NASA engineer spent $200 to start a side hustle from her closet—now it brings in over $32,000 a month

Cnbc · Aug 06, 2026 · 1041 words · By Megan Sauer

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What to know about NASA engineer spent $200 to start a side hustle from her closet—now it brings in over $32,000 a month

At her full-time job, Eryn Andrews splits her time between a cubicle, a lab and a "lunar sandbox" testing facility at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

At her full-time job, Eryn Andrews splits her time between a cubicle, a lab and a "lunar sandbox" testing facility at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Why it matters

As a NASA human performance engineer, she collects and analyzes data to help astronauts move seamlessly in their spacesuits.

Common ground

Her 5-to-9 routine is starkly different: Andrews runs a side hustle recording voiceovers in a makeshift sound booth, lined with mattress toppers to block out noise, in her guest bedroom closet.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: NASA engineer spent $200 to start a side hustle from her closet—now it brings in over $32,000 a month?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that She created a profile on online freelancer marketplace Fiverr?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/06/how-nasa-engineer-built-lucrative-voiceover-acti…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 4

schedule Pending 3

help Insufficient Evidence 1

cancel Disputed 1

schedule

Claim 1: “She created a profile on online freelancer marketplace Fiverr”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “Her side hustle earnings started outpacing her six-figure NASA salary during the summer of 2025”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources state that her voiceover earnings began outpacing her NASA salary during the summer of 2025.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article documents events, research findings, scientific and technological advances, and human actions to measure, predict, mitigate, and adapt to the effects of global warming and climate change—…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_in_climate_change

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A signature song is the one song (or, in some cases, one of a few songs) that a popular and well-established recording artist or band is most closely identified with or best known for. This is general…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_signature_song…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Media coverage of climate change has had effects on public opinion on climate change, as it conveys the scientific consensus on climate change that the global temperature has increased in recent decad…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_coverage_of_climate_chan…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “As a NASA human performance engineer, she collects and analyzes data to help astronauts move seamlessly in their spacesuits.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results identify Eryn Andrews as a NASA engineer in Houston.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 4: “Eryn Andrews splits her time between a cubicle, a lab and a "lunar sandbox" testing facility at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While other claims about Eryn Andrews are corroborated, the specific detail about her splitting time between a cubicle, lab, and 'lunar sandbox' is not explicitly detailed in the provided search results, although her role as a NASA engineer in Houston is mentioned in multiple sources.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip-hop for the year 2024.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_in_hip-hop

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On December 13, 2025, a mass shooting occurred at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, during the second day of final examination week for the fall semester. The shooter, Cláud…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Brown_University_shooting

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In Our Time is a radio discussion programme exploring a wide variety of historical, scientific, cultural, religious and philosophical topics, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom since 1998.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_In_Our_Time_programmes

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 5: “Andrews, who has a master's degree in space studies from the University of North Dakota”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found regarding her educational background or a degree from the University of North Dakota.

schedule

Claim 6: “In August 2025, Andrews won an award at the One Voice Conference in Dallas for her performance as a worried mother in The Obsessive Shadow video game.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 7: “She spends one to eight hours per week recording voiceovers — primarily internal corporate announcements, company voicemail boxes and workplace training videos for clients like Coca-Cola, PetSmart and the University of Mississippi”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm she records voiceovers for Coca-Cola, PetSmart, and the University of Mississippi, spending one to eight hours per week.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Her side hustle primarily involves voicing internal corporate announcements, company voicemail boxes and workplace training videos for clients like Coca-Cola, PetSmart and the University of Mississipp…
https://www.livemint.com/news/trends/nasa-engineer-eryn-andr…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Clients include Coca-Cola, PetSmart, and the University of Mississippi. She started the side hustle in March 2022. She wanted an extra $200 monthly for her daughter. A Google search for "single mom si…
https://www.manilabayrestaurant.com/nasa-engineer-voiceover-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 8. Coca‑Cola is created and served at Jacobs’ Pharmacy. Nine drinks a day are sold during this year. The Coca‑Cola Company accountant names the drink “Coca‑Cola,” and thinking the two Cs would loo…
https://www.coca-colacompany.com/about-us/history

schedule

Claim 8: “The majority of her clients, including Apple, still book Andrews through Fiverr.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 9: “Andrews has worked at NASA since 2008”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence does not mention the start date of her employment at NASA (2008).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Free courses can help you learn coding languages like Python and JavaScript, data analysis techniques, and web development fundamentals. Compare course options to find what fits your goals. Enroll for…
https://www.coursera.org/courses?query=free

