The Truth About Aliens | #AskAbby Space and Science Show | The Mars Generation

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Season 2, Episode 6 of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series

Presented by TheMarsGeneration.org

The Truth About Aliens.

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In the sixth episode of Season 2 of #AskAbby, join aspiring astronaut Abby Harrison, AKA Astronaut Abby, as she answers the question “What would extraterrestrial life look like?” Based on Abby’s research at the Schrueger Lab of Kennedy Space Center, Abby will talk about what extraterrestrial life would potentially look like, based on what we know now.

Includes answers to questions including: Would alien life look like the representations we’ve seen in popular science fiction media? What are extremophiles? Are there single-celled organisms on Earth that could survive in Mars-like conditions? What are tardigrades or water bears and what makes them so special? What extreme conditions could water bears survive​?

Tune in for new releases of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

Transcription of THE TRUTH ABOUT ALIENS: 

What would a real-life alien look like? Would they be cute like in E.T.? Scary like the Predator? Or just plain annoying like Jar Jar Binks? There’s a lot of speculation about aliens. But here and now, I’m going to tell you the truth about extraterrestrial life.

(Intro)

Hi everyone, I’m Astronaut Abby, aspiring astronaut with the goal to be the 1st person to walk on Mars. Welcome to Ask Abby, where I answer questions about space and science submitted by you, the viewers. This episode we’re going to be answering the question: What would extraterrestrial life look like?

Would they have laser eyes? Tentacles? Or Green skin? Uhh, no.

When we do find extraterrestrial life, it’ll most likely look more like this. Yup, we’re talking about single-cell organisms like bacteria or archaea. The closest thing we have to extraterrestrial life on earth are extremophiles.

Extremophiles are organisms that, you guessed it, can survive under extreme conditions. This actually has to do with research that I have been doing for the last two years at the Kennedy Space Center Schrueger Mars Space Astrology labs. We work with a bacteria called Serratia Liquefaciens testing to see if it could live on Mars. So what we found–and this is a very generalized summary–is that Serratia Liquefaciens could survive in conditions like those on Mars.

So while we haven’t found extraterrestrial life yet, we do know that there are organisms from here, on Earth, that could survive in space. So while Serratia Liquefaciens and other extremophiles are pretty cool, the award for the cutest extremophile has to go to the Tardigrade. Also known as a water bear or a moss piglet.

Water bears are microscopic animals that live in moss or lichen and have been around for anywhere from 100 million to 520 million years ago. That means that they’re almost as old as my mom. (Hey! I heard that!) Whoops!

Aside from being pretty cute, water bears are also pretty darn invincible. They can survive 1,000 times the lethal dose of radiation to humans, 6,000 times the Earth’s atmospheric pressure, 100 years without water, and up to twelve days in space without oxygen. They also contain the most foreign DNA of any animal on earth, meaning that they have the most DNA from another species. Tardigrades have 17.5 percent foreign DNA whereas most animals have less than 1 percent.

While the truth about extraterrestrial life may not be as exciting as you had thought (sorry guys, no little green martians running around), it is exciting in another way. Extremophiles hold vast scientific implications that help us in our journey to learn more about life outside of Earth. And who knows? As we continue to expand our horizons and go where no human has gone before, we may find extraterrestrials that are more like the aliens shown in our favorite sci-fi shows, like those in Star Trek.

That’s all the time we have today for Ask Abby. Thank you so much for joining me for The Mars Generation Space and Science Show. I hope that our topic wasn’t too alien for you!

If you’d like to ask me a question and potentially see it answered here, on Ask Abby, feel free to tweet it to me using the #AskAbby hashtag or submit it at The Mars Generation linked below. And as always, if you enjoyed this segment, please go ahead and give us a thumbs up and make sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss the next one.

And until next time, farewell fellow travelers of spaceship Earth.

First Time Skydiving – Astronaut Training| #AskAbby Space and Science Show | The Mars Generation

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Season 2, Episode 5 of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series

Presented by TheMarsGeneration.org

First Time Skydiving! – Astronaut Training 

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In the fifth episode of Season two of #AskAbby, aspiring astronaut Abby Harrison aka “Astronaut Abby” continues her mission to training to become an astronaut! In order to feel a sense of weightlessness, Abby takes the leap and goes skydiving for the very first time! Have you ever considered going skydiving, but are unsure about the process? Watch this video to learn what your first ever jump would likely be like!

Includes answers to questions including: Are astronauts usually required to become proficient in skydiving? How is skydiving used in space travel? How does a complete beginner skydive? What does it take to become trained in skydiving? How do you become a certified skydiving instructor? And many more! Be wary of watching this video if you’re scared of heights!

Tune in for new releases of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

Transcription of FIRST TIME SKYDIVING:

What’s the difference between a bad golfer and a bad skydiver?
Well, a bad golfer goes: “Smack. Uh, darn!” Whereas a bad skydiver goes “Whoa, darn! Smack.”

Haha! I crack myself up.

Hey everyone! It’s Astronaut Abby, an aspiring astronaut with the goal to be the first astronaut to walk on Mars, and this is Ask Abby, a show where I answer all of you, the viewer’s, questions about space and science.

And today, we’re taking on a brand new, exciting adventure! Parachuting, or as some people call it…skydiving!

