Also called: Payload Operations Director, POIC Controller
Coordinates the science experiments running on the International Space Station from a control center in Huntsville, Alabama.
You help researchers on Earth talk to astronauts doing their experiments, schedule crew time, and troubleshoot a freezer full of science samples.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in engineering or science.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Aerospace Engineering, Biology, Physics.
Growing about average. Depends on ISS and future commercial stations.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI tools schedule experiments and watch data; coordinating with astronauts and science teams stays human.
Classes: AP Biology, AP Physics, Computer science, Speech or debate.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.