Aerospace Consultant
After my foray into software entrepreneurship, I returned to my lifelong passion, aerospace, in 1999–but now as a private consultant. I worked for several companies over the next 10 years. I specialized in ISS rendezvous, drawing on my manned rendezvous training at NASA, but I also performed a lot of 3D performance analysis for LEO, GEO, Lunar, and Interplanetary missions.
I developed a number of my own tools, written in C++, FORTRAN, or in spreadsheets. Here is my Vector Administration Table program for creating, displaying, integrating, and comparing state vectors. It combines a number of capabilities I used in the Mission Control Center into a single desktop program.
 VAT |
 Vector Display |
 Vector Compare |
Andrews Space: I worked a number of times for Andrews Space, providing rendezvous support for a number of their proposal efforts.
Lunar Transportation Systems: LTS was performing preliminary design of a new lunar transportation system architecture. They hired me to perform preliminary integration design for different boosters and to provide 3D performance data and preliminary propulsion design. I subcontracted the propulsion work to InSpace, and completed the contract on time and on budget.
SpaceDev: In 2007, I was asked to be on the Red Team to review the SpaceDev proposal for the Commercial Orbital Transportation System (COTS). Other team members included John Olds, Dave Urie, and astronauts Robert “Hoot” Gibson and Bill Shepherd. I provided input for the rendezvous, proximity operations, and mission operations sections of their proposal.
Kistler Aerospace: Most of my consultant work was for Kistler Aerospace. Originally, I was hired to perform 3D performance analysis–and was warned that due to their financial difficulties, I might work for them only a few weeks–but my responsibilities quickly expanded into many other areas. I ultimately worked under several different contracts over the next seven years. Enough, in fact, that my work for Kistler (and its successor, Rocketplane-Kistler) has its very own page.