2024 LSIC Spring Meeting
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 -Thursday, April 25, 2024
Venue: (hybrid) Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Kossiakoff Center, Laurel, MD
Featured Speakers
Kurt "Spuds" Vogel
Associate Administrator, NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate
Bio
Kurt "Spuds" Vogel
Associate Administrator, NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate
Dr. Kurt “Spuds” Vogel is the associate administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA Headquarters in Washington, a position he has served since Jan. 16, 2024. In this role, he oversees executive leadership, strategic planning, and management of all technology maturation and demonstration programs executed under the directorate’s $1.2 billion budget.
Before leading STMD, Vogel served as director of space architectures within the Office of the Administrator. Arriving at NASA in July 2021, he led multiple space architecture efforts, including the development of the Moon to Mars Strategy and Objectives, forming the agency’s blueprint for long-term, human-led scientific discovery in deep space. He also served as chair of NASA’s Agency Cross-Directorate Federated Board, whose purpose is to ensure NASA’s focus is integrated with common strategic goals and direction across the agency’s mission directorates.
Vogel has more than 34 years of U.S. government service, primarily in the Defense Department, as a technical leader, senior program manager, and chief technologist.
Prior to joining NASA, Vogel served six years at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), leading innovative research across a portfolio of classified, state-of-the-art, high-risk programs spanning multiple DARPA offices.
From 2008 until 2015, Vogel led research and development at the Air Force Research Lab’s Systems Technology Office, where he directed a Defense Department science and technology portfolio. He also served as the acting chief technologist for the National Reconnaissance Office’s Survivability Assurance Office.
Vogel retired from active duty in 2010 after serving in the air and space domains during a 21-year career as an officer in the United States Air Force. During his service, he led the USAF Red Team and served as chief technology officer for the Next Generation Bomber program. Vogel also is an Air Force Test Pilot School graduate, having flown over 40 different aircraft as a flight test engineer and civilian pilot.
He holds a Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science in astronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s in astronautical engineering from the United States Air Force Academy. He is a member of the national engineering and aerospace engineering honor societies.
Walt Engelund
Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs, NASA STMD
Bio
Walt Engelund
Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs, NASA STMD
Walter (Walt) Engelund serves as the Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs in the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA Headquarters and provides executive leadership and execution for a portfolio of 10 space technology programs with an annual investment value of over $1 billion. STMD invests in technologies for NASA and commercial space needs that span the full range of technology readiness levels (TRLs), from fundamental laboratory experiments to full scale space flight demonstrations.
Prior to his appointment with STMD in 2019, Engelund spent 30 years at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, most recently as the Director of the Space Technology and Exploration Directorate, where he led an organization that was responsible for developing technologies for human spaceflight and robotic exploration. He also previously served as the Chief Engineer at NASA Langley and was responsible for technical oversight for Langley’s diverse research and development portfolio, spanning aeronautics, human and robotic space technologies, and Earth science and remote sensing systems.
He is a recognized expert, reviewer, and consultant for hypersonic flight and planetary entry systems for NASA and other government agencies. He is a Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and the recipient of numerous NASA Achievement Awards including NASA’s Exceptional Engineering Achievement and the Exceptional Achievement Medals, and the Meritorious Presidential Executive Award.
Niki Werkheiser
Director of Technology Maturation, NASA STMD
Bio
Niki Werkheiser
Director of Technology Maturation, NASA STMD
Niki Werkheiser serves as the Director for Technology Maturation in the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA Headquarters, where she leads the advancement of mid-TRL technologies for future space missions. The Technology Maturation portfolio includes more than 100 projects within the Game Changing Development (GCD) Program and the Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (LSII). These ambitious projects are executed across eight NASA Centers and with dozens of industry and academic partners.
Prior to her current role, Ms. Werkheiser led the Agency’s In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) efforts, including the development of novel, on-demand manufacturing, repair, and recycling capabilities which have been demonstrated on the International Space Station (ISS) and directly feed forward to NASA’s Exploration missions.
Ms. Werkheiser has over 25 years of experience developing and flying new technologies in space and a proven approach for managing complex projects and programs. She is particularly passionate about creating novel competitive programs and partnerships across the government, industry, and academia. She has received numerous awards, including NASA’s Silver Snoopy and Outstanding Leadership Medal, and the American Astronautical Society Space Technology Award.
Ms. Werkheiser holds a Master of Science Degree from the University of Alabama at Huntsville with an emphasis in Gravitational and Space Biology, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Russian Language and Studies.
