Session 5

Khary I. Parker is a Senior Propulsion Systems Engineer at NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center. Prior to coming to Goddard in 2005, he started at NASA-Glenn Research Center in 1999. During his time at Goddard, Khary has worked on designing, integrating, testing, and operating some of Goddard’s largest missions. These mission include the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) N/O/P Series Spacecraft, the Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) mission, and the Roman Space Telescope (RST). While on MMS, Khary served as the Deputy Propulsion Lead, Integration and Test Propulsion Lead for the first of the four MMS Observatories, and the Propellant Loading Coordinator where he developed a method to fuel multiple spacecraft. Currently, he is Goddard’s Subject Matter Expert in the field of Small Satellite (SmallSat) Propulsion Technology Development and uses that knowledge to serve prospective government and commercial SmallSat missions. Khary has also co-authored a section on Propulsion Systems in the upcoming book CubeSat Handbook: From Mission Design to Operations.

Khary has always been passionate about all things space related. Since seeing the early Space Shuttle missions in elementary school, he wanted more than anything to work in anything dealing with space. Once he got to college and learned how propulsion systems worked, that “fueled” his passion even more. Khary loves getting other people excited about space and access to space. He has spoken at Career Days at various elementary and middle schools as a way to inspire them to reach for the stars. Khary earned a Master of Science degree in Control Systems Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and Bachelor of Science degrees in Aerospace Science Engineering and Physics from Tuskegee University.