Chat with Karina Shook
WITN Career Segment
March 19, l998

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 10 - 10:01:12 ]
Karina is here, and we're ready to begin. Please send us your questions.

[ Karina/JSC - 12 - 10:13:18 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] Hi, My question is is there a way when I'm in the pool that I can get the feeling of space?
Yes, when you're in the pool, you can kind of get a feeling like you're in space. What we do is attach weights to the person in the spacesuit so that they don't float to the top or sink to the bottom, but just kind of hover in the water wherever someone puts them. Of course in space, there's no water resistance, though!

[ Karina/JSC - 16 - 10:14:48 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] I imagine the astronauts really appreciate your help are they nice to you.
Yes, the astronauts are usually very appreciative of the work that we do to train them. Astronauts are just like any other people - there are a wide range of personalities!

[ Karina/JSC - 18 - 10:16:59 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] Do you get to do lots of different simulations?
We have a series of classes that each shuttle crew is taught before they fly - to prepare them to do a spacewalk to fix something on the shuttle if necessary. In addition, if there's a spacewalk scheduled on their flight, such as to put new science instruments into the Hubble telescope or to build the International Space Station, we create special training classes to teach them the information they'll need to know for those spacewalks.

[ Karina/JSC - 20 - 10:18:55 ]
RE: [Betsy-Betsy/PennStatePublicBroadcasting] Hi! I'm Betsy from Penn State. Thanks for the help getting in, Linda. Karina, are you training any of the Neurolab astronauts, and if so, in what?
I am not personally training the Neurolab astronauts, but other people from my office are. Since there is no planned spacewalk on that flight, we just teach the basic set of classes. I did meet Jim Pawelczyk by coincidence, though - he was sitting next to me on the airplane when I traveled home for Christmas a year ago! It turns out that his Father-in-law and my father are colleagues (my dad is also a Penn State grad...)

[ Karina/JSC - 21 - 10:19:44 ]
RE: [Diane-Diane/AtchisonMiddleSchool] What is the youngest astronaut you have ever trained?
I'm not sure exactly, but astronauts range in age from about 36 to over 60.

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 22 - 10:20:07 ]
RE: [Betsy-Betsy/PennStatePublicBroadcasting] Hi! I'm Betsy from Penn State. Thanks for the help getting in, Linda. Karina, are you training any of the Neurolab astronauts, and if so, in what?
You're welcome. Glad you could make it!

[ Karina/JSC - 26 - 10:21:52 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] Do you think astronauts need electromagnetic boots?
Right now, the way astronauts do their work during spacewalks, their legs are basically useless. They use their arms to "walk" along the shuttle payload bay, or eventually, across the space station. It's certainly possible that in the future we would find that electromagnetic boots would be more useful. They would require some kind of power source, though, which is not only more expensive, but also more bulky than just using your hands.

[ Karina/JSC - 28 - 10:23:38 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] Did you ever have an astronaut come back from space and say that something you taught them didn't work?
After every flight, we have a meeting with the crew and they give us feedback on their training. They tell us about both the good and the bad things. Generally their comments are very good, however, because we work hard to make sure that their training will be as accurate as possible. The crew can also give us feedback DURING their training that helps to improve it.

[ Karina/JSC - 31 - 10:25:30 ]
RE: [Diane-Diane/AtchisonMiddleSchool] Do those who train astronauts make as much money as the astronauts do?
All government employees are on basically the same pay schedule, which means that you get promoted from one level to the next based on experience and seniority. The military may pay their astronauts extra - I'm not sure.

[ Karina/JSC - 33 - 10:26:14 ]
RE: [Amanda-Jean/JeffersonElementary] Do you think you will ever change your career?
I very much enjoy my job, so at the moment there's nothing I'd rather do. Of course, someday something else might come up that I'd like to try, and I'll re-evaluate my career at that point.

[ Karina/JSC - 34 - 10:27:40 ]
RE: [Shannon-Jean/JeffersonElementary] Is your job hard work?
Yes, my job can be very hard work at times (last night, for instance I was at work until 9 PM just trying to get everything done!) But it's also fun and there are a lot of rewarding things about it, so it's OK.

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 36 - 10:29:30 ]
RE: [Sarah/Greenmeadow] Wow I have enjoyed learning the answers to my questions. Thanks. Bye
Bye Sarah, Thanks for joining us!

[ Karina/JSC - 37 - 10:29:36 ]
RE: [Bethany-Betsy/PennStatePublicBroadcasting] A group of us are here listening. Here is Bethany's question. What is the hardest thing to train the astronauts how to do on a spacewalk?
That's a good question. I'm not sure I could pick out any particular thing. Each astronaut has different things that are challenging for them - just like "normal" people. They just need to remember all the techniques we teach them and then take it slow when they go on their first spacewalk until they get used to the weightless environment. They also need to create their own special techniques for working in the bulky, stiff spacesuit.

