Volume 19 Issue 2 www.nasa.gov/centers/stennis February 2023 

See Page 3

A remote camera offers a close-up view of the RS-25 hot fire on the Fred Haise Test Stand at Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi on Feb. 8, 2023.

FIRED UP!
Page 2 LAGNIAPPE February 2023

Lagniappe is published monthly by the Office of Communications at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center.

Access monthly copies at: www.nasa.gov/centers/stennis/news/publications/index.html

Contact info – (phone) 228-688-3749; (email) ssc-pao@mail.nasa.gov; (mail) NASA OFFICE OF 

COMMUNICATIONS, Attn: LAGNIAPPE, Mail code IA00, Building 1111 Room 173, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529

Managing Editor – Lacy Thompson Editor – Bo Black Staff Photographer – Danny Nowlin

One of my favorite quotes is, “Life imitates 

art far more than art imitates life,” by Oscar 

Wilde. The famous late Irish poet pointed 

out how art impacts the way people view the world; 

through their work, artists inspire and teach people 

what to see in the world around them. 

This month, I honor an artist – Charlie Swan – for the 

work he contributed to the world and its impact on 

life at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. Swan worked at 

NASA Stennis for 35 years. He passed away January 9 

at the age of 91. 

The Mobile, Alabama, native was inspired to create 

me in the 1960s as the NASA Stennis mascot during 

those early years of construction in south Mississippi. 

At the time, the work was the largest construction 

project in the state of Mississippi and second largest 

in the United States. 

Just four years after the historic announcement that 

the test site would be located in Hancock County, 

Mississippi, I arrived via Swan’s talented hand. 

My role as the official mascot, I believe, was just as big 

as the construction project. My job was to motivate 

the many valuable employees, especially throughout 

the hot summer months when it could be easy to get 

down during the early years of something new coming 

to life. 

I evolved with time, much like NASA has over the 

years, with my likeness featured on certificates and 

awards that honored the many contributions of the 

fine folks at NASA Stennis. More recently, I show 

up on Lagniappe pages and may have appeared as a 

temporary tattoo on your child’s arm. Ark!

It all started with Swan. The award-winning artist 

created over a thousand portraits of me and others 

during his 70-year career. Swan’s art is sprinkled far 

and wide in the homes and offices of dignitaries, 

officials, and NASA pioneers. 

He helped shine a spotlight on the value of those 

contributing their time and talents here at Stennis. 

His illustrations taught people not only to notice the 

work of others but to be encouraging themselves. 

In more ways than one, through his creations, Swan 

brought encouragement to life.

I honor and thank you, Charlie Swan, for the life 

you brought to the world through your art and for 

the memories that so many of us cherish from your 

contributions.
Page 3 LAGNIAPPE February 2023

NASA Conducts First 2023 Test of 

Redesigned Moon Rocket Engine

NASA’s newly redesigned RS-25 engine for future 

flights of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, 

underwent its first hot fire test of the year on 

Feb. 8 at the agency’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. 

Louis, Mississippi. 

The series of testing supports production of new 

RS-25 engines by lead SLS engine contractor Aerojet 

Rocketdyne. The new engines will help power future 

Artemis missions to the Moon beginning with Artemis V 

as NASA explores the universe for the benefit of all.

The single-engine hot fire on the Fred Haise Test Stand 

followed a confidence test in 2022, which tested whether 

all was ready to proceed with the certification series. 

During the latest test, engineers fired the RS-25 engine 

for a full duration of about eight and a half minutes (500 

seconds), the same amount of time the engines must 

operate to help power SLS to space. The RS-25 engine 

also operated at 111% power for most of the test, the 

same level needed to help lift SLS to orbit. The test 

featured a range of new components, most of which 

were installed for the December hot fire. 

One additional component – a new nozzle – was installed 

prior to the most recent hot fire. 

Four RS-25 engines fire simultaneously to generate a 

combined 1.6 million pounds of thrust at launch and 2 

million pounds of thrust during ascent to help power 

each SLS flight. NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne modified 

16 engines remaining from the Space Shuttle Program, 

which were proven flightworthy at Stennis for Artemis 

missions I through IV. 

Every RS-25 engine that will help power SLS will be 

tested at NASA Stennis. RS-25 tests at the site are 

conducted by a combined team of NASA, Aerojet 

Rocketdyne, and Syncom Space Services operators. 

Syncom Space Services is the prime contractor for 

Stennis facilities and operations.

Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first 

woman and the first person of color on the surface of 

the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence 

and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.

For information about the Space Launch System, click 

here.

