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Worcester College Alum Helps Build Spacesuit Components For Artemis II Mission
A change in college for a Quinsigamond Community College alumnus put him on a path to support a mission around the moon.
WORCESTER, MA — A change in college for a Quinsigamond Community College alumnus put him on a path to support a mission around the moon.
Christian Thompson, who now works as a manufacturing engineer at Worcester-based David Clark Company, helped manufacture components for the pressure suits worn by astronauts during NASA’s recent Artemis II mission. He began working at David Clark part-time while attending QCC before becoming a full-time employee in 2023.
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“There’s something new at my job every day,” Thompson said. “QCC helped me grow and there’s still so much for me to learn.”
Artemis II was the first crewed flight in NASA’s Artemis campaign. The mission carried NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen around the moon.
Thompson began at QCC as an engineering student after choosing the community college over Wentworth Institute of Technology, in part because of affordability. He struggled with the program’s math-intensive coursework while managing personal health issues and considered leaving college.
Professor of Manufacturing Technology Lee Duerden encouraged Thompson to move into QCC’s advanced manufacturing program, where he could apply engineering concepts through hands-on work.
Thompson began spending extended days in QCC’s laboratories and later took a job in the college’s Fab Lab. His projects included producing silicone molds of anatomical lung models for QCC’s respiratory care program.
“I learned so much from the professors and the staff in the Fab Lab and CNC lab,” Thompson said. “They’re teaching you real-world stuff.”
From QCC’s Fab Lab To Artemis II
Duerden later recommended Thompson for a position at David Clark. Thompson’s work there includes prototyping, industrial robotics, laser cutting and 3D printing, building on skills he developed at QCC.
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David Clark manufactures the Orion Crew Survival System suits used by astronauts during portions of Orion missions. NASA says the suits are designed to protect crew members during launch, reentry and other high-risk parts of a mission, including an emergency loss of cabin pressure.
While testing the durability of a suit intended for the Artemis II crew, Thompson wore its gloves during a vacuum test designed to simulate spacecraft conditions.
“It’s amazing that it comes from here in Worcester and I got to be part of it,” Thompson said. “I’m helping people do things that have never been done before.”
Thompson transferred to Northeastern University in 2023 while working full time at David Clark. He completed a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering earlier this year and plans to pursue a master’s degree at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, with a focus on robotics or mechanical engineering.
He said his religious faith helped him persevere through difficult periods. Becoming a father also strengthened his motivation to build a successful career.
“I want to be a provider for my family and support them,” Thompson said. “And I like to make my mom proud.”
Thompson hopes to develop technologies that improve lives, including medical devices or robots designed to operate in hazardous settings such as mines.
“There are a lot of people who wish they could be in my position,” he said. “I owe it to others to keep going and see what I can achieve.”
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