Spacecraft Mission Manager
Deputy Project Manager, Orbiting Carbon Observatory Project
Earth Science and Technology Directorate
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Dr. Ralph R. Basilio is employed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology in the Earth Science and Technology Directorate as the Deputy Project Manager of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) Project. Prior to his current assignment he was the Deputy Project Manager of the Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM). Both missions will provide the scientific community with additional data in which to examine and better understand the global climate change process.
Dr. Basilio was presented with two NASA Exceptional Achievement Medals -- one for leading the CloudSat spacecraft development effort and the other for leading the Deep Space 1 in-flight technology validation work. Additionally, Dr. Basilio has received a NASA Space Act Award for design and development of the Mars Pathfinder ground support equipment, and more than a dozen NASA Group Achievement Awards on these and other unmanned space missions.
Dr. Basilio earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California. He also earned a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering (with an emphasis on astronautics) also from the University of Southern California, a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and is a graduate of the Engineering Management Program at the California Institute of Technology. Dr. Basilio is a member of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), and has authored or co-authored over a dozen technical publications. His research interests are Hamiltonian systems, controls, and the stability of periodic orbits.
