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Joseph S. Heyman

A portrait of Joseph S. Heyman.
Dr. Joseph S. Heyman (1943-) spent his academic career studying physics, but it is his visionary work as an inventor and leader in nondestructive ways to test aircraft and spacecraft materials and structures that changed NASA Langley and helped the space shuttle fleet safely return to flight after accidents.

Joseph S. Heyman

Dr. Joseph S. Heyman (1943-) spent his academic career studying physics, but it is his visionary work as an inventor and leader in nondestructive ways to test aircraft and spacecraft materials and structures that changed NASA Langley and helped the space shuttle fleet safely return to flight after accidents.

Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Heyman received a bachelor’s degree in physics from Northeastern University in 1968 and then went on to earn a master’s degree and doctorate in solid state physics in 1971 and 1975 from Washington University. He started at Langley as a co-op student in 1964, while an undergraduate.

An explosion at a wind tunnel at another NASA center in 1973 transformed his career. Heyman was part of an accident review committee that determined the explosion was caused by a bolt not tensioned properly. He returned to Langley and developed an instrument that could measure bolt stress using ultrasound. That was the start of his expertise in nondestructive evaluation (NDE).

Heyman created the country’s preeminent NDE research and development laboratory at Langley. The NDE Sciences Branch that he founded made crucial contributions in the Space Shuttle Challenger accident investigation in 1986, the space shuttle’s return to flight in 2005 following the Columbia accident and the Aloha Airlines Flight 243 and American Airlines Flight 587 investigations following accidents in 1988 and 2001.

Heyman became Langley’s director of technology utilization in 1994, managed the Intellectual Property Office, the Small Business Innovation Research Program, and the Creativity and Innovation Program. He retired in 2002 as the Langley senior technologist.

Heyman holds 34 patents, primarily in ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation methods. He also developed spin-off medical applications including measuring bladder distention, monitoring teeth stability, and detecting small particles in the bloodstream. His research resulted in four prestigious R&D 100 Awards for innovation in research and development, the Arthur S. Flemming Award given to the top 10 outstanding federal scientists and the “Silver Snoopy,” a special honor given personally by NASA astronauts for outstanding achievements related to human flight safety or mission success.

Heyman also received some of the NASA’s highest awards for leadership including Exceptional Leadership, Exceptional Achievement and Exceptional Service medals.