Author Topic: Working at NASA  (Read 31640 times)

Offline seanross

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Working at NASA
« on: 02/25/2007 04:38 pm »
Hi, I'm sean, I'm a Freshman in high school and I'm really interested in space flight. I want to major in engineering when I get to college (soooo far away). I was hoping that someone who works for NASA here could help me out and give me some tips on how to get into NASA when I graduate and maybe suggest some cool classes to take. Thanks.

Offline Flightstar

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RE: help out a highschool student?
« Reply #1 on: 02/25/2007 05:07 pm »
First rule is to remember what NASA is. There's plently of engineering areas which are not NASA, but may appear to be. United Space Alliance, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, etc.etc.

Only tip I could send you right now is to look towards Aerospace engineering if you can, or aim towards that. The rest will be down to which college and a lot of luck, willinness to work long hours for poor pay and be dedicated to it. Of course, this is the worst time to be looking to get into this as we head to the black hole of shuttle retirement.

Look at commercial, not NASA, I'm sorry to say.

Offline Jim

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Re: help out a highschool student?
« Reply #2 on: 02/25/2007 05:47 pm »
mechanical engineering would be more marketable inside and outside of the aerospace field.  minoring in aero would be better

Offline mong'

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Re: help out a highschool student?
« Reply #3 on: 02/25/2007 05:51 pm »
Quote
...Of course, this is the worst time to be looking to get into this as we head to the black hole of shuttle retirement.


well, he is a high school freshman, so it won't be for a number of years (8-10 ?) surely by then things will have calmed down ?

Offline MySDCUserID

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Re: help out a highschool student?
« Reply #4 on: 02/25/2007 06:57 pm »
Quote
Jim - 25/2/2007  12:47 PM

mechanical engineering would be more marketable inside and outside of the aerospace field.  minoring in aero would be better

I agree with Jim.  Aerospace Engineering is too specialized.  Mechanical will get you into the industry as well as many other industries.

Offline kanathan

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Re: help out a highschool student?
« Reply #5 on: 02/25/2007 06:58 pm »
Right now I'm a college student majoring in both Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, and I'm also currently working for NASA as a co-op. Once I graduate I'll transition into a full time position, so even now with all the confusion with the Shuttle retirement, it's possible to get a job straight out of college with NASA.

I was in the same position as you were in when I started high school. I knew that I wanted to be involved with space flight as an engineer, but I had no clue what to do to get there. The first thing you need to do is try and take as many AP classes as possible while still in high school. I've found that almost all universities will allow AP Calculus, AP History, and AP English tests to be taken in place of a similar class in college. It's also good to know that it's possible to pass one of AP tests without actually taking the AP class. I wouldn't suggest doing so in classes such as AP Calculus, but it's fairly easy to do so in AP English. When I graduated high school, I already had an entire semesters worth of classes taken care of. Some people use that to graduate early, but in my case, I decided to get a second degree in Mechanical Engineering, in addition to my Aerospace Engineering degree.

It's still a few years away, but you'll have to eventually decide what you want to major in. Aerospace Engineering is a good one for getting into space flight or aviation, but as others have said, it's not as useful outside those industries. Mechanical Engineering is very similar (at my university, it's a difference of only one semester), and can get you into pretty much any industry.  I've found that Aerospace Engineering is much more useful in the work I've done at NASA, but Mechanical Engineering is a "safer" degree to get. I'm not as familiar with the degree, but Electrical Engineering is another major used a lot in NASA, so you might want to look into that as well.

Once you're in college, the best thing you can do to try and get into NASA, or anyplace else for that matter is to try and get your foot into the door before you graduate. Many places, including NASA offer summer internships which are great to have on your resume, and can get your name out there. I'd also highly suggest looking into the co-op program I'm in. Taking part in it WILL delay your graduation a year or so, but for me it was worth it to not only know that I have a job the moment I graduate, but for it to be the job I've wanted since I was a kid.

Offline Scotty

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Re: help out a highschool student?
« Reply #6 on: 02/25/2007 07:00 pm »
I would suggest you taking all the advanced math and science (chemistry & physics) you can in high school.
Then go to a college that has a good school of engineering.
A high grade point average and a high SAT score, will go a long way in getting into a good school with someone else paying for a lot of the costs.
I concure with going for Mechanical Engineering, with a minor in Aerospace Engineering or Business.
Then in your senior year in college, try to get an internship with NASA.
A large number of college interns are offered full time jobs with NASA upon graduation.
Still, for every engineer NASA employs, the private aerospace sector employs ten or more.
Your chances are much better getting on with Boeing, Lockheed, USA, ULA, Jacobs, CSC, Bigelow, and other space related companies.

