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Dr. Michael D. Griffin
Chief Engineer
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

On March 25, 1993, Michael Griffin was named Chief Engineer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. he is responsible for overall review of the technical execution of development efforts and mission operations of the agency. Prior to accepting this new position, he had been Associate Administrator for Exploration, with responsibility for planning and execution of the exploration of the Moon and Mars.

Dr. Griffin was formerly Deputy for Technology of the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, responsible for all technical research within the program. He played a key role in conceiving and technically directing the SDIO "Delta series" of space missions, for which he received the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal and the AIAA Space Systems Award. Prior to joining SDIO, Dr. Griffin participated in a variety of space missions while employed at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Computer Science Corporation, American Rocket Company, ad NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Dr. Griffin has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, and George Washington University, offering courses in spacecraft design, applied mathematics, guidance and navigation, compressible flow, computational fluid dynamics, spacecraft stability and control, astrodynamics, and introductory aerospace engineering. He is the co-author, with J.R. French, of the textbook Space Vehicle Design.

Dr. Griffin was born in 1949 in Aberdeen, Maryland, and received his B.A. in Physics from Johns Hopkins University, where he was a Maryland Senatorial Scholar. He holds master's degrees in Aerospace Science from Catholic University, in electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California, In Applied Physics from the Johns Hopkins University, and in Business Administration from the University of Maryland. He received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland. He is a registered professional engineer and is a commercial pilot and flight instructor with instrument and multiengine ratings.