Mary McClellan  - Co-op

 HAS 2001 - 2002
      
 
Hello!  My name is Mary McClellan.  I’m a senior in Electrical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin.  I’ve been asked a million times why I picked Electrical Engineering.  The only answer I’ve been able to come up with is that I had fun playing with circuits in my high school Physics class, so I thought, “why not?”  My other interest was Aerospace Engineering, so the opportunity to co-op at NASA was the perfect opportunity to combine the two.

I am currently on my fourth and final co-op tour here at NASA.  I spent my first tour working in Mission Operations on the Thermal Control System on the International Space Station (ISS).  Basically, I worked with the flight controllers.  Then, for my second tour, I worked on development and operation of the Remote Cockpit Van for the X-38.  The X-38 is the prototype for the Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) that will be the emergency lifeboat for the ISS crew.  The Van is used to simulate and develop the CRV cockpit.

I am now on my third/fourth co-op tour.  I decided to spend both tours in the Avionic Systems Division working on the Flight Computer Hardware for the X-38.  So far, all the X-38 vehicles have been tested in the Earth’s atmosphere by being flown under the wing of a B-52 aircraft and released to fly back to Earth completely automated.  I have worked mostly with the vehicle that will be carried to orbit on the space shuttle, released using the Shuttle’s robotic arm, and descend to Earth.  My main project is to work with a team to design and develop the ground support equipment that will be used to test our flight computers both here at JSC in our lab, and out at the Cape before the X-38 is launched onboard the orbiter Columbia in early 2003.  I have also been involved in the integrated testing of our computers with all the other subsystems.

Of course, work isn’t my life.  I love to read and watch movies.  Right now I’m trying to read the Lord of the Rings series of books before the movies are released.  I also have a passion for volleyball, and have been seen on ultimate frisbee and softball fields.

I’m really excited to be a part of the Texas Aerospace Scholars Program and I can’t wait to meet you all!  Please email me at mary.e.mcclellan1@jsc.nasa.gov if you have any questions about co-oping at JSC, questions about college in general, or if you just want to chat.