Hi i a 12thgrade science student 4rum india and want 2 get into NASA badly.can anyone pls tell me the courses?

Question

i am very much interested in astrophysics...but i need 2 know the courses 2 do 2 get into nasa and wat career options are available for a foreign student like me?

Answer 1

It really depends on what you want to do. Plan missions, design spacecrafts, research, astronaut, etc. Degrees in Physics, Mathematics and/or Engineering would probably be big pluses, again, depending on what you want to do. To tell you the truth, I don't know if they hire people who aren't U.S. citizens. It is, after all, an agency of the U.S. Government. Here's a page from their site:

http://www.nasa.gov/about/career/index.h...

Read it over, follow the link to NASAJobs and see what you can figure out. Good luck.

Answer 2

you have to go to an accredited U.S. college like MIT

Answer 3

Rex,

   I can't tell you about astrophysics.  It's not my area.  I can tell you that NASA hires tons of aerospace engineers.  There are dozens of subdisciplines within aerospace engineering that are used.  Most of them are learned on the job after you have your degree.  

  If you choose to go this route, there are several things you need to know.  Make absolutely sure that the university you attend is ABET accredited.  That means it is certified by the American Board of Engineering Technology and meets minimum standards of excellence.  A non-ABET degree is worthless in the real world with companies that count. (unless you went somewhere in another country, like the Von Braun Institute - which is one of the best in the world, if not the best for this kind of thing.)



  Also - are you a citizen?  If you are not, the odds of you working anywhere you'd need a clearance are very slim.  The fact that you are from India is ok.  It's whether or not you are a citizen that matters.  

Keep your nose clean.  One DUI can s***w up your chances.  One misdemeanor getting caught doing any illegal drug will ruin your chances.  Stay financially responsible (student loans are totally ok.  Big gambling debts aren't, for example) and don't hang out with people that can take you down with them.  Protect your reputation from today onward knowing what you want to do in the future will require it.

  It's very possible and doable to work your way through school by getting student loans and living as cheaply as possible with friends and splitting everything you can.   Don't let money be an obstacle.

  You will need to study extremely hard.   These courses are learnable, even for someone that is not brilliant (I learned.  I'm not).  The thing is, it simply takes a huge effort, much thinking, and concentrating for hours, week after week, month after month, for years.  Thousands of people do it though, and it's worth it.  However - alot of people don't make it because at some point they decide it's not worth the effort, or they are making c minuses, and get discouraged, or they go on scholastic probation and instead of working harder, they give up.  If you want to work for NASA, you have to study until you understand every concept and work until each project is done.   Teachers will give partial credit.  You need to pretend that it doesn't exist, and go for an A each time.  

     Keep in mind that an outfit like NASA requires skills that are very diverse - as in very different degree plans.  

     They need doctors and medical people to research the effect of space on our bodies, and to take care of astronauts.  Everything is computerized so they need sharp programmers.  They need to know where everything is and where it's going, and how to get it there.  The complexity of orbital mechanics and dynamics in mindblowing.  Think of the variables in the last mars lander and how it got where it is successfully.  They need people who understand atmospheric heating and reentry chemistry in a burning atmosphere and what materials can take that kind of abuse.  

   Alot of what is done is done by subcontractors.  NASA decides what they need, what all the requirements are, maybe gets bids, and someone else - Morton Thiokol, Boeing, GE, or whoever will make it for them.  They need people too, they have excellent jobs, and are good places to work.  However - if you really want to work for NASA, be careful that you don't slide down the wrong path when you get to it.  

  Another possibility you may not have considered is Air Force ROTC.  NASA has quite a few ex-air force pilots on hand.  Even if it's only for your college years, and 4 more, it's an excellent starting point.  You'll still need a topic of study.  That's independent of ROTC.

  Each degree plan will have an entire curriculum of courses.  When you get to your third and fourth year, you will begin to specialize within each one.  By then, you should have a decent feel for what you'd really like to focus on.  In the mean time,  consider that NASA has a need for a large variety of specialists.  Select an area you know they need, select two or three universities that you can afford, and apply.  If your grades are decent, you really only need to pick one.  Most science based universities don't have a long line of people competing to get in. It's hard enough that simply wanting to do it is it's own filter.  

   Some areas to consider are:  aerospace engineering,  pure physics,  astronomy, astrophysics, chemistry, and electrical engineering (think of the antennas and radio astronomy)  

   The initial courses for most of these will be very similar because anything that will work will require a minumum of a BS in a science based degree.  Do not get a "technology degree" because it sounds easier.  They are easier.  That means you won't get into NASA with that form of degree.  How would you tell the difference?  Those types of degree usually stop the math after calculus II.  BS's in most of the other stuff go through all 3 calculus levels, differential equations, and further.  



   Your first year, you will probably be taking calculus one,  maybe political science, english composition, and perhaps chemistry (physical, as opposed to organic, which might be needed later. depends).  That would be a very full load.  

   I realize this is far more information than you asked, but what I have said is all true and will be very useful.  The next thing will as well.  It's not personal, but I need to comment on it.  Writing things like 4rum instead of "from" and pls instead of "please", wat instead of "what", 2 instead of "to" and so on might sound cool amongst your peers, and it's fast for texting on your cell phone, but from the perspective of a professional assessing a young person with professional goals, it makes you sound like a complete and total idiot. I'm not saying you are those things.  I'm saying that when I read your question, that's the impression it leaves.  I'm hoping you are simply being casual as opposed to not knowing better.  If you don't, you'll need to concentrate very hard on your communication skills as well.  

Good luck

Kevin