HOW THIS WORKS:

YOU think up a question about space and rockets and stuff. You e-mail it to me (NASA-JPL@alrich.org). Or get your teacher to e-mail it to me. Or give it to me on a piece of paper when I come to your school. Or send it to me by Carrier Pigeon. Then I answer it on this page. Unless I don't know the answer, in which case I will just say something really stupid. So there. Go! If YOU have the best question of the month, I will sing the answer in a rap song. Yeah. You'll like that.

HERE'S AN EXAMPLE:

QUESTION:
Dear Astronaut Al,
How long would a cow live in space? Could I wiggle in space? How do you go to the bathroom on Mars?
--- Dan Q., former Vice, oh nevermind.

ANSWER:
Dear Dan,
I don't even know how long cows live when they are NOT in space. But I can tell you Poodles don't live a long time underwater. Does that help? Wiggle where ever you want to, I don't care. And why are you worried about going potty on Mars? Don't I know you from somewhere?
----Astronaut Al

OK. HERE'S THE REAL QUESTIONS YOU GUYS HAVE SENT IN :

QUESTION:
----------------------- LITTLE AARON GAMBLE (6 MONTHS OLD) FROM NASHVILLE WRITES: ----------------------
Dear Astronaut Al,
What is the landing sequence for the current Mars mission?
*This is a question for your website and considering this is the
only question therefore it is the best so that means that you will
have to sing the answer in a rap song.
****This is a real question and yea i wanna know the answer
Thanks,
Aaron Gamble
Nashville, Tennessee

ANSWER:
Dear Little Aaron,
Gee, you're pretty smart for your age. When my son Brandon was 6 months old, he
was eating dirt at the daycare center and could barely operate a TV remote.
He liked Britney Spears - we know because he drooled alot more when she was on TV.
Do you eat dirt? Have your parents taught you the metric system yet?
Anyway, about your question...
The Mars Rover spacecraft approach Mars at 19000 km/h (12,000 MPH if your parents
haven't taught you the metric system. Report them to Child and Family Services if this is true.)
Then for 4 minutes it enters the thin Martian atmosphere and slows to 1600 km/h (1,000 MPH)
and heats up to 1400 degrees C (2,600 F) in doing this. At this point, there's
100 seconds to landing, and the parachutes pop open. Parachutes slow the
spacecraft from 1600 km/h (1,000 MPH) to 321 km/h (200 MPH) in about a minute
and a half. Now it's 91 meter (100 yards) off the ground. Parachute go away
and a rocket fires which slows the spacecraft to a stop at the altitude
of a 4 story building. Then the rocket stops, the airbags inflate around the
spacecraft, and it falls to the ground. It hits ground at 48 km/h (30 MPH)
and bounces about 30 times before it stops. Cool, eh?
----Astronaut Al

Point out spelling mistakes and stuff to NASA-JPL@alrich.org

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO THE MAIN MENU:
home.html