Holly Ridings

Holly Elizabeth Ridings (born 25 December 1973) is an American mechanical engineer and was the first woman to be chief flight director at NASA. She works at the Johnson Space Center.

Early life and education Ridings was born in Amarillo, Texas. She attended Texas A&M University, where she studied mechanical engineering and graduated in 1996. She took part in a student program at the Goddard Space Flight Center.

She is married to Michael Baine.

Career Flight directors for the STS-117 mission in June 2007. Annette Hasbrook (ISS Orbit 1), Kelly Beck (ISS Orbit 2 & lead) and Holly Ridings (ISS Orbit 3). Ridings joined NASA in 1998, working as an International Space Station flight controller in the Thermal Operations and Resources Group. She eventually became lead for the International Space Station Attitude Determination and Control group. She was responsible for the safety of the International Space Station crew during the SpaceX Dragon Demo. Ridings served as chief flight director until 2022, when she was succeeded in that position by Emily Nelson. Ridings was promoted to lead the agency’s Gateway Program, an international partnership to establish humanity’s first space station orbiting the Moon.

Awards and honors Ridings won the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for Expedition 16 and the SpaceX Dragon Mission. thumb