NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s Jim Snoddy recognized as Engineer of the Year

15 June 2006 issue of the Marshall Star

By Bill Hubscher Jim Snoddy, manager of the upper stage engine in NASA’s Exploration Launch Projects Office at the Marshall Center, has been named “Aerospace Engineer of the Year” by the Alabama-Mississippi section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Snoddy received the award June 1 at the institute’s annual banquet in Huntsville.

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the nation’s largest society devoted to the advancement of aviation, space and defense. The award is presented to an aerospace engineer and AIAA member in recognition of extraordinary technical ability, creativity, or leadership in the practice of his or her profession.

Snoddy was named manager in 2006 of the upper stage engine of the Crew Launch Vehicle, which will carry astronauts into orbit, and the Earth Departure Stage of the Cargo Launch

Vehicle, which will boost heavier elements of vehicles and lunar habitats beyond Earth orbit and to the moon. The pair of launch vehicles, the core of NASA’s exploration initiative, will replace the space shuttle as America’s flagship exploration vehicles in the decade to come. As manager, Snoddy is responsible for the design, development, test and evaluation of the upper stage or J-2X engine.

“It is an honor and a privilege to accept this award,” Snoddy said. “To me, this award signifi es that our industry and Marshall Center peers recognize how much hard work the launch vehicle team has done over the last year to support the agency’s continuing mission of returning mankind to the moon and eventually to Mars. I’m also proud to be part of the team returning Marshall to its heritage of developing large propulsion systems.”

Prior to his current position, Snoddy was chief engineer in the Exploration Launch Projects Offi ce, responsible for developing the systems engineering foundation for NASA’s crew and cargo launch vehicles. In 2005, he led the crew launch vehicles assessment for NASA’s Exploration Systems Architecture Study. A native of Rogersville, Snoddy earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering in 1987 from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He lives in Madison with his wife, Cynthia, and their four children.

The writer, an ASRI employee, supports the Office of Strategic Analysis and Communications.