[ Karina/JSC - 39 - 10:30:34 ]
RE: [Danny-Jean/JeffersonElementary] Have you ever been in space?
I have never been to space :-( I would have to apply to be an astronaut to do that. It would be cool, though! I have, however, been in a spacesuit, and that was really fun!

[ Karina/JSC - 41 - 10:32:54 ]
RE: [Diane-Diane/AtchisonMiddleSchool] How many hours would you estimate it takes to train one astronaut for a space walk?
For each hour that an astronaut spends on a spacewalk, they spend about 10 hours in the pool in training. For maintenance tasks on the space station they will only get about 5 hours of training per hour of spacewalk time. They'll have other training facilities onboard the station like a CD-ROM with information, photos, and video that will help them remember how to do any maintenance tasks they might have to do, since each crew will be onboard for several months and their training won't be as fresh in their mind as it is for shuttle flights.

[ Karina/JSC - 43 - 10:34:24 ]
RE: [Jean-Jean/JeffersonElementary] How physically fit do you need to be for your job? How do you stay in shape?
My job doesn't particularly require me to be physically fit, although it helps when you're scuba diving or working in the spacesuit, or crawling around in shuttle or space station mockups (full-size models). I like to bicycle, run and lift weights to stay in shape.

[ Karina/JSC - 45 - 10:35:04 ]
RE: [Trent-Jean/JeffersonElementary] In your biography you asked if we had any ideas for the names for your fish? Here are some ideas: Stripy, Fancy, Fishy, Beauty.
Thanks for the fish names. I also have a mini crab now - her name is Commander Claw! She's really interesting to watch.

[ Karina/JSC - 47 - 10:36:17 ]
RE: [Ian-Jean/JeffersonElementary] Have you ever tried out the equipment that you use to train the astronauts?
Yes, in order to teach the astronauts, I have to know how to work all the tools myself and how to do all the things that the astronauts will have to do. We occasionally get a chance to be in the spacesuit to see how hard it is to work in and get a better understanding of the challenges the astronauts face.

[ Karina/JSC - 49 - 10:37:39 ]
RE: [Casey-Jean/JeffersonElementary] If you could live on any planet, which one would it be and why?
I would have to say Earth - first of all, it's my home, and I'm uniquely adapted to live here. Second, it's a beautiful place and we really need to be careful of how we take care of it. Of course, if I had the chance to visit other planets that would be really exciting, but I'd always want to come home to Earth!

[ Karina/JSC - 52 - 10:40:00 ]
RE: [Patti/CJHS] What are some of the differences, if any, to training an astronaut for a shuttle (orbiting flight) and Space Station.
The biggest challenge to training astronauts for the space station is that it will be in orbit and the crews won't get to see the actual vehicle before they fly on it, like they can with the shuttle. We're also having to do a lot of work to make sure that all the pieces fit together when we get them up there - some things will already be in orbit before the pieces that connect to them are built - so you can't always just put them together on the ground before they're launched to make sure they fit! That's a huge challenge. Other than that, station training is a lot like shuttle training except that the station is bigger and there's more to learn about.

[ Karina/JSC - 54 - 10:41:21 ]
RE: [Amanda-Jean/JeffersonElementary] How old are you? How old were you when you got this job?
I am almost 27. I've worked at NASA since I was 19, as a part of the Cooperative Education program through my engineering school. I was 23 when I first started working in my current job as a co-op student, and 25 when I graduated and became a permanent employee

[ Karina/JSC - 55 - 10:41:50 ]
RE: [TouVue-Jean/JeffersonElementary] How long does it take for the astronauts to get into outer space after take off?
It takes about 8 minutes for the shuttle to go from the launch pad to orbit. FAST!

[ Karina/JSC - 57 - 10:43:16 ]
RE: [Shinae-Betsy/PennStatePublicBroadcasting] I wonder what is the most dangerous training and has there ever been an accident during training?
All training has some element of danger in it, but a LOT of precautions are taken to make sure no one gets hurt. One astronaut broke a foot during crew escape (from the shuttle) training, but for the most part there have been only very minor injuries.

[ Karina/JSC - 58 - 10:44:43 ]
RE: [Shannon-Jean/JeffersonElementary] What was your first job ever at the Johnson Space Center?
My first job at the Johnson Space Center was in the Training Division where I worked in a group that teaches the astronauts about various systems on the shuttle - like the mechanical system, electrical power system, environmental control system, etc. Then I moved into EVA where we not only train the astronauts for spacewalks, but also work in Mission Control during flights.

[ Karina/JSC - 61 - 10:46:58 ]
RE: [TouVue-Jean/JeffersonElementary] Have you ever participated with Space Camp?
No, I never got to go to Space Camp. By the time I found out about it, the waiting list was too long and I had other activities I was involved in during the summers. It would have been fun, though!

