MadSci Network: Other
Query:

Re: Is it possible for someone who doesn't live in America to get into NASA?

Date: Mon Apr 22 13:56:31 2002
Posted By: Scott Kniffin, Nuclear Engineer, Orbital Sciences Corporation
Area of science: Other
ID: 1019389694.Ot
Message:

You will be happy to know that the answer is yes.  In fact, I was on the
same team as one of your countrymen in the Goddard soccer (football)
league.  We jokingly refer to it as the NASA international semi-pro league.
 I quit after one season as I had no prayer of competing at that level. 
(Though I did score one goal.)  

So, what's the catch?  There are a few restrictions for certain types of
data from certain satellites, but that rarely comes into play on most
projects.  There are plenty of things to work on, trust me.  Oh, and the
probability that you will work for a NASA contractor is almost one.  As far
as I know, one must be a US citizen to be a civil servant.  I'm a
contractor and it's cool.  (For one thing, the pay is better.)  

Now for your next question, (I'm not psychic, just experienced): HOW do I
get to work at NASA?  
Grades, school and brains.  Keep your grades up across the board, but you
will need to concentrate in math and science.  I strongly urge you to take
as much math as you can in school now before you get to college.  Calculus
or at the very least, pre-calc is a must.  Take as many science courses as
you can as well.  Chemistry and physics should be primary goals.  I took 7
math classes in 4 years of high school and did biology, chem and physics in
honors classes.  This will pay off for you in college as you won't be
seeing the material for the first time, and keeping your grades up in
college is also a must.  Extra-curricular activities/hobbies are a big help
in getting into a good university, no joke.  This may sound like flag
waving, but I would also recommend going to a college in the USA.  Look up
the US News and World Report college ranking issue on the web, look at the
top 25-35 schools in engineering/physics.  That's where you'd want to
apply.  I went to the University of Maryland, College Park for example.  We
have huge engineering and physics departments there.  

What to study in college: engineering, math, physics/astronomy, and
computer science are the four primary fields of people here at Goddard
Space Flight Center.  In engineering DO NOT go into aerospace engineering,
there are no jobs in spacecraft design.  Electrical, mechanical, materials
and chemical engineering are in demand in just about that order. 
Mathemeticians are an interesting group here and tend to be VERY
specialized.  Comp-Sci people are often programmers that work on code for
ground simulations, sattelite instructions programming, or satellite data
management.  Learn lots of programming languages, even older ones, if
that's your interest.  Physicists are about as abundant as engineers as
well, and like engineers, work on just about anything.  I am a true oddity
here at NASA, as I am a nuclear engineer.  From what I've been able to
gather, there is one other in all of NASA.  So my path would not be an
excellent example of how to get here, I'm just strange.  

You are at an excellent age to start deciding where you want to concentrate
and focus your efforts.  Do you want to work with small satellites, data
analysis, safety, mission assurance, astronomy, stellar physics
experiments, human space flight, planetary exploration, or something else?
 Look at all of the NASA centers' web pages (Goddard, Ames, Houston, JPL,
Johnson, Glenn, Kennedy, Dryden, Marshall, Stennis, Langly, Wallops and
Headquarters) and look at all the projects that are ongoing at each
facility.  Start at www.nasa.gov and go crazy.  Think about what you want
to do and where best fits your goals.  You may want/need to pursue an
advanced degree as well, depending on what you want to do.  (I have a MS.)  

I'll tell you one last secret.  What you study in college only very rarely
equates to what you do at your job.  In college, I learned how to operate
particle accelerators, radioactive sources and a nuclear reactor.  Now I
use those things, run by someone else, to test parts for space flight and
decide if they are good enough to use.  I still use radiation, just nothing
like what I learned in the classroom.  I'm now more like an electrical
engineer with an overdeveloped sense of radiation effects on electronics
and materials knowledge.  

Ok, I've shocked you enough for one day.  Just remember that science,
unlike most other jobs, doesn't suck; it's worth the effort.  Good luck and
good thinking in whatever you choose do.  

Scott Kniffin
Senior Engineer and Principal Investigator
Code 561.4 Radiation Effects and Analysis Group
Flight Electronics Branch
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center



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