S4S space operator joins working group with NASA, Johns Hopkins on moon return efforts

Published Dec. 16, 2025
By Capt. Cameron Silver
U.S. Space Forces – Space

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. -- What will it take to have a sustained presence on the moon? What about Mars? U.S. Space Force Capt. Kathryn Odom had the opportunity to tackle those exact problems when she returned to her alma mater, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., to lend her expertise to a NASA-partnered working group Dec. 6-8, 2025.

“I think it’s so cool that Johns Hopkins is on the forefront of such a challenging endeavor, and I hope that this is the start of progress getting us back to the moon,” said Odom, a member of U.S. Space Forces – Space (S4S), the warfighting arm of U.S. Space Command.

The workshop, a combined effort headed by NASA and Johns Hopkins and hosted at the university’s applied physics lab, brought together stakeholders in government, industry, academia, and more, to pinpoint the technological capabilities and requirements needed for future lunar operations. The aim of the overall project is to develop foundational approaches to fulfill NASA’s Artemis program—the organization’s main effort to return humans to the moon, ultimately in preparation for Mars exploration. So far, NASA has identified sustainable infrastructure, communication network nodes (LunaNet), and fission surface power as technological requirements.

Odom was invited to participate in the working group due to her studies and expertise in human-factors engineering, the science behind applying information on physical and psychological characteristics to the design of devices and systems for human use. Since living and working on the moon would necessitate improved spacesuits, pressurized lunar rovers, habitation systems, and more, her skill set adds a key puzzle piece to the problem-solving team: utility.

Before she joined the Space Force, Odom received her commission as an officer from the Air Force Academy and then went on to graduate from Johns Hopkins with a master’s degree in systems engineering and a specialization in human factors. Her thesis focused on a conceptual proposal to leverage model-based systems engineering to create data-driven exercise routines to optimize human performance during long-duration spaceflight.

“I was able to reasonably conclude that using medical-grade wearable devices to create a personalized data landscape for an individual could help inform a tailored exercise program for a person, and you could then evaluate different biometric parameters collected to understand, inform, and update a user’s health picture,” Odom said. “This would be especially valuable for something like long-duration exploratory spaceflight when there are communication delays… At Mars it could be up to 40 minutes each way and you may not have continual access and support from a ground team.”

A military space operator by trade, Odom currently serves as the operations synchronization section chief of S4S’s Space Delta 5 Future Operations Division. In this role, her primary focus is promoting synchronicity between internal mission areas, as well as facilitating lateral integration with other centers like the National Space Defense Center and the National Reconnaissance Office Operations Center.

“As ops sync chief, I foster shared understanding across space mission sets to synchronize operations, foster open communication, prevent stove-piping, and synergize planning/execution with external operational stakeholders” Odom said.

From this perspective, she provided unique insights to the working group on how to accomplish such a complex undertaking and lay the groundwork for effective integrated human and machine operations.

“These are challenges that any multi-mission, large organization will face and can be applied to all of the different mission areas that will need to come together to execute lunar ops – and beyond,” Odom said.

Odom’s leadership at DEL 5 were excited for her to participate in the workshop and welcomed the opportunity to further integrate S4S with like-minded space stakeholders.

“Her participation will provide her with valuable knowledge from industry and academia, which she can bring back to enhance our collective understanding and potentially create opportunities for professional and personal growth,” said Lt. Col. Ellie Constantine-Barredo, DEL 5 director of operations. “This workshop presents a platform to engage Artemis program stakeholders and policy organizations, enabling her to influence future lunar/Mars operations through the application of core functions.”

After days of in-person brainstorming and collaboration, Odom said that the participants walked away with the beginnings of a strategic, collaborative roadmap for assured, integrated human-machine space operations, multi-stakeholder collaborations, and a technology and policy research/analysis agenda to accelerate a sustainable human presence in space. According to her, the biggest areas of emphasis were interoperability, responsible utilization of artificial intelligence, trust fostered by machine transparency, shared understanding, and common purpose.

“Government, academia, industry, and philanthropy are all interested in expanding space capabilities,” Odom said. “In order to go further than humanity has ever gone before, we will need to foster relationships based on this common goal to ensure space accessibility.
As the “final frontier” becomes increasingly congested and contested, space surveillance sensors managed by S4S as well as strong cross-organizational relationships will be critical to the safety and success of all space-related endeavors. Odom said that this all starts with our most precious resource—human capital.

“Maintaining knowledgeable humans-in-the-loop will be vital to ensuring we are able to maintain trust and accountability,” Odom said. “Our respective entities have unique strengths and perspectives that, when leveraged together, will be able to grow a collaborative and effective coalition.”

The next Artemis mission that includes a lunar landing, Artemis III, is slated to take place in mid-2027, with extended stays not expected until 2035. When that time comes, the impact of Odom and the other working group participants may not be front and center, but their results will be felt by each astronaut as they embark on unprecedented scientific discovery.

“I felt absolutely honored to be a part of this experience, share my expertise, and hopefully provide valuable input into what we need to be thinking about for such an emergent, multifaceted problem,” Odom said.