2023 Stellar Award Nominees by Affiliation

Each fall, the RNASA Foundation solicits Stellar Award nominations of space industry workers and teams deserving of special recognition. In 2023, 43 government, 82 corporate, and 7 joint government/corporate nominations were received in four categories, Early Career, Mid Career, Late Career, and Team. "Each company and organization may only nominate a select few people or teams in each category, so just being nominated is quite an achievement," noted Jennifer Devolites, the RNASA Stellar Awards Committee chairman. "The Foundation is proud to bring the outstanding work of all the nominees to the attention of a wider community."

And the nominees are:

Aerojet Rocketdyne

Michael Cabal
Stephen Herrera
Jerit A. Wendlandt
Gabriella I. Blackner
Marc Bouffard
John R. Elieson
Miriam Fedorchak
William A. Hoskins
Aerojet Rocketdyne Artemis I Propulsion and Hardware Team
Artemis I NASA & Industry Communications Team
DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) Propulsion Team
RL10C-X Manufacturing Team

ARES Corporation

Kimberly Benfield
Lt. Col. Matthew J. Budde
Clayton Sigler

Barrios Technology

Enrique Moeller

Blue Origin, LLC

Nicholas Howse
Jordan Olliges
Tyler Schott
Sarah Sheviakov
BE-4 (Blue Engine 4) Team

CACI, Inc

Angelica D. Garcia
Dr. Teems E. Lovett

Charles Stark Draper Laboratory

Paul Doyle

Collins Aerospace

David Etter
Kevin G. Hawes
Teresa M. Kulakowski
Joshua Merritt

ERC, Jacobs

Jorge Rivera
Mahmoud Sanjak
Artemis I LH2 Replenish Valve Issue Resolution Team
Project DARAC (Data Acquisition, Recording and Controls) Team

KBR

Mark G. Adams
Jeffrey A. Boxell
Joan Ibert
Jaclyn L. Kagey
Dr. Steven S. Laurie
Vincent T. Leger
Nicholas G. Makarowski
KBR US Extravehicular Activity (EVA) 80 Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Processing Team
Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) Lunar Rover Engineering Team

Leidos

Caitlin A. Eatman
Angel Montalvo

Lockheed Martin

Michael E. Begley
Damon Erb
Dr. Alison A. Nordt
Daniel J. Rueda
Callisto Technology Demonstration Team
Lockheed Martin Soft Goods Development/Burst Test Team
Lucy Solar Array Anomaly Team
Orion Program Artemis 1 Mission Team

LZ Technology

Gordon M. Andrews

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Lucy Solar Array Anomaly Team

NASA Headquarters

Lt. Col. Lindley N. Johnson
Artemis I NASA & Industry Communications Team

NASA Johnson Space Center

Dennis L. Arnold
Heather R. Bergman
William D. Dwyer
Ben D. Greene
Emma Lehnhardt
Dr. James S. McCabe
Eduardo A. Roeschel
Deneen M. Taylor
Victoriano Z. Untalan
Dr. Scott J. Wood
Crew 3 Team
Dragon 5x Reuse Certification Team
GRAVI-T Team
Orion Program Artemis 1 Mission Team
SANS Team

NASA Kennedy Space Center

Eric M. Barcon
Alec N. Jacobs
Commercial Crew Program Launch Vehicle SpaceX Falcon 9 Team
Kennedy Space Center Weather Team

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

Josiah M. Johnson
Centaur V Integrated Fluids System Test Team

Northrop Grumman

JoElla Delheimer
Katherine T. Ludwig
Ajay Ludwig
Rob McKnight
Michael Tzimourakas

Oceaneering International, Inc.

Crew Module Uprighting System Base Tether Development and Delivery Team

Paragon Space Development Corporation

Barry Finger
Andrew Irby
Katherine Peters
Mary B. H. Stoller

SAIC

Nathaniel T. De Koninck
Michael A. Defrancis
SAIC Safety & Mission Assurance Flight Safety Office Team

SpaceX

Commercial Crew Program Launch Vehicle SpaceX Falcon 9 Team

The Aerospace Corporation

David Coan
Mars Rodwell Experiment Team
Spacesuit Glove Damage Inspection Team

The Boeing Company

Amy M. Caldwell
Robert Douglas
Audrey D. Dunegan
Israel Garza
Matthew J. Gault
Stephen D. Jayne
Christopher S. Kochling
Timothy R. North
Terri Puckett
Felipe J. Sauceda
William D. Schmidl
Craig M. Stanton
AA-14 Electrical Power System Orbital Replacement Units Test Support Equipment Team
International Space Station (ISS) O2 Generator System/Life Support Rack (OGS/LSR) Relocation Team
NASA Docking System Block 1 Development Team

U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory

Mars Rodwell Experiment Team

United Launch Alliance

John Casani
Centaur V Integrated Fluids System Test Team
United Launch Alliance (ULA) Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) Team

United States Space Force

Lt. Col. Justin L. Beltz
Capt. Michelle C. Boivin
Lt. Nicholas A. Braga
Maj. Chad J. Brenner
Elvia Cortes
Lt. Matthew J. Crawford
Omar A. Elhams
Thomas H. Freeman
Lt. Jacob D. Henry
Rodney A. Houser
Dr. Andrew J. Metcalf
Capt. Andrew P. Nicoletti
Dr. Wellesley E. Pereira
Jose A. Rivera
Dr. Ashwani K. Sharma
1st Range Operations Squadron
Closely Spaced Objects Team
Hack-A-Sat Team
Integration Branch
Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) Service Life Extension Team
Rocket Systems Launch Program Team
Space Lasercom Team
Space Systems Command Small Launch & Targets Division

USAF Office of Scientific Research

Dr. Stacie Williams

The citations of the nominees are printed in the annual souvenir program book which is distributed at the banquet and made available online after the event.

The winners are announced at the banquet and through a post-event press release. Visit Stellar Award winners to view photos and read citations from previous years.

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