Denton K. Gibson
Senior Mission Manager, Launch Services Program
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Denton K. Gibson is a senior mission manager in NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP) at John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Gibson is responsible for success of critical science missions for NASA. He serves as the primary interface between LSP and customers, including other NASA centers, federal agencies, federally funded science organizations, and international partners.
Gibson acts on behalf of program management and represents LSP during integration of assigned missions from advanced planning through integration, launch, and mission success determination. He ensures the readiness of spacecraft and launch vehicles for integration, NASA readiness reviews, and launch.
Experience
Previously, Gibson was a senior vehicle systems engineer discipline expert. He led the LSP engineering team and was responsible for oversight and insight of the program’s commercial launch vehicle fleet.
Gibson has worked in LSP since he began his career at Kennedy in January 2004. During a detail assignment in 2016, Gibson worked in the U.S. Senate as a NASA Fellow.
Education
Gibson earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering in 2004 from the University of Florida in Gainesville. He received a master’s in industrial engineering in 2006 from the University of Miami and a doctorate in systems engineering in 2019 from the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
Awards
He is the recipient of several awards, including a NASA Silver Group Achievement Medal in 2021 and a KSC Certificate of Commendation in 2020. Other awards include a NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal in 2018 and a Group Achievement Award for Falcon 9 launch vehicle certification in 2016. He was named the LSP Employee of the Year in 2010.
Personal
Gibson was born in Nassau, Bahamas, but considers Miami, Florida, where he grew up, to be his hometown. He has one daughter, Phenix. They reside in Orlando.
Some of his hobbies include building cars, scuba diving, and working out. He also is a professional salsa dancer, instructor, and choreographer.
Biography last updated April 2023