MY MAIL USUALLY DOESN'T COME IN THIS,
THIS NEAT BOX. SCRATCH THE LITTLE HEAD.
THERE'S ONE THING
THAT WAS NOT MY FAVORITE
AND THAT WAS VELCRO.
I WONDER WHO IT'S FROM.
HELLO, ASTRONAUT
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TODAY?
WELL,
TODAY
MY TRAINING WAS
PREPARING FOR A SPACEWALK.
I GOT TO HOVER ABOVE A HOVERBOARD
AND PRACTICE MOVING MY BODY
IN THREE DIMENSIONAL SPACE
WITHOUT A LOT OF DRAG,
WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT IS A CONDITION
YOU EXPERIENCE
WHEN WE'RE WORKING
OUTSIDE THE SPACE STATION
IN THE VACUUM OF SPACE.
I'M PRETTY SURE THAT'S A SPACE CAT.
THIS IS A SPACE CAT, MAYBE A MOON CAT.
ALL RIGHT.
WE'VE GOT ONE FROM OTTO
IN NEWCASTLE, MAINE.
IS IT HARD TO EAT AND SLEEP
OR DRINK WATER
BECAUSE YOU'RE SUSPENDED IN SPACE?
DOES THE FOOD JUST FLOAT DOWN
YOUR STOMACH OR LIKE WATER
JUST FLOATS THERE?
GREAT QUESTION.
GRAVITY RIGHT NOW
IS PULLING ALL THE FOOD
AND WATER IN MY STOMACH
AND EVENTUALLY MY BODY GOES AHEAD
AND PROCESSES THAT
AND THE FOOD LEVEL GETS LOWER
AND THEN
I START GETTING THOSE HUNGER PANGS
LETS ME KNOW
THERE'S TIME TO EAT IN SPACE.
YOU'RE RIGHT. EVERYTHING FLOATS.
SO THE FOOD'S FLOATING HERE.
I PUT IT IN MY MOUTH
AND THE MUSCLES SQUEEZE
IT DOWN MY ESOPHAGUS
AND DOWN INTO MY STOMACH
WHERE THE STOMACH PROCESSES IT.
BUT IN THE STOMACH,
IT FLOATS AROUND, TOO.
SO THE INTERESTING THING IS THAT IT
COMES, YOU KNOW, FOOD TIME
OR DINNERTIME OR LUNCH TIME.
AND I NEVER HAD ANY FEELINGS OF HUNGER.
CAUSE FOOD WAS ALL JUST FLOATING THERE.
I HAD TO EAT BASICALLY ON THE CLOCK
TO KNOW I NEEDED MY NUTRITION.
IT WASN'T
BECAUSE I FELT LIKE I NEEDED TO.
SO IT WAS A VERY INTERESTING SENSATION
TO GO AHEAD AND EAT IN SPACE.
SPACE CAT,
MOON CAT,
PLANETARY CAT, SOLAR SYSTEM CAT.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE ONES,
BECAUSE IT FOLDS OPEN.
THAT'S HOW BIG THE UNIVERSE IS.
THIS CAT REMINDS ME A LOT OF MY CAT.
WHOSE NAME IS MERLIN.
SHE'S NAMED AFTER THE ROCKET ENGINE.
THIS LOOKS GREAT.
SO THIS IS FROM ERAV.
HE LIKES VIDEO GAMES AND SOCCER.
AND HE'S DRAWN A VERY COOL PICTURE HERE.
IT'S EVEN BEEN PERSONALIZED TO ME.
HE'S GOT A VERSION OF ME
THERE AND A ROCKET HEADING TO THE MOON.
SO THANKS VERY MUCH.
ERAV.
DANG, HE'S ONLY NINE ALREADY
THINKING ABOUT HIS BACHELOR'S DEGREE,
SO HE IS PLANNING AHEAD.
SAYS, HI,
MY NAME IS ADDISON,
AND I AM LEARNING ABOUT SPACE.
AND HOW DO ASTRONAUTS GO ON SPACEWALKS.
THANK YOU FOR THE LETTER.
SPACEWALKS ARE REALLY COOL.
I GOT TO GO ON SPACEWALKS
IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT KINDS OF SPACESUITS,
ALL ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
YOU KNOW,
WE HAVE THIS SPACE STATION
THAT GOES AROUND OUR PLANET,
WE GO AROUND EVERY 90 MINUTES
AND WE CAN SOMETIMES PUT ON A SPACESUIT,
OPEN THE DOOR, THERE'S NO AIR OUTSIDE.
AND WE GO OUTSIDE
AND THEY CALL IT A SPACEWALK,
AND WE JUST WALK FROM
USING HAND OVER HAND INSIDE
A VERY BIG SPACESUIT.
IT TAKES A LOT OF PRACTICE.
AND WE'RE WORKING
TOWARDS THE FUTURE
WHERE PEOPLE CAN BE WALKING
ON THE MOON IN THEIR SPACESUITS.
HAVE ANOTHER DRAWING.
THIS IS FROM CARTER IN GEORGIA.
WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF ASTRONAUTS HERE
IN SPACE SPACESHIP LAUNCHING.
