Zaida Hernandez
Thermal Engineer — Lunar Terrain Vehicle Thermal Lead — NASA Johnson Space Center — Lunar Architecture Team
Houston, Texas
✓ Verified current as of 2026-09-24
WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DO
She is the thermal lead for NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle and previously served as Thermal Protection Systems subsystem manager for Orion's Launch Abort System and Service Module and as a thermal engineer on the VIPER lunar rover.
HOW THEY ENTERED THE INDUSTRY
Her NASA path started with a STEM Engagement internship at Johnson Space Center while still in high school in 2009, then continued through the Pathways internship program while studying mechanical engineering at the University of Houston — the same branch she now works in full-time.
EDUCATION
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston
CONNECTED TO YOUR PATH
She started as a high schooler in a NASA internship program, the exact kind of entry point a Hamptonian AeroPuente student could pursue right now.
EXPLICACIÓN EN ESPAÑOL
Ingeniera térmica de la NASA — conocida públicamente como "The Space Latina" — que lidera el diseño térmico del Vehículo de Terreno Lunar después de comenzar como pasante de la NASA en la preparatoria.
