For some folks, a ardour for house is one thing which may develop over time, however for Patrick Junen, the need was there from the start. With a father and grandfather who each labored for NASA, house exploration isn’t just a dream; it stays a household legacy.
Now, because the stage meeting and buildings subsystem supervisor at NASA’s Marshall House Flight Middle in Huntsville, Alabama, for the BOLE (Booster Obsolescence Life Extension) Program — a sophisticated stable rocket booster for NASA’s SLS (House Launch System) heavy carry rocket — Junen is constant that legacy.
“My grandfather labored on the Apollo & House Shuttle Applications. Then my dad went on to work for the House Shuttle and SLS Applications,” Junen says. “I assume you would say engineering is in my blood.”
In his function, he’s liable for managing the Design, Growth, Check, & Analysis crew for all unpressurized structural components, such because the ahead skirt, aft skirt, and the mixing {hardware} that connects the boosters to the core stage. He additionally collaborates intently with NASA’s Exploration Floor Programs at Kennedy House Middle in Florida to coordinate any mandatory modifications to floor amenities or the cell launcher to help the brand new boosters.
Junen enjoys the technical challenges of his function and mentioned he feels lucky to be able of management — however it takes a crew of proficient people to construct the following era of boosters. As a former offensive lineman for the College of Mississippi, he is aware of firsthand the ability of teamwork and the significance of efficient communication in guiding a coordinated effort.
“I’ve at all times been drawn to crew actions, and exploration is the last word crew endeavor,” Junen says. “On the soccer discipline, it takes a powerful crew to achieve success — and it’s actually no totally different from what we’re doing as a crew at NASA with our Northrop Grumman counterparts for the SLS rocket and Artemis missions.”
As a child, Junen typically accompanied his dad to House Shuttle launches and was impressed by a few of the proficient engineers that developed Shuttle. Years later, he’s nonetheless seeing a few of those self same faces — however now they’re teammates, working collectively towards a higher mission.
“Rising up round Marshall House Flight Middle in Huntsville, Alabama, there was at all times this robust sense of household and dedication to the Misson. And that has at all times resonated with me,” Junen recollects.
This philosophy of connecting household to the mission is a practice Junen now continues along with his personal kids. Considered one of his fondest NASA recollections is watching the profitable launch of Artemis I on Nov. 16, 2022. Though he couldn’t attend in individual, Junen and his household made the many of the second — watching the launch stay beneath the Saturn V rocket at Huntsville’s U.S. House & Rocket Middle. Together with his dad beside him and his daughter on his shoulders, three generations stood beneath the rocket Junen’s grandfather helped construct, as a brand new period of house exploration started.
In June, Junen witnessed the BOLE Demonstration Motor-1 carry out a full-scale static check to exhibit the ballistic efficiency for the advanced booster motor. This check isn’t only a technical milestone for Junen — it’s a continuation of a lifelong journey rooted in household and teamwork.
As NASA explores the Moon and prepares for the journey to Mars by way of Artemis, Junen helps form the following chapter of human spaceflight. And identical to the generations earlier than him, he’s not solely constructing rockets — he’s constructing a legacy.
Jonathan Deal
Marshall House Flight Middle, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034
jonathan.e.deal@nasa.gov