Andrew Alan Rader is a Canadian author and aerospace engineer.[2] Rader was the Season 2 winner of the Discovery series, Canada's Greatest Know-It-All.[3] Originally from Ottawa, Canada, Rader now works for SpaceX as a Mission Manager in Los Angeles.[4]

Andrew A. Rader
2019 photo of Andrew Rader[1]
NationalityCanadian
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Scientific career
ThesisMotion perception with conflicting or congruent visual and vestibular cues (2009)
Doctoral advisorsCharles M. Oman and Daniel M. Merfeld

Education

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Rader attended Carleton University from 1999 until 2005, receiving bachelor's and master's degrees in aerospace engineering there.[4] He spent the following four years studying aeronautics and astronautics engineering at MIT, specializing in long-duration spaceflight, and receiving his Ph.D. in 2009.[5][6]

Career

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Rader worked as a research engineer at Canada's National Research Council from 2003 to 2005. After moving to the US, he worked as a research engineer at MIT from 2005 to 2010.[7]

After graduating from MIT, Rader worked as a Spacecraft Systems Engineer at COM DEV from 2010 to 2014. In 2014, Rader moved to Los Angeles to take a job at SpaceX where he now holds the position of Mission Manager.[8]

Rader was a candidate for the Canadian Astronaut Corps in 2009 and 2017.[8][9] He wrote about the experience in an article for Motherboard called "What It's Like to Be in the Running to Be an Astronaut." He was also in consideration for a one-way mission to Mars as part of the Mars One project in 2014.[10] Natalie Angier interviewed him about the process for a New York Times story entitled A One-Way Trip to Mars? Many Would Sign Up.[11]

Books

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Rader self-published his first five books via successful crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter. His first book to be released by a major publisher is the non-fiction chronicle of human exploration, Beyond the Known: How Exploration Created the Modern World and Will Take us to the Stars, released by Simon & Schuster on November 12, 2019.[12]

His non-fiction books for adults include:

  • 2019 - Beyond the Known: How Exploration Created the Modern World and Will Take us to the Stars
  • 2014 - Leaving Earth: Why One-way to Mars Makes Sense

He is also the author of a series of science books for children:

  • 2015 - Epic Space Adventure, successfully funded via Kickstarter on November 30, 2015
  • 2016 - Mars Rover Rescue, successfully funded via Kickstarter on November 30, 2016
  • 2017 - Rocket Science, successfully funded via Kickstarter on December 5, 2017
  • 2018 - Europa Excursion, successfully funded via Kickstarter on December 8, 2018[2]

Selected research publications

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References

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  1. ^ Rader, Andrew (2019-11-12). Beyond the Known. ISBN 9781982123536.
  2. ^ a b "Andrew Rader | Author | Game Designer | SpaceX Mission Manager". Andrew Rader. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  3. ^ "Episode 8". Canada's Greatest Know It All. Season 2. Episode 8. March 4, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Astronaut candidate's profile". www.asc-csa.gc.ca. 2017-02-01. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  5. ^ "Exploration Created the Modern World & Will Take Us to the Stars". MIT Club of San Diego. June 25, 2020.
  6. ^ McGonegal, Joe (October 22, 2014). "Meet Elon Musk's Top MIT Talent". MIT CAlumni.
  7. ^ "LinkedIn". LinkedIn.
  8. ^ a b "Astronaut candidate's profile". www.asc-csa.gc.ca. 2017-02-01. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  9. ^ "Newest Canadian Astronaut: An MIT Alum?". alum.mit.edu. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  10. ^ Smith, Marie-Danielle (2014-07-30). "Ottawa's Andrew Rader shortlisted for Mars One journey | Ottawa Citizen". Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  11. ^ A One-Way Trip to Mars? Many Would Sign Up
  12. ^ "Andrew Rader". Andrew Rader. Retrieved 2019-09-23.