Kristie Foster has transitioned from a long-term contractor to a civil servant at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. She was hired in June 2026 as part of an agency-wide directive aimed at strengthening technical core competencies within the civil service workforce.
In her role as a quality engineer, Foster oversees quality assurance and engineering at the center, which serves as a major rocket propulsion test site. Her responsibilities include managing operations at the High Pressure Gas Facility and the High Pressure Industrial Water Facility.
The gas facility distributes nitrogen, helium, hydrogen, and air through a 7-mile pipeline network for propulsion testing. The water facility operates a 66-million-gallon reservoir to supply water for cooling and sound suppression during test procedures.
Foster is currently supporting safety and build-up efforts at the Thad Cochran Test Stand. This site is designated for Blue Origin to conduct second-stage hot fire testing for the New Glenn rocket. Her technical duties involve verifying operational plans and reviewing test preparation documentation.
Her work contributes to the Artemis program, which focuses on returning astronauts to the Moon. Following the Artemis II mission in April 2026, the agency is preparing for Artemis III and IV, which will involve testing commercial human landing systems and Orion spacecraft operations.
