Background

Ray grew up in the blue collar town of Flint, Michigan - the youngest son of a truck driver and a stay-at-home Mother. (Mom worked in a factory during the second world war assembling gages for airplanes, but quit to raise a family.) Ray has one older brother who is just shy of a PhD in Philosophy from Brown University.

Ray's early years were involved with all sorts of sports and outdoor activities since the family lived across the street from a large park with a forest, baseball diamonds, and tennis courts. Eventually Ray showed skills in mathematics and the sciences and got on track to become an aerospace engineer.

Professional

Ray eventually completed a PhD at the University of California, Los Angeles under the tutelage of the world-reknown and "father of structural optimization" Professor Lucien Schmit. Following the receipt of his PhD, Ray went to work for a company called TRW to build satellites. At TRW Ray got involved with fun technology development efforts in adaptive structures and vibration suppression. This work led to a number of patents and publications. Eventually Ray found himself working on environmental monitoring satellites for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Ray's EOS Aqua and EOS Aura satellites are still on orbit and producing high quality environmental and atmospheric monitoring data.

Ray has received patents for some of his technology development work. These patents are:

  1. Mendenhall, T.L., Bronowicki, A.J., and Manning, R.A., "Activated Structure", US Patent No. 5,424,596, granted June 13, 1995.
  2. Bronowicki, A. J. and Manning, R. A., "Composite Damping Structures and Related Method", US Patent No. 5,507,477, granted April 16, 1996.
  3. Manning, R. A., "Structural Health Monitoring Using Active Members and Neural Networks", US Patent No. 5,774,376, granted June 30, 1998.

Ray also is the author of nearly 30 technical papers related to system optimization, dynamics and controls, adaptive structures, and passive damping.

  1. Manning, R.A., Lust, R.V., and Schmit, L.A., "Behavior Sensitivities for Control Augmented Structures", Presented at the Sensitivity Analysis in Engineering Symposium, NASA CP 2457, pp. 33-57.

  2. Manning, R.A. and Schmit, L.A., "Control Augmented Structural Synthesis with Transient Response Constraints" , Proceedings of the 28th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, Monterey, CA, April 6-8, 1987, pp. 194-204.

  3. Manning, R.A., "Control Augmented Structural Synthesis with Transient Response Constraints", Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles, 1987.

  4. Manning, R.A. and Schmit, L.A.,"Control Augmented Structural Synthesis with Transient Response Constraints", AIAA Journal, Vol. 26, No. 5, May 1988.

  5. Manning, R.A. and Schmit, L.A., "Effect of Time Lag and Non-Colocation on Optimum Control Augmented Structural Designs" , Research in Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials, NASA CP 10024, Mobile, AL, April 3-5, 1989, pp. 35-45.

  6. Bronowicki, A.J., Manning, R.A., and Mendenhall, T.L., "TRW's Approach to Intelligent Structures", Presented at the ASME Winter Annual Meeting, Adaptive Structures Session, San Francisco, California, December 5, 1989.

  7. Bronowicki, A.J., Mendenhall, T.L., and Manning, R.A., "Advanced Composites with Embedded Sensors and Actuators Interim Technical Report - Phases I and II", Astronautics Laboratory Report No. AL-TR-89-086, March 1990.

  8. Spector, V.A., Narigon, M.L., Manning, R.A., Roesler, M.D., and Wise, D.W., "Development and Verification of Key Technologies for Agile Spacecraft", Presented at the American Control Conference, San Diego, California, May 1990.

  9. Manning, R.A., "An Integrated Structures/Passive Damping/Active Controls Design Optimization Methodology" , Presented at the Third Air Force/NASA Symposium on Recent Advances in Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization, San Francisco, CA, September 24-26, 1990.

  10. Manning, R.A., "An Optimum Design Methodology for Passively Damped Truss Structures" , Proceedings of Damping '91, San Diego, CA, February 13-15, 1991, pp. DCB-1-DCB-11.

  11. Manning, R.A., "Optimum Design of Intelligent Truss Structures" , Proceedings of the 32nd AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, Baltimore, MD, April 8-10, 1991, pp. 528-533.

  12. Manning, R.A. and Simonian, S.S., "Vibration Suppression for Precision Metal Matrix Truss Structures" , Proceedings of the 32nd AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, Baltimore, MD, April 8-10, 1991, pp. 754-757. Publications (Cont.)

  13. Manning, R.A., "Optimum Design of Truss Structures with Active and Passive Damping Augmentation" , Presented at Opti '91, Boston, MA, June 25-27, 1991, pp. 297-308.

  14. Betros, R.S., Bronowicki, A.J., and Manning, R.A., "Adaptive Structures Technology Programs for Space Based Optical Systems", Presented at the Society of Photo-Optical Engineers' 1991 International Symposium on Optical Applied Science and Engineering, San Diego, California, July 21-26, 1991.

