Mark Willsey...
If you are trying to decide whether co-oping at the Johnson Space Center (JSC)
is worth missing a few semesters of school and coming down to Houston to live,
think no more. Just do it!
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Chris and I with Astronaut Joe Tanner |
ABOUT ME
I am currently a senior at Purdue working toward a major in Electrical Engineering.
I grew up in Indianapolis, IN and I love running, weightlifting, playing football,
and following the Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Pacers, and my high school football
team. I graduated from Roncalli High School where I played football and participated
in numerous
other clubs and academic teams. Roncalli has a great football tradition (8 state
championships!) that taught me about leadership, camaraderie, dedication, and
desire. This cannot be learned
in the classroom, so it is always important to stay involved while at school
and never limit
yourself to academics.
HOW I BECAME A CO-OP
After high school, I packed my bags and moved to West Lafayette with every
intention to graduate in four years. However, in January of 2003, I received
some information about Purdue's Co-op program so decided I would sit through
the first meeting. That was when I found out that I had a chance to co-op
at NASA! At the time, I did not want to go to school for an extra year, but
I had always had the dream of being an astronaut and working at NASA. So
I decided that I would apply only to JSC. The interview went well, and the
week before spring break, Bob Musgrove called with a job offer; do I need
to say that I gladly accepted?
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She thinks my tractor's sexy! |
WORKING AT NASA
We have awesome jobs! As a co-op, you will hear flight directors,
astronauts, and NASA legends speak about the past, present, and future of NASA! Only at NASA can you get
paid to test and rate the astronaut food or take Russian classes. When I am not hearing these people
speak, or touring cool places like Mission Control and the Neutral Buoyancy Lab (I will talk more
about this later), or working on cool projects.
My first tour, fall of 2003, I worked in the Avionic Systems Division (EV4). The Avionics Test
and Analysis Branch is responsible for providing system integrity for Division avionics products.
During this tour, I learned a lot about radiated and conducted emissions, and how to reduce the
noise in circuits. This proved to be very helpful on future tours.
My second tour, summer of 2004, was with the electrical power systems group
(DF73). This is the group of flight controllers who monitor the electrical power
systems of the shuttle. I spent most of
my time training to be a flight controller. The training flow consisted of
reading about the different systems, taking classes in the shuttle cockpit simulators,
and observing simulations
in Mission Control! It was an incredible experience to be working in Mission
Control.
During my third tour, spring of 2005, I worked in the Advanced group of the Crew and Thermal
Systems Division (EC5). The advanced group works on developing future technologies that will be
used on future missions to the moon and Mars. My primary task was working on upgrades on the design
of an Electric Tractor, which will be used for future lunar and Mars missions.
During the fall of 2005, I did my fourth tour in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL).
Neutral Buoyancy occurs when an object neither floats nor sinks in water. The NBL
is the largest indoor pool in the world and the best way for astronauts and cosmonauts
to simulate their EVAs (extravehicular activities, or spacewalks) before the missions.
As a co-op at the NBL, one of my main tasks was to configure the underwater space station
and shuttle to resemble the configuration that will be on-orbit at the time of the EVA.
And yes, SCUBA diving at the NBL is awesome!
For my fifth and last tour, summer of 2006, I returned to the electrical
power systems group (DF73) to continue my training as an Electrical Power
Systems flight controller. During this tour, I had the opportunity to drive
to the
Kennedy Space Center to watch the STS-121 launch on the 4th of July, and
then drive back to Houston and work in Mission Control from July 5th -
July 16th. Seeing the shuttle launch and working the mission is one of the
coolest
things I have done as a co-op. I absolutely love flight control and I hope
to land a full-time job in this group.
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Remembering the Alamo |
It's a long way down from the cliffs at Lake Travis |
The Launch of STS-121 was AWESOME! |
FOOD
It’s soooo good! BBQ, Mexican, and Indian are some of my favorites!
SOCIAL LIFE
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Co-ops at Big Bend |
The social life is incredible; Houston has so much to offer. With downtown
Houston and the Gulf of Mexico only thirty minutes away, what more could
you ask for? How about sweet co-op trips? My first tour, 17 of us took a
trip to Cancun! Since then, I’ve been cliff jumping at Lake Travis,
tubing down the Guadalupe River in New Braunfels, seen the Alamo in San Antonio,
spent the weekend in New Orleans, been camping at Big Bend National Park,
and had a cultural experience in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. And that’s not
even the best part about co-oping! The people down here are some of the nicest
people I have ever met, and we can have fun doing anything. I have made great
friendships in my short time down here, and I am looking forward to my last
tour next summer!
RECAP
Co-oping is sweet, and is worth a later graduation. If you are unsure about
working down here, just ask any co-op if it is worth it, and I think you
will get a convincing answer. I have made awesome friendships, and I am looking
forward to my future tours. I hope to see you down here!
If you have any questions, email me at mwwillse@purdue.edu!
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Reeve and I at Game 3 of the
2005 World Series
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Chris, Reeve, and I in Monterrey, Mexico |
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