从承包商到公务员：美国国家航天局（NASA）欢迎 Jeret Howard 加入

17 岁时，Jeret Howard 举起右手宣誓，以美国陆军战斗医务兵的身份在伊拉克为国效力。今年夏天，他在密西西比州圣路易斯湾附近的 NASA 斯坦尼斯航天中心（Stennis Space Center）再次举起右手宣誓。

At 17, Jeret Howard raised his right hand to serve his country as a United States Army combat medic in Iraq. This past summer, he raised his right hand again at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

作为该机构旨在通过将承包商转为公务员以恢复核心竞争力的劳动力指令下的一名公务员，Howard 从长期承包商到物流管理专家的转变，代表了他致力于国家服务生涯的延续。

Hired as a civil servant under the agency’s workforce directive to restore core competencies by converting contractors to civil service, Howard’s transition from long-time contractor to logistics management specialist represents a continuation of a life dedicated to national service.

他在美国最大的火箭推进测试基地工作了 15 年以上，曾以承包商身份担任机械技术员，负责拧紧扳手和建造测试台基础设施。现在，他步入了一个对个人而言意义深远的 NASA 岗位。

He has worked for more than 15 years at America’s largest rocket propulsion test site as a mechanical technician, turning wrenches and building test stand infrastructure as a contractor. Now, he steps into a NASA role that carries deep personal meaning.

“这绝对是服务的延续，”Howard 说。“从一个只想为国效力的 17 岁少年，到如今以这种方式圆满回归，并希望有一天能从 NASA 退休，这是一种自豪。”

“It is absolutely a continuation of service,” said Howard. “It is a point of pride to go from being a 17-year-old just wanting to serve your country to coming full circle like this, hoping to one day retire from NASA.”

作为一名物流管理专家，Howard 的工作是为推进测试确保必要的硬件和组件。他依靠多年的技术经验来预判工程团队的需求。在确保必要物资的同时，Howard 也确保了纳税人的钱被明智地使用。

As a logistics management specialist, Howard’s job is to secure necessary hardware and components for propulsion testing. He relies on years of technical experience to anticipate the needs of the engineering team. As he secures essential materials, Howard ensures taxpayer dollars are wisely spent.

Howard 的专业知识并不局限于办公桌，他积极与新入职的技术人员并肩工作，并支持多个领域的测试，包括为支持 Blue Origin 在 NASA 斯坦尼斯航天中心的测试所做的准备工作。

Howard’s expertise is not confined to a desk as he actively works alongside new technicians and supports testing across multiple areas, including the build up to support Blue Origin’s testing at NASA Stennis.

“机械工作是一项挑战，”Howard 说。“一切都是一个谜题。即使当它看起来很单调时，总会有新的情况出现。这是一项技能，一旦你多年来反复练习并变得非常精通，你就不想浪费它。”

“Mechanical work is a challenge,” said Howard. “Everything is a puzzle. Even when it seems like it is going to be monotonous, there is always something new that comes up. It is a skill, and once you do it so much over the years and get really good at it, you do not want to waste it.”

Howard 从事公共服务的动力源于他的家庭。作为密西西比州基尔恩（Kiln）的居民，Howard 将自己的职业生涯视为一个以身作则并让家人感到自豪的机会。

Howard’s motivation for public service is rooted in his home. A resident of Kiln, Mississippi, Howard views his career as a chance to lead by example and make his family proud.

“我的小女儿可以看着我，感到自豪，并知道她可以做任何事情，”Howard 说。

“My little girl can look at me, be proud, and know she can do anything,” said Howard.

这一点在他十几岁的儿子身上也产生了强烈的共鸣，他梦想着有一天能成为一名 NASA 工程师。尽管他的儿子正在克服身体上的挑战，但全家人都完全专注于他无限的潜力。

This resonates just as strongly with his teenage son, who dreams of one day becoming a NASA engineer. Even as his son navigates physical challenges, the family’s focus is entirely on his limitless potential.

“我们鼓励他不要去想他不能做什么，而是专注于他能做多少，”Howard 说。

“We push him to not think about what he cannot do, but to focus on how much he can do,” said Howard.

这个家庭通过在空闲时间骑越野摩托车和乘船出海，在奋斗与“努力工作，尽情玩乐”的生活方式之间取得了平衡。

The family balances drive with a “work hard, play hard” lifestyle by spending their free time riding dirt bikes and taking their boat out on the water.

在 NASA 通过 Artemis 计划将人类送回月球（Moon），并建立月球基地作为人类第一个月球前哨站，让宇航员在月球（Moon）南极（south pole）附近生活、工作和探索的历史时刻，这些辛勤工作正在获得回报。

The hard work is paying off at a time in history when NASA is returning humans to the Moon through the Artemis program and building a Moon Base as humanity’s first lunar outpost where astronauts will live, work, and explore near the Moon’s South Pole.

太空飞行的未来是 Howard 一家共同的热情所在。

The future of spaceflight is a shared family passion for the Howards.

去年 4 月 Artemis II 任务发射时，这家人在船旁的户外架起了一台大平板电脑，利用其重型音响系统放大了广播。

When the Artemis II mission launched last April, the family set up a large tablet outside next to their boat, using its heavy-duty sound system to amplify the broadcast.

“我女儿能感觉到发射时的低音震动，”Howard 说。“我起了一身鸡皮疙瘩。”

“My daughter could feel the bass of the launch,” said Howard. “I got chills.”

随着 Howard 的工作支持着 NASA 以及在斯坦尼斯航天中心进行推进测试工作的商业公司，这家人已经在期待 Artemis III 的发射，这是一项旨在在 Artemis IV 将宇航员送回月面（lunar surface）之前演示综合操作的任务。

As Howard’s work supports NASA and the commercial companies conducting propulsion test work at Stennis, the family is already anticipating the launch of Artemis III, a mission intended to demonstrate integrated operations before Artemis IV returns astronauts to the lunar surface.

Howard 转为公务员意味着他在 NASA 拥有了直接的角色。他的工作不仅有助于确保美国在当今太空领域的领导地位，还激励着像他儿子这样的下一代工程师走向未来。

Howard’s transition to a civil servant means he has a direct role with NASA. His work contributes to securing American leadership in space today, while inspiring the next generation of engineers, such as his son, into the future.

欲了解更多关于 NASA 斯坦尼斯航天中心的信息，请访问：www.nasa.gov/stennis

For more information about NASA’s Stennis Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/stennis