USAG-KA Commander Shares Science and Tales at Little one & Youth Companies Summer time Area Jam

U.S. Military Garrison-Kwajalein Atoll Commander Col. Drew Morgan paid a go to to the Little one & Youth Companies Faculty-Aged Care Summer time Camp to share his experiences working and dwelling in house with younger island residents in the course of the camp’s Area Jam occasion, June 30, 2023. (Picture Credit score: James Brantley) VIEW ORIGINAL

U.S. Military Garrison Kwajalein Atoll Garrison Commander Col. Drew Morgan visited with college students enrolled within the USAG-KA Little one and Youth Companies Faculty-Aged Care Summer time Camp for a query and reply session throughout their Area Jam. The keen college students requested Morgan questions on life in outer house.

SAC: How lengthy was your spacewalk?

Col. Morgan: First, I’ll discuss how we practice for house walks. That’s the factor we spend essentially the most time coaching.

We placed on our house go well with on Earth, they usually put us in an enormous swimming pool, and we follow diving. All astronauts are divers as a result of that’s how we practice for house. It makes it really feel like being weightless in house.

I did hours and hours of coaching after which once I truly did an actual spacewalk, I used to be outdoors in that house go well with for greater than six hours. We additionally put that house go well with on for 3 to 4 hours earlier than to prepare for the spacewalk. I wore that house go well with for 10 hours the day of the spacewalk.

SAC: What did you eat in house?

Col. Morgan: We have now plenty of totally different sorts of meals just like the meals we eat within the Military once we go to the sector—all of our meals is in a bundle; we heat it up and rip open the bundle.

Each time you eat in house it’s like a giant playground. You get to eat and play along with your meals day-after-day. I can take a Sizzling Tamale sweet and float it to another person they usually can catch it of their mouth. I can throw it in a straight line. To do this on Earth, I must toss it up in an arch [to get it to his target].

If I used to be outdoors the Worldwide Area Station, and I took a Sizzling Tamale with me, and I tossed it within the route the station was orbiting, it could go on, roughly ceaselessly. It will even be in orbit across the Earth for an extended, very long time—a Sizzling Tamale satellite tv for pc.

SAC: What sort of rocket did you go to house on?

Col. Morgan: The rocket I launched in left Asia, and it landed on grime, not on the water. We do have rockets at NASA that land within the water however some land on grime.

SAC: What in regards to the underwater capsule you used for coaching?

Col. Morgan: We do water survival coaching in case we land within the water. I’d must know learn how to get out and inflate my vest so the rescue divers can pull me out.

SAC: What does it really feel like if you get again to Earth?

Col. Morgan: So, 9 months in house of not feeling the Earth’s gravity pull you down makes you’re feeling very heavy if you return. We do job of exercising our muscular tissues and holding our bones wholesome, however our stability is slightly off.

A part of our stability system is inside, close to your mind, inside your interior ear. That helps inform your physique which means is up or down, and if you transfer your head, you sense that it’s transferring.

In house, that a part of your mind after a pair days simply form of turns off.

Impulsively, I’m going the wrong way up and my physique doesn’t register that I’m the wrong way up. My physique thinks every part is okay. However if you come again to Earth, now your physique feels dizzy such as you’re spinning in all places for a few week. I may stroll, however typically I wanted assist.

SAC: In house, if you’re spinning, do you’re feeling such as you’re going to barf?

Col. Morgan: As a result of the a part of your interior ear form of goes to sleep, it’s tougher to really feel such as you’re going to barf. Once I got here again to Earth, I felt like I wished to barf, and I did a pair occasions.

SAC: Do you eat freeze-dried ice cream in house?

Col. Morgan: It’s not truly a part of our common meals provide that comes as much as the house station however I occur to be a giant fan of ice cream.

There isn’t a technique to get it aside from freeze-dried. I needed to have Mrs. Morgan, the primary girl of Kwajalein, ship me some in a care bundle. We have now visiting spacecraft convey us a resupply. One of many issues I wished was freeze-dried ice cream. It tastes good particularly if you don’t have ice cream.

SAC: What’s it like within the Military?

Col. Morgan: I made a decision to be an Military Soldier earlier than I made a decision to develop into an astronaut. That’s what I actually wished to be once I grew up.

I grew to become a medical physician within the Military. The Military paid for my medical college, they paid for my specialty in emergency drugs, and gave me all of those nice experiences. I went all around the world after which NASA chosen me to be an astronaut. I’m nonetheless within the Military. I used to be within the Military the complete 10 years I used to be at NASA, and now I’m right here.

SAC: What occurred to the artifact you took to house?

Col. Morgan: I took plenty of issues with me to house to symbolize totally different elements of my life and profession and one was a WWII arm band {that a} medic wore within the conflict in Europe 80 years in the past.

I took it with me to symbolize my historical past as a fight medical physician. I flew it in house, took photos of it and introduced it again to Earth, and gave it to the Nationwide Museum of the U.S. Military at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

SAC: Have you ever ever performed a board sport in house?

Col. Morgan: Sure, however we have now to have magnets to carry the items on the board. I don’t have a sister, however one among my crewmates, Christina Cook dinner is like my sister. I flew in house wither for seven months and she or he loves Scrabble. We performed on a magnetic model.

