Houston, We Have a Grad Co-Op!

From Planes to Trains

2012-01-30T22:23:00.002-06:00

I've finally been hearing back from grad schools and even more fun, receiving acceptance letters in the mail. I was accepted by Michigan Tech's Mechanical Engineering department and Purdue University's Aero/Astro Engineering. Even if everything else comes back negative, I'm so thankful and content with these three great options (we can't forget Embry-Riddle after all!). If I do my Master's elsewhere, it looks like it will without doubt bring me to cold weather and snow. As long as I get to see the sun once in awhile, I'll be happy. A good pair of snow boots from the Columbia outlet back home and I'm good to go!

In other news, I've seen 3 inspirational movies in a row (Money Ball, Red Tails, and Courageous). I must say I'm glad to see hope and courage being brought back to the cinemas. I also had the chance to go to Disney Quest for the first time and have several eating-out-type celebrations. My boyfriend is now officially a commercial multi-engine pilot and only needs the CRJ course before he can cross that stage in May. It's an interesting requirement the Aeronautical Science department has. I say interesting because of Loren (and a few other guys) having the Continental Airlines internship last year. They went through a full-blown course on how to fly a 737 but the CRJ is still required. Oh well, maybe someday an intern can get that real-world course to replace the CRJ. For now, God's provided for my sweetie again and scholarships will carry him to graduation. Of course we all celebrated at a new favorite- Aunt Catfish's. I know I mentioned it before but you HAVE to go... if you like food... at all. Go. Seriously.

Team GERO has seen some serious progress. We all know how to communicate with the motors and how to troubleshoot several issues (you can imagine we learned that the hard way). My GoPro HD HERO has come in handy. I just asked for it for Christmas for the sake of SCUBA and snorkeling but it's a perfect lab video camera too. We keep gathering data in the hopes we'll truly be able to showcase its abilities at a demonstration in March.

I'm looking forward to the special speaker coming this Wednesday. His father was one of the marines who held up the flag on Iwo Jima. I'm sure he will be very inspiring.

I've been more sentimental walking around campus these days. I even took a picture of "alphabet soup" since it's marked for demolition and I wanted to remember the interesting little classrooms I spent so much time in. They're already tearing down the old maintenence building. I had one of my favorite labs in there. And, every day on the way to Lehman, I glimpse the progress being made on the administration building. The times are a'changin'. Not just for me, but also for Embry-Riddle. I wonder what the next decade will bring? It will be quite entertaining to come back in several years as an alumna.

It won't be too many more years before I can finally apply to the astronaut program. The older I get, the more I value my experiences. I never know when God will close a door I expected to open and I feel so honored to have tasted so many fantastic chances. Jobs, schools, research, fun... no matter how much homework and projects I end up with during my last semester as an undergrad at Embry-Riddle, I think I'll be just fine.

Here's to never taking any moment for granted. Keep dreaming. Anything is possible!

P.S. If you don't get the title, it's referring to Embry-Riddle being a pilot oasis (not that Purdue doesn't have a good flight program too) and Purdue's Boilermaker Express train mascot. :)

Welcome Back

2012-01-16T19:40:00.000-06:00

I've finally made it to my last undergraduate semester! I'm excited to see what adventures I have and what I can learn in my specialized classes.

Senior design continues on and GERO is doing well. We're going to try to be better about actually meeting together instead of being so independent. It's strange being the only senior team not preparing for a competition this semester but that's also what makes GERO so unique. We want to get a new battery, finish designing a "knee" that will help the robot fit in any automatic vehicle, and understand how to control it so we can actually have it driving around a parking lot by graduation. It's a tall order when only one teammate currently knows how to communicate to the motors, but we're working on getting everyone up to speed. I'm glad to have a team I truly enjoy working with and it's great practice for the "real world" even though our schedules are absolutely not "real world."

This semester should be about the same work-wise as the previous. True, I have 4 classes and senior design instead of 3 classes and senior design, but I also no longer have to work with a microgravity team. We didn't get chosen unfortunately, but for my sake, I guess it was a good thing. I also decided to not take the Fundamentals of Engineering test prep class. 6-8 pm on Wednesdays just didn't sound like a great idea. Plus, I truly don't need it for either employer I have "ins" with. I could still just wing it but when it's an all-day test right before finals week and costs $135... I think I have other wiser uses of my time. Not to mention the fact I have it built in to always do my best and be prepared. I'm definitely better at being more flexible than I used to be (and the stand-by travel from last spring gave me no choice) but I'm definitely still a planner at heart.

Soon I should begin hearing back from schools and possibly even fellowships. If I get in everywhere, I'll have a tough decision ahead of me. It's so tempting to just start working when I think about exciting more "settled" things I have to look forward to like saving for the down payment on a house or being able to buy furniture. It probably sounds silly but after constantly being on the move between 3 states and living in dorm rooms, I'm excited to have a place of my own. ...and feel settled with the same co-workers for once too. Honestly the bulk of my decision will come down to funding. I'm so thankful to not have any loans to my name and I'd like to keep it that way.

Classes have been pretty interesting so far. All of my teachers are repeats or I know them from some other situation. In Advanced Machine Design, we're getting further in depth into FEMAP and Nastran (software that allows for stress analysis and modeling of parts or systems). It's difficult just because there are so many buttons and options it's hard to know why we do what we do during a tutorial. I'd compare it to being a beginner at Photoshop for those of you familiar with it. There's so much you can do with it if you just knew how!

Mechanisms looks to be very hands-on and it's great having a course with Dr. Reinholtz finally. He's the head of M.E. and my advisor. He brings examples of things to class and we even get to tour a paper mill this week. I missed field trips!! :)

Vibrations will involve lots of homework and review of classes involving summation of forces and free body diagrams... so yes. Harder for me to like. :) But it's a very important subject and I'll do my best. I love how I was able to learn and know last semester instead of just memorizing; I'm determined to bring that same spirit to these final 4 months. I'm also glad I get to take a class with Dr. G- our timeless microgravity advisor.

Finally, there's Mechatronics. It's been fascinating because it's more on the computer/electronics side of things. Plus, the professor is one of our senior design teachers and does a great job making interesting slides and showing relevant clips. I admit it... I'm a mechanical engineer who actually likes writing computer code. :) I'm no pro though.

I love being back in Florida with the sunny skies and the weather getting warmer each day. It's hard to imagine going back to being a visitor to this state instead of a resident but it'll come soon enough. I'm planning to savor each moment and revisit all my favorite places before I get back in my car and drive off for the last time.

I've been blogging for quite awhile and never know who's reading. I hope you all find my insignificant thoughts interesting and please feel free to ask me any question about the university or internships or anything you read. I love helping people find where they belong!

Well, happy MLK Day. I know I'm thankful for all he stood for and did. Without him and other brave people I wouldn't be with my sweetheart today. What a great reminder, to judge others based on the "content of their character." I guess I'd better work on my character- no "senior-itis" here! :)

...A Week Away!

2011-12-05T12:59:00.001-06:00

Phew! It's crunch time in Daytona Beach! For example, I've spent at least 10 hours so far working on the report for senior design (which is due in 2 days). I'm so thankful my team is following through with writing their sections but being the "silversmith" so to speak and putting it all together still takes a whole lotta time! We also have our final presentation on Friday and our log books, bi-weekly report, and team binder is also due then.

But of course, that's not my only class. For Fluids, we're going to get the tests back tomorrow. I made sure to practice all the problems from homework and class so if I still didn't do that great this time around, maybe I need to concede that I enjoy and am capable of doing Fluids problems BUT I prefer having a resource in front of me and taking my time to fully comprehend the situation. Regardless, I'm very proud of the final project my partner and I turned in early last week. I'm sure there are countless kids working on their Fluids project as we speak but I knew it would be so important to do it ahead of time.

Robot Arms is also nearing the end. I finally finished that project last week and am eager to turn it in on Thursday. It's not revolutionary but it has to do with my future job working with the International Space Station program so I enjoyed it. Plus, I have a feeling coding is an important skill to have in this modern world so Matlab practice is always a bonus. We just have one homework assignment and a final left but they're low on the priority list at the moment.

In Controls, I have a final test on Wednesday and thankfully it's a review of the first and second test methods for the most part. I won't have much time to study because I'm so focused on the paper due the same day. Then, I need to finish up the final project which I probably won't be able to do until Saturday. It's actually due Sunday so this is super last-minute for me but it will work all the same. Talk about practicing prioritizing.

The only true break I have planned until after finals next week is the women's banquet Wednesday night. I enjoyed last year so very much and was honored to be featured. This year, I'm excited to hear about other girls' successes and maybe even win something (they always have prizes).

As for the previous weeks, I did some interesting things like staying up all night for Black Friday getting lots of deals and presents. I also visited Bok Tower Gardens with my good friends for their Christmas decorations and music. It was pretty far away but beautiful and a great way to unwind on a Saturday. I also went to a Eagles basketball game or two. One had a crushing end: We were down by 2 and had less than a second left. The guard managed to sink an unbelievable shot standing in-between the 3-point and half-court lines but it was ruled as too late. Still, it was impressive and I had a great time. That's about it! I'm just trying to stay on top of things and enjoy listening to my new Michael Buble Christmas cd.

I do have lots of interesting pictures that could go along with this blog, but alas, I have so much to do I can't even take a break for that. I will do my best to put them in when I get home for Christmas break. :)

Wow. I'm in the last week of my last fall semester. Let's do this!

Thankful at the Finish Line

2011-11-22T08:51:00.001-06:00

The last few weeks have been mostly filled with projects. I’msitting in pretty good position now as Thanksgiving break’s just about here.For Robot Arms, I was able to get the exact motion and plot I wanted of theCanadarm2 2D representation. I also made a GUI (Graphical User Interface; Justthink about the fact that every computer program you open has a bunch of codingbehind it that makes it work. So, even the little calculator application is aGUI.) so a person could input the joint angles and distance along the stationrails they desired. Of course I added some lovely pictures like the Canadarm2logo and ISS partner logos too. My final step is getting the plot function tolink correctly with the GUI. The GUI looks right, but the plot doesn’t workyet. I already wrote 80% of the paper for the project so I’m hoping to get somehelp from my professor today to finish up.

I didn’t do any further work on the Fluids project untiltoday because my section is 90% done. My partner wanted to do an assembly in CATIAof the rotor and stator blades (model of the major turbine components wedesigned), so we’ll do that today and then we just need a final check of the report.

With the end of those projects near, I'm turning my attention to final tests and the Controls project. We don't have all the information we need yet to really start Controls, so all I can do is wait and work on senior design and studying. The second and final Fluids quiz/exam is right after break and I really need to step it up. My goal was to only have to study for that over break and I was able to get ahead enough to do just that.

I'm going home almost a week earlier than planned for Christmas now that my boyfriend is graduating when I am in May. It turned out to be easier for his family that way and since he has to stay for the pilot CRJ course it's not a big deal to switch. I'm happy because it will be nice to spend more time at home and also share in the graduation celebration together instead of each of us taking turns being the odd one out. I never look forward to the day-long excursion of flying to Seattle (especially now that I've sat in a first class chair) but I'll survive.

Senior design is winding down for the semester. I need to go after the paper and updating the team binder. I also ordered our team shirts yesterday. It was a scary moment not knowing if everyone will truly like the design and style or not, but I did my best. You try only ordering 7 shirts for men and women that aren't your basic, boring T! :)

I put grad school in the back of my mind even more now since the GRE scores finally came in and I sent them away to the schools. I have to say I was a little bewildered; apparently I read the anticipated score categories backwards or they had a typo on the test day. Turns out I am still abnormaly talented with English-y stuff for an engineer. ;) Oh well, I always knew engineering would be a great challenge and I can't wait to feel so accomplished when I put on that cap and gown next May! My scores seem strong enough to get me in to any school, but we'll see!

Speaking of next semester, I registered for classes. I'll have more on my plate than I'd like, but nothing else was offered this fall. I'll have Vibrations, Advanced Machine Design, Mechanisms, Mechatronics, Senior Design pt.2, and maybe even a class for preparing for the FE exam.

As for good times, I'm so excited for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. I am also ashamed to admit that I put up my Christmas stuff this past week too. I don't like how early the commercialism of the season begins, and I don't want to rush Thanksgiving, but when I'm going home only 2 weeks into December, I'd like to have enough time to enjoy my decorations and such. Also, I always have an early Christmas with my sweetie and friends. I'm also on the hunt for an electric piano since I signed up to give that to a girl for Christmas through the Salvation Army. I figured it was appropriate since my dad's a music teacher and I LOVE piano music. I hope she loves it. Of course I have to decide which one to get first...

Going back a little, I attended the Volusia County Fair for the first time and also saw The Others for the first time as well. Very fun! Another new adventure was discovering Aunt Catfish's restaurant on the Halifax. SO GOOD! And so many great things to choose from. I definitely want to bring my family next spring.

Finally, I'm working hard to be in the gym more. It's a great way to get a break from school demands and burn off any weight you gained while just trying to survive your classes. :) I highly recommend it for EVERYBODY EVER! Yay working out.

Well, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families! There is always so much to be thankful for. God is good. See you when I get to the last week of class!!

Masquerade - Mafia - Mouse

2011-11-07T10:06:00.002-06:00

Wait! Waiting is all I can do now that I'm completely done applying for grad school as of tomorrow (when the GRE scores are released). The end of the semester and my undergrad are definitely inching closer. I can almost feel the anticipation in the air. So many students are anxious to finish up and move on. I remember having the same sort of nervous energy back in high school. I had to completely trust God about where I would go, how I would get there, and what choices to make. I "threw out my net" so to speak with universities and scholarships and certain doors opened to bring me to Embry-Riddle. I'm doing the same now -applying to places I think I'd be interested in studying at- and sitting back to wait for the results. I changed my mind about several schools but I ended up applying to 6 schools for up to 2 majors:

Purdue (both Aero/Astro & Mechanical Engineering), MIT (both Aero/Astro & Mechanical Engineering), Northwestern (Mechanical Engineering), Michigan Tech (Mechanical Engineering; I don't know anything about it but it was free to apply and just like all the other schools is a part of the GEM fellowship I applied for), and of course Embry-Riddle (Mechanical Engineering). Carnegie-Mellon seems like an amazing place, but something about the demands of the application and the location made me waiver. Georgia Tech is just too big (Sorry to all my co-op friends who love it there) and again not too keen on location. I love California, but all the universities seemed too large or didn't have enough focus in the way of robotics. And finally, I was planning to apply to Rice University all along, but when I visited the campus, I felt that the robotics research was a "one-woman-operation" and not very important to the school. The campus is beautiful and I'd be close to JSC, but I'd rather try another location before I settle in Houston. So yes, I suppose I completely went with my feelings on grad school, but I'm happy with my decisions even if they would seem silly to someone reading this. :) I would be honored to be a graduate student at any of the universities I applied to.

Back to my undergrad, I made it through another test week with flying colors. I was surprised to do nearly as well as I did on the first round of Controls & Robot Arms. Both classes had harder topics but I still was very satisfied wtih my scores. It seems the only thing standing between me and the final is a project and/or test in each. I can't wait for December but I'll try to enjoy learning in the meantime. I'd like to finish my Fluids project regarding designing a turbine before Thanksgiving. My partner and I are planning to meet up to do the CATIA modeling soon. For Robot Arms I'm hoping to make some kind of GUI interface in MATLAB to move the Canadarm2 to desired points. I might even throw in some Russian for extra pizzaz. I'm itching to get going on it so I only have to focus on final tests by the end of the semester.

Senior design is back on track. We're hoping to understand how to control the GERO robot by the end of the semester as well as design the new "knee" that will make the limbs a good length for fitting in nearly every vehicle. It's harder to find things to do on this project than say, a competition-oriented one because the goals aren't as clear-cut. I'm excited to see what we can do with it by graduation next year. :)

I also did more volunteer work for ODK, this time with a Leiukemia and Lymphoma walk near the bandshell. It didn't seem like much but I was glad to encourage those who were sacrificing so much time to remember or support loved ones and raise money for a cure.

And finally... my infamous FUN section! Finally, the title of the blog will make sense. :) I had a fun day at the International Academy getting my hair and nails done (a new experience) before attending a friend's 21st birthday/masquerade ball. I happily tied my Venician mask on and had a great time being dressed up and seeing friends. The next morning, I went to the French Market in downtown Daytona. It's a special fall event that happens once a month. Almost like a street fair, you can get garage sale -type items as well as many handcrafted jewelry and home decor pieces. I finally ate at the Dancing Avocado Kitchen (which is owned by a family I met at church) and it was delicious. My boyfriend got a prop pirate gun for a whole 1 dollar which came in handy for his costume the next night. At my friend's Halloween party, we played Mafia, a fun game about trying to read people and making up stories. :) It was a wonderful night full of great food and laughter.

I didn't do anything special on Halloween since it was a Monday but I did randomly decide to order an ice cream maker. Go figure. I guess I was tired of not being able to eat my favorite thing and I hope I can use other types of milk (coconut for example) to make my very own lactose-free concotions. Granted, it wouldn't be the same consistency due to not having milk solids/fat I'm guessing, but it's worth a shot.

Finally, my sweetie pulled another last-minute thing on me this past Saturday. "Let's go to Epcot!" And go to Epcot we did (The "Mouse" in the title of course refers to Disney :)). I had never been to the Food & Wine Festival before (nor did we know it was happening when we went) so I tried a few snacks as we wandered around the park. I had forgotten how much walking Epcot entails compared to the Magic Kingdom! It was a great day remiscing our real world travels and enjoying the rides as well.

Back to reality and only 10 class days until Thanksgiving break. I'll keep working hard to get things done so I can just study for Fluids exam 2 and relax and give thanks during the break.

Oh and is it just me or isn't it ridiculous how early we are pushed to think about Christmas?? I love December but I'd like to not rush through the end of 2011!! :)

Let's Go!

2011-10-26T11:46:00.001-05:00

Fall break is over and I am back to being busy. My fluids exam was lower than I expected. It's odd how you can study the same way for the same amount of time in one class and get almost a perfect score and then be average in a different class. I really do enjoy fluids and do well on the homework, but for some reason, I'm not very talented at taking fluids tests. I think there's just such a broad amount of information covered I can't keep track of it all without the book and my notes in front of me. Of course that's real life anyway, but undergrad work is all about tests. I'm determined to just keep practicing homework and in-class problems over the next month so I do well on our final test after Thanksgiving. If there's one thing I've learned from college- never give up!

I did manage to have some good times before and during break though to make up for the fluids disappointment. My family sent me fun Halloween cards and gifts and my senior design team rocked our midterm presentation. I had just gotten a haircut and all us ladies looked great and confident. :)

I'm also nearing the end of grad school and fellowship applications, thank goodness! I'm still waiting on one of my recommenders to upload to about 6 different things as well as my GRE scores, but the rest is done. It felt so good to submit my NSF proposal this morning because of the hard work I put into the essays. It almost sounds too good to be true, but I think the research I'm interested in doing specifically at Purdue is worthy of funding.

