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“My summer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory”: Axel’s account, a student on the TAS Astro Advanced Master’s programme

Publication Date

16 September 2024

Category

Training

Meeting with Axel Coulon

This is the story of a kid from Lorraine who has always asked himself a lot of questions...

“Since childhood, I’ve been on a quest for meaning,” says Axel Coulon. That’s why I became interested in philosophy and space at a very early age. Four years ago, the American Mars 2020 mission turned this interest into a passion.

This mission to explore the Red Planet, which culminated in the Perseverance rover being sent to Mars, was developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). But back then, in 2020, Axel had no idea that he would be working in this prestigious laboratory as a student at ISAE-SUPAERO. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, he was continuing his higher education at Polytech Nancy, an engineering school near his home.

And he was riveted by the Perseverance odyssey. “I kept asking myself: how could we send a helicopter and a rover to Mars?” The Martian adventure ended up influencing his decision to focus his training on space, and more specifically on space rovers and helicopters.

But this kid always wanted to go to Supaéro

After an academic stay in Montreal to study on-board automation, Axel first landed a placement at ESA’s European Astronaut Center (EAC) in Cologne. It was a dream come true. “I was helping to develop electronic software for the tablets that astronauts use to send data from field training. I had the opportunity to work with European astronauts like Luca Parmitano and to meet Thomas Pesquet on several occasions. I used to think about the village of 1,000 people where I grew up and say to myself, this is incredible!”

Once he had his engineering degree, he decided to take a year’s specialisation at ISAE-SUPAERO via the TAS Astro Advanced Masters®. In September 2023, he heads for Toulouse to fulfil a new dream: “I’ve always wanted to do Supaéro.” But preparatory classes and Grandes Écoles weren’t common in the environment I grew up in.

On the Toulouse campus, Axel quickly felt like a fish in water. He made friends with other space enthusiasts and joined diving and football clubs. He also immersed himself 100% in his training: “It was an intense and demanding year, but it was great for acquiring a complete knowledge of space engineering!” Above all, he was able to talk to alumni who had just returned from their internships at NASA. That’s when the idea, still crazy just a few months earlier, took shape in his mind: “I’m going to do it too”.

My teachers were very supportive. I realised that when you dare to ask for help, you get it. And that gives you confidence.

But an internship at the JPL was not a foregone conclusion. “Thanks to my teachers, I contacted a number of researchers working in flight robotics, but the replies were slow in coming.”

Without wasting any time, he threw himself into another challenge: finding funding. Several months passed, during which Axel took the risk of turning down a great opportunity for an internship in France. Deep down, he couldn’t stop believing. “My teachers in Toulouse and Nancy were very supportive. I realised that when you dare to ask for help, you get it, and that gives you confidence.” And he was right. His deserving profile and results won him an Espace grant from the Fondation des Ailes de France, a grant from his region (Grand Est) and a grant from the Fondation ISAE-SUPAERO. After four and a half months, he completed his budget by supplementing this funding with a loan from the same Foundation.

Then he discovered Los Angeles

Los Angeles is finally in his sights. At the end of April 2024, Axel sets off with the excitement of discovering the laboratory to which he owes his passion. But also the West Coast and the famous American way of life. “When you first discover American life, you’re amazed,” he says. There are house parties, you visit California… Everything seems so big. When you see LA from the window of the plane, you ask yourself: how big is this city? From time to time, however, he is reminded of the Pink City. “There are lots of Sup’ alumni in LA! For the first few weeks, when I’d walk around with my ISAE-SUPAERO T-shirt or cap on, I’d get stopped in the street,” he jokes. I thought: they’re everywhere!

At the JPL alone, he meets up with five other ISAE-SUPAERO students, all from the General Engineering course. “I don’t think we’ve ever been so many at the same time!” The atmosphere is “very international” and the site fills him with wonder: “It’s just as I imagined it would be.” I’m working in the new drone aviary. You can see there’s a lot of equipment and a lot of money.

His research placement is looking at finding landing sites for helicopters on Mars, in line with Mars 2020. However, the corporate culture is different from what he is used to in Europe. Fortunately, Axel has already had the opportunity to work in an American environment, during an academic semester at the French branch of Georgia Tech University in Metz. “In the United States, we don’t see work and management in the same way as in France. Problems are solved like an audit. Everyone also has a lot of freedom to act, which builds confidence. We assume that people know what they’re doing.”

This freedom of initiative is all the greater because he arrived just a few months after a plan to make engineers redundant at JPL. “There was work to be done and I was immediately given the responsibilities of an engineer.”

