u/Civil_Championship76

I’m a 25 year old grad student spending most of my time in Minneapolis. I am looking to buy a used car for an upcoming internship on the East coast (will need to drive cross country). I also travel somewhat frequently to Milwaukee. I’ve never bought a car before because I have always lived near campus and have never needed one. I’m looking to spend around $16,000 on a sedan or small hatchback that will be reliable and nice enough that I won’t feel an urge to replace it as soon as I graduate and make real money.

What car should I buy?

I’m an Aerospace Engineering PhD student specializing in Guidance, Navigation, and Controls. I recently accepted a NASA Pathways position in the Research Directorate, and I was just invited to interview for another Pathways position in the Flight Ops Directorate.

I know it’s probably too late for me to move forward with the Flight Ops interview, so this question is mostly out of curiosity and thinking about my long-term career trajectory.

I’ve always thought of GNC as being more focused on vehicle and mission design, while Flight Ops covers everything that happens after launch. So what would the role of a GNC engineer look like within the Flight Ops Directorate?