The Saturday before break, I volunteered on Make a Difference Day. It was great fun bringing along my friends to the ODK event at Chiles Academy. We did all kinds of gardening to prepare the soil for more sustainable plants and composting. I really enjoyed helping and the weather was perfectly crisp and cool. Afterward, I went to Blue Spring for the last time of the semester. No manatee this time, but more gar and what looked like a giant catfish.

Over break, I went to Saint Augustine to get some pralines and an Italian mask for an upcoming masquerade ball party. My boyfriend and I had debated going to Busch Gardens the next day for awhile because of the cost and gas money, but he called me up at 7 am Saturday morning and said, "Let's do it!" A couple hours later, there we were. What a fantastic theme park. It's like going to the best zoo ever (you get so close to the animals and the environment seems so natural and open) as well as going on thrilling and well-themed rides. I still love Disney, but I opened some room in my heart for Busch now. :)

As the year continues on, I keep thinking about going back to NASA and beginning life as a full-on "grown up". :) It's hard to be doing my undergrad when I'm thinking about grad school and my NASA job, but I'll keep pushing myself to enjoy my last days in Daytona. What a great 5 years this will have been.

To close with a random note, I was listening to a special committee hearing this morning and had to laugh. The Chariman mentioned WWII and the spirit of people pushing forward in developing new American space vehicles quickly and safely instead of waiting for bureaucracy:

Chariman Ralph Hall of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology said this morning at a NASA Commercial Crew Development Program Hearing, "Someone needs to say, 'D*mmit, let's go!'"

So, let's go!

Please Sir, Can I Have More Time?

2011-10-10T19:21:00.000-05:00

Things aren't exactly slowing down around here. Every week without fail I find myself saying, "If I can just make it through this week, I'll be able to relax a little bit soon." Only problem is something else always fills in, clamoring for my attention and time. It really is manageable, just not as happy-go-lucky as I'd prefer. Ok, enough being vague. Here's the updates:

Controls is going swimmingly. I only had minus one point on the first exam. It was incredible. I'm usually always fighting to earn an A all semester but I'm actually starting off strong for once. It's not for lack of trying, but I seem to have small gaps in my understanding for a first exam (or I don't know a teacher's "style" and what to expect on a test). But this time around, I have a perfect combo of excellent teachers and excellent study habits and I'm taking on the world!! ...at least doing well on a couple tests anyway. Our newest controls topic has us using MATLAB (You can't get rid of that thing at ERAU! :)) to solve for needed variables from a transfer function. In simple terms it's the relationship of output and input of an electronic signal in a system. If I stay at ERAU for graduate school, I think I'd be most intrigued by this area of robotics and engineering. It would be very appropriate for mission control work which is an added bonus.

Robot Arms also produced an exciting first test score. I was well above the test average. Normally I don't like to compare myself to other people, but starting this strongly is so rare for me I can't help but write about it. I'm really enjoying the topics even though I wish I had a little less problems and MATLAB due every Friday. It's tough to imagine when I'll get this week's homework done, for example, when I had to finish the abstract and safety sections in the microgravity proposal and also prepare for the senior design midterm presentation next Monday. Plus, I have a Fluids quiz tomorrow and the first exam on Thursday. Oh well, I'll make it happen somehow. Prayer and faithfulness and wise use of time are all I need! And maybe some visits to office hours. :)

Speaking of office hours, I'm so thankful to my professors being so welcoming. I'm always stopping by to clear up minor confusion or uncertainty on homework problems. It's made such a difference.

I signed up for yet another giant test. I don't know why I keep doing this to myself; I though the GRE was enough! But, no, I had to hear about the FE exam. :) It's the precursor to the infamous Professional Engineer certification. Even if I take the FE in April in Florida, it will qualify me for taking the PE in 4 years in any state. This is convenient since I anticipate being in Texas in 4 years. It doesn't seem like I'll need a PE for working at NASA, but since the school will reimburse me and everything's fresh in my mind from my engineering degree, it does make sense to go for it. Especially if I need it to be promoted or something. If I waited, I'd be stuck having to turn it down until 4 years in the future! And I can put E.I. after my name. :) The mechanical engineering department will have a 1 credit hour course where engineering professors review basic knowledge for the exam. That will be beneficial in general so I'm going all in! It will feel so good walking out of that examination room in April knowing it's almost time to graduate.

Switching gears, I did manage to squeeze some fun in here in there by going out to eat with friends and doing the "spropping" as I promised in the last journal. I also bought several of my favorite truffles from Angell and Phelps. I wish I could go there every weekend sometimes. :) As for my spring snorkel adventure, here's some pics I found on Google Images of the types of animals we saw:

We also had some tasty pancakes at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill. It wasn't the best pancake ever but it was reasonably-priced and homemade so nothing to complain about. Plus they had fun toppings and you make it on a skillet built-in to the table.

I really enjoy living in Chanute. It's still odd having my living room and bedroom be the same thing, but I've gotten used to it. Plus, it's pretty quiet out here so it makes me feel more grown up :). I'll always have fond memories of all the adventures in Doolittle and O'Connor but I'm also ready to feel like I'm in a place that has more permanent things. I have a full set of kitchen tools and a little vacuum too.

Well I'm looking forward to Fall Break (Busch Gardens and St. Augustine time!) as well as supporting my sweetie and friends at the Career Fair. As usual I'm going for the free stuff. It's nice to have a job lined up, but weird I've never been able to chat with all the different companies at the fair. Still, obviously working for NASA is what I've always wanted so I am nothing but thrilled.

See ya after the break and just in time for a masquerade ball and microgravity proposal submission! :)

Senior Moments

2011-09-29T18:40:00.001-05:00

It's over a month into my senior year and things are crazy! I never expected to have so much to do on a given day with only three classes! Of course I also have senior design and a new microgravity team keeping me busy, too.

First things first- my classes. I am taking controls, advanced fluids, and robotic arms. Controls is taught by Dr. Tang meaning... I have had a class with Dr. Tang, Wang, and Yang! Obviously, high quality professors come from China. :)

Dr. Tang is a different breed of professor. She is excellent at "forcing" us to learn instead of just memorize. We have 1-2 homework problems after every class. This may sound burdonsome, but the assignments typically take about 1 hour. This means we are spending 1 hour in review of our 1 hour class every time. A method like this truly gives you no choice but to learn (unless you get a solutions manual or something which doesn't help you at all in the long run). I was so thrilled with our first test this week. Even though I had an outrageous formula sheet (8.5 x 11 double-sided), I only needed to look at it once or twice to confirm. I hope I can continue this trend of taking the time to truly understand homework (which usually means getting a few questions answered during office hours).

Advanced fluids is difficult mainly because it is a Tuesday/Thursday class at 8:15. When you're at college, waking up for an 8:15 class is ridiculous. :) No one in the workforce would consider that early but here... it is. I just find it hard to listen to a difficult subject for 1.5 hours. Thankfully it's similar to fluids (no duh!) which I had a few semesters back. I have a few more weeks before the first test to really grasp the concepts.

Robotic arms is pretty self-explanatory. So far we've covered rotation matrices, vectors, translations, and types of links and joints. These topics are necessary for knowing where different limbs of your robot are and how to move them to where you need. We've also had to do quite a bit of Matlab programming. For example, I learned how to write a function in Matlab. Basically, I can define a function and just call it when I need it. In other words, if you knew the formula for converting radians to degrees but wanted a computer to compute it for you, you could save a file with the calculation and then just type in the radian value in the right function calling format and... ta-dah! You will get the value in degrees. I apologize to those who still have no idea what I'm talking about. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't either until two weeks ago.

Let's change it up a bit by talking about fun things! Since it's still in the 90s almost every day, I've been trying to go to some sort of beach/water place every weekend. Port Orange, Ormond Beach, Blue Spring, you name it! Blue Spring was awesome because I got to swim with a manatee and some long-nose and spotted gar. I also saw a great blue heron just fly right above me (it was almost scary; a Jurrasic Park moment perhaps). It was my boyfriend's first time snorkeling too so it was fun seeing how much he loved the experience too. This weekend we're planning to hit up two springs in one day (which I'm told is spropping [spring-hopping]) with several other friends. I can't wait!

I also got to fly with my sweetie for the first time with him in the pilot's seat. It was part of his multi-engine commercial training in the Diamond. It is not easy to fly I'll tell you that much. There's just so much to remember and do exactly right at any given moment and you have an instructor watching your every move. I enjoyed the view and watching him get the hang of the new maneuvers.

As I am a senior, I of course have senior design. I ended up on a team that's working on improving a robot that drives cars. It's more chauffer-style than automated because it literally sits in the front seat. I came up with the robot name, GERO (Guidance-Enabled Robotic Operator), and our team of three ladies is going strong. We have to keep up with a logbook and a midterm presentation is coming up later this month. I'm excited to see what we can bring to the table.

My other big project is an all-female microgravity team. I guess I can't get enough of it. :) I also came up with the name for that one, LEVIORA. I won't tell you the acronym meaning until we find out if we get chosen. ;) I can't give away the secret!! The proposal is due the end of this month.

Lastly, somehow in the middle of all this activity, I'm applying for graduate school. I started earlier this year but the applications didn't open until recently. Purdue and MIT are both out of the way and now I'm looking at possibly Northwestern or Carnegie Mellon. I will also apply to Embry-Riddle just in case I'm intrigued by some of the mechanical engineering research available and I can't bring myself to leave. :)

All in all, it's a busy life but a good one. I can't imagine how good it will feel to walk across that Ocean Center stage next May as a graduate!

To Everything There is a Season

2011-08-15T09:23:00.000-05:00

It's time to tweak the title of my blog again, that's right, I got accepted into the graduate co-op program with Johnson!! I have to say my final decision of groups was a bit surprising even to me, but I'm happy with it. Two of my past divisions, ES (which includes my Materials & Processes, Fall 09 group) and DI (which includes my Communications & Data Handling, Spring 11 group) offered me EITHER full-time or grad co-op. This means, I had two major decisions to make. Did I want to just start working right away next year, or should I continue in this crazy quest for a Master's degree? Well, it's looking like a fun endeavor and miraculously possible to fund, so I chose- grad co-op. Next, which group? I loved both of my tours with these two very different groups. One was engineering to the core with awesome investigations on materials coming from all over NASA. Another was all about the International Space Station and becoming controllers who solve real-time issues. I could see myself in both divisions doing similar work, and both have fantastic people I'd love to work with. And as an added bonus, both would allow and encourage further Russian language training or even Japanese. I never seem to get to fluent but I do love learning new languages and about new cultures (to me).

But... something about DI grabbed me. I was excited about being back with the same "cubies" and friends from this spring. I was excited to find out if I really had what it takes to become a mission controller. I've had people TELL me I do, but I wanted to truly BELIEVE I do. I'm always hard on myself and I think that's what's held me back from being completely hooked on the idea of mission ops. Somehow I believe without a shadow of a doubt I would be an amazing astronaut, but this controller thing is new. :) Still, I accepted the challenge (but of course the full training for that wouldn't begin until I graduate with my Master's in 2014) and am looking forward to settling in after I have a few more adventures. Of course, at NASA, every day is an adventure.

I'm also keeping the door open at Boeing as much as is appropriate because NASA is at the whim of government and I doubt this would ever happen, but DI may suddenly not be able to fund me and I need to choose somewhere else I enjoyed.

So, I have the GRE scores coming in November, a fantastic senior year at Riddle left, and I am officially a grad co-op and thus have a "guarantee" of a full-time job when all is said and done in 2014 (and could probably just forget the whole grad school thing and start next summer or fall with DI if necessary). I've also heard about several unbelievable fellowships that give full rides from outside sources as well as the schools themselves. Most schools I want to apply to open their applications in September. Especially with all this planning going on subsequently with school, it's going to be hard to avoid "senioritis". You know, that fake disease high school kids make up to say why they're acting apathetic about work and tests? :) For me the temptation would be to not see the point in certain assignments because- I have a job already! But, I hope to remain faithful and see the benefit in learning all I can before I truly enter the workforce. I want to see the knowledge as desirable instead of the grade for once. Here's to a great last year as an Eagle!

I'll be back in Daytona soon but not until I complete having more fun with the family and having an ugly overnight flight with a 3 hr layover in Atlanta, courtesy of Delta. I guess I really am cheap over convenient. Oh well... I won't have to do it again until after my sweetie graduates near Ocean Walk and I turn 23 on the same day. :) I'm also hoping these silly wisdom teeth holes heal up already! I am just a slow healer it seems. If you can get yours out before the 20s, PLEASE DO! My dentist told me to keep waiting but that just makes the roots more gnarly and painful. Oh well, it's over. Just not the salt rinses. I don't even like eating anymore! Talk about a helpful weight loss plan. :)

Anyway, enjoy the last weeks of summer, everyone! Hope to see and meet some new faces at ERAU this fall. Especially since I'm on "year 5" since high school thanks to my internships, I need me some new buddies and I'll have a completely unknown senior design team! Fun stuff! :) God is good!

P.S. My sister's poor kitty that's been with us since I was in 2nd grade is going through some strange infection or something and may pass today. :( Please keep my sis especially in your prayers as Julie has been a friend for a long time. Boy am I glad people usually live much longer! I can't imagine only knowing my sweet family and boyfriend and friends for only 15 years max.

My Wisdom's GONE! (At least it was taken after the GRE...)

2011-08-05T13:08:00.001-05:00

Mission complete!

That's right, these last few weeks have allowed me to check off a great deal of "to-do" and do I ever feel relieved as I relax on the couch with squirrel-like cheeks. Yesterday I had my four wisdom teeth removed and the day before that I took the highly-anticipated (/dreaded?) GRE. Thankfully, my three study books and ability to read and work quickly seems to have made me a very competitive student for my Master's. Of course I'm more interested in figuring out funding than "getting in". Granted, my GPA isn't exactly 4.0, but I do have plenty of wonderful experiences on my resume and a seemingly great GRE score to make up for it (this is the all-new revised GRE so for now they just gave me a score range estimate from the old test which was out of 800).

Speaking of graduate school, just this week I made some changes. First, I added Carnegie Mellon and University of Pennsylvania to the list. CMU and U Penn both are very well-known for robotics which I have decided to shoot for at this point. It also sounds fun to check out the Northeast for once and be at a larger university. Second, I realized as beautiful and well-known Rice University is, it's just not for me. I didn't feel at home nor did I get excited about the fact that I'd be in Houston before I "had" to (a.k.a. working for my beloved Johnson Space Center). Also the department I was interested in seemed so small I wouldn't get a variety of research which would be a disappointment.

I still haven't forgotten about my top favorites, Purdue and MIT. Both seem to be world-class and yet have a reasonable staff to student ratio as well as plenty of down-to-earth people. Plus, the research projects available are fascinating!

Of course I still have Embry-Riddle in mind. I love my undergraduate institution, but the adventurous side in me wants to check out another state and school. Who knows though? I might get so involved in my senior project and find I want to continue in similar research in Daytona. Only time will tell.

I was finally able to get on a microgravity flight and catch up with Nate and Dr. G (now Dr. Zero G :)) from the ERAU mechanical department. Nate was my team lead last year and is now working on his master's. It was our experiment enclosure with a new spacecraft on steroids. They were actually doing fuel transfer in conjunction with MIT and a rocket company. I really enjoyed just floating around and I even got to help another team working with a robotic arm for capture since their poor controller got sick.

I can't believe my senior year STARTS THIS MONTH! I am looking forward to being back at Embry and seeing things like our lovely new aviation maintenance center. And I hear the building for the new administration building is underway. I hope it's done before graduation so I can enjoy the brand spanking new architecture of it all. I also wish I could see the new College of Arts and Sciences and Student Center coming "soon", but I probably won't until I come back for some alumni weekend.

I think I mentioned this before but my class schedule is pretty reasonable. I've even thought about doing a computer aided design minor, but I would go from a reasonable schedule to a psycho schedule so it doesn't seem worth it. I may take one extra class just to help my future career. It really is better to think that way more so than how things look on paper all the time.

My sweetie has been working hard getting his flight instructor ratings. He even promised he'd help me finish my private pilot license for free so I'd just have to pay for the plane itself. That could be fun... or a disaster! :) We do love spending time together and I tend to be a very teachable person so I think it would work out fine.

I wonder what senior design will be like? I'm looking forward to the challenge but I also hate not having a clue how things work. Soon enough I'll know. For now I should just heal from my surgery and enjoy my few weeks with family. The weather here in Seattle-area is FANTASTIC. You can't beat 70s, clear skies, and beautiful trees and mountains. It was such a nice relief from Texas (in the 100s!! and humid as ever) as well as Florida. My dad and I completed our road trip and enjoyed Blue Man Group and Disney World before flying home. FYI, don't forget as a college student you can get major discounts! The athletic department in the ICI sells discount theme park tickets and Blue Man Group offers $30 tickets "day-of" if you have a student ID. They'll give you the best seats left, in other words. And trust me, that's a HUGE discount and a HILARIOUS show.

No more GRE study... hallelujah. Can't wait to enjoy the rest of my summer and enjoy my last year as an undergrad. See you soon, Daytona!!

P.S. My time at NASA ended well. I gave a relaxed and fun exit presentation and my mentor won an award that I nominated him for. I also interviewed with a few groups dealing with robotics in the hopes of becoming a graduate co-op. My tours would be summer 2012 and 2013 and then I'd start working full-time summer or fall 2014 if I am selected.

No More Shuttle

2011-07-18T09:43:00.001-05:00

I watched the very last shuttle launch from my little computer screen at work. There Atlantis sat on the launch pad, ready to go on her very last adventure. It's strange to think my entire life we've had a shuttle launch happening or in the works until now. It was almost commonplace; media coverage of shuttle and station events was sparse... until things went wrong of course. When shuttles first left the earth, we didn't have the technology to blog or Facebook or tweet about it. We couldn't watch a live feed on the internet. There weren't Apple Macintosh computers or Windows operating system; soft bifocal contact lenses or disposable lenses; digital cell phones or answering machines; hi-def television or the World Wide Web; fuel cells or hybrids. There wasn't even me (poor grammar to prove a point :))! I wish I had followed the program more closely. I think many Americans can relate to that. Before the last launch, people asked me if it was really true they were being retired and why. Now, people ask, well isn't NASA over and done now? How little the public really knows about one of their most important technological drivers and dream factory.

Not many days before the launch, I sat on Galveston Island's rocky breakers looking out over the bay at fireworks. The Fourth of July is always a fantastic time for coming together and seeing something beautiful come out of a history of hardship. Because of my beliefs I almost have a hard time celebrating rebellion against authority, but I always have to just be thankful things happened the way they did because I love being American. Do I get embarrassed by some of the celebrities or even just tacky tourists when other countries see it? Sure. But I'd much rather be passionate, down-to-earth, and a dreamer, even if it means someone looks down on me for it. My spring travel experiences showed me that character matters more than nationality when it comes to connecting with people.

