NASA's SkillBridge: Military to Space Careers

The NASA SkillBridge Program, in partnership with the Department of Defense, facilitates the transition of military personnel into civilian roles at NASA. Participants spend 90 to 180 days working with NASA, applying their military skills and gaining new expertise. Although not guaranteed a job, many fellows secure full-time positions.

Miguel Shears, a former Marine Corps chief, transitioned to a role as an instructional systems designer at NASA's Johnson Space Center after his fellowship.

Ever Zavala, with a background in the Air Force, became a flight operations safety officer and part-time capsule communicator after his fellowship in the Astronaut Office.

Carl Johnson joined NASA as an electrical engineer, contributing to the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) after his SkillBridge experience.

Other notable transitions include Kevin Quinn, who moved from Navy service to a quality assurance role, and Andrew Ulat, who now supports avionics and software integration for the Gateway lunar space station.

Ariel Vargas, previously an Army signal officer, now leads business operations and partnerships at NASA, driving digital transformation initiatives.