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Kansas State Engineer
What are some of the cool jobs out
in the world of engineering today? What
about working for NASA? That is ex-
actly what one K-State graduate is do-
ing: working on the International Space
Station (ISS).
Laurie Peterson, a 1999 graduate in
biological and agricultural engineering,
has had the opportunity to work on the
International Space Station (ISS), spe-
cifically the Environmentally Controlled
Life Support (ECLS). As a subsystem
manager, Peterson works to ensure the
performance and reliability of the equip-
ment aboard the station.
The ISS is a global partnership be-
tween 16 countries, including the United
States. Construction of the ISS in orbit
began in the fall of 1998 with the launch
of the first module, Zarya. With the ad-
dition of 13 more elements, the ISS has
expanded to an astounding 170 feet by
240 feet by 90 feet. Over the next few
years, the ISS will continue to grow,
making it the largest man-made orbiting
structure in space.
In order to build such a complex
and massive structure in space, mod-
ules or nodes were constructed on Earth.
Once built, the modules would then be
transported by a reusable launch ve-
hicle, such as the space shuttle, and
connected to existing modules. The job
of certifying the integrity of these mod-
ules lies in the hands of people like
Laurie Peterson.
International Space Station:
K-State Engineered
A KSU engineer makes her mark with NASA
By Jarret Rice
Photo courtesy of NASA
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