But you don't look like one

I guess you were expecting the stereotypical dweeb nerd sort?

I'm here to break all those stereotypes. I love classical music...oh, you expected that? Well, I love rock too. I paint and draw and write fiction and poetry and edit for an online journal. I just finished an illustration job for a science text. I read voraciously, and not a bit of science fiction, not in a very long time. Mostly I read non-fiction in a wide variety of areas--history, current events, biography, religion, sports... Well, you get the idea. I have a Labrador mix and an Australian Cattle Dog, and neither of them are named after any scientist, engineer, sci-fi writer or astronaut. And I dress up in a bear costume for the kids at church. Not exactly the stereotypical nerdy NASA type.

I work at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama in the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate. I perform system safety analysis and vehicle integration for the new Ares launch vehicle which will return the US back to the moon. How exciting to get in at the beginning of a new program like this one. Learn all about that at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/ares/

So I want to help bring forward things that aren't well known about NASA, or even those that are well known. I'd like to talk about my job. No, no, not as a self-publicizing thing. I work with some interesting people; people who definitely break the stereotypes and the molds. Let's explore inner and outer space. Wonder as we wander. Entering terminal countdown...