BettyLynn Mason
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

BettyLynn Mason has proven her passion for advancing human spaceflight through her nearly 18 years as an ECLS (Environmental Control and Life) Engineer. After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis with her BSME (Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering), BettyLynn worked at Johnson Space Center as a contractor in various roles including ETHOS (Environmental and THermal Operating Systems) Flight Control Instructor, ISS (International Space Station) ECLS (Environmental Control and Life Support) Sustaining Engineer, and ISS ECLS Sustaining Air Revitalization Subsystem Manager.  BettyLynn transitioned to Northrop Grumman (NG) as the Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destination (CLD) ECLS Engineering Lead where she led the effort to design the ECLS architecture for the NG space station and where she matured designs of various regenerative systems including a trace contaminant removal system, carbon dioxide removal system, etc.  While working at NG, BettyLynn began pursuing her MSEM (Master of Science in Engineering Management) at Arkansas State University. In 2024, BettyLynn accepted a civil servant position at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in the ECLS Design and Development branch where she began working with Four Bed CO2 Scrubber sustaining engineering personnel as a SME (Subject Matter Expert). BettyLynn completed her MSEM in 2025 and transitioned to the HLS CrewCo (Human Landing System Crew Compartment) Office where she currently provides her unique insights as the Deputy Technical Integration Manager – SpaceX.

Arthur Brown
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

Arthur Brown is the ECLSS Architecture and Strategy Lead at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. In this role, he leads the development of exploration-ready ECLSS strategy at MSFC, with a focus on system architecture, subject-matter expert development, new project formulation, and strategic partnerships.

Chris Brown
NASA’s Johnson Space Center

Chris Brown works within the ISS Exploration Development Office to assist in advancing Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) for exploration and demonstrating these improvements on ISS.  Chris was formerly an Environmental and Thermal Operation Systems (ETHOS) officer within the Flight Operations Directorate, markedly supporting ECLSS water systems such as Water Processor Assembly, Water Storage System, Urine Transfer System development, and solving problems associated with on-board fluid systems integration. Chris supported ISS construction and operation from ISS Increment 7 to present and was key in the commissioning of the ISS Regen ECLSS systems and proposing the need for the Water Storage System (WSS).  Chris has also been an EECOM key point-of-contact for the Commercial Crew, Gateway, and Human Lander System (HLS) Programs.  Chris developed and authored the majority of ISS fluid transfer techniques and procedures.

Steve Balistreri
The Boeing Company

Steve Balistreri is an expert in the field of Environmental Controls & Life Support Systems (ECLSS). He serves as the ECLSS Architect and Technical Lead Engineer for the Boeing Space Exploration Team in Houston, TX. He has over 25 years of hands-on experience supporting in-space vehicles, including 20 years designing, building, and supporting the International Space Station (ISS). Steve leads the ECLSS hardware anomaly resolution board for the ISS Program as well as being a Hardware Material Review Board member. Current efforts include leading R&D efforts on advanced life support systems and developing architectures for future habitats. Steve was born and raised in Wisconsin, and earned his Bachelor’s in Aerospace Engineering & Mechanics from the University of Minnesota.

Zach Bryant
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

Zach Bryant is one of the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Assistant Chief Engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, AL, where he helps lead the development and integration of life support systems for future human exploration missions. He began his NASA career at Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, spending five years in the International Space Station (ISS) Mission Evaluation Room (MER) supporting ISS ECLSS. There, he focused on hardware sustaining and future system upgrades while providing real-time engineering support to the ISS Flight Control team. In 2019, Zach moved to MSFC and worked in ISS Payload Operations as a PAYCOM crew communicator, acting as the link between ground teams and ISS crew members to ensure successful execution of science and technology payloads. In 2022, he transitioned to the MSFC Habitation Systems Development Office as ECLSS integration lead for future habitat development, working across disciplines to mature requirements, understand interdependencies, and advance integrated architectures for long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars. In 2025, Zach joined MSFC’s Chief Engineers Office contributing to ECLSS hardware development and working with the ECLSS Integrated Product Team (IPT) on strategies for future exploration life support systems.

