NASA Quest > Aerospace Team Online

[ Angel-Vincent/WashingtonElementary - 5 - 08:58:09 ]
Good Morning! When you are designing, what is the first thing you work on?

[ Dale/Ames - 7 - 09:00:27 ]
Good morning. For the most part, I don't get to design aircraft. When I am designing an experiment, the first thing I do is sit down and think about the problem that I am trying to solve so the experiment will answer that question the most efficiently.

[ Dale/Ames - 9 - 09:02:45 ]
RE: [Susan/NASAChatHost] How's the work on Boeing 777 coming?
We are reviewing the data from the 777 test. There are still a few minor errors in the data. We are also designing new parts for the model so we can test the model again next year.

[ Dale/Ames - 11 - 09:04:00 ]
RE: [Sarah-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] how long does it take to build an aerospace model?
A brand new model usually takes at least one year depending on its complexity.

[ Dale/Ames - 14 - 09:05:00 ]
RE: [Angel-Vincent/WashingtonElementary] Good Morning! When you are designing, what is the first thing you work on?
Angel, What is your favorite subject and what grade are you in?

[ Dale/Ames - 16 - 09:06:31 ]
RE: [Sammy-Vincent/WashingtonElementary] What is the biggest and strongest craft that you have helped design?
I have worked on the Boeing 747 which is the largest commercial aircraft. All of our wind tunnel models are built to the same requirements so they won't break in the wind tunnel

[ Dale/Ames - 18 - 09:07:23 ]
RE: [Susan/NASAChatHost] Are you working on a schedule for the 777?
Yes, we have a schedule for the 777. We are hoping to finish the modifications by October and the model is scheduled to be tested next spring.

[ Dale/Ames - 19 - 09:08:10 ]
RE: [Mike-Deborah/YpsilantiCOPE] Have you ever worked on a model that ever actually made it into commercial aircraft production?
All of the models that I have worked on have been models of commercial aircraft that are flying today

[ Angel-Vincent/WashingtonElementary - 20 - 09:08:40 ]
I'm in 3rd grade and my favorite subject is ... Math, Science, Draw and use the computer a lot. I use Kid Pix on the computer to make projects. I made one on the solar system.

[ Dale/Ames - 22 - 09:09:26 ]
RE: [Roy-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] Hello, my name is Roy Enjambre, i am in 6'th grade. My first question is When do you plan to retire from the aerospace business?
I will be eligible to retire in 12 years. However, I have a son who is only 4 years old so I may have to work longer until he is out of school

[ Dale/Ames - 24 - 09:11:20 ]
RE: [Deborah/YpsilantiCOPE] Why do you use the 12 foot pressure tunnel for your tests?
By increasing the pressure inside the wind tunnel, we make the model think it is bigger. The 12 Foot can be pumped up to 6 atmospheres which makes the model think it is 6 times bigger.

[ Dale/Ames - 26 - 09:12:26 ]
RE: [Minerva-Vincent/WashingtonElementary] What is your favorite part of your job?
Actually being in the wind tunnel watching the data plot on the computer screen to see if everything is working correctly.

[ Dale/Ames - 30 - 09:15:13 ]
RE: [Daniel-Deborah/YpsilantiCOPE] What kinds of software do you use in your job? What language do you use to program (like the 10,000 line program you wrote)?
For the most part, I use software on a Mac computer. Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Project, Photoshop. The language that I used to program with is Fortran. It is still used a lot by engineers but newer languages such as C++ are slowly replacing Fortran.

[ Dale/Ames - 33 - 09:17:15 ]
RE: [tyler-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] Good morning I am tyler fredrickson I would like to know what kind of food they eat in space
I have never been in space and don't work on space projects so I really don't know. From what I have read and seen on TV, the early astronauts didn't have a very large selection and everything was freeze dried. The Shuttle astronauts have a larger selection and the food is prepared better.

[ Dale/Ames - 35 - 09:18:58 ]
RE: [Israel-Vincent/WashingtonElementary] Do you think you will ever get to design a spaceship. Do you think that you could design a spaceship that will be able to go to the moon and back with passengers so when I am older I can take a trip to the moon????
I don't have any experience with space ships so you probably wouldn't want to fly on one that I designed. But you are in luck, because there are people that are working on projects that will hopefully build such a space ship someday.

[ Dale/Ames - 39 - 09:20:43 ]
RE: [Alyson-Alyson/McMurrayElementary] What things do you use to make space shuttles?
I really don't know what goes into the shuttle. The shuttle is covered with thermal tiles to protect it from the heat of re-entry. The tiles are made of a light-weight ceramic material that doesn't melt or burn when heated to very high temperatures.

