Chat Room Transcript - Chat Session, April 3, 2008 @ 7:00 pm

> Our next guest speaker is Madi Sengupta

<Madi Sengupta> Hi folks!

<Brian Siela> Sounds familiar......hmmm

<Brian Siela> Hello!

<Jonathan Hua> Hi

<Madi Sengupta> I recognize some of you guys!

<Madi Sengupta> sorry about last time, I had to run quite abruptly

<Brian Siela> told you...

<Madi Sengupta> How's everyone doing?

<Brian Siela> Great!

<Jonathan Hua> Tired, otherwise fine

<Brian Siela> those thursdays

<Brian Siela> always catch you at the end of your week

<Madi Sengupta> So sorry, guys!  I navigated away from the page by accident.

<Madi Sengupta> So how's everyone doing?

<Brian Siela> tis ok

<Brian Siela> Good

<Brian Siela> lol
> good

<Tehreem Bilal> :)

<Tehreem Bilal> t is totally back! what did she miss?

<Madi Sengupta> Sooo...any questions left over?

<Brian Siela> What did we talk about again?

<Tehreem Bilal> the robotic arm

<Tehreem Bilal> um.......

<Tehreem Bilal> what else do you know about it?

<Tehreem Bilal> other than what you told us last time?

<Brian Siela> ah I remember

<Madi Sengupta> Yep, the robotic arm!  There's a lot to tell :)

<Madi Sengupta> We can either talk about that, or something else about NASA, if you want? I'm open
   to any questions, by the way :)

<Jonathan Hua> Well my question is way out there. How do you keep fish alive in space? Or how
   would you, since water would turn into globlets?

<Madi Sengupta> Wow...that is a really good question, Jonathan!

<Jonathan Hua> due no gravity

<Brian Siela> keep the tank in the centrif machine

<Brian Siela> and completely full of water

<Madi Sengupta> I don't know if I have the right answer, but I'm going to venture a guess while I do
   some research - things can be put inside those globs

<Madi Sengupta> so if it's big enough...I think a fish could work

<Madi Sengupta> but one sec, lemme see if I can find something about it

<Tehreem Bilal> i think i saw something on the discovery channel on that

<Tehreem Bilal> it was really cool

<Tehreem Bilal> they had fish (or maybe it was frogs?) hatch from eggs.

<Jonathan Hua> Whats a centrif machine brian?

<Tehreem Bilal> they grew up normally, but when they first hatched, the kept swimming in circles,
   because they hadnt figured out zero gravity yet

<Brian Siela> The mission with that had a link to a site that told all about it.....

<Madi Sengupta> A centrifuge is probably what he's talking about...it's a machine that creates artificial
   gravity in an environment that doesn't have any

<Madi Sengupta> it spins

<Brian Siela> Centrifigal Force machine generates varying amounts of grabity

<Madi Sengupta> to create some amount of gravity

<Brian Siela> *gravity

<Jonathan Hua> ah

<Jonathan Hua> That would make sense

<Brian Siela> Si

<Brian Siela> How are NASA's company picnics?

<Madi Sengupta> They're pretty fun!  I actually just came back from a division crawfish boil.

<Madi Sengupta> It's a great way to meet people and talk with our peers outside the formal work
   environment

<Brian Siela> :O

<Tehreem Bilal> hahaha, sorry, that just sounded kind of funny.

<Tehreem Bilal> whats your work environment like?

<Madi Sengupta> any questions about HAS in general?
> What division do you work with?

<Tehreem Bilal> you were in HAS, right?

<Madi Sengupta> Oh, it's nice...I like it a lot! I've got awesome co-workers and the work is pretty fun!

<Madi Sengupta> I sure was - I participated in 2002

<Madi Sengupta> I work in the EVA, Robotics, and Crew systems division - I work specifically on
   training astronauts and flight controllers how to fly the robotic arm on the ISS

<Tehreem Bilal> was HAS any different then than it is now?