NASA conducts an RS-25 hot fire on the Fred Haise Test Stand at Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi on Feb. 8, 2023.
Page 4 LAGNIAPPE February 2023

Team Tests Unique Acoustics Mapping System at NASA Stennis

ANASA team successfully field tested an 

innovative phased array microphone system 

designed to map rocket launch acoustics during 

a December 2022 RS-25 hot fire at the agency’s Stennis 

Space Center.

The one-of-its-kind system provided a sound map of 

engine test acoustics during the hot fire on the Fred 

Haise Test Stand on Dec. 14, 2022. The system now 

will be employed during a commercial launch and for 

the Artemis II launch, the first crewed flight test of the 

Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft 

around the Moon. 

If all goes well, microphone array could become a 

permanent launch fixture as NASA continues to explore 

the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all.

Launch acoustics are a critical concern. Noise, energy, 

and their resulting vibrations during launch operations 

can damage sensitive components and surrounding 

hardware. To mitigate the situation, NASA uses a 

“rainbird” water deluge system designed to dampen the 

acoustical impacts.

NASA Stennis follows a similar approach during large 

hot fire tests, spraying thousands of gallons of water 

to protect the test stand flame deflector and lessen the 

acoustical impact of the hot fires.

For the RS-25 test on Dec. 14, a blended team from three 

NASA centers led in deploying the phased array system 

near the Fred Haise Test Stand. A scaffolding tower was 

built, with the large array of microphones placed atop.

A team from NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon 

Valley, California, developed the system, a circular grid 

of mounted microphones and cameras designed to 

collect the data needed to create an acoustical sound 

map. Personnel from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and 

NASA’s Langley Research Center also were involved in 

the development process.

Following early testing at NASA Ames, the RS-25 

engine test at NASA Stennis provided the team an ideal 

opportunity to field test the new system. Although the 

test experienced an early shutdown, it provided sufficient 

data for the team to verify and validate the grid system 

approach and design.

When employed for the Artemis II mission, engineers 

expect the system to provide data regarding the new 

“rainbird” system developed to protect the mobile 

launcher and rocket during launches. The resulting sound 

map will allow engineers to confirm the water spray 

system is functioning as designed and needed.

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center is funding the 

phased array microphone system project.

A phased array 

microphone system is shown (red 

circle) atop scaffolding near the 

Fred Haise Test 

Stand at NASA’s 

Stennis Space 

Center during an 

RS-25 hot fire test 

on Dec. 14. 2022. 

A blended NASA 

team traveled to 

south Mississippi 

to conduct the 

first field test of 

the one-of-its-kind 

system, developed 

at NASA’s Ames 

Research Center 

to provide a map 

of potentially 

damaging rocket 

launch acoustics. 

The system will 

undergo one 

additional field 

test, then be used 

during the Artemis 

II launch.
Page 5 LAGNIAPPE February 2023

Data from First SLS Flight Prepares 

NASA for Future Artemis Missions

NASA’s MOON to MARS MISSION

Click here to read more about data collected from Artemis I.

(Above photo) The core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket has 

more than 1,000 sensors and 45 miles of cabling. The SLS core stage’s base heat 

shield is roughly 1.3 inches thick and was specially designed to protect the 212-foottall stage and its two liquid propellant tanks from launch pad temperatures greater 

than 3,200 degrees Fahrenheit. Data indicates the structure was not affected by 

temperatures that can turn sand to glass. Photo Credits: NASA/Chris Coleman and 

Kevin Dav

(Left photo) Four RS-25 engines and two five-segment solid rocket boosters provide 

more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust for SLS during liftoff and flight. Thanks in part 

to development of a new RS-25 engine controller that checks engine health 50 times 

per second, engineers were able to collect more than 100 measurements on pressures, temperatures, flows, speeds, and vibrations on the four RS-25 engines that 

helped power Artemis I. The RS-25 engines were tested and proven flightworthy at 

NASA’s Stennis Space Center. Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
Page 6 LAGNIAPPE February 2023

Orion Manikins Return From Artemis I Mission

After a 25.5-day flight beyond the Moon 

and back inside the Artemis I Orion crew 

module, two manikins undergo post-flight 

payload inspections inside the Space 

Station Processing Facility at NASA’s 

Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 

Jan. 11, 2023. As part of the Matroshka 

AstroRad Radiation Experiment investigation, the two female manikins – Helga 

and Zohar – were equipped with radiation 

detectors. Zohar also wore a radiation 

protection vest, to determine the radiation 

risk during the Artemis I mission and 

potentially reduce exposure during future 

missions with astronauts. The detectors 

will be removed at Kennedy and the 

torsos will return to teams at the German Space Agency for further analysis. 

