#CallieFirst

[nasa]

What’s It Like to Work in NASA’s Mission Control Center?

In the latest installment of our First Woman graphic novel series, we see Commander Callie Rodriguez embark on the next phase of her trailblazing journey, as she leaves the Moon to take the helm at Mission Control.

Flight directors work in Mission Control to oversee operations of the International Space Station and Artemis missions to the Moon. They have a unique, overarching perspective focused on integration between all the systems that make a mission a success – flight directors have to learn a little about a lot.

Diane Dailey and Chloe Mehring were selected as flight directors in 2021. They’ll be taking your questions about what it’s like to lead teams of flight controllers, engineers, and countless professionals, both agencywide and internationally, in an Answer Time session on Nov. 28, 2023, from noon to 1 p.m. EST (9-10 a.m. PST) here on our Tumblr!

Like Callie, how did their unique backgrounds and previous experience, prepare them for this role? What are they excited about as we return to the Moon?

🚨 Ask your questions now by visiting https://nasa.tumblr.com/ask.

Diane Dailey started her career at NASA in 2006 in the space station Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) group. As an ECLSS flight controller, she logged more than 1,700 hours of console time, supported 10 space shuttle missions, and led the ECLSS team. She transitioned to the Integration and System Engineering (ISE) group, where she was the lead flight controller for the 10th and 21st Commercial Resupply Services missions for SpaceX. In addition, she was the ISE lead for NASA’s SpaceX Demo-1 and Demo-2 crew spacecraft test flights. Dailey was also a capsule communicator (Capcom) controller and instructor.

She was selected as a flight director in 2021 and chose her call sign of “Horizon Flight” during her first shift in November of that year. She has since served as the Lead Flight director for the ISS Expedition 68, led the development of a contingency spacewalk, and led a spacewalk in June to install a new solar array on the space station. She is currently working on development of the upcoming Artemis II mission and the Human Lander Systems which will return humanity to the moon. Dailey was raised in Lubbock, Texas, and graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering. She is married and a mother of two. She enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time outdoors.

Chloe Mehring started her NASA career in 2008 in the Flight Operations’ propulsion systems group and supported 11 space shuttle missions. She served as propulsion support officer for Exploration Flight Test-1, the first test flight of the Orion spacecraft that will be used for Artemis missions to the Moon. Mehring was also a lead NASA propulsion officer for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft and served as backup lead for the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. She was accepted into the 2021 Flight Director class and worked her first shift in February 2022, taking on the call sign “Lion Flight”. Since becoming certified, she has worked over 100 shifts, lead the NG-17 cargo resupply mission team, and executed two United States spacewalks within 10 days of each other. She became certified as a Boeing Starliner Flight Director, sat console for the unmanned test flight in May 2022 (OFT-2) and will be leading the undock team for the first crewed mission on Starliner in the spring of next year. She originally is from Mifflinville, Pennsylvania, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from The Pennsylvania State University in State College. She is a wife, a mom to one boy, and she enjoys fitness, cooking and gardening.

[mizelaneus]

First Woman, NASA comix

[spacenutspod]

“Astronaut Callie Rodriguez continues her space adventures as the first woman to walk on the Moon in NASA’s new graphic novel, “First Woman: Expanding Our Universe.” Fictional astronaut Callie Rodriguez continues exploring space as the first woman to walk on the Moon in a new issue of NASA’s First Woman graphic novel series. Now available digitally in English and Spanish, “First Woman: Expanding Our Universe,” follows Callie and her crewmates as they work together to explore the unknown, make scientific discoveries, and accomplish their mission objectives. This second issue of the graphic novel series features a diverse crew of astronauts on the Moon’s surface, learning and growing as a team navigating the unexpected while conducting experiments and technology demonstrations for the benefit of humanity. Through the First Woman series, NASA is inspiring the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation – as it works in real life to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under the Artemis program. “Diversity is at the core of NASA’s missions, and the reason we continue breaking the boundaries of what’s possible. First Woman embodies the rich history of countless women who broke barriers and continue to lead NASA to the stars,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “So much of what NASA does is to inspire future explorers because each member of the Artemis Generation should feel represented in our missions. Callie’s story reminds us that we will do what has never been done before — land the first woman on the Moon, and it will inspire the world.” When readers last met Callie, she and her robot RT were sheltering inside of a lunar lava tunnel. Find out what happens next by visiting the revamped First Woman website, which includes a new Spanish-language option, and the agency’s updated First Woman app available for download on Android and iOS. The website and immersive app allow audiences to explore a new virtual 3D environment, technologies and objects related to lunar exploration. Fans also can explore updated First Woman content, including videos, interactive games, and other materials related to ongoing and future NASA missions. “Callie is an inspirational character for underrepresented communities and, as a person of Indian descent with young children, I deeply understand the power of a diverse fanbase seeing a place for themselves within our ambitious missions. To solve the many challenges of sustainable lunar exploration, we need innovative ideas from diverse sources and non-traditional communities,” said Dr. Prasun Desai, acting associate administrator, Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We continue that aspirational theme with our second issue, diving further into the crew’s complex mission and personal backgrounds while expanding a wealth of interactive, multilingual science, technology, engineering, and mathematics content across our digital platforms.” The series debut, “First Woman: Dream to Reality,” saw a large response across the United States and abroad, with nearly 100,000 print copies distributed. The digital audience garnered nearly 300,000 webpage views, and the First Woman app was downloaded by thousands of users, earning a 2022 Webby Award for Best Integrated Mobile Experience. NASA will collaborate with its international partners to translate First Woman into more languages in the future. To learn more about the graphic novel and interactive experiences, visit: www.nasa.gov/specials/calliefirst -end- Jimi RussellHeadquarters, Washington216-704-2412james.j.russell@nasa.gov

