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Meet: Kyle Herring

NASA Public Affairs Officer
International Space Station Program
and NASA Mission Commentator
Johnson Space Center

Who I Am and What I Do

I am a Space Shuttle and International Space Station Mission Commentator and the Public Affairs Officer for the International Space Station Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas. As a commentator in Mission Control, it is my responsibility to provide real-time, "play-by-play" of events going on during human spaceflight missions. In 14 1/2 years with NASA (since 1987), I have worked 60 missions in the "front room" of Mission Control. My work involves being in constant contact with program officials to maintain an understanding of what is going on in the program to provide that information primarily to the news media for story development. As a commentator, my role is to describe mission events on NASA television as they unfold realtime. Basically, my job is to take a technical conversation heard by the flight controllers and astronauts and explain it in terms the public can understand.

Career Journey and Education

I have been involved in the space program for as long as I can remember. My father worked for NASA, so I've loved the space program from childhood. I became interested in this particular profession after being a reporter for an aerospace newsletter in Washington, DC. I thought I would enjoy telling the NASA "story" and gave up the reporting field to join NASA in June 1987. I have supported NASA activities in Moscow, Russia on numerous occasions, including a one year tour of duty in 1998.

I attended the University of Alabama, graduating in 1982 with a bachelor's degree -- majoring in journalism, with a minor in English.

I would advise anyone interested in working in the journalism or public relations field to volunteer to work at newspapers or in public relations organizations when possible. This will provide a glimpse of what that type of work is like, and help you develop the background to make an intelligent decision as to what you want to do.

Personal

I'm 41 and have never been married. I play golf almost exclusively and tennis when I can. I also enjoy working out and keeping in shape.

I grew up in several places. I was born in Dothan, Alabama, but quickly moved to Huntsville when my father began working for NASA there. My family moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast when NASA announced a facility would be built to test the rocket engines that would take men to the Moon. My father was the Public Affairs Officer for that facility for his entire career -- except for a two-year tour of duty at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. I graduated from Oakton High School in Vienna, Virginia, and went to the University of Alabama for college from 1978-1982.

I remember my father signing me up for real flying lessons when I was 13. Though I never got a pilot's license, I remember being able to fly a plane before I could drive a car.

Future Plans and Goals