In the United States, work and management are viewed differently to the way they are in France. Problems are solved like an audit. Everyone also has a lot of freedom to act, which builds confidence. We assume that people know what they’re doing.
Even so, he doesn’t see himself staying in the United States after his placement. “As a Frenchman, I think it’s important to come back and work in Europe, on the continent that trained me and gave me so much. After his first love with Mars, he is now looking to the Moon. “With the prospect of future explorations, it’s very exciting!” His new goal? To work at the ESA, at the EAC where I did my traineeship, and where lunar equipment is being developed.

He’s sure to miss the Californian sun when he gets back, just after Halloween. But Axel is also looking forward to seeing his loved ones again. “Here in LA, everyone has their own car and house, and there are very few people in the street. I kind of miss the social atmosphere of France!”

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Teacher researcher

News

ISAE-SUPAERO announces new partnership with ESA Academy to support future Master in Aerospace Engineering students

Master in Aerospace Engineering

Scholarship

Space

Pages

Lasbordes Air Operations Center (COAL)

The Design and Operation of Aeronautical and Space Vehicles Department (DCAS) is part of the Lasbordes Air Operations Center (COAL), located on an airfield a few kilometers from the ISAE-SUPAERO campus. As part of its aeronautical training and research activities, COAL operates a fleet of 9 light aircraft.

DCAS

Doctoral student

PhD

News

Airbus Defence and Space and ISAE-SUPAERO train members of the Peruvian space agency

Twenty engineers from the Peruvian space agency attended a training course in Toulouse, jointly designed by ISAE-SUPAERO and Airbus Defence and Space, to develop their skills in the field of space systems and space missions.

DCAS

Short internship

Space

News

Laurent Michel appointed programme director of the General Engineering programme at ISAE-SUPAERO

Since the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, Laurent Michel has been responsible for the smooth running of the General Engineering programme. • He will also be involved in developing the programme in line with the skills-based approach. • A professor of structural and materials mechanics, he has been head of the Structural and Materials Mechanics Department (DMSM) at ISAE-SUPAERO for the past five years.

Generalist engineer

Governance

Program

Pages

Enjoy our community life

Student life is a central part of the ISAE-SUPAERO experience. Thanks to a rich and diverse ecosystem of associations, our students have the opportunity to develop valuable skills, forge strong bonds with their peers and flourish both personally and collectively.

Student club

Student life

News

3 questions to... Loïc Jecker, S-Cube member from 2011 to 2013

Meet Loïc Jecker, member of S-Cube - SUPAERO Space Section - ISAE-SUPAERO's experimental rocket club, from 2011 to 2013.

Space

Student club

Student life

Videos

Valentine, 23, Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering student

We have students from all over the world, and they all have unique and different experiences on campus. Valentine is 23 and comes from both France and the USA! She is studying in the Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering at ISAE-SUPAERO, specializing in aerospace systems and control. In case you didn't know, our Master of Science is internationally recognized as an innovative science and technology program! One of our main advantages is our close link with the #aerospace industry, as Valentine mentioned! Many of the research projects carried out on campus are directly linked to our industrial partners and offer great opportunities for our students. Add to this the ease of traveling in Europe, and everyone wins!

Master in Aerospace Engineering

Program

Pages

“Navigation, Radar and Remonte Sensing” (NAVIR² eS) scientific group

The “Navigation, Radar and Remonte Sensing” (NAVIR² eS) scientific group is interested in the theoretical study of information sources and hybridization approaches for autonomous vehicle navigation applications.

DEOS

Doctoral student

PhD

Videos

Philippe Girard presents: Mastère Spécialisé® MGPIE

Philippe Girard presents: Mastère Spécialisé® MGPIE

Program

News

ISAE-SUPAERO's researchers are working on establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon.

While last year marked the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 17 mission, the last manned trip to the Moon, the development of ‘New Space’ has revived the space sector's interest in lunar exploration.

DCAS

Space

Pages

“Space Systems for Planetology and Applications” (SSPA) scientific group

The “Space Systems for Planetology and Applications” (SSPA) scientific group focuses on one main area of research: the development of missions and associated technologies for geophysical exploration of the solar system.

DEOS

Doctoral student

PhD

Pages

Living on our campus

Our ISAE-SUPAERO campus is located in Toulouse, the European capital of aeronautics and space. In addition to joining our prestigious engineering school, you will be able to enjoy our 19-hectare campus located in the heart of the rapidly developing Rangueil-Montaudran scientific complex!

Student club

Student life

Videos

A surprise from elsewhere... from the ISS...?

Hello earth? Thomas Pesquet speaking! Thomas Pesquet, French astronaut and famous ISAE-SUPAERO alumnus (class of 2001), is currently in the ISS as part of his new Alpha mission. He sent our students a personalized message from the European laboratory Columbus...

