George Salazar, MSc
George Salazar, MSc, P.E., ESEP, LSMIEEE is a retired NASA Engineer with over 40+ years of experience in telemetry, speech control, command and data handling, displays and controls, intelligent lighting, project management, and systems engineering.
He has been involved with the design of advanced telemetry, voice recognition, and intelligent systems, for which he has received various patents. Watch BIP | Mr. George Salazar — 40 years of experience within NASA — Prior NASA Branch Chief Engineer and Exploring Space with NASA Engineer George Salazar.
George joined NASA in 1983 as a Design Engineer, designing and prototyping new advanced data acquisition systems. In 1986, he took the position of Shuttle Subsystem Manager, where he managed the Shuttle’s modular auxiliary data system (MADS) that provides engineering sensor data to the Shuttle subsystem engineering community.
For the next 9 years, George was the Flight Experiment Project Manager, working on the development of experimental advanced voice recognition for controlling the Space Shuttle closed circuit television (CCTV) system by voice. As part of the development function, he served as the project manager and systems engineer and led the design, development, and integration of the system into the Space Shuttle for the STS 41 and STS 78 flights with successful results.
George was also the systems engineer for the hardware development of the Space Shuttle cockpit avionics upgrade to provide more insight into the health and status of the space shuttle. He led several advanced avionics technology concept investigations for the next-generation space programs.
Between 1996 and 1999, he was Project Engineer for the X-38 spacecraft crew return vehicle avionics, responsible for developing the command and data handling flight computers and the command and telemetry computers for the spacecraft and its Avionics Architecture.
He was then the Shuttle Cockpit Avionics Upgrade Responsible Design Engineer between 1999 and 2005, and the year after, he joined the NASA Johnson Space Center as the Lead Systems Engineer for the ISS to CEV Communications Adapter until 2011. He was also involved with developing the Space Station’s internal audio system.
In 2011, George became the Branch Chief Engineer at NASA HQ, working for the Human Interface Branch, helping to develop advanced human interface systems and also develop collaboration strategies with universities and industry. Watch George Salazar, Chief Engineer, Johnson Space Center, Human Interface Systems Branch.
In 2015, he became the Human Computing Interface Technical Discipline Lead for the branch leading the development, maintenance, and overall strategic vision of the Human Interface Domain Implementation Plan by coordinating and integrating the four technical areas within the Branch, namely Audio, Displays and Controls (D&C), Imagery, and Wearable Technology. George retired as a NASA Engineer in January 2024.
His passion is sharing knowledge with students — reaching out to well over 16,000 students through speaking engagements, tutoring, and mentoring. Read Challenges of Implementing Automation, Robotics, and Communications in Future Space Missions. Watch George Salazar from NASA | The Future Innovation Summit 3rd Edition and Webinar on SPACE EXPLORATION, Resource person, Mr. George Salazar, NASA’s JOHNSON SPACE CENTRE, USA.
George earned his Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Houston in 1983. He earned his Master’s Degree of Science in Systems Engineering from Southern Methodist University in 2004.
He is an IEEE Life Senior Member. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Texas. He holds the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) Expert Systems Engineer Professional designation. He retired in January 2024. Watch HENAAC25 Part 14: Lifetime Achievement Award George Salazar, NASA.
Watch Understanding the NASA Systems Engineering Process | Mr. George Salazar | Mastering Up, How To Become An Aerospace Engineer | NASA | NASA Engineer | George Salazar | Hexstar Universe, Expert Talk : Mr. George Salazar (Senior Scientist, NASA Engineer), Interview with Mr. Salazar — NASA Engineer!, and Space podcast with George Salazar — NASA engineer.
Read Technology Readiness Level as the Foundation of Human Readiness Level.
Visit his LinkedIn profile and his ResearchGate page. Follow him on Facebook.