Dan Leppold

Stein Brewing: What Happens When You Mention Beer-making to a Geologist

The process is dangerous but was a lot of fun.

Stein Brewing is an ancient method of brewing beer that brewers used when they did not have wide access to metal pots. Before metal pots, brewers used wooden or clay vats, but they could not put the clay or wood pots in the fire to boil the liquid (“wort” in brewing terms). Since the liquid could not be brought to the heat, the heat had to be brought to the liquid. In lieu of fire, brewers heated stones and added them to the liquid in the vessel to make it boil. It was labor intensive and dangerous, but beer was so important to the society at the time (and, as some would argue, still is) that it was worth the effort. The process adds a distinct character to the finished beer, a sort of smoky caramel flavor that only happens from rapid, high-temperature heating of the sugars in the wort. This ancient beer taste is missing from modern beer, … until you mention home-brewing with rocks to a geologist.

Not only will we capture that long-gone taste, but brewing beer by the Stein Method adds a fun story and good time to your brew adventures. For this beer, we chose a recipe that is half-way between an Irish Stout (like Murphy’s) and an American Stout. It took about 5 hours to make and made for a fun afternoon. The goal was to choose a recipe or type of beer that would benefit from the caramelization of the wort from the hot diorite.

The ingredients:
Barley, malt, and crystal comes from the Brewers Supply Group:
9 lbs of American 2 Row Barley,
1 lb of Roasted Barley,
1 lb of Flaked Barley,
4 oz of Chocolate Malt,
4 oz of Crystal 60,
4 oz of Simpson’s Double Roasted Crystal,

1.5 oz of Nugget Hops from Niko Brew (11.1% Alpha Acid – to make the beer bitter)
-added at the beginning of the 60 minutes of rock boiling.

1 packet of US-05 Ale Yeast.

About 1-2 cups of cold brewed Dean’s Beans NoCO2 Peruvian coffee will be added to a portion of the finished beer.

Equipment came from The Brew Bag and The Weak Knee Homebrew in Pottstown Pennsylvania.

Rocks came from my farm (Triassic Diorite).

The large metal tongs came from the Ingalls Iron Works in Verona, Pennsylvania (where my grandfather worked – I’m sure he was smiling in heaven all day for us).

To prepare the wort for rock boiling, we mashed in (ie added the ingredients to the water) at 154 degrees F, using Brew in A Bag, heating the strike water with propane so we could achieve an accurate temperature. We could have used the hot rocks here, but that would not have added anything to the taste because it was just water. After an hour of simmering, the wort was ready.

Meanwhile, we heated diorite (the rocks) over a fire for several hours, using anthracite coal (from PA of course!) to get the fire hotter than with wood alone. Man, it was hot! After some discussion, we decided to dip the hot rocks in a bucket of clean water before adding them to the wort in order to remove most of the ash. The first round of rocks brought the wort to a simmer and I honestly thought we were going to have to use the propane burner to achieve a full boil. But the second round of rocks did the trick, working so well it caused a boil over. We used the steaming basket that came with the pot to easily remove the rocks from the wort once the boil died down and kept rotating in hot rocks for 1 hour.

We ended up with 6 gallons of the boiled wort (1.047 specific gravity – which indicates the amount of sugar present) which is now fermenting as you read this. In about a month, we’ll taste it and determine the success of our first Stein beer adventure. Hopefully, it is tasty, but will definitely be something you can’t buy in a store, and a really good story to share as well.

Here is a video of putting a hot rock into the wort (click on the “Stein Brewing” below):
Stein Brewing

There is a lot of science in homebrewing, it is a lot like baking, you have to know what you are doing for it to turn out right.

Getting the water at the perfect temperature before adding the ingredients, Nick Tier was the mastermind. — Getting the water at the perfect temperature before adding the ingredients.

It is important to choose a beer to brew that will be enhanced by this method of hot rock brewing.

Diorite here, get your piping hot diorite here!

This was a great feature to the kettle that we bought at the Weak Knee Homebrew in Pottstown PA.

