Engineer Richard Wear supports propulsion testing at NASA Stennis during Artemis II preparations

Richard Wear said it is an honor to be working at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, as NASA prepares to send astronauts around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years on the Artemis II mission. Wear is acting chief of the Mechanical Engineering Branch and primarily supports testing at the E Test Complex, where NASA and commercial companies carry out propulsion test operations.

The complex features four stands with 12 test cells capable of supporting a range of component and engine test activities, and its versatility allows it to support projects for commercial aerospace companies large and small. “The unique high pressure systems bring customers from all over the country,” Wear said.

“I am proud to have been a part of testing for our commercial partners over the years, some of which have become successful and recognized across the world.” Raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Wear said education was a priority in his household; his mother taught math and his father majored in chemistry.

After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama, he began his career in 2006 at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility as a contractor for Lockheed Martin, working in thermal analysis on the space shuttle external tank. He moved to Stennis in 2010 to fill a thermal analysis role and expanded his expertise to fluid analysis and thermodynamics, continuing to contribute technical analysis even in a supervisory role.

Key Topics

Science, Richard Wear, Stennis Space Center, Artemis Ii, E Test Complex, Lockheed Martin