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[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 15 - 10:00:05 ]
Hello and welcome to today's NASA Quest Space Team Online/Classroom Today panel discussion with NASA experts! Today's featured panelists are: Mike Moses, space shuttle flight controller, JSC; Lisa Shore, ascent flight dynamics officer, JSC; William Foster, ground controller, JSC; Tim Terry, simulation supervisor, JSC; Larry Parker, air traffic controller, KSC; and Robert Dempsey, flight controller, JSC.

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And now, here are our NASA experts to answer your questions.

[ LisaShore/JSC - 22 - 10:02:51 ]
RE: [Kelly_CrestonMiddleSchool] Lisa Shore, Have you ever lost a shuttle? If so, what was it like to know that you couln't find the shuttle? Why did you lose contact? 8th grade
Hi Kelly! We've never lost a shuttle. We have lots of stations and satellites to track them and the shuttle is pretty big. We have lost a satellite for a few hours before.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 23 - 10:03:09 ]
RE: [Ellen8_CrestonMiddleSchool] Dear Mr. Foster, How difficult is it to understand what the astronauts are saying in space?
Ellen, Depending on what is happening at the time, it can be easy or difficult to understand them. The quality of the voice is generally excellent, but there are frequently many other voices from other loops in your headset. Generally, when the crew is talking, we try to remain silent so we can pay attention to what they say in case we need to take some action, but there are times when it gets to be a challenge to choose the right voices to listen to. Thanks for your question.

[ TimTerry/JSC - 24 - 10:03:15 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] Mr. Terry, Can you explain some of the missions?
Hello Ashley. Most of the missions are related to the assembly of the International Space Station. We're taking various pieces of the Station to space and putting them together with pieces that are already flying. There are still a few missions not related to the Station, most of which are used to collect scientific data about the Earth or our galaxy.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 25 - 10:03:49 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] What is a typical day of work for you?
Ashley, a typical day of work is either an office day, spend studying and reviewing procedures, preparing for upcoming flights, or a sim day. During sims, we go to the control center and "practice" a mission.

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 26 - 10:04:29 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] What is a typical day of work for you?
For me (Space Station flight controller), typical day usually means lots of meetings as we plan our missions. Plus we do a lot of training and testing. Tends to be a pretty busy day.

[ LisaShore/JSC - 27 - 10:04:54 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] What is a typical day of work for you?
Hi Ashley! Welcome to the chat. My typical day consists of checking my e-mail, going to a few meetings, preparing for a sim or flight and occasionally simming or flying.

[ LisaShore/JSC - 34 - 10:06:31 ]
RE: [MrsHestersClass] How do you keep track of the shuttle in space?
Hi Mrs. Hesters class. We keep track of the shuttle with a network of ground tracking stations and with tracking satellites.

[ TimTerry/JSC - 35 - 10:06:32 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] What is a typical day of work for you?
A typical day for me would be scheduling and preparing simulations for the flight control teams or actually conducting those simulations with the crews and flight controllers. It takes a lot of preparation to challenge these experts.

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 36 - 10:06:57 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] What is your predicted date at which people will get to live in space? (besides the space stations we currently have)
WEll people already live in space for short periods - but if you mean the continuous living on the space station - around October or November.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 37 - 10:07:14 ]
RE: [Stephen] What does MMU stand for
Stephen, MMU stands for Manned Maneuvering Unit, which was used in the early days of the shuttle program to expand the movement of astronauts during EVAs. There were some spectacular moments with astronauts out away from the shuttle, or attempting to grapple a satellite with a special tool. these are no longer used, but a smaller cousin of them, called the SAFER, will be used by astronauts that must get further from the shuttle or station during assembly operations than a tether will allow. These will be for safety only and not a primary means of moving about. Thanks.

[ LisaShore/JSC - 40 - 10:07:56 ]
RE: [NateJared] How long does it take to lauch a shuttle?
Hi Nate and Jared. The part of the launch where the main engines are on takes about 8 and a half minutes. We perform another maneuver about 45 minutes later to keep us in orbit.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 42 - 10:08:00 ]
RE: [Stephen] What does MMU stand for
Stephen, the acronym MMU actually can mean a few things. It commonly refers to the Manned Maneuvering Unit. That was a big "backpack" that astronauts used when outside the shuttle on spacewalks. It allowed them to fly outside the shuttle payload bay to retrieve satellites. MMU can also mean the Mass Memory Unit, which is essentially a computer hard drive that holds the shuttle software.

[ TimTerry/JSC - 48 - 10:08:46 ]
RE: [TERRA] DO YOU LIKE WHAT YOU DO?
Most of us will probably jump at the chance to answer this one. I personally love what I do and feel very fortunate to contribute to our presence in space. The variety of the jobs and the compliment of talented people makes the work more enjoyable. I wouldn't know what else to do if I didn't work here.

