jsc2022e090747 (Dec. 1, 2022): Chief Flight Director Emily Nelson in Houston’s Mission Control Center observes the Orion spacecraft as it departs its distant retrograde orbit on flight day 16 of the Artemis I mission – one of the steps needed to bring the spacecraft home from the Moon. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, left, monitors the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov onboard, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission is the ninth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, center, monitors the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov onboard, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission is the ninth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA's chief flight director, Emily Nelson, monitors the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-8 mission with NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin onboard, Sunday, March 3, 2024, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission is the eighth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Dominick, Barratt, Epps, and Grebenkin launched at 10:53 p.m. EST, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA's chief flight director, Emily Nelson, monitors the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-8 mission with NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin onboard, Sunday, March 3, 2024, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission is the eighth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Dominick, Barratt, Epps, and Grebenkin launched at 10:53 p.m. EST, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, monitors the countdown of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov onboard, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in the control center of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission is the ninth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Hague and Gorbunov are scheduled to launch at 1:17 p.m. EDT, from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, monitors the countdown of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov onboard, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in SpaceX’s Launch and Landing Control Center in HangerX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the first crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, and Borisov launched at 3:27 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, and Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, discuss the progress of a Countdown Demonstration Test with Artemis II crewmembers NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist onboard their Orion spacecraft from Firing Room 2 of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For this operation, the Artemis II crew and launch teams are simulating the launch day timeline including suit-up, walkout, and spacecraft ingress and egress. Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars, for the benefit of all. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Katie Maynard, technical assistant to the Chief Flight Director, left, and Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, second from left, monitor the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission with NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin onboard, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangerX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission is the eighth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Dominick, Barratt, Epps, and Grebenkin are scheduled to launch at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Katie Maynard, technical assistant to the Chief Flight Director, left, and Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, second from left, monitor the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission with NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin onboard, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangerX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission is the eighth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Dominick, Barratt, Epps, and Grebenkin are scheduled to launch at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, monitors the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-10 mission with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov onboard, Friday, March 14, 2025, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission is the tenth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. McClain, Ayers, Onishi, and Peskov launched at 7:03 p.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, monitors the countdown of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov onboard, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in SpaceX’s Launch and Landing Control Center in HangerX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the first crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, and Borisov launched at 3:27 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, monitors the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-10 mission with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov onboard, Friday, March 14, 2025, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission is the tenth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. McClain, Ayers, Onishi, and Peskov launched at 7:03 p.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Katie Maynard, technical assistant to the Chief Flight Director, left, and Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, second from left, monitor the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission with NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin onboard, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangerX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission is the eighth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Dominick, Barratt, Epps, and Grebenkin are scheduled to launch at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, monitors the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-10 mission with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov onboard, Friday, March 14, 2025, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission is the tenth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. McClain, Ayers, Onishi, and Peskov launched at 7:03 p.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Norm Knight, director of Flight Operations at NASA's Johnson Space Center, left, and NASA's chief flight director, Emily Nelson monitor the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-8 mission with NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin onboard, Sunday, March 3, 2024, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission is the eighth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Dominick, Barratt, Epps, and Grebenkin launched at 10:53 p.m. EST, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

JSC2010-E-081946 (18 May 2010) --- ISS flight director Emily Nelson monitors data at her console in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during STS-132/ULF-4 mission flight day five activities.

JSC2008-E-045777 (9 June 2008) --- The members of the STS-124/1J ISS Orbit 3 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Emily Nelson stands in the center foreground.

JSC2010-E-081916 (18 May 2010) --- ISS flight directors Holly Ridings (seated) and Emily Nelson monitor data at their console in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during STS-132/ULF-4 mission flight day five activities.

NASA's chief flight director, Emily Nelson, monitors the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov onboard, Sunday, March 9, 2025, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission is the tenth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. McClain, Ayers, Onishi, and Peskov are scheduled to launch at 7:48 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, March 12, from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, monitors the countdown of a launch attempt of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission with NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov onboard, Thursday, July 31, 2025, in the control center of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission is the eleventh crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Today’s launch of Cardman, Fincke, Yui, Platonov was scrubbed due to weather and is now scheduled for 11:43 a.m. EDT on Friday, August 1, from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, monitors the countdown of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission with NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov onboard, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in the control center of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission is the eleventh crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Cardman, Fincke, Yui, Platonov launched at 11:43 a.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, monitors the countdown of a launch attempt of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission with NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov onboard, Thursday, July 31, 2025, in the control center of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission is the eleventh crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Today’s launch of Cardman, Fincke, Yui, Platonov was scrubbed due to weather and is now scheduled for 11:43 a.m. EDT on Friday, August 1, from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA's chief flight director, Emily Nelson, monitors the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov onboard, Sunday, March 9, 2025, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission is the tenth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. McClain, Ayers, Onishi, and Peskov are scheduled to launch at 7:48 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, March 12, from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA's chief flight director, Emily Nelson, monitors the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov onboard, Sunday, March 9, 2025, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission is the tenth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. McClain, Ayers, Onishi, and Peskov are scheduled to launch at 7:48 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, March 12, from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, monitors the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission with NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov onboard, Monday, July 28, 2025, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangerX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission is the eleventh crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Cardman, Fincke, Yui, Platonov are scheduled to launch on 12:09 p.m. EDT on Thursday, July 31, from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Left to right, Adam Steltzner, engineering advisor to the NASA Associate Administrator, Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, and Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, discuss the progress of a Countdown Demonstration Test with Artemis II crewmembers NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist onboard their Orion spacecraft from Firing Room 2 of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For this operation, the Artemis II crew and launch teams are simulating the launch day timeline including suit-up, walkout, and spacecraft ingress and egress. Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars, for the benefit of all. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, and Stephanie Schierholz, chief of staff for NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, discuss the progress of a Countdown Demonstration Test with Artemis II crewmembers NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist onboard their Orion spacecraft from Firing Room 2 of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For this operation, the Artemis II crew and launch teams are simulating the launch day timeline including suit-up, walkout, and spacecraft ingress and egress. Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars, for the benefit of all. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

JSC2010-E-085365 (20 May 2010) --- The members of the STS-132/ULF-4 ISS Orbit 2 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Emily Nelson holds the Expedition 23 mission logo.

jsc2026e020085 (April 2, 2026) – NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (left) and NASA Chief Flight Director Emily Nelson (right) in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center monitor mission operations during the translunar injection (TLI) burn, which sent the crew in Orion out of Earth orbit and on a trajectory toward the Moon.

