[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 0 - 11:49:23 ]
Hello and Welcome to the Chat with Sandra Olsen, a microgravity researcher from Glenn Research Center! This chat will begin at 12:00 pm Pacific time. You may submit questions before then but they will not appear until the chats begin. Be sure to read Sandra's bio at http://quest.nasa.gov/women/bios/so.html

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 2 - 11:51:55 ]
During the chat be sure to read everyone's questions to see if they ask a question you were planning to ask. Also read Sandra's answers carefully, they may give you ideas for new questions! At the end of the chat please complete the survey at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/activities/chats/feedback.html

[ Sandra - 4 - 11:58:27 ]
Hello everyone! I'm very happy to be here today. I'm looking forward to answering your questions.

[ Sandra - 7 - 12:01:55 ]
RE: [Susan/NASAChatHost] Good day Sandra!
It is a very exciting day for NASA, with the upcoming launch this evening! While we here at NASA Glenn (which is in Cleveland, OH) don't have any combustion experiments on this mission, we are very interested in seeing the space station come together. It is truly an impressive facility, and I'm looking forward to having experiments on board.

[ Sandra - 9 - 12:03:47 ]
RE: [Susan/NASAChatHost] Can you tell us about what you are working on now!
I'm working on a number of combustion experiments that are slated to fly on the International Space Station in a few years. Two will be conducted in the Microgravity Science Glovebox Facility, and two will be conducted in the Combustion Integrated Rack, both of which will be in the US Lab module of ISS.

[ Sandra - 11 - 12:10:04 ]
RE: [Susan/NASAChatHost] When you say Microgravity Glovebox Facility, What do you mean?
The MSG (NASA LOVES acronyms!) is a very flexible apparatus that accomodates many different types of experiments. It is basically an enclosure that provides a level of containment for chemicals so the space station stays clean. We've had Glovebox facilities on the Shuttle for years, and they have been extremely useful for conducting small scale experiments. The space station Glovebox is much larger than the Shuttle Glovebox, so we can do bigger experiments there.

[ Sandra - 14 - 12:15:56 ]
RE: [Susan/NASAChatHost] What is the Combustion Integrated Rack?
The CIR is another facility that is specifically designed for combustion experiments. It is being built here at NASA Glenn by a very capable team of engineers who have a lot of experience making multiuser hardware. As you can imagine, fire is one of the biggest dangers in space. After all, you can't just run out of the building! So when we first proposed doing combustion experiments on the Shuttle, we definitely raised some eyebrows. But we proved the facilities were safe, and we have a long history of safely conducting combustion experiments aboard the shuttle.

[ Sandra - 16 - 12:21:56 ]
RE: [Susan/NASAChatHost] Have you made any new discoveries in microgravity lately?
One of the neatest discoveries I've found lately is flame instabilities near extinction. I had hypothesized that they should exist based upon some 1g experiments. Then, during the first drop tower experiment to look for them, we found them in spades! It is very exciting to have your ideas proven in front of your own eyes.

[ Sandra - 19 - 12:30:13 ]
RE: [Susan/NASAChatHost] How are the opportunities for students in chemical engineering these days at NASA? and in industry?
I hired in at NASA in 1983 with a BS in Chemical Engineering. I know of a number of Chem. E.s that work here at Glenn in the fuels, materials, safety, and environmental offices, so I would say there are definitely opportunities for Chem. E.s at NASA. My husband is a Chem. E. in industry. There are always advertisements in the paper for chemical engineers, so I'd have to say there are plenty of opportunities there as well, especially if you have some biochemistry or biomedical background as well.

[ Sandra - 23 - 12:31:57 ]
RE: [Bonnie] What kind of schooling does your career require?
While I hired in with only a BS degree in chemical engineering, I've since completed my Master's degree and PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. To do research, a PhD is definitely a good idea. However, as in my case, you don't need to start with one!

[ Sandra - 24 - 12:34:06 ]
RE: [Julie] How do you balance your personal life and career? Do you have a family?
I won't kid you and say it is easy, but it is never dull! I have 2 daughters, 8 and 11, and they are joys to be with. We do lots of activities together, like horseback riding lessons, karate, and ice skating.

[ Sandra - 26 - 12:37:46 ]
RE: [Sarah] What is your typical day like at NASA?
A typical day for me is to get the kids up and onto their school buses and then head to work. I try to have a drop tower test scheduled for shortly after I start work, so I can get some research in every day. Then I head to the office and get caught up on emails and phone messages. I often have a meeting or two every day, and I spend time analyzing the data from the testing. The analysis is either crunching numbers or using a video tracking system to analyze the flame images from the video of the test. I also spend time writing technical papers of the results. At the end of the day, I pick up the kids from their after-school program, and head home for some fun!

[ Sandra - 28 - 12:38:47 ]
RE: [Amy] What inspired you to work in the field you are in?
My 7th grade science teacher, Mr. Armstrong, really got me interested in research. It was in 7th grade that I decided I wanted to do research. I've never regretted that choice!

[ Sandra - 30 - 12:40:39 ]
RE: [Rachel/PresentationHS] Would you encourage your daughters to get involved with science and technology?
Definitely! I encourage all young women to consider technical fields. The 1st step to doing that is to take the science and math classes in school.

