I had the pleasure of not only hosting but also presenting last night’s Live Chat, ‘Secrets of Kennedy Space Center’. This chat was for 9th grade OLC members, 43 of whom were in attendance. During the chat, I talked about the history of KSC, it’s current mission, and some of the interesting, little-known facts about KSC. This chat is available now in the Live Chat archive (Connect>Live Chats>Archive). On Monday, look for the podcast versions on the Home Page archive.
We had plenty of questions, and not enough time for all, so I asked students who did not get answers to send on their questions. Here are the answers:
Jonathan S.: Can astronauts play video games in space?
Answer: There are computers on board the ISS that astronauts can use to send and retrieve email and watch DVD movies. I would not doubt that their may be some games as well. I’ll try to find out more and pass it on.
Tristan Z.: How do you make sure birds (like the bald eagle) don't get in the way of the shuttle launch and potentially get hurt? Also, Why is the runway surrounded by water?
Answer: Although the pad area is deserted at launch (except, of course, for the astronauts!) there is still plenty of activity and noise coming from the vehicle and its associated support equipment. Most birds and animals have learned to steer clear of this. Our wildlife specialists also remove nesting opportunities (dead trees, branches, etc.) to discourage birds from nesting too close to the pad. We have, however, on occasion had a bird strike.
Sean H.: Is there a specific type of launch pad to launch different rockets? If so, what constitutes this difference?
Answer: Yes, each launch vehicle has specific requirements that must be met with pad support equipment. This would be fuel and electrical connections, hold down bolts and vehicle support, and in the case of the Shuttle, crew access. Typically, a new pad was designed and built for each ne launch vehicle, but modern pads can be configured to launch several types.
Ryan S.: Why are you ending the space shuttle program before you have a replacement?
Answer: NASA works under the direction of Congress. After the Columbia accident in 2003, President Bush gave NASA a new direction to complete the ISS, retire the Shuttle, and develop a new launch system, Constellation, to service the ISS and return to the Moon. Retiring the Shuttle was meant to free up funds for development of Constellation, so the budget would remain the same. This year, the Obama direction called for the elimination of Constellation and the shift toward commercial development of a space vehicle. NASA work still continues on Orion, a space capsule that may be launched by a commercial booster.
Ezekiel H.: How many locations are there for landing the space shuttle?
Answer: Besides Kennedy Space Center, and Edwards Air Force Base in California, there is another landing strip at White Sands in New Mexico. This was only used once in 1983. There are also three main abort landing sites, and nine emergency sites around the world.
Dashiell D.: What will kennedy's purpose be in the future beyond the missions you've described? Or will Kennedy be closed down?
Answer: KSC is positioning itself as the premier launch location in the world, updating facilities and infrastructure to support any client, NASA or commercial, that needs to place a payload in space. We expect it to be around for many, many years!
Thanks for all the questions and the great time! Next week, our chat will be for 12th grade OLC members and feature a mission update of Dawn’s journey to the asteroid belt by Britney Schmidt of the University of Texas.
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