Rich Gargano
Senior Principal Engineer

I was born and raised in the Tampa area. After college, I joined the US Navy as a submarine officer, including deployments on three submarines and a shore duty assignment as a nuclear propulsion instructor. For the remainder of my Navy career, I was an Engineering Duty Officer, serving in numerous technical program management positions, on a variety of advanced technology efforts. Following my Navy career, I joined Space Systems Integration as a Senior Principal Engineer, which allowed me to join an exceptional team of professionals and continue to have a direct impact on national security.

Education

M.S. Astronautical Engineering, Naval Postgraduate School
Master of Engineering Management, Old Dominion University
B.S. Civil Engineering, University of South Florida

How did you get into space?

Multiple space-related assignments while on active duty in the US Navy

Favorite planet?

Earth (for now, until there are mountain bike trails on Mars)

Hobbies outside of work?

Spending time with family, mountain biking, trail running, skiing, traveling