Vice President & Orion Program Manager,
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
Presentation Title: “New Space and Human Space Rely on International Partnerships”
Presentation Date: Thursday, May 12, 2016 at 2:30pm
As part of NASA’s transformation, industry contractors will provide flight capability for space exploration – manned and unmanned. Leading the way in developing the first “next generation” of flight for space exploration is the Orion Program. Now the program’s leader will open the pages of this global-sized effort to speak about building a global partnership, shifting responsibilities and people.
Biography: W. Michael Hawes, D.Sc., is the Vice President and Orion Program Manager for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. Dr. Hawes joined Lockheed Martin in July 2011 after concluding a 33-year career with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and was selected to head up Lockheed Martin’s Orion Program Office in 2014.
Prior to joining the Orion Program, he served as the Director for Human Space Flight Programs with Lockheed Martin’s Washington Operations organization. In this role he was responsible for representing the Human Space Flight/ Space Systems Company organization with the Administration and Congress.
Dr. Hawes has a diverse background of program management, aerospace engineering, mission operations, and leadership experience that is critical to leading one of the company’s most notable programs. During his career with NASA, Dr. Hawes served as the Associate Administrator for Independent Program and Cost Evaluation (IPCE) where he was responsible for providing objective studies and analyses in support of policy, program, and budget decisions by the NASA Administrator. He also served as the Deputy Associate Administrator for Program Integration in the Office of Space Operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC, and supported the Space Shuttle Program focusing on Return to Flight actions as well as the transition and disposition of Space Shuttle assets following the program’s conclusion.
In addition, Dr. Hawes served as the Deputy Associate Administrator, International Space Station (ISS) and Program Director for the ISS at NASA Headquarters where he directed the space station budget; established and implemented station policy and coordinated external communications; and liaison activities with the Administration, Congress, industry and the station’s international partners. During his tenure with the ISS Program, 13 Space Shuttle assembly missions were completed, the critical Russian Service Module launched, and the first five ISS Expedition crews completed their increments. All assembly missions were completed successfully as major components were integrated in space without ever seeing their counterparts on the ground.
Prior to joining the Space Station Program Office in Reston, Dr. Hawes served in several technical and managerial positions at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. His responsibilities included the integration of experiments and commercial satellites into the Space Shuttle. Hawes served as the Payload Officer in the Shuttle Mission Control Center for several missions from STS-5 through STS-61C. In addition, he served on the Mission Control team for the Skylab Reentry team in 1979.
Dr. Hawes has also served as an adjunct faculty member of the George Washington University College of Engineering. His focus areas include engineering management and systems engineering.
Dr. Hawes was born in Greenville, PA where he attended Greenville Senior High School. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1978 and Masters and Doctor of Science of Engineering Management degrees from the George Washington University in 1996 and 2006 respectively. He is also a graduate in Program Management from the Defense Systems Management College in Fort Belvoir, Va.
Among the many career awards Dr. Hawes has received are NASA’s Distinguished Service and Outstanding Leadership Medals. He has been recognized with three Senior Executive Service Rank Awards and was the NASA recipient of the Prince of Asturias Award from His Royal Highness, the Prince of Spain. Dr. Hawes was inducted as a member of the International Academy of Astronautics in September 2013 and he is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
