 | Yale alumnus and astronaut Eugene Trinh (foreground, right), who was aboard the 1996 Space Shuttle Columbia mission, talked about the future of human space flight and NASA's need for young engineers during his visit. |
When recalling the first time he traveled in space, Yale Engineering alumnus and astronaut Eugene H. Trinh remembers waiting four-and-a-half hours while bolted to the infrastructure of the space shuttle wearing big earplugs and a full pressure suit and helmet.
When the take-off finally occurs, "you're on your back facing the sky and you feel every shake and vibration," Trinh told a group of Yale engineering students during a recent visit. "While you're wondering when you'll be able to go to the bathroom, you're also wondering whether it will all hold together."
After about three minutes of shaking and listening to the loud engines, Trinh said, he felt major relief when the engines cut off and suddenly there was no sound.
It took a while before he was able to float around, he recalled, and before that, he felt like a 10-year-old was sitting on his chest.
But once that pressure lifted, he and the rest of the crew had to quickly "re-decorate" the cabin. They removed the temporary seats used for the launch and reconfigured the spacecraft. This takes about two hours, noted Trinh, so he remembers being very busy when he first got into orbit. Because of the amount of training he'd received, he said, he did it without even thinking about it.
Trinh, who holds a Ph.D. in engineering from Yale (1974), is director of the physical sciences research division at NASA Headquarters (HQ) and a payload specialist crew member of Space Shuttle Columbia in April 1996. He spoke to the group of about 10 students on April 11 at an informal roundtable discussion in the faculty lounge of Becton Engineering and Applied Science Center.
Trinh said NASA needs more engineers. "You need to get some of your friends in the arts and humanities to switch to engineering," he told the group.
Trinh also told the students that the shuttle needs to be upgraded. "The space shuttle has been flying a long time," he said. "It's old technology, and we need to design a new launch vehicle. We have to really think about the next phase. A lot of our technical senior people will retire in the next five years. We have to develop a new vision for the future."
Congress is always asking NASA to bring up some kind of vision for the future of space technology, noted Trinh, but creativity comes at a high cost. He said the need for a new design has been established -- the problem is whether to emphasize cargo or humans. With cargo, he noted, there's no risk of losing human lives, but there are limits on what can be done.
The new vision for human space flight, he explained, is an integration of manned and unmanned space flight. "You can't put a human in space for more than six months without physiological deterioration," said Trinh. "The bones and the immune system get weaker, so the amount of work that can be done on manned space missions is also limited. Robotic exploration is definitely going full blast, but there has to be a happy medium between manned and unmanned flights."
One area of space exploration some people say has been overlooked is the moon. Trinh said there may be a lot more water on the moon than previously thought and since it takes about a week to get there, it is almost next door. Another area being considered is deep space exploration using next-generation space telescopes that will be placed millions of miles away from the Earth so there's a balance of gravitational pull between the moon and the Earth, he noted.
NASA researchers are also testing a "bouncing ball" approach to space landings, said Trinh, explaining that an inflatable ball is designed to cushion shuttle landings so that the spacecraft bounces at least 10 times before coming to a full stop.
In order for this innovative research to continue, Trinh said, NASA is focusing a major part of its strategic plan on education and outreach.
"If we do a good job motivating young kids to get into science and engineering, then we'll be rewarded with a larger pool of scientists in the future," he said.
Trinh came to NASA HQ in 1999 as a senior research scientist from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where for 20 years he conducted experimental and theoretical research in fluid dynamics, fundamental materials science and levitation technology. He conducted hands-on experimental investigations in laboratories, aboard the NASA KC-135 airplane, and on the Space Shuttle Columbia.
As director of the Physical Sciences Research Division at ,NASA, Trinh leads the effort to develop an innovative peer-reviewed scientific program focusing on the effects of gravity on physical, chemical and biological systems. The results of this program will enable the human exploration and development of space, providing the scientific basis for technologies permitting humankind to explore the vast expanses of our solar system and beyond.
He has published over 40 articles and conference papers in the areas of fluid dynamics, acoustics and biotechnology, materials science and microgravity science and technology. Among his awards are the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal and the NASA Flight Medal. Trinh has developed shuttle flight experiments and participated in both Spacelab flight mission support activities as well as flight crew training.
-- By Karen Peart
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