Top AF R&D award given to 846th scientist

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Siuta B. Ika
  • 49th Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  With more than 11,350 sled tests completed at the Holloman High Speed Test Track, the scientists and engineers of the 846th Test Squadron must work efficiently and effectively to meet mission demands.

One scientist, Dr. Michael Hooser, 846th TS chief scientist for the HHSTT, has been recognized for his work by winning the Harold Brown Award, the top Air Force award for scientific research and development.

"I'm incredibly humbled and honored," Hooser said. "It is a great honor, and it reflects very positively on the organization here that we have an atmosphere that fosters the kinds of work that would allow me to win this award."

Hooser was selected for the award based on his work on the rain-field characterization testing and Magnetic Levitation system, said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. David Dunn, 846th TS commander.

"We've been doing rain-field testing here since the 1960s, but this is the first time we have been able to accurately and precisely characterize the types of drops that we produce -- from sizes, quantity, to what their velocity is while they're falling," he said. "We will have a much better idea of the rain environment in which we put test materials through, which will equate more survivable missile systems going through rain effects."

Both the rain-field characterization and MAGLEV testing will result in more realistic flight conditions for the test item, Dunn said.

"For our MAGLEV he developed the first ever six-degree of freedom model which will allow us to test new equipment in a much smoother, much more flight-like environment," Dunn said. "It's fairly easy to model the magnets, it's a lot harder to model magnets in motion and induce magnetic fields and figure out how they will react as the sled is going down the rail."

Even though Hooser will join the ranks of elite Air Force scientists and researchers, he remains humble.

"It's not a singular thing centered on me, it's an award for the entire organization," he said. "I think it speaks very well of the entire group because we do world-class work in a lot of areas, not just what I'm being recognized for. There are people all around here that are doing phenomenal things just like this and they haven't received recognition. Working in an environment like this with the people that I work with sets a very high bar, but it's fairly easy to excel with the people I work with here."

Other programs Hooser has worked on include inter-continental ballistic missile testing, theater missile defense and deep bomb penetrator testing.

The Harold Brown Award recognizes significant achievement in research and development that led to, or demonstrated promise of, a substantial improvement in operational effectiveness of the U.S. Air Force.

The award's namesake was a physicist who served as the secretary of the Air Force from 1965 to 1969 and as the secretary of defense from 1977 to 1981.

Hooser, who will receive the award Dec. 12 in Washington, D.C., has worked at Holloman for 34 years and will be retiring later this month.