Working At NASA Has Been An Extraordinary Experience And I Have A Lot Of Memories I Can Tell You Are

The CAPCOM is the person in mission control that talks to the crew.  They are responsible for translating all of the discussions and events that occur on the flight loop and mission control into actions and summaries that can be easily understood by the crew.

They are also there to be the advocate for the crew in those discussions in mission control, since the crew can't be there themselves.  So the CAPCOM is really a bridge between what we view as ground mission control and the crew on board.

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The flight director is the single authority in mission control.  That person is also responsible for the actions and activities that occur at all of the other mission control centers across the world in support of the International Space Station.  You always have to have one boss and that flight director in Houston is it.

We are responsible for the safety of the crew.  We are responsible for the integrity of the spacecraft.  And we are responsible for the successful execution of the mission.  So any decisions that need to be made in the real-time environment fall under the flight director's authority.

What responsibility and duties does your job include?

In my 28 years here, I've been able to participate in a lot of exciting missions, but out of all of the future missions we have planned the one I'm looking forward to the most is being a part of boots on the moon in 2024.

What future missions are you looking forward to the most?

Yeah!  So if you want to be an astronaut, my best piece of advice is definitely to study something in the science field.  Basically every astronaut has some kind of background in science, technology, engineering.  Everybody has--even the fighter pilots have studied something and done a Masters degree in some kind of STEM field.  So if you start there, you're definitely headed in the right direction.

What is your advice to someone who wants to follow the same steps you take?

"So, one of the really cool things about black holes that I've been working on recently is using black holes to study another aspect of astrophysics which we don't really understand called dark matter.  Dark matter pervades the entire universe. It's probably five, six times more populous than regular matter, and yet we still have no idea what this stuff is.

The only thing we know about dark matter is that it reacts to gravity.  And if you really want to push gravity to the extreme, of course the way to do it is with a black hole.  So we're trying to understand how dark matter and black holes interact together."

What is the most fascinating thing about black hole research for you, personally?

“Black holes are just...pure gravity.”

Whats the best metaphor/ explanation of blackholes youve ever heard?

Human space flight is very stressful, and particularly as a flight director with the responsibility for the safety of the crew and the integrity of the vehicle and the execution of the mission, I was very stressed during those years.

One of the things I love to do to de-stress is to run.  So during the Expedition 14 mission, which was seven months long, I was very stressed.  And I figured, hey, why not train for a marathon?  So after training for several months, I actually ran a marathon.  

And this is a picture of me [shows laptop screen] talking to the commander of the International Space Station, Mike E.L.A.  He called my friend while I was at mile 23.  Mile 23!  I'm supposed to be focused!  But she hands me the phone and he says, "Hey, I've had people posting at all the different mile markers and you are looking great out there, so..."

And I said, "Well, can I-can you call me back in like--mmm--thirty minutes because I might be across the finish line by then, and right now I'm kind of busy." ________________

Transciber note: She pronounces name of the commander of the ISS as “Mike Elay”, but a quick google shows that Michael E. Lopez-Alegria was the commander of Expedition 14.  In case you were wondering about the three initials.

What do you do to relax in stressing situations?

One of the things I always find to be most fascinating about spaceflight is that I can be on the phone with a crew member who has called me from the space station while watching them fly over.  And every time I always sit there like a dork and go [waves] "Hiiiii!" as if they can see me.

What aspect of spaceflight always blows your mind, even after all this time?

Ah, that's a really good question!  I think I would say, study as much as you did, but also try to have a little bit of fun.

Hey, Kate! What would you say/what advice would you give to your younger self? ✨

I remember my first day on console as the first non-astronaut CapCom, and the very first time the crew called down. I was getting ready to key my mike and speak back up and they asked me a question, and I looked at the Flight Director beside me, he gave me a go, and I answered.  And there was a pause.  

And it was Frank Culbertson, and he called down and he was like, "Ginger!  Is it really you? Oh my gosh, it's so awesome to hear your voice!"  

So that kind of eased my tension.  The reality was the first set of crews that I wound up working with I had trained alongside for four years.  SO it was a treat to be able to be in a position where I could talk to my friends.  But I understood what they'd gone through, I understood Mission Control, and I could be their advocate in Mission Control.  And I could tell from day one that they trusted me and they were happy that I was there.

How did the crews react to you being the first non-astronaut CapCom? I understand it was quite an important thing to people that the CapCom could empathise with their experiences.

So this was a really neat project.  This was a partnership with hospitals all around the world, and there are kids that are in the cancer units in these hospitals.  And as part of their care they do art therapy.  So they paint, they draw, and they get to express themselves.  

So part of the project was that each kid got a little patch, and they got to paint or draw or color whatever they wanted.  They then sewed all of these patches together to make this space suit, and we got to fly it to the space station.  So it was really neat--all these children got to see their work flown in space.  

But it's so colorful because each individual patch represents a little artist's contribution.  And so I got a chance to meet some of these kids and hang out and do some art with them and it was so incredible.  It was just really a joy to see.

Why's your suit so colorful?