UA Little Rock Senior Explores AI and Space Technology in NASA Internship
Spencer Knight, a senior double majoring in electrical and computer engineering and physics at UA Little Rock, spent his summer exploring the future of space exploration as a computer research and development intern at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
Knight, a native of Little Rock and member of the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program, worked in NASA’s Technology, Innovation, and Research Office (TIRO), where he researched applications for large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT.
His research focused on creating a searchable database of decades-old, scanned files. He also researched technologies that, long term, will give astronauts a way to access knowledge about tools and systems when live communication with Earth isn’t possible, like during missions to Mars.
“Communications with Mars can take a minimum of four minutes and a maximum of 24 minutes, so astronauts going to Mars wouldn’t be able to have live chats with NASA,” Knight said. “The idea is to use AI to create a system that can handle databases of knowledge about specific tools that astronauts will handle when they are traveling far away from Earth. This system will make it easier for the astronauts to quickly search through all of this information.”
Beyond the lab, Knight’s experience included witnessing rocket engine tests, touring NASA facilities, and even visiting one of the International Space Station’s control rooms at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. But the highlight, he said, was the community he found among his fellow NASA interns.
“There were 12 of us, and we became like a family,” Knight said. “We still text regularly. That bond, along with seeing an engine test up close, which is like experiencing an earthquake, made the summer unforgettable.”
For Knight, the internship also sparked a new academic passion. A programmer since age eight, he had previously avoided working with AI but found his work at NASA to be transformative.
“This was my first deep dive into AI, and now I’m looking for ways to continue researching it here at UA Little Rock,” he said. “It’s an exciting field, especially with how it intersects with the aerospace industry.”
Knight credits Dr. Constance Meadors of the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium for helping him get this internship as well as his mentors inTIRO, Dr. Schmalzel and Dr. Krell, for helping him seize the opportunity to learn so much over the summer. Working at NASA was the fulfillment of a childhood dream for Knight.
“My dad is the biggest space nerd I know,” Knight said. “He taught me the names of the planets when I was three. My grandpa was an engineer, and I’ve always known I wanted to be an engineer,” Knight said. “Working for such a historical agency is a massive privilege, and I am happy to have done that this summer. With the recent boom in space technology and a new age of space exploration ahead of us, I do want to go into the aerospace industry.”
Knight, who also serves as vice president of the Aerospace Club at UA Little Rock, will graduate in May 2026 and plans to pursue a career in the aerospace industry or attend graduate school.