Jennifer Edmunson

Jennifer Edmunson is the acting Program Manager for NASA’s Centennial Challenges at the Marshall Space Flight Center.

Jennifer earned her Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of New Mexico while studying the geology of the Moon and Mars.  She came to Marshall as a postdoc in 2008 and joined the Planetary Regolith Simulant Team as a contractor in 2009.  She participated in the Manufacturing Innovation Project starting in 2010, which ultimately became In-Space Manufacturing (ISM). Following the ISM motto of “make it, don’t take it,” Jennifer began using her knowledge of lunar and Martian geology to participate in, and grow, planetary in-situ resource utilization-based efforts at Marshall, including the Moon to Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technology (MMPACT) surface construction project.  She became a civil servant in 2020 and is currently the MMPACT Project Manager.  She participated in Centennial Challenges activities previously as a rules developer and judge for Phases 2 and 3 of the 3D Printed Habitat Challenge, as well as a sounding board and final demonstration support for the Break The Ice Lunar Challenge. Her primary interest is enabling technology development for exploration and a sustainable human presence off-Earth.