1
00:00:04,130 --> 00:00:02,240
as astronauts we get a lot of great fan

2
00:00:06,170 --> 00:00:04,140
mail and we get a lot of great questions

3
00:00:08,030 --> 00:00:06,180
but because our training schedules are

4
00:00:10,459 --> 00:00:08,040
so rigorous we don't get a lot of time

5
00:00:12,820 --> 00:00:10,469
to respond I just got back from space so

6
00:00:14,749 --> 00:00:12,830
there's a bunch I need to catch up on

7
00:00:21,590 --> 00:00:14,759
you never know what treasures are

8
00:00:23,540 --> 00:00:21,600
contained within these envelopes oh this

9
00:00:26,540 --> 00:00:23,550
is awesome this is a thank-you note so I

10
00:00:28,279 --> 00:00:26,550
sent him a picture and he wrote back

11
00:00:30,140 --> 00:00:28,289
that he's nine years old favorite planet

12
00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:30,150
is Jupiter and his favorite food is

13
00:00:34,370 --> 00:00:32,610
pizza so we have a lot in common I used

14
00:00:36,170 --> 00:00:34,380
to think that Saturn was my favorite

15
00:00:38,389 --> 00:00:36,180
planet until I left the earth and got to

16
00:00:40,700 --> 00:00:38,399
look back at it and then it just changed

17
00:00:42,470 --> 00:00:40,710
my perspective completely Earth is a gem

18
00:00:47,270 --> 00:00:42,480
in our solar system and it is definitely

19
00:00:51,049 --> 00:00:47,280
my favorite planet go NASA rocket the

20
00:00:53,750 --> 00:00:51,059
earth and there we are on the moon 2020

21
00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:53,760
for dear NASA my name is Gabriel hi

22
00:00:58,430 --> 00:00:56,730
Gabriel and Gabriel asks how did you

23
00:00:59,869 --> 00:00:58,440
become an astronaut that's a great

24
00:01:02,599 --> 00:00:59,879
question Gabriel and the answer is

25
00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:02,609
pretty simple I just applied online when

26
00:01:07,429 --> 00:01:04,650
the applications opened two years ago I

27
00:01:09,260 --> 00:01:07,439
was in graduate school still but I met

28
00:01:11,960 --> 00:01:09,270
the basic requirements which are you

29
00:01:13,850 --> 00:01:11,970
need a degree in a stem field so science

30
00:01:15,530 --> 00:01:13,860
technology engineering or math and then

31
00:01:17,030 --> 00:01:15,540
a couple years of experience after that

32
00:01:19,490 --> 00:01:17,040
you'll never get the job if you don't

33
00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:19,500
apply can you do a backflip in space

34
00:01:23,359 --> 00:01:21,930
Leslie you can do amazing backflips in

35
00:01:24,830 --> 00:01:23,369
space in fact you can do many and many

36
00:01:26,749 --> 00:01:24,840
and many in a row and we have

37
00:01:28,429 --> 00:01:26,759
competitions to see how many you can do

38
00:01:28,940 --> 00:01:28,439
before you crash into the wall and lose

39
00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:28,950
control

40
00:01:33,260 --> 00:01:31,650
hi NASA today I was wondering if you

41
00:01:33,679 --> 00:01:33,270
could give this letter to Jeanette J

42
00:01:37,069 --> 00:01:33,689
apps

43
00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:37,079
I got it Lola have you seen a black hole

44
00:01:41,510 --> 00:01:38,850
I have not seen a black hole and I'm

45
00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:41,520
hoping that I don't ever see one only

46
00:01:46,249 --> 00:01:43,770
through telescopes and different means

47
00:01:48,499 --> 00:01:46,259
that we have to see them so we never fly

48
00:01:50,330 --> 00:01:48,509
near them because a black hole the

49
00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:50,340
gravity is so great it'll pull us in I

50
00:01:55,700 --> 00:01:52,770
think it looks like me it even has the

51
00:01:56,959 --> 00:01:55,710
details of our EMU our spacesuit I like

52
00:01:58,429 --> 00:01:56,969
this it's on my wall

53
00:02:00,440 --> 00:01:58,439
do you have pencils in space we

54
00:02:02,749 --> 00:02:00,450
absolutely have pencils we do have pens

55
00:02:05,289 --> 00:02:02,759
too but we generally always use pencils

56
00:02:07,969 --> 00:02:05,299
when you're erase things in space the

57
00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:07,979
erase drips don't just stay on the page