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, left, Richard Jones, manager of the Mission Management and Integration Office for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, center right, are seen as they monitor the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina onboard, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, in firing room four of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is the fifth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikini are scheduled to launch at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Oct. 5, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, speaks with Richard Jones, manager of the Mission Management and Integration Office for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, as they monitor the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov onboard, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, in SpaceX’s SpaceX’s Launch and Landing Control Center in HangerX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the seventh crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, and Borisov are scheduled to launch on 3:49 a.m. EDT on Friday, August 25, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, left, speaks with Nicole Jordan, NASA operations manager for the Commercial Crew Program, as they monitor the countdown of a launch attempt of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission with NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov onboard, Thursday, July 31, 2025, in the control center of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission is the eleventh crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Today’s launch of Cardman, Fincke, Yui, Platonov was scrubbed due to weather and is now scheduled for 11:43 a.m. EDT on Friday, August 1, from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, left, Ven Feng, deputy program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, second from right, and Richard Jones, manager of the Mission Management and Integration Office for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, right, monitor the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina onboard, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, in firing room four of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is the fifth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikini are scheduled to launch at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Oct. 5, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, right, speaks with Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, as teams monitor the countdown of a launch attempt of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission with NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov onboard, Thursday, July 31, 2025, in the control center of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission is the eleventh crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Today’s launch of Cardman, Fincke, Yui, Platonov was scrubbed due to weather and is now scheduled for 11:43 a.m. EDT on Friday, August 1, from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Emily Nelson, NASA's chief flight director, center, speaks with Kjell Lindegren, acting director of flight operations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, left, and Joe Acaba, Chief of the Astronaut Office are seen following the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-11 mission with NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov onboard, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission is the eleventh crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Cardman, Fincke, Yui, Platonov launched at 11:43 a.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA's Kennedy Space Center to begin their mission aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Emily Nelson, chief flight director, Johnson Space Center, participates in a postlaunch news conference on Nov. 16, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, after launch of Artemis I at 1:47 a.m. EST from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39B. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

Emily Nelson, NASA’s chief flight director, participates in a news conference on Monday, March 30, 2026, to discuss the upcoming Artemis II test flight at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II mission will take Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency) on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft from Launch Complex 39B no earlier than 6:24 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 1.

From left to right, Courtney Beasley, NASA communications; NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya; Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis II launch director; John Honeycutt, chair, Artemis II mission management team; and Emily Nelson, NASA’s chief flight director, participates in a news conference on Monday, March 30, 2026, to discuss the upcoming Artemis II test flight at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II mission will take Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency) on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft from Launch Complex 39B no earlier than 6:24 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 1.

Members of the media attend a postlaunch news conference on Nov. 16, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, after launch of Artemis I at 1:47 a.m. EST from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39B. Participants were Jackie McGuiness, NASA Communications; Bill Nelson, NASA administrator; Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, NASA Headquarters; Mike Bolger, Exploration Ground Systems Program manager, Kennedy; John Honeycutt, Space Launch System Program manager, Marshall; Howard Hu, Orion Program manager, NASA’s Johnson Space Center; and Emily Nelson, chief flight director, Johnson. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

A postlaunch news conference is held on Nov. 16, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, after launch of Artemis I at 1:47 a.m. EST from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39B. Participants were, from left, Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, NASA Headquarters; and Mike Bolger, Exploration Ground Systems Program manager, Kennedy. Also participating were NASA Administrator Bill Nelson; John Honeycutt, Space Launch System Program manager, Marshall; Howard Hu, Orion Program manager, NASA’s Johnson Space Center; and Emily Nelson, chief flight director, Johnson. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

A postlaunch news conference is held on Nov. 16, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, after launch of Artemis I at 1:47 a.m. EST from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39B. Participants are, from left, Jackie McGuiness, NASA Communications; Bill Nelson, NASA administrator; Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, NASA Headquarters; Mike Bolger, Exploration Ground Systems Program manager, Kennedy; John Honeycutt, Space Launch System Program manager, Marshall; Howard Hu, Orion Program manager, NASA’s Johnson Space Center; and Emily Nelson, chief flight director, Johnson. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

Nicole Jordan, NASA Operations manager for the Commercial Crew Program monitors the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-10 mission with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov onboard, Friday, March 14, 2025, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission is the tenth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. McClain, Ayers, Onishi, and Peskov launched at 7:03 p.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Richard Jones, deputy program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, monitors the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission with NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin onboard, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in the control room of SpaceX’s HangerX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission is the eighth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Dominick, Barratt, Epps, and Grebenkin are scheduled to launch at 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

On March 28, 2024 NASA held its 2023 Administrator’s Agency Honor Awards at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH. This celebratory event recognized the invaluable contributions of civil servants and contractors alike, each one instrumental in propelling humanity further into the realms of space exploration, understanding, and discoverThis is NASA's highest form of recognition that is awarded to any Government employee who, by distinguished service, ability, or vision has personally contributed to NASA's advancement of United States' interests.