Around 22 percent of astronomers work for the federal government directly, according to the BLS. NASA isn’t your only option for a government role in astronomy. If you want to get involved in astrophysics research at NASA, consider taking part in an astrophysics research competition or applying for the Hubble Fellowship Program or the Roman Technology Fellowship Program. NASA astronomers’ studies in astrophysics encompass work in laboratory astrophysics, characterization of planets listed in the agency’s NASA Exoplanet Archive and research study of the solar system using the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) aircraft. If you work as an astrobiologist for NASA, part of your job might be to learn the chemical and physical properties of stars, planets, galaxies and other celestial bodies through studying the radiation they produce at different wavelengths, including ultraviolet, optical and infrared wavelengths. NASA has an entire branch dedicated to astrophysics, the area of astronomy that focuses on the physical properties of celestial bodies and on the application of physics laws and principles to space. Some NASA astrobiologists search for environments on other planets that could support human life.Įxamples of astrobiology research at NASA include a mission to use a rover to collect a sample of Martian rock that could hold signs of ancient life and the discovery, made using the Hubble Space Telescope, of evidence of water vapor on one of Jupiter’s moons. They may also look for signs of past life on Mars and other celestial bodies, like the moons of Saturn and Jupiter, that are part of our solar system. Astrobiologists study the origin and evolution of life on Earth, including distribution, diversity and clues to what the future holds for living things on our planet. Astrobiology is concerned with every aspect of life on planets, including our own. Is there life in outer space? That’s one of the questions astrobiologists confront, but it is far from the only concern of their field. Through their contributions to NASA missions and to the field of astronomy more generally, astronomers help develop technologies that have practical applications on Earth – including in fields like medicine and energy production – according to the BLS. In turn, the data produced by NASA missions help to advance the field of astronomy, allowing scientists in this field to develop and test theories. NASA space explorations and other research-gathering missions build on existing knowledge of the universe gleaned through astronomical research and observation, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In many ways, astronomical observations and research and NASA missions are interrelated. Some astronomers support NASA missions by using their knowledge of scientific instrumentation to design new research instruments and analyze and interpret the data those instruments collect. NASA astronomers, in general, use satellites to observe the stars, planets and galaxies and use computers to analyze, model and manipulate data to draw conclusions. NASA considers astronomers to be one type of physical scientist – along with roles like physicist, chemist, meteorologist, geologist and oceanographer – working within the broader category of aerospace careers. In NASA, the objectives of astronomers are to further the scientific community’s knowledge of the universe and the celestial bodies that compose it and to support the agency’s research and space exploration missions. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us.
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