Jonathan Arenberg
Chief Mission Architect, Science and Robotic Missions, Civil and Commercial Space, Northrop Grumman Space
Dr. Jonathan (Jon) Arenberg is a Northrop Grumman Fellow leading engineering and concept development for future science missions. This role includes developing, planning, and conducting strategic analyses for space science missions across all disciplines. He was responsible for directing Northrop’s studies of potential successor missions to the Webb as part of the recent astrophysics decadal review and recent Astrophysics Probe Explorer proposals.
Dr. Arenberg has over 35 years of experience working on astronomical programs such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory, development of the starshade and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. He held several positions on Webb, structural technology test lead, system design leader, systems engineering manager and finally chief engineer. In addition to his work on astronomical systems, he has also contributed to major high-energy and tactical laser systems, laser component engineering, metrology, optical inspection and technology development projects and is a member of national and international standards committees related to lasers and electro-optics.
Prior to joining TRW, now Northrop Grumman, in 1989, Dr. Arenberg worked at Hughes Aircraft Company, starting as an intern in 1982. He completed graduate school as a Hughes Master’s and Doctoral Fellow, while a Hughes employee. His work at Hughes included a variety of roles on major tactical laser and sensor systems.
Dr. Arenberg has a Bachelor of Science in physics, a Master of Science and PhD in engineering all from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Adam Black
Chief Architect for ASPIN/Resilience Portfolio, Lockheed Martin
Adam Black has served as the ASPIN/Resilience Portfolio Chief Architect since June 2024. In this role, and in previous capacities, he has been responsible for the development and operation of Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, and Docking (RPOD) systems for various customers. Notably, he served as the System Technical Lead for the operations of Lockheed Martin’s In-space Upgrade Satellite System (LINUSS) mission. With extensive experience in defining architectures, requirements, and mission designs for RPOD systems, his expertise is primarily concentrated on geostationary (GEO) applications. Adam holds an M.S. degree in Systems Engineering from the University of Denver and a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ohio Northern University.
Dr. Natasha Bosanac
University of Colorado Boulder
Natasha Bosanac is an Assistant Professor in the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research within the Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. She earned her S.B. in Aerospace Engineering from MIT in 2010. Then, she earned her M.S.A.A and Ph.D. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University in 2012 and 2016, respectively, with a focus on astrodynamics. Her research group focuses on advancing spacecraft trajectory design, analysis, and prediction strategies within multi-body systems to support future missions and space operations.
Frank "Cepi" Cepollina
Inductee to Inventers Hall of Fame, 2003
Mr. Frank "Cepi" Cepollina formerly served as the Deputy Associate Director for the Space Servicing Capabilities Office (SSCO) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Known as the "Father of On-Orbit Servicing," Mr. Cepollina's exceptional leadership has generated many of the groundbreaking concepts, designs and procedures that have kept the Hubble Space Telescope at the cutting edge of technology throughout its long lifespan. Always an innovator, he established the architecture for NASA's first serviceable Multi-Mission Modular Spacecraft, which indelibly improved the way that space missions are conceptualized and executed. In addition to leading the Satellite Servicing Project and the Solar Maximum Repair Mission – NASA's first on-orbit repair mission – he also headed the historic 1993 effort that corrected Hubble's blurred vision. As the Deputy Associate Director of the Hubble Space Telescope Development Project, Mr. Cepollina and his team completed three more servicing and upgrading missions to Hubble in 1997, 1999, and 2002, and demonstrated new Hubble technology aboard STS-95 ("the John Glenn Mission") in 1998. His last Hubble servicing mission, STS-125, was successfully completed in May 2009.
Mr. Cepollina graduated from University of Santa Clara in 1959 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. In recognition of his sustained, superior accomplishments in managing NASA programs, in 2000 the President of the United States conferred upon him the rank of Meritorious Executive in Senior Executive Service. In 2003, Mr. Cepollina was inducted to the exclusive National Inventors Hall of Fame for his visionary work in modular spacecraft design and satellite servicing. Spin-offs from his work have led to advances in computer chip technology, manufacturing instruments, and breast-cancer detection. In 2010, Mr. Cepollina received the Moe I. Schneebaum Award, Goddard's highest engineering award.
