I Am Artemis: Doug Parkinson

Doug Parkinson’s face lights up as he starts telling his story, how someone from Wisconsin now plays a part in the team that will help land the first Artemis astronauts on to the Moon.

Parkinson serves as NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket lead for Launch Integration and Mission Operations, guiding engineers responsible for monitoring the rocket during testing, pre-launch, and launch activities.

Following his father’s footsteps, Parkinson became a mechanical engineer, studying at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He had planned on working in computer technologies or on cars in his future. Then the opportunity appeared to work with higher-powered engines.

“I came across an opportunity to work at the Propulsion Research Center at the university. I studied new propulsion technologies. That intrigued me because, as an undergrad, it was a chance to put into practical use what I was learning in the books and in theory,” said Parkinson. “It ended up being a lot of fun and very educational. It was in cutting edge technologies that really inspired me.”

Joining NASA at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in 1999, he began helping develop advanced liquid rocket engines, including the Fastrac and J-2X engines. The J-2X was an advanced development of the upper stage engine used on the Saturn V.

“In 2012, I moved to SLS. One of the things I learned in the propulsion area with all the engine testing was test operations. That translated well into my new role as operations lead for the stages element,” said Parkinson.

Now, he also serves as one of the SLS Engineering Support Center managers, helping oversee and train the SLS Engineering Support Team responsible for monitoring the rocket’s systems. The team operates at NASA Marshall and is critical to verifying the rocket is performing well.

Parkinson is the first person to hold the Launch Integration and Mission Operations leadership position in the SLS Program.

“I love all aspects of the operations. I like getting my hands dirty. I like seeing the erector set go together,” said Parkinson.

When the Artemis II astronauts fly by the Moon, soaring within just a few thousand miles of the lunar surface, they will do so having been launched on a rocket Parkinson helped develop.

I have goosebumps just thinking about it,” he said. “I’ll be on console for part of that time, listening to what they have to say. It’s amazing to think we’re going to go do that.

Launch Integration and Mission Operations Lead for the SLS (Space Launch System) Program

“I have goosebumps just thinking about it,” he said. “I’ll be on console for part of that time, listening to what they have to say. It’s amazing to think we’re going to go do that.”

The SLS rocket will launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft to carry four astronauts around the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to lay the groundwork for the first human mission to Mars.