[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 3 - 10:46:59 ]
We will post a few questions in the chat room at a time during our chat today. This will help Jim keep up with our questions. So DON'T WORRY if you don't see your questions appear on your screen immediately.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 4 - 10:48:01 ]
At the conclusion of today's chat, be sure to visit our NASA QuestChat Information Center at http://quest.nasa.gov/qchats to send us feedback about today's chat. We look forward to hearing from you!

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 7 - 10:59:48 ]
Hello and welcome to today's NASA Quest Space Team Online chat with Jim Peters from NASA Johnson Space Center. James Peters is responsible for ensuring all the hardware and equipment works and fits together properly, before being launched into space on the shuttle and assembled on the International Space Station (ISS).

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 8 - 11:00:17 ]
And now, here is Jim Peters to answer your questions.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 11 - 11:04:02 ]
RE: [Josh/PMS] What is a typical day like for you?
Josh, a typical day is pretty busy primarily because of the number of flights that will be made during the upcoming year. In addition to writing procedures, I also dive in NASA's neutral buoyancy tank to train astronauts for upcoming flights and test hardware.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 14 - 11:08:57 ]
RE: [sarin] Hi Jim, We are two high school seniors from Pittsburgh, we have a few questions for you. The first one is what type of hardware do you use on the space station, and what type of tests do you do on this hardware.
Sarin, the hardware I deal with are all the US elements (both pressurized and unpressurized). The pressurized modules are where the astronauts live, work and conduct their experiments (such as the US Laboratory, Airlock, Nodes and Habitation module). The unpressurized elements contain all the "Truss" elements which is essentially the support structure or "backbone" of the station. The truss elements hold the solar arrays as well as all the pressurized elements. The testing we do primarily consists of making sure all the elements fit together before they are launched. This include checking all electrical, structural, fluid and data transmission connections. Good Question.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 16 - 11:13:08 ]
RE: [sarin] One of us was considering going to the University of Maryland this fall for Bio-Medical or aerospace engineering, and you said that you got your masters degree there, do they have good programs there? Did you like it there?
Sarin, University of Maryland is a great place to attend college. As a matter of fact, I earned a Master Degree in Aerospace Engineering from Maryland after I graduated from the US Naval Academy. I would also highly recommend the bio-medical field as well. They typically work together with Johns Hopkins University (in Baltimore) on a number of different programs. In addition to the sound academics, there are a lot of fun things to do (i.e., Ocean City Maryland, Athletics, Historic DC and Baltimore as well as the US Naval Academy and downtown Annapolis. Go Terps.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 20 - 11:17:31 ]
RE: [Josh/PMS] What kind of computer training do you need for your job?
Josh, the computer training you need depends on the type of job you have on the Station program. It can be as simple as using Microsoft Word, Power Point and Excel to develop reports, presentations and spreadsheets or as complicated as programming all the on-board flight computers of the Station (which is no easy task). In addition, a number of engineers are trained on all the CAD (computer aided design) software to generate all the engineering drawings needed to build the station (also no easy task). Obviously, the better trained you are on computers, the more jobs you would be able to perform on station.

[ sarin - 21 - 11:18:38 ]
We wanted to thank you for taking up your time to "chat" with us. Your information is very helpful, especially the information on Maryland. Good Luck!

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 22 - 11:19:58 ]
RE: [sarin] We wanted to thank you for taking up your time to "chat" with us. Your information is very helpful, especially the information on Maryland. Good Luck!
Thank you for joining us today, Sarin. We will post other questions you have submitted as soon as we can. Be sure to visit our NASA QuestChat Information Center at http://quest.nasa.gov/qchats to send us your feedback on today's chat. We hope to hear from you again soon!