As you all know, I love any sport or adventure that takes my feet off the ground, whether it be rock climbing, gymnastics, parasailing, diving, flying an airplane, bungee jumping, or even parachuting. I love the experience and thrill of being in the air.

Tons of people also ask me what’s actually necessary to become an astronaut. Well, there’s a whole other Ask Abby episode that goes into much more detail on that, but the basic requirements are that you need to have a great education, good work experience, and pass a physical test.

However there’s also a ton of other stuff that you can add to your resume to try and make your application stand out amongst the thousands of other people who will be vying for your same, limited spot among the astronaut corps. These can be among many different things, whether it’s learning Russian, learning how to fly a plane, or even…parachuting!

Neither NASA or ESA currently use parachute training with their astronauts, however Russia does and NASA has included some parachute release training in the past. So, getting some experience with parachuting, or skydiving, certainly won’t hurt your application. And it could even help you to stand out amongst the 18,000 plus other people who are all vying for those 8 coveted spots..

So today is my first ever time parachuting, and I figured that I would bring you all along!

However, I have absolutely zero training in parachuting, I’ve never done it before, and so I won’t be jumping alone. That would be a very bad idea.

I’ll be doing something called tandem jumping, where I jump connected to a certified instructor, which is what any reputable skydiving organization will have you do.

Once you’ve done enough tandem jumping, you can actually qualify for solo jumping. Depending on the number of jumps that you do and the difficulty of those jumps, you can get an A, B, C, or D parachuting license. First time in my life that I haven’t wanted to have an A…

Today, I’ll also be jumping with my mom (awwwww), because what parent hasn’t, at some point, wanted to toss their child out of an airplane? When my mom heard that she had the chance to do that, she jumped on it.

(Interview with Sam Basques–USPA Tandem Instructor):

Hey everyone, I’m here with Sam, the crazy lady who just jumped out of an airplane with me strapped to her. She is a fantastic instructor and we’re going to ask her some questions about skydiving in general.

Abby: So Sam, how long have you been parachuting for?

Sam: Ten years this summer.

Abby: 10 years, wow–and in that time, how many jumps would you estimate you’ve done?

Sam: I’m actually coming up on 5,000 here.

Abby: No way!

Sam: Yep

Abby: That’s amazing. Okay, congratulations on that!

Sam: Thank you, thank you very much.

Abby: So what’s the process of becoming, first off, certified to jump alone, and then after that, continuing down.

Sam: Yeah. So there’s several different kinds of programs out there. This place offers – Skydiving Twin Cities offers AFF jumping. It’s a very short, condensed program of seven skydives. You go through all seven skydives, and then if you pass all of them you move onto a solo-student status, where you’re kind of on a probationary period. And then from there you get A licensed, and from A license onward, you can kind of jump with anybody else who is licensed.
Abby: Gotcha. And so how long does it take to get your A license, usually? How many jumps?

Sam: It varies with different people. It’s all about how much time and money you really have to throw at the sport. Sometimes people have to repeat certain skydives, some people have issues, some people fly through it really fast, so it can take anywhere from y’know, like a month to, y’know, several months or maybe an entire season.

Abby: Some people fly through it really fast?

Sam: Haha yes, that’s a very good pun. Play on words there, I like that.

Abby: Hey, you said it, not me. So what would you do after an A license?

Sam: After an A license? So, there are different licenses. There’s A, B, C, and D; I currently hold a D license–it’s kind of the highest level license that you can have. It’s the license that you need to take people on tandems. There’s A, B, C, and D, and each one of those allows you to do a certain number more things than the license before that.

A is pretty basic–y’know, you can kind of skydive with anybody else that’s licensed. B–you’re allowed to be a coach with your B license and you can do a certain number of things with that. C–I think you are required to have a C license for AFF instruction, where you’re teaching people how to skydive, and the D is when you can strap people to you and fall out of airplanes.

————–

Videographer: So, Abby, what was the hardest part of the whole thing?

Abby: Oh, the hardest part was definitely the ground! Actually, landing was totally a breeze. It kind of, well, it literally was, because we were catching some thermals on the way in, but you get what I’m saying.

Thanks so much for joining me on my first time skydiving. I hope that you had as much fun as I did. And I know that I’m completely ready to work towards my solo and jump alone…let me know in the comments if that’s something you’d be willing to do!

If you want to ask a question and see it answered here, on Ask Abby, go ahead and tweet it to me using the hashtag: #AskAbby, or go to the Mars Generation website which is linked below, as always, and submit it there.

Also, if you liked this video, go ahead and click the “thumbs up” button and also subscribe so that you don’t miss any of our future episodes of Ask Abby.

Until next time, farewell fellow travelers of spaceship Earth!

That’s a wrap!

How to Become an Astronaut | #AskAbby Space and Science Show | The Mars Generation

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(Correction: NASA has changed this requirement as of March, 2020. A master’s degree in STEM is now required to apply)

Season 2, Episode 4 of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series
Presented by TheMarsGeneration.org

How to Become an Astronaut

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

In this episode of #AskAbby, aspiring astronaut Abby Harrison aka Astronaut Abby answers the MOST frequent question she gets asked: How do you become an astronaut? For all you aspiring astronauts out there, Abby gives a run-down of all the requirements you need to become an astronaut, the application process, things that will really put your application over the edge, and what mentality to have when you have an out-of-this-world dream.

