<p>My dh has worked at NASA's Johnson Space Center for the past 19 years, and I just asked him for some input to your question about your dd.</p>
<p>He says the best way to get your foot in the door at NASA is to be selected for their college intern or co-op program. Here is the website for their college/graduate school programs: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/learning/index.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/learning/index.html</a> . Some of the links from that page were not working when I tried them today. There are even some summer programs for high school students, if you happen to live near one of the NASA centers. Check the individual center's website for info on their program.</p>
<p>NASA is always hiring engineers, mostly aerospace, electrical, and mechanical. If you look at the types of graduate research programs that NASA is supporting, you can get an idea of what their needs are. My dh doesn't think there are a lot of jobs that actually involved astronomy, though there are sure to be a few. However, there are lots of astronomy buffs working at NASA, and they have a very active astronomy club.</p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that many people who work in the space program don't work for NASA. They work for contractors. Here in Houston, there are about 1,500 government NASA employees and about 13,000 more workers employed by USA (United Space Alliance) or one of their subsidiaries. USA also has student programs, so you might want to look them up online.</p>
<p>Best of luck to your daughter!</p>