Jason Endsley, NASAOn April 10, as Artemis II’s four astronauts hurtled toward splashdown after circling the Moon, Jason Endsley scoured the sky from aboard the USS John P. Murtha, ready to spring into action and ensure their safe return. The mission’s lead ground instrumentation engineer credits TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) University Design Competition with launching him on a career trajectory that led to his role on NASA’s Landing and Recovery Operations team that day.
“I’ve always been a space nerd,” says Endsley, who earned a bachelor of science in aeronautical engineering technology and master of science in aerospace and aviation management from Purdue University in Indiana. During his studies, however, he began considering other options and “straying away” from aerospace. At the encouragement of a professor, Mary Johnson, he and two other graduate students participated in the 2020 ACRP University Design Competition. “That was really where all those side paths dissipated . . . and solidified that aerospace was the path I would be unrelentingly pursuing,” reflects Endsley.
In addition to winning 1st Place for a paper on a revenue-generating initiative to introduce rocket engine testing and other space activities at general aviation airports, the team also forged lasting professional bonds. One of Endsley’s ACRP teammates, Cooper Burleson, works out of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, home of Mission Control for the Artemis II flight.
Learn more about Jason Endsley’s experience in TRB’s special feature, “ACRP University Design Competition Winner’s Unrelentless Pursuit Leads to Artemis II.“
