Bio
BioKenneth Hibbard is an experienced project systems engineer and leader with an extensive background (>24 years) in the full life cycle of space mission development and implementation; he has technical expertise with nuclear power, as well as entry, descent, and landing (EDL) systems and technologies. He is currently the Dragonfly MSE. Past roles include operations team technical lead, group supervisor, and deputy new programs development manager. In these roles, he managed contract task orders, including personnel, resources, and costs, and contributed to technical oversight, anomaly resolution, customer interfaces, structured and on-the-job training, and proposal management and writing. Hibbard has been involved with the development, integration, testing, launch, and orbit operations of multiple flight projects, including the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), Swift, and MESSENGER. He was the Titan Mare Explorer (TiME) concept study MSE, Space-Layer Experiment (SLX) MSE, Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) deputy MSE mission, and Precision Tracking Space System (PTSS) implementation deputy MSE.
Notable Awards and Leadership
Notable Awards and Leadership| Year(s) | Description |
|---|---|
| Year(s) 2018 | Description Bumblebee Award for Dragonfly Titan Mission Concept, APL |
| Year(s) 2018 | Description Walter G. Berl Award (Outstanding Paper in the Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest), APL, for “Dragonfly: A Rotorcraft Lander Concept for Scientific Exploration of Titan” |
| Year(s) 2016 | Description R.W. Hart Prize for Best Development Project, APL, for Atmosphere Entry and Descent Technology and Analysis for Design, Principal Investigator |
| Year(s) 2015 - 2019 | Description Surrogate Mission Team (SMT) lead, named role within the NASA Radioisotope Power Systems Program Office — Led the SMT, a group that represents NASA flight implementation organizations (specifically APL, JPL, and Goddard Space Flight Center [GSFC]) and potential missions, in support of dynamic power technology and radioisotope power system (RPS) development; reported directly to the RPS Program Office located at NASA-GRC |
| Year(s) 2013 - 2018 | Description Invited member of the Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) Independent Review Board (IRB) |
| Year(s) 2012 | Description Laurels for Team Achievement, International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), for MESSENGER |
| Year(s) 2008 | Description Group Achievement Award, NASA, MESSENGER Mission Team |
| Year(s) 2003 | Description Laurels for Team Achievement, IAA, SOHO Team |
| Year(s) 2002 | Description HTSI FCSG Team of the Year, NASA, SOHO Flight Operations Team |
| Year(s) 2000 | Description Innovator Award, NASA, SOHO Training Team |
| Year(s) 2000 | Description Group Achievement Award, NASA, SOHO Gyroless Recovery Team |
| Year(s) 2000 | Description Center of Excellence Award, NASA GSFC, SOHO Gyroless Operations |
| Year(s) 1998 | Description Group Achievement Award, NASA, ACE |
| Year(s) 1998 | Description Outstanding Contribution Award, European Space Agency (ESA) |
| Year(s) 1998 | Description Appreciation Award, NASA, SOHO Recovery and Recertification |
