'You can dream big': NASA scientist advocates for disability inclusion in space
It’s Black in Physics week, a time to celebrate Black Americans in the field and paint a fuller picture of who actually works in physics.
So let us introduce you to NASA scientist K. Renee Horton of New Orleans, Louisiana, who has a PhD and currently serves as an airworthiness deputy for the Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstrator Project.
“What we do is we make sure that the plane is going to be worthy of flying, that it’s safe, and that we’re able to complete our mission,” Horton says. “If we’re not able to complete a full mission, to be able to meet the minimum requirements and to do it in a safe manner.”
K. Renee Horton. (Courtesy)
Horton says she has struggled with feeling overlooked in her industry for being Black, for being a woman and for being someone with hearing loss, which, at first glance, might be seen as an “invisible” disability.