Artemis I Orion launched atop the Space 

Launch System (SLS) rocket from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39B on Nov. 16, 

2022. During the flight, Orion flew farther 

than any spacecraft built for humans has 

ever flown, paving the way for human 

deep space exploration and demonstrating NASA’s commitment and capability to 

extend a human presence to the Moon 

and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis 

I was to thoroughly test the SLS and 

Orion spacecraft’s integrated systems 

before crewed missions. Under Artemis, 

NASA aims to land the first woman and 

first person of color on the Moon and 

establish sustainable lunar exploration. 

Photo Credit: (NASA/Kim Shiflett)

Progress Continues on Service Module for Artemis II

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at 

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center 

in Florida, technicians work on 

the European Service Module 

that will help power and propel 

the Orion spacecraft carrying 

astronauts around the Moon on 

the Artemis II mission. On Jan. 

13, 2023, the service module 

was moved into a lifting station 

to enable technicians to install 

Orion’s orbital maneuvering 

system engine nozzle and heat 

shield, which was completed 

on Jan. 16. The service module 

provides in-space maneuvering 

capability, power, and life support commodities necessary for 

astronauts onboard Orion. 

Photo Credit: (NASA)

NASA’s MOON to MARS MISSION
Page 7 LAGNIAPPE February 2023

An illustration shows the 

SpaceX Starship human landing system design. NASA has 

selected SpaceX to provide the 

human landing system that will 

transport Artemis III astronauts 

from Orion in lunar orbit to the 

surface of the Moon and back 

again. SpaceX plans to use a 

unique concept of operations 

to increase overall efficiency 

of their lander. After a series of 

tests, SpaceX will fly at least 

one uncrewed demo mission 

that lands Starship on the lunar 

surface. When Starship has 

met all of NASA’s requirements 

and high standards for crew 

safety, it will be ready for its first 

Artemis mission. 

Photo Credit: (SpaceX)

Artemis III: NASA’s First Human Mission To Lunar South Pole

NASA’s MOON to MARS MISSION

Click here to read more details about the Artemis III mission.

Humans have always been drawn to explore, discover, and learn as much about the world – and worlds – around them. For the benefit of all humanity, 

NASA and its partners will land the first woman and first person of color on the surface of the Moon with Artemis. Following two Artemis test missions, 

Artemis III, currently planned for 2025, will mark humanity’s first return to the lunar surface in more than 50 years. NASA will make history by sending the 

first humans to explore the region near the lunar South Pole. NASA’s Orion spacecraft will be the crew’s ride to and from Earth and into and out of lunar 

orbit. Orion is the only spacecraft capable of returning crews to Earth at lunar reentry velocities. On the successful Artemis I mission, Orion’s uniquely 

designed heat shield was tested under these extreme reentry conditions. On Artemis III, four astronauts will depart from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy 

Space Center in Florida atop the Space Launch System, the only rocket powerful enough to send Orion, its crew, and their supplies to the Moon in a 

single launch. The crew will be selected from among the most diverse astronaut corps in history, each equipped with unique skills and intensively trained. 

Artemis III will be one of the most complex undertakings of engineering and human ingenuity in the history of deep space exploration to date. 
Page 8 LAGNIAPPE February 2023

NASA’s Day of Remembrance Honors Fallen Heroes

(Left photo) NASA’s Stennis Space 

Center Associate Director Rodney 

McKellip (right) and NASA Shared 

Services Center Operations Director 

Nikki Tubbs commemorate fallen 

NASA heroes during the annual Day 

of Remembrance ceremony on Jan. 

26. Following their comments, 

McKellip and Tubbs placed a 

memorial wreath in memory of 

NASA family members who lost their 

lives while furthering the cause of 

exploration and discovery. “In addition to the names of the astronauts 

and flight crew members, let us also 

remember others who have sacrificed in so many ways to support 

the nation and its space mission,” 

McKellip said. “These unnamed individuals include those who lost loved 

ones and faced the rest of their lives 

without them. ... Let us reflect on 

their sacrifice, even as we dare ourselves to reach toward new dreams 

and commit ourselves to ensuring 

the safety of all future explorers.” 

The NASA Day of Remembrance is 

observed each year in January.

To view the NASA Day of 

Remembrance video, click here.

(Left photo) A NASA image 

shows STS-51L crew (l-r): 

Mission Specialist Ellison 

S. Onizuka, Pilot Michael J. 

Smith, Payload Specialist 

Christa McAuliffe, Commander 

Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, 

Payload Specialist Gregory 

B. Jarvis, Mission Specialist 

Judith A. Resnik, and Mission 

Specialist Ronald E. McNair. 

