How a Single NASA Mentor Shapes the Future of Space Flight

When Rice University student Malvika Bhardwaj asked her mentor if he had time to keep teaching interns amid a demanding workload, the answer was simple. You decide what is important. That philosophy anchors the guidance provided by Daniel Cohen, a guidance, navigation, and control engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

While Cohen spends his days developing simulations for the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle and analyzing the Orion spacecraft docking camera, he also carves out a couple of hours every week to teach interns orbital mechanics. Our read is that NASA views passing this tacit knowledge down to the next generation as just as critical to mission success as writing the flight software itself.

Bhardwaj arrived at the agency through its Office of STEM Engagement, tasked with building analysis tools from scratch to evaluate thruster firings for the vehicle that will safely guide the International Space Station out of orbit. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, she uses computer simulations to test control systems and stress-test failure points.

Beyond the math, she learned how engineering teams collaborate, integrate distinct perspectives, and keep complex units moving forward under tight constraints.

Her mentor intentionally introduced her to the wider team, drawing her into operational conversations and high-level design reviews.

This hands-on immersion changes how incoming talent views aerospace engineering.

Bhardwaj encourages other students to apply even when they feel unprepared, noting that true capability develops on the job.

That perspective matters as the agency transitions toward commercial partnerships and deep-space missions.

Watch whether these mentorship pipelines scale effectively as the engineering workforce prepares for humanity's next giant leaps.