Charlie Blackwell-Thompson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charlie Blackwell-Thompson
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NASA Portrait (2017)
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | B.S. Computer Engineering |
| Alma mater | Clemson University |
| Employer | NASA |
| Title | Launch Director for NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program |
Charlie Blackwell-Thompson is an American engineer. She is the launch director for NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. She led the team that launched NASA's powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft on its first test flight, Artemis 1.
Early Life and Education
Charlie Blackwell-Thompson grew up in Gaffney, South Carolina. She went to Gaffney High School.
When she was a kid, she watched the huge Saturn V rocket launches. These launches inspired her to think about space exploration. Her high school physics teacher, Doc Wilson, encouraged her to study engineering.
In 1988, she earned her bachelor's degree in computer engineering from Clemson University. During a job interview in her senior year, she visited a special control room at NASA. She knew right away that she wanted to work there.
Today, Blackwell-Thompson lives in Merritt Island, Florida, with her husband and three children.
Her Career at NASA
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In 1988, Charlie Blackwell-Thompson started her career with The Boeing Company. She worked as a software engineer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. She also helped with electrical systems and ground operations for the Orbital Space Plane.
In 2004, she officially joined NASA as a test director. She helped prepare many space shuttle missions for launch. She was the chief NASA test director for several missions, including STS-130. She also served as the assistant launch director for STS-133. She continued to lead the Launch and Landing team until the Space Shuttle Program ended.
Leading the Way for Artemis
After the Space Shuttle retired, Blackwell-Thompson became a chief in the Ground Systems Development Office. She led a team that created plans and procedures for testing, launching, and recovering spacecraft.
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In 2016, she made history. She was named the Launch Director for the SLS/Orion program. This made her the first woman ever to be a NASA launch director.
On launch day, Blackwell-Thompson leads a team of 91 controllers. She makes the final decision for "GO" to launch. Her team includes experienced engineers from past space shuttle missions and many new engineers. She also leads a support team of about 60 people in another control room. She hopes that 30% of her team will be women engineers.
Blackwell-Thompson and her team practice for launches with many simulations. These exercises help them get ready for launch and solve any problems that might come up. For example, in February 2020, she led a countdown simulation for Artemis I. In November 2020, she led a practice for loading rocket fuel.
In March 2021, she led the first practice where all the NASA centers and flight control teams worked together. This helped them prepare for the actual launch.
On November 16, 2022, she successfully directed the launch of Artemis 1. This was a major step for NASA's plans to return humans to the Moon.
Images for kids
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NASA Portrait (2017)
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STS-133 Assistant Shuttle Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson watches the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery.
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Apollo launch engineer JoAnn Morgan (left) speaks with Charlie Blackwell-Thompson (right).
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Charlie Blackwell-Thompson in the Launch Control Center during the Artemis I rollout in March 2022.