Going back to launch day, I also began a journey of my own to Chicago to visit my sweetie and his family. I enjoyed seeing Navy Pier, Six Flags Great America, Downtown (including the new and slightly puzzling and controversial Marilyn Monroe statue whose head was covered the day we visited), and even taking a road trip to tour Purdue. I also spent some time at American Flyers where my boyfriend has been working on his Flight Instructor certification. I practiced the GRE while he did some flights and classes. Plus, he also helped me review straight and level flight and take-offs in a simulator. :) Maybe I'll actually finish my private pilot's license now!

I could talk about all of these things for awhile, but at the risk of boring you, I'll just say I really enjoyed the Windy City as well as taking a short break from NASA. I'm excited about my last week and my Dad coming to begin our road trip to Florida. My exit presentation is soon (Really?! I've almost done 3 of these things already?) and I'm helping with microgravity more. My team lead from last summer is doing an experiment for his M.S. so I'll see him soon and hopefully get on a flight or two.

Adventures at Purdue:

Farewell shuttles! You took us and the station far from earth and now retire to the world of museums and legends. I wonder what's coming next?

What's Next for NASA?

2011-07-03T12:13:00.001-05:00

So, I get a lot of questions and comments (in person- obviously not on this blog) about what's going to happen now that the shuttle's retiring. Well, for one thing, the space station will keep going strong until 2020. And, we're hard at work on new ideas with the moon, mars, and asteroids in addition to helping commercial companies. I personally thought the whole moon thing was gone after Constellation went away. But, sounds like its modified predecessor, the MPCV (multi-purpose crew vehicle) is moving forward. I had the opportunity to check out some of NASA's awesome research and "products" that will aid the next segment of exploration:

"Habitat Demonstration Unit - This habitat mockup is used to test concepts and configurations for habitats that could be used for workshops and laboratories on distant surfaces. Other inflatable habitation concepts - including the University of Wisconsin's winning design for a loft as part of the recent X-Hab competition, also are housed in this building. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/analogs/hdu_project.html

Space Exploration Vehicle - The cabin of this pressurized vehicle concept could be mounted on a flying platform for use near the International Space Station, on satellite servicing missions or for asteroid missions, and on a wheeled chassis, it could provide a home to astronauts for weeks at a time as they explore a planetary surface. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/home/SEV.html

Robonaut 2 - The twin of this latest generation of robotic astronaut helpers launched to the International Space Station earlier this year on the STS-133 mission. It is the first humanoid robot in space, and will be used to teach engineers how dexterous robots behave in space. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/robonaut

Project Morpheus - The prototype lander built as part of Project Morpheus is currently being used as a test bed for new technologies that a vehicle intended to land on the moon, an asteroid or even Mars would need. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/exploration/morpheus/index.html"

As for what I've been up to the last couple weeks... well I went to the Melting Pot for the first time for my housemates' friends' birthday! It was delicious and so much fun! It makes me want to make fondues in my dorm this year. :) I think I could do it with a double broiler and a little patience.

I've also ramped up my GRE studying by taking practice tests every day during lunch. I'm definitely seeing improvement. It's going to be hard focusing for 4 hours though and surprisingly the essay seems to be the most difficult thing. I actually got a perfect score on the SAT essay thanks to review book hints and my writing ability, but I'd be lucky to get a 5/6 on these! Oh well, that's why I'm practicing. :)

I even took a tour of Rice University. It was quite beautiful... an oasis in Houston really. The campus reminded me of University of Washington because of its classic-style laboratories. I think I'm still more interested in Purdue or MIT, but if I do want to be close to JSC or return to Houston for grad school, Rice seems my style thanks to the smaller size and the bird mascot. :) I've always been an eagle: K-12 + college. Plus one of the robotics professors sounds like a whole lotta fun!

Not sure what I'm doing for Fourth of July yet, but I'm glad to hear Houston's not cancelling it's huge Fourth Over Texas show. I'm just not enthusiastic about being outside in the humidity for it... we'll see.

Time's winding down. I only have a couple work weeks left and a brief trip to Chicago to visit my sweetie to use up vacation days and help with not seeing him all summer! Then, my Daddy comes (!!) and we're off on the roadtrip back to Florida. I'm taking him to Blue Man Group for Father's Day and we're even going to Disney too. I'm hoping to show him all of my favorite little restaurants and places in Daytona first though.

Hope everyone's having a wonderful summer!

Give Me Your Money!!

2011-06-19T13:46:00.003-05:00

As usual, interesting things are happening at NASA. We just had our usual Gene Kranz lecture. Even though his presentation is almost the same each time, the inspirational value never gets old. The Apollo 11 and 13 events are two of those things you'd love to somehow go back in time and just observe. It really is amazing what a group of 20 and 30-somethings could do with nothing but their minds, paper, and some ancient, giant computers.

During lunch the other day, a man from a martial arts school came by to talk about situational awareness and self defense. It reminded me of the class a group at Embry-Riddle offered. The one at school talked more about knife and choking/grabbing defense while this "Master" talked about bad situations in general and gun point. I learned a great deal. Did you know that most kidnappings are done by someone who has some kind of relationship with the victim? Or that 9 out of 10 people who use a gun to intimidate are using it as a tool and aren't "killers" (i.e. they aren't doing the crime to hurt someone, they want money or valuables)? And your child is much more likely to be hurt by a family member (however distant they may be) than a stranger?

We also found out that the worst thing we can do in a gunpoint situation is to think everything's going to be ok; that whatever the "bad guy" says is true. A video gave an example of a woman heading to her car in the late evening in a grocery store parking lot. Suddenly a man comes up behind her with a gun and tells her he wants her money and credit cards. After she hands him that, he then tells her to get in the car. Most people would do that while saying "Please don't hurt me!" and the guy always says "I won't if you just do what I say." If they want to take you, that definitely isn't the case. For the sake of self-preservation, you must assume that you WILL be hurt, but you are also determined to survive. No matter what, don't leave "Crime Scene #1" for "Crime Scene #2". Think about it, #1 is usually in a public place. #2 may be some creepy cabin in the woods or just around the back side of the building, but either way, it's secluded and they have all the time in the world to do whatever. It's scarey to think about throwing your purse and running with your back to someone with a gun, but your life may be on the line, especially if they want you to get in the car. Plus, even trained cops miss 4 out of every 5 shot. The criminal will most likely be surprised for a moment or two and as stated above, 9 out of 10 of them will take the purse and run the opposite direction. If you get shot, there's probably enough people around to help you, call the ambulance, etc... you are much more likely to survive perhaps a shot in the leg than if you went with a killer to a location of his choice. And odds are he'll flat out miss anyway.

If you make the mistake of getting in the car, there's still hope. If you're the one driving. Crash it. Seriously. Into a little support poll near the grocery store, a tree... something that will keep you from getting to Scene #2 and surprise the heck out of the killer. If he's driving with a gun to you, be proactive. Poke him in the eye. He'll most likely slam on his brakes given you a few precious seconds to get out of the car without the gun on your head. The more you "wait for the right moment", the more danger you're in.

We also learned some simple moves to get a gun away from them. Of course, this is more of a last resort. You don't want to be messing with a big dude with a gun up against your body if there's no other hope. And surprisingly, one of the best things to do is literally poke/gouge their eye. Most people are disgusted by the though (me too) BUT, by itself or combined with kicking or punching any soft area of the body, you've got it made. A person can't grab or shoot at you when they can't see you.

Another interesting thing to do is yell "FIRE!" instead of "HELP!" Apparently some studies have been done that show that people are more likely to pay attention to and come see what's going on if a fire is mentioned. Hearing "Help!" either conjures up fear in a bystander or is chalked up to a kid messing around. Who doesn't yell help jokingly with their friends once or twice in their life?

All in all, be smart. Avoid situations that can turn bad. Even if taking a certain street is a bit longer, if it's night and you know the other route doesn't seem as safe, don't take it! I'm thankful for all the things I learned and I hope others can read this and pick up some tips too.

Completely changing gears... I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (I know, I can't stay away from that place!) for the MATE underwater robotics competition. Teams from local middle and high schools up to college competed with people from all over the U.S. and the world. My job was mostly to help visitors and students find their way around so I definitely had some good exercise. Viewing rooms, pool deck, lunch area, engineering review conference rooms, you name it. I really enjoyed the interesting conversations I had with other volunteers as well as guests. I would love to see Embry-Riddle get involved in this as well. Who knows, maybe it can be my senior project? :) The requirements this year were very relevant. It involved the robots having to cap a pipe at a certain depth (don't forget, the NBL is 40 feet deep so some of the students definitely had problems with unexpected pressure), collect water samples, and rescue a sea creature. Apparently the returning champs from last year, a college team from Russia, were the "ones to watch". I really did like the compact nature of their robot. Some of the other schools had such HUGE ones with stuff sticking out everywhere and it reminded me of Wall-E. In this case, I think finesse is better. Still, I hear that there's no money cap so some teams spend several thousand while one is rumored to have spent half a million dollars!!!! That'll make a big difference in appearance and bells and whistles for sure!

I've also continued my adventures with fellow co-ops. Dollar theatre, Tex-Mex food, and the beach. When we went to Galveston... it was HOT. It's my first Houston summer and it's definitely intense. I always forget that the closer you get to the equator the more powerful the UVA/UVB rays are. Ok, so that may not be the scientific way to explain it, but the point is I definitely burn more easily here. I sprayed on my 30 SPF like three times (although it WAS windy so maybe that was the real problem) and I still came home with a bright red face and random red stripes on my shoulders and legs. Still, I introduced my new friends to an old favorite of mine, frozen custard. My favorite thing to have at school is Ritter's mango gelati. Rita's is also in FL but Ritter's is not in TX. I got the mango gelati at Rita's and everyone else tried Italian ice and Blizzard-type concoctions. They were all hooked in an instant. We all seriously considered buying a second round of things, it was that good. We were pleasantly surprised when we went to the Hotel Galvez's 100 Year Celebration when a Rita's booth was giving out free samples of Italian ice (cotton candy is so goooood) and a coupon for a free regular Italian ice. So we did what any sane, normal person would do... we drove right back to Rita's for round two!

Tomorrow it's time for Six Flags Over Houston. Sunscreen and water are a must. Fun is inevitable. Dallas, here we come! :)

Parabolic Flight, Move Over!

2011-06-07T11:51:00.003-05:00

It’s looking like a fantastic summer here in Houston, TX. Several exciting things have happened for me in the last two weeks. First, I’ve been able to be much more social now that I’m here every weekend (long story). I’ve connected with several of the co-ops and interns, some I knew from Fall 2009, and some from this past spring. Others are just plain brand new to NASA and to me. :) I even met a girl who goes to Embry-Riddle in Prescott. It’s interesting to compare experiences and campuses. I went to Bible study for the first time since I was able to move my MyMoon meetings and went with a group to the new X-Men (amazing, by the way!). I had some people try bubble tea for the first time after watching Source Code at the dollar theater and then had a big bbq get-together at my house. I love playing hostess. I’ve also been baking a ton and thankfully there’s a bunch of younger guys in my office to finish things up for me so I don’t eat too much of it! :) The picture is of my latest creation, California Mud Slide Cake.

I also started helping out with the Reduced Gravity office. It was kind of surreal to be on the “other side” of things now that I’m more staff than student. It would’ve been my flight week if our proposal had been selected. Oh well, there’s always next year! And it sounds like I’ll go on a flight or two this year to help out, so that may be even better! I’m really enjoying connecting with the staff and I wish I could work with them year-round. It does combine engineering and education, after all!

Perhaps the most amazing and unique thing I’ve done this summer, though, happened yesterday. Yesterday, I had the awesome opportunity to go on a Shuttle Training Aircraft. We flew from Ellington Field in Houston where I work to Kennedy Space Center. On the way there, I enjoyed a nice nap (the seats are soo comfy!) and sat in the “jump seat” behind the two pilots. One of the pilots works in my office and the other is a former shuttle astronaut, Ken “Taco” Cockrell. He is a veteran of six missions!

When we landed at Kennedy, I went out to dinner with everyone on the two STA planes. We saw two giant eagle’s nests and ponds with alligators and manatees. Lots of wildlife in FL that we don’t always see in Daytona. :) Then, the pilot and commander of the very last shuttle mission coming up met us by the planes. It was time for their weekly landing practice! A couple of different people came up to me, “First time?” and handed me barf bags. …yeah. It made me nervous when I wasn’t but I knew I have never gotten motion sickness so I took them and excitedly sat back. All of a sudden, KSC tower said we were “go” for landing.

I wasn't fully prepared for what happened next.

Next thing I knew, I was on a plane that was plummeting for the ground. I even felt like I did during my microgravity flight last year for a couple of seconds. It’s not quite zero g, but I could easily stand on the front of my feet and let my arms float so it must be like half gravity at a minimum. Anyway, it felt like a roller coaster and was so much fun. We did it 8 more times, 2 of which I sat in the back for a different view. Amazing. I have no doubt Astronaut Pilot Hurley will have a perfect landing when our last shuttle comes back.

I feel so honored to have experienced a piece of NASA history that might sadly soon be collecting dust somewhere. I hope the STA aircraft will have another life doing something else important, but I’m sure nothing will ever top training some of the most talented pilots in the world to return safely from outer space. I’m definitely thrilled my last co-op tour was in Flight Operations.

Pro-E, Schmo-E!

2011-05-24T10:49:00.003-05:00

Ok, at least the very basic methods of using Pro-E have turned out to be a highly “overcome- able” challenge thanks to my CATIA experience. As much as I felt like my Intro to Machine Design course was more work than I liked, it ended up being just what I needed to be prepared for this tour. Without it, I wouldn’t have used CATIA since my freshman year and wouldn’t have picked up Pro-E so quickly. All that to say, I’m so pleased with the progress of my first weeks. Being on my last tour makes the normally distracting things no big deal. For example, I know how things work. NASA divisions are very different from each other, but the way the computers, hierarchy, schedule, etc… work is pretty similar. Plus, my mentor is very kind and yet pushes for the best. I’m excited to see what I can produce with this kind of involved guidance.

One of my first projects was modeling a payload system that will fly in the Super Guppy. The plan is to use it to move a shuttle part (I’m not saying what for the sake of honoring NASA’s private matters). I had to make a model of the pallet, dunnage (stack of wood or metal used to make cargo higher so it can maximize Guppy space), support truss, and cargo envelope. I learned sometimes there’s really no need to be so incredibly detailed. For example, it’s nice to have the exact dimensions of the support, but when we want to make sure the payload itself will fit, we just need the maximum envelope, i.e. a giant cube/box. So each of my other parts is nicely detailed and colored… but the shuttle part looks like a huge marshmallow on top. :)

The only thing left to do is figure out where the tie-down chains need to be located. I have all the possible chain down spots on the pallet in the program so I just need to study how to determine the best angles and locations to prevent dangerous movement. The Guppy is amazing, but safety considerations are always critical no matter how impressive or large an airplane may be.

For MyMoon, I was able to tour the Lunar Sample Lab last week. We’re hoping to make a fun video introducing people to the lab. Of course, they’re very sensitive about letting people in because of the infamous co-op rock heist. I’m kinda ashamed that someone in my program would do something like that, but it is still an interesting story. It shows you how our world works, though, because now the mastermind has a book and a movie deal after only serving a few years in prison. Apparently ruining a world treasure deserves millions of dollars? *Sigh* oh Hollywood. It also seems half of his book claims are outrageous. I saw for myself that the security and looks of the storage area don’t exactly match up. So, if you read the book or see the movie, take it for what it is- a fun/crazy story of a brilliant man putting his smarts to an… interesting… use and not a 100% factual account. He’s quite the story teller but it’s not like he got arrested for nothing.

As for personal adventures, last weekend I was able to fly to the ERAU graduation. It was the first time I attended because it’s always after students have to move out of the dorms and I’d have nowhere to stay. But this year would’ve been my year, so many of my friends were celebrating their big finish. I really enjoyed seeing everyone walk in and listening to the speakers. I did, however, sneak outside to Ocean Walk to get some goodies when the names were being called. It kinda takes a long time to read off 1000 people… I was so proud of 2 students who received special honors out of the entire senior class- I knew both and both were in the Honors Program with me. Very cool. I was also thrilled to see so many dear friends and spend time with them at their graduation lunches. I even met some family members I had never seen in the 4 years I was friends with their children/grandchildren/nieces/nephews. I can hardly believe that will be me next year. I guess I don’t need to rush myself, though. I’m honestly glad I’m not done yet. College is so unique and even though at times it feels SO LONG, other moments make you realize how special this time of life truly is. I’m hoping I have enough friends still around to make my senior year memorable, but even if they aren’t , new ones are probably around the corner.

I don’t know how it works, but I’m going to try out for senior class president if I can next year. For some reason, I LOVE writing and giving speeches and I think I’d do a great job. Homecoming wasn’t my forte so I’m sticking with presidency. ;)

Houston’s finally getting humid. We’re still in the middle of a drought though so mosquitoes haven’t harassed me yet!

Natty vs. Command Cert

2011-05-09T16:02:00.007-05:00

Well… I did it! I am officially command certified. It already feels like the practical and oral were so long ago, but that’s what you get for taking a week off I suppose. The practical had almost no hiccups. It was such a good feeling to be able to execute things correctly and quickly. It involved things like command software; building and uplinking commands; login, shift change, and log off; and file uplinks. Don’t worry if that made zero sense to you… just know that it’s all the things you’d learn if you were beginning to train as a flight controller. :) I was especially thrilled about this knowledge because I’d only done some of the things ONE TIME before I was tested on it. I probably should’ve been more proactive about asking coworkers to bring me to a flight control room to practice.

The oral was much more intense. Of course this is not surprising because I’ve never been orally tested on anything ever. I was close to having a private pilot’s license oral but didn’t quite make it that far in my training. So, I did what any nervous person would do, buy tasty breakfast items for the oral, study hard, and pray for remembrance and clarity! :) It really wasn’t that bad, but when you generally strive for perfection, you tend to get a little frustrated when you can’t remember something after hours of studying. And believe me, you forget the silliest, most obvious things the most! The way it works is each section has a few required questions and several “examiner picks” questions. You must answer the required questions satisfactorily to pass the section as well as a certain percentage of the optional questions. If you don’t answer “satisfactorily” (whatever that means, Mr. completely subjective), you get a “lookup”. Too many lookups or failing a section = redo in the future and total embarrassment (ok, probably not, but still…). Even with all my suspense, the food was great, I enjoyed breezing through some questions and laughing my way through “grasping-at-straws”-type answers, and I passed with only 5 lookups. Apparently this number is pretty good. But I still wish I could’ve gotten like two lookups… especially because I swear I knew 3 of the answers I didn’t say quite right. ;) Anyway, Natalie Spencer is now in the NASA system of certification. Oh yes.

So, as usual my last day was bittersweet. I felt ready to move on to the next adventure, but I really loved my co-workers and the world of mission operations. I left behind a Betty White Calendar, pink circle rug, and stuffed alligator, but I took friendships, memories, skills, certification, basic Russian, and a killer exit presentation and paper with me. Who knows if I’ll go back or not someday? At least I can leave with the knowledge that I am capable of being at least decent at flight control. Plus, I think Chris Cassidy will be disappointed if I don’t become a flight director. ;)

During my week off, I went home to see my family (yay!) and get a wisdom teeth extraction consultation… joy. I also visited my sweetie and his family in Chicago. Both places were filled with lots of love, laughter, and delicious food. But then it was back to business and back to Houston!

