Lining up a classroom visit from a former leading engineer at NASA would be quite a coup for a high school technology teacher. Getting him to come back every week? Now that’s unheard of!

Except at Pasadena (Texas) Memorial High School. Norman Chaffee, a 34-year NASA engineer who played major roles in the Apollo, Gemini, Space Shuttle, and International Space Station programs, visits Jeannie Gaines’ Synergistic Suites (Pathways) lab every Tuesday.

“I know Mr. Chaffee’s presence in class has created a continuous momentum of learning for the students,” Gaines said. “I must admit his assistance has inspired and exhilarated me personally with a renewed energy every day. I look forward to each ‘Mr. Chaffee Day’ just as much as the students.”

The feeling is mutual. Since officially retiring from NASA in 1996, the 70-year-old Chaffee has volunteered in the NASA education outreach program in the Houston area. “I am still active in the outreach area, although I am
slowing down.”

But he’s no less effective.

“Mr. Chaffee has the students so spellbound when he talks. They hang on to every word he has to say,” Gaines said. “They are so attentive you can hear a pin drop in the room.”

A wealth of knowledge

Some days, Chaffee observes students working at the lab’s four Suites (Intelligent Systems, Aerospace, Engineering, and Digital Manufacturing) and gives pointers and suggestions on their projects. Other days, between Harbor rotations, he conducts special activities or explains engine and robot parts he helped design while serving as the Deputy Chief of Propulsion and Power Division and the Chief Integration Engineer for the Space Station.

“I generally do not write a lesson plan, per se,” Chaffee said. “I make an outline of the content I want to cover and then just wing it and use their questions to see where to take the discussion.”

Naturally, Aerospace is Chaffee’s favorite topic and favorite Suite.

“The students in the Aerospace Suite love to confer with Mr. Chaffee to help them create a better model,” Gaines said. “Mr. Chaffee will ask the students certain leading questions that make them think at a higher level. Then the students will make selective team decisions to try something unique and inventive. He guides them to make their own decisions after carefully leading them in the right direction.”

As president of the NASA Alumni Association, Chaffee uses his connections to help students get an up-close look at how the space program functions. He recently took a group of PMHS students on a field trip to the Johnson Space Center Robotics Lab.

“The engineers explained the impressive ongoing projects such as the Robonaut,” Gaines said. “The visit was truly inspiring for all the students and myself. The engineers at each department gave us an inside scoop on what is going on behind the scenes
at NASA.”

Career possibilities

The Suites at PMHS are implemented as a Technology Systems course that fulfills a requirement for graduation. A main goal of the class is to expose students to a variety of technical careers. If there’s one lesson Chaffee wants to impart to students, it’s to be persistent in following their dreams.

“I tell students today who want to be an astronaut that they can indeed do it. It requires hard work, a degree in the sciences or engineering, and much persistence,” said Chaffee, who recently used his good friend and astronaut Clay Anderson as an example. “He was a regular engineer at NASA like me but wanted badly to be an astronaut and ended up applying about six times before he was selected. Each time he failed to make the cut, he asked for a debriefing on why he was not selected, and then he focused on remedying those shortcomings. Finally, there was no reason they could reject him.”

Thousands apply to become astronauts but few are accepted. Many astronauts come from the military academies where they serve as pilots and commanders. In addition to many technical careers, opportunities in other areas abound at NASA including education, human resources, procurement management, budget, accounting, law, security, and base maintenance.

“Our nation is falling behind in its graduation of trained technical people, and I want to help turn that situation around,” Chaffee said. “As I tell [students], they are the next generation of engineers, astronauts, and explorers who will lead mankind out into the solar system to stay.”

Suites are fertile ground

With daily exposure to real-world skills and careers, Suites students are better prepared for that next step in life, whether it is a college education or entry into the workforce.

“The curriculum avails itself to personal creativity and innovative ideas that students need to learn and grow,” Gaines said. “I find the curriculum to be so comprehensive watching students learn math, science, writing, and career skills all wrapped up in a course full of technology. I consider my role more of an adventure and not a job.”

“These Suites provide very good educational experiences for the students,” said Chaffee, who elected to work in Gaines’ lab because of the unique engineering curriculum. “And when coupled with input from the teacher, they are a pathway to a career at NASA or anywhere.”