A.C. Charania
Agency Chief Technologist, NASA
Bio
A.C. Charania
Agency Chief Technologist, NASA
As agency chief technologist, A.C. Charania serves as principal advisor to NASA’s administrator on technology policy and programs. He leads technology innovation at the agency and aligns NASA’s agencywide technology investments with mission needs across its six mission directorates. Charania also oversees technology collaboration with other federal agencies and the private sector while coordinating with external stakeholders.
Charania works within NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS). He succeeds former OTPS Associate Administrator Bhavya Lal, who had been serving as acting agency chief technologist
Charania is an experienced leader in entrepreneurial space and aviation ventures. His private sector work includes projects under contract for NASA, the Air Force, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). His experience spans multiple areas including launch vehicles, hypersonics, human/robotic exploration, lunar landers, planetary defense, small satellites, and aviation autonomy.
Before joining NASA, he served as vice president of product strategy at Reliable Robotics, a firm working to bring certified autonomous vehicles to commercial aviation. Charania led overall corporate strategy for the company, including working to mature product fit, leading/conducting market and competitive assessments, and engaging with global customers and partners. He also led program management for their Department of Defense autonomy projects.
Prior to Reliable Robotics, Charania worked on advanced development programs at Blue Origin. He helped define their lunar permanence strategy, created and advanced the Blue Moon lunar lander strategy, and engaged with customers and technical partners. He also moved multiple technology projects forward, including many with NASA.
Charania previously worked as a strategy and business development leader for the Virgin Galactic (now Virgin Orbit) LauncherOne small satellite launch vehicle program. While there, he advocated for using a 747-400 aircraft to air-launch a rocket carrying payloads to space and then captured a contract for several dozen launches.
Before Virgin Orbit, he held multiple roles at SpaceWorks Enterprises, including strategic thinker and technical analyst in the areas of space transportation and infrastructure design, aerospace economic/financial modeling, and general far-term technology impact assessment and prioritization. While at SpaceWorks, he was also heavily involved in incubating the two startups of Generation Orbit and Terminal Velocity Aerospace.
Charania led the formation of the FastForward industry group focused on high-speed, point-to-point transportation. He was also a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) fellow and was on the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group Commercial Advisory Board. He received a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s in economics from Emory University.
Ben Bussey, PhD.
Chief Scientist for Intuitive Machines
Bio
Ben Bussey, PhD.
Chief Scientist for Intuitive Machines
Dr. Bussey is a planetary scientist who is currently the chief scientist for Intuitive Machines. He earned a BA in Physics from Oxford University and a Ph.D. in Planetary Geology at University College London before moving to the United States. He gained both science and mission experience during his 20 years at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, before joining Intuitive Machines in 2022. He has also worked at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, the European Space Agency, Northwestern University and the University of Hawaii.
Dr. Bussey’s research concentrates on the remote sensing of the surfaces of planets, particularly the Moon. He has a specific interest in the lunar poles, producing the first quantitative illumination maps of the polar regions. He co-authored the Clementine Atlas of the Moon, the first atlas to map both the lunar near side and far side in a systematic manner.
Dr. Bussey spent 5-years at NASA HQ which included roles as the Acting Deputy Associate Administrator of Exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, and as the Chief Exploration Scientist in the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. During his time at JHU/APL he was Principal Investigator of NASA VORTICES SSERVI and NASA Lunar Science Institute research teams that considered the exploration and scientific potential of the lunar poles. He was the Principal Investigator of the Mini-RF radar instrument on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and Deputy Principal Investigator of the Mini-RF radar instrument on India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission. These instruments acquired the first radar data of the lunar poles and farside.
He enjoys planetary analog field work and has been fortunate to have twice been part of the Antarctic Search for Meteorites expedition to recover meteorites from the Antarctic glaciers.
Dan Hendrickson
Vice President of Business Development, Astrobotic
Bio
Dan Hendrickson
Vice President of Business Development, Astrobotic
Dan Hendrickson serves as the Vice President of Business Development for Astrobotic, a lunar logistics company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dan leads the company's lunar and space robotics sales efforts across the company. Prior to Astrobotic, Dan served as the Director of Civil and Commercial Space Systems at the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA).
Joseph Marlin
Deputy Chief Engineer, Firefly
Bio
Joseph Marlin
Deputy Chief Engineer, Firefly
Joseph Marlin serves as the Deputy Chief Engineer of the Blue Ghost lunar program at Firefly Aerospace. Prior to this role, he led avionics design and test for the Blue Ghost lunar lander, and electrical ground support equipment design and build-out at the company's Vandenberg Space Force Base launch site.
