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September 13, 2000

NASA Still Taps Astronaut-Turned-Consultant

By Rudi Keller
Journal Staff Writer
    Ex-astronauts get more respect than astronauts, especially from NASA, two-time space shuttle crew member Sidney Gutierrez says.
    "When they call you back (to consult), then suddenly you are smarter," says Gutierrez, now a program manager at Sandia National Laboratories. "People who before you were trying to get an audience with now want your input."
    Gutierrez serves on the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, with which NASA consults on operations of its space station and planetary missions.
    At Sandia, Gutierrez says, he has found a culture similar to NASA and that's a good fit for him. Both organizations work hard to analyze any possible problems with their work.
    "That means looking for vulnerabilities where the consequences, if you don't find them, are very high," Gutierrez says.
    Gutierrez ended his NASA career in 1994 after commanding a shuttle mission. At Sandia Labs, Gutierrez is officially "program manager for applied technology," with one program to develop a laser imaging system that will fly on the shuttle. Other programs are more sensitive, he said. "A lot of the work we do is classified."
    Less sensitive is Gutierrez's charitable and civic work. Since coming to Albuquerque, he has served on the Board of Regents for the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, where he's now the board president. He's also board chairman for Goodwill Industries and an honorary board member of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. "I've learned to be as efficient as possible to serve on those boards."
    NASA was a life of frequent travel, so the Albuquerque native and 1969 graduate of Valley High School decided it was time to return home in 1994 with his wife, Marianne, and three children. He says he had decided to quit the space program because he wanted to settle in one place while his children attended high school.
    His eldest daughter, Jenny, is now at the University of Dallas, son David is at St. Pius High School and daughter Katie is at Queen of Heaven Catholic School.
    "We decided we were coming here in the summer of 1994 no matter what," he said. "I told my dad not to rent out the chicken coop because we might be living there."
    And he didn't want to go anyplace but home. "One of the reasons I wanted to come back was the mountains," Gutierrez says. "It is just in your blood."

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If there's a former newsmaker you would like us to track down, contact Ellen Marks at 823-3842 or emarks@abqjournal.com.