1
00:00:00,300 --> 00:00:01,835
My name is Ashlee Bracewell.

2
00:00:01,835 --> 00:00:03,636
I'm a structural test engineer

3
00:00:03,636 --> 00:00:06,639
in the test laboratory at NASA's
Marshall Space Flight Center.

4
00:00:07,007 --> 00:00:10,944
And this week, we're celebrating
National Engineer's Week, with today

5
00:00:10,944 --> 00:00:17,584
being introduce a girl to Engineering Day.

6
00:00:17,584 --> 00:00:18,485
Growing up,

7
00:00:18,485 --> 00:00:23,223
my brother introduced me to a lot of space
themed video games through playing.

8
00:00:23,223 --> 00:00:27,660
You know, I got to see the vastness
of space and just how awesome it is.

9
00:00:27,660 --> 00:00:31,798
And at that early stage,
I pretty much decided that I wanted

10
00:00:31,798 --> 00:00:35,235
to spend my life contributing to something
that was bigger than myself.

11
00:00:35,235 --> 00:00:37,570
And what I felt like
would help a lot of people.

12
00:00:37,871 --> 00:00:39,906
And that was space for me

13
00:00:42,976 --> 00:00:46,613
as a structural test engineer
I work with and sometimes lead

14
00:00:46,813 --> 00:00:50,550
a team of engineers,
designers, analysts, customers, etc.

15
00:00:50,884 --> 00:00:54,387
to design and execute
structural tests on space flight hardware.

16
00:00:54,854 --> 00:00:57,390
Sometimes that means full up
rocket components.

17
00:00:57,524 --> 00:01:00,360
So a good example would be NASA's
new rocket,

18
00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:03,463
the Space Launch System that just launched
the Artemis One Mission.

19
00:01:03,930 --> 00:01:06,733
My group did all the qualification
testing for that.

20
00:01:07,267 --> 00:01:10,470
And another commercial example
is what's going on right behind me.

21
00:01:10,470 --> 00:01:12,372
This is something
I've worked on a lot lately.

22
00:01:12,372 --> 00:01:15,442
This is your Center
five qualification test.

23
00:01:15,575 --> 00:01:17,010
This is where we're going to be qualifying

24
00:01:17,010 --> 00:01:19,245
their upper stage
for their brand new rocket.

25
00:01:19,245 --> 00:01:24,484
The Vulcan Center Launch System.

26
00:01:24,484 --> 00:01:29,122
Most rewarding is I get to come every day
to a place that I love this test

27
00:01:29,122 --> 00:01:32,959
facility and work with a team that I love,
super talented people

28
00:01:33,293 --> 00:01:36,896
doing exactly what I love with,
which is these huge structural tests.

29
00:01:37,230 --> 00:01:38,264
And I get to go home every day

30
00:01:38,264 --> 00:01:42,702
knowing that I've completed my goal
of getting to contribute to spaceflight.

31
00:01:42,702 --> 00:01:47,140
Most challenging, I would say, is finding
new ways and better ways to do that

32
00:01:47,140 --> 00:01:53,213
and also share it with everyone else.

33
00:01:53,213 --> 00:01:56,749
I went to an engineering school
where I graduated in my class.

34
00:01:56,749 --> 00:02:01,654
One out of a few women in a super male
dominated major especially.

35
00:02:01,888 --> 00:02:05,091
So it was very helpful
coming to Marshall into an asset

36
00:02:05,325 --> 00:02:07,894
where we really prioritized diversity,
right?

37
00:02:07,894 --> 00:02:11,764
Like my team lead, a lot of my bosses
are actually women and I was super

38
00:02:11,764 --> 00:02:16,002
supportive and helpful for me right away
to create a supportive environment

39
00:02:16,002 --> 00:02:23,042
and someplace
I can continue to build that environment.

40
00:02:23,042 --> 00:02:25,612
I would say it's incredibly difficult

41
00:02:25,912 --> 00:02:28,615
to try to think of what you want to do
for the rest of your life,

42
00:02:28,615 --> 00:02:30,817
what job you want to have
for the rest of your life.

43
00:02:30,817 --> 00:02:32,085
So don't do that.

44
00:02:32,085 --> 00:02:34,954
Instead,
search for the thing that excites you,

45
00:02:34,954 --> 00:02:38,558
inspires you, and the thing
you want to really be a part of.

46
00:02:38,958 --> 00:02:40,894
Chase that down with everything you've got.