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Growing up, Bruce Askins was passionate about space and oceanography. His desire to explore other worlds always made him want to be an astronaut. Though he did not become an astronaut, Askins has built a 42-year career at NASA, and, as the infrastructure management lead for NASA\u2019s SLS (Space Launch System) Program at the agency\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Askins is an integral part for the next generation of explorers.<\/p>\n
Askins and his team are the gatekeepers and protectors of data and responsible for both cyber- security and physical security for the SLS Program. Under Askins\u2019 leadership, his team ensures all data is stored properly, that information about the rocket shared outside NASA \u00a0is done with proper data markings, and access is given to those that need it.<\/p>\n
Askins wasn\u2019t always familiar with the world of infrastructure and cyber security. As a mechanical engineering graduate from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Askins began his career as part of NASA\u2019s internship program. He considered himself imaginative, or \u201ccreatively driven,\u201d which is why Askins originally pursued a career at NASA.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always loved the design aspect of my early position in special test equipment,\u201d Askins says. \u201cBack then I drew everything by hand with a pencil before eventually transitioning to computers.\u201d<\/p>\n
His creativity and interest in underwater worlds, along with his scuba diver certification, led him to have a hand in designing early test elements for NASA\u2019s Hubble Space Telescope. At the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator, a former underwater training facility at Marshall, Askins interacted with a crew of astronauts supporting Hubble and designed the flight simulation hardware used for crew training on the Canadarm2 robotic arm that is still a part of the International Space Station today.<\/p>\n
Askins has been a part of the NASA family for almost half a century and is thrilled to be a part of the next era of space exploration to the Moon under Artemis.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo explore is one of the greatest things that we can all do, and with the Artemis Generation the sky\u2019s the limit,\u201d Askins said.<\/p>\n
SLS is part of NASA\u2019s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.<\/p>\n
Check out some of our other \u201cI am Artemis\u201d features.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n