Armstrong Space Symposium

Speaker Bios A-Z


Arnold D. Aldrich

Arnold D. Aldrich joined the NASA Space Task Group at Langley Research Center (LaRC), Langley Field, Virginia six months after the award of the contract to build the Mercury Spacecraft and four months following the selection of the seven original astronauts. Aldrich held a number of key flight operations management positions at LaRC and subsequently at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas dur­ing the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo manned space programs. Subsequently, he served as Deputy Manager for the Skylab Program; Apollo Spacecraft Deputy Program Manager during the Apollo Soyuz Test Project with the Soviet Union; Space Shuttle Orbiter Project Manager where he oversaw 15 successful flights as well as the construction of the orbiters Discovery and Atlantis; and as Space Shuttle Program Manager.

Following the Challenger ac­cident, Aldrich was appointed Director of the National Space Transportation System (Space Shuttle Program) at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, where he led Space Shuttle Program re­covery and return-to-flight efforts.  He approved and oversaw the implementation of over 500 improvements to Space Shuttle flight and support systems which contributed significantly to 88 consecutive successful flights over the following 14.5 years.

In 1988, Aldrich was appointed NASA Associate Administrator for Aeronautics and Space Technology where he oversaw NASA efforts on the National Aerospace Plane (NASP), the High Speed Civil Transport and was responsible for program and institutional activities at the NASA Langley, Lewis, Ames and Dryden research centers.  Subsequently, he was appointed NASA Associate Administrator for Space Systems Development, overseeing the Space Station Freedom program, development of the Space Shuttle Super Lightweight External Tank and other space system technology initiatives including single-stage-to-orbit concepts and feasibility.  He also led political and technical initiatives with Russia leading to the incorporation of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft as the on-orbit emergency rescue vehicle for the International Space Station. 

In 1994, Aldrich left NASA and joined Lockheed Missiles and Space Company in Sunnyvale, California where he served as Vice President, Commercial Space Business Development and subsequently as Vice President, Strategic Technology Plan­ning.  With the merger of Lockheed and Martin Marietta, he joined Lockheed Mar­tin corporate headquarters in Bethesda, Mary­land where he oversaw X-33/Venturestar single-stage-to-orbit program activities.   Later, he became Director of Program Operations and pursued a broad array of initiatives to enhance program management capabilities across the Corporation. 

Mr. Aldrich retired in 2007 and is currently an aerospace consultant.  He has re­ceived numerous honors during his career including the Presidential Rank of Distinguished Ex­ecutive and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal (3 times).  He is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics and an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Michael Collins

Collins chose an Air Force career following graduation from West Point. He served as an experimental flight test officer at the Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, and, in that capacity, tested performance and stability and control characteristics of Air Force aircraft--primarily jet fighters. He has logged approximately 5,000 hours flying time.

Collins was one of the third group of astronauts named by NASA in October 1963. He served as backup pilot for the Gemini VII mission. As pilot on the 3-day Gemini X mission, launched July 18, 1966, Collins shared with command pilot John Young in the accomplishments of that record-setting flight. These accomplishments included a successful rendezvous and docking with a separately launched Agena target vehicle and, using the power of the Agena, maneuvering the Gemini spacecraft into another orbit for a rendezvous with a second, passive Agena. Collins' skillful performance in completing two periods of extravehicular activity included the recovery of a micrometeorite detection experiment from the passive Agena. Gemini X attained an apogee of approximately 475 statute miles and traveled a distance of 1,275,091 statute miles--after which splashdown occurred in the West Atlantic, 529 miles east of Cape Kennedy. The spacecraft landed 2.6 miles from the USS GUADALCANAL and became the second spacecraft in the Gemini program to land within eye and camera range of the prime recovery ship. Collins served as command module pilot on Apollo 11, July 16-24, 1969--the first lunar landing mission. He remained aboard the command module , "Columbia," on station in lunar orbit while Neil Armstrong , spacecraft commander, and Edwin Aldrin, lunar module pilot, descended to the lunar surface in their lunar module "Eagle." Collins performed the final redocking maneuvers following a successful lunar orbit rendezvous which was initiated by Armstrong and Aldrin from within the "Eagle" after their ascent from the lunar surface. Among the accomplishments of the Apollo 11 mission were collection of lunar surface samples for return to earth, deployment of lunar surface experiments, and an extensive evaluation of the life supporting extravehicular mobility unit worn by astronauts. Collins completed two space flights, logging 266 hours in space--of which 1 hour and 27 minutes was spent in EVA.

