NASA Stories at the Ion: A Conversation with NASA Flight Director Anthony Vareha

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Category: Aerospace, Founders & Startups, General Community

Free

Past Event

WHEN

Tuesday

August 12, 2025

8:30 am - 10:00 am CDT

WHERE

Ion

4201 Main Street
Houston, TX 77002 + Google Map

what

Join us for “NASA Stories at the Ion” featuring NASA Flight Director Anthony Vareha who will share insights from leading teams of flight controllers at the core of Mission Control. Learn about the vital role flight directors play in overseeing dynamic human spaceflight operations from making critical real-time decisions to ensure astronaut safety and mission success to helping guide the development for future missions to the Moon and Mars.

Did you know there have only been 108 flight directors in NASA’s 67 years of history? Hear from the agency’s 91^st Flight Director, Anthony Vareha (Enterprise Flight), about the history and responsibilities of the most storied and critical positions in human spaceflight.

This speaker series is designed to inspire anyone curious about what it takes to push the boundaries of human potential. Complimentary breakfast and networking kicks off each event.

About the Speaker

As a Flight Director at NASA’s Mission Control, Anthony has spent over 8000 hours operating spacecraft in low Earth orbit and beyond. His primary duty is the safe operation of the International Space Station (ISS) as he leads a multi-national team to execute the mission of humanity’s greatest scientific and exploration asset in space. Anthony has provided operational leadership to the Commercial Crew Program, as a Flight Director on console during the SpaceX Demo 1, SpaceX Demo 2, and Boeing Starliner flight test missions. Anthony was the lead NASA Flight Director for the SpaceX Crew-1 mission, which was the first six-month mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. As lead Flight Director for Expedition 61, his team set a variety of records for both the number of spacewalks as well the number of hours of scientific research. From 2021-2022, Anthony served as Assistant Director of Flight Operations for the Commercial Crew Program. In 2022, Anthony served as a Flight Director during the Artemis 1 mission – the first instance of a human-rated spacecraft orbiting the moon since the end of the Apollo program. His current assignments are as the lead Flight Director for the next flight of the Boeing Starliner capsule, as well as lead Flight Director in the development of the US Deorbit Vehicle – responsible for the eventual safe decommissioning of the ISS.

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The Ion is proud to present “NASA Stories at the Ion”—a one-of-a-kind morning series spotlighting the human side of space exploration. Each session will feature personal and powerful stories from astronauts and key NASA personnel. From breathtaking missions aboard the International Space Station to unexpected lessons in leadership and teamwork, this series offers a behind-the-scenes look at spaceflight, told by the people who’ve lived it.

SCHEDULE

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM	Breakfast & Networking
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM	Speaker Guest

PARKING

Ion District Parking Garage

Enter 4111 Fannin Street into your GPS for directions directly to this parking garage, located a block from the Ion. Parking in the Ion District Garage is free for the first two hours.

Red Parking Lot

Enter 4203 Fannin Street into your GPS for directions directly to the red parking lot, located across the street from the Ion. This lot is for overflow guest parking and tenant parking and is free for the first three hours.

For information and access to pay online for parking in the red lot, click here.

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CONTACT

Organizer

NASA

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