Miguel Rodriguez
Encyclopedia
Miguel Rodríguez is the Chief of the Integration Office of the Cape Canaveral
Spaceport Management Office.
section of the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico
where he received both his primary and secondary education. In 1969, he along with millions of other people around the world, witnessed the historical moment when Neil Armstrong
from the Apollo mission stepped on the moon
s surface. Like so many other young men at the time, Rodríguez felt inspired to consider a career in the Space program of the United States known as NASA
.
After Rodríguez graduated from Colegio Espiritu Santo high school in Hato Rey, in 1971, he enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico's Mayagüez campus
, where the Engineering College is located. Rodríguez earned his Mechanical Engineer Degree in 1976, however he had applied for a job with NASA in 1975, a year before his graduation. After graduating, he was called for an interview and offered a job in NASA. He became a mechanical engineer, designing parts for the Space Shuttle
, at Marshall Space Flight Center
in Huntsville, Alabama
.
in Florida
. Eventually he was named Director of Stennis Operations, where he managed facility construction, security and other programs for 4,500 Stennis personnel. Rodríguez worked as the integration engineer for the STS-31 Hubble Space Telescope payload. He also led a team which developed a tool for capturing employee competencies and skills in support of the Agency Core Capabilities Assessment.
Rodríguez entered management in 1986, serving as the Chief of the Integration Office at Cape Canaveral Spaceport Management Office at the Air Force Station. He is also the Director of the Propulsion Directorate at Stennis Space Center located in Mississippi
. His team worked on the STS-114 engines which were installed on the Discovery Space Shuttle launched in August 2005.
with his wife and is currently working on his Masters in mechanical Engineering Degree form the University of Central Florida
.
Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River.It is part of a region known as the...
Spaceport Management Office.
Early years
Rodríguez was born in the SanturceSanturce, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Santurce is a district of San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Summary:Santurce is one of the top ten most populated areas of the island holding Miramar, Loíza, Isla Grande, Barrio Obrero, and Condado as main cultural hot spots for art, music, cuisine, fashion, hotels, technology, multimedia, film, textile and...
section of the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
where he received both his primary and secondary education. In 1969, he along with millions of other people around the world, witnessed the historical moment when Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon....
from the Apollo mission stepped on the moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
s surface. Like so many other young men at the time, Rodríguez felt inspired to consider a career in the Space program of the United States known as 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...
.
After Rodríguez graduated from Colegio Espiritu Santo high school in Hato Rey, in 1971, he enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico's Mayagüez campus
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
The University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez or Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez in Spanish , is a land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant state university located in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico...
, where the Engineering College is located. Rodríguez earned his Mechanical Engineer Degree in 1976, however he had applied for a job with NASA in 1975, a year before his graduation. After graduating, he was called for an interview and offered a job in NASA. He became a mechanical engineer, designing parts for the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
, at Marshall Space Flight Center
Marshall Space Flight Center
The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. The largest center of NASA, MSFC's first mission was developing the Saturn launch vehicles for the Apollo moon program...
in Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
.
Career in NASA
In 1979, Rodríguez was transferred to the Kennedy Space CenterKennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Eventually he was named Director of Stennis Operations, where he managed facility construction, security and other programs for 4,500 Stennis personnel. Rodríguez worked as the integration engineer for the STS-31 Hubble Space Telescope payload. He also led a team which developed a tool for capturing employee competencies and skills in support of the Agency Core Capabilities Assessment.
Rodríguez entered management in 1986, serving as the Chief of the Integration Office at Cape Canaveral Spaceport Management Office at the Air Force Station. He is also the Director of the Propulsion Directorate at Stennis Space Center located in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. His team worked on the STS-114 engines which were installed on the Discovery Space Shuttle launched in August 2005.
Awards and recognitions
Among his awards and recognitions from NASA are:- Two NASA Exceptional Medals
- KSC Leadership Award
- NASA Silver Snoopy awardSilver Snoopy awardThe Silver Snoopy award is a special honor awarded to NASA employees and contractors for outstanding achievements related to human flight safety or mission success...
.
Currently
Miguel Rodríguez lives in Mandeville, LouisianaMandeville, Louisiana
Mandeville is a city in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,421 in 2008. Mandeville is located on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, south of Interstate 12. It is across the lake from the city of New Orleans and its southshore suburbs...
with his wife and is currently working on his Masters in mechanical Engineering Degree form the University of Central Florida
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...
.