Metal Additive Manufacturing for Propulsion Applications

Paul R. Gradl is a principal engineer and subject matter expert at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. He has led several projects across NASA for additive manufacturing of liquid rocket engine components supporting various development and flight programs since 2004. He is an Associate Fellow of AIAA, recipient of "Engineer of the Year" by AIAA in 2022, serves as an industry advisor in additive, and was named one of "The Most Influential Personalities of Additive Manufacturing in 2020." He holds a master's in engineering, MBA, and is a PhD candidate in Aerospace Engineering. Christopher Protz is the advanced manufacturing technology lead at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). where he coordinates the evaluation, development, and integration of terrestrial and in-space manufacturing technologies/capabilities for NASA and partner programs. He has been with MSFC since 2004 and has deep experience in design, analysis, manufacturing and testing of liquid rocket engine components, spacecraft, and vehicle systems. He holds a bachelor's, master's, and PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Aerospace Systems. Omar R. Mireles is a research engineer at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. He serves as principal investigator for several additive manufacture research and development projects and infusion of additive manufacture into propulsion, power, cryogenic fluid management, and nuclear systems. He holds a PhD in Nuclear Engineering with emphasis in Materials Science and Engineering with work experience since 2002 at several NASA centers, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the U.S. Air Force. Chance Garcia is a lead engineer in propulsion systems engineering at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. He has experience with propulsion systems development for design, analysis, manufacturing, and testing of additive components. He holds a bachelor's, master's, and PhD from the University of Texas El Paso. He is a graduate of the International Space University Studies Program, and an advisor and session chair for various STEM activities and conferences.