[dramatic percussion music]
- HEY, WELCOME TO "NASA LAUNCHPAD."
I'M YOUR HOST, VINCE WHITFIELD.
WHAT'S COOLER THAN BEING COOL?
ICE COLD, RIGHT?
BUT WHAT'S COOLER THAN THAT?
WELL, ONCE WE GET DOWN INTO THE REALLY COLD TEMPERATURES,
BELOW NEGATIVE 150 DEGREES CELSIUS,
WHICH IS NEGATIVE 238 FAHRENHEIT
OR 123 KELVIN,
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CRYOGENICS.
NOW, MOST OF YOU, WHEN YOU HEAR ABOUT CRYOGENICS,
YOU'RE PROBABLY THINKING ABOUT SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES
WHERE THEY FREEZE PEOPLE
AND THEY WAKE UP HUNDREDS OF YEARS IN THE FUTURE.
WHY DOESN'T NASA USE THAT KIND OF TECHNOLOGY
FOR SENDING ASTRONAUTS ON LONG-TERM SPACEFLIGHT TRAVEL
TO DISTANT GALAXIES?
WELL, HERE'S ROB BOYLE,
AEROSPACE ENGINEER AT NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER,
WITH A REALITY CHECK.
- PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST COMMON WAYS
THAT WE HEAR ABOUT CRYOGENICS IN POPULAR CULTURE
IS WITH FREEZING SOMEBODY,
THE CRYONICS KIND OF TECHNIQUE OF POPPING TED WILLIAMS
IN A VAT OF LIQUID NITROGEN AND HOPING THAT SOMEDAY,
WE CAN UNDERSTAND HOW TO REVIVE HIM AGAIN.
THE TECHNIQUE IS SO CONCEPTUAL
THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT NASA ISN'T REALLY PURSUING.
WE DON'T UNDERSTAND AT ALL HOW TO WAKE SOMEBODY BACK UP
FROM A STATE LIKE THAT.
AND WHILE IT MAKES REALLY GOOD SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES,
IT ISN'T LIKELY TO BE PART
OF AN ACTUAL SPACEFLIGHT ANYTIME SOON.
- BUT ROB DOES WORK WITH CRYOGENICS AT NASA.
HOW?
WELL, LET'S LET HIM EXPLAIN.
- WELL, THERE'S ACTUALLY TWO DIFFERENT WAYS THAT--
TWO MAIN WAYS THAT NASA USES CRYOGENICS.
ONE WOULD BE FOR THE PROPULSION AND POWER STORAGE
THAT YOU WOULD SEE IN THE SPACE SHUTTLE,
FOR INSTANCE.
A LOT OF THE FUELS THAT ARE USED FOR HIGH-ENERGY ROCKETS
ARE CRYOGENIC FUELS, LIQUID OXYGEN,
LIQUID HYDROGEN, SOMETIMES METHANE,
AND SO THE BIG FLASHY STUFF IS ASSOCIATED WITH ROCKETRY.
AND THEN A LOT OF WHAT WE DO HERE AT GODDARD
AND AT JPL AND AT AMES IS USING CRYOGENICS FOR SCIENCE.
WE FIND THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PHYSICAL EFFECTS
THAT TAKE PLACE AT LOW TEMPERATURES
THAT ENABLE US TO DO TYPES OF SCIENCE THAT CAN'T BE DONE
AT NORMAL ROOM TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS.
- WAIT A MINUTE.
LET'S FOCUS ON THAT FIRST WAY THAT NASA USES CRYOGENICS,
PROPULSION AND POWER STORAGE.
LOOKING AT NASA'S WORKHORSE MANNED SPACEFLIGHT PROGRAM
FOR THE LAST FEW DECADES,
THE SPACE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM,
MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE SPACE SHUTTLE,
HOW DO CRYOGENICS COME INTO PLAY?
- THE BIGGEST, MOST VISIBLE APPLICATION
IS STORAGE OF LIQUID OXYGEN AND LIQUID HYDROGEN.
MOST OF THE VOLUME THAT YOU SEE
IN THE EXTERNAL TANK ON THE SHUTTLE
IS LIQUID HYDROGEN
MAYBE 25 DEGREES ABOVE ABSOLUTE ZERO, 25 KELVIN,
AND, COMBINED WITH LIQUID OXYGEN,
PRODUCES A VERY HIGH-ENERGY, VERY POWERFUL ROCKET ENGINE
THAT, IN THAT CASE,
ENABLES US TO GET A LOT OF HARDWARE
UP INTO LOW EARTH ORBIT.
