Twenty Questions

Amid all the business over the shuttle’s tiles, life really does go on.  Barbara Morgan, the teacher turned astronaut, took questions today from schoolchildren at the Discovery Center of Idaho in Boise, about two hours from McCall, where she used to teach.  She was joined by three fellow astronauts, Al Drew and Dave Williams, and Clay Anderson of the Space Station crew.  It was actually quite a bit of fun to watch, and we’ll post a video clip on our Technology & Science Page. Even for an educational event, NASA doesn’t like surprises.  Kids’ questions to the astronauts were submitted in advance, and included in the execute summary for the day.  It also gave the astronauts a chance to arrange for appropriate props.  (You can click HERE for the summaries: see Flight Day 6, and go to page 19 of the 28-page PDF for the questions.)  Here are the questions: 1. If you threw a baseball in space, how fast would it go? 2. When you were a kid, did you ever think about becoming an astronaut? 3. What is it like when you first enter space and you are weightless? 4. What types of exercise equipment and regimen are you using to prevent bone loss? 5. If you had an extra day in space, how would you use it? 6. What would you have to do to prepare for a space walk (EVA)? 7. How does the crew get clean air in the shuttle? 8. How does being a teacher relate with being an astronaut on this mission? 9. Could you demonstrate how you drink in space? 10. Can you see the effects of global warming from space? 11. Does the sun’s head cause any problems during an EVA? 12. What is the most challenging part about manipulating the robotic arm? 13. What do stars look like from where you are? 14. Can you see the earth rotate when you are orbiting? 15. What are your responsibilities for this mission? 16. How did you train to prepare for microgravity? 17. What was the hardest thing you had to accomplish to prepare for this mission? 18. What was the most interesting aspect of going through the astronaut training? 19. How do you prepare to go into space? 20. How were you selected to do a spacewalk? Please bring your answers to the front of the classroom after the quiz.