BACKGROUND

Payton Barnwell is a human spaceflight focused mechanical engineer with a degree from Florida Polytechnic University (’19). Her passion for space exploration has brought unique opportunities such as working on innovative solutions to traditional astronaut nutrition at NASA Kennedy Space Center, designing an Air Force designated X-Plane hypersonic research program at Generation Orbit as a 2018 Brooke Owens Fellow, and working on SpaceShip2 in the Mojave Desert with The Spaceship Company/Virgin Galactic. 

Payton’s diverse aerospace experiences and research have shown her how important the cross-pollination of ideas and backgrounds are to move industries and societies forward. She hopes to utilize her multidisciplinary background and perspectives to improve humankind's experiences on Earth and in space.  You can currently find her in the Mojave Desert working on SpaceShip2 at The Spaceship Company/Virgin Galactic. 
#MakeSpaceForEveryone

EDUCATION

Florida Polytechnic University
Class of 2019 

B.S. Mechanical Engineering
 

Specialty Course: 

• Unique Nanoscale Interface and Phenomena
   

• Engineering & Technology Project Management
   

• Instrumentation & Characterization
   

• Operations Research

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Clubs: 
SEDS

SWE

Splash at FL Poly