IWC V2.3: Board: chat Channel: *infinities

Current Time: Sun Sep 14 23:55:45 EDT 1997

MsgId: *infinities(1)
Date: Sun Sep 14 20:59:34 EDT 1997
From: guest At: 168.100.204.58

NASA astronaut Tom Jones is unique among his peers --not only is he an Air Force pilot (something we expect,) he is also a highly trained planetary scientist. Since his youth, Jones was inspired by the grandeur and excitement of space flight, and, in the style of the on-target person he is, he decided to pursue piloting and science in hopes of attaining his true goal --astronautical flight.

Today, a veteran of three space shuttle missions,Jones has already logged over 40 days in space. He is currently training for International Space Station assembly mission 5A - STS-98 - which is scheduled for the spring of 1999.

It's clear his dual training is key. During his upcoming mission the shuttle will deliver the U.S. Laboratory to the Space Station; it is up to Jones, along with veteran spacewalker Mark Lee, to hook it up to the International Space Station. Jones himself will render functional all the internal components of the Space Station's American science lab once it has been installed.

Dr. Jones will be joining us momentarily to discuss his personal trajectory --from inspired school kid with astronomical dreams to real space scientist, one of the very few able to do part of his work in space.

This will be an in-studio interview conducted by OMNI Editor Pam Weintraub. (An in-studio interview uses just one computer terminal, so Weintraub will type for Jones andMsgId: *infinities(8)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:10:22 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: Dr. Jones is here and ready to start. Hi there! How did you get into the astronaut business, anyway?

MsgId: *infinities(10)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:12:04 EDT 1997
From: guest At: 208.155.131.232

hello Dr. Jones

MsgId: *infinities(11)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:12:11 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: I grew up in Baltimore,MD, and when I was ten we were launching the Gemini missions into space. Astronauts were rehearsing their trips to the moon, and I found that extremely interesting...

MsgId: *infinities(12)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:12:41 EDT 1997
From: guest At: 208.155.131.232

ARE YOU THERE?

MsgId: *infinities(13)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:12:46 EDT 1997
From: guest At: 170.140.251.5

I am a senior in high school and want to be an astronaut. What advice can you give me?

MsgId: *infinities(14)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:13:35 EDT 1997
From: guest At: 208.155.131.232

hello?

MsgId: *infinities(15)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:13:50 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Space flight seemed to combine the most exciting parts of flying and science, the things I enjoyed reading about most in school. I went into the Air Force and became a pilot, and after flyin in the Air Force got a science degree. I was lucky enough to be hired as an astronaut in 1990.OMNI: This was your plan from the Beginning?

MsgId: *infinities(16)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:14:11 EDT 1997
From: guest At: 208.155.131.232

MsgId: *infinities(17)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:14:38 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: I worked at getting all my qualifications together, even though I didn't know if I had a chance. I didn't think it was realistic goal.

MsgId: *infinities(18)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:15:36 EDT 1997
From: guest At: 208.155.131.232

hi

MsgId: *infinities(19)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:15:40 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: What, specifically, about your qualifications, made it a reality for you?Dr. Jones: Flying experience from the military and a Ph.D. in planetary science was a rare combination.

MsgId: *infinities(20)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:15:46 EDT 1997
From: guest At: 170.140.251.5

How many times did you apply to NASA?

MsgId: *infinities(21)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:16:10 EDT 1997
From: guest At: 208.155.131.232

how many people are here?

MsgId: *infinities(22)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:16:28 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: How did these two elements come together in your work as an actual astronaut?

MsgId: *infinities(23)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:17:16 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: First, my flying experience gave me the chance to fly with different crew members on a B52 bomber. I was TEAM player.

MsgId: *infinities(24)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:17:52 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

My science background gave me the experience to run other people's experiments on the shuttle.

MsgId: *infinities(25)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:18:21 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI:Can you describe your first mission?

MsgId: *infinities(26)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:21:03 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: My first flight was A Mission to Planet Earth on Endeavor in 1994. We used a new radar imager to scan Earth's biosphere, oceans, and land surface. It lasted 11 days, and I flew a nearly identical mission six months later. Being in space makes your face hurt because you're smiling so much --it was a dream come true, to see the Earth from space from so many different vantage points. Combine that with the experience of being weightless, and the combination is hard to beat.

