9/28/2023 0 Comments Nasa houston mission control![]() Within her first six months, she and her co-worker created a tool for the CRONUS console that made it possible to track a specific latitude and longitude point on Earth by using an external camera. Today, Johnson works directly for NASA as a flight controller while also spending her day supporting the CRONUS console in Mission Control for the International Space Station. From locations throughout the United States, the software company provides real-time solutions for Mission Control and supports manned spaceflight operations. She was originally hired by Craig Technologies and later transferred to Houston's Cimarron Software Services, a company contracted by NASA since 1988. In 2013, Johnson decided it was time to apply for the CRONUS position, which she still holds today. Quickly pivoting, Johnson then began a master's degree in physics at the University of Houston at Clear Lake while teaching geometry and Algebra II at La Porte High School. Initially intending to apply to the Johnson Space Center after graduation, she was sidelined by the end of the space shuttle program and wasn't sure what to do next. ![]() These organizations, along with top-notch instruction from professors in SFA's Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy, gave her the knowledge and practical experience she needed to continue toward a career with NASA. 3-year-old Joanna Johnson '08 and her grandfather, Bob Herbst The leadership opportunities I had through both of these groups were instrumental in preparing me for being a leader at NASA," Johnson said. "I was provided the opportunity to learn how to work with different types of groups in order to accomplish a common goal. At SFA, Johnson immediately became involved with various campus organizations, joining the Society of Physics Students and Omicron Delta Kappa. Heading to SFA's College of Sciences and Mathematics, she did just that. It was there she was inspired by a teacher to pursue a degree in physics. "I definitely had some first-day jitters, but I was so excited to be there and get started on my way to becoming a flight controller in Mission Control."Ī Lufkin native, she attended Hudson High School and took advanced placement physics and calculus. I wanted to work at NASA for so long, and it didn't seem real that I had finally gotten that opportunity," Johnson said. "My drive into work on my first day at Johnson Space Center was very surreal. Little did she know that these childhood experiences were pivotal moments that led to her dream career at NASA's Johnson Space Center as a communication radio frequency onboard network utilization specialist (a name so long NASA just calls it CRONUS) flight controller and avionics instructor. ![]() "Some of my favorite memories are of visiting Space Center Houston with my family." "For as long as I can remember, I've been interested in space," Johnson said. Even at her young age, this experience ignited a passion for the cosmos that has remained. Standing there in the night air, they watched as the moon grew dark, seemingly snuffed out, then peeked back out to illuminate the sky. When Joanna Johnson '08 was a child, her grandfather carried her in his arms to the county road in front of their house, and together they looked up at the sky to see a lunar eclipse. From Space Center Houston to NASA, alumna commands CRONUS console inside Mission Control Story by Joanna Armstrong '15 Joanna Johnson '08 earned a Bachelor of Science in physics at SFA From inside NASA's Mission Control Center, Lufkin native and CRONUS flight controller Joanna Johnson '08 operates the console for the International Space Station's command and data handling system.
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