Adding anthracite coal to the fire kept it very hot but manageable in size.

We used two sets of hot rocks to maintain a boil for an hour.

We added the best coffee on the planet to a portion of the brew, Dean's Beans, it is so good I get it shipped to my home (Rey the Kitten for scale). — We added the best coffee on the planet to a portion of the brew, Dean’s Beans, it is so good I get it shipped to my home (Rey the Kitten for scale).

Crisis Averted Hotdog Tommy’s is Alive and Well in Cape May

This winter, there was a rumor that one of my favorite Cape May New Jersey businesses, Hotdog Tommy’s, was being sold. After some investigating, I found it to be true and literally had to sit down. The thought of losing my summer lunchtime staple was overwhelming (yes, I count my blessings every day if this is indeed a problem in my life!). My wife laughed at my ridiculousness and fatalistic melancholy as I texted friends who would be equally devastated.

But wait, … as details emerged the business was just being sold, and the heavenly hotdog creations will live on! There will be no more interactions with Tom Snyder (the creator of this hotdog haven), which is still a loss, however. My obvious over-exaggerated fondness for Hotdog Tommy’s and Tom Snyder may be baffling, if you have never eaten there. But, I am not the only one who loved the place and the man in his hotdog hat with an amazing memory (wear a Penn State VB shirt there once, and he will talk to you about it every time he sees you). In May, my friend Ed Ritti (who lives in Ocean City, NJ) called me and told me “Saturday (May 21st) is Tommy’s last day, the kids and I have to go say goodbye to him, we have to go!” Yep, Ed drove 45 minutes one way to say goodbye to a guy that occasionally sold him a hotdog, that is how unique and fun Tom Snyder is and gives a hint of how much that little hotdog place meant to so many people.

On my first June shore daytrip, I cautiously stopped by my beloved spot and ordered the critical test hotdog to see if, indeed, the food was going to be as good as “the old days”. I ordered the “Slaw Dog Leaner Wiener” because it had Miss Mary’s cole slaw as a topping – the recipe of which masterminded by Tom’s wife Mary, the maker of all the toppings. Everyone knows there are two types of cole slaw in the world, the kind made with love, or the sad salad you scrape off your hotdog and push around your plate. To my delight, the food was exactly as I had remembered and the credit for that goes to the new owners Bruce and Deena Carlino.

Bruce recognizes that the customers, although missing the funny and friendly Snyder, still wanted that same great beach food. He hired back the same workers and made sure he got all the recipes from Mary Snyder. Yes, that cole slaw was made with love just like Mary used to make it. It was after that first visit I decided to write this piece and let everyone I know that all is not lost in hotdog-land with Tom Snyder retiring from the Cape May hotdog business.

I got my usual order yesterday (Slaw Dog Leaner Wiener, Dock Dog Bad Dog, large Slushy Coke) and let the new owner know how thankful I was for the nice seamless transition. He was on the phone at the time so I had to wait a few minutes to talk to him, and guess who he was talking to? Tommy Snyder! He checks in with him every week or so.

So for all those fans of Hotdog Tommy’s, remain calm, the business is in good hands and your favorite gourmet hot dog is waiting for you. And if you have yet to experience this hotdog heaven, it is located on Jackson Street and Beach Avenue in Cape May. In closing I’d like to express my gratitude to Tom Snyder for the countless laughs and great meals over the years, the best of luck to him and Mary in the future, and a sincere thank you for handing over the business to Bruce and Deena as they will continue the tradition.

Dock Dog Bad Dog on the left, Dock Dog Leaner Wiener on the right

Both are Berks Products, a fantastic source for his hotdogs. Bad Dog vs. Leaner Wiener has been the source of many a debate on Jackson Street outside of Hotdog Tommy's. One plus to the Leaner Wiener is the bun-condiment-hotdog per bite ratio seems better than the Bad Dog. — Both are Berks Products, a fantastic source for his hotdogs. Bad Dog vs. Leaner Wiener has been the source of many a debate on Jackson Street outside of Hotdog Tommy’s. One plus to the Leaner Wiener is the bun-condiment-hotdog per bite ratio seems better than the Bad Dog.