[ Dale/Ames - 43 - 09:22:53 ]
RE: [Roy-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] What has been the most exciting model you have made?
We have a model of a cargo airplane that uses the engine exhaust to help lift the airplane. The model has two engine simulators on it. Each simulator weighes about 80 lbs but will produce 1400 lbs of thrust. The fan spins at speeds of 54,000 rpm.

[ Dale/Ames - 44 - 09:24:03 ]
RE: [eric-Alyson/McMurrayElementary] To make a spaceship is there such thing as a space ship blueprint?
When we build a rocket or space ship we have blue prints for it. If you are asking is there a generic blue print for space ships, I would say no.

[ Dale/Ames - 48 - 09:25:52 ]
RE: [sarah-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] do your kids plan to be aerospace engineers?
At this point, my children are not old enough to know what they truly want to be. My youngest is fascinated with airplanes. He loves to visit the wind tunnel. The oldest wants to be a computer programmer and the middle one wants to be a lawyer today.

[ Dale/Ames - 49 - 09:26:31 ]
RE: [eric-Alyson/McMurrayElementary] About how many people work on a space ship at a time
The shuttle carries 7 to 10 people on most missions.

[ Dale/Ames - 50 - 09:27:32 ]
RE: [Luis-Vincent/WashingtonElementary] What kind of materials are used in airplanes and where do you get them?
Most airplanes are made out of aluminum, steel, and other metals. Metals are refined from ores mined out of the earth.

[ Dale/Ames - 52 - 09:29:53 ]
RE: [Deborah/YpsilantiCOPE] What are mini-tufts? Explain more, please, about how flow visualization works. How are the oil, china clay and mini-tufts used?
Tufts are pieces of yarn that are taped or glued to the model. As the wind blows over the model the tufts follow the wind and show the engineer where the air is going. To minimize the effect of the tufts on the model, we have developed mini-tufts, very thin monofilament (fishing line) that is almost the size of human hair.

[ Dale/Ames - 53 - 09:30:16 ]
RE: [Roy-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] How old were you when you got your masters degree?
I was 25 years old.

[ Dale/Ames - 54 - 09:31:21 ]
RE: [Vincent-Vincent/WashingtonElementary] Have you ever played in the wind tunnel? Or maybe you will get in trouble if you tell us...
I have never played in a wind tunnel. Some of the tests have been fun but a wind tunnel can be a dangerous place if mistreated.

[ Dale/Ames - 57 - 09:33:32 ]
RE: [Dane-Deborah/YpsilantiCOPE] What are the major challenges in high lift research / design?
Sorry I missed your question. The challenge for high lift is to make the flaps as simple as possible and as efficient as possible. Two flaps will always work better than one flap but if you can get 80-90% with one flap the single flap will be better since the part count and weight will be less.

[ Dale/Ames - 58 - 09:34:27 ]
RE: [sarah-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] how do your children like moving all the time?
Actually, my children have never had to move. I didn't have children until after I was in California

[ Dale/Ames - 59 - 09:35:08 ]
RE: [Roy-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] How old are you?
I am 43 years old. don't you hear my bones creaking as I type.

[ Dale/Ames - 61 - 09:35:49 ]
RE: [Veronica-Vincent/WashingtonElementary] Which was the first airplane you worked on??
The F-5 was the first airplane. It was a military trainer for fighter pilots.

[ Dale/Ames - 63 - 09:37:13 ]
RE: [Eleodoro-Vincent/WashingtonElementary] Dale, did you see that Jackie Chan movie, Operation Condor? Jackie Chan and some other guys got trapped in a wind tunnel and were blown all over. It looked very dangerous.
Nope I missed that movie. Remember what we see on TV and in the movies looks dangerous but the movie makers go to great lengths to protect the stunt men.

[ Dale/Ames - 66 - 09:40:22 ]
RE: [Deborah/YpsilantiCOPE] What have been your most exciting / rewarding moments and your most disappointing / frustrating moments in your career?
Right now is one of the frustrating moments in my career. The program that I am working on is being stopped a year early and we have had several sever budget cuts so we will not get to complete the program that we developed. I have had numerous exciting moments in my career. When I got accepted to graduate school and hired by NASA was probably the best.

