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Erik S. Bailey

Guidance and Control Systems Engineering

About

Bio

Erik Bailey has been a key member of the Guidance and Control (G&C) Section at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) since 2005, following five years in Flight Systems Engineering (Section 313). Throughout his tenure, Erik has made significant contributions to various mission-critical projects, including delivering stochastic analysis and data products for the Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) teams of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) and Phoenix missions. He was also instrumental in the proposal for the Mars InSight mission.

In addition to his flight project contributions, Erik has been deeply involved in technology development for both JPL and NASA. His work spans a range of projects such as Autonomous Landing Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT), the Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD), and multiple advanced pre-proposal lander studies. Notably, Erik led the simulation and modeling efforts for the De-orbit, Descent, and Landing (DDL) phase of the Europa Lander pre-project activities.

From 2014 to 2023, Erik served as the Technical Group Supervisor for Group 3436. During this time, he became a recognized expert in Uncertainty Quantification, as well as Verification and Validation of predictive simulations, serving as a key resource for both JPL and NASA.

Erik has prior industry experience at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Electronics, and was a Draper Fellow at the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, where he completed his Master’s research.

Education

  • SB in Aeronautics and Astronautics: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1998
  • SM in Aeronautics and Astronautics: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2000

Research Interests

  • Entry, Descent, and Landing Technology and Systems
  • Guidance, Navigation, and Control Technology and Systems
  • Affordable + Scalable Modeling and Simulation for Uncertainty Quantification

Experience

Professional Experience

  • Member of Section 343 Staff (2023-Present)
  • Technical Group Supervisor: Entry Descent and Landing Guidance and Control Systems Group (3436)(2014-2023)
  • Principal Investigator, Comet Surface Sample Return Strategic R&TD (2012-2014)
  • LDSD Electrical Systems Lead (2010-2012)
  • ALHAT Systems Engineering and Field Testing 2008-present
  • PHX Entry Descent and Landing Systems Engineering, GN&C, and Field Testing 2005-2008
  • MSL Entry Descent and Landing Systems Engineering, GN&C, and Field Testing 2004-2005
  • MER Entry Descent and Landing Systems Engineering, GN&C, and Field Testing 2000-2004
  • CloudSat Systems Engineering 2000

Achievements

Awards & Recognitions

  • JPL Team Award | Mars Sample Return Lander PDR Support | Enhanced Lander Vision System Level 5 Requirements, Flight Dynamics Modeling and Simulation (2024)
  • JPL Team Award | Habitable Worlds Observatory | for contributions to roadmap work (2024)
  • JPL Voyager Award | Europa Lander Visual Odometry Field Test Management (2023)
  • JPL Team Award | Europa Lander Visual Odometry Field Test Execution (2023)
  • JPL Team Award | Section 343 Technical Group Supervisors | Remote Workforce Management (2021)
  • JPL Team Award | Execution of DARTS/DShell/DSENDS 2020 Course (2021)
  • NASA Award | Group Achievement Award: ExoMars Parachute Extraction Testing (2020)
  • JPL Team Award | CONDOR New Frontiers Step 1 Proposal Support (2017)
  • JPL Team Award | Contributions to GNC Systems Engineering Class (2017)
  • JPL Team Award | Comet Surface Sample Return Proximity Operations (2015)
  • NASA Award | Group Achievement Award: LDSD Flight Dynamic Test 1 (2015)
  • NASA Award | Group Achievement Award: LDSD Electrical Team (2015)
  • NASA Award | Group Achievement Award: ALHAT Team (2015)
  • NASA Award | Group Achievement Award: Perception System for Autonomous Helicopters (2014)
  • JPL Team Award | NASA ALHAT Team development and test of Hazard Detection System (2012)
  • JPL Mariner Award | management of ALHAT team in achieving the first real-time flash-LIDAR-based multi-image digital elevation map (2011)
  • JPL Team Award | ALHAT Field Test III Campaign Team Award (2009)
  • NASA Award | Group Achievement Award: Mars Phoenix EDL Team (2009)
  • NASA Award | Group Achievement Award: Mars Phoenix Development and Mission Team (2009)
  • Professional Society and External Organization Awards | Mars Phoenix Project | Award for "Radar Tiger Team Efforts" (2007)
  • Professional Society and External Organization Awards | Mars Phoenix Project | Award for "Terminal Descent Radar Team" (2007)
  • JPL Mariner Award | for development and use of the PHX Radar Algorithm Assessment Tool (RAAT) (2007)
  • Professional Society and External Organization Awards | Mars Phoenix Project | Award for "Assuring a Robust EDL System" (2007)
  • NASA Award | NASA Group Achievement Award for MER Operations Team (2004)
  • JPL Award | Section 313 SPOT Award for "MER EDL Terminal Descent Analysis" (2002)
  • JPL Award | Section 313 NOVA Award for "Innovation and Improvement in Developing a Mars EDL Dynamic Model for Developing Algorithms to Understand and Explain the Physics of Descent and Landing on Mars with a Dual-Pendulum System" (2001)

Publications

  1. Cameron, J., Jain, A., Burkhart, P. D., Bailey, E. S., Balaram, B., Bonfiglio, E., Grip, H., Ivanov, M., and Sklyanskiy, E. (2016). DSENDS: Multi-mission Flight Dynamics Simulator for NASA missions. In AIAA Space. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
  2. Carson, J. M., Bailey, E. E., Trawny, N., Johnson, A. E., Roback, V. E., Amzajerdian, F., and Werner, R. A. (2014). Operations concept, hardware implementation and ground-test verification of a hazard detection system for autonomous and safe precision lunar landing. In Advances in the Astronautical Sciences, volume 150.
  3. Oberhettinger, D., Skulsky, E. D., and Bailey, E. S. (2011). Assessment of mars phoenix edl performance. In 2011 Aerospace Conference, pages 1–6.
  4. Owens, C., Macdonald, K., Hardy, J., Lindsay, R., Bailey, E., Johnson, A. E., Cheng, Y., Hambardzumyan, A., and Horchler, A. D. (2021). Development of a signature-based terrain relative navigation system for precision landing. In AIAA SciTech Forum, number 10.2514/6.2021-0376. AIAA.
  5. San Martin, A. M., Bailey, Erik S., "The Mars Exploration Rover Transverse Impulse Rocket System: An Active System to Compensate for Martian High Winds During Landing", 27th Annual American Astronautical Society Guidance and Control Conference, AAS 05-086, February 5-9, 2005.
  6. Skulsky, E. D., et al, "Under the Radar: Trials and Tribulations of Landing on Mars", 31st Annual American Astronautical Society Guidance and Control Conference, AAS 08-033, February 1-6, 2008.
  7. Sternberg, D. C., Setterfield, T. P., Bailey, E. S., Ansar, A. I., and Johnson, A. E. (2019). Demonstration of stereo vision for deorbit descent and landing. In Hallowell, H. E., editor, Advances in the Astronautical Sciences Guidance, Navigation and Control, volume 169, pages 161–172, P.O. Box 28130, San Diego, California 92198. American Astronautical Society, Univelt, Incorporated.