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 56 - 10:10:12 ]
RE: [TimTerry/JSC] Most of us will probably jump at the chance to answer this one. I personally love what I do and feel very fortunate to contribute to our presence in space. The variety of the jobs and the compliment of talented people makes the work more enjoyable. I wouldn't know what else to do if I didn't work here.
I have to agree. There is a great deal of challenges and variety in our jobs. It is also great to figure out how to do the things we do for the first time.

[ LisaShore/JSC - 57 - 10:10:38 ]
RE: [Samantha] lisa what is exactly MCC
Hi Samantha. The MCC is the Mission Control Center. It's the building here in Houston that we control the Shuttle and International Space Station from. Most people think of the MCC as the front control room they see on TV.

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 59 - 10:11:14 ]
RE: [TERRA] MR.MOSES-HOW MANY WORDS A MINUTE DO YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TYPE TO HAVE YOUR JOB?
Fortunately, not too many. It helps if you can type fast since we spend a lot of our time on the computer, but no speed is required.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 60 - 10:11:22 ]
RE: [Dee] Mr. Moses. Did you have any career choices, other than the ones you listed in your profile? (Vet and astronaut) What other career could you have gone into with your education?
Dee, I went to school with plans on becoming an astronomer. I spent a lot of time looking through telescopes. But one day, instead of going to the observatory, I went to help a friend test fire a rocket engine. From that point on I knew I wanted to work with rocket propulsion.

[ TimTerry/JSC - 64 - 10:12:18 ]
RE: [Kelly_CrestonMiddleSchool] Tim Terry, What was the most interesting mission that you had to train a crew for? Who was in the most interesting crew that you ever had to train? 8th grade
Hi Kelly_CrestonMiddleSchool! Probably the most interesting mission was STS-88/2A, the first International Space Station assembly mission. The mission was flown in December, 1998. To answer your other question, all crews are interesting in many ways. It's fun and challenging to bring folks with many backgrounds and expertise together and help them perform as a team. The STS-88/2A crew was as interesting as any I've trained.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 65 - 10:13:04 ]
RE: [TERRA] MR.MOSES-HOW MANY WORDS A MINUTE DO YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TYPE TO HAVE YOUR JOB?
I can't type very fast - it's not really a requirement. You have to be able to type well enough to get your job done but the actual stuff we do in mission control doesn't specifically require fast typing skills.

[ LisaShore/JSC - 66 - 10:14:51 ]
RE: [MrsHestersClass] What is a typical shift like?
A typical shift on console starts with what we call a handover from the previous team. We talk to them for about a half hour and find out what has been going on since we left. Then the Flight Director holds a conference on the voice loops and everybody tells what's going on in their area. After that you spend the time planning for the upcoming activities like a maneuver.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 67 - 10:15:18 ]
RE: [Kelly_CrestonMiddleSchool] William Foster, Have you ever lost contact with a shuttle? Were you worried when it happened? What was the reason for losing contact? 8th grade
Kelly, We do lose communications with a shuttle sometimes for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the shuttle maneuvers off the best antenna to talk to the TDRS or ground station, sometimes we have radio interference from a transmitter on the ground. We simulate this a lot, including equipment problems on board or on the ground causing the problem. We have detailed procedures to follow to recover comm. This has never been a major problem, and most times it happens we know in advance it is a possibility.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 71 - 10:16:29 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] What is the hardest thing you have done so far for Nasa?
The most challenging part of my career at NASA happened for me during the last shuttle mission, STS-99. The payload was making a radar map of the Earth and had a failure that caused us to use more propellant than we planned on. Since I'm a PROP flight controller, that means it's my job to track this usage and try and find a way to let the payload customer continue mapping the Earth to get full coverage. The entire PROP team worked hard and managed to get a full mission.

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 73 - 10:17:16 ]
RE: [StephenGagne] Why is NASA tryingto make cheaper robots?
Stephen, well, it is very expensive to operate in space. If NASA makes cheaper robots, they can use the left over money for other projects. NASA is trying to make all aspects of space flight cheaper so that more can be done and more people can benefit from it.

[ LisaShore/JSC - 74 - 10:17:23 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] What is the hardest thing you have done so far for Nasa?
The hardest thing I've done at NASA so far was to get certified as an Ascent FDO. It's a really tough training flow. The sim guys, like Mr. Terry make sure that we see all kinds of failure scenarios that we hope never happens. It can be extremely stressful at times.

[ TimTerry/JSC - 76 - 10:20:04 ]
RE: [Ellen8_CrestonMiddleSchool] Dear Mr. Tim Terry, How complicated is it to train crews? What is the average percentage of people who do not cooperate?
Hello, Ellen8_CrestonMiddleSchool. Fortunately, we put much thought into the skills and knowledge that an astronaut must possess to fly successfully. We have developed training plans (much like your teacher develops for you) that specify the types and duration of training events. The percentage of students who do not "cooperate" is very small. We're very lucky here to have students that are extremely interested in learning.

