A Tennessee Tech University graduate student from White County has begun a new job that is helping him – and all of humanity – reach for the moon.

Isaac Hollingsworth is working on a NASA-affiliated project at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas that is helping to determine the best landing sites for upcoming Artemis missions to the moon’s south pole. 

“The Artemis program is a huge deal – not just for NASA but for science as a whole,” he said. “It’s a multinational effort, and NASA is leading the charge in getting humans back to the moon for the first time since the Apollo missions.”

Hollingsworth’s experience with geographic information systems (or GIS) and terrain analysis prepared him for the pivotal role in humanity’s return to the moon, he said. He gained that experience first with military service and continued it through his program of study at Tech.

Hollingsworth earned a Bachelor of Science in Geosciences in 2024 and is set to graduate this summer with a Professional Science Master’s degree in Environmental Informatics.

He’s already at work in Houston for HX5, the company contracting with NASA to map the moon’s south pole to determine optimal landing sites, but the Artemis mission that was set for next year was recently rescheduled for 2027.

After gaining expertise in GIS and terrain analysis in the military, Hollingsworth continued pursuing his passion for those skills through his education at Tech, where he first got involved in lunar research assisting Department of Earth Sciences Chair Jeannette Luna in 2022.

He said Luna introduced him to planetary science projects, with his research focusing on creating photogeologic maps – detailed images that analyze the moon’s terrain based on rock formations, textures and tonal variations. 

Through the Tennessee Space Grant, which funded the research of Luna and her students, the team expanded their work beyond basic lunar mapping, developing geospatial tools that apply military terrain analysis methods to planetary science.

The open-source geospatial toolbox they created allows researchers to assess lunar hazards, mobility limitations and route optimization for astronauts exploring the moon’s surface.

Now in his new role as a geospatial scientist on the Artemis geospatial team, Hollingsworth said his education at Tech directly prepared him for the work that’s crucial to the Artemis mission’s success.

“This position is a one-to-one match with what I’ve already been doing in my work with Dr. Luna and her research team. It’s exciting to be part of something this significant. The Artemis mission is laying the foundation for sustained human presence on the moon, and eventually – Mars,” he said.

Hollingsworth credits Luna as a key mentor in the academic journey that led him to where he is, noting her professionalism and dedication to student success. He also acknowledges her cultivation of teamwork, which is essential to the success of the research. 

“GIS is all about collaboration. The work we’ve done at Tech is a team effort, and I’ve been fortunate to work with such talented researchers and faculty,” he said.

Hollingsworth said he remains optimistic about the future.

“Military service taught me that we live and die by our decision-making, but I’ve always tried to make the best-informed decisions I could and simply trust in God’s timing. With this opportunity, I’m ready to take the next step now,” he said.