Original Hotdog Tommy’s owner Tom Snyder

Photo credit goes to fellow hotdog connoisseur Ed Ritti.

New Hotdog Tommy’s owner Bruce Carlino

All dogs are refrigerated and never frozen and he has a Vegan option and also a gluten-free bun, just ask when ordering!

Ritti boys enjoying Hotdog Tommy’s

They also serve a cup I like to get called a Potato Tornado, a fantastic blend of mashed potatoes, Miss Mary's chilli sauce, cheddar cheese, salsa, banana peppers and sour cream. — They also serve a cup I like to get called a Potato Tornado, a fantastic blend of mashed potatoes, Miss Mary’s chilli sauce, cheddar cheese, salsa, banana peppers and sour cream.

Menu page 1

Please know how to order, us regulars will appreciate it.

Menu page 2

Don't forget about the Slushy Coke, . . . . I wish I had one of those machines at home. — Don’t forget about the Slushy Coke, . . . . I wish I had one of those machines at home.

Whale Watching is Alive and Well in Southern New Jersey

If you have gone to the beach in Southern New Jersey it is hard to miss the occasional big whale and dolphin watching vessels go by for their sunset cruise. For years I always thought the “whale” portion of the activity was an exaggeration. Are there really whales right off the Jersey Coast? I have discovered the answer is a resounding Yes, and now going out on the whale and dolphin watch cruises is one of my favorite summertime activities. The main type of whale spotted from one of the three boats that make up the Starlight Fleet (based out of Wildwood and Cape May) are humpback whales. Other sea creatures I have seen on cruises are dolphins, hammerhead sharks, bald eagles, sea turtles, and the ocean sunfish.
One boat in particular is my favorite, and that is the American Star with Captain Matt Remuzzi and Marine Biologist Melissa Laurino. The boat is part of the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center and they have interns that photograph and document the activity of the dolphins and whales observed on the tours. They are involved in real research and I think they want to find a whale as much as their passengers. Both Captain Matt and Melissa possess passion, a trait that I look for in people. They definitely do not dial it in and each and every time I have gone out with them I could tell that they were working to find a whale like it was the only trip of the season. I have had fun every time I have gone out with them and each time is different. Passionate people are rare and special, so I intend to take as many trips with them this summer as I can.

The American Star is moored at Utsch’s Marina (1121 Route 109, Cape May NJ 08204). You can see their daily successes on twitter (Cape May Whale Watch @CMWWandRC1987) and Facebook (Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center Inc.) and the internet at http://www.capemaywhalewatch.com. And no, I am not on the payroll, haha, just a very satisfied customer. Here are some pictures I have taken on the 1PM whale watch cruise on the American Star with Captain Matt and Melissa.

You do not have to go to New England or the Pacific Coast to see whales!

I love the excitement of the crew when they locate a humpback. They document the behavior and try to get that tail shot so they can identify the individual. Whale tails are like id badges.

If there are unique markings on the fins Melissa and the interns will help you identify the dolphins.

It is a neat feeling when the dolphins look at you, they are curious and I think like the boat.

The small and darker colored dolphin is a baby!

This was awesome to see, the boat does not feed the animals, this was just nature happening right in front of us!

The dolphins released these bubbles to confuse the fish they were attacking.

This dolphin carried around this big fish, too big to eat the crew felt it was to attract other dolphins, kinda bragging about how big a fish it can catch.

I sometimes shoot 1/2000th of a second to capture images like this.

It is interesting to see the pods of dolphins interact with the boat and each other.

Volcanoes and Beer, More Related Than You Might Think!

