[ Linda/Ames - 5 - 10:30:22 ]
Welcome all to this first ever NeurOn Chat. We're anxious to get to know you and let you chat with Duncan Atchison.

Duncan has been working for the last two years getting the word out to the public, especially in education, about the Space Life Sciences projects. He has been key to organizing and pulling together people and curriculum materials to make this NeurOn project a reality. Duncan also has a background in mission planning. Our goal today is to get acquainted with you and to allow you to ask questions and give input for NeurOn. I hope you've had a chance to look around the website at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron

[ Carol-Carol/BrazoriaIntermediate - 4 - 10:29:44 ]
1. What did you do when you worked at the Pentagon?
2. Who decided which experiments get to actually go on the shuttle?
3. How was it decided which experiments get to go on the shuttle?

[ Duncan/ARC - 6 - 10:32:27 ]
Hi Carol, at the Air Force Data Services office we tried out all the latest technologies, from computers, to displays. Of course now it seems ancient, things like VT100's.

[ Duncan/ARC - 8 - 10:34:00 ]
Carol, your question about who decides is pretty complicated, but in a nutshell, all of the possible experiements are reviewed by a group of experts in the field, and scored. Then after they are scored they are looked over by the selecting officials from NASA and NIH and NSF for the final pick amojng the most highly qualified

[ Duncan/ARC - 9 - 10:36:36 ]
Carol, where are you writing from?

[ Linda/Ames - 10 - 10:36:43 ]
If I can help a little with your second question on the selection of items to go on the shuttle, for Neurolab we have a special write-up on this decision process in the bio written by Mary Anne Frey. It was a fascinating and complicated process because of the international level of this mission.

[ Linda/Ames - 11 - 10:37:47 ]
Oops, I should have given you Mary Anne's URL: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/team/frey.html

[ Duncan/ARC - 12 - 10:44:32 ]
Anyone else out there?

[ susanandmarcy-Mrs.Gillespie/HES - 13 - 11:21:56 ]
Just wanted to say HI! and we are here. Students would like to know if there are any opening for young adults at the Pentagon and if so how could they be apart of the team.

[ Linda/Ames - 14 - 11:24:44 ]
Duncan, I think we may just wrap up this session. I am disappointed that those classrooms registered to participate did not attend today. I shall do what I can to contact our project participants to see what we can do to use this vital tool more effectively. Thank you to Carol who showed up with well thought out questions, and thank you Duncan for agreeing to be here to answer those questions. Yours in NeurOn, Linda Conrad Quest Team

[ Linda/Ames - 15 - 11:25:34 ]
RE: [susanandmarcy-Mrs.Gillespie/HES] Just wanted to say HI! and we are here. Students would like to know if there are any opening for young adults at the Pentagon and if so how could they be apart of the team.
Hi Susan and Marcy, let's see if Duncan is still here!

[ Duncan/ARC - 17 - 11:28:28 ]
Hi Susan and Marcy, There are often openings at various govt agencies all around Washington DC.

[ Duncan/ARC - 18 - 11:29:40 ]
I don't know about the Pentagon in particular any more, but we do hire students out here at NASA. The best way is to call up personnel and ask what openings or programs they have at the agency you want to work at.

[ Duncan/ARC - 19 - 11:31:19 ]
Mrs. Gillespie, where is your class?

[ Linda/Ames - 20 - 11:31:33 ]
We'll hang around just a little longer to see if Mrs. Gillespi's class has any more questions. Sure glad you joined us!

[ Marcy-MissHunt/HubbardElementary - 21 - 11:50:17 ]
Hi! Unfortunately Miss Hunt's class and Mrs. Gillespie's class had to report to gym, but they were very excited about participating in the chat today. My class had questions about debate as to whether or not we would be able to have the shuttle bring back material from Mars for research to be done. We would also like to know if there was ble to bring material found on Mars back to earth for research and whether or not there were actual organisms found on Mars that may show that there actually was sign of life there at one time.

[ Linda/Ames - 22 - 11:57:07 ]

Hi Marcy, I'm sorry you missed Duncan while he was online. I can answer part of your question: the shuttle is not the vehicle that would go to Mars. The NeurOn project is a shuttle on orbit around the Earth in which experiments will take place to see how the brain and nervous systems react to the reduced gravity of space.

Mars is a whole other issue, and perhaps you could pose your question(s) about Mars to the question/answer section of Live from Mars: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/mars

Thanks for your question.

[ Linda/Ames - 23 - 11:59:02 ]
Thanks to everyone that did show up for the chat. Please join us on Wednesday (note the change of day) November 19 to chat with Louis Ostrach. See his bio at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/neuron/team/ostrach.html Hope to "see" you then!

[ Marcy-MissHunt/HubbardElementary - 24 - 12:02:57 ]
My students just return from Gym. Adrian Wyche would like to know how long do you plan to explore Mars and have you decided to which Planet you would like to explore next.