In the Scott Carpenter Underwater Space Analog Station

Krisstina will be MC (Mission Control), and the "featured guests" this morning will be Karen Dodson and me--"Remarkable women" is the title of our day. I'm a bit apprehensive, not because I'm going into SCUSAS, but because I've never seen a web cast or chat. I wished I'd seen one to know what to expect, but yesterday morning I did my SCUBA training, and in the afternoon, the microgravity exercises. Karen' s webcast with Tom Whittaker got "rave reviews", and I hope we can do as well. (I actually looked in the window of the station on my "training" tour of the lagoon and saw Pat Russell, Karen, and Tom Whittaker doing their webchat.)

The moon dock and the wet room were the most interesting to me. Amidst such "complicated" stuff as scrubbers, air pressure relief valves and oxygenated air, the entry way was basically just a glass inverted and submerged in water.

I pop up the hole, place my hands on the edges, my knee on a shelf, swing around so that my derriere is on the dock and I'm aboard. Easy. Krisstina greets me and gives me a few simple instructions about drying off, changing clothes and entering the "dry" room. I follow instructions and enter the dry room, wet hair combed back, and find my glasses in the "dry box." Comfortable. Maybe it is because I'm used to being on sailboats with small cockpits and cabins.

I'm surprised to find overly soft RV type seats and not "astronaut" contoured lounge chairs or even airliner seats. After I've looked around a little, Karen comes on board, showers off, and somehow sets the fire alarm off. I smell something warm and "electronic", but don't experience any fear or alarm. No smoke, no flame, plenty of water to pop back into. Hey, I like excitement!

That fixed, K & K proceed to get the computer set-up and the video camera going. A couple of attempts signing on and we are ready for chat time. Not many sign on, and I'm disappointed in that. I was expecting Questions about my career from school kids...nothing like that. Linda, Rose and Celeste, from topside keep the chat rolling. I am happy to see Anita signed on and answer her questions first.

I am a little frustrated with the laptop keyboard. The %^$ backspace and arrow keys are in different places than I'm accustomed, and I keep getting my fingers on the wrong keys and typing a whole line of errors. I'm also not used to this sort of mouse (no mouse actually, a sort of stroking sort of thing) and feel like I'm taking too much time answering each question while still NOT really getting to the point.

I answer questions about "lifestyle approach," stress to bones, and try to figure out how I can get some of the objectives RE: THE CHALLENGE PROJECT worked into my answers. Finally, we switch to WEBCAST and I'm glad to be rid of the keyboard. Probably Karen's method of typing the answers for the "guests" is a better method, but at the time I had insisted on typing my own answers. Anyway, I feel more comfortable with the WEBCAST, probably because of my prior (albeit brief) experiences with TV.

All of a sudden time is up and its "shore time." I change back into a wet bathing suit, trying to maintain my balance while standing on one foot on a rather narrow ledge. I don't want to fall down that blue hole without an air regulator.

That done, Lance appears with my regulator and it's time to leave. By prior arrangement, however, he is going to video me going out of the station and then going back in again. This is fun and I ham it up (as usual) and then try to be serious (while laughing). I do have a slight scare though. On my second entry to the station, I see the DO NOT ENTER sign and think I'm in the wrong place. I do, after all, have a sense of blindness down there without glasses. The thought runs through my head that this is an electrical space or something and I retreat. This, of course, troubles Lance and he signals to do it again. This must be right, he'd never signal me to enter someplace I'm not supposed to be, but of course, I wonder if I'm interpreting his signals correctly. I do it, and of course, all is well. It WAS the moon dock.

Lance then gives me yet another tour--and I see sea worms, some parrot fish and a "sunken ship" (planted, I think), scrape my shin on the wreck and head for the dock. After filming me a couple of times coming out of the water, the whole thing is over.

I've had a number of first experiences, learned a number of things, and wonder if my words, typed or spoken, contributed in any significant way to the Challenge mission.