View source for Juan R. Cruz

{{short description|Puerto Rican scientist}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Juan R. Cruz
| image       = Cruz,Juan.jpg
|imagesize    = 150px
| caption     =
| birth_date  = January 5, 1946
| birth_place = [[Puerto Rico]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality  = [[Puerto Rican people|Puerto Rican]]
| occupation  = [[aerospace engineer]]
| spouse      =
| children    =
| signature   =
| website     =
}}
'''Juan R. Cruz''' (born: January 5, 1946) is a Puerto Rican [[aerospace engineering|aerospace engineer]] who played an instrumental role in the design and development of the [[Mars Exploration Rover]] (MER) and [[Mars Science Laboratory]] (MSL) [[parachute]].<ref name="Lineberry-1">Denise Lineberry, [http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/researchernews/rn_LangleyMSL.html Langley is 'All Systems Go' to Make History on Mars], NASA, 07.16.12 (Accessed Nov. 13 2012)</ref>
==Early years==
Cruz was born and raised in [[Puerto Rico]].  After earning a B.S. (Bachelor of Science) in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], he briefly worked at [[Beech Aircraft Corporation]] in [[Wichita, KS]];<ref name="sports">Joan Ackermann-Blount and William Oscar Johnson,
[https://web.archive.org/web/20121120230440/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1067266/2/index.htm Winging Into History], ''Sports Illustrated,'' May 02, 1988 (accessed Nov. 13 2012)</ref> he then went on to earn a Ph.D. from [[Virginia Tech]] in aerospace engineering. During his years at MIT he was involved with the Monarch<ref>Geoffrey A. Landis, [http://www.geoffreylandis.com/monarch.htp Human Powered Aircraft - Monarch Crew] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202160016/http://www.geoffreylandis.com/monarch.htp |date=2012-02-02 }} (accessed Nov. 13 2012)</ref>  and [[MIT Daedalus|Daedalus]] [[human powered aircraft]] teams.<ref name="sports" /><ref name="LaRC">[http://oeop.larc.nasa.gov/hep/hep-bios.html Hispanics@NASA LaRC Employees' Achievements] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524031122/http://oeop.larc.nasa.gov/hep/hep-bios.html |date=2015-05-24 }}</ref>
==Career in NASA==
Cruz is a senior [[aerospace engineer]]<ref name="Dietrich 2019">{{cite web | last=Dietrich | first=Tamara | title=NASA Langley rocket scientist recalls work on Mars Opportunity rover | website=pilotonline.com | date=February 17, 2019 | url=https://www.pilotonline.com/news/article_ab5c10b8-30a0-11e9-9491-0f85cb148ac2.html | access-date=November 18, 2019}}</ref> in the Exploration Systems Engineering Branch at the NASA [[Langley Research Center]] in [[Hampton, Virginia]]. His responsibilities are focused on research and development of [[atmospheric entry|entry]], descent, and landing (EDL) systems for robotic and human exploration missions. He was a member of the highly successful Mars Exploration Rover (MER) and Mars Science laboratory (MSL) projects that placed rovers on the surface of Mars in 2004 and 2012. His contributions to the MER and MSL projects centered on the design and qualification of the supersonic parachute.<ref name="Lineberry-1" /><ref name="MIT">[http://web.mit.edu/museum/about/news/rover.html MIT MUSEUM PRESS RELEASE]</ref> In October, 2004 he was among a group of scientists who received an "Exceptional Achievement Award", from NASA.<ref name="Award">{{cite web |title=Universe Jet Propulsion Laboratory |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/universe/archive/un0410.pdf |website=jpl.nasa.gov |publisher=NASA |accessdate=18 November 2019}}</ref>
==Mars Exploration Rover mission==
[[File:Rocket assisted descent.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Descent is slowed by parachute.]]
The [[Spirit rover|MER-A rover, ''Spirit'']], was launched on June 10, 2003, at 17:59 [[UTC]], and [[Opportunity rover|MER-B, ''Opportunity'']], on July 7, 2003. ''Spirit'' landed in [[Gusev crater]] on January 4, 2004, and ''Opportunity'' landed in the [[Meridiani Planum]] on the opposite side of Mars from ''Spirit'', on January 25, 2004. Cruz was among the scientists from Langley who helped develop the parachute which helped slow the spacecraft during entry, descent and landing.
According to Cruz:
<blockquote>There are challenges to testing these parachutes because we can not test it at exactly the right conditions. [[Earth's atmosphere]] is the one we have to work with and the [[Martian atmosphere]] is very different, so you have to make adjustments in how you test the parachute. Another issue is the wind tunnel models we used in our tests were ten-percent scale models, about five feet in diameter.<ref>[http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/news_rels/2003/03-039.pdf NASA News] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820200750/http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/news_rels/2003/03-039.pdf |date=2007-08-20 }}</ref></blockquote>
Cruz is also a member of the [[Phoenix (spacecraft)|Phoenix]] (Mars 2007), [[Mars Science Laboratory]] (Mars 2011),<ref>Denise Lineberry, [http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/researchernews/rn_MSLEDL.html Getting Curiosity to Mars, One Simulation at a Time], NASA, 08.02.12 (Accessed Nov. 13 2012)</ref> and [[Crew Exploration Vehicle]] EDL teams. He has undertaken research on advanced missions to Mars, including robotic airplanes, as well as having been a technical reviewer for the Genesis, Huygens, and Stardust missions. Prior to his involvement with exploration programs he conducted research on high-altitude [[unmanned aircraft]].<ref name="MIT"/>
==See also==
{{Portal|Puerto Rico}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Juan R.}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican scientists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:MIT School of Engineering alumni]]
[[Category:NASA people]]