[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 3 - 07:59:40 ]
Hello and welcome to our NASA Quest Women of NASA forum with Sandy Meske from NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. (See http://quest.nasa.gov/women/bios/sandy.m.html for Sandy's profile.)

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 4 - 07:59:56 ]
At this time, we invite you to submit your questions to our queue for Sandy. We will post several questions in the forum room at a time at various times. Sandy will log on at different times between today, Tuesday, March 14 and Thursday, March 16 to answer your questions.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 5 - 08:00:12 ]
Be sure to check the forum room for periodically responses to your questions. At the conclusion of the forum, visit our NASA QuestChat Information Center at http://quest.nasa.gov/qchats to send your comments about this forum to us. We look forward to hearing from you, and hope you enjoy our 2 day forum with Sandy Meske!

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 12 - 08:48:44 ]
RE: [Fidel] Hi Sandy! My Cuestion is, What do you think about the importance of the Mechanical Engineering at Nasa?
Hi, Fidel Mechanical Engineering like all engineering disciplines (such as electrical, structural, and aeronautical engineering) at NASA is highly important. Engineering is how we get work done and how we ensure that aircraft and space craft will fly safely and accomplish our objectives

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 13 - 08:56:54 ]
RE: [Koren] With your current degree (BSBA), you could have gone to work at many different organizations. What made you chose to stay at NASA (Dryden Flight Research Center) or originally choose NASA (Dryden Flight Research Center)?
Hi, Koren I came to NASA after making a career change. After High School I attended nursing school and worked for several years in Doctors Offices and Hospitals. I was looking for a new challenge so when the opportunity came to work for NASA I accepted. My career at NASA has been upward mobility ever since. My choice of degrees came from my involvement after I started to work at Dryden. A management degree allows me to lead teams and make changes to improve efficiency. In today's business culture we are always faced with making more advancements but doing it with less. Management allows that type of creativity.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 14 - 09:04:42 ]
RE: [Jon/EsperanzaHigh] What courses did you take to become an Administrative Operations Specialist?
Hi Jon/Esperanza High, I obtained my Bachelors Degree in Management from the University of Redlands in California. The courses included, finance, accounting, communication both written and oral, information technology, management, organizational management and other typical college courses such as math, science and English. My favorite classes included basic programming which is a very simple computer program class but is probably the subject I rely on the most. My job requires use of many business software packages and to make them more useful I do a lot of what is called scripting (writing short programs to combine steps into one action).

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 20 - 09:10:32 ]
RE: [Koren] What is your next career goal or project at your current position?
Hi Koren, my next career goal is to become a branch chief in an organization that has the responsibility of controlling all documentation and procedures (how we control things). With over 1000 employees at Dryden communication of directions and procedures is vital to get things done especially when change occurs (which is often around here).

