Feed aggregator
Contractor to Civil Servant: NASA Welcomes Kenny Heckle
Kenny Heckle grew up in Orlando, just west of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An 80s child, he comes from a long line of union pipefitters and fabricators.
Heckle recalls the day 42 years ago at KARS Park, which is a NASA Exchange–run recreation area for the agency’s workforce and their guests, when he attended an office party with his father. Heckle had his German Shepherd with him when a man who seemed to be enamored with the canine asked him who he was. “I’m Kenny Heckle, Wayne’s son,” he said. And the man who knew his dad well replied, “Why don’t you work for us (at NASA)?”
Two weeks later, Heckle was working at the center alongside his dad.
Heckle wasn’t a typical new employee. At 19, he already had seven years of mechanical experience, working on his father’s short-track stock cars, building and fabricating parts they needed. He later attended welding school before arriving for his first job as a contractor at NASA Kennedy’s Launch Equipment Test Facility (LETF) in 1984.
Since the 1970s, the LETF has provided NASA a place to safely assess machinery and designs to support launches through a unique set of structures, equipment, and tools to test full-scale umbilicals and release mechanisms.
Today, Heckle serves as the mechanical operations lead at NASA Kennedy’s LETF.
During the past four decades, Heckle has helped numerous NASA programs and commercial partners test their equipment ahead of launch, and in some instances, during and after liftoff. In his early years, his job was to test every umbilical on the launch pad and all the ground support equipment needed for Launch Complex 39A and B, even for Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Just two years into his career, Space Shuttle Challenger had a failure of the O-ring seals and broke apart just over a minute into its flight. Heckle remembered watching the catastrophic liftoff that morning, and hearing the broadcaster say Challenger was lost. A couple of weeks later, his team was tasked with helping to figure out what happened.
“You know, there’s always risk with spaceflight,” Heckle said. “But we got so consistent that we didn’t think something like that could happen and it hit hard. But then being able to come back and get the program going again, and being successful, that makes you proud.”
Nearly two decades later, Heckle’s team was asked to help with yet another investigation. After the Colombia accident, Heckle and his team were charged with showing how severe the damage was through their testing, and how to mitigate ice hitting a wing in the future. They spent hours shooting projectiles at thermal tiles, using ultrasonic sensors to track the data.
In recent years, Heckle has helped work on the first two Artemis missions. During the Artemis II wet dress rehearsal, there was a liquid hydrogen leak. Heckle was working long days, troubleshooting and fabricating possible solutions with Kennedy’s Prototype Lab. For Artemis I they had a similar leak, and Heckle’s team developed a process to slow fill the cryogenics and the LETF sent that information to the Artemis I launch team to implement.
During decades of problem-solving, Heckle and most of his team were contractors, having to work through the bureaucracy of working solutions across different contractors, as well as with NASA. On May 4, Heckle and 19 of his teammates applied and became NASA civil servants as part of the administrator’s workforce directive. The work done by the LETF team was deemed a critical capability to NASA’s future, and as such, the work was moved from an outside vendor to civil service, ensuring NASA is staffed and equipped to lead the most complex engineering and operational challenges directly.
The test facility ensures NASA retains the technical readiness, flexibility, and risk mitigation capabilities required for Artemis, SLS (Space Launch System), and future government and commercial missions. As the mechanical operations lead, Heckle has already noticed efficiencies with being able to get work done and securing the supplies needed now the LETF team has joined the civil servant workforce.
“If we continue to work together as a team and not have barriers, I think that will be great for the program moving forward no matter what we’re launching,” Heckle said.
Contractor to Civil Servant: NASA Welcomes Kenny Heckle
Kenny Heckle grew up in Orlando, just west of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An 80s child, he comes from a long line of union pipefitters and fabricators.
Heckle recalls the day 42 years ago at KARS Park, which is a NASA Exchange–run recreation area for the agency’s workforce and their guests, when he attended an office party with his father. Heckle had his German Shepherd with him when a man who seemed to be enamored with the canine asked him who he was. “I’m Kenny Heckle, Wayne’s son,” he said. And the man who knew his dad well replied, “Why don’t you work for us (at NASA)?”
Two weeks later, Heckle was working at the center alongside his dad.
Heckle wasn’t a typical new employee. At 19, he already had seven years of mechanical experience, working on his father’s short-track stock cars, building and fabricating parts they needed. He later attended welding school before arriving for his first job as a contractor at NASA Kennedy’s Launch Equipment Test Facility (LETF) in 1984.
Since the 1970s, the LETF has provided NASA a place to safely assess machinery and designs to support launches through a unique set of structures, equipment, and tools to test full-scale umbilicals and release mechanisms.
Today, Heckle serves as the mechanical operations lead at NASA Kennedy’s LETF.
During the past four decades, Heckle has helped numerous NASA programs and commercial partners test their equipment ahead of launch, and in some instances, during and after liftoff. In his early years, his job was to test every umbilical on the launch pad and all the ground support equipment needed for Launch Complex 39A and B, even for Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Just two years into his career, Space Shuttle Challenger had a failure of the O-ring seals and broke apart just over a minute into its flight. Heckle remembered watching the catastrophic liftoff that morning, and hearing the broadcaster say Challenger was lost. A couple of weeks later, his team was tasked with helping to figure out what happened.
“You know, there’s always risk with spaceflight,” Heckle said. “But we got so consistent that we didn’t think something like that could happen and it hit hard. But then being able to come back and get the program going again, and being successful, that makes you proud.”
Nearly two decades later, Heckle’s team was asked to help with yet another investigation. After the Colombia accident, Heckle and his team were charged with showing how severe the damage was through their testing, and how to mitigate ice hitting a wing in the future. They spent hours shooting projectiles at thermal tiles, using ultrasonic sensors to track the data.
In recent years, Heckle has helped work on the first two Artemis missions. During the Artemis II wet dress rehearsal, there was a liquid hydrogen leak. Heckle was working long days, troubleshooting and fabricating possible solutions with Kennedy’s Prototype Lab. For Artemis I they had a similar leak, and Heckle’s team developed a process to slow fill the cryogenics and the LETF sent that information to the Artemis I launch team to implement.
During decades of problem-solving, Heckle and most of his team were contractors, having to work through the bureaucracy of working solutions across different contractors, as well as with NASA. On May 4, Heckle and 19 of his teammates applied and became NASA civil servants as part of the administrator’s workforce directive. The work done by the LETF team was deemed a critical capability to NASA’s future, and as such, the work was moved from an outside vendor to civil service, ensuring NASA is staffed and equipped to lead the most complex engineering and operational challenges directly.
The test facility ensures NASA retains the technical readiness, flexibility, and risk mitigation capabilities required for Artemis, SLS (Space Launch System), and future government and commercial missions. As the mechanical operations lead, Heckle has already noticed efficiencies with being able to get work done and securing the supplies needed now the LETF team has joined the civil servant workforce.
“If we continue to work together as a team and not have barriers, I think that will be great for the program moving forward no matter what we’re launching,” Heckle said.
NASA Astronaut Andrew Morgan Retires
May 28, 2026
Former NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan waves as he is photographed during an Expedition 61 spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
After a 12-year career at NASA, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Andrew R. Morgan has retired from the agency to continue his military service. Morgan spent 272 days in space aboard the International Space Station.
NASA selected Morgan to join its 21st astronaut class in August 2013. He launched to the space station aboard a Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft on July 20, 2019, the same day as the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Morgan served as a flight engineer on International Space Station Expeditions 60, 61, and 62, contributing to hundreds of scientific experiments, technology demonstrations, and space station maintenance activities. He traveled over 115 million miles (about 185 million km) while completing more than 4,300 Earth orbits over the course of his mission.
“Drew’s leadership and commitment to human spaceflight exemplify the very best of NASA,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “From his service aboard the International Space Station to his continued passion for exploration, Drew’s impact across the agency has been profound. His steadfast dedication to the agency will continue to inspire generations to come.”
During his nine months aboard the station, Morgan conducted seven spacewalks for a total of 45 hours and 48 minutes of spacewalking time, breaking the record for a single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut. Four of his spacewalks were dedicated to repairing the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a particle physics detector designed to search for evidence of antimatter and dark matter.
“Drew approached every challenge with quiet confidence, sharp judgment, and an unwavering commitment to his team,” said Scott Tingle, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson. “Whether serving in orbit or strengthening crew readiness here on the ground, he consistently elevated the people and missions around him. His leadership and example will continue to resonate across the astronaut corps for years to come.”
Morgan’s career at NASA also included serving as the Astronaut Office’s mission support branch chief, crew operations officer, astronaut mission control team liaison for Expeditions 67 and 68, and Army detachment commander. In his final two years at NASA, Morgan served a rotational assignment back to the U.S. Army as commander of U.S. Army Garrison Kwajalein Atoll, and senior military advisor for the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Morgan was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, but considers New Castle, Pennsylvania, his hometown. At the time of his NASA astronaut selection, he was a board-certified emergency physician and had served in elite special forces units around the globe. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and the U.S. Army War College. He is currently serving as the commanding general of White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
“It has been an honor to serve in the nation’s space program,” Morgan said. “I am proud to have represented my country on an international mission that brings the best of humanity together for a shared purpose. I will miss the camaraderie of my incredible NASA teammates and their unparalleled expertise. While leaving the astronaut corps is bittersweet, I’m excited to continue serving our country as a leader in the U.S. Army.”
