When NASA launched its final shuttle flight last July, it seemed like yet another nail in the coffin for the space agency’s endeavors to reach the farthest corners of the universe. Many saw it as the end of an era that had inspired a generation. But for Evan Twyford, who began designing spacecraft and products for spaceflight in 2005, it’s the most exciting time for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and, until recently, Twyford was helping design the next generation of space vehicles headed for Mars, near-Earth asteroids, and beyond.

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