58
00:02:13,100 --> 00:02:10,410
they float everywhere so

59
00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:13,110
little particles is hard I love it Mars

60
00:02:15,610 --> 00:02:14,370
that's where we're headed

61
00:02:18,260 --> 00:02:15,620
there's a nice little drawing of

62
00:02:20,180 --> 00:02:18,270
colonization of Mars there I think at

63
00:02:22,190 --> 00:02:20,190
NASA we all want to colonize Mars that

64
00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:22,200
is what our ultimate goal is find life

65
00:02:26,930 --> 00:02:25,050
on Mars they explore even beyond Mars

66
00:02:29,030 --> 00:02:26,940
out into our solar system we have probes

67
00:02:31,190 --> 00:02:29,040
that have left our solar system we have

68
00:02:34,310 --> 00:02:31,200
Rovers on the surface of Mars we have

69
00:02:35,990 --> 00:02:34,320
satellites around the moon and in 2024

70
00:02:37,670 --> 00:02:36,000
we hope to put the first woman in the

71
00:02:39,740 --> 00:02:37,680
next man on the surface of the Moon in

72
00:02:41,450 --> 00:02:39,750
the arguments program hi my name is Jill

73
00:02:43,490 --> 00:02:41,460
exclamation point can you send me a

74
00:02:45,530 --> 00:02:43,500
couple bags of astronaut ice cream do

75
00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:45,540
you like being an astronaut sorry I ask

76
00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:46,410
a lot of questions

77
00:02:52,340 --> 00:02:49,290
PS you don't need to send me anything

78
00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:52,350
but anything from space is fine we are

79
00:02:55,940 --> 00:02:54,450
also fine with the space I hear you guys

80
00:02:58,040 --> 00:02:55,950
have to learn Russian as part of your

81
00:02:59,930 --> 00:02:58,050
training how do you say astronaut in

82
00:03:02,120 --> 00:02:59,940
Russian we do have to study Russian as

83
00:03:05,210 --> 00:03:02,130
part of our training and the way you say

84
00:03:08,090 --> 00:03:05,220
astronaut in Russian is cosmonaut what

85
00:03:10,610 --> 00:03:08,100
food do be we really well they have a

86
00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:10,620
kitchen right here in Houston Texas at

87
00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:12,570
our Space Center where they make lots of

88
00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:13,770
different types of food and then they

89
00:03:18,020 --> 00:03:14,970
package them up in special space

90
00:03:20,210 --> 00:03:18,030
packaging where they remove the water

91
00:03:22,610 --> 00:03:20,220
and a process called dehydration so when

92
00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:22,620
we get those the food in space we have

93
00:03:26,810 --> 00:03:24,570
to then add the water back to it let it

94
00:03:30,170 --> 00:03:26,820
sit for a little bit and eat it some of

95
00:03:31,490 --> 00:03:30,180
my favorites are seafood gumbo fajita

96
00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:31,500
chicken is

97
00:03:35,810 --> 00:03:35,250
mango peach smoothie is really really

98
00:03:38,300 --> 00:03:35,820
good

99
00:03:40,430 --> 00:03:38,310
astronaut hey what did you miss most

100
00:03:43,610 --> 00:03:40,440
while you were in space without doubt

101
00:03:46,940 --> 00:03:43,620
it's my family seven months is a long

102
00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:46,950
time to be away and you miss a lot of

103
00:03:53,630 --> 00:03:50,690
anniversaries and birthdays and holidays

104
00:03:55,460 --> 00:03:53,640
so I want to make sure that you cherish

105
00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:55,470
the time that you have with your friends

106
00:03:58,880 --> 00:03:57,330
and family and loved ones this

107
00:04:00,470 --> 00:03:58,890
Thanksgiving thanks for giving us an

108
00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:00,480
opportunity to answer just a small

109
00:04:04,070 --> 00:04:02,010
portion of the mail that we get every

110
00:04:05,810 --> 00:04:04,080
day I promise I will get back to my desk

111
00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:05,820
and I will answer more letters we're so

112
00:04:10,130 --> 00:04:08,250
grateful for everyone's interest in our

113
00:04:11,870 --> 00:04:10,140
lives as astronauts and everything that

114
00:04:13,550 --> 00:04:11,880
we're doing here at NASA from all of us

115
00:04:15,500 --> 00:04:13,560
here at the Johnson Space Center and at

116
00:04:17,660 --> 00:04:15,510
NASA happy Thanksgiving happy

117
00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:17,670
Thanksgiving everyone happy Thanksgiving