Does anyone here work with NASA?

[JoeFahey]

I am just simply AMAZED. Everything is massive. Especially the assembly building with its massive doors. The entire center just seems so isolated. With nothing to compare each building to, the buildings and distances from different areas are hard to estimate. Just the blue area for the stars on the American flag on the assembly building is the size of an NBA basketball court.
I have been waiting to go to this place for a long time since my interests lie strongly in physics, math, and engineering. Of course I have always had the dream that I am sure many others have had of one day becoming an astronaut, and flying a spacecraft.
For any of you who work or have worked for NASA, how did you get into it? Where in it did you work? Any suggestions on what to do you work your way into it?
My interests have always been in this field, and I am now just trying to look into more specific goals. Thanks!

 

[d3n]

Originally posted by: JoeFahey
I am just simply AMAZED. Everything is massive. Especially the assembly building with its massive doors. The entire center just seems so isolated. With nothing to compare each building to, the buildings and distances from different areas are hard to estimate. Just the blue area for the stars on the American flag on the assembly building is the size of an NBA basketball court.
I have been waiting to go to this place for a long time since my interests lie strongly in physics, math, and engineering. Of course I have always had the dream that I am sure many others have had of one day becoming an astronaut, and flying a spacecraft.
For any of you who work or have worked for NASA, how did you get into it? Where in it did you work? Any suggestions on what to do you work your way into it?
My interests have always been in this field, and I am now just trying to look into more specific goals. Thanks!

Look at upcoming projects with NASA and find out who is being awarded contracts. Start applying for jobs with the big aerospace contractors involved, Lockheed, Boeing, Raytheon. Some of the contracts could give you an inside track for a GS position inside NASA.

 

[sciencewhiz]

NASA has many internships for high school and college students. That's probably the easiest way to get in.

Otherwise, you need at least a master's degree from an amazing university (MIT, Caltech, etc) according to my friend at JPL. He says he gets looked down on all the time because of his degrees from UCLA.

 

[quikah]

My friend has worked at Goddard for about 8-10 years now. He got a job with a contractor for Nasa, I don't remember the name, I believe he works for Loral Space systems now (don't have his business card right now), they do sattelites. He got hired out of college with a BS in Engineering Physics from Embry-Riddle. Got his MS in space systems or something from Johns Hopkins.

As for being an astronaut? Good luck with that, my friend says he applies every year, but it is not likely unless you are the best of the best in your field and in excellent physical shape.

 

[imported_weadjust]

My sister works for NASA in Huntsville, AL. She has a degee in electrical engineering. Started out at Rockwell (Huntsville, AL) for 4-5 years and then got a job at NASA.

Her grades weren't that hot out of school, but my dad is is an engineering prof. at State U for 35+ years. He called some of his former students who he had helped get a job, and she got a job no problem.

She travels all over the place. Supposed to go to Russia soon.

 

[Gibson486]

from what i heard, you have to be hot stuff to get a job there....but then again, the source that told me is kind of iffy.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: JoeFahey
I am just simply AMAZED. Everything is massive. Especially the assembly building with its massive doors. The entire center just seems so isolated. With nothing to compare each building to, the buildings and distances from different areas are hard to estimate. Just the blue area for the stars on the American flag on the assembly building is the size of an NBA basketball court.
I have been waiting to go to this place for a long time since my interests lie strongly in physics, math, and engineering. Of course I have always had the dream that I am sure many others have had of one day becoming an astronaut, and flying a spacecraft.
For any of you who work or have worked for NASA, how did you get into it? Where in it did you work? Any suggestions on what to do you work your way into it?
My interests have always been in this field, and I am now just trying to look into more specific goals. Thanks!

Not to burst your fun bubble, but I've talked to a few people from NASA and other scientific jobs, and apparently they don't pay well at all.

For one, if you have the credentials required to get into NASA, you can get another job for a bank or something that pays twice as much. I know a guy who has a Phd in nuclear physics, and he said that he could have been a physicist paying 50k a year, or he could go into the banking industry for twice that. He chose the money.

 

[wetcat007]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: JoeFahey
I am just simply AMAZED. Everything is massive. Especially the assembly building with its massive doors. The entire center just seems so isolated. With nothing to compare each building to, the buildings and distances from different areas are hard to estimate. Just the blue area for the stars on the American flag on the assembly building is the size of an NBA basketball court.
I have been waiting to go to this place for a long time since my interests lie strongly in physics, math, and engineering. Of course I have always had the dream that I am sure many others have had of one day becoming an astronaut, and flying a spacecraft.
For any of you who work or have worked for NASA, how did you get into it? Where in it did you work? Any suggestions on what to do you work your way into it?
My interests have always been in this field, and I am now just trying to look into more specific goals. Thanks!

Not to burst your fun bubble, but I've talked to a few people from NASA and other scientific jobs, and apparently they don't pay well at all.

For one, if you have the credentials required to get into NASA, you can get another job for a bank or something that pays twice as much. I know a guy who has a Phd in nuclear physics, and he said that he could have been a physicist paying 50k a year, or he could go into the banking industry for twice that. He chose the money.

Not everyone gets a job for the money, working for NASA would be a much more interesting job than working for a bank.