Month: July 2023

The Many Routes to a NASA Internship

 

Looking to start your career at NASA as an intern but don’t know where to begin? NASA offers multiple paths to become a NASA intern, and many of them have unique opportunities and are  available to different types of students. We’ve put together this handy breakdown to help you get started with your application.

NASA OSTEM Internships

Alt Text: Two female interns wearing blue NASA flight suits stand smiling with their hands behind their backs. Behind them, a large multirotor aircraft sits idle on the runway. The distance clear blue sky makes up the top of the image. Credit: NASA/Angelique Herring
Alt Text: Two female interns wearing blue NASA flight suits stand smiling with their hands behind their backs. Behind them, a large multirotor aircraft sits idle on the runway. The distance clear blue sky makes up the top of the image. Credit: NASA/Angelique Herring

NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) paid internships allow both high school and college-level students to contribute to agency projects under the guidance of a NASA mentor. With roles in nearly every mission at every center across the United States, these positions are the most popular and numerous of NASA’s internships.

NASA JPL Internships

Former NASA JPL intern and current NASA astronaut Jessia Watkins poses in the control room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Smiling and wearing her iconic blue astronaut flight suit a large projection of the Earth is seen in the background among computer screens. Credit: Credits: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Former NASA JPL intern and current NASA astronaut Jessia Watkins poses in the control room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Watkins smiles and wears her iconic blue astronaut flight suit. A large projection of the Earth is seen in the background among computer screens. Credit: Credits: NASA/Bill Ingalls

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s internships put you right in the action with the scientists and engineers who’ve helped make JPL the leading center for robotic exploration of the solar system. With programs as varied as the places we explore, this internship offers opportunities across the STEM spectrum for undergrads, graduate students, post doctorate students, and faculty at NASA JPL in Pasadena, California.

NASA Pathways Internships

Former NASA intern Naia Butler-Craig works to assemble a CubeSat in her laboratory. Wearing clean room attire she pays close attention to different cabling while assembling the small cube shaped satellite. Credit: NASA/ Bridget Caswell
Former NASA intern Naia Butler-Craig works to assemble a CubeSat in her laboratory. Wearing cleanroom attire she pays close attention to different cabling while assembling the small cube-shaped satellite. Credit: NASA/ Bridget Caswell

The Pathways Internship Program was established to build out the future of the federal workforce. Specializing in multi-semester experiences, the Pathways Internship Program prepares you for a career at NASA and offers a direct pipeline to full-time employment at NASA upon graduation.

These highly competitive roles allow interns the opportunity to kickstart their career by transitioning their internship into a full-time role as a government employee after meeting the program’s requirements.

NASA Fellowships

Former NASA intern and current NASA technologist Nithin Abraham uses sterile gloves in a clean container environment study a simple sample in NASA’s Goddard Space Center’s laboratory. Wearing professional attire, she looks in focused while using a small tweezer like tool to interact with small science components. Credit: NASA/Pat Izzo
Former NASA intern and current NASA technologist Nithin Abraham uses sterile gloves in a clean container environment to study a simple sample in NASA’s Goddard Space Center’s laboratory. Wearing professional attire, she looks focused while using a small tweezer-like tool to interact with small science components. Credit: NASA/Pat Izzo

NASA Fellowships allow graduate-level students to pursue research projects in response to the agency’s current research priorities. Fellowship opportunities are focused on innovation and generate measurable research results that contribute to NASA’s current and future science and technology goals—these prestigious positions enhance graduate learning and development.

NASA SkillBridge Internships

Former U.S. Air Force Colonel select, and current NASA astronaut Raja Chari poses beside a NASA science aircraft on the runway. Wearing his iconic blue astronaut flight suit an American flag patch stands in sharp contrast on his left shoulder. In the background there are clear blue skies. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Former U.S. Air Force Colonel select, and current NASA astronaut Raja Chari poses beside a NASA science aircraft on the runway. Wearing his iconic blue astronaut flight suit an American flag patch is seen on his left shoulder. In the background there are clear blue skies. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Across the agency, veterans deliver subject matter expertise, years of on-the-job training, and advanced skills in everything from information technology to transportation logistics and from supply-chain management to public relations. Our SkillBridge program with the Department of Defense helps to transition veterans into NASA internships that they can later use to springboard to a full-time NASA position.

To search for SkillBridge roles, follow this link and search “NASA” in the keywords box.

NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS)

A group of NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars sit in the control room at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. Each of the scholars are at computer working a live simulation of a mission control. The diverse group of interns wear business casual attire. Credit: NASA
A group of NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars sits in the control room at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. Each of the scholars is at a computer working on a live simulation of mission control. The diverse group of interns wear business casual attire. Credit: NASA

NASA offers the Community College Aerospace Scholars program for community college students to get hands-on preparation for a NASA internship. Although not an internship program itself, students participating in an NCAS activity can expect to advance their capabilities in STEM, helping to prepare them for better representation and service in STEM fields. NCAS has three missions designed to challenge and build student knowledge and skills by focusing on NASA’s mission goals, collaboration, and career pathways.

