getting 700 robotics teams into Minute Maid was a challenge that took longer than expected. There will be time for improvement as the southern robotics championship will be held in Houston for at least three more years.
The field had to be cleared within seven minutes to keep matches on schedule.
Robotics Houston Championship concluded with the announcement of he highest award, Chairman's, earned by team Thunder Down Under from Australia and fireworks!
Even the VIP seats did not have a good view of the final matches! Growing pains but lots of opportunity to improve over the next couple of years.
It is rumored the winners of the St.Louis and Houston Championships will go head to head at the FIRST Festival of Champions July Friday 28th - Saturday 29th, 2017. WAYS TO GET INVOLVED What is FIRST Robotics? Volunteer at a FIRST Robotics event or with a local team. Donate to FIRST Robotics. Read about my "Robo" Mater, Daredevils Robotics. Theme of the 2018 FIRST Tech Challenge, 18inx18inx18in robots.
Robotics, Simulation & Future: NASA Co-Op #3 Week 8&9
Robotics: Many NASA interns and Co-Ops got hooked on STEM disciplines by participating in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics. In fact there is a robotics team that meets at NASA Johnson's Space Vehicle Mock Up Facility, the Robonauts. There are four levels for FIRST Robotics; Junior Lego League for ages 6 to 10 (JrFLL), Lego Robotics League for 4th to 8th grade (FLL), FIRST Tech Challenge for 7th to 12th grade (FTC), and FIRST Robotics Competition for 9th to 12th graders (FRC). There are still FIRST Robotics events you can take part in.
Search for FIRST Robotics events pick “Event” and use filters such as dates, program type, county and zip code.Volunteers apply through the Volunteer Information and Matching System and need to pass a background check. Once you are accepted into a position the volunteer coordinator will supply you with the necessary training.
WATCH TEAMS COMPETE LIVE (every Thur - Sat through weekend of April 27th, 2017).
Robot my FRC team made
Robot the team who builds here, Robonauts, made.
This year’s FRC game.
Simulation: A group of us toured the Systems Engineering Simulator (SES) lab a part of NASA Johnson's Robotics Engineering division. Astronauts visit SES to practice docking Orion, capturing the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship, and driving a Mars rover. They simulate realistic physics and scenarios with in house software (Unreal Engine couldn't cut it). The have simulations with the International Space Station, Japanese Cargo Vehicle (HTV), Dragon, Cygnus, Orion and future space exploration vehicles.
Future of NASA: Center Director Ellen Ochoa, Deputy Director Mark Geyer and Associate Director Melanie Saunders hosted an All Hands where they shared with NASA Johnson employees essentially our state of the union. Ochoa described that NASA of priority and interest of the new administration. Per the request of the administration, NASA is conducting a study to weigh the risks of adding a manned crew to Space Launch System and Orion Space Craft's EM1 test. This study is expected to conclude late March.
SCIENCE PACKED WEEK: NASA Co-Op #3 Week 7
The amount of science that occurred this week was so overwhelming that I had to make the title all caps. Five major science related events occurred this week... I was a Judge at the FIRST Robotics Tech Challenge SE Texas Championship, assisted in astronaut user testing, watched a briefing about seven new Earth-like planets found, watched SpaceX Dragon cargo ship dock to the International Space Station, and trained on the job in Mission Control during the Dragon cargo ship unstow.
1. FIRST Robotics Tech Challenge Judging
FTC is like FRC (that I was in back in high school) except FTC robots are 18in x 18in x 18in, rather than 120lb robots we built, and play a different game. This year's game is Velocity Vortex which required students to build a robot in only six weeks that could lift large medicine balls and shoot Whiffle balls at a target. I had a great time at the FIRST Tech Challenge's SE Texas Regional Champs judging teams. It was a challenge to judge teams when there was so much talent to sift through! Unlike Minnesota FRC's one regional these TX FTC folks have to go through three levels of competition to get to the World Championship. Worlds will be held in Houston this year April 19-22.
Volunteer with at a FIRST Robotics event.
