Félix Soto Toro (born 1967), is an electrical designs engineer 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 ...

, who developed the Advanced Payload Transfer Measurement System.

Early years

Soto Toro was raised in a poor section of the City of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico known as El Barrio Amelia. As a child, he was interested in everything that had to do with light bulbs and electricity. He obtained his primary and secondary education in his hometown and went to high school at the Colegio Madre Cabrini in San Juan. In 1984, after graduating from high school, Soto Toro enrolled at the

Florida Institute of Technology The Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech or FIT) is a private research university in Melbourne, Florida. The university comprises four academic colleges: Engineering & Science, Aeronautics, Psychology & Liberal Arts, and Business. App ...

, located in

Melbourne, Florida Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando. As of th2020 Decennial Census there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. ...

where he earned a Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. In 1986, while in college, he decided that he would like to become an engineer for NASA. Soto Toro participated in the Cooperative Education Program.

Career at NASA

In 1990, Soto Toro earned his bachelor's degree in science in electrical engineering. He was hired by NASA, a month after graduating and assigned to the Design Engineering Networks Communications section at

Kennedy Space Center The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 1968 ...

. In 1992, he completed his master's degree in science in electrical engineering, and by 1997, he completed another Masters in Science Degree. By specializing in the communications field of electrical engineering, he improved his credentials towards his goal of becoming an astronaut. At the Kennedy Space Center, Soto Toro reviews, designs, builds, tests and implements engineering designs used in the

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program ...

and Payload Operations Development Laboratories. The main project he developed was the Advanced Payload Transfer Measurement System, which consists of a simplified, robust, centrally operated and portable system that automatically measures the spherical coordinates offset between the trunnion and their supports during transfer operations. Soto Toro earned his Doctorate of Philosophy degree in Electrical Engineering and applied to become an astronaut candidate. In NASA, Soto Toro works with testing ground support equipment used in pre-launch, launch and post-launch activities.

Honors

Soto Toro was presented with the 2003 "El Premio Coqui" by La Casa de Puerto Rico in Florida for his contributions in the field of science. On November 9, 2003, Soto Toro, along with another Puerto Rican astronaut applicant, Henry Bursian Berríos, and Ninfa Segarra, who was the first Hispanic Deputy Mayor of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, were named the Grand Marshals of the

Puerto Rican Day Parade The Puerto Rican Day Parade (also known as the National Puerto Rican Day Parade) takes place annually in the United States along Fifth Avenue in the Manhattan borough of New York City. The parade is held on the second Sunday in June, in hon ...

held in

Palm Bay, Florida Palm Bay is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The city's population was 119,760 at th2020 United States Census making it the most populous city in the county and the largest by land mass. The historic section of the city lies on the ...

. Soto Toro was twice given the Puerto Rico Role Model Award, by the Puerto Rico School system.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toro, Felix Soto Soto Toro, Felix People from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico Florida Institute of Technology alumni Soto Toro, Felix NASA people Puerto Rican scientists Puerto Rican inventors 21st-century American inventors

Early years

Career at NASA

Honors

See also

Notes

References