CHATROOM ARCHIVE #2

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Chat room #Pipeline

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Tom_Nelson <Q>: Has the webcast started?
Robo_Moderator <A>: Welcome to the webchat. The webcast will begin shortly, and this webchat will begin around 6:45. You are welcome to submit questions to our panel of engineers and teacher at any time.
labrat4 <Q>: has the presention started yet for anyone?
Robo_Moderator <A>: Hello. I am looking into the status of the webcast.
Robo_Moderator: Welcome. Please join us at the live webcast now at http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/video/webcast.html
Robo_Moderator: Welcome to those of you just joining. The webchat will begin at approximately 3:45 Pacific time. Please feel free to enter your questions below at any time.
pat <Q>: Could you show the links here please?
Robo_Moderator <A>: Sure. You will be able to find the webcast at http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/video/webcast.html
YClearwater: Hi everybody! Welcome back to round #2. Michelle- Here we go! -- Yvonne
Robo_Moderator: We hope you enjoyed the broadcast. Welcome to the online chat. Please submit your questions below.
pat <Q>: There were 3 other links on a graphic in the webcast - can you please display them?
Robo_Moderator <A>: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov; http://robotics.nasa.gov; http://imaginemars.jpl.nasa.gov
Chris <Q>: Hello?
Robo_Moderator <A>: Hi we see you! Please enter your questions here
max <Q>: Are we sending more robots to Mars soon?
sdesiano <A>: Absolutely! There are two up there now -- Spirit and Opportunity. In 2007, the Phoenix project will be sending a rover, and in 2009, the Mars Science Lander will go up.
pat <Q>: Could you display the links that were on the graphic here in the chat please?
Robo_Moderator <A>: Sorry for the confusion. Here they are:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov; http://robotics.nasa.gov; http://imaginemars.jpl.nasa.gov
max <Q>: Why are women and minorities under-represented in engineering?
awright <A>: I believe that this is mainly a historical holdover. Certainly women and minorities are no less capable of being great engineers, but it has historically been somewhat more daunting for them to get started, and to find the opportunities and role models. Happily this is changing. In each generation of engineers, the degree of under-representation has been diminishing, thanks partly to programs like this. Hopefully soon it will no longer be an issue.
North_Salem_High_School <Q>: Hello! This is North Salem High School and we're a bit confused on how to send questions. Can you help us?
Robo_Moderator <A>: You're doing it! We apologize for the initial delay, but we moderate each question and send it out to an engineer or teacher, depending on the topic.
Robo_Moderator: Thank you to everyone joining us. Please sumbit your questions in the "Ask" text box
Alyssa_Avestro <Q>: Hello, Alyssa from Middle College. I'm a FIRST student and I'd like to ask the 13-year old involved in BotBall a question =)
YClearwater <A>: Alyssa - The young women in the preceding JPL WebCast are not online here. Please just send us your question and we will forward to one of our robo engineers or educators. Thanks!
Alyssa_Avestro <Q>: I'd like to work at NASA someday, but I'm going to be a medical major... is there a place for medical students at NASA to still be involved in technology and engineering or would I be better off studying engineering?
sdesiano <A>: NASA employs many types of people -- doctors, scientists, engineers, and pilots, just to name a few. So, if your goal is to work at NASA, then there are many educations that will get you there. The best thing, in my experience, is to learn something that you enjoy, and then find a job where you can be paid to do that. If you enjoy medicine, do that. If you enjoy engineering, study that, instead.
max <Q>: When will people go to Mars?
YClearwater <A>: Great question Ð one that we have been asking for decades. The fact is that today, we do indeed have the technological capability of sending humans to Mars. But it is a huge undertaking Ð and really expensive. It will take a successful international collaborative long range effort to pull it off. The best way to support that is for our young people to become interested and actively involved in science and engineering Ð you all will make it happen! Robotics is a terrific avenue.
North_Salem_High_School <Q>: The link you sent us, is that where we ask live questions regarding women engineeering in NASA?
