Archived Web Chat with Donna Shirley

LCAS: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:03PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [2 ]
How does your system work?

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:04PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [3 ]
LCAS: What system do you mean?

Tom@NASA: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:04PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [4 ]
This is Tom@NASA, I'll be moderating the chat today with Donna Shirley. Donna is the manager of the Mars Exploration Program.

Tom@NASA: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:05PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [5 ]
Welcome to the Take Our Daughters to work Day chat, Donna.

Tom@NASA: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:05PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [6 ]
You can start asking questions now.

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:05PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [7 ]
Thanks, Tom. Are there any questions? Donna

LCAS: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:05PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [8 ]
How do you prepare for the Mars expedition?

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:07PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [9 ]
LCAS: Which expedition? We currently have two missions on their way to Mars: Pathfinder (a lander/rover) and Mars Global S\ Surveyor (an orbiter). These are robotic missions. There are no human expeditions currently planned,

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:09PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [10 ]
Palm Beach - Kate, gr. 7 Do you think there are big advantages to all girl schools?

Megan Gilliland: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:10PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [11 ]
I'm interested in engineering and I was wondering, what college did you go to when you got your masters in engineering?

LCAS: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:10PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [12 ]
The Mars Global one.

Parks Elem: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:11PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [13 ]
Hi Donna - We feel priveleged to talk with you. Do think we will ever have humans on Mars?

Kristine, Age 10, Newman, Chino, Calif.: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:11PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [14 ]
Have you ever gotten into a position where you just did not know what to do?

Beth: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:12PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [15 ]
Which part of your higher education do you think was the most important? Now that you are in your career, what might you have done differently in school?

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:12PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [16 ]
Kate: I have with me Whitney Rogers, who is my virtual daughter for the day. My real daughter, Laura Pivirotto, goes to Scripps College for Women in Claremont and loves it. It is very good for girls to have classes without boys so they can learn in their own way. Whitney goes to an all-girl high school. What do you think, Whitney? I think there really are. Because it's not that big a difference so you don't have to parade it or anything. You have so much more freedom. I think I'd participate less if I went to a co-ed school. I like not having to compete for the attention of the boys. P.S. And you don't have to shave your legs every day.

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:12PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [17 ]
Megan: I got my masters degree in aerospace engineering at the University of Southern California. I went to night school while I was working at JPL and JPL paid the tuition. Donna

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:12PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [18 ]
Once the pathfinder lands on Mars, will the activity be shown on T. V. for the public to view?

Brenda: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:13PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [19 ]
Do ever experience discrimination now in your position because you are a women? Do you ever have any problems working with mostly men?

LCAS: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:14PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [20 ]
How many years do you have to go to school to get a job like this?

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:14PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [21 ]
LCAS: Mars Global Surveyor used a lot of spare hardware from the failed Mars Observer which was lost in 1993. MGS will carry 6 of the 3 instruments that were on Mars Observer, so it will try to do much of the same science. In most missions you start more from scratch - that is the scientists decide what they want to do and then you try to design a mission to get that science.

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:15PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [22 ]
Parks: Yes we will have people on Mars, probably people your age now.

Flood: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:15PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [23 ]
Did you ever feel like you wanted to be home raising your daughter or feel guilty about working when she was younger?

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:15PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [24 ]
Yes, all the Pathfinder activity will be on the news, at least at first. Also, it will be on our internet site at button

Claire: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:16PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [25 ]
Are they actually doing studies now preparing for long duratin space flights?

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:16PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [26 ]
Flood: No, I never felt guilty. I stayed home with her for 6 weeks before going back to work part time. I went back to work full time when she was 10 months. I was able to do that because I could find good day care. Day care is absolutely required for working parents.

LCAS: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:16PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [27 ]
What is your yearly salary and do you think there is life on Mars that we don't know about?

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:17PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [28 ]
Palm Beach- Lauren, gr. 7 Why did you become an engineer if you didn't like math?