[ LisaShore/JSC - 77 - 10:20:41 ]
RE: [David] Has there ever been a problem guiding a shuttle back home?
Hi David. We've never had any serious problems guiding the Shuttle back home. The Entry FDO spends a lot of time planning the deorbit maneuver burn to make sure that the Shuttle enters the atmosphere at the right place. After that, the MCC doesn't take control unless something breaks onboard the Shuttle. That has never happened and we always made the landing site as planned.

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 78 - 10:21:04 ]
RE: [NATEandJARED] Do all of you from Johnson Space Center know each other?
Nate and Jared, Well I know some of the people here (hi Tim!) but this is a big place so I don't know many of the others.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 79 - 10:21:23 ]
RE: [NATEandJARED] Do all of you from Johnson Space Center know each other?
I get to work with Lisa in the MCC a lot. She is an Ascent FDO and I'm working to become an Ascent PROP. I haven't met Tim face-to-face but have suffered at the hands of his scripts. He's a SIM SUP, in charge of running the simulations that train the flight control team.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 83 - 10:22:01 ]
RE: [MrsHestersClass] What is a typical shift like?
Mrs. Hester's Class - A typical shift begins with a thorough briefing from the controller you are relieving. Following that briefing, the oncoming Flight Director polls each position for their latest status. While this is happening, the outgoing controller continues to work with his/her flight director on the mission. After the change of shift briefing with the new flight director is complete, and he/she is comfortable with assuming command, the outgoing shift is released. What happens next depends on which shift you are on, what is going on with the flight plans, and what position you support. As a ground controller, we work constantly with the MCC facility and with the space tracking and data network people at Goddard and White Sands. There are really no typical shifts, but all are interesting and great to be working with the mission and crew.

[ TimTerry/JSC - 84 - 10:22:20 ]
RE: [NATEandJARED] Do all of you from Johnson Space Center know each other?
I know Bill, Lisa, Bob, and Mike. Bob works with my wife and the other three have been on the receiving end of training that I and my training teams provide during simulations.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 85 - 10:22:34 ]
RE: [MikeMoses/JSC] I get to work with Lisa in the MCC a lot. She is an Ascent FDO and I'm working to become an Ascent PROP. I haven't met Tim face-to-face but have suffered at the hands of his scripts. He's a SIM SUP, in charge of running the simulations that train the flight control team.
Mike, we at NASA Quest are very happy to bring you all together! ;-)

[ LisaShore/JSC - 86 - 10:22:43 ]
RE: [NATEandJARED] Do all of you from Johnson Space Center know each other?
I know the rest of the JSC guys. It's a pretty close knit family here at JSC within Shuttle Operations and we see a lot of each other in sims and meetings.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 87 - 10:23:23 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] If the technology wasn't as great as it is today, how much harder would it make your jobs?
The technology we use in the MCC is really great. Bill Foster (one of today's experts) is a GC or Ground Controller. They do a wonderful job of keeping the MCC running smoothly. The job would be very difficult without all the technology and support staff.

[ TimTerry/JSC - 88 - 10:24:07 ]
RE: [MikeMoses/JSC] I get to work with Lisa in the MCC a lot. She is an Ascent FDO and I'm working to become an Ascent PROP. I haven't met Tim face-to-face but have suffered at the hands of his scripts. He's a SIM SUP, in charge of running the simulations that train the flight control team.
Since Mike mentioned me so nicely, I won't be as tough on him the next simulation (yeah, right). :)

[ BillFoster/JSC - 91 - 10:25:48 ]
RE: [NATEandJARED] Do all of you from Johnson Space Center know each other?
Nate and Jared. JSC is a very big facility, and even in the more limited confines of the flight control community, it is very difficult to know everyone. Over the course of preparing for a mission, we will sim many times with the same group of people, giving us a chance to work with them and get to know them a little better. As a community, however, there is a tremendous amount of respect and trust among the flight controllers, so even if you do not know everyone else, there is never a problem working together.

[ Samantha - 82 - 10:21:32 ]
Lisa as any body died in space in or out

[ LisaShore/JSC - 92 - 10:25:59 ]
Samantha, fortunately nobody has died in space yet. Our number 1 job is to make sure that doesn't happen. Of course the Challenger crew died on their way there but hopefully that will never happen again.

[ TimTerry/JSC - 93 - 10:26:14 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] Can you take pets in space? Do you use animals for any part of the work at Nasa?
Ashley, I'm sure some astronauts would like to take their pets or family into space, but it's not possible. Several types of creatures have accompanied astronauts into space, including rats and bees.