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 24 - 11:23:03 ]
RE: [sarin] Why did you choose a career in space instead of a career in medicine? Was this a hard decision?
Sarin, I always wanted to be a Medical Doctor while growing up. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend Ohio State Univ. due to financial constraints (my dad was layed off from General Motors during my Senior year). This is one of the reasons I went to the Naval Academy. However, I did earn a Doctoral degree in Systems Engineering and would go back to medical school if I won the lottery or inherited a lot of money. Overall, it was a tough decision but one I certainly do not regret. My ultimate goal is to become an astronaut and either field of study will get you there.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 28 - 11:27:31 ]
RE: [Josh/PMS] How did the time in a Nuclear Submarine prepare you for your job?
Josh, the submarine training helped prepare me to do this job in a number of ways: First, I learned to dive in the Navy and now dive for NASA. Second, a lot of the systems (i.e., thermal, life-support, environmental control) used on submarines are similar to the station systems. In addition, the psychological effects (such as boredom, depression, lack of privacy, decreased memory, lack of or difficulty sleeping, high stress) of being on a submarine are the same as spending a long time on the shuttle or space station.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 30 - 11:29:31 ]
RE: [Jay] What is the hardest part of your job?
Jay, the hardest part of my job is keeping up with the schedule and all the paper work necessary to document the work we do.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 33 - 11:31:09 ]
RE: [Josh/PMS] What is the procedure when the equipment doesn't work or doesn't fit properly together?
Josh, Good Question. NASA always has a "back-up" plan that we refer to as a contingency plan. In addition, we have spare equipment to replace/repair any malfunctioning equipment.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 36 - 11:33:38 ]
RE: [Robbie] How much fuel does a shuttle hold?
Robbie, I'm not sure about the exact amount of fuel the shuttle holds. But, the majority of the shuttle weight is fuel. So, since the shuttle weights about 6 million pounds, the fuel would weight about 5 million.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 37 - 11:35:04 ]
RE: [sarin] You said that you have worked on every piece of hardware before it is launched, what have been some of the different missions have you worked on. Do you have a favorite?
Sarin, my favorite piece of hardware to work on thus far has been the US Lab. This module is the cornerstone of the station in terms of research. In addition, it is the most complex and thus, the most interesting.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 52 - 11:46:49 ]
RE: [Amanda] Have you ever found an extra part in the engine or something unusal?
Amanda, I have yet to come across an "extra part" in an engine. But, every once in a while we find something unusual such as pieces of hardware that don't fit together properly. Needless to say, we have to go back and fix them until they do.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 53 - 11:47:23 ]
RE: [Marlena] What would you be doing if you didn't work at the ISS?
Marlena, (I like your name). If I wasn't doing this job, I would be teaching and running my own business as a consultant.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 54 - 11:47:50 ]
RE: [Josh/PMS] I am a Middle School Student. What are some things that I can do now to help prepare me for a career in space operations?
Josh, one of the best ways to prepare for a career (or job) in space operations is to continue with your education and do well in school. I would highly recommend college and encourage you to learn to fly. In addition, participation in sports helps you learn some of the teamwork skills needed to work well with the teams of astronauts, engineers, managers and technicians who build the station.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 56 - 11:48:21 ]
RE: [sarin] Even though this has absoultey nothign to do with NASA, but how did you get involved with parachuting and scuba diving? We were wondering what it is like to jump out a plan? We always wanted to go but are to scared to do it!
Sarin, I learned to parachute and scuba dive simply because I thought it would be interesting and exciting. Both activities where certainly enjoyable experiences and I still do them whenever I get time. In addition, I also teach people to scuba dive.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 57 - 11:48:50 ]
RE: [Lucy] Have you ever had a piece of equipment that was broken that you couldn't fix?
Lucy, I haven't come across anything that we couldn't fix or make work. Boeing and NASA have a lot of smart people that are able to come up with a solution to just about every problem that I have come across.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 58 - 11:49:21 ]
RE: [Lindsay] Does your job require as much math as science?
Lindsay, my job requires a lot of math and science as well as English, speeches, logic and communication.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 59 - 11:49:51 ]
RE: [Mr.Rodkey/KeystoneOaksHighSchool] Why didn't you become an astronaut?
Mr. Rodney, I'm still trying to become an astronaut. As a matter of fact, I just completed interviews, which is the last step before NASA selects the next class of astronauts. They only pick about 25 astronauts every two years among 4-5 thousand applicants...as you can see, it is very competitive.

[ Taleah - 61 - 11:51:34 ]
As you are an engineer and scientist, which is the hardest job?

[ Amanda - 62 - 11:51:34 ]
What do you hope the ISS will be doing in ten years?

[ Korey - 63 - 11:51:34 ]
Why did you become an engineer instead of a doctor? How did you choose?

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 64 - 11:53:00 ]
RE: [Hannah] Why do your schedules constantly change?
Hannah, our schedule changes frequently primarily due to changes in delivery of our hardware. We have 16 different countries involved with this program and it is difficult to have everything sent to Kennedy Space Center at the right time. If we miss a schedule, our launch window changes and hence our schedule changes.

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 65 - 11:54:54 ]
I have responsibilities as a scientist and engineer. No one job is tougher than the other but, they have there own unique challenges. I hope ISS will be going strong in the next 10-15 years and will have made several scientific discoveries that will make our live better on Earth.

[ Josh/PMS - 67 - 11:58:11 ]
Thank you for taking the time to do this. You have a fascinating job and I really ejoyed this chat. Good Luck!

[ JamesPeters/JSC - 68 - 11:58:23 ]
RE: [Taleah] As you are an engineer and scientist, which is the hardest job?
Sorry, we have run out of time. I really enjoyed your questions. I like to share my knowledge and excitement of ISS. Thanks again.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 69 - 11:59:13 ]
As a final reminder, please visit our NASA QuestChat Information Center at http://quest.nasa.gov/qchats to send us your feedback about today's chat.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 74 - 12:01:08 ]
Jim Peters has signed off from the chat and sends his thanks to all of you for your questions. We hope you have enjoyed today's NASA Quest Space Team Online chat with Jim Peters from NASA Johnson Space Center.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 75 - 12:01:42 ]
An archive of today's chat will be available soon. Thank you again for joining us today and have a good day.