NASA Quest Webchat

Featuring Jay Garland

February 21, 2002

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 2 - 10:55:12 ]
You may go ahead and place questions in the chatroom now to be answered during the webchat. Please don't post test messages or repeats -- though you may not see your question, it is in the chatroom. Again, PLEASE do not repeat your questions.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 3 - 10:55:23 ]
Remember, if for some reason you cannot join us for the webchat, you can input your question ahead of time, and then read the archive later for the answer to your question. It's not near as cool as being there live, but it is very helpful when there are scheduling conflicts. Enjoy the webchat :-)

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 4 - 10:55:34 ]
It would be helpful to us, and fun for everyone involved, if when asking your questions you could identify yourself with more than your first name/handle. If you're logging on from school, please include your teacher and grade level, for instance: Mike/Mrs.Wilson's6thgrade. If you're on your own, include your state and grade, for instance: Debbie/Texas5thgrade. REMEMBER -- don't give your last name (or city or anything too personal).

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 8 - 10:00:27 ]
Welcome everyone to today's webchat with Jay Garland, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 9 - 10:01:25 ]
Hello everyone. It's a pleasure to have the opportunity to respond to any questions you may have thought of since the presentation last week. Fire away!

[ JayGarland/KSC - 14 - 10:04:46 ]
RE: [Tim] What exactly is recycled and then what exactly is it used for?
What is recycled will depend on the type of mission. Current missions (including ISS) have very limited recycling. As we go farther away from Earth and resupply and/or storage becomes more difficult, more "things" will have to be be recycled. The most important elements to be recycled are what you need to live: 1) water, 2) oxygen, and 3) food. Water is the biggest requirement (you need more weight of water per day than anything else to survive).

[ JayGarland/KSC - 15 - 10:06:01 ]
RE: [Jackson/7thgrade/ok] Is biology the only science course you focused on?
Any good biologist needs an excellent background in chemistry because biological reactions are based on chemistry. Mathematics is also an important part of any science.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 18 - 10:08:25 ]
RE: [derekericcowboysfromtexas] How does the recycled gray water taste?
We haven't actually gotten to the point of testing a complete recycling system where people are drinking the water, but that is planned in the near future. Recycled gray water would be processed to remove any off-taste. It probably might taste a little bland, but not bad.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 19 - 10:09:37 ]
RE: [LeslieNEMOJRHS] How is recycling being used on the ISS right now?
As I mentioned to Tim, there isn't a great deal of advanced recycling technology in place on the ISS, because resupply is much easier in low earth orbit.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 22 - 10:12:35 ]
RE: [Mary] What are plants grown in & how are they used in the recycling theme?
Plants have the capacity to recycle all of the major life support elements I mentioned in my answer to Tim. They can convert carbon dioxide (which you exhale) and produce oxygen (which you need to inhale). They can be grown in relatively "dirty" water and release purified water from their leaves. And they can be grown on recycled nutrients from waste material and produce food. So they will be very important for long term missions. Many types of plants are on the potential list; we have already worked with wheat, potato, rice, soybean, strawberry, lettuce, spinach, sweet potato, bean, and onions.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 23 - 10:14:01 ]
RE: [Jake] What kind of research are you involved in now?
That's a big question Jake! Overall, I work on biological methods for processing and recycling wastes for long duration missions.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 26 - 10:15:12 ]
RE: [Mary] What is gray water? Where does it cxome from?
Gray water is defined as non-toilet wastewater (i.e., shower water, clothes wash water, hand wash water, etc.).

[ JayGarland/KSC - 28 - 10:17:16 ]
RE: [Christopher/Oregon/8] What types of plants are planned to be used on station and to survive on Mars?
Please see my answer to Mary. For nearer term missions like ISS, we would probably only use fresh salad crops (i.e., lettuce, tomato, etc.), but longer term missions would involve staple crops that would provide more of the overall diet (i.e. wheat for bread and pasta, potato, bean, etc.)

[ JayGarland/KSC - 31 - 10:19:37 ]
RE: [Jackie8thgrade] Is urine recycled & if so, what is it used for?
Urine will need to be recycled. You produce 2-3 liters of urine a day, which will amount to a lot of water over time. It also contains a lot of nitrogen, which is a plant nutrient. We estimate that a single person's urine could provide all of the nitrogen fertilizer for 20 m2 (that's 180 square feet) of plant growth area.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 33 - 10:21:30 ]
RE: [Carrie/10th/ReaganHS] Can you talk a little about INSITU resource utilization? I have read a little about it on the Quest website, and on a few other places. How far has it advanced? Is it ready for the moon or Mars yet?
Carrie, I'm not an expert on in situ utilization, but it basically means trying to use the things that are already available at the site. This would include trying to use any water that might be on the moon or Mars, or using carbon dioxide on Mars for different types of physical-chemical reactions.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 35 - 10:22:41 ]
RE: [Cindy] Do the astronauts eat the potatoes you mentioned in your webcast last week?
Cindy, We haven't grown any potatoes for food in space yet. But the potatoes we've grown in our tests are eaten by the staff here (and they taste very good).

[ JayGarland/KSC - 36 - 10:24:50 ]
RE: [Tamara/FL] What is compost? What is it made of?
Tamara, Compost is the waste material (like plant leaves and roots or other types of garbage) that has been broken down and degraded by microorganisms in a process that generates heat. The compost contains a lot of nutrients and also is a good substrate for growing plants.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 37 - 10:26:10 ]
RE: [Selena/SanAntonio/9] Will the ISS ever depend on plants for their oxygen supply?
Selena, I try not to say never, but ISS probably won't depend on plants for oxygen. However, a small scale "salad machine" is quite possible, and it would provide fresh food and some oxygen.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 41 - 10:28:35 ]
RE: [Jon] How do the astronauts bath or wash things like clothes or dishes?
Jon, Presently, astronauts do not wash clothes or dishes. Food is supplied in disposable containers and clothes are not reused. However, the use of disposable items will greatly increase storage requirements for missions away from Earth, so washing will become increasingly important.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 42 - 10:29:47 ]
RE: [Laurie] Do you want your kids to grow up and work at Nasa?
Laurie, I want my kids to do whatever they find interesting and challenging. That's my wish for everyone.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 44 - 10:35:01 ]
RE: [Michael] 1. What is a bioreactor? What is it used for? 2. If we build one, what are we looking to learn or produce with the experiment?
Michael, Here's an answer to both of your questions. A bioreactor is some form of system that uses microorganisms to process material. Bioreactors are used in the production of food (yogurt, cheese, wine), and are used to convert waste material into less toxic and potentially useful product. A septic tank and a composter are two forms of waste processing bioreactor. Typically, experiments with bioreactors examine the effect of certain variables (for example, the type of waste used as input, the level of nutrients added to the reactor, temperature, etc.) on the performance of the reactor. Performance can be measured as how fast the process occurs ( e.g., the rate of weight loss of a certain waste) or the quality of the end product (e.g., how well does the compost perform as a plant growth medium).

[ JayGarland/KSC - 47 - 10:39:03 ]
RE: [Mya] What kinds of chemicals are used in the plant nutirent system?
Mya, Plants require relatively larger amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron, and small amounts of many chemicals (copper, manganese). Largely, these are the same types of minerals you require although there are some differences between animals and plants in mineral requirements. For example, you get a lot of your mineral requires from the things you eat, so you don't need them in a dissolved form like plants.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 48 - 10:41:00 ]
RE: [Tamara/FL] What are microorganisms & where do they come from?
Tamara, Microorganisms are microscopic organisms like bacteria and fungi that are present everywhere (on your skin, in your intestines, in the soil, in the air, in the water, everywhere!). For the most part these organisms carry out important functions for you and the environment, but some cause diseases and give them all a bad name!

[ JayGarland/KSC - 50 - 10:44:08 ]
RE: [MsLeary/6th/HS] How will NASA convert inedible scraps of food and waste into useable or edible food? I took this off the lesson page for your webcast.
Ms. Leary, The waste material would need to be broken down so that important components of it could be reused. Water could be generated for use by plants or people. Carbon dioxide produced from the microbial degradation of the material could be used by plants, and the nutrients (like nitrogen and phosphorus) could be released and used as plant fertilizer. The waste could also be converted to directly edible products. For example, mushrooms could be grown on plant waste.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 53 - 10:46:09 ]
RE: [Emma] Did you always want to work at NASA?
Emma, No I didn't. As a biologist I didn't think there were a lot of opportunities with NASA, but I got a chance, and have continued to work here because it's interesting and challenging.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 54 - 10:47:33 ]
RE: [Cindy] Is food recylced? Is it used for compost?
Food waste (e.g., scraps from food processing or uneaten food) could be broken down to provide nutrients for the plants, and composting is one type of processing that could be used.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 57 - 10:49:28 ]
Great questions today!! We have about 10 minutes left :-)

[ JayGarland/KSC - 58 - 10:50:05 ]
RE: [Jon] What is microbial research?
Jon, Microbial research (at least in our group) describes the general area of work that involves studying how microorganisms play a role in our regenerative life support systems. For example, the use of microbes in bioreactors for processing wastes, or understanding what types of microorganisms may be associated with plant or animal in the system.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 59 - 10:52:49 ]
RE: [jaime] Why do you love your work?
Jaime, I like conducting research in general because everyday I learn something new, and as we understand more we design further experiments, which provides new understanding, which leads to further experiments...... I like biological research because biological systems are so dynamic. They respond to many different stimuli in very interesting ways.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 62 - 10:55:00 ]
RE: [JuanEstess] Do the astronuats use soap or shampoo when in space? Is it recycled?
Juan, Astronauts have used showers in space (in the old Skylab station), but do not at present. The people who are up there a long time tend to wipe themselves done with damp towels or Wetnaps, but don't wash like we do on Earth.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 63 - 10:56:36 ]
We have enough time for Jay to answer the last three questions in the main room.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 64 - 10:56:58 ]
RE: [Emma] What are your goals for the future?
Emma, My goals are to remain a productive scientist, and produce results that can be used by NASA for space travel and by people on Earth to help us all become better recyclers!

[ JayGarland/KSC - 65 - 11:00:11 ]
RE: [Kerry/Australia] What kind of field work does your research involve? And is there any strange or unusual findings made by your team?
Kerry, Most of the work is done in the lab. We perform some research in the wildlife refuge surrounding the space center, but that is not related to space. Strange and unusual? That's kind of in the eye of the beholder. But I can tell you that some of the methods we have developed here have been used by other scientists from around the world. One of my proudest moments was when they held an international conference in Austria on one of the methods we developed.

[ JayGarland/KSC - 67 - 11:05:46 ]
RE: [Cindy] What's your favortie part of your job with NASA?
Cindy, Last but not least. Please see my answer to Jaime about why I love my work. One additional specific thing about working with NASA is that a lot of people have a general interest in the work, so I get a lot of opportunities to reach students and non-students just like we are doing today.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 68 - 11:05:54 ]
I want to thank Jay for sharing his time and expertise with us today! Thanks for joining us and I hope you can join us next week for 6 webcasts celebrating National Engineers Week :-)

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 69 - 11:06:30 ]
Thanks Jay!! Great job keeping up with all those questions!!