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:17PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [29 ]
Claire: The MIR space station has allowed people to be in orbit for over a year. For a Mars mission they will have to be able to stand weightlessness for a couple of years and reduced gravity for another year or so. So the International Space Station Alpha is needed to find out how hard that is for people to do.

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:19PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [30 ]
Lauren: I became an engineer because I love building things to go to the planets and I love airplanes. The math is something you need to have to get to do what you want. It's kind of like taxes.

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:20PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [31 ]
LCAS: I make plenty of money - not as much as some lawyers, but plenty. We are sending robots to Mars to find out if there is life so I don't know yet.

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:22PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [32 ]
Brenda: No, I haven't had too much trouble with discrimination. Some people have tried but I just didn't let it work. For instance, my college advisor tried to talk me out of engineering because "Girls can't be engineers". But I did it anyway, nyahh, nyahh, nyahh. Donna

LCAS: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:22PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [33 ]
When do you think humans can be sent to Mars? And what is the average temperature on Mars?

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:23PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [34 ]
Palm Beach- Chelsea gr. 6 Are men ever threatened by your intelligence?

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:24PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [35 ]
LCAS: We are currently preparing for human missions as early as 2018. The average temperature on Mars is well below freezing. During the day it gets up to almost room temperature during the hottest summer day. At night at the poles in winter its about 200 degrees Centigrade below zero.

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:24PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [36 ]
Chelsea: Yes.

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:24PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [37 ]
Chelsea: But so are some women.

Lisa, Newman, Chino: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:27PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [38 ]
What is the most unusual thing you have seen studying Mars?

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:27PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [39 ]
Chelsea: But then people don't worry about it when they see me do really dumb things. Like yesterday I was giving a talk and the overhead projector, the VCR and the microphone all broke down and I didn't know how to make them work. My daughter (a Psychology major) programs the VCR at our house.

LCAS: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:28PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [40 ]
Do you/they plan to put a space station on Mars?

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:28PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [41 ]
Lisa: Wow. Mars is a very unusual planet. I guess the scale of the features. Although Mars is only 1/2 the diameter of earth it has the biggest volcano and the biggest canyon in the solar system. I think the whole planet is really interesting.

Maria: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:28PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [42 ]
What kinds of role models did you have when you were younger? Who or what inspired you to be so successful?

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:30PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [43 ]
LCAS: I manage the robotic program for Mars Exploration. We are working with the people at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on human expeditions, but we don't know when a permanent base might be established. It depends a lot on what we find out with our next several orbiters, landers, rovers, and sample returns.

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:30PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [44 ]
What is your current marital status?

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:31PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [45 ]
The last question was from Palm Beach gang

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:32PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [46 ]
Maria: My role models were characters in science fiction books, the pilots that I knew (especially Gene Nora Stumbough with whom I went to college), my uncle who was and engineer, and women like Amelia Earhart. (There were almost no women engineers when I started and I didn't know any of the ones there were). Mostly, I just did what I felt I wanted to do.

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:32PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [47 ]
Palm Beach gang: I am divorced.

LCAS: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:32PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [48 ]
Thank you for your time. We learned a lot in a little time. More than our teacher has taught us on that subject. We are going out to PE now so you don't have to answer. Good Luck!

Brenda: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:34PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [49 ]
Do you think you will stay in this job for a while? Do you ever think about another career?

Flood: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:36PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [50 ]
Does you job have a lot of stress?What do you do to relax?

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:36PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [51 ]
Brenda: I have been at JPL for 30 years. I have had a lot of jobs at JPL, including three planetary missions. I am also writing a book called "A Practical Guide to Managing Creativity" and have developed a class with another woman on the subject. I also do a lot of public speaking and am starting to get paid for it. So I may, at some point, become a management consultant/teacher.

Megan Gilliland: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:37PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [52 ]
If I'm planning on going to college to be an aerospace and/or aeronautical engineer, what would be the best subject to study now to get ready for that?

