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NASA Tech Talks

Name: NASA Tech Talks
Start: 2023-05-25T18:00:00-05:00
End: 2023-05-25T19:30:00-05:00
Location: Ion

The event has passed

Category: Aerospace, Community & Engagement, Founders & Startups

Free

Past Event

WHEN

Thursday

May 25, 2023

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm CDT

WHERE

Ion

4201 Main Street
Houston, TX 77002 + Google Map

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what

We want HOU! Join us to discover NASA’s toughest tech challenges–and apply your skills and expertise to solve them.In these presentations, occurring the fourth Thursdays of the month, Mr. Montgomery Goforth and other aerospace subject matter experts will discuss the technology development challenges faced by NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the surrounding Aerospace community in our ongoing efforts as the hub of human spaceflight. Presentations will focus on the ways in which these challenges, and the associated opportunities, can be leveraged by Houston’s innovation community.During the Thursday May 25th presentation, Chris Gerty will present. Chris began his career as a NASA intern in the 1990s, dedicating himself to human-centered technology and open collaboration. From training crews and serving as a flight controller for the International Space Station’s Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), to participating in NASA’s NEEMO-13 mission living underwater for two weeks, Chris has always prioritized how technology can serve people in extreme environments.

A strong advocate for open source principles, Chris champions the collective strength of shared data, software, and hardware for problem-solving. His entrepreneurial spirit, combined with a commitment to open collaboration, continually drives his innovative approach to space exploration.

Most recently, as the Informatics Subsystem Lead for NASA’s next-generation spacesuit, the xEMU, Chris has focused on adapting Earth-based advancements—such as advanced lighting, heads-up displays, and high-speed data—for space exploration. His vision is a future where space-based technology is not only high-performing but also intuitive and human-centered, mirroring the technological conveniences we enjoy every day on Earth.

A Clarkson University alumnus, Chris enjoys nature through camping and hiking, coaches and plays ice hockey, and actively engages with the 3D printing community.

Join us after the talk for drinks and networking at Second Draught!

Past NASA Tech Talks have included: Montgomery B. Goforth discussing NASA Intellectual Property suitable for commercialization by small/start-up companies; Jared Daum discussing Orion’s parachutes and risk identification and mitigation that are showstoppers for the spaceflight parachute industry; Kevin Kobylka discussing current Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) capabilities and needs; and Nick Skytland, Chief Technologist at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Director of the Business Development and Technology Integration Office. Future NASA Tech Talks will include: dual-use (space/terrestrial) technologies in the areas of:

Avionics / Communication / Sensors
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for ultra-long lived wireless sensors
Power Storage and Distribution
Autonomous & Robotics Systems
Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) Systems
Virtual/Augmented Reality in Human Spaceflight Training & Execution
Human Health & Performance / Human Systems Research

About the Speakers

Nick Skytland is the Chief Technologist at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Director of the Business Development and Technology Integration Office where he is helping NASA return to the Moon by partnering with industry and academia to advance the future of human spaceflight and propel the space economy. Throughout his career, he has trained astronauts for spacewalks, conducted research in human physiology, led ground-breaking open innovation programs, established the agency’s social media presence on platforms such as Twitter, launched the largest hackathon in history, authored the Future of Work strategy, instituted the agency’s first data science office, and led numerous transformation and modernization initiatives. He is currently focused on ushering in NASA’s next chapter in human space exploration and his work spans strategic partnerships, technology development, open innovation and technology transfer.

He is an avid adventurer, experienced diver, and a dedicated triathlete who has completed 23 Ironman races.

Montgomery B. Goforth serves as the Assistant Director, Strategic Pursuits & Partnerships – Engineering Directorate, NASA JSC.

Mr. Goforth has more than 30 years of experience as both Engineer and Manager in a variety of highly technical space and defense-related efforts. He joined NASA in 1990 as part of the Mission Operations Directorate, working on planning systems and automated procedure execution tools for the International Space Station (ISS). He became Deputy Project Manager for the Portable Computer System, the laptop used for command and control of the ISS, in 1996, and ultimately became Chief of the Branch responsible for all laptops onboard ISS and the Space Shuttle.

In 2002 he moved to the ISS Avionics and Software Office as Manager of the Flight Software Development Office and later served as Chief Engineer. During 2005 he spent several months at NASA Headquarters working in the Robotics Lunar Exploration Program. In 2006 he joined the Constellation Program as Chief of Avionics and Software Test and Verification and became Chief of the Software and Avionics Integration Office in 2007. In this role he was responsible for leading a large nation-wide Systems Engineering & Integration (SE&I) organization which provided program-level coordination, oversight, integration and management of the system-of-systems avionics and software, including the coordination of integrated modeling and simulation and test activities across the Constellation program and the technical integration of Constellation’s Command, Control, Communications, and Information (C3I) architecture.

In 2011, he joined the Avionic Systems Division to support their Strategic Planning and Partnership efforts. In 2015, he moved onto Engineering Directorate Staff to support Strategic Pursuits and Partnerships. In this role, he put together a framework to better focus Engineering’s efforts towards Human Spaceflight technology and systems development consistent with JSC and Agency goals for exploration. This framework guides Engineering’s internal investments and external partnerships supporting Lunar and Mars Exploration.

Mr. Goforth was born in East Texas, raised in Southern California and Arizona, and graduated from Rice University (BSME 1982, MSME 1987). Prior to coming to Johnson Space Center, he was employed by a small defense contractor specializing in anti-submarine warfare.

PARKING

Enter 4203 Fannin Street into your GPS for directions directly to the red parking lot, located across the street from the Ion building.

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CONTACT

Organizer

Ion

Organizer Website

ionhouston.com

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