What Are The Most Important Skills An Astronaut Should Have M?

NASA Intern Wrap Up

Some of the world's brightest minds and some of the most ambitious students have been my colleagues for my ten week adventure as a NASA intern. Week ten we scrambled to complete documentation for our projects. I was creating tutorials about making displays until my last hours as an intern. Our journey came to a close with an intern award ceremony, a branch competition playing laser tag and lunch with friends eating stir fry and drinking bubble tea. At the award ceremony a number of interns were recognized for their outstanding work and I was so proud to see one of the interns from the team I was in, Avionics System Division, be recognized! Students worked on so many game changing projects that if everyone was recognized the award ceremony would have lasted many hours. I am so thankful to be working alongside these talented people!

During my journey I learned two major lessons. I learned about the state of NASA and  what exciting things I want to be a part of in the futurel.

The State of NASA NASA is filled with passionate professionals that love what they are doing and want what they are working on to succeed. These professionals are engineers, scientists, physicists, biologists, geologists, business majors, art majors, professionals from many disciplines. The word that best describes NASA is resilient. Outer spaces is a brutal place and yet the International Space station, a space lab larger than a football field, orbits the Earth every 90 minutes. Things malfunction and systems fail yet NASA picks themselves off the ground, brushes the dirt off and tries again refining, enhancing and improving. In addition to engineering challenges, NASA faces financial challenges. The returns for investing in space exploration is hard to visualize on the surface but can be illustrated after a bit of investigation. Cordless drills, MRIs and Solar Panels are all thanks to NASA's space exploration. These and other technologies are called "Spin-Offs", world changing technologies that are developed during space exploration. The microchip, like the one in your smart phone, was perfected by others but a technology first designed and implemented by NASA. There was little need to micro-size technology until humans had the desire to lunch it into space and conserve weight. NASA has created jobs by opening up the suborbital space industry and showing that such a crazy concept like that could be profitable. NASA is in a state of continued innovation and can propel even father and faster with greater financial support.

Future Endeavors Designing a display for a project I worked on two summers ago at another NASA center and seeing the collaboration of two centers on such an ambitious project was the most rewarding part of my internship. In the summer of 2013 I interned at NASA Glenn in Ohio testing and making a circuit board for a solar array regulator. The regulator insures that a space habitat has the correct amount of power at all times. This summer I worked on the displays for that same power system. I loved the birds eye view of the project understanding the electronics inside and the programming filtering data into the display. In the future I would like to be a part of multi-center projects like these and be able to follow the various aspects that tie it all together. In addition to high level understanding I also enjoy low level work as well. I would love to work on a team that is tasked with rapid prototyping. Feeling anxious about being able to meet a deadline is exciting; especially if I'm adding last details onto a system as its being loaded on a rocket, that's basically what we did in FIRST Robotics making last minute changes as we transported it tot the field. In addition to NASA projects I would love to intern or study abroad in Norway. As I am Scandinavian, I am interested in learning the language and spending a summer over there.

How to Get Involved I am so thankful I had the opportunity to intern at Johnson Space Center. Family members, teachers and mentors have supported me and shaped my trajectory to make this opportunity possible.Very shortly I will be starting a Pathways Internship, what they call their Co-Op program, back at Johnson. I wish everyone could have a NASA experience and I encourage you to apply for an internship, Co-Op or other program. Please comment or message me with any questions about applying.

Intern program: https://intern.nasa.gov/ossi/web/public/main/

Co-Op program: http://nasajobs.nasa.gov/studentopps/employment/opportunities.htm (More spots will open soon for Spring)

Blog post about other opportunities: http://kirsikuutti.blogspot.com/2015/06/launching-your-aerospace-career.html

Photos by NASA Johnson Space/Allison Bills

Also pictured Caleb the author of this awesome tumblr: http://astronomicalwonders.tumblr.com/

Intern Day One: NASA Is Not Dead

At orientation we were asked to raise our hands if we thought NASA was dead after the Space Shuttle program ended. I admit, I was among the many that raised their hands. Many flashed back to when the last shuttle Atlantis launched summer of 2011. I thought back to my summer internship at NASA Glenn Research Center where I saw a rocket booster, the remains of the Constellation program, draped in tarps and covered with dust in a dark warehouse. Quickly myself and the room of interns came to learn that these preconceived notions about NASA are far from the truth.

