Ethiraj Venkatapathy
Contents
Title: Senior Technologist for the Entry System Technologies
Organization: Exploration Technology Directorate
Professional Background
Ethiraj Venkatapathy (“Raj”) has been, since 2018, NASA Senior Technologist for the Entry System Technologies. He has been the Chief Technologist for Entry Systems and Technology Division at NASA Ames since 2002. Currently his focus is on enabling aerocapture, addressing the thermal protection system (TPS) future needs of NASA and commercial space industry, and mentoring the next generation of entry system and TPS technologists.
Between (2010 – 2019), Raj led NASA’s advanced TPS development successfully by leveraging 3-D weaving and delivered several technologies under this effort. The multi-functional ablative TPS (3DMAT) developed in 2015, enabled Orion Lunar mission design and was successfully tested on Artemis-1. 3DMAT was selected as the NASA innovation of the year award (2023). The Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) was matured to TRL 6 in 2019. The dual-layer HEEET is intended for future Venus, Saturn, and Ice Giant missions and several NASA as well as commercial, DoD missions are utilizing this in their design. A variant of HEEET referred to as 3MDCP, is currently the TPS of choice for Mars Sample Return Earth Entry System. Raj is the inventor of the deployable heatshield called ADEPT that leverages 3-D weaving, and it has broad application including in drag modulated aerocapture and missions to Venus, Mars and Outer Planets.
Raj was the flight system manager for the Orion advanced TPS development project (2005-2009). Before joining NASA in 2002, as the President and Director of Research for ELORET, a small company, Raj led a group of researchers supporting NASA Ames, across many disciplines, for 20+ years.
He has been recognized by many organizations for his contributions. He was the IPPW’s Al Seiff Award winner in 2022. He received NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal twice (2007, 2010), Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal (2012), “NASA Game Changer of the Year” award (2015) and “STMD Leadership” award (2015) for providing NASA and the Nation with revolutionary new technologies and capabilities. He is an Associate Fellow of AIAA and Associate Fellow of NASA Ames Research Center.
He received his B.Tech. in Aeronautical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Madras in India and his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa in 1982.
Contact Info
Email: ethiraj.venkatapathy-1@nasa.gov