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>> Kelly Humphries: Hi, guys.
Welcome to Mission Control Houston.
I'm Kelly Humphries, and this is veteran astronaut Mario Runco.
We are ready for your questions.
>> Ms. Sukumar: [Inaudible] one of the students.
Hi. This is Ms. Sukumar from Deptford High School.
Do you want me to ask the questions one at a time
or do you want the students to be asking the questions?
>> Kelly Humphries: We'd love to hear directly from the students,
but they do need to speak up so we can hear their voices.
And I want to make sure they know
that Mario knows New Jersey.
He went to Rutgers University and is originally from New York.
So he knows your area.
>> Ms. Sukumar: Very nice.
So let's start with Grant Wilson.
He's a grade 11 student.
He's a junior at our school.
So Grant's question.
Here he goes.
Grant.
>> Grant Wilson: How long have you, in total, been in space?
>> Mario Runco: How long have I been in space?
>> Grant Wilson: Yeah.
>> Mario Runco: I had done three missions.
The first one was in 1991 on STS 44.
That was with the space shuttle.
And then I did two more space shuttle missions.
In '93 and in '96.
And the total time among all missions is --
was about 21 days total, which now days compared
to what the guys spend
on the space station is a very small number.
>> Kelly Humphries: Okay, that's a great question.
And just a reminder, please get to the microphone and speak
up so we can hear you.
It's a little hard.
>> Ms. Sukumar: Sure.
The next question is from Brian McCachlan [assumed spelling].
He's a grade nine student.
He's a freshman.
Brian, where are you?
>> [Inaudible].
>> Ms. Sukumar: All right.
Brian's not here, but I'm going to ask the question
that Brian had asked on his behalf.
And the question is how is space always expanding,
and where does it expand into?
>> Mario Runco: How and why is space expanding
and what is it expanding into?
That is a great question,
and I don't think we know the answer to at this point.
Space is, as far as we have sensed
with our Hubble space telescope and other orbiting observatories
like the Gamma Ray Observatory, we know that there are objects
that we can see and sense
out 13,000,000,000 light years from Earth.
And that's really the extent of the known Universe.
The objects within that space, the known Universe,
are expanding away from each other into distances farther
than the 13,000,000,000 light years.
Now, remember, a light year is about 6,000,000,000,000 miles.
So I said 13,000,000,000 times 6,000,000,000,000.
So that's the distance to the farthest known extent
of the Universe, at least today.
And that's a darn good question.
And maybe Brian will be able to become the scientist
that figures that out.
>> Kelly Humphries: You know, the other part
of that is what exactly is in all of that space?
And one of the experiments on the International Space Station,
the alpha-magnetic spectrometer, is doing --
sifting through the various cosmic rays and particles
that come to Earth to try to identify a little bit more
about things like matter, antimatter,
and this theoretical dark matter that we believe exists
because we can indirectly sense that.
But we don't have any direct measurements of that.
And so that's a really interesting experiment.
And having the space station orbiting the Earth provides us
the power to operate that outside the Earth's atmosphere.
And look more at what is in between the matter
that we can see and sense.
And we're ready for your next question.
>> Ms. Sukumar: [Inaudible].
>> Kelly Humphries: I'm sorry.
We're not able to hear that at all.
>> Ms. Sukumar: [Inaudible].
>> Kelly Humphries: Something must have happened
to the microphone.
I'm sorry.
You may want to check your microphone.
And verify that it's in a good location and plugged in.
>> Mario Runco: And while you're doing that -- oop.
And while you're doing that, let me comment
about what Kelly had just said.
And that is with the dark matter.
Scientists believe that there is a construct,
a thing called dark matter.
And that's because, for example, the Milky Way Galaxy,
our own galaxy, has matter in it, and it is spinning
around in a disk-like fashion.
But the rate of spin is
such that the centrifugal acceleration outward
that would throw the objects within the galaxy like the ball
at the end of a string when you let go of the string,
they would flight outward and not stay as part of the galaxy.
But there's enough gravity within that galaxy
to hold everything together.
But the matter and the mass that we know of in the objects
that we can see is not enough to do that.
So they've invented dark matter to try
and solve the equation so it makes sense.
So there's something there.
We just can't sense it.
And we don't know what it is.
Now, there is some -- there are things
out there called robe planets that are like the Earth
or Jupiter that do not revolve around the stars.
So they would be dark planets that we can't see.
So maybe there's -- that's one --
maybe that's one possibility that's not so exotic
that would account for that extra mass.
>> Kelly Humphries: Okay.
I'm hearing that we may have gotten the audio
connection fixed.
You want to try another question, guys?
>> Ms. Sukumar: Yes, we do.
>> Mario Runco: Now that's better.
>> Kelly Humphries: We can hear you now.
>> Yeah. How do you feel in space?
Do you feel more inspired and at ease?
Or do you become cynical [phonetic]?
>> Mario Runco: Ah, good question.
I actually -- it's the former.
I feel very inspired and uplifted.
And the reason for that is when you're in orbit
around the Earth, you can see most of the Earth.
