UCF Grad Teresa Kinney Leads NASA's Lunar Outpost Program

Orlando, FL – A University of Central Florida alumna is engineering humanity's return to the moon, serving as a key leader in NASA's plan to establish America's first permanent lunar outpost. Teresa Kinney, who earned a Master of Science in Engineering in 2011, is the transportation office program lead engineer for NASA's Moon Base Program. From Merritt Island, Kinney oversees the complex surface transportation systems required to build and sustain a base near the moon's South Pole. Her team ensures that lunar rover and transport vehicle designs are technically sound and ready for advancement. Kinney meticulously evaluates how these systems will perform in the harsh lunar environment, considering extreme temperatures, radiation and the unique challenges of lunar terrain. Her work ensures components integrate into NASA's vision for a permanent human presence beyond Earth. “I make sure technically that the design is worthy of moving forward to the next phase, that we’re looking at all the right thermal, dynamic and radiation environments and making sure the integration of hardware, including electronics and other parts, is coming together the proper way,” Kinney said. Her role also assesses the logistical complexities of supporting a long-term presence, drawing parallels to the International Space Station. Beyond the Moon Base Program, Kinney is project chief engineer for the Liquid Oxygen-Methane Assessment. This initiative with the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Space Force quantifies risks associated with large quantities of cryogenic propellants used in next-generation rockets. The data will develop enhanced safety protocols for launch sites and surrounding communities. Kinney's passion for understanding complex systems began in childhood while helping her father with car repairs. This hands-on experience fuels her work solving significant engineering challenges in space exploration.