ALTHEA NOONAN 
(she/her)

  • Brooke Owens Fellow, Class of 2023

  • Georgia Institute of Technology, Aerospace Engineering, ‘25

  • Host Institution: FAA-AST

  • Mentor: Karina Drees

  • Brookie Mentor: TBD

Althea Noonan is a second year student at Georgia Tech studying Aerospace Engineering and pursuing a minor in International Affairs. Althea’s love for space began at a young age, but she found her passion for the aerospace industry in high school through the Virginia Space Grant Consortium’s summer academies. She is also very interested in space policy and keeping space exploration sustainable to ensure its longevity.

At Georgia Tech, Althea is currently a researcher in the Space Systems Design Lab, where she works on the structures team of the GT-X CubeSat series. The group focuses on the rapid development of 1U-CubeSats with improvements to each generation. During 2022, Althea researched for Georgia Tech’s School of International Affairs, where she examined the strategic value of cislunar space. This project broadened her perspectives and fostered her interest in international affairs. Althea is involved with the Georgia Tech Experimental Rocketry (GTXR) club where she works with the propulsion team to design, manufacture, and test solid rocket motors that will help the club reach its goal of launching a two stage solid-fuel rocket to space. GTXR has helped Althea to realize her passion for engineering and machining. Most importantly, GTXR gave her an incredible community of friends.

Outside of the classroom, Althea loves to spend time outdoors, discover new music, and is an avid reader. Above all, Althea loves to learn. In fact, her goal for the Spring 2023 semester is to teach herself more recipes to cook in her apartment.

In her career, Althea hopes to contribute to innovation and growth in both the aerospace industry and space policy areas. She is excited to work towards this goal this summer as an intern for the Federal Aviation Administration within their office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA-AST). Althea cannot wait to develop as a member of the aerospace community while contributing to the FAA’s goal of promoting the health and growth of the U.S. commercial space transportation industry.