<Jonathan Hua> how long does it take to train an astronaut and how much money does it cost?

<Tehreem Bilal> eva and robotics you talked about, and i actually remember that, but i dont remember
   anything about crew. could you tell me about that again? i'm sorry!

<Madi Sengupta> Tehreem - HAS is more or less the same, but the mission might be a little different
   (I'm not positive what you guys will be working on here...a mission to Mars?) - it's probably a little
   more developed than it was when I did it

<Madi Sengupta>  Jonathan - training astronauts on robotics, or in general?

<Jonathan Hua> In general

<Madi Sengupta> oh, they are constantly training, since day one...so their lifetimes at NASA are spent
   training...

<Madi Sengupta> Once they are assigned to a flight, they train specifically for about 1 1/2 years to 2
   years, depending on if their flights get delayed, etc.

<Tehreem Bilal> flights take that long to plan?

<Madi Sengupta> Tehreem - Flights definitely take a while to plan and fly, but astronauts come into
   hierarchical structure where astronauts who've been with NASA a while will get assigned faster
   than a brand ne wone

<Madi Sengupta> new one*

<Tehreem Bilal> although it makes since once you think about it...

<Tehreem Bilal> yeah. that makes ***since

<Tehreem Bilal> SENSE. i meant SENSE

<Madi Sengupta> Haha, no problem.

<Tehreem Bilal> :D smartness. its great to have smartness.

<Jonathan Hua> How do air scrubbers work in the space shuttle?

<Jonathan Hua> Do they remove the Carbon and leave the Oxygen?

<Brian Siela 2> Maybe you can help me with my new idea for dehydrated water.

<Jonathan Hua> removing the hydrogen from the water?

<Brian Siela 2> yeah!

<Brian Siela 2> we'll make fortunes!

<Jonathan Hua> I guess taht could be productive, and use the hydrogen as fuel

<Brian Siela 2> Dehydrated water, just add water for instant water.

<Tehreem Bilal> lol

<Madi Sengupta> Haha...dehydrated water

<Madi Sengupta> that's funny

<Tehreem Bilal> thats great :)

<Brian Siela 2> You could put the label: Warning do not over hydrate, may cause flooding.

<Madi Sengupta> Jonathan - I believe it recirculates the O2 in the expelled air and dumps the co2

<Madi Sengupta> i can check on that for you

<Tehreem Bilal> ? where does it dump the co2, and how?

<Jonathan Hua> maybe the CO2 is dumped outside the shuttle?

<Tehreem Bilal> thats what i was thinking, but wouldnt that somehow lead to something bad?

<Madi Sengupta> I believe it is

<Madi Sengupta> but...don't take my word for it just yet...I'm going to go do some research tomorrow
   and find out

<Madi Sengupta> send me an E-mail at madhurita.sengupta@gmail.com, so I have your E-mail
   addresses, and I'll send over the answer as soon as I find it.

<Jonathan Hua> great...greenhouse gasses in space...but then again, its jsut a small amount

<Tehreem Bilal> still.

<Jonathan Hua> will do

<Tehreem Bilal> it'll come back to haunt us, watch

<Tehreem Bilal> thanks

<Jonathan Hua> if it happens (not like it would matter) then we can say "we told you so"

<Madi Sengupta> Haha...maybe someday :)  But hopefully we'll be off the planet by that time :)

<Jonathan Hua> what are some of the ways to create oxygen on MArs once we get there?

<Jonathan Hua> I read some crazy theries to warm the atmosphere and start growing plants and
   whatnot
> How often does the  technology involved with ISS arm get updated?

<Madi Sengupta> Jonathan - there are a couple of different chemical processes that can be used to
   produce oxygen

<Madi Sengupta> Jonathan - I'm not positive if that will be possible just yet!  Mars is a little big

<Tehreem Bilal> just a little :)

<Ian Washburn> And a bit far away

<Madi Sengupta> Lance - it gets updated after every couple of flights

<Brian Siela 2> Maybe we can go Total Recal on Mars and get an atmosphere that way.

<Madi Sengupta> I think there should be a new one coming up pretty soon

<Tehreem Bilal> how has the technology in your field developed?

<Madi Sengupta> in Robotics?  It's pretty nEAT!

<Madi Sengupta> Neat*

<Madi Sengupta> This last flight just got a new arm up

<Madi Sengupta> called Dextre (or SPDM)

<Tehreem Bilal> really?

<Madi Sengupta> it's this monstrous two-armed robot!  Have you guys seen pictures?

<Tehreem Bilal> no! what can you tell us about it?

<Jonathan Hua> is dextre an acronym?

<Tehreem Bilal> (looking for pics right now)

<Madi Sengupta> I can't seem to copy and paste links

<Madi Sengupta> but if you google "Dextre" and go to the images section, you can see some really
   good pictures

<Brian Siela 2> Yeah I saw them put dexter together on NASA channel

<Madi Sengupta> Dextre actually isn't the acronym...it's just the formal name - the formal name is
   SPDM - Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator

<Madi Sengupta> It's got two arms that are connected by a vertical section that moves, as well.

<Jonathan Hua> oh ok

<Jonathan Hua> wow it is huge

<Madi Sengupta> Glad you got to see it, Brian!

<Matt Atwell> I'm curious about what kind of robotics systems are being developed/researched for a
   mission to Mars?

<Madi Sengupta> Matt - I think they are leaning more towards rover-type robotics.

<Madi Sengupta> There are some rovers in design/production now, but I haven't seen any details about
   any of them.

<Madi Sengupta> I think folks here at JSC as well as at JPL are working on it

<Ian Washburn> Matt- If you look it up on google or some other search engine you mite find out more.

<Madi Sengupta> Good suggestion, Ian!

<Tehreem Bilal> that is so cool! i just found pictures

<Madi Sengupta> You may be able to find some ideas that are floating around. I don't think anything's
   finalized yet, since Mars is still a while away.

<Ian Washburn> And it has horrible spelling

<Tehreem Bilal> JPL?

<Madi Sengupta> Did anyone see the Automated Transfer Vehicle dock to the Space Station today?

<Madi Sengupta> Tehreem - Jet Propulsion Lab

<Madi Sengupta> it's a NASA center in California

<Tehreem Bilal> thank you

<Madi Sengupta> No problem!

<Tehreem Bilal> no! where would i find out about dates and times for these things?!

<Madi Sengupta> nasa.gov is a great place to start, they usually have some good upcoming events
   listed

<Madi Sengupta> I know cnn.com has an article about it - you should check it out!

<Madi Sengupta> this was a pretty neat deal, because the ATV will be one of the ways the ISS will
   get cargo once Shuttle retires

<Tehreem Bilal> how are designs for whatever is replacing the shuttle going?

<Ian Washburn> But they are making newer shuttles for that purpose also.

<Madi Sengupta> So, any other questions...HAS, the week at NASA, my background, my
   job...anything's fair game, and if I don't know the answer, I will look it up and get back to you!

<Madi Sengupta> The CEV (Crew Exploration Vehicle) will replace the shuttle

<Madi Sengupta> right now it's slated to fly a manned crew in 2015

<Madi Sengupta> Things are progressing, but it is a whole new vehicle, so it will take some time.

<Ian Washburn> Madi- That's soon for a shuttle launch time

<Madi Sengupta> Ian - good point, but remember that there will be at least a five year gap between the
   last Shuttle flight and the first CEV flight

<Matt Atwell> What did you study in school and what specific things are you working on currently?

<Madi Sengupta> Well, there are some really smart people working on this :) They are trying their
   hardest to meet as early a deadline as possible, b/c we're aiming for Mars in 2030

<Madi Sengupta> Matt - I majored in Electrical Engineering. I actually just started three weeks ago, so
   I'm not working on anything specifically. But in the next few weeks, I will start reviewing the lessons
   that are in our basic robotics training flow and will start to teach them to other students

<Ian Washburn> Madi- Thats a lot of responsibility for someone who has only been there for three
   weeks.

<Matt Atwell> Who are your students?

<Tehreem Bilal> thats really cool

<Madi Sengupta> Ian - it is, definitely...but this is a dynamic, fast-paced environment, and we're taught
   skills from day one that help us get to that point as soon as we are capable. I had the advantage of
   working in this group for two summers while I was a co-op student here at NASA, so I'm a little
   ahead of the typical new-hire schedule

<Madi Sengupta> But new hires begin to take classes in our basic flow from their very first week and
   are expected to study and practice their skills as they progress through the classes, so they can start
   teaching

<Tehreem Bilal> you mentioned that last time. what was being a co-op like? what did you do?

<Ian Washburn> Whatever you say thats still preaty impressive and I would brag about it all the time.

<Madi Sengupta> Matt - right now we don't have any astronauts who need to take these basic courses,
   so I will likely be teaching robotics flight controllers and other people who need to know how to
   operate hte robotic arm

<Madi Sengupta> Ian - :) I'm so incredibly grateful for the opportunities I've been given (and I know it
   all started with HAS! So make sure you take advantage of this network you're starting to create!!),
   and I've learned a lot from my experiences that have helped me get to the point I'm at now.

<Madi Sengupta> Any other questions?

<Ian Washburn> Madi- When do you think your due to start teaching?

<Tehreem Bilal> do you have any other advice for us? or anything you think we should know about
   your line of work?

<Madi Sengupta> Ian - Hopefully in the next 2-3 weeks! When I co-op'd here last summer, I was able
   to certify to teach a class, so I'm hoping to get my re-certification in that in the next few weeks and
   start teaching it soon after

<Madi Sengupta> Tehreem - if you'd like to work at NASA, you think, definitely capitalize on this
   opportunity, When you're here for the week, talk to everyone, listen to what the speakers tell you,
   work on the projects you're given with enthusiasm and excitement, make sure you keep in touch with
   the HAS mentors when you leave - they can be excellent future resources.

<Madi Sengupta> HAS also has an internship program you can look into onc eyou get to college

<Madi Sengupta> Don't lose contact with this network, because it's a really great one to have.
> Well, we are nearing the end of our chat.  Does anyone have any last minute questions for Madi?

<Madi Sengupta> I still keep in touch with some of the friends I made during HAS!

<Tehreem Bilal> :) thats cool.

<Ian Washburn> Madi- The most difficult thing you have done in your work?

<Madi Sengupta> Again, those of you who were wondering about the air scrubbers - please E-mail me
   at madhurita.sengupta@gmail.com, so I have your E-mail addresses - I will send you an E-mail with
   the answer as soon as I can find it
> We really appreciate the time you have taken to talk with us at HAS.  Thank you very much!

<Madi Sengupta> and if anyone has any questions after tonight, please feel free to E-mail me at the
   same address anytime

<Madi Sengupta> No problem Lance!

<Madi Sengupta> Ian - Probably the toughest thing would have been my work at the NBL - the
   Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, where they train the astronauts to do their space walks - it was a
   challenging environment that was incredibly fast-paced and exciting

<Madi Sengupta> Ian - Probably the toughest thing would have been my work at the NBL - the
   Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, where they train the astronauts to do their space walks - it was a
   challenging environment that was incredibly fast-paced and exciting

<Madi Sengupta> I learned an incredible amount from that experience, both about myself and about the
   space program, and I find it useful even today, in another group!

<Madi Sengupta> OK guys...I guess our time is up! Please feel free to E-mail me if you have any
   more questions - it was a pleasure chatting with you :)

<Tehreem Bilal> thanks so much for being here

<Brian Siela 2> Okay thanks

<Matt Atwell> thanks

<Madi Sengupta> No problem, at all - my pleasure!

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