Former El Paso Astronaut Danny Olivas Finds New Job In Southern California
Former NASA astronaut and alum of The University of Texas at El Paso John “Danny” Olivas wasn’t without a job for long.
He left NASA in May to become the director of engineering for Raytheon’s Space and Airborne Systems in El Segundo, Calif., according to a report by UTEP’s University Communications office.
He started his new job in June. He and his staff will focus on satellite sensor technology that can do such things as document gases in the atmosphere, wind speeds and directions, and detect changes in the polar ice caps.
Olivas was born in North Hollywood, Calif. but grew up in El Paso and graduated from Burges High School before attending UTEP. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at UTEP in 1989.
Olivas went to space in 2007 and 2009 aboard the Space Shuttle. On his first mission, he was called upon to make a special space walk to repair a torn thermal blanket on the exterior of the Space Shuttle.
He started thinking seriously of his post-NASA life toward the end of 2009, after his successful flight aboard STS-128, Olivas said. He had a desire to return to his engineering roots, push the technology envelope and discover the endless possibilities in unmanned space flight.
He was a senior research engineer and a program manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, Calif., prior to being tapped for the astronaut program.
“I decided I was very much an engineer who liked technological challenges,” Olivas told UTEP during a recent telephone interview. “This is a good fit for me. I’m very excited about this opportunity. I’m looking forward. The future is where the excitement is.”
His parents, Juan and Carmen Olivas still live in El Paso.
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