Astronautics Interview Questions & Answers

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Astronautics is the theory and practice of navigation beyond the Earth's atmosphere. In other words, it is the science and technology of spaceflight.

Under the orange launch and entry suits we wear a pair of long tights. Since you are likely to be in the suit for several hours and since you can not open it up in any way to go, we also wear a diaper for adults. As soon as we reach orbit we remove the suits and put on regular clothes for the duration of the mission. The suits are put back on just before orbit. The EVA suits are the same with an added cooling garment that goes on over the long tights. It is like another pair of long johns with small plastic tubing woven all through it. Chilled water is circulated through it to get rid of body heat and solar heat.

One set of experiments that we are working on are experiments we do on ourselves, they are human experiments are living examples of that right now. Where he is covered with little pieces of computer and pumps and things that continuously monitor his blood pressure. It is actually beat to beat blood pressure and from that you can determine the cardiac work that your heart is putting out for whatever mode of exercise you happen to be doing. So that is one experiment we are doing in terms of the human life studies.

To go to mars would take at least a year. You would need to take in your spaceship all the air, food and toilet paper for a year. Right now you would need such a big, heavy spaceship that you could not launch it. So people are finding ways to reduce the weight for instance you can use plants to help generate the oxygen you need to breathe. Also we worry about what will happen to people who spend so long in weightlessness. Their bones may become so soft that they will not be able to stand up on mars to walk around and explore.

Empty, dark, hot on one side (where the sun shines) and cold on the other (in shadow).

Astronauts try not to lose anything, including tools because they float off into orbit. Later you might be going along in orbit and that tool could smash into the shuttle. Fortunately something like that would not stay in orbit forever. The shuttle is only a few hundred miles up. There is a very small amount of atmosphere up there, just enough to gradually slow space junk down so that it eventually falls into the atmosphere and burns up.

I understand that one problem is that the bones lose some calcium. Exercise helps but it does not stop this completely. This is a major area of study for manned spaceflight. It is a problem we will need to solve before we send people to Mars. It is a long trip.

Well, there is not any pressure because space is nearly a vacuum. That is one of the reasons that astronauts wear spacesuits.

In order to breathe on the shuttle, they take along a supply of oxygen. There are also filters that take carbon dioxide out of the air.

It depends on how well the spaceship is designed to handle the heat and light. Even an astronaut in space around Earth could get burned if he or she did not have a good spacesuit on, one side would get fried by the sun and the other would freeze in the dark. by this we get to know why the astronauts have to wear such bulky spacesuits.

All astronauts have some special skills, either as pilots or scientists. So they have all gone through college and gotten some experience in their particular field. I do not know of any age requirement but the experience that is needed would probably mean that the astronauts are at least 25, more likely over 30.

The ISS missions, called expeditions, usually last about six months. There are three to six crew members on board at all times. A space shuttle crew is typically five to seven crew members. We have carried as few as two and as many as eight at one time, and space shuttle missions have been as short as two days and as long as 18 days.

The science and technology of space travel and exploration is called astronautics.

You do not sleep that good. I mean, actually you do not want to sleep, it is too exciting to be here but the dreams themselves did not change in my case. Maybe the others have other experiences.

Space is profound, endless, a textured black, a bottomless eternal bucket of untouchable velvet and non-twinkling stars.

Believing and believing in are two different things. Our best telescopes have shown us that there is basically an unlimited number of planets in the universe. To think that earth is the only one where life could have developed is just self-importance.

I see human spaceflight moving ever-outward from earth. The logical sequence is earth orbit, the Moon, asteroids, Mars. We have so much to learn/invent at each step and there is no rush. It needs to be both driven and paced by technology and drawn by science, discovery and then business.

We carry first aid kits and some special medical equipment into space with us. We also are trained to take care of most minor and some major medical problems. There is not a doctor on most flights but all crew members are trained in basic first aid and CPR. We can talk to doctors on the ground if we need help. If someone gets very sick in space, we can make an emergency
trip back to earth.

A very experienced astronaut who has flown every space vehicle from Gemini to the shuttle once said that if you are not just a little afraid, you do not know what is happening. Astronauts are well aware of the risks involved in space travel.

Until a few years ago, we were not able to communicate easily with people on the ground outside of mission control. Now, we can send email to our friends and family directly and we can make phone calls using a hook-up through our computer. The phone connection is really clear. You would never know we were calling from space. Many astronauts carry pictures of their family with them on space missions.

The space station crews can ask mission control to send them shows that they can watch during dinner or off-duty time. They can also watch movies on their laptops. They may bring books, music, and musical instruments with them. Some astronauts enjoy hobbies, such as drawing, photography and HAM radio. During missions, astronauts are very busy. The few hours of free time may also be spent looking out the window at the beautiful Earth below, listening to music, surfing the web or corresponding with friends and family back home.

The space is a little different than the earth. First of all, to keep from floating away, you must use foot-loops or straps while sitting on the seat. This holds you on to the seat, sort of like a seat belt. Secondly, the space bathroom uses suction not water to flush.

We bring along several different types of food when we fly in space. Since we don't have a freezer, refrigerator, stove or microwave, most of the food has already been cooked, then freeze dried and vacuum packed (meaning the water and air has been taken out of it), or it is thermally stabilized (meaning treated and sealed in a package to prevent spoiling), much like camping food. We do not want food that makes crumbs in space since crumbs would float all over the place and that could clog up equipment.

When astronauts are not flying on a mission or training for a mission, they support other missions. There are many jobs on the ground required to support the design, preparation, training and flying of a space mission. Astronauts work in mission control (the 'voice' that communicates with astronauts in orbit), check out procedures and the checklists the crew in space will use, help verify the space station and vehicle software, develop procedures and tools to be used during spacewalks or robotic operations, help scientists in developing experiments that will be run in space and perform other jobs in support of ISS and vehicle flights.

A normal body will adapt to the abnormal environment of space in many ways. Immediately upon entering zero gravity, fluids in your legs and the lower part of your body move upwards towards your head. In fact, your face will feel and look swollen. Except for the occasional headache and congestion, astronauts are not bothered by this fluid shift. Some astronauts feel dizzy and have an upset stomach during the first few days of a space flight as they get used to zero gravity. This feeling usually goes away after three or four days. After a few days almost everyone is used to zero gravity and feels great. If you do not exercise, your bones and muscles will get weak.