And, indeed, some of the earlier astronauts
that traveled farther away from the Earth like those that went
to the moon, could see the entire Earth at one time.
And it is so spectacularly beautiful and majestic.
And likewise, when you look out into the Universe,
you see the stars and the celestial sky
in a much more vivid fashion.
And your being among them
in that setting just is very exhilarating and inspirational.
And actually, we had talked earlier, Kelly and I,
about some of the work we were doing here at NASA
that is related to that in terms of taking images of the Earth.
>> Kelly Humphries: All right.
Next question.
>> Ms. Sukumar: Next question is
from Michael Holmes [assumed spelling].
He's a freshman.
And his question is --
>> Michael Holmes: What do you use to work out in space?
>> Kelly Humphries: Oh, good question.
And you really need to work out in space.
I'll answer the question, but let me just say, firstly,
that on Earth, gravity is working on us all the time.
And for example, like my heart is pumping blood right now
up against gravity to my head to keep me conscious
so I don't keel over in the chair.
And when gravity is removed,
the heart doesn't have to work so hard.
Yet, when I come return to Earth, it has to go back
into that environment.
So we need to stay conditioned because muscles
that you don't use, as everyone knows, tend to grow weaker.
So we need to maintain at least the level of strength
that we had when we left the Earth.
And we use devices such as ergometers and treadmills
and cycling machines and bungees in a fashion
that are all designed using springs and the
like to mimic gravity.
For example, if I'm running on a treadmill,
there are bungee cords holding me to the treadmill
such that I can actually run on the treadmill and it works.
And then we use bungees and spring-like things
to mimic weightlifting and the like.
So we try to do -- and there are many devices
that have been developed to help and facilitate
that exercise protocol.
>> Kelly Humphries: And just to add onto that, there are --
bone density loss is another important thing
when you do the long duration stays in space.
And so doing this kind of exercise puts force
onto your bones in the same way that you would put force
on your heels when you walk.
And that helps keep the bones strong,
which is a really important thing.
And research into that is also helping us solve problems
that people have on Earth like osteoporosis.
Some of your grandparents may have experienced that
and have -- it's too easy to break a hip
or whatnot because of that.
And some of the research
in space is helping us apply what we're learning there
to diseases we have here on Earth.
And so that's another part of exercise on orbit
because these folks all come --
stay up there for about six months, and then they've got
to readapt to being on gravity when they get home.
>> Mario Runco: And in the case of osteoporosis, it happens --
if we don't exercise, we tend to develop those symptoms
in the very short period of time,
in a matter of weeks and months.
So we can study that, whereas normally, on a person on Earth,
it would take a lifetime before they had developed any symptoms.
So we have a very accelerated laboratory in which
to develop drugs and protocols to maybe address that.
And that's what Kelly was talking about.
>> Kelly Humphries: And nutrition too
because they're learning that nutrition and exercise
in combination have a really important effect
on how well you're able to keep fit aboard the space station.
>> Mario Runco: I'm sure you've heard that one before too.
>> Kelly Humphries: Next question.
>> Ms. Sukumar: [Inaudible].
>> John Gilbert [assumed spelling]: I'm John Gilbert.
I'm a senior.
I want to know how did your navy career prepare you
to be an astronaut.
>> Mario Runco: Ah, good question.
My navy career, I was a meteorologist, oceanographer,
and I was also a surface ship watch officer in the navy.
And the scientific part of my background, the meteorology,
oceanography, helped with my ability to understand all
of the technical parts of what is needed to operate in space,
orbital mechanics and the like.
So I had a very rigorous engineering,
scientific background.
The navy portion of it is the crew of a ship,
much like the crew of a spaceship,
is based in operations.
And it's very similar when you're operating on board a ship
or a submarine to when you're operating
in a spacecraft as a crew.
You learn to operate as a team,
you learn your systems on the ship.
And indeed, many of them -- actually, they're all the same.
Say that, for example, there's environmental systems
on the ship, as there are on a spacecraft.
So some of the hardware's different and how it is --
it functions is different, but the principle
and why it's there is basically the same.
So it's a very close one-to-one relationship between operating
in the naval environment as a space environment.
>> Kelly Humphries: And interestingly enough,
one of the crew members
on the space station right now also is a navy veteran.
Chris Cassidy was a navy seal.
Next question.
>> Solomon [assumed spelling]: I'm Solomon, ninth grade.
And my question is what made you want to be an astronaut?
>> Mario Runco: Well, I've always had a desire
to learn new things
and to understand the Universe, what's out there.
But very specifically, when I was very young
at age five years old, the first satellite went
into orbit, Sputnik.
And then shortly thereafter, a few years later,
the first human beings, Yuri Gagarin and Alan Shepard,
went into orbit around Earth.
And I knew then that's exactly what I wanted to do.
And I feel very, very fortunate and privileged
to have had the opportunity to do so.
And I'm very lucky to be here sitting talking to you about it.
>> Go ahead?
>> Ms. Sukumar: Yeah.
>> What do you think is your most significant accomplishment
in all your space missions as an astronaut?
>> Mario Runco: Ah, my most significant accomplishment?
The most memorable one was the one on my second mission,
was when I did a spacewalk.
