Will Pomerantz
Pomerantz speaks on space travel at TEDxPCC in 2013
Alma materHarvard University
International Space University
NASA Academy
Employer(s)X Prize Foundation
Virgin Galactic
Virgin Orbit
OrganizationBrooke Owens Fellowship
Spouse
​
(m. 2009)​
Children2

William Pomerantz is Vice President of Special Projects at Virgin Orbit. He was part of the team that created Virgin Orbit while working at Virgin Galactic. He is the co-founder of the Brooke Owens Fellowship and a trustee of the United States Students for the Exploration and Development of Space organisation.

Early life and education

Pomerantz was born in 1980 in Buffalo, New York. His parents are Sandra Pomerantz, a social worker and lawyer, and James Pomerantz, a cognitive psychologist.[1][2] His step-mother is Mary McIntire, Dean of Continuing Studies at Rice University.[1] Pomerantz studied Earth and planetary sciences at Harvard University. During his undergraduate degree he studied at the NASA Academy.[3] He completed a master's degree at the International Space University, working in the Information, Communication and Space Technology group at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.[1] Pomerantz co-founded the website SpaceAlumni with Nicholas Skytland in 2004, a social media platform for young space professionals, acting as chief editor until 2007.[3][4] He worked at Brown University as a planetary scientist, identifying surface features on Mars.[5]

Career

After graduate school Pomerantz joined Futron, an aerospace consultancy that eventually became acquired by Avascent.[6]

In 2005 Pomerantz joined X Prize Foundation, acting as Director of Space Prizes.[3] He was promoted to Senior Director of Space Projects and helped to create both the Google Lunar X Prize and Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge.[7]

In 2010, Pomerantz contributed a chapter to the textbook Space Commerce.[8] He joined Virgin Galactic in 2011 and was appointed vice president.[9][10] He was determined to use the SpaceShipTwo to support educational and research payloads as well as space tourism.[10][11]

He spoke at the 2013 TEDxPCC at the Expanding Horizons of Understanding event, where he discussed why humans explore space.[12] Pomerantz led the effort to launch the LauncherOne, which allows people to launch small satellites from an air-launched system.[13] He was the first employee of Virgin Orbit, which will 3D print rockets and engines for satellite launches.[14]

His wife is the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer Diana Trujillo.[3]

Public service and advocacy

He has advised the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Federal Aviation Administration.[3][15] He was a judge at the inaugural Mayor of Los Angeles Cup, an entrepreneurship challenge to improve Los Abgeles for citizens.[16] He has written for HuffPost.[17] Pomerantz is the chair of the Board of Advisors for the American organisation Students for the Exploration and Development of Space and on the advisory board for the Waypaver Foundation.[18] He is on the editorial board of Room, the space journal.[19]

In 2016, Pomerantz established the Brooke Owens Fellowship, a mentoring scheme which champions women in aerospace. The fellowships offer undergraduate women positions in the space sector and assigns them a personal mentor working in industry.[20] He co-founded the fellowship with Lori Garver and Cassie Kloberdanz Lee.[21]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "James R. Pomerantz". Owlnet. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  2. ↑ "Miscellaneous pictures, information". Will Pomerantz. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "NewSpace 2010 Space Conference". Space Frontier Foundation. Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "SpaceAlumni.com Launches Social Networking Website for Space Industry". spaceref.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
    - "William Pomerantz". Science Policy Conference 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  5. ↑ W J Pomerantz, Data; Head, James (10 July 2018). Thumbprint Terrain and Sinuous Troughs with Medial Ridges in the Northern Lowlands of Mars: Assessment of the Glacial Hypothesis Using New Spacecraft … (Report).
  6. ↑ "WILL POMERANTZ - Waypaver Foundation". Waypaver Foundation. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  7. ↑ "Will Pomerantz talks Google Lunar X Prize Landing Details". Youtube. Mahalodotcom. 26 August 2008. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
    - "Wikinews interviews William Pomerantz, Senior Director of Space Prizes at the X PRIZE Foundation". Wikinews. 28 August 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  8. ↑ Morris, Langdon (2010). "SPACE COMMERCE: The Inside Story" (PDF). Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  9. ↑ "A thought about the X PRIZE Foundation as Pomerantz exits". Evadot. 16 February 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
    - "Will Pomerantz: A Final Q&A". Google Lunar XPRIZE. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
    - "NewSpace 2011 Space Conference". newspace2011.spacefrontier.org. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  10. 1 2 "How Virgin Galactic Private SpaceShipTwo Will Launch Science Flights". Space.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  11. ↑ "Will Pomerantz « Dent:Space". space.dentthefuture.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  12. ↑ "Event: TEDx PCC: "Expanding Horizons of Understanding"". Southern California Public Radio. 23 November 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
    - "Will Pomerantz TEDx Talk: Why We Go to Space". Parabolic Arc. 4 February 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
    - "TEDxPCC". TED. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
    - "Why We Go -- Leaving Our Beautiful Home and Exploring Outer Space: Will Pomerantz at TEDxPCC". TEDx Talks. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  13. ↑ "Meet Will Pomerantz, Virgin Galactic's LauncherOne Point Man". SpaceNews.com. 2015-02-17. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  14. ↑ "With a simple and cheap rocket, Virgin Orbit aims for the extraordinary". Ars Technica. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  15. ↑ "William Pomerantz – Vice President, Special Projects Virgin Galactic". Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  16. ↑ Cup, Mayor Garcetti announces winner of 2016 Mayor’s (9 December 2016). "Mayor Garcetti announces winner of 2016 Mayor's Cup". Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Retrieved 10 July 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ "William Pomerantz". HuffPost. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  18. ↑ "SEDS Space Talks featuring William Pomerantz". Youtube. SEDS USA. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
    - "Advisors". SEDS. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  19. ↑ "Board". Room. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  20. ↑ "Brooke Owens Fellowships will boost women in aerospace (and we're helping)". GeekWire. 8 October 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  21. ↑ "Cassie Kloberdanz Lee". World Science Festival. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
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