On the morning of Jan. 28, 

1986, just 73 seconds after 

launch, a booster engine 

failed and caused the shuttle 

Challenger to break apart, 

taking the lives of all seven 

crewmembers. “We will never 

forget them, nor the last time 

we saw them, this morning, 

as they prepared for the 

journey and waved goodbye 

and ‘slipped the surly bonds 

of Earth’ to ‘touch the face of 

God,’” said President Ronald 

Reagan, quoting from John 

Gillespie Magee’s poem, 

High Flight.

(Left photo) A NASA image 

shows the Apollo 1 Crew (l-r): 

Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. 

White, and Roger B. Chaffee. 

On Jan. 27, 1967, veteran astronaut Grissom, first American 

spacewalker White, and rookie 

Chaffee were sitting atop the 

launch pad for pre-launch test 

when a fire broke out in their 

Apollo capsule. The mission 

was scheduled to launch Feb. 

21, 1967. “Three valiant young 

men have given their lives 

in the nation’s service,” said 

President Lyndon B. Johnson. 

“We mourn this great loss 

and our hearts go out to their 

families.” The investigation 

into the fatal accident led to 

major design and engineering 

changes, making the Apollo 

spacecraft safer for the coming 

journeys to the Moon. 

To read more about Apollo 1, 

click here. 

To read more about 

Challenger, click here. 

To read more about Columbia, 

click here. 

(Left photo) A NASA image shows 

the STS-107 crew (top row l-r): Mission Specialist 1 David M. Brown, 

Pilot William C. McCool, Payload 

Commander Michael P. Anderson 

(bottom row l-r): Mission Specialist 

2 Kalpana Chawla, Commander 

Rick D. Husband, Mission Specialist 

4 Laurel Blair Salton Clark, and 

Payload Specialist 1 Ilan Ramon. 

This year marks 20 years since the 

seven-member crew was 16 minutes 

from landing the morning of Feb. 

1, 2003, when Mission Control lost 

contact with the shuttle, Columbia. 

A piece of foam falling from the 

external tank during launch opened 

a hole in one of the shuttle’s wings, 

leading to the breakup of the orbiter 

upon re-entry. “Mankind is led into 

the darkness beyond our world by 

the inspiration of discovery and the 

longing to understand,” President 

George W. Bush said while addressing the nation. “Our journey into 

space will go on.”
Page 9 LAGNIAPPE February 2023

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

2022 STENNIS ECONOMIC IMPACT

$951,888,000

Direct Global Impact

NASA

$267,096,000

28.1%

OTHER

$264,554,000

27.8%

DEPARTMENT 

OF COMMERCE

$31,915,000

3.3%

CONSTRUCTION 

OF FACILITIES

$46,959,000

4.9%

NAVY

$341,364,000

35.9%

$718,769,000

Direct 50-Mile Radius Impact

q q q

p p

Residential Distribution 

of Stennis Employees

Mississippi

Pearl River County

1,211 (24.3%)

Hancock County

976 (19.6%)

Harrison County

911 (18.3%)

Other Counties

265 (5.3%)

Louisiana

St. Tammany Parish

1,156 (23.2%)

Other Parishes

255 (5.2%)

Other 

Other States

205 (4.1%)

4,900+ site employees

NASA Civil Servants – 445 

NASA Contractors – 1,308

Department of Navy and Contractors – 1,976 ,

Department of Commerce and Contractors – 238 

Other Resident Agencies – 1,012

(totals as of Sept. 30, 2022)

Scientific/Engineering – 1,483 

Business/Professional – 1,112

Technical Crafts/Production – 1,325 

Clerical – 335

Other – 724

Doctorates – 176

Masters – 690

Bachelors – 1,779

Associates – 578

Some College – 533

High School Diploma – 1,193

Other – 29

Average salary 

with benefits

$109,000
Page 10 LAGNIAPPE February 2023

NASA Spinoffs Feature Stennis Developed Technologies

When it comes to NASA, most people look to 

the skies as rockets, rovers, and astronauts 

push the boundaries of space exploration. But 

the benefits of going above and beyond can be found 

here on Earth through products and services born from 

NASA innovation.

The latest edition of 

NASA’s Spinoff

publication features 

dozens of new 

commercialized 

technologies that 

use the agency’s 

technology, research, 

and/or expertise 

to benefit people 

around the globe. 

It also includes a 

section highlighting 

technologies of 

tomorrow. 

“From the heavens to 

hospitals around the 

world, NASA spinoffs 

are improving life for 

all of humanity,” said 

NASA Administrator 

Bill Nelson. “The 

work NASA 

does in research 

and technology 

gives businesses a 

competitive edge, 

driving an economy that allows America to compete 

globally and creating good-paying jobs for this generation 

– and the next.”

NASA’s Spinoff 2023 features more than 40 companies 

using NASA technology, research, and funding to create 

better batteries to store green energy, improve airport 

ground traffic to save passengers and airlines time while 

cutting fuel costs, distribute ventilators around the world, 

and even heal wounds faster on humans and animals 

alike.