And honestly, I guess the most significant accomplishment is
on my last mission, we had a number
of technology development experiments on board
that spacecraft, both on the shuttle and others
that we put overboard and we tested
in orbit alongside the space shuttle.
And in that sense, is those technology development
experiments were pushing the boundaries
of what are capabilities are to explore space.
So I guess that, in my mind, would be something
that if we can move to an area
where we can explore it more efficiently and go farther
out into space is something that I hope continues.
>> Kelly Humphries: and I think some
of those were directly applicable
to the space station development, weren't they?
>> Mario Runco: Actually, yes.
We had attitude control satellite.
It's called the satellite test unit.
It was a device that we tried to use the forces in Earth's orbit
to control the attitude of this spacecraft.
And in a sense, they do a little bit with the space station.
We've got gyros that move through angular momentum
that can torque the space station around.
We also have thrusters, but we don't use those that often.
And we try to keep the space station in an equilibrium point
where we don't have to use the gyros even.
But all three together hold the spacecraft where it needs to be.
>> Kelly Humphries: Great.
Another question?
>> How does your body shift from gravy to no gravity?
And how do you feel?
>> Mario Runco: Well, the body does a number of reactions
when you get into space and you're in orbit
and the gravity vector is removed.
Primarily -- and we had already discussed some of that
with the bone density loss, the muscle toning loss.
But the most immediate reaction that one feels is a fluid shift.
And again, I'm sitting here, or if I'm standing up,
gravity is working to hold my bodily fluids,
the bloods in my legs and arms if I have my arms at my side.
When you remove the gravity, that --
there tends to be a fluid shift out of the legs,
into the chest cavity and the head.
And if you look very carefully at some of the pictures
of the astronauts in space, they do look a little puffy,
a little more full than they do on the ground.
And that is because of that fluid shift.
Now, a consequence of that fluid shift is what we call space
adaptation syndrome.
It's not the same as, but it's not very much different as,
it's hard to describe, as when you -- if you go aboard a ship
and you have a tendency to be seasick.
It is a similar reaction, but not exactly.
And you tend not to feel very comfortable.
You got this -- maybe a headache.
You might have some nausea.
It depends on the individual.
And what's the good news is, is that goes away after a few days.
The body adapts.
You tend to, you know, not notice it anymore.
An analogy I would draw is if you ever had a tooth filled,
you know, with a cavity and you had a filling done
or you had work done on your teeth, you know, the first day
or two that you had that filling, you tend to notice it.
But then after a few days or three days,
you don't notice it anymore.
You get used to that feeling.
And it's sort of the same with space adaptation syndrome.
>> Kelly Humphries: Okay.
Another question?
>> Brian Brookes [assumed spelling]:
My name is Brian Brookes, I'm in ninth grade.
I'm a freshman.
And I wanted to know what does up in space smell like?
>> Mario Runco: Did I get that right?
>> Kelly Humphries: What does space --
>> Mario Runco: Smell -- what does space smell like?
That's a darn good question.
Actually, the direct answer is nobody knows
because space would not have smell if you're outside
because it's basically a vacuum.
And there's no way to sense odors 'cause we need atmosphere
and air for -- to pass over our nostrils
to have a sense of smell.
Having said that, there is a sense of odor in space.
And that tends to be like a new car smell.
If you get into a new car.
Everybody -- most people like the smell.
You take it in.
And that is from the outgassing of the materials
of which the car is made.
And depending upon the spacecraft,
in the case of the space shuttle,
I was not aware of that.
And you kind of get used to it because you operate
in a similar environment in simulators.
You actually train in the space shuttle at times before launch.
So you're in the real vehicle.
And you're also inside your suits at times.
And what I noticed one time after being removed
from the space shuttle after several years, I got back inside
of one, and what struck me was the odor.
The smell of the space shuttle itself is
that combined collective of outgassing from the materials
in the space shuttle, at least
in the case of the space shuttle.
And it hit me that that's the smell of space.
So it's not really the space outside that smells.
It's the things that we bring with us
that actually give us a sense of orientation
from a sense of smell perspective.
>> Kelly Humphries: Now, you're a veteran spacewalker.
I understand there is a special smell that comes
with coming back in the airlock
after a spacewalk, for some folks.
>> Mario Runco: Yes.
When you come back in and pop your helmet off, again,
it's that odor of the spacecraft that hits you,
that it's like a sense of home.
I mean, if you walk into various retail stores
or somebody's home, there's a slightly different
characteristic odor.
And that's -- you know, if it's your home and that's --
and if it's something wrong or different,
then you'll notice it.
>> Kelly Humphries: Okay.
>> Mario Runco: Yeah.
>> Kelly Humphries: Well,
I understand that's all the time we have for today.
We want to thank you folks for being with us today.
And thank you, Mario --
>> Mario Runco: My pleasure.
>> Kelly Humphries: For joining us
and answering the students' questions.
We hope you have a great rest of your day and a great weekend.
>> Mario Runco: Take care, guys.
>> Thank you.
>> Kelly Humphries: Thank you.
>> Ms. Sukumar: [Inaudible].