C.J. Walthall...
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Great
Wall of China (Summer '04)
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HOWDY!
My name is C.J. Walthall and I am a senior Mechanical Engineering
major at Texas A&M University…WHOOP!!! I have one younger
brother who is also attending Texas A&M. I grew up in Houston,
and in the fall of 2000 my family moved out to Richmond, Texas
(near Houston) where my mom and dad and our five dogs currently
reside. I have always been fascinated by space, and since the first
time I visited Space Center Houston when I was six years old I
have wanted to work at NASA. So, what’s my point?
CO-OP WORK...Well, I am finally getting to work at NASA (as a co-op) and
it has truly been an amazing experience! During my first tour
here I worked in the Project Development Branch of the Biomedical
Systems Division. All of my projects were related to ARED (Advanced
Resistive Exercise Device), an exercise device that is being
developed for astronauts to use on the ISS (International Space
Station).
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Me
with Gene Kranz
(Apollo
13 Flight Director & my hero!) |
My second co-op tour was in the Mechanical Design and Analysis
Branch in the Structural Engineering Division. One of my projects
was to design a window cover plate that was used during a successful
hydrostatic test of a Bigelow Aerospace inflatable module. I also
designed fixtures and a test assembly to determine the stiffness
of the ADBS (Advanced Docking and Berthing System) latching mechanism.
My third co-op tour was in the OSO (Operational Support Officer)
group in the Systems Division of the Mission Operations Directorate.
OSO is responsible for mechanisms and maintenance onboard the
International Space Station (ISS). They work as Flight Controllers
in Mission
Control and they also teach classes to train astronauts, flight
directors, flight controllers, and engineers how to use tools
and perform on-orbit maintenance tasks.
My first three co-op tours were filled with positive experiences
and I am looking forward to completing my final tour this summer.
My co-workers have been wonderful, and I have not been able to
thank them enough for being so nice, welcoming, helpful, and
fun! I am learning more than I ever imagined and I feel incredibly
blessed
to have the opportunity to gain such valuable workplace experience
as I pursue my undergraduate engineering degree.
CO-OP
FUN...
Okay, so these college kids who call themselves co-ops actually
leave their school, their friends, and their comfortable way
of life and go to WORK at NASA!?! The answer is yes! However,
there are lots of co-ops down here and there are always fun
things to do! Work is fun, don’t get me wrong…but
unlike school, after the work day is over you don’t have
to go home and study! Co-ops have some awesome opportunities
to hear lectures from Astronauts, Flight Directors, and current/former
NASA Managers such as Gene Kranz and Chris Kraft! We also get
to go on tours to see shuttle simulators, ISS mockups, and
T-38s and the Super Guppy at Ellington Field!
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Me with a WB-57 at Ellington Field! |
For those that enjoy water sports, JSC is near Clear Lake and
Galveston. There are also several sports teams you can join
if you prefer to play on the land (soccer, volleyball, softball,
basketball, etc.)! And, if land and water sports are still
not thrilling enough, you can fly through the air at 120 miles
per hour at Skydive Spaceland! So, no matter what your interests,
there are always fun things to do, new places to go, and of
course plenty of people to meet!
If you
are considering being a NASA co-op, please feel free to contact
me at cjwalthall@tamu.edu and I will be happy to answer any
questions you might have.
LINKS
Texas A&M Homepage:
www.tamu.edu
Texas A&M Mechanical Engineering: www.mengr.tamu.edu
JSC Homepage:
www.jsc.nasa.gov
A fun site for those who love to learn: www.howstuffworks.com |
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