Robo_Moderator <A>: You ask questions HERE about women in engineering! You may also ask about robotic competitions, how you might be able to get involved in robotics after school, or about the K9 rover or the rovers on Mars! It's up to you!
North_Salem_High_School <Q>: So this is where we ask Engineers questions? In this chat room?
YClearwater <A>: Absolutely! Ask away - we are here - Live and online.
Alyssa_Avestro <Q>: Do you plan to continue robotics in the FIRST program, and after that, what career do you plan to pursue?
slee <A>: HI Alyssa. I think this question must have been intended for someone from the live webcast. Unfortunately she isn't here right now but I can answer any questions you might have regarding a career in robotics.
Alyssa_Avestro <Q>: Funny... someone sent my question to Mr. Reed and he's sitting right next to me! Hehehe...
Robo_Moderator <A>: (: Thanks to Robo Educator Mr. Reed for answering questions on our chat room. We really appreciate him!
dbburns <Q>: Is a manned mission to Mars possible with todays technology and budget cuts? Shouldnt Congress up the budget for Nasa r&a so the time frame is a possibility...
sdesiano <A>: No matter what budget we have, it will be a number of years before we can safely send people to Mars. Actually, Congress increased the amount of money that NASA got this year. You are right, though; when we go to Mars depends on how much money we spend on it, which depends on how important it is to the President and the Congress. In my opinion, fundamental research is one of the most important parts of science that the government can support, and it would be great to have a higher research and technoology development budget for that kind of work.
Alyssa_Avestro <Q>: Ah, but will the doctors or medical scientists be limited to just working in the hospitals and clinics on the nASA site or will they actually be able to be involved in the designing, manufacturing, and execution of NASA projects such as the Mars expeditions?
Ereed <A>: There is certainly a place for medical professionals in space careers. The trip to Mars will be much longer than the kind of expeditions we've done so far, and designing facilities for medical care during the journey and on the planet will certainly be critical. If we do form a colony on Mars someday, there will be a permanent need for medical professionals there. Keep working toward your goals...it could be you!
dbburns <Q>: How long are the Mars rovers batteries good for? Like a cellphone battery, maybe a couple of years before they go dead from too many recharges?
sdesiano <A>: The batteries on Spirit and Opportunity are Lithium-Ion batteries, just like the ones in your cell phone. They do get worse at being recharged over time, but they are designed so that this won't be a problem during the mission. In fact, the biggest problem is that the dust on the panel makes it hard to charge the batteries.
mintra <Q>: are there women on mars?
slee <A>: hehehe.. Hi Mintra.. nope no women there yet (althought i heard there might be some on venus =P ) but when astronauts do start arriving on Mars I wouldn't be surprised if the first person on Mars is a woman!
pat <Q>: If I understand correctly, robots will be employed on Mars before people go there to build habitats, etc. Am I thinking along the right lines?
sdesiano <A>: That's exactly right. Right now, NASA is working hard to develop groups of robots that can work together so that Mars is livable by the time people get there. As a joke, some people here like to say that they want to make sure the coffee is hot when the astronauts land.
Alyssa_Avestro <Q>: Is it true that Mars lower gravity will change our bone mass and therefore make it difficult for humans to return to Earth without having problems? I heard that somewhere before... and if that's true, how does NASA plan to deal with that obstacle?
YClearwater <A>: Yes, in low to zero-G conditions, bone loss is a cumulative problem. Exercise (applying pressure against the large bones) helps Ð but does not completely eliminate the risk. This is one of the space-biology questions that NASA scientists have been tackling through systematic human subjects research. Just Google the key words Òbone loss in spaceÓ to learn more.
pat <Q>: I have been an astrophysicist since 1974. I had almost *zero* role models. And I hard time getting an academic job. I sure hope things are changing for women in this science (and others), but you make it seem that they are not.
