NASA Quest Space Team Online QuestChat

Date: August 21, 2001

Featuring: Keith Zimmerman

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 2 - 10:54:44 ]
You may go ahead and place questions in the chatroom now to be answered during the webchat. Please don't post test messages or repeats -- though you may not see your question, it is in the chatroom. Again, PLEASE do not repeat your questions. Enjoy the chat :-)

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 3 - 11:14:40 ]
Hello to our early arriving chat participants! Today's NASA Quest - Space Team Online chat with Keith Zimmerman from NASA Johnson Space Center will begin at 11:30 a.m. Pacific time, 1:30 p.m. Central time.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 4 - 11:19:57 ]
We are in for a treat -- Keith is chatting with us from Russia, where he is working the current shuttle flight (STS-105/7A.1) visiting the International Space Station.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 7 - 11:29:37 ]
Hello everyone! We are ready to begin our webchat with Keith Zimmerman.

[ Keith/Russia - 8 - 11:30:33 ]
Hello everybody! I'm ready to answer your questions.

[ Keith/Russia - 12 - 11:32:37 ]
RE: [Delia] Why are you in Russia?
NASA has a group of engineers in Russia and I am part of that team. Our job is to help Mission Control in Houston communicate with the Russians in Moscow.

[ Keith/Russia - 14 - 11:33:52 ]
RE: [Nancy] Does your group talk to the astrunauts?
No, my group doesn't talk to the astronauts on the space station. But, we do talk to the ones that are on the ground in training.

[ Keith/Russia - 16 - 11:35:02 ]
RE: [Rhoda] What exactly do you do during the mission?
Our job is to pass information between Houston and Moscow. We help coordinate the plans and procedures between the two Mission Control Centers.

[ Keith/Russia - 17 - 11:35:46 ]
RE: [Jackson] What time is where you are right now?
It is 10:35 p.m. here in Moscow.

[ Keith/Russia - 20 - 11:37:36 ]
RE: [Ricky] Did anything exciting happen during this misssion?
There was a rendezvous and docking, plus two spacewalks and also some robotic arm operations.

[ Keith/Russia - 22 - 11:39:23 ]
RE: [Greg] I know they were changing out space statuon crews, but were the astronauts doing anything else new to the ISS?
They brought up several new experiments to work on during the next four months. They also did two spacewalks to install some special cables to get ready for the next mission.

[ Keith/Russia - 24 - 11:40:35 ]
RE: [Nancy] Do you speak Russian? How well? Do you use in it your job?
I speak some Russian. I know enough for basic living, going shopping, buying tickets, going to restaurants, that sort of thing. But I am definitely not fluent.

[ Keith/Russia - 26 - 11:43:00 ]
RE: [Johnny] What is the hardest part of you're job?
That is a good question. I would say the hardest part is dealing with people with a very different culture and approach to what they do. They do some things that are completely different from the way I might do it. Their approach works just as well, but it is different and that takes time and patience.

[ Keith/Russia - 28 - 11:46:07 ]
RE: [Lari] Are there many cultural differences you have to get used to or work around?
The different language is something that we must always deal with. We have interpreters for technical work but when living in the city we are on our own. But there are many great chances to go to concerts, ballets, special exhibitions, etc. and those are very interesting.

[ Keith/Russia- 29 - 11:47:30 ]
RE: [Sherry] What is the purpose of the International Space Station?
The basic purpose is to build a laboratory in space where we do special research that can not be done on the ground, in the presence of gravity. Many different types of experiments are planned. You can find out more about the space station on NASA's web site.

[ Keith/Russia - 30 - 11:47:39 ]
RE: [Simon] When d o tyou think the space station will be finished?
Assembly of the space station will probably be finished in 2007.

[ Keith/Russia - 34 - 11:50:21 ]
RE: [Rhoda] Do you ever want to fly in space?
I think it would be a lot of fun. But, I'm not qualified because I have bad eyesight.

[ Keith/Russia - 36 - 11:52:46 ]
RE: [Tina] When you aren't in the middle of a mission, what do you work on?
Between missions, we spend our time learning about the events on the next mission, training, and planning the next mission.

[ Keith/Russia - 37 - 11:54:08 ]
RE: [Vance] Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
For the next five years I will have the opportunity to work on new support teams that we are creating in Germany and in Japan. After that, I think I would like to work on some Mars mission.

[ Keith/Russia - 40 - 11:55:31 ]
RE: [Jackson] What do u like most about what u do?
Getting to travel around the world is really fun. I enjoy going to different places and trying new things. I also really like working with the space program. I've wanted to do that since I was in school.

