Chat with Alexandra Swanson 11-26-96

Hello- We are ready to begin our chat with Alexandra Swanson. Alexandra
let us know when you are on and ready for questions.

What are your responsibilities with NASA?

I am an aeronautical engineer at NASA Ames research. My primary
work involves wind tunnel research of helicopter models. I
work at NASA as a support service contractor. I work on testing on
advanced helicopter model systems.

Has anyone out there had a chance to fly in a helicopter?

What type of helicopters? military/civilian

Both types. Since there has been a reduction of defense spending, the
majority of the helicopter projects lately are commercial. Right now, I am
working on a tiltrotor model test. The tiltrotor is a really NEAT
aircraft. It takes off vertically like a helicopter then rotates its
engines and flies forward like a prop driven airplane. Have you ever heard
of a tiltrotor or seen one on the TV news perhaps?

Like the British Harrier Jump Jet?

Close, but not quite. The Harrier is what they call a VTOL, which is a
Vertical Take Off and Landing vehicle. I realize the concept sounds
similar to a tiltrotor.The difference is that the tiltrotor has two large
propellers on each wing to generate lift and forward propulsion.

We always think of NASA as space research. How do they use helicopters?

Excellent question! NASA is an acronym for National Aeronautics
and Space Administration. In other words, NASA's first charter was the
development of advanced aeronautical vehicles like airplanes and
helicopters. NASA does a whole lot more than just space. However, the
space aspect of NASA gets most of the publicity, so that's why you may not
be familiar with the other things NASA does.

So, what does NASA use helicopters for? Or, do they just support research
on helicopters for commercial makers?

NASA helps support the research (wind tunnel test,computational, and flight test) of
advanced helicopters for both our military and commercial sectors. Helicopters are used for various
applications: search and rescue, logging, site seeing, transportation. The 
really neat thing about helicopters is that they can practically take off
and land almost anywhere. They don't need a runway like regular airplanes
because helicopters can take off and land vertically.

What are advanced helicopters?

Advanced helicopters are vehicles like are pushing the current bounds of
technology. They are quieter, safer, faster, and more efficient. One type
of advanced helicopter is the tilt rotor. Now this is one cool
vehicle. It has two helicopter rotors (one of each wing tip) that allows
the vehicle to take off vertically. Then when it converts to a forward
flight mode, the two rotors systems pivot forward and act as
propellers to give the vehicle faster forward speed capability. Have you
ever seen the XV-15 tiltrotor or the V-22 tiltrotor? They are truly
marvelous machines!

Where could we see the XV-15 or the V-22? Are there NASA films of these?
Are these used now or just being designed? 

There are films and videos of the tiltrotors available. The XV-15 tilt
rotor is the developmental vehicle where extensive research has been
performed. The V-22 Osprey is currently a military version (larger than
the XV-15) that is in development.

Have you had an opportunity to work with any presently flying helicopters?

Yes! The V-22 Tiltrotor, which is sometimes referred to as the Osprey;
the S-76 (Sikorsky) helicopter; and the MD500 NOTAR (McDonnell Douglas).
NOTAR means NO TAil Rotor. It uses circulation control to keep it
stabilized instead of a tail rotor. NOTAR is a lot quieter and is used by
some police helicopters to seek out criminals.

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What do you think about the PAHs found in the meteor from Mars?

I find the possibility the life existed on Mars exciting!

Do you think we will get to Mars?

Oh, yes. We will definitely get to Mars some day. I think the recent
publicity surrounding the meteorite has helped NASA justify the funding
required to perform further exploration of the planet Mars, as well as
other planets.

What do you think Mars will be like?

I'm sure Mars will be an exciting place to visit.

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What is the difference between working as a contractor and working for
NASA? Do you work for other companies as well?

Betty, since our government is trying to control budgets, there is a cap
(limit) as to the number of civil servants (government employees) it can
hire. But, the fact of the matter is that there is a whole LOT of work
that needs to be accomplished. So agencies, such as NASA have special
limited funding opportunities to hire contractors to help get the work
done. 

Would it be less expensive in the long run to just hire you as a civil
servant?

If you are not hired by NASA does that mean your job is less secure?

Hiring contractors gives NASA the opportunity to employ people for select
periods of time. I use to think that being hired as a contractor was less
secure, but I've been working here for nearly 7 years now. Government
service, typically has been viewed as secure employment. But in this day
and age, there are no guarantees. Both the government and private sectors
are struggling to finance various programs, so there is always the
possibility that one might have to change jobs.

What other kinds of job could you get if you wanted to leave NASA?

There are several helicopter firms in this country that hire people with
helicopter research and development backgrounds. Some of the companies
include: McDonnell Douglas Helicopters, Beoing, Bell, and Sikorsky. When I
was a college student, I had the great opportunity to work as a summer
intern at McDonnell Douglas Helicopters in Mesa, AZ. Internships and
co-ops are great ways to check out companies to help you decide what you
really want to do when you graduate college.

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How long does it take to train to be an astronaut?

How long does it take to train to be an astronaut. Well.. that's not
exactly my speciality, but I believe that once an individual is chosen as
a "candidate" for the astronaut class, there is at least a year's worth
of training and tests required to see if that person fully meets the
qualificiations. Check out the NASA web page. There is a whole lot of
information on astronauts, current biographies of astronauts, what
type of qualifications are required, and how to apply.

Estella Gillette is another women of NASA mentor who is on the astronaut
selection committe. You can see her archived chat at button and she
addressed this question. Or she will be featured on a chat on 12/17 and
you can ask her then if you don't find the info. in the archived chat.

What is your educational background? Also work experience?

I have a bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Cal Poly State
 University, San Luis Obispo. Before graduating from college, I had the
 opportunity to work summer intern jobs in the aerospace industry. Some
of my work included: CAD (computer aided design)  drafting, airplane loads
predictions, stability and control. Are any of you kids interested in
flying helicopters or airplanes when you grow up?

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After what happened on Apollo 1 does NASA still use pure oxygen?

I don't believe our current manned spacecraft use pure oxygen anymore.
But, I seem to recall that astronauts who perform EVA's, use pure oxygen.

What are EVA's?

EVA's are extra vehicular activities, in other words space walks outside
of the space craft.

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We are curious about how the government supports commercial helicopter
research. How come we do this and why don't we make the commercial
companies pay for thier own research?

Well, typically, the way it use to work is that the government would
support military research.The technology that came out of that trickles down into the commercial
sector. Now a days, we don't have quite the military budget as we did in
the 80's. But, our country sees the importance of maintaining
our current technology and being competitive on a global market level.

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One last question, please. We have a paper airplane contest coming soon.
Straight line flight and tricks are the two divisions. Any helpful hints?

Sure, straight line flight usually is best with the conventional looking
 paper airplane. Try a  "flying wing" design for performing tricks. It was
nice chatting with you!

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Alexandra, I would like to thank you, on behalf of our students, for
answering our questions so well. This was our first time with the Web
Chat. We will help them develop questions geared more toward the
person 'chatting' next time. The students really enjoyed this experience!
Thanks again.

You are all welcome. It was fun! Happy Thanksgiving everybody.
I just want to say how impressed I was with the questions that were asked.
They were all excellent.