[ Dale/Ames - 68 - 09:41:32 ]
RE: [Roy-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] what is the main thing you do every day?
I spend most of my time on the computer writing reports, answering email, and analyzing wind tunnel data.

[ Dale/Ames - 70 - 09:42:21 ]
RE: [tyler-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] what is the most instresting thing you get to do!
Work in the wind tunnel. It is always exciting to see what the next data point is going to tell you.

[ Dale/Ames - 73 - 09:45:46 ]
RE: [sarah-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] what made you think of becoming a aerospace engineer and how did you find it enteresting?
When I was in the 4th grade, I decided that I wanted to be an astronaut. Back then the only way to be an astronaut, was to be a military pilot. Unfortunately when i got older, I found out that I could not pass the physical for a military pilot (I had allergies). But I had been studying about aircraft and I decided that I loved airplanes and so I became an aerospace engineer. Today, you can become an astronaut without being a military pilot.

[ Dale/Ames - 74 - 09:46:11 ]
RE: [Mike-Deborah/YpsilantiCOPE] Did you ever think when you were younger that you would become what you are today?
See my previous answer, Yes.

[ Dale/Ames - 76 - 09:47:32 ]
RE: [Roy-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] Do you get to work all around the united states?
I have worked in Kansas, Virginia, and California. For work, I have traveled to Florida, Tennessee, and Washington.

[ Dale/Ames - 79 - 09:49:11 ]
RE: [sarah-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] when do you get to see your family with this job? is it hard to be away from them?
For the most part, I work a normal day (8-4:30). When I am in the wind tunnel, it is hard sometimes to see my family especially when I am working nights. But I try and work my schedule so I get to see everyone as much as possible.

[ Dale/Ames - 82 - 09:51:03 ]
RE: [Roy-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] Would you ever go up in space?
If someone would let me go today, I would go in a heartbeat. I might hate it once I was there but I wouldn't pass on an opportunity to try it.

[ Dale/Ames - 83 - 09:51:15 ]
RE: [Deborah/YpsilantiCOPE] Ypsilanti COPE is signing off. Thank you for your time and for your great questions and answers.
Thank you.

[ Dale/Ames - 88 - 09:54:50 ]
RE: [Sergio-Vincent/WashingtonElementary] When you work with stuff in the wind tunnel, do you ever get static electricity from all that wind friction. Does anything spark? Is that something that can be dangerous??
For the most part the models are electrically grounded so I have never experienced a shock or seen a spark. When we are doing flow visualization with oil or china clay, a spark could be dangerous if the oil or kerosene (part of the china clay) happened to catch fire.

[ Dale/Ames - 90 - 09:56:21 ]
RE: [Roy-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] Has any of your models been built any bigger for other people to use?
Lots of models get built of the same aircraft configuration. That way the model is properly sized for the particular wind tunnel. We usually have to have several models to get all of the desired answers.

[ sarah-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool - 92 - 09:58:13 ]
thank you for your time i had a great time learning about you and your every day job.

[ Dale/Ames - 93 - 09:58:14 ]
RE: [tyler-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] what is a wind tunle?
A wind tunnel is a tool we use to test aircraft models. It is typically a closed tube that kind of looks like a doughnut that is hollow. A big fan inside moves the air around the inside of the doughnut and over the wind tunnel model. Check out the NASA web sites for more on wind tunnels

[ Dale/Ames - 94 - 09:58:34 ]
RE: [Roy-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] would you ever give up this job for something different?
Not if the job stays the same.

[ Dale/Ames - 95 - 09:58:54 ]
RE: [sarah-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] thank you for your time i had a great time learning about you and your every day job.
Thank you.

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 97 - 09:59:28 ]
This has been a wonderful chat, Thank you Dale for sharing part of your busy day with us and the excitement of Wind Tunnel Research, Thanks kids, I hope you learned a lot, thank your teachers for letting you chat today, Check out http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/common/spaceday.html for more chats!

[ Dale/Ames - 98 - 09:59:38 ]
RE: [Allofus-Vincent/WashingtonElementary] Good-bye Dale, we are going to e-mail you some of our pictures and projects. We really enjoyed this. You are one cool dude your kids are really lucky!!!!!
Thanks

[ Dale/Ames - 101 - 10:00:41 ]
RE: [Roy-Patti/DiscoveryCharterSchool] Thank you for your time and work.
thank you

[ Dale/Ames - 102 - 10:01:28 ]
RE: [Allofus-Vincent/WashingtonElementary] Thank you. Now go and rest your fingers :-)
Thank you. Talk to you again. Bye