This episode includes answers to questions like: What should astronauts study in school? What type of degree should you get to become an astronaut? What are the different types of astronaut positions are there to apply for? What are the physical requirements to be an astronaut? What is the average age of an astronaut? Does NASA accept naturalized citizens as astronauts? How competitive is it really to be chosen as an astronaut candidate?

Tune in for new releases of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

Transcription of HOW TO BECOME AN ASTRONAUT

ABBY
Hello everybody and welcome to Ask Abby! Today’s episode is super exciting because we are answering the most frequently asked question that I get, which is…

EMILY
Oh wait let me guess!! Is it, what are black holes?

ABBY
No, although black holes are really interesting…

EMILY
Okay then…is it…hmm… “Hey Abby, why is your director so awesome?” (wink)

ABBY
Uhhhh sadly, it’s not that either, although it’s true!

EMILY
Wait wait.. Is it “Abby will you marry me?”

ABBY
No, although, now that I think about it, I do get asked that a lot.

No, today’s question is: “How do I become an astronaut?!”

(INTRO)

Welcome to Ask Abby, where every episode I answer a crazy, wacky, zany, out-of-this-world question about space or science submitted by you, the viewers!

So today’s question is: How do I become an astronaut?

I actually wrote a blog post on this question as well, which has everything in this video and more. It’s linked below in the description, and you should definitely go check it out!

First off, the requirements will change depending on which country, company, or agency you’re applying with.

Since NASA has sent the most astronauts into space to date, we’re going to be focusing on the requirements to become a NASA astronaut.

Way back in the day, when we were still just dipping our toes in this whole ‘space’ thing, NASA would actually select their astronauts from the military, from test pilots, which made sense because test pilots already knew how to react under stress and high pressure situations. Since then, there’s been a gradual shift towards selecting more and more civilian astronauts.

This is because, over all, NASA cares more about your academic background–in other words, you’ve gotta be a smart cookie!

So if you’re watching this and are dreaming of becoming an astronaut, the best thing that you can be doing right now is focusing on school. That’s right, study hard, form good habits, and stick to them!

Academically, NASA requires a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in either math, science, or engineering from an accredited college or university. (Correction: NASA has changed this requirement as of March, 2020. A master’s degree in STEM is now required to apply) In addition to this, they also require that you have a minimum of three years of professional experience in your field of choice.

Luckily, this experience requirement can include higher education. Getting your Master’s degree counts as one year of experience, whereas getting your PhD counts as all three.

You can also substitute 1000 hours of pilot in command time in an aircraft for those years of experience. We’ll talk a little more about that in a bit!

To be a NASA astronaut, you also have to be a U.S. Citizen. But if you want to be an astronaut and you’re not a U.S. Citizen right now, don’t worry because NASA also accepts naturalized citizens into the astronaut program.

This means that if you were born outside of the U.S, you first have to become a U.S. Citizen before you can start applying to the NASA astronaut corps.

Moving on, if you want to be a pilot–that is, a spacecraft pilot–you need to both have your pilot’s license and have those 1,000 hours of pilot in command experience that we talked about earlier. A lot of astronauts in the past have gained this time in the Navy or Airforce.

And finally… ya gotta be a healthy bro and pass the NASA physical!

To be a mission specialist, you need to have:

  • A distance visual acuity of 20/200, or better, uncorrected, or correctable to 20/20 in each eye.
  • You also need to have a blood pressure of 140/90 measured in a sitting position.
  • And you need to be between 58.5 and 76 inches in height.

Whereas to be a pilot you need to have:

  • A distance visual acuity of 20/100 uncorrected, or correctable to 20/20, in each eye.
  • You once again need to have a blood pressure of 140/90 measured in a seated position.
  • And you need to have a height between 62 and 75 inches.

Some other physical requirements include not being dependent on drugs or alcohol, not having a psychiatric illness, and also not having another significant disease.

Let’s check in on some of those–

  • Bubonic plague, you’re out.
  • Lactose Intolerant, sadly, for your crewmates, you’re in.
  • Bieber Fever, most definitely out.

“Baby, Baby, Baby, oohhhhhh”

Make it stop!!!

Basically, you just need to be a super healthy individual. Going into space is very taxing on the body. You have radiation, bone density loss, muscle degradation, your cardiovascular system becoming lazy, space adaptation sickness, and so much more. So having a really high baseline of fitness and health before you go to space can help to mitigate some of those effects.

And finally, age! There aren’t actually any age requirements to be a U.S. astronaut, but there is an average. The average age of astronauts is 34, with the youngest astronaut ever in space being 32, which was Sally Ride in 1983.

So, how competitive is it really to become an astronaut?

To put it simply: Extremely.

With it being this competitive to become an astronaut, you really have to think about going above and beyond the minimum requirements if you want to be successful in the application. So here’s a few things that will help you push your application over the top.

The first is learning Russian, which we actually have already done an episode on. It’s linked below if you want to go ahead and watch it. Learning Russian is not a requirement to become an astronaut, but it is a requirement right now to travel in space. So that means that once you get chosen as an astronaut candidate, you have to learn Russian within those two years to a reasonable standard. So you might as well just go ahead and do it now–get a head start on that!

