As a member of the\u00a0Crew and Thermal Systems Division,\u00a0Aaron Rose supports critical cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station.\u00a0In this role, he works with payload developers to safely transport\u00a0temperature-controlled science experiments to and from\u00a0station\u00a0with portable coolers, freezers,\u00a0and refrigerators.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the full flight cycle, Rose and his team\u00a0members\u00a0ensure all\u00a0cold\u00a0stowage hardware, operations, and personnel\u00a0are coordinated to ensure\u00a0science experiments are handled safely and securely \u2013 all the way from launch to\u00a0landing. These experiments are\u00a0vital to\u00a0unlocking\u00a0discoveries that are\u00a0not possible on Earth,\u00a0improving\u00a0life on our home planet\u00a0and\u00a0helping pave the way for the\u00a0return to the\u00a0Moon and\u00a0future journeys\u00a0to Mars.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Read on to learn about\u00a0Rose\u2019s\u00a0career with NASA and more!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Where are you from?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019m\u00a0from Canton, Ohio (Home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame)\u00a0<\/p>\n How long have you been working for NASA?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n I have been working at Johnson\u00a0Space\u00a0Center\u00a0for 18 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n What was your path to NASA?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n I started as a\u00a0co-op with Jacobs Engineering in 2008 while attending\u00a0The Ohio\u00a0State University. In 2007,\u00a0retired\u00a0NASA\u00a0astronaut Nancy Currie gave a talk at my\u00a0school\u00a0and\u00a0she\u00a0shared\u00a0that there were opportunities for students to work at Johnson\u00a0as a\u00a0co-op or\u00a0intern. Upon hearing this, I reached out to\u00a0her,\u00a0and she helped me apply to a\u00a0co-op program. I\u00a0was\u00a0accepted and\u00a0went on to complete\u00a0several\u00a0co-op semesters. After\u00a0graduating with an\u00a0undergraduate degree in\u00a0industrial and\u00a0systems\u00a0engineering,\u00a0I joined Jacobs Engineering as a full-time team member\u00a0and moved\u00a0to Houston to be a test engineer on a new docking system.\u00a0<\/p>\n How would you describe your job to family or friends that may not be familiar with NASA?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n I work on a team that specializes in temperature-controlled transportation. We receive domestic and international science experiments and pack them into\u00a0coolers, freezers, or refrigerators. We also make sure those items are correctly installed into the spacecraft and work as expected. After splashdown, we receive the science samples and\u00a0return them\u00a0to the researchers as soon as possible. I also have some sway in what ice cream we launch and provide\u00a0for\u00a0the crew!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n What advice would you give to young individuals aspiring to work in the space industry or at NASA?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Aaron rose<\/p>\n Cold Stowage Mission Manager\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n You never know who you might meet that could recommend you for an open position. It\u00a0definitely worked\u00a0for me!\u00a0<\/p>\n Also,\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0give up on\u00a0engineering\u00a0if you struggle with higher level mathematics. There are a lot of engineering positions that\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0require frequent use of differential equations, linear algebra, etc. You can still work at NASA\u00a0with\u00a0other strengths.\u00a0<\/p>\n Is there a space figure\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0looked up to or someone that inspires you?\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Retired\u00a0NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson inspired me to follow my dreams and encouraged me to work at\u00a0Johnson\u00a0full time after I graduated from college. I had the pleasure of having lunch with Stephen,\u00a0where he shared his journey to becoming an astronaut\u00a0and it\u00a0resonated with me. After talking to him,\u00a0I was even more motivated to finish my degree and\u00a0get\u00a0back to Houston. There were so many fun and interesting experiences waiting for me that I\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0miss!\u00a0<\/p>\n What is your favorite NASA memory or the most meaningful project\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0worked on during your time with NASA?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Aaron rose<\/p>\n Cold Stowage Mission Manager\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The first SpaceX mission I supported was\u00a0NASA\u2019s\u00a0SpaceX\u00a0CRS-3\u00a0return. I\u00a0had recently joined\u00a0the Cold Stowage\u00a0Team\u00a0and was still learning the ropes when I was selected to travel to Long Beach, California,\u00a0and help the team. It was such a thrill to work out of a cargo airplane while handling science experiments that had just returned from space.\u00a0<\/p>\n Another favorite memory is watching the movie\u00a0\u201cApollo 13\u201d\u00a0in the historic Mission Control Center. It was so surreal to sit at a workstation where the actual events of Apollo 13 occurred\u00a0while watching\u00a0the movie. It felt like I was transported back to April\u00a01970,\u00a0and I was in the movie. The space nerd in me was ecstatic!