Summer is geology field camp season, and young geologists are spending their days mapping and examining the various geologic features of our country. In the evenings, it’s time for cold beers and geology-talk around the camp fire. Geology and beer, like bees and honey or peanut butter and jelly, go hand in hand. A particular geologic study, volcanology, is most important to beer drinkers. Beer-loving non-geologists take note, and befriend a geologist, because volcanoes and beer are more related than you might think. American beer drinkers should care about one volcano in particular: the majestic Mt. Rainier.

Craft beer drinkers and enthusiasts are likely familiar with names like Willamette, Cascade, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, Tahoma and Yakima Gold as they are types of hops used in a variety of craft beers as well as names of places in the Pacific Northwest. Indeed, the Pacific Northwest plays a significant role in world hop production. The USA accounts for 39% global hop production – a $249M industry, and according to the USA Hops 2013 Statistical report, 99.9% of US hop production and acreage is located in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Washington alone accounts for 76% of US hop production. The Pacific Northwest is second in the world in hop acreage (35,224), but first in the world in pounds produced, about 69M pounds, rivalling Germany.

But there is a potential hop shortage in the Pacific Northwest, due to the possibility for severe volcanic activity. We all know about Mt. St. Helens and its eruptive history, but most people do not realize the Pacific Northwest is loaded with active volcanoes and that Mt. Rainier is one of the most dangerous. It has very large summit glaciers which have the potential to produce profoundly destructive volcanic mudflows called lahars. Even a small eruption from this stratovolcano could melt the glacial ice to produce a lahar that could wipe out a large portion of US hop production. To make matters worse, the groundwater in the volcano is acidic which has weakened the entire western flank of the mountain, which could cause it to collapse. Moreover, as magma moves into the volcano, subsequent earthquakes may cause a massive landslide on the western flank.

Although there is no need to live in fear of imminent eruption, it might be a good idea to befriend a geologist, they should be able to give you a heads-up on Pacific Northwest volcanic activity and you can prepare for the subsequent great hop shortage.

On top of Mt. St. Helens with stratovolcano Rainier in the background.

Sources:

USA Hops 2013 Statistical Report. Hop Growers of America. Released January, 2014. http://msue.anr.msu.edu/uploads/234/71500/2013_Stat_Pack.pdf

Geyer, Allison. Increased Demand has area farmers growing hops. Lacrosse Tribune. July 30, 2013.

Tier, Nick. Homebrew and history expert, 2016.

Taking Pictures Using a Camera Onboard the ISS

During my recent trip to the Kennedy Space Center I met a NASA official that suggested I apply to a program that allows students to use a camera onboard the International Space Station to take photographs of Earth. Upon my return I applied and our school was selected as a participant in the EarthKam program. For two days students scanned future space station orbits and programmed the camera to take pictures of some of the various geologic and oceanographic features that we have studied in my earth science and advanced geology classes. It was pretty exciting because the students sent the codes to the International Space Station to take the photograph at the exact moment the space station was over the landform they picked out. It was truly their picture, they could take ownership of it and many students said they plan on framing their space photographs. Here are some of the best ones they took!

Greek Islands, you can see a vapor trail from a plane!

Awesome photograph of icebergs near Kazakhstan Asia

Interesting drainage patters along the Iran Iraq border.

A fantastic photograph of the Namib Desert Coast, the clouds have the same shape as the sand dunes.

Islands along the Saudi Arabian Red Sea Coastline.

Folded Mountains around State College PA

OA-6 Regolith and Saffire Payload Experiments

Regolith and Saffire Payload Experiments

The regolith experiment called Strata-1 onboard the OA-6 Cygnus Spaceship will run for a year on the International Space Station and will examine how particles behave in space. We often imagine a big comet or asteroid as being a solid chunk of rock or ice, however that may be not the case. Several tubes of materials that might simulate particles on a low gravity celestial body (like an asteroid, comet, or small moon like Phobos) will be allowed to interact, clump, settle, break apart, and generally respond to the microgravity and acceleration/deceleration of the International Space Station. Personally I think this is one of the most important experiments of this mission because landing on or deflecting an Earth bound asteroid depends on understanding how it will interact with a spaceship from Earth. We don’t have to go back to the time of the dinosaurs to discuss impacts in our solar system. On Earth the recent Feb 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor, the 1908 Tunguska Event, and the July 1994 Jovian impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 act as warnings that we may someday need to visit and deflect a comet or asteroid in deep space.

