Stay tuned for blog updates from our 2023 fellows as take part in NASA internships all over the nation! Get the inside scoop of what it’s like to work at one of the coolest places on Earth.
August 6, 2023
Finishing my summer internship at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) is always a bittersweet experience. The network and connections built between JSC interns are amazing as they can last throughout our entire careers. This summer was no different from my previous experience where I always felt excited to go to JSC every morning. My mentor give me the opportunity to contribute as many projects as I wanted beyond my own to advance the NASA mission of exploration and discovery. In the closing week, the Human Health and Performance Directorate (HH&P) interns participated in the 18th Annual Space Life Sciences Summer Institute Research Forum where they presented their summer projects to the entire HH&P branch even having the JSC Chief Science Officer in attendance. After intern presentations, my mentors and the lab personnel had a farewell lunch and discuss future opportunities for me to return and continue collaborative efforts between JSC and UCF. The most valuable achievement from my internship was the relationships and connections I was able to build with my mentors and other interns that will develop me as I go through the medical school application process and my future career.

-Christopher Ngo
July 23, 2023
Hello! My name is Kayla. This summer I am studying Plume Surface Interactions (PSI) in a hybrid Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) internship. For the technical part of my internship with Dr. Wesley Chambers, I have been working with ground test data from prior MSFC testing to study how gas-granular PSI scales across various parameter spaces. I plan to combine my analysis with comparison to existing PSI literature, which will help highlight knowledge gaps in the PSI field and guide future research.
Since I’m a hybrid intern, I started off with two weeks of in-person learning at MSFC where I got to meet some of my past and present collaborators, tour various facilities, and hear the first female center director at MSFC, Jody Singer, give an opening speech for this summer internship program. My favorite activities were touring Marshall’s Lunar Regolith Terrain Field alongside retired NASA astronaut Cady Coleman (pictured below), meeting the MSFC employees of EV44/Natural Environments Branch, and touring the V-20 Thermal Vacuum Chamber with MSFC/Jacobs engineer Mike Fiske. (Fun fact: Mike and I have worked together since 2019 for the Lunar PAD project, but only met in person this June!) Working from home has been nice, but it is always nice to have at least a week or two in person to see all the fascinating NASA center history.

-Kayla Schang
July 23, 2023
Hello everyone! My name is Raven Pascua, and I am approaching the end of my internship at Kennedy Space Center. Over the past few weeks, I have been busy writing project plans and preparing various microbiology experiments to test under simulated microgravity. I’ve also had the opportunity to tour iconic landmarks of Kennedy Space Center, like the VAB. I get along great with the other interns, and every employee I have met has been so kind and ready to help. I’ve made several connections that change the way I look at the space industry. The employees here have broadened my horizons to different fields and where I could fit into the ever-growing field of life science in space. This internship has been a wonderful experience for me, and the things I am learning here will stick with me for years to come.
-Raven Pascua
July 16, 2023
I’m Jessica Schwend and my time as an intern at Kennedy Space Center has been amazing so far. My day typically starts around 8:30 when I get to work, check my emails, and check the results of a simulation I left running the night before. I then head into the Electrostatics and Surface Physics Lab to say hi to my mentor, the fellow interns, and the full time employees. The mornings usually fly by, I ask anyone if they need help with their projects and attend any necessary meetings while I wait for my vacuum chamber to pump down to pressure. As part of my research, I’m conducting experiments involving particle-particle tribocharging of glass beads. Unfortunately, the vacuum chamber needs to be brought back to atmospheric pressure and then pumped down to 1E-05 torr in between every trial, giving me lots of time to work on simulations, data analysis, and shadow around the lab.