MsgId: *infinities(27)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:21:37 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: I imagine that your background as a planetary scientist made it all the more amazing to you.

MsgId: *infinities(28)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:23:31 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: As a scientist it was very very rewarding --we saw that Earth has a lot in common with other planets in the solar system, and you can see that looking down on it. One big example is this: We've used radar to view the planet Venus, and on our mission we used radar to look down at Earth for first time.

MsgId: *infinities(29)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:24:11 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: And after those two, what happened?

MsgId: *infinities(30)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:25:03 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: My last flight, on Columbia last fall, was a combination science missions and reheasal for Space Station construction.

MsgId: *infinities(31)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:25:50 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: That takes us conveniently to the present: What will your role be in terms of the new International Space Station?

MsgId: *infinities(32)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:26:38 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: I will be on the crew of Endeavor again in 1999, when we add the US laboratory module to the growing International Space Station.

MsgId: *infinities(33)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:27:03 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: So what does an astronaut do when not in space?

MsgId: *infinities(34)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:27:47 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: Between missions, astronauts help prepare other crews for their flights, or do long-range planning for the next steps in space.

MsgId: *infinities(35)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:28:16 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: What does that mean for you?

MsgId: *infinities(36)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:30:40 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: Right now I am one of two astronauts in the corp who work full-time on preparations for Space Station. I try to bring flight experience into the plans for operating and building the Space Station. This week we were planning the living quarters. We were trying to arrange the galley and the ward room and exercise facilities; the shower; and sleeping quarters.We found temporary locations for all of those until the permanent habitation module arrives in 2003.

MsgId: *infinities(37)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:30:56 EDT 1997
From: guest At: 204.62.245.137

Hello Dr. Jones, I am honored to have this opportunity to hear you detail the magic of spaceflight.I wonder if you could tell us what it will be like on a long duration flight?And would you want to be one of the first astronauts to fly to Mars?Thank you Mark

MsgId: *infinities(38)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:31:14 EDT 1997
From: guest At: 204.62.245.137

Hello Dr. Jones, I am honored to have this opportunity to hear you detail the magic of spaceflight.I wonder if you could tell us what it will be like on a long duration flight?And would you want to be one of the first astronauts to fly to Mars?Thank you Mark

MsgId: *infinities(39)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:32:35 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: We've all been brought up on Star Trek and the Starship Enterprise, with space as a high tech luxury zone. We also have the example of Mir --space as a war zone. What will it be like to live in Space in 2003?

MsgId: *infinities(40)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:33:47 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: It will be utilitarian but we hope clean and comfortable. We've learned from Mir, so we hope to have a more livable space.OMNI: How big will the living space be?

MsgId: *infinities(41)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:35:42 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: The habitable volume --where people can live and work-- will be equivalent to a fair-sized suburban house. The station as a whole, including the solar arrays and the structural backbone or truss, will be as long as a football field.

MsgId: *infinities(42)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:36:11 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: What about the windows --the view?

MsgId: *infinities(43)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:37:50 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: We'll have a laboratory-quality window, about 15 inches in diameter. There will be a lot of smaller windows in the Russian segment of the station. But best of all, we'll have a cuppola, which will have an all-around view of the sky and the Earth.

MsgId: *infinities(44)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:38:41 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: The habitation module will also have windows for recreational viewing by the crew.

MsgId: *infinities(45)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:39:13 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: Can you tell me something about the construction, to start next year?

MsgId: *infinities(46)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:40:20 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: We start construction next June, in 1998, when the Russians launch the functional cargo block --it has rocket engines and solar panels-- and provides electricity as it enables control of the station in orbit.

MsgId: *infinities(47)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:42:01 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: The first US Shuttle will deliver a node in July. This node will connect to the functional cargo block on one end and has a docking port for the shuttle on another. It also additional docking ports to add additional parts of the space station.

MsgId: *infinities(48)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:43:04 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: First crew quarters arrive in December of 1998. The first crew comes up in January of 1999. Construction will continue over the next three years, and will be complete in late 2003.