awright <A>: I feel that things are changing for the better. I graduated from high school in 1990, received Master's of Engineering from MIT in 1996, and have been working on robots at NASA for the last 6 years. While in school I had plenty of teachers who went out of their way to be encouraging in math, computers, and science, and don't ever remember a time when anyone made it seem like the fact that I was a girl and was doing that sort of thing was any sort of problem. In the group I currently work in at NASA Ames, there are three other women who work directly on the rovers with me, two of whom have been there working on rovers in our group for more than 10 years, and many other women in our group, and in our building. We do what we can, such as events like this, to try to encourage other girls to go into science and engineering, and have seen a very strong response from each such event. I encourage other women in science and engineering to seek out these opportunities, be role models t
max <Q>: how big is the K9 rover?
awright <A>: The solar panel (the top of the main body) is about 3 foot square, and about 3 foot off the ground. The cameras at the top of the mast are between 5 1/2 and 6 feet tall. It weighs about 140 lbs.
max <Q>: Do you need a teacher to do Botball at school?
Ereed <A>: Nope, but you do need an adult to lead the team. This could be a parent, or another school employee. Almost all of the robotics competitions are also open to home schools and informal groups, such as neighborhood organizations...of course, it's easier to find funding for the more expensive competitions if you have a school behind your team.
max <Q>: What types of engineers work on the K9 rover. How many people are on the team?
slee <A>: hello max. The number of people who work on K9 varies depending on how you look at it. There are about 4 people working directly on K9 Hardware and software directly on K9, however there are maybe a dozen other people who work on making K9 "smarter". I am the lead hardware engineer on the K9 project. I have a background in Mechanical and electrical engineering. My teammates are electrical and software engineers.
Alyssa_Avestro <Q>: who was the youngest female to go into space, and will it be possible for high schoolers to take a "field trip" (hehe) there? For some reason, I'd think it'd be cool to experience space as a teenager about to enter college and being able to use those experiences in college.
sdesiano <A>: The first woman in space was a Russian engineer named Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova. She flew on the Vostok 5 mission on June 16, 1963. There's even a Russian stamp with her face on it. It would be cool to go to space before college, and in the next twenty years, there will be more and more "tourists" in space, but right now it's very expensive unless you are going on a mission, and astronauts tend to be older.
max <Q>: Do you know of any NASA robotic technology that will be used in the public?
awright <A>: If you are asking whether or not there are opportunities to see NASA robotic technology, there are displays open to the public at both Ames and JPL, we have traditionally shown our robots at the Moffett Field airshows, and we sometimes take our robots out to competitions or other robotics related events. If you are asking if a home version of a NASA robot will be available, probably not. However, there is a project from CMU called PER (Personal Exploration Rover) which has made small MER-like rovers for science museums, schools, and other educational outreach activities like Sally Ride's science camps.
savan <Q>: Hi everyone, good afternoon
Robo_Moderator <A>: Welcome back. Let us know if you have any questions.
luba <Q>: what kind of metal are rovers made of?
slee <A>: Good question luba. Primarily aluminum but there are other metals including steel and titanium.
luba <Q>: can you make a rover that will clean my room?::teeth
Ereed <A>: What a great question. Did you know that Colin Angle AND Helen Greiner, the founders of iRobot and creators of the Roomba robotics vacuum cleaner BOTH got started at NASA? Ms. Cramer worked at JPL!
Alyssa_Avestro <Q>: How does someone become an astronaut? When Sally Ride spoke last month at NASA Ames, she said that she saw an advertisement in the newspaper calling for astronauts. Will that ever happen again or is it exclusive now?
YClearwater <A>: The good news is that the opportunities to fly, live, work in space are more wide-open than ever before. IF YOU HAVE the right stuff. And that still means a great education with strong background in math, science and technology. You also need a can-do attitude that drives you to be your best! You need real skills not just good intentions to join the best of the best , the US NASA Astronaut Corps
max <Q>: How do they make sure the rovers don't fall into holes or craters?
sdesiano <A>: That's one of the hardest things for people that run rovers to make sure of. Right now, the scientists take high quality pictures of the areas around the rovers and make sure not to drive anywhere dangerous. In the future, the rovers themselves will use the cameras to decide what is safe and what isn't. Then, the scientists and the people on earth can focus on more interesting problems.
dbburns <Q>: there are two women on mars right now. Spirit and opportunity. They are she's from what I gather. Theres a story behind that.... Maybe someone would like to tell it?
awright <A>: There was a competition to name the rovers, and Sofi Collis, a third grader from Scottsdale, Arizona, submitted the winning essay and names, Spirit and Opportunity. Hers was selected from nearly 10,000 entries in the contest. I am not certain if she specified that they were female, or if it was in honor of a girl having won the competition, or if there were other factors involved. It could also be related to the fact that since ships are traditionally referred to as she.
