{"id":21630,"date":"2021-06-09T15:30:54","date_gmt":"2021-06-09T15:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=21630&post_type=story"},"modified":"2025-03-12T19:22:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T19:22:04","slug":"gateway-to-the-galaxy","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/gateway-to-the-galaxy\/","title":{"rendered":"Gateway to the Galaxy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summer 2021\u00a0<\/em>|\u00a0By Nicole Dudenhoefer \u201917<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

[sidebar background=”#ffffff” position=”left” content_align=”left”][photo id=”22028″ title=”Pegasus-summer2021-Gateway-JennyLyons” alt=”Jenny Lyons” position=”center”][\/photo][blockquote source=”Jenny Lyons \u201992MS<\/strong>,\u00a0Gateway Deep Space Logistics\u00a0deputy manager” cite=”” color=”” css_class=””]\u201cThe future of humanity depends\u00a0on the efforts that we\u2019re doing,\u201d[\/blockquote][\/sidebar]<\/p>\n

Jenny Lyons \u201992MS<\/strong> recalls\u00a0watching shuttle launches\u00a0with her father when she\u00a0was in high school and asking\u00a0him, \u201cWhy are there no women in\u00a0the control room?\u201d He didn\u2019t know,\u00a0but what he said next changed her\u00a0life: \u201cWhy don\u2019t you do something\u00a0about that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Three decades later, Lyons is\u00a0now the deputy manager for NASA\u2019s\u00a0Gateway Deep Space Logistics \u2014 an\u00a0outpost that will orbit the moon and\u00a0is a part of the Artemis program,\u00a0which aims to send the first woman\u00a0and person of color to the moon\u00a0by 2024. Gateway will be a crucial\u00a0element for the next wave of space\u00a0exploration<\/a> that will not only\u00a0establish a sustainable presence\u00a0on the moon but also play a major\u00a0role in landing astronauts on Mars\u00a0in the 2030s.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe future of humanity depends\u00a0on the efforts that we\u2019re doing,\u201d says\u00a0Lyons. \u201cWe\u2019ve been demonstrating\u00a0how to evolve humans off of Earth to live and work in\u00a0space continuously at the International Space Station in\u00a0low-Earth orbit, but I think this is the natural evolution\u00a0that takes us out farther. Being part of building the\u00a0highway that\u2019s taking us out into space to live is really\u00a0awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Greek mythology, Artemis is the goddess of the moon\u00a0and twin sister of the sun god, Apollo. The current program\u00a0name mirrors the Apollo program from the late \u201960s and\u00a0early \u201970s when the United States landed 12 men, including\u00a0Neil Armstrong, on the moon. The Artemis mission marks\u00a0the United States\u2019 return to moon landings since astronaut\u00a0Eugene Cernan left his footprints on the surface in 1972.<\/p>\n

An Intentional Design<\/h2>\n

[sidebar background=”#ffffff” position=”right” content_align=”left”][photo id=”22045″ title=”Pegasus-summer2021-Gateway-MarkWiese2″ alt=”headshot of mark wiese” position=”center”][\/photo][blockquote source=”Mark Wiese \u201911MS,\u00a0Gateway Deep Space\u00a0Logistics manager” cite=”” color=”” css_class=””]\u201cGateway gives us a way\u00a0to access any point on the surface of\u00a0the moon \u2026 It\u2019s humbling to sit there\u00a0and realize we\u2019re standing on the\u00a0shoulders of all the people behind us.\u201d[\/blockquote][\/sidebar]<\/p>\n

Mark Wiese \u201911MS<\/strong>, manager for Gateway Deep Space\u00a0Logistics and one of 20 Knights on the project, has no\u00a0doubt NASA can do it. The technology has been there since\u00a0the last century. The biggest obstacle, according to Wiese,\u00a0comes down to something far less scientific \u2014 public\u00a0approval.<\/p>\n

