The Aerospace Corporation Announces Leadership Appointments At Chantilly, Va., Office

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (3/4/05) -- The Aerospace Corporation has announced that Dr. Grant C. Aufderhaar has been appointed principal director of the System Performance and Exploitation Subdivision, Reconnaissance Systems Division, at the company’s office in Chantilly, Va., and Thomas G. Darone has been named principal director of New Imagery Systems in the Imagery Programs Division in Chantilly.
Aufderhaar is responsible in his new position for providing technical support to the Defense Department, other national-security organizations, and civil and commercial customers in the areas of performance modeling, space system design, and remote sensing. He previously was principal director of the Concepts and Applications Directorate, Advanced Technology Division, in Chantilly.

Since joining Aerospace in 1993, Aufderhaar has held a number of key assignments directly supporting advanced science, engineering, and technology programs associated with critical national-security space systems. In 1996 he earned the title distinguished engineer. In his Air Force career, before joining Aerospace, he provided technical expertise and leadership for a variety of remote sensing and advanced technology programs, as well as environmental and space science initiatives. He served as assistant for environmental science in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, among other top-level assignments.

Darone, in his new position, will be responsible for directing activities related to the future planning and development of advanced space imagery systems. He advances from systems director in the Advanced Technology Division, where he spearheaded the development of several complex and innovative national-security space projects.

Darone has a diverse background in the aerospace industry. In addition to his achievements at The Aerospace Corporation, he has made important contributions at NASA and the Defense Department, including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He was the technical lead in the development and launch of eleven satellites and led mission integration efforts on advanced ground- and air-launched boosters as well.

The Aerospace Corporation, based in El Segundo, Calif., is an independent, nonprofit company that provides objective technical analyses and assessments for national security space programs and selected civil and commercial space programs in the national interest.