Also called: Program Officer
Works at NASA headquarters choosing which science missions and research projects get funded.
You organize panels of experts to review hundreds of proposals, brief leaders on the science, and keep missions on track. It's the decision-making center of space science.
Federal GS-14/15 pay scale.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 12 years after high school. PhD in a space science plus research experience.
Ways in: Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Physics, Astronomy, Earth Science.
Growing about average. Depends on federal science budgets.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps sort proposals and track budgets; choosing which science gets funded stays a human call.
Classes: AP Physics, Government or civics, Speech or debate, Statistics.
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.