1. Satellite Rescue

2. Scenario It’s day six of the space shuttle Endeavour’s maiden voyage. The main goal of this mission is to rescue the Intelsat VI, a communications satellite, from an unusable orbit and relaunch it into geosynchronous orbit.

3. Geosynchronous Orbit Geosynchronous means synchronized with the Earth (geo). A satellite in geosynchronous orbit revolves around Earth’s equator at the same rate Earth rotates on its axis, so from any point on Earth the satellite appears not to be moving. A satellite in geosynchronous orbit provides continuous communication channels to a wide area immediately below it.

4. Scenario (cont.) Astronauts Sonia Perez and Bob Vaughn have tried eight times over the last two days to recover the satellite, all of which were unsuccessful. The crew has now proposed using a three-person EVA, the first in history, to rescue the satellite.

5. EVA, or Extravehicular Activity An EVA is the NASA acronym for extravehicular activity. An EVA is a spacewalk.

6. Mission Objectives Capture the Intelsat VI. Attach a perigee kick motor, or PKM, to the satellite. Relaunch the satellite into the correct geosynchronous orbit. All of these objectives must be met without overexerting the astronauts and exhausting their oxygen supplies.

7. Perigee Kick Motor (PKM) Perigee is the lowest point in a satellite’s orbit. A perigee kick motor is designed to provide the needed boost to move a satellite into its correct position.

8. Overview of Teams Satellite Rescue has four teams that work together to solve problems and monitor the astronauts’ vital signs throughout the mission: Life Support Task Control Special Operations Communications

9. Life Support Team (6 students, 2 per astronaut) Monitor and calculate vital signs of astronauts using online tools, proportions, cross- multiplication, and graphing Report astronaut vital signs and make recommendations to the mission commander Send respiration rate data to the task control team Graph data and predict astronaut performance

10. Task Control Team (6 students, 2 per astronaut) Organize and coordinate astronaut task timeline Use an online gauge to graph the amount of oxygen left in astronauts’ tanks Calculate the amount of oxygen needed to finish each task, using respiration rate data from the life support team, proportions, and cross-multiplication Predict the amount of oxygen that will remain in the astronauts’ tanks after finishing all tasks Report to mission commander on oxygen data and predictions

11. Special Operations Team (6 or more students) Solve problems through each event of the EVA, using basic geometry, formulas, and proportions Consult with teammates about solutions Report recommendations to the mission commander Report to the task control team as each problem is solved

12. Communications Team (3 students) Communications officer 1: Organizes communication among teams and mission commander; stationed at the primary communication center; uses the chat window. Communications officer 2: Organizes communication flow among life support team, task control team, and mission commander; delivers respiration rate data from the life support team to the task control team; reports orally to the mission commander. Communications officer 3: Represents special operations team; communicates directly with the mission commander and delivers answers with recommendations.

13. Getting Ready Before the mission begins, prepare your team by: Reviewing the directions for your team. Discussing the communication flow of data and calculations. Practicing with the online tools.

14. Good luck on your mission!