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 21 - 09:11:54 ]
RE: [MrsBrown/EsperanzaHigh] Hi, sixteen Algebra 1 students from Esperanza High in Yorba Linda, California are here to chat with you.
Hi, Mrs. Brown and welcome to the chat room.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 22 - 09:18:24 ]
RE: [Koren] What is the NASA Organizational Culture like? Is there anything you would change about it?
Koren, The culture at Dryden is very good. I like to equate it to a think tank. Regardless of what type of job you hold at Dryden, if you have a question there are numerous people who would be more than happy to answer it for you or to show you what they are doing. I have had great experiences, discussing strategies with Directors or discussing technology with engineers and technicians. The only thing I would change about the culture is that I would like to see more women employed. We do have women in the engineering and technical fields but their numbers are much less than women employed in administrative fields.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 24 - 09:23:56 ]
RE: [Danielle/EsperanzaHigh] Did you ever feel discriminated against because you are female?
Hi Danielle, I have felt discriminated against but not because I am female. When I first started at Dryden most of the resources available for training was only given to Engineers. At that time I had a very good Supervisor that believed in my abilities and went out on a limb to make sure I was granted a share of those resources so I could complete my degree. I was also the first secretary at Dryden to get a computer. After I completed my degree, more opportunities for women opened up and now I feel resources are available to all employees regardless of what career field you are in or whether you are a male or female.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 26 - 09:32:16 ]
RE: [chris] What made you pursue this job?
Hi Chris, I pursued this job because I like being the one behind the scenes making the boss look good. We just had the Administrator of NASA here last Friday and my job was to make sure everyone was on time, all the charts were correct, the tour was arranged and the got to the right place, that lunch with employees was scheduled no one came in late, and they ended the meeting on time. I take great satisfaction when my boss turns around and thanks me for a job well done.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 27 - 09:34:37 ]
RE: [Fidel] Is there any posibility to you accept an invitation to a Congress in México?
Fidel, Dryden has a great speakers bureau. You may want to contact them to see what could be arranged. They can be emailed at john.childress@dfrc.nasa.gov.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 31 - 09:37:43 ]
RE: [CALEY/ESPERANZAHIGH] Was it hard for you to get the proper education for this career?
Hi Caley, The only thing hard about getting the proper education for my career was that I started late in life, I was going to college the same time my son was in college and my daughter was in high school. The demands of a full time job, family, and school of course was difficult but with my families help I made it and graduated with honors. If I had to do it all over again, I would have definitely pursued college directly out of high school.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 33 - 09:43:10 ]
RE: [Koren] From my own experience as a budget analyst, I've found that financial staff and scientific staff don't always mix very well. It would seem that at an organization like NASA, it would be important to have high morale and a high degree of inter-connectivity. Is this a fairly accurate statement about NASA?
I cannot speak for all of NASA about inter-connectivity, but at Dryden, I do feel the financial staff and scientific staff work very well together. If they don't objectives don't get accomplished and when you are working toward the same objectives there is no conflict

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 34 - 09:48:28 ]
RE: [CALEY/ESPERANZAHIGH] If you didn't have this career, what would your second choice for a career be?
Hi Caley, This is my second career choice. I started in the nursing profession and found out very quickly I did not like not being in charge. But, if I had to choose again, I would be in business for myself probably offering companies the same type of services I do now such as coordinating large affairs or catering functions.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 35 - 09:52:23 ]
RE: [chris] What troubles did you have getting this job?
Chris, I don't feel had trouble getting this job. When I competed for this job my competition was three other male employees that were much higher than I was. I believe I got the job because of my attitude and skills in getting the job done and doing it right the first time. I also feel my skills in working with people are very good. As part of my job I mentor the secretaries at Dryden and help them solve many of their problems.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 36 - 09:55:29 ]
RE: [chris] Do certain people have security restrictions on what they say and work on?
Chris, yes, NASA has many security restrictions. One important part of my job is when we have visitors from other nations, I must first have them cleared through our export control office and our security office who check on their passports, determine which technologies they can learn about, and then program in to the tour briefings that will not divulge sensitive information.

[ MrsBrown/EsperanzaHigh - 37 - 09:56:17 ]
This class period is over, so these students will be saying good-bye for now. We will check back later for the responses. Thank you for the chat.

[ Casey/EsperanzaHigh - 38 - 09:56:30 ]
Thankyou for your time and I will check back for answers later.

[ CALEY/ESPERANZAHIGH - 39 - 09:56:30 ]
Bye Sandy. Thank you for your time. I will check back for answers later.

[ chris - 40 - 09:56:30 ]
Thanks for all the help you gave us! and we hope you have a wounderful day.

[ Jon/EsperanzaHigh - 41 - 09:56:30 ]
Goodbye thanks for the chat.

[ Danielle/EsperanzaHigh - 42 - 09:56:30 ]
Good bye I have to go to another class thatnks I will check for the answers a bit later.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 44 - 10:01:49 ]
RE: [Koren] What is it like to work in such a high-profile, male-dominated organization? Are there any gender issues that you feel are important to discuss?
Koren, Although NASA is a high-profile, male-dominated organization. Women are very much a part of all aspects of the organization. We have women engineers, our Chief Financial Officer, Chief of Human Resources, and Chief of our Equal Opportunity Office are all women. Even jobs typically believed to be women dominated have men in them. We have two male secretaries that are very good at their jobs. The most difficult gender issues are to get women to train in the fields dominated by men such as engineering. Math, Science are important in every field at NASA.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 45 - 10:04:53 ]
RE: [Fidel] whit all your activities I suppose you are really busy, How do your family encourage you?
Fidel, My family is a great encouragement to me. When I was attending college there were many nights I did not get home until after 10 p.m. My husband was very good at helping our children with homework and cooking dinner. I have never felt that I had to choose between my family and my job.