The 2023 publication also features The Spinoffs of 

Tomorrow section highlighting technologies developed 

at various agency centers and available for use by various 

industries. It includes two valve technologies developed at 

NASA’s Stennis Space Center:

Floating Piston Valve: The NASA Spinoff 2023 

publication describes the valve developed at NASA 

Stennis as a “novel approach to low-maintenance, 

actuator-less valves.” Designed to work with extremely 

high pressures, the valve uses a piston approach 

to control system flows, eliminating the need for a 

conventional actuator. The NASA Stennis valve also 

does not require the use of valve stems and stem seals, 

while ensuring consistent seating force regardless of 

pressures. The innovative valve offers greater reliability 

and seat life, thus reducing maintenance downtime and 

costs. In addition to its use in propulsion testing, the 

valve has applications 

for power plants, 

chemical refineries, 

and pharmaceutical 

manufacturing.

Cryogenic Butterfly 

Cam Valve: According 

to the NASA Spinoff 

2023 book, the unique 

butterfly valve designed 

at NASA Stennis 

provides “no-leak” 

performance in a broad 

range of temperatures. 

The NASA Stennis 

valve addresses a key 

disadvantage of current 

butterfly valves, which 

require the butterfly 

disc to establish a 

tight seal at exactly 

90 degrees. Providing 

additional torque to 

the valve may cause the 

disc to rotate beyond 

90 degrees, allowing 

fluid flow. Current 

butterfly valves also 

usually fail leakage tests when used with liquid nitrogen, 

a key cryogenic in propulsion testing. The simple NASA 

Stennis design remedies these issues by allowing rotation 

of the valve shaft, enabling the disc to slide until it seals 

tightly despite temperature changes. The NASA Stennis 

valve can be used in various aerospace, natural gas, and 

cryogenic plant systems.

“It isn’t just the commercial space industry that can 

leverage our innovations,” said Daniel Lockney, executive 

of NASA’s Technology Transfer program. “Practically 

any industry area can find a NASA technology as a 

solution to its business needs. Our scientists, researchers, 

and engineers are constantly creating new materials, 

software, tools, and more. If it isn’t here now, it soon will 

be.”

Spinoff is part of the agency’s Technology Transfer 

program within STMD. The program is charged 

with finding the widest possible applications for 

NASA technology through partnerships and licensing 

agreements with industry, ensuring that NASA’s 

investments in its missions and research find additional 

applications that benefit the nation and the world.

NASA’s 2023 Spinoff publication features more than 40 companies using NASA innovations to benefit people around the globe. It also features new technology developed 

at various agency centers, including NASA’s Stennis Space Center. 
Page 11 LAGNIAPPE February 2023

NASA in the News

NASA and the Defense Advanced Research 

Projects Agency (DARPA) have announced 

a collaboration to demonstrate a nuclear 

thermal rocket engine in space, an enabling capability 

for NASA crewed missions to Mars. NASA and 

DARPA will partner on the Demonstration Rocket for 

Agile Cislunar Operations, or DRACO, program. The 

non-reimbursable agreement, designed to benefit both 

agencies, outlines roles, responsibilities, and processes 

aimed at speeding up development efforts. “NASA 

will work with our long-term partner, DARPA, to 

develop and demonstrate advanced nuclear thermal 

propulsion technology as soon as 2027. With the help 

of this new technology, astronauts could journey 

to and from deep space faster than ever – a major 

capability to prepare for crewed missions to Mars,” 

said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. Click here to 

read how using a thermal rocket benefits space travel.

NASA, DARPA Will Test Nuclear 

Engine for Future Mars Missions

As part of its effort to provide more resources 

to new audiences, NASA has launched new 

webpages featuring aeronautics information in 

Spanish. The webpages aim to make aeronautics content 

more accessible to the Spanish-language community. 

“This is a significant step forward in our efforts to make 

the knowledge we’ve accumulated at NASA available 

to people all over the country, and the world,” said Bob 

Pearce, associate administrator for NASA’s Aeronautics 

Research Mission Directorate. “We’re making sure that 

as we explore and tackle the biggest challenges facing 

aviation, we’re providing benefits for all. By presenting 

aeronautics information and educational materials in 

Spanish, we’re working to foster a diverse, bold and 

effective next generation of explorers. We’re counting 

on this generation to help NASA carry its vision into 

the future.” Click here to read more about how this will 

inspire the next generation of NASA explorers.

