Astrodynamics

Live Event

Astrodynamics

Exploring Space & Developing Launch Vehicles

October 23, 2026|12–12:45pm EST

How do astronauts become astronauts?

Open up the possibility of other worlds for your students with a presentation by an active astronaut. The presenter will talk about their career path and how they got interested in engineering. They’ll also discuss current missions and what it takes to put people on the moon.

After the presentation, students will have the opportunity to ask questions of current college students studying the field.

Keynote Speaker

Deniz Burnham

Astronaut,

NASA

Schedule

12–12:25pm Presentation: Deniz Burnham
12:25–12:45pm Q&A Session

Our live events bring engineering, math, and science to life by giving students the chance to hear from professional engineers.

Meet our keynote speaker

Deniz Burnham

Deniz Burnham was selected by NASA to join the 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class.

She reported for duty in January 2022. A former intern at NASA’s Ames Research Center, she earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of California, San Diego, and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Burnham is an experienced leader in the energy industry, having managed onsite drilling projects on oil rigs for over a decade, including the Arctic in Alaska, Northern Alberta in Canada, and Texas. Burnham served in the U.S. Navy Reserves as an Engineering Duty Officer. She is a licensed private pilot with the following ratings: airplane single engine land and sea, instrument airplane, and rotorcraft-helicopter. Burnham is currently training for her first mission to the International Space Station, launching aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-30 spacecraft alongside cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin and Konstantin Borisov.