NASA’s prizes and challenges garner unique talent from all over the world. Some participants are seasoned experts in niche fields, while others are young professionals or interns who are still honing their craft. One such individual is Eric Hinterman, a NASA Space Technology Research (NSTR) fellow at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Hinterman and three friends have collaborated on more than 30 government challenges over the past three years. They have collectively won eight competitions.
“We like to do these challenges because it makes us think about all these other kinds of engineering issues outside our areas of expertise,” Hinterman said. “That’s our biggest motivator for doing these competitions – they help us continue to grow as professionals.”
Hinterman began as a chemical engineer, working in industry after college. However, after a few years Hinterman had “an early life crisis” and discovered his true passion was in space exploration. Now, he is currently a PhD student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in aerospace engineering. In addition to his studies, Hinterman has served as a NSTR fellow at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Glenn Research Center.
Two members of his team are mechanical engineers, while Hinterman and another are aerospace engineers. All of them have a keen interest in space.
“Becoming an astronaut is Plan B for all of us,” Hinterman said.
Hinterman and his team tackle challenges in a collaborative effort with at least two members always working on a challenge together. According to Hinterman, this gives them an advantage.
“We tend to all brainstorm solutions when we find a new challenge and nearly every time none of the original individual ideas are the ones we go with,” Hinterman said. “We build on those individual ideas and improve them collectively to get to what we think will be a winning solution.”
The team has participated in competitions for various government agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Bureau of Reclamation and, of course, NASA. One challenge even culminated in a government contract to put their winning idea into action. But their main driver for continuing to compete in these challenges is the opportunity to learn new things.
“Very rarely has there been a challenge where we already had all the necessary skills to solve it,” Hinterman said. “The first step is learning all you can about the subject and developing a certain necessary skill. Then, you can go on to try and solve the problem.”
Hinterman said his time as a NASA fellow has not only stoked his passion for space, but has also shed light on all the NASA challenges he and his team could help solve.
“I am very fortunate to be a part of the NSTR fellowship program,” Hinterman said. “I want to continue my career in space exploration and human spaceflight and this has served as a great way forward.”
For more information about NASA Solve and the agency’s prizes and challenges, visit www.nasa.gov/solve.