NASA Johnson and White Sands Commemorate Native American Heritage Month

Native American Heritage Month is a time to honor the deep-rooted cultures, history, and traditions of America's indigenous peoples. During November, NASA's Johnson Space Center and White Sands Test Facility celebrate the vital role Native Americans play in advancing space exploration and science. 

Scroll below to read about members of the ingenious Indigenous community at NASA. 

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Shawn Lonasee is a mechanical engineer and a test conductor in the Propulsion Department Special Projects group supporting hot fire testing of rocket engines and propulsion systems. Lonasee oversees the design, build-up, and maintenance of newly developed ground support systems. “I play a major role in developing and training personnel to do unique and exciting things at NASA,” he said.  

Lonasee, who has dedicated 23 years at NASA, recently took on the role of White Sands’ technical lead for the European Service Module (ESM) Propulsion Qualification Model (PQM) Integration and Test Program for the Orion spacecraft. Lonasee and his team performed 60 hot fire test profiles on the PQM ground test unit to help qualify the ESM unit for the Artemis program. Over seven years of testing, they proved a system that would transport astronauts to and from the Moon and someday Mars. “Watching the successful Artemis I mission has been a major highlight in my career,” he said. “With the ESM performing its duties on Artemis I, it proved that our work on the ground asset helped make the mission successful.” 

“Do not forget who you are and where you come from. We all make what NASA is today.” - Shawn Lonasee 

Lonasee celebrates his identity and culture in the workplace with his traditional language. “Keshhi, ho’ Shawn Lonasee le’shina. Ho’ k’yak’yali:kwe de:yan, yadokkya:kwe awan cha’le. Hom a:łashshina Patricia Lonasee dap Adrian Lonasee de:ya’kowa,” said Lonasee in his native language Zuni. In English, “Hello, my name is Shawn Lonasee. I am born into the Eagle Clan and a child of the Sun Clan. My mother is Patricia Lonasee, and my late father was Adrian Lonasee.” 

Lonasee was raised in the pueblos of Zuni and Laguna, New Mexico. “Zuni people are very cultural and live life with the purpose of utilizing and taking care of Mother Earth,” he said. “I like to share my stories and my experiences in this fast-paced world. The people I talk to get the real-life discussion not taught in textbooks.” 

Growing up in a secluded high-poverty Indian reservation, Lonasee says he faced a lot of challenges and hardships. “My great-grandma, Hotda Myra, was my greatest supporter,” said Lonasee (hotda in Zuni means grandmother). “She would always stress that things in life will get hard and you will struggle, but if you believe in yourself and use what you have learned, you can make it.”  

Lonasee feels honored to work in a place that respects his culture and beliefs and allows him to carry on his traditions. “NASA is doing an excellent job recognizing people of many backgrounds,” he said. “This continued recognition shows me that I am a part of an important mission and that this diverse workforce can accomplish many things together.” 

Lonasee enjoys working with various projects and aerospace customers. Other than the ESM PQM test program for Orion and Artemis, he spent many years working on the Minuteman III ICBM 4th stage Propulsion System Rocket Engine (PSRE) for the United States Air Force (USAF). “We hot fire tested the re-entry stages of the missile to verify performance capability of a system developed and built in the 1960s and 1970s,” he said. “We also assisted the USAF in keeping this asset in a ready and operational state.” 

During his time at NASA, Lonasee has learned to be patient and thorough in his work. “Many people tell me I have too much patience,” he said. “In the aerospace industry, patience makes things happen.” Lonasee says he started his NASA career under the oversight of very intelligent and experienced people. “These people made sure I had what it took to do my job safely,” he said. “Learning from them helped me become a mentor and teacher to the younger generations.” 

Lonasee believes the future of space exploration is wide open. “I came into this career knowing that man had set foot on the Moon and that we have astronauts orbiting the Earth on a space laboratory,” he said. Lonasee is proud to be a part of the team that will put astronauts back on the surface of the Moon and someday Mars. “I would love to see boots on Mars during my time here.” 

The advice he would like to give to the Artemis Generation is to take pride in the work that you do. “You cannot cut corners in this business,” he said. He also encourages the next generation to take time for themselves and their families and to do many things out there in the world. “Hotda Myra and many of our elders have shared their stories with me, now I am creating my stories to share.” 

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Olivia Redhorse is the systems analyst project lead for the Propulsion Department at White Sands and a member of the Propulsion Computer Engineering (PCE) group. She has been at NASA for 17 years. Her team maintains the Data Acquisition and Control Systems (DACS) and other custom software for pretest build-up, test operations, and post-test analysis. “Like my peers, I’ve taken on many roles and responsibilities to maintain the DACS infrastructure, such as a database administrator, a software developer, an OpenVMS system administrator, an Information System Security Officer, and a project lead,” she said.  

