Alumni Profile
Mudders Power NASA’s Historic Artemis II Mission
NASA’s Artemis II mission around the Moon was the culmination of years of work by thousands of people, including several Harvey Mudd alumni.
Corinne Cho ’10 was a design engineer at Airborne Systems when she developed the metal-textile interface connecting Orion space capsule’s drogue and main parachute suspension lines to the capsule.
Max Maleno ’20 designed and built key components of the Orion capsule’s environmental control, life support and crew systems at Lockheed Martin Space.
Stan Love ’87
Veteran astronaut Stan Love ’87, who has been involved in the project for almost 20 years, served as the lead capsule communicator (Capcom) for the mission. Love describes his experience.
How did you prepare for the mission?
Practice, practice, practice. I came into the Artemis Capcom role with over a decade of experience as a Shuttle and ISS Capcom. I began attending Artemis I simulations in 2020. That mission flew without a crew, so a Capcom wasn’t technically needed. (I like to joke that Artemis I was the only mission I supported in which I made no bad calls!) Each simulation, and the 2022 flight that followed them, was an opportunity to learn the spacecraft systems and the roles of the other flight controllers. I participated in real sims with the assigned Artemis II crew, and when the mission finally flew, I had over 100 Artemis Capcom shifts under my belt.
Besides the Capcom role, how else were you involved in the project?
I’ve been deeply involved with Orion since its inception nearly 20 years ago. I served on the teams that: selected Lockheed to build the spacecraft, devised its trajectories around the Earth and Moon, designed and built the SLS rocket that carried Orion into space, designed Orion’s switches, hand controllers, pushbuttons and electronic displays, and developed Orion’s flight rules and operational techniques. I was a test subject for the design of the new orange launch-and-entry suit. I’ve spoken extensively in public about the Artemis program. Serving as Capcom was the cherry on top of a very large sundae.
Given your experience as an astronaut, was it hard to be on the ground instead of in space?
Nope. Serving as Capcom is 80% of the fun of flying in space and 0% of the risk.
What is something about this experience that you’d like people to know?
Capcom is all about correct, concise, timely communication based on a deep understanding of the crew’s situation, needs and personalities. My B.S. in physics from HMC has no relationship to the work, but the fundamental value of a Harvey Mudd education—learning how to examine a tough problem, then gaining new skills to solve it—served me well. All Mudders should realize the capability they’ve forged and use it with confidence.