Patricia Lucker has been employed at NASA LaRC for over thirty years, beginning as a computer scientist developing data acquisition and analysis software for multiple wind tunnels, to her current position as a Supervisory Project Manager with Science Systems and Applications, Inc. (SSAI) within the LaRC Science Directorate.
Throughout her career, she took on increasingly challenging assignments in support of ground-based, airborne, and satellite mission support, leading to management roles within the combined NASA/CNES (French Space Agency) CALIPSO satellite mission, an earth observing satellite providing first ever vertical information of earth’s atmosphere using lidar.
More recently she rejoined the SAGE III/ISS team as a Group Manager, having contributed to SAGE II and SAGE III teams earlier in her career.
“One of the greatest adventures of my career was participating in the SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE and SOLVE II). The measurement campaigns, designed to examine the processes controlling ozone levels at mid- to high-latitudes, included our LaRC-aerosol lidar aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft based north of the Arctic Circle in Kiruna, Sweden during winter months. I learned a lot about cultures, adaptations, and the passion of scientists and engineers to advance our understanding of Earth’s processes. Plus, the northern lights and polar stratospheric clouds were breathtaking.”
She has an extensive list of peer-reviewed publications, individual and group achievement awards, including the NASA HQ Exceptional Public Service Medal, for exceptional leadership and sustained technical achievements in support of NASA’s atmospheric science and laser remote sensing programs.
Pat and her husband Glenn raised three children in Yorktown and are proud grandparents of two amazing grandchildren. She has a long history of volunteer activities with her most notable leadership position as Committee Chairman for Boy Scout Troop 123, where she successfully formed and led the committee for seven years, and the troop continues to thrive to this day. Pat is a trained Red Cross Disaster Responder and maintains CPR/AED certification. She plays both golf and volleyball in NASA leagues.
