Greenbelt, MD -- 13 NOV 09
Pennsylvania Student Works with NASA X-Ray Observatory Hands-On Engineering Project
Pennsylvania resident Kaitlyn Yoha is a Fall 2009 intern with NASA Undergraduate Student Research Program (USRP) at Goddard Space Flight Center.
Yoha is working in the Mechanical Engineering branch during her 15 weeks in Greenbelt, MD.
Yoha works with a NASA mentor in the Flight Mirror Assembly on the International X-Ray Observatory (IXO). The IXO uses 14,000 curved mirrors to position the X-Rays. The mirrors are bonded to a foundation and reducing the distortion during the bonding process is a major challenge. Yoha’s job is to demonstrate a new bonding technique that will help reduce the distortion in the bonding process.
“The most enjoyable part of the NASA experience is the people. They are so willing to share what they are doing, and I have learned a lot about engineering and the science behind it from listening to the scientists and engineers that work here” comments Yoha.
Yoha is a triple major in Physics, Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering. She is enrolled at Duquesne University and the University of Pittsburgh. Yoha plans to graduate in May, 2011.
“I have always been interested in structural designs, how machines work, and how things are made… I am also passionate about physics and understanding how and why everything happens,” adds Yoha about her academic paths.
NASA USRP has placed 23 mechanical engineering majors for the fall 2009 internship session on-site at NASA centers across the U.S.
Source: Anthony Zippay of the Universities Space Research Association