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 94 - 10:26:51 ]
RE: [JD] Do people that go on tours of the MCC ever get to meet any of the astronauts or MCC people?
JD, generally no. There are a LOT of people who come through here and it can be quite distracting to constantly be meeting them.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 95 - 10:28:49 ]
RE: [Evan] Is their any bugs that get hit by a spaceshuttle?
The space shuttle has never had a collision in space with anything of any significant size. What's important to remember is that in orbit everything is moving extremely fast, so even small things like paint chips can cause a lot of damage to the shuttle.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 101 - 10:29:29 ]
RE: [JD] Do people that go on tours of the MCC ever get to meet any of the astronauts or MCC people?
JD, The people coming through on the Space Center Houston tours do not typically get to meet people working in the MCC. They enter through a visitor's entrance and remain in a viewing room behind glass dividers. One of the fun parts of working in the White FCR (main shuttle control room) is watching the tours come through and waving at the visitors when possible. I have occasionally gone into the viewing room when visitors are there, but as a rule, there is no interaction. Space Center Houston does schedule regular sessions where an astronaut is available there for meeting people and signing autographs. I hope you can come out and visit us soon. Thanks.

[ LisaShore/JSC - 102 - 10:30:53 ]
RE: [Evan] How fast do space shuttles travel?
Hi Evan. Once we're in orbit the space shuttle travels at about Mach 25 which is 25 times the speed of sound.

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 103 - 10:31:04 ]
RE: [Stephen] Which robot "died"first on the Mars Pathfinder mission
Stephen, on that mission the Sojourner (the mobile robot) died first. Its battery was only designed for a short life and it actually lived beyond that.

[ LisaShore/JSC - 104 - 10:31:55 ]
RE: [LisaShore/JSC] Hi Evan. Once we're in orbit the space shuttle travels at about Mach 25 which is 25 times the speed of sound.
That's about 17,500 miles per hour.

[ TimTerry/JSC - 109 - 10:32:57 ]
RE: [LisaShore/JSC] Hi Evan. Once we're in orbit the space shuttle travels at about Mach 25 which is 25 times the speed of sound.
Evan, we generally talk in terms of "feet per second", which for an Orbiter is about 26,000 feet per second. That's about 17,500 miles per hour.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 110 - 10:33:01 ]
RE: [Chris] What controls do you use?
What controls are you referring to Chris ?

[ BillFoster/JSC - 111 - 10:33:55 ]
RE: [Jennnfer/wms] HOW MANY PEOPLE WORK AT JSC IN THE MISSION CONTROL CENTER?
Jennifer, There are about 50 people involved in supporting the flight controllers, including about 18 in the front room and the rest in the support rooms. In addition to these, there are another 20 to 30 controllers supporting the ground controllers, and another 20 to 30 maintenance technicians in the building at any one time. Then you have the hardware and software engineering support people available on call throughout the missions, including the management support for all areas. Altogether, you may have over 200 people directly or indirectly involved in support of mission operations depending on what is happening with the flight. Thanks.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 112 - 10:34:01 ]
RE: [TERRA] MR.MOSES-WHAT DOES E.V.A. STAND FOR?
EVA is Extra Vehicular Activity. That means an astronaut going outside on a spacewalk.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 113 - 10:34:04 ]
RE: [Jennnfer/wms] HOW MANY PEOPLE WORK AT JSC IN THE MISSION CONTROL CENTER?
Jennifer, There are about 50 people involved in supporting the flight controllers, including about 18 in the front room and the rest in the support rooms. In addition to these, there are another 20 to 30 controllers supporting the ground controllers, and another 20 to 30 maintenance technicians in the building at any one time. Then you have the hardware and software engineering support people available on call throughout the missions, including the management support for all areas. Altogether, you may have over 200 people directly or indirectly involved in support of mission operations depending on what is happening with the flight. Thanks.

[ LisaShore/JSC - 115 - 10:35:11 ]
RE: [Samantha] lisa what do you do in your spare time.
I like to do a variety of things in my spare time. I like sports a lot and I play golf, softball, Rollerblade, and run. I also play in a billiards league. When I'm not doing any of that I stay at home and play with my animals or watch TV or a movie. I have lots of animals (2 dogs, 2 cats, 1 rabbit and 1 turtle) so that takes some time.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 119 - 10:35:21 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] How many hours a day do you work?
When not flying a shuttle mission, we typically work the standard 8 hours a day. During the mission, a shift is about 9 hours long.

[ TimTerry/JSC - 120 - 10:36:13 ]
RE: [JD] Mr. Terry-What kind of education does a person have to have in order to be a "student" at NASA? You said that you had students that are there to learn. How old does someone have to be to be a student there?
Good question, JD. Our students (flight controllers and astronauts) are anywhere from their 20s to the 60s in years. Education varies widely, but most share some type of engineering degree. Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, and Computer [engineering] are several types represented by the JSC workforce. Of course, the Space Shuttle pilots are all military pilots before they become astronauts at JSC.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 121 - 10:37:42 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] How real are the movies we have seen compared to the actual happenings of in-flight operations and the space station? (example: Armegedon)
Armageddon was not too realistic. Hollywood was taking a lot of liberties to make the movie look spectacular.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 124 - 10:39:09 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] How many hours a day do you work?
Ashley, The number of hours worked a day varies with what is happening. A typical mission shift will be 9 hours, a typical day in the office is 8 hours (but these generally last 9 to 10 hours, particularly as we get closer to a flight). Launch and landing sims last 4 to 5 hours of run time plus 1 to 2 hours of prep time. On orbit sims can last 8 to 9 hours with an additional hour of debrief time and 1 to 2 hours prep time. Some of the GCs supporting missions work 12 hour shifts. The fact that this job is rarely routine is another reason it is fun. Thanks.

[ LisaShore/JSC - 125 - 10:39:21 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] How real are the movies we have seen compared to the actual happenings of in-flight operations and the space station? (example: Armegedon)
It depends which movie it is. Apollo 13 was very realistic. Movies like Armageddon take a little more artistic license. The Shuttle can't just fly around wherever it wants the way it did in that movie. It takes a lot of planning to rendezvous with a satellite or object and it's usually a fairly slow process. We can't carry enough propellant onboard to do all the things they do in the movies but Mike knows that better than any of us.

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 126 - 10:39:29 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] How real are the movies we have seen compared to the actual happenings of in-flight operations and the space station? (example: Armegedon)
Ashley, Well it depends on the movie. Apollo 13 was very accurate and gave you a good idea what the life of a flight controller is like. Armageddon has some accuracies, but they were quickly over shadowed by "creative license". For example, the Shuttle could not dodge and weave through a comet cloud like the Millennium Falcon as shown.

[ TimTerry/JSC - 127 - 10:40:06 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] How real are the movies we have seen compared to the actual happenings of in-flight operations and the space station? (example: Armegedon)
Ashley - Armageddon was a very entertaining movie, but far from realistic when it comes to space travel. Other movies, such as Apollo 13, come much closer to reflecting the experiences and talents of astronaut crews and the experts in Mission Control. As you can imagine, many of us here at JSC watch these movies and try not to "pick them apart" on their technical merits. We try to enjoy them.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 128 - 10:40:45 ]
RE: [NATEandJARED] Mr. Foster Have you met John Glenn?
Nate and Jared, During all the time that Mr. Glenn was at JSC during preparation for STS-95, I never did see him, much less meet him. Our schedules just did not coincide. Following the flight I was invited to the post mission crew party, and did get a chance to see him there, along with the rest of the STS-95 crew. Thanks.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 134 - 10:42:36 ]
RE: [Morty] How are these related: MCC, LCC, and GC?
The MCC is the Mission Control Center, located in Houston, Texas. The LCC is the Launch Control Center, located at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. GC is a console position in the MCC - Ground Control.

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 135 - 10:42:47 ]
RE: [soehlms] Hello, We are just joining you. Is there anyone here who can discuss how the selection of payloads are made?
Soehlms, we can probably all help a little - what specific question do you have? Normally, a team of people will propose an idea to NASA. NASA will the review it with the aid of experts on whether it can be done, how expensive, what is the scientific gain and so on. Once selected it takes many years to actually get the payload to fly.

[ LisaShore/JSC - 136 - 10:43:53 ]
RE: [JD] I've seen funny pictures where the astronauts faces look funny when they are launching. Why doesn't this happen after they're in space if they are still going 17,500 miles per hour? Thank you.
That's a really good question JD. The reason they look funny during a launch is that they are accelerating to get up to orbital speed. The shuttle astronauts experience up to three times the force of gravity during a launch. Once they are in orbit, the engines are turned off and they are no longer accelerating. Then they are in what we call zero g, which means if feels like there is no gravity so they just float around.

[ TimTerry/JSC - 137 - 10:44:28 ]
RE: [JD] I've seen funny pictures where the astronauts faces look funny when they are launching. Why doesn't this happen after they're in space if they are still going 17,500 miles per hour? Thank you.
JD, the astronauts experience acceleration during liftoff and ascent. Although these accelerations aren't unusually high, they could cause distortion of one's face. Once the Shuttle gets to orbit and the main engines shut down, there is no acceleration (except that toward the Earth, ask your science teacher) and the astronauts' faces can return to mostly normal.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 138 - 10:45:05 ]
RE: [davidh/wms] Is it hard to creat a shuttle?
The Space Shuttle took a very long time to design and build. It has thousands of systems that have to interact. Each system has redundancy and backup.