He left NASA in January 1970, and is Director of the National Air & Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C. Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Presented the Presidential Medal for Freedom in 1969 and recipient of the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, the Air Force Command Pilot Astronaut Wings, and the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross. 

Walter Cunningham

Walter Cunningham has enjoyed careers in the military, civilian government service and private industry.  He holds a Master’s Degree in Physics from UCLA and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Business. He began his flying career as a Marine Corps fighter pilot, flying night fighters in Korea (VMF-513) in 1954. The remainder of his flying career was in active and reserve day fighter squadrons. He retired after 24 years with the rank of Colonel and 4,500 hours of flying time. 

He was selected as an Astronaut in 1963, where he served as Prime Crew of Apollo 2 (cancelled), Backup Crew for Apollo 1 (cancelled—fire on the pad), before flying as Pilot on Apollo VII, the first manned test of the Apollo Pro­gram in 1968. Apollo VII is still the longest, most ambitious and most successful first flight of any new flying machine. Cunningham's last assignment at the Johnson Space Center was Chief of the Skylab Branch of the Fight Crew Directorate.

After leaving NASA, his experience includes the presidency of two engineering compa­nies, with extensive overseas operations and Vice President of Operations for one of the largest commercial property developers in the U. S. In 1986, he formed his own ven­­ture capital fund where he was involved in the start-up and early-stage development of 23 compa­nies, ranging from biotechnology to financial institutions.

Cunningham has been involved in energy and environmental issues since 1970 and served on the Advisory Board for The National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He is a successful business man, entre­preneur, venture capitalist, lectur­er, author of The All-Ameri­can Boys, an acclaimed book on the human side of the space program, and spent three years as host of Lift-off to Logic, a radio call-in talk show.

Cunningham is the recipient of numerous nation­al and inter­national hon­ors, including the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, Navy Astronaut Wings, the Haley Astronautics Award, the Haddaway Award, the Dauntless Purveyor of Climate Truth Award, member of the Astronaut Hall of Fame and Director of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. He is a fellow of the American Astronautical Society and a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and is listed in all major Who's Whos.

Christian Feichtinger

An engineer by background, Dr. Feichtinger graduated from the Graz University of Technology and earned a PhD in Space Experimentation. During the early 1990s and within the Institute of Applied Systems Technology of Joanneum Research, Graz, he became Technical Manager of the first Austro-Soviet manned space mission to MIR “AUSTROMIR” and the follow-on missions “AUSTROMIR-E” and “AUSTROMIR MED-F”. In 1993 he became an integrated member of the European Space Agency’s (ESA)  EUROMIR-94 and EUROMIR-95 Mission Management Team at ESTEC, The Netherlands, eventually becoming resident in Moscow as the EUROMIR-95 Flight Operations Manager at Russian Mission Control Centre.

He joined the European Space Agency in 1997 as its Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration Programme Representative in Moscow. He became Head of the ESA Permanent Mission in the Russian Federation in 2007 and from 2009 – 2011 was ESA's Senior Advisor on Exploration.

Since 2012 he is Executive Director of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), a globally active federation, which was founded in 1951 to foster dialogue between scientists around the world and support international cooperation in all space-related activities and continues to connect space people worldwide. The Federation is the world’s leading space advocacy body with over 300 corporate members, including all key space agencies, companies, societies, associations and institutes across 66 countries. IAF is the organiser of the premier annual gathering of the global space community, the International Astronautical Congress (IAC).