An asteroid might look “solid” in a radar image but in reality it might be millions or billions of individual particles held loosely together. A spacecraft attempting to land on it might stir up the surface regolith particles and create a beehive like mess. Strat-1 will help us better understand how those particles might settle or interact with an approaching spacecraft.

University of Central Florida picture of Strata-1
strataonepictwo

This experiment also links the Swamp Works visit in that if we are mining regolith to make pavers or heat shields on Phobos or some other celestial body, we had better understand how the dust the mining robots kick up will behave.

For more information visit:

http://physics.cos.ucf.edu/microgravity/flight-projects/strata-1/

The only OA-6 Mission Experiment that will take place entirely on the S.S. Rick Husband Cygnus Spacecraft is the Saffire Experiment and will be the largest man made fire in space. After the spaceship is undocked it will maneuver away (unmanned) from the International Space Station and then conduct the fire experiment. After the experiment is complete it will reenter the atmosphere and harmlessly break up over the Pacific. Fire in space is something that immediately strikes emotions because of the Apollo 1 disaster that killed three astronauts, Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. Although small fire experiments have been conducted in the past, this experiment will use a much larger piece of material. Hopefully Saffire will provide a better understanding on how a space fire will propagate, how the gases and particulates will behave, and develop better safety procedures on the ISS. The experiment was designed to stay on board Cygnus Spacecraft to not only minimize danger to the ISS but to also eliminate the need to “clean up” after the experiment is over. Below is a picture of the Saffire experimental box and a short video on burning droplets of fuel in space.

Figure of the Saffire Experiment from Space.com
saffire

NASA Johnson liquid fuel fire in space video:

Dawn of a New Space Era Evident at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

Dawn of a New Space Era is Evident at the Kennedy Space Center

I was lucky enough to tour the active facilities at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and the place is buzzing with activity surrounding America’s next generation spaceship called the SLS, or Space Launch System. It will carry a crew of four astronauts on deep space missions that might explore our Moon, Mars, other planetary moons like Phobos, or other celestial bodies like asteroids and comets. Most of the experiments onboard OA-6 and facilities we toured on our March 21-22 launch event centered around this new theme of deep space exploration.

The revamped Crawler, now capable of carrying the SLS Launch Tower and SLS Rocket

We were able talk to and meet all the project managers currently involved in getting the Crawler ready for it’s next mission, to move the SLS. To my surprise they let us examine the amazing machine up close and then see the Crawler Transporter in action. It weighs about 6 million pounds empty and is capable of moving an 18 million pound cargo. Being a geologist I was naturally drawn to the Crawler Trackway and its long paths of neatly raked quartz pebbles. Amazingly the suspension system of the vehicle actually incorporates the gravel as part of the machine. As the Crawler travels it literally crushes the specially picked stone. If the stone does not break the ride will have too many vibrations, if the stone is too soft the Crawler will sink and get stuck. The size, strength, and mineralogy of the chosen stone is perfect, not too strong but not too soft. Each time the Crawler passes water trucks spray the tracks and wash away the powdered rock. It must pass over fresh raked stone each time. One of the project managers told us one day during the Space Shuttle days one of the tracks did sink (there was a heavy rainstorm) and for a few moments he was concerned about it getting stuck. He said if it gets stuck, there is nothing on the planet powerful enough to unstuck it. I thought that was a great comment and really made me realize what a powerful machine I was watching slowly roll down the trackway. Some interesting statistics they told us is that it burns about 1 gallon of diesel every 32 feet the Crawler travels and it normally travels less than one mile per hour. As if the lifting and moving power of the Crawler is not impressive enough, they explained how the platform of the Crawler remains completely level, even when the topography changes. So when it goes up the small hill as it approaches the launch pad the back end of the Crawler raises, so as to not tip over the rocket it is carrying. Rockets are notoriously top heavy until they reach the launch pad where the final liquid fuels are added.

