Sentinel Special Review Team

Carrying out a deep space mission like Sentinel will be a complicated undertaking because a single mistake can doom a mission to failure. Once Sentinel is launched into orbit around the Sun, it will be difficult or impossible to re-engineer or fix something that does not work as planned. Successful deep space missions have historically relied upon an independent review team both to provide advice and to look for flaws in the technical plans that slipped past the project managers.

With this in mind, the B612 Foundation formed the Sentinel Special Review Team. We have brought together one of the most experienced technical teams in the world, along with an outstanding business leadership team to design, build and operate the Sentinel Mission.

The Sentinel Special Review Team (SSRT) is an independent advisory committee, selected by the B612 Foundation to review the processes, technology and techniques used by B612 and its contractors in the development of the Sentinel Space Telescope. The SSRT provides the B612 Foundation with unbiased technical and management advice to help the B612 Foundation manage the Sentinel project and increase the chances of ultimate success.

Members of the B612 Sentinel SSRT have been selected on the basis of their experience in the development and operation of deep space systems or with asteroid detection, tracking and characterization. The Chair is responsible for assembling the SSRT reports at periodic reviews, which includes the individual members’ assessments and a summary statement of the SSRT findings. These reports are presented to the B612 Mission Director Harold Reitsema, who can also call upon the SSRT to evaluate technical and management issues on an as needed basis.

In addition, NASA has agreed, through a Space Act Agreement, to provide technical consulting to B612 during the requirements definition, design, and development phases, during design reviews, and for issue-specific purposes through the NASA Technical Consulting Team (NTCT). Members of the NTCT participate in Sentinel program reviews with the B612 SSRT. Profiles can be found at: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/NTCT/members.pdf

Thomas Gavin

Chair, Sentinel Special Review Team

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Former Director for Solar System Exploration, NASA/JPLTom Gavin chairs the B612 Sentinel Standing Review Team. He was selected for his leadership talents and vast amount of experience and expertise in flight operations, robotics and planetary missions. He retired from NASA in 2009 as Associate Director for Flight Projects and Mission Success, a position to which he was appointed in 2001. At NASA/Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), Gavin oversaw all flight projects and mission success organizations. Previously, he served as Director of the Space Science Flight Projects Directorate that developed Genesis, Stardust, Mars 2001 Odyssey, Mars Exploration Rovers, SPITZER and GALEX Projects. Prior to that, he served as Spacecraft System Manager for the Cassini Mission, launched in 1997 and currently in orbit of Saturn.Mr. Gavin received NASA’s highest honor, the Exceptional Service Medal for his work on Voyager, NASA’s Medal for Outstanding Leadership for Galileo and Cassini, two NASA Distinguished Service Medals, and the American Astronautical Society’s 2005 Randolph Lovelace II Award for leading the management, design, and operations of all JPL and NASA robotic scientific spacecraft missions until retirement in 2009.He received NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal in 2007 for his leadership in the development of NPR 7120.5, a policy document that affects all of NASA’s space flight missions.

Steve Battel

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Steve Battel has 35 years experience as an engineer and manager in multiple aerospace and scientific disciplines. He has served as President of Battel Engineering since1990, and his areas of specialization include program management, systems engineering, precision electronics design, scientific instrument design, spacecraft avionics, power systems, high voltage systems, technology development and technology assessment.He has served on more than 60 NASA technical review boards, has authored or co-authored 22 engineering and scientific papers, and is the recipient of NASA’s Public Service Medal, and 39 NASA/GSFC/JPL individual and group achievement awards. Outside of NASA, Steve is a current member of the Space Telescope Institute Council, and served on Space Studies Board for the National Academies from 2006 to 2012.

Robert L. Berry

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Robert Berry retired from Lockheed Martin Corporation in 2011, with 44 years of experience in aerospace engineering and management.He served as Director of the company’s Space Exploration Systems, responsible for the development and flight operations of Lockheed’s planetary spacecraft developed for NASA. He also served as the Program Manager for development of the Mars Odyssey Spacecraft and the Cassini Spacecraft Propulsion Module.His experience includes development and/or management of missions to Venus, Mars, Saturn and the Earth’s Moon. Mr. Berry is the recipient of two NASA Exceptional Public Service Medals and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal.

