Episode 33: Exploration Systems Interns
Episode 33: Exploration Systems Interns
10.03.07
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> Show Notes > Transcript |
This episode is a part of the NASA Student Opportunities podcast series. > View series home page > Subscribe free to this podcast |
Show Notes
Special Guests: Jeff Onken, Kyle Palmiscno and Sarah McNeese, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate interns
(0:00) Intro
(0:19) Interview with Jeff Onken, Kyle Palmiscno and Sarah McNeese. Exploration Systems Mission Directorate interns Jeff Onken, Kyle Palmiscno and Sarah McNeese share an inside view of the internship experience.
Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Student Project →
Vision for Space Exploration
NASA Learning Opportunities →
(13:09) World Space Week → is Oct. 4-10, 2007.
(14:15) End
Send your comments or questions to: educationpodcast@nasa.gov
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Transcript
Deana Nunley: This is NASA Student Opportunities -- a podcast connecting high school and college students with learning opportunities inside America's space agency.
Episode 33. Oct. 3, 2007. I'm Deana Nunley.
NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Student Project offers graduate and undergraduate students opportunities to be involved with research areas that are critical for the future of space exploration. Research areas include spacecraft, propulsion, ground systems, and lunar and planetary surface systems.
The goal of the project is to train and develop a highly skilled scientific, engineering and technical workforce of the future to implement the Vision for Space Exploration. And what that means for students is that you can get involved in substantive, hands-on, engineering experiences to help you prepare for your career.
In this week's interview segment, we'll talk with three Exploration Systems Mission Directorate interns -- Jeff Onken, Kyle Palmiscno and Sarah McNeese -- to get an inside view of the internship experience. Let's start with brief introductions. Tell us about yourselves. Jeff, could you get us started?
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Deana: Kyle, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
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Deana: And Sarah.
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Deana: What have you learned during the internship with NASA?
Sarah: One of the biggest things I learned is that I have so much left to learn. And when I came here, I expected to be prepared by my schooling -- which I was to some degree. But when you get to a job, you're not just given tasks that you already know how to do. And that was a big, I guess, reality check for me, because I spent several weeks poring through textbooks and manuals and documents and trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing. I don't know if you guys experienced that, too, but I learned that business professionals far above me do the same thing. They have to figure it out as they go.
Kyle: Yeah, I definitely agree with that. That's one thing when you get here. A lot of the people working here have been here for many, many years, and they know these systems inside and out. And it's something to try and come in for a couple weeks and learn everything. It's difficult, but it's very interesting. It's something that I really enjoy doing.
Jeff: I agree with both of you guys. There was a lot of stuff that I had to learn. I had to learn a lot of different software. I had to learn everything about Ares [rockets], because I had never heard anything besides "shuttle" in all my class work.
Sarah: [laughter] Me, too.
Jeff: Right, yeah. One thing that I really found that was fantastic, though, was how helpful everybody was. They say that the center is one big family. And kind of everybody says that, but it's really true. When I got to Johnson, everybody was just like, "Oh, yeah. Sure. Let me take 15 minutes out of my project and explain this to you." Or we had a gentleman in my group who has been working in analysis for 40 years or something like that, and he knew like absolutely everything. I was just astonished with how much he knew, and he was totally, totally willing to share that. And I thought that was just the most nurturing environment. I could not even have imagined something like that, and I thought it was really fantastic.
Sarah: Yeah, I really experienced that, too, at Kennedy. I expected to have to sit at my desk until I figured everything out. And people came by and just asked me if there was anything they could do. Another thing I learned is how to use your resources, because you're right, there are so many experts here. And if you know who to ask, so many people are just willing to spend time with you, because everyone wants to feel smart, right? So, ask lots of questions, because it feels good. It's like the pat on the back when they get to teach a new intern something new.
Kyle: Yeah, these people are very knowledgeable, too. A lot of these things, they've been working with from the ground up, so they know all the "ins" and "outs" -- maybe not of the entire system -- but each person knows a specific part very well.
Deana: What would you say that you liked the most about working for NASA? Is there something that stands out as your favorite thing, the highlight of your internship?
Sarah: For me, it was a challenge. I got a project that I did not expect to be able to do, and I wouldn't have told anyone that. But just the willingness to accept a new challenge, because there are so many here.
And like you said, no one can be an expert at everything. These systems are so complex that everyone has their own field of expertise. And I felt like I was able to experience that -- a small, small degree of getting knowledgeable in one small thing so that other people could ask me questions. I just really loved that challenging, figure-it-out-for-yourself type.
Kyle: It's just knowing that a lot of this stuff that we're helping to develop is going to be used and put into space. Just knowing that not a lot of people get the opportunity to work on something like this. It's pretty cool.
Sarah: That is so true.
Jeff: I want to say something along those lines. The stuff I worked on was very realistic. When that vehicle first launches -- whenever that's going to be -- I know that, even as an intern, I was an integral part in figuring out one tiny, little piece of that thing. And when you put the thousands of employees and contractors for NASA together, you get all of the pieces that go into that thing. And even interns matter when you look at that.
Kyle: I think one thing else, aside from the work that we're doing here, as far as my internship goes for this summer, is the other interns that I've met here. There are several different internship programs, and just being able to meet people and go do a bunch of things in the area has really been fun.
Sarah: Yeah, the interns here at Kennedy have really bonded, too. We're together almost every night, hanging out and doing something. I know they're friendships that I'll keep forever. I hadn't even thought of that, but that is a big deal that I'm taking away from this summer.
Jeff: Yeah, I'm definitely with Sarah on that one. I met probably about 40 or 50 of the co-ops at Johnson. And I hear that it's pretty similar at Kennedy and Johnson, actually, Sarah, so I'm interested in what you're doing.