“Remember who you are and where you come from and may that guide and protect you. May you walk in beauty. (Hozhonigo Nannaadooleeth – in Navajo)” - Olivia Redhorse  

Redhorse celebrates her identity and culture by speaking her native language Dine to show respect to her audience, relatives and most of all, herself. “Introducing myself in my language has always given me a sense of pride and strength of who I am and where I come from,” she said. 

“Yaa’at’eeh! Shi ei Olivia Redhorse yinishye. Todich’ii’nii nishli, Tachii’nii bashishiin. Honaghaahnii dashicheii, Totsohnii da shinali. Tse Chi’zhi dee ayeesi naasha. Shima doo shizhe’e ei Gacina doo Olson Redhorse wolye,” said Redhorse in Dine. In English, “Hello! My name is Olivia Redhorse. I am of the Bitter Water Peoples clan and born for the Red Running into the Water Peoples clan. My maternal grandfather is of the One Walks Around Peoples clan and my paternal grandfather is of the Big Water Peoples clan. I am originally from Rough Rock, Arizona. My parents are Gacina and Olson Redhorse.” 

Redhorse shares that building a career at White Sands is one of her greatest achievements because she enjoys the work that she does. “I have picked up on a variety of skills, plus I can adapt to the workload and new requirements,” she said. But what truly sets this accomplishment apart is the immense physical and mental strength one must possess, or as Redhorse wisely noted, eventually acquire. There are early mornings and much planning involved in her work, as well as a safety culture where everyone needs to look out for each other.  

One of Redhorse’s most memorable projects was replacing the DACS configuration control database. “I improved the application and became familiar with a different operating system, a database management system, the system configuration control process, and the software development requirements.” 

An important lesson she has learned at NASA is that planning is key to getting the job done. “At one time, we were spending more time on repairs, such as troubleshooting systems and keeping old systems running,” she said. “By taking a step back, identifying the issues, creating a plan for system replacements, and making that plan doable, we were able to replace most of our systems over time.” 

She has also learned to always be safety-conscious, not just at work. “I have a big appreciation for our safety and IT security requirements because it is there to protect us.”  

“One thing I think that would help inspire the Artemis Generation is to visit Native American schools and tell students what NASA does,” said Redhorse. She also believes it would allow NASA to understand Native American cultures better. Reflecting on her childhood, she fondly remembers the speakers who visited her reservation. “It is a way to expose students to life outside the reservation, or in this case, space exploration.” 

As far as what she is looking forward to most about exploring our universe, “I’m just excited to see what we’ll find in space and on other planets,” she said. “I’m also curious to see what cool gadgets and space vehicles we come up with for space travel.” 

She believes it is crucial for the Artemis Generation to understand the importance of self-discovery to relate to others and their surroundings. “Knowing who you are will give you the pride and strength to overcome challenges,” said Redhorse. “Diversity is what makes us stronger as a unit.” 

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Nelvin Garnanez manages the Flight Hardware Testing and Processing Branch in the Component Test Area. He has been a part of NASA for almost 24 years. Garnanez maintains the flow of flight work for decontamination and processing flight hardware, assigning work and teams for flight work, and maintaining flight processing teams.   

Garnanez leads by example by working hard and doing his best to meet delivery deadlines and maintain the budget. His favorite achievement at NASA was working on and delivering flight hardware used on a space shuttle and preparing flight hardware for astronauts to use on the International Space Station. His favorite project was refurbishing the AC Motor valves for shuttle hardware and the Respiratory Support Package (RSP) for the space station. The RSP is a medical pack that contains necessary equipment for providing aid to a conscious or unconscious crewmember in respiratory distress.  

“Now that the Artemis mission is a team effort, be a part of history.” -  Nelvin Garnanez 

An important lesson Garnanez has learned from his NASA career is to continue to learn and be a team player and to make your work experience as diverse as possible. “Hard work pays off,” he said. 

“Early in my career, it was a challenge coming up to speed in a couple of test programs/projects and learning maintenance in test stands quickly and to be responsible for so much so soon,” said Garnanez. “It was a big learning experience for a new engineer. Now I keep that in mind when training new or hiring young engineers.” 

He believes that NASA can promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace by having minority engineers or astronauts visit schools on reservations to give inspirational talks or provide Q&As to young students.  

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Melissa John is the sustainability program lead who manages the recycling and sustainability program in the Environmental Department at White Sands. John has been a part of NASA for the past 11 years. During her time at the agency, she has learned that many jobs support the NASA mission. “I encourage students of all educational backgrounds to find their niche,” she said.  

“I have overcome challenges by working diligently and proving my worth through my work.” - Melissa John  

John states that in the past, she was not taken seriously as a professional because of her gender and background. She believes recognizing and honoring diverse groups would help promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace.