The NASA Pathways Intern Program provides students with the opportunity to explore NASA careers and gain meaningful developmental work experience.
The Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate (AETD) provides the multidisciplinary engineering expertise needed to enable end-to-end conceptualization, development, and use of Earth and space science missions, and provides leadership and vision to advocate and implement a broad range of advanced technology activities in order to meet current and future space and Earth science mission needs.
Summary
The NASA Pathways Intern Program provides students with the opportunity to explore NASA careers and gain meaningful developmental work experience.
The Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate (AETD) provides the multidisciplinary engineering expertise needed to enable end-to-end conceptualization, development, and use of Earth and space science missions, and provides leadership and vision to advocate and implement a broad range of advanced technology activities in order to meet current and future space and Earth science mission needs.
This position is part of the NASA Pathways Intern Program which is a formal training program.
As a Pathways Engineering Intern, you will work under the guidance of, and assist engineering professionals and/or nontechnical personnel in progressively responsible duties which are related to your academic studies. You will perform well-defined tasks of a developmental nature in engineering disciplines .
We will fill multiple Pathways Engineering Intern positions in various organizations. Assignment of students will be made to following organizations:
Mechanical Systems Analysis & Simulation Branch - Duties may include systems analysis and simulation for space flight systems development, including analysis of structural loads and dynamics, thermomechanical and optomechanical analyses, and research, development, and maintenance of advanced computation capabilities for systems analysis and simulation of flight systems.
Contamination & Coatings Engineering Branch - Duties may include contamination and coating systems level technical support, ground and on-orbit specific contamination engineering and thermal coating assessments, flight qualification and space environmental testing, and development and modification of thermal control coatings and application techniques.
Optics Branch - Duties may include optical component and system development, including design, fabrication, verification, system integration and testing, and assisting with design and analysis including polarization, radiometry, system modeling and analysis, stray light, and tolerancing.
Cryogenics & Fluids Branch - Duties may include design and development of low temperature cooling systems and related technologies for space flight applications, materials testing at cryogenic temperatures, cryogenic thermal analysis and mechanical design, development of Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerators (ADR) to achieve sub-Kelvin temperatures, and cryogenic fluid handling.
Laser & Electro-Optics Branch - Duties may include research and development of laser instrument systems and components for science and spacecraft applications, system testing and qualification, nonlinear harmonic generation, Light Imaging, Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) and spectrometer instruments, and free space optical communication systems.
Flight Data Systems & Radiation Effects Branch - Duties may include assessing the natural space radiation environment effects on electronic components and materials, radiation hardness assurance engineering, requirements definition, radiation testing of devices and systems, analysis of radiation effects on performance and reliability, and development of mitigation approaches.
Instrument Electronics Development Branch - Duties may include design, development, and testing of electronics systems for space flight science instruments, analog and digital electronics, mixed-signal application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), algorithms and code for digital signal processing applications, formulation of instrument electronics systems architectures, and performing verification testing.
Flight Software Systems Branch - Duties may include development of embedded software products that enable spacecraft hardware, science instruments and flight components to operate as an integrated on-orbit science observatory, including flight software and high fidelity simulation test systems, early mission formulations and designs, requirements analysis, development, verification and validation, and mission life-sustaining engineering.
Science Data Processing Branch - Duties may include the design, development, implementation, and integration of science data processing applications and science data processing technology, embedded science data processing, modeling/simulation, and data visualization.
Attitude Control Systems Engineering Branch - Duties may include creating and maintaining analysis tools for attitude control systems, attitude determination, and sensor calibration, and assessments of the stability, robustness, and performance of attitude control systems for spacecraft systems using analysis and simulations.
Propulsion Branch - Duties may include design, development, analysis, assembly, and testing advanced propulsion system technologies, performance evaluation, and anomaly assessment of flight projects for spacecraft propulsion subsystems and expendable launch vehicle propulsion systems.
If additional opportunities arise, assignments may be made to other organizations.
Be at least 16 years of age at the time of appointment.
Enrolled or accepted in an accredited educational institution.
Pursuing a degree with a minimum of 30 semester hours completed.
Maintain enrollment at least half time as defined by the institution.
Have and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.9 on a 4.0 scale.
Be available to begin work no earlier than January 22, 2018.
