Intellex Acquires Expert by Big Village

We're thrilled to announce that Intellex has acquired Expert by Big Village, effective March 22, 2024. This strategic move enhances our capabilities and strengthens our commitment to delivering exceptional solutions to our customers.

Stay tuned for more updates on how this acquisition will benefit our clients and experts.

For inquiries or more information, please contact us at info@intellex.com.

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Expert Details

Satellite Propulsion Systems Engineering, Design, and Problem Solving

ID: 728768 California, USA

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Expert. Expert worked for 34 years in the engineering design, development, testing and manufacturing of propulsion systems for satellites. He has expertise in chemical propulsion, solid propellant propulsion and ion propulsion. He was Chief Propulsion Technologist for Hughes Electronics at retirement having worked his way up from Project Engineer on many new propulsion system designs for spin stabilized and 3-axis stabilized spacecraft. He was responsible for the integration and development of solid propellant rockets used as apogee kick motors for satellites as well as the integration and development of the propulsion attitude control systems for these same satellites. His expertise spans the evolution of rocket propulsion development starting with monopropellant designs to bipropellant designs to ion propulsion designs. He has knowledge and expertise in the implementation and problem solving for all of these new and innovative propulsion systems.

Expert. Expert has expertise in the design and implementation of fluid systems for both spin stabilized and 3-axis stabilized designs. He has knowledge and expertise in liquid propellant applications in gravitational and zero gravity environments. He was instrumental in the design of a zero gravity propellant tank design using etched metal disks as flow control devices for propellants. He has participated in many reviews for the physics of liquid behavior in space and has been provided technical insight for many failure review boards showing how liquids perform in propulsions designs. His expertise has been used to provide expert witness testimony for propulsion system designs in several legal cases.

Expert planned and developed the initial manufacturing and testing facilities for ion engine programs at Hughes Electronics. He was responsible for the planning and implementation of the first production product line manufacturing and flight testing of ion engines for Hughes Electronice communication satellites as well as for NASA satellite programs. The ion engine program consisted of three design sizes (13 cm, 25 cm and 30cm engines). All engines have flight experience on Hughes and NASA satellites.

The design of satellites requires the implementation of contractor requirements into working designs and implementing these designs using hardware specifically suited to meet the requirement. Expert. Expert's entire career has been to provide conceptual design support for propulsion systems to meet customer requirements He provided inputs to pre-proposals, proposals, and contracted programs and followed those designs from initial concept to orbital flight support. He made presentations showing how propulsion systems would satisfy contractual requirements and made presentations showing how the propulsion design would operate at the end of its operational lifetime. The propulsion designs produced by Expert have been implemented on INTELSAT programs, direct broadcast programs, televison broadcast satellite programs as well as NASA and other government programs.. He has a thorough understanding how to meet or exceed customer expectations.

Expert. Expert has also represented customers of satellite programs to assure all requirements of the programs are satisfied. He has worked as a consultant for numerous customers including ASIASAT, XM satellite, INTELSAT, and Boeing to name a few.

He evaluated the zero "g" characteristics of a liquid and the interaction of the liquid within a propellant management device. He was able to show that the management device would not always provide a defined liquid/gas interface for certain liquid fill fractions of the tank. This analysis then allowed the attitude control organization to define operational limitations for the satellites and a set of operational rules to be implemented for these fill fractions. This information was provided to the customer and the supplier for implementation.Expert. Expert was able to analyze a failure scenario which showed that a tank failure would not be a simple gas leak path thru the tank membrane. He was able to develop a flow model which showed the leak path must be partially blocked with liquid and was able to model the flow pressure drop over time and compared this model to actual tank pressure data.Expert. Expert provided insight to a design review which showed that the review conclusions were not as simple as presented. He showed the presenter that a different scenario would also describe the data results and would lead to a potential castastropic failure if not corrected. The potential failure mode required a rework of a portion of the propulsion plumbing before re-launch. As a result the customer was compelled to return the spacecraft to the preparation area for rework before a re-launch was attempted.

