NASA Space Flight Awareness Program Recognizes Stennis Employee Puckett

NASA’s Stennis Space Center employee Daniel Puckett (second from left) of Picayune, Mississippi, is presented a NASA Space Flight Awareness Honoree award Aug. 16. He is joined by astronaut Steve Bowen (l to r), son Danny, astronaut Nicole Mann, and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Policy & Plans, Human Explorations and Operations Mission Directorate Greg Williams Photo by NASA

Stennis Space Center employee Daniel Puckett of Picayune, Mississippi, was recognized Aug. 16 by NASA’s Space Flight Awareness Program with an Honoree Award for outstanding support of human spaceflight. Puckett is an information technology (IT) security specialist with SaiTech at Stennis.

Greg Williams, NASA deputy associate administrator for Policy & Plans, Human Explorations and Operations Mission Directorate, along with astronauts Steve Bowen and Nicole Mann, presented the Honoree Awards during a ceremony in Orlando, Florida. Puckett was recognized for professionalism, dedication and exceptional support in IT security and system assurance that contributes directly to the success of NASA’s mission.

In recognition of such flight program contributions, Puckett traveled to Florida to tour Kennedy Space Center facilities and attend the Aug. 18 launch of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-M). TDRS-M is a replenishment satellite for NASA’s Space Network. The network of TDRS satellites transmits data to and from ground stations on Earth for various near-Earth NASA missions and expendable launch vehicles. The satellites communicate necessary commands to these spacecraft and deliver reliable scientific data from space to scientists on Earth. All continuous, 24-7 International Space Station communication is provided through the Space Network. The newly launched satellite is the third and final in a series of third-generation TDRS spacecraft that have launched in recent years. It will enable the Space Network to provide critical space communications to its users, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, for an additional 15 years.

NASA’s Space Flight Awareness Program recognizes outstanding job performances and contributions by civil service and contract employees throughout the year and focuses on excellence in quality and safety in support of human spaceflight. The Honoree Award is one of the highest honors presented to employees for their dedication to quality work and flight safety. Recipients must have contributed beyond their normal work requirements toward achieving a particular human spaceflight program goal; contributed to a major cost savings; been instrumental in developing material that increases reliability, efficiency or performance; assisted in operational improvements; or been a key player in developing a beneficial process improvement.

For information about Stennis Space Center, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/stennis/