Makayla Gallimore- Blog #7 JPL part 2

Blog #7
By Makayla Gallimore 

I was so excited to have the opportunity to visit JPL for the second time!! What really intrigued me was going to the OPs lab and talking to Sasha. The fact that we could virtually set foot on Mars and walk around and even draw with our hands is out of this world, literally!! Wow what a concept! So cool! I definitely felt like a kid in a candy store! I could bend down and see the detail of each rock and even change the size of the Mars rover. This was one of the coolest pieces of technology that I have seen by far. It just goes to show how much technology has evolved and it also shows us a glimpse of what is to come in the future. The astounding inventions that JPL has shown in front of our very eyes has inspired me a lot. 

We also had the pleasure of discussing the new project that is proposed to last 200 years. It was fun collaborating with JPL scientists,engineers, computer scientists and more! We got to give our input and ideas about The Tree of Life. From my understanding this project is about observing how the planet evolve over 200 years. The next question is what if it does not last? Is there a back up plan? I think that many of us question the longevity of this project. Will the cubesat last up in the harsh environment that space has? This collaboration we had with JPL brought up many questions that they do not know. The song between the tree and the environment could be groundbreaking for many generations to come. Engaging the public throughout the years will be a challenge for sure. How can we keep people intrigued in this 200 year project? That is another challenge we will have to figure out. Before we started this collaboration we went around discussing our favorite trees. They were looking at different trees to use for this project. One tree that came up was the bristlecone tree. What a beautiful tree! Besides, this they were specifically fascinated by the pear tree.What would happen if we used other trees? 

Another exquisite place that I found super cool was the museum that we went to last.I saw an exhibit that showed how infrared light worked when we stood in front of a camera. Ultimately Scientists use these infrared lights  for space missions to see where the hot spots are on the planets.It also helped the Mars Exploration Rovers navigate around Mars. It even helped them see where stars were forming in the galaxies beyond us. The next piece from this exhibit blew my mind! It so unreal to see one of the lightest pieces of material on earth in person. All in all I am so grateful to be able to say I went to JPL and experience new beginnings of what is to come in the near future! 









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