Brandi Churchwell received the NASA Space Flight Awareness Silver Snoopy Award for her outstanding contributions to NASA’s human spaceflight programs and Launch Vehicle/Robotic missions that support the Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF). The Silver Snoopy Award is the astronauts’ personal recognition for those who demonstrate exceptional contributions to human spaceflight safety and mission success.

Brandi has been pivotal in supporting landmark missions, including Artemis I and Artemis II—the latter being the first crewed mission to the Moon in over 50 years. She spearheaded the development and execution of a comprehensive Artemis Boot Camp for FDF, equipping her team with mission-specific knowledge essential for crew safety during complex lunar operations. Her innovative training and internal launch simulations have ensured her team’s readiness to respond effectively during both routine and emergency scenarios.

A technical expert in Launch Contingency Abort analyses, Brandi’s contributions have been pivotal to NASA’s ability to protect astronauts during critical launch phases. Her work ensures continuous communication and real-time tracking of crew members, enabling rapid recovery operations in the event of an emergency. Under her guidance, the FDF Flight Operations Team has also provided critical support for commercial human spaceflight missions, such as Polaris Dawn and Fram2, and maintains daily vigilance for astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

Brandi’s leadership exemplifies Omitron’s and NASA’s core values and have significantly advanced the success of current and future human spaceflight operations. Omitron is very pleased that Brandi’s hard work and commitment was recognized by NASA with this award. Congratulations Brandi!