Kate Gunderson

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Kate Gunderson

Flight Test Engineer | 🚀 Former NASA Engineer | 🛩 Current test pilot school student
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19/08/2024

Thoughts & snaps from this week. 💭 Life is never about being able to “do it all” but about setting priorities which may have to shift depending on the season of life you’re in. Right now I’m laser-focused on doing my best as I work towards TPS graduation. But I couldn’t miss the opportunity to celebrate my special guy who finished up his MBA this week! 🥳 I’m so proud of him because I know how much discipline and hard work it took and he aced all his classes while supporting me through it all! 👨🏽‍🎓

12/08/2024

I often get asked how I stay motivated with studying when I’ve been in school for so long. Here are some of my tips:

✨With a few exceptions, I take one day off a week from all study/school work.

✨I try to get 30-60 minutes of exercise a minimum of 4-5 days a week when I’m busiest. It may seem counterintuitive when you are swimming in to-do lists but I learned the hard way that physical and mental health are deeply tied together.

✨Keep your end goal top of mind-it’s easier to stay motivated when you are able to remember why you started and what you’ll gain from getting through difficult situations.

05/08/2024

Loving all these Olympic women gracing my feed who are showing the world through their words and actions that strength and beauty are not mutually exclusive.

I grew up, like so many other young girls, flipping the pages of magazines filled with women modeling unrealistic expectations of beauty I knew inside I could never live up to. I would walk around trying to exist in the world as if my only purpose was to take up less space. I counted and recorded every calorie, sucked in my stomach in public, prayed for a thigh gap, and felt a wave of guilt for eating foods I had deemed “bad”. It’s been a long and evolving self-love journey for me over the years but I’m just so grateful for women like and who are using the spotlight to remind us all that we don’t have to choose between strength and beauty. We can be all of it, all at once. 💖

27/07/2024

Best views of the week: soaring over the mountains of beautiful Tehachapi in a glider. ⛰️

08/07/2024

Found my forever wingman. 💍🥰

Last photo: blissfully unaware of what was about to occur.

03/07/2024

Pilot-in-Command Kate has a nice ring to it don’t you think?! I SOLOED yesterday! There is nothing like flying an aircraft all by yourself with no one else on board for the very first time. 🛫

But first-The chaos and irony of a literal fox 🦊walking across the runway as I came in to land at FOX Field with my instructor right before he sent me to solo. 🫣 I figured it must be good luck, right? 😅

Thanks to my instructor, who trusted I could land an airplane long before I ever did and to my boyfriend who stayed up after his night shift to support me and surprise me (I swear I didn’t see it sitting in his desk drawer 2 weeks ago 🤫👀) with the world’s sweetest card. I’m so lucky. 🥹

02/07/2024

Half the year already gone. 🤯

Looking back on the last 3 months has brought me gratitude for all the good things happening amongst life’s little annoyances. So much to look forward to the rest of this year-finishing up at NTPS and starting a new job! 🥳

01/07/2024

Stambo gave me a thumbs up and said “You’re a great pilot!” and I got us back in one piece so I guess I passed my pre-solo progress check. 🤠 He taught my instructor how to fly in the same plane 13 years ago. 🥹

29/06/2024

Working hard, or hardly working? 🤔 The last photo is my favorite. 😂

NTPS’ all female FTE crew did a mini instro check yesterday on the one and only Merlin to make sure she was ready to go for upcoming flights. 🫡

24/06/2024

I debated sharing this as it’s a deeply personal tribute to my grandmother, but as we said goodbye and I read it at the memorial service this morning, I felt it was a message that could benefit so many of us. TLDR: “Be good to yourself and be good to eachother.”
🩷🩷🩷
The last time I saw my 90 year old grandmother at her own house I asked, “When you think about the course of your life, do you feel like it went by in the blink of an eye?” She said yes and that she wonders why whoever he or she was that created us had to put a limit like this on our time here. I choked back tears because after only 31 years here, I felt it too.

The last thing my 91 year old grandmother said to me, while I held her hand in a hospital room: “Where did you get those brown eyes?” I laughed through tears as I looked into her dark brown eyes and said “From you Grandma.” A few minutes later I said “I love you” to which she looked me in the eyes and responded “I love you too.” Exactly a week later she passed away peacefully. I have so much to be sad about. It’s never easy saying goodbye to someone you love, someone who literally shares your DNA. But I have so much gratitude for the fact I got to have 32 years of learning from and being loved by her. I was only home to run the Fargo Marathon because I missed the Boston Marathon cutoff time by 22 seconds. 22 seconds. And I was devastated-until now. Now I’m grateful. I’m grateful that I got to hold my grandma’s hand only a week before she left.

