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Sabrina Thompson — Balancing Art and Engineering

Sabrina Thompson
Sabrina Thompson
Credits: NASA

Name: Sabrina Thompson
Title: Navigation and Mission Design Engineer
Formal Job Classification: Aerospace Engineer
Organization: Code 595, Navigation and Mission Design Branch

Aerospace Engineer Sabrina Thompson finds her passion in solving problems and telling stories.

What is your role at NASA?

I’ve been in the Navigation and Mission Design Branch for about four-and-a-half years. Right now, I’m working on a lot of CubeSat proposals. CubeSats are tiny satellites used for space research. I’m designing trajectories to place and keep these CubeSats in orbit so that scientists can collect their data. A lot of what we’re dealing with is formation flying, which refers to a set of spatially distributed spacecraft, capable of autonomously interacting and cooperating with one another. I also won an IRAD [NASA’s Internal Research and Development program] to do CubeSat work. It involves a combination of hardware and software skillsets, which I think are great to have.

Why did you come to work at Goddard, and what makes you stay?

It’s a really great community, and the opportunities we have are just tremendous. This place, in my experience, is very welcoming. The people I’m working with right now don’t expect you to know all of the answers, but are confident you will find the answer — and are also willing to help you find the answer. I definitely feel like I am part of a team.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

I’m learning something every day, and that’s important to me. There’s always a new problem to solve, and that’s what keeps me going. I’ll get a complex problem and initially think, “I do not know where to start.” But then I dive deeper and deeper into it, and realize, not only did I solve the problem, I’ve also learned so much in the process.

I’m satisfied with being able to come to work, learn new things and make an impact on the world. We’re learning so much about this world and how to make it better. I’m contributing to that, and that does something good for my soul.

I’ve also had opportunities to do a lot of outreach because of my job. Outreach is very important to me. I think it’s important to expose the youth to engineering at an early age. I volunteer with the Greenbelt Space Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), as well as, the Office of Education, here on Center.  NSBE played a big role in my undergraduate career and professional development.  As an undergraduate student, I attended many professional workshops and events they held, especially the huge Annual Convention where I met with representatives from NASA and a bunch of other well-known companies.  It was not until college that I was exposed to the “world of STEM”.  I can only imagine how things would have been different if I was exposed as a child.  The intimidation factor would have been long gone by the time I reached college.  And this is one of the reasons why I make it a priority to go into schools and talk to the youth: to encourage them and help remove the intimidation factor.  I was also selected to participate in the Women@NASA Initiative.  Women@NASA has also afforded me many outreach opportunities to encourage women and girls to pursue careers in STEM. Through the program, I’ve mentor girls in middle school, as well.

How did you discover your interest in engineering?

When I was growing up, I thought I was going to be a famous artist. Either that or a basketball player. To me, that was the fun stuff. I was good at math and physics, but I was a kid and wanted to be just that, for as long as I could. What ended up happening was my art teacher suggested engineering, and I pursued it.  I told myself I had to get through my schooling first, play basketball for fun, and become an artist later. I also said to myself, once I got a job and got to a good place, then I could be an artist again. That’s where I’m at now.

What are some of your hobbies outside of work?
I’m a photographer, and I like to paint. I’m trying to embrace the artistic side of me that I’ve set aside for so long.  I’m fascinated by “Avatar,” and I have Native-American ancestry on my father’s side, so I like to create these Avatar-looking Native American warriors.

I also like to capture, what I call, “visual stories”, of people whose stories normally wouldn’t be so welcomed. For instance, I met a homeless guy who was in his early 20’s. This guy was a working individual, but did not make enough money to afford a place to live.  I met with him for an entire year, talking to him, getting to know him, and capturing his life story via photos and video. In a year’s time, he saved enough money and found a place he could afford. I remember capturing the last video footage. On my way home that night, I cried like a baby.  But these were tears of joy. For me, this type of work brings me joy.

To me, it’s all about the art of storytelling. Everyone has a story to tell. Regardless of whether or not you believe your story is impactful to somebody, it is. There is somebody who will benefit from knowing your story and knowing how you made it through your test and trials. 

What is one word or phrase that best describes you?

“Passionate.” I’m very passionate about my work and my art.

I have this tattoo I recently got during a trip to India, and it means, “Live life to the fullest.” Every day, that’s what I try to do. I only have one life, and I want to make the most of it. I try to find a balance between my art world and my engineering world. Cultivating my creative side allows me to come up with innovative ways to solve engineering problems.  So being a better artist allows me to be a better engineer.  They go hand in hand.

By Jennifer Hottle
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

A graphic with a collection of people's portraits grouped together in front of a soft blue galaxy background. The people come from various races, ethnicities, and genders. A soft yellow star shines in the upper left corner, and the stylized text "Conversations with Goddard" is in white on the far right.
Conversations With Goddard is a collection of question and answer profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.

Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.

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Last Updated
Jul 25, 2023