Swimming is also a really important skill since astronaut training includes a lot of scuba diving. It’s one of the best ways that we can simulate microgravity here on Earth. So you know, just keep swimming, just keep swimming.

Advanced degrees also give you an edge. While having a Bachelor’s is the only requirement, most astronauts have at least a Master’s degree, and many also have PhDs.

And finally…a good personality!

When you’re up in space, you’re stuck in very tight quarters with the same people for long lengths of time. And so you have to be able to work well together.

When interviewing astronaut candidates, NASA looks for people who would work well on a team! They look for people who are personable, agreeable, and collaborative so that they can make the best team possible. Cause you know the saying–teamwork makes the dream work! Moreover, NASA looks for people who have a good sense of humor. It helps to diffuse those high stress situations.

EMILY
Is THAT why you do so many space puns?

ABBY
Uh, maybe… but uh…y’know, back to business!

The one thing that I really want those of you watching this video to take away, is that yes, becoming an astronaut is extremely difficult, it’s very competitive, there’s a high level of qualification required. But that should not stop you from pursuing this dream in any way, shape or form.

If for some reason, I don’t become an astronaut, because like we’ve talked about, there are a lot of things that can get in the way of that actually becoming true, I still want to become a scientist, an astrobiologist, and do everything that I can to help advance human space exploration.

Besides, if your dreams don’t scare you, you aren’t dreaming big enough.

So with that, go ahead and reach for the stars and maybe land on Mars! (wink)

That’s all the time that we have for #AskAbby. Thank you all for joining me for The Mars Generation’s Space and Science Show, #AskAbby segment!

If you have a question that you would like to see answered here, on Ask Abby, go ahead and tweet it to me using the hashtag #AskAbby or you can go to themarsgeneration.org/askabby, which is linked below, and submit it on the form there.

As always, if you enjoyed this video, and I hope that you did, make sure to hit the subscribe button so that you see our next episode, which comes out on Tuesdays, and also go ahead and give us a thumbs up.

Until next time, farewell fellow travelers of spaceship Earth!

Space Periods Part 2: THE HISTORY | #AskAbby Space and Science Show | The Mars Generation

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Season 2, Episode 2 of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series
Presented by TheMarsGeneration.org

Space Periods Part 2: THE HISTORY

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

In this episode, Astronaut Abby talks about how the space industry used periods to discriminate against female astronauts.

A 1964 report released after the termination of the Women in Space program stated in reference to menstruating female astronauts, that putting a “temperamental psychophysiological human” with a “complicated machine” was a bad idea (cue eye roll). We know that women have faced numerous challenges throughout history in advancing in certain fields…and the space industry is no exception.

This episode includes discussion about topics such as: What were some misconceptions about periods in space in the 1960s? What challenges has this caused for the first female astronauts? How did a woman’s performance compare to a man’s in astronaut training? Why might female candidates actually have an edge over males in space? And how have we progressed since the 196o’s?

Tune in for new releases of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

Transcription of SPACE PERIODS, PART 2

*Abby stuffs tampons into her flight suit*
Would you look at this? It’s like flight suits were made to hold tampons. I kid you not. Pockets. Everywhere. Pockets galore. Look at this. Look at this. Look at how many tampons this flight suit can fit.

Today we’re going back in time to the ‘60s to ‘80s to see how the space industry treated menstruating women. Or, as they called them, temperamental psychophysiological humans.

*Abby shrugs*

*Show Intro*

Hello everyone and welcome to #AskAbby where I answer one of your questions about space or science. In our last episode we answered the question “Do women still have periods in space, and if so, how do they manage them?”

The answer is yes, and it’s really not an issue. Go ahead and check out Part 1 to learn all about that.

But today in Part 2 of Periods in Space, we’re going to travel back in time to the ‘60s to ‘80s to learn all about how the space industry handled, or mishandled, the concept of menstruation in space.

As those of you who have seen the movie “Hidden Figures”, lived through that time period, or just know something about history, the ‘60s to ‘80s was not necessarily a very welcoming time for women in a lot of industries, and the space industry was one of them.

While there were women who passed the tests to become an astronaut in the ‘60s (actually with a 68% pass rate as compared to the 56% pass rate of their male counterparts), it took until 1983 for Sally Ride to be the first American woman to go to space. And one of the reasons was periods.

That’s right, a woman’s menstrual cycle was one of the main arguments about why women weren’t fit for space exploration.

For one, they were worried about what would happen with menstrual blood. Quick recap: fluids in space, since there’s microgravity, have a tendency to migrate up towards the top of the body and really collect there. They were worried that period blood wouldn’t flow out, and instead would flow back up in and potentially cause problems.

But guys . . . that’s not how it works.

THAT’S NOT HOW THE BODY WORKS.

There were actually some researchers who felt that because women had fewer heart attacks, and because the cardiovascular effects of space travel weren’t known at the time, that women might be better candidates for space exploration. This research was conducted under the Women in Space program, initiated in 1960, under the premise that from an engineering standpoint, it might be better to send women to space. They weighed less, used less oxygen, and were shown to perform better in isolated spaces.

However, despite these positive results, testing in the program was halted.

In 1964, a report was published after the program was terminated, that stated (without evidence) that putting “a temperamental psychophysiologic human” together with a “complicated machine” was a bad idea.