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 139 - 10:45:32 ]
RE: [STEPHENGAGNE/MODULEVANIER] Mr Dempsey,do you know who I could contact for Information on past Nasa robot missions
Stephen, it depends. For most planetary missions the Jet Propulsion Laboratory [http://www.jpl.nasa.gov] in Pasadena California is the best place. They are VERY friendly as I used to write them a lot when I was your age. For some other missions, Goddard Space Flight Center [http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov] is a good place. Go to the NASA web page [http://www.nasa.gov] and hunt around for the mission you are interested in. There is usually a address to contact them if the info you want is not on the web page.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 140 - 10:47:02 ]
RE: [JD] How long and when is each working shift? Is the MCC open 24 hours a day?
JD, The MCC is in operation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Since the launch of the FGB in November of 1998, we have had a limited team of flight controllers on duty around the clock for space station support. We also support software development and testing, as well as simulations as needed. There are times when the building is partially shut down for maintenance activities, but even then there is a crew of facility management and maintenance people on duty. Thanks.

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 141 - 10:47:41 ]
RE: [Matthew] Have you ever sent a camera ship to Pluto?
Matthew, so far NASA has not sent any probes to Pluto. I believe one may be launched in the next few years, and it will then take many years to get there but we have not done it yet.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 142 - 10:48:27 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] How did you decide what you wanted to be? (expecially that you wanted to work for Nasa)
I sort of accidentally found out what I wanted to do. After college, I thought I'd go work for the Air Force doing rocket propulsion testing. My wife worked for NASA here at the Johnson Space Center, so I moved to Texas. I ended up getting an interview and started working in mission control. I was happy to find that I love this job !

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 147 - 10:49:10 ]
RE: [AshleyWMS] How did you decide what you wanted to be? (expecially that you wanted to work for Nasa)
Ashley, I am lucky. When I was a kid around the time of the first landing on the Moon it just hit me. I have done many things on my way here but I knew I wanted to do something with space exploration all my life.

[ LisaShore/JSC - 148 - 10:50:46 ]
RE: [Jennnfer/wms] CAN WE TAKE ANOTHER TRIP TO THE MOON AND WE WMS JOIN?
I hope that someday we will take another trip to the Moon. It looks like we are going to go to Mars first though.

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 149 - 10:51:16 ]
RE: [soehlms] We wanted to know whether there is an opportunity again for kids and their teachers to propose a payload idea!
Soehlms, Maybe someone else here knows that for sure. I would guess so but I would check the NASA web site [http://www.nasa.gov] under the educational section.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 150 - 10:53:23 ]
RE: [Chris] Mr. Moses, what controls do you use to launch the space shuttle and what controls do you use to help the space shuttle to navigate through space?
Almost all of the controls used to launch the space shuttle are run by computers and computer programs. The space shuttle itself is also run by a computer. It uses jets on orbit (the Reaction Control System, RCS) to control where it points. It uses aero-surfaces during entry, just like an airplane.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 156 - 10:56:50 ]
RE: [TERRA] MR.MOSES-HOW BIG IS NASA?
TERRA, I really have no idea how large NASA is. It is spread out all over the country, with centers in Florida, Texas, Ohio, Maryland, Washington DC, California, and Mississippi (think I got them all).

[ TimTerry/JSC - 157 - 10:57:23 ]
RE: [JD] Dear Panel-Did you get good grades in school?
JD, I can't speak for the others, but I got fairly good grades. It's just as important to choose the correct subjects as it is to perform well. Stick to your likes and talents and work hard.

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 158 - 10:57:34 ]
RE: [Stephen] Mr Dempsey ,Can you give me some web pages for missions to Mars
Stephen, try http://www4.jsc.nasa.gov/infosys/cisco/index.htm | http://www.nasa.gov/hqpao/newsroom.html | http://spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov/Spacelink.Hot.Topics/.index.html for Mars try: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 159 - 10:57:38 ]
For those of you preparing to leave us, we once again ask that you visit our NASA QuestChat Information Center at http://quest.nasa.gov/qchats to send us your comments about today's panel discussion. We look forward to hearing from you!

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 162 - 10:58:24 ]
RE: [JD] Dear Panel-Did you get good grades in school?
I got good grades in high school. Once I got to college, things got tougher.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 164 - 10:58:27 ]
RE: [Morty] Mr. Foster, What is the funniest thing that has happened between you and the Space Shuttle crew duting communications?
Morty, We do not directly communicate with the crew from the GC console. Only the Capcom talks to the crew on a regular basis. The surgeon does during medical conferences, the flight director can if needed, and on some flights, there is a payload position that can talk to the crew. The GCs are responsible for making sure the air-to-ground comm system is properly working, and enabling authorized positions for talk capability (this is done by our support position called "Comm Tech"). There have been many humorous exchanges between the crew and Capcom, but none involving the GCs. Thanks.

