Joe Kosmo – NESC Academy Biography

Joseph Kosmo was graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1961 with a bachelor of science in aeronautical engineering. In 1978, he earned a master of science in environmental management from the University of Houston – Clear Lake. In 1961, Kosmo began his career with the NASA Space Task Group at Langley, Virginia, in the Crew Systems Division, working on the Mercury Program spacesuit. During the past 45 years, he has participated in the design, development, and testing of Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle spacesuits, as well as numerous advanced technology configuration spacesuits and EVA gloves for future mission applications. Kosmo received the American Astronautical Society’s Victor A. Prather Award, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, and the Astronaut Silver Snoopy Award. The United States Space Foundation Space Technology Hall of Fame recognized him for his work on the development of the liquid cooling garment for spacesuit and medical applications. He has pursued the development of advanced spacesuits, gloves, and ancillary EVA-supporting hardware concepts for future planetary surface exploration. For about 10 years, Kosmo has organized and led a team of engineers in a series of remote field site test activities of prototype extravehicular hardware, advanced communications systems, spacesuit mobility studies, and human and robot assistant interactive capabilities in a variety of locations, including Death Valley, the Mojave Desert, and northern Arizona. In 2011, he retired from NASA after a 50-year career in the space industry.