Vanessa Wyche was Deputy Director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center until she was named in June and took over in July as Director.
Since then she’s been “head down and focused” as she described it as the JSC has been front and center in the NASA plans to get back to the moon.
The many moving parts to make that happen will be centered on the Artemis I rocket that will lift the Orion capsule toward the moon.
Wyche is a guest on Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall and says the name Artemis is not an accident.
“She was the twin sister in Greek mythology to Apollo and so with our astronaut corps being diverse, we’re now going to have women and men and people of color now going to surface of the moon,” she said.
Artemis moon rocket ready for dress rehearsal
The Artemis moon rocket has been moved to the launchpad for what is called a wet dress rehearsal in April.
During that time the rocket will be fueled and all systems will be checked. “We will test being able to load the fluids and everything it takes to actually launch it and to a count down,” Wyche said. “We’ll even practice for if we have a weather delay or if we have to scrub or anything so that our technicians can be ready.”
Astronauts, Russian cosmonauts share International Space Station
As Russia continues its attack on Ukraine, one area where Russians and Americans agree, is among cosmonauts and astronauts on the International Space Station.
Even as Ukraine is attacked, Russian cosmonauts are being launched to the ISS and the cooperation that has been in place for decades is continuing.
“We understand that there are conflicts going on but we have to continue to be partners in order for us to keep the space station going,” said JSC Director Wyche. “And so when they’re working together there are no conflicts.”
Much more in this week’s program including details about the effort to land on the moon, how NASA continues to provide great benefits to the local, state, national and international communities, and more.
For more information on Vanessa Wyche, visit NASA.gov.