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♪

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I'm Nyla Trumbach, and

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I'm the Lead Mechanical
Test Operations Engineer

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on the Fred
Haise Test Stand

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at NASA
Stennis Space Center.

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I lead a team of
four test engineers

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in testing the
RS-25 engines

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for the
Artemis program.

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In high school I
was very interested

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in math and
science, and I had

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a couple of teachers
who pointed out

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that I was, I was
pretty good at math,

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and they suggested I go
to engineering school.

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So I chose that path.

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But as a girl, my
grandfather was involved

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in the shuttle program and
for our summer vacations

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we would visit
them in Kennedy,

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at Kennedy Space
Center, and one time

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I saw a shuttle launch
from their backyard.

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And I can remember
the windows rattling,

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and I'd never seen
anything like that.

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And at the time,
I never dreamed

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that I'd be a part
of the space program.

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It really was never
a goal of mine.

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But coming out of
school, I came back home

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and started looking for
a job, and I got a job

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here at Stennis Space
Center with Rocketdyne,

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and it just
took off from there.

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When I first
started out at Stennis,

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I was in the maintenance
group for the Navy.

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I didn't really
have my sights

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set on conducting tests.

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You know, I think I even
thought it might have been

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out of my, out
of my league.

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But there was
a job opening

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as a test engineer
with Rocketdyne.

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And I remember I
called up a lady I knew

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that worked for Rocketdyne
just to get an idea

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of what the job was like
and if it's something

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that I would like to do.

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And she said, Nyla, I
just have to say this is

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the best job that
anyone could ever have.

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It's the most exciting,
challenging job

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out here at
Stennis Space Center.

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And so it was a little
scary, you know,

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thinking of, of what,
what I would be doing.

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But I'm so glad
it, it worked out.

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And that I eventually
became a test conductor.

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We are in the test
control center right now,

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and this is where
all the fun happens.

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As test conductor
for the day, you are

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in control of all
operations for the day,

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so you have to be
knowledgeable about

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all systems, the
nitrogen systems,

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helium systems,
hydraulic systems.

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You are in
control of all of that

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and you direct
the test team.

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So it's a lot
of responsibility

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and there's a
lot going on.

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We work to check
sheets and procedures,

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so that helps keep us
on task for the day.

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But the test conductor
has to be ready to respond

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to any off-nominal
things that can happen.

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It's a lot of work
and a lot of people

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that come together to,
to get the test off.

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On a test day the atmosph,
atmosphere in the

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control center is much
like what the atmosphere

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would be like in a
launch control center.

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It starts out fairly calm,
you know, people getting

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set up and getting
into their operations,

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but as the test day goes
on, the tension becomes

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more and more and
continues to increase

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up until
auto-sequence start.

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A typical RS-25 test
runs for 500 seconds,

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and at NASA, we believe
in testing like you fly.

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So the reason we, we run
for 500 seconds is because

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that's how long it
takes the RS-25 engines

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to power the
rocket into space.

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As we get closer
to the test here

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in the control center,
everyone is focusing on,

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on their
operation for the day.

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And you can feel the
excitement in the room.

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The anticipation
is building,

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and when I'm sitting
here, I know that

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I'm usually really nervous
but also excited and I can

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feel my heart just
beating out of my chest.

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And once we hit
auto-sequence start

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and start the
test, there are

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several things
that we look at.

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We monitor camera
views to make sure

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there's nothing
wrong in camera views.

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We are watching
our tank levels, our

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propellant tank levels,
the liquid hydrogen

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and liquid oxygen to
make sure that we are

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on schedule
for consumption.

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We are also looking
at the engine profile

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and making sure that all
of our valves and systems

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are performing as expected
for the test profile

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for that particular test.

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We have to be
ready to respond

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if we see a spot
fire or any issues

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that happen
during the test.

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Today, we're testing
the RS-25 engines

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to certify
them for use on

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the Space Launch System
and Artemis missions

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that we'll be
flying to the Moon.

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So when you're
watching the test,

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you'll see what looks
like a huge cloud of smoke

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coming out of
the test stand.

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But it's not
actually smoke.

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And what that is,
is water vapor.

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Our test stand has a
deflector that pours out

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thousands of gallons
of water per minute.

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And when the hot exhaust
hits the deflector water,

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it creates the steam,
the water vapor.

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Being a test conductor
can be really stressful

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and it's, it's
really hard work,

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but it also can be fun.

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I enjoy being part
of the team and working

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towards getting
ready for the test.

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That's one of my
favorite parts.

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And the most exciting part
is being able to sit here

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during tests and after you
hit auto-sequence start

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you can kind of
take a deep breath

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when you see the
engine light up,

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and sure there's a lot
to look at after that.

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But to me, that is the,
the most enjoyable part.

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You can kind of
sit back and look

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and watch the engine fire.

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One of the
coolest things to me

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about what we do is
actually the test stand.

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You think about the test
stand and what it is.

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It has to be strong enough
to hold the rocket down.

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And the rocket is meant to
launch heavy, super heavy,

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you know, items,
rocket into space.

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But the test stand has
to hold that down, has to

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hold the rocket down so we
can perform a good test.

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I just think
that's really amazing

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how these test
stands were built

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and what they
were made to do.

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If you're a young
person out there today

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and you think that
you'd like to become

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a test engineer,
I would say

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focus on math and
science and work hard.

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It can be hard sometimes,
so don't give up.

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And if you stay at
it, you can do it.

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(engine rumbling)