Dean Davis Interview

Dean E. Davis, Senior Principal Systems Engineer at Raytheon Electronic Systems Company, Mission Analysis, is currently managing the Low-Cost Micro Sensor Mission Analysis Team. Mr. Davis has twenty-two years experience with Raytheon, Hughes, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, TRW, Allied Signal and his own company, Star Tech International Corporation, in performing and managing operations research, systems engineering, software engineering and international marketing projects.

His engineering preliminary design expertise has significantly contributed to over 300 air, land, sea and space-based aerospace systems for the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, NASA, CIA, NSA, NRO, DIA, DOE, DARPA, BMDO & NOAA, as well as, CSA, NASDA, ESA and CNES.

Paul: What projects in the U.S. Space program have you worked on, and which did you enjoy the best?

Dean: Over the past 24 years I have worked on over 40 U.S. Space program projects. The project I enjoyed the best was the Space Shuttle Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) project, AKA: "Buck Rogers Backpack". I enjoyed this project the most because of my role as Chief Systems Engineer, I was highly involved in training most of the American Astronaut Mission Specialists. This design won NASA's coveted Collier Trophy.

U.S. Space program projects for which I have made significant contributions:

Viking Mars Lander Voyager I and II Hubble Space Telescope Magellan Venus Orbiting Imaging Radar (VOIR) Galileo Jupiter Orbiter & Atmospheric Probe Ulysses Solar Polar Explorer Cassini Saturn Orbiter & Titan Atmospheric Probe Comet Rendezvous & Asteroid Flyby (CRAF) Mars Autonomous Robot Land Explorer, Flier & Sample Return Mission Space Shuttle Enterprise Drop Test from Boeing 747 Space Shuttle Payload Integration Space Shuttle Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) 52 Space Shuttle Orbital Experiments Space Shuttle Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) AKA: "Buck Rogers Backpack" Space Shuttle Crew Compartment & MMU Six Degree-0f-Freedom Training Facility Space Shuttle Payload Bay Space Shuttle Telerobotic Arm Space Shuttle External Tank (ET) Space Shuttle Space Launch Center 6 (SLC-6) at Vandenberg Air Force Base Advanced, Heavy-Lift, Cargo-Only Versions of the Space Shuttle Atlas II Launch Vehicle

Titan II Launch Vehicle Titan IV Launch Vehicle Centaur Upper Stage for Space Shuttle, Atlas & Titan Vertical-Takeoff/Vertical-Landing, Single-Stage-To-Orbit Space Shuttle Horizontal-Takeoff/Horizontal-Landing, Single-Stage-To-Orbit Space Shuttle X-33 Venture Star Space Shuttle International Space Station Manned, Orbital, Satellite Repair, Refueling and Integration Space Station Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) Orbital Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS) Manned Lunar Transfer Vehicle & Lander Permanently-Manned Lunar Colony Lunar Mine & Lunar Material Mass-Driver Electromagnetic Launcher Lunar Space Station & Lunar Material Retriever/Processing Center Near-Earth Asteroid Capture & Transport to L-5 via Mass-Driver Permanently-Manned L-5 Orbital Space Colony Giant Solar Power Satellites (Size of Rhode Island) Manned Mars Mission Manned Mars Mission Transfer Vehicle & Lander Permanently-Manned Martian Colony

Paul: Could you give me a brief synopsis of your remarkable career supporting the U.S space program?

Dean: My space exploration career started in 1976, when I was still in college, having just completed a Bachelor's degree in Physics, at the University of Colorado (CU), where I worked at JPL mission control for the Viking Mars Lander one summer. Also, while at CU, I helped design the Voyager I and II radar/radiometer payloads, which surveyed Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and their respective moons.

