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Meet: Luis Rodriguez
Senior Safety Engineer
NASA Johnson Space Center
(en español)
My
Journals
Chat Archives
Who I Am
Hello, Hola!! My name is Luis Rodriguez. I am a safety
and payload integration engineer for experiments flown on board the space
shuttle and the space station.
What I Do
My primary responsibility as a senior safety engineer
is to ensure that any air force or Department of Defense (DoD) experiment
approved for space flight can be safely operated by astronauts and cosmonauts
aboard the space shuttle, the Space Station Mir, and the International
Space Station. In short, we make sure that design engineers and scientists
use NASA-approved materials, chemicals, and electrical components when
designing their experiments. [Learn more about Luis Rodriguez's responsibilities
and knowledge of microgravity in his additional thoughts.]
My Career Journey
I graduated from high school and completed one year
of college in Bogota before moving to the United States. Soon after my
arrival in New York, I joined the air force and had the opportunity to
travel around the United States and Europe.
I Was Interested in Becoming a Doctor
During my early years, I was interested in becoming
a doctor, but something changed after high school -- I had to find a job
to pay for those future college expenses. Fortunately, a few years later
I was awarded a full Air Force undergraduate scholarship to attend the
University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. I earned an electrical engineering
degree with emphasis in biomedical engineering. After graduation I went
to work at an air force base in Ohio where I continued graduate studies
in biomedical engineering and international marketing.
My first job after college was as a medical research
engineer and electronic designer at the Armstrong Aerospace and Medical
Research Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio. I was responsible for the design
and fabrication of medical instrumentation and management of studies dealing
with the acceleration effects on pilots flying F-15, F-16, and other high-performance
jets.
I Quickly Joined Forces with Other Engineers
and Scientists
As my involvement in the high-tech aerospace industry
increased, I quickly joined forces with other engineers and scientists
in the design and fabrication of an instrument to analyze human reactions.
This instrument, a microprocessor device, was later accepted for flight
aboard NASA's STS-51J space mission. The mission, the first flight of
the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 1985, was my ticket to the fascinating world
of space. The following year my family and I had the opportunity to move
to Houston where I joined the Air Force Space Division team operating
at Johnson Space Center.
Likes/Dislikes About Career
I love this job because it gives me the opportunity
to use all those subjects I took in school, such as math, chemistry, and
sciences. The best part of my job as payload integrator was flying the
microgravity simulator in support of experiments studying heart tissue
loss, drug manufacturing in microgravity, vision sensitivity tests, and
contact lens wear in space. Flying in this aircraft brings back memories
of those roller coaster rides at the local fair. It is FUN!!
Personal Information
About Myself
I was born and raised in Colombia, South America.
I enjoy jogging, running, and cycling. Somehow, I managed to compete in
several national cycling events in Colombia and some athletic events in
the United States. Today my participation in organized events is strictly
to stay fit and, of course, for fun. I participated in three 150-kilometer
bike rides between Houston and Austin in the state of Texas in support
of charity organizations fund raising activities. My favorite subjects
in school were mathematics, sciences, and languages. As a matter of fact,
I enjoy languages a great deal.
My native language is Spanish; I speak English, some
French, and Italian. At present I'm learning Russian, and my next language
to study will be Japanese. I hope to use these languages in support of
our International Space Station.
About My Family
My wife and I have two children. My son, 22, is pursuing
a bachelor's degree in engineering. His favorite subjects in school are
math and sciences. He also speaks English and Spanish. My daughter, 20,
is working on her degree in the veterinarian program. She seems to be
headed towards the area of animal psychology. She is also bilingual. Her
love for animals has no boundaries; that love for animals has turned our
house into a mini-zoo; she has two dogs, a hamster, two fish, a turtle,
and two parakeets. She is still trying to convince us of how much fun
it would be to have a cat in the house. It would definitely be exciting
to have a cat; however, the parakeets and fish might not enjoy it as much.
Therefore, the cat issue is in the bag until further notice.
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