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| 06-28-2004 | Previous edition: 06-25-2004 |
        
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Printer-friendly version Students continue tradition of space
Summer Reporter Dorrie Byford wants space photos. Byford spent half the year with NASA as a part of the cooperative educational program, which is a realization of a dream she has had since a seventh-grade science teacher piqued her interest. But besides being a co-op student who wants to be a flight controller, Byford is hoping to capture her favorite NASA heroes with her camera. "I have a collection of people that I’ve met and people that I want to meet in frames," said Byford, junior in the School of Aeronautic and Astronautic Engineering. "My goal is to get my picture with them." She said she’s done well so far, meeting several people tied directly to NASA’s history, including her hero, Gene Krantz, the flight director of Apollo 13, and astronaut Jerry Ross. "I have my picture with them — it’s so cool," she said. During Byford’s time at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, she did more than find NASA celebrities. She worked in the Mission Operations Directorate in the command and data handling branch. Right now, the branch has a consulting position for the space station. She also created a database of all the caution and warning alarms in the station. One of the reasons she said she enjoyed her co-op experience so much is the atmosphere created by NASA employees. "Everybody is so excited about their jobs," she said. "It’s infectious." Byford is anticipating a return to Houston in the fall and is currently taking classes. She is learning Russian with the "hopes of going to Russia next summer with hopes of working with our Russian partners." Nathan Payne, another student in the cooperative educational program working at NASA, spent much of the spring working with cosmonauts. He spent his time in the shuttle and station flight planning branch of the Mission Operations Directorate and his supervisor planned extravehicular activity, allowing him to interact with the Russians every day. Both Byford and Payne spent much of their first co-op period in training and in classes. Payne, also in the School of Aeronautic and Astronautic Engineering, recounted the beginning of the job as the worst, because he said he was getting paid to show up and watch other people work. "I know it sounds like the perfect situation, but I wanted to contribute and feel important," said Payne. He also said that it wasn’t thrilling to spend his first four hours on the job filling out paperwork. "That’s the government for you," he said. Payne, unlike Byford, didn’t dream of a career with NASA, but he thought the opportunity to co-op there was a "unique experience." Now, he said, he wants to be in the business of space "in some way." Payne said one of the things he enjoyed most about the experience was being able to go into the mission control rooms almost anytime he wanted. "I had my own headset, so I could go in there and listen to the flight controllers do their thing," he said. Byford and Payne weren’t alone. Many other Purdue students work in the co-op program and Byford said although Purdue is known for producing astronauts, many of the behind-the-scene employees at NASA are also Purdue alumni. In the spring, Byford went to a Purdue alumni reunion in Houston with a few other co-op students from the University. While looking at a stack of books written by those attending the reunion, a voice crept up behind them, commenting on the book in Byford’s hand. "I heard this book wasn’t very good," said the voice. Byford turned around to see the author, Eugene Cernan, standing there. Cernan, a Purdue graduate, is the last man to walk on the moon. So of course she got her picture with him. Printer-friendly version |
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