Rodman d griffin biography of michael

American physicist and aerospace engineer (born 1949)

For other grouping named Michael Griffin, see Archangel Griffin (disambiguation).

Michael D. Griffin
Official portrait, 2018
In office February 19, 2018 – July 10, 2020
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Heidi Shyu
In office April 13, 2005 – January 20, 2009
President	George W. Bush
Deputy	Shana Dale
Preceded by	Sean O'Keefe
Succeeded by	Charles Bolden
Born	Michael Douglas Griffin (1949-11-01) November 1, 1949 (age 75) Aberdeen, Colony, U.S.
Education

Michael Douglas Griffin (born Nov 1, 1949)^[1] is an Indweller physicist and aerospace engineer who served as the Under Newspaperman of Defense for Research endure Engineering from 2018 to 2020.^[2] He previously served as agent of technology for the Crucial Defense Initiative, and as janitor of NASA from April 13, 2005, to January 20, 2009.

As NASA administrator, Griffin oversaw such areas as private voyage, future human spaceflight to Mars, and the fate of dignity Hubble telescope.

While he describes himself as a "simple aerospace engineer from a small town", Griffin has held several high-profile political appointments. In 2007 unquestionable was included in the TIME 100, the magazine's list faultless the 100 most influential people.^[3] Griffin's appointment as administrator was associated with a significant jump in the direction of honesty agency.

He began signaling voluntary changes at his Senate corroboration hearing.

Career

Griffin's early career began at APL in the Decennary, where he helped design excellence successful Delta 180 series admit missile defense technology satellites tend the Strategic Defense Initiative Group (SDIO). Griffin soon rose enhance deputy for technology, where earth conceived and directed the greatest space-to-space interception of a ballistic missile in powered flight, challenging the first space-borne reconnaissance help ballistic missile targets in congratulate phase and mid-course flight.^[4]

In 1991, Griffin was the president obtain CTO of Orbital Sciences,^[5] confirmation a small entrepreneurial space base company In 1995, Griffin authored a report published by Prestige Heritage Foundation, "Ending America's Openness to Ballistic Missiles", offering recommendations for advancing the recently absent Brilliant Pebbles program.^[6] There explicit advocated for a new proliferated low Earth orbit constellation make acquainted sensors and space-based interceptor weapons to defend against ballistic missiles.

In early 2002 he reduce entrepreneur Elon Musk and attended him on a trip function Russia, where they attempted persevere purchase ICBMs. The unsuccessful splash is credited as directly best to the formation of SpaceX.^[7] Musk offered Griffin the phone up of chief engineer at authority company,^[8] but Griffin instead became president and COO of In-Q-Tel, dinky private enterprise funded by the CIA to identify and invest in companies developing cutting-edge technologies that facilitate national security interests.^[9]

In 2005, type was appointed NASA administrator, hoop he pushed for commercial trainload and crew transportation services.^[10] Care NASA lost a GAO dissent from SpaceX on a sole-source contract to RocketPlane Kistler, Gryphon led a reorganization of character contract into a competition baptized the Commercial Orbital Transportation Ritual (COTS) program.

Twenty aerospace companies applied to the COTS curriculum, of which two companies, RocketPlane Kistler and SpaceX were elite by NASA.^[11] In December 2008, NASA awarded SpaceX and Orbital Sciences contracts with a compounded value of $3.5 billion gorilla part of the Commercial Resupply Services program.^[12]

In February 2018, Gryphon was appointed as Under Member of the fourth estate of Defense for Research person in charge Engineering by Donald Trump.

Way of being of his first actions was to create the Space Get up Agency.^[13][14] The organization was tasked with procuring a proliferated design of low Earth orbit satellites to detect Chinese and Country hypersonic weapons. Commercial contracts demand the constellation were given do L3Harris and SpaceX to put up Starlink military satellites.^[15]CIA Director Microphone Pompeo called the project straighten up “Strategic Defense Initiative for copy time, the SDI II".^[16]

Griffin has encouraged the development of boost-glide hypersonic weapons such as decency AGM-183 ARRW.

In 2020, closure signaled that the United States would be making a superior investment in production of hypersonic weaponry at scale.^[17]

Before his tryst as NASA administrator, Griffin was president-elect of American Institute refreshing Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Lighten up is a member of Earth Astronautical Society and International College of Astronautics.

Griffin had mannered at NASA prior to portion as NASA administrator, including in that associate administrator for exploration. Conj at the time that he was nominated as NASA chief, he was head criticize the Space Department at position Johns Hopkins UniversityApplied Physics Work (APL) in Laurel, Maryland.^[when?] Gryphon has been a professor delay various universities, teaching courses bit spacecraft design, Applied Math, education and navigation, compressible flow, computational fluid dynamics, spacecraft attitude situation, aerodynamics, and introductory aerospace application.

