Roger Weiss
Roger Weiss has been a NASA contractor since 1988, having spent 12 years in suburban hometown Chicago, then transferring to Houston, where he has proudly been working in the International Space Station’s (ISS) Research Integration and Program Research offices at NASA/Johnson Space Center since 2000, at the infancy of this stellar endeavor. As Technical Integration Lead with contractor Barrios Technology, and part of the ISS Research Communications Team, Roger manages myriad pages comprising the Station Research & Technology websites on the public-facing NASA.gov web domain, as well as the Low-Earth Orbit Economy web pages on nasa.gov. He also conducts frequent outreach (in person and online) to educate and communicate to the public about NASA’s amazing space programs, mainly the space station and its research benefits for humanity. Roger leads an ISS Research Client Service+Satisfaction Team that interviews scientists and engineers about their ISS research experience with NASA's people, processes, and tools. This task also includes being the lead point of contact for the ISS Research Client Helpline. Roger also supports the processing of quarterly metrics stemming from research experiments integrated/managed by his office and conducted by Station crews. Roger has received a number of awards and commendations for his professional performance over the years; most notably in 2017, he was awarded NASA’s Exceptional Public Service Medal for his contributions to upholding the excellence of the International Space Station Program's on-orbit research endeavors. Roger’s everlasting passion and enthusiasm for all things space allow him to engage, educate, make aware, and inspire people of all ages about NASA, its illustrious programs, accomplishments, and achievements during professional and voluntary public outreach efforts at myriad venues throughout the country.
Roger has organized and coordinated book talks at NASA/Johnson Space Center for John Logsdon, author of John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon, and for James R. Hansen, author of First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong. Roger was credited in Hansen’s book Acknowledgements for the historical materials he provided the author, and also in the First Man motion picture Special Thanks credits for having researched historical questions Hansen requested for authenticity.
Roger has authored and delivers an informative and entertaining presentation, entitled, Jews in Space, and is currently writing a book based on this subject matter. Roger has also coordinated and served as host for introduction of talks by NASA astronauts at his local synagogue, Congregation Shaar Hashalom, in the Clear Lake, Texas, community. Roger’s everlasting dream is to fly in space since seeing his hero Neil Armstrong become the first human to walk on the Moon in 1969, and to explore the depth of the vast heavens after viewing his equal hero Carl Sagan’s original Cosmos series on PBS in 1980.