Michael Griffin

Michael D. Griffin is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Schafer Corporation, a leading provider of scientific, engineering and technical services and products in the national security sector. He was previously King-McDonald Eminent Scholar and Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, was the Administrator of NASA from 2005-09, and prior to that was the Space Department Head at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. He has also held numerous executive positions with industry, including President and Chief Operating Officer of In-Q-Tel, Chief Executive Officer of Magellan Systems, General Manager of Orbital Science Corporation’s Space Systems Group, and Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer at Orbital.

Mike’s earlier career includes service as both Chief Engineer and Associate Administrator for Exploration at NASA, and as the Deputy for Technology at the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization. Prior to joining SDIO in an executive capacity, he played a key role in conceiving and directing several "first of a kind" space tests in support of strategic defense research, development, and flight testing. These included the first space-to-space intercept of a ballistic missile in powered flight, the first broad-spectrum spaceborne reconnaissance of targets and decoys in midcourse flight, and the first space-to-ground reconnaissance of ballistic missiles during the boost phase. He also played a leading role in other space missions in earlier work at the JHU Applied Physics Laboratory, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Computer Science Corporation. Mike was an adjunct professor for thirteen years at the University of Maryland, the Johns Hopkins University, and George Washington University, offering courses in spacecraft design, applied mathematics, guidance and navigation, compressible flow, computational fluid dynamics, spacecraft attitude control, estimation theory, astrodynamics, mechanics of materials, and introductory aerospace engineering. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Maryland and California, and is the lead author of over two dozen technical papers and the textbook Space Vehicle Design.

Griffin is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the International Academy of Astronautics, an Honorary Fellow and former President of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a Fellow of the American Astronautical Society, and a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, the AIAA Space Systems Medal and Goddard Astronautics Award, the National Space Club’s Goddard Trophy, the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement, the Missile Defense Agency’s Ronald Reagan Award, and the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award which can be conferred on a non-government employee.

Mike obtained his B.A. in Physics from the Johns Hopkins University, which he attended as the winner of a Maryland Senatorial Scholarship. He holds Master's degrees in Aerospace Science from Catholic University, Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California, Applied Physics from Johns Hopkins, Civil Engineering from George Washington University, and Business Administration from Loyola College of Maryland. He received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland, and has been recognized with honorary doctoral degrees from Florida Southern College and the University of Notre Dame. Mike was born in 1949 in Aberdeen, Maryland. His hobbies include golf, flying, amateur radio, skiing, and scuba diving. He is a 4000-hour commercial pilot and flight instructor with instrument and multiengine ratings, and holds an Extra Class radio amateur license.

Francisco Javier Mendieta Jiménez

Francisco Javier MENDIETA-JIMENEZ obtained his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from the National University of Mexico (UNAM), and his Certificate of Higher Studies and Doctor of Engineering degree from the National Superior School of Telecommunications (ENST), France, in the field of Optical Telecommunications.

At the Institute for Electrical Research (IIE), Mexico, he was involved in development projects on applications of optical fibers to electrical power systems. During a leave at the Utah State University (USU), U.S.A., he participated in a project on instrumentation for space experiments.

At the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada (CICESE), a Center coordinated by the Mexican Agency for Science and Technology (CONACYT), he formed the optical communications group and laboratory, where he has leaded diverse research and development projects on optical telecommunications, free space optical satellite communications and detection. He is a lecturer in graduate courses and continuous education on optical and digital telecommunications, and has been adviser for several Master’s and Doctor’s degrees thesis.

He spent a sabbatical leave at Telecom Paris Tech, LTCI Laboratory of the National Center,for Scientific Research (CNRS), France, in the field of optical communications. He has published in diverse scientific journal and conferences papers, and holds several patents. He was awarded the following recognitions for his contributions: the “Emilio Rosenblueth” prize, from the National Academy of Engineering, Mexico; the “Ericsson Telecommunications” prize, from Ericsson – Mexico; the “Mexican Academy of Optics Prize” from the Mexican Academy
of Optics.

