Pursuing a Dream of Working for NASA

Lindsey Waitt, an engineer at NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program, has made it her life's work to contribute to the agency's missions that aim to return humans to the Moon. Raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, Waitt's dream of working for NASA began during her middle school years when she met NASA Space Shuttle astronauts Michael Lopez-Alegria and Albert Sacco during a visit to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

Inspired by their stories of space travel and their discussion of a research experiment on growing cells on the Moon, Waitt was determined to pursue a career in space and engineering. She later studied Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in aerospace engineering at WPI, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree. After working as a systems engineer on radar flight test missions for a defense contractor, Waitt realized that despite the excitement and importance of the work, it was not the aerospace engineering field she ultimately desired.

As the wife of a retired United States Army sergeant first class officer, Waitt and her family lived in various parts of the world during her husband's tenure in service. While she dedicated her time to raising her three young boys, she continued to follow NASA's missions from around the globe. She pursued her master's degree in Space Operations from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs and, despite the advice of naysayers suggesting it was too late for her to return to the industry, Waitt made the courageous decision to return to her first passion – working for NASA.

Now, as a NASA test project engineer with the Artemis launch team, Waitt plays an integral role in enabling the agency's missions to return humans to the Moon. She looks to the sky and beyond, knowing that the universe is the limit.