Archive of Alexandra Swanson's chat on April 7, 1998

[ Tish/NASAChatHost - 14 - 06:56:02 ]
Good morning and welcome Alexandra. Alexandra is one of our original Women of NASA founding mentors and hosted our first web chat back a couple of years ago. Thank you for being here Alexandra. We can begin with questions as soon as you are ready.

[ AlexandraSwanson - 18 - 07:11:37 ]
RE: [Kara-Debbie/KnollwoodSchool] I am an 8th grade student. I am doing a project on NASA Technology Transfer. Tech transfer seems to be an important part of NASA's job. Are you involved in technology transfer?
Good Morning Kara. Yes, the technology we develop for helicopters gets passed on to industry.

[ AlexandraSwanson - 20 - 07:14:33 ]
RE: [Katie-Debbie/KnollwoodSchool] IN the Bio I noticed that your first computer course was not taken untill 10th grade. I am a 6th grade student and I started in Kindergarden. Do you think starting earlier in computers will help future generations of people in your field?
Katie, great question! Absolutely, the earlier kids are exposed to computers the better. Please understand that computers were not common place when I was a kid. I know that makes me sound really old huh? The world wide web is relatively new.

[ AlexandraSwanson - 21 - 07:16:23 ]
RE: [Glenn-Glenn/BusinessExpressAirlines] Are you presently workin with wind tunnels and where?
Yes, at NASA Ames Research Center. I support advanced rotorcraft research in the 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel as well as the 80- by 120-Foot Wind Tunnel.

[ AlexandraSwanson - 22 - 07:18:05 ]
RE: [Glenn-Glenn/BusinessExpressAirlines] Are you presently workin with wind tunnels and where?
NASA Ames Research Center is located at Moffett Field in northern California.

[ AlexandraSwanson - 27 - 07:25:03 ]
RE: [Tish/NASAChatHost] Via email from Willow Oaks - Do you do research on helicopters? How far can a helicopter fly and are there any new models that we will see for the general public?
Conventional helicopters are limited in range but very versatile because of their vertical take off and landing capabilities. Helicopters range widely in size, payload and range capability. A state-of-the-art concept that is currently flying within the military is the tilt rotor known as the V-22 Osprey with a range of 300+ miles (twice that of regular helicopters). Bell Helicopters is presently working on a commercial version of the tiltrotor. You should see these flying around within the next 5 years or so. :-)

[ AlexandraSwanson - 30 - 07:28:45 ]
RE: [Tish/NASAChatHost] We have a few schools that are having trouble logging on so I will be sending their questions via email. From Rural Hall- How did you choose your career?
As a kid, I was (and still am) academically oriented. I really enjoyed and did well in math and science. Those skills helped prepare me and direct me towards a technical career like engineering. I chose Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering because of my fascination with vehicles that fly and around the time that I graduated from college, there were career opportunities in the field of rotorwing or rotorcraft research and testing. And so here I am today.

[ AlexandraSwanson - 35 - 07:35:38 ]
RE: [Debbie/KnollwoodSchool] Do you know of any specific tech transfers from you work?
Yes, NASA Ames has been a pivotal player in the advancement of tiltrotor research. This includes the computational analysis and methods developed to better understand the physics of a rotor in various modes of flight. We were involved in extensive wind tunnel and flight test research of the XV-15 tiltrotor. This technology was used by Bell and Boeing helicopters to develop a military version of the tiltrotor and now Bell Helicopters is working on a commercial version. Tiltrotors would not be what they are today if it was not for the backbone research that NASA conducted in the field of human factors, aerodynamics, performance, and acoustics.

[ AlexandraSwanson - 36 - 07:39:19 ]
RE: [Tish/NASAChatHost] Via email from Rural Hall What does a research engineer do? What is challenging about your job?
As a research engineer, I am involved in the mechanical preparation and testing of advanced helicopter models which we test in the world's largest wind tunnels at NASA Ames Research Center. I am also involved in the instrumentation and calibration of model components which allows us to measure the forces and moments (loads and stresses) that a particular model experiences in a simulated flight environment. I help to collect the measurement data and analyze the results to see where there might be improvement in the design.

[ mcdermon/RuralHall - 37 - 07:43:06 ]
I am a fourth grader. Is there anything boring about your job?

[ AlexandraSwanson - 38 - 07:44:15 ]
RE: [Debbie/KnollwoodSchool] I know computers are relitivly new. How do you use them in your job?
We use computers to run software applications so we can analyze the data we collect from a wind tunnel test. Other research engineers might be involved in the theoretical development of computional codes whose aim is to try to predict the aerodynamic and acoustic environment of a helicopter. We also use computers to summarize and document our research in the form of a NASA publication. And of course, we use it for communicating with colleagues around the world via e-mail.

