NASA Engineer Eryn Andrews on Moon Missions, Spacesuit Challenges & Becoming an Astronaut

Intro:
Welcome to Launch Pod, where we chat with innovators who are overcoming challenges, pushing boundaries, and collaborating to make space more accessible and sustainable for humanity—one launch at a time, one small step for man. Here’s your host, Susan Wise.

Susan Wise:
Welcome to Launch Pod: Space Science and Innovation! I am so honored to have with us this time Eryn Andrews, NASA engineer. Welcome! Tell everyone a little more about what you do at NASA.

Eryn Andrews:
Thank you very much for having me. I’m very excited to be here.
So, specifically, my job title right now is Human Performance Engineer. The team I’m with is researching human performance—specifically for spacewalking on the Moon.
So, what does it mean to be a human being on the Moon? What does it do to you physically, mentally? We have a new spacesuit that’s being developed, and there are a ton of questions like: How far, how hard, how long can we push the human body in this environment, in a new spacesuit, and still have them be safe, productive, and successful in their mission?

Susan Wise:
That’s a lot of responsibility.

Eryn Andrews:
It is! And even that is kind of an umbrella term—it breaks down into many smaller groups. But yeah, a lot of good stuff is being done.
In my role, we’re research-based. We might get a question from program management like, “We’re planning several spacewalks during a short stay. What if we did three or four spacewalks in a row, back to back? Could we do that? What’s that going to do to the human body? Can they take it?”
At first, you’re like, “Oh yeah, they could totally take that.” But then you start asking yourself—is that going to be mentally demanding? Are they going to be so overwhelmed they can’t make safe, logical choices?
It’s certainly going to be physically demanding. Working in a pressurized suit in a vacuum environment is hard work. From our experience on the International Space Station, we already know that even one day is a tough day’s work—it’s like running a marathon all day long. And now you want to turn around and run another one three days in a row?

We know enough to know we don’t know enough. So, we design experiments to get concrete answers. We test, gather data, and go back to program management and say, “We ran a study. Test subjects came in and played astronaut under these conditions. Here’s what we found.”
Sometimes the data confirms what we expected. Sometimes it completely surprises us—and then it’s like, “Whoa, nobody expected that result. Let’s pause and reconsider. That adds a new dimension we hadn’t thought of.”
So yeah, lots of unknowns. It’s that “you don’t know what you don’t know” paradigm.

Susan Wise:
Is this research for Mars?

Eryn Andrews:
Right now, we’re focusing exclusively on the Moon. The idea is that we’ll go to the Moon to learn as much as we can, and that knowledge will enable us to go on to Mars. I think most of the scientific community agrees that the Moon is a great testing ground for extraterrestrial missions.

Susan Wise:
In your experiments or training, have you ever had a moment where you went, “Yes!”—a breakthrough or an “aha!” moment you were really jazzed about?

Eryn Andrews:
Oh gosh, that’s such a fun question. I’ve had 17 years of experience at NASA and have worked with many different groups.
Before this job, I spent the better part of a decade training astronauts how to spacewalk. I’m an expert in the spacesuit, and I trained astronauts on how to use it, then supported them from mission control.
There have been many “aha” moments—like when I found a better way to explain a complex technical issue, and suddenly the astronaut gets it. That lightbulb moment—now they understand the system and what’s at stake.

In my current role (I’ve been in it for less than a year), I’ve already had quite a few exciting “aha” moments. One project we’re working on is about how many EVAs (extravehicular activities) we could realistically fit into a mission.
At first, it was a vague idea, but now it’s coming together. We’re working through the details: how we’ll test it, what the scenarios will be.
Just today, in fact, we got to tour some payloads that are being designed for the Moon. My team lead and I looked at each other and said, “That would be a great one! Let’s fit that into our timeline.”
We’re building a story for our test subjects—and almost every day there’s a little “aha” moment that moves things forward. It’s really exciting.

Susan Wise:
I love that. That’s gotta be very gratifying.

Eryn Andrews:
It is. It really is.

Susan Wise:
Now, when we go back to the Moon, we’re going to different parts than before, right?

Eryn Andrews:
Yes. Previously, we landed closer to the Moon’s equator. This time, we’re targeting the south pole of the Moon—for many reasons.
It allows constant communication with Earth, because we won’t be rotated out of view. There’s also a lot of science to be done at the poles. There are areas of permanent sunlight, permanent shadow, and areas that mix both.
So for every one question we answer, we generate ten more. We’re constantly saying, “Okay, now we need another experiment to find that out.”
Sometimes it’s overwhelming—like, “Oh my gosh, we’re never going to answer everything.” But we’ll know a lot more than we do now. That gives us the confidence to accept some risk, go back, and really learn.
Once we’re back on the Moon? The amount we’ll learn will be exponential. One answered question will lead to 50 more, because now we’re there, with a real human having a real human experience. It’s going to be incredible. I’m excited. It’s going to be an amazing ride.

Susan Wise:
What’s been your biggest challenge, and how did you overcome it?

