Shooting for the Stars

Working for NASA is something that countless children dream of and even adults are intrigued by space. For Oscar Murillo, that childhood dream became a reality, and today he is living that dream and helping others realize their own dreams.

Oscar Murillo has fond memories of school. Math and science were always his two favorite subjects, and he excelled in them - quickly working through his lessons to get ahead. He remembers wanting to be an astronaut when he was very young, but a shocking and high profile incident made him question that choice.

“I have vivid memories of the Challenger (space shuttle) explosion. I remember crying at homeafter that and telling my mom ‘I don’t want to be an astronaut anymore.’ ”

While clearly impactful, Oscar was not deterred from finding his passion, and in high school his path became more clear.

“I would say Freshman year in high school I had decided I wanted to be an aerospace engineer and I really wanted to work for NASA. My best friend in high school, Ramon Encinas, and I would geek out talking about space and astronomy, so I knew that I wanted to do it. I figured out the best path forward was to go to MIT.”

Aside from his studies, Oscar was involved in the Key Club, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), JROTC, Cross Country, and Golf at Dysart High School, where he and his parents and brothers all attended, as well as many extended family members. However, if Oscar were to achieve his dream, he would be the first in his immediate family to receive a bachelor’s degree.

The teachers all knew his family, and his mom and aunt also worked in the district, which made it difficult to get away with anything, as they had eyes and ears everywhere. Although a selfproclaimed “geek”, one of his fondest memories in high school was in 1998 when he and his friends decided to do a senior prank.

“We didn’t want to be destructive, but wanted it to be known that we did something.We got up early one morning and went to the high school campus and tp’d the trees and spray painted ‘98 on the grass. Nobody ever snitched on us.”

Aside from the prank, which somehow he got away with despite his family’s connections, Oscar remained focused on his goal. With the help and encouragement of some of his teachers, he applied to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was thrilled when he got accepted. He thought he was a fairly smart kid, and only had a brief glimpse at how things after high school might get harder when he took a calculus class at Glendale Community College as a senior.

Oscar Murillo (center) works with colleagues to manually launch the PRANDTL-2 for flight research on fuel efficient wing designs.

“When I was at MIT the classes got hard as I progressed to junior and senior year. In high school, I just got it, but when I got to college my brain wasn’t working that way anymore, and I had to figure out how to study. I think the vast majority struggle when they go from high school to college - it’s just a different mindset.”

Looking back, Oscar wishes he had known how to ask for help and realizes there were others in the same boat and many willing to help. Luckily he persevered, and graduated in 2003 with his undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering, and the first bachelor’s degree in his immediate family. While at MIT he attended the NASA booth at a career fair and was accepted into a co-op program where he was an intern while pursuing his degrees. It was just a foot in the door, but a very important one.

The X38 was the first project he got to work on at NASA as an intern. It was an experimental aircraft that was being looked at as a crew rescue vehicle for the International Space Station. While the project was cancelled for budgetary reasons, it was Oscar’s first foray into space.

After MIT, Oscar remained focused on his goals and continued his education at Iowa State University, obtaining his Masters in Aerospace Engineering, and in 2010, his Doctorate. It was that same year that he became a permanent employee at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (now Armstrong Flight Research Center). Oscar had made it to NASA, and now the real fun would begin.

Since the X38, Oscar has gotten to work on numerous projects, including research on a hypersonic vehicle, which was what much of his PhD work was focused on. He also worked on a program to modify control systems on a former Navy F/A-18 aircraft modified by NASA, as well as Orion, a capsule that will be on the next rocket flying since the Space Shuttle program was retired.

As you would expect, many of the projects Oscar gets to work on at NASA are quite unique and always complex. For example, the X59 Low Boom Flight Demonstrator is a uniquely-shaped vehicle with the purpose of doing supersonic flight faster than the speed of sound, but creating a softer “boom” than traditionally heard when breaking the sound barrier. The X57 is an all-electric airplane that will allow NASA to provide data to aerospace companies on how to build and fly efficient electric aircraft.

Oscar Murillo (at left) conducting a “moment of inertia” test of the PRANDTL-2 unmanned aerial system.

Not every project NASA works on comes to fruition, but the research and work brings futuristic ideas one step closer to reality. One such project is an autonomous system for “urban air mobility,” which is essentially a vehicle that can move four to six people short distances in the air. Perhaps one day such vehicles will be commonplace, and not just in futuristic movies.

Oscar is always looking for ways to encourage people to work in engineering and STEM areas, so it’s no surprise that he jumped when he was presented with the opportunity to work with NASA’s Office of Education managing grants with universities.

“One of the nice things about working with college students is when they have their first opportunity to come out and work, they kind of get that giddy feeling that I had when I first walked out and started working as an intern, and so that helps kind of ground me and makes me realize how cool it is to work for NASA.”

Interestingly, his work with students is where he has found the most fun. Through a project titled PRANDTL, Oscar worked with interns on researching and testing aerodynamic wing shapes.

“We’re still on the ground floor to figure out what all the data means, but we hope to be able to put a dent into a new way to build an airplane. That is probably one of the most exciting things I’ve gotten to be able to be a part of.” With two young daughters, Oscar and his wife, Amy, have plenty of opportunities to be mentors at home too, for their children - Amelia (age 8) and Neala (age 3).

“My two daughters see NASA everywhere so they definitely know the little emblem whenever they see it…”

They call it the NASA “meatball” - a phrase that everyone at NASA uses for it because of the shape of the icon. Oscar urges students that are pursuing their dreams to keep their mind open.

The PRANDTL project team poses with the PRANDTL-1 vehicle before it is sent to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum along with a technical paper they co-wrote about what they learned about improving wing design. Picured from left to right: Robert “Red” Jensen, Christian Gelzer, Albion Bowers, Oscar Murillo, and Brian Eslinger.

“I think a lot of times we look at those things as things that are outside of our reach, and I don’t think they are. I was definitely a nerd growing up, but outside of that I was just any other student that decided that’s what I wanted to try to do, and I did try to do it. Keep your mind open and don’t be afraid to try the hard stuff.”

Nowadays Oscar splits his time between technical and supervisory work as a Deputy Branch Head, recently moving from Lancaster, California to Williamsburg, Virginia to oversee aeronautics work in the Dynamic Systems and Control Group at NASA Langley Research Center.

When asked what the best thing about working for NASA is, Oscar says it’s the people.

“I get to interact with some of the smartest people in the world. It’s kind of humbling to be able to interact with them… It’s always cool to bump into astronauts, but we’re not a main space center, so they are few and far between, so it’s always impressive to bump into one. But the people I interact with on a day-to-day basis are brilliant. It’s like being able to see the behind the scenes of how it happens.”

After 20 years with NASA, Oscar is proud of his work and knows that he is a part of something special that is shaping the future.

“One of the things I’ve been fortunate to be a part of are discussions about where to take NASA in aeronautics research and which areas we want to take it in. On a dayto-day basis it’s not that impressive, but when you look back at what you’ve been able to accomplish because of those day-to-day interactions it’s always kind of neat. It’s not until you look in the rear-view mirror and notice that it had a huge impact.”