My grandma used to end every call or visit by saying “Be good to yourself and be good to each other.” Each day as you tackle whatever challenge lies before you and it feels like life is dragging on, remember how fast a lifetime passes us by and be grateful that we get to experience it all. It’s a very narrow line between disappointment and gratitude, but we get to choose which one we give our lives to.

20/06/2024

I’ve been dreaming of this day for at least 6.5 years. 🥹 Real FTE work in the T-38. Thanks for letting me take and analyze your data, Geppetto!

18/06/2024

In elementary school we had to dress as someone from history that we admired. I stood in front of the class dressed in an orange snowmobiling suit with a NASA logo taped to the chest, an American flag glued to the left shoulder and a snowmobiling helmet under my arm. I proudly told the class that Sally Ride was the first American woman to launch to space. (See picture 2! 🥹) I wanted to change the world like she had.

41 years ago today Sally Ride made history when she launched to space. As she chased her dreams, she undoubtedly inspired millions and continues to do so long after her time here. Whenever you think that you, as a single person, are incapable of making a difference, remember her and all the other change makers. I’m chasing my dreams because she showed me it was possible.

12/06/2024

Cheesin’ so hard because I passed my FAA private pilot written exam yesterday. 🥳

08/06/2024

“If we choose to make our lives a daring adventure-to step out of our comfort zone; to grow, explore, and face our change-then we will feel what people feel on daring adventures. Our hearts will race; our bodies will sweat; our stomachs will churn. Fear will show up in all its different varieties: from anxiety to insecurity, from stress to self-doubt, from “pumped” to panic. And at times our minds will yell at us: ‘Heeeeellllp. Let me off. I wanna go back. It’s all too hard. I can’t handle it. I’m not good enough.’
However, if we make room for those feelings, unhook from those thoughts, and engage fully in acting on our values, then we are free. We are free to behave like the person we want to be; free to do the things that truly matter to us; and free to live our lives with genuine confidence.”

I read the book ‘The Confidence Gap’ after a bout of serious self-doubt in late 2023. There were so many excerpts like this one that I wrote down to remind myself that doing the hard things doesn’t always feel good. Save this for the days you need that reminder too. 🫶🏼

✂️ cut & style by:

06/06/2024

Running taught me to love my body for all that it is, instead of all that it’s not. This imperfect body brings so much beauty to life.

I was a runner when I could only run 0.25 miles on a treadmill back in 2010, I was a runner when I ran my first half marathon in 2015, I was a runner when I ran my first marathon in 4 hrs 20 min, and I’m a runner today when I ran my 9th more than an hour faster. If you run, you are a runner. Thank your body for all the beauty it brings to life. 🫶🏼 happy .

01/06/2024

3:18:31!! 🏁 6 minute PR and hit my goal square on the head today! 🔥

I thought I was in the best shape of my life in 2021 and everyone in my running community told me I could run a sub 3:20 marathon. But deep down I DIDN’T BELIEVE I could do it and that sunk me. Last year was really tough on my self-confidence for a multitude of reasons, so I knew I owed it to myself to stand back up and accept a challenge that I had previously failed at. The difference was that today I 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝 I could, and so I did.

I’m blown away over the support I received to chase a truly self-centered goal. From the (2! 🥹) sets of parents and a supportive boyfriend cheering me on all along the course, to the texts and messages from friends and family, to the months of coaching (which often required changes to my training schedule due to travel), the countless miles my bf spent running & biking by my side, and the hundreds of selfless volunteers out there today. I am speechless over the support I received to chase a goal that meant so much to me. 😭 I couldn’t have done it without EVERYONE and I feel so loved. 🥰 Best of all, I beat the 3 other Gundersons (who aren’t related, as far as I know). 🤣🤣

24/05/2024

The end of an era. 😭

1. Last photo with the very first airplane I flew on as aircrew, NASA2. Taken at the Mojave boneyard on Wednesday. 🛩️
2. A photo with some of the best pilots around who came to visit me after flying her into retirement. 🫶🏼
3. My very first flight on N992NA and the most beautiful morning. A day I’ll never forget. 🥹
4. 992 in Grand Junction, CO during a fuel stop on my first airborne science mission.
5. In Houston before a mission.
6. Climbing on her final flight out of EFD. 💔

I spent 30 minutes in bed last night pouring out my heart into a little note about my story with this airplane and what it means to me. But too long for IG so will be a blog post eventually.

20/05/2024

class field trip part 2!

