They were pointing to the sky in the direction of Los Angeles. I couldn’t imagine what they were talking about.
To my surprise, the tiny speck in the sky was a SpaceX satellite launch. One of the bystanders actually worked for SpaceX and was enthusiastic in answering everyone’s questions about the launch. Never mind the lost sunset photo opportunity, photography at Crystal Cove—south of Los Angeles—was perfect.
Later on, the newspapers reported that the launch caused a social media frenzy as well as a multi-car crash on a local freeway. That was the year 2017 and we have never looked back. SpaceX, JPL (NASA Jet Propulsion Lab), and NASA have all done magnificent work in helping to prepare today’s students for an aerospace future. So what's available for students interested in these career options?
Generally these opportunities can be divided into three different categories:
1) internships
2) science challenges, including CubeSat Launch Initiatives (ESTCube being one example)
3) science fair opportunities
This is not a comprehensive list, but it will give you a good idea of the general requirements.
Internships
As with applying for graduate and postdoctoral student programs at famous, cutting-edge university labs, the competition for internships is very fierce and only a small number of highly qualified students can get admitted in any given year. A high grade point average (a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for NASA interns but minimum of 3.5 GPA for SpaceX interns) is a basic requirement.
However, the programs differ in their age and citizenship requirements. JPL offers summer internship opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing college degrees, but is presently not offering internships for high school students. Their website should be checked periodically to see if this changes. NASA interns must be at least 16 years old and full-time student at an accredited educational institute. SpaceX internships are open to students who are enrolled in an accredited university and are able to work full-time. All three internships (JPL, NASA and SpaceX) require U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency.
However, opportunities for foreign interns do exist for JPL and NASA, although they are limited. For example, NASA International interns (I2) are university undergraduate or graduate students who are non-US citizens and are nominated by the NASA I2 foreign partners to participate in the project. They must have expertise and a background in technical areas of interest to NASA.
The JPL Visiting Student Research Program is open to foreign (non-US) nationals, but requirements include having a fellowship or internship awarded through a third party. Students must provide proof of financial support (at least USD $2,400 per month during the JPL visit), be covered by an international health insurance plan with accident coverage, be pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 at the student’s current institute. As with all of these internship opportunities, having these minimum requirements is just the beginning. Recruiters are looking for students who are highly motivated, have strong perseverance, a passion for learning as well as strong problem-solving and team work skills.
Students who can provide specific examples of these skills stand out. As John Callas, JPL project manager of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Project and California Art Club member (yes, physicists at JPL are known to like art!) mentioned during a 2021 panel discussion, experiences/events by age ten often determine a scientist and engineer career focus. This means looking for students, who, often in their pre-college years, would be motivated to join science clubs or participate in science fair opportunities. For a discussion of science fair opportunities, see my previous article “Preparing For Your Next Science Fair Project.”
Examples of motivation include forming your own science club if your school doesn’t have one, and inventing something even if you do not have a school science fair. If you're looking for a good example of motivation and perseverance, consider Craig Venter. When his human genome “shotgun sequencing” method was denied funding by the Human Genome Project, he did not sit idle. Instead he sought funding from the private sector to start Celera Genomics. As we all know, Venter and his team at Celera later shared credit for sequencing the “first draft human genome” with the publicly funded Human Genome Project. He is on the TIME100 honoree list of the most influential people in the world.
Further information on internship opportunities can be found on the JPL website, on JPL's page about the JPL Visiting Student Research Program, on the NASA site, and on the SpaceX site.
Science fairs
If internship opportunities are not available, it is highly recommended that students engage in science fair competitions and similar events. Prize winners not only receive valuable publicity but also prize money which can be applied to expensive university tuition costs or product development for inventions.
NASA STEM Engagement has created opportunities for universities to develop CubeSats for launch, the focus being to help universities, faculty, and students to “build small satellites and enhance the potential to be selected for flight opportunities.” Their website should be checked regularly for updates. For example, there is an international intern program listed for university students, but as of January 22nd, 2023, the website states that “This program is temporarily on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
On their website, one can also find information on the Cubes in Space program, which is listed as “the only global STEM program for students 11-18 years of age, providing two suborbital flight opportunities on NASA missions.” The website includes a fair amount of Canadian data useful for students, and the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum link on the Cubes in Space website is likely to be useful for Canadian pre-college students.
The ESTCube satellite program has received a lot of publicity in recent years. It has even been honoured with an Estonian postage stamp! The current ESTCube-2 is a three-unit CubeSat built by the Estonian Student Satellite Foundation. For students in Estonia, the ESTCube website is a good starting place for further information.
Last but not least, the Starship Technologies delivery robot, which is hugely popular at North American university campuses, has an interesting history. It originated as a proposal for a NASA competition, which involved building an autonomous rough-terrain robot for finding and retrieving rock samples on Mars. While the design did not win first place in the NASA competition, it won in another way… it was developed into a delivery vehicle for food, among other things.
To fuel your inspiration and motivation, you can read about this very successful venture on Digital Trends and the Starship Technologies company website.
