Year born: ~1989
Research Areas: Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, Human Spaceflight
"To be bold, to work hard for the benefit of humanity, and to be prepared to explore the unknown."
Source: Alumni interview with Virginia Tech
Early Life
Rosa Avalos-Warren was born in Lima, Peru. In school, she showed a strong passion for learning, and she especially liked maths. In 2003, she watched the tragic return of the space shuttle Columbia. On re-entry to Earth, the shuttle broke apart, and all 7 of the astronauts died. After seeing this, Rosa decided she wanted to work for NASA to make sure this type of thing couldn't happen again. She did so well at school that she earned a scholarship to Virginia Tech in the USA. Here, she got a degree in aerospace engineering. She later earned her master's degree in mechanical engineering in Texas.
Career highlights
Rosa reached her goal and joined NASA in 2009! She has played a big role in over 35 space missions there. She has held lots of roles at NASA, including as a mission manager and leading on robotics and launch vehicle missions. One of her jobs was to make sure that astronauts maintain vital communication with Earth during their missions. Her work is important for the success and safety of some of NASA's biggest projects.
Among her major contributions is her role in the Artemis program. This is a NASA mission designed to send humans back to the Moon. She oversees the communication systems that support the astronauts, which will include the first woman and the first person of colour to go to the Moon. She was in mission control during the Artemis I mission. This was an un-crewed flight that tested key technologies for future crewed missions.
Rosa's work has earned her NASA's Silver Snoopy Award. This is an honour astronauts give to employees dedicated to mission success and flight safety. Only about 1% of all NASA employees earn the award. Her contributions also extend beyond NASA; she supported the launch of JAXA's XRISM mission, which will explore the most extreme regions of the Universe.
Legacy
Rosa's story shows that with hard work, dreams can come true. She went from selling fruit in Peru to helping lead space missions at NASA! She is a hero for young children from all walks of life. Rosa often talks to students all around the world. She tells them that anyone can work in science and space. During Hispanic Heritage Month, she talks about how proud she is to be Hispanic and tells kids to dream big.
Other interests
When Rosa is not working at NASA, she enjoys playing and going on walks with her two children. She enjoys doing outreach and promoting STEM! She wants to empower those from communities not usually represented in the space industry to explore careers and believe in themselves.