Rob Meyerson


Robert E. Meyerson is an American aerospace engineer and executive known for his role in development of reusable rocket launch systems.Rob Meyerson#cite note-1| He is the former Senior Vice President at Blue Origin, and led the Advanced Development Programs business.
Meyerson joined Blue Origin in 2003 as Program Manager later becoming the first company president. Working with company founder Jeff Bezos, Meyerson evolved a 10-person research-focused organization into a leading commercial space company with more than 1,200 employees. Under his leadership, Blue Origin developed the New Shepard system for suborbital human and research flights, the BE-3 LOX/LH2 rocket engine, the BE-4 LOX/LNG rocket engine, the New Glenn system for orbital human and research flights as well as the manufacturing and test capabilities to enable these programs.

Career

Prior to joining Blue Origin Meyerson was a Senior Manager at Kistler Aerospace Corporation responsible for development of the K-1 reusable launch vehicle, the landing and thermal protection systems of a two-stage reusable launch vehicle, as well as all technical activities related to Kistler's Space Launch Initiative contract with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
Meyerson launched his career as an aerospace engineer at NASA Johnson Space Center from 1985 to 1997 working Rob Meyerson#cite note-3| on human spaceflight systems, including the aerodynamic design of the Space Shuttle orbiter drag parachute, as well as the overall design, integration, and flight test of a gliding parachute for the X-38 Crew Rescue Vehicle, a crew return vehicle designed to return astronauts to earth from the International Space Station. Meyerson began with NASA in 1985 as a cooperative education student at JSC.
Meyerson has been a longtime advocate for outreach programs that provide work experience and sponsors Blue’s internship program, which has inspired and encouraged many university level students to pursue careers in the aerospace industry. In December 2016, Meyerson gave the commencement speech at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.
He is a Trustee at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, a former member of the board of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, and is a member of the Leadership Advisory Board for the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan and a member of the Visiting Committee for the Aeronautics & Astronautics department at the University of Washington.

Personal and education

Originally from Southfield, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, Meyerson earned a B.S. in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan and a master's degree in engineering management from the University of Houston. He is an AIAA Fellow, and a former member of the Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Technical Committee.
He was awarded the Space Flight Award by the American Astronautical Society in 2016. This award is given annually and is the highest award bestowed by the AAS.

Quotations

"Competition is a good thing It keeps you sharp and it keeps you focused."
“Having the opportunity to grow a team from 10 people to more than 1,200 has been a very proud accomplishment for me. Hiring them, motivating and challenging them, developing them into engineers and leaders, and then watching them accomplish historic achievements has been uniquely satisfying and very special.”
“Start with passion for mission. Has the candidate demonstrated his or her passion for working in the space field? This is foundational, so no amount of judgment, intelligence or experience can overcome a lack of passion for our mission.”