UA Grad Receives NASA’s Highest Honor

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – George Hopson doesn’t consider himself a rocket scientist. The University of Alabama graduate claims to be “just a mechanical engineer who likes to analyze how things work.” And he’s been doing just that for 40 years at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

Those four decades of contributions to America’s space program were recognized recently when Hopson, manager of the Space Shuttle Main Engine Project at the Marshall Center, accepted NASA’s Distinguished Service Medal, the highest honor NASA confers.

The Distinguished Service Medal is awarded to those who, by distinguished service or courage, have made a personal contribution to the NASA mission.

Hopson began his engineering career in UA’s College of Engineering. In 1950, he completed his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and received his commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his service in a combat engineering battalion during the Korean War. After the war, Hopson returned to UA to complete his master’s degree in mechanical engineering.

In 1954, he began working as a propulsion engineer for General Dynamics Corp. in Fort Worth, Texas. “When I began working for General Dynamics, they gave me a choice: propulsion or structures. I chose propulsion because I didn’t want to work at a drafting board all day,” Hopson said.

Hopson joined NASA’s Marshall team as chief of the Fluid and Thermal Systems Branch in the Propulsion Division, part of the Center’s former Astronautics Laboratory, in 1962. He later served as chief of the Engineering Analysis Division of the Structures and Propulsion Laboratory.

Hopson’s contributions to America’s space program include work on the country’s first space station, Skylab; the world’s first reusable spaceship, the Space Shuttle; and the International Space Station.

At 75, Hopson could easily leave NASA behind to be a “gentleman farmer” on his nearby farm. Instead, five days a week he heads for his sixth-floor Marshall Center office to deal with a $300 million project and to oversee more than 100 civil service and 1,800 contractor employees.

Hopson is responsible for the design, manufacture and operation of the Space Shuttle Main Engine, the most advanced liquid-fueled rocket engine ever built. His responsibilities include maintaining an inventory of flight-ready engines, as well as design, development, production and implementation of upgrades to the Shuttle’s engines to increase safety and reliability of the Shuttle system.

Hopson displays an enthusiasm for engineering that some people half his age might have a hard time matching. He admits he likes the analytical part of his job best. “Everyday brings something different, a new challenge,” Hopson said.

Note to Editors: To request a photograph of George Hopson, contact Deidre Stalnaker at 205/348-3051, staln001@bama.ua.edu or Mary Wymer, 205/348-6444.