The People of NASA: Meet Howard Hu, Orion's Program Manager
Howard Hu is a visionary leader, responsible for overseeing the development of NASA's Orion spacecraft designed for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. As the program manager for Orion, Hu leads teams to build and operate the spacecraft, ensuring it will work seamlessly with other Artemis elements such as the Gateway and Human Landing Systems.
“At NASA we need to continue to be leaders and meet our commitments, which we’re doing through Artemis, and work together to bring our vision into fruition.”
Hu is committed to establishing a foundation for the next generation to build upon and continue the agency's legacy of innovation and exploration. With over 30 years of experience at NASA, Hu has been instrumental in some of the agency’s most groundbreaking projects, including the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs. Then came Orion, which he cites as his favorite, because it’s the next step in human exploration, enabling humans to establish a long-term presence at the Moon, and travel farther into space than any other crewed spacecraft in history.
This program is about the people,” said Hu. “People know what the program’s objectives are, what the priorities are, and how we’re making decisions. This allows them to feel included.”
For Hu, the missions at NASA are more than just a job. Building the infrastructure to enable those missions is a monumental task, but Hu is passionate about the work and the people with whom he collaborates.
“The unique missions at NASA are bigger than ourselves, it’s historic, and sets the foundation for the future of human space exploration,” he said. "We work with fantastic, motivated, and brilliant people. It’s really inspiring for me to see we have a great mission and campaign in Artemis."
Hu believes that leadership is about being proactive and thinking strategically as well as tactically to navigate tough decisions. “The first thing is to listen to people, and that listening needs to be backed by data,” he said. “Patience is also important. It’s human nature, especially for engineers, to want to jump and solve a problem. Sometimes you have to step back and understand the problem before you tackle it.”
At NASA, individuals are given ample opportunities to grow and develop their capabilities and skillsets. Hu encourages everyone to take advantage of these opportunities and to value themselves, their capabilities, and experience. “By executing your current job to the best of your ability, you can demonstrate your readiness to take on more challenging roles as you gain more experience,” he said. “With a positive attitude and dedication to your work, terrific opportunities will come along, and the individual will be ready for them.”
As the agency undergoes transformation, Hu believes that listening to different perspectives is crucial. “One of the lessons I’ve learned about being a leader is you want a lot of different inputs,” he said. “That’s why you surround yourself with people who are knowledgeable and will give you insights into decisions and who are willing to challenge the decisions you need to make so that you don’t have blind spots.”
He also emphasizes the importance of creating a culture of collaboration and being thoughtful without becoming paralyzed by decision-making. “I’m very action-oriented,” he said. “You can set a vision, but your daily actions speak volumes to the team and determines the culture.”
Through his unwavering dedication and enthusiasm, Hu has not only made significant contributions to advancing NASA's mission, but also to inspiring the next generation of leaders to continue pushing boundaries and achieving new heights.
Overall, Hu is passionate about space exploration and committed to fostering a culture of growth and development at NASA. “That’s what drives me - to make sure we’re doing the right things to not only execute for today, but also strategically laying a path forward that allows people to build upon that foundation.”
