Biography

Sara Schmidt is an Earth Scientist and Imagery Integrator working as a contractor for GeoControl Systems within ARES at NASA Johnson Space Center. From her date of hire in 2019 to early 2026, she supported the ISS Crew Earth Observations (CEO) payload, leading the team for many years, and continues working with the CEO team as a subject matter expert. The CEO payload targets and requests sites on Earth to be photographed from the International Space Station for research purposes and disaster response efforts. 

In 2024, Sara began working on the Artemis Missions by integrating and documenting mission imagery through M2M Exploration Operations and working with the Artemis II Lunar Science Team (A2LST). Sara leads the Crew Lunar Observations (CLO) Team within the A2LST to support the Artemis II crew members with an intuitive interface that guides the crew members into targeted areas of interest on the lunar surface during the Artemis II mission.

Sara received a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Sciences from the University of Houston and a Master’s of Science in Environmental Science with a focus on climate change from Oregon State University.