AIAA Carolina Section
Virtual Program Presentation
Monday 14 June 2021
Testing Rocket Engines at Blue Origin
Todd Wetzel
Senior Director, Test Operations
Agenda (all times US Eastern):
1800-1845 Gathering time
1845-1900 AIAA Carolina Section Welcome
1900-2000 Program
Please note registration is REQUIRED for this program. You will receive the Zoom meeting link by email after you register.
About the Program:
Blue Origin is a quiet Space 2.0 company with an audacious vision: to enable a future where millions of people live and work in space to benefit Earth. Todd will cover the origins and inspiration for Blue Origin. He'll then outline the engines and spacecraft that are under development, and finally provide an overview of the massive facilities that are emerging in places like Washington, Texas, Alabama, and Florida to make this vision possible.
About the Speaker:
Todd Wetzel grew up in Macungie, PA, enamored with rockets and racecars, and knew at age 10 that he wanted to get a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering. After completing his degrees, including that Ph.D., at Virginia Tech in 1996, Todd joined GE Global Research in 1997 where he would go on to spend almost 23 years learning the business of science and the science of business from hundreds of brilliant colleagues, especially at GE Gas Power and GE Aviation. In 2020, Todd took a role as Senior Director of Test Operations at Blue Origin. In this role, Todd leads test teams in Washington, Texas and Alabama, testing rocket engines and componentry for all of Blue Origin's products, all to build a Road to Space. When not burning LH2 and LNG, Todd loves spending time with his wife Danielle and their 4 children, Calvin, Melinda, Grace and Charlotte.