Melanie Cummings-Grande

Aerospace Engineer, Mars Architecture Team, NASA Langley Research Center

Melanie Cummings-Grande works in mission design, spacecraft design, and systems analysis at NASA Langley Research Center, where she has contributed to planning for human exploration of both the Moon and Mars. Melanie currently works on the Mars Architecture Team, where she is involved in architecture decision modeling, evaluating alternatives for architecture and mission design, and establishing a process for exploration architecture decision-making with cross-agency collaboration. Additionally, she serves as the local deputy lead for the SMAB MAT team, helping to manage the team’s portfolio, plan tasks, and foster cross-team coordination and collaboration.

Additionally, she serves the AIAA Public Policy Committee as the Deputy Chair, where she helps organize aerospace advocacy events and educational events in Washington, DC and for AIAA members. She is also a member and past leader of NASA Langley’s Allies and Advocates for Women (A2W) employee resource group.

Melanie started in Langley’s Space Mission Analysis Branch as a Pathways co-op student in 2016 and joined the team full time after graduation. She received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Purdue University in Aerospace Engineering. She currently lives in southern Virginia, and her hobbies include rock climbing, horseback riding, and fostering kittens!