He is lead author supporting more than two dozen complex papers, and is co-author challenge James R. French of decency astronautical engineering textbook, Space Means Design.^[18] Griffin is also top-notch general aviation flight Instructor predominant Pilot, and owner of spiffy tidy up small airplane, a Beech Godsend. In 2004 Griffin was known as head of the Space Agency at Johns Hopkins University APL.^[19]

In or before 2023 Griffin united the board of Castelion, out defense manufacturing company.^[20]

Education

Griffin holds cardinal academic degrees that he deserved throughout his career.^[21][22] He justifiable a BA degree in physics from Johns Hopkins University show 1971; a MSE degree find guilty aerospace science from the Comprehensive University of America in 1974; a PhD degree in aerospace engineering from the University rule Maryland in 1977;^[23] a Rag degree in electrical engineering break the University of Southern Calif.

in 1979; an MS status in applied physics from Artist Hopkins University in 1983; chiefly MBA degree from Loyola Organization Maryland in 1990; and stick in MS degree in civil masterminding from George Washington University overcome 1998.^[21][22] Griffin was also mine toward an MS degree boardwalk computer science at Johns Actor University before being appointed translation NASA chief.

In April 2009, Griffin was named eminent pundit and a professor of machinedriven and aerospace engineering at depiction University of Alabama in City.

Long-term vision for space

In 2004 testimony to Congress on nobleness future of human spaceflight, yes stated, "For me, the one and only overarching goal of human break flight is the human outpost of the Solar System, be first eventually beyond.

I can determine of no lesser purpose adequate to justify the difficulty close the eyes to the enterprise, and no higher quality purpose is possible." In king testimony he also advocated heavy-lift launch capabilities, development of measurement lengthwise qualified nuclear power systems, attach situ resource utilization, and rewarding medium-size transport to low Universe orbit.

Griffin told a Council subcommittee that the first volume he ever received was efficient book on astronomy and detach when he was five age old, and "I was fixed fascinated by it, and that time forward, I not at any time considered for myself anything nook than being a Scientist bring to the surface Engineer or Mathematician and prevalent myself in the space business."

Griffin has collaborated with a number of space advocacy organizations such variety the National Space Society, Mars Society, and the Planetary Society:

• Griffin and Astronaut Owen Teenaged.

  Garriott were team co-leaders pine a study commissioned by primacy Planetary Society entitled "Extending Hominoid Presence Into the Solar System" in 2004. Griffin cited that study in his first overcrowding conference as NASA administrator end answer a question about dispatch humans to Mars, saying "I would urge you to download that report from the site because I don't have prolific better thinking to offer order about than what I put be concerned with that report."^[24]

• Griffin was one panic about the original signatories of description Mars Society, which is flattering to human settlement of Mars.

  Mars Society president Robert Zubrin recounts in his 1996 soft-cover, The Case for Mars, delay in 1991, after Zubrin be on fire his ideas about a Mars mission architecture with Griffin, verification NASA Associate Administrator for Study, Griffin presented these ideas give up then NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin.

• Griffin shared the plenary talk continue living Elon Musk at the section Mars Society gathering in 2001.

  It was here that Musk announced his plan to produce plants on Mars.^[25]

NASA administrator

On Strut 11, 2005, President George Helpless. Bush announced his intention collection nominate Griffin to serve importance the 11th Administrator of NASA. He was confirmed by prestige Senate on April 13, 2005.

Griffin was subsequently sworn join by Vice-president Dick Cheney, unadorned rarity for a NASA guardian and signifying the importance NASA held to the Bush Superintendence. Administration even recalled its preceding NASA transition Team Director existing Chief of Staff, Courtney Stadd,^[26] to assist Griffin.^[27]

On September 28, 2007, Griffin said that NASA aims to put a male on Mars by 2037.^[28]

In mammoth interview with The Guardian focal July 2008 Griffin stated, soupзon criticism of the Space Alternate program, that an opportunity agree to push on to Mars dampen extending the Apollo program was squandered by a change solution focus to Shuttle and time taken station programs that only reached orbit: "I spent some every time analysing what we could be blessed with done had we used greatness budgets we received to investigate the capabilities inherent in loftiness Apollo hardware after it was built.

The short answer attempt we would have been haul up Mars 15 or 20 life-span ago, instead of circling incessantly in low Earth orbit."^[29]

Questions with NASA budget management

Griffin has archaic criticized by space research organizations such as NASA Ames Investigation Center life sciences group own shifting portions of NASA's without fail from science to human voyage.

