A Ticket to Explore JPL Event

I had heard of JPL's yearly open house for Southern Californians, but the tickets are obscenely competitive to obtain, so I'd never been.  This year a friend was finally able to secure slots for us, and I got to go. 

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed by the California Institute of Technology, is NASA's lead center for robotic exploration of the solar system. Their spacecraft have visited all the planets in our solar system except Pluto. JPL telescopes are observing distant galaxies in the universe to study how our solar system was formed. They also manage the worldwide Deep Space Network, which communicates with spacecraft and conducts scientific investigations from its complexes in California's Mojave Desert near Goldstone; near Madrid, Spain; and near Canberra, Australia. JPL cameras and sensors are aboard satellites circling Earth to study the ozone, oceans and other Earth sciences. To support continued exploration, JPL is making advances in technology with new instruments and computer programs to help our spaceships travel further and our telescopes see farther than ever before. 

At "Explore JPL," visitors had the opportunity to see, among other things, a life-sized model of InSight -- the next mission to Mars, scheduled to launch in May -- and Mars rovers, plus JPL's machine shop, where precise parts are made for spacecraft. The event coincided with the 60^th anniversary of NASA. The agency was created in 1958.

I expected to be spending time from building to building filled with cold scientific equipment, so I wore several fall layers and headed out for the day sans snacks, expecting no snacks to be allowed in labs, and knowing there was lunch available for purchase.  I started the day at a double disadvantage:  we were in the middle of a heat wave, and the event was largely outdoors.  And due to the capped time window of the day, we hardly stopped to eat, so snacks would have saved my attitude. 

The open house lasts from 9a-4p, with timed entrance.  Our tickets were for 930a.  But because each exhibit has a wait much like Disneyland, the lines were closed around 3p.  So we had just under six hours to maximize all we could take in, and prioritize what we wanted to see most.  My friends were routed to a different entrance than I, essentially on the other side of the property.  So we picked a point halfway in between, and arbitrarily decided to start with "Universe Plaza."

Site 10 - Universe Plaza

This exhibit explained how NASA missions explore the universe, studying stars, black holes, and distant galaxies.  Among the topics explained were Dark Energy, Dark Matter, Black Holes, and the birth and death of stars and galaxies.  I was excited to see that the topics were explained in a relatable manner even to someone who was not scientifically inclined.  There were a lot of retired scientists volunteering to staff/teach throughout the day.  The individual topics that made up this courtyard exhibit seemed like they were ready made presentations to be taken out to middle school and high school science fairs, and the subjects were captivating. 

Site 12 - Spacecraft Fabrication Facility

Otherwise known as the machine shop, this building was enthralling to see where and how parts are fabricated for use on spacecraft.  Different levels of 3-D printing are often utilized before making the actual item, so the operators can visualize exactly what they are making.  There were lots of tactile items in the demonstrations and the building is home to several huge fabricating machines. 

wheel made for the Mars rover

3-D printing of plastic parts, with the lab visible behind

Gentleman discussing & demonstrating all the different 3-D printing machines and materials used.

Gentleman discussing all the different types of fabric and layers used on all surfaces

Machine shop from the balcony around the top edge, where offices and conference rooms are located.

Brand new metal 3-D printing lab

 Site 13 - Mobility & Robotic Technologies

The robotics display was one of the most popular with kids, so it was hard to get close enough to the scientists to hear them explain the displays.  But it was fun to see young people so excited about science!  There were several rovers used for different purposes.  Having gone to the fabrication exhibit first, I was doubly impressed as I had a sense of what it took to build each rover.

Site 3 - Space Flight Operations Facility (Mission Control)

On the walk over to Mission Control, I came across a board which listed all of the JPL missions.  The mission control exhibit was one of the longest waits, at about 45 minutes, but the line was in a tented area for shade cover, and it moved quickly. 

 

It turns out the line moved quickly because this exhibit is little more than a quick photo op.  Mission control is the center for all data collection for space objects worldwide, as JPL is contracted for other nation's space programs as well.  A tour guide explained the various desks in a sixty second blurb as we were quickly ushered round the room.  Still, it was an experience to witness and imagine what my daily life would be as a JPL employee. 

Site 17 - Microdevices Laboratory

My last stop of the day was a really cool one, and where I wish I had more time left.  Next year I'll make this a priority as there was so much information to take in.  Microdevices included scanning, photography, and printing as well as micromechanics.  The long hallway had displays on either side, and specialized labs behind each display. 

 I'm absolutely adding this event to my calendar as a priority yearly activity.  I'm making an effort to get out and enjoy Los Angeles this year, with a focus on all the things I can't find elsewhere.  JPL's Explore day fits that goal.  

