Payload Safety Program Executive
Sandra Hudson serves as the program executive for Range Flight Safety and Payload Safety and the program manager for Explosives and Pyrotechnics Safety, all in support of NASA’s Office of Safety and Mission Assurance’s Safety and Assurance Requirements Division.
In these roles, Hudson is responsible for the NASA policies associated with each of her three program areas, auditing centers to ensure compliance with these policies, developing and maintaining associated safety courses for the agency, and working with the national communities including the Department of Defense and the Federal Aviation Administration to develop consistent policies.
Hudson has over 25 years of federal experience as an aerospace, safety and quality engineer. She started her NASA career at Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) as an engineer for the High Altitude Balloon program. She then transferred to the Quality Assurance and Safety Division where she worked as a flight safety analyst and a missile flight safety officer for programs such as the Pegasus Minisat rocket, the Navy Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile Target Vehicle (predecessor of the Standard Missile - 3 (SM-3)) and the Navy Vandal.
Hudson was the division head for the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense’s (BMD) SM-3 Safety Mission Assurance (SMA) organization. She reported directly to the program director as Aegis BMD’s single Point of Contact for all SM-3 SMA products needed for MDA to achieve a coherent SM-3 SMA program.
Hudson also worked as the Range Safety branch head for the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF). Prior to being promoted to branch head, she served as the Range Safety Officer (RSO) and a missile flight safety officer for all programs at PMRF including Aegis BMD.
Hudson has a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace and ocean engineering from Virginia Tech. She is a certified RSO at WFF and PMRF, and served as a contracting officer technical representative. She has received numerous awards throughout her career, including the NASA Distinguished Achievement Award, Manned Flight Awareness, Silver Snoopy and Aegis BMD Appreciation from Rear Admiral K. Paige awards.
Hudson has twin daughters – Meredith and Laura. She enjoys biking and scuba diving, and lives in King George, Virginia.