I Am NASA Stennis: Gina Ladner
For Gina Ladner, seeing NASA return to the Moon on Artemis missions, in preparation for the next giant leap of sending astronauts to Mars, will be a full circle moment.
The San Antonio, Texas, native remembers hearing stories from people who watched the moment NASA first set humans on the Moon. When it happens again, Ladner will have stories of her own about contributions made from NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where she works as deputy chief of the site’s Facility Services Branch and where RS-25 engines that help power NASA’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for future Artemis missions are tested.
Prior to the successful Artemis I test flight for SLS in 2022, Ladner’s work team assisted with operations for transporting and installing the SLS core stage on the B-2 Test Stand at NASA Stennis for a comprehensive test campaign. The so-called Green Run test series culminated in March 2021 with the most powerful hot fire conducted at the south Mississippi site in more than 40 years.
“It was incredible to witness the teamwork, and I was very happy and proud to do my part,” Ladner said.
Since the first Moon landing, the agency has progressed from the Apollo era to the Artemis era, and so, too, has NASA Stennis. Ladner, a Waveland, Mississippi, resident, has had a front row seat for the evolution of NASA Stennis as she helped plan and implement projects to improve the center.
The workplace culture at NASA Stennis is like working with family… Everyone knows each other and genuinely cares about one another. Whether you work for a contractor or are a civil servant, we treat everyone with respect. That is how we achieve cohesion in such a diverse workforce.
gina ladner
Deputy Chief, Facility Services Branch, NASA Stennis Center Operations Directorate
For Gina Ladner, seeing NASA return to the Moon on Artemis missions, in preparation for the next giant leap of sending astronauts to Mars, will be a full circle moment.
The San Antonio, Texas, native remembers hearing stories from people who watched the moment NASA first set humans on the Moon. When it happens again, Ladner will have stories of her own about contributions made from NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where she works as deputy chief of the site’s Facility Services Branch and where RS-25 engines that help power NASA’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for future Artemis missions are tested.
Prior to the successful Artemis I test flight for SLS in 2022, Ladner’s work team assisted with operations for transporting and installing the SLS core stage on the B-2 Test Stand at NASA Stennis for a comprehensive test campaign. The so-called Green Run test series culminated in March 2021 with the most powerful hot fire conducted at the south Mississippi site in more than 40 years.
“It was incredible to witness the teamwork, and I was very happy and proud to do my part,” Ladner said.
Since the first Moon landing, the agency has progressed from the Apollo era to the Artemis era, and so, too, has NASA Stennis. Ladner, a Waveland, Mississippi, resident, has had a front row seat for the evolution of NASA Stennis as she helped plan and implement projects to improve the center.
For information about NASA’s Stennis Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/stennis/.