Mission - Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA Launch Director

Engineering Leadership

Charlie Blackwell-Thompson is the Launch Director for NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program. She is the first female launch director at NASA and is leading the launch for Artemis, the mission to get back to the moon. Charlie obtained her bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, and she chose a very appropriate topic…Mission.

3-Bullet Summary

• Break your mission into smaller, achievable steps.
• Sometimes you’ll have to change direction as part of your mission.
• A leader’s communication skills play an important role in every successful mission.

3 Quotes

1. “To me, mission answers the big questions of who we are, what we are about.”
2. “I knew as soon as I walked in that room that I wanted to work here, I wanted to get a seat in that room, and so I had that moment where there was no doubt for me.”
3. “There are no unimportant roles as we get ready for launch, every role is important, every job is important.”