About

John M. Horack, Ph.D., is the Neil Armstrong Chair in Aerospace Policy at The Ohio State University, holding tenured, full-professor appointments in the College of Engineering’s Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs. With a career spanning over 30 years in the spaceflight industry, he is a globally-recognized leader in space-based research, flight hardware development, program management, and space policy. Prior to joining Ohio State in 2016, Dr. Horack served as Vice President of Teledyne Brown Engineering’s Space Systems group, overseeing government and commercial space programs including payload operations on the International Space Station, Earth imaging, and deployment of hyperspectral instrumentation. He also served as Vice President of Research at UAHuntsville, where he managed the university’s research enterprise, increasing annual research expenditures significantly. His extensive career at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center included roles such as manager of the Science and Mission Systems Office, assistant director of the Space Transportation Programs and Projects Office, and assistant mission scientist for the Astro-2 payload. Dr. Horack has contributed to numerous scientific missions, including the assembly and calibration of the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) and spacecraft integration for the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. He holds a B.A. in physics and astronomy from Northwestern University, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in physics from UAHuntsville. An accomplished author with over 100 publications, he has spoken at many institutions and served as Vice President of the International Astronautical Federation. Dr. Horack is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and an Associate Fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is also a licensed private pilot with instrument, commercial, and flight instructor ratings.

Research topics

• Physics
• Aerospace engineering
• Engineering
• Environmental science
• Mechanical engineering
• Bioinformatics
• Astronomy
• Biology
• Materials science
• Astrobiology
• Nuclear engineering
• Aeronautics
• Meteorology
• Classical mechanics
• Mechanics

Selected publications

• NASA will say goodbye to the International Space Station in 2030 − and welcome in the age of commercial space stations

  2025-09-24

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Multiphase Mapping and Heat Efficiency of Hydrogen Bubbles in Liquid Uranium for a Centrifugal Nuclear Thermal Rocket Engine

  2025-01-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• An Innovative Payload-to-Workbench Interface Design for the Starlab Space Station

  2025-01-01

  articleSenior author

  The space industry is moving forward to develop new and innovative research platforms in low-Earth orbit, following the era of the International Space Station (ISS), currently scheduled to end with ISS retirement in 2030. One of the main focal points of any efficient research activity in space is the optimal use of astronauts’ valuable time, which includes the setup of experiments onboard any orbiting platform. Currently, the ISS utilizes the Expedite the Processing of Experiments to the Space Station (EXPRESS) Racks system to house many different experiments, facilities – such as a glovebox or furnace – and other equipment. Any photograph of the inside of the ISS shows that interfacing payloads can require an array of additional connections, cables, computers, and other infrastructure for appropriate interfacing to the rack. These connection modalities can consume a significant amount of a crew-person’s time, create a complicated environment, and can be visually ‘noisy’. All of these can limit the overall efficiency, effectiveness, and reliability of experiments performed in space. Starlab is a next-generation space station being developed under a joint-venture led by Voyager Technologies, with partners that include Airbus GmbH, Mitsubishi Corporation, MDA, Palantir, Hilton Hotels, and more. In this partnership, The Ohio State University (OSU) is the lead university research organization. One task being performed by the OSU team focuses on alleviating the complexity of setting up space experiments within the Starlab payload experiment/research bench environment. Our student-experimental team at Ohio State has designed and prototyped a streamlined payload-to-workbench connector system, that seeks to standardize the attachment of payloads to a simple connection interface. Within this system, we are performing engineering tests and evaluations on four different mechanical locking mechanisms between the bench and a payload, including a push lock, a slide lock, a twist lock, and an embedded lock. The simplicity of our connector design ensures that all experimenters will have the flexibility to choose the shape and sizing of their payloads, and be able to leverage a modular, extendible, and flexible system. Our connector system design is being tested for ease of use, simplicity, and setup efficiency through ‘human in the loop’ testing, including the accounting for different astronaut heights, hand sizes, and potential orientation differences with respect to the payload bench.

  PublisherDOI

• CubeSat Mission Design to Measure Localized Magnetic Fields on Martian Surface Utilizing Artificial Intelligence and Atmosphere Breathing Electric Propulsion

  2025-01-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Martian Autonomous Resupply Constellation (M.A.R.C.)

