ISU graduate Chris Hansen has dreamed of working among the stars since he was a child. This October his dream will come closer to reality.

Hansen will join Kara Kranzusch, senior in aerospace engineering, and Andrew Riha, senior in computer engineering, in attending the 56th Annual Astronautical Conference in Japan. The cost of their trip is being sponsored by NASA and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Hansen, Kranzusch and Riha will present the results of research on technologies that could soon be at the forefront of space exploration. Their research deals with protecting spacecraft from damage and radiation, interaction between humans and machines and helping the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory mission land accurately.

Kranzusch said she feels space exploration is an important key to spur the development of more technologies and scientific progress.

“America must continue supporting human space flight to inspire the next generation of engineers and nurture the human desire to explore,” she said.

Pam Reinig, program director for engineering communications and marketing, said ISU students haven’t been invited to attend the conference in the past eight years she has been with the College of Engineering.

Hansen, who is working on his doctorate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said the number of students selected reflected well on the university.

“Two of the 10 students from the entire United States were chosen from Iowa State, and that speaks highly of the science and engineering programs,” he said.

All the students also praised Iowa State’s engineering program, but stressed the need of students to make themselves better applicants for these opportunities with good grades, internships and research opportunities while still undergraduates.

Riha said many recommended activities, programs and study abroad experiences like his in Newcastle, Australia have minimum grade point average requirements for applicants.

“Work hard, get good grades and be persistent,” Riha said. “I know it sounds cheesy.”

Hansen’s route to the conference started when he began as a freshman in engineering — undecided at Iowa State.

“I started here without any preconceived notions of what I wanted to do, but I knew what I could do with an aerospace or materials engineering major,” he said. “These engineering programs adapt well to students’ desired career paths.”

Kranzusch said her childhood fascination with rocketry and space exploration continued through college and resulted in a public relations internship with the Experimental Aircraft Association before she received a co-op offer from NASA. She will continue there as a space shuttle flight controller in May 2006.

For these students, receiving this recognition at an international conference is the realization of one of their collegiate hopes.

“Coming to work for NASA is a life-long dream come true, and it’s better than I ever imagined,” Kranzusch said.