Bios |
Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) |
Meet: Craig Elder
Northrop Grumman
Who he is:
Craig brings 27 years of aerospace hardware expertise to the challenge of designing, building, launching, and "crashing" the LCROSS spacecraft. He earned his BSEE from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and his MSEE from Cal State Long Beach, with emphasis on power electronics and communication satellites. He has served in roles of increasing responsibility at TRW/Northrop, including Responsible Design Engineer, IR&D Principle Investigator, Department Manager for Power Conversion, Department Manager for Electrical Power Subsystems, and Project Manager for several restricted-access projects. Craig is a private pilot, and enjoys coaching youth sports, church leadership/service, bicycling, and family activities.
Job Description:
Craig is currently serving as the LCROSS Spacecraft Program Manager, as
the Electronics/Software leader, and as an Electrical Power Subsystem
flight console operator (call sign "POWER-A"). Craig also coordinates
Northrop's LCROSS Public Outreach activities, including classroom and
astronomer briefings.
LCROSS Mission Specifics:
Craig began working on LCROSS in February 2006 as proposal leader for Northrop's
Power Subsystem. He quickly became excited about the overall LCROSS mission,
turned his Department Manager job over to his protégé, and joined
LCROSS full time as the Spacecraft Electrical Engineer. A strong proponent
of space exploration, both human and robotic, Craig appreciates the historical
significance of the LCROSS mission and he actively seeks out opportunities
for LCROSS to deliver the most benefits it can for the scientific community.
Visit
the NASA Mission Site @ http://www.nasa.gov/lcross
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