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Hey there, welcome to NASA Connect, the show that connects you to the world of math, science,

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technology, and NASA.

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I'm Van Hughes.

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And I'm Jennifer Pulley.

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Today, we're at Disney MDM Studios in Orlando, Florida.

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We are your hosts, along with Norbert.

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Every time Norbert appears, have your cue cards from the lesson guide and your brain

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ready to answer the questions he gives you.

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And two-thirds.

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Every time Norbert appears with a remote, that's your cue to pause the videotape and

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discuss the cue card questions he gives you.

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Fasten your seatbelts.

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On today's show, we'll learn how NASA researchers collect and measure data, recognize patterns,

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develop functions, and use algebra to solve their problems.

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Then, they compare the results and predict how the technology will perform in space.

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Plus, you will simulate NASA research and learn all about magnetic forces and how they

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cause motion.

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And you know what?

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You're going to be doing all of this in your classroom.

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It's going to be a thrilling ride.

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Later, Dr. Shelley Canright will get you hooked up to this show's web activity.

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Today's NASA Connect program features patterns, functions, and algebra to get you wired for

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space.

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Did you know that NASA researchers use math, science, and technology every day to make

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sure space transportation is safe and reliable?

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That's right, and more affordable, too.

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You know, NASA Connect has sent us on some pretty cool locations, but Disney MGM's rock

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and roller coaster starring Aerosmith is definitely a gas.

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Gas?

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Not gas, man.

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This coaster uses state-of-the-art electromagnetic motors.

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Electromagnetic?

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You mean, this roller coaster runs on electricity and magnetism?

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Exactly.

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Electricity is one of the fundamental forces of nature that we use to make things work

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for us.

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Magnetism is the force of attracting or repelling magnetic materials.

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Magnets have the power to pull things toward them, but they can also push or repel things

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away.

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When you connect the power of electricity with the strength of magnetism, you can make

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an electromagnetic motor, like the one that gets your clothes clean in the washer.

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Today, we're learning how electricity and magnetism are used for what you might call

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another type of spin cycle, propelling spacecraft into orbit.

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Zero to 60.

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Oh, man.

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2.8 seconds.

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That was so awesome.

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I mean, that's tense.

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Now tell me, how does a roller coaster like this relate to NASA and spacecraft?

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Not that I'm complaining, but I want to ride it again.

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Well, okay, we will.

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Hang on, let me tell you.

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NASA is working on a way to propel spacecraft into orbit, and get this, they're using a

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track very similar to this roller coaster track.

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All right, all right.

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Hey, let's propel ourselves over to NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama,

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and check it out.

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Jennifer, this is supposed to be like a roller coaster?

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Where are the loops?

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Well, it's not like a roller coaster in that way, Van, but it does use some of the same

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scientific principles.

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This is Jose Perez.

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He's the Launch Assist Project Manager from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

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Thanks, Jennifer.

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Going into space is expensive, and the first part of the trip costs the most.

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That's where this track comes in.

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It is used for magnetically propelling a spacecraft.

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Like magnets, electricity has a similar push and pull called charges.

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In fact, electricity and magnetism are a lot alike because they are really the same force

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of nature.

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We're just used to thinking of them as two different things.

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That's where maglev, or magnetic levitation, comes in.

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Okay, so what is magnetic levitation?

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Magnetic levitation, or maglev, is a new technology being developed for high-speed trains.

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Instead of running on metal wheels, these new trains float or levitate above the track.

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Levitate?

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Yeah, how does that happen?

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Well, electromagnets in the track levitate and propel the vehicle down the track without

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any direct contact.

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Cool, I get it.

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So charges are like magnetic poles that repel each other and pushes it down the track.

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Exactly.

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The magnetically levitated spacecraft will leave the track traveling around 600 miles

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per hour, and then reach orbit using rocket power.

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What kind of tests did they use?

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Were there any patterns in the results?

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What kind of graph?

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We sawed it from the data.

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One of the things that we test is how much force is being produced by our electromagnets.

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To find the force, we use this equation, F equals m times a, where F is the force, m

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is the mass, and a is the acceleration.

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Acceleration is the increase of speed over time.

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We put sensors aboard our test vehicle that measure its acceleration.

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Since we already know the mass of our test vehicle, if we multiply the acceleration by

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the mass, we can determine the force.

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Taking those numbers and producing line graphs, we can show the forces on our test vehicle.

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The pattern that develops helps us predict the performance for future space vehicles.

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Wow, that's a pretty exciting way to understand math.

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You use math every day, right?

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Yes, and we also share our results with people in industry and other NASA centers.

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By looking at our results, they can understand how much the carrier is accelerating and how

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much force the track magnets are generating.

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Because we speak the common language of mathematics, we can share what we learn, and we learn from

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each other.