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By NASA
Lisa Pace knows a marathon when she sees one. An avid runner, she has participated in five marathons and more than 50 half marathons. Though she prefers to move quickly, she also knows the value of taking her time. “I solve most of my problems while running – or realize those problems aren’t worth worrying about,” she said.
She has learned to take a similar approach to her work at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Earlier in my career, I raced to get things done and felt the need to do as much as possible on my own,” she said. “Over time, I’ve learned to trust my team and pause to give others an opportunity to contribute. There are times when quick action is needed, but it is often a marathon, not a sprint.”
Official portrait of Lisa Pace.NASA/Josh Valcarcel Pace is chief of the Exploration Development Integration Division within the Exploration Architecture, Integration, and Science Directorate at Johnson. In that role, she leads a team of roughly 120 civil servants and contractors in providing mission-level system engineering and integration services that bring different architecture elements together to achieve the agency’s goals. Today that team supports Artemis missions, NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative and other areas as needed.
Lisa Pace, seated at the head of the table, leads an Exploration Development Integration Division team meeting at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA/James Blair “The Artemis missions come together through multiple programs and projects,” Pace explained. “We stitch them together to ensure the end-to-end mission meets its intended requirements. That includes verifying those requirements before flight and ensuring agreements between programs are honored and conflicts resolved.” The division also manages mission-level review and flight readiness processes from planning through execution, up to the final certification of flight readiness.
Leading the division through the planning, launch, and landing of Artemis I was a career highlight for Pace, though she feels fortunate to have worked on many great projects during her time with NASA. “My coolest and most rewarding project involved designing and deploying an orbital debris tracking telescope on Ascension Island about 10 years ago,” she said. “The engineers, scientists, and military personnel I got to work and travel with on that beautiful island is tough to top!”
Pace says luck and great timing led her to NASA. Engineering jobs were plentiful when she graduated from Virginia Tech in 2000, and she quickly received an offer from Lockheed Martin to become a facility engineer in Johnson’s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, or ARES. “I thought working in the building where they keep the Moon rocks would be cool – and it was! Twenty-five years later, I’m still here,” Pace said.
During that time, she has learned a lot about problem-solving and team building. “I often find that when we disagree over the ‘right’ way to do something, there is no one right answer – it just depends on your perspective,” she said. “I take the time to listen to people, understand their side, and build relationships to find common ground.”
Lisa Pace, right, participates in a holiday competition hosted by her division.Image courtesy of Lisa Pace She also emphasizes the importance of getting to know your colleagues. “Relationships are everything,” she said. “They make the work so much more meaningful. I carry that lesson over to my personal life and value my time with family and friends outside of work.”
Investing time in relationships has given Pace another unexpected skill – that of matchmaker. “I’m responsible for setting up five couples who are now married, and have six kids between them,” she said, adding that she knew one couple from Johnson.
She hopes that strong relationships transfer to the Artemis Generation. “I hope to pass on a strong NASA brand and the family culture that I’ve been fortunate to have, working here for the last 25 years.”
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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
A collage of artist concepts highlighting the novel approaches proposed by the 2025 NIAC awardees for possible future missions. Through the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, NASA nurtures visionary yet credible concepts that could one day “change the possible” in aerospace, while engaging America’s innovators and entrepreneurs as partners in the journey.
These concepts span various disciplines and aim to advance capabilities such as finding resources on distant planets, making space travel safer and more efficient, and even providing benefits to life here on Earth. The NIAC portfolio of studies also includes several solutions and technologies that could help NASA achieve a future human presence on Mars. One concept at a time, NIAC is taking technology concepts from science fiction to reality.
Breathing beyond Earth
Astronauts have a limited supply of water and oxygen in space, which makes producing and maintaining these resources extremely valuable. One NIAC study investigates a system to separate oxygen and hydrogen gas bubbles in microgravity from water, without touching the water directly. Researchers found the concept can handle power changes, requires less clean water, works in a wide range of temperatures, and is more resistant to bacteria than existing oxygen generation systems for short-term crewed missions. These new developments could make it a great fit for a long trip to Mars.
