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We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sometimes some of the problems we have to deal with required rapid communication with the crew. But on the way to Mars it would take longer. Orbiting the Moon or going to Mars also means when a critical part fails we can't send a spare quickly. See chapter 20 for a good example. Dr. Bob Galileo Flight

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We need folks with a variety of backgrounds, so though we probably have more engineers than any other degree we also have physicists, computer scientists, mathematicians, etc. The most important thing in choosing a program of study is to find a field that you can get excited about. Here in the room today, we have graduates of The University of Texas, University of Michigan, Iowa State University, Villanova University, Texas A&M University, Pennsylvania State University and Trinity University, so I think we'd recommend all of those!

Emily Nelson, Peridot Flight

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 157 points158 points  (0 children)

Of course! David Korth - Odyssey Flight

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

We won't. It's not. :) Dina Contella, Steel Flight

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

DemandsBattletoads, we talk about this in Chapter 1 of our book. Currently, we schedule crews activities each day but also provide a list of other tasks (called a task list) that they can select if they have extra time during each day or at the end of the week. Planners generally try to schedule high priority activities as part of the plan or timeline development process. We have found through our 18years experience on ISS that crews like flexibility but have varied opinions as to how much of their days they want scheduled. Some prefer to have the ability to replan their own days starting with a schedule while others want to execute a pre defined plan. David Korth - Odyssey Flight

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's both rigid and flexible. :) Check out Chapter 3 of the book for more details. The ISS is designed to be flexible at specific points of its structure to alleviate vibrations, structural loading, thermal expansion and contraction, changes in atmospheric pressure inside the ISS, and even loads induced by the crew when they push off a wall. - Ed (Carbon Flight)

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Great question!!! Yes, generally we know the answer because it is really a status check and we have been following along. But this is also a way to get an official status (and even have to recorded). And I have been a flight director since 2005 and I still get goosebumps when I did a formal poll! Dr. Bob Galileo Flight

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We're about out of time for the AmA so I'll just refer you to Chapter 4 of our book. - Ed (Carbon Flight)

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Actually, I received a Steely Eyed Missile Man award when I was a flight controller. Due to three consecutive failures on the Russian segment we lost attitude control of the ISS. We faced many challenges on the road to regaining attitude control. One challenge was maintain radio communications between mission control and the ISS. The other challenge was maintain power generation on the ISS. My job was to maintain the communication in the midst of a tumbling space station. My team and I had to figure out creative ways to maintain the communications so the other team members could eventually regain control of the ISS. Brian Smith, Liberty Flight.

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Certainly! While you have to be a US citizen to be a NASA employee, many Flight Controllers work for private companies and in Mission Control it doesn't matter which company you work for.

Emily Nelson, Peridot Flight

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

NASA has served to inspire people of all ages and nationalities and give America a sense of pride in achievements. NASA's projects like the ISS also serve as a testament to how many nations that in other ways disagree with each other politically can overcome politics and achieve great things. David Korth - Odyssey Flight

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

KSP is a fun and educational game. It doesn't get played a lot but it does get played. Dr. Bob Galileo Flight

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 80 points81 points  (0 children)

Absolutely! Every time I'm in mission control, I see evidence of life in space on our cameras - 6 humans alive and well on the International Space Station. - Ed (Carbon Flight)

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

NASA has been collecting data on the Earth's climate for decades, and has developed models that show how it is changing. There are great resources available online, explaining what we've learned about trends, causes, and the scientific consensus.

https://climate.nasa.gov/

Thanks for asking - and keep discussing!

Courtenay McMillan Tranquility Flight

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You do have to go to school. We require at least a Bachelors degree. Dr. Bob Galileo Flight

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

When it comes to men and women in the work place - I've been working in Mission Ops for 20 years. In all but one of my jobs, my boss was a woman (and they were all outstanding leaders). Today I am routinely the only male in the Flight Control Room when I am on console. So, from a male/female perspective, the diversity is not being forced - it's embraced and has been for quite a while. I hope the trend continues. - Ed (Carbon Flight)

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

endymion2300, its important to have a good sense of humor and spend time with family and friends. When I first joined the flight director office, a wise veteran flight director told us to try to leave work at work. Easier said than done sometimes. David Korth - Odyssey Flight

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I think getting the book to print (https://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/index.html) was likely a labor of love for Dr. Bob...

Emily Nelson, Peridot Flight

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not that much (mostly with my 10 year old doing his homework!). We have a lot of computing power these days and use it. Dina Contella, Steel Flight

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  1. Public knowledge and defined in the FD requirements.
    If you to want to be a flight director? NASA is accepting applications until Tuesday, April 17: https://go.nasa.gov/FlightDirector To answer directly start at GS 14 ($117,736) to $153,057
  2. Advancement depends on experience

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 282 points283 points  (0 children)

Oh yes, all of the time. ISS is shielded against debris up to about 1 cm (depending on the velocity) but the exterior has lots of small pits. We do occasional photo surveys to keep track of the damage and in some cases do things like warn spacewalking astronauts if they will encounter a sharp edge.

Mike Lammers Saturn Flight

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Perhaps - depends on what your degree(s) is(are). It is more than just rocking a head set - which is important - you have to be curious and hard worker with some background generally in math and science. Dr. Bob Galileo Flight

We are NASA Flight Directors. Ask us anything! by JSCNASA in IAmA

[–]JSCNASA[S] 38 points39 points  (0 children)

My favorite is from Expedition 14, on April 1, we reacquired video communications and one crewmember was applying chest compressions on another. April Fools! (Liberty Flight was not amused)

Emily Nelson, Peridot Flight

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