CHAT SESSION TRANSCRIPTS

October 28, 2009

1. Can we mail our hardcopy via FedEx?

   > Yes

2. Can graduate students be advisors to the team?

   > Graduate students can advise the team and can join the team in Houston as ground crew, but can't be on the primary flight crew

3. We have a large team that is working on the project and have not selected specifically who the primary flight team will be. How mutable are the names on the manifest from this point?

   > You will need to have a tentative team on the proposal and we can change it after selections as needed

4. What is the mailing address for the hardcopy?

   > 2101 NASA Parkway, Mailcode AE2, Houston, TX 77058

5. What type of attire will we wear during flight?

   > During the Reduced Gravity flight, you will be issued a flight suit which is returned after the completion of the microgravity flight

6. If this experiment is successful, will NASA consider implementing it into their flights and/or programs?

   > It depends on the relevance to NASA missions and if the data produced helps with anything we are currently working on

7. Is there a weight limit for the reduced gravity flight?

   > For the hardware - Yes, hardware bolted to the aircraft can be no more than 300 pounds

   > For the individual flyer - Yes, please see our medical information packet online.

October 21, 2009

1. The wording on the team website is confusing.

   > The team website for outreach needs to be student-driven and student-maintained. It can be hosted on a college/university server as long as it has an individual URL (example: www.youruniversity.edu/microgravity)

2. On the submission page, there are three blanks for flight week preference but only two options.

   > Leave the third box at "Choose Week"

3. The Safety Guidlines document refers to four primary flyers, but the website says we can have more.

   > This is a pdf document which is in the process of being updated. Please refer to the website guidelines of five-six full-time undergraduate student flyers (Five members if the team is assigned a NASA technical mentor)

4. Is okay for our website to include photos from NASA if we were to credit it?

   > Yes

October 7, 2009

1. What role does the NASA mentor provide?

   > NASA mentors are not assigned to every team. When your team is assigned a NASA Mentor, they serve as a resources that should help your team along the way to the flight week in Houston. That includes providing additional reference materials, editing/suggesting items to add to the Test Equipment Data Package, and should be help with making sure the hardware is safe by NASA standards.

2. Could a flight team perform an experiment involving an object spinning at high speed inside an enclosure?

   > Yes, we have had experiments that are similar to what you described above. Please visit our prior campaigns archive search. You would also need to focus on the safety section with this type of experiment.

3. Can a flight team carry out two different experiments that would help us achieve the same hypothesis?

   > We would suggest to really focus on one experiment. There is a size restriction on the aircraft for experiment size, plus you don't want more going on than the flyers can handle during the flight.

4. Where can the flight team find out about power requirements and the max size and weight for the equipment?

   > For specific questions about the aircraft (such as power) start with the JSC User's Guide. From there if you can't find the answers, please email me at jsc-reducedgravity@nasa.gov with the detailed specifics so I can help get you the answer.

   Max size and weight is 24in x 60in x60in, and 300 pounds for hardware that will be bolted down on the aircraft (not free floating) - see the FAQs of the flight program.

5. Can a recent graduate be on the flight team (as a flyer)?

   > The student has to be classified as a full-time undergraduate student in the semester the proposal is written (for this campaign that would be Fall 2009).

6. In regards to table of contents, is it okay to include one, all-inclusive table of contents for all 4 sections as long as each section is clearly divided?

   > Yes, that is acceptable. The TOC should include all sections so that different reviewers know where to look. Please keep it consistent with MLA formatting.

7. Where will the transcripts from the chat be available?

   > They are available on our website (http://microgravityuniversity.jsc.nasa.gov/theProposal/chat-transcripts.cfm)

8. In regards to choosing flight date preferences, are those any two days within the 2 different flight weeks?

   > In the written proposal, you will need to tell us the preference of the flight team - for this year that is only two options. First preference is X, Second preference is Y. Online there are three blanks - which only list the two flight weeks. Days within the flight week are assigned on based on hardware size and weight loads.

9. What are the responsibilities of the different roles (flyer, alt flyer, ground crew) and how many people are allowed per role?

   > One person is designated the team lead - which will be the person through which all correspondence with the program office will be with. The remaining 4-5 primary flight team (if the team is assigned a NASA mentor, the team will have 4 additional flyers - if the team is NOT assigned a NASA mentor, the will have 5 additional flyers) - what role in the experiment will be decided on by the team and what the team needs specifically.

   Alternate flyer is similar in role to the primary flight team, BUT will ONLY fly should a member of the primary team be unable to.

   Ground crew roles are also assigned by the team. Ground crew helps ready the experiment before the Test Readiness Review and prepares the hardware for and between flights. The program doesn't want someone to come to the flight week just because - so we may ask what assignments have been made. There is a limit to 5 ground crew members per team - if more are needed (with justification) - you would need to get the lead program coordinators approval prior to adding them to the team.

   The above information is only for when the team is in Houston for the flight week. There could be many more people helping during the hardware build at the university.

10. Is the team lead an automatically a flyer as well?

    > Typically, yes - but occasionally there are requests for exceptions to be made (for example, if the team lead is unable to pass their flight physical).

11. Is it necessary to have a ground crew member??

    > Ground crew is optional for flight teams.

12. Are there a minimum number of flyers?

    > We do not have a specific minimum number of flyers - however, you will need enough people to run the experiment. Also, you never know what can happen (for example, someone could not clear the hypobaric chamber). We suggest having the maximum number of people so everyone is really familiar with the flight hardware.

13. Is it okay to have someone be a flyer for the first flight date and then an alternate for the second flight date?

    > Each student only gets only one flight.

September 30, 2009

1. Would the proposal be strengthened by briefly mentioning safety issues that were designed into the experiment during the technical part of the proposal?

   > Yes the proposal would be strengthened by adding that information into it. It also shows the technical reviewers that the team has thought though some of the safety issues associated with their experiment. We would highly recommend adding all the information you can so that the technical reviewers have fewer questions.

2. For the safety section, would there be any safety issues that would arise with proposal readers if we were to use batteries or plug into the plane for the power?

   > Batteries may need some additional safety information covered and require an MSDS (even AA Alkaline batteries). Using the aircraft power is typical for most experiments, so that would not raise any red flags. Typically aircraft power leads to a surge protector that your experiment will plug in to.

3. Will you want a complete MSDS as an appendix or a reference to a MSDS be required for the proposal?

   > Yes, you should include the MSDS sheets in the proposal (in appendix would be a good place) and reference them in the safety sections.

4. About how many team proposals will be selected this year?

   > Everything right now is pending funding decisions.

5. For the outreach section, what would be the optimal amount of meetings that you would like each group to do?

   > We don't have an optimal number of meetings. Outreach reviewers think that quality is more important than quantity. I would suggest looking at the outreach review rubric. This document will give you insight to how the outreach section is reviewed - you want to have a mixture of presentations to different target audiences. The best thing is to have a clear plan going into the outreach section. Mentoring a science club once a month over a course of the school year, is better than one presentation. We encourage creative ways to share the experience with the community. Make sure you address the areas in the outreach evaluation.
   NEW this year for the outreach section is a required 3-5 minute outreach video.

6. Are there any other new things for this year?

   > I am not sure if you have looked at the submission page recently, but we have added a section discussing the System Engineering Educational Discovery Program. Our SEED program is very similar to the traditional program, but instead of your own research, you would be working on NASA research projects that are posted on-line. The proposal submission page gives you an opportunity to apply for both programs. If you apply for both, the submission page asks for some additional information - which I suggest looking at before you submit your proposal so you can be prepared with it.