Dior Lowen signed up in the delayed enlistment program in November 1973 and was sworn into the Coast Guard by her father Master Chief Petty Officer Darryl Lowen in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in February 1974. After the ban on women in aviation had been lifted, she was now free to pursue her dream of working in an aviation career. Lowen was accepted into Aviation Survivalman (ASM) class “A” school and graduated in April 1976, becoming the first female ASM in the Coast Guard.

Dior received her ‘wings’ on Oct. 2, 1977 when she qualified as a flight mechanic on the HH-3 helicopter. In 1977, Dior married AT3 Kerry Hendricks, and left the Coast Guard in 1978 to give birth to their daughter Morgan.

In 1983, the family moved to Titusville, Florida to pursue a job opportunity for both parents at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). In 1984, Dior was hired by Martin Marietta at KSC and became a Senior Solid Rocket Booster Deceleration Technician, where she refurbished and packed the Booster Parachutes for the Space Shuttle Program. After working 18 months with the newly named United Space Boosters, Inc. (USBI), the Space Shuttle Columbia accident caused layoffs across KSC, and Dior was among them. In 1987, Dior was called back to work at USBI and continued her work at the parachute facility.

In 2010, Dior retired from USA and KSC with close to 28 years of service in the space industry. Dior and her second husband, Scott Hubel, now reside in Palm Bay, Florida.