Newly selected for another phase of study, the team wants to understand how the system will perform over long periods in space and consider ways to simplify the system’s build. They plan to test a large version of the system in microgravity in hopes of proving how it may be a game changer for future missions.
Detoxifying water on Mars
Unlike water on Earth, Mars’ water is contaminated with toxic chemical compounds such as perchlorates and chlorates. These contaminants threaten human health even at tiny concentrations and can easily corrode hardware and equipment. Finding a way to remove contaminates from water will benefit future human explorers and prepare them to live on Mars long term.
Researchers are creating a regenerative perchlorate reduction system that uses perchlorate reduction pathways from naturally occurring bacteria. Perchlorate is a compound comprised of oxygen and chlorine that is typically used for rocket propellant. These perchlorate reduction pathways can be engineered into a type of bacterium that is known for its remarkable resilience, even in the harsh conditions of space. The system would use these enzymes to cause the biochemical reduction of chlorate and perchlorate to chloride and oxygen, eliminating these toxic molecules from the water. With the technology to detoxify water on Mars, humans could thrive on the Red Planet with an abundant water supply.
Tackling deep space radiation exposure
Mitochondria are the small structures within cells often called the “powerhouse,” but what if they could also power human health in space? Chronic radiation exposure is among the many threats to long-term human stays in space, including time spent traveling to and from Mars. One NIAC study explores transplanting new, undamaged mitochondria to radiation-damaged cells and investigates cell responses to relevant radiation levels to simulate deep-space travel. Researchers propose using in vitro human cell models – complex 3D structures grown in a lab to mimic aspects of organs – to demonstrate how targeted mitochondria replacement therapy could regenerate cellular function after acute and long-term radiation exposure.
While still in early stages, the research could help significantly reduce radiation risks for crewed missions to Mars and beyond. Here on Earth, the technology could also help treat a wide variety of age-related degenerative diseases associated with mitochondrial dysfunction.
Suiting up for Mars
Mars is no “walk in the park,” which is why specialized spacesuits are essential for future missions. Engineers propose using a digital template to generate custom, cost-effective, high-performance spacesuits. This spacesuit concept uses something called digital thread technology to protect crewmembers from the extreme Martian environment, while providing the mobility to perform daily Mars exploration endeavors, including scientific excursions.
This now completed NIAC study focused on mapping key spacesuit components and current manufacturing technologies to digital components, identifying technology gaps, benchmarking required capabilities, and developing a conceptional digital thread model for future spacesuit development and operational support. This research could help astronauts suit up for Mars and beyond in a way like never before.
Redefining what’s possible
From studying Mars to researching black holes and monitoring the atmosphere of Venus, NIAC concepts help us push the boundaries of exploration. By collaborating with innovators and entrepreneurs, NASA advances concepts for future and current missions while energizing the space economy.
If you have a visionary idea to share, you can apply to NIAC’s 2026 Phase I solicitation now until July 15.
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Last Updated Jun 23, 2025 EditorLoura Hall Related Terms
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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:06:07 Space is huge and essential to humankind, fuelling knowledge, supporting our economies and driving global prosperity. None of this would be possible without reliable access to space.
Since 1979, Europe has relied on the Ariane rockets and Vega series to launch its missions. Today, with Ariane 6 and Vega-C, ESA ensures Europe's autonomous and independent access to space. But we are also looking ahead. With the Ariane Smart Transfer and Release In-orbit Ship (ASTRIS), Phoebus, P160C boosters, the MR-10 engine and more, ESA is enhancing its rockets with new innovations that improve cost, performance, capability and sustainability.
ESA is also leading the way in developing new propulsion systems to power the European launchers of the future. In collaboration with industry, ESA is supporting the development of new technologies to be used on rocket, boosters, upper stages, landers and spacecraft.