[ LisaShore/JSC - 166 - 10:58:58 ]
RE: [JD] Dear Panel-Did you get good grades in school?
JD, I had good grades in high school. They slipped a little my first couple of years in college but then came back up again when I started taking aerospace courses. It was all a matter of being focused. There are a lot of distractions when you first go away to college. It took me a little while to get refocused but once I did it was all As and Bs.

[ LisaShore/JSC - 167 - 11:00:18 ]
I have to run off to a meeting everybody. I've enjoyed all your questions and look forward to chatting with you in the future. bye.

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 168 - 11:00:34 ]
RE: [JD] How long would it take to get to Mars in terms of weeks, months, years.....?
It really depends on how much propellant you can use to get to Mars. the typical mission would take 3-6 months of travel time.

[ TimTerry/JSC - 169 - 11:00:45 ]
RE: [MrsBrecheisen/ParsonsMiddleSchool] When you are loading your astronauts into the space shuttle, do you ever get to meet the astronauts and get to know then?
MrsBrecheisen/ParsonsMiddleSchool: We don't actually perform the crew strap in at the Kennedy Space Center. Those in this forum who work in the Mission Control Center are busily monitor their consoles in preparation for the launch. Those of us who work in training have (hopefully) done our jobs and we are on hand to monitor the mission activities. Some instructors and flight controllers get to know the crew during the course of training for the flight.

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 170 - 11:00:50 ]
RE: [JD] Dear Panel-Did you get good grades in school?
JD, Yes, once I found stuff I really enjoyed like Math and physics!

[ BillFoster/JSC - 171 - 11:01:05 ]
RE: [MrsBrecheisen/ParsonsMiddleSchool] When you are loading your astronauts into the space shuttle, do you ever get to meet the astronauts and get to know then?
Mrs. Brecheisen, We do not get to meet the astronauts while they are loading onto the shuttle. We do monitor than over the video feeds and work with them on comm checks as they get strapped into place. Thanks.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 172 - 11:01:18 ]
RE: [LisaShore/JSC] I have to run off to a meeting everybody. I've enjoyed all your questions and look forward to chatting with you in the future. bye.
Lisa, thank you for being a part of today's panel discussion. We've enjoyed having you with us today, and look forward to chatting with you on Tuesday, March 21. Have a great day!

[ MikeMoses/JSC - 173 - 11:01:39 ]
I too must be going. It was great to have the opportunity to chat with you all.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 174 - 11:02:54 ]
RE: [MikeMoses/JSC] I too must be going. It was great to have the opportunity to chat with you all.
Mike, our thanks to you, too. We look forward to having you online again with us. Thanks for chatting with us today!

[ RobertDempsey/ISS - 175 - 11:03:07 ]
yes, I too must get going - time for those meetings/planning/simming/testing we all talked about. It has been fun and hope to talk to you again in the future.

[ TimTerry/JSC - 176 - 11:03:16 ]
Everyone: Duty calls. I have enjoyed chatting with you and look forward to another time. Thanks for your support. Tim

[ soehlms - 179 - 11:03:24 ]
Thank you all, Bye!

