ISU Space Studies Program - Week 5!

I am just out here living my best Top Gun life these last two weeks! Seriously...I have begun to wonder the feasibility of a private pilots license... ?? But in all reality, I think week 5 may end up being my absolute favorite week of the 2023 Space Studies Program. Oh! And we've officially passed the halfway point of this program - which is insane. It feels like I simultaneously just arrived in Brazil and have been here for 6 months already!

Human Performance...in space...on land...in air

I am honestly so glad that I was able to be in the Human Performance in Space department. I don't think I ever described the notion behind this department phase so here's an introduction: In SSP there are 7 departments that you can be put into for the 3 weeks of the department phase. There is space applications (think satellites and Earth observation), engineering, human performance in space, humanities, management and business, policy and law, and science. Each department has their own lectures, projects, and site visits. The goal is to go outside of your background to gain some experience in other areas of the space industry. Since my background is science and engineering, I decided human performance was a good fit where I could still get some science but in a vastly different way and a way that I could apply not only to work, but to how I train my athletes when I am coaching a CrossFit, LLC class.

So last week you saw that we had some amazing lectures and were able to visit some museums while in Rio. Well...this week...we were able to do a simulated analog mission and see the Centro de Treinamento Paralímpico Brasileiro to continue growing our knowledge in human performance.

First up, our simulated analog mission. We traveled about 2 hours outside of S?o José dos Campos back to Campos do Jord?o (remember that Swiss/German town from Week 2?!) Instead of going to the city center, though, we traveled to the Campos do Jord?o State Park . First up was hiking through the 2 km loop with a payload (aka a raw egg) while tackling some challenges at various points throughout the hike. We had to work in teams of 4 with a commander, payload scientist, communication engineer, and operation specialist. I ended up as the payload scientist meaning it was my job to make sure our "payload" made it through the entire course and back home.

We were quite successful, being the first team done and with our egg in tact. Rumor has it, our egg even made it back to S?o José dos Campos later that day and sat through a screening of Oppenheimer (slight diversion here, but how good was Oppenheimer! I'm blown away by this movie!)

After completing this mission, our next task was completing a high-ropes course together. If you know me, I like doing things that spike your adrenaline a bit...a little life or death situation never hurt anyone! But....even though I am not really afraid of heights, there is one situation (beyond spiders) that stop my body in its tracks....and that is being able to see below my feet at a height. Let me explain...I love roller coasters. I love standing on top of the launch pad and seeing Cape Canaveral stretch out in front of me. I love scaling the side of a mountain to then zipline down...I do not, however, like the grated steps that it takes to get up to the top of a roller coaster or the top of a launch pad. And I don't like single stranded wires acting as a bridge between two parts of a mountain. All resolve breaks down and my body stops moving. So, there was some fear that I would not be able to complete this course...with many rope-like bridges and very, teeny tiny places to put your feet so that there is A LOT of seeing beneath your feet.

But...I did it! I scaled to the highest point and was able to enjoy the joy of ziplining back down! I was even able to let go and balance on a log (the log did not instigate the fear that the other bridges did because when on it, I could not see beneath my feet. ??)

Our next day was equally as exciting when we were able to see where Brazil's paralympic athletes train. I was particularly invested in this visit because of my involvement judging at various CrossFit, LLC events where I often am judging our adaptive athletes. And as I grow in my side "job" coaching, I want to be able to invest some more time in coaching any adaptive athletes that may pass through my gym's doors. That being said...I don't really have many words to describe the feelings that went through my mind here. The skill, drive, determination...the not letting anything stand in their way of achieving their dreams attitude...it is truly contagious. Being able to watch the coaches work with each of the various athletes, within different sports with different obstacles to overcome, was inspiring. I feel so honored to have been able to see this facility, interact with the athletes and coaches, and learn from the MDs and PhDs they have on staff.

One thing that I did find quite interesting was in the realm of the weightlifting events at the Olympic Games. While normally you're watching Olympic Weightlifting (i.e. the Clean and Jerk and the Snatch), for the Paralympic Games, they focus on the powerlifting style of weightlifting, where the athletes are competing in the bench press instead of the multifaceted and complex Olympic lifts. Being that my specialty within the world of CrossFit is the Olympic lifting, I loved this fact (and their training facilities for their powerlifting were what dreams are made of!)

Team Projects and Elective Workshop

Outside of our departments, we spent a little time doing some hands-on workshops and getting in some work for our team projects.

In the team project realm, we were able to receive instructions on how to utilize Google Earth Engine to extract the data we will need later on in our team project. We also had to submit our project proposal this week and as a group we have settled on utilizing remote sensing for monitoring the influence that natural disasters have on water accessibility in Brazil. More details on this will start coming up in weeks 7-9.

For my elective workshops this week, I was able to dive into the ethics of risk management and outreach. Honestly, the outreach workshop with Niamh Shaw, PhD was probably my favorite workshop to date. We were a small group of 4 participants in this workshop, which meant we got a lot of one-on-one time with Niamh to learn from her. Beyond supporting various outreach events for NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration , being able to take part in this workshop I think has given me some tools to use everyday in the office, when presenting, when making teams, etc. If you ever get to communicate with Niamh, I highly recommend it!

Alumni Week, Gala Dinner, and Space Masquerade

The unique thing about this week was that alumni of ISU/SSP arrived from all around the world to share their experiences and bond with the members of the SSP23 class. It was great to meet some "familiar" faces who I have known for a year or longer but have never met in person, like Leonard de Guzman who was a participant in the International Astronautical Federation 's Launchpad Mentorship Programme.

While there were many events throughout the week and weekend, I think the ultimate social gathering was our gala dinner and space masquerade. I don't have too many pictures from this night but we had phenomenal food at Guten Bier in SJC and were able to dance all night in their dance hall. The hardest part of this event was coming up with a costume idea. Thankfully, purchasing all the glitter that SJC has to offer, having shiny pants, and breaking out my dance makeup skills from high school lent to the creation of the costume of a binary star system. (Also thanks to Francesca van Marion 's boyfriend and friends to come up with the idea!) There was a costume contest and a costume of the Canadian arm, fully equipped with a GoPro at the end of the arm, won! Overall, it was a great night to socialize and enjoy the local maracuja caipirinha's.

The Air Show!!

By far, the most surprising yet fun part of the week was being able to have the time to go to the air show at DCTA . There is something about the sound of a plane, the rumble that goes through you, that truly amps up your adrenaline and reignites my passion for the aerospace industry - yes, I love both planes and space ships! I have yet to be to an air show where the planes get as close to you as they did here in SJC. We were able to get some Brazilian Air Force and other local aeronautical company swag, watch the acrobatic planes (which were prop planes!), and even meet some of the pilots.

There's not many words to describe the fun of this event so just scroll through the pictures below and hopefully you can feel like you were there with us! Also, as you look through these pictures, go ahead and turn on the Top Gun theme song at full volume...they closed out the acrobatic show with this song and it truly ended a great air show in the most perfect way!