Say that to my temperamental psychophysiological face.

There has been no evidence — I repeat, absolutely none. Zero. Squelch. Goose eggs. NO evidence that the performance of an astronaut is impaired in any way by her menstrual cycle.

An Astronaut is a trained professional chosen from an immense, enormous group of highly qualified professionals. And she can perform her job regardless of the small inconveniences that a period can cause. Plus, she might not even have to deal with it. We have birth control, we have long acting reversible contraceptives, and who knows what else will develop by the time we’re ready to go to Mars.

Dealing with periods in space is really simple. It’s completely a non-issue.

That’s all the time we have for #AskAbby today. Thank you for joining me and if you haven’t yet, go ahead and check out Part 1 of Periods in Space to learn about how space affects (or doesn’t) a menstrual cycle, and all about period and menstrual suppression.

And as always, if you have a question that you would like to see answered here on AskAbby, you can go ahead and submit it on Twitter using the hashtag #AskAbby, or on the TheMarsGeneration.org/askabby, which is linked below, by filling out the form there.

Make sure to hit “like” and “subscribe” so that you see when all of our new episodes come out.

Until next time, farewell fellow travelers of spaceship Earth!

Space Periods Part 1: THE LOGISTICS | #AskAbby Space and Science Show | The Mars Generation

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Season 2, Episode 2 of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series
Presented by TheMarsGeneration.org

Space Periods Part 1: THE LOGISTICS 

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

Dealing with menstrual cycles is hard and annoying enough while on Earth (amiright, ladies?). How the heck do female astronauts do it in the radically different conditions of space travel? And do periods even work the same way?

In this episode, Astronaut Abby gives answers to questions like: What options are available to women in space? What is menstrual suppression versus long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs)? Are LARCs healthy to use on, say, a 3-year mission to Mars? What about IUDs? What would happen if you needed to get an IUD taken out while up in space? And many more! Also included: a funny anecdote about Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, being asked if 100 tampons would be sufficient for her ONE WEEK long space mission.

Tune in for new releases of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

Transcription of SPACE PERIODS, PART 1

So here on AskAbby we’ve talked all about the important changes that happen to the human body while in space: space motion sickness, the effects of radiation, loss of bone mass and muscle density, and even increased flatulence. And today, we have another really important one that we’re going to be talking about, and that’s the menstrual cycle.

That’s right, space periods.

*Show intro*

Hello everyone and welcome to Ask Abby, where on Tuesdays, I answer your questions about space and science.

This week’s question is super fun and in my opinion, very important. And it is: “How do women deal with their monthly cycles while in space? Or do they just stop while in space?”

So how women actually deal with periods in space is a pretty simple answer. But let’s just start out by answering the question first: Do women still have their periods in space?

I’m already in love with the idea of going to space, but if I don’t have to deal with that each month? BONUS.

A lot of systems, like the cardiovascular system, do undergo changes, drastic or otherwise, while in space. But the menstrual cycle? Is not one of them. There’s no change to how it acts on Earth. Sorry ladies.

Dangnabbit.

But at least it doesn’t get any worse in Space, right? It just stays the same.

So what do female astronauts do to manage their periods in space? Well, for some female astronauts, especially those on short-term space flights, they just take up pads or tampons and go about their business like usual.

Quick historical anecdote: When Sally Ride, who was the first American woman to launch into space in 1983, was preparing for her missions, flight engineers asked her if for her one week stay in space, 100 tampons would be enough.

*Facepalms* It’s gonna be enough guys.

Their hearts were in the right places, but guys. . . 100 tampons? That’s a lot of blood.

The average cycle takes about 20 tampons. So 100, that’s a little over– overkill. But better safe than sorry, right? For now, let’s return to the present. We’ll go ahead and talk about that time…period… soon enough.

But going back to the question, there’s a much easier route that a lot of female astronauts have chosen to use over the years, especially on longer term missions, and it’s called “menstrual suppression.”  Menstrual suppression is where women can use hormones, through a variety of different distribution methods, such as the pill, to change their body chemistry and simply not get their periods. 

The most common form of menstrual suppression used is the oral contraceptive pill. Or, as it’s most commonly known, “the pill.” Normally, the pill is a 4 week cycle where for three weeks, you take pills that have a small dosage of hormones in them. And then for one week, you take a placebo or a sugar pill with no hormones. However, if you skip that placebo week and just continue to take the daily dose of hormones, you can convince your body to not have a period. 

Even for longer missions, say a 3 year mission to Mars, it’s completely safe and healthy for a woman to do this.

But luckily, there are also other options available. Women can also use LARCs, or “Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives.” These can take the form of an implant in your arm or an IUD, which is inserted through the uterus. Both of these release small amounts of hormones over long periods of time that can stop your period.

The best part is that they are completely maintenance-free, can last years, and have almost no user error possible. Meaning that they are ideal for a long trip to Mars. 

The only concern we have right now is how LARCs, or “Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives,” would react to the factors of space travel, such as acceleration. Would they move around or become displaced, and what happens if for some reason, you need to have your IUD removed. You can’t just call up your OB and schedule an appointment to have it taken out.

However, don’t worry. Astronauts onboard the International Space Station are actually already taught how to handle a lot of different medical procedures. And both the removal and insertion of IUDs is actual a very simple medical procedure that astronauts could very easily be taught how to do.

