#250things

[sharmasas]

#6: ‘The distance of a whisper’

01.17.2016

[Clearly, my update schedule has been irregular! Many things have changed in my life since October, which may lead to fun things posted here in the future!]

I struggled with this piece, not wanting to create something too cliche, and in the end, this was the image that came to mind.

[sharmasas]

#5: ‘The distance a shout carries in the city’

10.19.2015

[Another entry for the 250Things project, although I wonder if Mr. Sorkin wished for his prompt to be interpreted in such a technical manner.]

Sound levels change in urban areas depending on time of day and level of activity. In the range of the human voice (somewhere between 85 and 250 Hz), urban street noise can vary from 67 to 47 dB, between day to night. The average human shout is 88 dB at a distance of 1 foot, and according to the inverse square law, for every doubling of distance the sound pressure level decreases by 6 decibels.

So, if we assume that ambient street noise about 60 dB (during a busy time during the day), a should would carry about 24 feet, or the distance across a two-lane street.

References:

The Engineering Toolbox, Sengpiel Audio

[sharmasas]

#4: ‘The modulus of rupture’

10.06.2015

Also known as flexural strength, the modulus of rupture of a material would be the same as the tensile strength if the material were homogeneous; however, most materials have defects in them that concentrate the stresses locally, effectively causing a localized weakness. It’s therefore common for flexural strengths to be higher than tensile strengths for the same material. 

[sharmasas]

#3: ‘...with the same strangers in a lifeboat for one week’

9.16.2015

[confused? see my previous 250things post...]

After such a long-winded second entry for #250things, I decided to keep this one short and sweet.

[sharmasas]

#2: ‘How to live in a small room with five strangers for six months’

9.15.2015

[This second installment to the #250Things project is a long time coming, and future posts should not take nearly this long! I am a bit of a space nerd, so the prompt was too good an opportunity to pass up...]

While Mr. Sorkin may be referring to the perils of studio working and living, the challenge of designing spaces for close-quarter living does have a fascinating real world application: voyages of exploration.

Journeys in the name of discovery - such as Nensen’s three-year expedition to the Arctic, Beebe’s bathysphere for deep sea exploration, and the Apollo space missions - are incredible endeavors that come with considerable constraints. Both the explorers and their habitation must meet exacting specifications, to ensure that both return safely to familiar shores. A recent New Yorker article by Tom Kizzia examines these challenges, in particular an effort to prepare for the modern explorer’s favored destination: Mars.

In the article, Kizzia echoes anthropologist and NASA research consultant Jack Stuster, who describes world in which “future space expeditions will resemble sea voyages much more than test flights.” The time scale of modern space missions is not readily obvious to the public (or, at least the small sample of the public I asked). While the Apollo 12 mission lasted 10 days from launch to splash down, a proposed Mars mission would take at least three years, with much of that time spent confined in a capsule with a few other crew members and little to do. With this in mind, scientists like Prof. Kim Binsted (University of Hawaii) have been running ‘high-fidelity mission simulations,’ isolating crews in habitats on the slopes of Mauna Loa to test team dynamics in space-like environments. Binsted’s simulations shed light on what works and what doesn’t when building a team designed to survive and cooperate on another world.

Binsted’s habitation, a “two-story white vinyl geodesic dome,” reflects some of what has been learned from previous expeditions about designing for isolation. Intended for a crew of six, the dome measures twelve hundred feet and has areas for cooking, exercise, and sleeping. While privacy is hard to come by, an attached supply container serves as a secluded area, used by the crew to record private voicemails. A porthole window was added after the first experiment because the crew hated the windowless dome. The importance of windows is consistent with Stuster’s research into previous terrestrial explorations and the experiences of submarine crews, who lost depth perception after long missions underwater.

Binsted’s experiments have also raised important considerations for the makeup of a crew, as it relates to “group dynamics and morale.” Having applied to be an astronaut herself, Binsted extended her selection criteria beyond the typical stoicism and resiliency associated with astronauts. In addition, she searched for “sociability -- a thick skin, a long fuse, an optimistic outlook, and a tolerance for low stimulation.” Her final team of six spanned the ages of 26 to 38 and included a veteran and microbiologist, an aerospace engineer, and a robotics graduate student. While “ferociously motivated” to work well together, crew members did stumble upon pitfalls common to isolated teams working in close quarters: boredom, gripes over minor offenses (such as the “Nutella Incident” described by Kizzia), stress, claustrophobia, and irritation with Binsted’s mission control team. Called “crew-ground disconnect” by Binsted, this last irritation raises an interesting point on the necessity of team cohesion and independence. In Kizzia’s words, “a team that’s falling apart will probably be less effective;” however, “a team with too much cohesion might be prone to ignoring orders.” 