\u201cNASA knows how to do this,\u201d says Wiese. \u201cThe problem\u00a0has been communicating to our stakeholders \u2014 the general\u00a0public who funds us \u2014 that doing this is the right thing\u00a0to do for our country given the competing economic,\u00a0environmental and public health priorities right now.\u00a0Investing in what NASA is doing will eventually open\u00a0up ways for us to live differently on Earth and advance\u00a0technologies for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Decades ago, the Apollo program, which cost about\u00a0$283 billion when adjusted for inflation, came to an end\u00a0when the government could no longer afford to fund the\u00a0program. NASA estimates the Artemis program will cost\u00a0$86 billion through the 2025 fiscal year, with Gateway\u00a0accounting for about $3.8 billion of that cost. To avoid past\u00a0funding issues, NASA is partnering on certain aspects of\u00a0the projects with the Canadian Space Agency, European\u00a0Space Agency, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency\u00a0and American commercial companies.<\/p>\n

\u201cNASA is the research and development leg of the\u00a0people of the United States, so when the government\u00a0invests in NASA, it buys down the risk for things that\u00a0commercial companies can\u2019t [afford] the resources\u00a0for,\u201d says Wiese. \u201cWe have found ways to let space be a\u00a0platform for new ideas, companies, entrepreneurial ways\u00a0of doing things and mobility that is beyond the reach of\u00a0what we initially thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gateway is comprised of three pieces: The Power\u00a0and Propulsion Element (PPE) will fuel its orbit and is\u00a0being managed out of NASA\u2019s Glenn Research Center in\u00a0Ohio. The Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) will\u00a0provide housing for astronauts as well as space to store\u00a0supplies and conduct experiments. It is being developed\u00a0by Northrop Grumman and will be managed out of the\u00a0Johnson Space Center in Houston. And the Human.\u00a0Landing Systems (HLS) that astronauts will use to reach\u00a0the moon\u2019s surface was awarded in April to SpaceX.<\/p>\n

PPE and HALO will come together at Kennedy Space\u00a0Center under the supervision of the Deep Space Logistics\u00a0team, led by Wiese and Lyons. After these two elements\u00a0are launched in 2024, HLS will join them closer to the\u00a0moon landing mission. Deep Space Logistics is also\u00a0responsible for delivering the supplies needed for Artemis\u00a0missions to Gateway prior to the crew arriving, which\u00a0differs from previous moon landing missions.<\/p>\n

With any proposed change comes resistance. Critics of\u00a0Gateway note that the Apollo program didn\u2019t require an\u00a0orbiting outpost, and that NASA made it to the moon just\u00a0fine without a pit stop. But Wiese makes the comparison\u00a0to tourists visiting Central Florida. Their first stop isn\u2019t\u00a0the theme parks. It\u2019s a hotel or resort from which they can\u00a0visit all the attractions Orlando has to offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t have Gateway when we\u00a0had Apollo, but Apollo was limited\u00a0to where on the moon we could go,\u201d\u00a0Wiese says. \u201cGateway gives us a way\u00a0to access any point on the surface of\u00a0the moon \u2026 It\u2019s humbling to sit there\u00a0and realize we\u2019re standing on the\u00a0shoulders of all the people behind us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Right Team at the Right Facility<\/h2>\n

[sidebar background=”#ffffff” position=”right” content_align=”left”]
\nKNIGHTS WORKING ON DEEP SPACE LOGISTICS<\/span><\/p>\n