Lizandra <Q>: how long do you think it will be before we have humans on Mars? I'm currently a senior in high school, and one of my friends and i have a running joke that her brother will design the craft to get to mars, she will pilot it, and i will be the mission specialist. Do you think it is feasable that someone of our age will be among the first to actually go to the red planet?
sdesiano <A>: If I were a gambling man, I would bet that your age, or a little younger, is about right. We'll probably be back on the moon by 2020, and heading for Mars in the twenty years after that.
luba <Q>: Cool! I want to work for NASA!!
Ereed <A>: Excellent goal :) Stay on track, and get involved in any robotics / engineering / technology activity you can. Remember, opportunity comes to those who are prepared for it.
savan <Q>: I have one question abt MSL. Next robotic lab. Is there any provision for digging..like extravator on that robots..so that we can check out some inner layers of mars surface?????
sdesiano <A>: There have been lots of discussions about what the MSL should be able to do, and several of the designs contain drills. The actual instrument selection isn't complete, so it's impossible to say if we'll have a drill or not.
luba <Q>: Will there be doctor robots soon?
slee <A>: I'm not sure what you mean by doctor robots but there are surgical robots available in hospitals now. Intuitive Surgical has a robot called the "da Vinci" which assists doctors with surgeries. There are also robots such as the Honda robot Asimo that are being developed in part to assist elderly people ... kind of like a robotic nurse. Personally I think that medical robotics is a fascinating field in which robots and doctors can collaborate to help people in a very important, even life-saving, way.
Alyssa_Avestro <Q>: How would one apply or try to become an astronaut?
YClearwater <A>: Easy to research thisonline: For instance , go to http://edspace.nasa.gov/ and click on Careers at NASA. In honor of welcoming young women into engineering - it is important t o note that back in the early 1980's when Dr. Sally Ride Applied, applicants had to write letters -- typed on paper to both ask for information and to apply to the Astronaut Corps! Just think of the waiting period -- and the postage! -- smile
Robo_Moderator: Please start thinking about your final questions now! We will be ending the chatroom in about 5 minutes. Thank you to everyone who joined today. Please check out our website at http://robotics.nasa.gov and stay tuned for our upcoming Women in Engineering online course!
pat <Q>: Speaking of JPL, as a Solar System Ambassador, is it possible for me to be the leader of a school team for the BotBall activities? Does it have to be someone at the school, in other words?
Ereed <A>: From Botball's standpoint you are qualified. You will need to check with the school to see if there are requirements to volunteer with the school. In California, for example, you need to go through fingerprint clearance. This is quick and easy, and most schools will take care of any fees.
luba <Q>: I have a question about how the robot works: When I want to write something and my brain tells my hand to write it, it works! how does the robots arms do what the brain wants it to do?
awright <A>: Actually, you are only able to do that because of years of practice learning how to make your body move the way you want it to in general, and how to use your hand to form letters in particular. Humans are very good at this, and babies automatically start the process by doing things like waving their arms around and watching and feeling what happens as a result. With a robot we have to go through a somewhat similar process, but, at least at this point, we don't have the luxury of having the robots figure it out for themselves. We have to do tests and measurements to calibrate the system and figure out how to map motor commands to physical movement of each joint in the world (called "forward kinematics"). Then we have to do lots of math and come up with algorithms for where we can decide, given a point in the world where we want the arm to go, what should the joint angles be. Luckily, Susan is very good at this sort of thing. :)
dbburns <Q>: are there plans for a Mars microphone on the next lander? It would be neat to hear Mars!
slee <A>: That would be cool! I'm not aware of any plans for a microphone on the next lander but there was a microphone on the Titan (Moon of Saturn) Huygens probe. Check it out http://www.planetary.org/sounds/huygens_sounds.html.
luba <Q>: Do you ever use tank wheels so the rovers can go over rocks?
sdesiano <A>: So far, we've only used metal wheels. There have been lots of ideas about other kinds of ways to move robots, including wings, treads (like on a tank), and even inflatable wheels. Since we've only sent a few rovers to Mars so far, we've kept to the simple, reliable, metal wheels.
robyn <Q>: Do the rovers also have human names? Do the scientists call them something other than spirit and opportunity?
