Chat with Mary Williams
January 22, l998 - 10:00 A.M. Pacific Time

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 4 - 09:55:52 ]
We have some early birds! Mary will join us here soon. Hang in there

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 9 - 10:00:54 ]
RE: [Luis-students/MontgomeryHigh] What shape do the fish tanks need to be or does it matter?
Since there is no up or down in space, it doesn't matter to the fish what shape the tank is. You will need to check with the individuals coordinating the contest to determine if there are shape limitations based on where the habitat will be stored.

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 11 - 10:01:44 ]
RE: [Bob-students/MontgomeryHigh] Is 25 kilogram maximum for all the habitats or each one?
I believe you are referring to our notes in the Great Habitat debate. the 25 kilograms would be for each habitat. Onboard the Shuttle, of course the RAHF that Chris writes about holds more than habitat or cage.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 12 - 10:02:22 ]
RE: [Vianey-students/MontgomeryHigh] How many fish will you send and because water weighs so much (4 kilos per gallon)when you say 25 kilos maximum is that for each animals habitat or all together?
I am not involved in the fish project, so I am not sure how many fish will be sent.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 13 - 10:04:04 ]
RE: [Jose-students/MontgomeryHigh] What happens when an astronaut sneezes? Doesn't this contaminate the habitat for everyone?
The astronauts are all checked out by a flight surgeon before they go up to make sure they're not sick. Hopefully when they sneeze, they cover their mouth and nose with something!

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 14 - 10:04:14 ]
Mary's forte is the handling of animals. Though she know quite a bit about the space side of it, questions that deal directly with treatment and needs of animals will be the ones to ask at this chat. I will try to get Louis Ostrach back to answer specific number questions about this mission.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 15 - 10:06:49 ]
RE: [Claudia-students/MontgomeryHigh] How many crickets are they sending up and how will you deal with their waste? We keep crickets to feed our frog and know that they make a mess.
I'm not sure how many crickets are going up. However, all the animal housing compartments are designed to handle the waste produced during a full length mission plus a few extra days. Generally air pushes the waste into some type of a collection tray.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 23 - 10:12:17 ]
NASA sent animals, plants, fish or insects on 25 space flights before 1990.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 25 - 10:13:36 ]
RE: [Luis-students/MontgomeryHigh] How many times has NASA sent animals into space and exactly what has been accomplished by these experiments that is of benefit to humans?
NASA sent animals, plants, fish or insects on 25 space flights before 1990. There were at least ten more missions after 1990. Physiology and bone reaction to microgravity was studied in practically all missions.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 26 - 10:14:19 ]
RE: [Theresa-students/MontgomeryHigh] Can crickets and other insects experience pain?
There is no indication that insects feel pain.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 27 - 10:15:19 ]
RE: [Nick-Laktar] How do you keep the animals for the microgravity experiments clean? I imagine that floating excrement would not be good for them.
The cage systems have fans that gently blow from the top of the cage into a waste tray at the bottom. This keeps most of the excrement from floating around in the cage.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 28 - 10:16:44 ]
RE: [Maria-students/MontgomeryHigh] If something happens (fails) in a habitat while in space what contingency is there to take care of the animals?
There are redundant back up systems to provide power and air to the habitats if the main power fails.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 32 - 10:18:51 ]
RE: [Mike-Mike/AlexanderDawson] Will the animals feel any pain in space?
Would you please clarify your question. The animals should not experience pain any differently than the astronauts.

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 36 - 10:20:03 ]
RE: [Luis-students/MontgomeryHigh] What are the similarities between the nervous systems and brain of humans, rats, crickets and fish
Could you clarify what level you want this dealt with? Naturally size is different, but this is a pretty extensive question - whole courses can be taught on it!

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 38 - 10:20:52 ]
RE: [Wes-Wes/AlexanderDawsonSchool] How can can you keep animals from floating in space?
The animals hang on to the cage grids if they don't want to float. However, rats were observed floating and doing flips in the cages on previous flights.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 39 - 10:22:02 ]
RE: [Nick-Laktar] Does the urine stay in large globs? My father seemed to think that part of it would end up as a fine mist that would infect the lungs of caged animals.
The urine does tend to form droplets that cling to the nearest surface. The airflow in the cage pushes the droplets into the waste pan where it's absorbed by special materials

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 42 - 10:24:13 ]
RE: [Joey-Joey/homeschool] If size were not a problem, which animal in the animal kingdom would you like to see in space and why?
I think it would be interesting to see a giraffe in space. The long neck might pose some problems though. I wonder if it would be able to swallow OK?