He is a member of the National Research System (S.N.I. level 2) of CONACYT, Mexico. He served as Director of the Applied Physics Division and General Director of CICESE. On the space field, Dr. Mendieta was the 2o candidate astronaut for the Shuttle mission, was leader in CICESE of the SATEX 1 (Experimental Satellite in Spanish) Project that was a coordinate national effort to develop human resources in space sciences around a microsatellite project.
Recently was the leader of the SENSAT (Self Explore Nano SATellite) that was a two-year project to develop an educative nanosatellite concept to promote the developing of space technology and the acquisition of practical skills for students and workforce in aerospace. Since November the 1st he has been appointed as the first General Director of the Mexican Space Agency.

Chris Lee

Chris Lee graduated from Leicester University in 1980 with a master’s in Experimental Space Science and joined BAe where he worked on earth observation and space science programmes. In 1998 he joined SCISYS, where his activities extended to include satellite telecom and navigation programmes as well as planetary exploration. In January 2014, Chris joined the UK Space Agency as Head of International Space Policy and more recently became Head of International Space Partnerships, addressing bilateral relationships with other Space Agencies and leading space export and inward investment tasks in collaboration with other Government Departments.

Joo-Jin Lee

◃ Education

  - 1975 : B.S. in Seoul National Univ.

  - 1986 : Ph.D. in Engineering in Johns Hopkins Univ.

◃ Professional Experience

  - 1986 ~1991 : Senior Researcher at Korea Research Institute of Standard Science

  - 1991 ~ current : Project Manager of Satellite Development at Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)

  - 2008 ~ 2011 : President of KARI

◃ Social Activities

  - 2011 ~ current : Member of National Engineering Academy of Korea

  - 2014 ~ Current : Vice President of IAF (International Astronautical Federation)

◃ Awards

  - 2001 : Mokryun-jang, National Decoration of Korea

  - 2007 : Hyunsin-jang, National Decoration of Korea

Steve Lee

Award winning Astrophysicist and Astronautical Engineer. Proven innovator and Entrepreneur. Steve is a strong communicator and leader within the growing commercial space sector. His own commercial Astronautics and Earth observation company – Astrosat is paving the way for Space solutions using innovation to solve global challenges.

Astrosat's current focus is on Managed Space Solutions and Services focused on economic resilience at government level as well as low carbon, core infrastructure and renewable energy solutions. As part of this Astrosat recently moved into ISS hardware and payload development as part of their turnkey "EO campaign" services.

Todd May

Todd May is director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Named to the position in February 2016, he heads one of NASA's largest field installations, with nearly 6,000 on- and near-site civil service and contractor employees -- including those at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, which is managed by the Marshall Center -- and an annual budget of approximately $2.5 billion. May manages a broad spectrum of human spaceflight, science and technology development missions contributing to the nation’s space program.

May was appointed deputy director of Marshall in August 2015 and served as acting director from November 2015 until being appointed director. Prior to that, he was manager of the Space Launch System program since August 2011. SLS, now under development, is the most powerful rocket ever built, able to carry astronauts in NASA's Orion spacecraft on deep space missions, including to an asteroid and ultimately to Mars. The program is managed at Marshall, and May led SLS through a series of milestones, including an in-depth critical design review.

From June 2008 until becoming SLS program manager, May was Marshall’s associate director, technical, where he was responsible for ensuring that all center activities, processes and policies are consistent with the nation's Space Exploration Policy.

He was a deputy associate administrator in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington from 2007-08, responsible for a $5 billion portfolio of robotic programs and projects, including more than 100 spacecraft at various stages of formulation, development and operations.

In 2006 at Marshall, he was associate program manager for the Constellation Program. At the same time, he also served as deputy director of Marshall's Science and Mission Systems Office, the organization responsible for all Marshall non-launch vehicle programs and projects. In 2004, he was manager of the Discovery and New Frontiers Programs, which were created to explore the solar system with frequent unmanned spacecraft missions.

May managed the successful integration, launch and commissioning of the International Space Station's Quest airlock in 1998. He also joined the team that launched the Gravity Probe B mission to test Einstein's general theory of relativity.

