Email:JWSmay@earthlink.net
Web site: http://www.jwsmay.com/prof.html
Phone 310 985-8567
January, 2025
Resume of
John W. Smay
Objective: Consulting Engagements in Controls/Dynamics
or Spacecraft Bus Systems Engineering: Spacecraft Attitude Control,
Professional Experience:
7/99 - Present Consulting with SES Astra (Luxembourg), Hughes Space & Comm., XM Satellite Radio, Comsat Corp., Boeing Space Systems, Boeing Space and Intelligence, Bristol Aerospace (Canada), JPL, Lockheed Martin, and Satellite Consulting, Inc. Performing analytical review, critique, and detailed design, modeling, and simulation of a variety of complex multi-body spacecraft attitude and orbit control systems. Spacecraft tasks span the attitude stabilization approaches, body stabilized, momentum bias, spin stabilized and orbit applications of LEO, GPS, and geostationary (Details at). Founding member of Southern California Selene Group (SCSG), official competing team for the Google Lunar X Prize.
8/92 - 7/99 Hughes Space and Communications Group Company (Boeing Space Systems)
Position as Chief Technologist, reporting to Company President. In this position I have been responsible to provide senior technical review and advice on all active programs in the company, including HS601, HS702, GEM, and for initiating and fostering major new technology thrusts.
6/73 - 8/92 Hughes Aircraft Company, Space and Communications Group
Held a progression of technical engineering and management positions in Attitude Control System design, analysis, test, and flight operations progressing from MTS to Assistant Laboratory Manager of the Guidance and Control Systems Laboratory.
In these positions I have contributed to the design and analysis of most SCG spacecraft and space payload programs including Intelsat IVA, Comstar, HS333, HS318, HS350, HS111, and MMB I-III. I was the lead attitude control design engineer for GMS, the HS376 and HS393 product lines (more than 55 spacecraft over 18 years), and made regular major contributions to the HS601 and HS702 body stabilized spacecraft design. In addition, I have contributed and technically directed many IR&D projects, proposals, and studies.
In the administrative role I have managed organizations ranging in scope from 6 to 150 personnel. Duties included staffing, training and personnel development, mentoring, facilities and laboratory management, planning and acquisition of capital equipment, and proposal costing.
Accomplishments:
• Built the attitude and orbit control systems analysis and design organization at Hughes SCG from a 20 person unit to 50 people, an organizational split, and subsequent growth to 45 people, while developing and maintaining a world leadership position in the technology.
• Have actively participated in more than 80 commercial and military spacecraft launch missions, including the first spacecraft retrieval (Westar/Palapa in 1984) and several major anomaly events such as the SBS F4 imbalance, the HS393 platform release failure, a flat spin recovery and the Intelsat VI F-1 capture.
• Traveled and worked with industry
colleagues extensively to
• Author of 11 U. S. Patents in spacecraft attitude control technology.
• Registered Exporter with US DoS Office of Defense Trade Controls (DTC). Experienced in
obtaining DTC licenses for Technical Assistance Agreements (TAA), required by
all
• Served at the request of Prof. He Xing, President of China Great Wall
Industry Corp., as one of six members of the International Review Committee
(IRC) to review and critique CGWIC failure analysis and corrective measures
arising from Long March 3B rocket launch failure of February 15, 1996 at
• Winner of the Hughes Space and Communications Group Invention Award in 1988.
• Winner of the Hughes Telecommunications and Space Sector Patent Award in 1992.
• Winner of the Hughes
• Winner of the Hughes Telecommunications and Space Company Technical Excellence Award in 1996.
• Author and presenter of 13 technical papers on automatic control and spacecraft attitude control subjects.
• Guest lecturer at Stanford, Purdue, and MIT.
• Industry Examiner on Ph. D Committee at
• PE in Control Systems in
• Have attended numerous professional development courses, seminars, and conferences (management and technical), including MAW, LFP, UCLA Management Development , and FEOTB.
9/70 -
6/73
University of
Research Engineer and Instructor. Duties: Conduct research in adaptive control systems, supervise graduate work in same and perform duties in management of NASA and NSF grants (awarded to I. M. Horowitz) Teach graduate courses in feedback control. This position was held while completing requirements for the Ph.D/EE degree.
2/69 -
8/70 Autonetics Division of Rockwell International Corp.,
MTS, DoD Secret Clearance. Duties: Develop and analyze mechanizations for alignment and calibration of inertial navigation systems. Write mechanization equations, computer program specifications, and laboratory test procedures for implementing above schemes. Follow up test results and analyze data.
Martin Marietta Corp.,
Field Engineer - Test Conductor: DoD Secret Clearance. Duties: Responsible for installation and test of Titan ICBM and ground support equipment in missile silo.
While in this position I receiver the Gold Titan Award for outstanding performance of duties.
U. S. Army, Entered as Private E-1 and honorably discharged as Sargent 1st Class E-6. DOD Secret Clearance. Trained and served as radar, computer and equipment technician.
Education:
Ph.D/EE - 6/73 -
Hours - GPA: 34 Semester hrs. - 3.9/4
Course work in automatic control systems and mathematics
Thesis Title: "Synthesis of Oscillating Adaptive Feedback Systems."
MSEE - 1/69 -
Hours - GPA: 24 Semester hrs. - 4/4
Course work in electrical engineering, automatic control systems and mathematics
Thesis Title: "Computer Aided Design of Second and Third-Order Systems with Parameter Variations and Time Response Constraints."
BSEE - 1/68 -
Hours - GPA: 138 Semester hrs. - 3.9/4(grad with High Honors)
Course work in electrical engineering, and mathematics and related subjects.
Hours - GPA: 9 Semester hrs. - 3.3/4
Business courses taken while employed at Autonetics.
Security: Long standing EBI(SSBI) and DoD Clearances (former)
Leisure: I like to play hard as well as work hard. I am an active SCUBA diver, a regular advanced white-water kayaker, windsurfer, and frequently enjoy swimming, biking , camping, backpacking and snow skiing. I also get pleasure from working interesting engineering problems with the aid of my high end (W10, unix C. fortran, matlab) personal computers.
References: Dr. Harold A. Rosen, VP Engineering (Retired) Dr. Wah L. Lim, VP Technology (former), Dr John F. Yocum, Chief Scientist, Arturo A. Rosales, VP FSS/BS Programs, all of Hughes Space & Communications ( now Boeing Space Systems). Dr Richard I Milford, COO, Enigma Science(former) currently Virgin Orbit.