Stefania Moehring, ULA’s Commercial Crew Program integration lead, received NASA’s prestigious Silver Snoopy Award for outstanding work and dedication to the human spaceflight program. Four-time Space Shuttle NASA astronaut Richard Linnehan presented the award. ULA’s Atlas V rocket will launch astronauts to the International Space Station atop Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft beginning in 2018, bringing human spaceflight back to U.S. soil as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
“Congratulations, Stefania! As ULA’s first Silver Snoopy recipient, Stefania is absolutely focused on crew safety in every aspect of her position,” said Gary Wentz, vice president of Human & Commercial Services. “The Silver Snoopy Award is given to candidates who have significantly contributed to the human space flight program to ensure flight safety and mission success, and we are excited NASA has chosen Stefania for this award.”
An astronaut always presents the Silver Snoopy because it is the astronauts’ own award for outstanding performance, contributing to flight safety and mission success. Fewer than 1 percent of the aerospace program workforce receives it annually, making it a special honor to receive this award.
Moehring is a leader and key contributor for the development of safety and reliability products that will demonstrate the Atlas V launch segment meets or exceeds NASA’s human spaceflight requirements. She’s developed a structured, logical analysis methodology and products used to identify and assess risks associated with all aspects of the Atlas V launch system.
Many safety elements are built into the systems, including the Emergency Egress System (EES), which recently completed final testing EES at ULA’s Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The egress cables are situated on level 12 of the Crew Access Tower (CAT), at which astronauts will board the Starliner capsule, 172 feet above the Space Launch Complex 41 pad deck at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The EES will allow astronauts and ground crew to evacuate tower to a landing zone more than 1,340 feet from the launch vehicle. The EES is modified from a commercial zip line system originally created for recreational use.
With more than a century of combined heritage, United Launch Alliance is the nation’s most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully delivered more than 115 satellites to orbit that aid meteorologists in tracking severe weather, unlock the mysteries of our solar system, provide critical capabilities for troops in the field and enable personal device-based GPS navigation.
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