Women of NASA Web Chat

Date: November 11, 1997

Featuring: Nancy Dorighi, Computer Engineer/Ames Research Center.

Jenny 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 10:49AM PDT (-0700 GMT
Hi Nancy on your Bio you say that you work with GUI's can you be more specific.

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 10:52AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Hi, Jenny. Windows is one type of GUI (Graphical User Interface). But any software program needs a GUI for the user of it to interact. One example of a GUI I worked on was for a program to manage the thermal control system for the Space Station. You have to be real careful how you present information to, say an astronaut, so that he can understand it quickly and easily.

Karen 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 10:50AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
What University's did U attend?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 10:53AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Karen, I went to the University of San Francisco and Stanford Univ. for graduate school

Jenny 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 10:51AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Do you enjoy working at NASA or would you rather work in the private sector?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 10:55AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Jenny, I consider myself very lucky to work for NASA. The science is so interesting, and without having to worry about corproate profits, we have more freedom.

Shemila: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 10:54AM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [15 ]
Who are your roll modles and who are your favorite female roll modles?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 10:57AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Shemila, I'm not sure I have any role models. I certainly have admired women in history who have excelled, such as Amelia Erhart and Madam Curie. I have always tried to do my own thing, not follow the pattern or style of anyone else.

Karen 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 10:55AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
What do you do in your free time? Do you bring home your work?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 10:59AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Karen, that's a good question (the one about free time and bringing work home). I almost never bring work home because I also have a family and they deserve and require my time too. Sometimes, I'll do a small bit of work if I'm in a time crunch for something happening the next day.

Shemila: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 10:58AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Do you ever foresee a day when we have the technology they have on startrek. GUI's are all touch screen.

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:00AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Shemila, Startrek is a bit far fetched, but I'm sure there will be some things in the future similar to what you see on TV. For example, I have heard we are not too far from the personal communicator. A kind of watch device that doubles as a phone, pager, etc.

Paula : . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 10:59AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Do you ever work with ESA?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:01AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Paula, No, I have not worked with ESA (European Space Agency) directly. However, as you probably know, they are involved in many joint projects with NASA.

Karen 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:00AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Have you seen Contact? Do you think that aliens will contact us in such a manner?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:02AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Karen, haven't seen Contact. I'm a skeptic when it comes to aliens.

Paula: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:02AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Do you believe in extra-terestrial life? Do you think they resemble Humans?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:04AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Paula, I guess I'll believe it when I see evidence that is convincing. I think there might be simple life elsewhere, such as one-celled things.

Shemila: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:03AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Do you think in the near future people will live on mars? or any other planets? and how would we sustain there life supprot from Earth?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:07AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Shemila, that's a good question (about living on Mars, etc.) I think it could be done, and even might be done someday. But, to live in a totally artificial environment, such as on the Space STation, would be a drag. It takes SO LONG to get to Mars, that it would be unreasonable to send a human on that kind on mission. At least until they figure out a way to keep the body intact better.

Karen 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:04AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
So are you saying that you belive that we are it. In this part of the galaxy?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:08AM PDT (-0700 GMT). . . [35 ]
Karen, I think it's most likely we are it. But if tomorrow we started detecting signals from OUT THERE, I think that would be wonderful.

Jenny 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:06AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
While you were growing up, what did you dream of being? Did your parents and teachers encourage or discourage you?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:10AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Jenny, when I was growing up, I wanted to be a teacher. In high school, I didn't know what I wanted to do, except that I thought science was the most interesting area of study. Even in college, when I was majoring in Math, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. I think it's better if you have an idea what you want to do sooner than I did.

Jenny 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:09AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Do you think they will include a women amoung the team that goto the International Space Station?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:12AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Jenny, yes I think a women will be included in the International Space Station. Today, there are so many qualified women, and the government is careful to include both sexes and all races.

Karen 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:11AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Are the Russians still competing with the US in Space exploration? Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:15AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Karen, the Russians have scaled back their science endeavors quite a bit from a decade or two ago. The theme nowdays seems to be working together. For example, Russia is supplying part of the Space Station (I forget which system). Recently, because of other problems in Russia, they were not able to deliver it on schedule. But instead of competition, there is a lot of sharing of science gong on now.

Shemila : . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:12AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
What advice do you have for girls who want to go into the Sciences?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:17AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Shemila, my advice is to work hard in your math and science classes. Not just to pass the test or get a good grade, but to try and understand it as best you can. Talk to you counselors and make sure you take all the right classes for college. And don't be afraid it will be too hard, because all those before you were able to do it.

Shemila: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:23AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Can you tell us more about your work on the Surface and Testing Facility

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:24AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Shemila, the Surface Dev. and Testing Faciliy is my current project. It will be a full scale simulator of an air traffic control tower. We will simulate the airplanes arriving and departing airports, and all the coordination that goes on on the surface to study ways to may the ground operations work more efficiently and handle more airplanes.

Jenny 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:19AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Was engineering the only career you wanted to pursue?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:26AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Jenny, actually I didn't really know much about engineering until I started working. I was thinking about teaching or working for an insurance company because I heard they hired mathematicians. If I had to do it over again, I think I would have studied computer science more. There will be lot and lots of jobs in the future in the computer/high tech industry.

Karen 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:24AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Do you think that your children will follow in your footsteps?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:28AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Karen, I have two children, both teenagers. I think one of them will go into engineering or computer science. The other one I'm not sure. There are lots of "worthy" careers out there besides engineering.

Jenny 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:26AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
What computer languages do U use?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:30AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Jenny, when I was doing a lot of programming, I mostly used the C programming language.

Paula: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:28AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
How long is your work week? Do you work lots of overtime?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:31AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Paula, I work 5 days/week, 8 hours a day. I don't usually work overtime. Somedays I work more than 8 hours and then other days, I might work 7. NASA is pretty flexible. I also spend about two hours a day commuting.

Beachcombers,FL.: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:21AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Do you ever play virtual reality video games at home? Do your children?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:27AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Beachcomber, I don't play VR video games, but my son does. He's 13.

Beachcombers,FL.: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:30AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
How long does it normally take for new technology that you're working on to get into the real world, e.g., new control tower tech.?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:35AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Beachcombers, excellent question (about time for new technology to make it to the real world).. Unfortunately, it takes about 10 years. NASA and others develop concepts and do research to show it would make something better. But NASA does not make products. So usually, a company will develop an idea that NASA started into an operational product. Something like a new tool for air traffic control requires a lot of study because of the impact on safety.

Sarah: California: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:31AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Have you been at NASA and seen a shuttle take off?? Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:36AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Sarah, no I have only seen the shuttle take off on TV.

Karen 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:33AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Is you job very stressful? If so how do you deal with that stress?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:40AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Karen, what can be stresful sometimes is dealing with a job, and personal things all at once. Things will come up at work such as a report or information for upper management, and it will be needed with a short deadline. You have to adjust your other work priorities to get it done. There never seems to be enough time to do everything you want, but that's life! I have learned to be very organized and not waste time.

Sarah: California: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:36AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Did your teachers in college have an influence on you going into NASA or was it a goal of your own?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:42AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Sarah, the way I ended up working at NASA is when I was a senior in college, NASA came to my school to recruit, like many companies do. Knowing I enjoyed scientific stuff, I interviewed and filled out an application. I was lucky to get on with NASA.

Karen 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:41AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
I have to go now. Thanks for answering my questions. Will you do this again? BYE!

Jenny 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:38AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Is there a dress code at NASA?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:43AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Jenny, no there is no dress code at NASA.

Jenny 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:44AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Cooool....

Beachcombers,FL.: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:42AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
How much does the virtual reality equipment you have worked with cost? Is it a lot more sophisticated than what's available to the public? Have you ever worked with voice recognition software that actually accepts spoken commands? Does it work very well at this point?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:45AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Beachcomber, the VR equipment we work with at NASA is available to anyone who wants to buy it, but most people are not willing to spend that kind of money. That goes for the computers too. I have not personally worked with voice recognition systems, but I have seen them demonstrated and they work amazingly well. I think they can be accurate up to 90% of the time. Voice recognition technology has come a long way in the last 10 years. I think we will see a lot more of it in the future.

Beachcombers,FL.: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:48AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Do you think schools, like your kids' schools do enough to prepare them for new technology?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:51AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Beachcomber, things are changing so fast in technology, but yes, I think my kids' high school is doing enough to prepare them. In high school, there is a lot to learn about everything. Just the basics of using computers is appropriate at that level.

Beachcombers,FL.: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:52AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
We have more questions, but thanks for being on line with us. This was great!

Jenny 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:53AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Thank U for your time Nancy. Bye.

Sarah: California: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:49AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Do you have to constantly learn new programing languages to keep current?

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:54AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Sarah, new programming languages don't emerge quite that rapidly, but yes, you do have to learn new ones from time to time. For example, with all the Web based software now, I see many people learning JAVA. I have a management job now, so I don't do programming on a daily basis anymore.

Shemila: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:55AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Great Chat! Can you do this again? Thanks for your time.

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:55AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Everyone, I have enjoyed you questions very much and I'm happy to see so much interest out there. If you still have a burning question you were not abel to ask, you can email me. Keith, is it ok to put my email in the message?

Keith NASA Chat Host: . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 11:58AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
A big Thank You to Nancy Dorighi for Joining Us Today.

Nancy (NASA): . . . . Tue, Nov 11, 12:00PM PDT (-0700 GMT)
It has been my pleasure. Bye everyone!