NASA Launches Aeronautics 

Spanish-Language Webpages

An international team of astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has obtained an in-depth inventory of the deepest, coldest ices 

measured to date in a molecular cloud. In addition to simple ices like water, the team was able to identify frozen forms of a wide range of molecules, from 

carbonyl sulfide, ammonia, and methane, to the simplest complex organic molecule, methanol. This is the most comprehensive census to date of the icy 

ingredients available to make future generations of stars and planets, before they are heated during the formation of young stars. This image from the 

telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera features the central region of the Chamaeleon I dark molecular cloud, which resides 630 light-years away. Click here to 

read more. Photo Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and M. Zamani (ESA)
Page 12 LAGNIAPPE February 2023

NASA Stennis News

Employees of NASA’s Office 

of the Chief Information Officer 

(OCIO) stand at the A-2 Test 

Stand as part of a site tour 

on Feb. 2. The tour followed 

a meeting with NASA Chief 

Information Officer Jeff Seaton. 

As part of the tour, the group 

visited the NASA Stennis 

History Office, Records 

Retention Office, and Aerojet 

Rocketdyne’s Engine Assembly 

Facility. As NASA continues to 

leverage technology to keep 

missions moving forward, Information technology (IT) and the 

people behind it are an essential part of NASA’s mission. The 

Office of the Chief Information 

Officer provides safe, secure, 

reliable, and ever-advancing IT 

capabilities and services.

NASA’s 

Office of 

the Chief 

Information 

Officer Tours 

NASA 

Stennis

Author Adam Higginbotham (left) talks with NASA engineers, including Barry Robinson (right), in the A Complex 

Test Control Center during a visit to NASA’s Stennis 

Space Center on Jan. 25. The international best-selling 

author is conducting research for his latest book about 

the Space Shuttle Program and shuttle Challenger. 

Higginbotham talked with Robinson and other NASA 

Stennis engineers who worked on the shuttle program. 

Higginbotham also toured the Fred Haise Test Stand. In 

addition to a stop at NASA Stennis, the author is visiting 

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Johnson 

Space Center in Houston, and Marshall Space Flight 

Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Best-Selling Author 

Visits NASA Stennis 

For Research on 

Upcoming Book
Page 13 LAGNIAPPE February 2023

NASA Stennis News

A student participates in a NASA Stennis hands-on activity during the annual 

Pathways2Possibilities Mississippi Delta event in Greenville on Feb. 8. More than 

2,300 youth attended the two-day event , which is an interactive career expo for all 

8th graders and opportunity youth, ages 16-24, in south Mississippi.

NASA Stennis Attends Career Expo 

INFINITY Science Center Hosts Scouts In Space Event

NASA Visitor Relations Specialist Nick 

Middleton (right) 

speaks to participants 

during the Scouts in 

Space event hosted 

by INFINITY Science 

Center at NASA’s 

Stennis Space Center 

on Jan. 14. The day 

included hands-on activities for all ages of 

scouts and the more 

than 380 people in 

attendance. Additionally, INFINITY staff 

gave a presentation 

on Artemis I titled, 

“Back to the Moon.” 

NASA’s ASTRO 

Camp Collaborative 

Partners Program displayed an exhibit, and 

representatives from 

Aerojet Rocketdyne 

participated in the 

event. 

Did You Know?

NASA Stennis conducts 

ongoing face-to-face, 

virtual, and social media 

engagement activities to help 

communicate the agency 

and center stories. By the 

end of 2022, such efforts 

had reached almost 53,000 

individuals in face-to-face 

and virtual opportunities and 

attracted more 1.3 million 

social media followers/

subscribers.
Page 14 LAGNIAPPE February 2023

NASA Stennis Leader Builds Career on Inspiration from Parents 

Growing up in Compton, California, Katrina 

Emery’s parents taught her a simple lesson that 

has carried her through more than 20 years of 

increasingly significant work roles to a senior leadership 

position at 

NASA’s Stennis 

Space Center.

“Nothing beats a 

failure but a try.”

Since those 

childhood years, 

Emery not only 

has tried but 

has succeeded 

in establishing 

a career as an 

educator and 

leader with the 

world’s foremost 

space agency. 

A resident 

of Slidell, 

Louisiana, 

Emery currently serves as manager of the Office of 

Diversity and Equal Opportunity for both NASA 

Stennis, located near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and the 

NASA Shared Services Center, also located at the site. 

“I tell young people that their career path starts early,” 

Emery said. “It begins with the inspiration you draw 

from friends, family, and community.”

For Emery, that inspiration came from her parents, both 

of whom were educators. Emery subsequently earned 

a bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s in public 

administration from Southern University in Baton Rouge, 

Louisiana. 

Her university mentors eventually urged Emery to apply 

for a NASA professional leadership fellowship. “I didn’t 

think I would qualify, but my mentors really pushed me.” 

Emery recalled. “As it turns out, I was one of only 10 

individuals selected out of hundreds of applicants.”

Emery enjoyed her experience with the agency. 

When the fellowship ended, she worked under an 

Intergovernmental Personnel Act to help manage NASAfunded grants to minority-serving institutions. She then 

joined the agency team in 2007 as project manager for 

NASA’s University Research Centers, which focused on 

promoting a competitive aerospace research capability 

among the nation’s minority-serving institutions.

Following more fully in her parents’ footsteps, Emery 

became director of the Office of Education at NASA’s 

Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, 

in 2012. She moved to the same role at NASA Stennis in 

2013. A large part of her work in that office focused on 

inspiring student interest in STEM studies and careers.

“I always remind 

students that 

early career 

programs are 

a great way to 

get your foot in 

the door,” said 

Emery, who 

was recognized 

by Diverse: 

Issues in High 

Education 

as one of 

the top 25 

women in high 

education in 

2013. “Ask your 

mentors what 

opportunities 

are out there for 

you – and do 

not underestimate your experience and skillset.”

In 2017, Emery assumed her current role and now leads 

in the development and oversight of the center’s diversity 

and equal opportunity policies, awareness programs, 

and standards. The work also involves supporting the 

newest NASA core value – inclusion. “Our focus is to 

ensure that we maintain a work environment where all 

employees feel welcomed, respected, connected, and 

engaged,” Emery said. “I want to empower all employees 

to contribute their unique talents to ensure the success of 

NASA’s mission.”

Emery and her team highlight special emphases 

throughout the year and provide various opportunities 

for employees to participate in diversity and inclusion 

programs and development activities.

Meanwhile, Emery maintains her commitment to 

ongoing self-education. She has completed several 

management and leadership training programs. She 

has earned numerous NASA group awards, as well as 

recognition for professional achievements and service 

within the community.

For Emery, it is all part of her philosophy for career 

growth and leadership. “Build relationships to stay up-todate and find future opportunities,” she said. “Be open 

to new jobs that will grow your skillset and open even 

more doors. Join groups that expand your professional 

network, and always showcase your skills.”

Katrina Emery leads the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity at NASA Stennis and the NASA 

Shared Services Center.
Page 15 LAGNIAPPE February 2023

A Look Back at Logtown and Possum Walk 

Acouple 

thousand 

residents 

lived in a small 

town known as 

Logtown, which 

was built around a 

sawmill as the 19th 

century rolled into 

the 20th century. 

Once the mill 

opened in 1889, 

Logtown grew and 

its peak reached 

approximately 

3,000 residents.

It was located 

in the swamps 

of what is now 

NASA’s Stennis 

Space Center. 

Logtown featured 

rustic Queen 

Anne style homes, 

a school with classes through 12th grade, churches, 

boarding houses, and a bank. 

A 1997-98 archaeological survey conducted on three 

land parcels owned by NASA assessed the potential 

cultural significance of the area prior to planned logging 

activities. 

As part of the center’s 125,000-acre buffer zone, 

Logtown was one of five Hancock County communities 

that made way for NASA’s Mississippi Test Operations in 

the 1960s. 

Due to the high volume of river traffic from New 

Orleans, Logtown residents and the neighboring village 

of Possum Walk received mail twice a day. 

Possum Walk, 

located near 

INFINITY Science 

Center on the north 

side of Bayou 

Bogue Homa, was 

known for its rich 

African American 

settlement roots. 

A ferry helped 

workers travel from 

Possum Walk to the 

Logtown sawmill 

for work. 

Not much is known 

about the origins of 

the settlement, but 

historians suspect 

it was a location 

during pre-Civil 

War times where 

enslaved people 

lived. 

During reconstruction, enslaved people became 

independent businesspeople in the timber and turpentine 

industry. Some were focused on engineering. A formerly 

enslaved person turned blacksmith from Pearlington, 

Usan Vaughn, invented the carry log, a high-wheeled 

vehicle that allowed easier access to lumber in the 

marshlands. 

The survey stated that Vaughn’s new invention used a 

wider tread and wheels with a diameter of 7 feet. These 

new carry logs did not bog down as easily and were made 

to carry much larger logs. 

To learn more, walk through history in NASA’s backyard 

by visiting the Possum Walk trail at INFINITY Science 

Center. 

