Tim Crain, Leader of the First U.S. Lunar Landing Since Apollo 17, to Speak at Cockrell Convocation
A lifelong dedication to aeronautics has been boosted by a reputation for problem-solving and collaborative spirit.
One day, just outside of Shreveport, Louisiana, Tim Crain watched a space shuttle land at Barksdale Air Force Base while on the rooftop of his dad’s office building. A lifelong passion for space — how to get there and return — was born.
Decades later, Crain made an iconic statement that will undoubtedly inspire future generations: “Houston, Odysseus has found a new home.” This sentence confirmed the first U.S. Moon landing in 50 years, and it was executed by Intuitive Machines, the space company Crain co-founded and now helps lead as chief technology officer.
Crain (B.S aerospace engineering 1995, M.S. 1999, Ph.D. 2000) will tell the stories of these important moments in his life, and how they affected him as this year’s featured speaker at Cockrell Convocation on May 8.
In the meantime, learn more about how the historic moon landing came together in this conversation for Texas Engineer magazine between Crain and the Texas Engineering faculty and students who made key contributions to the mission.
Immediately after graduating, Crain joined Johnson Space Center in 2000 as a lead engineer in the Engineering Directorate’s Aeroscience and Flight Mechanics Division. While at JSC, before he helped start Intuitive Machines, he served as the Flight Dynamics Lead for NASA’s Project Morpheus, worked on navigation for the Mars Science Lander and managed the Orbit Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) System for the Orion Spacecraft.
Crain’s career bridges NASA’s deep technical legacy and the fast-paced innovation of the commercial space industry, underscoring the power of collaboration and creative problem-solving. We’re thrilled to welcome him as this year’s commencement speaker.