{"id":339,"date":"2025-12-01T16:48:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T15:48:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/100blogs.ovh\/36\/index.php\/2025\/12\/01\/mark-elder-building-the-future-of-spacewalking-for-artemis-and-beyond\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T16:48:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T15:48:06","slug":"mark-elder-building-the-future-of-spacewalking-for-artemis-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/100blogs.ovh\/36\/index.php\/2025\/12\/01\/mark-elder-building-the-future-of-spacewalking-for-artemis-and-beyond\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Elder: Building the Future of Spacewalking for Artemis and Beyond\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For more than 25 years, Mark Elder has helped make human spaceflight safe and possible. As the International Space Station EVA hardware manager in the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Office within the EVA and Human Surface Mobility Program, he leads the team responsible for the spacesuits, tools, and logistics that keep astronauts protected during spacewalks\u2014and ensures NASA is ready for the next era of Artemis<\/a> exploration.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Mark Elder with NASA\u2019s Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) spacesuit at Johnson Space Center in Houston. <\/div>\n
NASA\/Bill Stafford<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

His team is programmatically responsible for the Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or EMU, spacesuit. That means every bolt, bearing, and battery astronauts rely on outside the International Space Station ultimately falls under their watch. He also oversees the EVA Space Operations Contract, which provides engineering and technical support to keep spacesuit systems flight ready.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Elder\u2019s work directly supports every EVA, or spacewalk, conducted at the station. His team coordinates with astronauts, engineers, and the Mission Control Center in Houston to make sure the suits and tools operate reliably in the most unforgiving environment imaginable. Their work helps ensure every EVA is conducted safely and successfully.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Elder\u2019s passion for NASA began at an early age.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was little, my parents gave me a book called \u2018The Astronauts,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cIt had drawings of a reusable spacecraft\u2014the space shuttle\u2014and I fell in love with it. From then on, I told everyone I was going to work at NASA.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That dream took off at age 16, when he attended Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama. \u201cThat cemented my dream of someday working at NASA, and it taught me a little bit more about the different roles within the agency,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While attending Case Western Reserve University as a mechanical engineering student, he learned about a new NASA program that allowed college students to design and build an experiment and then come to Johnson Space Center for a week to fly with their experiment on the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. \u201cI jumped on the chance to be part of the team,\u201d he said. \u201cThe experience further cemented my dream of working at NASA one day\u2014Johnson in particular.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

After graduation, Elder worked with Pratt & Whitney on jet engines. While the experience was invaluable, he knew his heart belonged in human spaceflight. \u201cI learned that one of Pratt\u2019s fellow companies under the United Technologies umbrella was Hamilton Sundstrand, which was the prime contractor for the spacesuit,\u201d he said. \u201cI jumped at the chance to transfer, and my career at NASA finally began.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Elder spent his first three years at Johnson performing tool-to-tool fit checks on spacewalking equipment, giving him hands-on experience with nearly every tool that he would eventually become responsible for as a hardware manager.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Mark Elder stands in front of the Space Shuttle Atlantis before the STS-117 launch on June 8, 2007. <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

His early years coincided with the shuttle return-to-flight era, when he worked on reinforced carbon-carbon panel repairs and thermal protection systems. Those experiences built his technical foundation and prepared him for the leadership roles to come.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over time, Elder took on increasingly complex assignments, eventually leading the team that developed the EVA Long Life Battery\u2014the first human-rated lithium battery used in space. His team created a rigorous test plan to certify the battery for human spaceflight at a time when lithium batteries were under scrutiny for safety concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally signing the certification paperwork was satisfying, but watching an EVA powered by the batteries provided a great sense of pride,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This innovation set the stage for future generations of even safer, higher-capacity batteries that power today\u2019s spacewalking operations and will eventually support lunar surface activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Looking back, Elder said some of his greatest lessons came from learning how to lead with purpose. \u201cThe great thing about NASA is the highly motivated and dedicated workforce,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I first became a team lead, I thought success meant making quick decisions and moving fast. I learned that leadership is really about listening. Strong teams are built on trust and open communication.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another defining lesson, he said, has been learning to assume positive intent. \u201cIn a place like NASA, everyone is deeply passionate about what they do,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to misinterpret a disagreement as opposition, but when you remember that everyone is working toward the same goal, the conversation changes. You focus on solving problems, not winning arguments.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That mindset has guided Elder through some of NASA\u2019s most complex programs and helped him build lasting partnerships across the agency.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Mark Elder receives an award at the 2024 Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Stellar Awards ceremony at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Houston. <\/div>\n
NASA\/Josh Valcarcel<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Today, Elder\u2019s work extends beyond the orbiting laboratory. As NASA prepares for Artemis missions to the Moon, his team\u2019s experience maintaining and improving the EMU informs the design of next-generation exploration suits.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe foundation we\u2019ve built on the space station is critical for the future,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery tool we\u2019ve refined, every system we\u2019ve upgraded\u2014it all feeds into how we\u2019ll operate on the lunar surface and eventually on Mars.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Elder believes that the key to future success lies in perseverance. He advises the next generation to never stop dreaming. \u201cMy path wasn\u2019t direct, and it would have been easy for me to give up,\u201d he said. \u201cBut dreams have a way of guiding you if you don\u2019t let go of them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

When he\u2019s not supporting those missions, Elder\u2019s creativity takes shape in his workshop. \u201cIn my spare time, I love woodworking,\u201d he said. \u201cBuilding something useful from a pile of rough-sawn boards helps calm me and gives me a great sense of accomplishment. I love being able to build furniture for my family,\u201d he added, after recently finishing a desk for his youngest son.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The same patience and precision he brings to woodworking defines his approach to exploration\u2014steady progress, careful craftmanship, and attention to detail. \u201cAs NASA goes to the Moon and Mars, there will be challenges,\u201d Elder said. \u201cAs long as we keep dreaming, we will see the next generation walking on the Moon and heading to Mars.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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For more than 25 years, Mark Elder has helped make human spaceflight safe and possible. As the International Space Station EVA hardware manager in the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Office within the EVA and Human Surface Mobility Program, he leads the team responsible for the spacesuits, tools, and logistics that keep astronauts protected during spacewalks\u2014and ensures […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ciencia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/100blogs.ovh\/36\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/100blogs.ovh\/36\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/100blogs.ovh\/36\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/100blogs.ovh\/36\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/100blogs.ovh\/36\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=339"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/100blogs.ovh\/36\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/100blogs.ovh\/36\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/100blogs.ovh\/36\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/100blogs.ovh\/36\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}