Yarymovych awarded von Kármán Medal for distinguished service to NATO research and technology (10/06/02)

Yarymovych awarded von Kármán Medal for distinguished service to NATO research and technology

BRUSSELS - Dr. Michael I. Yarymovych, currently chief scientific advisor to ANSER Corp. of Arlington, Va., was presented the von Kármán Medal by the NATO Research and Technology Board during ceremonies held at Mandelieu, France, in March.

Named in honor of Dr. Theodore von Kármán, one of the pre-eminent aeronautical scientists of the 20th century, the medal is awarded annually for exemplary service and significant contribution to the enhancement of progress in research and technology cooperation among the NATO countries, carried out in conjunction with NATO Research and Technology Organization activities.

Dr. Yarymovych's distinguished service to NATO research and technology covers three decades, beginning in 1970 when he was appointed director of the Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development (AGARD) in Paris. During his term of office (1970-1973), he successfully focused AGARD work on relevant military needs and created the format and structure of publictions still in use today.

In his capacity as the U.S. national delegate to AGARD (from 1991), and its chairman (from 1994), he encouraged the formation of an outreach program with the former Soviet Union.

From 1996 to 2000, Dr. Yarymovych served as chairman of the newly established NATO Research and Technology Organization, a scientific body that came into being with the successful integration of the AGARD and the Defense Research Group (DRG) programs into a single scieintific body dedicated to support NATO and its Allied Forces.

In addition to his role in NATO research and technology programs, Dr. Yarymovych has had a distinguished career in prominent government and industry positions.

Dr. Yarymovych, retired from Boeing in 1998, served as vice-president for missile defense business development and most recently as vice president for international technology in the Information, Space and Defense Systems Group.

Prior to this assignment in 1997 and the merger of Boeing with the aerospace portion of Rockwell International, he was vice-president and associate center director of Rockwell's Systems Development Center (SDC) in Seal Beach, Calif.

Before assuming his role at SDC, Dr. Yarymovych served in several key positions in Rockwell's corporate and aerospace organizations. From 1981 to 1986 he served as vice-president, advanced systems development, at Rockwell's corporate offices; and as vice-president of engineering and advanced technology for North American Aerospace Operations (1977-1981), an organization that encompassed the Space Systems Group, Rocketdyne and Energy Systems Group; and as vice-president of advanced technology and engineering for Rockwell's Aircraft Group (1977-1980).

Dr. Yarymovych held several prominent leadership positions in the government prior to his association with Rockwell, among them, as assistant administrator for field operations of the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) and as chief scientist of the U.S. Air Force.

He also served as deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for research and development and technical director of the USAF Manned Orbital Laboratory. In addition, he held responsible positions with the NASA Headquarters Manned Space Flight Program involving the Apollo lunar landing effort and initial definition studies of the space station and the space shuttle.

Furthermore, Dr. Yarymovych has played an active role on many scientific advisory committees, including the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, NASA Advisory Council Task Force on Space Goals, Strategic Defense Initiative Advisory Council, Stanford University Industrial Affiliates Advisory Board, Defense Science Studies Board, and the Space Panel of the Navy Studies Board.

Widely recognized for his accomplishments in engineering management and research, Dr. Yarymovych is a four-time recipient of the Air Force Exceptional Civilian Service Award. He also received the ERDA Distinguished Service Award in 1977.

Dr. Yarymovych was elected president of the International Academy of Astronautics in 1997, where he had served as vice-president for science programs since 1985. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and of the American Astronautical Society.

He is also a member of the French Air and Space Academy, and, upon Ukraine's independence in 1991, was elected to the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kyiv. Dr. Yarymovych is an honorary member of the Ukrainian Engineers' Society of America, the Shevchenko Scientific Society and the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in the U.S.

Dr. Yarymovych received a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering at New York University in 1955, magna cum laude. He earned an M.S. degree in engineering mechanics from Columbia University the following year. In 1960 he received a doctoral degree in engineering mechanics, also from Columbia, where he was a Guggenheim Fellow at the university's Institute of Flight Structures.

Dr. Yarymovych is the author of many publications on topics ranging from lunar mapping to strategic defense policy. Currently he is associate editor of the Encyclopedia of Space Science and Technology to be published by Wiley and Sons.

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The Weekly asked Dr. Yarymovych to elaborate on initiatives in technology cooperation undertaken with newly independent Ukraine. Following are his comments.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a number of initiatives were started to develop business with Ukraine. The first visit to the Yuzhnoye (now known as Pivdenne) facilities in Dnipropetrovsk took place in early 1992. It was especially interesting to meet its (then) general director (and current president of Ukraine) Leonid Kuchma and to see the plant where the large intercontinental ballistic missiles were built, against which Rockwell had been proposing missile defenses.

In spite of the fact that the engineering was superb, at first it was very difficult to start business relations because of widely differing concepts of business and financing. All of the large projects were conducted there on the basis of government decree, without much understanding of cost accounting.

In the end the conversion of the ballistic missiles to space launchers became less attractive. Although they can carry potent nuclear warheads, their ability to place satellites into orbit is limited. There are now some multinational initiatives to enter the space launch vehicle market using the converted missiles but, in the meantime, the need for commercial space launch has greatly diminished.

However, this facility also built a rocket that was many times larger than any ICBM. It was the space launcher Zenit, which was designed to launch large Soviet spy satellites from Baikonur in Kazakstan. This eventually became the basis of the very successful international Sea Launch project to place large commercial communications satellites into geostationary orbit from the equator. This was a major billion-dollar venture between companies from Russia, Ukraine, Norway and Boeing, where Pivdenmash finally had the opportunity to work with Western counterparts and finally earn some profits.

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