Explore the Program

Each summer, the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) employs about a dozen highly motivated college students for the Space Astronomy Summer Program (SASP) to work individually with STScI researchers and staff on projects that include data reduction and interpretation, software development, software engineering, instrument calibration and support, scientific writing, and public outreach. STScI is a premier astronomical research institution, and our scientific staff of astronomers, scientists, analysts, and engineers is at the forefront of some of the most exciting astronomy going on today, including the study of our own solar system, the structure of the Milky Way, the composition of near and distant galaxies, and dark energy.

Our competitive program is primarily open to upper-division undergraduates with a strong interest in space-based astronomy, engineering, or public outreach (other candidates may be considered on an individual basis). In addition to hands-on projects, students are matched with a mentor and attend a variety of lectures. Students receive a stipend, housing assistance, and travel reimbursement. 

We proudly partner with the National Astronomy Consortium (NAC) to provide research opportunities to women and underrepresented minorities in astronomy-enterprise areas, and other STEM fields.

2024 SASP

Program dates will be June 3 through August 2, 2024. Accepted interns will be brought to the STScI campus in Baltimore, Maryland, to work directly with their mentors. Scroll down for additional program details. The application window for the 2024 internship program is now closed.

Symposium

2023 SASP Symposium

As the culmination of the Space Astronomy Summer Program, students provided short presentations of their efforts followed by Q + A.

The 2023 Symposium was held August 3, 2023.

2023 SASP Symposium Program Schedule

2023 SASP Symposium Program Recordings 

Our Program's Goals

Types of Opportunities

Types of Opportunities

Astrophysics Research Projects

Students will have the opportunity to contribute to our astronomers and scientists’ research through statistical analysis and physical interpretation of astronomical data, coding, or the application of other skills. Specific topics change year to year based on the selection of mentors, but may center on solar system objects, extrasolar planets, stars and stellar populations, galaxies and the intergalactic medium, cosmology, and black holes.

Software Engineering Projects

STScI staff members work with astronomers who use the space telescopes, and in calibrating and archiving their data for the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST), one of the first and biggest archives for astronomical data. Students may work with physicists and mechanical engineers on instrumentation and testing; software engineers and computer scientists on internal and external software tools; flight operations staff on the creation and testing of scripts to operate the science instruments onboard the telescopes; or scientists to analyze large volumes of data.

Instrument Calibration Projects

Students will be part of a team that prepares raw data from the Hubble or James Webb Space Telescopes for scientific analysis. Each scientific instrument (e.g., cameras and spectrographs) has a team of scientists, analysts, and engineers who calibrate and characterize the raw data from their instruments. Interns can gain a deep understanding of how instruments onboard a space telescope are operated and how to process the resulting data to enable precise scientific measurements.

Public Outreach Projects

STScI brings the science and wonder of NASA observatories (including the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes) to the world in the form of news, outreach, and informal education products. Public outreach roles include helping with image processing, science writing, astronomical artwork, video production; the development of citizen science projects, Google Sky, and iOS applications; and contributing to applications for the astronomical community.

Space Astronomy Summer Program Resources