On April 1, Clemson alumna Charlie Blackwell-Thompson initiated the final countdown for NASA’s Artemis II crew.
Blackwell-Thompson, a Gaffney, South Carolina native, graduated from Clemson in 1988 with a degree in computer engineering, according to WYFF4. She has served as NASA’s first female launch director since January 2016.
Artemis II marks history, as it has been over 50 years since NASA sent astronauts to the moon — the last time was in 1972 with Apollo 17, WSPA 7 News reports.
Clemson University is proud to claim Blackwell-Thompson, sharing a video of her giving the final call to the crew on social media.
Blackwell-Thompson is based at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida and works with the Exploration Ground Systems Program, as listed on NASA’s website.
She has earned numerous awards, including the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, the astronaut’s Silver Snoopy Award and the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal.
From her console position in Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center, Blackwell-Thompson led a team that plans and troubleshoots all aspects of the Artemis II launch. Along with her team, she closely monitored liftoff, according to an article published by NASA.
In addition to Blackwell-Thompson, another Clemson alumna, Vanessa Wyche, also holds a pivotal role at NASA as director of Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
She earned a bachelor of science in engineering in 1985 and a master of science degree in 1987 from Clemson.
Wyche is still active in the Clemson community, serving on the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences advisory board, according to NASA.
