The HBCU spirit of the Jaguar is reaching new heights as Southern University graduate Jeremy Plater plays a pivotal role in NASA’s historic Artemis II mission. This mission launched on Wednesday, April 1, represents the first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years. And this HBCU graduate is at the heart of the hardware.Plater serves as a quality assurance specialist at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Supporting Boeing on the space launch system, he ensures the absolute safety of flight hardware. His work involves meticulous oversight of electrical harness wiring and TPS spray foam. NASA relies on experts like Plater to maintain the rigorous standards required for deep-space travel.Southern University Engineering ExcellenceThe “Human Jukebox” isn’t the only thing from Southern making noise; the College of Sciences and Engineering is fueling deep-space exploration. Southern University officials noted that the institution performed approximately 80% of the harness wiring for the previous Artemis I rocket. Plater’s journey from a 17-year-old student on the Baton Rouge campus to a key NASA contributor exemplifies the “Southern Made” excellence found at this premier HBCU.