Alumni

Diversity program

Space

News

ISAE-SUPAERO will be at the Paris Air Show from June 16 to 22, 2025!

Aeronautics

Event

Fair

News

Mission Insight: the contribution of researchers from ISAE-SUPAERO

The InSight lander deployed by NASA recorded two earthquakes that occurred on Mars in 2021, providing scientists with exceptional data, the first direct observations ever made of a planet's core.

DEOS

Space

Pages

Access our campus

How do I get to the ISAE-SUPAERO campus?

Student club

Student life

Testimonials

Testimony of Giuseppe Cataldo, alumnus of the 2010 Engineer ISAE-SUPAERO (MSc) program

Alumni

Space

News

Valentin LELOUP, quantum and optical telecommunications systems engineer: the quantum and space tandem

Valentin Leloup, R&D engineer at Thales, combines two fields of expertise: quantum physics and space. He holds an engineering degree from ISAE-SUPAERO 2022 and a Master 2 in fundamental physics and applications.

Alumni

Space

News

Training new skills for the future of space: COMETES is launched!

Company

Job

Space

News

3 questions to... Marie-Bertille Mosnier, S-Cube member from 2018 to 2022

Meet Marie-Bertille Mosnier, member of the S-Cube - SUPAERO Space Section - ISAE-SUPAERO's experimental rocket club, from 2018 to 2022.

Space

Student club

Student life

News

CASTOR Chair: ISAE-SUPAERO and Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse celebrate 1 year of partnership

Aeronautics

Chair

Partnership

Videos

Perseverance collects first Martian sounds: explanation by Dr. Naomi Murdoch & Dr. Alexander Stott

Dr Naomi Murdoch, researcher in space instrumentation and planetary science, and Dr Alexander Stott, post-doctoral fellow, tell us more about the physical characteristics of Mars' atmosphere, in particular the speed of sound and its attenuation. These analyses were published in Nature on April 1, 2022 by an international team led by a teacher-researcher from Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier University, and including scientists from CNRS and ISAE-SUPAERO.

DEOS

Researcher

Space

Pages

“Connected Systems” (SysCo) scientific group

The scientific dynamic of the “Connected Systems” (SysCo) scientific group focuses primarily on network-related issues in aerospace applications, i.e. space communications, embedded networks and certain types of connected systems.

DISC

Doctoral student

PhD

News

ISAE-SUPAERO and GIFAS offer training to accelerate the decarbonization of air transport

Faced with the challenges of climate change and the imperatives of energy transition, ISAE-SUPAERO and GIFAS have joined forces to offer a unique training program dedicated to decarbonizing the aviation sector.

Aeronautics

Company

Decarbonization

News

CASTOR Chair: Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse and ISAE-SUPAERO, a win-win partnership

The official signing of the industrial chair, called CASTOR, between Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse and ISAE-SUPAERO took place on Tuesday 9 July at the institute's campus. This research partnership contributes to research into carbon-free aircraft.

Aeronautics

Chair

Company

Videos

2021 Masters graduation ceremony

2021 Masters graduation ceremony

Master in Aerospace Engineering

Program

News

Mars mission simulation: a scientific experiment, a human adventure

Like nine other ISAE-SUPAERO crews before them, seven students took part in a simulation of life on Mars in the Utah desert in the United States this winter.

Space

Student club

Videos

THE REPLAY - Webinar on Apprenticeship Engineering

Watch the replay of the webinar on Apprenticeship hosted by Caroline Bérard, Director of Engineering Training at ISAE-SUPAERO, with contributions from : - Annette Roy, Head of salaried training at ISAE-ENSMA, - Arnaud, student apprentice with a degree in physics, - Céline, student apprentice, from a DUT in Physical Measurement, - Maxime, student apprentice, with a BTS in Aeronautics, - Mélanie Francisco, Operations Manager and apprenticeship supervisor, - Michael Chenevard, Quality Manager and apprenticeship supervisor. Industrialization and Methods" engineering apprenticeship developed jointly with the ISAE Group and offered at two of the Group's schools: - ISAE-SUPAERO, - ISAE-ENSMA in the near future.

Apprenticeship

Program

Specialist engineer

Videos

REPLAY of the webinar on the Advanced Master®in Artificial Intelligence and Business Transformation

Discover ISAE-SUPAERO's Advanced Master® program in Artificial Intelligence and Business Transformation. Catherine DUVAL, Head of Business and Professional Development, and Carlos AGUILAR MELCHOR, Professor and Head of the Advanced Master program, answer all your questions!

Program