MARCH 22 & 23,2017: NASA DAY 2 AND 3

I am so sorry that I couldn't post a blog on Wednesday and Thursday. I was really busy and just couldn't find time during those days. As some of you may know, last Wednesday, I attended the Lunar Planetary Science Conference in Woodlands, TX. It was an amazing experience. I got to meet famous scientists like Dr. Everett Gibson, Dr. George Flynn, and Dr. Don Brownlee. I also met a professor from Brown University and various other people from NASA. It was awesome! All of these people have played a crucial role in the development of astrobiology and I inspire to make great achievements like them. After I networked with scientists, my mentor and I went to listen to the talks done at the exobiology session. Scientists from all over the world came to present their research. At LPSC, each scientist is given only 12 minutes to speak. After that, you are done. I am very lucky that I am in ISM because Mr.Wysong makes a big effort to train each one of us in public speaking. I felt that I learned great presentation skills from ISM and LPSC. Next, my mentor and I went to the poster session to see displays of scientific research. They were so interesting and unique in their design. After spending 30-45 minutes there, we went to listen to individuals who went to Antarctica to collect our wonderful meteorites. These scientists were hilarious! It was interesting how they integrated humor with science. It really grabbed the audience's attention. Unfortunately, after that talk, we have to came back to Houston. My mentor and I had a really amazing time and it was a one of a kind experience. On Thursday, we got an exclusive tour of the Johnson Space Center. we go to walk around the International Space Station Mock Up Facility, see the Mission Control Room, the desk President LBJ sat in to initiate the construction of JSC, and the most famous conference room in the world. This conference room is where the Apollo 11 Crew gave their interviews and discussed about their missions. I don't want to brag but I stood at the spot where Neil Armstrong was sitting at to give an interview. As you guys can guess, I was jumping up and down. I also was fortunate to see the plaques that Neil Armstrong nailed to the wall two years before he died. It was remarkable. After looking at some historic sites at JSC, my mentor and I went out for lunch. While we were there, she and her colleague gave me a 4.6 billion year old meteorite (that's older than the Earth) and she also gave me her big bang theory cap. This cap is really special because it is signed by all the BTT cast members. Prior to this trip, my mentor frequently mentioned how this cap was her most favorite thing in the whole world. It was so sweet how she gave it to me. Sadly, after this, we had to say goodbye to each other. I had the best experience of my life last week. I felt home at NASA. The people, the job, the environment felt right to me. I am definatrly going to work hard to one day make NASA my home.