McMonagle Makes the Case for Space

“I wouldn’t characterize myself as a thrill seeker.”
— Don McMonagle, EMBA ’03

Imagine the fun a self-assessment expert could have analyzing these words from former astronaut and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Don McMonagle, EMBA ’03. He’s taken to the skies in 26 different kinds of planes, performed air-combat exercises at Mach 1, and flown low altitudes at supersonic speed. And please note the three space flights, 605 hours in orbit, and space shuttle mission during which he piloted the STS-54 aboard the Endeavour.

“I certainly do like to explore and challenge myself, though,” he adds.

McMonagle’s current challenge keeps him planted firmly on the ground, but with a focus ever-trained on space exploration. As Raytheon’s vice president for NASA programs, he brings unparalleled expertise to the job of pitching to his former employer.

“As a former customer of the aerospace industry, I had a limited understanding of what drove decision making in the business that provided support to me,” McMonagle says. “Now that I’m on the industry side, I see that providing value to the customer is very much a business-related computation. It’s a multifaceted equation that covers the full spectrum of resources, value streams, supply chains, comparable advantages, and competitive assessments. And knowing what NASA wants is value I can bring to my colleagues who are helping me make these decisions.”

In the following Q&A, McMonagle discusses how his experiences have impacted his strategy at Raytheon.

Dividend: How has your Ross MBA degree helped you transition from aerospace-industry customer to supplier?

McMonagle: I feel privileged to perform in the business community at this level. Now that I have NASA stamped on my forehead once again, my objective is to bring the value of Raytheon to the nation’s exploration programs. I believe that is a very noble challenge. At Raytheon, we are constantly striving to bring diversity to the table and to take innovative technologies off the shelf and integrate them in new ways to satisfy customers. I’m also looking at NASA solicitations and building proposals, assessing the competitive environment, and finding out what the price is to win (contracts). All of these activities — negotiating, approaching partners, and teaming in supply chain — are directly applicable to courses I had at Ross.

Dividend: Specifically, what value do you think Raytheon can bring to NASA?

McMonagle: We build several network-centric systems that allow missiles and space sensors to “talk” through communication networks and to deliver information to facilitate guidance, navigation, and control. The missiles we build in Raytheon Missile Systems have to be able to find, and then guide themselves, to a target with tremendous precision. That precision is similar to the kind a lunar lander requires to set down exactly at the edge of a crater on the moon. Creating networks of communication, building mission systems, and integrating these within larger platforms to make the entire system work as one integrated unit — that’s a core competence within Raytheon. And these are the kinds of things NASA will need for their lunar architecture as they continue to explore.

Dividend: How do you deal with the long lead time required for the products Raytheon develops?

McMonagle: That’s a continuous challenge. It affects everything from human resources to supply chain. It also extends to building project-management skills and developing the experience to be able to direct these kinds of programs over the long haul. To NASA’s credit, they’re encouraging industry to shorten those cycle times. Raytheon is absolutely committed to accomplishing that, and there are many examples of where we’ve already done it.

Dividend: As an Air Force colonel, you logged more than 5,000 hours in flight. Do you have a favorite plane?

McMonagle: I’d have to say that air combat in an F15 or F16 is certainly amazing. Both airplanes are absolutely magnificent. Each has its strengths. One is a Maserati and the other a Porsche. Doing air combat at Mach 1 and flying supersonic at low altitudes are things you don’t forget.

Dividend: What’s it like to be launched into outer space?

McMonagle: The launch is an amazing transition from being Earthbound in a rocket vehicle sitting on a launch pad to being 80 miles above the Earth going 25 times the speed of sound, just eight minutes and 42 seconds later. Without being flip, the transition to weightlessness is miserable, fascinating, and magnificent all at once. There are some fluid shifts in your body, and there’s the potential for some “adaptation syndrome,” which effectively is motion sickness. Not everybody feels ill, but initially everyone feels somewhat uncoordinated in an alien environment. Eventually, you get used to the fact that it’s almost effortless to move around. You can tap on a wall, do a flip, and float to the other side of the vehicle. And it doesn’t matter if you’re right side up or upside down. The only thing that defines which way is up is the direction of the letters on the wall.

Dividend:  It must be challenging to undergo such a life-altering experience while having to perform incredibly complex work.

McMonagle: Most astronauts feel a very strong sense of responsibility to execute the mission they’ve been put in space to do, at significant expense to the American people. The way to be successful is through training and education. By the time I got into space, I had spent 500 hours in simulation practicing exactly what I was going to do. And my crews prepared anywhere from nine to 18 months to execute each specific mission. If you have a passion and receive excellent training related to that passion, you have enough wisdom not to overextend your capabilities. But it’s also important to push the extent of your capabilities. In this way, you learn rapidly and develop the judgment to stay out of trouble and make the right choices at the right time.

Dividend: How about those moments when you had a chance to think about being in space?

McMonagle: My first impression of seeing the Earth from space brought me back to fourth grade when I saw pictures taken by John Glenn. The Earth’s horizon really does look curved from space. That was a remarkable revelation. At the end of the day, you look out the window and see that you’re rotating around the Earth once every 88 minutes. You’re passing over a new continent every 15 minutes. You’re seeing an entire seaboard at once. You pinch yourself and say, “Wow, how did I ever get here?” What a fantastic feeling. After seeing the edge of the atmosphere and how thin it is around the planet, I began to perceive Earth not as this massive body in space, but rather as a small space craft that just happens to have six billion people on it. And we have limited air, limited energy, limited water, and limited fuel. The space shuttle has all the same constraints; it just happens to be staffed by fewer people.

Dividend: What can be done to motivate kids to pursue careers in the sciences?

McMonagle: There’s a commitment at Raytheon, from the CEO down, to the knowledge that this nation needs to produce the next generation of scientists and engineers. We have a program called Math Moves U, and we are constantly visiting schools and public forums to offer materials and do coaching. We bring students into the factory to give them an interactive experience. About once a month, I talk to some group about how important it is to study math and science, not only for the future health of our nation but for their own benefit and fulfilling careers.

Dividend: Speaking of school, you recently returned to your high school for a special honor.

McMonagle: In September I had the pleasure of going to Flint where they named my high school after me. It’s now an elementary school.  The entire school district, from kindergarten through 12th grade, attended this assembly. I was expected to keep them enthralled for 45 minutes with what I had to say. Although they turned out to be a great audience, this was one of the most challenging speeches of my life. It terrified me. 

--By Deborah Holdship