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n What do you love sharing about\u00a0station?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n I like to talk about cargo resupply missions. People genuinely want to know what work is being done on the\u00a0space station\u00a0and how we\u00a0utilize\u00a0microgravity to develop\u00a0new technology\u00a0and fight diseases. I usually\u00a0share about\u00a0the different science experiments we\u00a0fly\u00a0and explain the steps it takes to safely transport delicate equipment and samples to and from\u00a0station.\u00a0<\/p>\n November 2, 2025, marked 25 years of continuous human presence. What does this milestone mean to you?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Aaron rose<\/p>\n Cold Stowage Mission Manager\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n I\u2019m\u00a0excited for the future of our industry and\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0wait to see how we continue to raise the bar to achieve NASA\u2019s ambitious goals for deep space exploration. Ad astra!\u00a0<\/p>\n If you could have dinner with any astronaut, past or present, who would it be?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n I would have dinner with\u00a0former NASA astronaut and\u00a0fellow Ohioan Neil Armstrong. I\u00a0met\u00a0him once and\u00a0I\u2019d\u00a0love to ask him some more questions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Do you have a favorite space-related memory or moment that stands out to you?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Either\u00a0watching the movie\u00a0\u201cIMAX: Hubble 3D\u201d\u00a0with\u00a0a big group\u00a0of fellow\u00a0co-ops at the Houston Museum of Natural Science or seeing my first\u00a0up-close space shuttle launch.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n One summer as a\u00a0co-op, I tested and certified the IMAX camera equipment that was used by the crew of STS-125 to film part of this movie. It was wonderful to see the final product of my efforts on the big screen.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2010,\u00a0my friend and I drove through the night from Ohio to Florida to see the launch of STS-130 and it was well worth it. This was an especially meaningful launch because it was one of the final shuttle missions, the amazing cupola was\u00a0on board, and I knew\u00a0retired\u00a0astronaut Stephen Robinson,\u00a0who was a\u00a0mission\u00a0specialist for STS-130.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n What are some of the key projects you have worked on during your time at NASA? What have been your favorite?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019ve\u00a0had the privilege of working on several key projects at NASA, including:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u201cIMAX: Hubble 3D\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2013 The\u00a0potable water dispenser\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2013 Cold\u00a0stowage\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n My favorite\u00a0focus has been\u00a0cold\u00a0stowage. It has given me the chance to support multiple SpaceX, Axiom, and Northrup Grumman missions every year. Through\u00a0my work in\u00a0cold\u00a0stowage,\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0seen many rocket launches,\u00a0frequently\u00a0handled space-flown hardware, and directly contributed to the success of over 50 flights to\u00a0station.\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0also cultivated life-long friendships and developed a meaningful career supporting NASA\u2019s core mission.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n What are your hobbies\/things you enjoy doing outside of work?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n I enjoy weightlifting, playing video games, traveling around the world, engaging in car culture, attending comedy shows, and watching movies.\u00a0<\/p>\n Day launch or night launch?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Night!\u00a0<\/p>\n Favorite space movie?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cStar Wars: Episode V \u2013 The Empire Strikes Back\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n NASA Worm or Meatball logo?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Worm!\u00a0<\/p>\n NASA and its partners have supported humans continuously living and working in space since November 2000. After 25 years of continuous human presence, the space station\u00a0remains\u00a0a training and proving ground for the future of commercial space stations, deep space missions, enabling NASA\u2019s Artemis campaign, lunar exploration, and future Mars missions.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n Every day, we\u00a0are conducting\u00a0exciting research aboard our orbiting laboratory that will help us explore farther into space and bring benefits back to people on Earth. You can keep up with the latest news, videos, and pictures about space station science on the\u00a0Station Research & Technology news page. It is a curated hub of space station research digital media from Johnson and other centers and space agencies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Sign up for our weekly\u00a0email newsletter\u00a0to get the updates delivered directly to you.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Follow updates on social media at\u00a0@Space_Station\u00a0on X, and on the\u00a0space\u00a0station accounts on\u00a0Facebook\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Aaron](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1\")
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