Dr. Mark Skinner is internationally recognized as a researcher in space object characterization and commercial space situational awareness. He currently participates in The Aerospace Corporation’s effort to support the transition of space traffic coordination (STC) from the Defense realm to the Civil. For almost two decades he supported research efforts at the AMOS facility on Maui, Hawaii, and now supports STC in Washington, DC.
For its duration, he supported the US delegation to the UN COPUOS Working Group on the Long Term Sustainable use of outer space in the development of guidelines and best practices, as an expert on space debris and SSA; he now participates as a private sector advisor to the US Dept. of State’s Group of Friends on Dark and Quiet Skies.
Skinner holds a BS degree in Physics and a BS in the Humanities and Science from MIT; a PhD in experimental astrophysics from UW-Madison; and an MBA from ISU. He is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics.