Scott Moon...
About me
Hey! My name is Scott Moon and I'm from the small city of Bellingham, Washington,
which is located just north of Seattle. I am currently in the middle of my third
year at the University of Washington where I am majoring in Aerospace Engineering
and minoring in Mathematics. Besides studying (being ridiculously sleep deprived)
at
the UDUB, I love snowboarding through powder at Mt. Baker and recently developed
an interest for Kendo. I also
study Korean and started learning Japanese through the awesome classes offered
here at JSC.
My Path to the Co-op Program
Like most co-ops, my attendance at my university career fair set me on the path to the co-op program. After hearing word that NASA-JSC of all people was going to be at the career fair, I knew I had to attend. That's where I met the lovely Anne Roemer, the head of the co-op program, and thankfully received an interview offer. The interview was slightly intimidating once I truly realized that I was interviewing with the one and only NASA but once I got over that, it was awesome getting the opportunity to show that JSC is where I truly want to be. One week after the interview, I received a very nice phone call from no other than Anne and here I am today.
Co-op Work
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Hangin out with
multi-million dollar T-38’s
at Ellington Field |
Working here at THE center for human space exploration is to say the least an amazing dream come true. While growing up, playing with space shuttle legos and looking at pretty pictures of NASA's space vehicles, I never knew that I would get the chance of a lifetime to contribute to NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle.
For the first of my three co-op tours I have been working in the Aeroscience and Flight Mechanics Division (EG6) in the engineering directorate of JSC. I am currently developing a graphical user interface for a Matlab tool that analyzes rendezvous trajectories within low earth orbit and lunar orbit. This interface will allow engineers to use the analysis tool with ease for the study of future Crew Exploration Vehicle rendezvous trajectories. On the side, I am also studying introductory navigation analysis.
During my second tour in the fall of 2006, I will be working in the Mechanical Design and Analysis Branch (ES5) and hope to continue work on CEV related projects.
Co-op Life
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Dave Tengler
and me; we’re on a secret
scuba mission |
Besides work, there is more than enough to do with fellow co-ops. The co-op Social Committee introduces co-ops to activities around the Houston area. So far its
been awesome getting scuba certified, playing broomball, having co-op family dinners, starting Kuk Sool Won martial arts, curling (yes, Olympic curling), and mixing diet coke with mentos (try it).
Top 3 things to do here as a co-op:
1) Chill with fellow space cadet co-ops and the future leaders of space
exploration
2) Attend Chris Kraft's lecture! (For those of you who don't know him, look him up on wikipedia. He's
an amazing guy.)
3) Chill in Historic Mission Control and watch the movie Apollo 13
You know you want to
Space enthusiasts know that NASA is a great place to be and the JSC co-op program is an awesome way to get there. The one year delay in graduation due to the co-op work is nothing compared to the amazing experience you will receive working at the center of human space exploration. What makes this program superior to other co-op/internships is the ability to work in different areas throughout JSC during your 3 to 5 tours. This unique aspect of the co-op program has allowed me to explore various areas of study within the aerospace engineering field and has given me the opportunity to see how the many teams and division of NASA work together.
In order to work here it definitely helps to be a space nut and show your enthusiasm for NASA and space exploration. Most people who apply for the co-op program are space cadets so this shouldn't be a problem. For those of you aren't so crazy about space, getting to know NASA and their current work towards space exploration would be a great way to show that you're interested in working here. From looking at my fellow co-ops, I'd also have to say it takes great extra curricular activities both related and not related to engineering to get in the program.
I hope I've given you a better idea of the great experience the JSC co-op program has to offer and I wish you luck to all of your endeavors! Shoot a word at ssm5@u.washington.edu if you got any questions!
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