\n<\/p>\n
By Wayne Smith<\/em><\/p>\n It was a super Saturday in the park to celebrate space and the Rocket City.<\/p>\n NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center joined Downtown Huntsville Inc. and other community partners to host NASA in the Park, a public outreach event that attracted thousands to Big Spring Park East in Huntsville on June 22.<\/p>\n And the reach of the event may go far beyond North Alabama in the years ahead, according to Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle.<\/p>\n \u201cMarshall Space Flight Center is the soul of space exploration,\u201d said Battle, who was presented with an Artemis I Certificate of Appreciation by Marshall Director Joseph Pelfrey at the event. \u201cHuntsville is proud of NASA\u2019s leadership in space, and it was exciting for locals to see all of Marshall\u2019s cool projects on display at NASA in the Park. Seeing thousands of people, particularly young people, engaged at the event shows the enthusiasm for space and science. This event may have inspired a future astronaut or scientist who will take man back to the Moon, and one day to Mars.\u201d<\/p>\n Attendees of all ages packed the park to enjoy NASA exhibits and science demonstrations, giveaways, food vendors, and live music at the event, which was from 10\u20132 p.m. About 14,000 people attended, according to official estimates. The greenspace in the heart of Huntsville offered a welcome respite from temperatures that reached the upper 90s on the first Saturday of summer.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you to all our Marshall team members who helped make this year\u2019s NASA in the Park a huge success,\u201d said Marshall Director Joseph Pelfrey. \u201cIt was truly incredible to see the overwhelming support and participation we received from our partners in government, industry, academia, and the community.\u201d<\/p>\n The exhibits at the park included NASA\u2019s SLS (Space Launch System) Program, which is managed by Marshall, the RS-25 engine that will power the rocket, and the Human Landing System, which is also managed by Marshall.<\/p>\n Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.<\/em><\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n The featured business unit for June at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center is SLS. Building off the legacies of the Mercury-Redstone rocket, mighty Saturn V, and the space shuttle, teams at Marshall are preparing for the first crewed missions under the agency\u2019s Artemis campaign with NASA\u2019s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. Marshall manages the SLS Program.<\/p>\n Marshall teams are finishing outfitting and integration work on the major adapters for the SLS Block 1 configuration that will launch Artemis II and Artemis III. Beginning with Artemis IV, SLS will evolve into a larger, more powerful configuration called Block 1B. Already, development, test, manufacturing, and operation teams across Marshall \u2013 and across the country \u2013 are readying for its debut flight.<\/p>\n Learn more about SLS.<\/p>\n Below, meet some of the Marshall teammates who are working on the mega rocket.<\/p>\n Structural materials engineer Lauren Fisher stands in front of the launch vehicle stage adapter for the SLS rocket. The hardware will be used for the agency\u2019s Artemis III mission that will land astronauts on the lunar surface. Being part of the Artemis Generation is incredibly inspiring for Fisher, who takes pride in her work supporting the first three Artemis missions, including\u00a0Artemis II, the first crewed mission under Artemis, in 2025. \u201cI\u2019m literally building the hardware that will send the first woman to deep space,\u201d Fisher said. \u201cWatching our rocket take shape, I\u2019m like \u2018you see that thing? I did that; that\u2019s mine. See that one? My team did that one. We did that, and see this?\u2019\u201d She beams with pride. \u201cYou can do that, too. Just being a part of the generation that\u2019s changing the workforce and changing the space program \u2013 it gives me goosebumps.\u201d (NASA\/Sam Lott)<\/p>\n Bruce Askins 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\u00a0SLS Program\u00a0at Marshall, Askins is an integral part for the next generation of explorers. Askins and his team are the gatekeepers and protectors of data and responsible for both cybersecurity 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. (NASA\/Sam Lott)<\/p>\n Casey Wolfe, a Huntsville native, joined Marshall first as a Pathways intern in 2012. Now the assistant branch chief of the advanced manufacturing branch within the Materials and Processing Laboratory at Marshall, Wolfe and her branch support Artemis through composites and additive manufacturing work for the key elements of both the Block 1 and Block 1B SLS configurations. Wolfe led the manufacturing efforts on the composite payload adapter that will be housed inside the universal stage adapter as part of the Block 1B configuration, beginning with Artemis IV. The engineering development unit is currently undergoing structural testing in the West Test Area. \u201cIt\u2019s an incredible feeling knowing that you are part of an effort that helps to inspire so many people,\u201d Wolfe said. \u201cMy work has helped move the Artemis campaign forward in many different, directly helping to build and lay the foundation for the materials, processes, and manufacturing efforts that are assisting the advancement of humankind in space exploration.\u201d (NASA\/Sam Lott)<\/p>\n Launching a rocket to the Moon takes perseverance and diligence. Josh Whitehead \u2013 a world-class engineer, race-winning long-distance runner, and father \u2013 knows that it also takes a good attitude. \u201cPositive energies are vital, particularly when working through challenges,\u201d Whitehead said. \u201cChallenges are opportunities to learn and grow. There\u2019s always more than one way; always more than one solution.