Scott A. Higginbotham

Scott A. Higginbotham is a mission manager in the Ground Processing Directorate at NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He is currently on a matrix assignment with the Launch Services Program in support of the Educational Launch of Nano-satellites (ELaNa) project. ELaNa involves the development and launch of a series of small nano-satellites which are deployed as auxiliary payloads on expendable launch vehicle missions. His current mission assignments include ELaNa-10/SMAP, ELaNa-11/AFSPC-5, and ELaNa-12/NROL-55.

Experience

Prior to this assignment, Higginbotham lead a multidisciplinary team of engineers and technicians that assembled and tested the experiments, satellites and International Space Station components that flew aboard the space shuttle. In this capacity, he also served as the primary payload customer advocate/interface and as the primary payload interface to NASA launch vehicle management. He officially was appointed to this position in November 1995 although he began serving in an acting capacity in September 1993.

Higginbotham’s space shuttle mission assignments included STS-59/Space Radar Laboratory-1, STS-71/Spacelab-Mir, STS-79/Shuttle-Mir 4, STS-83/Microgravity Science Laboratory-1, STS-94/MSL-1R, STS-87/United States Microgravity Payload-4, STS-90/Neurolab, STS-93/Chandra X-Ray Observatory, STS-99/Space Radar Topography Mission, STS-106/ISS-2A.2b, STS-104/ISS-7A, STS-109/HST-Servicing Mission-3B, STS-113/ISS-11A, STS-114/ISS-LF-1, STS-118/ISS-13A.1, STS-123/ISS-1JA, STS-124/ISS-1J, STS-127/ISS-2JA, STS-129/ISS-ULF-3 and STS-133/ISS-ULF5.

Previously, Higginbotham worked as a payload mission operations engineer from March 1993 to November 1995. In this position, he was responsible for the planning, scheduling and coordination of payload assembly and test operations. From August 1997 to March 1993, he worked as an external tank mechanical systems engineer where he was responsible for the integration, acceptance testing and launch preparation of external tank structures, thermal protection systems and associated ground support equipment. Additionally, he was a member of the ice/frost/debris inspection team, the lead engineer and principal operator of the shuttle thermal imaging system and a principal operator/manager of Kennedy’s engineering photo/video analysis facility.

Awards

Higginbotham was a Space Flight Awareness Honoree in 1994. He also received a Kennedy Certificate of Commendation in 1994, a NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal in 2006 and is the recipient of 18 NASA Group Achievement Awards.

Education

Higginbotham was born in Springfield, Mo. In 1983, he graduated from Lamar High School in Lamar, Mo. He earned a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1987 and a Master of Science in engineering management from the University of Central Florida in 1993.

Personal

Higginbotham is married to Bridgit Catherine O’Hara of Cleveland, Ohio.

Biography last updated January 2015