Next week I’ll be able to tell you all about my new position here at Ellington Field. I can give you a sneak peek though- do the words (PLANES) Super Guppy and T-38 mean anything to you? Check them out if not…

Over and Out!

Presentations Amid Anniversaries

2011-04-25T14:05:00.005-05:00

I have arrived at my last week in Mission Operations as a co-op. This morning I successfully aced my Command Training practical and all I have left looming before me is the oral. Easter yesterday was very encouraging and I marched right into the room to do magic on the computer. :) The oral should be quite the 2-3 hour challenge, but I'll be as prepared as I can be! I feel so blessed to be able to finish strong.

I am happy to say my exit presentations went very well even though I swear I talked too much at times. I even finished 5-10 minutes early because I was trying to respect the valuable time of the group leads and branch chiefs. I really had a fun time during my first exit presentation which was to my specific branch only. I was able to invite some friends from Training Academy as well as my housemate and my sweetheart. It was so special having them there. As usual, I made all kinds of goodies, some of which were from European countries I was able to visit during my time here. What an international experience this spring has been!

Unfortunately, I will not be able to continue Russian classes during the summer. It just doesn't work well with my new schedule at Ellington Field. In a way, I should do better with my engineering designing projects because I won't be distracted by Russian. I'm still planning on studying for the GRE during the evenings; it should be a hot but rewarding summer before senior year!

I just submitted my co-op paper to career services and my advisor. I suppose it's a bit odd this time around because it's all about my case study instead of some kind of research. It's a project all the same, though, and it showcases challenging relationships between groups and engineers.

On a random note, I realized I need to get my car oil changed. I haven't owned a car that long and I didn't feel like I drove it several thousand miles already but the last time it was changed was in in FL... so that trip alone is a thousand. :) I found a well-known, reasonable place and I'm heading there on Friday to get the deed done.

Awhile ago, NASA celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the very first shuttle mission (STS-1). It was also the 50th Anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight. And, it happened to be free scoop day at Ben & Jerry's. :) Here's some of the fun things I was able to partake in at JSC:

Each attendee will receive a Certificate of Appreciation from the Space Shuttle Program Office and an opportunity to have your certificate signed by our special guests. (Astronauts and Shuttle Program Managers) Starport will be serving lemonade and anniversary cake, and Starport's satellite store will have commemorative merchandise available for the anniversary.

Speaking of anniversaries, I also had my own one year anniversary. :)

I'll see you soon at Ellington Field! Don't forget to show your Mama some love May 8th (and every day)! :)

I've Been Touched by Federally Protected Water!

2011-04-11T17:32:00.008-05:00

My spring tour is definitely winding down here at JSC. I'm filling out exit paperwork and just put the finishing touches on my merger case study and exit presentation.

I also had a blast helping out with a Pearland High School NASA tour as well as a Continental Airlines Flight Operations Interns NASA tour. The high school one was much more limited (and not planned by me), but I was glad I could help out a co-worker by volunteering and getting to chat with some of the students.

I personally planned the Continental one seeing as my boyfriend is the intern coordinator. He and I had talked about how awesome it would be for them to come see this side of the aerospace world. I pulled out all the stops and so did many of the fabulous NASA employees. Still, some of the things that happened were so not planned and so amazing! For example, only four interns ended up attending (out of 10-11) and so these young pilots had extra time in the full motion shuttle simulator. I loved hearing them laugh over the comm taking turns landing the shuttle and then their fierce competition to have the best landing. We also traveled to the nearby Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory that I love so much. Yet again, I saw my SCUBA instructor. But the truly wonderful thing that happened here was that Serena Aunon, a selected astronaut candidate was willing to let us videotape her exiting the pool and get a quick picture with her. So, even though it's illegal to stick one little finger in the NBL... I was able to touch the pool water (rather had it dripping on me from Serena's arm!). :) This plus mission control, shuttle mock-ups, rocket park, and getting to go INSIDE the super guppy guided by a seasoned 6 mission shuttle astronaut made the Continental Tour an unforgettable day!

Some announcements:

1. I am officially a DD3 summer co-op! Yes, that is the awesome group out at Ellington Field! I will be helping design modifications to the T-38s and possibly getting to help with the microgravity flights coming up. It will be the perfect way to round my experiences out because it deals with aviation and REAL, DETAILED, INVOLVED engineering. I'll have to talk with pilots, mechanics, engineers, and learn Pro E. As I've mentioned in other blogs, we learn CATIA v5 at Embry-Riddle. This program is a perfect platform for being able to pick up other CAD programs like Pro E. I'm so excited to push myself and have excellent practice for senior design. It will definitely get hot and humid in that hangar, though! :)

2. I am officially a Chanute resident for my last year at Embry-Riddle! I can't believe I'll finally have an off-campus commuter student parking tag! It seems like my class schedule will make parking a non-issue which is usually why I hesitated about living "off campus". I know for most students who have class at 9 am or 10 am... good luck! But really, Chanute is still university housing so it's silly to think of it as really "off campus". My room will be the studio version. I must say I'm used to living on my own. As social as I like to be, I want my own place to come back to at the end of a long day. I've loved all my roommates, but I grew up having my own room so I'm just reverting. :D The best part? A Kiiitttccchhheeennn with a stove top and oven (Don't know why but I imagined Oprah saying this; it kinda makes it more exciting)!! I am super pumped to bring down my KitchenAid mixer and have fun baking throughout the school year. I hope to have people over all the time too to make the most of it.

3. I wanted to give a shout-out to my friend Khadijah back at Riddle! She gave me a call the other day to ask for advice on Boeing internships and JSC co-ops since she for sure has an offer for one and has interviewed with both. I was very excited for her especially because just in the last year I saw her at the Boeing informational event before the career fair and she's also asked about my time at NASA in the past. So proud of her and I know she'll have the time of her life! Congrats, Khadijah!

4. Russian Phase 2A is so awesome! I love my new instructor just as much as the last and I hope to continue learning it through my summer tour!

Well, that's it for now! The next time I write I'll only have my Command Certification tests left!!

Procrastination = Not Doing Something Early

2011-03-28T13:28:00.004-05:00

I can hardly believe I only have one month left of the current tour! It's nice in a way because it's forcing me to really go after doing things. I've never been a procrastinator, but I've definitely put priorities on certain projects and now have to give all of them enough attention.

Thankfully, a few weeks back I made a baseline Power Point for my exit presentation using my previous NASA intern one as a guide. I won't have to do much to change it between now and my actual presentation.

I'm also helping out with 2 big local high school NASA tours this week and one next week for the Continental Airlines Flight Operations interns. Several of them including my boyfriend are pilots at Riddle. I think I have some pretty awesome things for them to see/do. Plus, I've enjoyed coordinating things again.

Another project is one I've mentioned a few times before: researching helpful ways to improve the merger of two groups in my branch. I just sent out a Survey Monkey to 20-30 people. 10 have responded. What they've said is VERY helpful, I'm just hoping to send out a reminder that will give me even more to go off of. I'd like to get this done by the second week of April so I can focus on finish up becoming Command Certified.

Speaking of command certification, I did some more practice in one of the flight control rooms and was pleased to find I actually did know quite a bit on the subject. Still, the thought of a big oral is a bit intimidating. I know with only one month left, though, I'll push myself practicing until I'm totally confident.

My last project is updating a training workbook. I fixed the simple things and am in contact with a subject matter expert regarding the details I need to change. I can't forget about this even though my mind is busy thinking about everything I've mentioned above.

As far as school goes... I just signed up for my fall classes (the second to last time EVER!). I had to get special permission for the prelim senior design class because I didn't have all the pre-requisites. The only reason for that is my internships messing with my schedule a little bit. I'll have 13 credits this fall and 14 for the spring, so I achieved my goal of having a "manageable as possible" senior year! :)

Oh and one last big thing on my mind these past two weeks... where will I spend this summer? I was hoping for the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, but they already had a co-op set up. Then, I thought Commercial Crew & Cargo would be very interesting, but they've never had a co-op before and they can't start to yet. I just heard about an awesome opening at Ellington Field that has to do with interacting with jet wiring and mechanics (T-38s) as well as helping with astronaut training and the microgravity university. I thought, HELLO! Who would be more prepared for this job than myself? I have more airplane exposure than most engineers, I flew with the same microgravity program last summer and still am physiologically certified for it, and even though I'd be tempted to "geek out" seeing astronauts, I also have proven I can be professional and down to earth in the past. I also have plenty of educational program experience. I have an interview next Monday. I'm not gonna lie, it's gonna be a HOT summer being around the non-air-conditioned hangar, but I'd survive for getting to do this stuff. I have a couple of other ideas of places to go, but this is my current favorite. By the next time I write, I'll be able to announce my new group.

It's going to be a busy April, but I'm excited to see all that will be accomplished!

Free Floating

2011-03-14T20:54:00.003-05:00

Well, sorry folks, I realized I somehow skipped a blog there! Of course, lots has happened in four weeks! The most interesting things being my on-the-job training sessions in mission control during the last Discovery shuttle mission as well as Russian class.

First, I sat with the "back room" position of ODIN (again, Onboard Data Interface Networks), RAVEN (sorry, I don't feel like looking it up ;)) during an EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity). You can tell the end of an era is on its way; the controller I was observing had the strong remnants of a cold, but there was no way he was missing out on one of the last shuttle missions. It was beautiful watching the two astronauts perform tasks outside the station with the earth and seemingly endless space behind them. I've always wondered what happens in that first second when they're out of the airlock and floating free in space. I'd think it would take a few moments to recover from the breathtaking view and feeling. I also wonder if anyone's ever gotten so scared it delayed a mission task. Believe me, I know they undergo a ton of training and between classes, virtual reality, and the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, but nothing can truly compare to "free"-floating outside of our home planet.

Next, I had a session in the mission control flight room with the other group in my branch, CATO (again, Communication and Tracking Officer). The controller I sat with was very energetic and hilarious in down moments, so it was fun to learn from him. He also has a huge commitment to excellency. I studied the display screens and listened to the loops of people communicating from space to earth and back and across continents. What an incredible international effort. During this time, I also was able to see a few interviews done by US networks and radio stations. The astronauts did a great job answering the short line of questions and they looked so relaxed gently floating in the footage. :)

Finally, I viewed what being a CRONUS (CATO + ODIN) is like. As of right now, they tend to work on quieter shifts typically when the crew is asleep and there's plenty of time for planning and setting things up for upcoming activities. The combination of screens was very similar to what I had observed with both CATO and ODIN separately. I was thrilled that even though I didn't know all the system details, the screens made sense.

MyMoon is picking up as well. Each week, we brainstorm more and more ideas on ways to make the website experience better. I've really enjoyed writing a couple of blogs (Gee, you'd think I do that enough already, but once every other week isn't exactly demanding!) and contributing to exhibits and contests. Please, if you haven't already, go check it out!

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/mymoon/

On a somewhat random note, I just want to give a shout out to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. I have ALWAYS loved museums, especially the Smithsonians and our local flight museum in Seattle (also where I really, really hope one of the shuttles can call home), but I've never been more pleasantly surprised. The interaction and showmanship in all the exhibits is amazing. It was so beautiful and wonderfully done. No, they don't have as many artifacts as the Smithsonians, but what they lack in stuff, they make up for in pizazz. It truly makes you want to read every little plaque and play every little computer game and hands-on exhibit.

On an even more random note, I just wanted to say congratulations to 3 of my old friends. In one week, 2 ERAU couples were engaged and 3 of the 4 were on my original Wood floor freshman year! I'm happy for them all. Exciting times I'm sure to graduate and get married.

Lastly, Russian = awesome. It's hard to sound things out at times, especially because several letters in the Cyrillic alphabet look like our letters but are pronounced like other letters or sounds. But, there's only four of us in the class, so we're learning quickly and getting plenty of practice. I'm looking forward to continuing to improve and learn more. I even made labels for my work keyboard so I know where the Russian keyboard letters are. :)

'Aint learning a ball?

P.S. My prayers and heart are with all those affected by the earthquake in Japan, including the wonderful members of JAXA, our partners in space and exploration!

Training Academy Class of Feb. 2011

2011-02-23T10:57:00.003-06:00

Training Academy (How Legit Does That Sound?!)

2011-02-13T13:00:00.005-06:00

Life at NASA is in full swing again! I've really enjoyed getting to know my cubemates and the mission operations side of JSC. Most of my time is spent working on my projects, but I've made sure to go to a few lectures here and there as well.

One of the best things about this upcoming week is Training Academy. It will introduce myself and several other new-hires (or those just new to the Mission Operations Directorate) to the culture, history, systems, etc... We even have several tours built in. It sounds like it will be very interactive and helpful. Plus, I have a nice set schedule. I am a "self-starter" so I can't complain with my normal duties, it's just easier at times to know exactly what you are supposed to be doing at a given point in time.

The past few weeks have also been very inspirational:

*I attended a lecture by a wonderfully charismatic and brilliant scientist. He literally spoke about what inspires people in general and at NASA and how to keep that enthusiasm.

*My boyfriend has free flights as a Continental intern so I joined several of the other interns and him on a Saturday trip to Washington D.C. It was their first time, so I tried to act as a sort of tour guide. How I LOVE the Smithsonian museums and the beautiful monuments and memorials. Plus, I ran into one of my old suitemates who now goes to George Washington University!

*I'm finally beginning to believe I really would be able to contribute and do well here. I'm always so hard on myself, I've had a bit of an interesting time being uncertain about ever finishing command training (again, especially because it's self-study). But, thinking about how much I've learned and what acronyms I understand and use vs. when I first got here... definite progress.

*I had a blast doing on-the-job training with one of my officemates. She was a wonderful example of being on top of things, proper procedure, and a patient teacher. I can see myself being on console someday- I wonder what discipline would maybe have an open civil servant spot when I graduate next year... hmm... :)

I'm sure I'll have much more to tell you after Training Academy. For now, Happy Valentine's Day! I'm excited to celebrate in many ways for the first time. I think my boyfriend and I are going to a nice (but reasonable- yes, we're kind of obsessed with cheap/coupons :)) Italian place and then a Houston Rockets vs. Denver Nuggets game. Let's just say I watched many a game of 2K-11 last semester...

The NASA Lounge

2011-01-27T20:26:00.002-06:00

Life at NASA is back in full swing again and I'm loving it! Let me say, working with Mission Operations is fantastic. It's a unique culture of "discipline, competence, confidence, responsibility, toughness, teamwork, and vigilance". And it's fun, too. Pretty much the day I arrived, one of my other cubemates was moving, thus leaving an open desk space. Another cubemate suggested we create a "tastefully decorated lounge". Little did she know that was all the encouragement I needed.

A couple of days later, a Betty White calendar, fake plant (when I say fake I mean drawn on white cardboard fake), mini pool table, pink rug, coat hanger, and bad cat desk calendar showed up. I even made a Welcome to the Lounge sign on a big whiteboard modeled after the Vegas sign. :) So yeah... I have the best co-workers and we have the coolest cube.

Honestly, it's so much easier for me to get settled quickly thanks to being here before. I still get a little turned around in a new building, but I know how cube/room numbers work, I know how to find buildings and what websites to use. I know the NASA JSC culture. It's good to be back.

As for official duties, I think this will be my busiest internship (/co-op) yet. I'm going to become command certified. This is the first step any flight controller must take before they are certified for their particular console/job. Ironically enough, command certification information directly ties in with what my group does for the ISS. So, there's twice the reasons to really understand. I even will have a 2 hour oral at the end of my tour to prove I am qualified. Yikes. But, I'm a fast learner and it will feel so good to get through that.

I'm also helping update technical workbooks that are helpful in the next step after command certification. Finally, I have a fun research project where I have to follow around leads, attend meetings, and interact with people in the two different groups in my branch. They are being merged into one console position and I have to give observation and recommendation to my supervisor to help them. My outside un-biased opinion can hopefully see the best of the two worlds.

On the fun side, I'm taking a SCUBA class again... this time for advanced open water and nitrox certification. I had to do tons of online studying in the evenings but I'm excited to do the diving all this weekend. I feel silly that I haven't really dived since my original certification (unless you count my Wii Endless Ocean game which I love :)), but now that I know it's a hobby I really want to pursue and the same instructor as last time provided a good deal, why not?

MyMoon is going well, too. We just had a meeting where we came up with plenty of great contest ideas. I also made a Facebook fan page so any updates would show up in the news feed instead of just a group wall. Keep checking the website or become a fan if you like the moon/space and might like to win a prize or two... :) http://www.lpi.usra.edu/mymoon/

For my last thoughts, on a serious note, today NASA had a moment of silence accompanied by a T-38 missing man formation fly over to reflect on those astronauts who lost their lives in space exploration.

-Apollo 1 (Jan. 27, 1967): Astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward H.White Jr. and Roger B. Chaffee

-Challenger (Jan. 28, 1986): Astronauts Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Judith A. Resnik, Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, Gregory B. Jarvis and S. Christa McAuliffe

-Columbia (Feb. 1, 2003): Astronauts Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel B. Clark and Ilan Ramon

They died doing what they loved in the service of their country and mankind. I know they were/are missed by those family and friends that knew them well. Let's remember to never take any moment for granted. Each breath is a blessing. :) Much love to you all, Natalie

Here We Go Again!

2011-01-17T11:39:00.004-06:00

Houston: I'm sitting here thinking about Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as my first day back at NASA tomorrow. I've loved being here so far remembering all of my favorite places to shop for groceries, eat, etc... And even better, it's been upper 50s with seemingly no humidity. This is not the Texas weather I remember. But, I'm sure it's coming back soon. I do have to stay here through August, after all.

Christmas break was very nice; especially the road trip with my mom from Daytona to Houston. I was happy when we finally were on our way for several reasons including the fact that I was finally done packing and moving out as well as being on the Honor Roll for the semester thanks to good grades. We really enjoyed New Orleans, a mansion, a bayou boat tour, and even visiting Stennis Space Center. I had no idea it was that "low" in Mississippi, so we drove a couple miles north of our western route to see it. Not that many visitors in December, but it was an interesting bus tour and visitor's center. They do all the space shuttle engine tests and they used to test some of the early rocket engines as well. The GIANT testing platforms look to be the same scale as the Transformers in the Michael Bay movies. :) They also have endless species of wildlife on their vast land, but I only saw a couple of birds.

Fast forward a few relaxing and fun weeks with my family, I flew into Houston and visited some favorite places. I showed my boyfriend around Galveston Island (where we used one of my Christmas presents- an Entertainment coupon book- as much as possible :)). We went to the Shrimp 'N Stuff for the best po-boys around, the Lone Star Flight Museum, the Moody Gardens Aquarium Pyramid (which I LOVED especially thanks to my Endless Ocean SCUBA Wii game and the fact that I want to get more SCUBA ratings now that I'm back in Houston and it's cheaper than flying), and the Rainforest Cafe. He's loving his work with Continental on the other side of Houston. It really is hard to go back to school after wonderful internships, no matter how good the school is. :) But, of course, the point of education is preparing and equipping you to go out and do things like work for Continental and NASA. Looks like we almost have all the tools we need for the "real world"! :)

Now that I'm back in Houston, I'm looking forward to learning the different "rules" that come with being a Civil Servant at orientation tomorrow, and meeting my new group. I have a feeling I'll be much more challenged this time around just because mission operations people are constantly on their feet thanks to dealing with live missions. I'll still miss my materials group though. I'm also looking forward to seeing so many of my old co-op friends who are also having a spring tour. Unfortunately, all of my intern friends will be gone since that was a one-time thing typically. I can't wait to go to the gym every day again. I love the NASA gym; no idea why. :) I can't wait to start going to awesome speaking events again! I can't wait to be a small part of the last shuttle missions! It's looking like another unforgettable time at JSC.

Time to make sure my clothes and lunch is ready for tomorrow. Mission Control (well, the command and data handling + communication and tracking group) is calling.

In the News...

2010-12-09T10:51:00.005-06:00

I had a call from a St. Petersburg (FL, of course :)) Times Writer, Curtis Krueger, this past Tuesday. He wanted to interview a student at Embry-Riddle interested in the astronaut program and my unique other experiences made me extra qualified. I had a great time chatting with him and putting all of my thoughts on commercial space flight, astronauts of the Space Race, shuttle astronauts, NASA, public opinion, etc... I even got to tell my story.

Check it out! Thanks to Curtis for such a great article; I'm glad NASA, SpaceX, and Embry-Riddle were all put in the good light they deserve. :)

Are Wii There Yet?

2010-11-28T14:15:00.004-06:00

Sorry for the cheesy title, but it seemed appropriate. 9 class days left. Unbelievable! I'm very much excited for my time at home followed by Houston for 7-8 months. But first, I have to finish my 3 final projects as well as take 2 tests and 2 finals. I'm pretty much completely done with homework, though.

I'm very proud of the work I've done on my final projects so far. It's been a pleasure working with my teammates and creating a document that will hopefully really impress my professors. For Intro to Machine Design, we had to create a trailer ball hitch in CATIA and then analyze it in a Finite Element Analysis program. Sounds fancy, but just think of it like a program that breaks up a part into small pieces and tells you how much force is on each piece based on the applied forces. So, if the ball hitch will experience a maximum 1000 Newton force in one direction, you can build the part in CATIA, import it in to the analysis program, and apply the load. Once it's analyzed, you can see where the maximum stress is and how the part will be tempted to bend/break. In addition, we had to create a tutorial for both programs. I had a great time with that.

As far as having fun goes, I've enjoyed playing my Wii. I'm big on deals and sales and such and I love amazon.com, so Black Friday deals (online and in-store) have taken up time during the Thanksgiving break. I say that because I picked up a couple new Wii games. I haven't been into video games since elementary, really, so it's been entertaining to see what's improved in the last decade. :) And of course, I also have been getting Christmas presents for friends and family. My boyfriend and I had Christmas Eve and Christmas the next two days after Thanksgiving since we'll be home during the actual holiday. It's weird because we almost feel like Christmas is over, too! :D

Ultimate Frisbee is pretty much at an end. We still have pick-up games for fun, but I don't know if I can go to them. We had a grand finale for the semester in Orlando. I worked really hard on defense especially when I went in, but I wasn't pushy about playing. It's always difficult being new at something because you're very aware of how much you need to improve to be even with your other teammates. The only way to improve is to keep playing, but you don't want to play when you know there are people much better! :) Maybe I'll find a team in Houston to grow my skills with.

Recently, a NASA branch chief gave me a call to let me know my options for placement in the spring. I'm supposed to work somewhere in Mission Operations (Mission Control basically) and I requested the ISS branch (DI). He described the different functions of the groups and asked me to tell him where I'm most interested in being. The final choice is up to the groups themselves, of course, but they want to place co-ops somewhere they are more likely to be passionate about. I still need to decide between environmental control and life support + internal thermal control systems and command and data handling + communication and tracking. I'm sure no matter where I end up, I'll be challenged and learn a great deal. I can't wait to be back in Houston!

My microgravity team (Or as I like to say, MG 2.0 since 4 of the 5 teammembers were on it last year) finds out December 8th if we made it! I'll already be in Houston when it happens, so no expensive plane ticket! :)

Finish strong, everyone!

Busy is as Busy Does

2010-11-15T18:18:00.003-06:00

It's been quite a busy two weeks for me! I had the privilege of going to the university president's home for a special dinner for honors students. It was beautiful. You honestly can't imagine something being so fancy and modern, but it was. I enjoyed mingling with everybody.

And of course, we had homecoming! One of my friends from freshmen year (he left and went to Purdue instead) came to visit. I enjoyed lots of group hangouts including going out to eat and the homecoming parade, tailgate party, and basketball game. I ended up driving the ultimate frisbee "float" in the parade. And my boyfriend looked dashing thanks to dressing up for the homecoming court. The tailgate party was pretty amazing. Face paint, sand art, bouncy houses, free food, live music, photographers, you name it!

Last week, I received an e-mail about a part-time job opportunity in Houston. The Lunar Planetary Institute was looking for ambassadors for their MyMoon website and mission. I attended an info meeting via webinar and was pleased to immediately feel like one of the team. I'll be working on this project when I return to Houston in January.

Another big event of the past two weeks was of course my sister visiting. We enjoyed going to the local Greek festival, shopping in Orlando, a wedding in St. Augustine, and watching movies in the dorm. I had a great time seeing her even though it felt short.

I've also played a ton of ultimate frisbee and spent many hours working on final projects. Several of my classes this year have projects instead of finals. It's strange to me to have things "hanging over my head" so I've been very proactive about it. I'm determined to have one of the best if not the best ones especially because my teacher is planning to make his favorite 100% and base the rest of the students' off of the best one.

On a final good news note, my boyfriend is now a Continental and Cape Air/Jet Blue intern. He decided to pass on American Airlines. But hey, that's a whole 'nother story and this blog is written by an engineer, not a pilot. :)

I can hardly believe I only have one month left. Time to strap down, get great final test scores, and produce some great final projects! See you after Thanksgiving!!

Career? Who Said I Wanted a Career?

2010-10-30T09:02:00.005-05:00

I have to say the career fair was a great deal of fun this year! Once again, I had no pressure thanks to already being booked up until (if not a job after, too) graduation with my co-op tours. It was very encouraging to just walk around and ask company representatives what type of engineers do well at their company and how the hiring process works. One man even gave me back my resume' saying that he didn't want to put it in the system or I'd get too many calls (they wouldn't necessarily understand that I can't start working yet and I can't fit another internship in). Needless to say, I guess I should have many opportunities next fall to get interviews for full-time positions.

I had heard of many of the companies before, but even after talking with several like Dassault Falcon, Lockheed Martin, Rolls-Royce, etc... I realized I really should stick with space applications for now. My passion is not engines or building planes (although I do like flying them!). When the recruiters asked what I was interested in, I simply said: materials engineering, flight test engineering, and product development or research & development. Almost every company has careers in these fields so that's great news for me! Still, I would like to head more toward NASA, United Space Alliance, Space-X, or the John Hopkins Laboratory (this really cool research facility in D.C.).

I heard from friends that last year nobody was hiring, so it seems like the economy is picking up in the aerospace world now! If I was graduating... I think I would've gotten several interviews on the spot- everyone's looking for engineers! Plus, the companies typically offer to pay for grad school, too. What a blessing to be in a career such as this! Now if I can only find out what I really love to do in it!!

My boyfriend is a pilot and he had a very sucessful job fair, too! He got 3 internship interviews from Jet Blue/Cape Air, Continental, and American. It's always nerve-wracking waiting to hear back about things, but if you know you did your best and communicated your passion and interest and skills well in the interview... have peace! :)

Fall break was nice, too. It was a mix of homework and going to semi-local places like Islands of Adventure and St. Augustine (yes, I went AGAIN).

I also had the opportunity to do some outreach at a local high school for the microgravity team. Christine did most of the talking because of her experience with Project Haiti (water purification system) and robotics teams/competitions. We spoke with 3 different science classes about that and our microgravity fuel slosh project from last year.

In other news, I didn't make the Homecoming court but my boyfriend did... too funny! I felt bad since my mom sent down one of my dresses, but I'll get good use out of it somehow. :) I really did have fun trying, though. And it's cool that I know almost all of the ladies who made it. Homecoming should be fun! Plus I have a sister visit comin' up! :D

Being the Change

2010-10-18T09:03:00.004-05:00

If writing this blog has taught me anything, it's that a whole lotta change can happen in two weeks!

For example... I'm running for Homecoming Queen! I can't believe it myself sometimes, but it's true, I am. The Ultimate Frisbee Club is trying to earn gold status from Student Activities (which is basically just SA giving a club a stamp of approval for their involvement on campus and good influence with students; you get some special treatment after achieving gold, too.) and that means we have to be really involved in Homecoming this year.

From Air Jam (performing a lip sync song in front of an audience), to attending events like comedians and movies, to designing a spirit sign, to building a float for a parade matching the character/cartoon theme of this year... we're doing it all! One of the ways to earn points is to nominate a Homecoming King and Queen. And, cheesy or not, my sweetheart and I were nominated. You technically run as an individual since it's not typical for the two people nominated by a club to happen to actually be together, but it helps to get votes from your own friends as well as the guys' friends.

Anyway, I've had fun coming up with flyers and campaigning through Facebook and word-of-mouth. It seems daunting at times since most clubs nominate people (We're talking 30 female and 30 male candidates total!), but my only real goal is to make it into the Homecoming Court. I know that some of my own friends are also running and may have more votes due to greater exposure (from them being in Student Government or a Residential Advisor, etc...). Plus, I don't have a network of sorority gals and guys who would vote for me. The initial voting is next week and the top 5 guys and girls are in the Court! I'll let you know how it goes. I told my friends I'm having a "Princess Party" if I don't make it so I don't waste my mom sending me down one of my prom dresses (My HS had a prom-type thing for freshmen-seniors every year so I have 4 nice ones!). :)

The whole Homecoming process has obviously been on my mind since the club nominated me, but I'll move on to something else so I don't bore you. :)

Ghandi's grandson was on campus last week as one of the Honors Distinguished Speakers. I thought it was awesome that many of the principles he shared reminded me of certain Bible verses. Here's some little tidbits from his "lecture":

*Channel anger into positive energy

*When angry, remove yourself from the situation and find a solution

*Exercise your mind

Try doing a daily routine: stare + focus on an object for 1 minute and then close your eyes. How long can you "see" the object? This trains you to really pay 100% attention.

*Learn to never act in "a moment of madness"

*Passive violence fuels the fire of physical violence, so don't think it's a good alternative

*Change starts with ourselves

*Relationships are not about self-interest

They should be based on:

Respect

Understanding

Acceptance

Appreciation

*Remember, behind all the labels -> HUMAN BEINGS

*Consider penance, not punishment of children (i.e. taking on the penalty of sin even though you are innocent like Christ)

And, in closing, I'll just mention I'm still working hard in my classes. I decided to drop my Master's class (and really, the program). Not because I feel it's too hard or a waste of time (in fact, I enjoyed learning the Design for Manufacturing and Design for Assembly software for the class), but because I realized if and when I do get a Master's degree, I'd rather get it in a different subject than my B.S. Perhaps materials, nanotechnology, flight test engineering, etc... something different!

The Industry/Career Expo is this Wednesday. I'm planning to just walk around with some resumes and find out what careers my mechanical engineering degree could get me. I'm blessed to already have deep connections with NASA and Boeing, but I'm still curious what other companies offer. What's nice is I don't have any pressure to find a job or internship. I'm just going to learn and share my credentials. :) I even get to participate in a Boeing information session as a past intern and answer questions current students might have.

I've also had a great time with friends doing things like having pancake dinners, playing frisbee, finally seeing the Jurassic Park series (just in time for going to Universal's Islands of Adventure this weekend during our 4-day fall break!), getting smoothies at McDonald's and collecting Monopoly game pieces, going to St. Augustine for a few hours, and eating out at places like Red Robin and Houlligan's. What fun!

See you in November! I'm sure I'll have plenty of news...

It's All in the Wrist

2010-10-04T09:23:00.005-05:00

Finally getting settled into classes and life in Daytona. It's odd to think that I'm technically a senior now. I've always been a semester ahead of myself though due to extra credits.

My classes have been funny lately. They're the type that seem to be easy, but they actually require quite a bit of thought to keep things straight. On the plus side, it's fun to actually feel like I completely understand a subject with just a bit of effort for once. :) I've also noticed probability and statistics can apply to many things on a daily basis. I'm sure I've been annoying my friends by those comments. :) But hey, I'm typically not very nerdy so every once in awhile can't hurt...

Homework these days does take longer, but I've never made a study group, so it forces me to really comprehend things to get it done. So far, it's paid off in my quiz and test grades. Plus, my teachers have been amazing with posting class notes, old exams, and telling us when and what will be on quizzes and tests.

And moving on to another topic, I realized I haven't listed some of my favorite Daytona places in one post:

-Noah's Bakery, Port Orange: Crazy good place with all kinds of homemade Italian and otherwise pastries/food!

-? Restaurant, Ponce Inlet Lighthouse: Cute atmosphere, right on the water, seafood, American.

-Angell + Phelps, Daytona: Go here to get your chocolate fix! Tours, restaurant right next door.

-Mr. Dunderbak's: This little hidden gem is in the Volusia Mall. German themed, amazing sandwiches, endless meat, cheese, and European fresh and boxed delicacies for purchase.

That's all I can think of for now, but oh how I love those places! :)

Let's see... what else is new? I got a new computer. My 2007 Mac Book Pro was on its last legs. Weird how technology has such a fast turn-over rate! I decided to go HP this time to save on money. Not gonna lie, it's difficult using Windows since I was used to my sleek beautiful Apple, but Windows 7 is pretty sweet too! Plus no more compatibility issues with school programs or even just .docx and now I can watch Blu-Rays too :D

And on the exercise front... I've been playing ultimate frisbee! There's a group who plays several times a week behind the dorms. Sometimes I wonder why I always have to try something new because then I'm ALWAYS the rookie, but I am teachable, so it seems to work. I've been surprised to see my steady improvement. Of course, the field movement is somewhat similar to soccer and the guarding and offense to basketball both of which I played all throughout JH and HS. The difficult part is learning the flick. I wasn't so great at normal throwing of a frisbee but I feel comfortable with that now. A flick, however, allows you to keep your arm and wrist more at your side and thus throw the opposite direction with your same hand. I haven't quite got the wrist motion down but I hear it can take several months or even years to get really good at. I'll just keep having fun with the whole thing.

Speaking of sports, I've seen a few soccer games now for the first time. My boyfriend works for the Recreational Sports department here at ERAU (as well as financial aid :)) as an announcer so it's fun to support him and enjoy the cooler fall weather and cheer for my school.

I think that's about it for now. It's kind of an in-between time. We have the Career Expo coming up as well as friend and family visits, a 4-day break... Welcome to October!

Back in the Saddle

2010-09-17T13:09:00.003-05:00

Welcome to another semester at Embry-Riddle! It feels odd to be back in Daytona when I don't feel like I had a real summer. I loved being at Boeing, but getting up at 5 am every morning made me completely worthless in the evening. It's like being back at school is my vacation! :)

So far I've enjoyed BBQs, eating out, and movies with my friends. I even decided to get a Wii to celebrate. In addition to returning to some of my favorite Daytona haunts, I've also been introduced to my classes. Heat Transfer, Introduction to Machine Design (and the lab that goes with it), Design for Manufacturing & Assembly (graduate level class; I signed up for the accelerated Master's just in case I want to do that instead of working right after graduation), Engineering Economics, and Probability & Statistics. Honestly the hardest part so far has been paying attention in classes. They're all very important topics, but most of the lectures have been review for me. I'm doing my best to stay engaged and faithfully take notes, though. It's always foolish to think you know a subject and check-out. Each teacher brings something new to the table and you never know what you'll be tested on.

When the C Building had an open house, I met a lady in Career Services who asked me about my Boeing experience. Somehow we got on the idea of making a promo video to get more Riddle students interested in applying to be Boeing interns. The next day, I wrote a script, set up my room, and started filming. I had a great time! :) Check it out! http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1638802969908

I also wrote an article for The Avion (our school newspaper) about it, too. I'm happy to give back to both Boeing and Career Services; they gave me an amazing experience this summer.

We just had the Activities Fair. It's always fun to get ideas of new ways to be involved and meet people. I'm thinking about joining the Diving Eagles SCUBA group. I got my license when I was at NASA in Houston and I've yet to do a dive since then. Plus, the open water course in Texas was a dirty lake, so I'd like to dive somewhere pretty!! I really love water- if you don't believe me, know that the only game I got for my Wii other than Wii Sports Plus and Wii Fit Plus is Endless Ocean 2 (a SCUBA game!). I also want to stay healthy so if I don't join some intramural sports team, I'll be at the gym! That's definitely one of the more convenient things about living on campus.

This semester definitely looks to be more relaxed, but I'm sure something exciting or challenging will come up! For now, I'm helping out Career Services, learning lots in my classes, and getting caught up with long lost buddies. And the bonus part is we haven't had any real hurricane threats yet! Although I wouldn't mind the excitement of evacuating but I'd never wish the trouble on my school or the locals!!

Summer? What Summer??

2010-08-09T12:07:00.001-05:00

Here I stand looking at the end of another internship! I very much appreciated the opportunity to experience Boeing as well as compare private industry and the corporate world to government work. Before I share a list of some of the benefits I think Boeing offers employees and interns specifically, I have to share some stories from the past two weeks.

First, the intern celebration at the Space Needle! It was a great deal of fun dressing up and heading off to Seattle one sunny July evening. But… I knew no one. Still, the view from our private level was spectacular. I noticed a group of about four girls standing in the proverbial chatting circle and joined in. We soon became friends and discovered the tables of tasty little hors d'oeuvres and delicious desserts. Sharing stories and watching the slideshow with pictures submitted by interns of their summer made for a good couple of hours. They even had a DJ, but only 4 people or so ever danced and even then… it wasn’t exactly dancing. I’m gonna guess they were engineers (I can say this in all good fun because I am one myself and I happen to love TRYING to dance. I still hope I look better than they did though :)). We were also able to go up the elevator to the observation deck. What a pretty Seattle sunset! Thanks to the Boeing intern coordinators for providing such a special evening. The experience also made me realize that being an intern when you’re living at home is COMPLETELY different than being in a different location. All the pictures of group hang-outs and outdoor adventures… and I was never part of any of them. I’m not upset about it, I just made the choice to do things with the friends and family I already have in the area. In Houston, I did every event I could and had a wonderful time always making new friends. It’s just an interesting difference… take it as you will. :)

Second, I finished my intern Capstone project. We had our presentation before Site Services leadership in Kent in a fancy office building. It was obvious listening to all of the groups from different sites that we all put in lots of hard work. It paid off. I really enjoyed hearing about all of the suggestions for improvement and I was proud of the pretty slides I made for my group as well as the verbal presentation itself. I hope Boeing takes our research to heart; I really think they’d benefit from it. Sorry I can’t give any real details on our project. :(

And now, the list you’ve been waiting for! What are some of the perks I’ve seen that come along with working for Boeing?

