Jan 15, 2021
Amanda Knutson Chief Engineering Officer, Mission Specialist: Extravehicular Activity
Amanda Knutson is an Active Duty US Air Force member, currently working as a Weapons Armament Specialist at Luke AFB. While working full time at Luke AFB, she is studying part-time at Estrella Mountain Community College with plans to complete her Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Embry-Riddle. As a high school student enamored of engineering, Amanda was part of the FIRST Robotics Tech Challenge and Lego League programs. In 2017, she earned a place at the World Competition of FIRST Robotics securing the Engineering Inspiration award supported by NASA.
During the SENSORIA mission, Amanda brought and built an entirely new space capsule aquaponics system of her own design that can be used in micro- and fractional gravity conditions with an eye toward long-duration space missions. Additionally, she is developing her own “propellant depots” for deep space missions to Jupiter and Saturn. As a strong STEM advocate, she looks to inspire children and adults alike to strive for to achieve their own ambitions.
Chelsea Gohd Chief Science Officer, Mission Specialist: Documentary Filmmaker
Chelsea Gohd is a Senior Writer at Space.com, where she writes
articles and creates and hosts videos about everything from climate
change to exoplanet exploration and human spaceflight. Prior to her
work at Space.com, Chelsea worked as a freelancer, with bylines in
publications including Scientific American, Astronomy Magazine and
Discover Magazine. She also recently wrote an installation for the
American Museum of Natural History's Hall of Meteorites, which
included touchscreen exhibit placards and design and text for
interactive, in-exhibit games.
Chelsea is also a musician and writes, performs and records indie
pop music under the pseudonym Foxanne. As Foxanne, she released her
debut full-length record in 2020, titled "It's real (I knew it),"
named after an iconic scene from the hit sci-fi film "Galaxy
Quest." The album features a number of space-y easter eggs,
including audio from the OA-9 rocket launch, a 2018 cargo mission
that launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, and a song
written from the perspective of NASA's Opportunity rover.
Indie pop artist Foxanne released her debut full-length album "It's
real (I knew it)" in December of 2020. The highly anticipated
independent release can be found on all available platforms for
streaming and download including Spotify, iTunes and Bandcamp. The
album was produced by Doug Gallo at AGL studios and mastered by
Daughterboard Audio.