[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 2 - 10:32:02 ]
Hello to our early arriving chat participants! Today's Space Team Online chat with Lonnie Moffitt from NASA Johnson Space Center will begin at 11:00 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time. Be sure you have read Lonnie's profile at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/moffitt.html to prepare your questions.

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Once the chat begins, Lonnie will attempt to answer as many of your questions as quickly as he can, but PLEASE be patient. Today's chat may be MODERATED to help Lonnie keep up with our questions. This means that only a few questions would be posted to the chat room at a time. Don't worry if your questions do not appear on your screen immediately during moderation. They will be held in our chat queue and posted as Lonnie answers those ahead of you.

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Remember to enter "Your Handle" in the box provided before posting messages to the chat room. Your handle should include your name and who you are representing, such as: "Marcy/SanDiego."

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At the conclusion of today's chat, we ask that you take a few minutes to let us know what you thought about it. For your convenience, you may use our online feedback forms at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/qchats. We look forward to hearing from you!

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 10 - 11:00:56 ]
Hello and welcome to today's Space Team Online chat with Lonnie Moffitt from NASA Johnson Space Center. Lonnie works directly for different NASA astronauts. He meets with different crew members as they rotate through technical jobs between their flight assignments. Lonnie also follows new hardware developments for the crew office and in the engineering community, as well as other items for the aging fleet of orbiters. He is additionally responsible for resolving problems with hardware installed on the orbiters.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 15 - 11:02:10 ]
RE: [Oran/NASAChatHost] And now, here is Lonnie Moffitt to answer your questions.
Oran, good to hear from you and I hope we have a real fun chat today with all the students out there!

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 16 - 11:02:34 ]
RE: [LonnieMoffitt/JSC] Oran, good to hear from you and I hope we have a real fun chat today with all the students out there!
Thanks, Lonnie!

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 17 - 11:03:30 ]
RE: [Lynn] Have you worked closely with astronaut John Young?
I have worked closely with John Young in the past. He is quite a guy. He still flies the T-38 jet and I work with him when he goes out to California to Ames to train in the Vertical Motion Simulator.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 19 - 11:05:18 ]
RE: [Linda/NASAQuest] Hi Lonnie, Thanks for chatting with us! I'm curious, in light of the scrub of STS-96, what some of the effects are on the astronauts assigned to the flight, both mission-wise and personally.
Hi Linda. The crew of STS-96 is still working feverishly to get ready to go fly. If we had not had to roll back the orbiter from the launch pad due to the hail, they would be in quarantine right now waiting to launch in 2 days. I think they are ready to go fly. We are still working some little issues affecting the flight.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 21 - 11:07:21 ]
RE: [Kathleen] What is the most exciting thing about your job?
Hi Kathleen. The most exciting thing about my job is the opportunity to work with so many talented individuals. All the astronauts are very bright people. The pilots are extremely talented and are great folks to work with. I guess I would have to say that it is exciting to work with NASA management while they are making decisions on how the Shuttle operates.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 22 - 11:09:43 ]
RE: [ArielPerez/WYESRPanama] Mr. Moffitt, How do you maintain pressure into cock pit?
Ariel. Good question. We have a gaseous oxygen/nitrogen regulator in the cockpit that is constantly maintaining 14.7 psi pressure in the cockpit.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 25 - 11:11:41 ]
RE: [MrsMock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] Sorry we are late. I have a group of 2nd and 3rd graders with questions.
We're very glad you were able to join us today, Mrs. Mock. We'll post as many as of your students' questions for Lonnie as we can. Let's hope your telephone system holds up for them!

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 26 - 11:11:47 ]
RE: [Kathleen/Columbia] When did you know that you wanted to work with NASA?
Kathleen. I guess I realized I wanted to work in the Space Program when John Glenn made his FIRST flight a long long time ago. When I graduated from college, I started teaching mathematics in high school but still wanted to go to Cape Canaveral to work. I had that opportunity and jumped on it! I have never regretted it. It is really fun to work in the Space Program.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 30 - 11:14:55 ]
RE: [ArielPerez/WYESRPanama] what is the hardware stuff more suceptible to fail?
Ariel. We have lots of hardware that, if it fails, we could lose the crew and the vehicle. We worry most about that kind of hardware. Of course, the most dangerous part of a mission is when we light the SRBs during launch. We have the SRBs and the main engines producing lots of thrust. We have the Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) which run on a very volatile fuel which supply the means we use to steer the orbiter during the landing phase. It would be hard to pinpoint one piece of hardware but we have to be very aware of ALL potential problems.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 31 - 11:15:44 ]
RE: [Perla2nd/MSOC] What is an orbiter?
Perla, an orbiter is just our name for the Space Shuttle.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 34 - 11:17:13 ]
RE: [Jessica/Columbia] What type of equipment do you work with?
Hi Jessica. I guess I don't get to work with any one piece of hardware specifically. I do get to see hardware on the Shuttle sometimes and that is really neat. Just to be up close to something you can touch and feel that you know has been into outer space just give you the chillbumps.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 35 - 11:19:42 ]
RE: [Coryna3rd/MSOC] What does a mathematician do?
Coryma3rd, Mathematicians have been very important in the history of the Space Program (although I must admit that I do not use my mathematical ability all the time). They are used as experts in all the extremely complicated calculations needed to fly a vehicle in space and bring it home to land on a little bitty strip of land we call a landing strip.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 37 - 11:21:09 ]
RE: [Kathleen/Columbia] How are the names of the shuttles made up?
Kathleen, I am not sure who/how some of the Shuttles were named but I do know that the last one (Endeavour) was named by schoolkid just like yourself. NASA held a national voting and that name won. The names of the others are Discovery, Atlantis, and Columbia.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 40 - 11:23:24 ]
RE: [Marjani3rd/MSOC] What is a Kentucky Colonel?
Marjani3rd...a Kentucky Colonel is an honorary title given to various individuals by the Governor of the State of Kentucky. Since I am from Kentucky, I had the extreme honor of receiving one from the Governor. That was due in large part to Terry Wilcutt, one of our Shuttle Commanders and a good friend of mine, who is from Kentucky and recommended me for the honor.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 41 - 11:24:54 ]
RE: [Monique3rd/MSOC] Is there gravity in space?
Monique, there is no gravity in space. That is why we refer to it as Zero G. That is why you the see the astronauts floating around inside the Shuttle when it is orbiting the earth. Wouldn't it be fun to be able to float around your house?

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 44 - 11:28:02 ]
RE: [ArielPerez/WYESRPanama] What is the average temperature of orbiter when re-entring atmosphere? What is the exterior of orbiter made of?
Ariel, the temperature on the outside of the Orbiter when it is re-entering the atmosphere is greater than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That is pretty hot! To keep the Orbiter from burning up the bottom is totally coated with high heat resistant tiles that can withstand that temperature. The rest of the Shuttle is made up of heat resistant blankets. And you thought the Shuttle was painted white, huh? No, it is white where the blankets are. Even the payload bay doors on top of the Shuttle are covered with blankets!

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 45 - 11:28:03 ]
We appreciate your patience as Lonnie attempts to answer your questions as quickly as he can. As a reminder, please share your thoughts about today's chat with us at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/qchats.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 46 - 11:29:05 ]
RE: [Jessica/Columbia] Have you ever done any training to fly in space?
No, Jessica, I have never done any training to fly in space. I have observed astronauts doing various aspect of their training.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 49 - 11:30:54 ]
RE: [Marjani3rd/MSOC] If you could fly to another planet, would you do it?
Marjani3rd....absolutely, I would go. But it takes a long long time to get to another planet. For instance, it takes 1 and a half years to get to Mars so you will spend about 3 years of your life just getting there and back....not like a trip to school in the morning, huh?