After I graduated with Masters degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Astrogeophysics in 1978, I went to work for Boeing Aerospace Company, in Seattle, Washington. While at Boeing, I did advanced preliminary conceptual design work on a wide variety of space systems, such as: Permanently Manned Lunar, Martian and L-5 Orbital Space Colonies. At Boeing, I also designed a Manned Lunar Transfer Vehicle & Lander, a Manned Mars Mission Transfer Vehicle & Lander, a Vertical Takeoff/Vertical Landing, Single-Stage-To-Orbit Space Shuttle and Giant Solar Power Satellites. At this time, I also was involved in planning and integrating Space Shuttle payloads and developing the guidance system for the Space Shuttle Inertial Upper Stage (IUS).

From Boeing I went on to Martin Marietta in Denver, Colorado, where I assumed the position of chief systems engineer for the Space Shuttle Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) project, AKA: "Buck Rogers Backpack." This design won NASA's coveted Collier Trophy. I also, at this time, was highly involved in lowering the weight of the Space Shuttle. I won a major engineering award for suggesting to remove the white paint from the Space Shuttle External Tank (ET) which weighed over 2000 pounds and replace it with lightweight orange-brown insulation foam, which has been used for every Space Shuttle mission since STS-1. Also, while at Martin Marietta, I helped design the Titan IV Launch Vehicle, Space Shuttle SLC-6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base and Advanced, Heavy-Lift, Cargo-Only Versions of the Space Shuttle. Since I was using computers in my job with ever-increasing frequency, I obtained a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Denver Metro State College, during this period to keep me current.

To avoid a layoff at Martin Marietta, I went on to General Dynamics-Convair in San Diego, California, where I helped design advanced versions of the Atlas Launch Vehicle and the Centaur Upper Stage. Also, at Convair I designed a Horizontal-Takeoff / Horizontal-Landing, Single-Stage-To-Orbit Space Shuttle and a Manned, Orbital, Satellite Repair, Refueling and Integration Space Station.

My reputation as an innovative aerospace designer, attracted the attention of Lockheed Missiles & Space in Sunnyvale, California which lured me away from General Dynamics to take an active role in designing the Hubble Space Telescope and the X-33 Venture Star Vertical-Takeoff/Horizontal-Landing, Single-Stage-To-Orbit Space Shuttle. While at Lockheed, I also significantly contributed to the International Space Station: Solar Panels, Power Distribution & Truss Assembly and Astronaut Hard Suit systems designs.

My background in the International Space Station and human factors led me back to Boeing to head up the design of the Space Station Pressurized: Control, Habitat and Science Modules and the Crew Escape Rescue Vehicle (CERV).

My interest in exploring Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Asteroids & Comets brought me back to Martin Marietta, where I worked as chief systems engineer on the Magellan Venus Orbiting Imaging Radar (VOIR), Galileo Jupiter Orbiter & Atmospheric Probe, Cassini Saturn Orbiter & Titan Atmospheric Probe projects. While at Martin Marietta this second time, I also managed the Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV), Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV), Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS), Comet Rendezvous & Asteroid Flyby (CRAF) Probe, Mars Sample Return and the Manned Mars Mission conceptual design projects. In order to maintain my professional edge, I obtained a Masters in Systems Management from the University of Denver during this period.

Unfortunately, in 1990, Martin Marietta laid me off along with thousands of other aerospace employees. However, I was lucky enough to immediately obtain a consulting position with Aerospatiale and the European Space Agency (ESA) on the Ariane-5 Launch Vehicle, Hermes European Space Shuttle, and Columbus Space Station Laboratory Module projects via my company, Star Tech International Corporation.

My aerospace consulting work eventually led me here to Los Angeles where in the past seven years I have worked for TRW, Allied Signal, Lockheed Martin, Hughes and now Raytheon on: Cape Canaveral & Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Operations, Spacecraft Tracking, Telemetry & Control (TT&C) and Ballistic Missile Defense."

Paul: What do you find the most rewarding about working for the U.S. space program?