In 1994, he was deputy program manager of the Russian Integration Office for the International Space Station Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. May's NASA career began at Marshall in 1991 as an engineer in the Materials and Processes Laboratory.

A native of Fairhope, Alabama, May earned a bachelor's degree in materials engineering from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, in 1990. His many awards include NASA’s Exceptional Achievement Medal, the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive, NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal and the John W. Hager Award for professionalism in materials engineering. He has been named a Distinguished Engineer by his alma mater, Auburn University. In 2014, he received Aviation Week's Program Excellence Award, as well as the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation’s Stellar Award in recognition of the SLS team’s many accomplishments.

Clay Mowry

Clay Mowry has worked for over 25 years in the commercial launch and satellite sectors serving in government, as the leader of an industry trade association and as a senior executive for leading commercial launch services companies.

Mr. Mowry joined Blue Origin in September 2016 as Vice President for global sales, marketing and customer experience. His mission is to provide commercial and government customers with safe and affordable commercial space transportation services with the reusable New Glenn orbital launch vehicle.

Mowry previously served for 15 years as the President and Chairman of Arianespace, Inc. As the head of the Arianespace’s U.S. subsidiary, he was responsible for managing the company’s sales, marketing, strategy, government relations and communications activities.

Before joining Arianespace, Mr. Mowry served for six years as Executive Director at the Satellite Industry Association, a non-profit alliance of U.S. satellite operators, manufacturers and ground equipment suppliers.

Prior to his role at SIA, he worked as a commercial space industry analyst and Senior International Trade Specialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration.

Clay Mowry received a Master of Business of Administration from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and a Bachelor of Arts in politics and government from Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.

In addition to his work at Blue Origin, Mr. Mowry is the Vice President of Finance for the International Astronautical Federation. He currently serves on the advisory boards of Via Satellite magazine and the Space Generation Advisory Council. Mr. Mowry is also the founder and Chairman of the Future Space Leaders Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the career development of young space and satellite industry professionals.

Sen. Rob Portman

Rob Portman is a United States Senator from the state of Ohio. He was first elected in 2010, running a campaign that focused on commonsense conservative ideas to help create jobs and get the deficit under control. Rob won with a margin of 57 to 39 percent, winning 82 of Ohio's 88 counties.

Rob was born and raised in Cincinnati, where he still lives today with his wife Jane. Together they have three children: Jed, Will, and Sally. Rob grew up in a small business family, where he learned early on the value of hard work, leadership, and fiscal responsibility. When Rob was young, his dad, Bill Portman, borrowed money to start Portman Equipment Company, where Rob and his brother and sister all worked while growing up. His father, and then his brother, built the family business from a small forklift truck dealership with five employees, with Rob's mom as the bookkeeper, to one that employed more than 300 people. Rob became a lawyer and developed his own private practice, representing Portman Equipment Company and other small businesses.

In 1993, Rob was elected to Congress, where he represented the diverse, seven county Second District in southern Ohio. He was proud to serve the Second District for 12 years, and in seven elections, he never received less than 70 percent of the vote.

During his time representing the Second District, Rob earned a reputation as a serious leader who focused on results. In September 1996, Rob founded the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati, now known as PreventionFIRST!, to help keep young people from substance abuse.  He authored the Drug Free Communities Act, which has provided more than $1 billion to community coalitions around the country over the last 20 years.

Rob was actively involved in crafting and promoting the historic welfare reform efforts as a member of the committee that wrote the legislation, and he was a forceful advocate of the balanced budget that passed in 1997. Rob authored several federal laws to increase retirement savings, reform the IRS and add more than 50 new taxpayer rights, curb unfunded mandates, reduce taxes, and expand land conservation efforts.

In 2005, Rob left Congress when he was asked to serve as the United States Trade Representative, the Cabinet-level official responsible for implementing and enforcing U.S. trade policy. As America’s Trade Representative, Rob was successful in reducing barriers to U.S. exports and increasing enforcement of trade laws to help level the playing field for American farmers, workers, and service providers. Under his leadership, American exports increased and the U.S. brought successful legal challenges against international trade law violations—including against China.

