AARP Hearing Center
![KSC Center Director, Janet Petro kennedy space center director jane petro](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/aarpe/en/home/home-family/friends-family/info-2023/space-family-legacy/_jcr_content/root/container_main/container_body_main/container_body1/container_body_cf/container_image/articlecontentfragment/cfimage.coreimg.50.932.jpeg/content/dam/aarp/home-and-family/experience-counts/july-20-issue/1140-janet-petro-nasa.jpg)
Janet Petro’s father told her she could be anything she wanted to be and do anything she wanted to do — as long as she did it all the way.
“Put your whole mind and spirit into it, and do it right” is what he always said.
![member card Image Alt Attribute](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/experience-fragments/uxdia-folder-structure/en/features/membership/inline-membership-promo/default/master5/_jcr_content/root/responsivegrid/container_copy/container/articleimage.coreimg.75.1140.png/content/dam/uxdia/membership-card-d-and-t.png)
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Labor Day Sale!
Join AARP for just $9 per year with a 5-year membership and get a FREE Gift!
Andrew Petro did it right. In 1961, the Chrysler auto engineer took on America’s most ambitious goal: landing a man on the moon. He switched his skill for building cars into building consoles for space capsules, and he moved his young family from Detroit to a tiny island town called Satellite Beach, Florida, 30 miles south of the new Kennedy Space Center.
Now his daughter is working to send a new generation back to the moon — and onward to Mars.
Janet Petro, 63, became the director of the Kennedy Space Center in 2021, the first woman to hold the job. A West Point graduate and engineer, she plays a critical role in the Artemis mission, which promises not only to land astronauts back on the moon in 2025 but also to create an environment where humans can learn enough to live on Mars — and do so — by 2040.
“My father was the Apollo generation, and here I am leading the Artemis. Amazing!” Petro said.
The name “Artemis” is meaningful: In Greek mythology, she is the goddess of the moon, the twin sister of Apollo, god of the sun.
NASA describes Artemis this way: “This mission will prepare humanity for the long journey to Mars, and it will help us establish a sustainable lunar economy. NASA is working with international and commercial partners to carry out the mission.”
More From AARP
7 Life Lessons From James Patterson
Love, passion and balance are keys to success, says best-selling author
My Fascination With Formula 1 — the New Obsession for Women
The rise of popular Netflix show ‘Drive to Survive’ has ignited a new audience of race car enthusiastsMeet the Boy Who Is Living the American Dream
How a homeless Nigerian refugee became a U.S. chess champion