Wilbert Andrés Ruperto Hernández

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT WILBERT ANDRÉS RUPERTO HERNÁNDEZ

Wilbert Andrés Ruperto-Hernández is an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. As a systems analyst in the Space Mission Analysis Branch (SMAB) in the Systems Analysis Concepts Directorate (SACD), Mr. Ruperto-Hernández works on space technology assessment, mission analysis, and vehicle performance assessments. His active projects encompass the fields of In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM), lunar transportation, and optical power beaming from lunar orbit to the lunar surface. Since joining NASA in August 2023, he has supported the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) and, more recently, the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD). He obtained his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez (UPRM) in June 2023. While at UPRM, he distinguished himself as the founder and team leader of the Space Architectures and Revolutionary Concepts (SPARC) Design Team – a multidisciplinary group of students focused on developing space mission and vehicle concepts for the NASA Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkages (RASC-AL) competition. In this position, Wilbert led the team to five consecutive finals, obtaining three consecutive Overall First Place awards, one Overall Second Place Award, and the Pioneering Exceptional Achievement Concept Honor (PEACH) Award. Wilbert also served as the Vice President of the local chapter of the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS-UPRM), overseeing and leading initiatives centering around student engagement, community outreach, and technical projects. He also participated in four NASA internships and two private industry internships where he contributed to projects ranging from test stands for future Mars helicopters to a lunar rover terrestrial prototype. He was awarded several honors, including the Jeff Bezos Excellence and Innovation Award from SEDS-USA, the Distinguished Undergraduate Award from the Universities Space Research Association, and the Jesús Sánchez Vázquez Engineering Excellence Scholarship from UPRM/Boeing. He was also selected for the Zed Factor Fellowship and the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship in 2021 and 2022, respectively.Wilbert is passionate about education and public outreach as displayed in his efforts to create and organize the first Puerto Rican Space Exploration Festival (PRSEF) held at UPRM in 2019, the Save the Arecibo Observatory advocacy movement in 2020, and the informal education and outreach initiative “The Astrorican\".