🛫 Concord, CA: Xwing where we got to learn about and see their autonomous technology to be implemented to make a wide range of aircraft uncrewed for a variety of missions from cargo delivery to ISR and medivac. We also got to hop inside the Cessna Caravan they’ve been using for flight test.

🛫 Mountain View, CA: .aero to see their Gen 6 all-electric air taxi and a demo of how they envision the future of electric air transport to look from the control room aspect.

It was so great to have the opportunity to see so many different aspects of the industry and how their approaches to flight test compare and contrast. Thanks to all the companies and their passionate employees for the hospitality!

18/05/2024

This week I was asked to come chat with some of our newest international students about my career path as a way to practice their English ahead of starting TPS coursework this summer. I love the opportunity to be surrounded by aerospace professionals from so many different cultures and they were so warm and enthusiastic to be here!

When asked what piece of advice I had for them ahead of embarking on such a challenging course I shared this: Don’t let your own self-doubt get in the way of your success. While there will undoubtedly be challenges ahead, you are here because you deserve to be and with hard work and a positive attitude, you will succeed. Don’t give self-doubt a voice. I think it’s advice we could all use! 🫶🏼

They also gave me a really awesome Korea Aerospace Industries FA-50 pin as a token of appreciation. 🥹

15/05/2024

class field trip part 1!

🛫 Savannah, GA: flight test including tours of flight test aircraft, lab tours and a look at the iron bird, marketing cabin tours including the amazing G700 🤩 and a plant tour to see their production facility and a look at a brand new G650. Truly incredible company and I’m so grateful to have had my career start flying on Gulfstream aircraft.

🛫 Wichita, KS: // to see their flight test operations for a wide breadth of aircraft including Latitude, Longitude and the new Denali. Also saw their control room and (serendipitously?) an instrumented bike they take to talk to kids about flight test. 😂 It was awesome to see how passionate their employees are!

09/05/2024

Core memories: May 4, 2018 🎓

To all those currently considering engineering (or any STEM field) or going through the grind of college or graduate school now-you’ve got this! Graduating from is still one of my proudest accomplishments because I know how HARD I worked to succeed there. But more importantly, I took away a sense of confidence that I had everything I needed within myself to find the answers to challenging problems and rise to the occasion when challenged in many different ways.

To recent grads: enjoy the celebration of all your hard work-YOU GOT OUT! and the best is yet to come.

Now I wonder if I can still solve those equations I wrote on that whiteboard. 🤔🤓

06/05/2024

Two NASA astronauts are launching to the Space Station tonight on the first crewed flight test of the Boeing Starliner capsule. 🚀 Test pilot astronauts Suni Williams & Butch Wilmore will be onboard the historic launch in support of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Live coverage begins at 6:30pm Eastern with launch scheduled for 10:34pm. You can catch it all at www.nasa.gov/live.

This picture was from an event hosted at NASA JSC back in 2018 when I was a new full-time employee there. Just a baby really! 🥹

06/05/2024

Busy + fun week!

Sunday: sunny day in DC with awesome friends before they have their baby + amazing brunch with fam on the Georgetown waterfront 🥰

Monday: travel back to LAX with a donut 🍩 stop at

Tuesday: back to and a T-38 engine run + PPL flying after work in the C-152 (with 36kt winds! 💨)

Thursday: caught Roc out on the runway + another windy PPL flight but in the C-172

Saturday: 18 mile long run with which felt really good. Almost to max mileage and then taper for .marathon! THEN lunch at a friend’s house with a surprise WEDDING! My face looked exactly like this: 😮🥹🥰

02/05/2024

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒎. 🌼
Just like flowers we are born to bloom all on our own. But with tender care, and watering, and support we can grow taller and stronger and even more vibrant.

The right relationships will nurture you like being planted in rich soil with just the right amount of sunlight. Free of weeds which steal the nourishment you need to thrive and grow to your full potential.

27/04/2024

First World Pilot’s Day as a student pilot. 🥰🙏🏼

25/04/2024

Spent all morning at the Salute to Youth career fair telling youngsters how they can get involved in flight test.

My all-time favorite was the little girl in her leather flight jacket who already knew how lift worked. COME ON!! 🥰😩🥹🩷

22/04/2024

It’s been a busy April so far with a wide variety of projects going on at NTPS. The GAs had some type 2 fun getting our C-150 Optionally Piloted Aircraft (OPA) ready to go for an upcoming class and here is some proof that engineers don’t just sit in front of a desk all day.

