PI Daily, July 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.
Question for the ages: How deeply, in how much detail, do you need to verify what someone else tells you abt their work? 2 questions? 10? A panel of questioners? Watching them do it? Redoing it yourself?
A meditative local pond for your reflection. pic.twitter.com/cHQirIq9so
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) July 30, 2021
On this day in 1958, NASA was created. Thank you for existing, @NASA!
Here's a cake we got for the great @MissionToPsyche team at @JHUAPL to celebrate a big milestone completed. Celebrating is so important. Eat together, get to know each other.#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/15ilcQOpwa
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) July 29, 2021
Truth: We're getting to the point in ATLO where @MissionToPsyche schedules can be outrageous. So many meetings I would like to listen to! Today is an example. Pacific time meetings translated to me on the East Coast right now. Six hours in, going pretty well, actually! #PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/lTi6f5HobI
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) July 27, 2021
Today and tomorrow is the pre-ship review for the now-completed @JHUAPL Gamma Ray and Neutron Spectrometer! Two days to make sure it's all in order and ready to go, and then it'll be shipped to @NASAJPL for integration onto the @MissionToPsyche spacecraft.#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/ram4vZBlaj
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) July 26, 2021
Big news! @EuropaClipper has a ride to space! Both Clipper and @MissionToPsyche will go on Falcon Heavies. Good job, @SpaceX! #PI_Daily https://t.co/bzdiUQ24Lp
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) July 23, 2021
The @NASAInSight mission overcame so many challenges to become an active geophysical station on Mars.
Key: The 1830 km-radius of its core means all of the mantle has the mineralogy of Earth's upper mantle, none of our higher P lower-mantle minerals.#inspiring #PI_Daily https://t.co/96eDqDH5em
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) July 23, 2021
.@MissionToPsyche ATLO tidbit: Need to confirm panels remain flat after installing them. DSOC panel flatness metrology, complete.
Determined to keep up hikes and birdwatching for stress relief. This morning, a lovely bog. Scarlet tanager and sundews.#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/zMxZ25xad0
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) July 20, 2021
As a kind of meditation and pleasure in between all the stresses and demands and pleasures of @MissionToPsyche I am learning to identify mosses. Some photos. They are magic. Such tiny leaves! Dissecting scope pics on next tweet.#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/NCYT9p8Abg
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) July 16, 2021
Ten years ago Ben Weiss, @maria_zuber, and I wrote a paper about core formation in earliest planetesimals. Then we started planning a mission: @MissionToPsyche. Now we're building and preparing to launch in…13 months!#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/vYFAr0vmIT
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) July 15, 2021
The beautiful @MissionToPsyche GRNS is the topic in @Dr_ThomasZ's interview with Katie Marcotte at @JHUAPL. This instrument will tell us the elemental composition of Psyche's surface, thanks to interactions with cosmic rays.#PI_Daily https://t.co/REP5Hu1KH5
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) July 14, 2021
Walked up the hill this morning. First day with any sun in 16 days!
Next: A @MissionToPsyche all-team meeting, at which we celebrated the completed calibration of the @JHUAPL Gamma Ray and Neutron Spectrometer instrument. Now it'll ship to @NASAJPL for integration!#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/XlQNlHnjrl
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) July 14, 2021
Sooo much @MissionToPsyche today!
One tiny bit…putting hardware thru vibe (launch vibration simulation) brings up topic of "staking" bolts so they do not move. A dot of epoxy can hold the head of the bolt, or epoxy can go in the threads.#PI_Dailyhttps://t.co/GMtoUUXJBO pic.twitter.com/VvuDlbwXV5
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) July 13, 2021
Women in aerospace: Four "generations" of mentoring meet on Zoom.
Bonnie Theberge (@MissionToPsyche Avionics PDM), Lauren Chu (Psyche ATLO mechanical team), Mandira Misra (co-op intern on Mars rovers and @EuropaClipper), and me!#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/0oT3T8qzK3
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) July 12, 2021
Morning: Everyday hardware challenges in ATLO & instrument builds. Moving forward.
Afternoon: Mtg for @the_muad_dibb's PhD thesis! Psyche spectra & how @MissionToPsyche imager will ID compositions. Watch👀 for XLNT papers!
Below: CB chondrite, possible Psyche analog pic.twitter.com/mslDOywB49
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) July 8, 2021