So today we’ve talked about how women currently manage their periods in space, as well as the options that will be available for them in the future.

In Part 2,

we’ll talk about how during the 60s to 80s, there was a lot of false logic about periods in space, and how this actually helped to hinder women from becoming astronauts for nearly two decades.

And as always, if you have a question that you would like to see answered here on AskAbby, you can go ahead and submit it on Twitter using the hashtag #AskAbby, or on TheMarsGeneration.org, which is linked below, by filling out the form there.

Make sure to hit “like” and subscribe so that you see when all of our new episodes come out.

Until next time, farewell fellow travelers of spaceship Earth!

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: How To You Make An Astronaut Costume? | #AskAbby Space and Science Show | The Mars Generation

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Season 2, Episode 1 of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series
Presented by TheMarsGeneration.org

How to make an astronaut costume for Halloween? 

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

We’re back! In the Season 2 premiere of #AskAbby, Astronaut Abby answers the question: “How do you make an astronaut costume for Halloween?” Are you looking for inspiration for your trick-or-treating costume? Do you know you want to be an astronaut, but don’t want to spend a ton of money? Looking to excite your child’s interest in space? Find out how to make an amazing astronaut costume that’s easy, fun, as well as inexpensive to make by watching the Season 2 premiere of the #AskAbby Space and Science Show!

Includes answers to questions including: How do you make a paper mache astronaut helmet? How can you make a jetpack out of soda bottles? Do astronauts really have jetpacks? How much does the typical NASA EVA (extravehicular activity suit) suit cost? How can you make an inexpensive EVA suit for Halloween? Whats a manned maneuvering unit? What’s the most important part of an astronaut costume? Lots of space puns included…as always!

If you’ve built the costume, tweet, post, or send a picture or video of your costume to @AstronautAbby or with the hashtag #AskAbby for a chance for your costume to be FEATURED on our page.

Tune in for new releases of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

Transcription of HOW TO MAKE AN ASTRONAUT COSTUME

Hi everyone and welcome to Season 2 of #AskAbby! We’re kicking things off with something extra fun and dare I say…space-tacular!

I’m going to show you how to make the best astronaut costume ever! — based on an EVA suit, which is an Extravehicular Activity Suit — or the big white ones that you see astronauts wearing when they’re doing spacewalks.

So this will actually be the first time that I’ve made an astronaut costume. Crossing my fingers that it goes stellar. And that I’ll be the star of my neighborhood when I go trick-or-treating.

*Show Intro*

Hi everyone, I’m Astronaut Abby, an aspiring astronaut with the goal to be the first person to walk on Mars. Welcome to AskAbby, where I answer all of your questions about space and science.

Since Halloween is right around the corner, we’re all probably thinking about costumes, right?

For all of those future space travelers out there, being an astronaut is probably pretty high on your list.

So for less than $50, some household items, and about 2.5 hours, I’m going to show you how to make the most out-of-this-world astronaut costume on your block (and dare I say on the internet)!

And parents, instead of just buying a costume, this is a great way to continue to ignite your child’s passion for STEM while having a fun and educational experience making it together.

Here are the materials that you’ll need to make this costume:

  • Silver, red and black duct tape
  • Black pipe-cleaners
  • A black pom pom
  • A balloon — and you want to make sure that your balloon is bigger than the head of the person who’s going to be wearing this costume because this is going to become their helmet
  • White paint
  • Fire-colored tissue paper
  • A white protective Tyvek suit
  • A bowl to do your paper mache in
  • Poster-board
  • Scissors, of course
  • Newspaper
  • Plain white paper
  • A paint brush
  • A glue gun
  • White glue
  • Two 2-liter soda bottles — empty
  • Paper towels for cleanup
  • And some water
  • And of course we can’t forget the most important part of a space suit, which is patches.
  • You’ll probably want to go and get some cool space patches, and then also some NASA patches, or whatever other space agency you want to support. And of course, remember to go to TheMarsGeneration.org and pick up one of our Mars Gen patches to put on your costume.

The first thing that we’re going to make is a helmet because there’s no oxygen in space. And that’s a little bit important.

The first step in making our helmet is to blow up the balloon so that we have a base for it. You’re going to want to blow your balloon up to slightly larger than the head of the person who will be wearing the costume.

Now we’ll prop our balloon up in a small bowl to keep it still while we’re doing our paper mache.

Now that we have the base for our helmet, we’re going to go ahead and make the helmet out of paper mache. For our mixture we’ll be using equal parts water and glue, and then dipping the strips of newspaper into it.

So you’ll just want to pour a little bit of glue into a bowl, and then pour an equal amount of water into the bowl. And go ahead and mix it up really well. You want to mix it until you can’t really see any more lumps of glue. Alright, there we go.

And then we’re going to take our strips of newspaper and soak them in our paper mache mixture. Make sure to get the paper totally covered, nice and gooey and soggy, and place it over your helmet balloon.

Once you have two or three layers of newspaper paper mache on your balloon, you’ll want to go ahead and take some strips of white paper and do the same thing, and cover your balloon in one layer of white paper strips, like so. This will make sure that it’s a lot easier to paint your white paint on without the newspaper showing underneath. Once you finish your paper mache, you have to wait for it to dry, which could take up to six hours.