YClearwater <A>: Every NASA space Mission involves innovating and engineering new technological products, systems and tools. One of the creative high points for the NASA engineers is to be able to apply appropriate names. For instance Mars Pathfinder, Sojourner, Spirit. . . Did you know that one of the early names for the International Space Station was ÒFREEDOMÓ?
luba <Q>: Ereed - what other robotics activities can i join?
Ereed <A>: There are lots of robotics and engineering challenges you can join. BotBall and FIRST are the best known...BotBall (www.botball.org) focusing more on Software, FIRST (www.usfirst,org) focusing more on hardware. BEST (www.bestinc.org) is very similar to FIRST, but there is no registration fee, which is excellent for schools who can't find sponsors to fit the bill. FIRST is a bit ahead on the technology, but BEST is still an excellent opportunity. FLL (www.firstlegoleague.org) is fantastic for those up to age 14, and the challenges there are endless. Locally, you might find competitions at tech or science museums, or bridge building challenges.
robyn <Q>: Can robots see colors?
sdesiano <A>: Sure! Since the robots use digital cameras, they can use black and white cameras or color ones, just like you can buy at the store. In fact, some of the cameras they use are actually black and white, but they put color filters in front of the lenses to make color pictures.
luba: <Q>Cool. What kind of engineer is Susan?
slee <A>: hi Luba. I'm a mechanical engineer. I got both my bachelors and masters at Stanford. My graduate degree was focused in Mechatronics which translates into cool robotics!
savan <Q>: Ok guys gtg now. thanx so much for giving us such opportunity to learn and clear our doubts
YClearwater <A>: Thank you! Best wishes in your career from the NASA team
Robo_Moderator: Thank you everyone for joining today. We hope you found this forum valuable. Please see the archives of teh webcast at http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/video/webcast.html
Ereed: Thank you all!
Robo_Moderator: We will be taking the final questions now.
Lizandra <Q>: I've been accepted to CU-Boulder to study aerospace engineering. are there any specific courses I should make sure I take in preparation for possibly becoming an astronaut?
awright <A>: I am not an expert on this topic, but have heard a little. At least with the Space Shuttle program, there are two categories of astronaut: those which focus on controlling the flight of the shuttle itself, and those which focus on doing the science and engineering for the payload experiments. For the former, getting a pilot's license would be a good idea. For the latter, you should focus on getting an advanced degree in your field. In either case, it is important to stay physically fit and try for excellence in your chosen area of endeavor.
Robo_Moderator: Special thanks to our teachers and engineers who participated today: Eric Reed, Salvatore Desiano, Susan Lee, and Anne Wright.
robyn <Q>: Can rovers sense depth?
slee <A>: Hi Robyn. Rovers can sense depth the same way that we do with our eyes. Our rovers have stereo pair cameras which allows a robot to be able to tell how far away a rock is by triangulating on it. (see ... trig. is useful! )
Lizandra <Q>: What are some important courses that prospective astronauts should take in college?
sdesiano <A>: Astronauts come from many different professions. In the future, when missions are months long, we'll need astronauts that can do lots of different things so that we can send a few astronauts to do all of the required jobs. For example, we'll need doctors, pilots, engineers, and scientists.
Lizandra <Q>: Thank you for your information!
savan <Q>: One more strnage que from me. Is it possible that..we send some primary leaving organism like bactaria or something to mars with rovers and study how they response to enviornment???
awright <A>: Actually, one of the major concerns in sending things to other planets is how NOT to contaminate their environments. We need to understand much much more fully what is there before we think about trying to change it.
pat <Q>: Thanks to all of you for your time and dedication.
