Born in the USSR, Gruntman grew up as a child at the Soviet Tyuratam Missile Test Range, also known as Baikonur Cosmodrome, in the late 1950s and early 1960s.[citation needed]
After graduating from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology with a master's degree in physics, he went on to receive his Ph.D. (1984) in physics from the Space Research Institute (IKI ИКИ) of the USSR Academy of Sciences.[2] Gruntman came to IKI as a student in 1973 and then worked there from 1977 on as a research fellow.[3] From 1987 to 1990 he worked as a research fellow in the Institute for Problems in Mechanics (IPM) of the USSR Academy of Sciences.[4] In March 1990 he joined USC in Los Angeles, California as research scientist and became professor in 1993.[5][failed verification]
Gruntman has been advocating creation of pure space engineering academic units as an alternative to space degree programs in aerospace departments combining aeronautics and astronautics.[18][19][20] He served as the founding chairman, 2004–2007, of such an independent academic unit at USC, currently the Department of Astronautical Engineering.[21] He chairs the department again from 2016 to 2019.[22]
Gruntman also produces educational short videos on satellite orbits and related topics which has attracted more than a million viewers on YouTube.[23] He is a frequent guest speaker on The Space Show.[24]
Gruntman, Mike (2004). Blazing the trail : the early history of spacecraft and rocketry. Reston, Va.: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. ISBN 978-1-60086-872-6. OCLC 774285730.
—— (2015). Intercept 1961 : the birth of Soviet missile defense. Reston, VA. ISBN 978-1-62410-350-6. OCLC 911134979.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
—— (2010). Enemy amongst Trojans : a Soviet spy at USC. Los Angeles: Figueroa Press. ISBN 978-1-932800-74-6. OCLC 690920515.
—— (2007). From astronautics to cosmonautics. North Charleston, S.C.: Booksurge. ISBN 978-1-4196-7085-5. OCLC 156950339.
—— (2022). My fifteen years at IKI, the Space Research Institute : position-sensitive detectors and energetic neutral atoms behind the Iron Curtain. Interstellar Trail Press. ISBN 979-8-9856687-0-4. OCLC 1310323554.
Gruntman, Mike (2022). Fundamentals of space missions : problems with solutions. Interstellar Trail Press. ISBN 979-8-9856687-4-2.
^Грунтман, Михаил Александрович – Обоснование и разработка методов детектирования потоков нейтральных частиц в межпланетном пространстве : диссертация ... кандидата физико-математических наук : 01.04.01 – Search RSL. search.rsl.ru (Thesis). 1983.
^Gruntman, Mike; Stern, David Peter (2005). Oral history interview with Mike Gruntman. OCLC 881394327.
^Gruntman, M. (2015). "Fifteen Years in IKI: Microchannel Plates, Position-Sensitive Detectors, and Energetic Neutral Atoms" (PDF). Obratnyi Otshchet 3 (Reverse Countdown...3. Fifty years of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences) (in Russian). Moscow: Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. pp. 226–261. ISBN 978-5-9903101-3-1.
^ abc"USC 50 years of Spaceflight" (Press release).
^Gruntman, Mike (1984). "Position-sensitive detectors based on microchannel plates" (PDF). Instruments and Experimental Techniques. 27 (1): 1–19. ISSN 0020-4412.
^Mike Gruntman (1997). "Energetic neutral atom imaging of space plasmas" (PDF). Review of Scientific Instruments. 68 (10): 3617–3656. Bibcode:1997RScI...68.3617G. doi:10.1063/1.1148389. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
^Gruntman, M. A., Roelof, E. C., Mitchell, D. G., Fahr, H.-J., Funsten, H. O., and McComas, D. J., “Energetic Neutral Atom Imaging of the Heliospheric Boundary Region,” J. Geophys. Res.106(A8), 15,767–15,758 (2001).
^Brandt, P.C.; Mitchell, D.G.; Roelof, E.C.; Krimigis, S.M.; Paranicas, C.P.; Mauk, B.H.; Saur, J.; DeMajistre, R. (2005). "ENA Imaging: Seeing the Invisible" (PDF). Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest. 26 (2): 143–155. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
^Pollock, C.J.; Asamura, K.; Baldonado, J.; Balkey, M.M.; Barker, P.; Burch, J.L.; Korpela, E.J.; Cravens, J.; Dirks, G.; Fok, M.-C.; Funsten, H.O.; Grande, M.; Gruntman, M.; Hanley, J.; Jahn, J.-M.; Jenkins, M.; Lampton, M.; Marckwordt, M.; McComas, D.J.; Mukai, T.; Penegor, G.; Pope, S.; Ritzau, S.; Schattenburg, M.L.; Scime, E.; Skoug, R.; Spurgeon, W.; Stecklein, T.; Storms, S.; Urdiales, C.; Valek, P.; van Beek, J.T.M.; Weidner, S.E.; Wüest, M.; Young, M.K.; Zinsmeyer, C. (2000). "Medium energy neutral atom (MENA) imager for the IMAGE mission". Space Science Reviews. 91 (1/2): 113–154. Bibcode:2000SSRv...91..113P. doi:10.1023/A:1005259324933. S2CID 16341054.
^Pollock, C. J.; Asamura, K.; Balkey, M. M.; Burch, J. L.; Funsten, H. O.; Grande, M.; Gruntman, M.; Henderson, M.; Jahn, J.-M.; Lampton, M.; Liemohn, M. W.; McComas, D. J.; Mukai, T.; Ritzau, S.; Schattenburg, M. L.; Scime, E.; Skoug, R.; Valek, P.; Wüest, M. (15 March 2001). "First medium energy neutral atom (MENA) Images of Earth's magnetosphere during substorm and storm-time". Geophysical Research Letters. 28 (6): 1147–1150. Bibcode:2001GeoRL..28.1147P. doi:10.1029/2000GL012641. S2CID 1604349.
^Gruntman, Mike (2007). "The Time for Academic Departments in Astronautical Engineering". AIAA SPACE 2007 Conference & Exposition. doi:10.2514/6.2007-6042. ISBN 978-1-62410-016-1.
^Gruntman, Mike (October 2014). "Advanced degrees in astronautical engineering for the space industry". Acta Astronautica. 103: 92–105. Bibcode:2014AcAau.103...92G. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2014.06.016.
^Gruntman, Mike (2018). "Master of Science Degree in Astronautical Engineering Through Distance Learning" (PDF). International Astronautical Congress. IAC-18-E1-4-11. Bremen Germany.
^"USC Viterbi | Department of Astronautical Engineering". USC Viterbi | Department of Astronautical Engineering.
^Gruntman, Mike (2004). Blazing the Trail: The Early History of Spacecraft and Rocketry. Reston, VA: AIAA. p. 326. ISBN 978-1-56347-705-8.
^"New Book Focuses on Birth of Soviet Union's Air and Missile Defense Systems : The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics". www.aiaa.org.
^"Intercept 1961 was featured on Secure Freedom Radio, center for security policy 2015". center for security policy. 2015-10-06.
^From astronautics to cosmonautics. Booksurge. 2007. ISBN 978-1-4196-7085-5.
^Gruntman, Mike (2010). Enemy amongst Trojans : a Soviet spy at USC. Figueroa Press. ISBN 978-1-932800-74-6.
^Gruntman, M. (Dec 2015). "Studies in Intelligence" (PDF). Journal of the American Intelligence Professional (Declassified). 59 (5): 74. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2016.
^"Enemy Amongst Trojans: Telling the story of a USC instructor—and Soviet spy" (PDF). USC Viterbi Engineer Spring 2011. USC. 2011. p. 13.