Michael "Orbit" Nayak
DARPA
Bio
Michael "Orbit" Nayak
DARPA
Dr. Michael “Orbit” Nayak (Maj, USAF) joined DARPA as a program manager in May 2022. At DARPA, he is interested in inventive ways to apply techniques from the disciplines of astrophysics and planetary science to problems in space domain awareness (SDA), space control, very bright and compact X-ray imaging sources for medical and aerospace imaging, and preventing strategic surprise in cislunar space. His research interests include methods to remotely identify characteristic satellite frequencies, radically innovative solutions to modern optical detection problems, cutting-edge nanosatellite mission concepts, and problems facing the rapid proliferation of people and materials on the lunar surface.
Prior to DARPA, Nayak worked as a space shuttle engineer; flight director for multiple experimental spacecraft; a skydiving instructor; a planetary scientist at NASA Ames; research section chief for the DoD’s largest telescope; instructor flight test engineer and instructor pilot. He has flown an X-plane, worked flight test for the prototype T-7A trainer jet, deployed to the South Pole as a U.S. Antarctic Program principal investigator, managed air- and space-based special programs, and was a semi-finalist for the 2021 astronaut class. He is a USAF Test Pilot School graduate, Rotary National Award for Space Achievement recipient, and has 1,000+ hours of flight time in 40+ aircraft including the F-16, T-38, EA500 and BE-76.
He holds a doctorate degree in planetary science from the University of California at Santa Cruz, where he was a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellow. He holds additional graduate degrees in earth science, aerospace engineering and flight test engineering.
Phil Root
Director of the Strategic Technology Office, DARPA
Bio
Phil Root
Director of the Strategic Technology Office, DARPA
Army Lt. Col. (ret) Philip Root, PhD, was named director of the Strategic Technology Office (STO) in February 2022. He previously served as the Defense Sciences Office’s (DSO's) deputy director and acting director from June 2019 until moving to STO. He previously served as program manager within the DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office (TTO) where he explored the intersection of AI, autonomy, and military operations. His former TTO programs include the Squad X program, Urban Reconnaissance through Supervised Autonomy (URSA), the ALIAS aircrew autonomy program, the Mobile Force Protection counter-UAS program, the Underminer tactical tunneling program, and the DSO Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA) program. He maintains responsibility for the legal, moral, and ethical (LME) analysis of the URSA program as an exemplar for in-depth LME analysis of an autonomous system.
Before coming to DARPA, Root was the director of the Center for Innovation and Engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point where he oversaw cadet and faculty research in support of Army operations. As a research and development officer, Root has deployed to Afghanistan developing and implementing the hardware and software needed to support cloud-based military intelligence analytics. He served two years as an Astronaut Office support engineer at the Johnson Space Center where he had oversight responsibilities for the booster and launch abort system of the Constellation program intended to return Americans to the Moon. Root spent nearly the first decade of his career as an Apache helicopter pilot in Germany and Korea. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy, and he received his Master of Science and doctorate from MIT at the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS).
Joel Kearns
Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration, NASA SMD
Bio
Joel Kearns
Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration, NASA SMD
Dr. Joel Kearns is the Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. He leads the Exploration Science Strategy and Integration Office and the Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program, including the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. Kearns leads science planning associated with human exploration beyond low Earth Orbit, and integration with NASA’s exploration systems development, space technology and space operations mission directorates.
Prior to this assignment, Dr. Kearns served as Director for Facilities, Test and Manufacturing at Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio; earlier he was Deputy Director of Glenn’s Space Flight Systems Directorate and Manager of the Orion Program’s European Service Module Integration Office. He was Space Shuttle Transition and Retirement Manager at NASA Headquarters, Director of Project Management and Engineering at Ames Research Center, Program Manager of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy at Ames, Program Manager of Microgravity Research during the Space Shuttle Spacelab and Mir era, at Marshall Space Flight Center, and Program Manager for Microgravity Materials Science and Biotechnology at NASA Headquarters.
A materials scientist, his research interests include phase transformations, solidification, single crystal growth, defects in semiconductor silicon, electron microscopy and spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. His work focused on growth and defect engineering of dislocation free bulk silicon optimized for power semiconductor or photovoltaic devices.
