KSC-05-S-00039

My name is Dave Breedlove. I work as a mission manager here at Kennedy Space Center for NASA in the Launch Services Program. I work in the mission management office here at Kennedy Space Center. The job is a great job, it's one of the best jobs on the Center because it's more of a project management type job where we take a mission, a spacecraft, and we mate it to a launch vehicle and we see it all the way through to launch. And everything goes good, and we get to that launch day, we're still involved. We're still able to either say go or no go on the countdown. And so we have an involvement all the way to the end, all the way 'til the rocket starts its engines, which is, which is the best, and once we see this thing cut loose in orbit, and you know, the smiles on the satellite folks' faces, it's a great feeling. So we get to see it all the way through. I was pretty, I was very scientifically and technically oriented. I actually, my dad was part of that because he built his own TV and I built my own little radio. And mathematics and science were my favorite subjects, of course, so, you know, I did good in them. You do good in it, you know you're going to like it. So I was just more interested there. I was more oriented towards the science and technical field. I worked as a co-op when I was going to college and I worked actually in the expendable launch vehicles, which was, you know, the Deltas and the Atlases. And it was a very, very good experience. I think it was invaluable to, to make my decision to stay on. So, you know, I have to owe it all to my dad, there. Well, for the students who want to work for NASA, I think that, that, you know, obviously they need to be very interested in math and science and stay focused on that, and stay in school and be focused on those subjects. And you know, just watch the launches. Be interested in what NASA's doing. You know, there are Web sites, there's information out there, there's ways to come out and visit. I think they ought to look for those. And for me, of course, when you're a little older, get into the co-op or get into the summer student program. It's invaluable. I mean, they'll get, you'll get a first-hand look at what goes on out here and what people do. And they can decide from there, I think that's the best way to go. My yet-to-be-achieved life goal, I think now, I'm a father, I have two daughters. I think my goals have shifted to them, pretty much, just seeing them through school and through college and seeing them into their own career, you know. And if they happen to want to come out here, that would be great for me.