The Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) hosted its 2025 keynote address from former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino, Ph.D., inside the Karl F. Deam Ballroom.

During his hour-long talk on Monday, April 7, at the AMPP Annual Conference + Expo 2025, Massimino recounted his experiences as a NASA astronaut and shared lessons that spoke to the needs and concerns of the materials protection and performance industry.

Held at Nashville's Music City Center, Massimino’s keynote address was prefaced by remarks from AMPP CEO Alan Thomas on victories earned by the association during the past year. That was followed commentary from ONEMESA CEO Kelsey May, who was recently named the 2025 Workforce Development Chair.

From there, Massimino delivered his address, entitled “The Team’s Success is Your Success: You Cannot Do This Alone, You Will Succeed or Fail as a Team.”  

As a child growing up in Franklin Square, New York, Massimino was a devotee of Neil Armstrong. He wanted to follow, both figuratively and literally, in the famed space explorer’s footsteps. Unfortunately, Massimino failed the NASA entrance exam multiple times. Undeterred, he underwent vision training that helped enable him to finally pass the exam and join NASA in 1996.

In his many years with the organization, Massimino gained a number of valuable insights that he shared with his audience. Among them was the importance of speaking up, particularly in life-and-death situations, no matter how inexperienced one may be. He also detailed his three trusts, which can help anyone stay mission-ready:

1) Trust your gear;

2) Trust your training;

3) Trust your team.

Along with important life lessons, Massimino also injected humor into the proceedings. He recounted how his tweet from space—the first ever delivered by an astronaut—led to him being mocked during Saturday Night Live.

Hoping to deliver a message as profound as his hero, Armstrong, Massimino’s “launch was awesome” tweet may have lacked the gravitas he hoped for. But as with all of his keynote anecdotes, it resulted in a humorous story that both amused and enlightened the AMPP 2025 crowd.

Drawing from his experiences in space and beyond, Massimino shared powerful stories about teamwork and resilience, all while reminding attendees that we succeed or fail together, as a team. His engaging presentation resonated with our community’s commitment to collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.