[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 2 - 09:29:35 ]
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[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 3 - 09:29:54 ]
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[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 4 - 09:30:09 ]
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[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 7 - 09:58:49 ]
Hello and welcome to today's Aerospace Team Online chat with Mary Reveley from NASA Glenn Research Center! Mary works in the Propulsion Systems Analysis Office (PSAO), which is a systems analysis group. The group uses different methods to try to predict how aircraft and engine designs will perform. Mary is also responsible for determining the cost of manufacturing new propulsion and aviation technologies, as well as how they will affect the environment.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 8 - 09:59:10 ]
And now, here is Mary Reveley to answer your questions.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 13 - 10:04:30 ]
RE: [JenAlexa/internalDrive] As a working Mom, what sort of activities do you enjoy doing the most with your girls when you are not working?
things I like doing with my girls: going to the park, bike riding, playing games, going to places like museums. All the things that parents like doing with their kids.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 14 - 10:06:45 ]
RE: [Lara] Does your work involve mostly private business aircraft (like aircraft design companies) or public aircraft (like military)?
The group I work in deals mostly with commercial aircraft like ones used by the airlines. Also we look at new concepts such as the high speed aircraft that could be used to fly long distances in a short time. Current aircraft like this would be like the Concord or SST.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 15 - 10:09:15 ]
RE: [JenAlexa/internalDrive] As a female, did you find it at all difficult to break into the world of math and science?
I don't think it was difficult to be in the world of math and science depending on what area is being studied. There are quite a few women doctors, biologists, etc. Where it has gotten tough is when you narrow it down to engineering which is a male-dominated field. I graduated with my bachelor's degree in engineering in 1984 and things have improved over the last 15 years.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 19 - 10:13:30 ]
RE: [JenAlexa/internalDrive] Do you feel that women approach Math and Science differently? Consequently, do you feel that we need more women in Science and Technology?
I believe that women and men have brains that are "wired" differently and yes probably do look at math and science with a different perspective. I believe that having a diversity of ways of looking at problems can offer many new and sometimes better solutions. It seems to me that the way math and science is taught (at least when I have taken classes) has been more from the male perspective and in a way that makes it easier for boys/men to learn. Everyone has different ways of learning: some are better visual learners, some are better verbal learners, and so on. Yes, we need more women in science and technology!

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 22 - 10:16:23 ]
RE: [Lara/PineGrove-Room15/PineGroveElementary] I've been reading about recent NASA cutbacks in the aeronautics division to fund the International Space Station. Has this affected you at all?
yes, the cutbacks have affected us. Our high speed research program and advance subsonic research programs will be cancelled as of the end of September. The total amount of funding has been cut. This seems to have happened quite a bit over the last few years. I'm all for space-related research, but not at the expense of aeronautics research. Our country currently preeminence in the aeronautics area due to research done by NASA. That is in jeopardy if these funding cuts continue. Its all very political.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 23 - 10:17:37 ]
RE: [Ariel/WYESRPANAMA-ArielPerez/WYESRPanama] Are you involved in the orbiter project?
which orbitor are you referring to - the international space station? I'm currently not involved in any space-related research. Everything I do is related to aircraft that fly within the Earth's atmosphere.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 26 - 10:19:28 ]
RE: [Ryan/PineGrove-Room15/PineGroveElementary] What is SST?
SST stands for supersonic transport- an aircraft that flies faster that Mach 1 (or faster than the speed of sound) The aircraft that are flow by the airlines are all flow at subsonic speeds (less than Mach 1 or less than the speed of sound)

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 28 - 10:21:26 ]
RE: [Ariel/WYESRPANAMA] Thanks Oran! WYESR kids are on classes now. Don't worry! =) But they want to be here! I'm sure of that!
No problem, Ariel. We were certainly happy to be able to reach so many of the students in Central America with our international event. By the way, an archive of the forum is available at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/chats/archive. Check it out!

