David Galvan...

Howdy yall! My name is David Galvan and I am a Physics major from the University of California, San Diego. Born and raised in San Diego, I have to say there's no better place to live on planet Earth. . . 'course I guess I'm biased. I am just finishing up my first work tour as a NASA co-op here at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Why would I (or should you) want to work for NASA? Like most of the people who will read this, I've always had the drive to explore. Whether it's scuba diving under the sea, hiking a wilderness trail, or just trying something new, there's nothing more exhilirating than going somewhere or doing something you haven't done before. It's probably not hard to see why I'd be interested in space. Whenever I've been out camping in the desert or mountains on a clear night, I've always looked up at the stars and been overwhelmed at how immense and beautiful the Universe is. Just looking up and realizing what a small part of the Universe our little world is, and how much Humanity has left to explore, made me want to fall upward and outward into the night sky.

I guess everyone wants to make his or her time in this world count, and sometimes it's hard to figure out the best way to do that. I knew I wanted to explore, and I knew I wanted to feel like I was making a contribution to humanity. It turns out that the U.S. Government conveniently created an Agency for people who want to do just that: NASA. I mean, come on, I'm sure you'd agree that this has got to be the coolest government agency in the world: one whose prime purpose is to explore space and make human life better as a result.

How did I get to be a NASA Co-op? I started out working for EarthKAM (http://www.earthkam.ucsd.edu), a student-run Earth Imagery payload for the Shuttle and International Space Station, managed at UCSD. I made a couple of good friends at EarthKAM who had gone through the Co-op program, and they told me how great it was to be a co-op at Johnson Space Center. Of course, it didn't take much to convince me to head down to UCSD's career fair and make a B-line for the NASA JSC booth. I met Bob Musgrove, told him a little about myself and that I would love the opportunity to work at NASA. I went to an interview, waited a few weeks and, after an unexpected NASA hiring freeze (a most anxious time for me!) I finally got a call from Bob saying that JSC would like to hire me as a co-op! (I was also lucky enough to be involved in another program called the NASA Academy over the summer of 2001! Check it out at http://www.nasa-academy.nasa.gov or shoot me an e-mail to learn more about this other awesome undergrad program!)

What's it like to be a co-op? Well, if you've ever been interested in space at all, co-oping at JSC is like heaven on Earth, and here's why:

First of all, you get the privilege of working next to people who have been involved in and passionate about space for years: Flight Controllers, Engineers, Scientists, fellow co-ops, and, of course, Astronauts. As far as I can tell, you don't end up working for NASA by accident, so it's pretty likely that everyone you'll be working with is here because they WANT to be here, and have worked hard to get here. It's an honor to work alongside others who are passionate about what they do. Second of all, as unbelievable as it sounds, you actually get paid to do something you love! I know that most co-ops are so excited to be involved with NASA that they would probably be willing to work here for free. Third, you actually get to choose what division of JSC you'd like to work in. If you're not as thrilled as you could be with your first work assignment, no problem! Just find a department you'd love to work in, and chances are you'll get to work there your next assignment.

To top it all off, even though most if not all the other co-ops are as passionate about their work as you are, they are also some of the coolest people to hang out with. As a co-op, your social life is as rich as you'd like it to be. Co-ops organize lunches, tours, weekend outings, beach parties, even a road trip to the cape to see a Shuttle launch! Of course, you may not get to go. . . you may be "stuck" supporting that very shuttle mission from Mission Control!

All I can say is, if you've ever dreamed of being involved in the U.S. Space Program, this is the best way to get involved during your undergraduate years. This has been my first work tour, and I've already had the opportunity to sit console in Mission Control for ISS operations AND a Space Shuttle mission, fly and land the same space shuttle simulator used to train the astronauts, explore the station and shuttle mockups, and meet lots of astronauts. And there's MUCH more to do at JSC than that!

I feel very fortunate to be have this opportunity to contribute to the space program, and to get work experience in a field that I'm so passionate about. I hope you'll follow your dreams too, wherever they take you! If you have any questions about EarthKAM, the NASA Academy, the Co-op program, or anything else, feel free to drop me a line at dgalvan@ucsd.edu. Good luck!