Q&A with Kristen Facciol, Airports and Cha-Ching

Let's Do This!

Mar 31, 2026

Kristen Facciol - Aerospace Engineer (aka a bad ass engineer who works with the Canadian Space Agency & the International Space Station!)

I first met Kristen as a client. When I’m photographing clients, sometimes I ask what people do and mostly I don’t. I had no idea what Kristen did until another client who saw her photos said to me, ‘I can’t believe how crazy smart and talented Kristen is - she’s amazing.’ Of course - I got curious and turns out Kristen works with astronauts and space. She trains astronauts for NASA (and that’s just part of her job)!

You can read a fantastic overview of what she does here. I just had a few more questions for her (of course!)

Hi! Can you tell me a little bit more about who are you and what do you do?

Hello! I’m Kristen and I’m an Aerospace Engineer by trade. That has meant a lot of things over the years, and I strategically tried to create a foundation that has allowed me to explore a variety of careers in the space sector since I graduated in 2009. Most recently, I took on the role of Robotics Training Supervisor at the Canadian Space Agency. My job involves leading the team responsible for training astronauts and flight controllers on existing robotic systems (Canadarm2 and Dextre on the International Space Station (ISS)), as well as developing training programs for future systems. Prior to this, I got to operate the robots on the ISS as well as work on some of the science we do in space.

Space often feels so remote! Is there anything you are working on that relates to Earth and real world situations? I think there’s a misconception that we are only interested in solving big mathematical concepts or exploration.

I used to feel the same! It wasn’t until I entered the industry that I realized the incredible things we were doing so close to home. The programs I am currently working on give us the opportunity to explore and perform science in space. Canada’s contributions to these international programs allow us to fly astronauts as well as use the time of all crew members to participate in various studies. What we learn through these studies will then allow us to apply the findings to an aging and more sedentary population (similar to living in microgravity), as well as prepare us to explore even further.

If kids are interested in space, is there anything you’d recommend we do to continue to foster that interest? For an older kid are there specific courses that could lead to a career at the CSA?

As with any interest, my recommendation is to encourage curiosity and find opportunities to grow it. There is a wealth of information at our fingertips now, which is not something that existed when I was younger. I am not even sure I would know where to start! There is a great collection of resources from CSA here.

And of course speaking with people in fields you are interested in so that you can ask more specific questions is a great first step.

As for older kids looking to enter the space sector - it really depends on how you want to contribute! The careers available vary widely whether you’re interested in engineering or science or management or communications. I personally went the engineering route and have found it to be a great fit, which meant a lot of math and science! But if you love space and not necessarily those subjects, there are many other paths to pursue as well.

You’re a mom! Congrats! How does it feel to balance work life now. It feels like working within your field is incredibly time demanding.

It’s… hard. After my first maternity leave, the return was incredibly challenging for me. My job had 24/7 requirements and now my home life did as well. I ended up pivoting a couple of times until the training role came up, and I knew it was the right fit for me. I can still maintain proficiency in operations but from a different perspective - training future generations of astronauts and flight controllers. I’m currently on my second maternity leave and excited to get back (and truly loving this time home with my baby!), but I’m sure it will be another big adjustment to balance work and 2 kids! I’m looking forward to helping shape future training programs as well as continuing work on the ISS.

And lastly - we have a lot of book lovers who read this newsletter. How closely does the bestseller book Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid resemble Johnson Space Centre and the environment there?

I really enjoyed Atmosphere! (Thanks again for the recommendation many, many months ago!) The book felt very real to me. I identified with a lot of what Joan experienced, and thought TJR did a great job describing the environment (even if it was a few decades back). It was interesting to read about the early female astronaut class and how the definition of an astronaut needed to evolve. This book also ended up being a somewhat recent pick in my book club with colleagues and someone requested we don’t pick anymore books that are so “work adjacent”… so that also gives you an idea of the resemblance.

Thank you so much Kristen for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions. I am wishing you all the best in all your future endeavours!

How do you handle money with your kids?

My kids are now old enough that I feel they need to start handling some of their own monetary transactions - especially when we are out and about (they are 11 & 14). In addition, giving them money for chores was always done through a log book but it became a nightmare of my son saying ‘you forgot to write it down’ or we couldn’t actually read what was written.

A friend recommended MyDoh which is not a typical bank account (so no cash withdrawals or depositing cheques). But it allows me to track their spending and force them to put money into savings. I’ll test it out over the next few months and report back.

A quick browse on Reddit and I found the interesting idea of using Monopoly money for chores. If they lose it, the tears are theirs alone, and even though it isn’t real it gives them a better idea of cash vs random numbers on a page. Plus no scrounging for actual cash.

I’d love to hear from you guys how you handle money for your kids. When you travel how do they spend any money? How do you give money for chores or do you? Do you do allowances? If they are given money for birthdays can they spend it all at once or do they have to save any?

We have a new airport!

Sort of.

Some of you who know me personally know my long held grievances with YUL. I am so annoyed I have written to my members of parliament. Yes, I have not travelled to every airport in the world but I do believe it’s one of the worst in so. many. ways.

So it’s with mixed feelings that we will get a new airport in Longueil welcoming Porter Airlines with domestic flights. I hope it will alleviate some pressure on YUL and also give an alternative to those on the south shore. However, I’m sure that for those living and working close to the airport it may bring about some negative feelings.

Just to clarify - it’s the St-Hubert airport that was already present - they’ve added flights and a terminal.

You can read more in this article here.

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