[ Karina/JSC - 66 - 10:48:42 ]
RE: [ Betsy-Betsy/PennStatePublicBroadcasting 10:47:05]
Does Mission Control look and seem like the Mission Control we see in the movies, like in "Contact" with Jodie Foster?
The Mission Control in "Contact" wasn't like our Mission Control, but if you saw the movie "Apollo 13", that looked exactly like Mission Control did back in the 1960's. Now we have a brand-new control center that's pretty cool.

[ Karina/JSC - 68 - 10:50:24 ]
RE: [Amanda-Jean/JeffersonElementary] If you were going into space and already had food and water, what other three things would you bring?
You would need oxygen, a pressurized area to live in, an environmental control system to recycle or provide clean air and water and allow you to go to the bathroom, and you'd probably need power or you wouldn't be able to do anything while you were up there...

[ Karina/JSC - 70 - 10:51:28 ]
RE: [Patti/CJHS] When you do the underwater training, do you go in also or just train from the side?
For all but one of our classes, we teach from a control center above the water, where we have TV screens that show views from underwater cameras of what the astronauts are doing. We wear headsets so we can talk to the astronauts and to the scuba divers that help them.

[ Karina/JSC - 72 - 10:52:08 ]
RE: [Bethany-Betsy/PennStatePublicBroadcasting] Do you recommend Space Camp if you want to become an astronaut?
It can't hurt. I'd recommend learning everything you can about what it takes to be an astronaut, and then working toward that goal.

[ Karina/JSC - 73 - 10:53:20 ]
RE: [AmandaS-Jean/JeffersonElementary] Have you had any other house pets besides your crab and fish?
I live in an apartment right now, so all I have are fish & the crab, but when I was growing up we had dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens, a pony, and a couple goats! (no - we didn't live on a farm, but we had a couple acres of land and we like animals)

[ Karina/JSC - 75 - 10:53:59 ]
RE: [Shannon-Jean/JeffersonElementary] What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to bicycle, read, play violin or guitar, do almost anything outside, and go horseback riding.

[ Karina/JSC - 77 - 10:55:36 ]
RE: [KaBao-Jean/JeffersonElementary] Have you ever gotten bored training the astronauts?
So far I haven't, although there are parts of my job that can be boring (like meetings!) But there's a lot of variety, so that keeps it fun.

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 79 - 10:56:47 ]
We're getting towards the end of this hour. The pace has been great, and the questions good. We'll need to wrap it up soon. Let's be sure we give Karina a chance to finish the good questions that are up now.

[ Karina/JSC - 80 - 10:56:47 ]
RE: [Shannon-Jean/JeffersonElementary] Have you ever trained any animals to go into space?
No. Sometimes things like rats, bees, tadpoles, etc. are flown, but they're not trained - the astronauts just observe how they adapt to zero gravity.

[ Karina/JSC - 82 - 10:59:03 ]
RE: [Amanda-Jean/JeffersonElementary] What do you do to train the astronauts and why?
We do lots of things - take a look at my bio on the Quest page for more details, but the basic idea is to try to simulate zero gravity. Since we can't turn off Gravity (there's no such thing as an Anti-gravity room!), we use a huge pool, an air-bearing floor (like an air hockey table), a virtual reality lab, and full-size models of the shuttle and space station, or in the case of STS-90, the Spacelab.

[ Karina/JSC - 83 - 11:00:25 ]
RE: [ Trevor-Jean/JeffersonElementary - 81 - 10:57:05 ]
How many hours do you work each week?
The standard is 40 hours, but I usually end up working at least 5 extra hours because there's so much work to do. This week in particular will be VERY busy because I'm getting ready to do some simulations in Mission Control next week in order to become a certified flight controller.

[ Karina/JSC ]
RE: [Rob-Betsy/PennStatePublicBroadcasting] Did you know before you went to work at NASA (at 19) that you wanted to work with astronauts? Did you want to be an astronaut as a kid?
At age 19 I wasn't sure what I wanted to do - I just knew I wanted to work for NASA! I did want to be an astronaut very much - up until a couple years ago, when I decided that I wasn't willing (yet, anyway) to take the risks, and that in my current job I get to experience a lot of what the astronauts do, and still keep my feet on the ground and have a little more control over my life and my schedule than they sometimes do.

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 84 - 11:02:14 ]
Thank you very much to all the participant who joined us today! I want to thank Karina for being willing during this very busy time to join us. Bye!

[ Betsy/PennStatePublicBroadcasting - 85 - 11:02:58 ]
Thanks very much from all of us. We really enjoyed it. Next time I'll remember my password, but you know how it is with us old folks.

[ Jean/JeffersonElementary - 86 - 11:03:17 ]
Thank you Karina!

[ Jean/JeffersonElementary - 87 - 11:04:27 ]
Thank you so much for answering our questions. Good bye!

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 89 - 11:07:37 ]
Join us again on April 1st for the second WITN Career focus chat with Steve Sokol, Lead Forecaster, Space Meteorology Group. See http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/chats