[ LTCexpert - 6 - 10:06:50 ]
RE: [Brittany/MtHebron] Hi, I wanted to know the materials you need to make a space station
There are a lot of different materials used on the Space Station. Most of the metal pieces are made from aluminum. There are a lot of composite materials used also - these are a number of materials mixed together to give us different characteristics such as strength or flexibility.

[ LTCexpert - 11 - 10:13:49 ]
RE: [Brittany/MtHebron] Are there any more? What is in it?
Well, we have tungsten, stainless steel, and titanium used for structure; graphite-epoxies used on the antennae, copper for all the electrical wiring, rubber used to seal the habitable modules to prevent leakage, and plastic for a number of small pieces to mount electrical equipment, and fibrous blankets for temperature control. Any more?

[ LTCexpert - 13 - 10:16:11 ]
RE: [Brittany/MtHebron] What do you need to get oxygen in there? How do you get food if you lived in their?
Brittany, We will use the orbiter to deliver all the oxygen, water, and food to the astronauts that live on board the Space Station. We use a device called a PMA to connect the orbiter to the station. Oxygen will be transffered from the orbiter through tubing and food and water can be hand carried.

[ LTCexpert - 16 - 10:20:05 ]
RE: [AaronAndersonHS] What do you use for radiation shielding? What type of power plant are you using? (solar, nuclear, etc.)
Aaron, we will use a number of devices for radiation sheilding. We will have thermal blankets mounted on the structure, all the pressurized modules (where the astronauts will work and live) have walls to prevent radiation exposure, and all the electrical boxes have structural shielding. The power plant, at station completion in 2003, will consist of 8 solar arrays each about 150 feet long when expanded.

[ LTCexpert - 17 - 10:22:56 ]
RE: [RodAndersonHS] What is the maximum amount of time humans can stay in orbit in the station and not be effected by demineralization or other physcological effects?
I'm no expert on this one, but the body starts changing physiology the minute one gets in space. I know one cosmonaut on the space station MIR stayed in space over one year and one of our astronauts, Shannon Lucid, spent over 6 months aboard MIR.

[ LTCexpert - 19 - 10:27:13 ]
RE: [Roberta/Gateway] How long will the oxygen last that is sent through the PMA?
Roberta, I'd have to get some details for you, but there will be an air revitalization system on board the Station. The system uses 'scrubber' cartridges to remove the carbon dioxide from the air the astronauts produce. Resupply missions will send up new cartridges and we can again transfer oxygen onto the Station from the orbiter. We are planning to launch about 5 missions a year, so it better be enough to last 3 months.

[ LTCexpert - 20 - 10:32:03 ]
RE: [AaronAndersonHS] What are the thermal blankets made of? What thickness are they? How thick are the walls?
The thermal blankets are a lot like the ones we currently use to insulate the interior of the orbiter. Some of the blanket outer coatings will be 'betacloth' and some will be a goldized aluminum foil material. The foil type cover is used to relfect the heat. Betacloth is a tougher coating than the foil and is used in areas that may be subject to greater damage from on-orbit debris.

[ LTCexpert - 24 - 10:44:42 ]
RE: [Ellen/Gateway] We read that you are sending 5 this year. When are you sending the next one?
Our next Shuttle mission is STS-90, Nuerolab. Its the last Spacelab mission and will conduct a variety of experiment over a 16 day mission. The first Space Station mission going on the shuttle is scheduled for July of 1998.

[ LTCexpert - 27 - 10:48:48 ]
RE: [Ellen/Gateway] Gateway Elementary is in a small town called Travelers Rest, S. C. that is near Greenville, in the northwest part of South Carolina. We are very excited to be on-line with you. The class wants to know how long you have been in this job? What is the favorite "space" food?
Scott has been working at Kennedy Space Center for 12 years mainly in the Design Engineering Office and I've been at KSC for 11 years in the Shuttle Operations Office and Space Station Integration Office. I'll have to ask what the favorite space food is, but every time we launch a shuttle mission we have a big bowl of "BEANS".

[ LTCexpert - 30 - 10:52:07 ]
RE: [Ellen/Gateway] How many are going on the next Shuttle mission in July?
The shuttle mission in July will launch Node 1 of the space station. There are currently 5 astronauts scheduled to fly on STS-88. The Node is the American building block from which all the Canadian, European, and Japanese hardware will be attached.

[ Bill/NASAChatHost - 31 - 10:54:48 ]
Ellen/Gateway, how many students are participating in the chat today from your school? This is for census purposes here at Ames.

[ LTCexpert - 32 - 10:55:12 ]
RE: [Ellen/Gateway] The answer of "BEANS" got a loud laugh from the group. They thought it would be dried pizza and strawberries or fruit. Do they take pizza and fruits on the mission? We have read that they do.
The astronauts dining selection has come a long way from the Apollo era flights. They take steak, M&Ms, Coke, pizza and all sorts of other stuff. I've heard their favorite though is a shrimp cocktail packet. They let them float around for a while and then swoop in and eat them.

[ Bill/NASAChatHost - 34 - 10:57:47 ]
We have less than 5 minutes left to chat, so send in your last questions.

[ LTCexpert - 35 - 10:58:09 ]
RE: [Ellen/Gateway] What did you put on the MIR to fix the air leaks?
I don't believe the module that was damaged during the collision has been reopened. I know they are still using the power cables located in the damaged module to run MIR hardware.

[ LTCexpert - 36 - 10:58:44 ]
RE: [Ellen/Gateway] Are you still there?
yep

[ LTCexpert - 39 - 11:03:48 ]
RE: [Ellen/Gateway] The kids know that the astronauts's moms are not with them if they are playing with their food in space. Who was the youngest person in space, when did he or she go up, and why did they make the trip?
Have no idea on this one. I would think it would probably have been a mission specialist though. All of the Shuttle commanders and pilots come from the military and have extensive training. The payload and mission specialist train to support a specific mission or experiment.

[ LTCexpert - 40 - 11:06:03 ]
RE: [Ellen/Gateway] Thanks. We have had tons of fun. Good-bye.
Enjoyed it also. You can always contact KSC's public affairs office to get any information about Shuttle or Space Station programs you want. NASA also has home pages on the web for all their centers

[ Bill/NASAChatHost - 41 - 11:06:28 ]
That is all the questions we have time for today. I would like to thank everyone who participated today. You can learn about upcoming chats on the LTC at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/ltc/schedule.html