Fred Bliss

Flight Test Lead for the Crew Parachute Assembly System. Expert for Human Spaceflight/EVA

Test lead for flight test operations of a space vehicle, recovery parachute system. Coordinated the effort to deliver, install, and recover the parachute system in support of the newly designed Orion space capsule. Dutys: • Collaborated with project stakeholders to ensure that the final products are compliant with, customer and company, processes and procedures. • Achieved on-time delivery of product support documentation and trained and certified personnel to meet program schedule and milestones. • Maintained MS Project schedules for multiple payload deliverables. • Directed and monitored the training of project personnel to ensure compliance with training requirements. • Conducted engineering tests and documented the results. • Wrote "statements of work" • Designed test fixtures • Monitored engineering changes, and coordinated with the procurement department and vendors. • Fast tracked procurements when required by schedule. • Defined requirements, designing and procuring the load test fixtures, for the parachute ground handling hardware. • Developed and reviewed test and operations procedures for the installation of hardware into test vehicles. • Consulted as an independent investigator for failure investigations. Directed an office of cost analysts, which reported directly to the head of an engineering directorate. Responsibilities included: • Developed spreadsheets and pivot charts for cost data reporting. • Presented briefings to senior management. • Defined the requirements for, and supervised the implementation of an interactive computer based accounting database, to archive cost histories. Developed a tracking method that tracked section spending. Monitored the projects progress against schedule milestones. Responsibilities included: • Verified labor and hardware costs. • Briefed the customer and management on the progress of a project's. • Developed and maintained the projects schedules.

Managed a team of engineers that performed maintenance on space flight hardware. Reviewed test and certification paperwork, approved engineering changes, and recommended technical changes to hardware showing failure trends. Responsibilities included: Devised design changes, tested, certified and delivered hardware on time and at or below estimated cost. Developed a project cost estimation tool that also tracked spending. Directed and monitored projects to ensure compliance with company and customer life cycle phasing. Maintained MS Project schedules for multiple payload deliverables.

Directed the design, analysis, fabrication, testing, certification and delivery of a flight experiment that measured the applied and induced forces of an astronaut performing work in space. Awarded Astronaut Personal Achievement Award (Silver Snoopy). Responsibilities included: Guided all phases of the hardware design, testing, crew training, hardware evaluation, vehicle integration and post flight analyses.

* Field Commander for Mobile Satellite Communications System * Instructor to NASA astronauts for EVA. * Senior Director and Chief of Standardization and Evaluation for a Ballistic Missile Early Warning station. * Commander, Titan II ICBM

Specifically handpicked to support the Air Force space shuttle operations program. Instructed NASA astronauts on flight procedures for space shuttle repair, payload launching, satellite servicing and space construction techniques. Consulted to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Marshall Space Flight Center and Langley Research Center on space construction techniques. Evaluated space suits and hardware proposed for use in the EVA environment. Senior Director and Chief of Standards, Processes and Evaluations for a ballistic missile early warning and space tracking radar facility above the Arctic Circle. Managed an arctic-based radar facility manned by over 100 personnel. Led an Arctic Rescue Team. Director of a Titan II Missile Launch Facility. Managed a stand-alone, underground, missile launch complex.

Achieved the rank of Sergeant.