Two words come to Tim Stiglets’ mind when he thinks about NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi – growth and opportunity.

The Waveland, Mississippi, resident has experienced both in his career at the south Mississippi NASA center.

He started as a summer intern onsite with Lockheed Martin in 2002. When The University of Southern Mississippi graduate joined the NASA team in 2019, he really started to understand how much activity happens at the unique federal city.

NASA Stennis is home to more than 50 companies and organizations sharing in site operating costs.

As a management and program analyst in the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate, Stiglets serves as the manager of the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Program. He describes the program as a one-stop shop for engineering data.

Product lifecycle management (PLM) consists of technology, people, processes, and tools to track a product throughout its lifecycle.

Think of it in terms of building a LEGO set. From the time one gets the idea of building the set, to when it is finished, played with, and taken apart, there is a lot to track.

Stiglets’ work involves much bigger pieces, ranging from managing data for how a test stand is configured to tracking the configuration of NASA Stennis buildings and utilities systems that make up the infrastructure for America’s largest rocket propulsion test site. NASA Stennis facilities are valued at more than $2 billion.

His work gives him a front-row seat to the growth and opportunity potential of NASA Stennis.

“The cool thing about PLM is I get to be involved, in some small way, with NASA’s Artemis work, commercial test customers and all the Center Operations projects that support the federal city,” he said.

The center tests rocket engines and stages to power future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. NASA Stennis also works with such commercial test customers as Relativity Space, Blue Origin, Rolls-Royce, Evolution Space, and Vast (formerly Launcher Space).

“PLM is a center capability that we have evolved, so it does not matter if it is a water system, a test stand or building that is involved. It all kind of relies on, and ultimately somewhere down the line, hits the PLM system that has the drawings and engineering data needed for the project. That is probably the coolest thing about my work. I get to see a lot of different things that are going on in different areas.”

Stiglets said it feels like every time he turns around, there is someone leasing a new building or joining the NASA Stennis federal city. The center has lease agreements for use of land and infrastructure with Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, and Evolution Space.

“We have a get-it-done kind of attitude,” Stiglets said. “We are going to do whatever it takes to get the job done. If it is testing engines or anything else, we are going to get it done. From a propulsion testing standpoint, commercial companies that lease areas onsite can come in and have access to contract support and to the NASA folks who have decades worth of knowledge. The companies can leverage all of that expertise and tap into the knowledge.”

The Long Beach, Mississippi, native speaks with enthusiasm when describing his time at NASA Stennis, where growth and opportunity continue forward.

“How cool is it to work for NASA, even coming in as a contractor,” Stiglets said. “You get to be involved with something bigger and much beyond south Mississippi. The excitement of being involved with NASA so many years ago was very cool for me, especially being a college student. I still have that same excitement. Many years have passed, and day-to-day work changes, but ultimately, you are still looking to achieve big goals.”