Richard Spolzino is helping NASA identify unanswered questions that could matter for future work on the Moon and Mars.
Based at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, the aerospace engineer works on Moon Base mission architecture and systems interoperability. His role includes finding gaps in what NASA knows and helping ensure needed information is developed before it becomes a problem for planned efforts.
Spolzino said he is driven by the chance to contribute to work with broad impact, describing a goal of one day seeing a rocket launch and knowing he helped make part of it possible.
His route into aerospace was not direct. He began college as a history major before moving to physics at Santa Clara University, with an initial interest in astrophysics. Research at Lick Observatory studying interstellar dust polarization helped him recognize both his interest in the work and his preference for a path outside of overnight observing.