Here are a few of the pictures and a video, although I don’t think any of them really convey the experience of what it is like to stand right next to it as it passes by, hearing the quartz pebbles shatter with each trackway step.

What a quartz pebble sees before it is crushed.

Crawler

Crawler Experts

Crushing quartz as it moves.

Can lift 18 million pounds.

NASA Crawler in Action

SLS Launch Tower artsy

SLS Launch Tower

Space Launch System (SLS) Crew Access Arm

crewaccessarmmechanism

Crew Access Arm

Solid Rocket Booster Facility

Solid Rocket Boosters

Moving the volitile solid rocket boosters.

Vehicle Assembly Building, Getting Ready for the SLS

VAB!

Yes, it will precipitate if conditions are right inside the VAB.

The VAB is so big it makes your head spin!

Gecko Grippers and Biological Diversity on NASA Grounds

Gecko inspired OA-6 Mission Experiment and Biological Diversity on Kennedy Space Center Grounds:

Last week I was invited by NASA to get a behind the scenes look at current NASA projects and watch the March 22nd launch of the OA-6 spacecraft and rocket to the International Space Station. One of the payloads on board the OA-6 Cygnus spacecraft was a relatively new invention/concept called a Gecko Gripper. In space astronauts often use Velcro to stick instruments and items to surfaces, however these have several limitations. Velcro can release small inhalable dust particles (dust is always a problem in the microgravity of space) and you also need to have a mating surface application. The Gecko Grippers create directional stickiness where adhesion can be turned on and off without leaving a residue or mating surface and do not create any dust particles. Aaron Parness of NASA’s JPL lab explained that gecko’s fingers are not sticky but they use microscopic hairs that have a tremendous surface area when pressed against a smooth surface. Van der Waals forces then allow the gecko to walk up a wall and appear to “stick” to a ceiling. Van der Waals forces are very weak, but because there are so many tiny hairs, the addition of all those individual weak forces add up and provide pretty impressive sticking power. The Gecko Grippers attempt to recreate this amazing tool for adhesion that mother nature has made through millions of years of evolution. In addition to allowing astronauts to move and easily mount objects in microgravity, Aaron Parness hopes this technology will allow small robots to walk or stick to the outside of the space station and perform continuous inspections evaluating micrometeorite damage and structure anomalies.

This technology can also be used in many products on Earth, for example you could mount a flat screen tv to a wall just by pressing it onto the position you want it. If you want to move it later no problem, just unstick it and there will be no residue on the wall. I wish my cell phone case had this as my cats would have a much more difficult time lopping it off of a table. Picture frames, lights, blinds, curtains, the possibilities are endless! Gecko Grippers have limitations as they work best on smooth surfaces, researchers at NASA’s JPL facility are also working on devices that use microscopic hooks, spines and claws to scale or adhere to rougher surfaces.

Aaron Parness with Grippers

Microscope view of gecko foot hairs.

For more information visit this site below and watch Aaron Parness discuss and demonstrate this amazing gecko inspired technology.

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4688

I found it fitting that a payload bound for the International Space Station had such a clear link between biology and cutting edge science because of the coexistence of the space industry and nature has on the Kennedy Space Center grounds. Because I arrived a day early I was able to explore the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge which surrounds the Kennedy Space Center. I was amazed by the biological diversity and healthy ecosystems I was easily able to observe. During my tours of the NASA facilities they explained how they take ecosystem preservation very seriously. We even saw areas that just last week were subjected to controlled burns to help Florida’s Scrub Jay population. Scrub Jays need areas of oak trees adjacent to more open areas. Fire prevention over decades has caused the open areas to regrow which in turn hurts the Jay populations. By controlled burning portions of the Cape it helps preserve the natural ecosystem in which the Scrub Jay populations rely on. I was fascinated by the wildlife and was able to take the following pictures in just a few hours of exploring around the Kennedy Space Center grounds. The relationship NASA has with nature is truly a model that all industry should strive to attain.

