Archive of Linda Bangert's chat on 2/24/98

[ Tish/NASAChatHost - 86 - 13:02:00 ]
Good afternoon - We are ready to begin our chat with Linda Bangert. If you submitted a question earlier you will need to resubmit it now that we have begun. We are moderating this chat so you may see a delay in your questions being posted.

[ LindaBangert - 91 - 13:06:44 ]
RE: [Jenny/Preble] I am a junior in high school and am in the process of choosing a college to pursue a degree in aerospace engineering. What are the most important things to look for in an aerospace program when choosing a college? Thank you!
If you are interested in a particular specialty, like flight testing, you might look for that in a specific department. Really, for an undergraduate degree (BS) what you need is professors who care about the students, and will actually teach a course, instead of trying to "weed out the unworthy". Honestly, most programs are good, so you might save yourself some out-of-state tuition and stay closer to home.

[ LindaBangert - 93 - 13:09:15 ]
RE: [Jim/KayentaMiddleSchool] How far are we from a space passenger airliner?
Space transportation is far from "routine". Every launch is still unique in some aspects. The current general public sentiment isn't very forgiving of risk - we expect warning labels to be posted on everything (For instance, my blow dryer has a label that says "Do not use while you are asleep".) Therefore for a space airliner to be deemed "safe" for the general public is fairly far in the future. (Just my opinion, mind you.)

[ LindaBangert - 95 - 13:11:18 ]
RE: [Jim/KayentaMiddleSchool] What age were you when you got interested in planes and space crafts?
It is hard to pin down, since my Dad was a pilot, I knew that ordinary people could be pilots from a young age. Flying also has that mystique about it all tied up with freedom and being out on your own that is sort of hard to describe and easy for an "unbeliever" to pooh-pooh. I didn't decide on Aeronautical Engineering for a career until I was already in college. Read my profile for the whole story.

[ LindaBangert - 99 - 13:17:23 ]
RE: [Jenny/Preble] As a female minority in a male dominated profession, do you feel you were/are treated as an equal in school and in your job?
Some people treat/treated me as an equal, and some didn't. I think that is pretty much true regardless of profession.

[ LindaBangert - 100 - 13:21:03 ]
RE: [Jim/KayentaMiddleSchool] Do you know of any new technology they will be using on airplains or space shuttles?
Lots! The big areas right now are new materials (composites instead of metal) and new types of propulsion systems, like SCRAM (supersonic combustion) jets, as well as new computer control systems that provide active feedback to the control surfaces (tails, ailerons, etc.) which allow the airplane to be built without as much structure (weight). This means that you don't necessarily have to be an Aeronautical Engineer to work on airplanes. They need materials, structures, propulsion, and eletrical engineers as well.

[ LindaBangert - 103 - 13:23:15 ]
RE: [Dayle/EastHillsMiddleSchool] I am going into High School and i want o learn more about space and the carrers related to it. Obisoly, your carrer has something do do with space. When did you figure out that you wanted to do what you do? When did you join nasa? What is it like working as an astronaught there?
Well, I'm afraid that my career DOESN'T have much to do with space, unless you count the tiny portion of time that space craft have to fly in the Earth's (or another planet's) atmosphere. NASA stands for the National **Aeronautics** and Space Administration. I work in the "Aeronautics" part.

[ LindaBangert - 104 - 13:25:28 ]
RE: [Jim/KayentaMiddleSchool] How old when you when you first joined NASA?
I was about 20 and still in college. I was in a "co-op" program, which meant I would go to school a semester, then spend the next semester working, back and forth. It gave me a great idea of what the job would really be like (What DOES an engineer do all day, anyway?). Many colleges have coop programs with NASA, and to add to an earlier answer on how to pick a college, this might be a consideration.

[ LindaBangert - 106 - 13:27:42 ]
RE: [Jim/KayentaMiddleSchool] Do you want to go to space?
I did when I was younger. I was 9 when we landed men on the moon for the first time, and the thought then was that everyone would be living and working in space by now. Public sentiment and budget pressures killed that plan. There really isn't anything I would want to do up there right now, except sight-see. It would be a cool vacation!

[ LindaBangert - 108 - 13:29:12 ]
RE: [Jenny/Preble] I would like to design planes or space vehicles. Is there much difference in the training you receive between an aerospace and an aeronautical degree program or is most of your training really on the job?
Many aspects are very similar. In fact the specialization really wouldn't occur until your last year in college. An advanced degree or on-the-job training would complete the difference.

[ Tish/NASAChatHost - 109 - 13:31:02 ]
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[ LindaBangert - 110 - 13:31:54 ]
RE: [Jim/KayentaMiddleSchool] Are there any new prototypes for a shuttle and/or airplane?
From what I read in the papers (because I'm not working on that myself), NASA is working on a small "emergency escape" shuttle to get the astronauts off the space station if they needed to leave in a hurry. Also, they are thinking about various ways to get all the big parts for space station into orbit - via the current shuttle, or something that can carry more each trip.

