Diana Trujillo talked about how she managed to become a NASA flight director

Diana Trujillo, the Cali native who is an example and inspiration for many, has been serving as NASA flight director for two weeks. Thanks to this new position, It will be able to direct manned missions to the International Space Station and even the Artemis mission to the Moon.

Trujillo told Noticias Caracol that this new adventure at NASA “has been interesting, every day there is something different that needs to be done. Every day we do something spectacular.”

This aerospace engineer from Cali surpassed the dreams with which she arrived in the United States in 1998. Diana Trujillo recognized that being one of the 108 flight directors that the space center has had in its entire history gives her more than satisfaction.

How did you become a NASA flight director?

Diana Trujillo not only needed to demonstrate her skills and knowledge in the positions she has held in the different missions at NASA, she also had to get certified. It was an intense year and a half full of study.

“We had a lot of trouble trying to figure out how I, the flight director, can lead the group. When I tell you enough problems, I don’t tell you 1 or 2, there were like 20, 25, 30 problems that we had to solve” Trujillo narrated.

She added that she not only had to learn how to solve problems, but also know how to be a leader in a crisis.

“I like to work with the group, direct the group in the direction we want to go. Additionally, One thing I really like is having problems, understanding how we are going to solve the problem, how we are going to deal with a problem. The fact that there are problems for the astronaut is not good, but for the director it is” he said with a laugh.

Thanks to the fact that her husband is also in the space industry, her children, ages 6 and 8, dream of working in this type of scenario.

Diana Trujillo sent a special message to the little ones, especially the girls: “Don’t give up, write down your dream, if you want something you can do it. Learn from the people who have done the jobs you want to do so you can map out what you want.”