Alex Apyan: Get to know the UC Bearcat turned Orion program team member

How long have you been a part of this?
I started working at NASA in 2013, after leaving UC. Initially, I worked in flight control for the International Space Station and then for Boeing Starliner. Then, in November 2021, I moved over to the Vehicle Integration Office within the Orion Program, where I immediately began working on a task to show Orion could fly Artemis IV and carry a 10-ton payload to lunar orbit, a task for which I received the NASA Silver Achievement Medal.

What propelled you to get started going down this path in the first place?
As a kid, I loved flying on airplanes. And I got to grow up in the golden age of the Space Shuttle. I loved watching shuttle launches when I was young. It was incredibly exciting when the orbiter main engines lit right before liftoff. Now, I get to help the next generation of vehicles launch to new heights. It certainly gets the adrenaline pumping a little bit more these days but I know it's important to be laser locked in to ensure a successful launch and mission.

How did your experience at UC prepare you?
The University of Cincinnati prepared me in many ways. UC has a strong engineering program with a good reputation, including down here in Texas. John McCullough, who is an administrator in exploration ops at NASA and former Flight Director, graduated from UC in the 1980s. Dr. Mark Turner and Dr. Paul Orkwis, two of my professors at Cincinnati, both are extremely well-respected in the industry. I give them both, in addition to others, credit for being keys to success for students. Dr. Turner has a way to inspire you to learn, and Dr. Orkwis pushed us to grind out a high volume of repeated challenges, very similar to the environment I work in today.

On the football side, I gained a lot of critical soft skills that laid the path for my career in flight operations, which are highly valued there and in leadership positions, and were paramount in my success. So much so, I began looking for athletes with engineering degrees when we would evaluate candidates. I had even hoped to convince Alec Pierce to come work for us, but I think his chosen career path is working out pretty well. Jokes aside, data connects athletes to thriving in leadership. They have proven to be able to handle pressure situations and work with a variety of constituents.