Adriana Romero...

Adriana Romero in front of the Bioastronautics Lab (BAL) where a Mars Habitat
for crew training will be created in the upcoming years.

My Background.

Hi! I am Adriana Romero, a senior aerospace engineering major at Texas A & M University in College Station , Texas . Originally, I was born and raised in Laredo , Texas . Laredo is a border town between the United States and Mexico and is the second fastest growing city in the U.S. besides Las Vegas . Yes, it's true even though it's not as big as Houston , but it's my home and I love it. I was the 2000 valedictorian from J.W. Nixon High School and would like to work for NASA on a Space Colony Project one day. I enjoy reading, writing, and traveling. I was able to study aerospace engineering at the University of Limerick in Limerick , Ireland for a semester. Studying abroad was the best experience of my life, and it was cool to interact with other Irish students and professors. It's a memory you never forget.

I knew about the co-op program from my friends and was lucky enough to get chosen for an interview by Bob Musgrove. However, it did take me two interviews to finally get called for a co-op position. It just goes to show that persistence does pay off because being a NASA Co-op has been my greatest experience ever!!!

AIM Team at picnic at Clear Lake Park

NASA Experience.. This is my second work tour with NASA. I was assigned to work in the Engineering - Crew and Thermal Systems (EC) Division with the Advanced Integration Matrix (AIM) Team which is the systems engineering team for aiding to complete NASA's Vision Exploration to Mars. They work with all the factors concerning the Advanced Life Support and Habitability Systems such as: Environmental Monitoring and Control, Life Support, Extravehicular Activity, food, Human Factors, ISRU, and Fire Detection and Protection.

 Currently, they are working with small assessments and trade studies that will help the future development of hardware and mission planning for the astronauts' travel to the moon and mars. My projects for this semester included working on a Commonality Assessment and Trade Study, Critical Readiness Review for the Integration Testing, and AIM Education Outreach Activities. The main purpose of this assessment is to explore the idea of having common hardware, operations, and systems in ALS in hopes that it can save on money, weight, and crew training time on the voyage to mars. I enjoyed working on the Commonality Assessment because I was able to research and hold conferences with commonality professionals like the Commonality Director of Ford Europe, AT Kearney Commonality Consultants, and Space Station Freedom Commonality Team from the 80s. The best part of this project was communicating with people and not being on the computer for 40 hours a week. Currently, the study is going on and will be completed in mid-January after I am gone. AIM also owns the Bioastronautics Lab which are modules for now but in the upcoming years they want to create the Mars habitat for astronauts to train in.

On my first tour, I worked in the Engineering and Robotics (ER) division in the IGOAL animation Lab. The project involved the animation of the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) which works like a robotic claw to install payloads into the International Space Station. The IGOAL is involved in creating simulation with a software know as Enigma. They also edit the picture with Adobe Photoshop, and edit the animation clips with Adobe premier. This project involved a lot of computer work but some research in getting to know the SPDM and how it works. I was able to take picture of the parts and watch a few astronauts training with it. I showed my animation in my exit pitch to the division chief. It was awesome to have music and something cool to show at the end.

Other things with NASA Co-ops.

NASA Co-ops have the unique advantage to take tours with NASA like in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, Mission Control, and astronaut training facilities. I can't forget to mention the guest lecturers like Gene Krantz and Chris Kraft who get to talk to us about their experiences. Not many people have the opportunity to get autographs and pictures taken with such renowned people. Other benefits with NASA include paid holidays, credit hours for work, and training classes such as Italian language or Pro-E.

Outside the work place.

NASA co-ops do so many activities together like beach party where we rent a house the entire weekend and party it up, concerts, renaissance festival, and dancing during the weekend. Some also organize travels to New Orleans , San Antonio , Cancun, and Acapulco . We also go the movies, rock climbing gym, and organize SCUBA diving certification classes. The things that co-ops do here at Houston are endless, and you create memories that last a lifetime. There are so many personalities at NASA that you will make many good friends. If you are interested in learning more about the co-op program, studying abroad, or college in general shoot me an email and I will gladly respond!!! Good luck on the co-op process!!! J

My email address is: crystalpower@neo.tamu.edu or adr41@hotmail.com