Two Missions, One Calling

From the U of I to the Moon

Doug Litteken, a Catholic Illini student from 2006–2011 who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois, was part of the NASA team behind last month’s Artemis II mission to the moon.

Looking back, Doug says his journey to NASA may never have happened without his time at Illinois.

Doug Litteken, Class of 2011 & 2015

The transition from a small town in Southern Illinois to campus life was a large adjustment for Doug, who noted that some of his first lecture classes had more students than the total enrollment at his high school. Luckily, Doug soon found a place to belong in several campus communities: the Engineering Open House committee, an Alumni Ambassadors Group, and as a Catholic Illini at the Newman Center, attending Sunday Mass, participating in a weekly Bible Study, and serving as a percussionist for the 5 PM music ministry.

“These experiences…gave me groups of friends to be a part of amongst the whole overwhelming number of students on campus.” Those friendships and opportunities helped Doug feel at home at Illinois, and they also positioned him for a life-changing opportunity.

Even though he did not know it when choosing what college to attend, Doug’s selection of the University of Illinois opened the door for him to fulfill a childhood dream of working for NASA.

“When I was 10, I took a tour of the NASA center in Houston and decided that was where I wanted to work when I was older. That was my goal.”

NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket takes flight. (Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky)

During his freshman year, Doug learned about a NASA internship program that partnered with only a handful of universities — and Illinois was one of them. Doug’s admittance to the NASA co-op internship gave him three semesters of work experience in different organizations within NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. This experience helped launch his career with NASA after graduation, where he works in the structural engineering division.

But for Doug, professional success was never separate from the faith and relationships that first grounded him at Illinois. He met his wife Caroline at the University, and they were married in the Newman Center Chapel. After moving back to the area, their son was baptized by Fr. Matthew Hoelscher at St. John’s, and the Littekens have continued to support the ministry efforts of the Newman Center.

The Littekens after the Baptism of their son at St. John's

For Doug, the faith he developed as a Catholic Illini continues to influence not only his family life, but also the way he approaches his work at NASA. Doug shared three ways his faith continues to shape the way he views his work in space exploration:

On creation and wonder:

“On a mission like Artemis II, listening to how the astronauts described Earth from space reminds me of the beauty of creation... One of the crew members called it ‘spaceship earth’, this tiny oasis that’s perfect for humans to live on among this sea of darkness around it, which is amazing…That reminds me of the beauty of the world that God has provided.

On love and teamwork:

“One of the things I really loved about this mission was that the crew emphasized love—love for each other, for the work that we do, the world that we have. We may not use that word explicitly very often when we talk about coworkers and working on things like this, but it boils down to love at the end of the day. Respecting other people, trusting their opinions and expertise, and the gifts that they have, and respecting them as people is how we do these cool things like space exploration.