Andrew Abercromby
Encyclopedia
Andrew F. J. Abercromby (born May 12, 1980) is a biomedical engineer working on the design and testing of spacesuit systems and rover
s for future exploration of the solar system
. He works for Wyle Integrated Science & Engineering
at NASA
's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas
. As an aquanaut
, Abercromby served as a member of the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 14 (NEEMO 14) crew. Abercromby has more than ten years of experience working in the Space Life Sciences and Engineering Directorates at the Johnson Space Center. He is married with two daughters.
, Abercromby played soccer, rugby
and cricket
. He was not interested in space exploration
until the age of 17, while attending Buckhaven High School
in Fife, Scotland, when he was offered the chance to fly to the United States
and join an International Space School at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Abercromby had never been on an airplane before. His host while in Houston was Canadian Space Agency astronaut
Chris Hadfield
. Abercromby would later say, "It was really something - sharing my breakfast cereal with a real-life astronaut." After spending two weeks at NASA Abercromby knew what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.
Because no aerospace
degree was available in Scotland, after leaving high school Abercromby studied mechanical engineering
at the University of Edinburgh
while trying to figure out a way to become involved in space exploration and perhaps fly in space himself one day. After much study, part-time jobs, and some pilot
training with the reserves of the Royal Air Force
, Abercromby was employed by NASA. Abercromby received an award as best graduate student from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. He received an M.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering
from the University of Edinburgh in 2002. In 2006 Abercromby received a Ph.D.
in Kinesiology
from the University of Houston
. He was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus by the University's Department of Health and Human Performance (HHP) in 2007.
) Physiology, Systems and Performance project, which is helping develop new spacesuits that will be safer, more efficient, and easier to use. Abercromby has also worked in NASA's Neurosciences Laboratory, Anthropometry and Biomechanics Facility, and Flight Mechanics Laboratory.
Abercromby has worked on NASA analog missions
in the Arizona
desert and on the Haughton–Mars Project in the High Arctic
. He has also worked aboard reduced-gravity research aircraft and on the Pavilion Lake Research Project
, investigating a remote lake in British Columbia
, Canada
. In May 2010, Abercromby became an aquanaut
through his participation in the joint NASA-NOAA, NEEMO 14 (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) project, an exploration research mission held in Aquarius
, the world's only undersea research laboratory
. The NEEMO 14 mission was commanded by Chris Hadfield, Abercromby's host on his first visit to Houston thirteen years earlier. Prior to the NEEMO 14 mission, Abercromby was quoted as saying that he "expects to learn a lot about himself by living and working as part of an underwater team for two weeks. He expects it to be a lot of work but plans on enjoying the unique experience." Abercromby celebrated his 30th birthday during the NEEMO 14 mission.
Abercromby was a member of NASA's Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS)
2010 Mission Support Team. He was responsible for ensuring that all experimental procedures were followed and that all of the data was collected.
Rover
-Leyland companies:* Rover Company , a British motorcycle and car manufacturing company, absorbed into Leyland Motor Corporation in 1967* Austin Rover Group , a mass-market car manufacturing subsidiary of Leyland...
s for future exploration of the solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
. He works for Wyle Integrated Science & Engineering
Wyle Laboratories
Wyle is a privately held provider of specialized engineering, scientific and technical services to the Department of Defense, NASA, and a variety of commercial customers primarily in the aerospace industry...
at NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. As an aquanaut
Aquanaut
An Aquanaut is any individual who remains underwater, exposed to the ambient pressure, long enough to come into equilibrium with his or her breathing media. Usually this is done in an underwater habitat on the seafloor for a period equal to or greater than 24 continuous hours without returning to...
, Abercromby served as a member of the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 14 (NEEMO 14) crew. Abercromby has more than ten years of experience working in the Space Life Sciences and Engineering Directorates at the Johnson Space Center. He is married with two daughters.
Education
Growing up in a fishing village in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Abercromby played soccer, rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. He was not interested in space exploration
Space exploration
Space exploration is the use of space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....
until the age of 17, while attending Buckhaven High School
Buckhaven High School
Buckhaven High School is a six year co-educational non-denominational comprehensive school with a current roll of 1226. In the past Buckhaven was the Levenmouth's high school for pupils that were able to pass their eleven plus exam...
in Fife, Scotland, when he was offered the chance to fly to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and join an International Space School at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Abercromby had never been on an airplane before. His host while in Houston was Canadian Space Agency astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
Chris Hadfield
Chris Hadfield
Chris Austin "Chris" Hadfield, O.Ont, MSC, CD is a Canadian astronaut from the Canadian Space Agency who was the first Canadian to walk in space. Hadfield has flown two space shuttle missions, STS-74 in 1995 and STS-100 in 2001. He has served as CAPCOM for both Space Shuttle and International...
