Success stories of Palestinian achievers from all over the world

Nujoud Merancy

Nujoud Merancy

Sector : Science, Scientists

Personal Info

  • Country of residence: Palestine
  • Gender: Female
  • Born in: 1979
  • Age: 40
  • Curriculum vitae :

Information

Nujoud Merancy is a spacecraft systems engineer with more than 13 years experience in human spaceflight programs. She currently works for NASA at the Johnson Space Center as the Orion Program Mission Planning & Analysis Lead. In this role, she is responsible for the concept of operations, implementation, and execution of the vehicle design that will ultimately support exploration missions. This includes performance vehicle system trades, mission design, and operational timeline definition. She has served in this role for three years including formerly as a Senior Lead Engineer for Booz Allen Hamilton. Prior to this role, she was a Vehicle Systems Performance Analyst for Orion for 4 years, also with Booz Allen Hamilton, performing efforts to support the integration of the European Space Agency Service Module into the Orion Program, vehicle systems integration trade studies and design, and as the critical separation events integration lead.

Both as a member of the Orion team and through personal volunteer opportunities, she is an avid outreach speaker on space exploration, making engineering more understandable for all, and is devoted to encouraging youth to consider STEM. Through her membership in the Society of Women Engineers, Nujoud provides advice and mentorship to others in her field.

Prior to the Orion Program, Nujoud spent seven years as a Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) systems engineer for the International Space Station working for the Boeing Company. In this role, Nujoud’s expertise was GNC real-time operations support, software interface definition and integrated testing, and international partner interfaces. Through both ISS and Orion, supporting the international partnerships and peaceful cooperation of nations in space exploration is a key achievement Nujoud is proud to contribute.

Nujoud holds a Master’s of Science in Systems Engineering from the University of Houston – Clear Lake in Houston, TX. Nujoud’s Master’s Thesis and research analyzed the effectiveness of the ISS GNC verification and test facilities establishing definitive evidence for dedicated closed-loop test facilities. She also holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. Her hometown is Tumwater, Washington and she will always be a Pacific Northwesterner at heart.

Nujoud is the recipient of the NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal for her efforts on Orion Mission Planning. She is also the recipient of an Orion Program Managers Commendation, NASA Spaceflight Awareness Launch Honoree, and the Astronauts’ Personal Achievement Award the Silver Snoopy.

When not building spaceships, Nujoud is a wife and mother of two and enjoys spending time with her family at home, traveling, or participating in kids activities. Fitting into all of this for personal balance, Nujoud enjoys playing soccer and golf and runs half marathons.

Achievements and Awards

 

 

Constellation Group Achievement Award - Sensor Test for Orion Relative Navigation Risk Reduction, 2010 Constellation Technical Support Contract Performance Award (Booz Allen Hamilton), 2009 NASA Spaceflight Launch Honoree, 2008 NASA Silver Snoopy Award, 2005 George E. Solomon Prize for Excellence in Aeronautics and Astronautics (Univ. of WA), 2001
 
 
 

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