Initiaves like Boosters for European Space Transportation (BEST!), Technologies for High-thrust Re-Usable Space Transportation (THRUST!) and Future Innovation and Research in Space Transporation programme (FIRST!), are advancing key technologies for reusable boosters, engines and other innovations crucial for the future of space exploration. ESA's Space Rider is a reusable spacecraft and robotic laboratory, designed to stay in low Earth-orbit for two months and return payloads to Earth. Themis is a prototype for testing reusable rocket technologies, including vertical takeoff, landing and reuse, powered by the Prometheus engine.
The future of space transport extends beyond Earth launches, with in-orbit operations, transportation systems to support satellite servicing, orbital refuelling, and payload transfers between orbits.
To support all of this, ESA is upgrading its ground support and Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, to accommodate more launches.
Through programmes like ‘Boost!’ ESA is empowering the European Space Industry, supporting innovative companies which are creating new launch services. The European Launcher Challenge is shaping a competitive European launch sector for the future, strengthening Europe's autonomous access to space.
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By NASA
5 Min Read Heather Cowardin Safeguards the Future of Space Exploration
As branch chief of the Hypervelocity Impact and Orbital Debris Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Dr. Heather Cowardin leads a team tasked with a critical mission: characterizing and mitigating orbital debris—space junk that poses a growing risk to satellites, spacecraft, and human spaceflight.
Long before Cowardin was a scientist safeguarding NASA’s mission, she was a young girl near Johnson dreaming of becoming an astronaut.
“I remember driving down Space Center Boulevard with my mom and seeing people running on the trails,” she said. “I told her, ‘That will be me one day—I promise!’ And she always said, ‘I know, honey—I know you will.’”
Official portrait of Heather Cowardin. NASA/James Blai I was committed to working at NASA—no matter what it took.
Heather Cowardin
Hypervelocity Impact and Orbital Debris Branch Chief
Today, that childhood vision has evolved into a leadership role at the heart of NASA’s orbital debris research. Cowardin oversees an interdisciplinary team within the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, or ARES. She supports measurements, modeling, risk assessments, and mitigation strategies to ensure the efficiency of space operations.
With more than two decades of experience, Cowardin brings expertise and unwavering dedication to one of the agency’s most vital safety initiatives.
Her work focuses on characterizing Earth-orbiting objects using optical and near-infrared telescopic and laboratory data. She helped establish and lead the Optical Measurement Center, a specialized facility at Johnson that replicates space-like lighting conditions and telescope orientations to identify debris materials and shapes, and evaluate potential risk.
Cowardin supports a range of research efforts, from ground-based and in-situ, or in position, observations to space-based experiments. She has contributed to more than 100 scientific publications and presentations and serves as co-lead on Materials International Space Station Experiment missions, which test the durability of materials on the exterior of the orbiting laboratory.
She is also an active member of the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee, an international forum with the goal of minimizing and mitigating the risks posed by space debris.
Heather Cowardin, left, holds a spectrometer optical feed as she prepares to take a spectral measurement acquisition on the returned Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 radiator. It was inspected by the Orbital Debris Program Office team for micrometeoroid and orbital debris impacts at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, in 2009, and later studied for space weathering effects on its painted surface. Her passion was fueled further by a mentor, Dr. James R. Benbrook, a University of Houston space physics professor and radar scientist supporting the Orbital Debris Program Office. “He was a hard-core Texas cowboy and a brilliant physicist,” she said. “He brought me on as a NASA fellow to study orbital debris using optical imaging. After that, I was committed to working at NASA—no matter what it took.”
After completing her fellowship, Cowardin began graduate studies at the University of Houston while working full time. Within a year, she accepted a contract position at Johnson, where she helped develop the Optical Measurement Center and supported optical analyses of geosynchronous orbital debris. She soon advanced to optical lead, later serving as a contract project manager and section manager.
Heather Cowardin inspects targets to study the shapes of orbital debris using the Optical Measurement Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. What we do at NASA takes new thinking, new skills, and hard work—but I believe the next generation will raise the bar and lead us beyond low Earth orbit.
