Women Of NASA

Take Our Daughters To Work Day
Forum with Marta Bohn-Meyer
April 25, 2002

[ AnnMary/YWAC - 185 - 14:44:55 ]
Welcome to the forum with Marta Bohn-Meyer! If you haven't already read her profile, please do so at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/people/bios/women/marta.b.m.html. This chat room has been created to take your questions in honor of Take Your Daughters to Work Day. This year's focus is on the Contennial of Flight and women's role in flight's history. Your questions can be submitted at any time. Please try not to repeat your questions. Also, make sure to identify yourself--Frankie/6th/TX or Sue/4th/Mr.Jones-- at the beginning of your question. *Do not use your last name.

[ Marta - 189 - 15:16:31 ]
Hello everyone! I'd like to begin the day by sharing my ideas on how you can be part of assuring your success: Work on your four "rights"; the right time, the right place, the right qualifications and the right enthusiasm or interest. You are one who is the most responsible for your success in life ... and I believe mentors and other people you deal with, will help you, if you show you really care.

[ Marta - 190 - 15:19:33 ]
RE: How many years of school did you have to attend to be who you are right now?
To Unknown 186: my school conventional school years were through college ... I have a bachelor of science in aeronautical engineering. Since I graduated from college however, I have been continuously learning. I attend short courses in engineering and management, I attend workshops, I read a lot of books, and I am always learning.

[ Marta - 191 - 15:23:08 ]
RE: dear Marta, Did you like being in the "back seat" when you performed your test flights?
To unknown 187: I have enjoyed all my flying, whether in the front seat or back. I actually believe that for test flying the type of things that we did at NASA Dryden, the job of the 'backseater' was sometimes a little more busy and challenging that that of the front-seater. After all, the backseater is the one responsible for making sure the data is obtained so that the researchers can learn what they need to learn!

[ Marta - 192 - 15:33:21 ]
RE: Mrs. Martha is it fun to you to ride on plans and build things?
To Unknown 189: It most definitely is fun to fly in the planes I have helped test, modify, built and in some cases design. What greater demonstration of faith in ones abilities can you have than to see that individual fly in the same airplane they used their own hands and mind to build!!!

[ Marta - 203 - 16:05:34 ]
RE: Hi Marta - You are really cool! Thank you for chatting with us. Were you ever scared flying?
To Unknown 194: Thanks for the complements! No, I have never really been scared flying. It is too fun to have any fear. I think learning to fly - and becoming a flight test engineer - has lead to some of my most exciting and challenging activities though. Like knowing that we had to do a test right - or there there would be a lot of disappointed people and maybe a damaged airplane. That was not fear or being scared ... just the acceptance of responsibility.

[ Marta - 204 - 16:08:32 ]
RE: Chelsea from CT asks, When did you become interested in flying?
Chelsea, I became interested in flying when my parents asked me if I had a hobby I'd like to pursue. Pop worked for an airplane manufacturer and he had a friend who had an airplane and took me for a ride. I loved it and began to learn to fly when I was 14. My instructor and all the other pilots were so excited for me and they encouraged me all the time. The rest is history (so to speak!).

[ Marta - 205 - 16:16:21 ]
Claire: I'll answer both your questions in one message. What made me get interested in flying? Well I hope you read the answer to Chelsea, but mostly I was interested because I had a good first experience and I was encouraged by family and friends. It did not hurt that I seem to have a natural aptitude for things requiring good eye-hand coordination with a lot of brain power required too. I like mental and physical challenges and flying is just that! You also asked what does 71 stand for. Well to be honest, I really do not know! The legend goes that when President Johnson announce the existence of the airplane now known as the SR-71, he made a mistake: he was supposed to say RS-71 and he transposed the letters. Rather than embarrassing the president, the military decided to keep the new designation. I am sure that someone knows what the 71 stands for ... If you do a websearch on 'SR-71 Blackbird', I bet you'll find a site where that question can be answered!

[ Marta - 207 - 16:27:03 ]
RE: Dear Marta Bohn-Meyer, What inspired you to become a astronaut? If scientists discovered that it was compleatly safe to attend a rocket to Mars and you were asked to attend, would you exept? Is your job, would you say easy or hard? Do you like being an astronaut? I think that being an astronaut would be an interesting job. How long have you been having this job? I am very happy that you are answering my and many other questions! Thank you!
Dear Unknown 205: Actually, I am not an astronaut. To be an astronaut, you have to fly higher than 150,000 feet. I have only been to 85,000 feet. I do wear a pressure suit that is just like the ones that the astronauts wear though. That is to be sure that I am protected form the harmful effects of low air pressure and low oxygen content in the atmosphere at high altitudes. I do like my job as a flight test engineer. It allows me to mix my technical skills and abilities with my physical skills and abilities. A real good job, eh? As for your question about whether I would go to Mars if asked; of course. If the scientists thought they needed me and my skills to go to Mars, I would go! As for how hard is my job: I do not think it is hard ... just requires that I pay attention and do my best all the time. Sometimes I do not know how to do something and I have to ask for help from people who have tried it before me; sometimes I am the trailblazer and I become the expert ... Kinda fun. Not hard. As for how long have I been in my job ... 25 years (yes, I am likely older than you Teacher!) And I've had a bunch of wonderful experiences!

