Results
University of Delaware
06/10/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/10/2026 09:41
Moonshot
Moonshot
Article by Hillary Hoffman Photos courtesy of NASA June 10, 2026
Two UD alumni helped develop the emergency safety system designed to propel Artemis II astronauts to safety
The launch of the Artemis II mission, NASA's first crewed trip to lunar orbit in more than 50 years, marked a moment of global excitement. For University of Delaware alumni Michael Piovoso and Sean Stroud, the best outcome was one few noticed: The safety system they helped develop for the Orion capsule wasn't put to the test.
The two worked on the pressure controller for Orion's launch abort system - a critical safety feature designed to propel astronauts to safety in the event of an emergency during liftoff or initial ascent.
Their collaboration began nearly 20 years ago when Stroud, then working at Alliant Techsystems (now part of Northrop Grumman), encountered complex control problems and turned to Piovoso, his former UD professor, for help.
University of Delaware published this content on June 10, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on June 10, 2026 at 15:41 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]