Finally, the factor in team building I find most compelling is something that I’ve considered in other contexts: the balance between crew homogeneity and diversity. Space simulations have highlighted factors beyond personality that influence group cohesion and behavior, including gender and nationality. While by no means conclusive, previous simulations have shown that men and women respond to stress and handle situations differently. (For the most dramatic example of this, see a description of the troubling 1999 simulation run by the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow.) Indeed, some have suggested that future missions have single-gender crews, to ‘eliminate friction.’ 

While this binary view has its problems, it raises a broader question: do the benefits of a diverse team outweigh the potential risks? While the idea of homogeneity goes against current dogma on the benefits of team diversity, for long missions to succeed it might be beneficial to select for similarity as well as sociability. There may not a way to conclusively test this in a simulated environment, despite Binsted et. al’s best efforts, and ultimately, we may not have the luxury to create homogenous crews. Future missions into deep space will have to accommodate diversity due to the need to share the costs associated with space travel among nations. 

The work of Binsted and her team will only become more relevant as interplanetary travel becomes technologically feasible. The most exciting player in my mind is SpaceX, which has captured public imagination with its long-term vision of future Mars missions. SpaceX has recently released a rendering of the interior of its Dragon capsule, intended to ferry astronauts to the ISS starting in 2017. The Dragon presents a vision of what future commercial space flight might look like and how it may operate. Featuring a minimalist interior, large portholes, and a simple display panel with only a few pre-programmed controls, the capsule is intentionally a stark contrast to the cramped, flashing button-filled Apollo capsules. It will have the ability to operate autonomously, which will have fascinating implications as related to the automation paradox, but an exploration on that subject deserves its own post.

Whether for the purpose of recreation, mining, or colonization, future commercial space flight sees the number of variables introduced into a voyage increase substantially. SpaceX’s Dragon presents a comfortable interior and automation as potential solutions; however, true automation may not be feasible on a Mars mission. As the time lag between ground control and the capsule increases, mission variables become increasingly hard to anticipate. While Elon Musk has stated that designs for SpaceX’s Mars Transport System may have a “completely new architecture,” the question remains: what is the vision of SpaceX and others for commercial space travel, and how will it address the issues raised by previous voyages into the unknown? Let’s hope SpaceX, NASA, and any players in the business of interplanetary travel learn from previous terrestrial expeditions, for the sake of their future passengers.

(illustration: watercolor, watercolor pencil)

[sharmasas]

#1: ‘The feel of cool marble under bare feet’

7.27.2015

[This is definitely going to be good practice for letting work go before I’m ready, and I really need to brush up on my photoshop skills!]

One of my first ‘architectural memories’ was formed during a visit to the Lotus Temple, or Baha'i House of Worship, in New Delhi. I was eight and had forgotten to wear socks that morning. We were asked to remove our shoes before approaching the temple, and the sandstone pavement burned my feet as I half-ran, half-hopped to the entrance. The transition from blistering sandstone to cool marble provided a sense of instant relief and tranquility. The temple seemed like an oasis separated from the oppressive summer heat, and my lasting memory of the day became how grateful I was for that marble floor.

(Micron pen, Bristol board, Photoshop)

[sharmasas]

#0: Introducing the "250 Things" project!

It's me again, as promised!

For my first foray into creative blogging since 2013, I'm going to render - through words and images - all 250 of Michael Sorkin's “250 Things an Architect Should Know.” 

In “250 Things,” Sorkin attempts to capture the essence of architecture, from the philosophical and astute to the minute and comical. While not an exhaustive list of important subject matter for architects, “250 Things” provides meaningful insights into the breadth and depth of the profession.

As an aspiring architect, my aim for this project is to understand and interpret each item on Sorkin's list for myself, and then to catalog each meditation here. Stay tuned for #1 in a series of 250, which should be posted soon!

- sana