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" NASA&amp;#039;s Florida and Texas space stations hosted visits that were out of this world! Hello! We are the fortunate team chosen for the amazing NASA Dream Experience at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). The team is made up of the science &amp;amp;amp; space loving females: teacher Angela Munoz, high school senior Nicole Dickerson, and sophomore Ciara Baisden. This experience changed each of our lives for the better; it provided us with a comprehensive knowledge of the inner workings of NASA! We visited JSC in Houston, Texas, for a three-day job shadow. The three days were filled from morning to dusk with non-stop excitement, amazing inspirational encounters, and fun educational simulations. We knew NASA would be amazing, but we were still in for a shock at all we did! We visited many different types of buildings around the NASA campus such as the SVMP (Space Vehicle Mockup Facility) where we met Karen Nyberg, an astronaut who flew on the STS-124! Then we met Tim Hall of the FAO (Flight Activity Operator) who gave us a tour of the MCC (Mission Control Center), including the original one used in the movie Apollo 13! In the current MCC, we had the pleasure of meeting Flight Director Ginger Kerrick! Through her inspirational life story and current career, she taught us that a little confidence and persistence can go a long way, and to never give up your dreams! We also met Linda, a robotics instructor who showed us a simulator she uses to train the astronauts on the robotic arm, and Sam who taught us how to land the shuttle in the space shuttle motion simulator. On day two, we went to the NBL (Neutral Buoyancy Lab) where astronauts prepare for space walks (EVAs). On day three, we went to the robotics room and learned about Robonaut and other new robotic equipment that will be used for our return to the moon! Then we visited the space station MCC, where Nicole and Ciara got a chance to be on NASA TV! We also visited the building where space suits are designed and were able to try on different suit parts! We ended our NASA trip with a focus more on the Aeronautics side of NASA, which was great since we often only think of the space exploration part. Solo, a pilot who trains astronauts to fly among other things, gave us an amazing tour! Every part of each day was full of adventure, even lunch. On the first day, we ate lunch with astronaut Stephanie Wilson, who flew on STS-120, STS-121, and will fly again on STS-131. Lunch on day two was with Kathie, an astrobiologist, and Shannon, a flight surgeon. Lunch on day three was with astronauts Pam Melroy, a space shuttle commander, and Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, who visited us at our school! The three of us had an experience like none other. We still can&amp;#039;t believe how lucky we were to have been chosen for this wonderful program! This experience has touched our lives forever, and we all can&amp;#039;t wait to return to NASA in our future careers. \u2014Nicole, 18, and Ciara, 16, of Lakeland, FL "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/celebrity/a4798/seventeen-dream-jobs-nasa/>