Following his accomplishments as Trade Representative, Rob was asked to serve in another Cabinet post, this time as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Rob made his mark by proposing a balanced budget, fighting irresponsible earmarks, and putting in place new transparency measures for all federal spending.

During his first term in the U.S. Senate, Rob successfully introduced more than 180 bills, including 150 bipartisan bills, and 50 bills that were signed into law by President Obama. He authored the Senate Republican Jobs Plan, a seven-point agenda for creating jobs in Ohio and around the country through commonsense policies like tax reform, regulatory reform, and skills training. He has been a champion for underprivileged children, an advocate for policies that reduce poverty and increase opportunity, and a leader on expanding exports and American energy production.

Rob is the author of the Federal Permitting Act, federal law that streamlined and sped up the federal permitting process, which modernizes government and creates more jobs.

As co-Chairman of the bipartisan Senate Career and Technical Education Caucus, Rob has authored the CAREER Act, federal law that helps Ohioans train for and find the jobs that are available today.

As a Senator, Rob has also continued to fight for to expand exports and crack down on unfair and illegal imports. He co-authored the bipartisan Leveling the Playing Field Act, which was signed into law by President Obama and gives the federal government better tools to fight unfair imports. He also authored the ENFORCE Act, which President Obama signed into law and helps the federal government crack down on countries like China that try to evade our trade laws. Rob also been a staunch advocate for Ohio jobs in dozens of cases at the International Trade Commission. He has supported cases involving solar products in Toledo, agriculture products like wheat grown throughout the state, specialty paper in Dayton, rebar in Cincinnati and Marion, hot-rolled steel in Cleveland, high-density pipe in Columbus, roller bearings in Canton, and others.

Rob has continued the work he began in the House of Representatives on drug abuse prevention and treatment, authoring the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which was signed into law in July 2016 and authorizes $181 million annually to increase prevention and education, expand drug treatment, and promote community support services for those in recovery.

Rob co-founded and co-chairs the bipartisan Senate Caucus to End Human Trafficking. He is the author of five federal anti-trafficking laws signed by President Obama.  He has also led a bipartisan investigation into Backpage.com, which culminated in a bipartisan report which exposed that the company knowingly facilitates criminal sex trafficking of vulnerable women and young girls and has covered up evidence of these crimes in order to increase its own profits. 

Rob is also a leader in the U.S. Senate in the effort to preserve our environment. He authored several federal laws to protect Lake Erie from harmful algal blooms through scientific research prioritizing bodies of fresh water, and to stop the use of microbeads, which pollute Lake Erie and harm fish and other wildlife.

He is also the author of the National Park Service Centennial Act, which President Obama signed into law in December of 2016. This law ensures that the National Park Service has the resources necessary to reduce its maintenance backlog and continue keeping America beautiful.

Senator Portman is a member of the Finance Committee, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the Committee on Foreign Relations. He is also Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. In 2016, he was re-elected, winning by an even larger margin of 58 to 37 and winning 84 out of Ohio’s 88 counties.

Alvaro Samayoa

Alvaro Samayoa graduated from Universidad del Valle de Guatemala with an Engineering Degree in Forestry and a Master’s in Environment Sciences. His over 14 year-experience in the forest industry includes work in private sector in Africa, Mesoamerica and the EU as well as in the public sector in Guatemala, where he currently works as a National Director of Industry and Commerce, at the Guatemalan National Forestry Institute (INAB).

INAB is a public entity responsible for the agriculture public sector in the forestry domain. Their objectives are to reduce deforestation, promote reforestation and sustainable forest management, incentivize the public and private investment in forestry activities, preserve the ecosystems and facilitate the improvement in quality of life of the communities that depend on forestry amongst others.

As National Director, Alvaro has worked for the past 4 years on promoting competitiveness of the forestry services. This has been achieved by improving the technology as well as introducing new processes which have strengthened the supply chain traceability and helped with the legal verification.

Harrison Hagan Schmitt

Senator Harrison Hagan Schmitt was born in New Mexico and grew up in the American West. He received a Bachelors of Science from Caltech and a PhD in geology from Harvard based on work in Norway as a Fulbright Scholar and National Science Foundation Post-Doctorate Fellow. Between 1964 and 1965, Schmitt re-joined the United States Geological Survey as part of the Astrogeology Branch in Flagstaff, Arizona, leading the development of early lunar field geological methods under contract to NASA. Selected by NASA as a Scientist-Astronaut in 1965, he earned Air Force T-38 jet pilot wings in 1966 and Navy H-13 helicopter wings in 1967. Schmitt flew in space as Apollo 17’s Lunar Module Pilot, landing in the Moon’s Valley of Taurus-Littrow, December 11, 1972. He is the only scientist and last of 12 men to step on the Moon. Elected to the United States Senate from New Mexico in 1976, Schmitt worked on legislation and New Mexico affairs related to technology, immigration, education, healthcare, commerce, and national security. As part of his consulting business in aerospace and earth science, he served on the President Reagan’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, the Army Science Board, and the President H. W. Bush’s Ethics Commission and, from 2005 to 2008, chaired the NASA Advisory Council. Schmitt has received numerous honorary degrees from United States and Canadian universities. In 1983, Schmitt became Director of Orbital Sciences Corporation, now Orbital ATK. He also has served as a director of several corporations in the banking, technology, mining, and medical fields that included the Draper Corporation. Beginning in 1996, he taught  “Resources from Space” at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is an Associate Fellow in the University’s Department of Engineering. Schmitt authored “Return to the Moon; Exploration, Enterprise and Energy in the Human Exploration of Space” and has published numerous scientific and public policy papers from 1964 to the present. He travels extensively internationally as well as domestically. Schmitt lives in the intermountain West with his wife of over 30 years, Teresa Fitzgibbon, and a number of four-legged canine family members.

Lesley Jane Smith

Prof. Dr. Lesley Jane Smith is a member of the Law Society of Scotland (solicitor), admitted to the German Bar and partner in the law firm of Weber-Steinhaus & Smith, Cotton Exchange, Bremen. She was appointed full Professor of International, European and Comparative law at the Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany in 1996 and is a Visiting Professor of space law at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, as well as a member of the London Institute of Space Law and Policy. She has spent some time as Rector to the Riga Graduate School of European and International Law, Latvia, after its independence, and was senior advisor to the EU on legal reform in various post-soviet transformation states.

Lesley Jane has an extensive command in the field of national and international space law, as well as current legal developments within the space programmes at European Union level. She is also an accredited expert within the EU’s dedicated R&D funding programme HORIZON 2020.

Her major contributions to the leading space law commentaries involve the interaction between commercial space and, in particular, liability for commercial space activities, and related issues of debris, industry and agency contracts, and space procurement. She recently published work relating to legal aspects of earth observation. Her book ‘Contracting for Space, Contract prac-tice in the European space sector’ is currently being translated into various languages.
Professor Smith is on the editorial board of the Brill series Studies in Space Law and is a mem-ber of the editorial board of the Journal of Air and Space Law. She is a full member of the In-ternational Academy of Astronautics (IAA), Paris, is a board member of the International Insti-tute of Space Law (IISL), an NGO accredited to UN Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space, and is a former board member of Women in Aerospace Europe (WIA-E). In 2014, she was appointed General Counsel to the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) in Paris.