Dave Content
RST Deputy Project Manager, Technical, NASA
Dave Content has worked at GSFC since completion of his Ph.D. in physics & astronomy in 1988. He worked as the optics PDL on HST/STIS, diffractive optics SME, and optics technologist before joining JDEM as optical systems lead in 2008. He has since moved to payload management on WFIRST. He is currently the Roman deputy project manager for technical.
Matthew East
L3Harris
Matthew East is a Mission Architect at L3Harris’s in Rochester, NY. Matthew’s expertise includes stability, design, engineering and analysis of space telescope systems, and optics design, fabrication, and assembly. His career began at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, developing the Lunar Laser Communication Demo, which shattered records for fastest communication between the Earth and Moon. At L3Harris, he develops stable telescope technologies to reveal parts of our universe that have never been seen before. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Clarkson University.
Lee Feinberg
Optical Telescope Element Manager for Webb, NASA
Lee Feinberg has been the Optical Telescope Element Manager for the James Webb Space Telescope at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for the past 20 years. Mr. Feinberg led the telescope technology development and led the telescope from architecture trades and design activities to manufacturing through integration and testing. Mr. Feinberg co-chaired the committee that selected beryllium for the primary mirror and was a lead Test Director for the final cryogenic optical testing of the telescope at the Johnson Space Center. Mr. Feinberg developed the approach to test the telescope “cup up” which greatly simplified the testing approach and serves as the optics lead for Webb through commissioning.
Early in his career, Feinberg worked for 10 years on the Hubble Space Telescope. He was a member of the optics team that determined the optical prescription to correct Hubble and he performed independent testing of the mirrors that corrected Hubble. Feinberg served as the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph Instrument Manager for SM-2, served as the Wide-Field Camera-3 Concept Study Lead, and as the initial Cosmic Origins Spectrograph Instrument Manager. After leaving Hubble, Feinberg spent 3 years as the Assistant Chief for Technology in the Instrument Systems and Technology Division developing technologies for next generation instruments and space telescopes. Most recently, Mr. Feinberg has helped to develop quantum technologies and architectures for quantum networking and telescopes as well as for gravity measurements.
Mr. Feinberg is an SPIE Fellow and a NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Fellow. Mr. Feinberg was a member of Large Ultra-Violet and Infra-Red (LUVOIR) and Habex Science and Technology Definition Teams proposed to the Astro 2020 Decadal and a member of the ATLAST team that proposed a segmented telescope to the 2010 decadal and was a key architect of the LUVOIR mission architect. Mr. Feinberg also leads research into ultra-stable telescopes. Until recently, Mr. Feinberg was also an associate editor of the Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems (SPIE). Feinberg is also a pianist, keyboardist, composer of jazz and rock music, and member of the bands Allman Others and Honeyfunk.
Matt Gildner
Robotics Mechanical Engineer, Mars Rover Planner, NASA JPL
Matt Gildner is a robotics researcher and former Mars Science Laboratory Flight Operations Rover Planner Team Lead at JPL. His research focus is in the area of field robotic systems for planetary surface mobility and sampling as well as commercial robotic servicing and inspection. Matthew completed his M.S. degree in Mechanical and Ocean Engineering in 2012 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
John Mace Grunsfeld PhD
President/CEO Endless Frontier Associates
Astronaut/Astrophysicist/Explorer
John M. Grunsfeld is a scientist and former astronaut with extensive experience as a leader in human space exploration, space science missions, and national space policy. He has served as a NASA astronaut, the Associate Administrator for Science, and Chief Scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. As Associate Administrator his responsibilities included a $7B/year portfolio of Earth Science, Astrophysics, Planetary Science, Heliophysics, the James Webb Space Telescope, and the NOAA weather satellite program. Previously he served as the Deputy Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, managing the science program for the Hubble Space Telescope and the forthcoming James Webb Space Telescope. Grunsfeld’s scientific research is in planetary science and the search for life beyond Earth. He has deep knowledge in Earth and Climate science and strategies to fight climate change. Grunsfeld is also an avid explorer, enjoying mountaineering, bicycling, sailing, and flying small aircraft.
