Charles Kohlhase | |
|---|---|
 Kohlhase in 2004 | |
| Born | 1935 (age 89–90) |
| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | Georgia Institute of Technology, UCLA |
| Known for | design of deep-space missions |
| Awards | NASA Distinguished Service Medal |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Aerospace engineering |
| Institutions | Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology |
Charles Kohlhase (born 1935) is an American aerospace engineer who worked for forty years at NASA/JPL leading the design of several robotic deep-space planetary missions. He is also an author, game developer and lecturer.[1][2]
Kohlhase graduated with honors fromThe McCallie School inChattanooga, Tennessee in 1953, with honors for a BS degree in Physics from theGeorgia Institute of Technology in 1957, and with a Masters of Engineering degree fromUCLA in 1968.[3] He served as aLTJG on theUS Navy aircraft carriersEssex andIndependence from 1957–1959 as the assistant electrical officer of a nuclear weapons team.[4]
Kohlhase led the design of many deep-space missions during his extended career, includingMariner,Viking,Voyager, andCassini missions.[5][6][7] For his sustained robotic exploration contributions over the last 40 years of the 20th century and solid success record, he received theNASA Distinguished Service Medal and has an asteroid,13801 Kohlhase, named in his honor.[1] The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on January 6, 2003 (M.P.C. 47300).[8] He managed and guided the team which designed the spacecraft for theVoyager program[9] to the outer planets and their moons and rings. After Voyager, Kohlhase became the science and mission design manager for the internationalCassini–Huygens mission to Saturn and Titan. Following the launch, cruise, and Saturn orbit phases of Cassini, he has continued to advise NASA/JPL on numerous missions to Mars and to other worlds. In addition to his counsel on various review boards, Kohlhase has chaired the Mars Program Systems Engineering Team, composed of many senior experts spanning diverse disciplines. He is also a member of the Advisory Council forThe Planetary Society.[10]
He partnered withJim Blinn in creating computer graphic animations of the Voyager spacecraft encounters and for the Carl SaganCosmos TV series. He has directed many public activities that creatively blend art, science, and education,[11][12] including international projects[13] sponsored by the NEA, NASA, Dept of Education, and other agencies.
Kohlhase was also a member of Voyager team honored with an Emmy forThe Farthest (2017), by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences at their 39th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards in New York, N.Y., on October 1, 2018
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