During our first day as interns we had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Dava Newman about her new position as NASA Deputy Administrator and Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa brief Newman about the center's accomplishments. Hearing from Newman and Ochoa re-energized our passion for space exploration and reminded us how much NASA has progressed. Curiosity rover descended on Mar's surface August of 2012 not only becoming the fourth rover to land on this robot inhabited planet, but collecting data so we know how to prepare to for a human mission to Mars. Orion is the future Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle designed for the purpose of deep space exploration to Mars and beyond. This past December it had its first test flight launching to into orbit 3,600 miles above the Earth, far above the International Space Station. By being flown that high Orion collected data about radiation waves astronauts will have to pass through while traveling away and back to Earth. Orion also tested a careful decent with four stages of parachutes proving this massive heat shielding vehicle could decelerate at a comfortable pace for astronauts. Although I get impatient about waiting to send humans to Mars so many variables are being tested with Curiosity and Orion to ensure a successful mission.

My first day was filled with meeting fellow peers, getting antiquated with Johnson Space Center and learning that NASA is very much alive.

Just got my planet stamps from the US Postal Office today for some summer letter writing. They are beautiful!

Space Stamps

Coming in to a post office near you: new “Views of Our Planets: Forever stamps featuring iconic images of the planets in our solar system, including the well-known “Blue Marble” photo of Earth.

New “Pluto Explored” Forever stamps commemorating the July 2015 flyby of Pluto by our New Horizons spacecraft are also being issued for online purchase.

The May 31 first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony for the Pluto and planetary stamps will be in New York City at the World Stamp Show. This international gathering of stamp collectors occurs only once each decade in the United States, and – with more than 250,000 visitors expected to attend – is the largest stamp show in the world.

The Pluto stamps are of special significance to the New Horizons team, which placed a 20-cent 1991 “Pluto: Not Yet Explored” stamp on board the spacecraft. On July 14, 2015, New Horizons carried the stamp on its history-making journey to Pluto and beyond, as jubilant members of the mission team celebrated with a large print, striking the words “not yet.”

The above pane of 16 Forever stamps, the Postal Service showcases some of the more visually compelling historic, full-disk images of the planets obtained during the last half-centruy of our space exploration. Eight new colorful Forever stamps – each shown twice – feature Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

This isn’t the first time that space has been featured on postal stamps. In the past, many different space images and missions have been highlighted on the tiny pieces of paper you stick on the corner of your mail.

Here’s a look at a few space stamps of the past:

Nebulae

Stamps depicting multiple nebulae seen by the Hubble Space Telescope were released in 2000. 

Pioneer 10 

Launched in 1972, Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to travel through the asteroid belt and obtain close-ups of Jupiter

U.S. Launches Satellites 

This stamp, released in 1999, depicts the post World War II race in space exploration. 

Alan Shepard: First American in Space

This stamp, released in 2011, featured Alan Shepard, the first American in space. Flying on the Mercury spacecraft, Shepard launched, flew 116 miles high and came back to Earth. His flight lasted about 15 and a half minutes. 

MESSENGER Mission

MESSENGER, launching in 2004, was the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury. This stamp, released in 2011, highlighted this mission and its importance. Understanding Mercury and how it formed is critical to better understanding the conditions on and evolution of the inner planets.

The new “Views of our Planets” stamps will be widely available across the U.S. at post offices and for online purchase beginning May 31. The Pluto – Explored Forever stamps will only be sold online or by calling 800-782-6724.

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

Wiring the basement of my team’s robot.