[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n

MARK WIESE \u201911MS<\/span>
\nManager<\/p>\n

JENNY LYONS \u201992MS<\/span>
\nDeputy manager<\/p>\n

ROBERT ASHLEY \u201994MS<\/span>
\nMission manager<\/p>\n

JONATHAN BAKER \u201907<\/span>
\nBusiness analyst<\/p>\n

KAREN BROWNRIGG \u201988<\/span>
\nSafety and mission assurance engineer<\/p>\n

KATHERINE COOK \u201906\u2019 10MBA<\/span>
\nOperations analyst<\/p>\n

DYLAN GLADNEY \u201920MBA<\/span>
\nIntern<\/p>\n

RYAN HOLMES \u201904<\/span>
\nLaunch vehicle mission assurance manager<\/p>\n

JUSTIN KARL \u201913PHD<\/span>
\nSubject matter expert<\/p>\n

TERESA KINNEY \u201911MS<\/span>
\nSenior engineer<\/p>\n

DAVID KRUHM \u201984 \u201993MS<\/span>
\nSenior project engineer<\/p>\n

MICHAEL MATTHEWS \u201910<\/span>
\nComputer engineer<\/p>\n

JENNIFER MORGAN \u201905MS<\/span>
\nFleet engineer<\/p>\n

JOHNNY NGUYEN \u201901 \u201905MBA<\/span>
\nAssociate project manager for\u00a0integration and analysis<\/p>\n

DAVID OLSEN \u201996MS<\/span>
\nElectrical engineer<\/p>\n

RUDY SANTAMARIA \u201904 \u201907MS<\/span>
\nAir revitalization subsystem manager\u00a0for crew vehicle systems<\/p>\n

CHRISTINE SHEPPERD \u201907<\/span>
\nIntegration and analysis lead<\/p>\n

RICHARD SUAREZ \u201914<\/span>
\nSafety and mission assurance engineer<\/p>\n

DAWN TROUT \u201912PHD<\/span>
\nElement architecture senior discipline lead<\/p>\n

MARIA WILSON \u201990
\n<\/strong><\/span>Configuration management,\u00a0contract representative, and budget\u00a0for spacecraft services<\/p>\n

[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n

[\/sidebar]<\/p>\n

NASA has 18 major centers and\u00a0facilities across the nation, but\u00a0Kennedy Space Center (KSC)\u00a0remains the top spot for launches\u00a0with more than 90 commercial\u00a0partners on-site. It\u2019s one reason\u00a0Associate Manager for Integration\u00a0and Analysis Johnny Nguyen \u201901\u00a0\u201905MBA<\/strong> says it makes sense for\u00a0Gateway\u2019s Deep Space Logistics to be\u00a0based there.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Deep Space Logistics, we\u2019re\u00a0delivering all this stuff to the lunar\u00a0vicinity, and it all has to come\u00a0together at the very end,\u201d Nguyen\u00a0says. \u201cSome supplies, like clothing,\u00a0you could pack years ahead of\u00a0time, and some cargo supplies, like\u00a0batteries, have to be packed at the\u00a0very last second. Having all of the\u00a0hardware and supplies, the different\u00a0missions and projects happening\u00a0at Kennedy Space Center, and the deep experience of the\u00a0people here creates a really strong\u00a0community to draw upon. So it\u2019s a\u00a0really vibrant center.\u201d<\/p>\n

