Tessa Keating is a public affairs specialist in the Office of Communications at NASA\u2019s Stennis Space Center. Keating plans onsite logistics, serves as a protocol officer, and coordinates the Space Flight Awareness Program for NASA Stennis and the NASA Shared Services Center.<\/div>\n
NASA\/Danny Nowlin<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Every task at NASA\u2019s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, is not simply work for Tessa Keating \u2013 it is a meaningful step toward a part of something great.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been a dream career. I count it an honor to share the NASA story and humbled to know our team witnesses a part of history,\u201d said Keating, a NASA public affairs specialist in the NASA Stennis Office of Communications. \u201cEvery day is an opportunity to contribute to the NASA legacy that will last beyond today. \u201c<\/p>\n
Keating plans onsite logistics, serves as a protocol officer, and coordinates the Space Flight Awareness Program for NASA Stennis and the NASA Shared Services Center. In fact, she organized much of the recent Space Flight Awareness Silver Snoopy Award ceremony at NASA Stennis in August, except for one part. As the ceremony finished, NASA Stennis Director John Bailey said one more award was to be given.<\/p>\n
No one was more surprised than the logistics coordinator herself when Keating\u2019s family joined her on stage. The 21-year NASA Stennis employee was honored for her outstanding contributions in sharing the NASA story of exploring the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all with a diverse audience and for equipping everyone with a broader knowledge and appreciation of the center\u2019s vital role within NASA.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not sure I will ever be able to top that in my NASA career,\u201d Keating said.<\/p>\n
It became a full-circle moment that she described as a great honor. The Silver Snoopy is the astronauts\u2019 personal award and is presented to less than 1 percent of the total NASA workforce. Reid Wiseman, a NASA astronaut and commander for the upcoming Artemis II mission around the Moon, presented the award to Keating, along with a lapel pin flown aboard NASA\u2019s Artemis I mission.<\/p>\n
As NASA returns to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for the Artemis Generation, Keating says it will be extra-special watching Wiseman and the Artemis II crew lay the groundwork for future milestones.<\/p>\n
Keating helped lay the groundwork ahead of the successful Artemis I mission. She served as lead logistics for onsite guest operations in 2021 when NASA conducted the most powerful propulsion test in more than 40 years at NASA Stennis. A full-duration hot fire of the first SLS (Space Launch System) core stage and its four RS-25 engines culminated a year-long series of integrated tests. Keating coordinated the viewing of the hot fire for some 200 agency leaders and guests, despite restricted settings due to COVID-19. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was truly a highlight. I had grown up hearing my parents and grandparents talk about engines that were tested during the Apollo era, and I had never experienced something of that magnitude,\u201d Keating said. \u201cI was able to live it, feel it, and watch the next part of NASA history onsite.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Keating, the groundwork for a NASA career came following graduation with a bachelor\u2019s degree in Journalism from William Carey University and a master\u2019s degree in Communications from The University of Southern Mississippi, both schools in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Having grown up in Pearl River County, Mississippi, for most of her life, she knew about NASA Stennis. However, she did not think she could ever work at the center because her strengths were in areas beyond math and science.<\/p>\n
Following some additional exploration and conversations with influential people in her life, Keating discovered she, in fact, could be a part of something great at NASA Stennis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe possibilities are endless at NASA when you allow yourself to put your best foot forward and research the many opportunities that are available. There is always room for various types of studies,\u201d Keating said. \u201cI credit where I am in my career to God and to the people who have helped to guide my path. I will be forever grateful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Tessa](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/tessa-keating-e1730298764683.jpg\")
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