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Week 1 : NZ Space Expert, Anne-Marie Robinson

1. Lewis Huff, Coley Street School

What kinds of people become astronauts?

Well, all sorts really. If we talk about American astronauts for a start, most of them have either had military experience, for example, they may have been pilots in the United States air force. Others may have been scientists or have various university degrees with a background in research and they become scientists on board.

2. Rowan Marshell, Katikati College

How long have you been applying to become an astronaut?

I've been applying for 15 years. I started when I was at High School and even though I knew I didn't have a chance of being an astronaut at that age, I still applied. I apply every two years because that's how often they call for astronaut applications.

3. Haydn Andrew, Riverview School

Why did you choose to apply to become an astronaut?

I chose to apply because I like the adventure, the excitement and the history of exploring space. When you see a lot of science fiction programmes on television it looks really dangerous and in real life it is very dangerous, but it is also very serious and that sort of thing attracts me. I am very attracted to the adventure and mystery of space exploration.

4. Simon Ratner, St. Mark's Church School

What did you do before trying to become an astronaut? Did you go to University? What subjects did you study?

I went to school just like you are at the moment and did as many science subjects as I could because I knew that if I wanted to be an astronaut I had to have a science background. Unfortunately I wasn't very good at maths or physics, so I tended to go for the subjects like biology and chemistry which I understood better. When I left school I didn't go to university straightaway, I went to work and got some work skills through the various jobs that I did. I worked at Telecom as a technician and lineman for four years, and then I worked as a flight attendant for Ansett New Zealand for 6 years. I started at university about 2 years ago and I'm doing university now part-time, hoping to get a Bachelor of Science degree which would help with becoming an astronaut.

5. Simon Mines, Whangarei Primary School

Can a New Zealander apply to become an astronaut? If so, how?

Yes, they can apply. You write to NASA and ask them to send you out an application form. It's about 6 pages long and is very in-depth - there's a lot to fill in. The chances of being accepted are very slim because NASA stipulate that to be an astronaut in America you have to have US citizenship – that is, you have to be an American. If you had a joint citizenship, say, New Zealand and American, you may have more of a chance. It hasn't put me off applying though, as I believe that some day a New Zealander will go into space, it's just a matter of time. So, if I keep applying and annoying NASA, then maybe one day they may take me!

6. Asten Whakatihi, Coley Street School

Do males have a better chance of becoming astronauts?

Not any more. In the earlier days when they were first starting to send people into space, they used to send men only. Nowadays both men and women go into space and in some cases they find that women adapt a lot better then men. So, it's really 50/50 – males don't have a better chance. It's basically up to your own ability and your qualification, teamwork, and what you bring into the program.

7. Kaela Metz, Katikati College

We understand you are the U.S. Space Camp Ambassador to New Zealand. What does this job involve?

I am charged with promoting and marketing the space camp programmes they run in the States to anyone who is interested in what we call a simulated astronaut training course. It's basically where you can go to experience being an astronaut or a fighter pilot. It's not real, but it's the closest most of us would ever get to the real thing. So when I promote this in New Zealand I do this through various presentations – we have a big movie theatre at the Museum in Christchurch, and we show slides and videos and have astronaut food samples and models that we can pass round for people to look at. I also go out to schools, science centres, groups, organisations, churches - anywhere people would like me to talk. I have a back-up team of about 5 presenters who can come with me.

8. Joanna Lothian, Riverview School

What training is involved for your job?

To become an astronaut, when you are hired by NASA you are hired for a one year probationary period, which means you are on trial for a year to see how you cope with all the training. During that year you can do anything from put on a space suit and go underneath water to learn how to float around, as if you were in space. You sit through many lectures and have to read lots of books and information on the space shuttle (which is your spacecraft), to see how it actually works. You have to have training in rescue and survival in case your spacecraft has to crash land. You do parachute training and flying training in aircraft. You get lots of astronomy lessons learning about space and the stars. It's really like going back to school and there's lots of hands-on involvement as well.

9. Priya Petal, St. Mark's Church School

Where is Space Camp held?

Space Camp is held in two states in America. One is Alabama, which is one of the southern states, and the other is Florida.

10. Hayden Bell, Whangarei Primary School

Who is allowed to go to Space Camp?