Education

Year Degree Subject Institution
Year: 1973 Degree: PhD Subject: Mechanical Engineering Institution: Purdue University
Year: 1970 Degree: MS Subject: Mechanical Engineering Institution: California State University at Long Beach
Year: 1963 Degree: BS Subject: Aeronautical Engineering Institution: Purdue University

Work History

Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1997 to 2010 Employer: Satellite Consulting Inc. Title: Consultant Department:
Responsibilities:
Expert. Expert provided customer consultant support for propulsion systems for Asiasat, XM satellite nad several other customers. He also provided consultant support for Boeing on several of their satellite programs. He evaluated proposals to assure compliance with customer requirements He provided launch base support at Baikonor, French Guiana and Cape Kennedy for many satellite programs.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1973 to 1997 Employer: Hughes Electronics Title: Chief Technologist Department:
Responsibilities:
Expert was responsible for propulsion systems design on the HS 376, HS383, INTELSAT 6, HS 393, HS 601 and various NASA and government programs. His responsibilities included propulsion design, propulsion testing, supplier design and testing, manufacturing and test and launch preparation and support. He provided propellant budgets, design review presentations and flight review presentation. He was responsible for all failure investigation associated with propulsion hardware and problem resolutions.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1970 to 1973 Employer: Purdue University Title: Doctoral Candidate Department:
Responsibilities:
Expert. Expert did course work and thesis work for his doctorate degree.. He had a GPA of 6.0 (out of 6.0) for all course work. His thesis was titled "The Unsteady Nature of the Laminar Sublayer in a Nominally Steady Turbulent Flow" published in 1973
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1963 to 1970 Employer: McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company Title: Design Engineer Department:
Responsibilities:
Expert. Expert worked as a design engineer for the attitude control propulsion system for the 2nd stage of the Saturn IB rocket and the 3rd stage of the Saturn V rocket. His duties included design and test evaluation of the liquid settling engines and the implementation of these engines in the attitude control modules. He evaluated zero "g" propellant management devices such metal bellows and teflon bladders. He analyzed the helium permeation into propellant liquids and the gas retention capabilities of the perforated tubes inside the tanks. He performed analysis of turbine flow meters and ascertained the failure of the turbine when tip speed reached sonic velocity.

Additional Experience

Expert Witness Experience
Expert. Expert provided expert witness support for Hughes Electronics in a lawsuit involving propulsion system life predictions for a satellite program. He not only represented the Propulsion Department but was selected by the legal firm to represent Hughes at the plantiff table should the suit go to trial. This suit was settled out of court.

Expert. Expert also was the legal expert for Western Union in a lawsuit against a insurance company for non payment of insurance related to life predictions and original life design philosophy. This suit was settled out of court.

Expert. Expert was employed as an expert by Boeing in a lawsuit regarding an in orbit failure of a propulsion tank. He provided input for the Boeing failure investigation and later as an expert for the law firm. This suit was settle out of court.
Training / Seminars
Expert. Expert prepared and presented a training seminar for the customer of a Palapa satellite. The seminar was conducted at UCLA and lasted for approximately 6 weeks. The seminar presented design concepts for propulsion system and provided design details for assuring propulsion systems meet contractual requirements. The seminar also presented how a design is also a subcontracting effort and how the prime contract requirement are flowed to subcontractors.
Vendor Selection
The job of a propulsion systems engineer is also a job of subcontracting. The propulsion design is an integration of many supplier parts into a working system..Expert. Expert was responsible for preparing contractual documents to be sent to suppliers, evaluating supplier's proposals, selecting preferred suppliers and negotiating supplier contracts.
Marketing Experience
The propulsion industry is a small elite group of suppliers and consultants. Expert. Expert has been involved in the business of propulsion for 34 years and is highly qualified to evaluate the various propulsion suppliers of propulsion items. He has experience working with many customers both in the commercial world and the government world. He has been at the forefront of the state of the art in propulsion for all of his career.
Other Relevant Experience
Expert. Expert has the unique ability to perform his job using his analytical skills which have been honed during his working and academic career. He has the ability to break a problem down into its component parts and attack the problem part independently. He then has the skills to present the solutions in a concise and understandable manner. His major skill is being able to problem solve in an efficient an timely manner

Fields of Expertise

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