Eryn Andrews:
Personally, I’d say confidence. For a long time, I really struggled with that.
In high school, college, and even early in my career—and still sometimes today—I’ve had that little voice in my head saying, “You’re not good enough. You can’t be one of those NASA people. They’re geniuses. Who are you?”

Susan Wise:
Oh, come on—you are a rocket scientist!

Eryn Andrews:
Right?! And I have to remind myself: “Shut up! You’ve been here 17 years!”
But seriously, when I was younger, I struggled with math. I’d think, “If I can’t get this, how will I ever work at NASA?” I’d spiral.
Thankfully, I had teachers, friends, and family who pushed me during those vulnerable moments—when I was ready to give up on myself. But they didn’t give up on me. They said, “Nope. Go back in there. Take that test again. You’re not quitting.”

Eventually, I started to believe it. I got small wins that built into bigger wins, and now I’m much more confident.
Any time I feel myself pulling back in fear, I remind myself: “You’ve done it before. You were scared, and you made it through. Just take one step at a time.”

Susan Wise:
That’s good advice. I like that.
Do you feel like everything you’re doing now is preparing you for something else? You know where I’m going…

Eryn Andrews:
Oh, I sure hope so! Yes—it’s no secret: I’d love to be an astronaut.
That’s been the dream since I was a kid. I’ve trained astronauts, worn the suit, simulated their work… and that’s only fueled my passion.
I’ve applied four times now, been rejected four times. But that’s normal. I’m still young in astronaut terms. So I’ll keep gaining experience and building that résumé.

Susan Wise:
I think five is your lucky number.

Eryn Andrews:
It is my favorite number! Let’s go with that. Number five—here we come.

Susan Wise:
I’m putting that out there for you, Eryn.

Eryn Andrews:
Thank you! And honestly, even if it doesn’t happen, I’m okay with that. I’ve been part of amazing things at NASA. I’ve had incredible professional and personal experiences. That’s something I can always be proud of.

Susan Wise:
I read that your parents were in the military, you were in Florida—and you’re from the Philippines?

Eryn Andrews:
Yes!

Susan Wise:
I had no idea.

Eryn Andrews:
Yeah, a little bit of everything. People ask me where I’m from, and I say, “Pick one!” I grew up in half a dozen different places.
My parents were both in the Air Force—they met while stationed in Montana. My dad was assigned to the Philippines, and that’s where I was born. Then we moved back to the States and lived in several places—one of them being Florida in the mid-90s.

Susan Wise:
The prime of the Shuttle era!

Eryn Andrews:
Exactly! I remember in 1993, when I was eight, my parents took me and my sister to the causeway. They pointed and said, “That little thing out there is a rocket ship. Those are astronauts going into space.”
Living in Florida, going on school field trips to Kennedy Space Center, watching videos of astronauts floating and playing with food… What kid wouldn’t want that?
It was an easy decision. “Yep—sign me up.” I never wavered.

Susan Wise:
All of this is just preparing you for that big call.

Eryn Andrews:
I like to think so! So when they ask, “Who wants to be an astronaut?” I’ll say, “I’ve got half the qualifications already—put me in, coach!”

Susan Wise:
Do you have any advice or a resource you’d like to share before we wrap up?

Eryn Andrews:
Yes—don’t be afraid of failure. It’s been a big part of my journey.
I’ve failed tests, exams, benchmarks… so many moments where it would’ve been easy to give up. But failure taught me a lot.
At NASA, we joke that “failure is not an option,” but on my path, it totally was—and it was okay.
Failure doesn’t have to be the end. Learn from it. Try again. Fail again. That’s okay. Just keep going. Eventually, you’ll succeed.
And as I said earlier, small wins build up. You’ll have setbacks, but that’s part of the journey. Even mountains have valleys. Keep climbing.

Susan Wise:
It’s an opportunity to learn.

Eryn Andrews:
Exactly. And you’ll be amazed by what you discover.
Nobody’s path is linear. Mine sure wasn’t. But what a journey it’s been—full of surprises and opportunities I didn’t even know existed.

Susan Wise:
You’re young, and you have an amazing future ahead of you.

Eryn Andrews:
Thank you.

Susan Wise:
I can’t wait to see you go into space—“I know her!”

Eryn Andrews:
I hope so! I’ll need a long shout-out list. I want to float past the window and say, “Shout-out to so-and-so!”
But really, we’re not islands. My success is shared with my village, and I want to thank them—maybe even from space.

Susan Wise:
Speaking of gratitude, we are very thankful you joined us today on Launch Pod…

Eryn Andrews:
Thank you!

Susan Wise:
…and shared your experiences. Eryn, thank you so much.

Eryn Andrews:
It was truly my pleasure.

Susan Wise:
Eryn Andrews, NASA engineer, on Launch Pod.
If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love for you to leave us a review, subscribe, and—until next time—keep looking up.

Close:
Don’t miss an episode—subscribe on your favorite streaming platform. Watch us on YouTube and follow us on social media. STARS Launch Pod—propelling us forward, one launch at a time.