*Five-Star Treatment: From day one I had an official Boeing badge. It doesn’t have INTERN splattered all over it. We have 40 vacation hours from the start and begin to accrue more as work days go on. We have full benefits, sick days, travel reimbursement (even for just using Community Transit or vanpools to get to work), you name it! We are trusted with respect and responsibility right away.

*Endless Learning: From required online training, to hands-on sessions, to Lunch & Learn… you’re always finding out something new at Boeing. It’s a dynamic place to be! You’re on the edge of aerospace innovation and global economy, enjoy!

*Part of the Gang: Being an engineer means you’re in a union. There’s also things like Intern Buddies and REACH (for new hires up to a few years of experience) for networking and helping you stay involved and informed.

*Giving Back: Boeing has things like the Employee Community Fund and plenty of volunteer opportunities.

*Total Access: Boeing has a wellness program? You’re in. You want to buy a new cabinet? Check out the Classifieds. Ever imagined testing the in-flight entertainment system and getting paid for it? It’s here! Tickets? Boeing discount! Paying for a related Master’s degree? Ok! Wanna walk around the assembly line or watch the Dreamliner go? Go for it.

Being part of a huge corporation gives you plenty of programs and opportunities to be the best you can. Who knows where you’ll go if you do your best, perform well with integrity, and keep looking for open doors!

Trust me, this short little list is only scratching the surface. Feel free to ask me any questions about the company or getting your foot in the door. You don’t want to pass on being an intern or employee with Boeing!!

Time to enjoy my last few days, say thank you and goodbye, and look to another exciting semester at Riddle!! I just signed up for the accelerated master’s program in mechanical engineering so I’ll be taking a graduate class too. It’s on design and manufacturing assembly… sound familiar?? Exactly. :)

Why Yes, Ice Cream is Healthy!

2010-07-26T08:58:00.002-05:00

Wow. I only have sixteen work days left. I won’t bother waxing nostalgic just yet. Instead I’ll tell you about a few fun things I was able to do in the last two weeks. First, I completed my informational interview series. For the final Q&A, I traveled a bit south from the factory to chat with the head of Product Development. It was here that I found an extremely inviting work environment. The pleasant gentleman described it as, "informal and changes constantly." True, I like being detailed and structured. I’m a planner. But at the same time, I love having new experiences often and using creativity and communication to attack a new problem. Much of this can be said of my generation; we like to move around. But maybe that wouldn’t be such a retention problem for companies if more people found jobs like those in Product Development.

Anyway, it sounded fantastic. A group of maybe 100 people working together to create and develop ideas. Sometimes, if an idea is good enough and the timing is right for the industry, a PD employee would see a new plane or product design go from conception to service. How exciting would that be?! True, more often they work on a project for a few years only to have it put on the shelf, so there’s a grieving period. But, it’s not like the ideas go to waste. Maybe someday the world will be ready for it, but they just weren’t right now. Maybe you’ll be designing something else down the road and the research and number crunching you did before can help move the new process along faster.

Product Development is all about gates. Gates are specific steps required for getting an idea off the ground (pun intended). First you deal with concepts and get a decision from someone with authority to invest. If the concept is truly feasible, it goes public and you get feedback from customers. Once a firm concept is established, communication is opened with groups such as supplier management, finance, manufacturing, etc… and a schedule and cost goal is set. Next, a return on investment must be determined and brought before a board. With their approval, systems requirements, firm configuration, etc… lead to delivery and service.

There are 3 main groups in PD: vehicles, technology, and environmental performance. Within those groups are the typical disciplines, engineering, planning, finance, project administration, managers, etc…

I’ll definitely keep my eye open for a job in this department if I choose to return to Boeing. It’s centered in Everett, so I’d be close to my family. And what an adventure to have the backing and team to truly accomplish anything you set your mind to!

Another recent adventure of mine was on-site. We had an epic EHS (Environmental Health & Safety) fair. It’s a great opportunity to receive information about working and living safely as well as getting a ton of freebies! After getting a nice big blue Boeing bag for all the stuff, you make your way through the fair. Different booths handed out edible things such as root beer, popcorn, ice cream, candy, chocolate, and fortune cookies. Other common items included pens, lanyards, stickers, pamphlets, sun screen, hand sanitizer, flyers, coasters, and even mini books on eating healthy (one for fast food & one for grocery shopping). I also learned that it’s good to put a phone number in you cell address book with the title ICE (In Case of Emergency). Apparently emergency responders look in cell phones for this title FIRST before attempting to guess what other number would be best to call. For example, I should put my dad’s cell phone as ICE (although in that case I can’t have that same number saved under Daddy anymore I guess haha). Sometimes for prizes you had to do some work such as putting, answering a safety question, or determining all the FOD (foreign object debris) in a staged engine.

One of the best giveaways was from the Employee Service Center. They had survey cards and a fortune cookie with a fortune saying to come to ESC for a prize. I ended up getting a pocket knife as well as a first aid kit, both with the Boeing emblem. I’m going to put both in my little car back at school ICE ;). While at the ESC, I stopped by the store where they were having a 25% off deal on T-shirts; I got a nice grey one with Boeing and EST 1916. I also picked up a few other things on sale: Dreamliner keychain; 747, 767, 777, and 787 pins (since all of those planes are here at Everett); and a Boeing bumper sticker (to tape to the back window next to my ERAU and NASA window clings).

I also had my health checked (blood pressure & finger prick). Turns out it was pointless to do the cholesterol levels since I had just eaten breakfast and goodies from the fair AND I had a greasy burger the night before (rare for me, but I was curious about Five Guys Burger & Fries since it was just opened locally and I’d seen it at the Pavilion in FL too). Regardless, I did learn that I don’t have a whole lot of good cholesterol which apparently takes fat out of your system. That explains a lot. Still, the final conclusion? I’m totally healthy.

Of course, I’ve also been hard at work on the Site Services intern group project. And, I’m trying to finish up things on the list my mentor made for me of internship goals and activities. Additionally, I made a list of things to do before I leave, which includes writing thank you notes, wrapping up projects, finishing my internship paper for ERAU, updating my resume, getting a recommendation letter from my supervisor, and completing a performance evaluation session with my mentor. As you can see, it’s mostly tying up loose ends and finishing strong around here!

For fun, you should check out all the great stuff happening at Farnborough. Boeing’s had a ton of new orders placed by customers and the lovely Dreamliner made an appearance as well.
http://www.boeing.com/farnborough2010/

Over the Hill

2010-07-12T21:27:00.002-05:00

I can hardly believe it's almost the middle of July. It's been a unique summer to say the least. I've always been spoiled growing up during school breaks since both my parents are teachers and thus had all that time off with me. But now, they get to relax or go off on grand adventures in the warm, sunny, and beautiful NW while I go to work. :) I'm certainly not trying to complain, just noting that it doesn't feel like summer to me because of the internship. Not to mention that they like to tease me that they're jealous of all the fun times I have away at college in-between classes and studying. At least here in my office I can see the pretty sunshine filtering in through the nearby window and have evenings and weekends to get outside.

I only have five and a half weeks left at Boeing and I've been having an especially great time recently as responsibilities have picked up. My site services group initiated a program for interns to work together to propose an improvement. It can be anything in the office area or the way the engineers, planners, etc... do things.

My team created a survey to get full-time employee's opinions on our own ideas and ask for theirs as well. We've decided on doing a case study where we'll look into the feasibility of replacing older lighting in a building. I'll try to stay generic here and describe the most important part of any proposal or case study:

*Return on Investment: It's important to know how long it will take for the item/machine to start saving you money. For example, if you want to replace an old fan, you must consider the cost of removing the old one and purchasing and installing a new one. The idea, of course, being that the new fan will provide some benefit. Perhaps a PUD rebate because of the efficiency or saving money on electricity costs because the fan is stronger and/or uses less power. In order to make a decision, managers want to know if investing funding in a project will bring benefit. In the world of engineering, you have to have good reason (benefits greatly outweighing risks and capital return from capital spending) to do anything since everything depends on fulfilling the purpose, staying on schedule, and keeping within budget.

So in general, we'll be working on an ROI for our proposed lighting upgrades as well as researching interesting new lighting technologies.

What do I have left, then, other than working on this intern project and presenting it in early August with my team?

Well, I still have a few tours, training sessions, speaker events, and a paper for the mechanical engineering department back at school (so I can get my class credit for this experience). And, in addition to those special opportunities, I'll also be working hard on finishing up any projects my supervisor had planned for me.

P.S. Boeing has a great 2-year rotation program (esp. for former interns) for engineers to experience working in all kinds of groups within the company so they know where they'd like to go. If I do end up working here, I'd love to be in that program. Just like my internships, it would help me find what I'd truly be excited to do every day.

On Cloud 9

2010-06-28T19:00:00.005-05:00

Well where to begin? It was a crazy but unforgettable 10 days of my life being back in Houston for the microgravity flight week. Not only were we able to see our experiment come to life, we also bonded as a team. Before I get into how exciting the actual flight was, let me tell you a bit about our daily routines.

Nearly every weekday, we had a 7:45 meeting. For the other girl and I, this meant getting up at 6 every morning. Thankfully, I was already used to early mornings from working at Boeing. We stayed at Staybridge Suites only a few minutes from Ellington Field and NASA. After having our free breakfast at the hotel, we’d load up into the truck with the nice big silver trailer attached. I ended up being the designated meeting-goer. I only missed one (had someone else take my place) the entire week. Because of that, I was also the unofficial time keeper of the group, making sure we were doing everything we were supposed to when we were supposed to.

Meetings included instructions for the day, rules, introduction to NASA, and health and safety. We worked in a nice big hanger with fans and water bottles as our only source of relief from the hot and humid Texas summer air. Lets just say all of us enjoyed jumping in the hotel pool or taking a shower right when we got back each night.

One of the major events of the week was the Technical Readiness Review. This is where approximately 15 to 20 NASA employees listen to you discuss your experiment, rig, and operation plan before they give you the OK for flight. Our team lead was also team lead last year and thus had plenty of experience. We breezed right through it and even demonstrated the robotic arm picking up and releasing the spacecraft.

Although a great deal of the rig was set-up before we got to Houston, we still had all kinds of things to work on during the day. This included things like adding foam to sharp corners, putting on stickers, attaching plexiglass shielding, installing a video camera, attaching accelerometers, filling the spacecraft… we even had to sand some of the metal down because it began to rust. But, we finished everything with time to spare and the rig looked amazing. It was quite fun to have the biggest experiment there. It certainly caught people’s eyes. But it did make for quite a team effort to get it loaded on the plane.

A special aspect of the program is getting to interact with other university students. It was especially interesting to meet the students on the Embry-Riddle Prescott team. Friendly school pride and technological discussions were always present in the hanger.

Another highlight was the physiological training. We went to the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory where the chamber is. Our “flight” was for simulating being at 25,000 feet. After breathing 100% oxygen for 30 minutes (just like SCUBA you need to rid your body of nitrogen to avoid the "bends"), we start "climbing in altitude" pressure-wise in the chamber. We stop at 25,000 ft when we have up to 5 minutes of breathing chamber air. Because the partial pressure of oxygen is much lower at that height, you develop symptoms of hypoxia. First, I closed my eyes for a few seconds before the 5 minutes started so I could make sure to take nice relaxed breaths to get the max time. Because we can learn how we react to hypoxia when we take the masks off, we can know in the future when something's wrong in a plane and get out oxygen masks. I remembered everything from the chamber and was dead set on taking the test they provide. Many symptoms felt by the other students were the same as mine: My vision got a little blurry after 1 minute, then at 2 minutes I felt tingly, and by 3 minutes I was really warm. We were told after 3 symptoms to get back on oxygen. So, at about 3 1/2, I did.

For fun, my group went to Downtown Houston, Kemah Boardwalk, and plenty of restaurants. We also had the opportunity to have a BBQ at a local team member’s house. I was also able to meet up with several of my old full-time and co-op friends from last fall still in Houston. We went to Galveston Island my last night after the rest of the team started the road trip back to Florida.

Ok, so I’m sure you’re eagerly awaiting hearing my description of the best part- the flight! Thankfully, I had decided a long time ago to just avoid thinking about microgravity. Sounds funny, but it allowed me to get a great night’s sleep before we went up. Thus, I donned my flight suit, some special rings (held by a necklace chain), and attached my fun sticker “Obey Gravity- it’s the Law”. I also put a few pins and stickers in my pockets to give to family and friends to make the gift extra-special having been flown in microgravity with me!

As instructed, I ate a bland and medium-sized breakfast of oatmeal, a banana, and a plain English muffin with water. When we got to the morning briefing, we heard more about the timeline and then were given the option of medication. It’s a special combination developed by NASA. Before they offered the meds, 80% of people used to get sick. Now, it’s hardly 10%! I was not about to ruin my once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity, so I opted to take the medicine. And I’ll skip ahead to at least tell you I was just fine! I never got sick, even when I was whipping my head around in 2Gs (which they usually say DON’T MOVE during 2Gs, but I had to for the sake of the experiment). The only side effect I noticed was a seriously dried out throat. They gave out little candies and water bottles to help with that.

As we finally headed for the Zero G 727 plane, we were videotaped and photographed as we approached. Walking up the stairway in the back, we took our seats looking forward to the white cushioned interior fuselage with our experiments bolted to the floor. The excitement built as the doors were locked and the plane began to taxi (Note: we actually got off the plane to kill some more time as they did final prep. before getting back on again and taking off). My teammate and I were shocked to hear that one girl had literally never been on any kind of plane before in her life. Another sneak preview here- poor thing got violently ill. My guess is the anxiety from a 100% completely new experience took over whatever help the medicine would give.

Anyway, after take-off, we headed out over the Gulf of Mexico. Other than the flight deck, the plane only has two windows so I didn’t see a thing outside. When we leveled off, everyone got out of their seats and went next to their experiments. After making sure our team flag was up, the computer for recording data on, and the mechanical system working, we gave the staff a thumbs up and laid down. Yes, you literally lay down on the padded floor of the jet. We were instructed to just get used to the sensation of microgravity for the first 2-3 parabolas. Also, because the human body has never experienced something like microgravity, it typically assumes it’s like swimming and most people will flail and kick. However, this accomplishes nothing but kicking a cameraman, ZeroG crewmember, teammate, or NASA RGO crewmember. Also to help avoid motion sickness, lying on your back is best. It’s amazing how fast the body can adapt, but there’s no reason to make things harder then they have to be.

So, first parabola… I looked up at the ceiling holding gently to a strap on the floor with one hand. I found myself singing quietly to make sure to stay relaxed. It was quite the feeling being “one with the plane”. I tried to take a moment to really realize how unique everything was and laughed thinking I’ll probably always be disappointed with airline flights from now on. As I felt the plane begin to curve up, the force against my body increased until hitting double (2Gs). It was certainly noticeable, but perhaps even less than some of the carnival rides I’ve been on before. Then, all of a sudden, no one was on the floor anymore. Sounds of excitement and confusion and joy rang out. I felt a bit moment of dizziness since my head went from parallel to the floor to perpendicular. It was very hard to not swing my legs. Another bonus from having a large experiment box was having plenty of things to steady your body with. As I easily floated up toward the ceiling, I saw my teammates grinning wildly at me from their sides of the box. The other girl and I had fun-looking hair sprawling out behind us and our ring-laden necklaces swayed gently near our chins. All-to-soon, the crew yelled out “Feet down!” and we sank toward the floor fairly quickly. And this is how it went for all 30-something parabolas.

As for the experiment, I ended up having to be much more involved then I imagined. Almost every time we were able to spin and release the spacecraft, something needed to be restarted. Sometimes the spin motor just died, and other times the capture mechanism missed. Thus, I had to throw myself on the floor, open the little door near the bottom of the box, and reach in to turn the computer back on after our team lead reset the power. Thankfully, this always seemed to work, but it gave me a ridiculous line of bruises on my arm. I have been known to bruise easily in the past, but I wonder if the 2G forces is really what did me in. In addition to computer button duty, I had to line up the spacecraft every time for the robotic arms to capture. This meant having half of my body inside the experiment box even when 2Gs were pushing me down. The inertial rings we added this year are what required me to help line things up. The spacecraft wasn’t sitting as nicely in the trough as before because of the extra diameter from the rings. I’m thankful I had to focus and do this job because being inside the experiment was actually some of the most fun for me. I could catch a spinning spacecraft and cherish being able to do something unique- I had reached inside several times on the ground but could never quite touch the back wall. But there I was, floating inside. My group did an excellent job of communicating through quick shouts and thumbs-up gestures.

Excitingly enough, we got exactly the results we were hoping for. The spacecraft began to wobble (nutate) almost immediately after release. Logically, this shouldn’t happen in a bare, completely full, 90% inertial ratio spun spherical cylindrical tank. But in the real world, there’s been plenty of problems with fuel tanks like this. And we proved that it does indeed happen and hopefully will have enough data of the occurrence to figure out why it happens.

And as for the fun, the other girl and I had planned to do a funny hand clap game which we played with the pilots simulated Martian gravity on the last parabola. For the lunar parabola right before that, I hopped around like Neil and Buzz always did in the infamous footage. I also did “push-ups” of sorts. And earlier, when we had decided that we captured enough runs and data, we were able to spin in circles and enjoy the moment. I’m so excited to see the video and pictures NASA took while we were up there. The video sadly won’t be given to us for 6-8 weeks.

So, floating in microgravity is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced or imagined. It’s a gentle, peaceful thing that requires hardly any effort to go sailing wherever you’d like. It’s not a rush… you don’t get that “drop feeling” like you would on a roller coaster… in fact, you don’t even feel the parabolas. Still, it’s special beyond comparison or explanation. I could definitely get used to it. I’m so blessed to have experienced this part of being an astronaut at such a young age. So even if I never get off this planet, I got a taste of one of the best parts.

Finally, I know my team and I would love to say thank you to all of our supporters, especially Dr.G, Dr. Reinholtz, ERAU College of Engineering, Florida Space Grant Consortium, and NASA’s Reduced Gravity Office. It was an unforgettable time growing in engineering knowledge, teamwork, and research! Thanks also to Jill and you, the readers for following my story.

I’m sure I’ll have more stories from Boeing, but I honestly doubt it will top this… :)

CLICK THE TITLE OF THIS BLOG TO SEE MORE PICTURES FROM MY FLIGHT

Boeing's Lesser-Known Careers

2010-06-14T18:52:00.009-05:00

It's my 5th week and Boeing and also the week I leave for Houston and the ten day adventure that is Microgravity University! I'll try to jot down little notes during my time at JSC so I can compile all the exciting details for you next time I blog. I'm hoping to have some pretty awesome pictures and video from floatin' around and working on the experiment as well.

