Jennifer L. Turner, CRONUS Flight Controller

How long have you worked for NASA??

I’ve worked at NASA for about six years: two years as a Pathways Intern starting in 2013, and then I started full-time in February 2015.?

What do you do at NASA?

I’m currently a CRONUS Flight Controller for the International Space Station, working day-to-day operations and teaching new flight controllers and astronauts about systems onboard ISS. I specialize in communication and data handling systems and coordinate with counterparts at Marshall Space Flight Center on payload support systems.?

Why did you choose NASA? What makes you stay here??

When I was young, I loved space and dreamed of working at NASA, though as a kid I didn’t quite know what that would look like. I had another internship before my work with NASA, and while both provided rewarding and challenging engineering careers, NASA’s work environment, and their ability to connect with the public was what made me choose NASA.??

What made me stay was something similar. It was obviously partially due to working real-time space operations, which I’m still sometimes in disbelief about, but it’s also the people. I’ve been very fortunate to work in an environment that is more like a family than a workplace. The people who I’ve worked with are at NASA because they love what they do and they love NASA’s mission, and they want to see it succeed. The overall community and Employee Resource Groups we have also do a great job of ensuring that we have an inclusive and innovative environment, supporting all the employees across the center. It’s the easiest thing in the world to stay with NASA.?

Why is working in a diverse environment critical to our mission???

Human spaceflight is the most internationally unifying industry, so it makes the most sense that we thrive with diversity. Studying and working as an Asian-American woman in STEM gave me a completely different experience than some of my coworkers and vice versa. There are things I would never think of that would come naturally to someone from a different demographic and background. It’s critical that we take all of these ideas if we want to succeed and push our boundaries as the human race, and we can’t do it without a diverse environment that includes everyone.?

Is there anything you would like us to know about your heritage/lineage???

I am half-Korean, and was born in Daegu, South Korea, before moving to Germany and then finally the U.S.??

Is there anything else you would like to add??

I had the privilege to be the co-chair and chair of Johnson’s Women Excelling in Life and Leadership Employee Resource Group, in addition to helping out in the Asians Succeeding in Innovation and Aerospace Employee Resource Group. While in those positions, I was proud to see the center level support we all had to promote diversity at JSC, and the programs NASA is putting in place to help challenge us to grow as a community.??

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