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 43 - 10:25:12 ]
RE: [Emily-KarenJ.Massey] I am a second grader who is interested in becoming the first person to build a zoo on the moon. What do you think I should learn to do this?
You first need to learn about the needs of all the animals in your zoo on earth. Then you can figure out how those needs can be met in space.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 47 - 10:26:59 ]
RE: [Nick-Laktar] Are all of the cages 100% air tight?
The cages are set up to contain particles of a certain size. The cages need to allow airflow through them for the waste management system and to prevent the build up of CO2

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 49 - 10:28:17 ]
RE: [Luis-students/MontgomeryHigh] I mean more similarities in the way they react to stimuli, feel pain, and learn.
Humans and rats are very similar. Fish and crickets in most cases do not learn or experience pain the same as humans and rats.

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 54 - 10:30:34 ]
RE: [Mike-Mike/AlexanderDawson] Are the animals in any danger?
In looking at plans for the animals, much care is taken to be sure that the animals' needs are taken care of. As you've seen in the News lately, Space flight still has risks, but much care is taken for the safety of all onboard.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 56 - 10:31:07 ]
RE: [Nick-Laktar] What is the rate of air flow in the cages?
Air flow is approximately 20 cfm

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 57 - 10:32:19 ]
RE: [Wes-Wes/AlexanderDawsonSchool] How do the animals exercise?
The animals don't exercise. In fact, their muscles are pretty weak when they first land and for a few days after.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 60 - 10:33:52 ]
RE: [MellieAtholtonElementary-Mellie/AtholtonElementary] What protection is provided the animals in a microgravity environment? We are concerned that the mother and baby rats will be floating all over the place and getting hurt. Can we use acrylic tubes in our design? We thought the tubes would help the mother get to the food.
The cages are designed to provide just the right amount of room so the rats can move around comfortably. Acrylic tubes are OK, but the rats would probably do better with something they can grab on to.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 62 - 10:34:30 ]
RE: [Hank/TaylorH-KarenJ.Massey] Did the monkeys ever eat real bananas in space?
The monkeys ate banana flavored pellets in space.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 65 - 10:36:02 ]
RE: [Cristain-students/MontgomeryHigh] Why not send birds to see if they can fly in space?
That's an interesting idea. When a researcher chooses an animal model, they base it on similarities that they can ultimately compare to humans. I don't know if birds have any such similarities.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 67 - 10:36:22 ]
RE: [Henry/Brian-KarenJ.Massey] Which animal has been sent in space the most?
The rat

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 73 - 10:38:36 ]
RE: [Mike-Mike/AlexanderDawson] Can a fan or something be made to suck the animals waste products out of the cage? How would you do it? How much energy would it take to do it?
You could probably use a vacuum type system to remove waste. You need to make it strong enough to pull the waste but not so strong that it pulls the rat's toes or tail! You need to take into consideration the space limitations when deciding on storage. Things need to be kept compact.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 74 - 10:39:30 ]
RE: [Barbara-students/MontgomeryHigh] We read that one of the scientists wanted to include an exercise wheel, rope and pole. How are the astronauts going to get the rats to use this equipment if they do not normally exercise in space?
The rats will be trained to use the equipment before they go up into space.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 75 - 10:40:27 ]
RE: [Peter-Larry/CountryViewElementary] Sorry, I sent a strange question. What I want to ask is Will the bats be uncomfortable in space due to not knowing where up or down is
As long as they have something to hang on to, I don't think they will be uncomfortable.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 77 - 10:41:03 ]
RE: [Mike-Mike/AlexanderDawson] How can the animals be kept warm?
The temperature of the cages is controlled so the rats won't be too cold or too hot.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 78 - 10:42:50 ]
RE: [Nick-Laktar] How do lower level animals eat and drink in a microgravity environment?
Food is provided to them by a method that takes into account microgravity and their ability to find it.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 79 - 10:44:15 ]
RE: [Grace/Amber-KarenJ.Massey] What do you like most about your job? We are in second grade and we are thinking about living and working in space when we grow up.
I like working with the different people and trying to help them solve their problems. I also like reviewing the different experiments to make sure the animals are going to be taken care of properly.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 81 - 10:44:45 ]
RE: [MellieAtholtonElementary-Mellie/AtholtonElementary] What are the special materials in the waste pan for urine removal?
Activated charcoal and absorbent paper