[stickalittle]

képregényrajongóknak

[rosszulorzott]

[nasa]

Commander Callie Continues Moon Mission in NASA’s Second Graphic Novel

You followed fictional astronaut, Callie Rodriguez, on her journey to the Moon in our First Woman graphic novel, “Issue No. 1: From Dream to Reality.”

In the brand new “Issue No. 2: Expanding our Universe,” find out how Callie and her robotic sidekick RT escape the lunar lava tunnel and what challenges await them on the lunar surface.

See Callie and her new crewmates work together as a team and navigate the unexpected as they take on a challenging mission to deploy a next-generation telescope on the far side of the Moon. Now available digitally in English at nasa.gov/CallieFirst and in Spanish at nasa.gov/PrimeraMujer!

Along with the new chapter, the First Woman app – available in the Apple and Google Play stores – has been updated with new immersive, extended reality content. Explore the lunar surface and learn about the real technologies we’re building to make living and working on the Moon – and eventually, Mars – possible.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[nasa]

And that’s a wrap! Thank you for all the great questions. We hope you learned a little bit about what it takes to work in mission control as a flight director.

If you’re hungry for more, you can read the latest installment of our First Woman graphic novel series, where fictional character Commander Callie Rodriguez embarks on the next phase of her trailblazing journey and leaves the Moon to take the helm at Mission Control.

Keep up with the flight directors, the Space Station, and the Artemis missions at the links below.

Flight directors: X

Artemis: Facebook: Facebook, Instagram, X

Space Station: Facebook, Instagram, X (@Space_Station), X( @ISS_Research)

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[nasa]

Dangling in a previously unexplored lava tunnel on the Moon...

...with a massive solar flare passing overhead...

...causing unsafe radiation levels.

All communications have been interrupted.

Status of Commander Callie Rodriguez: unknown.

In our first issue of "First Woman," we followed Callie on her trailblazing journey to the Moon. Find out what’s next for our fictional first woman in a story inspired by real NASA astronauts and our upcoming Artemis missions to land the first female astronaut and person of color on the lunar surface.

See what discoveries – and challenges – lay ahead for Callie and her fellow human and robotic explorers as they forge a path to expand humanity's understanding of the universe.

Coming soon in English and Spanish at nasa.gov/calliefirst!

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[nasa]

Who is the First Woman? Meet our new graphic novel hero!

Artemis is the first step in the next era of human exploration. This time when we go to the Moon, we're staying, to study and learn more than ever before. We’ll test new technologies and prepare for our next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.

Artemis missions will achieve many historic feats, like landing the first woman and first person of color on the Moon.

With today’s release of our graphic novel First Woman: NASA’s Promise for Humanity you don’t have to wait to join us on an inspiring adventure in space.

Meet Commander Callie Rodriguez, the first woman to explore the Moon – at least in the comic book universe.

In Issue No. 1: Dream to Reality, Callie, her robot sidekick RT, and a team of other astronauts are living and working on the Moon in the not-too-distant future. Like any good, inquisitive robot, RT asks Callie how he came to be – not just on the Moon after a harrowing experience stowed in the Orion capsule – but about their origin story, if you will.

From her childhood aspirations of space travel to being selected as an astronaut candidate, Callie takes us on her trailblazing journey to the Moon.

As they venture out to check on a problem at a lunar crater, Callie shares with RT and the crew that she was captivated by space as a kid, and how time in her father’s autobody shop piqued her interest in building things and going places.

Callie learned at a young age that knowledge is gained through both success and failure in the classroom and on the field.

Through disappointment, setbacks, and personal tragedy, Callie pursues her passions and eventually achieves her lifelong dream of becoming an astronaut – a road inspired by the real lives of many NASA astronauts living and working in space today.

So what's up with that lunar crater?

Did Callie pass her math class?

And where did RT come from?

Be a part of the adventure: read (or listen to) the full First Woman story and immerse yourself in a digital experience through our first-ever extended reality-enabled graphic novel.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!