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Debbie Korth Named NASA’s 2025 Engineer of the Year
The National Society of Professional Engineers has honored Debbie Korth, Orion deputy program manager at the Johnson Space Center, as NASA’s Engineer of the Year for 2025. This recognition was presented to her during a ceremony held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on February 21, where she was celebrated alongside other outstanding engineers from 17 federal agencies. The annual awards program highlights the significant contributions made by federal engineers and underscores their dedication to public service.
Korth expressed her surprise at receiving the award, stating, “At NASA, there are so many brilliant, talented engineers who I get to work with every day who are so specialized and know so much about a certain area. It was very surprising, but very appreciated.”
With a career spanning over 30 years at NASA, Korth has played a vital role in human spaceflight development, integration, and operations for various programs, including the Space Shuttle, International Space Station (ISS), and the Orion Program. Her early career involved planning for extravehicular activities and mission operations, in addition to managing spaceflight hardware for shuttle missions and ISS crews. One remarkable experience for Korth was her work on the Crew Health Care System during the initial phases of space station development.
During her time working in Russia, Korth collaborated with international partners to successfully integrate critical equipment, such as a treadmill, cycle ergometer, and a blood pressure monitor, into the ISS. She reflected on the fulfillment of this achievement, noting, “When we finally got that all delivered and integrated, it was a huge step because we had to have all of that on board before we could put crew members on the station for the first time. I remember feeling a huge sense of accomplishment and happiness that we were able to work through this international partnership and forge those relationships to get that hardware integrated.”
In 2008, Korth shifted her focus to the Orion Program, taking on various leadership positions. Currently, she supports the program manager in the design, development, testing, verification, and certification processes for Orion, which is NASA’s next-generation human-rated spacecraft intended for the Artemis missions. Korth described the first flight test of Orion around the Moon during the Artemis I mission as a remarkable experience, showcasing the efforts of the Orion team.
“It was a long mission and every day we were learning more and more about the spacecraft and pushing boundaries,” Korth stated. “We really wrung out some of the core systems – systems that were developed individually, and for the first time, we got to see them work together.”
One aspect of engineering that Korth finds particularly rewarding is the dynamics of systems engineering, which involves understanding how different systems interact. “In systems engineering, you really look at how changes to and the performance of one system affect everything else,” she explained. “I like looking across the entire spacecraft and saying, if I have to strengthen this structure to take some additional landing loads, that’s going to add mass to the vehicle, which means I have to look at my parachutes and the thermal protection system to make sure they can handle that increased load.”
Looking ahead, the Orion team is preparing for two significant milestones in 2025: the delivery of the Artemis II Orion spacecraft to the Exploration Ground Systems team, and the integration of Orion with the Space Launch System rocket, which is currently being assembled. These milestones are crucial for the upcoming crewed mission, aimed at establishing a sustained presence on the Moon for scientific exploration, with a launch date targeted for no earlier than April 2026.
“It’s going to be a big year,” Korth remarked, reflecting on the exciting developments on the horizon.
Source
www.nasa.gov