Q&A with Gateway: Meet Rebecca Juillerat, Gateway Requirements Lead for the HALO Project Office
The Gateway, a multipurpose outpost orbiting the Moon and vital part of NASA’s Artemis program, is built with sound engineering and operational principles that will serve as a staging point for deep space exploration and a model for future missions to Mars. As requirements lead for the Habitation and Logistics Outpost, or HALO, Project Office for the Gateway program, NASA Johnson Space Center-based Rebecca Juillerat is responsible for ensuring Gateway requirements properly flow to the HALO module and integrated Power and Propulsion Element (PPE). In addition, Juillerat ensures these requirements are captured in appropriate documents, with consideration of design feasibility and contract obligations.
Keep reading to learn more about Rebecca Juillerat!
What does your office do for the Gateway program?
Our office is responsible for the design, development, and certification of the HALO module and initial launch of the integrated HALO and PPE. In addition, our office is responsible for the development of Vehicle System Manager, or VSM, a software used for Gateway control.
What are you most excited to share about Gateway and what it will do for human exploration as part of the Artemis program?
It is an exciting time to be a part of human exploration. I’m looking forward to seeing how Gateway performance could serve as a springboard for further deep space exploration.
How has your personal background influenced your work in the Gateway program?
I was fortunate to be able to work on the International Space Station (ISS) in its infancy. It has been fun being a part of another program as it starts rolling out.
What has been your favorite memory while working at NASA?
My favorite memory would be walking around the U.S. Lab for a test session while it was at Kennedy Space Center. The U.S. Lab is the ISS laboratory module, a core module on the ISS that houses avionics and many payloads for the space station.
Being surrounded by such a high-performing group of people, what’s a great piece of advice you’ve learned?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions; then ask some more.
In line with JSC’s DARE | UNITE | EXPLORE, how do you see yourself fitting into the vision?
As the requirements lead, I work with the team to UNITE Gateway intention with HALO design and initial launch of integrated PPE and HALO.
More about you:
Where did you grow up?
I was nomadic and grew up in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Louisiana.
If you could temporarily live (or visit) in another part of the world, where would that be?
Anywhere with a beach!
How long have you been at JSC?
I started working at Johnson in May 1999. Somewhere along the way, I had four children in five years and was out of the workforce for about a decade. I returned to work in 2015 and came back to Johnson in 2017.
Describe yourself in five words:
Organized, happy, focused, approachable, and inclusive.
Favorite thing(s) to do to unwind:
I enjoy yoga and running.
How has the pandemic shaped your work style?
Working from home has increased my productivity, both at home and at work. And, I can do it all while basically staying in my pajamas!
Name one thing we would be surprised to learn about you.
Growing up, I moved almost every academic year. People may not know that I’ve lived in the same neighborhood for the last 18 years.
At Johnson, we are laser-focused on the next: going forward to our lunar neighbor to build outposts in uncharted territory while revolutionizing the strategies and technologies that will eventually open up the universe. The Gateway is a critical component of the Artemis program and embodies Johnson's DARE | UNITE | EXPLORE vision: We dare to expand frontiers. We unite with our partners to complete bold missions. We explore space to benefit humanity.
DARE | UNITE | EXPLORE