Before I know it, I’m heading to HQ or some other unique & historic location around the base for lunch. I’ve been lucky enough to explore the VAB, the Launch Services Hangar, a historic lighthouse, and the launchpad where SLS, Space Shuttle, and even the Apollo Missions have launched from. One of my favorite parts of working at KSC is the wildlife. On my drives around base I’ve seen ospreys, alligators, dolphins, pelicans and wild boars (as well as a rocket launch or two). My day usually ends by leaving a simulation running overnight or my vacuum chamber pumping down for a trial run the next morning. I can’t believe my time here is already almost over, stay tuned for more info!
-Jessica Schwend
July 16, 2023
Day in the life of a NASA Intern:
My day starts at 7:45AM wherein I spend the next 45 minutes getting up and ready to leave, at 8:30AM I along with other interns take the bus over to JSC. By 9AM I’m onsite getting myself set up. From 9-10AM I’m typically checking emails, talking with my mentor, and planning out my day. Meetings are normally scheduled sometime around 11AM – 1PM so it isn’t out of the ordinary for me to hop between meetings and even sometimes lectures, around 1ish things calm down and I typically go out for lunch at one of the two cafeterias onsite. After lunch has been had I spend the rest of the day communicating with my mentor, co-mentors, and fellow interns on projects. My day is over at 5:15PM when the bus arrives at my building and picks me up.
-Jackson Rockefeller
July 16, 2023
I am about to begin my seventh week at NASA, and it has been so much fun and I have learned very many essential skills! I typically spend most of my time working on the Cancer Evidence book which is essentially a place where some of the most cutting-edge cancer research can be found. I have made small edits to it, but mainly, I extract important information from the papers that are mentioned in it and put that metadata in one spot. What I have done will be published as a helpful chart for the readers of this book. I have also organized space radiation’s data using a software called Zotero: I have created quarterly folders and found quality publications that replaced incomplete documents. In addition to work, my mentor, the space radiation element head, and I often go to lunch at a Thai restaurant which is fantastic. Not only is the food delicious but I enjoy talking to them and gaining insight from them. They are very knowledgeable people who I look up to. Overall, my time at Johnson Space Center has been wonderful and I cannot wait to continue and learn even more!
-Anna Rankin
July 9, 2023
Hello! My name is Sam and I am a mechanical and electrical engineer interning at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. The main project of this internship is to design and fabricate a metasurface antenna using composites for space missions. Earlier during the internship, I collaborated with the Additive Manufacturing Center (AMC) to write a python program for cost quoting. This tool enables other groups within JPL to interact with the AMC more easily, and quickly get cost estimates for metal 3D printed parts. More recently, I learned the composite layup process and helped fabricate a 15-layer carbon fiber panel. I will follow this process when fabricating the composite substrate for the metasurface antenna. I have also presented to a few groups within JPL about my area of research – 3D printed electronics. JPL has been great so far and time is flying by. I can’t believe there are already only 5 weeks left.

-Sam LeBlanc
July 2, 2023
Hi everyone! My name is Jackson Rockefeller and I’m currently interning over at Johnson Space Center. This is my first tour at any center yet the past three weeks have been jampacked with a bunch of really cool and interesting talks and tours. I’ve spent the past few weeks learning and getting familiar with topics such as Python, Denavit-Hartenberg parameters, circuitry, and design! All very new and interesting topics for me that will definitely help me in my future. My mentor has been amazing and getting to work in the lab with a bunch of other interns and co-mentors has been a blast, it’s an incredibly relaxed and accepting environment that I’m really happy to be a part of. With there being so many interns in the lab, a majority new like me, we’ve spent the first few weeks getting assignments/tasks assigned and will be diving into everything in the upcoming weeks. While assignments are subject to change I’m currently set to work on the design and development of a machine that offsets the force a person experiences on their arms in hopes of being able to help simulate different types of gravity (zero, moon, mars, etc) here on the ground properly as we can already do so with the lower body, we’re just missing the arms. The project is incredibly recent and has finally gotten funding so we’ve gotten here at a wonderful time!

-Jackson Rockefeller
June 25, 2023
Greetings from Cleveland! I have just completed my second week here at the NASA Glenn Research Center. So far, I have already developed a python script that will be used in the future by the CEA 2022 development team for automated testing. It was a bit complicated at first because I had little experience with python scripting and spent a whole week learning how to program in python. After learning the language, I was able to make a fully automated script that organizes data from the CEA software using prior experience I had with MATLAB. The next step will be automating the script to test hundreds of different output files effectively. I have learned a lot about data parsing and chemical equilibrium for combustion applications.
On my free time, I am exploring the restaurants here in the city and even got the chance to attend my first ball game. I am also learning how to use Open MDAO. It is an open-source optimization software from NASA that engineers can use to optimize their designs that was introduced to me by my mentor. I am learning this to apply to my current combustion simulation project and hope to see some exciting results with it.
-Juan Pablo Delgado
June 18, 2023
Hey everybody! I’m John, and I’m about to wrap up my second week here at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. My work at the moment has me formulating my intern Project Plan; during my internship, I will fabricating boron nitride nanotube composite materials, investigating their mechanical and electrical properties, and applying them to devices that can be used in extreme space environments. I’ve had plenty to do since starting. I’ve undergone multiple trainings such as ionizing radiation safety and liquid nitrogen handling. I’ve also toured multiple facilities like the hundred-yard-long 8 ft wind tunnel and the model shop. Last Friday, I had a blast playing soccer at the Langley Summer Games (let’s go Building 1208!). My favorite thing so far, though, has been getting to know my fellow interns and mentors in my branch. It’s fascinating to hear about all the amazing things they have done and will be doing this summer. That’s been it for me. I’ll see you all again in a few weeks.
-John Yonkauske
June 18, 2023
The NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) has been at the forefront of spaceflight and continues to serve as a hub for human spaceflight activity. As a returning intern, I was able to quickly get my project started. My summer project aims to contribute to the goal of achieving sustained long-term presence on lunar surfaces with a focus on the bone health of astronauts and translating those therapies to help treat osteoporotic bone loss seen on Earth. Outside of my project work the intern coordinators often have coordinated events for us to participate in to enrich our experience at JSC. These events have ranged from tours of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, Mission Control, and lectures from leading scientists and current astronauts. After center hours, the cohort of interns plans out many social events to build up our sense of community at JSC. These events consist of on-site sporting events at the Gilruth athletic center, weekend trips to national parks, and exploring the vast amount of activities Houston offers.
–Christopher Ngo