Offline Dana

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Re: help out a highschool student?
« Reply #7 on: 02/26/2007 01:41 am »
MATH.

And if you actually want ot be an astronaut, ROTC.
"Don't play dumb with me! You're not as good at it as I am!"-Col. Flagg

"'Second Place' is just the first loser."-Bobby Allison

Offline Jorge

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Re: help out a highschool student?
« Reply #8 on: 02/26/2007 02:37 am »
Echoing other's comments...

In high school, take all the math and science (especially physics) that you can. Take AP courses if available and prepare thoroughly for the SAT and/or ACT.

In college, major in mechanical or electrical engineering with an aero minor. Aerospace engineering is just a specialized form of mechanical engineering anyway, and mechanical is more marketable outside the aerospace industry in the event of a downturn. If you have an aptitude for computers or electronics, don't neglect the possibilities of an EE degree; NASA needs lots of EEs. But do continue to take aero electives above and beyond the minimum needed for a minor.

Cooperative education is perhaps the best thing you can do for yourself. It give you an early look at your potential career and will help you decide if that's really what you want to do with your life. It can help pay for your education. Finally, it also gives a potential employer a good look at you, and that can make a big difference in getting hired once you graduate, and can make a small difference in starting salary (at the time I was hired, my employer counted my Bachelor's plus three co-op terms the same as a Master's). On the downside, it will delay your graduation and that can cause problems like scholarships expiring. That can be mitigated by carefully saving the money you make as a co-op. Don't just apply to NASA as a co-op; much of the work is done by the prime contractors (Boeing, Lockheed, and their child companies, United Space Alliance and United Launch Alliance). There are other contractors that do significant NASA work as well. At JSC these include Jacobs-Sverdrup, Barrios Technologies, Titan, and others.
--
JRF
JRF

Offline Antares

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Re: help out a highschool student?
« Reply #9 on: 02/26/2007 03:18 am »
I'm going to chime in for Aerospace Engineering.  Real rocket scientists take that.  People who want HVAC to fall back on don't.  If you know that you won't be happy anywhere but off the ground: go for AE.  There's always room for the best, even in downturns.  EE or ME would be a better choice if you're not certain that being in aerospace is most important.

kanathan was dead on with AP.  Some people start college classified as sophomores.

If you want to be an astronaut, save money or get rich.  There's a much greater chance you'll buy your way into space than navigate NASA's fallible and byzantine process.
« Last Edit: 05/27/2010 08:35 pm by Antares »
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Offline bombay

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Re: help out a highschool student?
« Reply #10 on: 02/26/2007 03:33 am »
If you're anything like my kids were at your age, you may find yourself changing your mind on majors about 20 times between now and the time that you graduate college.

You can't go wrong taking as much math and physics as possible being that the foundation of mechanical, aerospace, and other engineering disciplines is math and physics.

Working at NASA
« Reply #11 on: 02/23/2008 02:25 am »
I have a few questions. I didnt know where to exactly put this. But I thought it was a general question relating to NASA and spaceflight and I know they are a few people who work at nasa who post here. I always wanted to work at nasa but didnt know what type of degree to get. I would like to work at Marshall Space Center  in Huntsville  which is near to me. As far as I know they deal with Propulsion systems. Any help would would greatly be appreciated in helping what type of degree to pursue and sorry if this is in the wrong spot.

Offline Jim

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RE: Working at NASA
« Reply #12 on: 02/23/2008 07:41 pm »
Quote
NASAGeek - 22/2/2008  10:25 PM

I have a few questions. I didnt know where to exactly put this. But I thought it was a general question relating to NASA and spaceflight and I know they are a few people who work at nasa who post here. I always wanted to work at nasa but didnt know what type of degree to get. I would like to work at Marshall Space Center  in Huntsville  which is near to me. As far as I know they deal with Propulsion systems. Any help would would greatly be appreciated in helping what type of degree to pursue and sorry if this is in the wrong spot.