Kaitlin Oliver-Butler
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

Kaitlin Oliver-Butler is an ECLSS technology development engineer working for the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems Development Branch at Marshall Space Flight Center. She specializes in air revitalization, making sure that astronauts have a breathable and safe cabin atmosphere. She currently works sustaining engineering for the ISS Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA), which involves analyzing flight data, working with the OGA team to track status and issues, and running the ground testbed OGA to provide additional data to support the ISS. She also leads development projects aiming to recover oxygen from metabolic carbon dioxide, with a focus on Bosch technologies. She has worked on projects across the full span of technology maturity, from sustaining engineering and flight hardware testing all the way down to creating project proposals for next-generation ECLSS technologies.

A native of Central City, KY, she earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Western Kentucky University, where she was active with IEEE and ASME. She attended graduate school at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she earned a masters and doctorate in mechanical engineering, specializing in flexible robotics, and published papers in IEEE journals. Kaitlin enjoys reading, baking, being outdoors, serially dabbling in crafts, and cracking jokes with her friends and family.

Leon Chen
NASA’s Johnson Space Center

Dr. Leon Chen is a systems engineer, NASA-certified console operator, and internationally recognized leader in Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) for human spaceflight. He currently serves as the NASA ISS and Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program (CLDP) ECLSS Subsystem Manager, where he is responsible for sustaining life-support capability aboard the International Space Station (ISS) while leading the transition to next-generation commercial space stations. Leon leads multi-disciplinary engineering teams that oversee the design, development, testing, certification, and delivery of critical ECLSS subsystems, with a particular focus on water processing and oxygen recovery. He directs technical integration, verification, and validation across NASA, commercial partners, and international contributors, evaluating flight-readiness evidence to ensure every system meets stringent human-rating requirements. He also actively manages cost, schedule, and technical risk across ISS and CLDP programs, ensuring long-term sustainability without compromising crew safety or operational reliability.

A core element of Leon’s portfolio is advancing exploration-class life-support technologies, including exploration water dispenser, Sabatier reactors, and associated CO₂ Management Systems, which enable high loop-closure. He leads system-level integration of these technologies to support future space architectures. Leon also serves as Section Chair for ICES Session 301 (Advanced Life Support Systems Control) and Session 506 (Human Exploration Beyond Low Earth Orbit), shaping the global ECLSS technical agenda and fostering collaboration across NASA, industry, and academia.

Recognized through multiple NASA awards and national honors, Leon is also deeply committed to STEM outreach and mentorship, inspiring the next generation of engineers who will carry human exploration beyond Earth.

 Monica Guzik
NASA’s Glenn Research Center

Monica Guzik is the Chief Engineer of the Gateway Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio.  She is a graduate of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a minor in German Language.  Prior to her role on PPE, Monica served a 14-month detail within the Office of the Chief Engineer at NASA Headquarters as the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) Deputy Chief Engineer.  She has also served as the Chief Engineer for the Fission Surface Power project, the Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core (HyTEC) project, and the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE) for the International Space Station.  Prior to joining the Chief Engineer’s office, Monica had over ten years of experience in the Fluids and Cryogenics Systems branch at GRC, where she focused on in-space cryogenic fluid management and fuel cell power systems.  Monica is currently a deputy on the NASA Engineering and Safety Center’s Cryogenics Technical Discipline Team.  She was honored by the Agency with the NASA Silver Snoopy Award in 2022 for her work on FBCE, as well as the Early Career Achievement Medal in 2016 and the Silver Achievement Medal in 2017.  In her free time, she enjoys participating in community STEM outreach, playing soccer, traveling, visiting theme parks, and enjoying Cleveland’s extensive music scene.