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:38PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [53 ]
Palm Beach girl: would you ever go out with our tall, handsome, kind, sensitive, brilliant, science professor?

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:38PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [54 ]
Flood: Yes, trying to do something new like develop a program, not just a disconnected set of projects, to explore Mars has a lot of stress associated with it. We have to invent new ways of doing things which require people to change, and they never want to change. Also, we are having to do things that have never been done before. It's exciting, but also very stressful. Frankly, I've getting tired of working 60-80 hour weeks and need to relax more. When I get a chance, I like to backpack and ski. Writing the book is also a different kind of stress so it's a pleasant change.

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:39PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [55 ]
If you consult, will you still have to be an expert on Marsand how will you keep up on your knowledge?

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:39PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [56 ]
Palm Beach: Sure, but would he go out with me?

Mary: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:40PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [57 ]
Which job or which point in your career did you like the best or find most rewarding?

Tom@NASA: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:40PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [58 ]
Palm Beach...Please limit your questions to those regarding Donna's profession, career and area of research. Thank you.

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:40PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [59 ]
Megan: Math, science, mechanical drawing of some kind, computer science. Also drama, art, or some other creative subjects. Also, be sure to do something where you get experience working in teams. Almost no engineering is done by yourself.

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:40PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [60 ]
If I consult I will be doing it because of my management experience, not because of my Mars experience.

Woodland High: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:41PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [61 ]
Could a private company ever hire you or what other jobs could yu get if you wanted to switch from NASA?

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:41PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [62 ]
Mary: My most rewarding job was being part of the team which designed and built the Mars Pathfinder Microrover, Sojourner.

Megan Gilliland: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:42PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [63 ]
Ok, thanks!!

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:42PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [64 ]
Woodland High: Well, I don't know if another company would hire me because I haven't applied.

Melissa, 9, Newman, Chino: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:45PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [65 ]
How long have you been studying Mars and how is the planet different than what you thought it was when you began to study Mars?

RCK High: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:45PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [66 ]
Donna, If you left to consult on management, wouldn't you miss your Mars work?

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:45PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [67 ]
Palm Beach Girls: Yeah, but would you ever be in Palm Beach or could you meet him in Pasadena? Would you go to Mars if you could? Would you consider moving there?

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:48PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [68 ]
Melissa: I came to JPL in 1966 to work on a mission to Mars that was later cancelled. In 1975 that mission was sent to Mars as the Viking Project which had two orbiters and two landers. I didn't work on Viking because I was on a mission flying to Venus and Mercury. So Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor are the first missions to Mars that I've been on. When I first started studying Mars we really didn't know much. The first Mars mission flew past in 1965, but we really didn't know what Mars was like until 1972 with the Mariner 9 orbiter. For example, we didn't know the atmosphere was a thin as it is. WE didn't know there were huge volcanoes and canyons.

Tom@NASA: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:48PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [69 ]
Well, it's time to end the chat session. I want to thank Donna Shirley for taking time out of her schedule to join us today.

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:48PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [70 ]
Palm Beach Girls: I'm a little old to go to Mars. I wanted to be an astronaut when I was young, but in those days women couldn't be astronauts.

Donna Shirley - Mars: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:49PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [71 ]
Well, goodbye everybody. Thanks for the questions.

Tom@NASA: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:50PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [72 ]
Thank you all for joining us. Goodbye.

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:50PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [73 ]
Would you go to Mars if you could? Would you consider moving there? from Palm Beach, Lauren

: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:52PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [74 ]
Palm Beach - Thanks very much, Donna. We appreciate your time!

Megan Gilliland: . . . . Thu, Apr 24, 1:52PM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [75 ]
Thanks for the great chat!

This NASA's Quest Project Web site is managed and maintained by Tish Krieg

Responsible NASA Official: Karen Traicoff traicoff@quest.arc.nasa.gov