Questions by Jackson Wade (Grade 6)
Answers provided by Robert Cenker

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Q - What was it like working for NASA?
A - I never worked ‘for NASA’. I worked with NASA on my flight as they provided my training. And I’ve worked with NASA on other programs over my career.

Q - What inspired you to work for NASA?
A - See above. My interest in space was ‘inspired’ by my fascination with anything that flew, and the earliest days of the space program – Sputnik, Vanguard, Explorer, and then the Mercury, Geminin, and Apollo programs. I was a boy at the time, and these programs were essentially a mix of fictional TV and reality.

Q - What missions did you work on?
A - My only mission was STS 61C, Jan 12th – 18th, 1986.

Q - What are your favorite memories of going to space?

A - When we first ‘arrived’ in orbit, as I floated up out of my seat, the realization that this wasn’t a training experience – I wasn’t going to re-experience gravity in ~25 sec as I did in training in the KC-135. Our mission plan was for me to be in zero-g for five days. Then five days later, I was able to stay up all night and look out the window. We went around the world five times in that sleep period... it was amazing.

Q - What went into the payloads you worked on?
A - A lot of work. My primary payload was a communications spacecraft, which I’d worked on for two years. At the time, it was the highest power commercial communications satellite that had been built, though it’s been dwarfed by spacecraft I’ve worked on since.

 Q - Did you always want to become a payload specialist?
A - I spent two years in the seminary studying to become a priest. After leaving there, I focused on aerospace. My goal was to work on anything that flew. If I got to go into space that would be even better. But I wore glasses and at that time that was a disqualifier. It wasn’t until later with the shuttle program that I saw a credible potential to fly myself.

Q - Are there any special work experiences you would like to share with us?
A - I was working in a satellite control center during an anomaly. ‘Lots of engineers looking at lots of computer screens showing lots of plots of lots of data, trying to figure out what was happening to this satellite that was over 20,000 miles away. And I was reminded of watching my sons and their friends playing video games, watching a display of lots of stuff, trying to figure out what ‘the game’ wanted. When I got home, I told my sons that I ‘played’ with the world’s most expensive video games.

Q - Are there any specific skills you believe would be beneficial for up and coming astronauts?
A - There are the obvious STEM subjects. I personally am a big fan of math & physics, but there are many others that are equally good – chemistry, medicine, meteorology, planetary science.... But over and above those, I highly recommend a working knowledge of a foreign language – many programs are now international, and the ability to communicate directly with others is more than a little useful. And in that same vein, written and spoken English (communications) skills are very important in working in the team environments that most space programs operate.

Q - Any recommended colleges or internships to go to or work for if you want to be a payload specialist/astronaut?
A - Nothing specific comes to mind. A lot depends on your interests and an institution’s ability to cultivate that interest.

Q - What are you doing currently?
A - Most recently I was the Risk Manager on an Air Force program. I consult for various firms in anything related to space systems.