Dean: Do you remember that slogan from Star Trek? "…to go where no one has gone before" It is that process of designing systems to transport robots and men to unexplored remote areas in space and the resulting discovery of new phenomena that I find to be the most rewarding aspect about working in space exploration.

Paul: Which part of the galaxy do you find the most interesting?

Dean: I find that Nebulas, the extremely colorful galactic gas clouds, Pulsars/Neutron Stars, White/Brown Dwarfs & Black Holes which are all remnants of Super Nova explosions, to be the most interesting parts of the galaxy.

Paul: What parts of the International Space Station have you worked on, and do you think that this creation among earth's different countries will benefit the space program, and how?

Dean: I have spent over ten years working on the following International Space Station projects:

1. Solar Panels & Power Distribution System
2. Space Truss Structural Assembly
3. Communications & Telemetry System
4. Data Processing & Control System
5. Control, Habitat and Science Modules
6. Canadian Telerobotic Servicing Arm
7. European Columbus Laboratory Module
8. Japanese Science Module
9. Crew Escape Rescue Vehicle (CERV).
10. Astronaut Long-Endurance Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) Hard Suit

While the goal of the International Space Station to foster international cooperation in space exploration is extremely worthy, it has been a royal pain in the behind to get all of the countries to work together to make it happen. For example, we still don't know if the Russians will deliver their air lock module to the Space Station project in time or ever, so we, the United States, are having to develop backup contingencies to assure mission success. I'm an optimist, so I feel in the long run, the problems we overcome via the International Space Station will act as a springboard to joint international manned missions to the moon and other planets.

Paul: What are some of your favorite Science Fiction shows, and why?

Dean: Some of my favorite science fiction shows have been Outer Limits, Babylon 5, Crusade, Star Trek, Star Trek the Next Generation, Star Trek Deep Space Nine, Star Trek Voyager, Star Gate, X-Files, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers and Sliders. In my opinion, there are two types of Science Fiction: (1.) science-based extrapolations describing the possibilities that technologies will bring and (2.) philosophical-based stories with minimal science that attempt to assess the impact of technology on society. I tend to like the science-based science fiction shows the best.

Paul: Do you think that our setbacks on Mars will effect our space program, and how?

Dean: Yes, they will set back our space exploration timetable, so that we will once again be forced to "sweat the details" before flinging spacecraft into wrong orbits due to STUPID errors such as the now infamous "English/Metric Mars Global Surveyor mistake". Goldman's so-called "Faster, Better, Cheaper" NASA credo doesn't work. As Von Braun once said "You can't make a baby in one month by getting 9 women pregnant, some things must be developed in a systematic serial fashion to get them done properly." NASA needs much more funding! Its budget is lower today than it has been in decades. NASA needs to re-cultivate it's key personnel experience base which have been lost to budget cuts and retirement. More importantly, NASA needs to develop a much better long-term plan and funding for both unmanned and manned space exploration and stick to it, so we don't lose our international partners.

Paul: Do you think in the future that we can achieve anything like the Babylon 5 Station that Joe Straczynski has shown us on his show?

Dean: Yes, Babylon 5 was modeled after one of the many designs of the L-5 Space Colony. L-5 is a Earth/Moon gravity well, which requires minimal propulsion for station keeping. It would be constructed in space by transporting an asteroid to L-5, along with alumna-silicate materials from the moon. From this permanent-manned, orbital facility, giant solar power satellites, the size of Rhode Island, could be constructed in an economically feasible fashion. A constellation of 24 of these solar power satellites in high earth orbit could beam down enough energy to provide most of the earth's electrical power needs.

Paul: If you could visit any planet in our solar system, which would it be, and why?

Dean: If I could visit any planet in our solar system, it would have to be Mars. Mars has the closest environment to earth and therefore has the greatest chance of supporting life, as we know it. The conclusive discovery of extraterrestrial life, in any form, will be one of the great stepping stones for mankind to venture outside our solar system, in search of intelligent life.

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Last update: Thursday, September 28, 2000