AFTER METEORIC CAREER AT NASA, HOMETOWN STAR MAY REAPPEAR

By Juan Montoya

Growing up the near the intersection of Van Buren and Seventh streets, Richard Sanchez was just one of the barrio boys.
The Cameron County courthouse on Harrison Street did not exist, and neither did the federal courthouse between Sixth and Seventh.
After school, the custom of the neighborhood friends was to go the the empty overgrown lots where the courthouse would eventually stand and hunt for lizards and other prey.
But once 4:30 p.m. came around, it didn't matter how good the hunting was or what the gang was doing, Richard would light out for his house.
"Where's Richard?" his friends would ask.
"Oh, it's time for Star Trek," another would answer.
Richard's passion even at that early age, was space. Whether it was reading about it, watching science fiction about space travel, or imagining he was in the outer fringes of the solar system, he lived and ate space.
Now, after 32 years of aerospace experience, he has reached the peak of a career that took him from dusty little Brownsville to the highest scientific and space-project responsibilities with private contractors like McDonnell Douglas and to the inner circles of NASA's upper management
Richard graduated from the University of Texas, Austin, in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering and then moved on to the national space agency. To the layman, things like System Development and Verification, Communications, Negotiations, Flight Design Management, Space Shuttle Simulator Training, Flight Dynamics & Trajectory Officer Training, and Mission Planning and Analysis sound like esoteric subjects.
To him, it was but another step on the quest for his dream.
After three decades in the business, he can rattle off his accomplishments like a mantra.
"I've had experience leading groups in International Project Management, Operations Management, Aerospace Engineering, Contractor Supervision, Space Shuttle Operations real-time Flight Control, Systems Integration, and stuff like that," he say matter-of-factly.
Sanchez also participated in NASA's Extreme Environment Mission Operations Project (NEEMO) where he managed directorate organizations for two NEEMO space flight analog missions in an underwater habitat. Among his specific responsibilities were included guiding participation in the evaluation missions and preparing and leading the process for the selection of ‘aquanaut’ candidates for three missions to the underwater habitat.
Think that's a mouthful?
How about his role as Deputy Manager for NASA Flight Surgeon training? In that capacity, he helped to implement training programs to help certify more flight surgeons for Space Shuttle and Space Station console duty than in any other time in the past.
Since 1985 to the present he has been the Senior Project Manager for Medical Operations/Space Medicine Division, Space Life Sciences Directorate.
He was also Operations Manager responsible for major scientific payloads on four Space Shuttle missions and as Jet Propulsion Engineering liaison, supported international payload customers, managed training and certification for international payload support groups (90 - 150 personnel) in shuttle real-time procedures and operations coordination, and directed real-time operations in the shuttle Payload Operations Control Center and payload Program Manager Support center.
What does all this mean?
He coordinated and integrated scientific payload customer Shuttle requirements for two Space Radar Laboratory mapping missions and the first high-energy particle physics experiment flown on the shuttle (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer).
On another mission, he also managed the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (mapped 80% of the world in nine days) and even saved major Payload Project from crisis due to sudden loss of the Project Manager.
He also managed the Space Shuttle flight design functions to ensure overall mission success of shuttle flights STS-32 and STS-37 and acted as Flight Controller in the Houston Mission Control Center for shuttle flights STS-61A and STS-61C. He has trained extensively in shuttle rendezvous operations.
But most of all, Richard likes his math. While at McDonnell Douglass, he performed launch window, trajectory, and orbital analysis for space shuttle missions. And he also developed algorithms for interplanetary launch window computer programs.
After a career at the highest levels of space technology, Sanchez is thinking of retiring and coming back home, perhaps even teaching local kids interested in space travel and technology.
"Students should be taught that everything is possible," he said. "The place where I grew up is now a parking lot for the federal courthouse, and that's kind of humbling. But change is inevitable. One has to learn how to deal with it and move on."
"This is the kind of person our university should be looking for," said UTB-TSC trustee Rene Torres. "Here's a hometown boy who achieved the highest levels in science and technology. What a role model he would make for those students who are dreaming of entering a science career."