  15. Ilgen, M.R., Manning, R.A., and Cruz, M.I., "Mars Entry-to-Landing Trajectory Optimization and Closed Loop Guidance" , Presented at the AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Durango, Colorado, August 19-22, 1991.

  16. Manning, R.A. and Spector, V.A., "Precision Slew/Settle Technologies for Flexible Spacecraft" , Presented at the Fifth Annual NASA/DoD Controls-Structures Interaction Technology Conference, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, March 3-5, 1992.

  17. Manning, R.A., Mendenhall, T.L., and Spector, V.A., "Quieting Technologies for Precision Slewing Spacecraft" , Proceedings of the 33rd AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, Dallas, TX, April 13-15, 1992, pp. 2102-2107.

  18. Manning, R.A., Wyse, R.E., and Schubert, S.R., "Development of An Active Structure Flight Experiment" , presented at the AIAA/AHS/ASEE Aerospace Design Conference, Paper No. AIAA 93-1114, Irvine, CA, February 16-19, 1993.

  19. Manning, R.A., Wyse, R.E., and Schubert, S.R., "An Advanced Controls Technology Flight Experiment" , Presented at Damping '93, San Francisco, CA, February 24-26, 1993.

  20. Manning, R.A., "Structural Damage Detection Using Active Members and Neural Networks" , AIAA Journal, Vol. 32, No. 6, June 1994, pp. 1331-1333.

  21. Manning, R.A., "Damage Detection in Adaptive Structures Using Neural Networks" , Proceedings of the 35th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, Hilton Head, SC, April 18-20, 1994.

  22. Manning, R.A., "ACTEX-I Final Report", AFRL-VE-TR-1996-1111, February 5, 1996.

  23. Manning, R.A. and Casteel, S.C., "On-Orbit Performance of The Advanced Controls Technology Experiment" , presented at the 1997 American Control Conference, Albuquerque, NM, June 4-6, 1997.

  24. Manning, R.A. and Casteel, S.C., "Design, Development, and On-Orbit Performance of the Advanced Controls Technology Experiment" , AIAA Paper No. 97-3746, presented at the 1997 AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference, New Orleans, LA, August 11-13, 1997.

  25. Manning, R.A., Qassim, K., and Nye, T.W., "Performance of Active Vibration Control Technology: The ACTEX Flight Experiments" , Journal of Smart Materials and Structures, Vol. 8, 1999, pp. 767-780.

  26. Manning, R.A. and Folley, C.N., "Identification of Experiment Dynamics and Environmental Effects on the ACTEX-I Flight Experiment", AIAA Paper No. 99-3951, presented at the 1999 AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference, Portland, OR, August 9-11, 1999.

  27. Manning, R.A., "Advanced Controls Technology Flight Experiment Flight Operations Final Report", AFRL-VS-TR-1999-1076, November 30, 1999.

  28. Bronowicki, A.J., Manning, R.A., Nye, T.W., and Simonian, S.S., "Advanced Controls Technology Flight Experiment Flight Operations Auxiliary Report", AFRL-VS-TR-1999-1076, January 31, 2000.

Sharing

Friends at UCLA showed Ray the desire and fulfillment derived from helping others. These friends were involved with setting up a sanctuary for Central American refugees during the civil wars in the 1980s in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.

Ray has sponsored children through World Vision for more than 30 years. The children have been from El Salvador, Nicaragua, Thailand, the West Bank, and Bangladesh. Ray enjoys helping people in need and also learning about the struggles inherent in various regions of the world and possible solutions.

Ray has been involved in a number of volunteer building and community cleanup events. The build events included a schoolhouse for orphans and refugees on the border of Thailand and Myanmar (formerly Burma) as well as local Habitat for Humanity building projects. Ray is never one to refuse an invitation to plant trees, clean up graffiti, or clean up streets and sidewalks in the Eighth City Council district of Long Beach where Ray lives.

Ray has been motivated by a number of social workers and public health officials to use his talent to develop technology tools for social workers and public health personnel. Since Ray is an algorithm geek, his talents are opposite the "touchy feely" talents of social workers and can provide a skillset that complements social workers. Recent work has focused on providing shelters and resources for victims of human trafficking and domestic violence as well as better placement results for children in need of adoption.

Activities

Ray has an addiction to cycling. If there is a day without work, Ray is on either his road bicycle or mountain bicycle pounding around various trails. Ray also cycled through France, Switzerland, and Italy a long time ago (i.e., 1985) with a girlfriend. Ray is always willing to ride with people and groups of cyclists.

Ray is a Formula One and MotoGP/Moto2/Moto3 addict. He has spectated at various races throughout the world and is continually trying to understand new technology developments, race strategies, and technical partners among the various race teams.

© 1999-2024 Ray Manning. All Rights Reserved.