Ike Theriot Leads NASA Surface Testing for Artemis Lunar Missions

Ike Theriot serves as the Flight Operations Surface Testing lead within the EVA, Robotics, and Crew Operations Division at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. In his role, he integrates testing requirements across the Artemis program, ensuring flight teams and astronauts gain the data, procedures, and practical experience necessary for lunar surface operations.

Theriot develops and executes simulated moonwalks using facilities such as NASA’s 40-foot-deep Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS). His work includes testing NASA's government reference spacesuit and Axiom Space's lunar spacesuit, the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU). Additionally, he helped lead the development of the Lunar Grid Reference System, which is now incorporated into flight control systems for human operations on the Moon.

His preparations extend beyond simulated facilities into remote terrestrial environments that mirror lunar terrain. Theriot participated in field geology exercises at Kamestastin Crater in Labrador, Canada, alongside members of the Artemis II crew, testing equipment and procedures on terrain similar to areas astronauts will encounter on the lunar surface.

A former U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Theriot earned a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Houston before accepting a full-time position at NASA in 2019. He is currently transitioning to focus on mission development, astronaut training, and mission execution for the next lunar landing.