Grunsfeld joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1992. He is veteran of five space shuttle flights, (STS-67, STS-81, STS-103, STS-109, and STS-125) of which three flights were to the Hubble Space Telescope. He performed eight spacewalks to service and upgrade the Hubble observatory. He has logged more than 58 days in space on his shuttle missions, including 58 hours and 30 minutes of spacewalk time. In 2004-2005, he served as the commander and science officer on the backup crew for Expedition 13 to the International Space Station.
In 2015 Grunsfeld was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame, and is a Fellow of the American Astronomical Society. He has received numerous awards including the National Space Trophy, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the NASA Exceptional Leadership Medal, and the AIAA Education Award.
David Gruntz
ISS Robotics Integration, NASA
David Gruntz is the Dexterous Robotics Integration Lead in the International Space Station (ISS) program. He works with the Canadian Space Agency to sustain the ISS robotic systems and works with payload developers/users to ensure compatibility with ISS robotic systems. David also works with various stakeholders across the ISS partnership to define ISS robotic mission objectives and priorities and ensure operational readiness. Prior to his current role, David has over ten years of experience in mission operations of both ISS and Space Shuttle robotic systems. David has a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland.
Glen Henshaw
NRL’s Senior Scientist for Robotics and Autonomous Systems
Dr. Carl “Glen" Henshaw is NRL’s Senior Scientist for Robotics and Autonomous Systems. He is also the lead roboticist for the DARPA RSGS program, which will be the US’ first robotic satellite servicing vehicle when it launches in late 2024. He earned his PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland in 2003. His research interests include robotic controls, reinforcement learning, data-driven modelling, and the application of neurobiological concepts to robotic motor control. He and his wife run a small sheep farm in Maryland which keeps him out of trouble on weekends.
Gregg Herbert
Chief Engineer, Space Logistics, Northrop Grumman Space Systems
Gregg Herbert has over 40 years of experience working in the Space business in areas of Spacecraft Subsystem & System design, analysis, test, operations and business development. In 2014, Mr. Herbert assumed the role of Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) Chief Engineer and served in that capacity through the operations activities for the MEV-1 and MEV-2 successful dockings. Following MEV, Mr. Herbert served as the Mission Robotic Vehicle/RSGS Program Chief Engineer, and in 2021 he transitioned to his current role as the Chief Engineer for SpaceLogistics, (a Northrop Grumman company).
Christine Hartzell
Director of Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Maryland
Christine Hartzell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Maryland and the director of ASTRA-UMD, UMD’s newly started center for space exploration research. Her research seeks to elucidate the fundamental physics of granular systems that will enable key space exploration technologies. She is a Participating Scientist on the Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission, and was involved with the OSIRIS-REx mission and the Janus mission. Asteroid 9319 was named “Hartzell” in recognition of her contributions to the field of asteroid science. Prior joining the faculty at UMD, Dr. Hartzell was a Keck Institute for Space Studies Postdoctoral Fellow at Caltech. She completed her PhD in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder and received her B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech.
Nicholas Limparis
University of Maryland
Nicholas Limparis is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Maryland, Department of Aerospace Engineering. His research interests include extreme environment robotics, planetary surface robotics, robot kinematics and dynamics, and many other enabling technologies for humanity's desire to explore the universe. He is currently working on removing dust and debris from spacesuits and other equipment in the lunar environment using Gecko skin based reusable adhesives.
John Lymer
Chief Architect, MDA Space
John Lymer is the Chief Architect for Robotics and Automation at MDA Space. John is presently guiding the development of a family of commercialized “Skymaker” robotic systems that enable previously unachievable mission architectures at a price point that allows commercial, civil and defence customers to close their business case. These systems include the robotics for NASA’s Gateway and diverse applications such as cis-lunar resupply vehicles, serviceable crewed stations in LEO, and lunar surface applications. As Chief Engineer for the Canadarm2 and Dextre robotic systems on the International Space Station, John directed the development programs that produced these iconic systems and supported early mission operations to ensure that the system was prepared for a long life of mission critical operations. As Chief Architect at Maxar Technologies, John architected full in-space servicing missions including the early phases of NASA’s OSAM-1 satellite servicing and robotic assembly mission, DARPA’s Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellite Mission, and a cis-lunar cryo-propellant resupply infrastructure to support NASA’s Human Landing System.
