>>KATRINA: It’s summer! So thousands of students across the
country are on break from school and at work for NASA. Over 450
are interning for the Goddard Space Flight Center this summer,
and a lot of them are in the Visitor’s Center right now
picking up their badges and everything they need to start
their first day. So let’s go inside and meet a few, and stick
a camera in their face.
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>>KATRINA: Violet, what are you going to be working on this summer? >>VIOLET: I’m going
to be doing X-ray astrophysics. So I’m going to be... there’s a new
instrument going up, and I’m going to be modeling it in
Python. >> RALEIGH: So what projects will you be working on
specifically this summer? >>NICOLE: Micrometeorite science
with LISA Pathfinder. >>HÉCTOR: Well I’m going to be a web
developer for Code 585, the Software Engineering Department.
>>ONYEOZIRI: Well, I’m not 100% sure. >>KAYLA: This summer I’ll
be doing the particle fallout measuring methods internship.
>>QASIM: So I’ll be working on some spectrometer work.
Essentially I’ll be doing some of the hardware and software
designing for NASA, and I’m pretty excited to do that.
>>KATRINA: What made you choose Goddard specifically out of all
off the 10 NASA centers? >>HÉCTOR: I think that what
motivated me to choose Goddard was the amount of Puerto Ricans
like me, graduated from my school, who are working here on
the different divisions. >>IMAN: I went to high school like
really nearby here, and so I’d always pass by Goddard. And I
never really thought about coming here until it was
suggested to me. I’m like, ‘Wait a second, I know Goddard!”
>>JACOB: It’s closest to where I live, but it also had the things
that I’m interested in. >>VIOLET: Most of the research
is being done here. It’s kind of the most exciting center for me,
honestly. >>VISHNU: I came to graduate school in the U.S. just
to come to NASA. So, I mean, I traveled like 9,000 miles just
to be here. So it is a big day for me. >>KATRINA: If you could
create any sort of hypothetical planet that had anything on it
-- was composed of anything -- what would this planet be like?
>>KAYLA: It would be a lot of great scenes, great sunsets. So
like, I just love sunsets -- it would be colorful. >>QASIM: I
think there would definitely be some fantasy things going on. So
in terms of, um, I would definitely have, like, rainbow
skittles that were just coming down from rain. >>IMAN: I like
Earth. I think we should keep Earth. >>HÉCTOR: Planet Earth.
But cleaner. >>JACOB: Probably somewhere a little more
interesting than Earth. Like maybe things we could see sort
of right outside of, like, the atmosphere I guess. >>VIOLET:
Life forms don’t have to be carbon-based, so it would be
really interesting to see just a planet with life forms that are
completely different, and kind of change our view of what life
is. >>RALEIGH: And so what do you think will be, I guess, the
future of the space industry? >>NICOLE: Well I think everyone
is going towards Mars right now. >>VIOLET: Definitely the concept
of us going to Mars has been a driving factor for a while.
>>ONYEOZIRI: Now that we’ve explored space -- to an extent
-- I feel like now it’s more like how do we get to live in
space, can I get a vacation home in space. >>KATRINA: So you
think space tourism will be a big thing coming up?
>>ONYEOZIRI: Yes, yes. >>KAYLA: A lot of people think it’s just
the movies, but reaching out and trying to go beyond just our
solar system is probably where everyone is headed next.
>>VISHNU: The best part of the space industry right now is that
private players are coming in. And it’s not that they’re
competing with us at NASA, but they’re kind of going together
with NASA and that’s kind of amazing. >>KATRINA: What are you
most excited about for the summer? >>ONYEOZIRI: I get to do
what I love, which is program. So, and work with robots.
>>JACOB: It’s really exciting to be here, and just to kind of
learn how everything that I’ll be working with works. >>QASIM:
I’m most excited about the workshops here, and making new
connections with all the people here. >>NICOLE: Just meeting all
the other fellow astrophysics nerds and stuff like that, so.
>>IMAN: Honestly I have no idea what to expect. But I’m most
excited about being able to share physics with the rest of
the community here in Maryland and D.C. >>HÉCTOR: It’s my first
internship. I think I’m really excited, like, for everything.
>>KATRINA: Well good luck, I hope you have a great summer, I
know you will -- Goddard’s great, so good luck! >>HÉCTOR:
Thank you. >>RALEIGH: Now that the interns have been oriented
on everything they need to know working here at Goddard, it’s
time for them to meet their mentors and start their
projects. If you’re interested in learning more about what it
takes to be a NASA intern, you can visit intern.nasa.gov for
more information -- and also keep an eye on nasa.gov/goddard
throughout the summer to hear more intern stories.
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