Bob Nelson:  

Life After HHS I attended Purdue University and graduated in Mechanical Engineering in 1959. I joined Convair Astronautics Div. of General Dynamics . My initial assignment was working on the Atlas ICBM Pneumatic system. In 1961 we began the converting Atlas to a Space Launch vehicle. In addition to working on John Glenn's booster design, I worked on Pioneer, first space craft to leave the solar system, Mariner Mars and Venus as well as early Intelsat. In 1977 I left the Space Division to join the Tomahawk design team at Convair. I led design activities for the ship mounted Tomahawk launcher and mobile ground launcher. In 1985 I became Chief Engineer of the Sea Launched Tomahawk program. In 1988 I became Director of Structural, Mechanical and Materials, Design and Analysis, a department of about 400 engineers working on Tomahawk, Advanced Cruise Missile and MD-11 fuselage, and performing advanced materials research. I retired from Convair in 1992. I married Michele Coutts in 1962. We have two children. Both are also Boilermakers, but Eric went on for an MBA at Vanderb...Expand for more