To learn more about how NASA explores the unknown and innovates for the benefit of humanity, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts
-end-
Anna Schneider
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
NASA Astronaut Andrew Morgan Retires
May 28, 2026
Former NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan waves as he is photographed during an Expedition 61 spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Credit: NASAAfter a 12-year career at NASA, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Andrew R. Morgan has retired from the agency to continue his military service. Morgan spent 272 days in space aboard the International Space Station.
NASA selected Morgan to join its 21st astronaut class in August 2013. He launched to the space station aboard a Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft on July 20, 2019, the same day as the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Morgan served as a flight engineer on International Space Station Expeditions 60, 61, and 62, contributing to hundreds of scientific experiments, technology demonstrations, and space station maintenance activities. He traveled over 115 million miles (about 185 million km) while completing more than 4,300 Earth orbits over the course of his mission.
“Drew’s leadership and commitment to human spaceflight exemplify the very best of NASA,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “From his service aboard the International Space Station to his continued passion for exploration, Drew’s impact across the agency has been profound. His steadfast dedication to the agency will continue to inspire generations to come.”
During his nine months aboard the station, Morgan conducted seven spacewalks for a total of 45 hours and 48 minutes of spacewalking time, breaking the record for a single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut. Four of his spacewalks were dedicated to repairing the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a particle physics detector designed to search for evidence of antimatter and dark matter.
“Drew approached every challenge with quiet confidence, sharp judgment, and an unwavering commitment to his team,” said Scott Tingle, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson. “Whether serving in orbit or strengthening crew readiness here on the ground, he consistently elevated the people and missions around him. His leadership and example will continue to resonate across the astronaut corps for years to come.”
Morgan’s career at NASA also included serving as the Astronaut Office’s mission support branch chief, crew operations officer, astronaut mission control team liaison for Expeditions 67 and 68, and Army detachment commander. In his final two years at NASA, Morgan served a rotational assignment back to the U.S. Army as commander of U.S. Army Garrison Kwajalein Atoll, and senior military advisor for the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Morgan was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, but considers New Castle, Pennsylvania, his hometown. At the time of his NASA astronaut selection, he was a board-certified emergency physician and had served in elite special forces units around the globe. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and the U.S. Army War College. He is currently serving as the commanding general of White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
“It has been an honor to serve in the nation’s space program,” Morgan said. “I am proud to have represented my country on an international mission that brings the best of humanity together for a shared purpose. I will miss the camaraderie of my incredible NASA teammates and their unparalleled expertise. While leaving the astronaut corps is bittersweet, I’m excited to continue serving our country as a leader in the U.S. Army.”
To learn more about how NASA explores the unknown and innovates for the benefit of humanity, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts
-end-
Anna Schneider
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
Going Low and Slow in Testing
Going Low and Slow in Testing
NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft flies above NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on April 28, 2026, during testing focused on lower-speed and altitude flight conditions in support of NASA’s Quesst mission.
The X-59 has completed initial test flights at high altitudes and near-supersonic speeds, opening the door for additional flights focused on its full operating range. These more recent, lower-altitude flights at lesser speeds are helping to confirm the X-plane’s performance across a wide range of conditions, including flying with the landing gear both retracted and extended.
Read more about this series of test flights.
Image credit: NASA/Jim Ross
Going Low and Slow in Testing
NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft flies above NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on April 28, 2026, during testing focused on lower-speed and altitude flight conditions in support of NASA’s Quesst mission.
The X-59 has completed initial test flights at high altitudes and near-supersonic speeds, opening the door for additional flights focused on its full operating range. These more recent, lower-altitude flights at lesser speeds are helping to confirm the X-plane’s performance across a wide range of conditions, including flying with the landing gear both retracted and extended.
Read more about this series of test flights.
Image credit: NASA/Jim Ross
Mathematical AI helps researchers crack 50-year-old problem
Mathematical AI helps researchers crack 50-year-old problem
Kamala Sohonie: The biochemist who wanted to feed a nation
Biochemist Kamala Baghvat, later known as Kamala Sohonie, forced open the doors of India’s male-only laboratories and used her knowledge to help feed a nation
Are the roots of consciousness hidden in the ancient deep brain?
Some neuroscientists argue that the roots of experience lie deep inside the brain. If they’re right, the consciousness club will get a lot bigger
Trump plan to give start-ups plutonium harvested from Cold War–era nuclear weapons is risky, experts say
Weapons-grade plutonium can fuel nuclear reactors known as mixed oxide reactors, but none of these exist in the U.S.
Start-ups are racing to revolutionise mathematics with AI
Start-ups are racing to revolutionise mathematics with AI
3D-printed lymph nodes could widen access to CAR T-cell therapy
3D-printed lymph nodes could widen access to CAR T-cell therapy
MTG-I2 embarks on journey to Europe’s Spaceport
'The book is in the future, but everything is seeded from our present'
'The book is in the future, but everything is seeded from our present'
The ‘age of gravitational astronomy’ is here
A record-setting collection of precisely measured gravitational waves reveals new information about how black holes behave and evolve