{"id":72266,"date":"2026-06-01T14:37:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T18:37:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=72266"},"modified":"2026-06-02T10:59:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T14:59:49","slug":"artemis-elyacoubi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/artemis-elyacoubi\/","title":{"rendered":"When Artemis II Flew by the Moon, this Alum was in Mission Control"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">After a lifetime of gazing at the stars, engineer A\u00e7mae El Yacoubi, PhD \u201913, landed her dream job helping NASA explore space<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-cornell-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b20c122c1bf28acfc89276ef15bf6607\">\u201c<em>Bear Hugs\u201d celebrates heartwarming stories of Cornellians on the Hill and around the world. Have an idea? Email us at <a href=\"ma&#x69;&#108;&#116;o&#58;&#99;o&#x72;n&#101;&#x6c;&#x6c;i&#x61;&#110;&#x73;&#64;&#x63;&#x6f;&#x72;&#x6e;&#101;l&#x6c;&#46;&#x65;&#x64;&#x75;\"><strong>&#x63;o&#x72;n&#x65;&#x6c;li&#x61;n&#x73;&#64;&#x63;&#x6f;&#114;&#110;&#101;&#x6c;l&#x2e;&#x65;&#100;&#x75;<\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Beth Saulnier<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Engineering alum A\u00e7mae El Yacoubi, PhD \u201913, got her first telescope around age nine; growing up in Morocco, she was a huge fan of Jean-Pierre Luminet, the famed French astrophysicist and polymath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLike pretty much any kid, I wanted to be an astronaut, and I was stargazing for as long as I can remember,\u201d El Yacoubi recalls. \u201cI used to play around putting a stick in the ground and tracking how its shadow moved during the day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"A\u00e7mae El Yacoubi in the Orion Mission Evaluation Room during Splashdownon 10 April 2026\" class=\"wp-image-72289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e033536-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">El Yacoubi during <em>Artemis II<\/em>\u2019s splashdown on April 10th.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>El Yacoubi hadn\u2019t been born when humans first went on lunar missions more than a half-century ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But when they finally returned to the moon\u2019s environs in spring 2026, she had a front-row seat\u2014as a staffer in Mission Control at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignwide is-style-solid-color\"><blockquote><p>El Yacoubi hadn\u2019t been born when humans first went on lunar missions more than a half-century ago\u2014but when they finally returned to the moon\u2019s environs in spring 2026, she had a front-row seat.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>During the 10-day Artemis II mission in early April\u2014when four astronauts traveled 5,000 miles behind the moon\u2019s far side, putting them farther from Earth than any humans in history\u2014El Yacoubi served as a trajectory analysis, optimization, and retargeting officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"627\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/55182696113-0c4398702d-o-2-A-1024x627.jpg\" alt=\"NASA\u2019s Space Launch System rocket launches carrying the Orion spacecraft with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist on NASA\u2019s Artemis II mission, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, from Operations and Support Building II at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA\u2019s Artemis II mission will take Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft launched at 6:35pm EDT from Launch Complex 39B.\" class=\"wp-image-72285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/55182696113-0c4398702d-o-2-A-1024x627.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/55182696113-0c4398702d-o-2-A-300x184.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/55182696113-0c4398702d-o-2-A-768x470.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/55182696113-0c4398702d-o-2-A-1536x940.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/55182696113-0c4398702d-o-2-A-1264x773.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/55182696113-0c4398702d-o-2-A-632x387.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/55182696113-0c4398702d-o-2-A-316x193.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/55182696113-0c4398702d-o-2-A-400x245.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/55182696113-0c4398702d-o-2-A-200x122.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/55182696113-0c4398702d-o-2-A-100x61.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/55182696113-0c4398702d-o-2-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The launch at Florida&#8217;s Kennedy Space Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The role (dubbed TARGO in NASA lingo) provides engineering support to the flight dynamics officers (FDOs, pronounced \u201cfidos\u201d) who plan and execute a space vehicle\u2019s flight path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe assist the FDOs with trajectory design and updates during flight, particularly around key burns,\u201d El Yacoubi explains, \u201cand provide solutions in case of off-nominal scenarios\u2014aborts or alternate missions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignwide is-style-solid-color\"><blockquote><p>She served as a trajectory analysis, optimization, and retargeting officer (dubbed TARGO in NASA lingo), providing engineering support to the flight dynamics officers who plan and execute a space vehicle\u2019s flight path.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In the lead-up to <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/artemis-ii\/\">Artemis II<\/a>\u2014NASA\u2019s first crewed lunar flyby in two generations\u2014El Yacoubi also helped develop and build the software that the FDOs used in Mission Control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She\u2019s now working on Artemis III\u2014and when it launches in 2027, she\u2019ll be back in her TARGO role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Staff look at screens inside Mission Control during the Artemis II mission\" class=\"wp-image-72288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/jsc2026e020490large-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">NASA staff in Mission Control, located in Houston.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSpace travel is a hard problem to solve,\u201d she observes. \u201cMany teams across engineering\u2014and of course, the crew themselves\u2014spent countless hours doing simulations to prepare. One can never be ready enough. There is always something to test for. So we have to have faith that with all the tests, all the rehearsals, we can make this a successful mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After earning bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in aeronautical engineering and fluid mechanics in France, El Yacoubi studied theoretical and applied mechanics on the Hill under <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.duffield.cornell.edu\/people\/jane-wang\/\">Prof. Jane Wang<\/a>, who has done groundbreaking work on modeling insect flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Space travel is a hard problem to solve. Many teams across engineering\u2014and of course, the crew themselves\u2014spent countless hours doing simulations to prepare.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>But even with her Cornell doctorate, El Yacoubi\u2019s efforts to find work in the U.S. aerospace industry were stymied by her status as a non-citizen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She spent years as a software engineer at MathWorks and various startups before becoming naturalized\u2014and, happily, finding that NASA valued her skill set. She began working on the Artemis project in January 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"A view of Earth out the window of the Artemis II craft.\" class=\"wp-image-72286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/art002e008486large-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An astronaut views Earth through the spacecraft&#8217;s window.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Says El Yacoubi: \u201cIt definitely can make one feel chills down their spine, watching this huge craft soar in the sky with humans in it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if she had the chance, would she fly in space herself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI definitely would,\u201d she says. \u201cI would like to feel what it\u2019s like to see Earth from afar and feel weightless. It would make me feel even more grateful that we call this planet home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Top: <\/em>Artemis II <em>passes by the moon. (All photos courtesy of NASA.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Published June 1, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After a lifetime of gazing at the stars, engineer A\u00e7mae El Yacoubi, PhD \u201913, landed her dream job helping NASA explore space<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":72287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[652],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-72266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-hugs"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>When Artemis II Flew by the Moon, this Alum was in Mission Control - Cornellians | Cornell University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After a lifetime of gazing at the stars, engineer A\u00e7mae El Yacoubi, PhD \u201913, landed her dream job helping NASA explore space\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/artemis-elyacoubi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When Artemis II Flew by the Moon, this Alum was in Mission Control - 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