ORHS grad goes on simulated space mission for NASA
A former Oak Ridge resident and 2008 Oak Ridge High School graduate, Bradley Hensley is on a mission for NASA.
Hensley, the 32-year-old son of Oak Ridge residents Virginia Dale and Charlie Hensley, isn't traveling into space — technically. Instead, his mission is a simulation of what it might be like to travel to Mars's moon Phobos.
"Our family is very proud and excited for him," Dale told The Oak Ridger.
Not only are his parents proud of his work — he's been sent a letter of support from Oak Ridge Schools, which he attended.
Crew members entered the Human Exploration Research Analog, or HERA, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. They are living and working like astronauts inside HERA for 45 days while “traveling” to that Martian moon, a NASA news release stated.
Their mission began on May 27, and the crew will “return” to Earth by stepping outside HERA on July 11.
HERA enables researchers to study how crew members adjust to isolation, confinement, and remote conditions on Earth before NASA sends astronauts on deep-space missions, the release stated. To help researchers learn about crew behaviors, the crew carries out science and maintenance activities inside HERA. Crew members also face increasing communication delays with their ground control support — staff outside their habitat — as they “approach” Phobos. All these activities help researchers learn how crew members become more autonomous, work as a team, and communicate effectively to accomplish mission tasks.
"These studies will help NASA create a robust data set on how individuals adapt to challenges inherent in spaceflight. With this data set, scientists can develop strategies to better prepare astronauts for Artemis missions to the Moon, and eventually for ventures to Mars," the NASA release stated.
Other aerospace work
This is not Hensley's first work in the aerospace industry. As a systems engineer, he's specialized in designing and maintaining deployable spacecraft structures like antennas and solar arrays, made from flexible, lightweight materials, the NASA release stated.
Hensley's led efforts to develop advanced deployable structures for NASA, defense, and commercial spacecraft, with a recent focus on space weather instruments. He is an inventor with multiple patents in a technology called slit-tube boom, which the space industry has adapted to deploy spacecraft systems. His inventions involve slit-tube boom design, deployment and function, the NASA release stated.
A letter 'from Earth'
Holly Cross, supervisor of career readiness and communications wrote to Hensley on behalf of Oak Ridge Schools, expressing support and pride. Cross explained NASA sends the crew batches of messages each week.
The letter is below.
"Dear Bradley,
"I am writing to you today on behalf of your alma mater, Oak Ridge Schools. You might remember me from your days at Jefferson Middle School, I taught Teen Living on rotation with Chris Jaeger’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) courses. He was my mentor teacher, and currently, we work together on the district-wide College, Career and Technical Education (CCTE) team, where I am now supervisor. Your dad, Charlie, began serving as an advisory board member of our CCTE (College, Career, and Technical Education) programs when you were in STEM courses at Jefferson, and continues to this day. We appreciate his dedication to student success and the input he gives in the classroom to encourage them to do their best work. Often, we have parents take a vested interest in student learning while their students are enrolled, and a few exceptional community members continue after their own students graduate. Your dad is one of those exceptional people for us.
"In addition to serving as the Oak Ridge CCTE supervisor, I am responsible for communications for the district, and in that role, I have the honor of writing to you today on behalf of the district. We are so excited to learn about your role in NASA’s simulated mission to Mars at Johnson Space Center in Houston, the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA). We are very interested to see how you live and work like astronauts for these 45 days while simulating a trip to the Martian moon Phobos.
"We understand that the focus of your mission is to study how humans will potentially adjust to isolation and confinement, and part of dealing with those conditions, I imagine, is to be reminded of your connections to those who love and care about you on the outside. You most certainly have an entire community in Oak Ridge who love and care for our own and applaud your success in your ongoing endeavors! While we know that part of your success will depend on your ability to solely depend on your team that is with you, we want to remind you that we are all out here, rooting for you, too.
"While we are on the subject of the 'home teams' rooting for you, your dad has also been keeping me posted on the fact that your career has taken you to the lovely city of Longmont, Colorado, which is also my home town. So on behalf of our shared home teams, I want to be an emissary of encouragement to you and your HERA team, for a successful mission to Phobos!"
Ben Pounds is a staff reporter for The Oak Ridger. Call him at (865) 441-2317, email him at bpounds@oakridger.com and follow him on Twitter @Bpoundsjournal.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: ORHS grad goes on simulated space mission for NASA
