We are so ecstatic and lucky! THE NASA Launch Team will be in the house! We are so excited to host this dynamic group straight from Cape Canaveral, Florida, as they prepare for a launch at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Join us for all the knowledge - and bring your questions! Please rsvp to sonja@clementinecarterwines.com
Dr. Denton K. Gibson is a launch director in NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP) at the agency’s John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Gibson is responsible for planning, implementing, and directing launch campaigns and countdowns of science and robotic spacecraft for NASA-managed launch vehicle services.
Experience
Previously, Gibson was a senior mission manager. He acted on behalf of program management and represented LSP during integration of assigned missions from advanced planning through integration, launch, and mission success determination. Additionally, he ensured the readiness of spacecraft and launch vehicles for integration, NASA readiness reviews, and launch. Prior to that Gibson was a senior vehicle systems engineer discipline expert. He led the LSP engineering team and was responsible for oversight and insight of the program’s commercial launch vehicle fleet.
Gibson has worked in LSP since he began his career at NASA Kennedy in January 2004. During a detail assignment in 2016, Gibson worked in the U.S. Senate as a NASA Fellow.
Education
Gibson earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering in 2004 from the University of Florida in Gainesville. He received a master’s in industrial engineering in 2006 from the University of Miami and a doctorate in systems engineering in 2019 from the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
Awards
He is the recipient of several awards, including a NASA Silver Group Achievement Medal in 2021 and a KSC Certificate of Commendation in 2020. Other awards include a NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal in 2018 and a Group Achievement Award for Falcon 9 launch vehicle certification in 2016. He was named the LSP Employee of the Year in 2010.
Personal
Gibson was born in Nassau, Bahamas, but considers Miami, Florida, where he grew up, to be his hometown. He has one daughter, Phenix. They reside in Orlando.
Some of his hobbies include building cars, scuba diving, and working out. He also is a professional salsa dancer, instructor, and choreographer.