“The public perception of NASA has a lot to do with our technological successes and the discoveries that we’ve made, but none of that is possible without the people.
“In the six or so years that I’ve worked at NASA, I’ve learned a lot of incredible stories — not just of the struggles that different spacecraft encounter on their journeys throughout the universe. There are so many problems that need to be solved and fixes that need to be made, but there are also so many stories of teams that had to work together to accomplish their goals. And a lot of times, these teams are working after hours, on weekends, working late nights and early mornings. These are people who have other problems in their lives that they have to solve, and they’re still showing up and making magic happen.
“This is why [Aubrey Gemignani] and I started Faces of NASA: We wanted to make that connection. It’s not just rockets, astronauts, and telescopes. Hundreds of thousands of people come together to make these missions possible, and that’s the part that’s really interesting for me.
“I like to hold a mirror to other people, and in every Faces of NASA interview, I try to hold a mirror up to what the person has accomplished to get them to be proud of it. For many of those people, it’s the first time they have to self-reflect.
“That’s what’s really nice about [the Faces of NASA project]. Everyone who works here is just living day-to-day, so when they have an opportunity to stop for a moment and look back on how far they’ve come… it’s the best feeling for both of us. They’re like, ‘Wow, I’ve never really stopped to think about how much I’ve accomplished or how far I’ve come.’ And I get to share that moment with them. That’s my favorite part of Faces of NASA.”
NASA Communications Strategist, Thalia Patrinos, poses for a portrait, Thursday, July 11, 2024, in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)