Artemis II, the successful crewed flyby of the moon in NASA’s Orion spacecraft in early April, captured plenty of attention around the world — and in Northwest Philadelphia.

Family and friends of Arianna Haven, a Germantown native and a mission systems engineer for NASA, watched the reentry of Orion on April 10 with a special interest. Haven was on one of the seven aircraft capturing data on the space capsule as it landed in the Pacific Ocean, playing a pivotal role in the mission.

Haven’s role at NASA

Haven grew up in Germantown and attended Science Leadership Academy in Center City before going to George Washington University in Washington, D.C. In college, she received an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering with a focus on the design of mechanical systems.

Haven’s education paid off in a gig at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. She is a member of the Scientifically Calibrated In-Flight Imagery (SCIFLI) team, which collects real-time visual, infrared, and spectral data on vehicles while they’re in flight.

“Usually we’re looking at a launch or reentry of a space vehicle, and then we’re imaging it from either ground-based stations or airborne platforms,” Haven explained. “When we collect the data that we’re imaging of launch or reentry, this data is going to provide really important engineering input for researchers.”

As a mission systems engineer for SCIFLI, Haven said she does “a little bit of everything,” but her main roles involve determining the “air worthiness” of the imaging systems being put on the aircraft and assisting in flight planning for the planes.

Artemis II reentry

According to Haven, the preparation for Artemis II has been ongoing since Artemis I, an uncrewed moon-orbiting mission in late 2022.

“Even though we were gearing up for Artemis II over the last three or four years, the last year has been the most intensive part of it,” Haven said.

Haven was mainly involved in the reentry portion of Artemis II, when Orion landed in the Pacific Ocean southwest of San Diego. There were seven aircraft imaging different “key events” along the reentry trajectory, from the moment the capsule became visible as it entered Earth’s atmosphere (entry interface) to the moment it splashed down in the ocean.

During reentry, Haven was on one of the aircraft, Gulfstream III, along with other NASA researchers. She served as the person communicating with mission control. This included keeping eyes on the capsule during a six-minute communications blackout, when mission control cannot communicate with the capsule.

“We were one of the only ways that mission control was getting information on whether the spacecraft was ‘healthy,’ whether it was on track, on the right trajectory,” Haven said. “Each of our seven aircraft were sending down information to mission control … letting them know we have eyes on the target, everything looks nominal, and things like that.”

According to Haven, the team on the seven aircraft got all of the data they expected, which was a “real success.”

“It means the spacecraft did what we anticipated it to do and it means all the aircraft were in the right place at the right time,” Haven said. “It’s a big feat trying to orchestrate all of that. That data is… going to shape future mission design, capsule design, reduce some risk, and improve safety for future crewed space missions. All of it is really essential data that’s going to influence the rest of the Artemis missions and other missions as well, which is a really cool thing to be a part of.”

A ‘surreal’ mission

Leading up to the day of reentry, Haven said her team practiced dress rehearsals to get their routine down to muscle memory. They prepare for “off nominal” scenarios, or instances in which things could go wrong.

“We’re really well practiced, so mission day doesn’t come with that much nerves, but it does come with excitement,” Haven said. “I think there’s a lot of weight knowing that you could be imaging something that doesn’t go well, and that is the scariest part of the job. But also knowing that we’re providing critical data to keep future astronauts safe in that same capsule is really important, and it’s something that I’m very honored to be a part of and I don’t take lightly.”

Haven said being a part of such a historic mission has been “surreal.” She enjoyed getting to collaborate with other agencies, such as the Navy, the Air Force, and the Missile Defense Agency. Plus, the waves this mission has made globally have been “a real treat” for Haven.

“It’s been really cool to see how many people are excited about the mission, something that I nerd out about all the time,” Haven joked.

Artemis II marked the first time a woman, a person of color, and a non-American orbited the moon, and Haven said she hopes future Artemis missions continue to improve on that diversity. As a woman working for NASA, Haven is aware that her role can serve as inspiration for others.

“During the Apollo missions, I wouldn’t have been able to do this,” Haven said, referring to her gender. “The whole mission has been inspiring to me, and the fact that I could be inspiring anybody is really humbling to say the least.”

Maggie Dougherty can be reached at Margaret@chestnuthilllocal.com.