This is Nancy Dorighi. I am a computer engineer at NASA AMes. I work on displays for aeronautics and do experiments in VR. I am ready to take your questions. Hello Nancy. There are a few of us here. Tell us about NASA, please. Hello. NASA is a very interesting place to work because of all the neat scientific projects that go on here. We do research in life sciences, aeronautics, human factors (where I work). We have the largest wind tunnel in the world and we also have simulators to test airplane design before they are built. How did you first get interested in working at NASA? NASA was recruiting on college campuses when I greaduated. I had a degree in Math and a few courses in Computer Science. I filled out an application and told them I'd work as a mathematician, statistician, computer programmer, etc. I was lucky to be hired into the group that develops software for flight simulators. That was a few years ago. Right now, I work with psychologists who do research in Human Factors. ********** What college did you go to? I went to the Univ. of San Francisco for undergraduate. After I started working at Ames, I went to Stanford part-time for a Master's degree. ********** So what exactly do you do? I work in a group called Advanced Displays and Spatial Perception. We do research about how humans get informations from displays, and how to best design the displays. A couple of examples: we designed a new kind of display for commercial pilots to use for guidance and control. It is a 3D perspective display that shows them their path from wherever they are all the way to touchdown. If the weather is foggy, etc. they can use this to improve their spatial awareness. That's important, especially in the case that some emergency arises. ********** Anything new that's going on that you'd like to share with us? Did you know, the U.S. is working on America's answer to the Concorde? It's called the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT). They are thinking very stongly about making it "windowless" Why windowless. What could you learn about space if you are unable to se the area aroud you? Regarding the "windowless" cockpit, the reason is that the shape of the nose of the plane can be made much more aerodynamic if it doesn't have to "droop" down to where the windows would be useful. New advanced in image fusion are making it possible to combine radar images with externally mounted cameras and even with a graphics data base of the terrain to give the pilot all the imformation he needs to land. So the pilot wouldn't need to see where he was going to land or even fly the plane? The pilot either needs to see the ground, or know where the ground is. Currently, planes can land is very low visibility, using sensors. Planes can actually land themselves if they are equipped with the right computers and the airport has the right beacons, etc. Do you design flight simulators, or is that another area? I have written software to help run simulators. In a simulation, you need a "model" of whatever it is you are trying to simulate. It's a computer program that calculates the response of, say the airplane, to forces and control inputs from the pilot. The result of one cycle throught the program is the net velocity and acceleration on the airplane, and the new values for position and rotation. ********** Do you feel your job is in danger because of NASA cutbacks and the lack of support for the space agency? That's a good question. Yes, for the first time in my 20+ years here, I feel the possibility of losing my job is real. The main reason is the reduction in funding from congress. But, like most business these days, NASA is also becoming more efficient by downsizing and reducing redundancy. ********** Do you think the continuation of space exploration is in danger ? On the question of space exploration, I believe we can learn a great deal using unmanned vehicles. If you are referring to manned space flight, I think there are limitations which will keep us from sending man, say to Mars. Do you feel the limitations are because of public apathy or are curent technological knowledge? The "limitations" I was referring to are technological. Even if we could figure our a way for humans to stay healthy for two years, would anyone want to spend that long in a space craft? Such an astronaut would have to be very special fortitude. Technology is always changing. I don't know if humans realy want to explore places like mars. I would be very interested in learning more about Mars. We don't know for sure how it was formed, or why it changed. There's evidence of rivers that once existed there. I understand your point. ********** By the way, NASA does a lot more than space research. People mostly think of the space shuttle, but we do a lot of research in aeronautics and life sciences. What does NASA do in the life sciences? NASA does research in helping humans adjust to space flight. Have you heard of the bed rest studies? The best way we can simulate weightlessness is to keep a person prone, actually with a slight head down angle. They stay that way for a few weeks. They get monitored for changes in blood composition, ability to think and perform tasks. They also do studies in motion sickness. That is real problem for astronauts. Most of them used to get sick at the start of a shuttle flight. People here are working on techniques to counter motion sickness We are scheduled to end this chat at 2:30. Nancy, are you ready to sign off? Yes, I am ready to sign off. I enjoyed chatting with the students very much. Bye.