Steven Patrick Chappell (born 1969/1970) is an American
aerospace engineer
Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...
. He is a Technical Lead & Research Specialist for
Wyle Integrated Science & Engineering at
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
's
Johnson Space Center (JSC) in
Houston, Texas.
He is helping to define and execute the research needed to optimize human performance in next-generation
spacesuits and
extra-vehicular activity (EVA) systems. Chappell served as an
aquanaut on the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 14 (
NEEMO 14) crew.
Education and early career
Chappell grew up in
Lake Orion, MI and dreamed of
space travel as a child. After graduating from
Lake Orion High School
Lake Orion High School is a public secondary school located in Orion Township, Michigan, United States. It is a part of Lake Orion Community Schools.
"Once a dragon, always a dragon." - Jeff Heath
Athletics
State Championships
* 1925 - Boys' B ...
in 1987, he attended the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
in
Ann Arbor and earned a
bachelor’s degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six y ...
in
Aerospace Engineering Sciences, graduating in 1991.
After graduating, he used his newly gained expertise to help design and develop aircraft and missile simulations to assist
pilots with real-time combat decision making, but still had a strong desire to be a part of human spaceflight. This drove Chappell to move to
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
to further his education and be closer to the mountains to develop his growing passion for
rock climbing and
mountaineering.
Chappell’s intent upon returning to college was to become a
medical doctor specializing in
aerospace medicine
Aviation medicine, also called flight medicine or aerospace medicine, is a preventive or occupational medicine in which the patients/subjects are pilots, aircrews, or astronauts. The specialty strives to treat or prevent conditions to which airc ...
and he began taking classes to make that possible, but being a climber led him to learn about
Rocky Mountain Rescue Group
''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess ...
based in
Boulder, CO
Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Colora ...
. He became a member of the all-volunteer team, one of the busiest in the country, and quickly became active performing technical rock, snow, and ice rescue missions. Over time, his involvement on the mountain rescue team fed his interest in helping people while doing something he loved and he changed his educational course to pursue
bioastronautics-related graduate degrees, studying how humans perform in the harsh environment of
space
Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually cons ...
.
Chappell earned masters and doctoral degrees from the
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sy ...
(
M.S.
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
, Aerospace Engineering, 2003;
PhD, 2006),
studying human performance in simulated
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
and
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
gravity
In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...
.
His PhD thesis was on "Analysis of Planetary Exploration Spacesuit Systems and Evaluation of a Modified Partial-Gravity Simulation Technique".
While he was performing his graduate research, he worked as one of the lead
systems engineers developing and launching a
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioi ...
to study
cloud formation
In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may com ...
in the
upper atmosphere Upper atmosphere is a collective term that refers to various layers of the atmosphere of the Earth above the troposphere and corresponding regions of the atmospheres of other planets, and includes:
* The mesosphere, which on Earth lies between th ...
. Also during this time, his passion for rescue led him to become the operational leader of his mountain rescue team. He has taken part in more than 350 rescue missions and also climbed many high peaks in Colorado and on international expeditions. Along the way, he attained multiple
SCUBA
Scuba may refer to:
* Scuba diving
** Scuba set, the equipment used for scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving
* Scuba, an in-memory database developed by Facebook
* Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array, either of two in ...
certifications and made
dives in exotic locations around the world.
Chappell worked for FAAC Incorporated as a simulation engineer from 1992 to 1996, for
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company as a systems engineer from 1997 to 2000, and for Global Commerce Systems as an engineering manager from 2000 to 2001. From 2002 to 2008 he was a mission systems engineer for the
Laboratory for Atmospheric & Space Physics.
NASA career
![Steve Chappell](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Steve_Chappell.jpg)
Chappell’s diverse background and experience led him to work for Wyle Integrated Science & Engineering at NASA JSC, where he has been employed since 2008.
He is helping to define and execute the research needed to optimize human performance in the next-generation spacesuits and EVA systems. As part of his job, he has led and taken part in studies in different
exploration analog environments including the high
Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...
, parabolic flight aircraft, and partial gravity simulators at JSC. He was a major contributor to the design of the mockups and procedures to be used during NEEMO 14.
Chappell was a NASA astronaut candidate interviewee in 2009.
In May 2010, Chappell became an
aquanaut through his participation in the joint NASA-
NOAA,
NEEMO 14 (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) project, an exploration research mission held in
Aquarius
Aquarius may refer to:
Astrology
* Aquarius (astrology), an astrological sign
* Age of Aquarius, a time period in the cycle of astrological ages
Astronomy
* Aquarius (constellation)
* Aquarius in Chinese astronomy
Arts and entertainme ...
, the world's only
undersea research laboratory.
Prior to the mission, Chappell was quoted as saying that he "is looking forward to working as a team with the other crewmembers during NEEMO 14 to help NASA take the next steps to push forward the frontier of space exploration."
Although Chappell works at JSC, much of his time is spent working remotely from near Boulder.
He remains active with Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, having served as its operations director from 2006 to 2008 and as the president of its executive board from 2010 to 2012, and again as operations director from 2013 to the present.
Chappell also enjoys
running
Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...
,
canyoneering
Canyoning (canyoneering in the United States, kloofing in South Africa) is a type of mountaineering that involves travelling in canyons using a variety of techniques that may include other Outdoor activity, outdoor activities such as walking, s ...
, reading, and
painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...
.
Chappell served as deputy mission manager for the
NEEMO 15 mission in October 2011.
During the
NEEMO 16 mission in June 2012, Chappell served as the technical director for the near-Earth asteroid exploration EVA objectives, as an In-Water Test Director, and piloted a
DeepWorker submersible.
Memberships and honors
In addition to Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Chappell's memberships include the
International Council on Systems Engineering
The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE; pronounced in-co-see) is a not-for-profit membership organization and professional society in the field of systems engineering. INCOSE has about 17000 members including individual members, ...
, the Society for Human Performance in Extreme Environments, the
Mountain Rescue Association, and the
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA is the U.S. representative on the International Astronautical Federation and the International Council of ...
(AIAA). His honors include the NASA
Silver Snoopy Award
The Silver Snoopy award is a special honor awarded to NASA employees and contractors for outstanding achievements related to human flight safety or mission success. The award certificate states that it is "In Appreciation" "For professionalism, d ...
(2011), the AIAA Foundation Graduate Award for "Planetary EVA Operations – Research & Design" (2006), and awards from Wyle Integrated Science & Engineering, Rocky Mountain Rescue, and Lockheed Martin.
References
External links
NASA bioRocky Mountain Rescue Group websiteVideo of Chappell in Aquarius
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chappell, Steven
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
American aerospace engineers
American mountain climbers
American rock climbers
American underwater divers
Aquanauts
NASA people
People from Lake Orion, Michigan
Place of birth missing (living people)
University of Colorado Boulder alumni
University of Michigan College of Engineering alumni