MsgId: *infinities(49)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:44:04 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: When will you start using the Space Station for science, which is its intent, after all?

MsgId: *infinities(50)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:45:06 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: I'll be on the crew that will bring up the first lab module in Early summer of 1999. Then the Japanese and European laboratories come up in 2001 and 2002.

MsgId: *infinities(51)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:45:39 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: How will you connect that module, and will you go inside?

MsgId: *infinities(52)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:47:10 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: We'll dock the lab module to the station, and we'll do three space walks to connect the utility lines to the station. And then we will join the station crew in activating the laboratory inside. We'll be on ten day mission, but we'll only be inside the space station for a day. Most of the time we'll wave through the windows.

MsgId: *infinities(53)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:47:43 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: What will the lab be like, and what experiments will it execute?

MsgId: *infinities(54)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:49:29 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: The lab will be about the size of a school bus, and will hook right up to one of the six docking ports in Node 1. After it's hooked up, those inside the Station will be able to float right in as easily as they reach any other part of the station.

MsgId: *infinities(55)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:51:35 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: The inside will have racks containing experiments on the walls, floor, and ceiling. The racks can be replaced with others, easily.The racks that will eventually outfit the lab will include microgravity materials science experiments and biological experiments. They will be looking at human health and how living organisms adapt to weightlessness.

MsgId: *infinities(56)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:52:05 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: Have any of the exact experiments been chosen yet?

MsgId: *infinities(57)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:53:00 EDT 1997
From: guest At: 208.6.232.22

Dr. Jones: Your opinion of UFOs?

MsgId: *infinities(58)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:54:44 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: Some of them are in the works now. One such experiment is the Human Research Facility --an entire rack of equipment to monitor the crew member's health and determine how the human body changes over months in weightlessness. This is being developed by NASA scientists, who hope to keep humans healthy for the long trips to Mars.

MsgId: *infinities(59)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:55:08 EDT 1997
From: guest At: 209.30.36.24

I'm curious, (This is slightly off the subject)...Are there any plans to develop a station on the moon?....There's been so much talk about going to mars, but I think it'd be more feasable to create a moon station first, to work out 'non-earth' living problems and psychologies....

MsgId: *infinities(60)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:57:03 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: There is the Space Station Furnace Facility, which melts different materials to create new alloys in the environment of microgravity. This facility totally new materials that might be used on Earth. These materials could only be blended in microgravity, because otherwise they would separate from each other due to density differences --just like oil and water. But those two materials would blend perfectly in freefall.

MsgId: *infinities(61)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:58:20 EDT 1997
From: guest At: 208.6.232.22

Dr. Jones, do you believe in UFOs? Have you ever had a sighting? Do you believe they are extraterrestrial craft?

MsgId: *infinities(62)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:58:44 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

These alloys might have some very attractive properties --resistance to high temperatures; the ability to stretch and bend more because they are less brittle. These materials might have applications in automotive, aerospace, and electronics industries.

MsgId: *infinities(63)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:59:18 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: Do you plan to live on the Space Station?

MsgId: *infinities(64)
Date: Sun Sep 14 21:59:30 EDT 1997
From: guest At: 209.30.36.24

What do you think of the current research experiments on 'polymer hydrogel'?there was possible discussion of the synthetis muscle for use on space suits...ormore dextruous robots for handling equipment...

MsgId: *infinities(65)
Date: Sun Sep 14 22:00:06 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: Right now I'm preoccupied with building it, but friends are already training for months-long missions aboard.

MsgId: *infinities(66)
Date: Sun Sep 14 22:01:22 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

OMNI: It sounds great, and you're just the person to tell me WHY we're building this Station. How important will it really be to the future of Space Exploration?

MsgId: *infinities(67)
Date: Sun Sep 14 22:02:15 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

Dr. Jones: It's a vital stepping-stone. We can't go to Mars until we get the vital long-term experience that the space station will give us.

MsgId: *infinities(68)
Date: Sun Sep 14 22:03:02 EDT 1997
From: OMNI_Moderator At: 168.100.204.58

I hope some members of the audience tonight will have the chance to put their own experiments on the Space Station, and then to depart from it to points beyond.

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