Erin Reed...
What can I say? I'm a formulas person, and if you've read even three other co-op biographies I'm sure you've noticed the pattern.
1 student .
Meet Erin (me), a.k.a 'Kid', 'E', 'Hey You', or 'Pitcher' if you're from another team. I'm currently gearing up for my senior year at the University of Colorado in beautiful Boulder, CO where I'm quite excited to be graduating soon with my bachelor's in Aerospace Engineering.
plus 1 application.
My story is slightly different than most co-ops. I started down here with the Undergraduate Student Researcher Program. It's another of the many NASA programs offered to undergrads.
As a USRP, I worked in the Advanced Thermal Group as the primary test engineer for an Advanced Two-Phase Active Thermal Control System. I was put in charge of the testing of the system, and got to present my conclusions to NASA managers at the end of my tour!
plus 1 foot in the door.
Once I got down here I decided that I wanted to stick around for a while, which meant one thing - the co-op program. After some persistence, they eventually gave in and here I am today!
As a co-op I've worked in training as an Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) Instructor for the ISS where I trained expedition crewmembers on the emergency hardware onboard the Station. I also worked with the Attitude Determination and Control Officer (ADCO) flight control team where I began my training as an ISS flight controller. My final tour was with the Advanced Mission Design branch where I have completed analysis for the Columbia Investigation efforts as well as a trajectory database for lunar ascent options. Overall I've gotten a wide range of experience and had the opportunity to see many different sides of JSC.
multiplied by history.
Not only do I get to work on cool projects, but I've had the opportunity to meet the men and women who have made NASA what it is today. I've heard Chris Kraft, Gene Kranz, John Young, Karen Nyberg and many others speak about their experiences at NASA and what inspires them to make NASA better. Nothing can beat being around for the Return to Flight, and I will never forget seeing everyone's dedication to space and our space program. Okay. so maybe a couple of launches would've been cool too, but getting to see this one will make it all worth it!
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Erin and Buzz Aldrin |
plus hundreds of other co-ops.
As any co-op will tell you, the work here is incredible but the co-ops are what make it unforgettable. I've met many great friends and made tons of memories during my time here in Houston. There is always something to do with the co-ops and you are only bored if you want to be! While I'm here I've played softball, learned to swing dance, gone parasailing, been to Cancun, tubed down the Guadalupe, seen Broadway shows, gone to ballets and the symphony, been to concerts, theme parks, and rodeos and done just about any other thing my heart desired!
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Pocket Rockets & VFPs |
equals the experience of a lifetime!
I hardly hesitated to take another year to graduate from school in order to fit in my experiences at JSC - and neither should anyone else! School will always be there to return to, and a little extra spending money never hurt anyone either. If you have any questions for me or are just feeling like e-mailing someone random, feel free to contact me at erin.reed@colorado.edu or until August 11, 2005 at erin.l.reed@nasa.gov.
Aim high - you never know what you might achieve.
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