 Juan Valenzuela
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

Juan Valenzuela received his B.S and M.S in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso. He has been an aerospace engineer for NASA since 2012. During his 12 years at NASA, he has served as vacuum chamber test engineer, cryogenic fluids analyst and cryogenic fluid management product lead, responsible for the technology development of in-space cryogenic hardware.  He currently serves as the Human Landing Systems (HLS) main propulsion systems (MPS) sub-system lead, responsible for overseeing insight on non-main engine propulsion systems of the next lunar landers.

Mark Wollen
Innovative Engineering Solutions

Mark Wollen graduated from CWRU with MS/BS degrees in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in 1980/82. After an early period at General Dynamics in San Diego, working Atlas/Centaur evolution, National Aero Space Plane (NASP), and other advanced space programs, he went on to co-found Innovative Engineering Solutions (currently serving as the Chief Technical Officer), and has spent most of his career working as a consultant on cryogenic propellant management techniques for space launch vehicles. Recognized areas of expertise include: cryogenics and low/zero gravity fluid mechanics, free surface flows, propellant tank thermodynamics, cryogenic propulsion systems, and testing techniques and specialized instrumentation for these topics. Over the last 40+ years Mr. Wollen has contributed to various design and development activities for most of the liquid propellant launch vehicle systems currently in use in the United States.

Reid Ruggles
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

Reid Ruggles is the NASA HLS Propulsion Discipline Lead Engineer, leading the NASA propulsion engineering team in evaluating both SpaceX’s HLS Starship and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon propulsion system designs and procedures to safely land the next American astronauts on the lunar surface and establish a sustained presence on the Moon. The HLS Propulsion Team includes main engines, main propulsion systems / cryogenic fluid management, reaction and attitude control systems, gas storage and generation systems, and all supporting lines, valves, and other components. Reid received his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from The University of Alabama and his M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech. Prior to joining the HLS team in 2022, Reid supported NASA’s Commercial Crew Program as a Main Propulsion Systems Engineer for Falcon 9 and Atlas V and served as the CCP Deputy Lead Engineer for Falcon 9. He directly supported the return of human launch capability to the United States with SpaceX’s DM-2 mission, as well as certification, maintenance, and flight operations of reused Falcon 9 first stage boosters starting with the Crew-2 mission.

 Ali Kashani
MEI Company

Dr. Ali Kashani has over 40 years of experience in thermal sciences. His work includes research and development of reduced and zero boil-off propellant systems, pulse tube cryocoolers, low-temperature regenerators, magnetic and helium dilution refrigerators. He is currently supporting the development of cryogenic technologies for NASA’s Human Landing Systems. He has worked on several NASA flight projects: Starling, VIPER, SHOOT, GP-B, SOFIA, BioSentinel, Astrobee, and Astro-H. He is a member of NASA Engineering & Safety Center Technical Discipline Team for cryogenics!

Wesley Johnson
NASA’s Glenn Research Center

Wesley Johnson received a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Auburn University in 2007 and a master’s degree from the University of Central Florida in 2010. Mr. Johnson began his career at NASA Kennedy Space Center as a Cooperative Education Student in 2004 working in the Cryogenics Test Laboratory where he spent over nine years developing advanced cryogenic technologies as well as trouble shooting problems on the Space Shuttle. He moved to NASA Glenn Research Center in 2014 to continue his research in cryogenic fluid management where he is the Cryogenics Team Lead in the Fluid and Cryogenic Systems Branch. His current research interests include thermal characterization of insulations as systems as well as collaboration with multiple projects focusing on cryogenic fluid system design, analysis, and testing. He was the Principle Investigator for the large scale liquid hydrogen testing effort: the Structural Heat Intercept, Insulation, and Vibration Evaluation Rig (SHIIVER) and the oxygen liquefaction demonstration Cryogenic Fluid In-situ Liquefaction for Landers (CryoFILL).