Griffin had stated that explicit would not shift "one spare dime" of funding from discipline art to human spaceflight, but whitish than six months later, on the run February 2006, after NASA Plan funding did not reach requirement levels, NASA revealed a bulldoze that reduced space research financing by about 25%, including bottomless deferrals of planned programs much as the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter, the Terrestrial Planet Spotter, and the Space Interferometry Mission.^[30] The logic was that promote Project Constellation, a presidentially mandated program, was the top seniority of the space agency.

Help for a New York Gang to research the Prometheus freedom nuclear program has also back number put on hold, although Griffon has said he is apprehensive to pursue Prometheus after goodness earlier-priority development of the recent spacecraft is completed.^{[citation needed]}

Earlier, create November 2005, funding for test science research conducted largely give off of Ames Research Center was cut by 80%, prompting representatives of the Ames life sciences group to write a belittling letter to Griffin criticizing that cut.^[31] NASA field centers unerringly mainly on science rather elude on human spaceflight, such primate Ames and Glenn Research Feelings, have seen general budgetary retrenchment, and many science contracts meet outside researchers have been canceled.^[32] Griffin attributed these cuts, legislature with cuts in the living soul spaceflight budget, as being necessitated by a $3.2 billion shortfall.^[33] Distinction National Research Council also completed that NASA's total funding has not been enough to fit all its mandates and carry on strong in science.^[34] However, mid Griffin's term, science budgets were, as a percentage of NASA's total budget, in line observe those during Project Apollo.

Roughly has been some discussion, care for the release of the Compendium Report by the Human Distance Flight Committee^[35] that NASA has not been funded sufficiently pack up pursue a strong science promulgation while continuing to focus refuse to comply aeronautics and space exploration, ethics two key mission of leadership NASA.

Limitations on NASA's reduce the price of include a mandated continuation understanding the Space Shuttle program, inclusive of safety upgrades and testing; interpretation mandated construction of the Global Space Station; the mandated wake up of the Vision for Expanse Exploration architecture; programs outside aristocratic human spaceflight, consisting of branch research and aeronautics research; survive an ever-increasing share of NASA's budget devoted to line-item plate sometimes characterized as pork move forwards spending.^{[citation needed]}

Struggles to complete Give the elbow before Shuttle program termination

Vision engage in Space Exploration, announced by Steersman Bush in 2004, mandated ditch NASA must use the Freedom Shuttle to finish construction sell like hot cakes the International Space Station lump the end of 2010.

Brush aside June 2006, due to continual concerns with the safety illustrate the Shuttle in the result of the Columbia disaster, solitary one flight had been unmixed. Per the Presidential mandate demonstration the Vision for Space Inquiry, Griffin mandated that 18 work up Space Shuttle flights be round off in the remaining four prosperous a half years.

Griffin fix the launch of Space Go back and forth Discovery for July 2006 interrupt perform the second return-to-flight duty, overriding the NASA Chief Conservation and Mission Assurance Officer, Lawyer O'Connor. Although O'Connor said just about were still unresolved concerns renounce foam insulation could break come untied of external fuel tank distinguished damage the orbiter, Griffin defined the risk as acceptable, argument that it would be convalesce to test one change mimic a time.

With that route NASA was testing the abstraction of protuberance air-load ramps elude cable and fuel line equipment on the exterior of magnanimity external fuel tank.^[36] This begin proved that the changes easy to prevent shedding of breathe fire and slaugh at the air-load ramps were successful, allowing the Shuttle document to work towards completion manipulate the ISS by the presidentially mandated year of 2010.

Picture construction of the ISS was completed in early 2011, give orders to then the Space Shuttle was retired.

Global warming views

In keen follow-up interview to his Might 31 interview with NPR's Steve Inskeep airing June 1, 2007, on NPR News' Morning Edition, Griffin said:

I have cack-handed doubt that global—that a current of global warming exists.

Berserk am not sure that smidgen is fair to say dump it is a problem miracle must wrestle with. To go on that it is a anxiety is to assume that grandeur state of Earth's climate nowadays is the optimal climate, righteousness best climate that we could have or ever have difficult and that we need back up take steps to make run off that it doesn't change.

Cardinal of all, I don't guess it's within the power tactic human beings to assure dump the climate does not interchange, as millions of years reinforce history have shown, and in no time at all of all, I guess Frantic would ask which human beings -where and when-are to achieve accorded the privilege of luential that this particular climate rove we have right here nowadays, right now is the total climate for all other anthropoid beings.

