Faces of NASAThe Faces of NASA series combines stunning portraiture with interviews of NASA's workforce."As a young college student, it was the first time I ever faced [this situation], and it buckled me. It..."I love my country. I love serving my country. I think that was ingrained in me in the military, where..."[Now that I work for Safety and Mission Assurance,] it's really cool to read everything about the different types of..."...there's a saying that says you cannot be what you can’t see. So, I’m not just doing science. I’m doing...“From my earliest childhood, flight had always captivated me. I lived out in the boonies and the farmlands, so I..."It took years but it felt like all of the sudden, I was here and everything, the entire time, was..."I would say family and part of that 'first-gen experience' [shaped me]...It shaped me to be a hard worker and..."There is just this undying sense of wonder every time I walk into this building. Not to say that there..."...now that I'm here, I would like to achieve more in terms of what NASA looks like internally, especially after..."This is why [Aubrey Gemignani] and I started Faces of NASA: We wanted to make that connection. It's not just..."On these field trips, I’m in my comfort zone wearing a flannel and winter hat, backpacking with my rock hammer..."I believe in synchronicity sometimes. The things that you do, one way or another, lead to your final destination. Some...“And we actually came in — I believe — under budget, ahead of schedule, and exceeded all expectations for our..."I found out years later that seeing me in high school and hearing my experience in college inspired her to..."And don't be intimidated or influenced by an emblem or your perception of what kind of people are behind that...“I feel that my larger purpose at NASA, which I've felt since I came on as an intern, is to..."These days, I can still take advice from people but not let it totally dictate or control the path that..."I had two kids that were three and five, and I was working full time, and I was doing the..."I say that to my team, whenever I have an opportunity. I share with my team that they are enabling..."For the girls or women in science — or in any profession or job — opportunities are more abundant than..."What you eventually realize is that your success as a leader is not really yours, it’s the team’s. You’re not...“… I've just seen such tremendous things happen since I've been part of the Astrobiology Program, and that's why I'm...“One of my cornerstone pinnacles [is], ‘Show up to work [and] life with integrity and intent.’ So, accomplish your goals...“…When I actually defended my dissertation and my family was able to attend, that's when it hit them. They were..."Everywhere I've been since I got commissioned [as an Air Force officer], my very first office in 1997, I hang..."…I love to share the messy ride. It's OK that you have bumps. It's OK if there's obstacles. You have..."I've come a long way from thinking, 'Well, I did this whole dissertation on geysers, what it would take for..."Anyone you see on the streets, their color or background doesn't matter; we all come into this world the same..."Being able to see the world from a different perspective is incredible, and getting to fly in space was the..."... it's challenge, service, and building the future. If I don't do anything else in my entire life except for..."You must have grit, resilience, courage, and strength. I'm able to really share all the wisdom and the lessons I've..."It takes a lot of courage to confront your fears and failures. Each and every time is really difficult, but...“I read [‘The Last Man on the Moon’] by Gene Cernan, and he was describing how he felt looking at..."Once the rocket launched, [I saw] how it illuminated such a dark space. So even when you're in a dark..."Everyone needs an anchor from their community to motivate and inspire them to move forward. I want to be a...“The goal is to get as many of the wrong ideas out of the way as early as possible." —...“I think the experience of putting yourself in an uncomfortable environment and coming at the other end with lessons learned..."It's amazing when I get a chance to see the space station fly over. I am very fortunate to be..."The stars aligned – I was working at Johnson Space Center in Houston about six months later. That’s how I...“They say if you live long enough, there's a good chance you'll join this community. And just remember, if that...
![“I had the privilege of being the very first project manager for [the] Near Space Network (NSN), and in my current role as deputy program manager for [the] Exploration and Space Communications Division, it is still in my portfolio. NSN is one of the [agency’s two] communication and navigation networks. When we see the volume and the variety of NASA, other agency, and commercial missions supported by the network, and the science being achieved, and the exploration being enabled — when you leave for the day, you feel accomplished that you contributed [to the] agency’s goal. You contributed toward [the] nation’s priorities, such as cislunar [exploration], and then you helped humankind by enabling the science and exploration. Without communication, every satellite in this space is a black box. So, just knowing that every single day we are flowing terabytes of data through relay and direct-to-earth services directly to our [missions], enabling the exploration and achieving the science — is a great sense of accomplishment. ... Whatever role you are in, as long as you find a way to understand what mission, what goal, what objective you are contributing to, there is no bigger motivator than that. As a software programmer, normally you think that your job is to come in and write some code and solve some discrepancy reports and do the testing — and then you go home. But in the end, when you see that the program you are writing or fixing is something that controls the satellite that’s observing the sea levels and the sea temperatures or [controls] a capsule that is carrying astronauts, now you know you're actually contributing to a bigger purpose, a bigger objective. I say that to my team, whenever I have an opportunity. I share with my team that they are enabling science and exploration for dozens of missions being supported by NSN. Initially it just seems like words, but once they start realizing [their contributions] are real, I can tell you those people don't want to go anywhere. They just feel that sense of accomplishment.” NASA Deputy Program Manager for Exploration and Space Communications, Vir Thanvi poses for a portrait, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024 at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Photo Credit: (NASA/Thalia Patrinos)](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/nhq202402070014.jpg?w=1024)