- SO IS NASA'S CRYOGENICS DEPARTMENT
ONLY HOUSED AT NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER?
HARDLY.
CRYOGENICS ARE AGENCY-WIDE AT NASA.
- BOTH NASA GODDARD AND NASA JPL HAVE LARGE CRYOGENICS GROUPS
THAT ARE DEVELOPING EARTH SCIENCE
AND SPACE SCIENCE INSTRUMENTS.
THE GUYS AT MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER AND AT GLENN
HAVE A FOCUS THAT'S MOSTLY ON PROPULSION,
EITHER THE ENGINES OR THE STORAGE OF THE PROPELLANTS,
SO THEY HAVE BIG TEST FACILITIES
THAT ARE TIED INTO THE BIG ROCKET ENGINES,
THE BIG STORAGE TANKS THAT WE USE.
AT STENNIS SPACE CENTER, THEY HAVE HUGE TEST STANDS
WITH BIG TANKS OF LIQUID OXYGEN, LIQUID HYDROGEN.
THEY ORIGINALLY TESTED THE APOLLO ENGINES.
THEY'RE NOW GEARING UP TO TEST THE ENGINES
THAT WILL BE USED ON THE NEW ARES LAUNCH VEHICLES.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER HAS HUGE FACILITIES
FOR SUPPORTING THE LAUNCH OF THESE VEHICLES,
BIG STORAGE TANKS OF LIQUID OXYGEN,
LIQUID HYDROGEN,
AND THEY MANAGE A FLEET OF TRUCKS
THAT JUST POURS ONTO THE CENTER
IN PREPARATION FOR EACH OF THE LAUNCH EVENTS.
IT'S A WORLDVIEW THAT GOES
FROM THE VERY, VERY BIG TO VERY, VERY SMALL.
THE LITTLE SYSTEMS THAT WE WORK ON HERE
MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD, YOU KNOW,
SET ON TOP OF YOUR DESK,
AND CONTRAST THAT WITH SOME OF THE GUYS THAT I WORK WITH
THAT HAVE THESE BIG THINGS THAT JUST DWARF THE ROOM.
- I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING.
SO NASA USES LOTS OF CRYOGENIC WORK IN THEIR ROCKETS.
BIG DEAL.
HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOU OR ME OR ANYBODY BACK HERE ON EARTH?
THE ANSWER MIGHT BE CLOSER THAN YOU REALIZE.
- WELL, ACTUALLY,
ONE OF THE APPLICATIONS OF CRYOGENICS
THAT MIGHT BECOME A BIT MORE COMMON IS TRANSPORTATION.
WE ACTUALLY HAD SOME GUYS FROM BMW HERE
OVER THE LAST WINTER.
THEY'VE GOT, ACTUALLY, SOME OF THEIR 7-SERIES CARS
MODIFIED TO RUN ON LIQUID HYDROGEN,
AND IN THE TRUNK
WAS A STORAGE TANK OF LIQUID HYDROGEN.
IT WAS A VERY EFFECTIVE WAY FOR THEM TO STORE AND TRANSPORT
A FUEL THAT GIVES VERY CLEAN TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY
AND ENABLES THEM TO HANDLE IT IN A WAY
THAT'S NOT EXACTLY LIKE
A STANDARD GASOLINE FILLING STATION
BUT COMES CLOSER TO THAT
THAN THE HIGH-PRESSURE HYDROGEN STORAGE
THAT WE TYPICALLY SEE WITH TRANSPORT VEHICLES RIGHT NOW.
SO IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT WE'LL WIND UP
WITH SOMETHING LIKE
A LIQUID HYDROGEN FILLING STATION
NOT NECESSARILY ON EVERY STREET CORNER
BUT AT LEAST IN SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
- THERE YOU GO.
JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF NASA KNOW-HOW
HAVING AN IMPACT ON LIFE HERE ON EARTH.
THAT'S IT FOR NOW.
THANKS FOR WATCHING "NASA LAUNCHPAD."
I'M VINCE WHITFIELD, AND I'LL CATCH YOU NEXT TIME.