National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the US government agency responsible for the public space programme. Established in 1958, NASA receives $16.3 billion in federal funding a year to pursue its mission to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research.
JUST TECHNICAL Jobs caught up with David E. Steitz, Public Affairs Officer at NASA HQ in Washington DC, to find out more about the work NASA undertakes, and to learn what the organisation is looking for when recruiting engineers.
David’s enthusiasm for NASA is infectious, and it soon becomes apparent it’s an attitude that permeates the organisation. “The problem we have here is getting people to retire,” he says with a laugh. “After 45 years of constantly working on the cutting-edge people don’t want to leave, they enjoy coming to work.”
How many engineers work at NASA?
NASA employs approximately 9,000 full time civil servant engineers and about 700 term-accepted appointment engineers. In addition, we estimate our corporate partners, who support agency activities, employ between 70,000 and 80,000 engineers in aerospace-related fields.
What are the key attributes you look for when recruiting engineers?
In short, the smarts! The most important attributes we look for are creativity and the ability to find solutions to extraordinary challenges on a regular basis. To give a few examples, right now we have engineers looking into how to keep moon dust – which is nasty stuff that gets into everything – out of equipment and space suits ahead of our return to the moon in the next decade or two; we a have a team looking at developing internet access on Mars and materials we might use to build there; others are developing space craft with artificial intelligence that can repair themselves when heading out to the edge of the universe. A lot of the things you might have seen on
2001: A Space Odyssey, we’re developing them now. NASA needs people that can mould traditional engineering into something entirely new.
What are the biggest changes to have taken place at NASA during its 49 year history?
We’ve seen the birth of the space age. We’ve gone from the amazement of a trans-Atlantic airplane flight to men walking on the moon and robotic exploration of Mars. We’ve seen the Hubble Space Telescope give us new insight into the true vastness of the universe, and give us clues into the evolution of the universe since the dawn of time. All of these things have required revolutionary advancementsin engineering.
One thing that’s changed for engineers is in the past 60% of design time would be spent in building physical models, and 40% would be with CAD. Today that’s completely inverted and engineers use computers to model almost everything before bending the metal. But at the same time some things don’t change – you can get from the surface of the earth into space without aeronautical engineers; it’s at the core of what we do and we’ll always need those skills.
Does NASA suffer from the skills shortage that is affected so many other organisations in the technical sector?
Like much of the federal government in the US, NASA is competing for the best and brightest. Corporate America can offer more money to scientific and technical experts than we can; however, we’re very fortunate in that many of the best and brightest are eager to work here.
We do the most amazing things ever undertaken by mankind. That’s an easy selling point.
At NASA we offer the opportunity to work on the coolest stuff with unbridled creativity without worrying about the bottom line or sales objectives. Here, someone will say we need a robot that can communicate with astronauts on long space flights and you can go and solve that problem. You can be the only person to send something into space that will continue out there long after you’ve gone. We are at the dawn of a new chapter in space exploration. To get back to the moon, on to Mars, and beyond we’re going to need totally new types of spacecraft. At the same time, we’re going to need revolutionary aircraft that speed transport while reducing fuel consumption, pollution, and increase safety. Our observations from space of our home planet and other new worlds will require new technologies futurists are only now thinking of. These sorts of challenges have a natural attraction to engineers who like to turn dreams into realities.
What is NASA’s relationship with the private sector?
We have many corporate partners, including recently Google, and we outsource many projects to our partners to undertake, but we also retain a core knowledge group of the best and brightest to keep our skill set fresh and cutting-edge, and so we have people that can oversee what our partners are doing and be smart buyers.
Many NASA developments end up having commercial applications – do you have a team specialising in that?
Yes, we have a Technology Transfer team whose job it is to work with corporate America to develop uses for some of the technology we develop. It’s a two-way street – for the Apollo programmeme we needed a way to drill down beneath the moon’s surface to collect core samples. The drill had to be small, lightweight and battery-powered. NASA chose to work with Black and Decker and the cordless drill was developed, a version of which might be in your garage today.
Another example is hydraulic rescue tools, the “jaws of life”, which fire fighters use to open up car wrecks instead of circular saws, which create dangerous sparks. This is based on the same small explosive charges that release the solid rocket boosters on the Space Shuttle.
Many people imagine work undertaken by NASA is secretive. Is this still the case, or this perception a legacy of the Cold War?
NASA is America’s civil space programme. The vast majority of our work is very public. As demonstrated by our web site, we’re very proud of our accomplishments and look forward to many more. The Space Act that created NASA requires us to “disseminate to the widest possible audience” the activities of America’s space programme. We’re required by law to talk about what we are doing, and proud to do so.
Do you look only for experienced engineers or do you have a graduate programmeme?
We do both. NASA recruits what we call fresh outs, people right out of school, some of which stay with us for their entire career. We also bring on board experienced engineers who join us from corporates.
Most of our readers are based in the UK – would this be a barrier to working at NASA?
NASA employs engineers and scientists from all over the world. We’re looking for the best brains on the planet, whether they’re from the US, the UK, or the South Pole.
Are their good opportunities for development?
At NASA, the sky is only the beginning, not the limit. NASA believes in growing employees in their professional field. You don’t have to fight to take a course like in some organisations. Here if you’re interested in, say, nanotechnology, then we’ll find a way for you to learn. We encourage and help support ongoing education to keep our workforce on the cutting edge. We have inhouse and external professional development programmes available to all employees. We also have a mentoring programmeme for new recruits to show you the ropes and help you understand the bureaucracy and challenges unique to working at NASA.
How can engineers improve their chances of successfully gaining employment at NASA?
Have a successful academic and/or professional career history. Have an ability to work in a team environment and be able to solve problems creatively in real time. Exploration of the universe requires real world skills but also imagination and a personal desire to explore new frontiers in your chosen field.
What would your advice be to a young person considering a career in engineering?
Learn the skills required – the math, science, and other disciplines needed for an understanding of the empirical requirements for a task. Nurture your own individual creativity, and pursue your dreams. Exploration of the universe requires real world skills but also imagination and a personal desire to explore new frontiers in your chosen field.
New NASA innovation:
Liquidswords
Liquidmetal is a new type of alloy co-developed by NASA with characteristics similar to plastic that cools quickly and has more than twice the strength of titanium. NASA predicts it will revolutionise industry in the same way steel did in the 1800s and plastic did in the 1900s.
Five NASA spin-Offs
NASA employee viewpoint
"I was very interested in rockets and missiles and test pilots, as were a lot of other boys in the mid to late 1950s. I was good at maths and science and decided to be an engineer. The biggest technical challenge of the Space Station program is the tremendous number of interfaces you have to understand and making sure you meet all the requirements of those interfaces. You have to be careful your design is safe, as well as successful."
- BOB GOSS
LIQUIDMETAL, Chief Engineer of the Flight Projects Directorate at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Centre