International Internships

Three international NASA interns from the United Arab Emirates pose together outside of the large Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, located at the NASA Ames Research Center. Wearing business casual attire, the trio smile in front of the massive white building housing the wind tunnel. Credit: NASA / Eric James
Three international NASA interns from the United Arab Emirates pose together outside of the large Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, located at the NASA Ames Research Center. Wearing business casual attire, the trio smiles in front of the massive white building housing the wind tunnel. Credit: NASA / Eric James

NASA seeks to better prepare all students to work in a global environment and on multicultural, international missions. NASA offers international internships through collaborations with our international partners. These roles offer work experience comparable to traditional NASA internships and align with NASA’s three annual internship sessions.

Do you have a question about NASA’s internships that wasn’t answered here? Send us an email and we’ll do our best to answer your question.

 

Celebrate NASA Internships With This Social Media Toolkit

National Intern Day is July 27! We’ve put together this social media toolkit to help you celebrate NASA internships this #NationalInternDay. Whether you’re an intern, former intern, intern mentor, or just work with some incredible NASA interns—this toolkit is for you!

Graphics

Our graphic designers compiled a collection of visuals for you to use that pull inspiration from some of NASA’s most iconic recent recordings. Feel free to use them!

Accessibility

We encourage you to utilize the provided alt text (alternative text) to make the graphics as accessible as possible—after all, there is space for everyone at NASA.

Hashtags
Excited to share about NASA internships? Use our official hashtags (#NASAInterns and/or #ArtemisGeneration) for a chance to be amplified from our accounts.

1. Artemis Launch – Download Here

Alt Text: NASA’s Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System ascends from its launch pad while overlaid text reads “There’s space for me at NASA”. As the massive rocket approaches the top of the screen its bright exhaust turns the entire screen white. Once the screen is white it transitions to an empty background with text stating “Happy #NationalInternDay” with an animated red, white, and blue NASA meatball logo below the text. Credit: NASA/Greg Lee
Alt Text: NASA’s Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System ascends from its launch pad while overlaid text reads “There’s space for me at NASA.” As the massive rocket approaches the top of the screen its bright exhaust turns the entire screen white. Once the screen is white it transitions to an empty background with text stating “Happy #NationalInternDay” with an animated red, white, and blue NASA meatball logo below the text. Credit: NASA/Greg Lee

2. Saturn’s Rings – Download Here

Alt Text: Saturn and its rings with the Sun in the background. Overlaid text reads “There’s space for me at NASA”. As the graphic zooms out from Saturn an additional line below the original text states “Happy #NationalInternDay” with an animated red, white, and blue NASA meatball logo below the text. Credit: NASA/Greg Lee
Alt Text: Saturn and its rings with the Sun in the background. Overlaid text reads “There’s space for me at NASA.” As the graphic zooms out from Saturn an additional line below the original text states “Happy #NationalInternDay” with an animated red, white, and blue NASA meatball logo below the text. Credit: NASA/Greg Lee

3. Earth Flare – Download Here

Alt Text: The Earth’s upper atmosphere at night as seen from the International Space Station, overlaid text reads “There’s space for me at NASA.” As the Space Station nears the Earth’s daylight side the Sun’s bright light drowns out the entire image in blue then white. Once the screen is white it transitions to an empty background with text stating “Happy #NationalInternDay” with an animated red, white, and blue NASA meatball logo below the text. Credit: NASA/Greg Lee

4. Earth Orbit – Download Here

Alt Text: The Earth’s horizon during the day as recorded from the International Space Station, white wispy clouds, blue oceans, and light brown land are seen beyond the horizon with overlaid text stating “There’s space for me at NASA”. The original text fades away and is replaced with text reading “Happy #NationalInternDay” with an animated red, white, and blue NASA meatball logo below the text. Credit: NASA/Greg Lee
Alt Text: The Earth’s horizon during the day as recorded from the International Space Station. White wispy clouds, blue oceans, and light brown land are seen beyond the horizon with overlaid text stating “There’s space for me at NASA.” The original text fades away and is replaced with text reading “Happy #NationalInternDay” with an animated red, white, and blue NASA meatball logo below the text. Credit: NASA/Greg Lee

Social Media Ideas

Interested in using some of the visuals we’ve created but don’t know where to start? Consider posts on any of these topics.

Current Intern

  • How has your NASA internship impacted you so far?
  • What is a favorite memory you’ve made during your internship?
  • Is there anything you are looking forward to during your internship?

Former Intern

  • How did your NASA internship change your life and/or career?
  • What was your internship experience like?
  • What piece of advice would you share with new interns?

Intern Mentor

  • What has it been like supporting interns?
  • How has working with interns affected you and/or your mission?
  • What have you learned from your interns?

Intern Colleague

  • How has working with interns affected you and/or your mission?
  • What advice, if any, do you have for interns?
  • What is a positive memory you have had with a NASA intern?

6 Ways to Celebrate National Intern Day with NASA

National Intern Day is celebrated annually to recognize and highlight the contributions of interns throughout different industries and fields of work. At every NASA center across the country, interns play a critical role in our mission success.

