Ethan Baumann

Ethan Baumann is an experienced technical leader with over 15 years of experience leading complex aerospace projects through the all phases of the Systems Engineering Life Cycle as a Project Chief Engineer or similar role. Since April 2024, he has served as the TraCSS Engineering Branch Chief and Systems Engineering IPT Lead, overseeing the development and deployment of TraCSS, which includes ensuring the accurate replication of the Department of Defense conjunction assessment screening processes.

Previously, Ethan was the Project Chief Engineer for the X-57 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, acting as the Engineering Technical Authority for the agency’s all-electric X-plane. His extensive flight research background includes serving as the Chief Engineer for the SubsoniC Research Aircraft Testbed (SCRAT) where he led the effort to transform a Gulfstream-III aircraft into a flight research platform through every aspect of the Systems Engineering Lifecycle from requirements through 70+ successful flights.  His early career was shaped by the X-43A program where he experienced the first flight mishap in the control room as a Junior Flight Controls Engineer.  During the subsequent mishap investigation, he assisted the Mishap Investigation Board in understanding the myriads of factors, which led to the mishap.  This experience led him to understand just how complex Aerospace systems can be and the importance of taking a rigorous, disciplined engineering approach tailored for the specific application.  His experience on the X-43A program culminated with serving as the Flight Controls Lead role for the record-breaking Mach 10 flight.

A recipient of the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, Ethan holds an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA and a B.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University. He is also an accomplished researcher, having served as the first author of six papers, which includes an article in the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, and as a co-author on three additional publications.