Why Every MBA Student Should Step Outside the Classroom (Even to Space !)
MBA life is full of opportunities and you will have to take your time to plan those opportunities which align with your life. This fall, I found one such opportunity.
From day one, we are reminded that an MBA internship is one of the most important parts of the program. The skills that you build on the job are far more useful than what can be taught in a textbook or a classroom. Real-world challenges force you to come with out of the box solutions in real time, and internships provide that opportunity. One of the largest career fairs in the country is the National Black MBA Association Transform Career Expo, which was held in Houston, Texas this year. The cherry on the top is that the office of the Career Management is going to reimburse a part of the trip. But that's a story for another day. Today I want to share another experience.
If you are remotely interested in space, astronomy or exploration, then you know what else is there in Houston; The NASA Space Center. Often called the “space exploration capital of the world”, Houston has not only created history innumerable times, but continues to be on the forefront of space innovation. When I had an opportunity to go to Houston, I knew I had to dedicate a full day to the Space Center. It's actually a bit far from downtown Houston, and one has to make a journey of approximately 25 miles away to reach there.
The first sight that greets you is the unforgettable and massive Independence Spaceshuttle (replica) atop the custom built Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (one of the only two custom made Boeing 747s ever, for ferrying the actual space shuttle). Once inside the museum, it opens into a vast hall filled with specialized exhibits, rides and infocentres. Some of the key highlights are the Starship gallery and Lunar Surface, Mission briefing center and the Mission mars.
I started my journey at the Starship gallery. It traces the evolution of rockets, from early day rocket prototypes as small as a human being to parts from actual humongous rockets (from Saturn V). It houses several parts of various manned and unmanned spaceships, including the legendary Apollo 17 command module. To look, touch and feel the actual command module of the last manned mission to the moon, I was both excited and humbled at the same time. But I was in for an even better treat later on.
The next stop was the Lunar exhibit. There were several pieces of equipment showing how lunar exploration was carried out and several pieces of moon rock were kept in the room. But the star of the show was the small sample of moon rock which is available for everyone to touch and get a real feel of the rock. Watching children and senior citizens alike reach out with awe reminded me how powerful these moments of connection are.
Next, I explored the Shuttle and its Aircraft Carrier. Walking through the modules, I was simply amazed at the engineering that had gone to convert a 747 into a full fledged carrier. The engineering brilliance of the entire structure is on a whole new level and revolutionary for that time. From the top of the shuttle, the view was absolutely breath-taking, and to my delight, I also spotted a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX nearby.
After this I went back inside the museum to explore other areas. One area caught my mind and that was the Mars gallery. Though a smaller exhibit, the replica Martian landscape, painted in red and dotted with rover models, created an immersive experience. But to my utter surprise, there was a piece of rock from mars which was available to everyone. My day could not get better. To feel both the Moon and Mars in a single day, that’s a memory few people can claim and I also got a little bragging right.
Outside the main museum, a tram ride takes visitors to other areas including the facility where you can actually see astronauts training, and the mighty Saturn V rocket. But unfortunately, I could not get the tickets for the same as one has to prebook that in advance and sometimes tickets are sold months in advance. There were several other areas but I was already running out of time and I had to catch my return flight. With time running short and a return flight to catch, I reluctantly left, wishing I could have stayed longer.
It’s not every day that you get to touch the Moon, touch Mars, and walk among the history and future of space exploration all in a single visit.
