Also called: Mission PI
Leads the science team for an entire space mission, from proposal to final discoveries.
You might juggle a budget meeting, a call with NASA headquarters, and a team debate over which crater to aim at. Getting here takes decades, but you shape what humanity learns about a world.
Usually senior university professors or NASA scientists; pay varies widely.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 15 years after high school. PhD plus many years of research leadership.
Ways in: Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Physics, Planetary Science, Astronomy.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years).
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps write proposals and analyze data; leading teams and winning missions stay human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Speech or debate, English composition.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2012.
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.