Anyone basically. If you are seven years of age and over you are allowed to attend Space Camp. What they do ask is that you are physically and mentally fit, so that you don't have any illnesses that could prevent you from joining in with anyone else. On my course there were grandparents, so there is no age limit!

11. Ceara O'Leara, Coley Street School

What activities do you do at Space Camp?

There's a whole range. First, you get a uniform to wear like an astronaut flight suit. You get to ride on various simulators, which hover above the ground. They put you in different positions to pretend that you are actually floating in space. You get to sit in a mock up of a spacecraft and operate all the controls and you have headsets on and talk to a pretend earth, as if you are in space. You do lots of 'missions' where you pretend to go into space with a crew and fly an actual shuttle mission. You also get to have lots of classroom lectures, just like school, and you get to handle lots of parts of the spacecraft, for example, the shuttle tiles which protect the shuttle on re-entry. You also get to go to aviation challenge where you get lots of practice for water survival. You might learn how to climb into a life raft, so it's a lot of fun. You are up at 7.30 in the morning until about 9 o'clock at night. It's a long day, but there are lots of things to do.

12. Tristan Connelly, Katikati College

Why do people go to Space Camp?

It's the closest thing they'll ever get to being an astronaut. It's a lot of fun and you get to meet people from all over the world.

13. Magnus O'Grady, Riverview School

How much does it cost to go to Space Camp?

The cost of Space Camp is NZD$1500. This includes five days of food, accommodation and training.

14. Nicholas Charalambakis, St. Mark's Church School

Are there any other New Zealanders training to become astronauts?

I don't really know if there are. There are many, many New Zealanders who would like to become astronauts. I meet them every day when I do talks. I don't think there is any New Zealander training at NASA at this stage. Most of them will be Americans.

15. Rochelle Manuo, Whangarei Primary School

What subjects do you need to study at school and what job do you need to get, if you want to become an astronaut?

Science subjects are really good, and english. It is important that you take this subject so that you can communicate and work together with others. If you can't speak or write english very well, then that will not be very helpful. You have to do a lot of writing and are always talking on the headsets so you must be able to communicate well.

16. Justin Morgan, Coley Street School

How many people who go to Space Camp actually get to become astronauts?

I don't think many do at all. Space Camp is not really set up for pre-training to be an astronaut. You never know though. Lots of people from Space Camp take up various jobs in aviation and one day they may apply and get accepted as an astronaut.

17. Lania Devlin, Katikati College

How often have you been to Space Camp and when is your next trip?

I've been seven times and I don't have a next trip planned. I was going every year, but my finances don't allow me to go back at the moment.

18. Jamie Spruit, Riverview School

Have you been inside a spaceship? What was it like?

I haven't been inside a real one, but at the Space Camp in Alabama they have a museum the size of the Space Camp area where you train. Some of the spacecraft in the museum were built to go into space and actually didn't end up going. You can actually go on some of the craft. One of them is an Apollo Command Module that sat on top of a rocket when they launched the Apollo mission to the moon. I've actually sat in one and worked all the controls. I've also sat in a space shuttle flight deck – not a real one, but a mock-up and all the controls are exactly the same. When I was at NASA last year I actually sat in what they call the orbitor simulator which is the actual training spacecraft where they train the real astronauts before they fly the real one in space. It sits on what you call hydraulics, which is the machinery which makes the simulator move and I was pretending that I was landing the space shuttle. It was excellent – a lot of fun!

19. Paula Tinker, St. Mark's Church School

Have you met any astronauts? Have they told you anything about their experiences?

Yes I've met several astronauts and I have many good friends who are astronauts in the States. About two years ago we got an astronaut by the name of Commander Brian Duffy who came out to New Zealand and spent some time in Christchurch at a science centre called Science Alive. He told us about his trip into space. How it was such an amazing experience and how the floating around was quite a unique experience to get used to when you're not actually being held down and you are just floating. He said that being in space was a lot of hard work and a lot of training is involved.

20. Zahra Lomas, Whangarei Primary School

Have you ever seen a spaceship launched?

Yes, I saw the space shuttle Atlantis launched in 1992, from Florida. I was about 10 miles away from it and it was at night. As it lifted off the launch pad all the engines which were firing at the back lit up the sky like it was daylight – it was absolutely amazing and it took about 15 minutes to watch it take off and go up into space so I couldn't see it anymore. It was basically a thrill of a lifetime to see – fantastic!