Many children are fascinated by the stars and space, however University of Nebraska alumna Teresa Sindelar took that fascination and catapulted it into a successful career with NASA at Space Center Houston.
“I used to climb out of my window and sit on the roof, much to my mother’s dismay, to look at stars,” recalled the Omaha native.
Sindelar graduated in 2002 with a geology degree. She got her first taste of space at age 11 thanks to astronaut Thomas Stafford. He was signing autographs at Borsheims jewelry store, while Sindelar shopped nearby with her mother. They noticed a crowd and got in line to meet the Apollo 10 commander.
“He orbited the moon and is just amazing,” said Sindelar, who received a signed picture of Stafford that currently sits on her desk at NASA. “It reminds me of where I came from.”
During their encounter, Sindelar’s mother was able to talk with Stafford. She explained her daughter’s desire to attend space camp, but the only options appeared to be on the coasts. Stafford recommended the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kan.
Sindelar begged her mother to attend, and went there as a camper for multiple summers. She described Cosmosphere as her “happy place.” From 1998 to 2010 she was employed there as either a counselor, intern or full-time staffer.
“It is arguably the most comprehensive space history museum in the United States and in my opinion it’s the best,” said Sindelar who was in charge of campers, oversaw staff, wrote curriculum and kept space simulators in working order as the Camp Programs Manager.
Soviet and USA hardware is on display at the Cosmosphere, and they offer numerous space camps and educational programs. Campers are typically middle-schoolers, however children from kindergarten through 11th grade can attend. Kids are given opportunities to take flying lessons in actual planes, work with robots and train like astronauts. Sindelar earned a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Wichita State while working in this fun environment.
Currently Sindelar is an environmental health systems crew instructor for WYLE, a long-standing government contractor for NASA. Her team is responsible for training astronauts on Earth. They teach them about the environmental hardware inside the space station, and also how to obtain water, air and surface samples. They support them in simulations for routine days in space, and also for emergency situations such as fires, toxic releases or rapid depressurization.
All of the science courses Sindelar took at UNL have proven to be invaluable when talking with professionals at NASA. Sindelar is able to fall back on her undergraduate learning when it comes to working in labs and analyzing issues from scientific perspectives.
“Astronauts and doctors are really, really smart people, so if you don’t know what you are talking about, they will see right through you. It goes a long way with your credibility,” stated the former Pound Hall resident.
Field trips were an enjoyable part of Sindelar’s degree program. She recalled going to the Utah Canyon Lands for a Stratigraphy course, which involved the study of rock layers. Students traveled to see what was believed to be a massive crater. Professor David Harwood had Sindelar keep her eyes closed while hiking the end of the trail because he wanted her to be surprised. It was an unforgettable moment.
“As far as the eyes could see was this huge structure where they thought a meteorite came and impacted the Earth,” said Sindelar. “It was awesome.”
Even the college’s foreign-language requirement came in handy. Sindelar took two years of Russian, which has been helpful for communicating with Russian crew members.
“It is surprising how much of it comes back. I must have had really good instructors at UNL,” explained the mother of three.
While teaching is a main focus for Sindelar at NASA, she also gets to participate in some schooling of her own. She has experienced weightlessness via a reduced gravity training flight. Her team did push-ups in lunar gravity and bounced on foam rocks in martian gravity during their session.
“You could not help but have fun,” Sindelar said and then admitted to doing a flip in mid-air at zero gravity.
Another perk is meeting famous people from the space community including Buzz Aldrin, the second person to walk on the moon, and Jim Lovell who commanded multiple moon missions. In addition, Sindelar encounters every member of the current astronaut corps because her teachings are required training to fly in space.
Despite all her success, it is not likely that Sindelar will ever travel the galaxy.
“It smells up there,” laughed Sindelar before turning serious and admitting her hope that those she trains will make it to space, and dedicate an orbit in her honor. “I like knowing that I taught them what to do ... so in a way I kind of feel like I will be up there with them.”
