Mars New Year's celebration blasts off
ADAMS TWP — Dr. Julielynn Wong likes to tell people that her job involves operating “Star Trek replicators.”
Although she's actually referring to a 3-D printer, the technology once thought of as purely science-fiction now is being used to plan missions to outer space destinations such as Mars.
Wong talked about her work with NASA, the future of space travel and more during the Mars New Year Blast Off Dinner Thursday night.
The dinner at the Treesdale Country Club drew a crowd of 137 people and served as a fundraiser for both the New Year's event and the Mars Revitalization Fund.
It served as the start to Mars' celebration of the planet Mars' new year.
The night gave a sample of what today and Saturday's events will offer: a celebration of the community juxtaposed with education about outer space and the work done by NASA.
The involvement of NASA officials has helped turn the three-day event into a unique educational experience, said Mars Mayor Gregg Hartung.
“This is going to help people see beyond their wildest imaginations of what they thought was possible with outer space travel,” Hartung said.
Wong is a physician trained in space medicine at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. She has worked with NASA on space medical research and developing new applications of 3-D printing.
More people recently have been discussing the planet Mars and the possibility of a mission there, making it a fitting time to start a Mars New Year celebration, Wong said.
“There's a lot of attention being paid to Mars, and so I really like the fact that you guys are capitalizing on this and really bringing a lot of attention to what you guys have to offer,” she said.
To prepare for a manned mission to Mars, researchers have been trying to replicate the conditions astronauts will encounter there.
One such research mission involved a group of people spending time at a “Fake Mars” space station in the desert of Utah.Another research method is to study how scientists living in the isolation of Antarctica have been able to deal with medical and other emergencies.A 3-D printer is a device that can take a 3-D image and create the object layer by layer using a single material, usually plastic.There is a 3-D printer on board the International Space Station, and these devices could be an integral part of future missions.“We know that we can't take everything we need with us to Mars, but now we can potentially print supplies or replacement parts on demand,” Wong said.Among Wong's contributions to 3-D printing have been medical supplies. She has designed a multiuse dental tool, four surgical tools and a finger splint that could be 3-D printed to deal with different medical issues that may arise on a mission.She has developed a solar-powered 3-D printer that can fit in a briefcase and could be used as a tool to provide medical care and medical supplies to the 1.4 billion people on Earth who live off the grid.Wong also designed a 3-D-printable stethoscope, based on a design dating back to 1819, that could be made from only plastic.However, she then discovered a high school student had already made a superior 3-D-printable stethoscope in the form of a smartphone case that worked in conjunction with an app. This shows how 3-D printing is fostering innovation from unexpected places, she said.“Now anybody can become an innovator because as long as you have an idea and you can draw it digitally, you can make it physically real,” she said.“So what you're seeing now is incredibly innovative solutions coming from different disciplines addressing these really, really big problems,” she said.The needs of space exploration also could be addressed on a larger scale than medical supplies. NASA recently announced a challenge, with a $2.25 million prize, for a 3-D printable design for an off-world building or livable habitat that could be constructed on Mars or the moon, Wong said.Also speaking at the dinner was April Lanotte, a graduate of Mars High School who now lives in Colorado and works for NASA.Lanotte said she was always interested in outer space and astronomy from when she was young. As a middle school student, she even won an essay contest and got to meet astronaut Mario Runco when he visited Mars.She later became a science teacher and was accepted into a fellowship with NASA, which led to further work with the agency. She has now worked with NASA for four years helping to write aeronautics curriculum.She said that growing up in the small-town environment of Mars helped her get to where she is today.“I learned from the very beginning to work hard. It's just what you do,” she said.
Here is the schedule of events for Mars’ celebration of the Martian New Year.<b>Today</b>• Entertainment and exhibits downtown, 4 to 11 p.m.Main Stage• D.J. Davey Whitmere, 4 p.m.• NASA’s Journey to Mars presentation, 5 p.m.• Solar Quest by Carnegie Science Center, 6 p.m.This is a planetarium short feature that demonstrates how the Sun and Earth are interconnected. Animations display solar phenomena such as fusion and light energy as well as solar surface features and events.• Costume contest and parade, 7 p.m.• Talk by Jim Green, NASA planetary science division director, 8 p.m.• Performance by the Greater Cranberry Men’s Chorus, 8:30 p.m.• Onward to Mars: A One Astronaut Space Rock Opera by artist Dan Wilcox to discover the music of the Red Planet, 9 p.m.• Countdown to Mars New Year with fireworks, 10 p.m.<b>Saturday</b>• Entertainment and exhibits downtown, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Library• Talk by Diane Turnshek, an astronomer and writer who teaches at the University of Pittsburgh, the Community College of Allegheny County, Carnegie Mellon University and St. Vincent College, 10 a.m.• NASA’s Journey to Mars presentation, 11 a.m.Main Stage• Question-and-answer session with Jim Green, NASA planetary science division director, noon• Performance by Mars Jump Rope Team, 1 p.m.• NASA’s Journey to Mars presentation, 2 p.m.Adams Park• Boy Scout rocket launch, 3 p.m.
