Faces of SLS: Sean McCormick

My father was an Air Force fighter pilot, and later, an engineer who helped build the International Space Station. I was exposed to a lot of impressive technology that captured my imagination as a kid and led me to my current role. I am excited to be a part of building the Space Launch System.

As a senior design engineer at Moog Inc., I am designing the valves that are required to deliver propellants and provide control for the RS-25 engines. Cryogenic propellants can be challenging to work with, as they have extreme temperatures, flammability risks and high-flow demands. I enjoy working on innovative solutions to ensure reliability of our valves in these harsh environments.

I received my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. As part of my graduate work as a research assistant at the UAH Propulsion Research Center, I had a great opportunity working on the design and testing of liquid oxygen injectors for hybrid rocket motors at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. As impressive as it was to test a 13-inch diameter hybrid rocket motor, my test setup was at one of the many massive Saturn V test stands at NASA Marshall. The achievements and capabilities built up in the Saturn V era are impressive to this day.

Growing up in an Air Force family, I lived in several places across the United States and England as a child.  I have settled down in western New York, and enjoy all the outdoor activities and sporting events in the area.

I am blessed with two, very-high-energy and curious daughters, who are in love with space, as well. We have already hosted a bottle-water-rocket-launching birthday party, and made astronaut costumes for Halloween. I answer a lot of questions they come up with about space and rockets, which I encourage them to ask.  I think it is important for our future aerospace industry to have young people who are excited to take on challenges, and who are open to learning new ideas.