She is the first woman to fill that role at the Applied Physics Laboratory,[1][2] taking on the position in 2002 specifically for the duration of the three billion-mile space journey.

[3] She entered the Applied Physics Laboratory as an engineer, intending to work on tracking incoming ballistic missiles.

[5] This title is one, it has been suggested, that male personnel refer to traditionally as "Ops manager"; but Bowman, as "a physicist, space commander and parent, embraces the broader term" of MOM.

[7] Bowman leads a team of approximately 40 people,[5] and personally assesses every piece of information the centre sends to the space crew before it dispatches.

[9] Bowman is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the International SpaceOps Committee.