[ Marta - 208 - 16:31:35 ]
RE: Nazifa/India/How u felt when you were given chance to fly SR-71 air craft and HOw was your experience in that.
How did I feel when I had a chance to fly in the SR-71: very honored and proud. I also felt like I was prepared. I studied and practiced in a simulator for nearly a year to be ready for my fist flight. Practice! Practice. Practice! I have over 100 hours in the SR-71. Each flight was a chance for me to excel. I tried to do my best every time.

[ Marta - 211 - 16:42:32 ]
RE: Nazifa/India/How you get prepare your self before a mission?
To Unknown 209: I will answer both your questions in one message: To prepare, I begin by understanding the requirements of the engineers and scientists that need flight test data. Then I work with them to design a flight plan that is safe and will allow us to gather the data they need. Then I simulate the entire mission from take-off to landing so that I can have an idea o f what should happen. Then I send a lot of time training for emergencies or unplanned events - so I am ready for them IF they occur. As for my physical routines: I do not do anything unusual: I eat well, get a lot of rest, and regular exercise. As for how it felt to fly and airplane by myself for the first time: GREAT. I knew I was ready to do it. I had a good instructor and when he signed me off to fly solo, I knew everything I need to to know to get the airplane off the ground, fly for 10 minutes and land it safely. I was very excited and proud of myself! After all , it is not every 16 year old that can say she can fly!

[ Marta - 213 - 16:47:53 ]
RE: [Lori/QuestChatHost] Good morning Marta!! Looks like you have had some interesting questions this morning & there are more in the chat room. I have added a few!
Lori, Yes, the questions are great! I will be at a meeting for a while so I may not respond to any for a few hours ... but I will get the job done before the end of the session. Marta

[ Marta - 214 - 16:55:21 ]
RE: Nazifa/India/Dear Marta,What kind of training and practice you have to do before a mission or how you prepare your self before an importnat mission? I thank you for answering my questions.
Nazifa (is that your name or where you are in India?) I thinks I gave you some ideas on what kind of training and practice I do before a mission in my last response but if that was not clear I'll try again. Since the engineers and scientists are the people we work for when we fly the mission, we have to understand what they need. So we will sit with them to understand the data requirements then figure out how to get the data safely. Sometimes we will have to fly a practice flight in another airplane - say an F-18 - just to determine if we can do what it is we are going to try to do. Then we practice in a ground-based simulator which is a copy of the airplane with all the controls and switches so we know exactly what we have to do in the real airplane.

[ Marta - 216 - 17:54:18 ]
RE: [AnnMary/YWAC] Hi Marta - Speaking of the 4 rights did you ever have any wrongs?
AnnMary,Yes. A very interesting question - and the first time it has been asked. I never though of it that way. I like it ... makes me think too! Let me think "out loud": maybe the most wrong thing I ever thought was that other people owe something to me ... that other people have to help me be successful. Once I learned that my successes - or failures - were mostly my responsibility, I think I began to get it right. That is not to say that I believe in operating totally independent of other people, I just strongly believe that you have the primary responsibility for making your life decisions. You should feel personally accountable for the outcomes resulting from your decisions. And if the outcome is not what you desired, first examine your contributions to that outcome: were you really doing your best work? were you acting responsibly? were you proactively participating in creating the outcome or just expecting other people to do 'their part' to get you what you expected to come your way? etc. And if you can say you were, then you must examine what has to change in the future. Thinking that what works today will work 10 years from today is ludicrous. You have to adapt to the environment you are in here and now. And sometimes the environment is not what you want it to be ... you have to deal with the deck of cards you are given ... and do your part to make the future brighter for those who will follow you. Sometimes no matter what you do, the outcome is not what you wanted it to be. I am going through such an experience right now. I sulked for a while but that did not fix the problem. I blamed others for the situation I was in ... and got confirmation that I was right ... it was 'not may fault' that things had not gone well for me. But that was the deck of cards I was holding. I was miserable. I forgot my own mantra!!! But that not being a fun place for me, I began to look for solutions ... win-win solutions. And after 6 months, I think I have found one. So as we speak, I am in the process of working on my four rights again ... I feel much better ... and my friends can tell I am more satisfied, more productive and a better contributor to my chosen profession. How's that for talking out loud?

[ Marta - 218 - 18:20:46 ]
RE: Nazifa/India/Dear Marta,I think you are an well experienced pilot,so you didnt get confused any time while flying,Have you every struck to any kind of emergency,You got any confusion that time.How you manage the emergency type of position?
Nazafa, I have been lucky during my flying career. I have not had too many emergencies. And the few that have occurred were ones that made me so busy that I did not have time to get confused and/or scared. I just followed the emergency procedure. If there was no prescribed emergency procedure, I used my years of experience and judgment to decide how to make sure the emergency would have a 'happy ending'.

