Cameron McCarty - Payload Operations Director for NASA
From How Did You Get Here? by Jamie Kirsten Howard
May 4, 2026 · 39 min
About this episode
Cameron McCarty discusses his journey from theatre camp to becoming the Payload Operations Director for NASA, sharing insights on lunar exploration and space operations.
HDYGH, Cameron? From theatre camp to POD for NASA, Cameron joins us to talk moon dust, lunar orbit tomato seeds, astronauts: they're just like us, and growing organic matter for humans in space. We also get a preview of future lunar exploration. 🌛 NASA Internships Portal NASA Plus Artemis Program Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction 01:19 Cameron McCarty's Childhood Dreams and Career Path 02:47 First Job at Coca-Cola Space Science Center 03:59 Outreach and Education in Space Science 07:16 Science Payloads on the International Space Station 09:54 Private Industry and Commercial Payloads in Space 11:01 Biofabrication and 3D Printing in Space 12:33 Educational Background and NASA Internships 18:58 Favorite Moments and Surprises in Space Operations 21:58 Working the Night Shift and Observing Earth from Space 25:51 Upcoming Missions and Future of Lunar Exploration 27:59 Surprises and Challenges in Space Payload Operations 32:43 Myth Busting: The Reality of Working at NASA 41:06 Cameron’s Final Thoughts
People in this episode
Host: Jamie Kirsten Howard
Guest: Cameron McCarty
Topics covered
- lunar exploration
- space operations
- biofabrication
- 3D printing in space
- NASA internships
- private industry in space
Keywords
- moon dust
- lunar orbit
- tomato seeds
- organic matter
- space science
- NASA
- payload operations
- future missions
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: NASA, Coca-Cola Space Science Center, NASA Internships Portal, NASA Plus, Artemis Program
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