Public Radio Hour 'History Makes the Future at NASA' 2/24/22

On this episode of the Public Radio Hour, we meet two African American women playing key roles at Marshall Space Flight Center in helping humankind get back to the Moon, and to Mars. Tawnya Laughinghouse is the manager of Marshall's Technology Demonstration Missions ¦ also known at NASA by the acronym TDM ¦ which involves a variety of projects, including propulsion, deep space optical communications, in-space robotic satellite servicing, and entry/descent/landing . Also joining the conversation is Dr. Ruth Jones, an associate manager for Marshall Space Flight Center's Human Exploration Development & Operations, where she helps manage operations on the International Space Station (ISS) and leads teams working to develop the next generation of rockets, spacecraft, and other technology that will help humans explore the solar system. As we will hear, both women had an early love of numbers and started on career paths much different than where they are today. And both gained the confidence to walk that path because they saw just enough people who looked like them, to make them believe it was possible ¦ something they hope to do for younger generations.