However you can (and many do) work for nasa as an employee of a contractor. Working for NASA as a "civil servant" means "are an employee of the federal governme

However you can (and many do) work for nasa as an employee of a contractor. Working for NASA as a "civil servant" means "are an employee of the federal government", which is a very different thing in employment law. It is also a different thing in terms of compensation: a friend of mine just started working at NASA in Mountain View. They were given two offers for the same job "you work directly for NASA for $60k as an entry level federal employee with federal employee benefits" or "you work for a contractor for 100k and shitty contractor benefits". They went the "I need to pay Bay Area rent" path, but have found that because they aren't "civil servant" they essentially cannot work with other organizations or universities.