Meet: Gwyn Smith

Who I Am and What I Do

Hi, I'm Gwyn Smith. In January 1997, I transferred to the Space Radiation Analysis Group as a space physicist. Finally, after eight years at NASA, I have a job that directly pertains to my education, physics. I analyze the radiation that an astronaut will get from the space environment when he or she is on-orbit. This analysis is done both before and during the Shuttle flight to ensure that the astronaut does not receive too much radiation. The radiation comes from the Sun, trapped radiation belts, and galactic cosmic radiation. If the astronauts received too much radiation they could get very sick.

I also support our NASA astronauts who fly on the Russian Space Station Mir and am preparing for the International Space Station support. In addition, I am the mission manager for an experiment that has flown on 26 Shuttle flights and will fly on STS-86 and STS-91. I will tell you more about all of these tasks in my journals.

My Career Journey

During several summers, while in high school, I worked for a summer camp. Kids, mostly from big cities, would come and work on the farm, taking care of the animals which included chickens, pigs, cows and horses, harvesting crops, working in the garden and special projects such as building a tractor shed and repairing fences. Looking back, this experience was the start of my interest in other people and cultures.

Then I was off to college. I have a B. S. degree in physics and mathematics from Drexel University, which is in Philadelphia. I have always had an interest in both science and math, but it was not until my second year of college that I decided to major in physics. Drexel University has a five-year B. S. degree program, which requires students to "co-op" work for several terms. During one of these co-ops, I worked in California on the Hubble Space Telescope program and got to see the telescope up close before it was launched on the Space Shuttle. My last year at Drexel I joined the rowing team. Our practices started at 5 a.m. on the river which had just thawed - a very chilling experience!

After college, my rowing coach asked me to teach rowing at Camp Sloane, in Connecticut, for the summer. I met many interesting people from all over the world and have kept in touch with some of them and even get to visit them sometimes in England and Italy.

By the end of the summer, I had accepted a job with NASA at the Johnson Space Center. So I moved to Houston, Texas. The biggest adjustment, other than being away from my family, was the environmental change. Coming from the green hills and four seasons of Pennsylvania to flat, hot and humid Houston was quite a shock. I miss the mountains and snow the most. I try to get home at least twice a year and always hope that it snows at Christmas time.

When I first came to JSC, I worked in the Training Division for the International Space Station for six years. My job was to develop the training program for the astronauts who will someday fly on the International Space Station. I worked with people from Canada, Germany, France, Italy, England, Japan and Russia, all partners in the International Space Station. I have traveled to Canada, Germany and Russia during these negotiations. Then, I transferred to a group that works directly with the astronauts, representing them when they could not be present at training negotiations for the International Space Station.

Personal Information

I grew up near New Germantown, Pennsylvania, which is about an hour from the state capital, Harrisburg. Being from a very rural area with lots of mountains and plenty of room to roam, I have always enjoyed outdoors activities; including hiking, biking, camping and sledding in the winter.

My Family

My family has always lived in the same house near New Germantown. In fact, so did my grandparents and great grandparents. My dad is a retired operating engineer and we are now researching our family tree together. My mom used to own a restaurant and now works at the Book of the Month Club. When I was little she thought I would become a veterinarian, but my interests have always been in space, particularly the auroras (northern and southern lights). My oldest brother owns a construction company. My sister is a nurse. My other brother, just 10 months older than I am, is a construction supervisor. They all live in Pennsylvania, so I don't get to see them very often, but we talk on the phone A LOT.

Likes About Career

I have liked all of my jobs at NASA. I love to travel and have enjoyed meeting different people and making friends all over the world. I particularly enjoy my current job, because I can use my degree in my work and can further my knowledge and education in physics.

My Future Plans and Goals

I have been working on an advanced degree in space physics for the past several years and hope to get a Ph.D. in the future.

Archived Chats

• April 15, 1998