Mechanical Engineering

Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Working at NASA
« Reply #13 on: 02/23/2008 10:19 pm »
Merged.
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Offline vt_hokie

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Re: help out a highschool student?
« Reply #14 on: 02/24/2008 12:03 am »
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Antares - 25/2/2007  11:18 PM

I'm going to chime in for Aerospace Engineering.  Real rocket scientists take that.  People who want HVAC to fall back on don't.  If you know like me, literally since the age of 2, that you won't be happy anywhere but off the ground: go for AE.  There's always room for the best, even in downturns.  EE or ME would be a better choice if you're not certain that being in aerospace ia most important.

I agree, if that's where your passion lies, go for it!  But keep in mind that aerospace jobs aren't as widespread as they once were, and that you may be more limited geographically than in other fields.  For example, as much as I've grown to love the New York metro area, having spent so much of my life there and having many of my friends there, I probably won't be able to stay close by if I choose to remain in aerospace.  (Or if I were to get a job with a company like SES Americom in New Jersey, I probably wouldn't be able to afford a decent house on an engineer's salary!)  

Quote
kanathan was dead on with AP.  I had 34hrs before I got out of high school.

Wow, 34 hrs?!  That's impressive.  I had AP Physics and AP English.  Wussed out on AP calculus in high school!  ;)

Quote
If you want to be an astronaut, save money or get rich.  There's a much greater chance you'll buy your way into space than navigate NASA's fallible and byzantine process.


Haha, so true!  

I certainly don't regret the path I've taken, except maybe for getting lazy and complacent over the last several years (which have gone by so fast!).  But facing my second layoff and an uncertain future, I'm re-evaluating my career options.  I gave up on a masters degree in mechanical engineering that I started about 10 years ago, and I do regret that.  So, I'm determined to resume my education, but am unsure of the best field.  I can't really remember how to compute Laplace transforms or solve partial differential equations, and I'm not sure I want to!   :laugh:  So, I'm thinking an MBA might be a better option.

I would definitely advise you to look at education as a continuous lifelong process.  It certainly doesn't end the day you graduate!

  - Matt (BS Aerospace Engineering, VT class of '97)

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Re: Working at NASA
« Reply #15 on: 02/24/2008 12:49 am »
What classes would yall recommend in college if you want to become an astronaut on Orion?

Offline vt_hokie

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RE: Working at NASA
« Reply #16 on: 02/24/2008 01:12 am »
Even at schools without an aerospace engineering program, you can often find courses like this one within mechanical engineering.  (Unfortunately, I didn't get far enough with my masters to take this one, though I certainly had similar material at the undergrad level.  I took Dr. Longman's control theory course, though!  He's a cool guy...if I were smart enough to get a Ph.D., this is the kind of stuff I'd love to do.)

http://www.me.columbia.edu/directory/courselist.html

MECE E4431y Space vehicle dynamics and control 3 pts. Prerequisites: ENME-MECE E3105, ENME E4202 recommended

Space vehicle dynamics and control, rocket equations, satellite orbits, initial trajectory designs from earth to other planets, satellite attitude dynamics, gravity gradient stabilization of satellites, spin-stabilized satellites, dual-spin satellites, satellite attitude control, modeling, dynamics, and control of large flexible spacecraft.


Offline charlieb

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Re: Working at NASA
« Reply #17 on: 02/24/2008 01:20 am »
Just beware that this industry has it's ups and downs - it's cyclic - and yet  - unpredictable.  Commercial has it's pitfalls as does government work...

VT and I are these days victims of corporate merging - and downsizing - and NAFTA to a degree.  IF we wanted to - we could have continued on to Canada - but each in our own ways have decided to take different routes after our facility closes in 9 weeks.  Personally - after 28 years of this I have had enough. It's not sour grapes either - I've done enough - and it's time to do something totally different.......
Former Shuttle Mission Ops Eng  (In them days DF24 - INCO GROUP/COMMS, Now DS231-AVIONICS BRANCH).

Re: Working at NASA
« Reply #18 on: 02/24/2008 03:10 am »
Thanks for the help its been greatly appreciated. now the decision so I could major in Mechanical engineering and minor in Aerospace Engineering?  Can you specialize in any field like say propulsion in AE? I know I may be jumping ahead but looking at Job want ads online they say you must have like a year or related work experience before applying?

Offline vt_hokie

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Re: Working at NASA
« Reply #19 on: 02/24/2008 03:31 am »
Quote
NASAGeek - 23/2/2008  11:10 PM

Can you specialize in any field like say propulsion in AE?

Sure, but it's more at the graduate level that you start to get that specialized.

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