NASA Swamp Works Tour

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Swamp Works Research Lab

The main lab in this high tech research lab run by NASA scientists reminded me of a “make your space” library concept or a playroom for the characters on the Big Bang Theory TV Series. The large open air lab design promotes interaction between research teams. From our viewing area the room was filled with computers, 3-D printers, drone prototypes, robot miners and robot parts, a regolith testing area (fully enclosed to insure the particles did not escape into the work area), and pieces and parts of complex machinery. I was instantly drawn in by the pure science and experimentation that was clearly not just on display. The room was literally alive even though none of the scientists had arrived to work yet (we were there very early in the morning). I thought to myself that this is the type of work space or job that would be difficult to leave at the end of the day.

The experiments and research was organized to address the next big challenge and that is space exploration to another world like an asteroid, planet, or moon (not just Earth’s). Drones to fly into very steep craters and then mine for water, larger heavier robotic miners that will be able to land prior to a manned mission and mine the regolith (soil), and finally machines that will take the mined regolith, extract any water or resources, then almost like a 3-D printer, create landing pavers that will fit together to form a landing pad. Dream it, build it, experiment with it, refine it, test it in the regolith chamber. I would imagine this is the ideal place where scientific ingenuity and invention become reality.

Application and Spinoff Potential
As I gleaned down on the almost alive workspace in the main Swamp Works Lab I immediately realized how the technology breakthroughs and inventions that were being created will benefit society outside of space exploration. My geology background steered my thoughts towards the extraction and exploration of methane gas hydrates on the ocean floor. Space; with its low or microgravity and low pressure environments, presents similar challenges as the unique environmental conditions found in the deep ocean. It is estimated that there is enough energy stored in methane gas hydrates in the Gulf of Mexico alone to provide all the energy needs our country needs for the next few hundred years. Why are we not mining it? Because we have not “thought it off of the ocean floor yet”, but I believe it is research like the topics that are currently being addressed at the Swamp Works Lab that will eventually lead to the breakthroughs needed to make mining methane gas hydrates a reality on Earth.

We were not permitted to photograph the active work space at the Swamp Works Lab, but they did provide a few photos on their Facebook page and are as follows:

2 - Copy

The Regolith Chamber

After touring Swamp Works we were taken to an adjacent research lab investigating dust mitigation and robot built reentry heat shields for spacecraft (similar manner to the regolith landing pad construction). The heat shields were cool, but it was the dust mitigation that I found fascinating. One problem that was encountered during the Moon missions was that the lunar regolith was very hard to remove and was profoundly abrasive. Because the Moon is not large enough to hold an atmosphere there is very little chemical weathering. Micrometeorite bombardment powders the mostly basaltic rock into very fine yet very angular particles. These obsidian-like fractured grains are very abrasive, are dangerous when inhaled, and must be removed from astronaut suits, space sensors, as well as from the sides and windows of any spacecraft or structure. Since there is no water on the moon it is very difficult to just “brush off the dust”, and it gets into every little nook and cranny of the spacesuits. But at the Swamp Works scientists have figured out a way to remove the dust but creating an electrostatic force field. This invention can be incorporated into spacesuits as well as structures, and once turned on, can very effectively remove dust contamination. Dr. Carlos Calle, manager of the Electrostatics and Surface Physics Lab was gave us a demonstration which I was permitted to videotape. It sounds like something out of a movie but I can see astronauts entering a room where they activate their suits and all the dust almost instantaneously jumps off of them and is whisked away into a collector system. Can you imagine how useful this will someday be in our lives? Just activate the room and vaarrooom, it is clean. The first video of Dr. Calle shows how the dust can be removed when you activate the system (which uses very little energy and can be realistically used with a solar powered system). The second video shows how if the system is left on it can repel dust to prevent it from sticking to the surface in the first place.

electrostatic force field

Dust Repelling Force Field

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/mitigating_dust_prt.htm