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 30 - 10:23:52 ]
RE: [ArielPerez/WYESRPanama] Hello Oran! Hello Mary Revely, nice to meeting you! What fuel has probe to be the most complete in terms of performance? more flying time for less fuel? Are there any project to find new fuels?
Hello it's nice to chat with you too! My group doesn't specifically study new fuels and fuel properties. We look at new ways to design the airframe (different shaped wings, tails, etc. ) and also look at different ways to design engines. We take much of the ideas of researchers and analyze them to tell them how all their new technologies will affect the performance and cost of the aircraft. A small change in one part of a plane or engine which seems like a good improvement may possible cause some other part of the plane to change which might be bad. The entire aircraft has to be looked at as a system.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 34 - 10:24:40 ]
RE: [Ariel/WYESRPANAMA] I saw a video where a designer use a computer to design a plane and then a machine makes a replica in a plastic material like acrilic... What's the name of this design tool?
I'm not sure what that design tooled is called. Probably some kind of "rapid prototyping" tool.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 35 - 10:25:50 ]
RE: [Bailey/PineGrove] How long have you been doing your NASA job?
I'm glad to be getting so many good questions! I have worked here at NASA for 9 years. I've been in my current job of propulsion analysis for only one year.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 38 - 10:28:00 ]
RE: [josh/PineGrove] why aren't you a pilot yet?
Josh, good question. I guess I have to make that a priority. When I was in college it was because I didn't have the money needed to get my pilot's license. Recently it has been because I have two small children who take up a lot of my time. I'm glad you asked this question- on need to get moving on that. Sometimes people forget what the important things are because they get to busy doing other things.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 40 - 10:29:13 ]
RE: [Ariel/WYESRPANAMA] yes, we have visited already. I invite you to our web page. http://campus.fortunecity.com/depaul/30 is under construction but we will be posting many cool links!
Ariel, that's great. I will certainly visit your web page as well!

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 41 - 10:30:36 ]
RE: [Christina/PineGrove] How do you use air?
Christina- I use air to breathe! :-) Sorry- couldn't resist. Engines in airplanes use air to burn the fuel. Just like if you lit a candle and put a jar over the flame. In a very short time the candle will go out because the burning of the wick of the candle needs the oxygen in air to burn. So do the fuels used by jet engines. That is why the space shuttle doesn't use jet engines. rockets use fuel that doesn't need air to burn. The oxygen is built right into the fuel.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 43 - 10:32:02 ]
RE: [Ryan/PineGrove] Where does your piping you design fit into the engine?
I don't design piping anymore. That was the job I was doing before I came to my new job. Engines do have piping of sorts though that deliver the fuel to the combuster. The combuster in the engine is where the fuel is burned to make the energy needed to make the engine go.

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 46 - 10:34:35 ]
Everyone, don't forget to let us know how we're doing with our chats these days. After today's chat, be sure to share your thoughts with us at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/qchats.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 47 - 10:35:46 ]
RE: [Ariel/WYESRPANAMA] What are the major problems you find in designing a new plane? How do wind tunnel helps you to correct those problems?
Designing a new plane is the work of many people. You have the aerodynamics to consider to make sure the plane has the proper "lift and drag" properties. I has to have a strong enough structure to withstand all the forces brought on by flight, it has to have good "control" properties so that it can be controlled when flying and it needs a means of propulsion (engines) to move it through the air. All of these need to work together. Using a wind tunnel to test the aerodynamic performance of the airplane helps greatly. It's not always possible to predict with a computer how an aircraft will perform. Wind tunnels have also been used to test cars, trucks, windmills, etc. Wind tunnels are very useful

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 48 - 10:37:50 ]
RE: [Ariel/WYESRPANAMA] how do you simulate the low oxigen level in high atmosphere to test the engines?
There are special test facilities for the different kinds of engines. Some are like vacuum chambers to simulate the upper atmosphere of the earth. Some of the test facilities are quite large- big enough to test full size rocket engines. They are pretty impressive to see because of there size.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 52 - 10:40:55 ]
RE: [Ryan/PineGrove] Why did you choose to design piping instead of a lot of other jobs you could have done?
Ryan- actually I didn't plan on designing piping systems when I was a kid or even in college. I really wanted to work at NASA and the job that was available was designing pipes. Sometimes you have to wait to get to what you really want to do. Also I have had the opportunity to work on some exciting project while I was designing pipes. I worked on a solar simulator which simulates the sun in testing of orbital vehicles. I have also worked in support of jet engine testing and wind tunnel testing.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 53 - 10:42:32 ]
RE: [Ariel/WYESRPANAMA] Are you currently using infrared light in the small wind tunnel to see the areas of the plane more susceptible to the wind force? If so, how that tool improve your designs?
I'm not actively involved in the operation/testing of the wind tunnels. I do know that lasers are used for visualization of the flow. I would assume that the lasers would verify or discredit calculations of the flow properties

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 54 - 10:43:39 ]
RE: [Ryan/PineGrove] Do you like being an enginneer or do you just kind of like it?
Ryan, yes I like being and engineer, especially here at NASA because there are so many neat things to see. Engineering involves problem solving which I enjoy.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 55 - 10:46:50 ]
RE: [josh/PineGrove] how long does it take to design piping?
Josh, how long it takes to design piping depends on what the piping needs to do. I have been on some jobs that lasted two years. This is because it take a while for everyone to decide what they want the piping to do sometimes. I have designed piping for water used to cool hot things (such as the solar simulator). I have designed piping to move very hot air (1200 degree Fahrenheit) and very cold air (-60 degrees Fahrenheit) and I have designed piping to carry oil for lubricating a helicopter gear box. Some of the piping systems have pipes that are very big (4 feet in diameter) or very small (1/8" tubing)