Passionate about space, football & social media? Join NASA Social at NASA's Johnson Space Center on February 1st for a pre Super Bowl LI event. Deadline noon on January 9th: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/go-behind-the-scenes-at-johnson-space-center-leading-up-to-super-bowl-li

Watch an SLS Booster test live today 6/28/2016 at 10:05amCT. This booster will slingshot an unmanned Orion Space Craft around the Moon in 2018:

One Stop Career Advice 

Links to career posts by me to help you transform a passion into a profession

Introduction to USAJobs | Score a Career with the US Government Part 1 

USAJobs Resume Builder | Score a Career with the US Government Part 2

Pathways Internships | Score a Career with the US Government Part 3

It’s Never Too Early to Intern

Internships – Beyond Your Project 

What Can You do with a Computer Science Major?

Make the Most Out of Your Summer Career Experience 

What’s a Co-Op & How Do I Get One?

Not a Typical Internship - Alternatives to a Summer Internship

43 Acres of Aerospace: NASA Co-Op #2 Week Five & Six

If you think NASA is dead then you have probably never personally visited a NASA Center. 27 Johnson Space students had the awesome opportunity to tour the Michoud (Meh-shood) Assembly Facility. Here the Space Launch System (SLS), largest rocket in the world with 20% more thrust than Saturn V, is being built. SLS will send an unmanned Orion Space Craft around the Moon in Fall of 2018. In the history of spaceflight unmanned missions are common to ensure astronauts will be safe. The 43 acre indoor assembly facility is so large you have to ride a tram indoors for a tour. We saw liquid nitrogen tanks, liquid oxygen tanks, rings, domes and all the tools to safely weld/ fasten these parts together. Employees could be seen in hard hats and florescent yellow vests monitoring the tank's construction and creation of parts.

North of Michoud is Stennis Space Center, masters of engine tests and keeper of partners across the US Government. Buildings dedicated to work done by the Navy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Universities and US Geological Survey for maximum collaboration. Stennis is unique because it is surrounded by a 125,000 acre acoustical buffer zone comprised of local trees. Despite buffer efforts past tests have been known to shatter windows! We were scheduled to see an engine test at test stand A above but we unfortunately missed due to engine technical difficulties. Aerospace engineering is hard guys, I'm glad they are doing what they got to do to ensure a successful mission.

I encourage you to visit a NASA center and take a tour of the facilities offered by the respective center's visitor centers. See for your self the progress toward our journey to mars. Johnson Space offers a tram tour to Mission Control, Mock Up Facility and the Shuttle Systems Test Facility. I am sure other centers offer similar opportunities. NASA visitor centers can be found here.

NASA Co-Op Week 17: First Co-Op Tour Wrap Up

During my final week at NASA this fall I leave PLUTO with a helpful tool. I am putting together a database of hardware on board the International Space Station that is searchable by part number or name. Sometimes the astronauts ask about something that is hard to explain and visualize so this will ease communication. This may not be the most technical task but I wanted to leave them with a really helpful tool. This week I am also awaiting the opportunity to watch the astronauts use my training.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my semester with PLUTO. My top three experiences would have to be developing the astronaut training, visiting Kennedy Space Center and sitting console in Mission Control. PLUTO's work environment is impressive with friendly people, personal growth opportunities and approachable leaders. The PLUTO team was so gracious to nominate and present to me a Co-Op award for my work this semester. It is such an honor to work with these passionate and talented Mission Control specialists.  This summer I return to the Co-Op program with the Propulsion and Power Division turning Moon and Mars regolith into fuel. I am so thankful for my Co-Op opportunity and I hope you all can get involved with NASA too! Please check out ways you can be a part of the NASA mission below.

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

Apply for a NASA Internship NOW (high school to grad school):

https://intern.nasa.gov/ossi/web/public/main/

Apply for a NASA Co-Op (Pathways Internship):

http://nasajobs.nasa.gov/studentopps/employment/opportunities.htm

Other current NASA opportunities for students:

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/current-opps-index.html

Apply to be a NASA astronaut due Feb 18th:

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/423817000

Follow Scott Kelly in his yearlong mission: http://time.com/space-nasa-scott-kelly-mission/