PI Daily, May 2021
By Lindy Elkins-Tanton Starting January 1, 2020…
a new series of daily mission activity Tweets from Psyche Principal Investigator (PI) Lindy Elkins-Tanton.
#PI_Daily
The goal? To share an inside look at the chores, challenges, tasks, assignments, duties, and more taken on by a NASA mission PI!
Follow along on @MissionToPsyche or below.
Thinking about metal core formation in planetesimals. Calculated hottest profile in a range of small planetesimals. Contours show silicate melting. Smallest body likely to form a metal core has radius of 7 km. (Hevey and Sanders 2006 showed this).#PI_Daily @MissionToPsyche pic.twitter.com/cjIWQBhp2U
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 31, 2021
Real, unromantic #PI_Daily
🚀 Call w NASA HQ to discuss some plans for cruise operations
🚀 Work w @Jim_Bell & @MissionToPsyche proj scientist for being editors for pre-launch paper collection
🚀 Work on one of said papersCompensating w another testbed photo! pic.twitter.com/kiULpqD294
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 28, 2021
Safe-to-Mate Procedure (I know, I know, har har)
The meticulousness needed to create flight hardware: You have to check everything before you plug it in.Doing research, I found this NASA Lessons Learned site. Fascinating.#PI_Daily @MissionToPsyche https://t.co/3aLHYRFiWY
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 27, 2021
GIANT @MissionToPsyche Super Tuesday!
3 hrs GRNS monthly review
David (lead sys eng) 1:1
Imager hour
Carol (proj sci) 1:1
NASA HQ wkly tag-up
JPL Psyche staff
JPL 4x (divisional leadership)Fun day, plus brief lunch break.
Sci instrument deliveries are nail-biters.#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/vMdyaxrqno— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 25, 2021
Now watching @MissionToPsyche spacecraft get assembled via the livestreaming camera in the high bay ceiling, thx to VPN, passcodes, hard tokens, PINs. Sorry this is not available outside JPL…but we'll have time-lapses made!
Me in the viewing gallery two weeks ago.#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/cPfrDTwQaf— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 24, 2021
Weekend writing achievement: Complete ms on how we'll use the @MissionToPsyche instruments to determine how Psyche was formed. 39 pp writing, 11 pp references, 17 co-authors, 7 mths of work. I always really feel the effort of bringing a paper into a decent shape. Phew!#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/8JEEA3g2gP
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 23, 2021
Hero shot of @MissionToPsyche, last week. See why we need ladders!
The white dolly holds up the near-cubical spacecraft via an adapter ring from the left in this view.
Diameter of the high-gain antennae, seen in profile on right, is a little longer than I am tall.#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/YQIBM6VOGk
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 20, 2021
I am concerned that JPL does not have enough ladders to properly build @MissionToPsyche.
Will be back on lab in ~10 days to check again!#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/jCIALNq3lz
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 19, 2021
Here's part of @MissionToPsyche testbeds. Instrument engineering models are hooked up to power system EMs & software, to make sure everyone talks and plays nicely. Great job for natural experimenters and trouble-shooters!
Photo from last week at @NASAJPL.#PI_DAILY pic.twitter.com/7SAF2BW3KT— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 18, 2021
Visiting @JHUAPL today to cheer for the GRNS team and see @MissionToPsyche flight hardware! (No photos alas)
Way to social distance, APL, planetary-style…#PI_DAILY pic.twitter.com/CJTtVE7kZE
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 17, 2021
Flying off to Visit the @MissionToPsyche team at @JHUAPL! Looking forward to seeing the flight hardware for our gamma ray and neutron spectrometer!
All muffled up for the flight to the east coast. pic.twitter.com/IBmFizDn3x
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 16, 2021
We don't think Psyche was likely to have iron-nickel metal volcanism, but we think planetesimal cores in general may have erupted FeS (liquid troilite, with Ni mixed in).
Back in 2017 Caralie Cedarleaf made this "speculative iron landscape."#PI_Daily @MissionToPsyche pic.twitter.com/rnlSJ58adG
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 13, 2021
All suited up to visit the @MissionToPsyche spacecraft at JPL yesterday!
Grounded myself (body/clothing can hold 2 – 3 kV, ~500x more than Psyche s/c can be exposed to), stood in "air shower" & danced w arms up to remove any dust etc…
Will share photos of s/c later!#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/ZMDKdXgIG1— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 12, 2021
Off to Pasadena to visit the @MissionToPsyche spacecraft team!#PI_DAILY pic.twitter.com/Rvkpz28lWa
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 10, 2021
Our @MissionToPsyche Inspired art interns have spent all year creating fresh, original art inspired by space exploration.
Come join us and see it all in a virtual gallery!
Free to all, of course. #PI_DailyRegister here: https://t.co/Bg1RuNnrrf
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 5, 2021
Here's some more evidence that space exploration is for everyone, for every discipline. Feel the connection! #PI_Daily https://t.co/KjtiP6YNM0
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 5, 2021
One of the beauties of #PI_Daily: @AlanStern and I have a phone chat about team activities and processes. Thanks, Alan, for being a great colleague and friend!#AllAboutPeople@MissionToPsyche had good hardware progress today & @NewHorizons2015 is planning her future. pic.twitter.com/easL0cm9qm
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 4, 2021
The truth of my #PI_Daily today: Swamped! Whoa, Monday!
– Brainstorming & supporting parts of @MissionToPsyche team facing (the usual) ATLO challenges
– Planning the recommence of travel to JPL and APL
– Team meetings for @II_ASU planning our week and our year#SwampedButHappy pic.twitter.com/q7ciDjKrLE— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 3, 2021