I also had another title as ISS Lessons Learned Coordinator. Lessons Learned are concepts and ideas that were developed on the ISS program and will assist in the engineering and operation of the ISS and/or future programs. My particular job duty was to publish acceptable lessons and distribute them to the ISS community for incorporation. My part in that project has just about come to an end.

Cons: Long work days and many months of work that go by before seeing anything tangible. I worked on the ISS for almost two years before the first flight. It's amazing that some people worked on the project for as much as fifteen years prior to the first flight. This is common in the space program, and it just requires much patience and understanding that all the work will result in something to be proud of.

Preparation for Career
As a kid, I played with Legos®, and that helps to show how small parts go together to make large machines as well as inspire imagination. I built many models including functioning models of rockets that could launch and a remote control airplane.

As for books, I read many nonfiction books about military vehicles. That might sound unusual, but, by far, the military has utilized more of the newest engineering innovations than any other industry.

I think computers helped even more than books in preparing me for this field. From the available research on the Internet to even playing games that challenge the mind to think about innovative ways to surpass an obstacle, computers have helped in honing my skills that allow me to work in this field.

Beyond toys, books, and computers, the greatest activities that encouraged my pursuit of this career were my school lessons. Math is so much fun, especially when you are calculating the energy it requires to put a shuttle in orbit; and English is a challenge, when every word can change the entire meaning of a requirement.

The biggest preparation is learning to be patient. I was 23 when I finally completed all my studies necessary for my career. That's eighteen years of nonstop going to school. On top of that, I have another eighteen years, or more, before I see the final completion of the ISS mission (from launch to deorbit). If all goes well, at that time NASA will begin the Lunar Mars mission. Each one of the crewed spaceflights will last three and a half years! My point is, in this field, discovering that you were successful in completing the goals you set out to accomplish may take a long time to realize. If you do not have patience then you will never be around long enough to be successful at NASA.

Both of my parents were critical in supporting me, but I have to give additional credit to my father in my professional success. He is an amazing engineer, whose professionalism posed as an excellent role model to follow. Without that example to follow, I would never have understood the importance that engineering had in society and would never have felt it worth my efforts. That would have led to me being a lawyer.

Beyond the role model, my father also gave me my initial orientation into what the space program is all about and laid the foundation for the principles for which I think we should endeavor to go into space. These principles are important to my job and me. Most people have the instinct to do what they can to better society, and because of conviction, they do what they can to aid and achieve that effort. I learned from my father what the space program really had to offer society, and, from there, the ethics instilled into me by both of my parents persuaded me to aid and achieve that effort.

After that, I was hooked on space. I built rockets out of my Lego® set and read books on astronauts and their spacecraft. I watched movies like "The Right Stuff" to understand how we got to the Moon and others like "Star Trek" to imagine where else we could go. But nothing prepared me more than listening to my father talk about his fellow co-pilots, some of who were astronauts themselves. Those men not only flew the most impressive jet fighters in the world, but they also flew the only vehicle that has ever been to space and back more than once. That's important for what I hope to see in my lifetime; the ability for an average person to see our planet with their own eyes from beyond our atmosphere. Why this goal? I could never answer that simply, but go look at a globe for awhile, and after you spin it around a few times, think about how simple what you see is; but then think about how much life that simple globe represents.

When I was 8 years old, the U.S. launched the shuttle for the first time; that was vital to establishing easy access to space. I still remember building a Lego® space shuttle for show-n-tell. This fascination lead to a decision to get an engineering degree, and it's important to note; I also attempted to become an Air Force pilot (completed four years of ROTC), but soon learned I lacked the eye sight to qualify for that (and to become an astronaut).

Our family will continue to grow a little bit bigger. In April 2000, I married a wonderful woman, Chandra. She brings to my family two amazing young girls, Chasity and Chelsey, both 8 years old. That means I have to learn how to be a husband and a father now, and that's really exciting. Chandra is a nurse at Texas Children's Hospital. She helps to save lives. To me that's more amazing than being able to step foot on the moon.

Our busy lives keep us apart most of the time so we take advantage of moments together. We have been focused on our wedding and starting a home together. I can tell you planning a wedding is no easy task, but I promise you that activity is the best for really understanding the lasting impact your family and friends have on you. I have never been so attentive and close to my loved ones as I am now; and, as such, I am getting lots of help in getting things done right. However, none of it would be worthwhile if we did not get the occasional moment to enjoy some pizza, watch a movie, and play a game or two together. There is nothing I do professionally that's more important than the moments I spend with my family.

My goal is to see the space station as a success and also enjoy the new opportunity given to me. This new opportunity is Lunar Mars, the next step for manned space exploration. Participating in the International Space Station is a real privilege, but I came into the program at such a late date. It's great to get into a program at the very beginning and having the challenge of making the right decisions now that will affect the program during its lifetime. That's an enormous task, but the rewards are well worth it.

Archived Chats

• October 21, 1999