Happy Memorial Day!
Today I’m over at Yes and Yes talking about what it’s like to work at NASA, including in Mission Control.
I started my career at Johnson Space Center in Houston as a college sophomore, spent several years as a trajectory analyst after I finished graduate school, and then worked as a flight controller for the final 5 years of the Space Shuttle program. When the shuttle stopped flying in 2011, I shifted to a new role supporting the International Space Station as a Safety Engineer and I’m still there today — almost 20 years after I first walked in the doors at Johnson Space Center.
And I’ve been blogging most of those years too!
So, whether you’re coming here from Yes and Yes or have been with me for years…welcome! Here are a few more space-related posts you might want to check out:
- The High Untrespassed Sanctity of Space – My “personal history” with the space program, and how I got my job at NASA.
- Mission Control – A more in-depth look at what I did as a flight controller for the space shuttle.
- Rendezvous Officer 101 – An interview I did on NASA TV during one of the last shuttle missions about what my position — the Rendezvous Officer — was responsible for.
- Women@NASA – A short feature I did for the Women@NASA initiative.
- Space Is Hard – A reminder that just because it sometimes looks easy doesn’t mean it IS easy.
- Lovely Endeavor – A small tribute to my favorite space shuttle.
Feel free to ask questions in the comments if there’s something you’ve always wanted to know about the space program!
Hello, Sarah!
I felt compelled to drop you a line to say that I am truly enjoying the few entries of your blog that I have read so far. I promise I am not a stalker! 🙂 Long story short, I stumbled across you during my extensive research over the past two weeks. I am a 28 yr old mother of 2 young girls, and currently experiencing what I believe to be a an “a-ha” moment as to what my hopes and dreams are for the future.
I won’t go into my entire life story, but to sum things up, my family and I just moved to Biloxi MS on a whim from the DC area. My husband was recently commissioned as a Cyber Warfare officer in the USAF, and a great deal of his technical training will be here in MS. As a result, we moved 1000 miles from home all on our own, and I left my career. I am quickly learning that the “Stay at home mom” thing- is not for me'( I say that most lovingly).
I have a very deep interest in all things Space. Huge into Astronomy, love keeping up to date with the ISS, current studies/ongoing projects, and spend most of my free time watching documentaries on Space travel/exploration.With all of that said, I am seriously considering a career in the field of Aerospace Enginneering.
Here’s the kicker…I do not have a background in STEM. I actually have a Psychology background. However, I feel as though something is missing from my life, and I am overwhelmingly drawn to NASA and all that there is to offer. I’ve always felt as though as a mom, my career plans will need to wait. After reading your inspiring words- I have hope that one day, my dream can be a reality. You are proof that working moms CAN make a difference outside of the home. You are awesome!!!
If you have any advice for me moving forward, I would be forever grateful! I still have a lot of thinking to do, and to be honest, I am not 100% confident in my ability to succeed in the field, due to my lack of experience, but I am willing to give it a go!