SAC: What was it wish to be on the parachute crew (at West Level)?

Col. Morgan: That was the best factor I did as a cadet at West Level was to be on the parachute crew.

I discovered learn how to leap out of airplanes and do harmful issues safely, however an important factor I discovered to do was learn how to be teammate.

These teammates of mine who have been on the crew with me are nonetheless my greatest mates. They’ve been my mates for 30 years and plenty of them dialed in to see my change of command ceremony a couple of days in the past.

I carried being teammate to the astronaut corps as a result of that is likely one of the issues we worth essentially the most in an astronaut: being teammate. By that, I imply be buddy, be any individual that somebody needs to spend a very long time with in a small, enclosed house. Think about being trapped on this classroom for 9 months. Who would you need to be in right here with?

One scholar within the class selected two mates to be with them for 9 months.

Col. Morgan stated, “That’s what you need, to be that form of buddy.”

SAC: What does the Milky Approach appear to be in house?

Col. Morgan: All of our home windows on the ISS are oriented to look again at Earth, however once I was on my spacewalk, I used to be above the house station.

I had a really clear view whereas we have been going across the Earth on the nighttime aspect. The earth’s ambiance often makes our view of the begins slightly tougher to see. We have now among the clearest skies you possibly can think about on Earth right here in Kwajalein. However in house, you’re not trying by way of the ambiance. It’s completely clear. You possibly can see the Milky Approach way more clearly when the lighting is good.

SAC: What did the rocket ship appear to be?

Col. Morgan: So, the rocket ship that I launched on was a lot smaller than a Saturn V. A Saturn V rocket is a rocket we used 50 years in the past to launch astronauts to the moon.

It was a very massive rocket. The one I launched in was made to orbit the Earth so it doesn’t must be as massive. The Russians made the rocket I used to be on as a result of they’re our mates in house they usually have been doing it the identical means because the starting of their house program 50 years in the past. I launched on a rocket that had the know-how in it that was older than me. It’s a very secure, dependable rocket.

SAC: What does it really feel wish to float in house?

Col. Morgan: Initially, it feels very dizzy and disoriented however after that it begins to really feel regular. It’s actually cool and I can go the wrong way up, flip my ft on the ceiling, and I wouldn’t really feel like I used to be the wrong way up. I can push off of a wall and fly to the opposite aspect of the house station. It’s actually enjoyable.

SAC: How can we return the rocket ship to Earth?

Col. Morgan: The rocket I launched on, when it burns up all of the gasoline within the backside, discards it they usually fall again to the bottom. We have now a rocket now that NASA makes use of made by the SpaceX Company that, after it burns up the gas within the backside stage, it lands itself nonetheless standing up, robotically. Then they reuse it, they replenish with gas and use it once more. They’re recycling the large elements of the rocket.

SAC: What are the home windows like on the Worldwide Area Station?

Col. Morgan: All of the home windows are protected as a result of in the event that they weren’t, with out the safety of the Earth’s ambiance, if we had daylight coming in, you’ll get burned nearly immediately. Our home windows are made thick to guard us from the solar.

SAC: How do you employ the lavatory in house?

Col. Morgan: I used to be ready for that query. The brief reply is ‘very fastidiously.’ You might be used to going to the lavatory and gravity simply makes it go into the bathroom. So, primary requires a vacuum tube. The urine goes into the receptacle and will get sucked up inside and it goes right into a container.

Then, guess what we do with it?

(The kids responded with, “You recycle it into consuming water.”)

It tastes simply fantastic; it’s very clear water. Guess what? We drink rainwater right here predominantly however at residence within the U.S., the water we drink comes by way of a sewage plant, waste water remedy plant and a consuming water remedy plant. All water ultimately will get recycled. We simply do it in a really enclosed surroundings in house.

SAC: Did you see one other planet in house?

Col. Morgan: You possibly can see planets from the floor of the Earth—Mars and Venus on evening. They give the impression of being about the identical from the ISS. The factor that we get the clearest view of is the Earth and the Moon.

These have been the perfect issues to have a look at. If I used to be flying round Mars or the Moon for 9 months, it could be a boring view. We stay on essentially the most stunning planet within the photo voltaic system.

SAC: Have been you scared?

Col. Morgan: I used to be slightly nervous however the coaching is admittedly good so I used to be actually assured on the day that I launched.

SAC: Whenever you’re coaching below the water, how do you retain from floating up?

Col. Morgan: They add weights to our house fits to assist make them neutrally buoyant. Positively buoyant means we float; negatively buoyant means we sink to the underside.

We don’t need to be both of these. We need to be neutrally buoyant—you need to keep within the center. We have now divers who usually are not in house fits who’ve SCUBA tanks and masks on to verify we keep neutrally buoyant by both including or subtracting weights to get us good.

I’ve this 350-pound go well with on me and we keep secure the complete time.

SAC: How do you breathe in house?

Col. Morgan: I breathe as comfortably in house as I do on Earth. You wouldn’t know any distinction. The air round us within the ISS is rather like on Earth however the content material has slightly extra oxygen in it and slightly bit extra carbon dioxide. All of it feels the identical. Exterior the house station, there isn’t any air. We name {that a} vacuum.

Col. Morgan informed kids within the classroom that in the event that they see him on the island, they’ll come up and ask him any questions. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions.”