LOOKS LIKE WE EVEN HAVE THE MOON HERE,
WHICH WE'RE GOING TO VERY SOON
AS PART OF THE ARTEMIS PROGRAM.
SO THAT'S VERY EXCITING.
GOSH, LOOK AT THIS AMAZING DRAWING.
LOOKS LIKE THERE'S
A SUPERNOVA, GOT EARTH
OVER HERE WITH A COUPLE OF ROCKETS
READY TO LAUNCH.
LOOKS LIKE WE'VE LANDED ON THE MOON.
HERE IS AN ASTRONAUT
I LIKE TO THINK THAT
THIS IS ONE OF MY FRIENDS
THAT I KNOW
IN THE FUTURE,
SITTING ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON
DOING SOME LUNAR GEOLOGY.
I SEEM LIKE A COOL GUY.
WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT, FRANK.
I THINK I'M A COOL GUY AS WELL.
YOU SHOULD TALK TO MY KIDS.
THEY DO NOT THINK I'M COOL.
I THINK I'M PRETTY COOL.
TO AN NASA,
TO THE AIR FORCE,
OR ANY AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM.
WELL, YOU'RE IN LUCK, CHARLIE.
I'M AT NASA.
I AM IN THE AIR NATIONAL GUARD.
IN THE AIR FORCE.
AND I'M AN AERONAUTICAL ENGINEER.
LET'S SEE.
I HAVE MADE A NEW BLUEPRINT
FOR A NEW JET
USING NANOTECHNOLOGY AND TITANIUM.
YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION, CHARLIE. OKAY.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE HE MAY HAVE A JET
THAT CAN GO MACH 34, WHICH IS VERY FAST.
LOOK AT THIS FALCON PROJECT.
IT’S GOT THE F 22 AIR INTAKES.
IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE USING TITANIUM
FOR STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS.
GOT SOME CONNECTIONS, CHARLIE.
NO PROMISES,
BUT I WILL SEE WHAT I CAN DO.
CAN YOU HAVE PIZZA?
YES, WE MADE PIZZA
FOR CHRISTMAS LAST YEAR
AND IT WAS AWESOME.
WE HAD BUBBLY PIZZA CRUST
AND WE PUT ON CHEESE AND PEPPERONI
AND EVERYBODY SLICED IT UP AND SHARED IT.
AND THE BEST PART,
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS FLOAT
THAT PIZZA ACROSS THE ROOM
TO YOUR FRIEND.
AND IT'S A GREAT PIZZA PARTY
IS THERE OTHER LIFE OUT THERE?
WE DON'T KNOW YET.
WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANY ALIENS,
BUT WE ARE LOOKING TO SEE
IF WE ARE ALONE IN THIS UNIVERSE.
THAT'S A VERY BIG QUESTION. COOL BEANS.
DO YOU THINK YOU COULD EVER SEND
SOMEONE TO VENUS OR MARS SOMEDAY?
WELL, WE DEFINITELY ARE GOING TO TRY
TO SEND SOMEONE TO MARS IN THE FUTURE.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE GOING BACK TO THE MOON.
SO WE CAN LEARN EVERYTHING
WE NEED TO KNOW
TO KEEP US SAFE IN SPACE
FOR LONG DURATION
BEFORE WE GO OUT TO MARS.
HAVE I EVER TRIED ANY OF THE SPACE FOODS
NOW THAT I HAVE DONE
THAT'S PART OF TRAINING.
IT'S TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO BE IN SPACE.
WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME
LOOKING AT THE FOODS
AND TRYING TO DETERMINE WHICH ONE'S BAD.
SO WE TAKE DIFFERENT SAMPLES.
WE WORK WITH NUTRITIONISTS
AND PEOPLE WHO DESIGNED THE FOOD
TO GET THE BEST POSSIBLE THING
THAT WE CAN HAVE IN SPACE.
AND AS A DOCTOR,
I KNOW IT'S IMPORTANT TO EAT HEALTHY
SO I WOULD SAY, LISTEN TO YOUR PARENTS.
WHEN THEY TELL YOU TO EAT HEALTHY,
IT'LL HELP YOU TRAIN TO BE AN ASTRONAUT.
AND THEN WHEN YOU GET HERE,
YOU CAN HELP DESIGN
BETTER
AND HEALTHIER FOODS
THAT KEEP PEOPLE
IN A GOOD PLACE IN SPACE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR LETTER, HATTIE.
WE GOT SOME AMAZING ARTWORK
FROM OUR YOUNG PEOPLE.
LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A PICTURE OF EARTH,
A COUPLE RADARS,
PERHAPS TRACKING A SATELLITE
THAT'S ORBITING THE EARTH.
VERY TECHNICALLY ACCURATE.
IT SEEMS LIKE.
THIS IS FROM DREW
MADE AN ASTRONAUT OUT THERE ON SPACEWALK.
THIS IS A FIVE YEAR OLD FINNELL SHAH.
AND SO HE WATCHED THE CREW DRAGON LAUNCH
AND DOCKED WITH ISS.
AND THIS IS HIS FAVORITE PLANET SATURN.
OKAY, LET'S SEE.
