机械英语今日练：在NASA做一个工程师是怎样的体验？

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说起NASA大家都知道是美国宇航局，听起来就十分高大上，NASA的工作人员更是非名校不可，每天接触高精尖，分分钟升职加薪，迎娶白富美，走向人生巅峰。但是，真实的NASA工作真的有人们想象的那么光鲜亮丽吗？在NASA一年能够赚多少？进入NASA工作的门槛高吗？今天这篇文章将会给出一个参考答案。

本文风格幽默，用词简单，大家同样可以尝试翻译一下，我会在两天内，将自己的译文贴在帖子中供大家参考。大家有不懂的句子单词都可以在下方留言，鼓励使用电子词典。

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What’s It Like to Work for NASA as a Design Engineer?

在NASA做一个机械工程师是怎样的体验？

By Mark Benson

• All members of the NASA team play a role in successful missions creating a level of job satisfaction literally “out of this world”.
• If money is your prime motivation then perhaps a career with NASA is not for you.
• It takes years of planning, designing, testing and retesting to reach the glamorous “for television” NASA celebrations we all love to watch.
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At first glance, to work for NASA seems very glamorous, very satisfying but ultimately something for the “nerdy” types who like to work on their own. However, in reality life as a NASA mechanical design engineer is very different to the impression you get when you watch rocket launches from Cape Canaveral!

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Finding a job with NASA

When you bear in mind the billions of dollars spent by the US government funding NASA you might expect the authorities to formally invite applications from those looking for employment. The idea that the authorities could pick and choose the best from the world of mechanical design engineering makes perfect sense to such a prestigious operation. However, finding a job with NASA is not as simple or straightforward as you might presume!

Some individuals are lucky enough to apply directly to NASA highlighting their experience, qualifications and perhaps more importantly their passion for the industry. Passion and knowledge will get you a long way but the vast majority of those who work for NASA have gained experience elsewhere and joined the NASA community via third-party project management companies. It is more likely you will find your way to a career with NASA via these third parties.

Salary expectations and career progression

Anyone joining a NASA engineering position would be expected to have a master’s degree or at the very least a bachelor’s degree in a specific area of engineering. The qualifications required will depend upon how you gain entry to the NASA funded projects but in reality the very least you would need is a bachelor’s degree. The level of salary you can expect will vary between the different levels of expertise but we are looking at $75,000 upwards and the ability to achieve upwards of $100,000 within five years. You will find that there are more lucrative opportunities outside of the world of NASA but how do you put a price on landing a probe on Mars, discovering a new Galaxy or perhaps the ultimate goal of creating a new human colony outside of Earth?

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It is well documented that there are two real pathways to increased salary which are management or technical expertise. In reality those looking to take the management path will have some technical expertise and those looking to take the technical expertise path will have some management experience. For those with a passion for space travel and the connected array of engineering challenges there will be many opportunities to climb up the career ladder with NASA. The vast majority of NASA employees will have standard office hours but, depending upon their position and their role, there may be additional requirements outside of these hours.

Passion, passion, passion

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Those who work for NASA live and breathe the various challenges which the organisation is presented with. While you will obviously need to have expertise and experience to develop your career, a genuine passion for the industry should not be underestimated. The idea that so-called “nerdy” types walk around NASA offices in a world of their own is so far from the truth it is unreal.

The engineering community at NASA work extremely closely documenting, testing and retesting ideas and projects to ensure that they work perfectly when required. In recent times some employees of NASA have complained about excessive documentation and report writing but in reality we are dealing with very thin margins of error and ground breaking technology. It is a waste of time, money and effort if different project teams revisit and recalculate the same procedures. Therefore accurate report writing is vital to the long-term success of NASA because this gives a pool of invaluable information for all concerned.

There is also scope for individual creativity and “out-of-the-box thinking” which could prompt the creation of a new technology, improve an existing system or allow project teams to look at problems from a whole different angle. For those looking for a career in design engineering with NASA this will be music to their ears.

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Job satisfaction

The vast majority of those who work for NASA will tell you that you need to have a passion for the industry above and beyond a financial motivation. Experience in a specific field of engineering, whatever niche area you choose, is vital when attempting to open doors and secure employment. What makes you different from the next applicant? Are you able to work on your own and as a member of a close-knit team? What drives you when faced with challenging situations?