Once your paper mache has dried, you’re going to go ahead and paint it white. Just get a nice layer of white paint over your entire helmet.

Now that we’ve painted it, we have to wait for the paint to dry. While we wait for that, I’m going to go shave my beard.

Now that all that the paint on our helmet has dried, we’re going to go ahead and cut a faceplate out so we can see out of it.

Since I’ll be using an exacto knife or a sharp pair of scissors, I’m going to need some adult help. Can I get an adult in here?!

NICOLE
*appears out of thin air*
Abby!

ABBY
Woah, Mom! How did you get here so fast, all the way from Minnesota?!

NICOLE
It was magic of course!

ABBY
Aww, wow! Well will you go ahead and cut this for me.

NICOLE
*grabs balloon and with a puff of smoke the helmet is cut*
Ta-da! I did it! And I added a microphone using a pipe-cleaner and pom pom.

ABBY
Wow, Mom! You’re the best!

NICOLE
I know!

ABBY
Now go away.

NICOLE
*leaves*

ABBY
This is AskAbby, not ask Mom!

So now that we have the mouthpiece on our helmet that’s really important so that we can talk to ground control.

*Into microphone* Uh, excuse me, Houston? I think we have a problem. This costume is just too awesome.

Now we’re going to make our rocket-fueled jet pack — which isn’t completely accurate. When astronauts are in space, they don’t actually use rockets to move around. They use something called an MMU, or a Manned Maneuvering Unit, which is like a backpack that they wear that’s full of compressed gas. And when they expel that compressed gas, it propels them in the direction that they want to go.

However, fire looks so cool, so we’re going to use that instead for this costume. To do so, I’ve got three layers of tissue paper here, our red, orange and yellow — or whatever colors you want to use for your fire. And I’m going to go ahead and just roll ‘em up like this. Doesn’t matter if they’re particularly tight. Once they’re rolled up, roughly in the middle, take that and scrunch it together. Take your scissors and cut each of the sides of your jetpack flames.

Now that we’ve got our flame strips cut, we’re going to go ahead and put them into our 2-liter bottle. And you can just separate out your flames a little bit if you want.

Okay, so that’s how we’re going to make the fire on our jetpacks. But now we need to make our jetpacks look cool and futuristic, and to do that, we’re going to use silver metallic duct tape. So you’ll want to cut strips of silver duct tape off, and then wrap them around your bottle. So you’ll keep doing that, wrapping strips of duct tape around your bottle, until you have a fully covered product like this one.

Once you’ve finished covering your rockets in silver duct tape, we’re going to connect them to our poster board using black duct tape. Ta-da!

Now we’re going to put the decorations onto our EVA suit. But, instead of using a real EVA suit, which would cost two to twelve million dollars, we’re going to go ahead and use this white personal protection garment from Amazon.

EVA suits usually have red lines around the waist and the arms of the astronaut, so that’s what we’re going to put on ours. We’re going to use our red duct tape to simulate that. So just cut off some strips of red duct tape, and we’ll go ahead and put those on the arms of our suit, and also around the waist.

And now for the most important part of our astronaut costume, which isn’t the life support or the helmet or the jetpack. No, it is patches.

So we have some cool patches here, and we’re going to just use a hot glue gun to stick ‘em on. Alternatively, if you don’t have patches, which you can order pretty easily online, you can color them on with markers or with paint.

Now that we’ve finished all the pieces of our costume, we just need to assemble it. This costume is easiest to put together if someone is already wearing the white part of the suit. If only I had someone wearing it. Huh.

EMILY
*Jumps on screen wearing the space suit* Ta-da!

ABBY
Hey Emily!

EMILY
Hey Abby!

ABBY
Oh perfect! Alright, so I’m going to go ahead and put the jetpack on Emily using our silver duct tape.

*Abby tapes jetpack onto Emily*

The great thing about the silver duct tape is that putting it on makes it look like you have straps of your jetpack. There you go!

EMILY
Yay!

ABBY
And now for the last piece, we’re going to put the helmet on! You ready?

EMILY
Yeah, I’m ready!

ABBY
*Places helmet on Emily*
There you go! Awww, isn’t she so cute?! You’re so cute!

EMILY
Glad to know. It’s so kawaii.

*Emily models costume*

So now we are done making our astronaut costume, which I think is pretty great. If you go ahead and make this costume, make sure to Tweet it at me, or Instagram it to me or Facebook it to me. So basically just tag me and the hashtag #AskAbby, and who knows, I might feature you on my page!

It was a lot of fun to make and it looks pretty darn cool, which we all know the cooler you look on Halloween, the more candy you get, right?

EMILY
Totally.

ABBY
This is true.

EMILY
How it works.

ABBY
So I think this is a pretty astronomical costume. Would you say so?

EMILY
*Laughs* I can’t with the puns.

ABBY
You might even say that it’s “out of this world.”

EMILY
Nooo.

ABBY
You want to know how you make a costume this cool?

EMILY
Noooo!

ABBY
You “plan-et”!

That’s all the time we have today for AskAbby. If you liked this segment, go ahead and click the thumbs up button and “like” us. And also subscribe to make sure that you see all of our future episodes coming out.

