Michele Di Benedetto

Hi!  I am Michele Di Benedetto.  This is my first tour at Johnson Space Center.  I am currently working in Mission Operations Department in the Payload Operations and Flight Control.  Yes, I get to sit in the Mission Control Center during flights, which is one of the neatest things you can do at JSC. 

I go to school at the University of Florida and I am originally from Illinois.  I decided I wanted to be an engineer my freshman year of high school, but aerospace was not my choice till I moved to Florida.  Living in Texas and Florida there is a lot of exposure to space but when you are living in Illinois space is a whole other world.  When I moved to Florida I finally decided on aerospace, because it combines both math and science and it sounded important when I told people what I was majoring in. 

I do not work for NASA, but I do work for a contractor to NASA, United Space Alliance.  We are a joint company between Lockheed Martin and Boeing.  The company mostly deals with the operations of going to space such as Mission Control and Astronaut Training.  What do I do exactly?  Well I get to sit in Mission Control during flights and I also help to train astronauts and write the books that astronauts and flight controllers use during a mission.  I also deal with all the payloads or equipment that gets loaded on to the shuttle and the International Space Station.

Working on-site at JSC has been one of the neatest experiences in my life and the most fun time I have ever had working.  I am plan on coming back for more tours and eventually permanently because it is a great place to work and the people are easy to work with. 

You are on a great start by being awarded the opportunity to see JSC from behind the scenes and get to know what space is all about from hands on experiences.  Congratulations and I can’t wait to get to meet you!!!! 

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Last Updated: 06/20/01