2024 Stellar Awards Winners
The 2024 RNASA Stellar Award winners in each of four categories were announced at the banquet on April 26, 2024 at the Houston Hyatt Regency hotel.
The 161 nominations were evaluated by Michael Coats, Eileen Collins, Sandra Magnus, and Michael Hawes.
A list of all the Stellar Awards nominees was printed in the 2024 program book.
The 2024 Stellar Awards were presented by Astronauts Warren "Woody" Hoburg and Jasmin Moghbeli.
2024 Early Career Stellar Award Winners
Ten awards were presented in the 2024 Early Career Category.
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L to R: Woody Hoburg (presenting), Christopher Vodney, Richard Zappula, Jennie Wang, John Cooper, Justin De Castro, Benjamin Asher, Breanna Johnson, Lauren Henrichsen, Sarah Moudy, Jasmin Moghbeli (presenting). Not
shown: Lauren Vayda. (RNASA photo, 2024)
Benjamin W. Asher of Aegis Aerospace - Pathfinding innovative NASA architectures to enable a robust logistics supply chain to and from NASA's Gateway Space Station and cislunar space in support of all stakeholders across the US government.
Dr. John R. Cooper of NASA Langley Research Center - Exemplary early career advancements in fundamental research and development enabling adaptive control for autonomous capabilities that support NASA's aerospace missions.
Justin De Castro of Aerojet Rocketdyne, L3Harris - Exceptional contributions as the Test Lead for the RS-25 engine development for Artemis
Lauren A. Henrichsen of ASRC Federal - Exceptional performance significantly exceeding expectations as a technician working on the Orion spacecraft assembly and integration.
Breanna J. Johnson of NASA Johnson Space Center - Sustained excellence in Artemis Mission Design and Advanced Vehicle conceptualization and development.
Dr. Sarah Moudy of Aegis Aerospace - Hands-on commitment, innovative solutions, and invaluable contributions to NASA's Standard Measures and Sensorimotor Assessments projects, safeguarding astronaut health and setting a standard for impactful research in space exploration.
Lauren E. Vayda of United States Space Force - Outstanding leadership, drive, and unwavering dedication to excellence yielding critical contributions to the Space mission as an acquisition program manager.
Christopher I. Vodney of Barrios Technology - Continuous improvements in standardizing analysis processes for the in-loads and dynamics team for the Gateway and Human Lander system to Orion.
Jennie Wang of Northrop Grumman - Outstanding technical expertise and leadership on the Cygnus Integration and Test team.
Dr. Richard S. Zappulla II of Air Force Research Laboratory - Outstanding support of fifteen flight experiments, significantly enhancing the nation's ability to perform rendezvous and proximity operations in space.
2024 Middle Career Stellar Award Winners
Eight awards were presented in the 2024 Middle Career Category.
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L to R: Jasmin Moghbeli (presenting), Issac Monical, Sandra Kasper, Michelle Costenario, Kara Pohlkamp, Jeremy
Raley, Monica Greeley, Dylan Powell, Robin Hetherington, Woody Hoburg (presenting). (RNASA photo, 2024)
(RNASA photo, 2024)
Michelle E. Costenaro of Blue Origin - Outstanding contributions in championing and advancing Blue Origin's test and flight operations.
Monica Greeley of Axiom Space - Visionary leadership and transformative impact, marked by exceptional engineering processes, organizational innovation, unwavering commitment to excellence, and playing a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of both the organization and in shaping the landscape of human spaceflight.
Robin L. Hetherington of Jacobs - Outstanding contributions setting the standard for Material and Processing problem solving, collaboration and mentorship in support of manned testing.
Sandra F. Kasper of Lockheed Martin - Exceptional leadership of deep-space missions including Mars Odyssey, Genesis, Stardust, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Phoenix Mars Lander, Juno, MAVEN and OSIRIS-Rex, including managing spacecraft design, integration, testing, and mission operations.
Isaac J. Monical of Aerojet Rocketdyne, L3Harris - Outstanding contributions to the nation in advancing space science and technology for the benefit of all humankind.
Kara M. Pohlkamp of NASA Johnson Space Center - Exceptional leadership of the KPLO mission to the moon in partnership with South Korea and serving as an international role model for woman in engineering.
Dr. Dylan C. Powell of Lockheed Martin - Outstanding advancement of satellite Earth remote sensing techniques and instrumentation using visible, infrared, and microwave observations, and the design of major Earth observation systems.
Col. Jeremy A. Raley of Air Force Research Laboratory - Successful transitioning of new technologies to the warfighter, significantly enhancing the nation's ability to operate in the space domain.
2024 Late Career Stellar Award Winners
Eleven awards were presented in the 2024 Late Career Category.
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L to R: Woody Hoburg (presenting), Bernadette Walls, Eduardo Llama, Chuck Dingell, John Harris, Shellie Vaughan, John Tatum, Cuong Nguyen, Veronica Gonzalez, David Martin, Robert Cooke, Paul Krause, Jasmin Moghbeli (presenting).
(RNASA photo, 2024)
Robert W. Cooke of SAIC - Exceptional expertise and career contributions in the design, manufacture, modification, and repair of electrical/electronic hardware used in high reliability and spaceflight applications including ISS, Orion, Human Landing System, Gateway, and aerospace contractor community flight systems.
Charles Dingell of NASA Johnson Space Center - Sustained technical leadership and contributions as the Orion Chief Engineer culminating in NASA's return to the moon with Artemis I.
Veronica C. Gonzalez of Jacobs - Outstanding service to the United States Space Program with a distinguished 26-year career as an expert welder at Johnson Space Center manufacturing services.
John A. Harris III of Aerojet Rocketdyne, L3Harris - Excellence in development and fielding of Human Space and Exploration Systems for 22 years.
Paul A. Krause of The Boeing Company - Distinguished engineer and highly respected technical expert with exceptional commitment to the success of future Artemis space missions.
Eduardo G. Llama of Jacobs - Instrumental leadership to the Orion spacecraft's guidance and control and general performance during the Artemis 1 mission.
David S. Martin of KBR - Exceptional scientific and innovative contributions furthering research and clinical approaches to ultrasound science during ISS operations and enabling future exploration missions.
Cuong Q. Nguyen of NASA Johnson Space Center - Exceptional leadership in both assuring crew safety and ground-breaking implementation of information technologies and data systems in support of NASA human spaceflight programs.
John H. Tatum of Jacobs - Outstanding contributions to the nation's space program by directing chamber testing for every major NASA program for over 30 years.
Shellie Vaughan of Leidos - Outstanding leadership of over 140 process improvement events, instrumental contributions to the Lessons Learned database development and rollout, and effective champion of the review and audit of the CMC government property management and inventory system, all resulting in significant savings.
Bernadette Walls of KBR - Exceptional support to over 100 astronauts across 8 Shuttle and 45 ISS missions, uniquely contributed to the success of NASA and its mission of keeping astronauts safe and successful while on-orbit.
2024 Team Stellar Award Winners
Nine awards were presented in the 2024 Team Category.
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L to R: Jasmin Moghbeli (presenting), Nayi Castro and Ryan Olds (OSIRIS-REx Mission Team of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Lockheed Martin), Katie Rogers (Cargo Mission Manager Team of NASA Johnson Space Center), Andy Sinclair (Demonstrations and Science Experiments Team of Air Force Research Laboratory), Joel Bridges (Space Launch System Core Stage Rocket Propulsion Team of The Boeing Company), Michelle Stein (Pressure Garment Team of Axiom Space), Jay Grow (Artemis I Technical Launch Team of The Boeing Company), Teresa Spinelli (NG-18 Solar Array Deployment Anomaly Team of Northrop Grumman), Ade Adebayo (Advanced
Manufacturing Team of Jacobs), Alex Rigas (International Space Station Russian Vehicle Coolant Leak Response
Team of The Boeing Company), Woody Hoburg (presenting).
(RNASA photo, 2024)
Artemis I Technical Launch Team of The Boeing Company - Impressive technical integrity, innovative thinking, extremely resilient, excellent communication and problem-solving skills during the launch of Artemis I.
Cargo Mission Manager Team of NASA Johnson Space Center - Outstanding development and execution of the International Space Station cargo missions in support of critical mission objectives.
Demonstrations and Science Experiments (DSX) Team of Air Force Research Laboratory - Successful demonstration of several new space technologies and capabilities on orbit in support of our National Defense Strategy.
International Space Station Russian Vehicle Coolant Leak Response Team of The Boeing Company - Technical excellence in expedited response for Russian Vehicle coolant anomaly to continue safe International Space Station operations.
Jacobs Advanced Manufacturing Team of Jacobs - Excellence and innovation through manufacturing services to support critical NASA programs.
NG-18 Solar Array Deployment Anomaly Team of Northrop Grumman - Outstanding contribution in overcoming a launch vehicle anomaly on the NG-18 mission that jeopardized the cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station.
OSIRIS-REx Mission Team of Lockheed Martin and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - For exceptional performance on NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission that successfully returned the United States' first asteroid sample – the largest carbon-rich sample ever returned to Earth.
Pressure Garment Team of Axiom Space - Unparalleled engineering skill, creativity, and determination in developing the innovative Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuit, a key achievement in the Artemis campaign, showcasing exceptional leadership in spacesuit design, manufacturing, and certification.
Space Launch System Core Stage Rocket Propulsion Team of The Boeing Company - Outstanding team technical excellence in designing and developing the SLS Core Stage's massive, clean, safe, efficient rocket propulsion system, resulting in a groundbreaking accomplishment on Artemis I.
Visit http://www.rnasa.org/photos.html for images from the event.
The Rotary National Award for Space Achievement (RNASA) Foundation’s black-tie Gala on April 26, 2024, was recorded live, in its entirety, by Space City Films and is accessible on the website’s agenda page, www.rnasa.org/agenda.html.
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