Alumna, astronaut ready for takeoff

Gravity wasn’t the only force pulling things in this weekend: an NC State alumna pulled in crowds of Raleigh residents interested in her story of how she has been reaching for the stars, quite literally.

Christina Koch, a 2002 alumna, was selected to be in NASA’s 21st class of astronauts in 2013. Koch returned to her university town of Raleigh to speak at the Astronomy Days event at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences about her journey from Jacksonville, North Carolina, to NASA. 

“Most people probably figured out how ridiculous wanting to be an astronaut was by middle school … I never did,” Koch said.

Koch attended the North Carolina School of Math and Science where, she said, “Everyone was really intimidating and smart … but something I’ve tried to hold onto is using intimidation or feeling scared to actually fuel your success … and use that as motivation to achieve what you might not have thought was possible before.”

During that time, Koch attended space camp and met others who shared her dream of becoming an astronaut. There, she took a class on how to become an astronaut.

“They put up a checklist, and said ‘These are all the things you have to do to become an astronaut,’ and I didn’t know if I liked that. I didn’t want to live by a checklist just to get myself into space,” Koch said.

From then on, Koch didn’t live by a checklist. She graduated from NC State in five years with three degrees: a Bachelor of Science in physics and in electrical engineering, and a Master of Science in electrical engineering. While at NC State, Koch interned with NASA, which led to a full-time job after graduation in the Department of High-Energy Astrophysics. 

Koch didn’t apply to be an astronaut the first time she heard they were taking applications. 

“I decided in the end that I had a little more work to do before I could definitely say that I could contribute to human space flight,” Koch said. 

So, she worked in remote locations such as the South Pole in Antarctica, Greenland, American Samoa and Alaska for a few years on scientific research teams and cultivated hobbies such as sailing and rock climbing (which she first became interested in by taking rock climbing at NC State).

The second time Koch heard applications were out for NASA astronauts, she felt ready. 

“I’d been able to learn a lot of adaptability and operational things through my experiences, and I’d done quite a bit of research in remote places, which is exactly what is happening on the space station,” Koch said. 

Once Koch was in her interviews, the “checklist” she feared having to live by to achieve her dream became irrelevant. 

“During my interviews, [NASA] didn’t ask me much about electrical engineering, they asked me about my research and my experiences,” Koch said.

Even though Koch knows it may be up to 10 years before she has a chance to venture into space, she is currently working with research teams and scientists to prepare for future experiments at the International Space Station.

“When you do what you love, you’re not only guaranteed to find happiness, but to find fulfillment,” Koch said.

Koch will be speaking in Stewart Theatre in Talley Student Union today from 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. as part of the University Scholars Program’s Scholars Forum.

When you do what you love, you’re not only guaranteed to find happiness, but to find fulfillment.
Koch will be speaking in Stewart Theatre in Talley Student Union today from 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. as part of the University Scholars Program’s Scholars Forum.