Introducing
writer Stephanie Barr
Although
Stephanie Barr is a slave to three children and a slew of cats, she actually
leads a double life as a part time novelist and full time rocket scientist.
People everywhere have learned to watch out for fear of becoming part of her
stories. Beware! You might be next!…
You’re
a rocket scientist! What do you do? I've done a
number of things. I'm a dabbler. I've rebuilt data handling systems for ground
chambers, designed ground comm systems for those same chambers (used for crew
to test suit capabilities and procedures and test hardware). I've done
qualification and acceptance testing for payloads going in the Mir (Russian)
space station and the Space Shuttle,
wrote communication software for robotics, evaluated main engine
software changes, addressed micrometeoroid/orbital debris risks, spent several
years as an EVA Safety Engineer – (EVA +> when they go out in spacesuits)
including more than one Hubble mission and Columbia's last flight. Now I help
evaluate design changes and issues for our large launch
vehicles (Delta IV and
Atlas V)
If you
ran the space program, what would be your priority? A manned Mars mission? A
moon base? Moon base. Pretty much any technology or system we'd need on
Mars we could test on the moon where we're actually close enough to do
something if it went south.
Did you
ever want to be an astronaut? Nope. Can't stand free fall.
You’ve
been writing since you were a child, at what point did you veer into science? I've always loved science and could do math and languages. I
loved all kinds of academics, including literature. I loved writing but I
figured I'd need a day job, so I majored in Engineering Physics because I could
get a scholarship from the Physics dep't and the Engineering College at the
same time. And then I was just too stubborn to get out. I really love problem
solving so it turned out to be a good choice.
