Pat Lampton – NESC Academy Biography

Pat Lampton has had a 25 year career in the Defense Aerospace Industry.  He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1987 with a degree in Aerospace Engineering.  He accepted a job at the US Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Center performing Hypersonic Wind Tunnel Testing in the Von Karman Gas Dynamics Facility.  After 5 years in the wind tunnel, Mr. Lampton moved to Huntsville, AL and Missile Defense – working in the US Army’s Arrow Missile Program Office.  There he led the aerodynamic and thermal design of the vehicle and helped develop the guidance and terminal homing autopilot and sensors systems.  In 1995, Mr. Lampton was asked to be the Chief Engineer of the Air Vehicle element of the Outrider Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System – an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program for the Department of the Navy.  Following the flight demonstration of that system Mr. Lampton Joined the National Missile Defense Joint Program Office as the Element manager of the Missile Interceptor Flight Simulation & Hardware in the Loop Facility.  After several years in that position and a year in Washington in the Office of Secretary Defense, Missile Warfare group, he left DoD to come to NASA.  At NASA, Mr. Lampton held a series of positions including Lead of the Solid Propulsion Systems Team, The KSC resident manager for Marshall Propulsion – which eventually led to his selection as the Deputy Project Manager of the Space Shuttle Boosters.  After a dozen successful launches of the space shuttle, Mr. Lampton was asked to take on the responsibility as the Chief Engineer of the Ares Program First Stage Booster and the Booster stage of the Ares-I-X Test vehicle.  Following the cancellation of the Constellation program, Mr. Lampton returned to the Marshall Propulsion Department and now serves as the Technical Assistant for Solid Propulsion.