[ Keith/Russia - 43 - 12:00:12 ]
RE: [Hunter] How are you using your math & science skills in your job?
We have to coordinate many activities like rendezvous which involves detailed mathematics. We also have to learn about things like life support systems (chemistry) and power supply systems (physics).

[ Keith/Russia - 44 - 12:00:42 ]
RE: [Travis] How much time do you spend in Russia? How much in the United States?
I spend about 3 months in Moscow, and then 3 months in Houston.

[ Keith/Russia - 45 - 12:02:25 ]
RE: [Michael] What si the International Liaison Office?
The people in our office work as liaisons between the US and Russia. In a year or two we will also be a liaison between the US and Europe and Japan. A liaison helps to different groups work together.

[ Keith/Russia - 49 - 12:04:12 ]
RE: [Delia] Who or what inspired you to take the path you took career wise?
I was inspired by the Apollo moon landings which occurred when I was really young. I've wanted to work in the space program since I was in school.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 50 - 12:05:46 ]
Great questions coming in!!!! It is obvious that many of you did your homework & read up on Keith and his duties here at the Johnson Space Center.

[ Keith/Russia - 51 - 12:07:12 ]
RE: [Mike] Would you suggest learning Russian as a language?
If you want to travel or work in this part of the world then I would say yes. It is a difficult language to learn because it has a different alphabet. But if you are interested in the country or the culture then give it a try. People in Europe all learn two or three languages. Americans are kind of behind the rest of the world when it comes to speaking foreign languages.

[ Keith/Russia - 52 - 12:08:19 ]
RE: [Hunter] What kind of math do you use to calculate your coordinates?
NASA uses matrix math, trigonometry, and calculus to determine the position, speed, and orientation of the space station.

[ Keith/Russia - 55 - 12:10:09 ]
RE: [Steve] Is it as difficult to work in Russia for a government agency as it is for a Russian to work in the US?
It is probably easier for me to work in Moscow than for a Russian to work in the US. That is because the Russian engineers that we work with speak a little English but almost nobody back in the US speaks Russian.

[ Keith/Russia - 56 - 12:12:17 ]
RE: [Mike] In your bio you said you like to ski, does your job give you time off when you are in Russia to ski? And is the skiing good in Russia?
No, I haven't had a chance to ski in Russia. Moscow is pretty flat. There are some old ski slopes in the Caucus mountains (about 2000 miles away) but they have fallen into disrepair over the last ten years.

[ Keith/Russia - 57 - 12:14:19 ]
RE: [Ronnie] In your hjpurnals you talked about Phase !, Phase !! & Phase III. What's after Phase III -- is there a phase IV or V?
Phase III will last until the end of the space station, about 15 years from now. I have not heard anything about a Phase 4.

[ Keith/Russia - 62 - 12:17:23 ]
RE: [Dustin] Do you think we will ever make it to Mars
Yes. It will probably be in 10 or 15 years. I wish it could be sooner, but Congress doesn't want to spend the money.

[ Keith/Russia - 63 - 12:18:45 ]
RE: [Annie] Will Nasa ever return to the Moon? That would prove it wasn't a hoxe!
Yes, we will go back to the Moon. It will probably be about 10 years.

[ Keith/Russia - 66 - 12:20:06 ]
RE: [Michael] What is your group monitioring on the space stsation?
We monitor the Russian systems on the space station.

[ Keith/Russia - 67 - 12:22:09 ]
RE: [Tony] Is your call sign RIO? What are some other ISS flight controller call signs?
When I am in Houston, I am a RIO (Russian Interface Officer). Other call signs in Houston are names like ODIN, THOR, PHALCON, ECLSS, and Flight Director. There are many others. Each person is responsible for a different system.

[ Keith/Russia - 69 - 12:23:53 ]
RE: [Hunter] What uis the worst failure or problem you've had to deal with since working for NASA?
On June 25, 1997, I was on console in Russia when their Progress spaceship collided with the Mir space station. There was a rapid depressurization but the crew saved the station by quickly closing a hatch.

[ Keith/Russia - 71 - 12:27:34 ]
RE: [JAX] descibe a "typical" TOUGH day on the job.
The tough days are the ones when there is a disagreement between the two groups. Both sides tend to tell us their problems and we have to try and find a compromise between the two different ideas. But sometimes politics come into play and that can make it very hard to do our job.

[ Hunter - 72 - 12:27:39 ]
Thanks Mr. Zimmerman for the chat! I learned alot today, but I've got to go now.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 73 - 12:28:21 ]
Be sure to read the questions already answered, so you don't ask the same question :-)

[ Keith/Russia - 75 - 12:28:53 ]
RE: [Michael] What are the russian systems you monitor?
We usually watch the life support systems the most. It has subsystems that make oxygen, eliminate carbon dioxide, make drinking water, and control the humidity.

