Jeb Stefan, a two-time Mechanical Engineering graduate from Louisiana Tech University and former Bulldog Baseball pitcher, is supporting NASA’s Artemis II mission as part of the flight control team for the Orion spacecraft, according to an April 10 interview.
Stefan’s involvement highlights the contributions of Louisiana Tech alumni to major space missions. As NASA continues its efforts with the Artemis program, his work provides insight into how university experiences can shape careers in aerospace engineering.
Stefan said his undergraduate internship at NASA Kennedy Space Center was pivotal: “During my time as an undergraduate student at Louisiana Tech, I had the opportunity to intern at NASA Kennedy Space Center working with Dr. Henry Cardenas. That opportunity allowed me to gain valuable experience while also exposing me to NASA and the aerospace industry. As a student, the opportunity to work alongside researchers and engineers at a NASA center had a huge impact by showing me what was possible.”
He explained that his childhood fascination with space exploration inspired him: “Working in space exploration has been something that I have wanted to take part in since I was a child. Growing up when the Shuttle was being used to assemble the International Space Station was an inspiration to me.” Describing his current responsibilities on Artemis II, Stefan said he is part of Orion’s Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, and Docking (RPOD) Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) team. His group developed capabilities for docking maneuvers and tested camera sensor systems during critical mission phases.
Reflecting on his most rewarding moment so far, Stefan said: “The most rewarding aspect has been seeing the Prox Ops demonstration performed on the first day of the mission. It was great to see something our team has simulated so many times be performed on-orbit.” He encourages students interested in aerospace or working at NASA not to hesitate: “If space exploration is something they are passionate about, then they should go for it. There are so many opportunities available to engineering and science graduates given how busy the industry is currently.” Stefan also recommends developing a diverse background across engineering disciplines due to broad industry needs.
Looking ahead, he expressed excitement about future missions involving Human Lander Systems during Artemis-III and -IV: “Since I work Orion RPOD GN&C, I am most excited about upcoming docking missions with HLS spacecrafts during Artemis-III and -IV.” He added that as technology evolves within aerospace fields, skills related to computing will become increasingly important.
