Catherine M. Bahm
Low Boom Flight Demonstrator Project Manager
Contents
Catherine M. Bahm is the project manager for the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. She was appointed to this position in July 2022 after serving as the deputy project manager since October 2017. Bahm manages the effort to design, build, and test the X-59 aircraft, which will use quiet supersonic technologies to fly over communities as part of NASA’s Quesst mission.
Experience
In 2015, Bahm became the deputy lead for the Orion Flight Test Management Office Systems Engineering and Integration Team for Ascent Abort 2. She served as NASA Armstrong’s deputy project manager for the Orion Abort Flight Test project from 2005 to 2010. She was also the PA-1 (Pad Abort-1) deputy systems engineering integration team lead. Her primary responsibilities included the technical coordination and system integration efforts across the diverse Orion Abort Flight Test team for PA-1.
In 2010, Bahm was stationed at NASA Headquarters to support the Office of Chief Technologist in the Crosscutting Capability Demonstrations Division as part of a year-long detail. Her assignment included supporting the formulation and management of the Technology Demonstration Mission Program and the Flight Opportunities Program. Following her detail, she remained at NASA Headquarters from 2011 to 2015 as the deputy program director for the Integrated Aviation Systems Program (previously known as Integrated Systems Research Program) in the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.
Bahm’s career with NASA began as a cooperative education student in 1993 when she worked in the structures and aeronautics branches at NASA Armstrong (then Dryden). At that time, she participated in sonic boom research activities. In 1995, Bahm was hired as a flight controls engineer and during the next 10 years supported projects such as HARV (F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle), X-33, X-38, and X-43A. She served as the X-43A Hyper-X Flight 2 lead controls engineer and Flight 3 deputy chief engineer.
Education
Bahm received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aeronautical engineering in 1995 and 2001, respectively, from Texas A&M University. Her recognitions include a NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, NASA Space Flight Awareness Leadership Award, NASA Systems Engineering Excellence Award, and the NASA Dryden Peer Award for Supervisor/Manager/Leader in 2010.