The work of interns at NASA reaches far and wide.  Whether they’re contributing to our social media presence, supporting an engineering project that will one day return humanity to the Moon, or even chronicling NASA’s rich history, our interns’ contributions make us proud.

Looking to join in the celebration this National Intern Day? Here are six ways for interns, mentors, and past interns to celebrate NASA internships.

1. Meet the NASA Administrator

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson poses in a selfie with a group of interns at an Intern Q&A session. Nelson wears a blue suit and the group of interns wear business casual attire. All are smiling. Credit: NASA/Bill Nelson
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson poses in a selfie with a group of interns at an Intern Q&A session. Nelson wears a blue suit and the group of interns wear business casual attire. All are smiling. Credit: NASA/Bill Nelson

The interns of today are the #ArtemisGeneration leaders of tomorrow.

Our interns had the chance to start celebrating National Intern Week early! We hosted a special Q&A session for our interns to meet and ask questions of Administrator Bill Nelson, Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, and Associate Administrator Bob Cabana on Wednesday, July 19.

2. Use Our Celebration Toolkit

Former NASA intern Jasmine Hopkins poses to take a selfie with someone wearing an example space suit. The Spacesuit is bright white with a metallic reflective finish on its bubble-like visor, upon its chest the iconic meatball NASA logo is prominent. Jasmine is wearing a business professional dress and smiles at the camera. Credit: NASA/Mark Knopp
Former NASA intern Jasmine Hopkins poses to take a selfie with someone wearing an example space suit. The Spacesuit is bright white with a metallic reflective finish on its bubble-like visor, upon its chest the iconic meatball NASA logo is prominent. Jasmine is wearing a business professional dress and smiles at the camera. Credit: NASA/Mark Knopp

Are you loving your NASA internship experience? Were you a former intern who now works at NASA full-time? Have you mentored interns and enriched the lives of others?

Check out our Celebration Toolkit which will be released right here on our blog. It includes custom-made visuals you can use on social media in celebration of #NationalInternDay and to share how your NASA internship impacted your life and career.

3. Join Our AMA (Ask Me Anything)

A group of interns stands together smiling inside NASA’s Goddard Research Center’s multimedia studio. In the center of the image a highchair is elevated on a platform with a collection of interns standing around it. In the background a hexagonal decorative wallcovering has the iconic red NASA worm logo jutting out from it. The group of interns are all wearing business casual attire. Credit: NASA/Wade Sisler
A group of interns stands together smiling inside NASA’s Goddard Research Center’s multimedia studio. In the center of the image a highchair is elevated on a platform with a collection of interns standing around it. In the background a hexagonal decorative wallcovering has the iconic red NASA worm logo jutting out from it. The group of interns are all wearing business casual attire. Credit: NASA/Wade Sisler

“What’s it like being a NASA intern? What is the day-to-day of an intern at NASA? What are some of the coolest things interns get to see during their internship? How do you become a NASA intern?”

People have questions—we’ve got the answers! Join in our Reddit Ask Me Anything on r/NASA and r/Internships to have your questions answered live by current interns, former interns, and mentors.

4. Have a Networking and Career Guidance Discussion

Students and young professionals discuss their projects at the Earth Science Applications Showcase Wednesday, August 1, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in DC. Three interns and young professional in business attire speak to one another about their research. Besides them is a large poster with Earth data. In the background more interns and young professional speak. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Now is a great time to ask your mentor for career advice! Build a sturdy foundation to launch your future career post-internship with networking skills and advice gained from a more experienced mentor. From “which NASA centers specialize in your field of study” to “what type of resume is best for applying for a full-time position after your internship concludes,” your mentor may just have the advice you’re looking for.

5. Share Your Internship Accomplishments

An intern wears an augmented reality headset outside while testing out the technology. In the background other interns use similar headsets in the large open and rocky area, it is dark outside. The intern at the center of the image gestures with their hand interacting with the AR interface which is only visible to them. Credit: NASA/James Blair
An intern wears an augmented reality headset outside while testing out the technology. In the background other interns use similar headsets in the large open and rocky area, it is dark outside. The intern at the center of the image gestures with their hand interacting with the AR interface which is only visible to them. Credit: NASA/James Blair

Did you help prepare plans for future cultivation of vegetables in space, design a new computer method to streamline a process supporting the Artemis Program, archive historical NASA documents, or maybe even create a collection of spicy space memes that the public was enamored with? Share your successes and accomplishments as a NASA intern with the world using #NASAIntern and #ArtemisGeneration.

6. Apply for a NASA Internship

Two NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars sit at a desk and work on projects on laptops sitting in front of them. The duo wears casual attire and have NASA lanyards on. In the background a display of a NASA spacesuit is out of focus. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz
Two NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars sit at a desk and work on projects on laptops sitting in front of them. The duo wears casual attire and have NASA lanyards on. In the background a display of a NASA spacesuit is out of focus. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

Now that you’ve seen the behind-the-scenes fun of a NASA internship, we hope you’ll consider becoming a NASA intern yourself — or, if you’re already part of the team, continuing your internship for an additional session. As a friendly reminder: our Spring 2024 OSTEM Internship applications close on August, 31. 2023.