Frances "Poppy" Northcutt: Apollo Mission Control Engineer

Frances "Poppy" Northcutt is an American engineer and attorney who began her career as a "computer", and was later a member of the technical staff of NASA's Apollo program during the Space Race. During the Apollo 8 mission, she became the first female engineer to work in NASA's Mission Control. In this episode, Ben and Poppy discuss the Apollo Era, where there were more "whooping cranes" than female engineers in the 1960's and reveals her famous life coach. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsor: Dockside Vaults: www.docksidevaults.com We are proud to have Dockside Vaults as a sponsor for our podcast. Their support will enable us to continue bringing you insightful conversations with leading experts in the space industry. We share their commitment to promoting the space industry, and we look forward to collaborating with them on future events. If you're looking for a stunning venue for your next event, be sure to check out Dockside Vaults. Thank you, Dockside Vaults, for your support! OUTLINE: Here's approximate timestamps for the episode. 00:00 Intro  00:54 Being a trailblazer in the space industry 04:15 Apollo 8 - Poppy's responsibility  08:08 Importance/difficulty of Apollo 8 and Apollo 13 10:40 Importance of teamwork and big challenges 12:35 Something unknown about the Apollo Program  (Please excuse Poppy's alarms going off) 14:35 Private/Public company 17:40 Inclusivity for women 21:18 Would Poppy go to space 23:27 Who has impacted Poppy over the years 25:24 Initial plans on how to get to Mars 28:22 The global effect of getting to Mars 29:58 The Artemis Program 34:24 Advice to women in the space industry 35:57 Wrap Up and socials Follow Poppy Northcutt: Twitter: https://twitter.com/poppy_northcutt Stay connected with us! Use #Astroben across various social media platforms to engage with us! (NEW - YOUTUBE): www.youtube.com/@astrobenpodcast Website: www.astroben.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astrobenpodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gambleonit LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/astrobenpodcast/