[ Koren - 47 - 14:25:29 ]
Thank you for your time Sandy!

[ MrsBrown/EsperanzaHigh - 53 - 14:26:30 ]
Thank you for sharing your experiences with these students. We will check back later for your responses.

[ Garrett/EsperanzaHigh - 54 - 14:26:30 ]
Bye now... I have to go to another class. Thanks for the help.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 55 - 14:50:46 ]
RE: [Garrett/EsperanzaHigh] Do you work with the space craft?
Hi Garrett, The Dryden Flight Research Center is what is called an Aeronautical Flight Research Center. We do research and testing on different types of airplanes. There is a move in NASA to do more research on what we call "Access to Space" vehicles. So at Dryden we have two programs that are precursors to Space Craft. One program is the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle. This is a small craft much like the Space Shuttle that will be based on the International Space Station as an emergency return vehicle in case a catastrophic event happened on the Space Station or if an astronaut became ill and had to return to earth immediately. The X-38 will have room for 7 astronauts and will be autonomous (controlled by someone on the ground). After leaving the Space Station it will enter the earth's atmosphere and land by parachute. It can be maneuvered to land anywhere such as at a specific hospital.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 56 - 14:57:06 ]
RE: [Garrett/EsperanzaHigh] What did you find to be the biggest struggle in your career because of your gender?
Hi Garrett, The biggest struggle in my career because of gender is the allocation of resources (money, training). It was early in my career assumed that women would have families and eventually leave so all the resources we dedicated to careers that favored men. Over the last 5 years at least at NASA that is not so much true, but women have had a more difficult time proving they can excel. Women engineers at NASA have all the resources that men engineers have. Secretaries have a more difficult time but not because of their gender. They have difficulty receiving training or advancement outside of their career field because NASA is a technical organization and money is spent to advance technical knowledge. We have secretaries who are both male and female and they have the same challenges.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 57 - 15:03:50 ]
RE: [Garrett/EsperanzaHigh] Do you work with the public?
Garrett, I work with the public a great deal. I participate in special events Dryden hosts such as "roll-outs" (when an aircraft is displayed publicly for the first time). I act as a host during Shuttle landings (or I did when they landed at Dryden, they now land at the Kennedy Space Center) where I was responsible for groups of guest making sure they were able to experience everything available during the event such as seeing the exhibits and being able to test out the simulators. I frequently host groups of university students who come to Dryden and I coordinate visits for VIPs such as Congressmen and foreign dignitaries. I once was responsible for coordinating the secret service during a visit by the Vice President. That was a hand full.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 58 - 15:18:30 ]
RE: [Garrett/EsperanzaHigh] What hands-on projects does your job require?
Garrett, I missed chatting with you real-time because I had to attend a meeting where I gave a presentation on what we call "Space Utilization". This is how decisions are made about were people sit. Although it sound simple there are many issues that have to be resolved. Issues range from what organization they work for, to what company they work for, to what program they work on. Other hands on projects I work on include administrative work such as we are in the middle of converting all of our forms to a new software that require each form to be redesigned. I worked on the committee to decide what software was to be used, what the procedures were, and now I am actually doing the software conversions. When I conduct tours, I actually get to visit hangars, climb on aircraft, and touch the experiments as they are being built all the while making sure the people I am escorting are obeying safety rules and not putting the group in danger.