KSC was selected as the hub for\u00a0Gateway specifically because of the\u00a0employees who work there. Nearly\u00a030% of KSC employees graduate\u00a0from UCF, which has long been\u00a0the top supplier of aerospace and\u00a0defense graduates in the nation<\/a>. For\u00a0Nguyen this includes a bachelor\u2019s in\u00a0mechanical engineering<\/a> that gives\u00a0him technical insight, as well as a\u00a0master\u2019s in business administration<\/a>\u00a0that helps him manage the contracts\u00a0and finances, which are a major part\u00a0of Deep Space Logistics\u2019 work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team at KSC has vast\u00a0experience executing commercial\u00a0contracts for launch services and\u00a0with the commercial crew program,\u00a0so it\u2019s a natural fit to bring that\u00a0expertise to Deep Space Logistics,\u201d\u00a0says Dan Hartman, Gateway program\u00a0manager, based at Johnson Space\u00a0Center. \u201cMark and Jenny have\u00a0provided exceptional leadership\u00a0for Deep Space Logistics efforts,\u00a0constantly challenging our entire\u00a0team to maintain focus on simplicity\u00a0and commercial innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although in different cohorts,\u00a0Lyons and Wiese pursued master\u2019s\u00a0degrees in industrial engineering<\/a>\u00a0at UCF through the Professional\u00a0Engineering Management program,\u00a0which is one of several degree\u00a0programs at UCF that hundreds of\u00a0KSC employees have benefited from.\u00a0With bachelor\u2019s degrees<\/a> in aerospace\u00a0engineering from other universities,\u00a0Lyons and Wiese\u2019s master\u2019s degree\u00a0studies at UCF<\/a> focused more on\u00a0management aspects related to\u00a0engineering.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey offered us classes outside\u00a0of our traditional bachelor\u2019s because\u00a0understanding aspects of the business\u00a0including human resources were\u00a0not anything we had exposure to,\u201d\u00a0Lyons says. \u201cPeople from all different\u00a0organizations at [KSC], such as the\u00a0chief financial officer organization,\u00a0were also represented in this program\u00a0and got the technical classes while we\u00a0got some of the business classes, and\u00a0all of us were stronger for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tim Kotnour, director of\u00a0UCF\u2019s Professional Engineering\u00a0Management program since 2008,\u00a0says Lyons and Wiese are natural\u00a0leaders who have enhanced their\u00a0core leadership and management\u00a0skills through their studies and\u00a0work experience. In the classroom,\u00a0Kotnour says Wiese was a forward\u00a0thinker who pushed those around\u00a0him to produce greater outcomes.\u00a0While Lyons didn\u2019t take any courses\u00a0with Kotnour, the two have worked\u00a0together for more than 23 years, and\u00a0he says she has advanced the strategic\u00a0evolution of KSC while using a\u00a0servant leadership approach to\u00a0mentor other women in the aerospace\u00a0industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cMark and Jenny have the\u00a0unique ability to balance focus on\u00a0performance, process and people\u00a0to translate the big-picture strategy\u00a0into specific action,\u201d says Kotnour,\u00a0Lockheed Martin St. Laurent\u00a0Professor of industrial engineering.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir presence in the room makes\u00a0a difference. They bring calmness\u00a0to situations while also driving\u00a0accountability, which is a tough\u00a0balance for other leaders \u2014 but they\u00a0do this well. Folks follow their lead\u00a0not because of their formal positions,\u00a0but because of the people they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Testing Tech Innovation<\/h2>\n

With a range of skill sets, the\u00a0Deep Space Logistics team is able to\u00a0leverage every member\u2019s strengths\u00a0to develop innovative solutions\u00a0for challenges with fuel sources,\u00a0propulsion methods and radiation\u00a0protection \u2014 all of which have the\u00a0potential to advance life off and\u00a0on Earth.<\/p>\n

So far, humans have only been\u00a0able to explore about 5% of the\u00a0moon. Accessing more of the lunar\u00a0surface will allow scientists to take\u00a0advantage of a discovery made in the past decade: millions of tons of water\u00a0ice found beneath the moon\u2019s surface<\/a>\u00a0that can be mined and split into liquid\u00a0hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel.\u00a0The water can also be consumed\u00a0by astronauts and used to maintain\u00a0temperatures of spacecrafts.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that we have [liquid]\u00a0hydrogen and oxygen as another\u00a0fuel source, we can use that to power\u00a0deep space travel, so we don\u2019t have to\u00a0bring everything from Earth,\u201d Wiese\u00a0says. \u201cAlso, locating an energy source\u00a0in space is a great way for us to look\u00a0at continuing to reduce our energy\u00a0consumption on Earth, so we can\u00a0continue to protect our own planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