Along with some photographic evidence for the guy that once interviewed me in undergrad asking if I was sure I could handle getting my hands dirty (spoiler alert, I didn’t get that job). 🤪😌

15/04/2024

New (4 minute!) half marathon PR! Finished with a 7:16 average pace, a 1:35 overall, and 8th in my age group!
🏃🏽‍♀️‍➡️🏃🏽‍♀️‍➡️🏃🏽‍♀️‍➡️

So grateful for my cheer squad. It must have been tiring doing all that cheering cause one of us (not me) zonked out after lunch. 😂 Excited to see what I can do with the next 7ish weeks before marathon day!

13/04/2024

I used to view working out as a punishment for eating “too much” or a means to an end (losing weight). I thought that my value as a woman depended more on being thin and beautiful than what I contributed with my intellectual competence or my physical strength, or a multitude of other things that matter far more than what we see on the surface. I wasn’t concerned at all about what a gift it was that I was walking through the world with a strong body, capable of accomplishing incredible things. It wasn’t until a friend of mine convinced me to run a marathon that my mindset shifted. Sure I still have days where I look in the mirror and don’t like what I see - I’m human after all. But I’m so grateful for all the races, both literal and figurative, this body has carried me through. 🩷

06/04/2024

Finally stopped obsessing over my USAJobs resume long enough to hit submit on my NASA Astronaut application. 👩🏼‍🚀 My little second grade self would be so proud just knowing I’m qualified enough to apply for my ultimate dream job. Keep reaching for the stars. 🚀

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From boom to thump! Before NASA rolls out its supersonic X-59 aircraft, we heard from X-59 Commercial Supersonic Technology Project Manager, Lori Ozoroski, about how the Quesst mission will help reduce the sonic boom made by supersonic flight to a quiet sonic thump. Watch the live rollout ceremony: 4 p.m., Friday, Jan. 12 on www.nasa.gov/nasatv. #NASA #AIAA #supersonic #x59 AIAA - The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics NASA Aeronautics NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collins Aerospace is leveraging their expertise in spacesuit design to equip NASA astronauts on their next missions to the ISS, Gateway, the moon, and Mars. We got a sneak peek of the newest spacesuit just before the Expo Hall opened to our 6,000 attendees at #AIAASciTech. AIAA - The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics #NASA #ISS #Astronauts #Gateway #Moon #Mars

NASA welcomed UAE to the Gateway Program yesterday and today we got an exclusive interview with Sean Fuller, Gateway's International Partnership Manager. NASA leaders will share even more at their #AIAASciTech session at 1 p.m.

Head to www.nasa.gov/content/artemis-i-weather-criteria for a full list of the weather related flight rules required to launch the world’s most powerful rocket. #Artemis I is currently slated for a 2:17pm ET launch attempt from pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Saturday September 3. #NASA #moon #rocketlaunch #flymetothemoon

Who will be onboard #Artemis I?! 👀🚀 1. Commander Moonikin Campos, sporting the new Orion Crew Survival System spacesuit 2. Two mannequin torsos named Helga & Zohar specially designed to mimic a woman’s body 3. Alexa to test how we can use live audio and video between Orion and Mission Control Houston for improved mission safety and efficiency.🚀Artemis I has passed its Flight Readiness Review and the SLS rocket with the Orion spacecraft atop are scheduled to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on the morning of August 29 (less than a week from now)!...#rocketlaunch #wearegoing #moon #spacecoast #spaceexploration

THIS IS NOT A DRILL! 🚀 #Artemis I, the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft that will return America to the moon is rolling out to the launch pad at #NASA’s Kennedy Space Center today! I’ll be covering the launch live from KSC on August 29 so follow along so you don’t miss anything! #rocketlaunch #wearegoing #moon #spacecoast #spaceexploration

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 😲Test pilot school can cost upwards of $1 million, which is why the majority of test pilots and flight test engineers come through military test pilot schools. I went a slightly different route when I applied for and received a full fellowship to attend @thentps. Find out more about the fellowship and get some of my tips for the application at www.katelyngunderson.com/2022/08/11/part-iii-test-pilot-school/.

Just about 1 year ago I was settling into a two week quarantine in Adelaide, Australia ahead of helping to image the re-entry of the @jaxajp Hayabusa-2 capsule carrying asteroid samples back to Earth. If you’ve missed “Quarantine Cuisine with Kate” over the past year, this montage is for you. “𝗪𝗮𝗵𝗵𝗵, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗜𝗡!!” 🤢🤣

Wheels on the ground…for now! Flying a science mission called LVIS over French Guiana & Guyana. Learn more about the science by doing an internet search of “NASA LVIS”. #NASA #womeninaviation #science #womeninstem

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