Session 11

Donya Douglas-Bradshaw, project manager for the Lucy mission at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, has a favorite quote that reads, “To whom much is given, much is required.” She explained, “That means if you have a gift, talent, or capabilities, it is your duty to use them for the betterment of society, your family, and yourself.”

Douglas-Bradshaw is busy overseeing the final preparations for the launch of NASA’s first mission to study the Trojan asteroids. Trojan asteroids are associated with Jupiter and comprise the same material that formed the outer planets of our solar system, such as Jupiter, Uranus, and Saturn.

She is responsible for ensuring accuracy of the technical details, budget, and schedule for the Lucy mission. Her primary job involves working with scientists, engineers, business managers, schedulers, and other experts to solve problems within budget and time constraints. Their goal is to build a spacecraft capable of traveling four billion miles to reach the Trojan asteroids.

“It’s about working with a team to find solutions to problems that enable us to make discoveries,” said Douglas-Bradshaw. “It’s always challenging, whether we are trying to extend a measurement or go further than we have ever before.”

Douglas-Bradshaw has worked at NASA for more than 30 years. She served eight months as Lucy’s deputy project manager before becoming the project manager. Prior to Lucy, she served as the project manager for the ATLAS instrument that flies aboard NASA’s ICESat-2 satellite.