Robin A. S. Beck – NESC Academy Biography

Robin A. S. Beck has been a member of the limited group of U.S. experts on developing, designing, testing, modeling ablative materials for use in earth and outer planetary entry, rocket nozzle exhausts, and laser environments for over 25 years.  As the Manager of Engineering Test and Analysis at Aerotherm Corporation, Ms. Beck supervised a team of engineers with the responsibility for thermal, aerodynamics, aeromechanics, structural and chemical analyses, plus design, manufacturing, testing and modeling of aerospace ablative materials on reentry vehicles for NASA and DOD vehicles.  Ms. Beck joined NASA Ames Research Center in 2006 and soon after was appointed to the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) team as Cognizant Engineer for the MSL Thermal Protection System (TPS).  As the Cog-E for the MSL TPS she established the non-viability of the original forebody heatshield material, and, with a large group of NASA and vendor engineers, led the redesign, testing, and manufacturing of a replacement TPS in little over a year.  She then became the technical lead for the Exploration Technology Development Program Office (ETDPO) Ablative Thermal Protection Systems Technology Development Project (TDP) with a charter to develop a more robust, lighter weight TPS material for CEV lunar re-entry and to help in the development of advanced materials required for Mars heavy mass landing or return missions. This project was transferred to the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) and has concentrated on the development of conformal ablative materials applicable for both heat shield and/or aft shell TPS with significant property improvements over their rigid counterparts.

Ms. Beck holds a BSME from Santa Clara University and a MSME from Stanford University.