Jill McGuire
Associate Director for the Exploration and In-Space Services (ExIS) Projects Division
Jill McGuire serves as the Associate Director for the Exploration and In-Space Services (ExIS) Projects Division, and serves as the inaugural chair of the government caucus for the Consortium for Space Mobility and ISAM Capabilities (COSMIC), for in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM). She has worked at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center since January 1992. She started working in satellite servicing in 1998 when she began supporting the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Development Project.
As Associate Director, Ms. McGuire strives to carry on NASA’s 30-year legacy of satellite servicing and repair by developing new technologies for future programs. Previously, she was the Hosted Payloads Office Head for the ExIS Division and was responsible for leading multifaceted teams in designing, manufacturing, and launching innovative space tools that both anticipate and answer unique satellite-servicing needs. Projects that she led in that tenure were the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) 1, 2, and 3, Robotic External Leak Locator (RELL), and Robotic External Tool Stowage (RiTS) as well as support to the AMS EVA repair team with Johnson Space Center. The RRM series of payloads were designed to utilize the robotic system on ISS to demonstrate a variety of tools, technologies and techniques to benefit satellites not originally designed for in-flight service as well as provide the groundwork for future exploration.
Prior to supporting ExIS, Ms. McGuire served as the manager of the Hubble Crew Aids and Tool team, which supplied more than 180 unique tools in support of the fifth and final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
Ms. McGuire holds an M.S. in Applied Physics from Johns Hopkins University, an M.S. in Engineering Management from the University of Maryland, University College, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of North Dakota.
Mike Menzel
HWO Lead Systems Engineer, NASA
Mike Menzel is the NASA Mission Systems Engineer for the James Webb Space Telescope at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Menzel has held this position since he joined NASA in June of 2004. His involvement with the James Webb Project extends back to 1998 when he became the Chief Systems Engineer for Lockheed Martin's Pre-Phase A studies for the then Next Generation Space Telescope and later for Lockheed's Phase A James Webb Space Telescope contract. In 2001, he joined the Northrop Grumman James Webb systems engineering team.
In his role on James Webb, Menzel oversees all system engineering efforts which include requirements formulation and management, systems design and integration, and systems validation and verification. He has led numerous studies which have contributed to the systems design and verification program. He wrote one of the first articles to layout a verification program for the system, "A Strawman Verification Program for the Next Generation Space Telescope" in 1998 and led the Independent Verification Assessment Team, to evaluate the verification risks in 2003.
Prior to his involvement with James Webb, Menzel was the Deputy Program Manager for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Servicing Missions Group for Lockheed Martin. While in this position, he participated in system engineering activities for the HST Orbital System Test (HOST), which flew on STS 95. Between 1995 and 1997, he was the Director of Systems Engineering at Orbital Science Corporation (OSC) in Germantown, Maryland. Aside from the functional management duties of this position he led several proposal efforts; among them, the successful GALEX Mission proposal for the OSC spacecraft. Between 1990 and 1995, Menzel was a Principal Member of the Technical Staff for Lockheed Martin's Astro-Space Division in East Windsor, New Jersey and Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. While in this position, he contributed to numerous system conceptual design studies, was the functional manager of the Sensor Systems Group and developed and taught the Systems Engineering Training course for the Astro-Space Division. He was awarded the Martin Marietta General Manager's Award in 1993 for these efforts. Between 1981 and 1990, Menzel was an antenna engineer for RCA Astro in East Windsor New Jersey.
Menzel received a BS degree in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981 and earned an MS degree in Physics from Columbia University in 1986 while he was working for RCA.
Dr. Rudranarayan Mukherjee
HWO SWG Co-Lead, NASA JPL
Dr. Rudranarayan Mukherjee is the JPL lead for ISAM at the Office of Strategic Planning as well as a Robotics Technologist in the Autonomous Systems Division. As PI, he has led the development of technologies for Astrophysics, Earth Science, Planetary Science, and various DoD and terrestrial applications. These include Curiosity rover mobility on Mars, Mars sample return, Lunar robotic sample return, telescope and radar in-space assembly, in-space robotic servicing of geosynchronous satellites (RSGS), CubeSats with robotic arms, and robotic persistent platforms. His areas of research and technology development include robotic mobility and manipulation systems, autonomy, and high-fidelity modeling and simulation. He was the founder of the Space SMART Think Tank and technical lead for the NASA ISAT study. He is author of more than 80 technical papers and mentor to nearly 100 interns, early career individuals, and post-docs. He has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Outside of work, his true passion is in finding uncommon beauty in common places.
