Robb Kulin

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox astronaut Robb Michael Kulin (born December 7, 1983) is an American aerospace engineer, entrepreneur, and former NASA astronaut candidate. He was a member of NASA Astronaut Group 22 but resigned before completing astronaut training.<ref name=indianexpress20170609/><ref name=nasabio/><ref name=resign>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life

Robb Kulin was born and grew up in Anchorage, Alaska.<ref name=ktuu20170608/>

Education

He studied mechanical engineering as an undergraduate at the University of Denver, earned a master's degree in materials science, and Ph.D. in engineering, both at the University of California, San Diego. For his doctorate studies, he focused on dynamic bone fracture.<ref name=ktuu20170608>Template:Citation core{{#if:|}}</ref> Prior to starting the doctoral program, Kulin was a Fulbright Fellow for one year at the Politecnico di Milano.

Career

He worked as a commercial fisherman in Chignik, Alaska, and was previously an ice driller in Antarctica on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and Taylor Glacier.<ref name=nasabio> Template:Citation core{{#if:April 3, 2021|}}</ref>

At the time of his selection as astronaut candidate in June 2017, Kulin was senior manager for flight reliability at SpaceX, leading the Launch Chief Engineering group in Hawthorne, California, where he had worked since 2011.<ref name=indianexpress20170609>Template:Citation core{{#if:|}}</ref><ref name=ktuu20170608/><ref name=nasabio/>

In August 2018, Kulin became the first NASA astronaut candidate in fifty years to resign prior to completing the initial training program. He cited "personal reasons" for resigning from the program.<ref name=resign/>

Kulin joined Firefly Aerospace in April 2019 as Director of Engineering for its Alpha small satellite launch vehicle and later served as COO.