You must have at least 1 year remaining in your studies before you completing your degree requirements. The expected completion date you enter in the NASA Supplemental Questionnaire will be used in making this determination, and applicants who indicate a graduation date prior to December 2018 will be found ineligible.
You will be required to sign a Pathways Participant Agreement.
Qualifications
Starting GS grade levels are determined by education level.
GS-4: Completion of 1 academic year of post-high school study. (1 academic year is the equivalent of 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours.) GS-4 starting salary: $15.54 per hour
GS-5: Completion of 2 academic years of post-high school study leading to a bachelor's or higher degree. (2 academic years is the equivalent of 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours.) GS-5 starting salary: $17.38 per hour
GS-6: Completion of 3 academic years of post-high school study leading to a bachelor's or higher degree. (3 academic years is the equivalent of 90 semester hours or 135 quarter hours.) GS-6 starting salary: $19.38 per hour
GS-7: Completion of 4 academic years of study (or all the requirements) for a bachelor's degree and accepted into a master's program. GS-7 starting salary: $21.53 per hour
GS-9: Completion of 1 academic year of master's level education or acceptance into a Doctoral program. GS-9 starting salary: $26.34 per hour
GS-11: Completion of 1 year of Doctorate Level study. GS-11 starting salary: $31.87 per hour
Education
You must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an educational institution accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, go to Department of Education.
To be eligible for this position, you must be pursuing a degree in engineering, physical science, mathematics, life sciences, computer science, or other field of science at an accredited educational institution. Degrees in engineering technology are not qualifying for this position. Engineering degrees must be from a college or university school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum. To find out if a degree meets this requirement, go to ABET.
The following major(s) are preferred:
Aerospace Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
Computer Engineering
Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
Electro-Optics Mathematics
Electronics Engineering
General Engineering
Lasers
Materials Engineering
Materials Science
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Mechatronics/Robotics Engineering
Nuclear Engineering
Optical Engineering
Optical Physics
Optical Sciences
Optics
Opto-Mechanical Engineering
Photonics
Physics
Software Engineering
Additional information
You must meet eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
If you are tentatively selected for this position, you may be required to undergo a pre-employment background investigation.
You will be expected to comply with Goddard Space Flight Center Pathways Intern Program policies:
Maintain at least a half-time course load as defined by your educational institution;
Maintain a GPA of 2.9 or above on a 4.0 scale;
Adhere to an established work schedule;
Participate in Agency training classes and programs;
Successfully perform your assigned duties; and
Observe all workplace rules.
You will serve a trial period for the duration of the Intern appointment
You will only be considered for the highest grade for which you qualify.
Interns may be promoted to higher grades based on the amount of education completed, student trainee work experience, and acceptable performance. However, promotions are not guaranteed.
Interns may be considered for conversion to a term or permanent appointment within 120 days of completion of degree requirements provided they:
Successfully completed an academic course of study with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.90 (on a 4.00 scale);
Complete a minimum of 640 hours of work experience before completing degree requirements;
Meet the qualification requirements for the position to which they are converted; and
Maintain acceptable performance.
If you are converted, you may be further promoted up to the GS-13 level.
Eligibility for conversion does not guarantee that NASA will offer conversion.
The payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
We will review your application, including your answers to the NASA-specific questions, to ensure that you meet eligibility requirements and minimum qualifications. Candidates may be further evaluated based on preferred areas of study described above. Students will be referred for positions based on the majors needed to successfully perform the specific work of the hiring organization.
If you meet the eligibility requirements and minimum qualifications, you will be further evaluated based on the preferred majors listed under “Education.”
