Tom Reinarts
Deputy Chief Engineer
Launch Services Program

Tom Reinarts is the deputy chief engineer for the Launch Services Program at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Reinarts has worked ELV launches for NASA since 2000. He started as a thermal analyst and then moved on to a position as the vehicle systems engineer for the Taurus launch vehicle. From 1997 to 2000, he was a thermal analyst for the shuttle solid rocket boosters.

Prior to 1997, Reinarts did one year of post-doctoral work at Johnson Space Center modeling ammonia boiling transients in a cooling loop. He spent the next four years working on Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) programs and product development for Mainstream Engineering and DynEco Corporations in Rockledge, Fla.

Reinarts was born in Winona, Minn., and graduated from Winona Senior High School in 1981. He completed a Bachelor of Science in nuclear engineering from Texas A&M University. He also received a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in nuclear engineering in 1989 and 1993, respectively, both from Texas A&M. His master's thesis was on experimental frozen heat pipe start-up transients. His Ph. D. dissertation developed two-phase flow regime models for zero, lunar, Martian and Earth gravitational fields.

Reinarts lives in Merritt Island, Fla., with his wife and son. In his free time, he enjoys supporting any of his son's many activities, and also enjoys racquetball, snorkeling, and touring the USA and the world.

May 2007