Planning the Next Moon Landings - Twig Science Reporter

Episode

04/24/2025

This Arab American Heritage Month, we spotlight NASA engineer Nujoud Merancy.

Transcript

To mark Arab American Heritage Month, we’re highlighting NASA’s Nujoud Merancy, an engineer helping to send people back to the Moon, and beyond!

Nujoud Merancy

Nujoud’s work includes key roles in the Orion Program, developing and testing the spacecraft that will be used for the next Moon landing.

That mission’s on track for 2027. But NASA isn’t stopping there.

Nujoud is now helping to plan longer-term space explorations, using her systems engineering expertise to prepare for more Moon visits. And, eventually, a mission to land humans on Mars.

Merancy, speaking in 2015

By the time I was in high school I knew I wanted to be an astronaut. I still want to be an astronaut—but if I can’t be an astronaut I’m going to send people to space. So reaching for the stars, falling in the clouds.

So whether or not I get to be an astronaut, doesn’t matter—I’m still getting to work at NASA and do what I love.

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Planning the Next Moon Landings

Teaching overview

Learning points

Nujoud Merancy is a NASA engineer. She works on space exploration programs.
NASA plans to land astronauts on the Moon again in 2027 using the Orion spacecraft.
Nujoud Merancy is also working on longer-term projects, including the first crewed missions to Mars.

Curriculum keywords

NASA
moon
Mars

Spark a discussion

What is Arab American Heritage Month?
Who is Nujoud Merancy?
What is the Orion program?

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