[ MrsBrown/EsperanzaHigh - 59 - 08:01:33 ]
Hi, Sandy! After reading the transcripts of your responses to their questions, my students were very appreciative of the completeness of your answers. They do have a few more questions they would like me to ask you for them.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 65 - 08:53:52 ]
RE: [MrsBrown/EsperanzaHigh] My period 3 class wants to know if there are any other projects being researched at Dryden besides the X-38 and the X-33.
Mrs. Brown, The other access to space project at Dryden right now includes the X-34 which looks like a long narrow airplane but will be carried to altitude under the belly of an L-1011 and dropped. Once dropped it will fire rockets to place it above the atmosphere where it will deploy its payload. Please check out the Dryden home page for more information on programs. We also have programs on more conventional aircraft such as F-15s, F-18s, and the SR-71. We do research on unpiloted vehicles as well. The latest research was performed using the Helios aircraft (unpiloted with a 246 ft wing span, using solar power for energy). The Helios broke the record for altitude for unpiloted vehicles last year. Some of our programs are small and include research on smart skin antennas, electro and mechanical actuators, wing designs, and new engine designs.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 66 - 09:05:26 ]
RE: [MrsBrown/EsperanzaHigh] My period 2 class is very interested in the X-33. They would like to know how it functions, how much it weighs, what it looks like both inside and outside, and any other details you could give them.
Mrs. Brown, The X-33 and the X-38 looks very much alike. They are both designed from what we call a lifting body (flying bathtub). The X-33 program is a government/industry effort to design, build and fly a half-scale prototype that will demonstrate in filght the new technologies needed for the full-scale "Venture Star" Reusable Launch Vehicle. Basically what this means is that the research vehicle being developed today may not look like the final vehicle. The research is testing the technology that will be used, not the vehicle that will be used. I don't have the technical data with me today but you can check out more information on the Dryden home page [http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov] including our photo gallery.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 67 - 09:14:24 ]
RE: [MrsBrown/EsperanzaHigh] A few students were interested in finding out more about the summer internship programs. Are there any located in southern California? What does the program involve? What are the requirements? How would they apply? Would they be paid?
Mrs. Brown, Dryden does offer student and intern programs over the summer. All of the programs can be applied for through your student counselors. At the high school level we have a program called SHARP. This program employees approximately 15 high school students for 6-8 weeks. They are assigned to a mentor who organizes their work assignments. At the end of their program they give exit briefings to the Center on what they learned. We also have several programs for University Students. These programs are also applied for through the schools. There are also several contractors on site who hire students during the summer. For more information you might want to contact our Human Resources Department or Education Department at Dryden Flight Research Center, P.O. Box 273, Edwards, CA 93523

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 68 - 09:17:49 ]
RE: [MrsBrown/EsperanzaHigh] My period 1 class would like to know if your personal life has suffered because of the demands of your job?
Mrs. Brown, I cannot say that my personal life has suffered be cause of my job. My job is very demanding and time consuming, but I love it. There is enough balance between home and work that nothing is sacrificed. Just this past week I worked until 8:30 p.m. on a presentation to our NASA Administrator but as compensation, I now get to take 4 and 1/2 hours off at what ever time I choose. So everything is give and take.

[ SandyMeske/DFRC - 69 - 09:28:04 ]
RE: [MrsBrown/EsperanzaHigh] My period 3 class also would like to know about the design considerations of the engineers when working on these technical projects.
Mrs. Brown, The first thing an engineer must understand is what the requirements are. Are they looking for a vehicle that will stay above the atmosphere for 30 days without requiring fuel, are they looking for an autonomous vehicle that flies by commands entered into a computer? After they know what they are looking for then they look at what is needed to meet the requirements, such as, solar panels, bays for payloads, structural designs, etc. A program may take several years on the drawing board before it ever reaches the flight test stage. During that time they continually refine and test their concepts. They are also always under review by more experienced researchers and independent review teams to ensure nothing is overlooked. Safety is always a first consideration.

[ MrsBrown/EsperanzaHigh - 70 - 09:30:31 ]
Thank you, Sandy, for your time and effort. We greatly appreciate it. Bye-bye.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 71 - 16:30:51 ]
This concludes our NASA Quest Women of NASA forum with Sandy Meske from Dryden Flight Research Center. We would like to thank all our participants for their great questions, and extend our thanks to Sandy Meske for sharing her career experience with us, and thoughtful responses to our questions. THANK YOU, Sandy!

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 72 - 16:31:05 ]
An archive of this forum will be available soon. As a final reminder, visit our NASA QuestChat Information Center at http://quest.nasa.gov/qchats to send us your comments about this forum.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 73 - 16:31:20 ]
To learn about upcoming chats with NASA experts, view our chat schedule at http://quest.nasa.gov/qchats/schedule Thank you again for your participation, and we hope to hear from you again soon!