Chat Information: Live online chat with Nick Skytland, mechanical engineer at the Sonny Carter Training Facility at the NASA Johnson Space Center supporting astronaut training within the SCTF at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory Date: Wednesday, February 15, 2006 Time: 8:30 - 9:30 AM Alaska Time 9:30 - 10:30 AM Pacific Time 10:30 - 11:30 AM Mountain Time 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Central Time 12:30 - 1:30 PM Eastern Time

Nick Skytland's Biography:
Nick Skytland currently serves as a mechanical engineer at the Sonny Carter Training Facility. He supports astronaut training at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, the world's largest indoor pool. His work includes supporting the training and development of astronauts, development of spaceflight hardware, and operations management.

Skytland is also involved in the private spaceflight industry, serving as a coach and helping ordinary people experience weightlessness on board a plane operated by the ZERO G corporation. In the summer of 2003, Skytland helped plan and organize the ANSARI X PRIZE - a $10 million prize that was ultimately won by SpaceShipOne.

Skytland is a 2002 graduate of Valparaiso University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He went on to receive his Masters of Science in Space Studies from the International Space University in Strasbourg, France in 2004.

Outside of his normal work, Skytland is an active space enthusiast with leadership roles in the American Astronautical Society (AAS), the Space Generation Foundation, and Yuri's Night. Skytland is also the co-founder of a new and exciting website called SpaceAlumni. Space Alumni is intended to be the ultimate "hang out" for space enthusiasts on the web.