2. SpaceX Dragon Launch to Space Station
Launch of Falcon9 carrying dragon cargo to Space Station went wonderfully. Additionally, a stage of Flacon 9 successfully landed ON LAND back in Florida to be refurbished and reused. This private space industry/ US Government/ International effort demonstrates Scott Kelly's quote: "Spaceflight is the biggest team sport there is, and it's incredibly important that we all work together to make what is seemingly impossible possible." Kelly said this when he handed over command of the ISS to fellow NASA astronaut Tim Kopra during his Year In Space Mission in 2016. Despite public belief, spaceflight is a team collaboration (not competition) between government, private and international groups.
3. Astronaut User Testing
In parallel to hands free stowage app development I am "Project Manager-ing" for, I am helping with a similar app on an iPad. This iPad app is going through user testing to get approved and sent up to Space Station. I assisted with user testing including participants from ISO and participants from the astronaut crew office who have flown. The test participants were asked to gather items in the ISS mock-ups and pack them into the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship mock up. I was available for test participants to ask about space station locations. Additionally I made the “play” stowage items that participants gathered and packed.
4. New Earth-like Planets Found
First known system of seven Earth-sized planets has been found! This solar system is called TRAPPIST-1 and the planets are named letters "a" through "g" from closest to furthest from the Star. These planets are one hundred times closer to their star and closer to each other than the planets in our solar system. This means that on the surface of one planet you can see other planets clearly like our moon. Since this star is significantly cooler than ours which leaves three of these planets habitable despite close proximity to the star. At light speed it would take 39yrs to reach this solar system. In 2016 in Chile, researchers used the TRAPPIST telescope to find two of the planets in TRAPPIST-1. In part of a global effort NASA's Spitzer telescope found total of seven reported this week. In the future NASA's James Webb telescope, set to launch in 2018, will take a closer look at TRAPPIST-1.
Check out what the surface of planet TRAPPIST-1d looks like. Find the other six planets in the sky.
Take a 3D tour of TRAPPIST solar system.
NASA's press release about the new found exoplanets.
Full breif/ exoplanet discovery announcement video here, it's only 30mins long with press questions.
5. Dragon Cargo Ship Unstow
Conducted on the job training with DISO (Dragon Inventory Stowage Officer) in a Mission Control support room. DISOs are in charge of monitoring the astronaut’s cargo unstow of SpaceX’s dragon cargo ship docked to the International Space Station. Dragon delivered many scientific experiments, food and temperature sensitive items. During unstow astronauts Peggy Whitson and Thomas Pesquet were about an hour ahead of schedule. This crew is extremely efficient and is ahead of schedule for every task, even spacewalks. Pesquet unpacked cold bags where temperature sensitive science is stored and should be unpacked quickly. Whitson retrieved CTBs (Cargo Transfer Bags) from Dragon which included science that needed kept at a particular temperature and pressure. CTBs are White, rectangular, cushiony, sewn bags sealed with a zipper and are used on every flight to contain items.
Unloading items from dragon in an elegant organized fashion is critical because SpaceX must always know its center of gravity. If there is a Dragon emergency in which case dragon cannot stay on ISS and needs to return to Earth the center of gravity is available for accurate trajectory calculations. During my on the job training I followed the procedures sent to crew and recorded changes astronauts made to the procedure. I listened to the voice loops of each of the flight control consoles communicating to each other about the astronaut’s tasks. I was able to confirm “words”, what was spoken over the loop, to the official DISO flight controller as a second check. Sometimes DISO are asked to confirm that an unstow procedure is being completed correctly and sometimes DISO needs to call the Flight Director to point out a stowage item concern.
FIRST Robotics Kick Off is THIS SATURDAY Jan7 at 9amCT!
3,400 teams made up of over 85,000 students will learn what game their robot will be playing. Within a six week build season students will have to fabricate, wire and program that robot. The game's name, "STEAMworks", has been revealed along with some vague hints. Here is a post with some of my theories and the link to watch the unveiling of the game live.
These are essential tips for FIRST Robotics teams starting build season this Saturday!
8 Ways to Stay Healthy During Build Season
Three more days until kickoff! You know what this means: pizza, caffeine, and no sleep for 42 days.
However, despite all the jokes we all make about awful diets and bad sleep habits, self-care is something we all need to remember during build season. Here are some tips to stay healthy as we approach a time when our health often, unfortunately, ends up as a low priority.
Reusable water bottles. Water is pretty important for obvious reasons, but multiple bottles of water can be tiring to lug around. Plus, it’s better for the environment than the recyclable water bottles.
