![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/maf-20240715-johncampbell-03.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>How do you move NASA\u2019s SLS (Space Launch System)<\/a> rocket\u2019s massive 212-foot-long core stage across the country? You do it with a 300-foot-long barge. However, NASA\u2019s Pegasus barge isn\u2019t just any barge. It\u2019s a vessel with a history, and John Campbell, a logistics engineer for the agency based at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center<\/a> in Huntsville, Alabama, is one of the few people who get to be a part of its legacy.<\/p>\n For Campbell, this journey is more than just a job \u2013 it\u2019s a lifelong passion realized. \u201cEver since I was a boy, I\u2019ve been fascinated by engineering,\u201d he said. \u201cBut to be entrusted with managing NASA\u2019s Pegasus barge, transporting history-making hardware for human spaceflight across state lines and waterways \u2013 is something I never imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n NASA has used barges to ferry the large,and heavy hardware elements of its rockets since the Apollo Program. Replacing the agency\u2019s Poseidon and Orion barges, Pegasus was originally crafted for the Space Shuttle Program and updated in recent years to help usher in the Artemis Generation and accommodate the mammoth dimensions of the SLS core stage. The barge plays a big role in NASA\u2019s logistical operations, navigating rivers and coastal waters across the Southeast, and has transported key structural test hardware for SLS in recent years.<\/p>\n Campbell grew up in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. After graduating from the University of Alabama with a degree in mechanical engineering, he ventured south to Panama City, Florida, where he spent a few years with a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning consulting team. Looking for an opportunity to move home, he applied for and landed a contractor position with NASA and soon moved to his current civil service role.<\/p>\n With 17 years under his belt, Campbell has many fond memories during his time with the agency. One standout moment was witnessing the space shuttle stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center<\/a> in Florida. But it\u2019s not all about rockets and launch pads for Campbell. When he isn\u2019t in his office making sure\u00a0 Pegasus has everything it needs for its next trip out, he is on the water accompanying important pieces of hardware to their next destinations. With eight trips on Pegasus under his belt, the journey never gets old.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is something peaceful when you look out and it\u2019s just you, the water, one or two other boats, and wildlife,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cOn one trip we had a pod of at least 20 dolphins surrounding us. You get to see all kinds of cool wildlife and scenery.\u201d From cherishing special moments like this to ensuring the success of each journey, Campbell recognizes the vital role he plays in the agency\u2019s goals to travel back to the Moon and beyond and does not take his responsibility lightly.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be a part of the Artemis campaign<\/a> and the future of space is just cool. I was there when the barge underwent its transformation to accommodate the colossal core stage, and in that moment, I realized I was witnessing history unfold. Though I couldn\u2019t be present at the launch of Artemis I, watching it on TV was an emotional experience. To see something you\u2019ve been a part of, something you\u2019ve watched evolve from mere components to a giant spacecraft hurtling into space \u2013 it\u2019s a feeling beyond words.\u201d<\/p>\n NASA is working to land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA\u2019s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.<\/p>\n Read other I am Artemis features.<\/a><\/p>\n Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a> How do you move NASA\u2019s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket\u2019s massive 212-foot-long core stage across the country? You do it with a 300-foot-long barge. However, NASA\u2019s Pegasus barge isn\u2019t just any barge. It\u2019s a vessel with a history, and John Campbell, a logistics engineer for the agency based at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in [\u2026] Continue reading
\nLee Mohon <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"