Veterans' preference applies in the hiring process. In order to receive preference in hiring, you must clearly identify your claim for veterans' preference when you apply. Veteran's preference will only be considered based on what is supported. For instance, if you claim 10-point preference, but are only able to document 5-point preference, you will be considered accordingly. For more information about Veterans' Preference, please visit this link.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
NASA's application process has been specifically developed to ensure that we only ask you for information we absolutely need to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility. In order to apply for this position, you only need to submit your resume and answer the NASA supplemental questions. No additional documentation is accepted at the time of application. In this way we allow you to focus on preparing a resume that best describes your background and abilities. Nothing further is required until requested by the Human Resources Office. At that point, we may ask you to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume. For example, we may ask you to provide academic transcripts. If you are claiming veterans' preference, we may ask you to submit proof of veterans' preference (DD-214, and, if claiming 10-point preference, SF-15 plus proof required by that form). If you fail to provide the required documents within the stated time period, we may withdraw a job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Before you begin the application process, please read this vacancy announcement carefully and have all required information available. We encourage you to provide a complete description of your educational achievements and include both paid and non-paid work in the experience portion of your resume. If you submit a resume that does not contain the required information, you may lose consideration. Your application must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
To begin the application process, click on the “Apply” link. In order to be considered, you must submit a resume completed on the USAJOBS site. When completing your USAJOBS resume, please remember that NASA limits resumes to 32,000 characters, including spaces. You will NOT be allowed to complete the application process if your resume is too long or if your resume was uploaded to USAJOBS from another source. Also, NASA does not accept documents attached through USAJOBS’ document attachment feature.
Once you submit your resume, you will be transferred to a NASA website to complete a short series of questions. You must finish the entire process in order to have a complete application. Your answers will not be saved unless you finish the entire application process. If you successfully apply, you will receive a confirmation email from NASA. Do not rely on a USAJOBS email to confirm successful application. You may edit a previously-submitted application, if the announcement is still open.
If you are unable to apply electronically for this position, submit your resume to: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Resume Operations Center, Mail stop: HS50, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812. Do NOT submit your resume directly to the Center advertising this vacancy. Mailed resumes must be received by the close of business on the closing date of the announcement. Hard copy resume requirements are at: Hard Copy Resume Requirements.
NASA's Resume Operations Center
4200 Rideout Road, Mailstop HS50
Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
US
Next steps
If you are found qualified, you may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends upon the location of the position and the judgment of the selecting official.
If you are selected, you will be notified by phone or email with a tentative job offer pending verification that you meet all eligibility and qualification requirements. An official, written firm job offer will only be issued once all requirements have been verified.
We expect that job offers and non-selection notifications will be made by December 1, 2017.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
NASA's application process has been specifically developed to ensure that we only ask you for information we absolutely need to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility. In order to apply for this position, you only need to submit your resume and answer the NASA supplemental questions. No additional documentation is accepted at the time of application. In this way we allow you to focus on preparing a resume that best describes your background and abilities. Nothing further is required until requested by the Human Resources Office. At that point, we may ask you to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume. For example, we may ask you to provide academic transcripts. If you are claiming veterans' preference, we may ask you to submit proof of veterans' preference (DD-214, and, if claiming 10-point preference, SF-15 plus proof required by that form). If you fail to provide the required documents within the stated time period, we may withdraw a job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Before you begin the application process, please read this vacancy announcement carefully and have all required information available. We encourage you to provide a complete description of your educational achievements and include both paid and non-paid work in the experience portion of your resume. If you submit a resume that does not contain the required information, you may lose consideration. Your application must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
To begin the application process, click on the “Apply” link. In order to be considered, you must submit a resume completed on the USAJOBS site. When completing your USAJOBS resume, please remember that NASA limits resumes to 32,000 characters, including spaces. You will NOT be allowed to complete the application process if your resume is too long or if your resume was uploaded to USAJOBS from another source. Also, NASA does not accept documents attached through USAJOBS’ document attachment feature.
Once you submit your resume, you will be transferred to a NASA website to complete a short series of questions. You must finish the entire process in order to have a complete application. Your answers will not be saved unless you finish the entire application process. If you successfully apply, you will receive a confirmation email from NASA. Do not rely on a USAJOBS email to confirm successful application. You may edit a previously-submitted application, if the announcement is still open.
If you are unable to apply electronically for this position, submit your resume to: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Resume Operations Center, Mail stop: HS50, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812. Do NOT submit your resume directly to the Center advertising this vacancy. Mailed resumes must be received by the close of business on the closing date of the announcement. Hard copy resume requirements are at: Hard Copy Resume Requirements.
NASA's Resume Operations Center
4200 Rideout Road, Mailstop HS50
Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
US
Next steps
If you are found qualified, you may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends upon the location of the position and the judgment of the selecting official.
If you are selected, you will be notified by phone or email with a tentative job offer pending verification that you meet all eligibility and qualification requirements. An official, written firm job offer will only be issued once all requirements have been verified.
We expect that job offers and non-selection notifications will be made by December 1, 2017.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