And if you have a question that you want to see answered on AskAbby, you can do so by Tweeting it to me with the hashtag #AskAbby, or by submitting it at TheMarsGeneration.org/AskAbby, which is linked below as always.

That’s all the time we have today for AskAbby. If you liked this segment, go ahead and click the thumbs up button and “like” us. And also subscribe to make sure that you see all of our future episodes coming out.

And if you have a question that you want to see answered on AskAbby, you can do so by Tweeting it to me with the hashtag #AskAbby, or by submitting it at TheMarsGeneration.org/AskAbby, which is linked below as always.

Want to join me in our goodbye catchphrase?

EMILY
I’d be glad to.

ABBY and EMILY
Until next time, farewell fellow travelers of spaceship Earth!

When Are We Going To Mars? | #AskAbby Space and Science Show | The Mars Generation

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Season 1, Episode 11 of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series
Presented by TheMarsGeneration.org

What are the current challenges of getting to Mars? 

We are excited to announce the release of our new series called the #AskAbby Space and Science Show! Our founder and president Astronaut Abby will be appearing on YouTube every other Tuesday answering questions submitted by you, our community!

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

What would you bring on a trip to Mars? Mac ‘n’ Cheese? An adult coloring book? How about a ukulele? #AskAbby director Emily doesn’t seem to quite understand what we need to go to Mars…but luckily Abby does! There are quite a few things to consider before we are ready for a human mission to Mars. This week, join The Mars Generation’s founder, Astronaut Abby, as she gives an overview of our current status on the journey to Mars.

Includes answers to questions including: How long would a human mission to Mars take? What challenges would astronauts face? How would they get food and other materials? What are some psychological and physical challenges for Mars-bound astronauts? What is NASA doing to help solve these challenges? In terms of technology, how ready are we to send a spacecraft to Mars? How will it land? What will the spacecraft look like? Also, most importantly, how can YOU help get humans to Mars? Watch to find out answers to these questions and so much more!

Tune in bi-weekly on Tuesdays for new releases of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

The Science Behind Light |#AskAbby Space and Science Show | The Mars Generation

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Season 1, Episode 10 of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series
Presented by TheMarsGeneration.org

How is light formed? 

We are excited to announce the release of our new series called the #AskAbby Space and Science Show! Our founder and president Astronaut Abby will be appearing on YouTube every other Tuesday answering questions submitted by you, our community!

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

In the 10th episode of #AskAbby, please join Astronaut Abby as she answers the question, “How is light formed?” Learn more about properties of electrons, the basics of light formation, and even some quantum mechanics! Electrons may be negative, but we are positive that you find this fascinating and informative!

Includes answers to questions including: What is white light? How do electron shells work? How many electrons are in the element Lawrencium? What is a photon? How are quantum mechanics related to light? What is the law of conservation of energy? How can we see color? How does a light bulb work? And what happens to Abby after she drinks coffee?

But first, a special thank you to our advisor on light formation:

Dr. Raúl Carballo-Rubio
Theoretical Physicist, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy

Tune in bi-weekly on Tuesdays for new releases of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

Pooping in Space? | #AskAbby Space and Science Show | The Mars Generation

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Season 1, Episode 9 of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series
Presented by TheMarsGeneration.org

How do astronauts poop in space?

We are excited to announce the release of our new bi-weekly series called the #AskAbby Space and Science Show! Our founder and president Astronaut Abby will be appearing on YouTube bi-weekly on Tuesdays answering questions submitted by you, our community!

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

You may know that urine can be recycled in space, but have you wondered how astronauts handle the other half of their “business”? Join Astronaut Abby in this informative episode of #AskAbby where potty talk is encouraged!

Includes answers to questions including: How did the first NASA astronaut pee in space? Why did it initially take an hour to poop in space? What is a space toilet? How was it engineered? And how much does it cost? What do you do with the poop? How much waste is generated during a space mission? Where would all of this solid waste go on a long trip to Mars? And so much more! Get excited for this especially candid episode of #AskAbby!

Tune in bi-weekly on Tuesdays for new releases of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

What Are Black Holes Made Of? | #AskAbby Space and Science Show | The Mars Generation

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Season 1, Episode 8 of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series
Presented by TheMarsGeneration.org

What are black holes made of? 

We are excited to announce the release of our new weekly series called the #AskAbby Space and Science Show! Our founder and president Astronaut Abby will be appearing on YouTube bi-weekly on Tuesdays answering questions submitted by you, our community!

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!

In this “magical” episode, please join Astronaut Abby as she answers the question: “What are black holes made of?” Black holes have a been a mysterious and intriguing phenomenon to scientists for many years. The seemingly mystical forces surrounding black holes also tie into people’s fascination with magic. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you will be excited to see Abby visit Wellesley College’s version of ‘Platform 9 ¾‘ and attempt to cast spells featured in JK Rowling’s magical series, Harry Potter! Watch the episode to find out which spells Abby attempts and see if she’s successful!

This episode includes answer to the following questions: What are black holes? How are they formed? Why do they have such strong gravitational forces? What are the different kinds of black holes? What happens if you approach a black hole? What more is there to find out about black holes?

But first, a special thank you to our advisor on black hole physics:

Dr. Raúl Carballo-Rubio
Theoretical Physicist, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy

Tune in weekly on Tuesdays for new releases of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel here so you don’t miss an episode!