[ Dave/Ames - 13 - 10:00:52 ]
RE: [Susan/NASAChatHost] Good morning Dave, good morning kids, I see you already have some questions waiting for you.
Good Morning! Yep I am ready to go...

[ Dave/Ames - 15 - 10:02:00 ]
RE: [NURASHIKIN-NURASHIKIN/MARAJuniorScienceCollege/MJSC] How long did it take you to finish all your studies in aeronaut? What are the first priorities which are put up in your present work? Have you ever thought of building a super space ship to voyage the black hole? Why don't you make a science camp for all the interested teens who are fond of aeronautic and give them intership and also a student of NASA?
I finished my Masters degree and Ph.D. degree in five years. This is after the 4 years of college to get a Bachelors degrees in Aerospace Engineering.

[ Dave/Ames - 16 - 10:03:58 ]
RE: [Dave/Ames] I finished my Masters degree and Ph.D. degree in five years. This is after the 4 years of college to get a Bachelors degrees in Aerospace Engineering.
I have often dreamed of building a super spaceship but have not had the chance yet. There is a camp called "Spacecamp" that is a company that works with NASA to promote interest in space.

[ Dave/Ames - 18 - 10:05:40 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] What are you working on now
I am working on a computer system to share all of the aerospace data that NASA makes with the US companies and Universities.

[ Dave/Ames - 20 - 10:07:58 ]
RE: [BW/MAC-B.W./CarlisleAlternativeSchool] Hello. When were wind tunnels first used? What improvements have been made since then?
I believe that Wind Tunnels were first used in the 1920's. But you should check your history books to make sure. There have been many improvements mostly in the since of the aircraft models and the speed of the wind.

[ Dave/Ames - 21 - 10:08:26 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] Wow! Does that include wind tunnel data and design data?
Yes that is correct.

[ Dave/Ames - 24 - 10:13:28 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] Will you use the internet in the computer system you are working on or something new?
We are using the Internet and NASA's internal networks. But the technologies are the same. It is just a matter of who can access the systems.

[ Dave/Ames - 25 - 10:15:51 ]
RE: [Susan/NASAChatHost] Dave, Can you say something about how wind tunnel researchers and Computational Fluid Dynamic researchers share data?
Wind Tunnel researchers and the Computational Fluid Dynamics researchers are all try to learn the same things - how planes fly and how to make the fly better. They just use two very different tools - wind tunnels and computer simulations. Basically the computer simulation is a virtual wind tunnel that the computer simulates with a virtual model of the airplane.

[ Dave/Ames - 27 - 10:17:28 ]
You can take a look at the project web page. It is listed here.
http://www.darwin.arc.nasa.gov

[ Dave/Ames - 28 - 10:20:24 ]
RE: [BW/MAC-B.W./CarlisleAlternativeSchool] About that computer system you are working on, does it allow outside companies and universities to use that technology freely?
Good question. We have to be careful to allow only the right people to see their data. Some data is public domain - meaning anyone can use it. Other data is private company data that someone has paid for and it is their's until they decide to release it. We have a set of security features to keep access to the data controlled.

[ Dave/Ames - 30 - 10:22:44 ]
RE: [BW/MAC-B.W./CarlisleAlternativeSchool] What about hackers? Will they have a hard time to get in?
Yep. We are trying to be very careful.

[ Dave/Ames - 32 - 10:28:41 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] So if I was designing a new plane would I look at this data and get some good idesa?
Yes you could. What happens is that the companies that build planes get some ideas for a new plane and perform some computer simulations. If that idea still looks good they decide to spend the money to build a model and bring it to NASA to test in a wind tunnel. They may want to compare the data they are getting with data from an older test on a similar plane.

[ Dave/Ames - 35 - 10:31:47 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] What do you want to do in the future?
Oh I am not sure yet. I am enjoying what I am doing now, but I would like to work with spacecraft again sometime. We'll see what opportunities present themselves.

[ Dave/Ames - 37 - 10:34:40 ]
RE: [BW/MAC-B.W./CarlisleAlternativeSchool] Is there any other job you'd rather have? Is this what you wanted to do when you were a child?
Actually, this is the job I wanted. Of Course I wanted to be an Astronaut (and still do), but I had thought that working for NASA would be fun too. And it is.... ;-) There are other things I would like in the future. Many companies are working on very interesting space and airplace technologies. To work with them would be fun also.

[ Dave/Ames - 38 - 10:35:55 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] How long will it take to get your new computer system, do you know what you will do when it's finished
We have system that is working now and we are making it better and connecting it to more and more wind tunnels and computer systems. I am not sure what I will do when I finish.

[ Dave/Ames - 40 - 10:41:35 ]
RE: [BW/MAC-B.W./CarlisleAlternativeSchool] Are any companies ready to sign on with this program?
Yes Boeing and McDonell Douglas (now a part of Boeing) both use it.

[ Dave/Ames - 43 - 10:45:56 ]
RE: [BW/MAC-B.W./CarlisleAlternativeSchool] Do you know what either of these companies use the program for?
Yes, We work closely with them. The access wind tunnel test data with it. It is made up of both software, computers, and networks and acts as one system.

[ Dave/Ames - 45 - 10:47:31 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] What computer classes will help kids be able to design airplanes
Any computer classes will help. But most important is the math and science classes to help you understand how a plane flys and how to use math to represent a virtual airplane in the computer.

[ Dave/Ames - 46 - 10:48:00 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] Do they see data as numbers or graphs?
Both. It is their choice.

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 48 - 10:50:56 ]
There is a few minutes left to this chat, send in you last questions?

[ Dave/Ames - 51 - 10:52:55 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] So could they tell which flap design is working better and stuff like that?
Yes exactly. The impt. things are how much lift the wings provide the plane (so they know how they can carry) and how much drag (to know how much fuel to use)

[ Dave/Ames - 52 - 10:54:08 ]
RE: [BW/MAC-B.W./CarlisleAlternativeSchool] What software, that is available to the public, could help someone design an aircraft?
There are programs like Excel and Mathcad that allow you to play with equations and graph the answers. These are often used.

[ Dave/Ames - 53 - 10:54:57 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] I am kind of afraid to take physics do you think it is important?
Yes physics is impt. Some area more than others. remember Physics is really how math applies to the real world.

[ Dave/Ames - 55 - 10:56:03 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] Wow so are they trying different angles and stuff?
Yes. That is the biggest part of many wind tunnel tests.

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 58 - 10:59:47 ]
Thanks everyone for the interesting questions! Thanks Dave for the great answers!!

[ Dave/Ames - 59 - 11:00:53 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] Thanks for the answers, I guess there's a lot more to think about then I realized. bye!!
Go get em... I am sure you'll do great!

[ Dave/Ames - 60 - 11:01:32 ]
RE: [BW/MAC-B.W./CarlisleAlternativeSchool] Well, it's time for us to sign off now. Thank you for being patient enough to answer our questions. Good bye!!!
Bye