Zoe Sampson

Zoe Sampson is the technical manager for Fluids at NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Prior to this she served as Chief of the Environmental and Life Support Systems Branch, supporting NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program from the engineering organization at Kennedy. Her branch oversaw both development and operations of seven ground fluid systems that are critical to the success of the Artemis Program.

The branch performs processing of environmental control and life support systems, and the design of all pressure vessels and pressurized systems within the engineering organization. Beginning in July 2016, Sampson led a team of 25 civil servant engineers with roughly 100 contractor counterparts. She also functions as an Executive Champion for KNOW, the Kennedy Networking Organization for Women, an Employee Resource Group.

Experience

Prior to being named branch chief, Sampson worked as the technical integration manager for the mobile launcher within the Exploration Ground Systems Program from 2015 to 2016. She was responsible for the integration of all subsystems on the mobile launcher, led the planning for verification and validation testing of the subsystems, managed the contractor craft labor that performed modifications to mobile launcher hardware, and managed risks for the team. 

From 2000 until the end of the Space Shuttle Program, Sampson worked as a water systems engineer, responsible for ignition overpressure and sound suppression, fire suppression, and potable water at the launch pads and other shuttle processing facilities. In this role, she supported the last 35 shuttle missions, including sitting on console for launch. At the start of the Constellation Program, she became the Ignition Overpressure and Sound Suppression lead designer, and then moved on to be the systems engineer and project manager for that system as well as ground cooling. In this time, she also completed NASA’s competitive Mid-Level Leadership Program, which propelled her into her current role.

Education

Sampson joined NASA in July 2000 after graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and a certificate in international engineering after a six-month co-op in Munich, Germany.

Personal

Sampson is a native of Columbus, Ohio, and she now resides in Merritt Island, Florida, with her spouse and three children, with whom she enjoys cooking, gardening, and camping.

Biography last updated February 2024