Biloxi native Christine Powell named new Stennis Space Center director

HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) — Since the dawn of America’s space program, Mississippi has been present. Less than a month after John F. Kennedy declared America’s lunar destiny, the plans for Stennis Space Center were announced.

When the U.S. looks to touch the stars, the mission has to go through the Stennis Space Center, now the watchful eye of its newest director, Christine Powell.

Powell is a Biloxi native and graduate of St. Martin High School. She attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Gautier and later attended Mississippi State. While she sits atop the center’s chain of command now, her position could not be farther from where she started.(wlox)

Powell is a Biloxi native and graduate of St. Martin High School. She attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Gautier and later Mississippi State. While she sits atop the center’s chain of command now, her position could not be farther from where she started.

“I happened to know a friend who was coming out to Stennis for a job fair, and came out and found out that they had intern opportunities that I didn’t even know anything about,” Powell said. “And got the call that said, hey, why don’t you come out for an interview? And they haven’t been able to get rid of me since then,”

In 1995, Powell began as an engineer, working hands-on with propulsion testing. These days, most of her time is spent at a desk, so she was more than happy to hit the test site and show us around.

“So this is the control room for the E-1 test facility. Back in the day, I was actually programming the screens that you see here on these computers,” Powell said.

In 1995, Powell began as an engineer, working hands-on with propulsion testing. These days, most of her time is spent at a desk, so she was more than happy to hit the test site and show us around.(wlox)

The thought of space travel has captivated the minds of millions through the decades. While some days may just feel like work, the magnitude of the work is not lost to director Powell.

“It’s challenging, it’s dangerous, but it’s inspirational,” Powell said. “I mean, we’ve had human presence on the International Space Station for over 25 years now. And, you know, you just think back to when you were growing up as a kid. Did you ever think that you would have people living in space? And that’s what they’re doing. They’re living in space.”

While we crowd around our TVs every once in a while for major launches, the hard work that leads up to that never ceases.

“Everything that we have on our plate for the next two years, all of the rovers and the missions and the buildup of the moon base and everything that we’re looking to do with Artemis,” Powell said. “The idea isn’t that you send, you know, a crew around the moon once a decade or once every five years, that you are sending personnel and rovers and helicopters and equipment and everything that you need on a regular cadence. It just becomes part of the natural cycle of day-to-day operations.”

While we crowd around our TVs every once in a while for major launches, the hard work that leads up to that is never ceasing.(wlox)

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As America looks to the future of space exploration, a continuous presence on the moon and exploration of Mars, the propulsion technology taking us there will continue to be tested right here at Stennis Space Center. Christine Powell, a woman raised in its shadow, is at the helm, marking her place in history.

“Oh no, every day is exciting. We’re always pushing the boundaries. We’re always reaching for that next step. We’re always trying to climb to that next rung on the ladder. It’s like, what else can we achieve? And so the creativity and the innovation and just the inspiration that that provides is part of what makes this job so cool,” Powell said.

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