By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • • 0 Comments

Moon Landing Anniversary

Sunday, July 20th, 2025, will mark the 56th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing mission, which was successfully fulfilled by astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. The astronauts took off on July 16th, 1969, out of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Kennedy Space Center in Florida and set foot on the moon on July 20th, 1969. To successfully achieve the Apollo 11 mission, it took hundreds of people working behind the scenes for years to fully execute this perfect mission, including NASA’s mechanical engineers crew, who also made it easier for other successful missions to take place later on. NASA’s mechanical engineers’ abilities to solve problems, design, and build were vital components that helped NASA organize, piece together, and successfully execute these missions. The mechanical engineer crew worked long hours and around the clock developing new technologies in addition to perfecting old ones. NASA’s mechanical engineers developed and worked on typical technology systems such as spacecraft, satellites, and engines. In order to be part of NASA’s mechanical engineer crew, one must have a range of knowledge and skills in disciplines such as aerospace, computers, and electronics to be able to work on various tasks and meet NASA’s strict criteria.

Since the first mission, NASA has had several successful moon landings. Aside from Apollo 11, NASA launched Apollo 12 with astronauts Charles "Pete" Conrad and Alan Bean; Apollo 14 with astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr. and Edgar D. Mitchell; Apollo 15 with astronauts David R. Scott and James B. Irwin; Apollo 16 with astronauts Charles M. Duke and John W. Young, who was also part of the Apollo 10 orbital; and Apollo 17 with astronauts Harrison H. Schmitt and Eugene Cernan, who was also part of the Apollo 10 orbital.

NASA also had difficult missions, one happening during the third moon landing mission called Apollo 13. After launching the Apollo 13 spacecraft, the astronauts never made it to the moon because they experienced malfunction issues that caused them to lose oxygen. One of the oxygen tanks exploded and almost caused a near disaster, but luckily the astronauts were able to loop around the moon and make a safe re-entry and landing in the Earth’s atmosphere. After studying what caused the failures on the Apollo 13 mission, NASA made multiple changes to the design of the spacecraft for increased safety, which allowed Apollo 14, 15, 16, and 17 missions to be successful.

If you are interested in NASA’s missions and mechanical engineering and would like more information, please visit https://www.nasa.gov/.

 

By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • 0 Comments

International Women’s Day

International Women's Day was observed on Sunday, March 8, a global event that honors the contributions made by women throughout history and elevates their voices. Today is an excellent opportunity to honor the accomplishments of some engineering heroes who cleared the path for today's female engineers. The following women made history in National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA):

Katherine Johnson was born in 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. She was a pioneer in mathematics that landed her a job at NASA as a Trajectory Analysis for Alan Shepard’s mission in 1961, and then for John Glenn's orbital mission in 1962. While working for NASA, she was the behind-the-scenes math genius that made many missions like space shuttle, Earth Resources Satellite, and Apollo’s Lunar Lander successful. Thanks to her achievements, she received the highest civilian honor in the United States: The Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. Additionally, during a ceremony honoring NASA's Hidden Figures in 2024, Ms. Johnson's family collected the Congressional Gold Medal in honor of her contributions to the United States.

Mary W. Jackson was born in 1921 in Hampton, Virginia. She was an African-American NASA engineer who made it possible for America’s first men to travel to space. She was known as a human computer who, behind the scenes, calculated the orbital trajectories. Aside from engineering, she was passionate about advocating for women and minorities in the engineering field, so after working 30 years with NASA, she retired in 1985 and shifted careers to focus on becoming an equal opportunity specialist to help women and minorities.

Kalpana Chawla was born March 17, 1962, in Karnal, India. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering in India and later moved to the United States to continue her education and received a master’s degree in aerospace engineering. After being naturalized in the United States, she became an astronaut, engineer, and the first woman of Indian descent to go to space. Chawla lost her life during a mission, but her legacy continues to live through her work. Her research helped other astronauts understand health and safety during spaceflight. She continues to be an inspiration for many immigrants who are chasing the American dream.

Dorothy Vaughan was born in 1910 in Kansas City, Missouri. She was the first African-American supervisor for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). She advocated for her employees by making sure they received promotions and pay raises. After segregation ended in 1985, that is when NACA became NASA and Vaughan became a programmer for a new division that was created, named Analysis and Computation. While working in this division, her group worked behind the scenes and played a major part in the success of a satellite-launching rocket called Scout. Vaughan retired in 1971.

For more information about women who made history in NASA, please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/

 

By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • • 0 Comments

International Women’s Day

Today, March 8th is International Women’s Day, a global holiday that uplift the voices of women worldwide and celebrates the impacts they have made throughout history. Whether the impacts were made culturally or historically, today is a beautiful day to highlight some engineering heroes’ achievements who paved the way for the female engineers of today.

Even with gender and/or racial inequality, the following women made history in National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA):

  • Mary Jackson was born in 1921 in Hampton, Virginia. She was an African-American NASA engineer who made it possible for America’s first men to travel to space. She was known as a human computer who, behind the scenes, calculated the orbital trajectories. Aside from engineering, she was passionate about advocating for women and minorities in the engineering field, so after working 30 years with NASA, she retired in 1985 and shifted careers to focus on becoming an equal opportunity specialist to help women and minorities.
  • Dorothy Vaughan was born in 1910 in Kansas City, Missouri. She was the first African-American supervisor for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). She advocated for her employees by making sure they received promotions and pay raises. After segregation ended in 1985, that is when NACA became NASA and Vaughan became a programmer for a new division that was created, named Analysis and Computation. While working in this division, her group worked behind the scenes and played a major part in the success of a satellite-launching rocket called Scout. Vaughan retired in 1971.
  • Katherine Johnson was born in 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. She was a pioneer in mathematics that landed her a job at NASA as a Trajectory Analysis for Alan Shepard’s mission in 1961, and then for John Glenn's orbital mission in 1962. While working for NASA, she was the behind-the-scenes math genius that made many missions like space shuttle, Earth Resources Satellite, and Apollo’s Lunar Lander successful. Thanks to her achievements, she received the highest civilian honor in the United States: the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. Johnson retired in 1987.
  • Kalpana Chawla was born March 17, 1962, in Karnal, India. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering in India, and later on moved to the United States to continue her education and received a master’s degree in aerospace engineering. After being naturalized in the United States, she became an astronaut, engineer, and the first woman of Indian descent to go to space. Chawla lost her life during a mission, but her legacy continues to live through her work. Her research helped other astronauts understand health and safety during spaceflight. She continues to be an inspiration for many immigrants who are chasing the American dream.

For more information about women who made history in NASA, please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/