From backyard stargazing to NASA leadership

Christina Zeringue’s career with NASA began on a clear Christmas night when, at just 10 years old, she peered through a telescope for the first time. That gift sparked a lifelong fascination with the Moon, planets, stars, and nebulae. Observing the night sky from her backyard in Kenner, Louisiana, she became captivated by astronomy and the workings of the universe. Her early interests ranged from constellations and planetary orbits to solar and lunar eclipses, knowledge she pursued independently under the stars.

From backyard stargazing to NASA leadership: The journey of Christina Zeringue

A pivotal influence in her youth was the Hubble Space Telescope. Zeringue followed its developments closely, especially inspired by the fact that Hubble had launched aboard a space shuttle equipped with engines tested at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Driven by curiosity and a desire to contribute to space exploration, she eventually turned that passion into a profession.

After earning a degree from the University of New Orleans, Zeringue joined NASA’s Stennis Space Center, where she now serves as chief safety and mission assurance officer. In this role, she oversees the safety and mission success of all site activities. Her responsibilities span rocket propulsion testing and the operation of the NASA Stennis federal city, which hosts over 50 organizations across the federal, state, academic, and private sectors, all sharing infrastructure while pursuing diverse aerospace and research missions.

Zeringue describes her role as both dynamic and intellectually stimulating, noting that it allows her to work alongside skilled professionals and continually acquire new skills. Her work has had a direct impact on major NASA programs, particularly the Artemis campaign to return humans to the Moon. She contributed to the RS-25 engine testing and played a key role in the Green Run testing of the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage prior to the Artemis I mission launch.

Over her 28-year tenure at NASA Stennis, split evenly between contractor and NASA roles, Zeringue has encountered numerous challenges that required innovative solutions. She emphasizes the collaborative environment of her team, where complex engineering and safety issues are addressed through collective problem-solving and process development.

Zeringue began her career as a contractor, serving as a test article engineer for the Space Shuttle Main Engine Program. She later became a quality systems manager, overseeing engineering and configuration management for propulsion systems such as the space shuttle main engine, RS-68 engine (used in Delta IV rockets), and the J-2X upper stage engine.

Transitioning to a civil servant role in 2011, she initially worked as a facility systems safety engineer before becoming chief of operations support within the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate. One of her most memorable moments came early in her career during a final inspection of a high-pressure fuel turbopump. Spotting a piece of contamination missed in previous inspections, she ensured the part was returned and disassembled before its next flight. That action directly contributed to astronaut safety, reinforcing the real-world impact of her work.

Now a resident of Pearl River, Louisiana, Zeringue continues to apply the same curiosity and commitment that first drew her to astronomy. Her story, from stargazing child to senior NASA leader, embodies the message she shares with aspiring space professionals: remain curious, invest in your own growth, share knowledge, and embrace new challenges daily.

Christina Zeringue enjoys viewing the partial solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023, from Slidell, Louisiana

Photo credit: NASA/Danny Nowlin