Sarah: Yeah.
Jeff: We hung out every night. I met some people who are actually at Purdue. I had dinner with them last night. It was great. Five of us went out to a little Mexican place. And seriously, they're friends that I'll have forever. And one really cool thing -- probably the most exciting thing that we ever did -- was we watched "Apollo 13" on the screens in the historic Mission Control Center.
Sarah: [laughter]
Kyle: How cool.
Sarah: Oh, wow!
Jeff: Yeah, that was fantastic.
Sarah: We had our own movie night with "Apollo 13" because it was my first time to ever see the movie. But it wasn't there.
Kyle: I think that's the consensus. We also made our "Apollo 13" viewing.
Sarah: [laughter]
Kyle: We went to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. And after seeing all the stuff there, we watched it, and it was pretty cool.
Sarah: Wow, that's great.
Jeff: I think one of the coolest things was as I watched that movie -- I remember seeing it the first time and it just went like right over my head. When we watched that, I had been at Johnson for, I don't know, maybe six weeks or so, and I knew like every acronym that they threw around and every term. And I'm like, "Oh, I know what that does!" That's cool. That's not something that I got from my class work. That's the knowledge that I got just in the time I had spent at Johnson and working in mission operations and stuff like that. That was cool. [laughter]
Sarah: Yeah, that's how we felt at Kennedy, too, especially because the launch happens from Kennedy and then the flight control happens with you at Johnson. We would see the [Vehicle] Assembly Building in the movie and be able to say, "We were in there! We've been in there before!"
Jeff: That's awesome.
Sarah: It was so much more engaging this time.
Deana: What advice would you want to offer to students who are considering NASA learning opportunities?
Kyle: I would say, "If you have the opportunity, definitely go for it." It's a remarkable experience. This type of work that we're doing is nothing you're going to get anywhere else. The program, and all the other interns, they treat you very well, and just being able to meet everyone and do all this work is really worthwhile.
Jeff: I'd say the number one piece of advice that I would give is be ambitious, even in filling out your application. I think I spoke very strongly in the essay thing that I had to write. And when I got there, I was given my project, but I actually volunteered for a couple other things. And my mentor was astonished at the amount of work I got done, considering how much I'd taken on.
In some respects, I think I got a little bit more work because I'm a graduate student, and I think they expected more of me. But I also wanted to leave knowing that I had not only done what they required me to do, but [had] gone above and beyond, because that's going to give me a head-up when I go to apply for a job there. And so, I'd definitely say, "Be ambitious. Fill out the application as best as you can, make yourself look as best as you could, and then do your best when you're down there."
Sarah: Yeah, I just want to say, "Seize it." If you get this opportunity, if you see that application, seize it, because, like he was saying, this is one of the most exciting things you could do -- ever. And I think we're a lot brighter than we give ourselves credit for. I know I was intimidated when I saw the application for NASA, not even sure if I should apply. But you really can do awesome things when you put your mind to it, so just go for it. Take the opportunity.
Jeff: Yeah. That was a good point that you made. I haven't met too many people that knew less about NASA, the way NASA works and the equipment and stuff, than I did.
Sarah: [laughter]
Jeff: Actually, I didn't do any aerospace in my undergrad at all. So, I've only taken a sum total of like three aerospace classes. I remember sitting in my advisor's office, who had encouraged me to take this internship and to apply for it. And I just remember thinking, "I'm going to be so stupid when I get down there." And the first day, it was a little tough, because I felt like I kind of took that with me. But honestly, it was gone, within the day, because by the end of the day I realized that they were going to help me and I was going to learn a ton. And that was never another thought in my mind.
Sarah: And the funny thing is aerospace is such a small part of NASA. That sounds weird, but of the 50 to 60 interns here that I've become friends with, I only know five or six of them that are aerospace majors. There's chemistry and electrical engineering and mechanical, and you need all that. All of those parts factor in, so it doesn't matter what you study, as long as you apply it.
Jeff: Yeah, that's very true. That's very true. Two or three of my best friends that I met down in Houston were actually business majors, working in the business office at Johnson.
Sarah: Yeah.
Jeff: I thought that was cool. I'd never thought of that before. Regardless of what you're studying or anything like that, anybody is useful to NASA -- from engineering to business and all that stuff. And absolutely anybody is valuable to them. That's something that, again, it goes back to that, "It's all a big family," and every family member matters.
Kyle: Yeah. One more thing, too. Just a word of advice for anyone considering this is if there are any opportunities at your school where you can get involved with -- I know a lot of schools have like a student launch program, or anything in that area -- I think it's really good and it really, really helps to get your foot in the door.
Deana: And there are many opportunities to help you get your foot in the door, so to speak. In the show notes for this week's episode, we've posted links to NASA projects for students -- including the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate internship that Kyle, Sarah and Jeff described. If you want to know more, go to www.nasa.gov/podcast, and click on the NASA Student Opportunities podcast.
[Music]
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Space Age during World Space Week, Oct. 4-10, 2007. The theme for the 2007 event is 50 Years in Space, commemorating the beginning of the Space Age with the launch of Sputnik on Oct. 4, 1957.
World Space Week is the largest public space event in the world, with celebrations in more than 50 nations.
To learn more about World Space Week and for a list of events around the globe, check out this week's show notes. Go to www.nasa.gov/podcast, and click on the NASA Student Opportunities podcast.
We want to hear from you. If you have questions or comments about NASA learning opportunities, send an e-mail to: educationpodcast@nasa.gov
Thanks for listening.
NASA Student Opportunities is a podcast production of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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