I'VE GOT A LETTER HERE.
RACHEL WANTS TO KNOW,
WHAT DO YOU LIKE
LEAST ABOUT THE ISS IN SPACE?
OOH, THAT'S A TOUGH QUESTION,
BECAUSE TO BE HONEST,
I LOVE THE ISS IN SPACE.
BUT I'D SAY THERE'S ONE THING
THAT WAS NOT MY FAVORITE
AND THAT WAS VELCRO.
NOW, WHEN I NEEDED VELCRO,
IT WAS GOOD AND IT WORKED PERFECT.
BUT OTHER TIMES
WHEN YOU DIDN'T NEED THAT VELCRO
AND IT WAS VERY STRONG,
MAYBE IT WAS ATTACHED TO A BAG
AND I'M FLOATING BY
AND MY HAIR IS IN ZERO-G AND PART OF IT
CATCHES THAT VELCRO
AND IT ALMOST PULLS ME TO A STOP AND RIPS
SOME OF MY HAIR OUT.
IT WAS THE WORST,
SO LEAST FAVORITE IN SPACE.
VELCRO.
WE'VE GOT A CAT IN SPACE.
IT WASN'T HUMANS
THAT WERE FIRST IN SPACE.
WE HAD A DOG CALLED LAIKA THAT BEAT
ALL THE HUMANS INTO SPACE.
I EXPECT SOMEDAY
WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO THINK ABOUT,
CATS IN SPACE TOO.
LACHLAN IS A SOPHOMORE IN HIGH SCHOOL
WORKING TOWARDS BECOMING AN ASTRONAUT
AND WANTED TO GET ADVICE
AND A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STREAM.
WHAT TYPE OF SCHOOL SHOULD I GO TO?
I'D SAY THE TYPE OF SCHOOL
THAT YOU WANT TO GO TO OBVIOUSLY
THERE'S LIKE THE REALLY BIG NAME SCHOOLS,
BUT SOMETIMES YOU CAN BE
A LITTLE FISH IN A BIG POND
OR YOU CAN BE A BIG FISH
IN A LITTLE POND.
SO I WOULD SAY
WHEN YOU'RE DOING COLLEGE VISITS,
FIND THE ONE THAT YOU THINK
YOU WOULD ENJOY GOING TO
AND WAKING UP AT EVERY DAY
AND DO THAT ONE.
IN TERMS OF SERVICE ACADEMIES, THE KEY
AND THAT IS THE FIRST WORD SERVICE
DEFINITELY IF YOU'RE INTERESTED
IN SERVING THE COUNTRY,
THAT'S A VERY GOOD OPTION.
BUT I WOULDN'T GO THERE
JUST BECAUSE YOU THINK IT'S GOING
TO HELP YOU BECOME AN ASTRONAUT.
I WOULD GO THERE
BECAUSE YOU WANT TO SERVE
IN ONE OF THE MILITARY BRANCHES,
AND THEN IF THAT HAPPENS TO LEAD
TO AN ASTRONAUT CAREER LATER, GREAT.
DEGREES TO WORK TOWARDS.
IF YOU LOOK AT ONLINE AT NASA.GOV
THE REQUIREMENT’S A MASTERS DEGREE.
SO AT A MINIMUM
YOU NEED THAT IN SOME KIND OF STEM FIELD
OR BE A MEDICAL DOCTOR
AND SO THOSE COULD HELP WITH DEGREES.
BUT AGAIN,
I WOULD PICK SOMETHING
THAT YOU ENJOY DOING.
AND THEN PURSUING A PILOT'S LICENSE.
I'D SAY ACTUALLY THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE
IN OUR OFFICE
WEREN'T PILOTS TO BEGIN WITH.
SO I HAPPEN TO BE A PILOT,
BUT THAT'S NOT THE MAJORITY
OF PEOPLE IN THE OFFICE.
WE DO FLY T-38’S
AND EVERYONE LEARNS HOW TO DO THAT
BECAUSE IT IS AN ANALOG TO SPACEFLIGHT.
AND IF YOU HAVE THE TIME, ENJOY FLYING
THEN DEFINITELY SOMETHING TO GO PURSUE.
BUT AGAIN, IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT,
I WOULDN'T GO DO IT
JUST BECAUSE YOU THINK
WOULD HELP BECOME AN ASTRONAUT.
I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL
FOR SENDING YOUR FAN MAIL.
WE LOVE TO RECEIVE IT.
LOVE TO READ IT. KEEP THE LETTERS COMING.
AND WE ARE ALL ONE BIG COMMUNITY
WORKING TOGETHER TO FLY INTO SPACE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
KEEP YOUR LETTERS COMING.
IT REALLY MAKES US HAPPY.
KEEP THE QUESTIONS COMING,
HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM
AND LOOK FORWARD TO ALL OF YOU HELPING US
GET BACK TO THE MOON
AND THEN EVENTUALLY MARS WITH ARTEMIS.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE FAN MAIL.
IT WAS INCREDIBLE
AND A GREAT WAY TO KICK OFF 2024.
PLEASE KEEP THE LETTERS COMING.
SEE YOU NEXT TIME.
SPACE CAT.