Moriba Jah facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Moriba Jah
Born	Moriba Kemessia Jah (1971-03-23) March 23, 1971 (age 54) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Education	Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University (BS) University of Colorado, Boulder (MS, PhD)
Known for	Space Situational Awareness Programme, space surveillance and tracking, space traffic management,
Spouse(s)	Maria Renee Washington ​ ​ (m. 1991; div. 1999)​ Cassaundra Renea Shafer ​ ​ (m. 2002; div. 2024)​ Daniele Love ​ (m. 2024)​
Children	3
Awards	TED Fellow Academician, International Academy of Astronautics NASA Space Act Award American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Fellow National Defense Service Medal
Scientific career
Fields	Astrodynamics satellite navigation
Institutions	University of Texas at Austin University of Arizona Air Force Research Laboratory Jet Propulsion Laboratory Los Alamos National Laboratory
Thesis	Mars aerobraking spacecraft state estimation by processing inertial measurement unit data (2005)
Doctoral advisor	George Born
Other academic advisors	Ronald Madler, Penina Axelrad

Moriba Kemessia Jah (born in 1971) is an American space scientist and aerospace engineer. He calls himself a "space environmentalist" because he works hard to find ways to clean up space junk. He is an expert in tracking objects in space and managing space traffic.

Since 2024, he has been a full professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a National Geographic Explorer. Moriba Jah has helped start several companies, including Privateer Space, GaiaVerse, and Moriba Jah Universal. His current work focuses on making smart decisions to protect our planet and space around it.

In 2024, Privateer Space bought Orbital Insight, a company that analyzes satellite images. This happened after Privateer Space received important funding. Before this, Jah worked as a spacecraft navigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. There, he helped guide missions like the Mars Global Surveyor and the Mars Exploration Rover. He is a respected member of many important groups, like the American Astronautical Society. In 2022, he was chosen as a MacArthur Fellow, which is a very special award. His work has been featured in popular magazines like Nature and National Geographic.

Early Life and Education

Moriba Jah was born in San Francisco, California. His mother was from Haiti, and his father was from Sierra Leone. When he was six years old, he moved to Venezuela.

After finishing school, Jah returned to the United States. He joined the United States Air Force and worked as a Security Policeman.

Studying Aerospace Engineering

After serving in the Air Force, he studied Aerospace engineering at Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1999. A professor named Ron Madler inspired him to become an astrodynamicist. This is someone who studies how things move in space.

Jah then spent a year at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. There, he worked on designing space missions. After that, he spent two years at a company called Microcosm. He helped figure out the paths for several groups of satellites.

Graduate Studies and NASA Work

He continued his studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. He earned his master's degree in 2001 and his PhD in 2005. During his PhD, he worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) as a navigation engineer. He created ways to guide spacecraft and track their paths for missions to Mars. These missions included the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Exploration Rover.

His PhD research looked at how spacecraft use a method called aerobraking. This is when a spacecraft uses a planet's atmosphere to slow down. He found ways to make this process more automatic.

In 2006, Jah left NASA JPL. He became a Senior Scientist at Oceanit Laboratories. There, he used optical data (information from light) to figure out where objects were in space. In 2007, he received the NASA Space Act Award for his work on a navigation system called IMAN.

Career in Space Science

In 2007, Moriba Jah joined the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). He led a research institute for space studies in Maui from 2007 to 2010. Then he moved to Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico until 2014. At Kirtland, Jah was in charge of Space Situational Awareness. He also advised on programs that guide and control satellites.

Tracking Space Objects

In 2016, he became a professor at the University of Arizona. He led the university's Space Object Behavioral Sciences program. There, he developed ways to track and understand the many objects orbiting Earth. There are over 23,000 human-made objects in Earth's orbit, but only about 1,500 of them are working satellites.

In 2017, Jah joined the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. His work there focused on creating models of space debris. These models help us understand how many objects are in space and where they are.

Space Traffic Management

Jah has said that the United States Strategic Command cannot accurately track all satellites. He believes their current information might not be perfect. In 2017, he spoke to the Federal government of the United States about creating a system to manage space traffic. He thinks this system should be open and clear for everyone to use. This would help protect spacecraft from junk and make sure they are properly monitored.

Jah has also been part of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. He leads a NATO group that works on understanding space. At the University of Texas at Austin, he is a Distinguished Scholar. In 2024, he became a full professor.

His published work covers many areas. These include knowing what is in space, managing space traffic, and guiding spacecraft. He also studies how different sources of information can be combined. In 2021, Jah helped start Privateer Space with Steve Wozniak. He works there as the Chief Scientist.

Awards and Honors

Moriba Jah has received many awards and honors for his important work.

Images for kids

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  Moriba Jah speaking at a panel.