Suman Muppidi

About Suman Muppidi

I am a technical leader and project manager with over a decade of experience guiding…

Experience

1. Aerosciences and Technology Lead - Entry, Descent and Landing

   Nasa Ames Research Center

   Apr 2012 — Present

   At NASA Ames, I lead and contribute to mission-critical aerospace projects focused on advancing Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) technologies for planetary exploration. My work spans proposal development, early design and architecture trades, formal technology maturation, risk mitigation, and post-flight analysis.I specialize in aerothermal modeling, thermal protection systems (TPS), and systems-level coordination, with successful collaborations across multiple NASA centers, and private industry.Selected Projects & Highlights: Mars Sample Return – Sample Retrieval Lander (SRL)| 2018–Present- Serve as Aerothermal Lead and NASA Ames Project Manager- Lead a 12-member team; oversee budget, procurement, and risk management- Coordinate with JPL, NASA Langley, and the aeroshell contractor- Support TPS procurement, testing, and backup material maturation plans Orion Artemis-1 Post-Flight Analysis | 2019–Present- Contributed to TPS anomaly investigation through pre/post-flight modeling- Rapidly onboarded new tools (e.g, CHAR); supported teams at NASA JSC and NASA Ames ASPIRE – Mars 2020 Parachute Qualification | 2016–2019- Led aerosciences team through three full-scale supersonic parachute tests- Developed simulations linking Earth test performance to Mars conditions- Supported development of parachute models leading to successful landing of the Perseverance rover Red Dragon – SpaceX Mars Lander Concept | 2016–2017- Led Ames technical support for SpaceX’s Supersonic Retro Propulsion work- Delivered aerothermal models and collaborated with NASA and SpaceX teams- Gained hands-on experience in rapid public-private concept development Low-Density Supersonic Decelerators (LDSD)| 2012–2015- Led aerosciences team and enabled demonstration of novel drag devices (SIADs, ballutes) via modeling, ground tests, and full-scale high-altitude flight demonstrations- Collaborated with JPL, NASA Langley, NASA Marshall, and private partners.

Education

• Indian Institute of Technology, Madras

  B Tech

  1996 — 2000

• University of Minnesota

  Ph D

  2000 — 2006