The UND grad student in Mission Control

‘Being able to directly apply what I have been learning at UND to my work for Artemis has been invaluable,’ says Jeremy Raush, the Guidance, Navigation and Control lead for the upcoming Artemis II mission

Jeremy Raush’s excuse for not being able to complete his UND assignments goes way beyond, “The dog ate my homework.”

You see, Raush works at Mission Control in Houston for NASA, and is the Guidance, Navigation and Control lead for the upcoming Artemis II mission. Trust us, that resonates in UND’s Space Studies department, where Raush is a graduate student pursuing a doctorate in Aerospace Sciences.

So Raush met with no pushback when he told his department that he’d have to temporarily halt his coursework until after the Artemis II mission is complete.

For Angie Carpenter, UND’s director of Veteran & Military Affairs — Raush is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve — Raush’s temporary break in studies is no problem.

“We’re incredibly proud to see one of our military-affiliated students serving in mission control for NASA’s Artemis II mission,” Carpenter said. “It shows the importance of UND as a place for lifelong learning, where students from around the country and world, both online and on campus, bring real-world experience into the classroom.

“We make sure that students such as Jeremy are able to attend, stop out as needed, and then continue when their life or career allow, all while being supported at every step in their goal of a degree.”

NASA’s Artemis II mission will send four astronauts on a journey around the moon. The mission may take place as early as April, and represents the first crewed mission to the vicinity of the moon in more than half a century.

According a NASA webpage, the mission “builds on the success of the uncrewed Artemis I in 2022, and will demonstrate a broad range of capabilities needed on deep space missions. The Artemis II test flight will be NASA’s first mission with crew aboard the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft.”

The purpose of the mission is to do a “crewed lunar flyby,” in order to pave the way for future moon landings and a crewed trip to Mars, not to mention to test out NASA’s latest rocket tech.

Good news for UND’s Aerospace Sciences department: once it launches, the Artemis II mission is expected to take only about 10 days. So, Raush should be able to get back to his studies soon.

Below is a brief Question and Answer session in which Raush kindly agreed to participate, at UND Today’s request:

UND Today: When did you first realize you would need to step away from UND to take on this role?

Jeremy Raush: I registered for a class this Spring semester, but I had a work conflict on the first day of class. I quickly realized that I would have many such conflicts this semester and would not be able to commit the time that the coursework deserves until after the Artemis II mission.

UND: What does it actually mean to be part of the Guidance, Navigation, and Control team for Artemis II?

JR: The GNC position in mission control is responsible for determining the position/velocity of the Orion spacecraft as well as controlling the yaw/pitch/roll attitude. This means developing the processes, procedures, displays, flight rules, and attitude timeline to accomplish the mission. It also means training to execute the planned mission and any possible contingency scenarios.

Ultimately, it means being a part of the integrated flight control team that is responsible for getting four astronauts to the Moon and back safely.

UND: How did your time at UND help prepare you for work at this level with NASA?

JR: I have taken several courses at UND that directly relate to work I have been doing for Artemis II. I took classes in Human Factors in Space and Applied Human Centered Design at a time when we were developing procedures and the interface that the Orion crew will use to operate the spacecraft. Courses I have taken in Space History and Disasters in Human Spaceflight have given me perspective that I have leveraged in developing the flight rules and procedures that will be used on Artemis II.

Being able to directly apply what I have been learning at UND to my work for Artemis has been invaluable.

UND: What has it been like to contribute to a mission that will send humans around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years?

JR: I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this mission and am laser-focused on ensuring that my team and I are as prepared as possible.

UND: What has been the biggest challenge in balancing graduate school with responsibilities on such a high-stakes mission?

JR: The biggest challenge has been not enough hours in the day. I typically get behind on NASA work and schoolwork during the week. What has worked out well for me is reserving Saturday for catching up on schoolwork and Sunday for NASA work. Knowing I have that dedicated time reserved and don’t have to constantly re-evaluate priorities and scheduling has made my work week much less stressful.

UND: When you return to UND, how do you think this experience will shape the rest of your degree — and your future career?

JR: I view my coursework at UND as complementary with my work at NASA. As previously mentioned, I have already been able to apply lessons from UND to my NASA work, and I expect that will continue.

Additionally, my experience in space operations has been a resource that I have leveraged many times in my UND coursework.