![\"Casey](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/msfc-nasa-230430-casey-wolfe-i-am-artemis-4.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>While precision, perseverance, and engineering are necessary skills in building a Moon rocket, Casey Wolfe knows that one of the most important aspects for the job is teamwork.<\/p>\n
\u201cEngineering is vital, but to get this type of work done, you need to take care of the human element,\u201d said Wolfe, the assistant branch chief of the advanced manufacturing branch in the Materials and Processes Laboratory at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.<\/p>\n
Together with her team, Wolfe is developing and producing the next generation payload adapter for NASA\u2019s SLS (Space Launch System) super-heavy lift rocket. The adapter is made with some of the world\u2019s most advanced composite manufacturing techniques.<\/p>\n
Wolfe\u2019s work integrates the technical day-to-day operations and personnel management of the composites manufacturing team and additive manufacturing team, balancing production of SLS hardware with the creation of new engines using the latest manufacturing technologies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of my day to day is in managing our two teams, making connections, building relationships, and making sure people feel supported,\u201d Wolfe explains. \u201cI conduct individual tag ups with each team member so we can be proactive about anticipating and addressing problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wolfe grew up in Huntsville, a place known as the \u201cRocket City,\u201d but it wasn\u2019t until she visited a job fair while studying at Auburn University for a polymer and fiber engineering degree that she began to consider a career at NASA Marshall. Wolfe applied for and was selected to be a NASA intern through the Pathways Program<\/a>, working in the non-metallic materials branch of the Materials and Processes Laboratory.<\/p>\n Wolfe supported a coating system for electrostatic discharge on the first uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft. Launching December 5, 2014, Orion traveled to an altitude of 3,600 miles, orbited Earth twice, and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. It was during her internship that Wolfe realized how inspirational it felt to be treated like a vital part of a team:<\/p>\n \u201cThe SLS program gave everyone permission to sign the hardware, even me \u2013 even though I was just an intern,\u201d says Wolfe. \u201cIt was impactful to me, knowing that something I had worked on had my name on it and went to space.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Since being hired by NASA, Wolfe\u2019s work has supported development of the Orion stage adapter diaphragms for Artemis II and Artemis III, and the payload adapters for Artemis IV and beyond. The first three Artemis flights use the SLS Block 1 rocket variant, which can send more than 27 metric tons (59,500 pounds) to the Moon in a single launch.\u00a0Beginning with Artemis IV, the\u00a0SLS Block 1B<\/a> variant will use the new, more powerful exploration upper stage to enable more ambitious missions to deep space, with the cone-shaped payload adapter situated atop the rocket\u2019s exploration upper stage. The new variant will be capable of launching more than 38 metric tons (84,000 pounds) to the Moon in a single launch.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the engineering development unit of the payload adapter is undergoing large-scale testing, our team is working on the production of the qualification article, which will also be tested,\u201d Wolfe says. \u201cFlight components should be starting fabrication in the next six months.\u201d<\/p>\n When Wolfe isn\u2019t working, she enjoys hiking, gardening, and hanging out with her dogs and large family. Recently, she signed another piece of SLS hardware headed to space: the Orion stage adapter for the second Artemis mission.<\/p>\n With as many responsibilities as Wolfe juggles, it\u2019s easy to lose sight of her work\u2019s impact. \u201cI work in the lab around the hardware all the time, and in many ways, it can become very rote,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n But Wolfe won\u2019t forget what she saw one evening when she worked late: \u201cEverybody was gone, and as I walked past the launch vehicle stage adapter, there were two security guards taking pictures of each other in front of it. It was one of those things that made me step back and reflect on what my team accomplishes every day: making history happen.\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 Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a> While precision, perseverance, and engineering are necessary skills in building a Moon rocket, Casey Wolfe knows that one of the most important aspects for the job is teamwork. \u201cEngineering is vital, but to get this type of work done, you need to take care of the human element,\u201d said Wolfe, the assistant branch chief of [\u2026] Continue reading
\nLee Mohon <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"