Jonathan Dory
Encyclopedia
Jonathan R. Dory is a Human Systems Integration Lead at NASA
's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas
. He is Branch Chief of NASA
's Habitability and Human Factors Branch, part of the Habitability and Environmental Factors Division at NASA/JSC. Dory supports crew safety and productivity on the International Space Station
(ISS) Program by planning and assessing the on-orbit interior configuration of ISS, as well as performing anthropometric analysis of crew tasks. He contributes to the integrated operation of the Space Station while using 3D computer graphics
and animation software as part of his daily work. In July 2002, Dory served as an aquanaut
on the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations
3 (NEEMO 3) crew.
. He spent his childhood camping, hiking
, and backpacking
in the Rocky Mountains
. Dory graduated from Mitchell High School
in Colorado Springs and attended Colorado State University
, where in 2000 he received a B.S.
in civil engineering
, with a particular interest in structures.
Dory's interest in the space program led him to participate in a number of activities while pursuing his degree. As a member and officer of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
, he worked with other similarly interested students to build prototype exercise devices for use in space
, and had the opportunity to test them in simulated microgravity aboard NASA's "zero-g" aircraft
, the KC-135. Dory was also active in programs sponsored by the Colorado Space Grant Consortium, including the Citizen Explorer Satellite, a student-designed and built spacecraft
, which measures global atmospheric ozone
concentrations and transmits its data directly to classrooms throughout the United States
.
for a manned mission
to Mars
at the Mars Desert Research Station
(MDRS) in Utah
.
In July 2002, Dory became an aquanaut
through his participation in the joint NASA
-NOAA, NEEMO 3 (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) project, an exploration research mission held in Aquarius
, the world's only undersea research laboratory
. The NEEMO 3 mission objective was to build crew and mission control communication
techniques, and provide leadership and interpersonal skills training for everyone involved. Among other activities, Dory took part in the underwater
construction of a prefabricated structure as an analog to EVA
assembly operations on the International Space Station
. Dory wrote during the mission, "I recall the surreal feeling of looking at our new home, blue sky above filled with a school of 1 1/2 meter barracuda
for clouds, and a big yellow life support buoy for a sun. What a truly unique place this is to live and work." The NEEMO 3 aquanauts also took part in a phone call with the crew
of the International Space Station as it passed over the North Atlantic. Dory was subsequently a member of the support staff for the NEEMO 5 mission in June 2003.
. He enjoys reading science
and technology
books, teaching himself to play guitar
, drawing
the human form, weightlifting
, SCUBA diving
, snowboarding
and rock climbing
. Dory aspires to contribute to the success of long duration human missions to Mars and beyond.
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 (JSC) 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 ...
. He is Branch Chief of 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 Habitability and Human Factors Branch, part of the Habitability and Environmental Factors Division at NASA/JSC. Dory supports crew safety and productivity on the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
(ISS) Program by planning and assessing the on-orbit interior configuration of ISS, as well as performing anthropometric analysis of crew tasks. He contributes to the integrated operation of the Space Station while using 3D computer graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
and animation software as part of his daily work. In July 2002, Dory served 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...
on the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations
NEEMO
NEEMO, an acronym for NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations, is a NASA program for studying human survival in the Aquarius underwater laboratory in preparation for future space exploration....
3 (NEEMO 3) crew.
Education and career path
Dory grew up in Colorado Springs, ColoradoColorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. He spent his childhood camping, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, and backpacking
Backpacking (wilderness)
Backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping for an overnight stay in backcountry wilderness...
in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. Dory graduated from Mitchell High School
William (Billy) Mitchell High School (Colorado Springs)
William Mitchell High School is the third-oldest high school in District 11 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, built in 1965 and named for aviation pioneer Billy Mitchell.Mitchell High School is the only school in the district to feature a planetarium....
in Colorado Springs and attended Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
, where in 2000 he received a B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
, with a particular interest in structures.
Dory's interest in the space program led him to participate in a number of activities while pursuing his degree. As a member and officer of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA was founded in 1963 from the merger of two earlier societies: the American Rocket Society , founded in 1930 as the American Interplanetary Society , and the Institute...
, he worked with other similarly interested students to build prototype exercise devices for use in space
Space
Space is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction. Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum...
, and had the opportunity to test them in simulated microgravity aboard NASA's "zero-g" aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
, the KC-135. Dory was also active in programs sponsored by the Colorado Space Grant Consortium, including the Citizen Explorer Satellite, a student-designed and built spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
, which measures global atmospheric ozone
Ozone
Ozone , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope...
concentrations and transmits its data directly to classrooms throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Analog missions
In March 2002, Dory took part in a simulation activityHuman 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...
for a manned mission
Manned mission to Mars
A manned mission to Mars has been the subject of science fiction, engineering, and scientific proposals throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century...
to Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
at the Mars Desert Research Station
Mars Desert Research Station
The Mars Desert Research Station is the second of four planned simulated Mars surface exploration habitats owned and operated by the Mars Society.-Background:...
(MDRS) in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
.
In July 2002, Dory 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
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...
-NOAA, NEEMO 3 (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 3 mission objective was to build crew and mission control communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
techniques, and provide leadership and interpersonal skills training for everyone involved. Among other activities, Dory took part in the underwater
Underwater
Underwater is a term describing the realm below the surface of water where the water exists in a natural feature such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, or river. Three quarters of the planet Earth is covered by water...
construction of a prefabricated structure as an analog to EVA
Extra-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...
assembly operations on the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
. Dory wrote during the mission, "I recall the surreal feeling of looking at our new home, blue sky above filled with a school of 1 1/2 meter barracuda
Barracuda
The barracuda is a ray-finned fish known for its large size and fearsome appearance. Its body is long, fairly compressed, and covered with small, smooth scales. Some species could reach up to 1.8m in length and 30 cm in width...
for clouds, and a big yellow life support buoy for a sun. What a truly unique place this is to live and work." The NEEMO 3 aquanauts also took part in a phone call with the crew
Expedition 5
Expedition 5 was the fifth long-duration stay on the International Space Station . The crew, consisting of three people, remained in space for 184 days, 178 of which were spent aboard the ISS...
of the International Space Station as it passed over the North Atlantic. Dory was subsequently a member of the support staff for the NEEMO 5 mission in June 2003.
Personal life
Dory lives in Seabrook, TexasSeabrook, Texas
Seabrook is a city in Harris county, with some water surface area located within Chambers county in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 9,443 at the 2000 census....
. He enjoys reading science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
books, teaching himself to play guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
the human form, weightlifting
Weightlifting
Olympic Weightlifting, also called Olympic-style weightlifting, or weightlifting, is an athletic discipline in the modern Olympic programme in which participants attempt a maximum-weight single lift of a barbell loaded with weight plates....
, SCUBA diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
, snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
and rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
. Dory aspires to contribute to the success of long duration human missions to Mars and beyond.