Pam's Artichoke, Eggplant, & Portabella Veggie Burgers

A colleague of mine and I got talking about veggie burgers, and how neither of us can find a commercial one that we find appealing.  My friend Pam is Italian, and is used to cooking from scratch for her family (three boys!).  She came up with a veggie burger recipe of her own from scratch, and offered to come over to teach me how to make it.  I was ecstatic!  A private cooking class in my own home--it was like it was my birthday.  We had so much fun chatting while we cooked, even maneuvering in my tiny kitchen. 

We started with some beautiful produce from Melissa's Produce.  The eggplant and mushrooms from Melissa's, along with some frozen artichoke hearts, made up the bulk of Pam's burger. 

The main ingredients are diced and sauteed in onion, garlic, and olive oil till they are soft and mushy.  It took about as long to cut up all the veggies as it did to sautee, cooking for maybe 20 minutes. 

After the sautee, grated parmesean, egg whites, and enough Panko bread crumbs are added along with spices (parsley, salt, pepper).  The ingredients are best mixed by hand, as this will give you a good idea of the firmness of the mixture.

The "batter" is formed into patties by hand that are about the size of your palm, then coated on the outside with another layer of egg white and Panko.  At this stage, the patties can be laid onto a baking sheet and frozen.  Once frozen, then remove the patties into gallon bags, or vacuum seal.  The sealer can't be used unless frozen through hard, as they will not hold their shape when first made.

I prefer to bake the patties from frozen, in my toaster oven, at about 325 for 20 mins or so.  Alternately, you can pan fry the patties.  Or form the mixture into balls rather than patties, to be served on pasta or in a sub.  

Pam's full recipe is below, as she sent it to me, and published with her permission.  But we did a lot of substituting and cooked by eye during our "class" rather than measuring the ingredients out, as she's quite familiar with this dish.  One obvious substitution is that we used frozen artichoke hearts, rather than boiling fresh artichokes.  Much easier, time saving and still delicious - I don't think we would have noticed a difference had we stuck to her recipe.

Veggie Burgers
by Pam Altieri Paterra
Ingredients:
2 medium eggplant, peeled and diced 2 large artichokes
2 cups portabella mushrooms, diced 1/2 cup diced onion
Optional: zucchini can also be added to the veggie mix 6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup egg whites, plus more for coating
1 cup panko bread crumbs (more if needed)
olive oil
parsley, chopped salt & pepper grated parmesan 

Cut 1/2 to 1 inch off tops of the artichokes and trim the tips of the leaves. Place artichokes in a deep pot and add water until they are 3/4 covered. Spread out the leaves and stuff a clove of minced garlic in each artichoke, getting it in all the layers. Do the same with parsley. Sprinkle with parm, salt and pepper. Drizzle about 2 tbsp of olive oil over them. Get some of the oil and seasonings in the water, too. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Let simmer for about an hour, until the hearts are tender. Remove all of the leaves and inedible spines to get to the heart. Place hearts in a medium sized bowl to cool. 

Over medium heat, saute diced eggplant, onion, mushroom, zucchini (if using), and remaining garlic in olive oil until tender and mushy. Add this mixture to the artichoke hearts and mash together. Let the mixture cool for a little bit. If it's too hot it might cook the egg whites. 

Stir in 1/3 cup egg whites and enough panko crumbs to make the consistency thick enough to hold shape. Form mixture into patties. Lightly coat with panko crumbs and egg whites. Place on waxed paper or parchment paper. Cover with another sheet of paper. Place in a baggie and refrigerate for an hour before cooking or freeze patties for future use. 

Place patties in a hot skillet with one Tbsp of olive oil and sautee until browned on both sides and heated through. 

Makes approx 10 three inch patties or 30 medium sized balls. 

Serving Suggestions:

Top with a slice of tomato and a slice of melted cheese and serve in between two street taco sized tortillas. Mixture can also be formed into balls, sauteed, and served over pasta or in a sub.

Notes:

When I first came up with this recipe, I tried to make them vegan so I didn't use egg whites. They tasted great but they didn't really hold together that well. I added the egg whites to the 2n​ d​ batch and that helped but still wasn't quite enough. I also added parm, since they were not vegan anyway. For the third batch, I lightly coated them with panko bread crumbs and egg whites and that did the trick. So, they are no longer vegan, until I figure out a good way to bind them without eggs or cheese. 

Once the patties are frozen I use the food saver to seal them. If you try to vacuum seal them before they are frozen they will not hold their shape.