[ Tish/NASAChatHost - 42 - 07:52:42 ]
RE: [Debbie/KnollwoodSchool] How do computers speed up you job? How do computers make your job possible. How could you do your job without computers. How often do you use computers?
I think this one has been answered with another response so we'll skip this one to give Alexandra time for some of the other quesitons.

[ AlexandraSwanson - 43 - 07:53:11 ]
RE: [Tish/NASAChatHost] Via email from Willow Oaks- Do you think helicopters or airplanes are safer to fly? Do you think people with have their own personal helicopters for use in the near future? Have you ever flown one?
Flying in a helicopter or airplane is safer than flying. I don't really have any substantial information comparing the different flying vehicles. I've had the opportunity to fly as a passenger on a Bell 206 helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon. That was a totally awesome experience. As an intern in Mesa, Arizona 11 years ago, I had the opportunity to control the cyclic (roll control) of the MD500, but I haven't had the opportunity to take formal helicopter lessons. I good friend of mine is taking private helicopter lessons with a Robinson 22 and he's just loving it. Flying a helicopter requires more skill than flying an airplane, so I don't expect the average Jo or JoAnn to be flying their own in the near future, but advances in flight technology and human factors may change that some day. :-)

[ AlexandraSwanson - 44 - 07:59:18 ]
RE: [mcdermon/RuralHall] I am a fourth grader. Is there anything boring about your job?
Sometimes, but vary rarely. I think most people find they have to put up with paperwork. Occasionally, there's a meeting that might not be particularly interesting to me. And sometimes there are delays associated with getting a wind tunnel test started. There are many folks involved in the process and many components that require monitoring. But, more the most part these play a minor role in the job. The anticipation of learning new aspects about how well a helicopter performs makes up for it. The research environment is very stimulating and challenging. Sometimes we don't always know the answers and that's why we call it research. But our goal is to find out. It's kind of like a challenging puzzle or game, depending on how you look at it. :-)

[ AlexandraSwanson - 45 - 08:00:21 ]
RE: [mcdermon/RuralHall] Was there ever a once in a life time opportunity in your job?
Yes, having the wonderful opportunity to support a NASA test in The Netherlands.

[ AlexandraSwanson - 46 - 08:02:06 ]
RE: [mcdermon/RuralHall] Have you ever worked with an astronaut?
Yes, I had an opportunity to learn how to land the space shuttle in a simulator with the guidance of an astronaut pilot. That was a special opportunity, but for the most part I don't work in the space field, just the aeronautics side.

[ AlexandraSwanson - 47 - 08:03:05 ]
RE: [mcdermon/RuralHall] What is the most exciting thing on your job?
Jeez, that's a hard question to answer. I really enjoy working as a team, setting out the goals we set out for in accomplishing a very successful wind tunnel test.

[ AlexandraSwanson - 51 - 08:08:29 ]
RE: [mcdermon/RuralHall] What is a rotorcraft?
A rotorcraft is a fancy word for helicopter which is a vehicle capable of vertical take off and landing.

[ AlexandraSwanson - 52 - 08:13:54 ]
RE: [mcdermon/RuralHall] We are fourth graders. What does a research engineer do?
A research engineer is a person trying to find the scientific answers to how mechanical objects work. Sometimes, an engineer is involved in a "hands on" testing environment where she gets to test models in a wind tunnel. Sometimes an engineer is involved in the flight testing of the real model, but only after we have confidence that it is safe to fly. And sometimes an engineer is involved in the incorporating the physical knowledge of aerodynamics and incorporating that into a theoretical computer program to validate our understand of how helicopters work and also to apply this knowledge to improve the design if necessary.

[ AlexandraSwanson - 53 - 08:22:21 ]
RE: [Debbie/KnollwoodSchool] I am completeing a career questionaire for you. What training do you need for your job. What would the starting salary be? Do you work alone or with others? What are your work conditions. What are the drawbacks of you job? Is it hard to be a woman in your field? - thanks - I love this chat!
A background in math and science and computer classes is important. I'm not sure what the starting salary would be for a college graduate in 1998. It depends on how much education, i.e. Bachelors, Masters, or PhD. Sometimes I work independently and other times I work as a team member on a particular rotor project. I have my own office with a couple of desks, a phone, and a Power Macintosh 7600/120. Drawbacks are few (paper work and the occasional boring meeting). No, it's not hard being a woman in the field. It's different though. Men and women contribute their unique skills. I'd love to expand of this but I've got to take off. Best of luck to you and everyone out there. Remember, if you set your mind to it you can do anything. I had a blast chatting with you. Have a great day!

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