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 59 - 10:49:04 ]
RE: [Lara/PineGrove] What kinds of metals are used in supersonic aircraft engine design? I know they have to be able to withstand high temperatures.
Lara- usually various kinds of steel or nickel. Often times in the combuster where it gets very hot, ceramic liners are used. The temperature that existing materials can take are one of the limiting factors for the design of engines. If we had a material that could withstand 2000 F, then we could have an engine that performed much better.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 60 - 10:50:51 ]
RE: [Bailey/PineGrove] How long does it take from start to finish to design a airplane?
Bailey- It depends on how different the plane is from existing designs. It can take a long time for new concepts- say like a new kind of jet fighter for the air force. Often times the aircraft that you see in use now were actually designed up to 25 years ago. It takes a long time for a "really new" aircraft to go from design to use

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 64 - 10:52:26 ]
RE: [Ariel/WYESRPANAMA] How many thrust power generates a standard yet engine?
There are all different sizes of engines. Some are very small and have 2000 pounds of thrust, some are very large and can have up to 100,000 pounds of thrust. The standard engine in 300 passenger commercial airline jet can have engines of up to 90,000 pounds thrust.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 65 - 10:54:11 ]
RE: [Ariel/WYESRPANAMA] If something go wrong during a test, do you have an override system? Is it possible to stop a jet engine sudenly once started?
Good question! We are very serious about safety here. All test operations have many backups for all possible failures that might possibly occur during testing. Some systems are automatic and will shut down the test (engine) if certain things go wrong. Yes the engine can be stopped during testing if something goes wrong.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 66 - 10:54:35 ]
RE: [josh/PineGrove] how long did you design piping?
Josh, I designed piping for about 7 1/2 years.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 70 - 10:56:35 ]
RE: [Ryan/PineGrove] How long have you been doing your new job and what do you do when your at work?
Ryan - I have been at my new job for 1 year. I have been spending time learning some software analysis programs that help me to figure out the costs involved with changing the jet engines and also how that would change the costs of the making and using the entire aircraft. I have also been meeting with others on projects involved in estimating costs of new technologies

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 71 - 10:57:11 ]
RE: [Ryan/PineGrove] Are you still working with liquids or are you working with something else in your new job?
Ryan- I'm working with jet engines now, so the "liquid" that I work with is air.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 72 - 10:57:49 ]
RE: [christina/PineGrove-Room15/PineGroveElementary] Do you work on Brazillian twin engine planes?
Christina- nope. We look at what the U.S. would be using

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 75 - 10:59:42 ]
We have just a few more minutes left with Mary Reveley today. As she answers the final questions, we again invite you to share your thoughts with us at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/qchats.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 77 - 11:00:32 ]
RE: [Ryan/PineGrove] How long does it take to design and build the parts you need to on a jet or airplane?
Ryan- Design of the parts- well, probably depends on the part. I would say anywhere from a few months to a couple of years.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 78 - 11:01:27 ]
RE: [josh/PineGrove] Do you design biplanes?
josh, no I don't design biplanes. Those were mostly used in the early part of this century. I believe now that are used for air shows and for fun!

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 80 - 11:02:13 ]
RE: [Lara/PineGrove] Mary, thank you for taking the time to do this chat. My fourth grade students have had fun asking questions and reading answers from you. So have I!
Lara- you're welcome! They have a lot of good questions. They show a lot of imagination! Keep up the good work everyone!

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 81 - 11:02:42 ]
RE: [Ariel/WYESRPANAMA] What is the injection system of a jet engine? continue flow or demand flow? or a combination of both?
I'm not very knowledgeable about fuel injection systems for jet engines. Sorry

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 82 - 11:03:42 ]
We will now be ending our chat with Mary Reveley. We would like to thank everyone for joining us today. Our special thanks to Mary for sharing her career experience and expertise with us.

[ MaryReveley/GRC - 83 - 11:03:51 ]
RE: [Ariel/WYESRPANAMA] Thanks you for takinn time to answer my questions. I will share it with WYESR Kids. Greetings from Panama.
You are welcome! Greetings from Ohio, USA. It's been exciting being able to chat with you Mary

[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 84 - 11:03:58 ]
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[ Oran/NASAChatHost - 86 - 11:04:56 ]
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