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<\/a><\/figure>Jon Carabello did not begin his career journey with an eye on space, but when NASA\u2019s Artemis lunar exploration campaign came calling, he was all in.<\/p>\n
Born, raised, and college-educated in New Hampshire, Carabello has spent his entire professional career at TURBOCAM \u2013 a turbomachinery development and manufacturing company \u2013 in the southeast corner of the Granite State.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a long way from the southern and western states commonly associated with U.S. human spaceflight activities.<\/p>\n
Asked about his early memories of America\u2019s space program, Carabello mentions movies like Apollo 13, and notes that Christa McAulliffe, the teacher-astronaut who died in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger accident, taught high school in New Hampshire.<\/p>\n
Little did he know that his future employer, a maker of complex machined hardware for a variety of industrial applications, has long been a component supplier to programs including the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station.<\/p>\n
There was never much question that Carabello, who started tinkering with engines and other machinery at a young age, would make a career of mechanical engineering. \u201cI like to solve problems \u2013 that\u2019s my big thing,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He learned about TURBOCAM when company representatives made a presentation to his University of New Hampshire engineering class. \u201cThat\u2019s how I figured out I knew wanted to work at TURBOCAM and work with 5-axis machining,\u201d he says. \u201cMachining amazes me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Five axis machine tools can machine metal blanks from multiple angles to create geometrically complex parts for industrial hardware. TURBOCAM produces 10 core stage main engine turbomachinery components for the RS-25 main engine on\u00a0NASA\u2019s SLS (Space Launch System)<\/a>\u00a0heavy lift exploration rocket. L3Harris Technologies is the prime contractor for the RS-25 engines.<\/p>\n It was his fascination with machining rather than the opportunity to work on rocket engines that drew Carabello to TURBOCAM, where he initially worked on machinery for the oil and gas industry, heating and air conditioning systems, and aerospace.\u00a0<\/p>\n But then one day, a supervisor asked him to take over the company\u2019s RS-25 portfolio. He remembers the conversion quite clearly.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a Thursday afternoon,\u201d he says. \u201cI was sitting in my office and my manager came in and said, \u2018we have somebody leaving and need someone to take over project management and ownership of the RS-25.\u2019 I said, \u2018yes\u2019 and he said, \u2018you have a call with the program tomorrow.\u2019 That was about five years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n It was a significant change, but Carabello knew the company needed his problem-solving skills on the RS-25 program. \u201cI know how to bring a team together to deliver a quality product. It\u2019s rewarding to know I\u2019m helping return humans to the Moon and paving the way to Mars with the Artemis campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n Self-confidence notwithstanding, Carabello admits to being a bit nervous given that NASA astronauts will be relying on his work. That point was driven home when NASA and L3Harris representatives visited TURBOCAM in the spring of 2024 for a series of presentations on Artemis. The remark that resonated with him the most was by NASA astronaut Dr. Lee Morin, who said the most important part of any human spaceflight mission is bringing astronauts safely home.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat meant a lot to me,\u201d says Carabello, whose team is responsible for all aspects of TURBOCAM\u2019S RS-25 effort, including quality control, inspection, and resource allocation. He is constantly reminding his team of what\u2019s really at stake for astronauts bound for space: \u201cWe\u2019re helping them to return home,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Read other I am Artemis features.<\/a><\/p>\n Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a> Jon Carabello did not begin his career journey with an eye on space, but when NASA\u2019s Artemis lunar exploration campaign came calling, he was all in. Born, raised, and college-educated in New Hampshire, Carabello has spent his entire professional career at TURBOCAM \u2013 a turbomachinery development and manufacturing company \u2013 in the southeast corner of [\u2026] Continue reading
\nBeth Ridgeway <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"