Kira Altman

• Brooke Owens Fellow, Class of 2019

• University of Colorado Boulder, Aerospace Engineering, '19

• Host Institution: Ball Aerospace

• Mentor: Meenakshi Wadhwa

As a young child, Kira Altman’s love of space was matched only by her desire to be a famous rock star. As the rock star dream faded, her passion for math and science grew throughout her upbringing, eventually leading her to study Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado.

Aside from her courses at CU, Kira has completed research on the effect of solar wind on the Martian atmosphere as part of the MAVEN spacecraft team and was also philanthropy chair of the Tri Delta sorority. Through an internship at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Washington, D.C., Kira entered the world of GPS analysis and orbit determination as she assisted with the preparations for launching two satellites to be used for research into climate change. This experience instilled in her a passion for the extensive world of guidance navigation systems which became her focus area in the aerospace field.

Outside the realm of engineering, Kira dedicates her time to writing stories and poetry to be published in the CU Honors journal, attempting to learn the guitar, and teaching Jewish teens in a social action-based confirmation course. In the future, she will use her passion for space and science combined with her experience in creative education to become a powerful role model for the next generation of engineers.

As a Brooke Owens Fellow, Kira joined the team at Ball Aerospace in her college town of Boulder, CO. She was thrilled to work as a systems engineering intern and cannot wait to use what she learned to complete her Master’s degree in aerospace.