Hail & Farewell

NASA welcomes the following:

Robert Beverly Emergency Management Specialist Center Operations Directorate

Jessica Harder Student Trainee, Engineering Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate

Steven Helmstetter Electrical Engineer, AST Engineering and Test Directorate

Heather Seagren Financial Management Specialist Office of the Chief Financial Officer

Mauricio Trevino Student Trainee, Engineering Engineering and Test Directorate

Serene Wood Student Trainee, Engineering Engineering and Test Directorate 

Louis Thompson Program Specialist Office of STEM Engagement

An image from May 1963 shows the Logtown Post Office that was built in 1883.
Page 16 LAGNIAPPE February 2023

Black History Month: Honoring The Late John Lewis 

Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity

Carter G. Woodson, an American historian, 

author, journalist, and founder of the 

Association for the Study of African American 

Life and History (ASALH) established February as 

Black History Month in 1926. 

Woodson’s purpose of creating Black History Month 

was to bring public attention to the important 

contributions of Black people in America. Since its 

inception, Black History Month has become a time to 

reflect on the histories, experiences, accomplishments, 

cultures, and communities of Black people. 

The 2023 Black History Month theme announced by 

the ASALH is “Black Resistance.” The theme focuses 

on historic and ongoing racial oppression. 

“Black people have had to consistently push the 

United States to live up to its ideals of freedom, 

liberty, and justice for all,” the ASALH states. “Black 

people have sought ways to nurture and protect 

Black lives, and for autonomy of their physical and 

intellectual bodies through armed resistance, voluntary 

emigration, nonviolence, education, literature, sports, 

media, and legislation/politics. Black-led institutions 

and affiliations have lobbied, litigated, legislated, 

protested, and achieved success.” 

The late John Lewis was one of many advocates for 

Black resistance. Lewis was born in Troy, Alabama, on 

February 21, 1940. Lewis’s parents were sharecroppers 

and growing up he helped with their crops. As a 

teenager, he was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s 

sermons. 

Lewis left Alabama to attend the American Baptist 

Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee in 1957. 

While at seminary school, Lewis learned about nonviolent protests and began organizing local sit-ins at 

segregated lunch counters, which resulted in multiple 

arrests of the protesters. 

Lewis committed to the civil rights movement in 1961 

by participating in the Freedom Rides. During this 

time, Lewis was arrested again. Lewis was named chair 

of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee 

(SNCC) in 1963. The committee, along with other civil 

rights leaders, organized the March on Washington. 

“Lewis – the youngest speaker at the event – had to 

alter his speech in order to please other organizers but 

still delivered a powerful oration that declared, ‘We all 

recognize the fact that if any radical social, political, 

and economic changes are to take place in our society, 

the people, the masses, must bring them about.’” (John 

Lewis - Biography)

Lewis and Hosea Williams led a march in 1964 from 

Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The march brought 

national attention to the ongoing struggle of voter 

suppression in the South. As marchers passed over 

Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were attacked by state 

troopers. 

During this confrontation, Lewis’s skull was fractured. 

The violent attacks were recorded and disseminated 

throughout the country, and the images proved too 

powerful to ignore. ‘Bloody Sunday,’ as the day was 

labeled, brought forth the passage of 1965’s Voting 

Rights Act. 

Lewis continued to advocate for voting rights in 

America, and in 1986, he was elected to the House of 

Representatives, where he represented Georgia’s 5th 

District. 

During his time in Congress, Lewis called for 

healthcare reform, fought against poverty, and seeked 

improvements in education. 

Lewis was repeatedly elected to represent Georgia’s 

5th District. Even after receiving a diagnosis of Stage 

4 pancreatic cancer in 2019, Lewis continued to work 

until his death on July 17, 2020.

Throughout his life, Lewis resisted brutal oppression. 

He did this by organizing and conducting sit-ins and 

marches, and by standing alongside other civil rights 

leaders like King. 

During his time in Congress, Lewis worked to bring 

inclusion, equality, and equity to minority Americans. 

“By resisting, Black people have achieved triumphs, 

successes and progress,” according to the ASALH. 

To learn more about Black History Month and other 

resisters like Lewis, check out the links below: 

The Man Behind Black History Month - HISTORY

Martin Luther King Jr. and 8 Black Activists Who Led 

the Civil Rights Movement - Biography

Little Known Facts About Black History - Biography
•

Online Resources

Page 17 LAGNIAPPE February 2023

NASA Stennis Artemis Resources

Click the above photo for NASA Stennis Artemis resources.

NASA Stennis Video Shorts

Click the links below to watch brief videos of NASA Stennis projects.

• Waterway Lock System

• Key Testing Component

• Data Acquisition System

• Thrust Vector Control System

NASA Stennis Resources and NASA Stennis In The News

Click the links below for more about NASA Stennis and recent NASA Stennis media appearances. 

• Penn State Engineering: Michele Beisler: “I Engineer Exploration”

• WLOX: Look Ahead to Artemis II With NASA Stennis Associate Director Rodney McKellip

• NASA Stennis Space Center Fact Sheets • I Am Stennis Facebook Videos