Thu 19 May 2022
Ms. Trudy F. Kortes serves as the Director of Technology Demonstrations for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, managing more than $500M annually for the Agency to accomplish key technology advancements for future science and human exploration missions for the Agency and nation. Most recently, Trudy served as the Chief of the Human Exploration & Space Operations Division at Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. In that role she had oversight for over $200 million annually in key agency work in the testing of the Orion spacecraft, the Space Launch System universal stage adapter, Human Research Program elements such as exercise devices, International Space Station biological and physical sciences, and advanced communications systems such as cognitive and quantum communications.
From 2015 to 2018, Trudy served as the Technology Demonstration Missions Program Executive and managed the growing portfolio of flight and ground demonstration projects. Under her leadership, the program successfully developed important technology flight demonstrations, including the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, the Green Propellant Infusion Mission, Deep Space Atomic Clock, and the STMD technology investments onboard the Mars Perseverance rover. She has over 28 years of experience at NASA holding various institutional and programmatic positions at the Johnson Space Center, Ames Research Center, Glenn Research Center, and NASA Headquarters. Ms. Kortes is a federally certified program and project manager and has extensive experience in key systems engineering roles. She resides in Westlake, Ohio with her husband and three children.
As the Director of Technology Demonstrations for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, Trudy discussed current advancements in spacecraft technology and the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) which aims to showcase the unique capabilities of optical communications.