Ryschkewitsch New Horizons Goddard Engineering Colloquium

Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771

ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM

Monday, May 16, 2016 / 3:30 PM, Building 3 Auditorium

Michael Ryschkewitsch

"New Horizons: A Visit to the Planet That Isn't by the Mission That Shouldn't Have Happened"

ABSTRACT -- In July of 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft flew by Pluto, completing the first reconnaissance and imagery from space of the nine classical planets by the United States, a journey begun in 1946 with the first images of Earth from a rocket and then in 1959 by Explorer 6. The technical, programmatic and political challenges that were overcome will be discussed and comparisons made to other pathfinding missions.

SPEAKER -- Michael "Mike" Ryschkewitsch is the head of the Space Exploration Sector for the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. As a member of the Laboratory's Executive Leadership team, he also oversees APL's portfolio of space programs for both NASA and national security sponsors, which totals over $150M and spans many aspects of solar system research, from space physics to space situational awareness and planetary probes. Ryschkewitsch leads an experienced science, engineering and program management cadre to pursue and win groundbreaking space opportunities; maintain collaborative relationships with peer organizations; enhance innovation and affordability; set and meet appropriate overall annual business performance and funding goals; and meet the high standards in product quality and timeliness required by AS9100 as well as the Laboratory. In 2015 alone, he oversaw the New Horizons successful Pluto flyby, over ten large proposal activities, the continued partnership between NASA, JPL and JHUAPL on the Europa mission, and personally served on the Mars 2020 Standing Review Board at the request of NASA.

Prior to joining the Applied Physics Laboratory he served for over thirty years at NASA; the previous seven years as NASA Chief Engineer where Dr. Ryschkewitsch was tasked with the oversight, review and technical readiness of all NASA programs. The Office of the Chief Engineer assures that the agency's development efforts and missions operations are being planned and conducted on a sound engineering basis with proper controls and management of technical risks. His previous roles as deputy center director for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and as the lead for the Goddard's Applied Engineering and Technology directorate.

Mike Ryschkewitsch joined NASA in 1982 as a cryogenics engineer to work on the Cosmic Background Explorer mission at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Between those jobs, Ryschkewitsch held several management positions and supported projects from the first servicing mission of the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993 to the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere mission launched in April 2007. His bachelor's degree in Physics was earned from the University of Florida, Gainesville, in 1973 and his doctorate from Duke University, Durham, NC, in 1978. He has received numerous group achievement awards throughout his career. Ryschkewitsch was 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.

Engineering Colloquium home page: https://ecolloq.gsfc.nasa.gov