Considering possible career options in space science can be as full of variety and inviting choices as selecting from an elegant buffet or wandering through the stalls of an exotic overseas bazaar. Space science now encompasses practically all areas of science, and space research draws on an even broader collection of skills and specialties beyond the pure sciences.

One way to think about careers in space science is to notice that there are two main areas. First, there are specialties in which scientists place their tools in space so that they can see aspects of nature that cannot be examined from the ground. These approaches, which might be called "science from space," include research in astronomy and research that looks back at Earth from space. In the second category are researchers who take advantage of unique aspects of operating in an orbital...