Northside ISD Alum Plays Key Role in NASA's Historic Artemis II Moon Mission

Stephen McNierney, a graduate of several Northside ISD schools, is supporting astronaut health and performance for the upcoming lunar journey.

Apr. 1, 2026 at 8:43pm

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A Northside Independent School District alumnus named Stephen McNierney is playing a vital role in NASA's Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight around the Moon in over 50 years. McNierney, who attended Oak Hills Terrace, Locke Hill, Rawlinson, and Clark High School, now works in the Human Health and Performance Directorate at Johnson Space Center, leading teams responsible for delivering critical medical, exercise, and environmental monitoring equipment for the Orion spacecraft. During the mission, he is expected to provide hardware expertise to flight controllers in the Mission Evaluation Room.

Why it matters

Northside ISD is proud to spotlight one of its own alumni contributing to this historic NASA mission, which aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo era. McNierney's behind-the-scenes work supporting astronaut health and performance is crucial for the success of the Artemis II flight, which will test and validate key systems aboard the Orion spacecraft ahead of future lunar landings.

The details

In his current role at Johnson Space Center, McNierney leads and supports teams responsible for delivering critical medical, exercise and environmental monitoring equipment that astronauts will use aboard the Orion capsule. His work has included design efforts and crew training activities. During the Artemis II mission, he is expected to serve shifts in the Mission Evaluation Room, providing hardware expertise to flight controllers overseeing the mission from Mission Control.

  • NASA's Artemis II mission is set to lift off on Wednesday, April 2, 2026 with a two-hour launch window opening at 5:24 p.m. CT.
  • The four-person crew - Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen - will become the first humans in more than 50 years to travel toward the moon.

The players

Stephen McNierney

A graduate of several Northside ISD schools, including Oak Hills Terrace, Locke Hill, Rawlinson, and Clark High School, who now works in the Human Health and Performance Directorate at Johnson Space Center, leading teams responsible for delivering critical equipment for the Artemis II mission.

Northside Independent School District (Northside ISD)

The school district in San Antonio, Texas that McNierney attended, and which is now spotlighting his contributions to the historic Artemis II mission.

NASA

The United States space agency that is leading the Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo era.

Artemis II

The first crewed mission in NASA's Artemis program, which will send a four-person crew around the Moon and back, testing and validating systems aboard the Orion spacecraft.

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What’s next

The Artemis II mission is a critical step towards NASA's goal of returning astronauts to the lunar surface, with future Artemis missions planned to land crews on the Moon. The success of this flight will help validate the Orion spacecraft's systems and pave the way for those future lunar landings.

The takeaway

This story highlights the important contributions of local students and educators in supporting major space exploration milestones. Northside ISD's spotlight on alumnus Stephen McNierney's role in the historic Artemis II mission demonstrates how school districts can inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers to pursue careers in the space industry.