John Casani

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John Casani served as Project Manager for three major space missions at NASA/JPL: Voyager, Galileo, and Cassini, and held senior project positions in many of the early space programs, including Explorer, Pioneer, Ranger, and Mariner.He is a recipient of NASA’s Distinguished Service Medal, the Exceptional Achievement Medal, and the Medal for Outstanding Leadership. He received the AIAA Space System Award and the von Karman Lectureship, the National Space Club Astronauts Engineer Award, the AAS Space Flight Award, and the NAE Founders Award. He is an Honorary Fellow of the AIAA, and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the International Astronautics Academy.

Glen Cunningham

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Glenn E. Cunningham is a veteran of the space exploration community with 46 years experience. While at NASA/JPL, he was the Deputy Manager of the Mars Exploration Directorate, and the project manager for the Mars Observer and Mars Global Surveyor Missions.He was a system engineer on the Mariner Mars and Voyager missions in addition to managing JPL’s institutional spacecraft system engineering organization. He has received two NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals, and amember of the AIAA and AAS.

Orlando Figueroa

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Orlando Figueroa is the president of Orlando Leadership Enterprise, an aerospace consulting company he founded in 2010.He specializes in space missions, technology, organization, program management, strategic planning, and leadership/team development.Prior experience includes 33 years with NASA as Goddard ‘s Chief Engineer for Systems Engineering.Career achievement awards include: 2008 Smithsonian Latino Center Legacy Award for Contributions to Science, the 2005 Service to America Federal Employee of the Year, and NASA Presidential Rank Awards.

Steve Francois

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Steve Francois served as the NASA Program Manager of the Launch Services Program (LSP) located at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Fla. With over 38 years of launch experience, he led NASA’s operational organization responsible for unmanned launch service meeting government wide space transportation requirements.His efforts enabled access to space with the delivery of on-time, on-orbit, and on-cost launch assets. The work of LSP involved over 400 highly skilled government and contractor personnel implementing requirements for the launch of Expendable Launch Vehicles (ELVs).His focus was overall mission success through leading, managing, and directing the progress of all ongoing launch operations and activities including ELV engineering and analysis, spacecraft integration, launch site support, and launch campaigns.

Robert Jedicke

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Robert Jedicke is a specialist in asteroid surveying, with particular emphasis on asteroids that may impact Earth.He has a PhD in physics and a highly successful professional career in particle physics, software engineering and astronomy.He also was a professional football player, drafted at the top of the 3rd round by the B.C. Lions in the Canadian Football League.He currently serves as a leading Astronomer at the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy where he has joined the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) team that will collaborate with the B612 Sentinel mission.

Paul J. Jones

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Paul Jones retired from Lockheed Martin Corporation as Chief Engineer for the Titan Launch Vehicles, with 44 years of experience in Aerospace engineering and management.He served as the Titan IV Core Vehicle Director responsible for development, design, analysis, procurement, production, test, Major Element Contractor Management (Propulsion, Guidance and PLF), and support of Upper Stage and Spacecraft Integration and Launch Operations.In his various assignments, He has supported more than 100 launches of Titan vehicles with DOD, NRO, and NASA Spacecraft.Jones is the recipient of numerous Lockheed Martin Awards for Authorship, Operational Performance and two NOVA awards.

George D. Pace

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George Pace brings 40 years of experience in the development of spacecraft for planetary missions.At NASA/JPL, he worked directly on flight projects as department, spacecraft, and project manager, in addition to being the Mars Odyssey Project Manager.Since his retirement from JPL, Mr. Pace has worked as an independent spacecraft project management consultant on a variety of tasks for NASA and the aerospace industry, and currently Chairs the MAVEN Standing Review Board.

MarK Saunders

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Mark Saunders has extensive NASA and military program and project management, as well as system engineering experience.Most recently, he served as Director of NASA’s independent program assessment, evaluating programs and projects, including the James Webb Space Telescope. He served as Director of NASA Langley’s exploration and space access programs, where he oversaw research and development of new technologies for spacecraft and launch vehicles; program manager of NASA’s Discovery Program; and managed four planetary missions: Mars Pathfinder, NEAR, Lunar Prospector and Stardust. He also served as the manager of the Space Station Freedom’s Logistics Program and project manager of two Navy strategic weapon centers, responsible for assembly, integration, test and delivery of nuclear missiles.