June 18, 2023
For my first week at NASA Langley, I had a full schedule of tours around the Langley base to see all the facilities they had. I went to the 14×22 wind tunnel tour where we learned about how the wind tunnel assisted in the development and scientific research related to planes, rockets, and even assistive device like a wheelchair. I also got a glimpse of a dragon fly model being tested inside the wind tunnel so that was amazing!
I also met with my NASA mentor who outlined what my projects will be over the summer. The project consists of developing a python library that can process a wide variety of aerodynamic data (which can come from numerical, experimental or, user inputs) and extract meaningful information from the data set. Being able to understand and quantify the “goodness” of data is a critical process since the data will be fed into other numerical models and make their predictions better. Some accomplishments I’ve achieved (aside from all the IT issues) was writing a python script to process steady fluid simulations and applying statistical methods to better understand convergence and uncertainties. In the future, the python program will be able to process all forms of data and even make predictions on which section of the data is the most critical to analyze.
I am excited for what’s ahead all the experiences that I’ll get during the internship!
-Khanh Nguyen
June 11, 2023
Hi everyone, my name is Ash, I’m interning here at NASA Langley Research Center, the mother of NASA facilities! So far I’ve been getting to know my awesome team of 5 and all my mentors, learning about the work that I will be conducting this summer. I’ll be doing characterization of a ceramic coating called Zirconia, studying it’s applicability in order to resist lunar conditions/impacts. We’ve seen some really cool things such as an 8 Ft wind tunnel and the very spot where the Apollo Capsule is kept, however it’s really hard to get access inside. It truly feels amazing to be here and know that we are a part of the people who will help make a difference. I’ll keep you all posted!
-Ashley Tirado Pujols
June 11, 2023
Hi everyone! This week I started my OSTEM internship at the John F. Kennedy Space Center. Being onsite has been super exciting! It’s feels surreal every time I drive through the security gate with my badge. I will be working with Swamp Works IRSU Pilot Excavator team. I met my mentor and the other interns I’m with as we settled into our building and space. This first week was full of meeting new people, trainings, and onboarding processes. It’s nice to know that NASA cares about the safety of their employees, which is why we go through all these extensive trainings. To top it all off, all us interns were able to watch a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch on our first day! Being so close to it was exhilarating. I’m so grateful to have this opportunity. I can’t wait to check in again a little further into my internship. Talk to you then!
-Olivia Ricca

June 11, 2023
Hi! I’ve just finished my first week at ARC. While this has mostly consisted of orientations and trainings, there are many exciting things to look forward to. I have spotted the 80’x120’ wind tunnel as well as the Arc Jet Complex! I can’t wait to get a tour of them. I am also looking forward to the EDL seminars which will occur twice a week.
My work thus far has consisted of lots of reading on metric-based mesh adaptation and asking tons of questions. After receiving access to the supercomputer and the software I will be using this summer, I was able to run my first tutorial case with an iteration of the mesh adaptation. I am very excited for what I will be able to accomplish by the end of the ten weeks!
Outside of work I’ve had lots of fun exploring California and enjoying its scenery. I’ve also had a quick peek of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. I’ve already made an extensive list of places to visit and things to do with some of the other interns.
-Juan Roldan
June 11, 2023
My internship exceeds my expectations every day! Between the interesting tours that I’ve been on, working on such innovative material, and getting to know my mentors, I have really enjoyed my time at Johnson Space Center. My position is in Space Radiation Element which interests me because I like to learn about the human body and its reactions to different environmental conditions. I find it interesting that this research not only applies to astronauts; it also helps stimulate studies which advance research in cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, and central nervous system (CNS) diseases. Learning more about radiation will even help you and I because we are exposed to small doses of radiation too. Currently, I’m in the middle of my third week and I can’t wait to continue!
-Anna Rankin