Calay News
NASA has begun planning its next mission to the moon, Artemis II, which will once again transport humans to the lunar surface. As part of the planning, the space agency has named Liliana Villarreal, a Colombian aerospace engineer, as the mission’s landing director.
Liliana Villarreal will be responsible for the effort to recover the Orion spacecraft’s astronauts after splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. In an interview, Villarreal explained that she and her team will be in charge of the recovery of Artemis II, working with the people who will be inside the Orion capsule. When the capsule lands, she will intervene with her collaborators to recover the ship.
Villarreal, who was born in Cartagena, Colombia, has always had a passion for space exploration. “When I was seven years old, I traveled to Florida in the United States. There I visited an aerospace complex where they had the whole history of Apollo 11, with its suits. From that moment on, I realized I wanted to be an astronaut,” she explained.
Villarreal studied aerospace engineering in school and worked in Seattle before getting the opportunity to apply to NASA, where she has played a key role in the design and construction of the Orion spacecraft. Villarreal acknowledges that her role in landing Artemis II is a big responsibility. “You are the person in charge of crewmember safety; if something goes wrong, it’s on your shoulders,” explained the Colombian space engineer, although she also noted that she was excited to be working with the best on the planet on this important project.