Heather Cowardin
Hypervelocity Impact and Orbital Debris Branch Chief
Building on her growing expertise, Cowardin became the laboratory and in-situ measurements lead for the Orbital Debris Program Office, a program within the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA Headquarters. She led efforts to characterize debris and deliver direct measurement data to support orbital debris engineering models, such as NASA’s Orbital Debris Engineering Model and NASA’s Standard Satellite Breakup Model, while also overseeing major projects like DebriSat.
Cowardin was selected as the Orbital Debris and Hypervelocity Integration portfolio scientist, where she facilitated collaboration within the Hypervelocity Impact and Orbital Debris Office—both internally and externally with stakeholders and customers. These efforts laid the foundation for her current role as branch chief.
“I’ve really enjoyed reflecting on the path I’ve traveled and looking forward to the challenges and successes that lie ahead with this great team,” she said.
One of Cowardin’s proudest accomplishments was earning her doctorate while working full time and in her final trimester of pregnancy.
“Nothing speaks to multitasking and time management like that achievement,” Cowardin said. “I use that story to mentor others—it’s proof that you can do both. Now I’m a mom of two boys who inspire me every day. They are my motivation to work harder and show them that dedication and perseverance always pay off.”
From left to right: Heather Cowardin, her youngest child Jamie, her husband Grady, and her oldest child Trystan. The family celebrates Jamie’s achievement of earning a black belt. Throughout her career, Cowardin said one lesson has remained constant: never underestimate yourself.
“It’s easy to think, ‘I’m not ready,’ or ‘Someone else will ask the question,’” she said. “But speak up. Every role I’ve taken on felt like a leap, but I embraced it and each time I’ve learned and grown.”
She has also learned the value of self-awareness. “It’s scary to ask for feedback, but it’s the best way to identify growth opportunities,” she said. “The next generation will build on today’s work. That’s why we must capture lessons learned and share them. It’s vital to safe and successful operations.”
Heather Cowardin, fifth from left, stands with fellow NASA delegates at the 2024 Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee meeting hosted by the Indian Space Research Organisation in Bengaluru, India. The U.S. delegation included representatives from NASA, the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission. To the Artemis Generation, she hopes to pass on a sense of purpose.
“Commitment to a mission leads to success,” she said. “Even if your contributions aren’t immediately visible, they matter. What we do at NASA takes new thinking, new skills, and hard work—but I believe the next generation will raise the bar and lead us beyond low Earth orbit.”
When she is not watching over orbital debris, she is lacing up her running shoes.
“I’ve completed five half-marathons and I’m training for the 2026 Rock ‘n’ Roll half-marathon in Nashville,” she said. “Running helps me decompress—and yes, I often role-play technical briefings or prep conference talks while I’m out on a jog. Makes for interesting moments when I pass people in the neighborhood!”
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Sumer Loggins
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Last Updated Jun 18, 2025 LocationJohnson Space Center Related Terms
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5 min read Johnson’s Jason Foster Recognized for New Technology Reporting Record
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By NASA
Heading into a recent staff meeting for Johnson Space Center’s Business Development & Technology Integration Office, Jason Foster anticipated a typical agenda of team updates and discussion. He did not expect an announcement that he had been named a 2025 Rookie of the Year – Honorable Mention through the Federal Laboratory Consortium’s annual awards program.
Foster was one of only three technology transfer professionals across the federal government to be recognized in the Rookie of the Year category, which is open to early-career individuals with less than three years of experience. “It was definitely a surprise,” he said. “It was quite an honor, because it’s not only representing Johnson Space Center but also NASA.”
Jason Foster recognized at the Federal Laboratory Consortium Award Ceremony as a Rookie of the Year – Honorable Mention.Image courtesy of Jason Foster Foster is a licensing specialist and New Technology Report (NTR) specialist within Johnson’s Technology Transfer Office in Houston. That team works to ensure that innovations developed for aeronautics and space exploration are made broadly available to the public, maximizing their benefit to the nation. Foster’s role involves both capturing new technologies developed at Johnson and marketing and licensing those technologies to companies that would like to use and further develop them.