Mia <Q>: Have you tried to model robots after any particular animals?
awright <A>: I myself do not, but there are other researchers I have worked with who have. Examples include kangaroos, dinosaurs, flamingos, turkeys, and cockroaches.
North_Salem_High_School <Q>: Christina Duong at NSHS, Does attending a good Engineering collge help get a job at NASA?
YClearwater <A>: Yes - engineering is a great aveune to prepariing for a career in space exploration. So are the life sciences and information technology. Like any complex endeavor, we also need expertise in communications and project management and the full range of professional disciplines. The best advice is to be the best you cab be!
Robo_Moderator: If you have more questions, please send them to mgoldschmid@mail.arc.nasa.gov
Lizandra <Q>: What are some important courses that prospective astronauts should take in college?
sdesiano <A>: Engineering and science are the usual topics. You could also train to be a doctor or a pilot.
pat <Q>: I second the idea of a microphone on the next Mars lander - it might be very quiet, or you might hear the "Martian" standing behind the camera eyes speaking in his/her native tongue - just out of eyesight!
slee <A>: hehehe.. I like that idea too... i always imagine the aliens hiding from the rovers :)
Robo_Moderator: For info on GIRL (Girls In Robotic Learning) please email Dr. Yvonne Clearwater at Yvonne.Clearwater@Nasa.gov
luba <Q>: What happens when a rover falls into a creater? Can we send another rover to get it out?
sdesiano <A>: Right now, there's nothing we can do, since we would want to risk hurting the other rover. So, right now, we just try hard not to fall in any holes (and we're quite good at it).
pat <Q>: Moderator - will there be an archive of this chat?
Robo_Moderator <A>: Yes. Please return to this site before the hour is up!
pat <Q>: You are doing good work to encourage yourng women and minorities - who were even *more* under-represented in my day. Keep up the good work. Question - is there a program to look at mini and micro bots (rolling eyes, that sort of thing) to use in planetary exploration?
YClearwater <A>: Thanks to the NASA Ames team: our engineers -- and esp. to Michelle Goldschmid, Cassie Bowman and Seth Carter for ensuring that the technolgy served us all well today in this nationwide conversation. Best of luck to everyone. Yvonne Clearwater
luba <Q>: what happens to the rovers on mars? how long will it last?
awright <A>: The rover operators try extremely hard to keep the rovers safe. However, the environment there is very harsh from the standpoint of temperature. It gets very very cold each night, and, while still cold by our standards, much warmer during the day. The air pressure is also very low. These factors put a lot of stress on the rovers, and we can't really predict how well they will hold up to it. There's also always the danger of just getting unlucky and having something fail. So far Spirit and Opportunity have both held up to these stresses much better than expected, and been remarkably lucky. Nobody would have guessed they could survive so long. So long as they hold up and can move and send back data they will continue to be used and valued.
YClearwater: And huge thanks to our Esteemed Robo Educators> Mr. Eric Reed in San Pablo, CA and Mr. Paul Wahnish in Tarpon Springs, Florida for joining in our conversation today. Yea Teachers!!
luba <Q>: Cool. What kind of engineer is Susan?
awright <A>: She majored in mechanical engineering, and is the only one on our team who can do that part of the job. However, neither she nor anyone who works on the rover stay narrowly pigeonholed like that, and her skills extend to electronics, programming, kinematics, system integration, and many other skills useful for working with rovers.
North_Salem_High_School <Q>: Hello! Christina from North Salem High School. A question for any women Engineer. "During your senior high years, is taking advance mathematics critical to becomming an engineer?
awright <A>: It helps, but don't worry too much if it isn't available because you can take it after you get to college. I grew up in Lincoln, NE and was lucky enough to be in a school system where after finishing all the advanced math classes available at my high school I was allowed to take classes at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. As a result, I was able to skip directly to Sophomore level math when I got to MIT. However, that turned out to be pretty unusual. Most people had not had similar opportunities, and the freshman math classes gave them all they needed.