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Richard Rieber

Address:

4800 Oak Grove Drive M/S 198-238

Pasadena, CA 91109

Phone:

818-480-2861

Member of:

347R - Robot Ops and V&V

Acting Member of:

347R - Robot Ops and V&V

Richard Rieber

Robotics Systems Engineer

Biography

Richard Rieber is a veteran systems engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he has spent nearly two decades leading mission-critical work on robotic spacecraft for planetary exploration. From commanding the EPOXI spacecraft to developing the Mars-2020 rover's mobility system and spearheading field testing of the snake-like EELS robot on glacial ice, Rich brings a rare blend of hands-on engineering, deep systems thinking, and both testing and operational expertise. He is a frequent public speaker, award-winning engineer, and advocate for designing robots and spacecraft with full life-cycle considerations—from concept through to operations. His current focus includes defining and advancing robotic and communication interfaces for the growing field of lunar robotics in alignment with NASA’s Artemis program, while also mentoring the next generation of space explorers. Rich is a lifelong outdoorsman and mountaineer, a happy father, and a perpetual tinkerer.

Education

International Space University, Strasbourg, France M.S. Space Management, Sep 2011

University of Colorado, Boulder M.S. Aerospace Engineering Sciences – Bioastronautics, May 2007

University of Colorado, Boulder B.S. Aerospace Engineering Sciences, cum laude, May 2006

Professional Experience

LTV Mobility SME 2025–Present

  • Serving as a mobility subject matter expert to Venturi Astrolab’s to support their LTV proposal bid.
  • Sharing mobility design, test, and operations experience with Astrolab counterparts.

EELS – Systems Engineer 2022–Present

  • Co-led 3-week glacier field campaign validating robotic climbing performance in natural ice (Athabasca Glacier).
  • Drove system test planning and execution across multiple field locations (Big Bear, Table Mountain).
  • Advocated cross-industry applications of EELS at venues like Amazon’s MARS, IEEE Aerospace Conference.
  • Provided a broad systems and test perspective to the highly specialized staff.

CADRE Mission Ops Systems Engineer 2022–2024

  • Supported autonomous micro-rover lunar deployment, emphasizing operator-lander-rover interface.
  • Led flight-ground interface definition and CLPS payload coordination.

SMAP Special Operator & Testbed Lead 2024–Present

  • Researched and executed radar restart procedure on flight hardware; commanding reattempt in 2025.
  • Managed testbed operations during extended leadership absence.

Proposal Contributions

  • Lunar Steamway: Led NIAC Phase I on subsurface ice-harvesting robot.
  • STARCOM: Championed concept to modernize spacecraft comms.
  • Delay-Tolerant Networking: Co-led CADRE protocol upgrade effort.
  • Software-Defined Spacecraft: Co-led a KISS workshop proposal and a Blue Sky concept — both selected.
  • Lunar Lava Tube Exploration: Co-led a KISS workshop proposal to mature lava tube missions.

TransAstra Corp. – Head of Flight Systems 2022

  • Led flight system architecture for Worker Bee orbital transfer vehicle.
  • Mentored engineering staff and built engineering and shop space.
  • Wrote SBIR/Tipping Point proposals; managed partner relations.

Mars-2020 – Lead Mobility Systems Engineer 2015–2021

  • Oversaw mobility design, test, and operations for Perseverance rover.
  • Led new tire development and autonomous navigation algorithm design.
  • Authored first-drive sequencing; supervised initial Mars operations.

SMAP Integration & Test Engineer 2012–2015

  • Directed antenna deployment operations and system-level spin testing.
  • Developed tool reducing testbed boot time from 90 mins to one command.

EPOXI – Testbed Lead & Flight Ops Engineer 2007–2013

  • Directed sequences for comet flyby, exoplanet photometry, and space internet test.
  • Developed automation tools; recovered spacecraft from triple fault.

Flight Project and Research Task Involvement

Flight Projects
Mobility
Robot Operations
CADRE Mission Overview

Publications

2024
  1. R. Rieber, "Lunar Vistas: CADRE’s Earth-Moon-Sun Geometry," Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL Moon Club Presentation, 16 August 2024.
  2. T. S. Vaquero, G. Daddi, R. Thakker, M. Paton, A. Jasour, M. Strub, R. M. Swan, R. Royce, M. Gildner, P. Tosi, M. Veismann, P. Gavrilov, E. Marteau, J. Bowkett, D. Loret de Mola Lemus, Y. Kumar Nakka, B. Hockman, A. Orekhov, T. Hasseler, C. Leake, B. Nuernberger, P. Proenca, W. Reid, W. Talbot, N. Georgiev, T. Pailevanian, A. Archanian, E. Ambrose, J. Jasper, R. Etheredge, C. Roman, D. Levine, K. Otsu, S. Yearicks, H. Melikyan, R. Rieber, K. Carpenter, J. Nash, A. Jain, L. Shiraishi, M. Robinson, M. Travers, H. Choset, J. Burdick, A. Gardner, M. Cable, M. Ingham, and M. Ono, "EELS: Autonomous Snake-like Robot with Task and Motion Planning Capabilities for Ice World Exploration," Science Robotics, vol. 9, no. 88, 13 March 2024.
  3. R. Rieber, "Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS): Athabasca Glacier as an Icy Moon Analog Environment," 2024 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, MT, USA, 06 March 2024.
  4. M. Paton, R. Rieber, S. Cruz, M. Gildner, C. Abma, K. Abma, S. Aghli, E. Ambrose, A. Archanian, E. Bagshaw, C. Baroco, A. Blackstock, J. Bowkett, M. Cable, E. Cartaya, G. Daddi, T. Drevinskas, R. Etheredge, T. Gall, A. Gardner, P. Gavrilov, N. Georgiev, K. Graham, B. Hockman, B. Jones, S. Linn, M. Malaska, E. Marteau, N. Maslen, H. Melikyan, Y. Kumar Nakka, J. Nelson, M. Pazzini, M. Peticco, M. Prior-Jones, M. Robinson, C. Roman, R. Royce, M. Ryan, L. Shiraishi, C. Stenner, M. Strub, R. M. Swan, B. Swerdlow, R. Thakker, L. P. Tosi, T. Tran, T. Stegun Vaquero, M. Veismann, T. Wood, H. Zade, M. Ono, "2023 EELS Field Tests at Athabasca Glacier as an Icy Moon Analogue Environment," 2024 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, MT, USA, 05 March 2024.