Ali Hedayat
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

Ali Hedayat has over 34 years of experience of governmental and industrial experience in development of thermal/fluid modeling, design, and testing of propulsion systems. He Joined NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in 2002. He is the Lead for the In-Space Propulsion Systems Modeling Team in the Spacecraft and Vehicle Propulsion Branch at NASA MSFC. He has provided technical leadership, guidance, and mentoring to the team members on development of new technology and analysis tools for in-house and Industry projects. His areas of interest include thermal/fluid modeling of cryogenic fluid management and main propulsion systems. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee.

Michael Dipirro
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Michael Dipirro joined NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center in 1980 after receiving a PhD in Low Temperature Physics and serving one year as a post-doc at NIST in Gaithersburg.  He has worked on a number of NASA’s cryogenic astrophysics missions including the Cosmic Background Explorer (1980-1990), Spitzer Space Telescope (1985-2003), and James Webb Space Telescope (2006-2021).  In between he was the Principal Investigator for the Superfluid Helium On-Orbit Transfer Flight Demonstration (1984-1993) which successfully demonstrated the microgravity transfer of liquid helium in the superfluid state. He also has several patents on low temperature technology as well as over 100 published papers on the subject.

TECHNICAL REPORTS / DATA SEARCHING

• NASA Standards by Topic
• NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
• NASA Technology Transfer Program: Software Catalog
• NASA Materials and Processes Technical Information System (MAPTIS)
  • To request access to MAPTIS, choose “Register” from the Menu Bar. Complete the form as prompted. Under “Justification,” denote you are associated with NASA’s RASC-AL Competition. Your request will be reviewed by a NASA Official.
• Los Alamos National Laboratory: Research Library
• Idaho National Laboratory
• U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Scientific and Technical Information
• Knovel
• Library of Congress (Applied Science)

PROJECT MANAGEMENT / SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

• Project Plan Template – NASA APPEL
• NASA’s Space Flight Program and Project Management Requirements
• NASA Systems Engineering Handbook (2019)
  • (Previous Version) NASA Systems Engineering Handbook – 2007
• Applied Space Systems Engineering – (Space Technology Series)
  • Authors: Wiley Larson, Douglas Kirkpatrick, Jerry Sellers, Lawrence Thomas, Dinesh Verma

SOFTWARE

• NASA Technology Transfer Program: Software Catalog
• SOLIDWORKS: SOLIDWORKS for Students
  • SOLIDWORKS Sponsorship for Student Teams.
• NASA’s On-Line Tool for the Assessment of Radiation in Space (OLTARIS)
  • OLTARIS provides researchers with access to a toll set that can be used to assess the effects of space radiation on vehicles, electronics, and humans.

ORBITAL MECHANICS

• NASA Technology Transfer Program: Software Catalog
  • General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT), Version 2011A: The GMAT is a software system for trajectory optimization, mission analysis, trajectory estimation, and prediction. For more information or help with using GMAT, contact the GMAT Support Desk at gsfc-softwarerequest@mail.nasa.gov.
• Two-Body Orbital Mechanics
  • This spreadsheet contains no Ephemeris Calculus, stay-time arrivals, or swing-bys; just Hohmann Transfer.
• NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Horizons System
• “Orbit Maintenance and Navigation of Human Spacecraft at Cislunar Near Rectilinear Halo Orbits”
  • Authors: Diane Davis, Sagar Bhatt, Kathleen Howell, Jiann-Woei Jang, Ryan Whitley, Fred Clark, Davide Guzzetti, Emily Zimovan, Gregg Barton
• “Options for Staging Orbits in Cis-Lunar Space”
  • Authors: Ryan Whitley, Roland Martinez
• “Targeting Cislunar Near Rectilinear Halo Orbits for Human Space Exploration”
  • Authors: Jacob Williams, David E. Lee, Ryan Whitley, Kevin Bokelmann, Diane Davis, Christopher Berry

Helpful Tips

Forum COVID-19 Policy

Forum Transportation and Directions

Forum Host Hotel