Huy Tran

While Neil Armstrong was taking his first steps on the surface of the moon, a 6-year-old girl named Huy Tran was climbing a tree. She wanted to climb high enough to watch the historical event unfold through a part in the palm roof of someone else’s home in Vietnam, and she achieved that goal. At the time, no one—including Ms. Tran—could have guessed that she would someday be responsible for the development of technology such as advanced Air Traffic Management and alternate bio-fuel at NASA. Nor could anyone have predicted that she would be recognized, internationally, as an expert on advanced entry systems and thermal protection materials. But that’s exactly what happened…and much more. She also made significant contributions to flight hardware on seven NASA missions and was lead inventor of the Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator. Even though she achieved those first successful steps through hard work and determination, she credits others for helping her climb high enough to reach her dreams. “I was blessed to have had many excellent mentors throughout my career at NASA,” she said. Ms. Tran earned a BS in materials engineering from San Jose State University.