Back to Boeing, though. Those of you who followed my blog while I was at NASA might remember that one of my favorite ways to learn about a company or figure out if I can see myself working there permanently someday is to request Q&A sessions with appropriate employees. If you're an intern and this sounds like a good idea to you, too, here's some guidelines:

1. Make sure you know how to compile a respectful and polite e-mail.

2. Request 30 min -1 hour of their time in which you travel to their office (of course if they request somewhere else, GO).

3. Have plenty of questions written out; often you won't need too many since people honestly always love talking about their experiences. Still, you may get someone who is very succinct and you don't want to be sitting there uncomfortably trying desperately to think of follow-up questions.

4. Smile and enjoy getting to know someone who's "arrived" and is willing to help you find what you're passionate about!

5. Bring your resume'. I'm very bad about giving out my resume; it just seems silly to me based on the situation. But networking is HUGE and even if you don't want to give it out randomly at the end, you may be asked for it!

6. Make a point to thank them at the end of the Q&A and when you return to your office via e-mail. A quick letter expressing your thankfulness is not only the right thing to do, it's also a great way to keep your information (and resume) fresh in their inbox and mind.

And now, I'll tell you what I learned from my Q&A with some amazing Boeing employees!

~~~

My first Q&A session brought me back to the distinctive Dreamliner Gallery I had seen the week before on a tour. I interviewed both the amazing customer engineering gentleman who gave the tour and the fantastic Gallery Concierge herself. I had a wonderful time getting to know these seasoned employees who loved every minute of their days spent in the Gallery. I was fascinated by both of their backgrounds; many key points seemed identical to my own interests and strengths. I am officially in love with the idea of customer engineering. But first, what is the Gallery?

At the Dreamliner Gallery, the customers have typically already been sold on the idea of purchasing a 787. The Gallery is the "fun part" where they get to customize all kinds of things and see what their plane would look like when completed. In the past, apparently, airlines were required to furnish their own equipment such as chairs and kitchen items. The integration of the customer furnished equipment took Boeing 4 months for integration alone. Now that it's "one-stop shopping," time is saved. Plus, the ability to see everything together in a special computer program keeps the customers from being shocked when they get their plane. Just because the chair fabric you saw from a contractor seemed to be a good match with the interior paint you chose from another company doesn't mean they'll actually look good together or avoid contrasting with the flight attendant's uniform. Seeing everything together is a critical component of good design. The Gallery makes that happen.

Having worked in both the retail and food service world (as a sales associate & server, respectively), I know that I absolutely love customer service but detest many aspects of sales. Advertising a favorite shirt or burger? Fun! Helping a customer get exactly what they want to wear or eat? A dream come true! Pushing a credit card or promo beverage? Awful. It's just not in my personality to force things on people. I want to be representing a company and product I'm proud of, that basically "sells itself". I'll tell you the benefits and aspects of something all day long, but I'm never going to push a decision unless there's a legitimate reason or deadline. And even then I'll just say it in a tone that suggests it's up to you to decide and get back to me.

Customer engineering is unique to say the least. For example, a search in Wikipedia only results in a few vague sentences of information. Apparently IBM started the idea which then caught on with other companies. Of course, if IBM wrote this article, who really knows the truth? :) Still, let's use the Wikipedia description as a starting point: "A Customer Engineer (CE) is a person whose primary job scope is to provide a service to customers who has signed a contract with the company." At the Gallery, this means being a master of ceremonies for the customers. Walking them through options and discussing technical reasons why one thing is possible but would take extra money to do is important. Marketing teams will tell you everything and engineers under pressure will always tell the truth. Really, both must combine to make a good airplane CE. Of course you want to go out of your way to make sure the customer is happy, but if that means sacrificing your company's business plan or safety, it's not the right thing. A successful CE will have a strong technical background AND a creative design inclination. Sounds like a good match for me; I just need to continue on in my quest for technical knowledge first and maybe get an MBA along the way.

Another interesting position at the Gallery is that of the Concierge. In addition to the typical question-answering and ticket-purchasing duties of a concierge, she is also responsible for scheduling and event planning. Making sure customers are well-cared for and that all of their questions get answered is no easy task; but she does it well and has fun along the way. This position, though, would be appropriate for someone with a business background and excellent people skills and doesn't require the additional knowledge of a customer engineer. But then again, the customer engineer may not be able to handle scheduling or event planning. Together, along with several others, they make the amazing team that is the Dreamliner Gallery staff.

~~~

Another day, another Q&A session! Today was my first visit to the Boeing Kent site and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. This department is even more hush-hush than commercial airplanes, so again I'll give a general description of what I learned so as not to betray my company or my government.

As one might expect, there are many fields required for a team to succeed in building an UAV. Software, systems, aero., electrical, and mechanical engineers are a must. This is one of the wonderful things about engineering- it takes teams! In a field on the edge of research and new technology, you'll never be doing the same thing twice. There's always a great deal of overlap in the disciplines, too, so you never know what kinds of projects you'll end up on!

I also learned that when trying to develop something new for the government, a typical path is followed: requirements, analysis and study, government "gates", competition, choosing, engineering manufacturing & development, and production. In a revolutionary always-changing field such as robotics, however, it's more like: idea, support, production. The second path is much faster, but it typically is not well thought-through and may cost a great deal so as to prevent production. But, in a world where congressional feelings toward military funding is always changing, sometimes fast is the way to go. If nothing else, it stretches the knowledge and thought in a field that may be of use in the future.

The gentleman who spoke with me shared a great deal of enthusiasm for the future of robotics and UAVs. He said electronics went through a big push and now robotics are the way of the future. It seems as if the field is ready to explode; all it needs is someone to figure out what will catch on commercially. Robotics' only limit is the human imagination. Reminds me of all my favorite dreamers like Von Braun, Edison, Disney, Newton, DaVinci, etc... Sounds like I picked a good B.S. degree after all! I can't wait to learn about robotic systems my senior year! Maybe I'll even be in NASA's robotics department on my last co-op tour next summer.

~~~

When I returned to Kent to talk with the Unmanned Airborne Systems group, I was pleasantly surprised. Although we touched on technical aspects, we spent most of the time talking about careers, family, and what's important in life. I was given many words of wisdom regarding choices and strategies to be the best I can.

First, to be a good manager, according to this gentleman, you need to have communication, innovation, and flexibility. Your main job is to make decisions and follow the budget and schedule. For him, the technical task is not highly engaging; what excites him is working with a team and completing the goal. He advised me to continue to be interactive, pro-active, observant, and an assimilator. Now is the time to learn to get up in front of people and be able to communicate well. In a world with an older, experienced workforce, patience and ambition will take you far.

As for working for Boeing, he reminded me that the key is really getting your foot in the door. Once you're in, you can transfer fairly easily to other sites and positions after a reasonable amount of time.

And finally, he discussed how important it is to know what's valuable to you. If you care about family, it's important to decline things like overtime and too many business trips. Balance is key. Just because you want to have a strong family doesn't mean you also want to put in the minimal effort at work. It's not easy, but success can be found in both of your worlds if you communicate and work hard.

~~~

Going to speak with Global Corporate Citizenship was another adventure. I felt quite at home with the friendly, passionate staff and learned a great deal about how Boeing gives back to the community. And really, investing in the community makes a difference for employees. Boeing does this without expecting a purchase in return. i.e. a company that sells coffee may invest in the community hoping that those who see the brand and work will then go buy coffee. With Boeing, it's not like they're expecting the people they just helped through Habitat for Humanity to be so impressed they go and buy a 787.

To be successful in GCC, it takes a person with broad interests and skills. Someone who is a good communicator, but actively interested in community and civics and people. It's a person who loves to volunteer with non-profits and is able to understand a little bit about every kind of social issue. They help find options for the Employee Community Fund and Boeing's capital fund. Employee trustees (serve a 2-year term) choose what they'd like to invest in and make it happen. Reading grants and answering phone calls may not seem as glamorous as dropping off a new van for a nonprofit or handing over a big check to your favorite charity and seeing the reaction, but every piece of the puzzle is important and enriching. True, it might be a bit strange to end up in GCC with an engineering degree, but you never know how your past experiences will come in handy. I've seen a great deal of that already!

Buses, Boeing, and Almond Croissants!

2010-05-30T21:02:00.001-05:00

It's time to open the first few pages of my new adventure... Boeing! I have to be extremely careful about what I say since Boeing is a corporation and guards its assets well. I am very privileged to be working there and I certainly don't want to disrespect or hurt such a wonderful company. That being said, I'll give you a general idea but don't expect to see many pictures of me!

I just completed my first two weeks at the Everett plant. I ride the bus each day and am working with Site Services (a division of the Shared Services Group). It's something you wouldn't necessarily consider when thinking about Boeing, but it's a critical part of building the planes. Site Services basically makes sure that everyone at Boeing can do their job. You want a new building designed/put up? Site Services. You need a forklift to deliver a part of a plane? Site Services. You want to install a vacuum for cleaning up your work area? Site Services. The list goes on and on. Site Services even handles fire/safety as well as food. My little piece of the group is mechanical engineering however, so the only food I deal with is what I eat! Someone brings in bagels once a week so I'm loving that. :)

Anyway, the first few days of the job were amazing. My mentor made sure my e-mail, network connections, and other Boeing logins were all set-up. Then I met everyone. Everyone in my group that is, but even that was a whole lotta names and faces. I decided I was pretty safe if I called someone Rick, Dave, Chris, or Mike. Even though I joke about the stereotypical names and gender, there is quite a bit of diversity in my cubicle area. I'm already enjoying building relationships with new people. They have all been so kind and inclusive.

Until last Friday, I was in general learning mode. Everything from hours of online training to sitting in executive meetings to following others as they went around the site for different jobs (which means lots of time on the factory floor!!). I've picked up quite a bit already, but my brain definitely needed this 3 day weekend.

My first tour was going to the 787 Dreamliner Gallery. I'm honestly interested in having the man's job who gave us the low-down. It's basically sales, but he was an engineer before being the main man behind giving potential customers the best possible, customized, relaxing experience so they can truly see the Dreamliner difference. See, I've got it already! :)

So overall I've been extremely impressed with Boeing's ethics and desire to improve. It's easy to get bogged down in engineering details at times, but walking the few feet to the main factory building gives a great perspective. We build planes. Well.

I'm going to miss working at the Museum of Flight this summer, but finally being on the floor instead of the tour balcony at a company that's as part of Washington as rain and green and mountains and Starbucks is inspiring (although Tully's, with several on-site and in the factory, is winning me over. Hello almond croissant!).

Coming up I've got my own little project involving a system around the 777 and 747 assembly lines that I'm excited to do. I'm using system/building plans, communicating, learning AutoCad... what a summer! Job shadowing is great, but sometimes it's good to get out on your own and fly. ;)

A Summer of "Epicness"

2010-05-03T16:21:00.004-05:00

Well this is it! My last post before the actual microgravity week in Houston. June 16th I'll be flying down from Seattle to join the gang and see the final experiment set-up.

I'll have to share how orientation goes in addition to posting pictures from what I'm sure will be an unforgettable time floating in zero-g. I hope our experiment behaves at least mostly as expected and that we get valuable data as a result of all our hard work.

Lately we've had issues again with manufacturer error. For example, we had the aluminum rods welded together... but it was done incorrectly causing another delay in our assembly. Thankfully, many members of our team are able to stay in Daytona until their road trip to Houston to see everything through.

I wish I could be a part of this final building process, but I have a Boeing internship and certainly can't complain about that! I'm starting a few days after I get home in mid-May and I can't wait to see what it's like to work there. It will be interesting to compare the atmosphere, employees, work, and benefits with NASA.

Thanks for listening to our journey to zero-g. The exciting conclusion is coming your way soon!

Saws & Hazards

2010-04-19T07:25:00.005-05:00

Closer, closer, closer!!

Working in the lab has been a blast! I learned how to use a special kind of saw (don't ask me the name! :)) to cut the aluminum extrusions and am getting to know the team better. Now that we have the pieces at the proper size, we're outsourcing the welding job. These bars will make the base holding the v-shaped trough. I'll take some pictures to show you what I mean when we get the structure back.

Our idea for the carbon fiber trough fizzled. The one layer we tried to make didn't look so great when it dried and even with the entire expensive can of resin, it didn't harden all the way. We're probably sticking with good 'ol aluminum for everything.

I also was able to do the hazard analysis section of the technical paper I mentioned last time (TEDP). It was a good experience considering what portions of the experiment could cause harm to flyers and how to avoid it. Things like the sharp corners of the box, the spacecraft leaking water, and potential shock from our electronic systems.

We did get to present our research to the head of Kennedy Space Center in the lab awhile back. One of the graduate students here is doing his research on fuel slosh modeling and analysis so it's a nice tie in to our work. The center director was visiting the campus and seeing what kinds of promising work Embry-Riddle was doing. Since several of our students who have been in the Reduced Gravity program have been hired by NASA, we have a great relationship with them. Not to mention students such as myself who have internships and/or co-ops with different centers.

We're still waiting on several parts to come in, so there's not much else to share. I'm betting we'll get a great deal accomplished in the next two weeks since several of us have internships and will be leaving right after finals. Next week is the last of the semester!

Problems, Creativity & TEDP

2010-04-05T10:54:00.007-05:00

We've had some interesting meetings lately. Now that both Friday and Saturday get-togethers are held in the Structures Test Lab, we're starting to see things come together. Of course, we've also had some issues, but nothing creativity, patience, and teamwork can't fix. :)

First of all, the aluminum extrusions we ordered from The Metal Store (which I had done all the research for) came in the mail. However, only 4 of the couple dozen bars were aluminum. That's right, we randomly had hot-rolled steel. We all laughed at how long it took us to realize this fact. We just thought, "Huh. Maybe it's a special kind of aluminum we've never seen." It was charcoal grey and much heavier than the shiny aluminum pieces, but we had no reason to expect we'd get the wrong thing. So, unfortunately we couldn't do a whole lot of cutting and welding for the trough base. Hopefully everything will get worked out and we'll be able to get an expedited shipment before this next weekend's meetings.

Next, we tried to create a trough panel out of carbon fiber fabric sheets. I had a great time with this project because of my experiences in the Machine Shop Laboratory for a class last year. Interestingly enough I wouldn't have taken that class normally being in Mechanical Engineering, but I was still Engineering Physics then. We made a composite wing section and so I was one of two on the team who knew a bit about epoxy, resin, and fibers. Let me tell you, it's not easy to find the proper epoxy and hardener. Thankfully, we found it at a local surplus store. Still, we ended up with a fast-drying one and not enough resin to do the job for even one layer. We wanted 3 layers on the 48" by 60" panel. We did get practice laying down plastic, rolling the resin, and seeing what the fiber looked like after hardening. Because the epoxy is so expensive, we may just go with an aluminum sheet after all. We haven't made that decision yet, though. At least we have a fun little sheet of carbon fiber composite that we could use to cover the control panel or something to add a little color to the aluminum structure.

As far as paperwork goes, the team is hard at work on the TEDP (Technical Experiment Data Package). This is a special document outlining everything NASA would like to know about our experiment to keep things safe, technically sound, and successful. It includes sections on: flight manifest, experiment background, experiment description, equipment description, structural verification, electrical analysis, parabola details and crew assistance required, hazard analysis, tool requirements, photo requirements, aircraft loading, ground support requirements, hazardous material, material safety data sheets (MSDS), and procedures.

Originally Nate was planning that we'd do most of the construction after school got out; however, many of us have internships to go do right away or other reasons to be out of the Daytona area. This means we'll be kicking it up a notch to get things done before then so Nate isn't doing things all by himself before our June flight date.

So, yes, lots of details to remember and things to be done, but we're on our way!

P.S. I found out last week that I was chosen to become a Johnson Space Center co-op! This means my internship from last fall counts as my first of three "tours". I feel so blessed for the opportunity and the many friends I have already over in Houston. I will now be a civil servant and will most likely have a job offer by the time I graduate in spring 2012! I'll be back at JSC for my second and third tours next spring and summer before having my full senior year with no internship "interruptions". :) I suppose I'll have to change this blog to read, "Houston, we Have a Co-op!"

Best of Microgravity

2010-03-20T17:38:00.011-05:00

Because my time in zero g will be limited, I'd like to make the most of the free time before and after the experiment. This includes pictures and video, of course, but what should I be doing? Twirling? Spinning? Feeling nauseous?

