Meet the Board of Directors, Part 4
Meet the Board (Part IV): Bobby Braun - Mr. NASA
On June 26, 2018 Dr. Robert (Bobby) Braun, former NASA Chief Technologist, joined the NexOptic Board of Directors. As you will see below, Bobby is a true super star achiever and inspiration for a generation of those who believe humans are destined for interplanetary evolution.
In addition to serving on the board of directors at Nexoptic, Dr. Robert D. (Bobby) Braun is currently the Dean of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado, and is their Smead Endowed Chair of Space Technology and Professor at the Ann & H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering of the Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science, a position that recognizes leadership, creativity and technical excellence in space systems.
Dr. Braun received a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Penn State in 1987, M.S. in Astronautics from the George Washington University in 1989, and Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University in 1996.
It is hard to believe this is one man. He is vibrant and energetic, and has pursued his passions to a great extent. Notice as you read, that the majority of his time is spent accomplishing in multiple projects simultaneously.
His list of contributions is long, and this is reflected by being honored with numerous awards (see bullet points below).
He has worked in the space community for more than 30 years and served as NASA’s Chief Technologist. He was instrumental in the design and execution of the entry, descent, and landing system for NASA’s Mars Pathfinder mission and has contributed to every U.S. Mars landed mission since.
In 2012, Dr. Braun co-founded Terminal Velocity Aerospace with Spaceworks Enterprises Inc. to develop small re-entry system technology for commercial and data science applications. He sold his interest in the venture to Spaceworks in 2015.
He is very well connected as you can see from his affiliations (again, see listed bullet points below). This will no doubt help to escalate the adaptation of future NexOptic technologies into industry.
Dr. Braun is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (he was the Editor-in-Chief of the AIAA Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets), and a Fellow of the American Astronautical Society. He was the Vice Chair of the NRC Space Studies Board and the author or co-author of over 300 technical publications in the fields of atmospheric flight dynamics, planetary exploration, design optimization, and systems engineering. He presently serves on the advisory council of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and as a JPL Distinguished Visiting Scientist. He previously served as Chair of the U.S. National Academies Frontiers of Engineering program (2015 to 2017), Vice Chair of the National Academies Space Studies Board (2014 to 2018), and as a member of recent National Academy committees that produced the Decadal Survey for Earth Science and Applications from Space and a report on the Future of Center-Based, Multidisciplinary Engineering Research.
From 2009 to 2016, he served as the David and Andrew Lewis professor of space technology at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he founded the university’s Center for Space Technology and Research. In January 2015, he was appointed as a Moore Distinguished Scholar at Caltech and served there until June.
Prior to joining the University of Colorado in January 2017, Dr. Braun was a member of the technical staff of the NASA Langley Research Center for 16 years. Dr. Robert D. Braun led an active research program focused on the design of advanced flight systems and technologies for planetary exploration and has contributed to numerous spaceflight projects. He has also served as a senior leader for several engineering and technology organizations at NASA, including service as the NASA Chief Technologist.
Bobby worked together with Stephen Petranek as a technical consultant in the production of six of the 2018 episodes of the National Geographic Series “Mars”.
My sources tell me that having their NASA connection, and sharing common interests in the exploration and colonization of Mars, Stephen Petranek called Bobby Braun once he learned about Nexoptic, and suggested he take an interest in the company. Bobby said there was no way he would put his reputation on the line without seeing an actual working product, which at that point in time was only a “proof of concept” telescope. Over a year later, the diamond blade optics desktop prototype lens was developed and engineering specs confirmed its superiority over the best smart phone lens module currently out there. Not only did it work, it had “25% better angular resolution on the chart than one of the current, top-rated smartphone lenses” (May 23, 2018 News Release: “First Light“). The relationships between Stephen Petranek, Arch Meredith, and Elon Musk, when added together with the indisputable Nexoptic technology provided enough credibility for Bobby Braun to finally join the board of directors.
Darcy Daugela, P.Eng and Chairman (at that time) of NexOptic stated: “I’m very pleased to welcome Bobby Braun to NexOptic’s Board of Directors. He is a solution-driven professional who brings an extraordinary set of leadership, business, engineering, and project management skills to us in addition to his vast depth of trusted relations from the corporate world and academia.” Daugela continued: “We believe Bobby’s unique expertise and insights will be very beneficial to management in advancing NexOptic’s corporate objectives and continued work to commercialize Blade Optics™ technologies.”
Upon his appointment, Dr. Braun stated: “NexOptic’s technology has the potential to change the way we perceive our natural world, and I am excited to join the Board of Directors,” he continued, “The company’s sensing capabilities impact a range of applications that affect our lives, from leisure activities to security. The NexOptic team is innovative, collaborative, and capable of moving this technology to market.”
More about Dr. Robert Braun:
If you want to get to know Bobby better, check out one of his talks at the University of Michigan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uUzU-QTofA
and a more recent talk which includes his full introduction:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xrCQC1SCik
Honors and Awards:
AAS Space Technology Award
Member, National Academy of Engineering
NASA Group Achievement Award
Alvin Seiff Memorial Award
AIAA von Karman Astronautics Award
NASA Distinguished Service Medal
Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
AIAA Lawrence Sperry Award
NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal
NASA Inventions and Contributions Team Award
Affiliations:
NexOptic Technology Corp. (Board of Directors)
National Academies Committee on the Future of Center-Based, Multidisciplinary Engineering Research (Member)
National Academies Decadal Survey for Earth Science and Applications from Space (Steering Committee Member)
National Academy of Engineering U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Program (previously Chair)
National Academies Space Studies Board (previously Vice Chair)
I find it amazing that every new board of director seems to be a more impressive addition than the previous!