LAURIE MARSHALL

While I was still in college I spent my summers participating in a series of internships. I decided that the best way to learn about the different fields within Aerospace Engineering was by personally experiencing as many as possible. For my first internship I was a Student Engineer III in the Engineering Bureau of the Los Angeles City Department of Airports. After my second year I was a Technical Staff-Undergrad in the Structural Technology Division at the Aerospace Corporation. My third summer was spent as an Aerodynamics Research Assistant for the Minority Opportunities in Research Engineering (MORE) Program at U.C. Davis. And for my final internship I came to the Aerodynamics Branch at NASA Dryden. I so enjoyed my two experiences in Aerodynamics that I decided to work in that field.

I have worked on several projects during my five years at NASA Dryden. I was the principal investigator on the F-18 SRA ALADIN project. This was a unique probe that measured several air data parameters (altitude, airspeed, pitch angle) that would normally be measured by many different pieces of equipment. I have also served as an aerodynamics researcher on the F-16XL#2 Supersonic Laminar Flow Control, Space Shuttle, and Hyper-X (X-43) programs.

You might find my average day while working on the F-16XL#2 Supersonic Laminar Flow Control Experiment interesting. The purpose of that project was to determine the feasibility of using laminar flow control on a High Speed Civil Transport. Often the airflow over the wing of an airplane is rough or turbulent. If we make the airflow very smooth or laminar, the plane could have less drag and fly farther using less fuel. To create the laminar flow we sucked the rough surface air through millions of tiny laser drilled holes on the wing. We used several small sensors called hot films to determine if laminar flow was actually being generated. It was my responsibility to monitor the hot films. We also needed to make sure that the surface of this research wing was very clean. Nicks, dents, or burrs on the surface of the wing could keep the airflow from becoming laminar. These are things that can be monitored or fixed before flight, but as the plane flies through the air at low altitudes it can run into bugs. So in addition to keeping track of the various imperfections in the wing, I was also responsible for identifying any and all bug hits to see if they effected our data. The hot films themselves could also effect the ability to obtain laminar flow downstream, so we limited their number on any given flight. When we were finished studying a certain area, we moved the hot films to new locations on the wing.

On a flight day, I arrived at work at 6 AM. I immediately went down to the airplane hangar and assisted the crew with cleaning the research wing. We used an alcohol and water mixture applied with cheesecloth for cleaning. When the wing was visibly clean, we used white cotton gloves to feel any imperfections that couldn't be seen. I then went to the control room to do my pre-flight checks to make sure that all the hot films were ready for flight. The flights were usually three hours long. After the flight I went back down to the airplane hangar to inspect the wing for bug hits. Based on the thickness of a bug I could determine if the impact occurred on takeoff or landing. I noted the locations of these bug hits on a diagram of the wing, so that during the data analysis process I could see if any of the data was effected. After this inspection I returned to my office to analyze data. I created tables that defined the status of the hot films for any given flight maneuver. Using these tables, we could determine what area of the wing to study next, where to install new hot films, and how to get ready for the next flight.

I grew up in Los Angeles with my parents and my brother, Michael. I have always loved math and science, which is strange because the rest of my family members are lawyers. Even though they don't understand what I'm doing they are always very supportive. They have encouraged me to have goals/dreams and to pursue them. Some of the goals that I have accomplished so far are unicycling, juggling, skiing, but most importantly flying. In 1987 I received my private pilot's license and my Instrument Rating in the following year. My future goal is to become an Astronaut. I took my first steps toward this when I began working at NASA.

At a very young age I set some high goals for myself which I'm still working towards. Often people have questioned my ability to achieve them, but I never let that stop me. One thing I've learned is that you should never let anyone tell you that you can't do something. You are your only obstacle! Archive of chats with Laurie:

• February 3, 2000 QuestChat