NASA's Objectives

NASA’s overarching objective for the ASMO concept is to help prepare members of the next generation technical workforce to become confident and well-qualified aerospace industry contributors. During the Apollo program years, the average age of NASA’s workforce was 26. Today the average age of NASA employees is 47, with 25% eligible for retirement within five years. Facing this rising level of human resource challenge, NASA’s Office of Education and the NASA Ames Research Center have sponsored the Pre-Phase-A start-up of the ASMO concept in delivering on NASA’s commitment to inspire, engage, and support participation by students in the United States’ Space Exploration Policy.

In service to NASA’s strategic educational objectives, ASMO would offer competency-building educational and research opportunities through hands-on, real-world applications of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) knowledge. Students would also acquire in-depth experience in communications and project management, as well as gain familiarity with satellite mission protocol and procedures. ASMO participation and public outreach would encourage educators to develop and deliver project related course resources and custom curricula for integration into STEM disciplines. The experience would also introduce both faculty and students to follow-on NASA mission-related research and development opportunities.