Alfred Merrill Worden

Born in Jackson, Michigan, February 7, 1932. I was the first son of Merrill and Helen Worden, and had three brothers and two sisters. I grew up on a small farm and attended a one room country school until entering high school. Now retired from the US Air Force, NASA and BFGoodrich and living in Vero Beach, Florida and at Gun Lake south of Grand Rapids, Michigan. I have three daughters; Merrill, Alison and Tamara. I am the author of a book of poetry, “Hello Earth, Greetings From Endeavour” a children’s book, “I Want To Know About A Flight To The Moon” and an autobiography, “Falling To Earth”, that was released to the public in 2011.
Academic: Attended primary and secondary schools in Jackson. Graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1955 in the top 10% of the class. Returned to graduate school at the University of Michigan in 1961, graduating in 1963 with a Masters Degree in Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering and a Masters Degree in Instrumentation Engineering. Received a Doctor of Science Degree (Honorary) in Astronautical Engineering in 1971 from the University of Michigan, and a Doctor of Laws Degree (Honorary) in 1995 from Northwood University.
Professional:
1951-1955 USMA, West Point, New York
1955-1961 95th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Washington, DC.
1961-1963 University of Michigan graduate school for Aerospace Engineering, as part of the Air Force Civilian Institute Program.
1963-1964 Empire Test Pilot School in Farnborough, England. Graduated 2nd in the class and received the McKenna Trophy.
1964-1966 Instructed at the USAF Aerospace Research Pilots School at Edwards AFB, California. Applied for the NASA Astronaut Program in December 1965.
1966-1972 One of nineteen astronauts selected by NASA in April, 1966. A member of the support crew for Apollo 9 and a back-up crewmember for Apollo 12. Served as Command Module Pilot for Apollo 15 (July 26- August 7, 1971) with Dave Scott and Jim Irwin. Apollo 15 was the fourth manned lunar mission, the first to operate a Scientific Instrument Module in lunar orbit, the first to place a satellite in lunar orbit, the first to carry a lunar rover to the surface of the moon and acknowledged as the most scientifically oriented flight of the Apollo program. On the return to earth, performed a spacewalk (or EVA- Extra Vehicular Activity) to recover film from the Scientific Instrument Module, the first EVA while not in earth orbit. On the flight, logged more than 295 hours flight time and covered a distance of nearly 1.4 million miles.
1972-1975 NASA Ames Research Center, California, Chief, System Studies Division, and Chief of the Airborne Science Division.
1975 Retired from the United States Air Force.
1975-1982 Northwood University Staff. Taught Energy Management and was Principle Development Director to raise funds to build a campus in Palm Beach, Florida.
1982 Ran for the United States Congress in the twelfth district of Florida.
1984- 1989 Owned and operated a helicopter sightseeing operation in Orlando, Florida.
1985- 2004 President, Maris Worden Aerospace, Inc., formed with John Maris to develop and patent an Aerodynamic Performance Monitor and Stall Warning System for aircraft.
1990-1993 President, Jet Electronics and Technology, Inc., a subsidiary of BF Goodrich. JET is a manufacturer of avionics products with gross sales of approximately $ 50,000,000 and 500 emplyees.
1993-1997 Vice-President, Technology Acquisition and New Business Development, BF Goodrich Aerospace, Brecksville, Ohio, primarily responsible for the acquisition and development of high temperature polyamides and MicroElectroMechanicalSyatems ( MEMS) devices. Resulted in BFGoodrich buying the MEMS Company.
2004- 2011 Chairman of the Board, McDonald Properties, Inc Vero Beach, Florida Chairman of the Board of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. The ASF is a non-profit foundation, formed by the Mercury 7 astronauts to provide scholarships to outstanding students. The Foundation currently gives over $300,000 a year to worthy students. Raised over $7 million dollars during the six-year period. Retired from the Foundation in 2011.
Honors and Awards: Numerous awards including the 1972 Collier Trophy, the VandenBerg Trophy, The Kitty Hawk Award, the AIAA Haley Astronautics Award, the UN Peace Medal, Silver Star, Distinguished Service Medal, Order of Leopold, and others. Represented the President during six European and East European Tours in 1971-72.
Activities: Past President, Boys Club of Palm Beach, Florida. Past Director, Adam Walsh Foundation

Armstrong Space Symposium and Chair Installation

Mon, May 8, 2017
7:15 am to 4:30 pm


Ohio Union
1739 N. High Street
Columbus, OH 43210

 

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