Sports drinks in moderation. Although water is always a good go-to when you need to hydrate, if you’ve been sweating a lot, you also need to replenish the electrolytes you lose. Drinks like Powerade and Pocari Sweat are great for those purposes.
Don’t fall asleep in a binder. We all know how it happens: after a long day’s work, you get home, plop in bed, and pass out in grimy clothing. It’s fine. Just make sure you remove your binder if you wear one.
Utilize team sweatshirts and layers. Depending on what part of the world you live in, it can get pretty cold outside, so make sure to bundle up when traveling to and from your team’s shop. If you wear a binder, you can also use sweatshirts and larger clothing to take a break.
Fruit instead of sweets. And most snacks in general. Vitamin C prevents colds, which is extremely important when you spend a lot of time close to people in the winter. It’ll also help prevent breakouts.
Protein bars. Pizza is the solution to almost all your problems most of the time, but if you’re eating it three meals a day, that’s a problem that can’t be solved by more pizza. Protein bars are just one alternative, and a fantastic one at that.
Set an alarm for lunchtime. Speaking of eating three meals a day, you need to make sure you really have three meals a day. It also goes for anything else you need to remember at a certain time, like picking up an object, taking your meds, checking a monitor, etc. This is also useful during competition season, because it’s very easy to forget in the heat of things.
Work out. You don’t necessarily have to do any intense workouts, but doing at least one physically active thing for an hour each week serves as a good distraction from spending so much brainpower on robots every day. It will also help prevent you from passing out at competitions when you run back and forth between the pits and the stands, or when everyone gets up to do the Macarena.
Good luck, and remember: safety and your health come FIRST.
~Staff: Errica 1073
STEAMworks: Robotics Game Theories
Teaser trailer for the 2017 FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition for Science and Technology) Robotics Competition was released late September revealing a Steampunk theme. Now is the time for my annual game conspiracy post about what I think teams can expect based on nuanced clues and veteran FIRST experience.
FLYING MINI BOTS - "Prepare to take flight!" was the closing statement of the 2017 FIRST STEAMworks Teaser video. Could minibots be coming back with quadcopter features? Minibots was a successful and entertaining aspect of the 2011 FIRST challenge Logo Motion. At the end of the Logo Motion teams' primary 120lb robot deployed smaller minibots to climb a tower. A FIRST inspired robotics competition, Collegiate Aerial Robotics Demonstration (CARD), launched at the 2011 World Championship with the hope to start a College-Level FIRST competition. According to CARD's Wikipedia page the competitions were held between 2011 and 2013. In the teaser video the flying contraptions illustrated have circular quadcopter like rioters. With the growing interest in quadcopters, drones and other flying robots it would be easier FIRST to suppliers for teams' Kit Of Parts and easier to find mentoring help from college students and companies than years prior.
STEAM (Science Technology Engineering ART and Math) - Within the past decade educators and professionals have realized that the arts do indeed belong in STEM education. FIRST appears to be adopting the trend by imagining STEAMworks. Even a paint brush is visible in the STEAMworks game logo. What would life be without music and art? (My father is a high school art teacher and both of my parents and myself play stringed instruments). The Beautility factor or engineering, when something is aesthetic while serving a purpose, is due to the blend of STEAM disciplines. FIRST could include arts in the 2017 season by adding a Beautility award, challenging teams to combine their brand with the game's theme, continue the team website competition and add scholarships to their ~200 already offered that include students in the arts.
PNEUMATICS - It would be disappointing if STEAMworks did not emphasize the use of pneumatic devices. Although water is a component that makes steam happen a water game does not seem feasible... I'm imagining teams trying to isolate electronics from water reservoirs... don't get your hopes up. Likely, FIRST will require teams to have at least one pneumatic device. In past seasons pneumatics have been used for championship winning actuators but primarily underutilized. In the teaser trailer a gauge showing 40psi was visible, a possible operating pressure for Kit of Parts pneumatics parts (that est. 1989 is the year Dean Kamen Founded FIRST).
Hopefully these theories get you excited about the upcoming season!
Kick Off Saturday, January 7, 2017 at 9:00 amCT, will update with broadcast link before 1/9/17.
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
Find a local team to help.
Mentor a team.
Check out my past robotics team.