Summary
Michael Ryschkewitsch (/rɪsˈkeɪvɪtʃ/ riss-KAY-vitch;[1] born 1951) is the former Space Exploration Sector Head at the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL).[2][3][4] He formerly served as the Chief Engineer of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration.[3][5][6]
Michael Ryschkewitsch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1951 |
| Alma mater | University of Florida Duke University |
| Known for | Being the Chief Engineer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| Awards | NASA Exceptional Service Medal NASA Medal for Outstanding Leadership Robert Baumann Award NASA Engineering and Safety Center Leadership Award |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Engineer |
| Institutions | NASA Applied Physics Laboratory |
Education and career edit
Michael Ryschkewitsch earned a B.S. in physics from the University of Florida, Gainesville, and a Ph.D. in physics from Duke University.[3][5] He joined the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in 1982 to work as a cryogenics engineer on the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) mission.[3][5] He worked on a number of other projects, including the first servicing mission for the Hubble Space Telescope.[3][5] He later served as the chairperson of the Genesis spacecraft mishap investigation board, and discovered a test that Lockheed Martin had skipped that would have prevented the mishap.[7][8]
Ryschkewitsch was eventually promoted to Deputy Director of Goddard Space Flight Center in 2005, and then to Chief Engineer of NASA in 2007.[5] He was the third person in a row to go from Deputy Director of a NASA field center to Chief Engineer at NASA Headquarters, after Rex Geveden and Christopher Scolese; the first two were also then promoted to Associate Administrator of NASA.[9][10]
Awards and honors edit
Ryschkewitsch has been awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, the NASA Medal for Outstanding Leadership, the Robert Baumann Award for contributions to mission success, and the NASA Engineering and Safety Center Leadership Award.[5] Asteroid 182044 Ryschkewitsch was named in his honor.[6] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 25 September 2018 (M.P.C. 111802).[11]
References edit
- ^ "Organizational Silence Panel Discussion". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
- ^ Applied Physics Laboratory Leadership
- ^ a b c d e APL - NASA Chief Engineer Michael Ryschkewitsch to Lead Space Programs at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
- ^ "Johns Hopkins APL Names Dr. Robert D. Braun as Space Exploration Sector Head". JHUAPL. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
- ^ a b c d e f NASA – NASA Administrator Names Ryschkewitsch as New Chief Engineer
- ^ a b "182044 Ryschkewitsch (2000 CV109)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ NASA – NASA Appoints Genesis Mishap Investigation Board Leader
- ^ Associated Press (7 January 2006). "Official: Genesis Pre-Launch Test Skipped". Space.com. Archived from the original on 10 January 2006. Retrieved September 7, 2007.
- ^ NASA – Geveden Selected as NASA Associate Administrator
- ^ NASA – Scolese to Succeed Geveden as NASA Associate Administrator
- ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 17 October 2018.