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Graphic design courses can help you learn typography, color theory, layout design, and branding strategies. Compare course options to find what fits your goals. Enroll for free.
https://www.coursera.org/courses?query=graphic+design

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 1, 2022 · Faculty benefited from access to high-quality courseware and students dove right into learning new skills on their own.” – Matthew Rascoff, Former Associate Vice Provost, Digital Educati…
https://blog.coursera.org/celebrating-10-years-of-learning-w…

info

Claim 10: “Andrews has used her extra income — now roughly $32,400 per month, on average — to travel, buy a used 2025 Toyota Rav4 and start a savings account for her child's future college tuition”

SINGLE SOURCE

One source mentions she earns over $32,000 a month and uses it for travel and a car, but the specific monthly average of $32,400 and the 2025 Toyota Rav4 detail are not corroborated by a second independent source.

cancel

Claim 11: “Of the Americans making between $100,000 and $249,000 annually, 41% report living paycheck-to-paycheck, according to CNBC and SurveyMonkey's quarterly money survey published on July 20.”

DISPUTED

One search result mentions a Goldman Sachs report stating 41% of people earning $300k-$500k live paycheck to paycheck, which contradicts the claim's specific income bracket ($100k-$249k) and source (CNBC/SurveyMonkey).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Each quarter, CNBC and SurveyMonkey poll over 2,000 small business owners aiming to measure the vitality of the American economy as well as the view from Main Street on jobs, taxes and other hot topic…
https://uk.surveymonkey.com/newsroom/cnbc-and-surveymonkey-r…

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web search NEUTRAL — JUST IN: 41% of Americans earning between $300,000 and $500,000 a year say they’re living paycheck to paycheck, according to Goldman Sachs.
https://cryptopanic.com/news/33169948/JUST-IN-41-of-American…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Nearly one-third of Hungarians have no money left at the end of the month, while more than half have only minimal financial room, according to Provident Financial Zrt.’s latest Financial Wellbeing sur…
https://bbj.hu/economy/statistics/analysis/nearly-one-third-…

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Claim 12: “The 41-year-old brings in six figures per year as a voiceover actor, with over $227,000 in 2026 earnings already, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.”

CORROBORATED

Two separate web search results explicitly state she earned over $227,000 in 2026 from voiceover work, citing documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bowen Yang (Chinese: 杨伯文; born November 6, 1990) is an American comedian, actor, podcaster, and writer. Yang joined the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live as a staff writer in 2018, and was …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowen_Yang

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Iva Jovic (Serbian Latin: Jović; born December 6, 2007) is an American professional tennis player. She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 16 achieved on March 30, 2026, and a best doubles ra…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iva_Jovic

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 13: “In March 2022, she was a newly-divorced single mom in Houston.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of unrelated stories about other single mothers in Houston or Virginia; there is no specific corroboration for Eryn Andrews' marital status in March 2022 in the search results.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In January 2022, Katlyn Lyon Montgomery, a 28-year-old restaurant manager and single mother living in Bedford County, Virginia, connected with Trenton Frye through a dating app.
https://dailycrimepost.com/a-28-year-old-virginia-mother-was…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — This is labeled as "Mystery/DRAMA" Description: Based on the book of the true life story of author Delaine Moore. Delaine Morris, mother of two, realizes she's completely lost herself after years of b…
https://ok.ru/video/10776883563024

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Follow a single Mexican woman living in Houston, Texas, as she navigates love in her new Texas home.#switch #over40 #single #texas #houston #ha Exploring Life After 40: Single in Houston. Join us as w…
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/houston-texas-single-older-w…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.