Isaac Mensah...

So by now you've made it this far in the Student Programs website, so obviously, you're interested in co-oping with JSC, or you know someone who is. Well, hopefully this, and the other bios on this page, can help answer some of your questions.

Basic Stuff First.

So a little about me; well, I'm a senior Computer Engineering major at Mississippi State University. I also have a Mathematics degree from Jackson State University, which is also in Mississippi. At the ripe old age of 25, I'm one of the oldest undergrad co-ops here (there are a few older than me... but for my safety, they'll remain nameless). I'm also a member of the Kappa Beta Chapter of Theta Tau. For those of you who don't know, Theta Tau is a co-ed professional engineering fraternity. There are many chapters nation-wide, so if it sounds inviting to you, I advise you to check it out on your campus. If your campus doesn’t have one and you’re still interested, send me an email, and I’ll show you how to get one set up! I’m also in Alpha Lambda Delta, a national honor society for those who have a 3.5 or higher and are in the top 20% of their class their first year in college.

Getting Here.

Probably the most important thing that I can tell you about co-oping here at JSC is how to get here in the first place. There are two tracks you can follow, depending on if NASA recruits at your school or not. In my case, NASA doesn’t, so I had to make things happen myself. I had to go to my school's co-op office and let them know I wanted to co-op for NASA. After a few planning meetings and many phone calls to JSC, a telephone interview was scheduled. After that, it was a waiting game while the co-op office decided who they wanted to accept. Fortunately for me, I was one of the 35 or so new co-ops accepted for the Fall 2004 session.

New Kid on the Block:

Of course, the main reason of applying for a co-op position at JSC (or any co-op position anywhere, for that matter) is to work. While this is only the first of four tours for me here at JSC, I'm getting a chance to do stuff most people only dream of. For instance, there was the one week where my job was to work (not observe, but work) in Mission Control.

Yes, that Mission Control. See, my first assignment here at JSC is with Space Station Planning. We're the folks that pound out the weekly, daily, and hourly plan for the Space Station crews. Normally, it's pretty routine stuff (as routine as planning for space station crews can be), but there are the occasional Soyuz missions, EVA's (space walks) and other various things to observe. For the rest of the tour, I get to update the program flight controllers use to get the plan on board the Space Station. Think of it as email on steroids, and yes, by the end of my tour, my updates will be running in MCC (Mission Control Center). Next tour (summer of 2005) I'm working in ER2, which is an engineering group, on robots to assist astronauts on planetary exploration missions.

Second Time Around:

During my second tour here at JSC, I worked with the fine folks in ER2, the Robotics and Automation group. This time around, I worked with the next generation lunar rover named SCOUT, which means Science Crew Operations Utility Vehicle. I was responsible for keeping up the wiring onboard as well as making sure all the electrical connections were secure. I also created a new motor sensor for the vehicle that determined the amount of voltage being generated by each electric wheel motor. Also, that September, I went with them to Flagstaff, Arizona to field test SCOUT and a few other prototype robots and space suits.

Third Time's the Charm:

My third tour here at JSC was spent at Ellington Field working for the Flight Crew Operations Division. I had two main projects this tour; the first involved creating and building a data capture system for the astronauts' T-38 jet aircraft. The concept behind this was to create a system small enough to fit comfortably in the "backseat" of the T-38, but powerful enough to read all of the flight data coming from the various computers onboard the aircraft. The second project was yet another trip, this time to El Paso. There, I was the data system operator for a series of field tests on a particular T-38 that had experienced some engine malfunctions. The purpose was to figure out exactly what happened and learn how to prevent it from happening again. Let me tell you, there's really nothing quite like sitting in a minivan only 10 feet from a twin-engine jet aircraft running at full afterburner!

Four for More:

My fourth (and current) tour is with EP6. EP6 houses ESTA, or the Energy Systems Test Area. Way back in the day, EP stood for Engineering Propulsion and Power. Now it deals with any and everything explosive (aka the really cool stuff!) My project here is the most different from all my others. It's really the first time I've ventured away from the computer engineering I'm used to into a mechanical job. My project here is to create a training system that allows people to see a fluid go from subcritical to supercritical. Basically, a fluid that has gone supercritical has reached a particular pressure and temperature at which the boundary between liquid and gas disappears. You can also see varying densities of the gas form layers in the vessel. This is crucial to understanding how the cryogenic tanks on the Space Station and Space Shuttle operate. My other project here in ESTA involves testing some Li-ion (lithium ion) batteries.

Playtime.

By now you may be wondering about what life is like outside the walls of JSC. Well, let it suffice to say that if it's an interest of yours, you can more than find it in Houston.
I'm sure you've read the other bios about skydiving, scuba diving, shopping, various festivals, softball, soccer, road trips, movies, concerts and the like. Well, yeah, they're all here in abundance, so don't worry; there's plenty for you to spend your time (and money) on in the big city.   Incubus tearing up the 'scene at Reliant Stadium.

While here, I’ve been able to get my Advanced Open Water SCUBA certification. There’s always the movies, different restaurants…basically any and everything you could ever want to do is here! However, by the coolest thing I’ve done as a result of me co-oping here at JSC actually happened in Florida, on July 4, 2006:

Yes, folks, I was there in Florida when Discovery lifted off on the first July 4 launch in NASA history…and yes, this is a picture I took with my own camera (I’ve got the negatives to prove it!!)

Other Cool Work Stuff.

While at work, you may imagine co-ops being chained to their desks for 8 hours a day with only a 30 minute lunch break; well, sorry to disappoint you, but this is not the case. In fact, with all the tours, lectures, and meetings I attend, I'm constantly on the move from one place to the next. One of the really cool things about co-oping at JSC is getting the chance to meet the true legends of not only of the space age, but of America 's history. For instance, meeting Chris Kraft, NASA's first ever flight director, was really cool. Then there was Gene Kranz; he's the flight director played by Ed Harris in Apollo 13. I've also met Sy Liebergot, who was also portrayed in Apollo 13. From the directors of the Space Station and Space Shuttle programs, to the guys who pick the astronauts and the astronauts themselves, to General Howel himself (head of JSC), I've had a chance to talk with them all.

Then there's all the tours of different labs, simulators (email me and ask about the infamous barrel roll in the shuttle simulator), mock-ups and training spaces; there's a ton of cool stuff to see here, and many cool people to meet, talk with and get to know.

End Credits.

Well, that's about all I have. Co-oping for JSC is the absolute best. The friendships made here are among the best you'll ever have. If you have the chance to go for it, by all means do. If you have any specific questions about co-oping, what I do at my job on a daily basis, or if you just wanna hear some crazy co-op stories (there's tons, let me tell ya'), feel free to email me at iqm1@msstate.edu.