Student Achievements
M.S.E Graduate Finds Success Supporting Space Exploration
January 09, 2019
Joseph Kissling, a Padnos College of Engineering and Computing graduate, is now serving as a mechanical engineer at an aerospace company Nanoracks in Houston, Texas. He graduated this past spring with a Master of Science in Engineering with an emphasis on Mechanical Engineering from GVSU.
Joseph is responsible for engineering support for Nanoracks External Platform (NREP). The NREP is an experiment table that is on the outside of the International Space Station that tests payloads and experiments for sort and long term exposure to space. As NERP support comes and goes with the rocket launch cycles, Joseph also has a variety of other tasks such participating in design/safety reviews at Johnson Space Center.
Regarding the unique problems of his job, Joseph said, “I get to tackle problems that are literally out of this world. What could an engineer possibly want more? Designing hardware for space is a whole other level of difficulty because so many things that you take for granted on Earth when designing do not apply. I love the challenge.”
While at GVSU, Joseph worked with the applied Medical Device Institute (aMDI) where he gained valuable experience with various projects that changed from day to day. He supported numerous projects primarily focusing on early ideation/proof of concept types of work across a variety of disciplines such as cutting edge surgical technologies to helping runners exercise better. Joseph said his time at GVSU and aMDI, “helped [him] refine [his] existing skill sets and learn new ones.”
Joseph looks forward to further growing his skills as a designer and builder of space flight hardware. He hopes “[to] get a chance to tackle even more challenging problems and to help mankind become an interplanetary species.” Congratulations to Joseph!