Also called: Balloon Operations Technician
Launches stadium-sized helium balloons that lift telescopes and experiments to the edge of space.
Before dawn on a windy plain in Texas, New Mexico, or Antarctica, you help lay out a balloon as long as a football field and release it with a science payload hanging below. Then you track it for days.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Associate degree or technical experience; many learn on the job.
Ways in: 2-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Aerospace Engineering Technology, Meteorology.
Growing about average. Tiny field run by NASA's balloon program and a few companies.
Low risk for 10 years. Automated tracking helps, but rigging and launching giant balloons outdoors stays hands-on.
Classes: Physics, Earth science, Shop class, Electronics CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-3021.
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