This and That

   Photo: NASA

NEW DIGS: Yesterday, astronaut Jeff Williams got to explore a strange new world - the latest, innovative expansion module just added to the International Space Station.

Back on April 8, BEAM, or the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, was launched in the 'trunk' of a Dragon capsule atop a SpaceX Falcon rocket. It arrived at the ISS two days later, and was installed on May 16.

For the next two years, experimental BEAM is set to demonstrate the overall performance and capability of expandable habitats. NASA projects the ISS crew will enter BEAM between 12 and 14 times during its stay. (At this point it's more of a walk in closet than an additional bedroom.)

Williams and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka entered BEAM for the first time on June 6. They collected air samples and begin downloading data from sensors on the dynamics of BEAM’s expansion. Williams reported BEAM looked “pristine,” and noted it was cold inside. However, there was no evidence of any condensation on its inner surfaces.

Back on May 28, we watched BEAM undergo expansion. It was a bit like watching paint dry. Nothing happened fast or dramatically. But it was also compelling in its own way, knowing history was being made. Here's a MUCH condensed version of BEAM expanding.

https://youtu.be/aciRYFKdaRU

It kinds of reminds me of watching good ol' Jiffy Pop popcorn on the stovetop.
BENCHED: A week or so ago, we picked up a free, 'in distress' park bench from a member of our "Buy Nothing" group on Facebook. It was rough, to be sure, but we saw its potential. Our bench is the front one in the photo below.

Christian and CJ took it completely apart. We used a wire brush to scrape rust off the metal legs and back.

 So. Much. Sanding.

We bought new boards for the seat, as well as new hardware to fasten them to the legs and back.  

Yesterday, we put it all back together and stained it. It's a beauty now, and headed to a community garden on Queen Anne hill. 

SYMPHONIC:  This afternoon, CJ and Annabelle were able to sit in on a couple of special presentations from a small traveling group of Seattle Symphony musicians.

The first half hour was "The Science of Sound." The last half of the presentation was all about hands on with instruments. I'll let Annabelle tell you all about it. ...

Today, a couple of presenters came to our school for a symphony workshop. The workshop was pretty short, but great for kids. Most of the workshop was compromised of teaching kids about how instruments and sound waves work. Since I already knew that kind of stuff, that part wasn’t that exciting. The part I liked, however, was the part at the end where we made our own instruments out of PVC pipe, funnels, hoses, and other objects. Many of the instruments actually sounded pretty good! It was fun, even though mine didn’t work. I’m very happy our school is doing more hands-on stuff!

BEATING THE HEAT: Sunday it was 90 F or so. Hot enough to make us head for Seattle Center and the fun fountains after dinner.

We started at the International Fountain, which always has a fun soundtrack to go with its water "fireworks."

And we wound up at the wading pool between The Vera Project and Key Arena. The dogs were interested, but didn't go in.

SPECIAL SPEAKERS: This morning, CJ and Annabelle had a chance to learn a lot more about a remarkable non profit organization thanks to a pair of guest speakers visiting their "social issues" class. I'll let CJ tell you more about it. ...

On June 7th, two spokespeople from Agros International arrived at our Social Issues class. Agros International is a non-profit organization that, according to their website, their mission is to to see rural poor families own agricultural land, attain economic self-sufficiency, realize their God-given potential, and pass on to future generations the values and resources that enable them to flourish. You may have heard stories of non-profit organizations donation food and resources to villages in need, hoping to help them get out of poverty. The problem is making sure the village properly manages those resources. Agros, in contrast to other non-profits, will give the community the food and resources, and stay with them for about 5-9 years to help strengthen and stabilize the community, and eventually get the community to a point where they can operate independently from Agros.

During our class, we had the chance to ask the spokesperson, Kelly, multiple different questions. One question I asked Kelly was how long she had been working at Agros International. Kelly said that she actually had only been working with Agros since October, apparently making her one of the newest people to work with them. I also asked Kelly about the ways she has been working with Agros. She said that she had been working as a spokesperson, as she was doing right there, and her primary job was as a "grant writer and enforcer." This apparently means that there is a certain group that Agros notifies with progress monthly about advancements in the village. However, being a grant manager means that Kelly has to make sure that Agros also notifies the group about bad things that happen in the village. Lastly, I asked Kelly is Agros would assist a village post-independence if the village was having serious problems. Kelly summed up her response as "Agros helps, but we are not a safety net."

I enjoyed Kelly's visit to our classroom. Visit https://www.agros.org/ to learn more about Agros International.