\u201d Whitehead\u2019s job as the associate manager for the SLS Stages Office supports design, development, certification, and operation of the 212-foot-tall SLS core stage. The massive core stage with two propellant tanks that collectively hold more than 733,000 gallons of super-cold propellant is one of the largest cryogenic propulsion rocket stages. Whitehead and his team are currently preparing to deliver the core stage that will power Artemis II and send a crew of four around the Moon to NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center. (NASA\/Sam Lott)<\/p>\n Mat Bevill, the associate chief engineer for NASA\u2019s SLS Program, stands in front of a four-segment solid rocket booster that powered the space shuttle at Marshall.\u00a0As the associate chief engineer for the SLS\u00a0Program, Bevill assists the program chief engineer by interfacing with each of the element chief engineers and helping make critical decisions for the development and flight of the SLS mega rocket that will power NASA\u2019s Artemis campaign. With the launch of Artemis II, the first crewed test flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft, Bevill\u2019s technical leadership and support for the SLS Chief Engineer\u2019s Office will place him, once again, at a notable moment in time. \u201cThink of me as the assistant coach,\u201d Bevill said. \u201cWhile the head coach is on the front line leading the team, I\u2019m on the sidelines providing feedback and advising those efforts.\u201d As a jack-of-all-trades, he enables progress in any way that he can, something he\u2019s familiar with after 37 years with NASA.\u00a0(NASA\/Brandon Hancock)<\/p>\n Brent Gaddes got his start at Marshall supporting the Space Shuttle Program as it made history in low Earth orbit. Now, his work is taking human deep space exploration to the Moon and beyond with NASA\u2019s SLS rocket. As the lead for the Orion stage adapter and payload adapter in the SLS Spacecraft\/Payload Integration & Evolution Office, Gaddes is responsible for managing the teams that design, test, and build the Orion stage adapter for the first three Artemis flights, as well as the payload adapter for the future SLS Block 1B configuration. It means having his eye on a lot of moving parts: the Artemis II Orion stage adapter is awaiting shipment to NASA Kennedy later this year, while the major structure for the Artemis III Orion stage adapter is complete with installations of its avionics unit and diaphragm to come as Marshall test teams continue testing and analysis on an engineering development unit of the Artemis IV payload adapter. Gaddes was born in Decatur, Alabama, but grew up a few hours away in Brentwood, Tennessee. His love of space has stayed with him most of his life: \u201cSeeing the Apollo missions on TV as a child led to a fascination with one of humankind\u2019s most remarkable achievements,\u201d Gaddes said. \u201cTo work for NASA has fulfilled a dream of mine, and now to be involved with sending humans back to the Moon is truly an incredible privilege and blessing!\u201d (NASA\/Sam Lott)<\/p>\n Gwen Artis started her career at NASA as one of the first high school summer interns at Marshall. Although she briefly relocated to Houston to work with retired astronaut Mae Jemison \u2013 the first woman of color to go to space \u2013 the majority of Artis\u2019 40-year career has centered at Marshall, where she has worked on a variety of programs including Spacelab, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, in-space propulsion, SERVIR, and SLS. As systems engineer professional expert for Jacobs with the Jacobs Space Exploration Group ESSCA contract, Artis assists with the management and oversite of the production for each of the launch vehicle stage adapters for the first three SLS flights for Artemis I, II, and III. The cone-shaped adapter partially encloses the rocket\u2019s interim cryogenic propulsion stage and serves as a key connector to the core stage below it and the upper stage above it. \u201cMarshall has made and led countless contributions in technology advancement and human space exploration and to be a small part of that legacy, and particularly a part of the Artemis Generation, is inconceivable,\u201d Artis said. \u201cI constantly share with great enthusiasm how blessed I am to endeavor into this next great era of human space exploration in hopes that my experiences, my personal story, will embolden others and encourage future engineers, scientists, astronauts, technologists, and all other contributors of space exploration.\u201d (NASA\/Sam Lott)<\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n Black Employees and Allies at Marshall (BEAM), NASA Marshall Space Flight Center\u2019s Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, and Harambee hosted a Juneteenth Festival on June 17. The event was in Activities Building 4316 for Marshall team members.<\/p>\n The theme for Juneteenth 2024 was \u201cTheir Wildest Dreams,\u201d in honor of Black history and the present accomplishments of African American employees. The festival featured panelists, vendors, food trucks, and more.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Juneteenth Festival has become an event that BEAM looks forward to planning for Marshall team members, and we have enjoyed seeing the growth in attendance over the past four years,\u201d said Amanda Otieno, an equal employment specialist in the Office of Diversity & Equal Opportunity and a BEAM member. \u201cInclusion and cultural awareness are vital for creating a safe and supporting workforce and it\u2019s great to see the center come together to celebrate the significance of the day, but also to learn about and appreciate different cultures. Together we are building a workforce that not only respects but thrives on diversity.\u201d<\/p>\n Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated event marking the end of slavery in the United States. BEAM is an employee resource group at Marshall, and Harambee is an employee resource group for Jacobs. To learn more or join BEAM, Marshall team members can email Otieno.<\/p>\n \u203a Back to Top<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n \n