[ Marta - 221 - 18:27:41 ]
RE: [AnnMary/YWAC] Did you always have the goal to achieve what you have when you were younger?
Actually, yes and no! I was not an airplane nut as a very young child although I was interested in airplanes because my Pop worked for an aircraft manufacturer. But I was always a hard worker and wanted to be the best I could be - if not the best in my class.

[ Marta - 227 - 18:47:45 ]
RE: Lisa, Mrs Greens Who are your heros?
To Unknown 220; Who were my heroes? My biggest hero was a story book character: the Virginian (from Owen Wister's book by the same name) I like him because he was a quiet, successful man who assumed responsibility for his actions and tried to help the world become a better place. In the real world, a test pilot named Don Evans inspired me when I was a youngster. He took me on my first flight when we did acrobatics! When I was in college, another test pilot who became an astronaut, named Fred Gregory was a big inspiration. He took me for my first jet plane flight. Of course my parents are heroes in my book ... they created the environment that I grew up in. They made it possible for me to has successes (and failures) to learn from. And my husband is also my hero. He is the most supportive person I have ever known. I love him dearly. I know a number of aviation greats personally - folks like Chuck Yeager, Scott Crossfield, Kathy Sullivan, Hoot Gibson, Patty Wagstaff, Sean Tucker, Fitz Fulton, Bill Dana, Milt Thompson, and a large number of Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs) and they too are heroes to me ... but I know they would all say, they are really only ordinary people who were lucky and successful at the same time ... While I am not a hero, I consider myself an ordinary person who has been lucky and successful through out my career. That observation was how my mantra of the 'four rights' was born actually, I realized that my heroes were not born heroes; they were ordinary people who become heroes to me and lots of other people ... and they all seemed to have those things in common ... so I coined my expression; "To be successful, you have got to be in the right place at the right time with the right experience/qualifications and right level of enthusiasm/interest." Over the years it has been shortened to "My four rights: right place, right time, right qualifications, and right enthusiasm."

[ Marta - 231 - 20:11:13 ]
RE: Ralph How did you like being a woman in the Air Force?
Ralph, I am not and have never been in the Air Force. I am 100% civilian all the time. I was a very lucky person to be in the right place ant the right time to have some experiences that normally one would think only military personnel would get to have.

[ Marta - 232 - 20:13:26 ]
RE: Hal What is your current job
Hal, My current job is Chief Engineer for NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in CA, but at this very moment I am on a one-year detail to the Navy's China Lake facility to learn more about how they conduct flight research and test and evaluation. They might have some ideas and processes that would be good for NASA. Also, I might be able to share some NASA processes that might help them.

[ Marta - 233 - 20:15:30 ]
RE: What are your goals now?
To Unknown 225: My goals right now are to be a contributor to the organization that I work in and with. I also continue flying and hope to be a mentor and teacher to people who are just entering into the world of flight test and research. Lastly, I hope to continue as one of this great nations top aerobatics pilots.

[ Marta - 234 - 20:18:40 ]
RE: Is April 26th the 40th anniversary of the Blackbird's first flight?
To unknown 228: You know, I just do not know. I you are right. I know this sounds crazy but I really do not pay attention to those kinds of details ... now ask me what a TDI in an SR-71 is and I can talk! (It is the Triple Display Indicator, a 'digital instrument' that displays Mach number, altitude and airspeed in knots.)

[ Marta - 235 - 20:20:35 ]
RE: There is a Blackbird celebration on Saturday. . .Can young people come out to meet you at the Blackbird Air Park?
To unknown 229: I will not be participating in the events at the Blackbird park this weekend. I am sure other SR-71 pilots and crew members will be and they would be thrilled to meet with 'young people'. Have fun!

[ Marta - 236 - 20:21:35 ]
RE: I found a flyer advertising the Blackbird Air Park event on http://www.lockheedmartinstardusters.org/blkbird.htm
To unknown 230: Thanks for sharing that. I hope other Chat participants take the time to look at the website.

[ Marta - 239 - 21:11:10 ]
RE: what inspired you to become what u are now?
To Unknown 237: I don't think I was inspired to become what I am today specifically. I was inspired to work hard and be the best I could be. When I found out that I have an aptitude for flying, I decided to make that a part of my career. I also learned that I was good at technical things (math and science). And I like to work with my hands to build things. From there, I had a lot of luck and worked very hard to learn all that I could about the business of flight operations, research and test. I had a lot of wonderful mentors who helped me along the way and then one day I was famous because I flew in the SR-71. I suppose I should write book, Eh?

[ Marta - 240 - 21:15:25 ]
RE: Ann/Mrs.Westberry 7th grade science. How big is the moon compared to the sun?
Ann, I honestly do not know. I do know that the moon is smaller than the earth by many times, and the earth is smaller than the sun by many times ... I'll bet that you can go to the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) website and either find the answer there or find some one to ask. They are the experts from NASA's space side! Good luck!

[ AnnMary/YWAC - 241 - 22:02:37 ]
Marta thank you so much for spending this day with us and telling us about your career. You are an inspiration to all young people.

[ Marta - 242 - 22:05:46 ]
You are welcome ... I enjoyed it as well. Good luck to everyone! Marta