Al Chen
Allen Chen at NASA JPL
EducationS.B., S.M. in Aeronautics & Astronautics
Master of Business Administration
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology
University of California Los Angeles
SpouseJulie Wertz Chen
Scientific career
Thesis"Propulsion System Characterization for the SPHERES Formation Flight and Docking Testbed" (2002)
Academic advisorsDave Miller
Engineering career
DisciplineSystems Engineering
Employer(s)NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
ProjectsMars Science Laboratory
Mars 2020

Allen "Al" Chen is an American aerospace engineer. He was the Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) Operations Lead on the Mars Science Laboratory mission and the EDL Lead for the Mars 2020 mission.[1]

Early life and education

Chen is from Newtown, PA,[2] and is a graduate of The Lawrenceville School. He is a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies teams.

He decided on the aerospace field during the spring of his freshman year at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[1] Chen was on the varsity fencing team, competing in the sabre.[3][4] As a senior, he received the David J. Shapiro Memorial Award for building an electric-powered model aircraft with seven other students. He also received the James Means Memorial Award for Excellence in Flight Vehicle or Space Systems Engineering for his contributions to the SPHERES project in the "Conceive, Design, Implement and Operate" Capstone course.[2]

In graduate school, he was in the Space Systems Laboratory (MIT) with Professor Dave Miller. He worked on propulsion system for the Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellite (SPHERES) project.

Chen received a Fully Employed Master of Business Administration (FEMBA) from the UCLA Anderson School of Management in 2007.[5]

Work at NASA

Allen Chen has worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California for his entire career. He joined the Mars Science Laboratory EDL team in 2002.[6] On August 5, 2012, Chen announced "Touchdown confirmed. We're safe on Mars!," after which the JPL Mission Control Center erupted in celebration; team members hugged, high fived, clapped and cried.[7][8]

He was a member of the MSL EDL team to accept the National Air and Space Museum Trophy in person.[9] He joined team members for a GQ profile.[10]

Chen joined the Mars 2020 team in 2013, shortly after the team was assembled.[11] In his EDL lead role, he was responsible for ensuring the spacecraft traveled safely from the top of the Martian atmosphere to landing in Jezero crater.[1][12] The coronavirus pandemic broke out a year before the landing, so Chen had to lead his team while keeping socially distant and maintaining COVID-19 protocols.[13][14][15]

Chen narrated the Mars 2020 landing procedures with Guidance and Controls Operations Lead Swati Mohan on February 18, 2021. Chen stated he's excited to be a part of bringing Martian samples back to Earth. He considers his Mars 2020 EDL team to be a second family to him.[1]

Selected publications

  • "The Mars 2020 Entry, Descent, and Landing System", , AIAA Aviation, 25 June 2018

Personal life

Chen is married to NASA JPL systems engineer Julie Wertz Chen.[16] They met at MIT and were both in the SPHERES Capstone class.[17] Julie Wertz Chen was on the Mars InSight landing team[18] and sat in the same front row seat that he did for Curiosity.[1]

Chen has been active on social media since before the MSL landing.[19]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Allen Chen Biography". Mars Exploration Program. NASA. Archived from the original on 2019-07-26. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Aeronautics/astronautics honors students, faculty". MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 31 May 2000. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  3. ↑ Evangelos Efstathiou (17 November 1998). "Fencing Squad Starts Off Season Well at the Big One Tournament". The Tech. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  4. ↑ Dalia Jimanez (21 November 1997). "Fencers Foil Opponents with String Of Victories in Weekend Competition". The Tech. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  5. ↑ "NASA, UCLA Anderson Grads Celebrate Mars Exploration Anniversary". The UCLA Anderson Blog. University of California Los Angeles. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  6. ↑ Jennifer Chu (11 October 2012). "MIT alums recount their Martian experiences". Mit News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  7. ↑ "Sounds of Mars". NASA Mars Science. NASA JPL. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "First Words of Safe Landing on Mars - Tango Delta Nominal". NASA JPL. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  9. ↑ "Curiosity Wins National Air and Space Museum Trophy". NASA JPL. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  10. ↑ Paul Kvinta (26 November 2012). "NASA's Mars Rover Team: Spacemen of the Year 2012". GQ. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  11. ↑ "NASA's Next Mars Rover Progresses Toward 2020 Launch". NASA JPL. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  12. ↑ Chang, Kenneth (22 February 2021). "Watch Video From NASA's Perseverance Rover Landing on Mars". New York Times. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  13. ↑ "How NASA's Perseverance Mars Team Adjusted to Work in the Time of Coronavirus". Mars Exploration Systems. NASA. 21 April 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  14. ↑ "Coronavirus and Current JPL Guidance". JPL Space. NASA. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  15. ↑ "NASA's Perseverance Rover 22 Days From Mars Landing". Mars Exploration Program. NASA. 27 January 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  16. ↑ "Meet the People Behind NASA's Perseverance Rover". Mars Exploration Program. NASA. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  17. ↑ "Julie Wertz Chen and Al Chen Love Story". Instagram. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Alumni. 14 February 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  18. ↑ "NASA Previews InSight Mars Landing". Mars Exploration Program. NASA. 25 November 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  19. ↑ "Join the Twitter Chat: MIT Alumni and the Final Frontier". Slice of MIT. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
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