About the Author
William J. Emrich, Jr.
William J. Emrich, Jr. has worked at the NASA Marshall Center since 1987 devoting much of his time to investigating various advanced propulsion concepts. Now a Senior Engineer, he is working on cutting edge research that is propelling America’s journey into the Solar System as project manager of the Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environmental Simulator (NTREES) which is a facility that tests the viability of potential nuclear rocket fuel elements. In 2015, he became only the second Marshall employee to win the coveted AIAA Engineer of the Year award for his work conceiving, designing, and now operating the NTREES facility. He also teaches nuclear rocket propulsion for the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and mentors young engineers.