Dr. Kearns was born in Massachusetts. He graduated with a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering, and a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering, from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Kearns earned a graduate certificate in Advanced Materials Characterization from University of Connecticut’s Institute of Materials Science, and a graduate certificate in Nanoscale Materials Science from Stanford University. He also completed a professional certificate in Energy Innovation and Emerging Technologies from Stanford University. He was Director of Crystal Technology and Vice President for Engineering and Technology at SUMCO USA and Vice President for Solar R&D at MEMC Electronic Materials. He worked at Grumman Aerospace and the Mitre Corporation. Dr. Kearns is an associate fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics. Kearns was awarded the U.S. Government’s Presidential Rank of Meritorious Senior Executive in 2009. He is an inventor on four patents for single crystal growth technology.
Nujoud Merancy
Deputy Associate Administrator, Strategy and Architecture Office, NASA ESDMD
Bio
Nujoud Merancy
Deputy Associate Administrator, Strategy and Architecture Office, NASA ESDMD
Nujoud Merancy is the deputy associate administrator for the Strategy & Architecture Office (SAO) in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) for NASA Headquarters. Based at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Merancy serves as the agency expert in exploration architectures, guiding technical aspects of agency decisions about exploration element–level performance and functionality, which will have decades-long implications for agency goals and international and commercial partnerships. She oversees the annual Architecture Concept Review cycle, in which NASA refines the exploration architecture that guides its efforts to return astronauts to the Moon, establish an ongoing lunar presence, and land humans on Mars.
Prior to her current role, Merancy served as the architecture integration manager within SAO. Before joining ESDMD, she served as the chief of the Exploration Mission Planning Division within the Exploration Architecture, Integration, and Science Directorate; led the Mission Analysis and Integrated Assessments team; and held various roles supporting Orion Program mission planning and analysis, all at Johnson Space Center. She began her career working in industry supporting early International Space Station development and operations.
Merancy holds a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Washington and a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the University of Houston–Clear Lake.? She is a recipient of a NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal, Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Stellar Team Award, and the Silver Snoopy, an award that NASA astronauts bestow for outstanding contributions to flight safety, for designing the space station’s loss of attitude control warning.
Pat Forrester
Director of Cross-Directorate Technical Integration, NASA SOMD
Bio
Pat Forrester
Director of Cross-Directorate Technical Integration, NASA SOMD
Pat Forrester serves as an advisor to the Associate Administrator for Space Operations and as the director of Cross-Directorate Technical Integration at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Prior to his current assignment, he was the chief of the Astronaut Office. He was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1996 and flew on three space shuttle missions to the International Space Station.
Prior to joining NASA, Pat served in the United States Army as an operational aviator and test pilot. He retired from the Army in 2005 and was inducted into the U.S. Army Aviation Hall of Fame in 2011.
Pat received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Sciences and Engineering from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, in 1979, and a Master of Science Degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of Virginia in 1989. His military schools include the Army Parachutist Course, U.S. Army Ranger School, and the Command and General Staff College.
Meeting Overview
The LSIC 2024 Spring Meeting will be held at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory’s Kossiakoff Center in Laurel, MD. This spring, our focus is engaging our community on how to get back to the Moon together including NASA’s plans and updates, infusion paths, partnerships, current technology investments, and more! We have a packed agenda which includes invited speakers, panels, focus area discussions, lightning talks, and posters. Further details about the agenda will be available on the meeting webpage as they are available.
Registration for the 2024 Spring Meeting is CLOSED! Please be aware that both virtual and in-person registration is now closed and there will be no onsite registration provided. A livestream will be available to view on youtube.
Location and Lodging
The 2024 LSIC Spring Meeting will be held at the Kossiakoff Center at JHU Applied Physics Laboratory.
Please be sure to carefully check recent reviews of local hotels before making your final choice.
Virtual Agenda Highlights
The 2024 Spring Meeting Virtual Agenda highlights sessions with online engagement. Simple registration of name and email will be entered after clicking both the Zoom Webinar link and the Zoom with Breakout Rooms link individually at the beginning of each day. The Zoom Webinar will feature keynote speakers, panels, and logistics. The Zoom with Breakout Rooms will have opportunities for Q&A, networking with other participants, and brainstorming with interactive tools.
See Virtual-Attendee-Agenda file
Event Details
Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2024 - Thursday, April 25, 2024
Location: (hybrid) Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Kossiakoff Center, Laurel, MD
Registration Deadlines:
In-person and Foreign Nationals: April 7
Virtual attendance for US Citizens: April 14
The Student Sponsorship Application closed on 2024/03/01 17:00:00
The Technology Demonstration Application closed on 2024/03/01 17:00:00
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