He describes much of his work as “technology hunting” – reaching out to branches, offices, and teams across Johnson to teach them about the Technology Transfer Office, NTRs, and the value of technology reporting for NASA and the public. “NTRs are the foundation that allows our office to do our job,” he said. “We need to know about a technology in order to transfer it.”
Jason Foster (left) visited NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico, with his colleague Edgar Castillo as part of the Technology Transfer Office’s work to capture new technology and innovations developed at Johnson and affiliated facilities. Image courtesy of Jason Foster Foster’s efforts to streamline and strengthen the reporting and patenting of Johnson’s innovations led to his recognition by the consortium. His proactive outreach and relationship-building improved customer service and contributed to 158 NTRs in fiscal year 2024 – the highest number of NTRs disclosed by federal employees at any NASA center. Foster also proposed a three-month NTR sprint, during which he led a team of seven in an intensive exercise to identify and report new technologies. This initiative not only cleared a backlog of leads for the office, but also resulted in more than 120 previously undisclosed NTRs. “We are still using that process now as we continue processing NTRs,” Foster said. On top of those achievements, he helped secure the highest recorded number of license agreements with commercial entities in the center’s history, with 41 licenses executed in fiscal year 2024.
“I am very proud of my accomplishments, none of it would be possible without the open-mindedness and continuous support of my incredible team,” Foster said. “They have always provided a space to grow, and actively welcome innovation in our processes and workflows.”
Jason Foster educated Johnson employees about the Technology Transfer Office and the importance of submitting New Technology Reports during the center’s annual Innovation Showcase.Image courtesy of Jason Foster A self-described “space nerd,” Foster said he always envisioned working at NASA, but not until much later in his career – ideally as an astronaut. He initially planned to pursue an astrophysics degree but discovered a passion for engineering and fused that with his love of space by studying aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering instead. In his last semester of college at California Polytechnic State University of San Luis Obispo, he landed a Universities Space Research Association internship at Johnson, supporting flight software development for crew exercise systems on the International Space Station and future exploration missions. “I got really involved in the Johnson Space Center team and the work, and I thought, what if I joined NASA now?”
He was hired as a licensing specialist on the Technology Transfer team under the JETS II Contract as an Amentum employee shortly after graduating and continually seeks new opportunities to expand his role and skillsets. “The more I can learn about anything NASA’s doing is incredible,” he said. “I found myself in this perfect position where literally my job is to learn everything there is to learn.”
Jason Foster holding up Aerogel during his visit to the Hypervelocity Impact Testing Laboratory at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The visit was part of the Technology Transfer Office’s work to capture new technology and innovations developed at Johnson and affiliated facilities. Image courtesy of Jason Foster Foster celebrates three years with NASA this July. In his time at the agency, he has learned the value of getting to know and understand your colleagues’ needs in order to help them. Before he meets with someone, he takes time to learn about the organization or team they are a part of, the work they are involved in, and what they might discuss. It is also important to determine how each person prefers to communicate and collaborate. “Doing your homework pays dividends,” Foster said. He has found that being as prepared as possible opens doors to more opportunities, and it helps to save valuable time for busy team members.
Jason Foster practices fire spinning on a California beach. Image courtesy of Jason Foster When he is not technology hunting, you might find Foster practicing the art of fire spinning. He picked up the hobby in college, joining a club that met at local beaches to practice spinning and capturing different geometric patterns through long exposure photos. “It was kind of a strange thing to get into, but it was really fun,” he said. His love of learning drives his interest in other activities as well. Gardening is a relatively new hobby inspired by a realization that he had never grown anything before.
“It’s a genuine joy, I think, coming across something with curiosity and wanting to learn from it,” he said. “I think it especially helps in my job, where your curiosity switch has to be on at least 90% of the time.”
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