Katie Spicer, NASA Lander Integration Lead for Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 2

According to NASA News Releases, Katie Spicer, who has been with NASA since obtaining a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the Pennsylvania State University, is set to have a significant role in history as the NASA lander integration lead for Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 lander, which is one of the commercially provided human landing systems for NASA’s Artemis program.

Spicer works within the Flight Operations Directorate at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where she is responsible for evaluating and monitoring the design and development of Blue Origin’s lander. The design of the Blue Moon lander is undergoing rapid changes as Blue Origin continues to develop a streamlined lander test article for the Artemis III rendezvous and docking mission in low Earth orbit, as well as a fully functional lander intended for a crewed lunar landing in 2028. Spicer collaborates closely with her counterparts at NASA and Blue Origin to ensure the Blue Moon lander's design can support the overall objectives of the Artemis mission.

Spicer stated that she examines everything Artemis crews will interact with, touch, or interface with in the design to confirm that the systems will operate as crews require. She elaborated that even if a design meets requirements, she investigates deeper into the specifics, such as the ease with which a crew member can grasp handles or handrails, the usability of push-button displays in microgravity, the user-friendliness of hygiene systems within the spacecraft's limited space, and the existence of proper procedures and training to guarantee the crew can use the systems safely and effectively. Evaluating these operational details from a crew's perspective constitutes a part of her job.

Spicer’s career has involved focusing on minute details within a larger context. Prior to her career at NASA, she spent several years as a full-time homemaker while raising three children, after which she earned her bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the Pennsylvania State University in State College. Her initial involvement with NASA was part-time work in the Life Sciences Laboratory, where she performed tasks such as cleaning lab equipment, washing dishes, and conducting tests for scientists. Spicer noted that she transitioned from managing her home to maintaining the historic lab where Apollo crews were quarantined upon their return from the Moon and where Moon rock samples were kept.

Subsequently, Spicer began working with science payloads on the space station, assisting with the operation of the Human Research Facility racks in the International Space Station National Laboratory and working with scientists and crew to ensure in-flight protocols and processes were completed. It was during this time that Spicer developed an interest in the fast-paced nature of real-time space operations.

In 2018, Spicer became a flight controller at NASA Johnson’s Mission Control Center. She dedicated five years to studying and training to achieve the certifications required to become an instructor and flight controller. Spicer mentioned that she did not possess an engineering degree, but she independently studied engineering principles and passed the necessary boards and certification tests.

Spicer served as an Operations and Support Officer in the space station’s flight control room, also known as the “front room” to spaceflight, for five years. She expressed feeling both humbled and honored to be part of the team sending astronauts back to the lunar surface when she looks at the Moon at night.

NASA plans to send Artemis astronauts on increasingly challenging missions near the lunar South Pole as part of a period described as a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, aiming to explore more of the Moon than ever before. In addition to providing economic benefits and advancing scientific discovery through its Moon missions, NASA intends to establish a lasting human presence on the lunar surface and build upon its foundation for the first crewed mission to Mars.