[ Keith/Russia - 76 - 12:30:58 ]
RE: [Tina] What exactly is a systems integration specialist?
That is a person who makes two different systems work together. For example, one group had to figure out how to make the Russian computers talk to the US computers. They are programmed in different languages and were built by different companies. Somebody had to make them work together. There are large teams of engineers at NASA, Boeing, Russia, and other companies that do this type of work.

[ Keith/Russia - 78 - 12:32:27 ]
RE: [Ronnie] Where do you stay when you are in Russia?
NASA rents a group of apartments that have been furnished with European furniture and appliances. They are similar to apartments in the US.

[ Keith/Russia - 81 - 12:33:50 ]
RE: [Darlene] What si the weather like there this time of year? Do you miss being not being home?
I enjoy spending summers in Russia. The temperature is usually in the 70s and 80s. Back in Houston it is often in the high 90s or even low 100s for most of the summer. That is too hot for me. I prefer cooler weather. After a few months, I miss my family and friends and that is why I only spend about three months here on each trip.

[ Keith/Russia - 82 - 12:35:43 ]
RE: [Monica] I read your journals, Mr. Zimmerman. I enjoyed them very much! Did you finish the FGB Data Book? Is everyone using it? I want to be a technical writer when I graduate. Is this something I could've worked on?
Our team finished the FGB data book about one year ago. We have also made a book about the Service Module and one about the Soyuz and Progress vehicles. Yes, we had technical writers helping us so that is one type of thing you could have worked on.

[ Keith/Russia - 85 - 12:38:00 ]
RE: [Ronnie] Do the Russians or the other International partners have different work attitudes then those in the U.S.?
Yes. Russians work to a slower pace and have a longer outlook. They don't try to follow a rigid schedule. Instead they focus on building a team consensus and getting a solution that everybody agrees with, even if it takes a long time to do it. I haven't worked as much with the other partners yet.

[ Keith/Russia - 86 - 12:38:35 ]
All of you are asking some really good questions.

[ Keith/Russia - 87 - 12:39:38 ]
RE: [Pamela] Who thinks up all the failures yo practice for in your simulaitons? (I read a couple of your journals -- cool!)
There is a training group and those people are the ones that think up the different failures that we simulate. They try to put failures into every system so each person has a problem to solve.

[ Keith/Russia - 91 - 12:43:16 ]
RE: [Bobby] Do yyou still work alot of "sims"?
When I am in Houston, I usually work in two simulations each week.

[ Keith/Russia - 92 - 12:43:32 ]
RE: [Ronnie] Gotta go! Thanks Keith Zimmerman for talking to us today -- especially since it is late nighttime where you are. That was very nice of you!
You're welcome.

[ Keith/Russia - 95 - 12:45:48 ]
RE: [JAX] How are the Russians systems different from ours?
Some of them are based on older technology, and some of them are newer. For example, their computers are older. But they have a system which makes oxygen that we don't have on the US side. Plus all the labels and displays are of course in Russian.

[ Keith/Russia - 96 - 12:48:08 ]
RE: [Ashely] What is your favorite part of your job?
I like the foreign travel the best. I get to see many different cities and countries.

[ Keith/Russia - 97 - 12:48:37 ]
RE: [Rachel] Did you ever want to fly on the Shuttle or the Space Station?
I would like to fly in space, but I don't qualify because my eyesight is too bad.

[ Keith/Russia - 98 - 12:50:23 ]
Thanks it was fun.

[ Keith/Russia - 100 - 12:51:22 ]
Thanks everybody. I enjoyed chatting with you. Good luck in school this year.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 101 - 12:51:26 ]
I have put the last question into the chatroom for today. We will let Keith off a few minutes early because it is probably close to or past his bedtime there in Russia.

[ Keith/Russia - 102 - 12:52:45 ]
RE: [Lori/NASAChatHost] I have put the last question into the chatroom for today. We will let Keith off a few minutes early because it is probably close to or past his bedtime there in Russia.
Thanks. It is midnight here and I still have to pack for my trip to Italy which starts tomorrow. But, this trip is for vacation.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 103 - 12:52:51 ]
I want to thank all the participants for their great questions and thank Keith for his career experience and expertise!! Keith could you end our chat today with a few words in Russian?

[ Keith/Russia - 104 - 12:55:58 ]
RE: [Lori/NASAChatHost] I want to thank all the participants for their great questions and thank Keith for his career experience and expertise!! Keith could you end our chat today with a few words in Russian?
My keyboard doesn't have Russian letters, so I will use English letters to spell Russian words. Minye ponravilsya eta razgovor. Duh svidanya. That means I enjoyed this chat and farewell.

Lori/NASAChatHost -- You can learn more about the International Space Station at: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov.