[ Linda/NASAQuest - 1 - 09:20:24 ]
Questions may be received at any time. They will not appear in the room until the time of the chat, but we will hold them in a queue, so please do not repeat your questions so that the chat may go smoothly. Thanks.

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 4 - 09:54:52 ]
Janis is here and ready for your questions.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 7 - 09:57:24 ]
RE: [Achilles] Hi, Janis. Does digestion in zero gravity differ significantly from digestion 'planet-bound'?
Great question - there is some limited work on digestion during space flight. It looks like gut transit time may be altered, and that the microbial environment may be different as well. Ground-based models of space flight, like head down bedrest, suggest that gut transit is increased.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 10 - 10:00:51 ]
RE: [Eric] Will you be working on food for the ISS? Will it be different from food for short shuttle trips?
Our group is responsible for doing the research that determines the requirement for specific nutrients. The food scientists then take those specific requirements and then develop a food system that will provide them. We are tring to get a better understandng of what long missions will do to the body, and how that will affect nutrient needs. As you can imagine there will be a need for foods with even longer shelf-lives for ISS. Freezers and refigerators will also be more important in the fiture ISS missions.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 13 - 10:03:36 ]
RE: [Stephanie] is the food in the tubes good or would you rather have pizza?
The US food system no longer uses the 'tube foods'(although the Russians still do). Our food system includes many foods that look just like they do on Earth. Several of the foods are dehydrated (to reduce weight and incresae shelf-life). As yet we do not fly pizza, but many of the foods taste quite good - shrimp cocktail, many chicken and meat dishes, bar-b-que, meat patties, cereals and more...

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 15 - 10:04:53 ]
RE: [Elizabeth] Do you have fun working with NASA
I really enjoy my work. It has been a wonderful 9 and a half years being a part of the 'great adventure' of space science.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 17 - 10:06:57 ]
RE: [Andrea] Were you interested in space when you were a young child?
To be honest, I grew up in Guyana, where I and most of my countrymen and women typically did not have an early interest in space. However, I have always wanted to have a job which involved helping people stay healthy - the space program has been an awesome place to do just that.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 19 - 10:08:37 ]
RE: [JoAnne] What did you have to study to become a nutritionist?
We study biochemistry, physiology, math and lots of human nutrition. We also need to know some human psychology and sociology.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 20 - 10:09:40 ]
RE: [Joey] Have you ever flown into Outer Space? If not, would you like to?
Joey - Unfortunately I'm afraid of heights, so outer space would not be a good place for me. I have a real respect for our astronauts.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 23 - 10:11:13 ]
RE: [Lenny] Do astronauts get as hungry in space as on Earth?
The reports are very mixed, some are very hungry while others aren't. They are also extremely busy while on orbit.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 24 - 10:13:03 ]
RE: [Jon] What were your favorite subjects in school?
In high school I always loved biology, chemistry and math. We did not have TV when I was growing up, so I read a lot - I would encourage all our young people to read a lot and read often. No matter what you do as an adult, reading is probably one of the most important things.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 27 - 10:14:05 ]
RE: [Chelsey] What is your favorie part about your job?
Working with a variety of talented and smart professionals, and interacting with young people about what I do.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 28 - 10:14:34 ]
RE: [Tim] How many astronauts have you met?
I think over the years, probably about 30 or so.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 30 - 10:16:07 ]
RE: [KayanaM] What do you eat while yo are in space?
I have never been in space, however the atronbauts eat a variety of foods - some are canned or dehydrated (water is added ehile in space). Others are the 'Meals Ready Eat' like the foods used in the military.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 31 - 10:16:57 ]
RE: [Christina] Is it hard working at nasa?
I would describe it as challenging and exciting

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 33 - 10:17:58 ]
RE: [Martice] What are some of the people who help you with your job?
I work with dietitians, food scientists, doctors, microbiologists, chemists and engineers to name a few

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 36 - 10:19:18 ]
RE: [Janine] How many hours do you work in a week
Right now I am working on my doctorate in Nutrition and Health Education, so I work about 32-35 hours a week. Our usual work week is about 40 hours.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 37 - 10:21:11 ]
RE: [Emily] If you could change your job ANY job in the world, would you change it? If you would what would you change it to?
Actually that's a tough one. The other important job I have is as a Mother. Right now I think my work situation is perfect, as I am managing to balance motherhood and my job. So I guess I wouldn't really change it.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 38 - 10:23:27 ]
RE: [Carolyn] What is your typical day like?
My day typically consists of some meetings, writing scientific papers, analyzing data, and/or working on proposals. To be honest, I don't have many 'typical days'. Some weeks we may work in the laboratory, while other days we can be collecting data from astronauts.

[ Carolyn - 40 - 10:25:12 ]
Thanks for your answres, we have to go to our next class.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 42 - 10:31:22 ]
RE: [Linda/NASAQuest] Janis, yesterday we had a day-long series of chats, forums and webcasts with our Women of NASA project. Have you found extra challenges, do you think, because of being a woman in your field? Do you have special advice of young women interested in a career in science?
I think the scientifc environment is very supportive of women - it has been for me. Many of the great pioneers in the field of nutrition have been women. I think my advice to young women would be - not to limit yourselves by any preconceptions of what 'women can do'. In the world of science we can be anything we chose.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 47 - 10:48:15 ]
RE: [Achilles] Does NASA conduct any experiments on shuttle flights related to nutrition/disease treatment? Such as might be related to diseases like Diabetes and Hepatitis C?
The biotechnology folks at NASA are doing some interesting work on cell cultures which grow better in zero gravity. In ground and flight studies there has been work on cancer and pancreatic cell cultures. In our group our work on bone and calcium will help our understanding of osteoporosis and other Earth-bound bone diseases.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 48 - 10:49:26 ]
RE: [Laura] Where did you go to college and how long did you study there?
I went to college in Guelph, Ontario in Canada where I studied Human Nutrition. I did my Masters degree in Nutrition at University of Alberta in Edmonton

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 49 - 10:49:55 ]
RE: [Jenna] Have you been in an actual space shuttle before?
Only in the mockups (the ground models)

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 52 - 10:52:08 ]
RE: [Garreth] Do you like your job?
I really do enjoy the daily challenges. It is very rewarding.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 55 - 10:53:07 ]
RE: [Alise] Why did you choose this job?
I was looking for a job where I could apply the study of nutrition. The space environment lets us explore many aspects of the human body.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 58 - 10:54:38 ]
RE: [Kristin] Would you recommend a job like this to other people, especially students of today?
NASA has so many opportunities, not only in Nutrition, but in almost every field that you can think of - Medicine, Chemistry, Engineering of all sorts, Exercise Physiology, Toxicology, Biotechnology, Software Experts of all sorts, just to name a few.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 59 - 10:55:51 ]
RE: [Laura] What would you tell people who want to work at NASA?
Work hard. Concentrate on your math and science subjects, and read often. No matter how advanced we become, knowing how to read and express yourself will be important in every field.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 60 - 10:56:23 ]
RE: [Colten] When considering a job people think about how much they will get paid. Our question is does NASA pay well?
I think the pay is great- it is very competitive with other industries.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 61 - 10:57:19 ]
RE: [Mia] Hi,my name is Mia, what was one of your favorite subjects in school?Thank you
Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and of course anything that involved reading (Literature was one of my favorites)

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 66 - 10:59:32 ]
RE: [Thomas] Have you ever flown on NASA's "Vomit Comet," and if so, how did it feel?
I have not - many of my co-workers have said that it is an experience. Maybe one of these days when I'm a little less prone to being motion-sick.

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 67 - 11:00:08 ]
As our time is nearly over, I will let Janis decide how many of the questions that are in the room she has time for.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 68 - 11:00:29 ]
RE: [Tyrelle] how many years did you have to go to school for your job?
I did 4 years of college, then 2 years of graduate school. Most of our group have a graduate degree.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 69 - 11:01:59 ]
RE: [Cynthia] What do you have to consider when planning a menu for space?
We have to consider whether the astronaut has enough calroies as well as all the other nutrients, including fluids (e.g. water).

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 71 - 11:03:57 ]
RE: [Laura] What is the hardest part of your job?
We would love to be able study more astronauts. If we could get information from each mission, we would know so much more about the effects of space on the body. It is very expensive to do reseacrh in space, however the International Space Station will give us many opportunities to learn more.

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 73 - 11:04:24 ]
RE: [Laura] Thanks you so much for taking the time to chat with us!
It has been a pleasure to respond to so many great questions

[ JanisatNASA/JSC - 74 - 11:05:16 ]
RE: [Mia] We really enjoyed our chat with you. Thanks!
Great questions - thank you so much for your interest in NASA and nutrition.

[ Linda/NASAQuest - 75 - 11:05:16 ]
I want to thank all of you for chatting with us today, and for submitting good questions. And thank you Janis for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us online today. Have a great weekend!