NASA Artemis Orion Crew Spacecraft Manager Sarah D'Souza Awarded F-18 Flight
Sarah D’Souza, deputy systems manager for the Orion Thermal Protection System, stands in front of an F/A-18 aircraft at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, ahead of her flight through NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman’s ride-along program.
Sarah D’Souza, deputy systems manager for the Orion Thermal Protection System, gives a thumbs up during her ride aboard an F/A-18 aircraft from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Piloted by Jim “Clue” Less, the flight was rewarded to D’Souza to spotlight her exceptional contributions to NASA under Administrator Jared Isaacman’s ride-along program.
Sarah D’Souza, deputy systems manager for the Orion Thermal Protection System, rides aboard an F/A-18 aircraft from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Piloted by Jim “Clue” Less, the flight was rewarded to D’Souza to spotlight her exceptional contributions to NASA under Administrator Jared Isaacman’s ride-along program.
Sarah D’Souza, deputy systems manager for the Orion Thermal Protection System, rides aboard an F/A-18 aircraft from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Piloted by Jim “Clue” Less, the flight was rewarded to D’Souza to spotlight her exceptional contributions to NASA under Administrator Jared Isaacman’s ride-along program.
An F/A-18 aircraft soars through the sky from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. Aboard is Sarah D’Souza, deputy systems manager for the Orion Thermal Protection System, piloted by Jim “Clue” Less, offering a firsthand look at the aircraft and flight operations that help advance NASA’s aeronautics research.
NASA's Artemis Lunar Exploration Program Sarah D’Souza, deputy systems manager for the Orion Thermal Protection System at NASA's Ames Research Center, earned a flight on NASA F/A-18 aircraft at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, through NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman’s ride-along program. The program recognizes and rewards workforce members for their dedication to advancing the agency’s priorities.
NASA's Artemis II Mission took Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a nearly 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth.
The Orion spacecraft successfully splashed down on Friday, April 10, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean following its journey around the Moon.
The first crewed test flight of NASA’s Artemis Program lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, 2026, carrying the first astronauts to travel to the Moon in more than half a century.
The crew completed a record-setting lunar flyby, taking them 252,756 miles at their farthest distance from Earth and 4,067 miles above the lunar surface at their closest approach.
Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.
Artemis III will launch astronauts into Earth orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS in 2027 to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and other commercial spacecraft that are needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028.
Image Credit: NASA/Jim Ross
Date: May 13, 2026
#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #FA18Aircraft #NASAEmployees #NASAAmes #SarahDSouza #AerospaceEngineers #Astronauts #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #CSA #Canada #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAArmstrong #AFRC #Edwards #California #UnitedStates #STEM #Education
