Jeff Brink

Jeff Brink is currently the Branch Chief of the Spaceport Future Projects Branch within the Spaceport Integration and Services directorate at NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center. In this role, Brink leads the team responsible for strategically planning the evolution of the Kennedy spaceport and ensuring NASA programs receive the support they need from the spaceport.

Experience

Prior to joining the Spaceport Integration team, Brink served as a NASA Test Director for the Exploration Ground Systems Program. In that capacity, he provided overall leadership for integrated Verification & Validation testing of ground systems and launch team simulation training, ensured daily operations were executed safely while on console in Firing Room 1, and served on the leadership team that planned and executed the first rollout and pad flow of the Mobile Launcher. 

Brink began his career with NASA in 2001 as a member of the space shuttle team, starting in Flight Crew Systems and Payload Mechanical Engineering before becoming a Launch Site Integration Manager assigned to specific International Space Station missions. He also supported the Columbia crew module reconstruction, which forever serves as a reminder to him of the importance of safety in spaceflight. 

Later, Brink joined the Constellation Ground Systems team where he displayed leadership and technical integration expertise as the lead systems engineer for the Vehicle Assembly Building, crawler-transporter, crawlerway, and mobile launcher projects. As part of the Mid-Level Leadership Program, he also completed two rotational assignments outside NASA – one was as a staff member with International Space University, and the other was as an electrical designer for unmanned submersibles with DOER Marine.

Awards

Brink has received several prestigious NASA awards, including an Outstanding Leadership Medal for development of a legislative proposal to sustainably fund the spaceport, an Exceptional Achievement Medal for development of a Launch Site Safety Assessment with the Federal Aviation Administration, and an Exceptional Engineering Achievement medal for development of a tool to aid in requirements mapping and verification. He also served as the project manager for the Crawlerway Compatibility Study which was awarded as the 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers Florida Project of the Year.

Education

Brink is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where he received separate Bachelor of Science degrees in aerospace and mechanical engineering. He later received a Master of Engineering degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Florida, with a focus on robotics.

Personal

A Michigan native, Brink now resides in Viera, Florida with his wife, Kristina, and three kids. He enjoys spending time with his family, fishing, camping, and competing in triathlons.

Biography last updated January 2024