Fueled my Passion

By Kris Fields, JSC, TX
INSPIRE Intern 2007
Lockheed Martin Intern 2009

The Space Vehicle Mockup Facility (SVMF) at Johnson Space Center is one of the main focal points when it comes to training astronauts. The SVMF houses training mockups for Space Shuttle missions, International Space Station Missions, Constellation Program Missions and everything in-between. This past fall I had the opportunity to work in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility on the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle Mockup. This experience had me working on real engineering issues that NASA engineers deal with every day. I worked with engineers and astronauts to find design solutions for issues with the current flight design. The engineers and evaluations teams would then test these design ideas and apply them to the design of the vehicle. The great part of working on this program is that the components are still being designed so we got to apply our knowledge from past NASA programs to create this new vehicle. Working on the Orion Mockup gave me a lot of experience with 3D modeling programs as well as with the overall design to fabrication process. Every day was a new experience and there was never a dull moment. I was fortunate enough to work with some of the brightest people in the world on a day to day basis and that is a fact I don’t take lightly.

As a past INSPIRE intern only a couple of years ago this was the job that I had always aspired to so this internship was especially memorable for me. The INSPIRE program did a great job preparing me not only for future internships at NASA but also prepared me for my future and college and helped me learn what my overall goal was in life. Each intern experience that I have had has engulfed me into the “real” engineering world and has fueled my passion to work in the space industry.