Hi, I'm Jim MacConnell, a lifelong aerospace engineer with experience across the entire aerospace product spectrum.
I love space and am actively working to build the foundation needed to help us, as humans, thrive when we are truly able to step off our planet. That foundation requires the development of robotic systems to assist humans in their space-faring efforts by performing tasks humans in µ-gravity are ill-suited to do. It requires manufacturing approaches for large-scale pressure vessels (habitats). It requires collaboration and cooperation as the task is bigger than any single entity.
Along the way, the systems we develop will be able to address some of the most pressing issues facing us, as a new space-faring species, by clearing our immediate environment of dangerous debris (ADR), performing large-scale assembly of space objects free from gravity's constraints (ISAM) and ultimately converting what we have (and find) in space to prolong our in-space journeys and build our off-world future.
My Story
I started my career at Boeing where I worked on complex space systems including the mechanisms for deploying upper stages and satellites from the payload bay of the Space Shuttle (IUS ASE) and large-scale qualification and acceptance testing. There I learned the engineering and team approaches needed to succeed when doing something big. While at Boeing, I transitioned into research where I had a leadership role in large-scale, industry-wide, collaborative projects, including the Composites Affordability Initiative.
I left Boeing to pursue a path as an independent consultant, providing research Program Management for the Air Force and NASA. My consulting addressed the details of teamwork, communication, coaching, collaborative decision-making. At the same time, I provided essential evangelism for new structures technology and led multiple Integrated System Health Management workshops and studies. During this period, I began to develop my philosophy about technology as a paradigm-shifting field, the power of which lies not in the "what," but in the "how" and "why" of design.
​
Returning to industry as the Senior Researcher and Head of a nascent R&D organization at a world class aerospace parts manufacturer, I developed the physical research facilities while applying my big-picture philosophy to the manufacture of airplane parts. This approach led to a revolutionary patent (US US10605388B2) and an attitude of transformation that still informs the work I pursue. Heeding the call of space again, I joined Tethers Unlimited as a Business Unit Manager heading government In-Space Assembly and Manufacturing programs including robotic assembly, in-space metal recycling, and in-space assembly efforts.
After Tethers, I joined Altius Space Machines (now part of Voyager) as the Director of Programs leading the preparation for 3x growth required should their HLS commitments be realized. When those failed to materialize due to outside circumstances, I brought needed program management discipline and tools to bear on their existing contracts. This minimized the impact of the contract misses and extended the company's runway. From there I joined ThinkOrbital as their Vice President of Product Development and ultimately serving as Chief Engineering Officer following a stint as CTO. My role entailed developing and implementing the technical vision for the company, reinforcing the strategic vision and leading/coaching the team through successful proposals and execution on existing work. An example of the synergy between technical work and company identity was the successful proposal for the CCSC-2 Space Act Agreement allowing ThinkOrbital to tap into NASA expertise to develop the suite of technologies required to enable large scale welded space structures
​
Now I'm back in the consulting business model, and am excited to be an individual contributor and coach once again. In the industry today, many people are trying to stake a claim to the "new space" economy -- but they all face the same issues. I learned long ago that collaboration and sharing are key to progress, rather than many people chasing the same answers independently. I strive to bring that multi-generational, cross-platform, community mentality to space development, because there's still so much to be done -- together.
Publications and Presentations
“ISHM Business Case Workshop”, Joint Army-Navy-NASA-Air Force (JANNAF) 56th JANNAF Propulsion Meeting, Las Vegas, NV, April 14-17 2009
“The Business and Technical Case for Rocket Engine Health Management”, Panelist, 2009 AIAA Infotech@Aerospace Conference, Seattle, WA April 6-9, 2009
Chair: Prognostics and Structures Session, 2009 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, MT, March 7-14, 2009
“ISHM Business Case Workshop”, Joint Army-Navy-NASA-Air Force (JANNAF) 56th JANNAF Propulsion Meeting, Las vegas, NV April 8-12 2009
“ISHM Business Case Workshop”, Joint Army-Navy-NASA-Air Force (JANNAF) 6th Modeling and Simulation / 4th Liquid Propulsion / 3rd Spacecraft Propulsion Joint Subcommittee Meeting, Orlando, FL December 8-12 2008
“ISHM Benefits Study for Space and Missile Propulsion Systems”, AFRL Integrated Systems Health Management Conference, Covington, KY, August 11-14, 2008
“Structural Health Management and Structural Design: An Unbridgeable Gap?“, 2008 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, Montana, March 1-8, 2008 Google Scholar Link
“Demands and Challenges in Structural Health Management for Aerospace Applications”, Panel Discussion Chair, The 6th International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 11-13 September 2007
“Structural Health Management for the Crew Exploration Vehicle: An Assessment”, AFRL Integrated Systems Health Management Conference, Cincinnati, OH, August 7-9, 2007
Invited Speaker, 3rd Health Management Workshop at 54th Joint Army-Navy-NASA-Air Force (JANNAF) Propulsion Meeting, Denver, Colorado, 14-17 May, 2007.
“Inspectability, Repairability, and Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring”, Composite Crew Module (CM) Pressure Vessel Assessment , Phase I Technical Report , Volume II”, NASA Engineering and Safety Center Report RP-07-28. March 29, 2007
“ISHM & Design: A review of the benefits of the ideal ISHM system”, Proceedings of the 2007 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, Montana, March 3-10, 2007; Google Scholar Link
“Integrated System Health Management (ISHM) Design Study Summary Report”, Internal AFRL Report, March 2007. contact for details.
“ISHM Design Study - Defining the Benefits of ISHM Based Design”, AFRL Integrated Systems Health Management Conference, Cincinnati, OH, August 14-16, 2006
“ISHM and Design: A New Capability Perspective”, Proceedings of 5th International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, September 12-14, 2005
“Integrated System Health Management (ISHM) Design Study”, Plenary Session, AFRL Integrated Systems Health Management Conference, Cincinnati, OH, August 7-9, 2005
​​​
Patents:
Hybrid Waste Tube Assembly US10605388B2 · Issued Mar 31, 2020