Hansel Gill, director of the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, will speak on the subject, "The Future of Space Exploration," on Tuesday, September 15, at 5:30 p.m. in the Union Museum of History and Art. He will be joined by NASA aerospace engineer Dr. LaQuieta Huey of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. They will share America’s vision for space exploration and highlight the many successes of NASA’s Artemis program. The program is part of the NASA exhibit currently displayed in the museum, located at 211 N. Main Street, Farmerville, LA.
Michoud, also called "America's Rocket Factory," builds the massive Space Launch Systems that propel astronauts and payloads beyond Earth's gravity. Michoud has more than 3500 employees on site, and is one of the world's largest manufacturing facilities.
Dr. Huey is a North Louisiana native, who earned her B.S. degree in physics from Grambling State University in 2000 before going on to earn higher degrees elsewhere.
The public is invited to meet these NASA luminaries who are leading the way in space exploration, using science, math, imagination, and creativity.
At Michoud, Director Gill oversees the crucial infrastructure where elements of NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft are assembled. Director Gill earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Oakwood University in 1996 and his master’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Alabama – Huntsville in 2007.
Dr. Huey is a materials engineer and physicist with more than 18 years’ experience at NASA Marshall. Her career spans aerospace engineering, materials science, and optical engineering, with a focus on advanced materials and their applications in space systems. She earned her bachelor’s degree in physics from Grambling State University, her doctorate from Alabama A & M University, and her M.B.A. from Florida A & M University.