[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 43 - 09:53:50 ]
RE: [Kate-Kate/homeschool] Hello, Kate here, am I in the right place??
Kate, welcome! Yes, you're in the right place. We will begin our chat with Jim Draus in just over 5 minutes. Thanks for joining us!

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 48 - 10:06:23 ]
Kate, if you're still with us, you may begin asking Jim Draus any questions you have today. As a reminder, Jim's responsibilities are to make sure that various ground support systems are ready to support every shuttle mission, from rollout to the launch pad, up through launch of the space shuttle. But he is also responsible for other systems, whether they are mechanical, electrical or structural, at NASA Kennedy Space Center. And now, here is Jim Draus to answer your questions.

[ JimDraus/KSC - 52 - 10:12:09 ]
RE: [ Kate-Kate/homeschool - 49 - 10:08:31 ]
How many launches have you been a part of?:)
Hello Kate, I have been able to support about 62 Shuttle launches. My first day here at KSC was January 27, 1986, which was the day just before the Challenger accident. I have been involved with every launch since. Jim

[ Aaron/EastMiddleSchool - 56 - 10:24:45 ]
Hello. Kids from East Middle School want to know, how long till a rocket of yours burns out?

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 57 - 10:25:46 ]
Welcome Aaron! Jim Draus will respond to your question as soon as he can.

[ JimDraus/KSC - 58 - 10:25:46 ]
RE: [Kate-Kate/homeschool] What exactly does your job consist of when you are not preparing for a launch??? Like when the next launch isn't for a while.:)
Kate, in addition to my responsibility to support launch I am also a Project Manager for my Facilities Division in which I work. In this function I work with my contractor counterparts to insure any projects we are implementing are done so on time, within budget and to the satisfaction of the system owners. I also have the responsibility to work closely with my contractor counterparts to insure all our system drawings and procedures are up to snuff. There is a lot of maintenance and system repairs that go on after launch to bring my systems back up to operational status in between launches. Along with all this I also attend various training classes to keep up on changing technology. Jim

[ JimDraus/KSC - 61 - 10:32:27 ]
RE: [Aaron/EastMiddleSchool] How long till a rocket of yours burns out?
Aaron, to the best of my knowledge the SRBs burn out in about 2 minutes and 12 seconds after ignition. Jim

[ JimDraus/KSC - 65 - 10:37:20 ]
RE: [Kate-Kate/homeschool] How long prior a launch do you prepare for the launch??
Kate, we really start preparing for a launch right after one goes up. There are quite a few launch damage repairs to the Pad Structures and mobile launch platforms that have to be repaired. Approximately one month prior to launch we roll the shuttle out to the Pad and then validate all the pad systems, install payloads, etc. Jim

[ JimDraus/KSC - 67 - 10:38:43 ]
RE: [Aaron/EastMiddleSchool] Sorry. We got a little cut off there. We want to know, how long have you been in this chat program.
Aaron, this is my first Shuttle Online chat and I started today at 1:00 pm est. Jim

[ JimDraus/KSC - 70 - 10:47:22 ]
RE: [Aaron/EastMiddleSchool] Hi, I was wondering how fast you go in the shuttles?
Aaron, from lift-off to main engine cut-off, which takes about 10 minutes, the space shuttle reaches a top speed of about 17,500 miles per hour. Jim

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 72 - 10:48:26 ]
Everyone, we will be ending our chat with Jim Draus in about ten minutes. Please feel free to ask your questions until that time. Thanks!

[ JimDraus/KSC - 78 - 10:57:51 ]
RE: [Kate-Kate/homeschool] Have you ever wanted to be an astronaut??
Kate, Actually, back around 1987 I sent an application in to the astronaut office at JSC. At that time I was told I need a bit more experience in the Space Program. I believe they required a minimum of 3 years. But I would definitely want to be an astronaut! Jim

[ JimDraus/KSC - 80 - 11:00:43 ]
RE: [Aaron/EastMiddleSchool] Have you ever been a part of an important shuttle run?
Aaron, I really enjoyed the return to flight shuttle flow which was STS-26R. This was the first flight after the Challenger accident and everyone held their breath when it lifted off! Jim

[ Aaron/EastMiddleSchool - 76 - 10:56:15 ]
THANKS!!!!!

[ Kate-Kate/homeschool - 77 - 10:57:37 ]
It has been nice talking to you today. Thank you very much!!:)

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 79 - 10:59:37 ]
Thanks for joining us Kate. We will be featuring Jim Draus in a future chat session, so please stay tuned!

[ JimDraus/KSC - 82 - 11:03:16 ]
RE: [Kate-Kate/homeschool] Thank you !
Kate, thank you also. Jim

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 83 - 11:03:50 ]
Thank you to Kate and Aaron for joining us for today's chat, and a special thanks to Jim Draus for participating with us today!

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 84 - 11:04:33 ]
We encourage you to join us for upcoming chats. Please make sure to check the Shuttle Chat schedule at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/events/interact.html .

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 85 - 11:05:08 ]
Thanks to everyone for joining us for today's chat with Jim Draus from NASA Kennedy Space Center!