[ LindaBangert - 114 - 13:40:05 ]
RE: [Tish/NASAChatHost] Via eamil from Susan Rusk at Burton Valley- When will be have a supersonic passenger airplane. Do you work with Fanny Zuniga? We read about her work in her journals and it sounds like your work?
As a matter of fact, I DO work with Fanny! Our jobs are very similar, and she is who told me about the WON program. When we have a supersonic passenger plane will depend on when the people who build airplanes and the airlines determine there is a demand for the service. Currently the Concorde is so expensive, very few people can fly on it. It is also small and has a limited distance it can fly. The program I'm working in has a goal to make the next supersonic passenger plane much more affordable, and have enough range to fly trans-Pacific, which takes much longer than trans-Atlantic, and would therefore be more attractive to customers to get there faster.

[ LindaBangert - 116 - 13:40:41 ]
RE: [Dayle/EastHillsMiddleSchool] have you ever been in space?
No. There are only a very few people who have. Less than 100 perhaps?

[ LindaBangert - 119 - 13:44:13 ]
RE: [Tish/NASAChatHost] Via email from Donna at Woodside Elem. School - What was your work on the military and attack planes used for? Do you do work for the US Dept. of Defense or who funds this work?
No, I work for NASA. However, NASA has wind tunnels that many different industries use (even for buildings, cars, and wheelchairs!). The work I did is appearing in the prototype F-22, and in the designs for next-generation planes to replace the F-16s, F-15s, F-18s, F-14s which are already getting pretty old and near the end of their useful "lives".

[ LindaBangert - 120 - 13:46:45 ]
RE: [Dayle/EastHillsMiddleSchool] What kind of a person (ie. personality, interestes, hobbies etc..) would be good at your job. Can you explain yuor job alittle?
Almost any "type" of person would be good at it if they had the interest. I guess there are certain "types" of persons who like solving problems and might gravitate to working on airplanes or other kinds of engineering. If you think Scotty, LaForge, or O'Brien (the engineers on Star Trek) are the coolest charecters - that might be an indication ;-)

[ LindaBangert - 122 - 13:48:47 ]
RE: [Tish/NASAChatHost] Via email from Gayle/homeschooler in Colorado - Do attack planes really take off at transonic speed - 761 miles per hour?
No, they must be much slower, or runways would be VERY long. Also tires would blow out a lot. That is a major enineering challenge, though, and what I'm currently working on - how do you make an airplane that spends most of it's time at supersonic cruise speeds, slow down enough to take off and land. The requirements are almost exactly opposite, and it is quite an interesting compromise to get something that will do both.

[ LindaBangert - 124 - 13:52:04 ]
RE: [Tish/NASAChatHost] Via email from Sharon's class at Willow Oaks Academy - We would like to know more about take off and landing speeds. Do current passenger planes take off at 180 mph and if so then how fast do they fly and can you tell us about military planes as well? Thank you we think your job is really cool!
See previous question about takeoff speeds. Current passenger airliners cruise at about Mach 0.85. The plane I'm working on would cruise at about Mach 2.5. Most military planes (fighters, attack planes, bombers) can "dash" at supersonic speeds, but don't cruise there. Something like the SR-71 was made to cruise at Mach 3 or so. Look at how different the shapes are. The more important thing for fighters and attack planes is that they are agile - can maneuver quickly.

[ LindaBangert - 126 - 13:54:00 ]
RE: [Jim/KayentaMiddleSchool] Did you ever watch a space shuttle launch or help it launch?
You bet I watch the launches! I and some friends even skipped a couple of days of college classes to drive from Missouri to Florida to see the third shuttle launch. I highly recommend seeing one in person if you are ever down in Florida when a launch is going off. My job doesn't have anything to do with Shuttle operations, though.

[ LindaBangert - 127 - 13:55:53 ]
RE: [Tish/NASAChatHost] Via email from Sue Rusk at Burton Valley - Do you ever do any cooperative work with other nations or is any of your new plane work secretive?
We do cooperate with other nations - the Russian Tu-144 (the Russian version of the Concorde) was used for test flights in the program I'm currently working. The military work I did was a little more closely kept.

[ Dayle/EastHillsMiddleSchool - 130 - 13:56:33 ]
Thank you for spending your time answering your questions. I learned a lot!!!!:) :)

[ LindaBangert - 131 - 13:59:21 ]
RE: [Tish/NASAChatHost] Via email from Hayward State - You seem to have found a balance with raising your child and your career. Can you address that and what you might suggest for my career oriented students who also want children and a career, please? Thank you.
Learn to compromise! Everyone must find the balance that is right for them. My daughter is in daycare, at a NASA facility about 4 blocks from my building. That isn't the "right" answer for everyone. Whatever you choose, don't kill yourself second-guessing. That's not to say that situations don't change, and you have to get locked in, just get comfortable with your decision.

[ LindaBangert - 132 - 14:02:25 ]
RE: [Dayle/EastHillsMiddleSchool] what is it like working as woman in NASA? Are there many other women in your field? What type of degree(s) do you have?
There are fewer women in engineering than in some other careers, but I'm certainly not the "only". As I said before, some people treat you as an equal and let you do your job, a few don't. Each situation has to be worked out individually. The vast majority of my experience has been good. My degrees are BS-Aerospace Engineering, MS-Aeronautical Engineeering.

[ LindaBangert - 134 - 14:06:08 ]
Thank YOU! It was fun talking to you. Be sure and ask Fanny lots of good questions too!