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Nine-year-old Jack Davis applied as “protector of the planet” at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
In response to NASA’s job posting for a planetary protection officer, the boy promptly sent a handwritten letter to the space agency. In his letter, Jack proudly said that he has watched many alien-related movies and TV shows. He also said that he is great at video games and that he can learn how to think like an alien because he is young.
Dr. James Green, Director of NASA Planetary Science Division, responded to Davis’ application. He explained to the boy what the job was actually for. Contrary to what Jack believed, NASA is not looking for someone who can fight aliens. Instead, the agency needs someone who can protect the Earth from foreign contaminants that are unintentionally brought back from space explorations. The planetary protection officer will also impose NASA policies to ensure that the requirements for space missions are met.
At the end of his letter, Dr. Green said that he hopes Jack would study hard so that they could work together in the future.
The space agency is known to be home to scientists who graduated with degrees in aeronautics, engineering, and physics. Dr. Green said that NASA loves teaching kids about space to inspire them to become future space explorers.
In fact, NASA offers programs meant to spark students’ interest in space. Students aged seven to 15 can join the Astrocamp and the Astrocamp Plus. In these camps, children will spend two weeks doing activities such as visiting mission labs and observing space through telescopes. College and graduate students who want a career in aeronautics may also join NASA’s Aeronautics Academy.