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 82 - 10:45:57 ]
RE: [Nick-Laktar] Bad question. Are the cages completely separate from the surrounding environment, or can air pass from the cabin to the cage and visa versa?
The cages are separate from the cabin. Waste and air must be contained in the cage habitat and associated fans.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 83 - 10:46:46 ]
RE: [MellieAtholtonElementary-Mellie/AtholtonElementary] We read your response about the rats hanging on to the cage grid. Can the baby rats also do this? They will only be three days old with the Columbia launches.
The baby rats learn to hang on to the grids right away.

[ Nick-Laktar - 84 - 10:47:13 ]
Bye, gotta go.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 85 - 10:48:19 ]
RE: [Joey-Joey/homeschool] Scientificly speaking why would you want to take a giraffe into space?
It would be interesting to look at the response of the musculoskeletal system. I'd like to see what response the vertebral column had to microgravity

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 86 - 10:48:57 ]
RE: [Nick-Laktar] Bye, gotta go.
Bye Nick. Glad you could join us! This chat will be archived from Mary's bio, so you can catch up on the rest later.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 87 - 10:49:26 ]
RE: [Meghan/Rowland-KarenJ.Massey] We are in second grade. We have some dreams about living in space. How did you get to your dream?
I always wanted to work with animals, so I knew I needed to go to college to learn more.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 91 - 10:52:24 ]
RE: [Joey-Joey/homeschool] What kind's of insects have been taken to space? What others are being considered?
Mostly fruit flies, some flour beetles

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 92 - 10:53:07 ]
RE: [Leah/Keegan-KarenJ.Massey] Are you ever scared in your job? We are in second grade and we get scared sometimes.
I have been scared a few times when monkeys got loose and I had to help catch them. I was afraid I might get bitten.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 93 - 10:53:31 ]
RE: [Ross-Larry/CountryViewElementary] Would any animals get motion sickness?
Yes, animals get motion sick like humans.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 95 - 10:54:44 ]
RE: [MellieAtholtonElementary-Mellie/AtholtonElementary] What will the take-off and landing do to the rats? What affect does the change from a vertical lift-off position to a horizontal orbit position have on the rats? In the beginning the rats will be in earth's gravity for two days. How will they know to hang on later in the mission after lift-off?
During takeoff, the rats will feel extra gravity forces. During the flight, as soon as they start to float, they will figure out how to hold on.

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 96 - 10:55:14 ]
Wow! Time sure flies! Let's give Mary a chance to answer the questions we've gotten. There are just 5 minutes more. Thanks.

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 97 - 10:55:38 ]
RE: [Ross-Larry/CountryViewElementary] Are any animals like snakes or other reptiles being taken up?
Currently, there aren't any plans for snakes to go up. Amphibians have gone up in the past

[ Mary/AnimalCare - 100 - 10:59:20 ]
RE: [Ross-Larry/CountryViewElementary] Do you think that when they experience no gravity, do you think that there think patterns will be different?
How the message reaches the brain is one of the things that will be studied. Hopefully we can answer your question after the flight is completed.

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 101 - 11:00:48 ]
I think we're all caught up. I want to thank Mary for joining us today! I really enjoyed this session and recognized some good Habitat debate questions! Thanks Mary!

[ Ross-Larry/CountryViewElementary - 102 - 11:01:33 ]
Good bye everybody.

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 104 - 11:02:56 ]
Bye everyone!

[ KarenJ.Massey - 105 - 11:03:54 ]
Good-bye. Thank you for all of your answers. We hope to chat with you again.