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Whether you are involved in the design of a rocket engine, the design of the crew’s control systems or you are charged with eliminating electronic interference between gadgets, everybody has a role to play. It can take years of research, planning, testing and building before your project actually comes to fruition – indeed many do not even get this far! The satisfaction of working for NASA is evident through successful launches, pushing the boundaries of space travel and ultimately returning probes, rockets and astronauts to earth safely.

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We see the glamorous side on the television after successful missions but these few days or hours are preceded by years of testing, planning and the unglamorous elements of the job which go unnoticed by the general public.

众要机械

跟中国人的工作态度和状态不一样。

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感觉年薪是不是应该翻译成 追求在五年内 年薪10w呢？基本是75000，在五年内升值到10w？

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厉害了我的各

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还是看得懂一部分
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吃饱吃好

It is well documented that there are two real pathways to increased salary which are management or technical expertise. In reality those looking to take the management path will have some technical expertise and those looking to take the technical expertise path will have some management experience. For those with a passion for space travel and the connected array of engineering challenges there will be many opportunities to climb up the career ladder with NASA. The vast majority of NASA employees will have standard office hours but, depending upon their position and their role, there may be additional requirements outside of these hours.
明文规定的有两条涨工资途径即成为管理专家或技术专家。实际上，想走管理专家路线的需要一些技术专长，想走技术专家路线的也需要一些管理经验。在NASA,那些对太空旅行和其相关技术挑战有热情的人会有很多职业晋升机会，大多数NASA员工是标准工作时间，但也会根据他们的职位和角色，可能会有一些额外的加班需求。

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Salary expectations and career progression薪资待遇职业前景

Anyone joining a NASA engineering position would be expected to have a master’s degree or at the very least a bachelor’s degree in a specific area of engineering. The qualifications required will depend upon how you gain entry to the NASA funded projects but in reality the very least you would need is a bachelor’s degree. The level of salary you can expect will vary between the different levels of expertise but we are looking at $75,000 upwards and the ability to achieve upwards of $100,000 within five years. You will find that there are more lucrative opportunities outside of the world of NASA but how do you put a price on landing a probe on Mars, discovering a new Galaxy or perhaps the ultimate goal of creating a new human colony outside of Earth?

能进NASA的工程师一般拥有工程专业硕士以上学位最起码也有学士学位。对于学历的要求取决于你的岗位需求，但是至少也要求学士学位。薪资水平根据专家评级会有很大的差异，但是至少7万5000美金一年，并根据能力五年内可以拿到10万美金以上的年薪。凭你的专业水平，可以轻而易举地在NASA之外谋得一份更有“钱途”的工作，但是，无法用金钱衡量的是在火星上勘探、发现一个全新的星系、或者是在地球之外开发一块人类殖民地。

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Some individuals are lucky enough to apply directly to NASA highlighting their experience, qualifications and perhaps more importantly their passion for the industry. Passion and knowledge will get you a long way but the vast majority of those who work for NASA have gained experience elsewhere and joined the NASA community via third-party project management companies. It is more likely you will find your way to a career with NASA via these third parties.

一些幸运儿直接向NASA求职，说明自己的工作经验、专业品质、以及对航天事业的热情。仅仅拥有对工作的热爱与精湛的专业知识也许会让你的NASA之路遥遥无期，大部分直接入职的员工都有参与NASA第三方项目合作公司的工作经验。凭借与NASA有合作的第三方项目公司的工作经验将大大提高你的入职概率。

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Finding a job with NASA在NASA谋得一个职位

When you bear in mind the billions of dollars spent by the US government funding NASA you might expect the authorities to formally invite applications from those looking for employment. The idea that the authorities could pick and choose the best from the world of mechanical design engineering makes perfect sense to such a prestigious operation. However, finding a job with NASA is not as simple or straightforward as you might presume!
每年美国政府向NASA投入数十亿美元，可想而知，当局对于招聘人才的需求非常大。NASA会依照流程挑选世界上最厉害的机械设计工程师的想法看起来完美无缺。然而在NASA就职并没有想象的那么简单直接。

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At first glance, to work for NASA seems very glamorous, very satisfying but ultimately something for the “nerdy” types who like to work on their own. However, in reality life as a NASA mechanical design engineer is very different to the impression you get when you watch rocket launches from Cape Canaveral!
对于在NASA工作，第一印象一定是狂拽酷炫吊炸天，成就感爆棚，不然怎么吸引这群技术宅如此投入地工作。然而，NASA机械工程师的真实工作状态完全不同于你在电视上看到的卡纳维拉尔角火箭发射台上的他们。