Michael D. Griffin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael D. Griffin
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Official portrait, 2018
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| Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering | |
| In office February 19, 2018 – July 10, 2020 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Heidi Shyu |
| 11th Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
| In office April 13, 2005 – January 20, 2009 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Deputy | Shana Dale |
| Preceded by | Sean O'Keefe |
| Succeeded by | Charles Bolden |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Michael Douglas Griffin
November 1, 1949 Aberdeen, Maryland, U.S. |
| Education |
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Michael Douglas Griffin (born November 1, 1949) is an American physicist and aerospace engineer. He held important roles in the U.S. government, including leading NASA and working for the Department of Defense. From 2018 to 2020, he was the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Before that, he was the head of NASA from 2005 to 2009.
As NASA Administrator, Griffin helped guide important projects like private spaceflight and planning for future human spaceflight to Mars. He also worked on the future of the Hubble Space Telescope. Even though he calls himself a "simple aerospace engineer," he has been recognized as one of the most influential people by TIME magazine. His time at NASA brought big changes to the space agency's direction.
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Michael Griffin's Career Journey
Michael Griffin's career started in the 1980s at the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). There, he helped design satellites for missile defense. He quickly became a leader, helping to create the first space-to-space interception of a ballistic missile. This was a big step in missile defense technology.
Working with Space Companies
In 1991, Griffin was a top leader at Orbital Sciences, a company that launched things into space. He also wrote a report in 1995 about protecting America from ballistic missiles. He suggested using a network of sensors and weapons in low Earth orbit to defend against these missiles.
In 2002, Griffin met Elon Musk, who later started SpaceX. Griffin even traveled to Russia with Musk to try and buy ICBMs. This trip, though unsuccessful, helped lead to the creation of SpaceX. Griffin later became president of In-Q-Tel, a company funded by the CIA that invests in new technologies for national security.
Leading NASA's Space Missions
In 2005, Griffin became the head of NASA. He strongly supported using private companies for cargo and crew transportation to space. He helped create the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. This program encouraged companies like SpaceX and Orbital Sciences to develop ways to deliver supplies to space. These companies later won large contracts to carry cargo to the International Space Station.
Defense and Hypersonic Weapons
In 2018, Donald Trump appointed Griffin as the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. In this role, he created the Space Development Agency. This agency's job was to build a network of satellites in low Earth orbit to detect new types of weapons from countries like China and Russia. He also supported the development of very fast weapons called hypersonic weapons.
Teaching and Other Roles
Before leading NASA, Griffin was involved with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). He has also been a professor at several universities, teaching about spacecraft design and other aerospace topics. He even co-wrote a textbook called Space Vehicle Design. Griffin is also a pilot and flight instructor. In 2023, he joined the board of Castelion, a defense manufacturing company.
Michael Griffin's Education
Michael Griffin has earned seven academic degrees! He studied many different subjects throughout his career:
- In 1971, he earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Johns Hopkins University.
- In 1974, he got a master's degree in aerospace science from the Catholic University of America.
- In 1977, he earned a PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland.
- In 1979, he received a master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California.
- In 1983, he earned another master's degree, this time in applied physics, from Johns Hopkins University.
- In 1990, he completed an MBA degree from Loyola University Maryland.
- In 1998, he earned a master's degree in civil engineering from George Washington University.
After leaving NASA in 2009, Griffin became a professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He helped create a center there to study how different parts of complex systems work together.
Michael Griffin's Vision for Space
Michael Griffin has always dreamed big about space. In 2004, he told Congress that the main goal of human spaceflight should be to settle the Solar System and beyond. He believed this was the only reason important enough to justify the hard work involved. He also talked about the need for powerful rockets, nuclear power systems for space, and ways to use resources found on other planets.
Griffin shared that his love for space started when he was five years old, after getting a book about astronomy. He said from that moment, he knew he wanted to be a scientist or engineer involved in space.
He has worked with many groups that support space exploration, like the National Space Society and the Mars Society.
- He co-led a study about extending human presence into the Solar System.
- He was one of the first people to sign up for the Mars Society, which wants to send humans to Mars.
- He even gave a talk with Elon Musk in 2001 at a Mars Society meeting, where Musk first shared his idea to grow plants on Mars.
Michael Griffin as NASA Administrator
President George W. Bush chose Michael Griffin to be the 11th Administrator of NASA on March 11, 2005. The Senate approved him on April 13, 2005. Vice President Dick Cheney himself swore Griffin into office, showing how important NASA was to the Bush Administration.
In 2007, Griffin stated that NASA aimed to send humans to Mars by 2037. He also shared his thoughts on the Space Shuttle program, saying that if NASA had continued to develop the Apollo program's technology, humans could have reached Mars much earlier.
Challenges at NASA
Griffin faced challenges with NASA's budget. Some groups criticized him for moving money from science research to human spaceflight projects, like the Constellation program. However, Griffin explained that these cuts were necessary because of a $3.2 billion funding shortage. He also said that NASA's overall funding wasn't enough to do everything it was asked to do, including building the International Space Station (ISS) and continuing the Space Shuttle program.
A big goal for Griffin was to finish building the ISS before the Space Shuttle program ended in 2010. After the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, there were safety concerns. Griffin approved the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery in July 2006, even though some safety officers had worries. He believed it was important to test changes one at a time. This launch helped prove that safety improvements were working, allowing the Space Shuttle to complete the ISS construction by early 2011.
Leaving NASA
Griffin hoped to stay on as NASA Administrator when Barack Obama became president. However, his resignation, which is standard for all agency heads when a new president takes office, was accepted. He gave a farewell speech in January 2009, praising NASA for recovering from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and asking employees to support the new leader. He left office on the day President Obama was sworn in.
Later Career and Recognition
After leaving NASA, Michael Griffin became a professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2009. He also became the chairman and CEO of Schafer Corporation, a technology company, in 2012.
Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
In 2018, he was confirmed as the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering for the U.S. Department of Defense. In this role, he set the technology priorities for the military. He left this position in 2020 to work in the private sector.
Rocket Lab and Honors
In August 2020, Griffin joined the board of directors at Rocket Lab, a company that builds and launches rockets. He later sold his shares and left the board in September 2024.
Michael Griffin has received many awards for his work, including:
- The Defense Department's highest award for a non-government employee, the Distinguished Public Service Medal (1986).
- The NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal (1994).
- Being named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2008.
- The Rotary National Award for Space Achievement's National Space Trophy (2009).
- An honorary degree from the University of Notre Dame (2011).
- An asteroid, 159999 Michaelgriffin, was named after him in 2018.
