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Vice President Mike Pence, in the center, listens to Holly Ridings, NASA's Deputy Chief Flight Director, and NASA Flight Director Rick Henfling, during a visit from Christopher's Mission Control Center. C. Kraft in Houston. have selected 12 new astronauts Wednesday in their largest pool of candidates, selecting seven men and five women who could one day fly aboard the next generation of spaceships in the country. (Michael Ciaglo / Houston Chronicle via AP) lessVice President Mike Pence, in the center, listens to NASA's Deputy Director of Flight, Holly Ridings, right, and NASA Flight Director Rick Henfling, during a tour of the NASA's control center. Christopher C. Kraft mission.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Associated Press
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Associated Press
For the first time in NASA's 60-year existence, the space agency has recruited a woman to head Mission Control flight directors at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Holly Ridings, a 44-year-old Texas native, has been with NASA for 20 years. She was appointed flight director on Thursday, the first woman to hold the position.
"Holly has proven to be a leader among a group of very talented flight directors," said Brian Kelly, NASA's director of flight operations, in a statement. "I know she will excel in this unique and critical leadership position that guides the safety and success of manned flight missions."
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The constituencies will manage the 32 flight directors and flight directors in training. These individuals are responsible for the safety of the astronauts and the International Space Station by leading teams of controllers, researchers, engineers and support staff in downtown Houston.
In case of a problem, Flight Managers must be able to make decisions in a split second while keeping someone's life in their hands. For example, in 1970, during the Apollo 13 mission, Gene Kranz was responsible for a huge field team that helped the three astronauts return home after an oxygen tank explosion forced them to abandon their journey to the moon.
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Ridings – who holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A & M University – became flight director in 2005. His predecessor, Norm Knight, became flight director in 2012.
The Texas native enters her leadership role during a transition period for the space agency.
LONG HOURS OF END TIME: NASA's Mission Control Team turns to younger recruits
Since taking office last year, President Donald Trump has lobbied for the United States to return to the moon as a stepping stone to Mars.
Trump's $ 19.9 billion budget for next fiscal year forces NASA to launch Americans around the moon in 2023. It also plans to spend $ 504.2 million to build a Lunar platform Orbital. mini space station orbiting the moon where astronauts could live and work.
The authorities said that the bridge should be fully operational by 2026, and that human missions on the lunar surface should take place shortly thereafter.
The divisions "will lead the team through exciting times, as they adapt to support future missions with trading partners and beyond the low Earth orbit," Kelly said.
Alex Stuckey covers NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at [email protected] or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey.
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