Bo Naasz
Senior Technical Lead, ISAM and RPOC SCLT, NASA
Bo Naasz is a NASA Senior Technical Lead of NASA’s ISAM and RPOC SCLT (In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing and Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, and Capture System Capability Leadership Team). His duties include stewardship, strategy, and advising Agency leadership and projects on topics relevant to ISAM, RPOC, and space sustainability. Bo has over 20 years of experience at NASA, including roles on several efforts as GNC and Flight Dynamics engineer, Principal Investigator, Mission System Engineer, Project Manager, System Capability Lead, and acting Deputy Director. He has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech. Born in Kansas, and raised in Texas, Maryland, and South Dakota, Bo currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife and three daughters.
Aki Roberge
HWO Project Formulation Scientist, NASA
Dr. Aki Roberge is the Associate Director for Technology and Strategy in the Astrophysics Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. She received a BS in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a PhD in Astrophysics from the Johns Hopkins University. Her work focuses on development of future space observatories to observe planets around other stars (aka. exoplanets) and observations of planet-forming disks around nearby young stars. She served as the Deputy Program Scientist for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope at NASA HQ and was the lead Study Scientist for the LUVOIR space observatory concept. In 2020, she received the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal for her work on LUVOIR. She was a Core Team Member for the 2021 NASA SMD Large Mission Study and has served on the NASA Planetary Science Advisory Committee. She is currently interim Pre-Formulation Scientist for the Habitable Worlds Observatory.
Brian Roberts
Deputy Director, ExIS, NASA
Brian Roberts is the Deputy Director of NASA's Exploration and In-Space Services (NExIS) Projects Division at Goddard Space Flight Center. He received a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a M.S. in the same field from the University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to coming to Goddard, he spent 6 years as a research engineer at the University of Maryland, working on teams that developed and tested various robotic systems ranging from those designed to service satellites and fly on the Shuttle, to those that can assemble and disassemble themselves in space, to those that autonomously find and sample life at the bottom of the ocean.
Jeff Schloemer
Senior Director of Engineering, Astroscale US
Jeff Schloemer is the Senior Director of Engineering at Astroscale U.S. With over a decade of experience in the aerospace industry, he is working to establish a sustainable circular economy in space. Prior to Astroscale, Jeff led the CONOPS development of the space segment at Lockheed Martin. In his previous decade at Raytheon, he acted as a chief engineer and led business development efforts for new space system capabilities and enterprise testing development and execution. Jeff is also a patent holder, having received recognition for his work in space constellation management optimization, and has authored several papers on systems engineering advancements in aerospace. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 2008 with a BS in Aerospace and earned his MS in Aerospace in 2009.
Steve Squyres
Chief Scientist, Blue Origin
Steve Squyres is Chief Scientist for Blue Origin, a private space company building the foundation for millions of people living and working in space. His responsibilities extend into all areas where Blue Origin’s activities intersect with science. Steve came to Blue Origin from Cornell University, where he was the James A. Weeks Professor of Physical Sciences. For almost twenty years he was scientific Principal Investigator for NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Project, leading payload development and science operations for the rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Steve received his Ph.D. from Cornell in 1981 and spent five years at NASA’s Ames Research Center before returning to Cornell as a faculty member. In addition to MER, he participated in the Voyager mission to Jupiter and Saturn, the Magellan mission to Venus, the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous mission, the Cassini mission to Saturn, and the Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and Mars Science Laboratory missions. Steve has chaired the NASA Advisory Council and the planetary decadal survey for the National Research Council.
Julie Van Campen
HWO SWG Co-Lead, NASA
Julie Van Campen is a Senior Systems Engineer working at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. During the development of JWST, Julie was the James Webb Space Telescope Lead Systems Engineer for the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM). During JWST Commissioning, she also served as the Deputy Commissioning Manager. She is currently working on leading instrument systems engineering and defining the Servicing approach for the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a future NASA flagship mission in astrophysics.
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