[ BillFoster/JSC - 181 - 11:05:05 ]
RE: [Ryan] Do you ever get nervous?
Ryan, We train many hours for a flight to be able to handle just about any contingency, but anyone who does not get nervous when the solids light off does not understand what is happening. The trick is to not let it affect your performance. Thanks.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 182 - 11:07:29 ]
RE: [Sajjad] Is your job dangerous?
Sajjad, The job of a flight controller is not dangerous, other than the same industrial hazards facing anyone in a computer environment. We have major safety initiatives underway on a continual basis to prevent even minor safety hazards. thanks.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 183 - 11:10:36 ]
RE: [MrsBrecheisen/ParsonsMiddleSchool] Did you know that you wanted to do this when you were a child?
Mrs. Brecheisen, I have always been infatuated with the space program. I remember watching the first steps on the moon and the unfolding drama of Apollo 13. I remember Gene Kranz from those days, and remember the first time I saw him after coming to work out here. All that said, I started to college in Journalism, changed to Engineering later, and did not really think about a job out here until a month or so before I graduated. By the way - Gene Kranz' book on the Mission Control Center, called Failure Is Not An Option, is due out next month.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 187 - 11:14:05 ]
RE: [TERRA] MR.FOSTER-HOW OLD DO YOU THINK THE SPACE STATION IS?
Terra, It depends on which space station you are referring to. The ISS is a little over a year old on orbit. MIR has been up since 1986. The Salyout (I may have this name wrong) was up a few years before that, and Skylab went up in the early '70s. For MIR and the ISS, these dates are the first element dates. MIR evolved a lot in the 14 years since it was launched, and the ISS is still an infant. Thanks.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 188 - 11:14:14 ]
RE: [JD] Where is the center in Ohio?
JD, the NASA center in Ohio is the Glenn Research Center (formerly called the Lewis Research Center). NASA GRC is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and you can visit the center online at http://www.grc.nasa.gov.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 189 - 11:17:09 ]
RE: [Anthony] How do you build a space shuttle?
Anthony, The space shuttle was built by Rockwell (now part of Boeing) after several years of design work. It takes hundreds of companies and thousands of people, including engineers, draftsmen, technicians, welders, truck drivers, managers, secretaries and just about anything else you can thing of, to plan, assemble and test a space shuttle. Thanks.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 193 - 11:20:29 ]
RE: [MrsBrecheisen/ParsonsMiddleSchool] Whats the biggest problem you've had to solve?
Mrs. Brecheisen, About a week prior to the last flight we had a problem with our command system that resulted in near continuos work for some of our software people. After determining we could not fix it prior to flight, we developed procedures to minimize the risk. This may not have been the most difficult problem in my 20 years out here, but it certainly spun up a lot of activity in the MCC trying to fix it. It has been fixed now and will not be a concern for the next flight. Thanks.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 195 - 11:22:02 ]
RE: [JD] Do you have any more pets, Mr. Foster? (other than the ones on your profile) (or you did have)
JD, I haven't read my profile in a while, but I do not believe it has changed. Two poodles and four fish. Thanks.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 196 - 11:25:05 ]
RE: [Michael] Do you ever miss your wife?
Michael, In general, my job is similar to any office job. I do not travel often and am home most evenings. There are times when I spend long hours at work with brief visits home to rest, or during missions I may have the midnight shift and sleep when the family is awake. Those times are a little hard on the family and I do miss my wife and children then. Fortunately, this does not happen every mission for any individual and I get to be with my family most of the time, including constantly working with my 9th grade daughter on Algebra II. Thanks.

[ BillFoster/JSC - 197 - 11:29:12 ]
RE: [JD] I know that the movie, "Rocketman" is not very realistic. But I was wondering if the part that Jeff Bridges played has any similarities to your job?
JD, My family really enjoyed the movie "Rocketman". No one in the movie, however, bore any resemblance to how we do business here, including the part played by Jeff Bridges. "Rocketman" was intentionally not trying to portray NASA in a serious light, so it was easy to sit back and ignore the technical problems with it. "Armageddon", on the other hand, tried to play it straight, and I did not like the movie (even though I saw some of it being filmed here). There is a new movie with Clint Eastwood, called "Space Cowboys" due out in the summer that filmed here last August. I worked with some of the technical people on it trying to get some of the technical faults straight, but only time will tell how it will be. Thanks.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 198 - 11:30:08 ]
EVERYONE, please note: As you may have noticed, Larry Parker from NASA KSC was not in attendance today. Unfortunately, a scheduling conflict prevented Larry from joining us. But we hope to feature him in a chat in the coming weeks. Be sure to check our chat schedule at http://quest.nasa.gov/qchats/schedule to keep up-to-date.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 200 - 11:37:31 ]
This concludes today's NASA Quest Space Team Online/Classroom Today panel discussion with our NASA experts. We thank everyone for joining us today, and extend our sincerest thanks to Mike Moses, Lisa Shore, Bill Foster, Tim Terry, and Robert Dempsey for joining us today. THANK YOU, NASA EXPERTS!

[ JD - 201 - 11:37:59 ]
Good job in school guys!!

[ JD - 202 - 11:37:59 ]
THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 203 - 11:39:37 ]
An archive of today's panel discussion will be available soon. Archives of this week's previousl discussions are available at http://quest.nasa.gov/space/events/cc

[ Brian - 204 - 11:39:51 ]
Once again, thanks everybody for participating in the chats. Mike, Lisa, William, Tim, Larry, and Robert from NASA - thanks for all your time! Keep talking on the Classroom Today Student Message Board: http://www.classroomtoday.com/messageboard

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 205 - 11:40:02 ]
As a final reminder, visit our NASA QuestChat Information Center at http://quest.nasa.gov/qchats and send us your comments about today's panel discussion.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 206 - 11:41:34 ]
We once again thank everyone for joining us today. Please join us for our final panel discussion on Friday, March 17, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. Details are available at http://quest.nasa.gov/space/events/cc Have a great day!

[ BillFoster/JSC - 207 - 11:43:35 ]
Goodbye everyone. I enjoyed speaking with you.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 208 - 11:46:35 ]
RE: [BillFoster/JSC] Goodbye everyone. I enjoyed speaking with you.
Thank you again, Bill. Have a great day!