Name: Bob Lutz
Title: Lead, flight software sustaining engineering
Formal Job Classification: Computer engineer
Organization: Code 582
What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission?
I have worked at Goddard for over 37 years, 18 years as a contractor and 19 years and counting as a civil servant. I have switched between technical and management jobs throughout my career. In November 2018, I began working as the flight software sustaining engineering lead, which involves managing several civil servants and over 20 contractors for 17 missions. For the prior 10 years, I helped develop ground systems for advanced NOAA weather satellites, Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) -R and Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Before that I was an associate branch head of the Science Data Systems Branch.
What is your educational background?
I went to Bronx High School of Science, New York University for a bachelor’s in meteorology and oceanography, and City University of New York for a master’s in meteorology and oceanography. At the University of Maryland, I received another master’s in meteorology and a Ph.D. in geography, specializing in remote sensing. I spent a lot of my life going to school.
When did you know you wanted to study weather?
When I was a kid, I watched the clouds change and got very excited about snowstorms. I also grew up when the space program was just getting started, so I was always drawing rocket ships.
How did you come to work for NASA?
When I was getting my master’s at City University, I did my research at Goddard’s Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in Manhattan. When I was at Maryland working on my dissertation for my Ph.D., I used the mainframe computer at Goddard for my research. In addition, many of my friends at the meteorology department at Maryland began working at Goddard when I was in school, so I followed their lead.
What are some of the technical jobs you have had at Goddard?
I have worked in several positions as a liaison between Goddard partners and the center. When I worked on the Earth Observing System (EOS) in the 1990s, I interacted with five science teams and their archive centers to define how they would quality-control their data. With GOES-R, I was the external interface manager, working with the contractor and the National Weather Service (NWS) to build a ground system that provided data to the NWS in real time and also with the long and short term archive centers that store the data.
What are some of the management positions you have had at Goddard?
As a contractor, I was a section manager technically managing 15 contractors on nine different tasks. After converting to a civil servant, as associate branch head I supervised, with my branch head, approximately 40 people.
In my new position, I report directly to the branch head. My role now is more oversight than technical management of the contractors that report to me.
Why have you alternated between technical and management jobs throughout your long career at Goddard?
I enjoy working both in technical and management arenas. Technical work is intellectually exciting. On the other hand, supervision allows me to work with young people and help them with their careers. I am fortunate to be able to have been given opportunities to pursue in both.
What was one of your most exciting jobs?
In the early ’90s, I worked on a field experiment in Canada called the Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) with the late astronaut Piers Sellers. He was one of the smartest people I have ever met, including being very “people-smart,” which is what made him a great leader.
One of the problems with similar, past field work was that the planned flux towers (which measure trace gases) were installed in the wrong positions. This was because it is quite difficult to accurately use a compass to navigate to a specified destination on a map within a forest, due to the inability to walk in a straight line in a dense underbrush. In addition, GPS does not work due to the dense tree coverage.
To solve this, Piers was in a plane above us as we bushwhacked through the forest. To let him know where we were on the ground, we had red metrological balloons filled with helium that we put above the trees at specific times. We communicated by walkie-talkies. Piers guided us from the plane as to where we should move on the ground to set the precise position of the flux tower.
And like Hansel and Gretel, we had to mark our way through the woods, in our case, using red ribbons on trees so we could find our way back.
Piers would frequently ask us on the walkie-talkie, “What is taking you guys so long?” He did not fully appreciate that he was flying above in a nice, comfortable plane and the rest of us were slashing at overgrown vegetation trying not to get lost in the dense woods.
After a beer we would talk about this. Yes, good times.
Why have you spent almost 38 years at Goddard?
The collegiate atmosphere, the encouragement to continue learning, the interaction with people of various backgrounds and scientific areas of expertise and being on interesting projects. I have never been bored at Goddard, although I am often very challenged.
As our former Center Director Chris Scolese has said, “We do hard things at Goddard.” And that makes the work very exciting. In addition, Goddard leadership has been and is very supportive of the LGBT community, of which I am proud to be a member. Their support is very important to us.
Who is one of your heroes?
My parents. Though neither one of them graduated high school, they instilled within my siblings and myself the value of an education. The result of that is that we all graduated from college and two us went on for advanced degrees. In addition, they taught us the enjoyment of experiencing the outdoors and to respect Mother Nature.
What is your involvement with Diversity and Inclusion at Goddard?
In 2003, I was involved in reorganizing the engineering directorate’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. For the past two years, I have been the co-chair of the LGBT Advisory Committee. Our committee regularly interacts with center management to address LGBT-specific issues and concerns. We sponsor several Pride events at Goddard throughout the year including a hot dog roast that over 200 people attended last year and speakers. We even had George Takei, Sulu from Star Trek, several years ago. We also do LGBT outreach within the D.C. area.
Is there something surprising about you that people do not generally know?
I ski so much that I should start a skiers anonymous group, as I am addicted to it. I downhill ski more than 30 days a year. My partner and I go to Europe every year and I go separately to Colorado, Tahoe and British Columbia.
I have also backpacked quite a bit in my life, probably hiking about a quarter of the Appalachian Trail, though not all at once.
What are you most proud of in your life?
First, being in a loving relationship with my partner of 34 years, Brian. Then, running and completing two marathons. And of course, obtaining my Ph.D.
If you could meet and talk to anybody, living or dead, who would it be and what is the first thing you’d ask?
Growing up in New York, Babe Ruth was always my hero, even though he died before I was born. He was with the New York Yankees, the greatest Yankee of all time. As a New Yorker, I grew up following the Yankees. I would have asked him how he felt hearing all the cheers within the stadium whenever he hit a home run.
What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words.
Partner, Skier, Scientist, Runner, Engineer, Gay.
By Elizabeth M. Jarrell
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center