. Abercromby would later say, "It was really something - sharing my breakfast cereal with a real-life astronaut." After spending two weeks at NASA Abercromby knew what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.
Because no aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
degree was available in Scotland, after leaving high school Abercromby studied mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
while trying to figure out a way to become involved in space exploration and perhaps fly in space himself one day. After much study, part-time jobs, and some pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
training with the reserves of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, Abercromby was employed by NASA. Abercromby received an award as best graduate student from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. He received an M.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
from the University of Edinburgh in 2002. In 2006 Abercromby received a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Kinesiology
Kinesiology
Kinesiology, also known as human kinetics is the scientific study of human movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, mechanical, and psychological mechanisms. Applications of kinesiology to human health include: biomechanics and orthopedics, rehabilitation, such as physical and occupational...
from the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
. He was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus by the University's Department of Health and Human Performance (HHP) in 2007.
NASA career
As a biomedical engineer and deputy project manager for the Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV) project, Abercromby is part of a team designing and testing a new type of human space exploration vehicle. Abercromby is also a member of the Extravehicular Activity (EVAExtra-vehicular activity
Extra-vehicular activity is work done by an astronaut away from the Earth, and outside of a spacecraft. The term most commonly applies to an EVA made outside a craft orbiting Earth , but also applies to an EVA made on the surface of the Moon...
) Physiology, Systems and Performance project, which is helping develop new spacesuits that will be safer, more efficient, and easier to use. Abercromby has also worked in NASA's Neurosciences Laboratory, Anthropometry and Biomechanics Facility, and Flight Mechanics Laboratory.
Abercromby has worked on NASA analog missions
Human analog missions
Human analog missions are activities undertaken on Earth in various environments to simulate aspects of human missions to other worlds, including the Moon, asteroids, and Mars. These remote field tests are performed in locations that are identified based on their physical similarities to the...
in the Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
desert and on the Haughton–Mars Project in the High Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
. He has also worked aboard reduced-gravity research aircraft and on the Pavilion Lake Research Project
Pavilion Lake Research Project
The Pavilion Lake Research Project is an international, multi-disciplinary, science and exploration effort to explain the origin of freshwater microbialites in Pavilion Lake, British Columbia, Canada.-History:...
, investigating a remote lake in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In May 2010, Abercromby became an aquanaut
Aquanaut
An Aquanaut is any individual who remains underwater, exposed to the ambient pressure, long enough to come into equilibrium with his or her breathing media. Usually this is done in an underwater habitat on the seafloor for a period equal to or greater than 24 continuous hours without returning to...
through his participation in the joint NASA-NOAA, NEEMO 14 (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) project, an exploration research mission held in Aquarius
Aquarius (laboratory)
The NOAA Aquarius Reef Base is an underwater habitat located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, adjacent to Conch Reef. It is one of the few underwater research facilities in the world dedicated to science...
, the world's only undersea research laboratory
Underwater habitat
Underwater habitats are underwater structures in which people can live for extended periods and carry out most of the basic human functions of a 24-hour day, such as working, resting, eating, attending to personal hygiene, and sleeping...
. The NEEMO 14 mission was commanded by Chris Hadfield, Abercromby's host on his first visit to Houston thirteen years earlier. Prior to the NEEMO 14 mission, Abercromby was quoted as saying that he "expects to learn a lot about himself by living and working as part of an underwater team for two weeks. He expects it to be a lot of work but plans on enjoying the unique experience." Abercromby celebrated his 30th birthday during the NEEMO 14 mission.
Abercromby was a member of NASA's Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS)
Desert Research and Technology Studies
NASA's Desert Research and Technology Studies is a group of teams which perform an annual series of field trials seeking to demonstrate and test candidate technologies and systems for manned exploration of the surface of the Moon, Mars, or other rocky bodies.Desert RATS began in 1997, reviving...
2010 Mission Support Team. He was responsible for ensuring that all experimental procedures were followed and that all of the data was collected.