Answertime - Blog Posts

Hello Dr Kate Rubins, why conduct your researches in space? What is there in space that you need for your research? Best regards.

When you went into space for the first time, what was it like? Were you nervous?

Hi Kate! What did you learn from your Heart Cells experiment? Sounds so interesting!

Other than joy, why do you do the things you do?

What is your advice to someone who wants to follow the same steps you take?

What's something you didn't know about being an astronaut before you actually became one? Do you have any words of advice for young astronauts?

What popular film is the closest to reality for you?

What does it feel like to float?? Do you have trouble adjusting to walking on the earth after that ??

How does it feel to into space for the first time? Like liftoff and leaving earth’s atmosphere? It seems like the world’s terrifying roller coaster, but what’s it really like?

Hey, Kate! What would you say/what advice would you give to your younger self? ✨

Hii! I'm unsure if you've been asked this before, but I'd like to give it a shot anyway. What's the greatest legacy you hope to leave to the future generations? Whether it's one of the things you've accomplished already or are hoping to accomplish yet. Thank you very much!

Is your health affected from being in outer space?

Why's your suit so colorful?

What does a normal day for you consist of?

I’m sure you’re trained so that nothing in space is really a surprise, but: was there anything about spacewalking that surprised you when you did it for the first time?

What was your first thought when you first saw earth from space? And what realizations did you have?

Have you ever had to troubleshoot a problem in space?

As an astronaut who has been on a spacewalk before, what does the all-woman spacewalk mean to you?

What is like to be surrounded by the stars and darkness? Is it terrifying or calming?

How could your research in diseases help missions to the Moon, Mars and other places in our solar system?

3, 2, 1 LIFTOFF! Astronaut Kate Rubins is here answering your questions during this Tumblr Answer Time. Tune in and enjoy. 🚀👩‍🚀

Ever wanted to ask a NASA astronaut a question? Here’s your chance!

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins will be taking your questions in an Answer Time session on Thursday, October 17 from 12pm - 1pm ET here on NASA’s Tumblr! Find out what it’s like to live and work 254 miles above our planet’s surface. Make sure to ask your question now by visiting http://nasa.tumblr.com/ask!

Dr. Kate Rubins was selected in 2009 as one of nine members of the 20th NASA astronaut class. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology and a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology. During her first spaceflight from July - October 2016 as a member of the Expedition 49 and 50 crew, Dr. Rubins made history by becoming the first person to sequence DNA in space. She also worked on the Heart Cells Experiment which studied how heart muscle tissues contract, grow and change in microgravity. Before becoming a NASA astronaut, Dr. Rubins worked with some of the world’s most dangerous pathogens, heading 14 researchers studying viral diseases that primarily affect Central and West Africa. 

Dr. Kate Rubins Fun Facts

Dr. Rubins and colleagues developed the first model of smallpox infection.

She conducted her undergraduate research on HIV-1 integration in the Infectious Diseases Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. 

She conducted research on filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg), Arenaviruses (Lassa Fever) and collaborative projects with the U.S. Army to develop therapies for Ebola and Lassa viruses. 

She has logged 115 days in space and 12 hours and 46 minutes of spacewalk time.

She enjoys running, cycling, swimming, flying, scuba diving and reading. 

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com. 

And that is a wrap!

Get sucked into the black hole excitement? Find out more about these unique objects and the missions we have to study them, here. 

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.

How does time work in a black hole?

Science fiction sometimes makes it seem like it’s possible to live in a black hole. What is the truth behind this?

What is the most interesting fact that you discovered about Black Holes? And what is the one you would most want to find out?

Is there such thing as a ‘gentle black hole’ (as in Interstellar) that would one day be a candidate for sending probes? Or is it a lost cause?

What’s your favorite black hole fact that you like to share with people?

What do *you* think is inside a black hole? Or If they sun was a black hole what would we see in the sky? Thanks!

Whats the best metaphor/ explanation of blackholes youve ever heard?