[ Sandra - 33 - 12:43:09 ]
RE: [Mary/ColumbiaHS] What kind of advice would you give to girls like your daughters, or other girls like me?
Take math and science classes, and if you have a particular interest, see what you can do to explore it! For example, my older daughter is interested in veterinary medicine. Since we have lots of pets, and are regular customers at the clinic, I asked the vets there if they would allow her to shadow them for a day. They agreed! So ask, and you will be amazed at how willing folks are to help you out!

[ Sandra - 37 - 12:46:17 ]
RE: [Mary/ColumbiaHS] I read your profile - so do you work with fire a lot? Did you like it as a kid, too?
Actually, no. After watching Bambi as a child, I had nightmares about fires. Most kids were traumatized by the mother getting shot, but I was apparently strongly impressed with the ending forest fire where Bambi and his dad had to swim to an island to reach safety. I never dreamed I would one day study it. One of my primary objectives is to make spaceflight SAFER, so I guess I'm trying to keep fires from ever being a problem by learning about them.

[ Sandra - 38 - 12:48:34 ]
RE: [Mary/ColumbiaHS] What did you like to do when you were younger?
I was a real tomboy as a kid. I spent a lot of time in the woods, in streams looking for crayfish, or riding my bike. As a teen, I really liked to read books, especially science fiction and fantasy. I was voted class bookworm of my high school class!

[ Sandra - 39 - 12:50:51 ]
RE: [Sarah] So you do testing every day?
Right now, yes. But if I'm in the middle of writing a big paper, I sometimes stop and really focus on that. A lot also depends on the facility availablility. Also, I don't always do the tests myself. I usually have at least one or two summer students who do the experiments for me. Also, other engineers on the project teams sometimes do the tests.

[ Sandra - 42 - 12:54:06 ]
RE: [Liz] What happens with the info you find during research? What do you use it for?
Usually, we write papers to appear in combustion journals that adds to the scientific understanding of combustion. Then when the textbooks for college classes are re-written, the new information is included. The microgravity combustion area has really blossomed in the last decade, and appears in almost all the textbooks now. A new output of my research is in applying it to safety systems. For example the 1st action on the Space Station when a smoke detector goes off is to shut off the airflow within that rack. That action is based on our understanding that flow enhances fires in microgravity, so if you stop the flow, you can smother the fire.

[ Sandra - 43 - 12:54:49 ]
RE: [Nicole] Have you ever seen a launch?
Not in person, but I've watched many on TV. I hear it is an awesome experience!

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 44 - 12:55:03 ]
Wow This has been a great chat! Good questions and good answers. After the chat please take a minute to fill out the survey at http://quest.nasa.gov/activities/chats/feedback.html

[ Sandra - 45 - 12:56:00 ]
RE: [Katie/PioneerElementary] Would your results and research help regular people?
Since most of my work is geared toward microgravity, it probably won't help regular people until us regular folks get a chance to go to space. But I hope that day is in our lifetime!

[ Sandra - 48 - 12:58:35 ]
RE: [Mary] That's cool about making flights safer. What have you discovered to make them safer.
I mentioned in another response about the space station fire response system, but I'm also working to improve NASA's materials screening test methods for flammability.

[ Sandra - 49 - 12:59:31 ]
RE: [Brooke] What do you think about mentoring?
Mentoring is really fun! I've had lots of summer students and I learn from them as much as they learn from me. I'm also mentoring middle school girl scouts locally.

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 51 - 13:01:32 ]
Thanks Sandra This has been a terrific Chat!

[ Sandra - 52 - 13:03:05 ]
RE: [Sarah] Do other people help you with your research? Do you use information from other people's research?
I collaborate with other researchers, so often we work together to accomplish the work. Each member of the research team brings their own expertise to the project, and that always makes the project better. I also keep up with what other researchers are doing, so I can learn from them as well. That way what I do ADDS to the knowledge base.

[ Sandra - 53 - 13:05:13 ]
RE: [Liz] What kind of difficulties were you up against to enter this field of work?
While I'm one of only a small number of women in the field, I haven't realy found that to be a problem.

[ Sandra - 54 - 13:07:23 ]
RE: [Brooke] will you ever be finished learning about microgravity combustion?
Combustion is very complex, with fluid mechanics, heat transfer, complex chemical reactions, and phase change. We've been studying combustion in general for a long time, and the microgravity aspect of it is showing us how much of what we thought we understood we really didn't because the gravity effect was not properly accounted for. So, I think it will be a while.....

[ Sandra - 56 - 13:08:29 ]
RE: [Susan/NASAChatHost] Thanks Sandra This has been a terrific Chat!
Thank YOU! And thanks to all of you who asked questions! I really enjoyed this chat.

[ Sandra - 57 - 13:11:42 ]
RE: [Sally] Do you use computers in your work?
All the time! I use the computer in the tests to take data, after the test to analyze the data, and after the analysis to write the papers. I also use the computer to communicate with other researchers. When I started here, the only computers were the big supercomputers, and regular folks like me had to write things by hand, graph things by had, etc. It seems like the dark ages now!