CDR Michael A. Lowe, 2nd LT Benjamin Gomez, and CAPT Marina Gandlin:

Military Experience in the Space Domain; Fertile Ground for Partnerships and Collaborations with NASA Ames

The focus of the talks was recent efforts, accomplishments and collaborations between NASA, the DoD and Israel Ministry of Defense (MOD), with an emphasis on the space domain. A key component to maximizing the rate of progress achieved in the field of aeronautics and space exploration depends on our ability to leverage smart collaborations between various government, academic, commercial and international partners.

Chair:
CDR Michael A. Lowe, Ph.D., Director, NASA Ames Research Center Military Programs Office, United States Navy will serve as the chair for this event.

Biography:
CDR Michael Lowe is an Aerospace Experimental Psychologist in the United States Navy holding the rank of Commander serving in one of two Navy billets assigned to NASA Ames. He holds a Ph.D in experimental psychology with an emphasis in Animal Comparative Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. His research background includes Neuropsychology, Human Performance, Human Factors and Human Systems Interactions in the Undersea Medicine domain and Human Performance, Technology Development, Systems Engineering and Program Management in the Aviation Domain. He also serves as an Aeromedical Safety Officer and an Acquisition Professional in the Department of Defense (DoD) Acquisition Corps. Currently, he is serving as the director for the Military Programs Office in this his second tour of duty with NASA Ames.

There were two presentations, followed by an open period of discussion:

“NASA Ames, Stanford, and What They Mean to The U.S. Air Force: A Junior Officer’s Perspective” – 2nd LT Benjamin Gomez, United States Air Force

Abstract:
Collaborations with outside agencies and organizations are crucial for today’s Air Force. Whether it is joint operations spanning across the DoD and our allies or partnering with universities and agencies like NASA to develop key technologies, the Air Force has a vested interest in ensuring its Airmen can understand and associate with other organizations. Exposure to prime examples of these relationships in Silicon Valley and at NASA Ames can only be beneficial to all parties involved. While this type of teamwork is not unique, it is uncommon amongst junior members of these institutions‹especially in government. This talk will discuss the benefits of this exposure from a junior officer¹s perspective, specifically relating to NASA Ames and Stanford.

Biography:
2nd Lt Ben Gomez is an Air Force officer working for EDSN at NASA Ames. Prior to working for EDSN, he served in an intern capacity with LADEE Flight Dynamics. Ben is a 2012 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy where he earned a B.S. in astronautical engineering. In addition to working at Ames, he is currently pursuing an M.S. in Stanford¹s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

“Cooperation in Space: An Israeli Perspective” – CAPT Marina Gandlin, Israeli Ministry of Defense and Israeli Space Agency

Abstract:
Israel has a small but highly advanced space program. This presentation will give an overview of the space program in Israel and the different satellites Israel has built and launched in the past: Imagery, synthetic aperture radars and communication satellites. Collaborations and specifically internal cooperation between government, industry and academy is critical to building a strong space program in a small country like Israel. As civilian space is an international endeavor, Israel is puttinging great emphasis on developing international cooperation. A review of leading international scientific satellite concepts and goals, and the possibilities in future cooperation with NASA, also will be discussed.

Biography:
Marina Gandlin is a delegate from the Israeli equivalent of DARPA, MAFAT. This organization handles all defense research and development, and is also responsible for the Israeli space program. Marina is the first to participate in a year-long exchange program between NASA and the Israeli Space program, and is currently working at NASA Ames. She is a graduate of the elite IMOD “Talpiot” program, with a bachelor’s degree in physics and math from the Hebrew university in Jerusalem and a masters in electrical engineering from Tel-Aviv University. In Israel, she is involved with satellite imagery photogrammetry, geo-location and computer vision.