With these questions in mind, I set out on a Google image quest to find what kinds of things people have done in microgravity unrelated to typical daily activities (I do not claim to own any of these pictures):

I think it's safe to say there is a mathematical relationship between things done in weightlessness and things done on earth:

doing stuff in microgravity = doing stuff on earth * !!!,

where !!! = a function of awesomeness where awesomeness goes to infinity

~~~

I think it's also safe to say that my math professors just cried bitterly.

Hope you enjoyed this more lighthearted post. We had the week off for the most part with spring break but the building is coming up! I'm sure I'll be much more technical in the future...

Seeing as I was supposedly the first person to think of doing the macarena in the virtual reality lab at JSC (All we had control over was the astronaut's head and arms, so why not?), I'm sure I'll find something unique to do. :)

If nothing else I'd like to take this bumper sticker in microgravity for a picture of me holding it with a look of helplessness on my face:

Would you like some Anodizing with that?

2010-03-07T12:21:00.005-06:00

It's ordering time! That's right, we've worked hard on the designs and now get to order the parts. Some things we're planning to have fabricated by students here on campus while other pieces/parts will be outsourced.

As for news on the trough I've been working on, we decided to go with 1/16" thick aluminum 6063 rods from The Metal Store instead of carbon fiber extrusions. The carbon fiber costs over $1,500 more than the aluminum! We mainly were hoping to use it because it looks pretty... :) But, aluminum has its moments too, especially if you get it anodized blue!! If you're wondering what anodizing is, check this out from Wikipedia:

Aluminum alloys are anodized to increase corrosion resistance, to increase surface hardness, and to alloy dyeing, improved lubrication, or improved adhesion. Preceding the anodization process, wrought alloys are cleaned in either a hot soak cleaner or in a solvent bath. The anodized aluminum layer is grown by passing a direct current through an electrolytic solution, with the aluminum object serving as the anode. The current releases hydrogen at the cathode and oxygen at the surface of the aluminum anode creating a build-up of aluminum oxide. The voltage required by various solutions may range from 1 to 300 volts DC and the current ranges from 0.3 to 3 Amperes per square decimeter. Aluminum anodizing is usually performed in an acid solution which slowly dissolves the aluminum oxide. The acid action is balanced with the oxidation rate to form a coating with nanopores, 10-150 nm in diameter. These pores are what allows the electrolyte solution and current to reach the aluminum substrate and continue growing the coating to greater thickness beyond what is produced by autopassivation. However, these same pores will later permit air or water to reach the substrate and initiate corrosion if not sealed. They are often filled with colored dyes and/or corrosion inhibitors before sealing. Because the dye is only superficial, the underlying oxide may continue to provide corrosion protection even if minor wear and scratches may break through the dyed layer.

If you're like me, you still don't 100% know what anodizing is after that, but you do know what it does! :) We don't really need any of the other benefits, but we do want to dye it; anodized color is much more durable than painted. And hey, with the humidity around here, that might be best anyway.

Instead of hinges attaching the bars into triangles, we've chosen to weld the entire trough together. This makes the structure sturdier, more resistant to forces and momentum and gets rid of the work of attaching the hinges to thin metal.

After spring break, we'll really be meeting twice a week. The Saturday meetings are more of hands-on, assembly focus. I'm excited to see our ideas come to life!

For now, my next job is to design a cover to hide wiring coming from our control panel on the wall of the experiment box (which will also keep the wiring organized). I also need to come up with a way to make sure the little spacecraft in our experiment can't roll outside of the reach of the mechanical arms that pick it up before each data run. Hopefully I can come up with something great!!

Remember CATIA?

2010-02-21T19:15:00.005-06:00

Another few weeks, more progress! I've even submitted all of the required paperwork and have a class 3 flight physical scheduled for Tuesday. It's just a more involved physical, really. NASA wants to make sure we're healthy enough to have a safe flight. It was difficult for me to fill out the page about my medical history... I honestly don't remember everything that's happened to me in the last 6 years. Let's just say I have some clumsy moments. :)

Anyway, back to the project. We're at the point where we need to make design and material decisions and then put everything together in the computer to visualize and simulate. As an engineer, it's critical to have a clear set of "3D blueprints" that a computer-aided design program can produce. CATIA (Computer Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application) V5 is perfect for that as well as running tests to see what kind of loads and forces the design can handle.

I had a CATIA V5 course my first semester which was a blast, but it's been awhile since I played around with it. What a great opportunity to refresh before a senior design project comes along!

In addition to saving by doing our own computer work, we realized we had carbon fiber material available, so the only part of the trough we'll have to spend funds on is carbon fiber bars (or extrusions as we love to call them) for support. We're utilizing triangles so there's plenty of open space under the slanting trough panels for storage.

Speaking of funding, Nate finished our lovely team patch and we've completed our brochure. Now we send out letters, make phone calls, and hope for the money we need to make everything happen!

If you know of anyone who'd like to support our project, please let me know! Sponsors get their company logo on the trough- they'll be proudly displayed in every picture/video taken of our team floating in microgravity!

Designing a Masterpiece

2010-02-07T08:00:00.001-06:00

I'm excited to say that we're finally beginning the true design work. I was pleasantly surprised by this because I assumed we were just using the same layout and materials from last year's experiment with just a few minor changes. In actuality, we're starting from scratch. At least in the sense that we've been split into two teams and must develop CATIA (3D drawing computer program) models and consider which materials, attachments, and supports are best.

I'm on the trough team. The trough is a V-shaped base which allows the mini-spacecraft to roll down the slopes to a resting position after free-float spinning in zero g. Some of the things my partners and I must consider are size, which material would be best suited for expected loads and design, material cost, material attachment, support, and even storage space under the trough for computer components. To be honest, I was a bit overwhelmed when Nate first listed all the details, but after taking careful notes and studying the drawings from last year as well as the actual old experiment case in the Lehman Building Engineering lobby, I enjoyed my research.

One of our hopes is to use a carbon fiber sandwich structure for the trough. Thankfully, from my NASA experience, I have a strong grasp on composite structures. A carbon fiber sandwich is made of thin resin-hardened layers of carbon fibers oriented in a specific direction with either foam or a honeycomb structure core in the middle. Plus, most of the companies provide these sandwich structures with a fine, glossy finish, so it just looks cool: Charcoal colored material with a mirror-like reflective surface = classy and beautiful.

I've contacted several carbon fiber manufacturers while my teammate is researching support structures. The other team is working on the lifting mechanism. This motor brings the spacecraft from the base of the trough to the height at which it's dropped when the plane simulates a zero g environment (Again, we're testing a spacecraft with spherical fuel tanks so we need to set the craft spinning in an open space).

On another note, our fearless leader got our input on the technical paper abstract to be submitted to AIAA. If we're chosen in their annual competition, we get to travel to the conference in Toronto in August and be awarded for the excellent research work. :)

We're still facing funding issues and I'm excited to get started on re-designing the website, but we're certainly making progress!

HORISON on the Horizon

2010-01-22T19:50:00.005-06:00

Well Happy 2010 everyone! I apologize for not posting any sort of closing summary about my time at NASA, but in a way, it's not really finished!

I mean that in the nostalgic, emotional sense of the word as well as the fact that I'm working on a microgravity team. And so, for this season of life (a.k.a. Spring Semester into June), I will now focus this blog on HORISON, Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus NASA microgravity experiment. I am so privileged to be one of the "flyers" as I mentioned in an earlier post, and I'd love to share our progress every step of the way up to the most exciting moment of being in zero-g (FLOATING).

Confused? Here's the gist:

March 2007

SpaceX launches Falcon I.

After the first stage burn, an abrupt transition to

the second stage fuel excites the liquid propellant causing fuel slosh…

Fuel slosh causes a complete loss in functionality due to rapid oscillatory nutation growth…

…the rocket rolled,

the mission failed.

“The only way which leads us to a quick development in human flight is a systematic and energetic practice in actual flying experiments.”
— Otto Lilienthal, 1896.
So there's the background! We've got a problem with fuel slosh. Here's what Embry-Riddle (Daytona Beach) students have done for the past several years to further research:

-2008: FuSSION

This experiment was designed to measure the rate of exponential nutation growth on a spin stabilized spacecraft with 4 cylindrical propellant tanks. The data was gathered successfully, but only for one type of tank configuration.

-2009: DIEMOS

This experiment tested the effects of fuel slosh on a spinning spacecraft with a spherical fuel tank. The tank was fitted with a propellant management device, or diaphragm. Although successful, it was obvious there were several design flaws decreasing the amount of successful run data.

-Introducing… 2010: HORISON

This experiment planned for this summer is designed to achieve a greater number of data sets. Another goal is to test the effects of fuel slosh on a 100% filled spherical propellant tank. And by special request of Kennedy Space Center, HORISON hopes to determine the effects of installing a tank with a 0.9 effective inertia ratio.

For a more general explanation of the program, visit NASA's Microgravity University site here.

Back at school, our goal is to eventually meet twice a week (one of those being a non-mandatory time in the lab actually building the experiment apparatus). Right now we're meeting just one evening to discuss progress, planning, and decisions. Here's a re-cap of the first meeting of the semester:

*We're working on designing a team patch. Sticker copies will be handed out as promotion for both enthusiasm as well as financial support. This same patch design will also be printed on a team t-shirt.

*We'd like to produce a short promo video with narrative experiment description as well as shots of the team working in the lab. This will help with fundraising because we'll have a product to better explain what's going on.

*We need to work on making the Outreach section of our proposal more detailed. We have several elementary, JH, and HS events we'll be volunteering at. One option is to explain the experiment itself instead of just helping with robotics competitions or science fairs.

*I am now the designated webmaster. I need to get acquainted with the website programming and update the site. It is still currently configured for last year's team.

Still, it's AWESOME! Check it out and be patient with the loading...

That's it for now! If you feel like donating to the team, let me know! ;)

School Pride

2009-12-03T15:15:00.005-06:00

Being a student at Embry-Riddle has opened some pretty amazing doors. From attending NASA's Project Manager's conference, to having a well-known university on my resume', I'm very grateful for being an ERAU student!

Recently here in Houston, Riddle has been in the forefront of my mind. I requested "goodies" to hand out at the 3 college/career fairs I'd be helping out at and was blown away by the great stuff I received (Thanks, Jill!). At these local high schools, I've been very proud to have beautiful brochures, pennants, posters, applications, and more to hand out. I'm enjoying getting the word out about our great university!

Speaking of getting the word out, two of my home newspapers published articles about me. And my picture is being put in Johnson Space Center's monthly magazine as well. How special!

I'm also proud to say that I found out that 3 Daytona campus students will be representing ERAU in the spring at Johnson in the USRP Internship program I'm in now. (I mentioned this in my last blog...) How exciting! I'm so used to hearing "Purdue" and "UT" and "Texas A&M" around here, so I'm glad we'll have quite a showing!

And my final thought about ERAU for now: I had a great talk with an EP alumni this morning. In February, he spoke to Engineering Physics upperclassman about opportunities about Johnson. I kept in e-mail contact with him during the application process, but forgot to tell him I was here! Thankfully, seeing his name on a door as I walked through a building prompted me to e-mail him. The next morning, he invited me over to chat. I told him what the programs are like now (He was in the very first graduating class of EP students! And he said there was no Mechanical Engineering program back then!) and about my time at NASA. He offered to be a reference for me as I apply for co-op and intern programs for next fall and told me about a position I might be perfect for: working on building the simulator for the new Constellation program. I hope I can come back and do that; it sounds so exciting!

Sometimes at school we all seem so focused on the challenging courses and studying, so It's refreshing to finally feel a strong sense of school pride. GO EAGLES!

P.S. I should find out next week (also my last week at JSC) if our team was chosen for the microgravity flight!

The Beginning of the End

2009-11-20T06:30:00.006-06:00

You wouldn't believe all the fun stuff I was able to do with my dad! Ok, maybe you would, but here's a quick list:

Star Cinema Grill (A movie theatre where you order stuff from your seat! We saw the new Christmas Carol.)

Galveston Island

San Antonio River Walk including the Mexican village on the hill above

The Alamo

George Ranch Historical Park

Houston Zoo

Fixing up my car that got dented by a carport pole! It looks AMAZING now!

And we got some great food at:

Mamacita's (We got the awesome fried avocado w/shrimp.)

Ihop

Sonic

Joe's Crab Shack

Kroger :)

As I look to my last 3 weeks, I have some great events planned including outreach to local high schools. I, along with some other interns and co-ops, will be setting up a booth at two high school college & career fairs and chatting with the students. I was able to get boxes of flyers and goodies to hand out from both NASA and ERAU, so I'm set!

Yesterday I was able to quickly speak with Rice University engineering freshmen about the USRP intern program. I made a powerpoint for that and I hope they will try out for the program next year! It's amazing!

Interestingly enough, we also had a chat-with-the-next-set-of-interns session online and... 3 of them are from ERAU!! And we're all somehow connected.

I know person A because we were in honors courses (and the program) together. Person A is a roommate with person B and has a class with person C. Pretty crazy! I was glad to pass on any advice and information I had with them.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Anyway, to get back to things keeping me busy this week, on Tuesday I went to a Houston Rockets NBA game. They played the Phoenix Suns and lost :(, but it was still fun! Last night I had friends over and made a nice big Italian dinner before we watched Monty Python & The Holy Grail and played some pool. Tonight I'm unloading food boxes for a local woman's center. If it's outside it will be interesting since we're having serious thunderstorms until tomorrow evening it seems. You do not want to mess with the rain here!

Tomorrow is the Holiday Bazaar held at NASA JSC's fitness center, Gilruth. I'm hoping to get in the holiday spirit and find some unique gifts for my family! Sunday, I'm going to the Renaissance Festival. It's barbarian weekend and my friends and I are all set with costumes we designed from random things at the Goodwill. :)

Yep, another busy day in the life of a NASA intern, but it's all amazing!

The ISS’ Party Deck

2009-11-05T12:16:00.005-06:00

Ok, so it’s not a party deck, but that is a fun way to describe the observation deck being added to the International Space Station by the STS-130 crew next year. The Cupola has seven windows perfect for viewing the vastness of space and the beauty of earth. It will also allow the crew to observe the ISS and astronauts during spacewalks. Cupola is just shy of 10 feet in diameter, so it might get pretty crowded when it first arrives and all the crew members want to take a look!

Alenia Spazio in Turin, Italy built the Cupola and sent the finished module to Kennedy Space Center in 2004. There is also a replica at Johnson Space Center in the mock-up area of Building 9 so the astronauts can practice (my picture coming soon) docking/connecting the module in space.

How can you have a bunch of large windows separating crew and the inhabitable space environment? Well, the Cupola viewing panels are made of fused silica and borosilicate glass panes. They even have shutters to protect from micrometeoroids when not in use as well as temperature-sensing and heating capabilities. Talk about advanced windows!

Along with several co-ops, I was recently given a tour of the mock-up bay. (pictures here soon, too) When we heard about the Cupola, we immediately began brainstorming about other fun things to bring up. It didn’t help that we were in the Russian side of the ISS which is carpeted in autumnal tones. It seemed to be stuck in the 70s… I joked I was surprised the toilet wasn’t avocado green. Then, in the spirit of fun, I suggested that the crew bring up a disco ball in addition to the Cupola. There was a concern brought up about glass fragments, so I countered that they bring a safe plastic one or just go with the colored light version. The dangers of glass disco balls then made me think of lava lamps. Despite it working because of convection, I am now determined to develop a safe, non-scalding lava lamp. It might just be a “blob” lamp though at that point…

Ah the fun to be had at NASA!

Speaking of fun, check out the C.O.L.B.E.R.T. (if you haven't heard of it yet, you must be living under a rock). The head of astronaut selection told me it's been working very well and the adverse affects of living in space are lessening as we add more efficient exercise equipment like C.O.L.B.E.R.T.

Also, Buzz Lightyear's flight... and the great video with Buzz Aldrin about his training!

Stuffs that I'm-A-Doin'

2009-10-23T15:25:00.012-05:00

Time for an adventure update! That’s right, as if working at NASA wasn’t fun enough, there’s plenty to do in Houston!

SCUBA

The Dive Operations Lead of the Neutral Buoyancy Lab offered SCUBA certification to interns and co-ops, so I snatched it up! Of course there are plenty of places to learn in FL, but then I’d have to deal with having homework at the same time. And when else can you learn from a NASA dive expert with other intern buddies? We’ve finished the pool part of the lessons and I did an online course last Sunday evening. The first time was so weird! Your brain can’t understand why you are suddenly able to breathe underwater and you sound like Darth Vader before hearing a loud stream of bubbles go by your ear! We learned basic skills and got used to ascending and descending in the water. My favorite is always the “free time” at the end where we use up (well down to 500 psi) the air in our tank swimming around. I was trying to do flips and twists and then I combed the bottom of the pool for my friend’s tiny earring. I was successful and am now known as the treasure hunter in the group! :)

EVENTS

Latin Dance

Third Day Concert

Star Wars Concert

Pro Basketball Game

NASA Holiday Bazaar

Renaissance Fair

VISITOR

That’s right, my very own daddy dearest will be visiting mid-November. We are planning all kinds of things, including going to San Antonio to go to River Walk, the Alamo, caves, and plenty of tasty food shops!

Learning from the Best

2009-10-23T14:26:00.006-05:00

One of the best things about being an intern or co-op at NASA is getting to meet amazing people and hear their stories! So far, I’ve gone to lectures by:

Colonel Eileen Collins

Eileen Marie Collins is a retired American astronaut and a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel. A former miltary instructor and test pilot, Collins was the first female pilot and first female commander of the Space Shuttle. She was awarded several medals for her work. Col. Collins has logged 38 days 8 hours and 10 minutes in outer space. Collins retired on May 1, 2006 to pursue private interests, including service as a board member of USAA.

Shuttle Flight Director Paul Dye

Mr. Dye is currently a Shuttle Flight Director. A graduate of the U

niversity of Minnesota’s Aerospace department, he joined NASA in 1982. In his time here, He has directed over 27 missions, including the recent STS-127, as well as the majority of all Shuttle-Mir missions. He is also an avid aviator whose true passion is flight.

Duane Ross

Duane Ross is currently the Head of Astronaut Selection, and in charge of the Astronaut Candidate Training Program, which is the basic training program for all new astronauts. He has been a part of the selection process for 229 astronauts and has trained a combined 130 US and International astronauts.

Dr. Chris Kraft

Dr. Chris Kraft graduated from Virginia Tech with an Aeronautical Engineering degree at age 20. He was immediately hired by NACA and later became one of the original 35 engineers of Project Mercury. He is the creator of Mission Control and served as its first flight director. He later achieved higher levels of management, eventually being named the second director of what we know today as Johnson Space Center.

Astronaut Chris Cassidy

Mr. Cassidy graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1993, with a Bachelors Degree in Mathematics. He went on to receive his Masters in Ocean Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2000. He was a US Navy SEAL for 10 years, and served four, six month deployments. Of the four, two in Afghanis

tan and two in the Mediterranean. Mr. Cassidy also logged over 200 hours underwater onboard a 2 man flooded submersible.

He was selected in 2004 by NASA, and worked as a CAPCOM from 2006-2008. His first space flight was in July of 2009 aboard Endeavor for the STS-127 mission. Mr. Cassidy preformed three spacewalks during the mission, for a total of 18 hours and 5 minutes of EVA.

Vomit Comet- The Awesome Truth!

2009-10-13T06:02:00.002-05:00

Greetings from NASA Land (My favorite new phrase)!

I received some very exciting news last week about a great program JSC puts on every year: The Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunity Program, or Microgravity University for short.

The program is basically an amazing chance to get students technical and team experience. Once you come up with a proposal, NASA employees in both the technical and education department evaluate the different parts of the paper. They make sure that your experiment is safe, designed well, and that it will serve a greater purpose than you just floating around in NASA’s C-9 or ZeroG’s planes. Of course, microgravity is one of the big draws, but it takes a lot of work to get everything prepared and done correctly (so I hear anyway).

You can look at the pictures I took of the C-9 plane at Ellington in my previous post. It even has a parabola diagram on the side and cushioned insides with handles so it’s pretty obvious which plane it is!

If you’ve ever walked in the Lehman Engineering building on campus, you’ve probably seen some of the posters and experiments displayed by the staircase from past teams.

Each team is typically 6 “flyers” with 1-3 substitute “flyers”. Being a “flyer” means you actually get to fly with the experiment and experience microgravity if your team is chosen. The substitutes are of course not flying unless someone else can’t make it.

Anyway, the news was that I was accepted as the final flying member of the team! I was expecting that I wouldn’t be able to start or join a team until next fall since I’m not at school. But, since the proposals are due on October 28^th, I was able to jump in via e-mail and work on the technical abstract. We’ll find out if we’re chosen in December right before I head back home for my 21^st birthday and Christmas break!

Another big piece of news is that I have indeed decided to switch to Mechanical Engineering. I’m in the process of doing the paperwork right now, so it’s no longer a maybe. I mentioned reasons I was considering it in the last few blogs, but after further discussion with my parents and other NASA employees, I know I’m making the right choice for me. I’m excited to go back next semester, dive into classes, and get great group engineering experience by being on the Microgravity Team (assuming we’re chosen; our Project Lead was the Lead for last year’s experiment which was chosen and flew, so we’ve got a great shot!).

Well, it’s back work after a great 3-day weekend! I used it to catch up on relaxing, sleep, errands, and cleaning. I did at least have fun going to a new “green” park in downtown Houston. Discovery Green was a great place to chat and walk around with my other co-op friends, including my ERAU co-op friend and his dog, Simba. (Pictures soon)