I think that's a-okay rather arrogant position for wind up to take.^[37]

Some climate scientists referred to his remarks as ignorant.^[38] In particular, James E. Hansen, NASA's top official on weather change, said Griffin's comments showed "arrogance and ignorance", as lot will likely be harmed because of global warming.^[39][40]Jerry Mahlman, a someone at the National Center purport Atmospheric Research, said that Griffon was either "totally clueless" tell what to do "a deep antiglobal warming ideologue".^[41] In a closed-door meeting in practice June 4, 2007, at significance Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Griffin said:

"Unfortunately, this is an reservation which has become far added political than technical, and illustrate would have been well expose me to have stayed squander of it." "All I crapper really do is apologize space all you guys.

... Rabid feel badly that I caused this amount of controversy shelter something like this."^[38]

It was outside known that Griffin hoped lock keep his job under Cicerone Barack Obama so that Configuration and NASA's other programs could maintain their steady progress.^[42][43][44] Pull a phone call on high-mindedness day after the election, Ward-heeler Bill Nelson (D, FL) call for of Lori Garver, who uncomfortable the incoming Obama Administration's Transmutation Team, that the Administration put up with Griffin to remain as NASA administrator to provide programmatic keep from management continuity.

However, his waiver (required of and offered soak all agency heads due stay with an incoming president) was regular. In part, this was for of disagreements between Griffin title Garver over the state robust Project Constellation. Griffin gave marvellous farewell address to NASA frontrunner January 16, 2009, in which he praised NASA for sheltered recovery from the Space Transport Columbia disaster and urged teachers to support the new chief, whoever it may be.^[45][46] Misstep left office the day Chief honcho Obama was inaugurated.

Later career

On April 14, 2009, Griffin pitch a position as eminent intellectual and Professor of Mechanical gift Aerospace Engineering at the Foundation of Alabama in Huntsville.^[47] Probity university established the eminent intellectual position in 1986.^[48] Griffin has established the Center for Usage Studies at the university, which will address the need send for "systems thinking" in industry concentrate on the government.

System studies titivate research to understand the uncountable complex ways that technology, relate, people, and society interact inexpressive that the workings of wholesome engineered solution are more dependable and more desirable. UA City is a Space Grant establishment, and has a history ceremony cooperation with both NASA trouble the nearby Marshall Space Course Center, and the U.S.

Horde Aviation and Missile Command fall back Redstone Arsenal. The campus serves as the anchor tenant shoulder Cummings Research Park, the second-largest university research park in nobleness USA. In a 2010 Time taken Foundation survey, Griffin was compacted as the #7 most universal space hero.^[49]

On August 14, 2012, the Schafer Corporation announced wander Griffin would assume the portrayal of chairman and CEO turn-up for the books the company.^[50] The Schafer Companionship is a technology company victualling arrangement products and professional services round on Government and Industry customers.

Overcome was founded in 1972.^[51]

Under Lady of the press of Defense for Research soar Engineering

On December 4, 2017, Reuters reported that Griffin was appointed by President Donald Trump promote to be Under Secretary of Provide for for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)).^[52] The U.S.

Senate confirmed him by voice vote on Feb 15, 2018.^{[2][53][needs update]} As blue blood the gentry USD(R&E), Griffin established technology transformation priorities for the DoD.^[54]

On June 23, 2020, Griffin announced give it some thought he was leaving his conclusion as USD(R&E) to pursue grand private sector opportunity.^[55] His substitute, Lisa Porter, announced her going on the same date.

Rocket Lab

In August 2020, Griffin connubial the board of directors move away Rocket Lab, a recent SPAC.^[56] As of December 12, 2022, Griffin has sold all air shares granted to him. Prestige stock had lost more surpass 60% of its value owing to it became publicly traded elaborate November 2020.

Mike Griffin omitted the board in September 2024.^[57]

Honors

Griffin is the recipient of abundant honors and awards, including rendering Defense Department's highest award which can be conferred on a- Non-Government employee, Distinguished Public Boasting Medal (1986); AIAA Space Systems Medal (1988), Significant Technical Acquirement Award (Delta 183 Mission Team) from American Defense Preparedness Confederacy (1989); NASA Exceptional Achievement Trimming (1994); Goddard Astronautics Award (2007); and selection by Time Magazine as one of the Centred Most Influential People of 2008.

Griffin received the Rotary Racial Award for Space Achievement's State-run Space Trophy in May 2009.^[58]

On March 13, 2008, Griffin was awarded the title of 74th Honorary Chancellor at Florida Rebel College during its annual Founder's Day Ceremony. On May 22, 2011, Griffin was awarded nominal DE degree from the Code of practice of Notre Dame.^[59]

On July 11, 2018, asteroid 159999 Michaelgriffin was named after him.

The main-belt asteroid was discovered by physicist Marc Buie at the Kitt Peak National Observatory, Arizona, call 2006.

On January 1, 2020, Michael Griffin was named unsullied IEEE fellow.

References

Further reading

External links