MICHOUD, La.—Bobby Watkins hears it all the time. He's on a plane with some work materials, and a neighbor will notice the unmistakable "meatball." (That's a loving nickname for NASA's iconic blue spherical logo shared by many around his office.) Watkins isn't in transit to Houston, Florida, or Southern California, however, so onlookers inevitably ask, “You work for NASA? Why are you going to New Orleans?”
Watkins doesn't just work for NASA; he's the current director at the space organization's Michoud Assembly Facility. The 800+ acre campus sits about 15 miles east of New Orleans, and NASA has operated it since the 1960s. But despite the long history, Michoud feels like NASA's hidden chapter. Glitzy shuttle launches and major research breakthroughs tend to happen elsewhere, and unlike the other nearby facilities—Mississippi’s Stennis, Alabama’s Marshall, or Florida’s Kennedy Space Center—Michoud doesn’t even offer public tours anymore. The low profile does not equate to low organizational priority, however. Since the days of Saturn I and Saturn V, every major NASA initiative that takes to the stars physically passes through Michoud, Louisiana.
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