David Spencer

Founder & CEO

Dr. David Spencer is an expert in mission design and operations, with flight project implementation experience ranging from space technology demonstrations to flagship planetary missions. During 18 years at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he has held positions as Mission System Manager for the Mars Sample Return Program, Deputy Project Manager for the Phoenix Mars Lander, Mission Manager for Deep Impact and Mars Odyssey, and mission designer for Mars Pathfinder. He is the Project Manager for the LightSail 2 solar sailing mission in support of The Planetary Society. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University, and his Ph.D. from Georgia Tech. He has served on the engineering faculty at both institutions.

Justin Mansell

System Engineer

Dr. Justin Mansell has a background in spacecraft attitude determination and control, trajectory optimization, fault management, and flight operations. He has completed engineering internships with MDA Corporation and the Idaho National Laboratory Center for Space Nuclear Research. He is a member of the LightSail 2 operations team, responsible for modeling and simulation of the spacecraft trajectory and attitude dynamics. In addition to his role as System Engineer for Vestigo, Justin serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Purdue University. He received his B.S. in Physics from the University of Calgary, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Purdue in Aeronautics and Astronautics.