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 52 - 11:33:54 ]
RE: [Monique3rd/MSOC] What kind of damage was done to the shuttle (STS-96)?
Monique, there was a hail storm at Kennedy Space Center and the hail damaged some insulation on the External Tank that holds the liquid oxygen and hydrogen that fuels the main engines on Shuttle. The dings would allow ice to form on the outer surface of the tank which would fall off during lift-off and damage the Shuttle. We rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to repair the insulation.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 55 - 11:35:28 ]
RE: [Monique/MSOC] Yes it would be fun to float in my house.
Monique, I would like to float also. Just imagine how much more space you would have in your house if you could float up near the ceiling. That's the way it is in the Shuttle. There is really very little space for 7 folks but if you use ALL the space it is much larger!!!!

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 56 - 11:36:01 ]
While Lonnie answers your questions, we would like to invite you to participate in a special live Internet broadcast on Thursday, May 20. Michael Ciannilli from NASA Kennedy Space Center will be online to talk about the delay of the STS-96 mission, due to the hail storm Lonnie mentioned. To learn more about this event, visit http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/ltc/sto/launch/sts96.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 57 - 11:39:54 ]
RE: [Coryna3rd/MSOC] How heavy is a space suit?
Coryna3rd...A space suit in space weighs nothing. However, here on earth, it is heavy (about 100 lbs.) and cumbersome here on earth. I assume you are talking about the suits the crewmembers use to spacewalk. That is why we are in a huge tank of water when we train our astronauts while they are wearing the EMU's. The orange suits (we call them Launch and Entry suits or LESs) will weigh about 60 or 70 pounds including parachute and helmet. The astronauts wear these when they launch and come home.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 61 - 11:42:58 ]
We would also like to invite you to chat with Lonnie online again on May 27. He will be one of many NASA experts online to chat with our international audience. Check the Space Team Online chat schedule page at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/chats/ for more information about this upcoming exciting event!

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 62 - 11:43:16 ]
RE: [MarcyfromIntlWomensAirandSpaceMuseum] Mr. Moffitt, are you still working with pilot astronauts and astronaut candidates a lot? Also, what is the hardest adjustment a new astronaut generally needs to make when joining NASA?
Marcy, I am still working the pilot astronauts a lot. That is what makes it so much fun! I get to hear all their flying stories from their flying in the military. I guess the biggest adjustment the astronaut candidates have when they come here to NASA is figuring out how NASA does business...how decisions are made, how the organization works. Then, they have to study, study, study to learn all they can about the Shuttle and its systems in a very short period of time. It is like going to college again.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 63 - 11:44:01 ]
RE: [JessicaandKathleen/Columbia] Thank you for chatting with us!!!
Thank you Jessica and Kathleen...hope you enjoyed it!

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 64 - 11:45:51 ]
RE: [Marjani/MSOC] I am shocked that it takes that long to go to Mars.
Marjani...yes, Mars is a long long way from our little planet we call earth. If we could travel at the speed of light, we would make it much quicker but we do not have the technology YET to do that. Maybe some bright student out there today will enable us to do that someday!!!!

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 65 - 11:48:01 ]
RE: [ArielPerez/WYESRPanama] What kind of frecuency or signal do you use to communicate with the space shuttle?
Ariel...you ask some REALLY good questions. We use K-band and S-band frequencies to communicate with the Shuttle from the Mission Control Center. Of course, not only do we have voice, but we are receiving TV transmissions as well as all kinds of data which is constantly telling us what is going on with the systems aboard the Orbiter.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 68 - 11:51:49 ]
RE: [Roger/CSUSM] Hi Lonnie, Based on your experience with the astronaut program, what do you think would be the most successful career path for the astronaut hopeful to follow? In general, what majors should the college student pursue for future consideration? Computer science for example?
Roger, you need to get all the math and science you can get in high school. Major in a science or engineering in college and then go on to graduate school and get an advanced degree in engineering or as a Medical Dr. You could always go into the military and become a pilot and be the best of the best. Go to a test Pilot school in the military and then apply to the astronaut program.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 69 - 11:55:35 ]
RE: [Perla2nd/MSOC] What kind of food or drink do they have in space? Can they drink a coke in space?
Perla, I'm sorry I missed your question. They eat most of the same kinds of foods you and I eat here on earth except they are packaged a little differently. They are vacuumed packed where all the fluid is taken out of the food...it is dehydrated. To eat it they simply add water and heat (if necessary) in the galley. I have never heard of them drinking Coke in space.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 70 - 11:56:04 ]
RE: [LonnieMoffitt/JSC] Roger, you need to get all the math and science you can get in high school. Major in a science or engineering in college and then go on to graduate school and get an advanced degree in engineering or as a Medical Dr. You could always go into the military and become a pilot and be the best of the best. Go to a test Pilot school in the military and then apply to the astronaut program.
Roger one of the best ways to learn about the astronaut program is to visit the astronaut pages on the NASA Johnson Space Center web site. The Internet address is http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios. Good luck!

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 74 - 11:59:49 ]
RE: [Marjani/MSOC] Our teacher let us stay to chat longer. To Linda: thank you for telling us about that page. We printed it and are taking it home to check out on our computer at home with our parents.
You're welcome; glad to help you teach you parents too!

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 75 - 12:00:09 ]
RE: [MarcyfromIntlWomensAirandSpaceMuseum] HiMrMoffett: Being from the Int'l Womens Air and Space Museum, I am most interested in your friendship with Eileen Collins which you had mentioned in a previous online chat. How is she doing with the latest delay in her flight? Do you know any exact launch date yet? Also, what is Eileen like personally? Do you think she'll be a terrific representative for the U.S. as its first female Shuttle commander?
Marcy, I am sorry I missed your question. Eileen Collins and I are great friends and I could not think of a nicer nor more deserving lady to be the first female Shuttle Commander. She is an excellent pilot and a great commander. Unfortunately, she was selected for a flight that has had delay after delay and all because of the payload problems. I think the last launch date I heard was July 29th. Eileen is a sweet person who is very devoted to her husband and little daughter. She is very thoughtful and easy to be around. I think the world of her and it has been a highlight of my career here at NASA to have been associated with her and to know her.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 76 - 12:04:16 ]
RE: [MarcyfromIntlWomensAirandSpaceMuseum] Mr. Moffitt: What was your most memorable event working for NASA during the Apollo era?
Marcy. I think the most memorable event (there were lots of them) was the landing of Apollo 11 on the surface of the moon. I was working here at the Johnson Space Center (it was called the Manned Spacecraft Center in those days) and it was unbelievable the emotions we all felt just to play small part in that historical event. I still look up at the moon sometimes and think to myself..."wow, we actually had human beings walk around on that planet." I think that all the history of mankind that has looked at that moon and wondered about it and would have never thought about man walking on it. I guess the 2nd most memorable was the Apollo 13 incident and all the work that went on to save the crew. What an experience!!!

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 79 - 12:05:43 ]
RE: [Katie2nd/MSOC] The 3rd and 4th graders made a mural on the wall in front of us that shows how much they would weigh on different planets. If you weighed less would you look smaller?
Katie...I guess I never thought about looking smaller...in space, we weigh less but still have the same mass as we do here due to the absence of gravity. I think the answer would be no.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 80 - 12:07:22 ]
RE: [Cassandra2nd/MSOC] What planet does it take 8 years to get to?
Cassandra, I am not sure which planet that would be. Look on your charts and find the distances to each planet and back. Then divide by 25,000 miles an hour.....I think you will see very quickly that it takes a long time!!!! That is your math assignment, ok?

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 81 - 12:08:59 ]
RE: [Leanne2nd/MSOC] What are EMUs?
Leanne, EMU's are the suits the astronauts use to walk in space. They are also called EVA suits...EVA stands for ExtraVehicular Activity.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 87 - 12:11:11 ]
RE: [Kyle2nd/MSOC] Have you ever got to use the verticle motion simulator?
Kyle, I have gotten to fly the Vertical Motion Simulator. It is just like flying the Shuttle when it has re-entered and is approaching the landing site at Kennedy Space Center in Florida or Edwards Air Force Base in California. It feels like landing in an airliner except you are in a dive instead of a 3 degree approach, you are in a 20 degree approach.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 89 - 12:12:50 ]
RE: [Leanne2nd/MSOC] Did you have to go to school to know how to work on the orbiter? If you did, how long did it take?
Leanne, I did not go to school to learn about the Shuttle. I have learned what little I know from working here at the Johnson Space Center and listening to the really smart people around here.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 91 - 12:14:51 ]
RE: [ArielPerez/WYESRPanama] How do you block electrical and static interference to affect the shuttle electronic devices?? and communications??
Ariel, we have devices that are designed to protect the Shuttle Avionics systems from electrical interference. You asked some really good questions today.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 93 - 12:16:41 ]
RE: [MrsMock/MSOC] The second graders wondered what EMU stands for.
Mrs. Mock...EMU stands for Extravehicular Mobility Unit...basically just the space suit.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 95 - 12:19:34 ]
RE: [MarcyfromIntlWomensAirandSpaceMuseum] Hi Mr. Moffitt: My 4th grade daughter Emily has a question for you. Do the astronauts like the space food that they get to eat on the Shuttle?
Marcy, you can tell Emily that they do actually like their food. It is much much better than in the early days of spaceflight. The astronauts actually get to select their own menus.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 101 - 12:25:05 ]
RE: [ArielPerez/WYESRPanama] What range of frecuency do you use? is the first time I hear about K-band and S-band? Are these higher than UHF range? if so, what's the range? and bandwidth?
Ariel, I am afraid I do not know the exact answer to your question...I told you that you asked very good questions.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 104 - 12:27:45 ]
RE: [Roger/CSUSM] I know that astronauts tend to be protective of their weaknesses, at least to the public. I've heard a lot of commentary about the space program being very rough on the astronauts' family life, especially early on in the program. Has NASA become a little more friendly toward providing family time to astronauts?
Roger, you are right. The demands of the job are pretty rough on the astronauts private lives. They are on-the-road a lot and away from home. Most of them adapt pretty well to it...especially the military folks since they are used to deployments. The NASA community, as a whole, is very supportive of the families.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 97 - 12:23:40 ]
We will now be ending our chat with Lonnie Moffitt. We would like to thank everyone for joining us today. Our special thanks to Lonnie for sharing his career experience and expertise with us.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 98 - 12:24:05 ]
We hope you will be able to join us for our next Space Team Online chat with Joe Delai from NASA Kennedy Space Center. This chat is scheduled for Wednesday, May 19, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 99 - 12:24:32 ]
Be sure to share your comments about today's chat with us, by using our online surveys at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/qchats.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 100 - 12:24:56 ]
Check the Space Team Online chat schedule page at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/chats/#chatting to learn more about our upcoming Space Team Online chats. Also check our schedule of events page at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/common/events to learn about other upcoming chats with NASA experts.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 90 - 12:13:29 ]
RE: [LeanneCassandraKyleKatie/MSOC] Thank you for chatting with us. We really liked it. It was fun to chat online with you. We would like to go online with our own computer at home. Thank you for everything that you did for us. Bye, bye. Goodbye.
Thanks for the Chat Leanne, Cassandra, Kyle and Kate

[ ArielPerez/WYESRPanama - 96 - 12:21:29 ]
Thanks for answering my questions, Mr. Lonnie Moffitt. I hope to chat with you next May 27 in the International Space Chat. Sincerely thanks a lot!

[ ArielPerez/WYESRPanama - 103 - 12:27:40 ]
thanks a lot Mr. Moffitt!! Greetings to Captain Luis Rodriguez.

[ LonnieMoffitt/JSC - 105 - 12:28:47 ]
RE: [MrsMock/MSOC] Thank you Lonnie and Oran. It was a great chat!
Thank you Mrs. Mock...good luck in your teaching endeavours.