Meet: Scott Stehle

Crew Training
Ames Research Center

What I do:

First off there are three trainers on this mission on the ARC [Ames Research Center] side. My job is but a small part of the training. My main focus of training has been several pieces of hardware (AEM, IRU, RAHF, BOTEX to name a few) and their nominal operations.

In addition to nominal ops I have also assisted in developing various malfunction procedures and also assisted in some of the training for those procedures. I, along with the other trainers, at the start of the mission developed various training manuals designed to give the crew a brief but comprehensive view of all associated hardware and experiments involved in ARC operations for the mission.

Our training takes us to Houston quite often though hardware training has wound down while experiment refresher training continues. The other trainers (Justine Grove and Alexandra Werner) have spent extensive time as of late down in Houston working with the crew while I've stayed here to "hold down the fort". During the mission we will provide support on console from both JSC [Johnson Space Center] and here at ARC.

My Career Journey

Actually, I hadn't planned on this as a career. It kind of fell into my lap. I was fresh out of school and had met Justine through a mutual friend of ours who had worked here, and she knew I was looking for a job.

I guess it's sort of appropriate that I ended up here as I was a space era baby (Born July 5, 1969) and have been exposed to various forms of space "stuff" since then. My father was involved in NASA projects. He designed the Physiological Monitoring System (PMS) used by the astronauts aboard the shuttle on early STS missions, and he used to bring home satellite trading cards and other promo material. Also, my grandparents have a friend who used to work for JPL [Jet Propulsion Laboratories] Pasadena and at a young age he gave me a tour of various portions of JPL including the control room.

Also, around junior high school (approximately) my dad and I did a day trip down to Dryden to catch a shuttle landing. So I haven't specifically done anything to prepare for the job.

Likes/Dislikes about career

There are too many positives to list:
Meeting and working with Astronauts.
Traveling to Florida to support a piece of hardware (CRIM - Commercial Refrigeration Incubation Module) and then 1.5 years later seeing that hardware actually on MIR while viewing the IMAX film, Mission to MIR.
Seeing one of the shuttle crawlers up close, so close I could touch it.
Seeing a landing from the roadway (approximately 200-300 yards away) at KSC [Kennedy Space Center].
Traveling to Houston to train the crew and working in the Spacelab Mock-up and viewing the full size shuttle mockup (among other items) in Bldg 9.

Negatives:
Long hours during training at JSC.
Long travel days.
Trying to get stuff done quickly when so many different groups (Training, engineering, science, investigators) are involved.
Also, I didn't get to fly on the KC-135 (zero g simulation aircraft).

Advice

How to prepare - Understand and appreciate the sciences: physics, biology, chemistry. Pay attention in all your other courses. Having a good understanding of reading, writing and the ability to digest large amounts of information and then redistribute it in easy to understand language is very helpful. A general appreciation of space in general will certainly make this type of work more enjoyable. For what Ali and Justine do a science background is good to have, almost a necessity. It's important to have a strong desire to learn about new things and a general curiosity about life.

Personal Information

I have no pets or kids of my own....yet. I have two godchildren, Melanie and Amelia, both almost 3. My sister and her husband own two great dogs, Mason and Angus, whom I consider almost my own.

When I'm not here I like to mountain bike, hike, swim, scuba, go off roading, ski, camp, and spend time with my family.

As Neurolab winds down I have been assigned to work with Small Payloads on B.1. Harking back to my early days when I first started here I will be working with the CRIM and that this payload could possibly be manifested to fly on the same shuttle as the one that John Glen is to fly on so I could possible meet him, and even train him. After that I might work on Space Station.

My future plans include getting married this summer and moving into a house so I can finally get a dog of my own.