While liquid hydrogen creates a\u00a0chemical propulsion that propels\u00a0spacecrafts, such as Gateway, into\u00a0space, NASA plans to test the ability\u00a0of a different fuel source \u2014 the sun \u2014\u00a0to actually power the lunar outpost\u2019s\u00a0orbit. Once the agency is ready to\u00a0send astronauts to Mars, Gateway\u00a0will be programmed to complete the\u00a0six-to-nine-month journey to the red\u00a0planet \u2014 with abort capabilities in\u00a0case anything goes wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe backbone of Gateway is\u00a0demonstrating new solar electric\u00a0propulsion technologies, which is\u00a0the utmost importance for us to go to\u00a0Mars since we can\u2019t bring huge fuel\u00a0tanks with us,\u201d says Wiese. \u201cSolar\u00a0electrical propulsion isn\u2019t as strong\u00a0of a push, but \u2026 it\u2019s more sustainable\u00a0and can actually tug heavier masses\u00a0over longer periods of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the sun will help propel\u00a0spaceships farther, the powerful\u00a0energy force becomes increasingly\u00a0problematic for hardware and\u00a0astronauts the deeper they go into\u00a0space, says Dawn Trout \u201912PhD<\/strong>,\u00a0element architecture senior\u00a0discipline lead for Deep Space Logistics.<\/p>\n

NASA has developed reboot\u00a0programs, structures and spacesuits\u00a0to protect against radiation. But\u00a0the ability to conduct experiments\u00a0hundreds of thousands of miles from\u00a0Earth will allow the agency to develop\u00a0better protection methods as they\u00a0prepare to travel almost 200 million\u00a0miles to Mars. And it will provide\u00a0commercial companies with insight\u00a0on how to better shield humankind.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the technologies\u00a0developed for NASA are developed by\u00a0the U.S. government, a lot of time the\u00a0space agency\u2019s intellectual property\u00a0becomes available to commercial\u00a0companies that produce spinoffs,\u201d\u00a0says Ray Lugo \u201979<\/strong>, director of the\u00a0Florida Space Institute and industrial\u00a0engineering<\/a> graduate. \u201cOver time,\u00a0we as humans get a lot of exposure\u00a0to radiation from different kinds of\u00a0activities, [from using our cellphones]\u00a0to X-rays, MRIs and CAT scans.\u00a0So developing those technologies\u00a0for deep space travel will actually\u00a0[help] protect humans [on Earth]\u00a0during normal activities and medical\u00a0procedures.\u201d<\/p>\n

While many of the technologies\u00a0used for Gateway aren\u2019t necessarily\u00a0new, the way they\u2019re being applied\u00a0and modified showcases the subtle\u00a0difference between invention and\u00a0innovation. Having the vision and\u00a0willingness to do things differently,\u00a0to find better approaches to old\u00a0problems and foresee emerging issues\u00a0with new methods takes curious\u00a0minds who remain inspired to rise\u00a0beyond the call to action.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad may have laid down\u00a0the initial challenge, but it was my\u00a0UCF education \u2014 along with many\u00a0other opportunities provided to me\u00a0by NASA \u2014 that has allowed me to\u00a0pursue a career beyond my wildest\u00a0dreams,\u201d Lyons says. \u201cAfter all,\u00a0that\u2019s what NASA was built to do \u2014\u00a0to inspire, create and achieve the\u00a0seemingly impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

[photo id=”22033″ title=”Pegasus-summer2021-Gateway-VABBargeRocket” alt=”nasa vab building” position=”center” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/p>\n

Before returning to the moon in 2024, NASA must\u00a0finalize everything on land, which recently required the\u00a0space agency to ship the backbone of its tallest rocket\u00a0from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to\u00a0Kennedy Space Center. Traveling on the Pegasus barge,\u00a0the 212-foot Space Launch System\u2019s core system will\u00a0help propel supplies and astronauts to Gateway.

<\/p><\/div>\n

Header image and portraits courtesy of NASA.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":21830,"template":"","categories":[977],"tags":[1438,324,148,291],"class_list":["post-21630","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","tag-aerospace-and-defense","tag-college-of-business","tag-college-of-engineering-and-computer-science","tag-florida-space-institute","issues-1541","issues-summer-2021"],"yoast_head":"\nGateway to the Galaxy: UCF Alums Help NASA Return to Moon Landings<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Knights are leading the team helping to create NASA\u2019s Gateway \u2014 an outpost that will orbit the moon to advance deep space travel, research and habitation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/gateway-to-the-galaxy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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