I Am Artemis: Rebekah Tolatovicz

Listen to this audio clip from Rebekah Tolatovicz, a mechanical technician in charge of the Orion spacecraft’s prime contractor, Lockheed Martin.:

At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a fleet of Orion spacecraft is in operation, and Rebekah Tolatovicz’s hands helped build each one. Tolatovicz works to build, integrate and test the spacecraft used in the Artemis II test flight, as well as those designed to carry humanity to the Moon on future Artemis missions.

Tolatovicz is a mechanical technician manager for the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, or ASRC Federal, which supports the Orion spacecraft’s prime contractor, Lockheed Martin. A typical day for Tolatovicz is in the NASA Kennedy Operations and Crate Building, with Orion assembly and testing. His work ranges from helping coordinate and direct technicians, to participating in hands-on installations on components such as hatches and engines, to collaborating with the engineering team.

“What I really love about the field I work in is that we do so many things,” Tolatovicz said. “From the bare structure and the installation of giant parts and titanium parts, to the final integration where you install the smaller components. I think that’s the coolest part. We’re not just doing one technical thing, it’s all the technical things.”

Tolatovicz is currently working on Orion crew modules that could support astronauts on future Artemis missions, and she played an important role in work on the Artemis II spacecraft that carried four astronauts on a mission around the Moon, which landed on April 10. This included testing, integration, final installation and closeout before the spacecraft was prepared for refueling and stacking on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

As Artemis II was the first crewed mission in NASA’s Artemis program, Tolatovicz recognized the impact of his work.

Rebecca Tolatovicz

Orion mechanical technician manager for federal ASRC

Tolatovicz, who started as an intern at Lockheed Martin through Eastern Florida State College’s aerospace technician program, knows what it means to be a newcomer. She was mentored by technicians who worked during the Space Shuttle era, which largely shaped her experience and perspectives.

“At first I didn’t think I was going to make it,” Tolatovicz said. “But if you come in with a good attitude and you want to learn, you can learn so much from these guys, they have decades of knowledge to share. Once I got on the field and worked with them on the field, I knew I could figure it out.”

Tolatovicz has worked on the Orion program for nine years. Since then, the Maine native has seen her work come to fruition on Orion’s Artemis I uncrewed test flight as well as the Artemis II mission around the Moon.

“It’s really amazing for me to be a part of NASA’s history and what’s next,” Tolatovicz said. “I really enjoy my job, the team, and taking on challenges. You don’t think about it when you’re setting things up, but then you tell someone else that you set up the thrusters for the spaceship, and you realize – man, that’s pretty cool.”