  2025-01-01

  articleSenior author

  Crewed missions to celestial bodies outside Earth have historically been solely reliant on mission-allocated supplies. While there are mission contingencies in place to ensure those endeavors have sufficient resources to abort in the event of an emergency, space programs have no experience conducting crewed operations in interplanetary space. As humanity rapidly advances towards the exploration of Mars, establishing efficient and logistical supply infrastructure becomes critical. A ground-based transportation network will likely not exist between surface sites when Mars becomes habitable. Transporting supplies between sites will be impossible, creating serious vulnerabilities in the case of an emergency. Relying solely on Earth-based emergency relief efforts is equally infeasible due to the long travel time any aid would need to reach Mars. ISS resupply missions are a current example of how logistics are maintained for astronauts visiting a long-term habited installation; regularly scheduled launches from Earth provide necessary replenishment. This model is sufficient due to the short transit time from Earth’s surface to Low Earth Orbit. As the push for human habitation on Mars becomes more of a reality, management of emergency logistics is a necessity. Subsequently, an interim emergency response solution that can support a Mars-based crew while awaiting a dedicated rescue solution from Earth becomes an appealing alternative; despite this, there currently exists no dedicated effort to design such a solution. This project begins the initial mission design to implement an autonomous constellation of cargo-equipped orbiters in Martian orbit containing payloads such as food, water, and equipment that an astronaut crew on Mars may need if emergencies arise. Deploying the constellation in orbit outside of the context of any single space program’s mission ensures any crew regardless of allegiance can be sustained from a wide variety of surface locations. The proposed satellite network will provide resupply capabilities, continuous communication, and data relay between satellites, Martian surface sites, and Earth, helping develop the self-sufficiency of Mars sites. The current focus of the project is centered on assessing the mission's feasibility through validation and longevity. We have utilized data from previous Martian lander E.D.L. systems, specifically the Spirit rover mission, to enhance the design and optimize our approach by aligning it with successful previous missions. Additionally, we have selected to use solid fuel for its lifespan and overall simplicity. SolidWorks models of the M.E.R. have been developed to evaluate thermodynamic performance and volume/mass capacity, and we are currently optimizing the ground track of the constellation to allow for an equal solid propellant mass in each satellite, facilitating the delivery of any cargo ship to any ground site. In this paper we present detailed prefatory designs of the constellation and its associated hardware, which will allow for access to proposed ground sites once every eight minutes via a roughly twelve-hour repeating ground track. The report will show the current CAD models of the lander, the thermal analysis of the capsule moving through the Martian atmosphere, and an in-depth analysis of the constellation paired with the propellant mass, cargo mass, delta-V requirements, response times, and communication from ground sites, to and through satellites, all the way to Earth.

  PublisherDOI

• Starlab - A Next-Generation Space Station to Transform Space-Based Research and Human Presence in Low-Earth Orbit.

  2025-01-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Nasa vai se despedir da Estação Espacial Internacional em 2030, abrindo caminho para uma nova era de estações espaciais privadas

  2025-09-26

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Progress on Developing a Prototypic Centrifugal Fuel Element Test Stand for CNTP Engine

  2025-01-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• An Innovative Payload-To-Platform Interface Design for the Starlab Space Station

  2025-01-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Exposure to elevated relative humidity in laboratory chambers alters fungal gene expression in dust from the International Space Station (ISS)

  Scientific Reports · 2025-08-04 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Microorganisms are present in all occupied indoor environments, including homes on Earth and within specialized systems like the International Space Station (ISS). Microbes when exposed to excess moisture, such as from an unexpected ventilation system failure, can undergo growth that is associated with material degradation and negative health effects. However, we do not yet understand how exposure of these microbes to excess moisture alters their function. A de novo metatranscriptomic study was performed using dust collected from the US air filtration system of the ISS and incubated in laboratory chambers on Earth at different equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) levels. Changes in fungal function (gene expression) were significantly associated with moisture (adonis2 p = 0.0001). Secondary metabolism and fungal growth genes were upregulated (FDR-adjusted p ≤ 0.001, log2FC ≥ 2) at elevated ERH compared to 50% ERH. Elevated moisture conditions showed upregulation of aflatoxin and fungal allergen genes such as Asp f 4 (log2FC = 26.4, upregulated at 85% ERH compared to 50%) and Alt a 7 (log2FC = 2.98, upregulated at 100% ERH compared to 50%). Our results demonstrate that understanding microbial functional changes in response to elevated moisture will help develop more robust microbial monitoring standards for spacecraft environments to protect astronaut health and spacecraft integrity in low-Earth orbit and beyond.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• W. S. Pačiesas

  63 shared

• G. J. Fishman

  Marshall Space Flight Center

  39 shared

• Robert Wilson

  35 shared

• C. Meegan

  University of Alabama in Huntsville

  35 shared

• C. Kouveliotou

  31 shared

• M. S. Briggs

  University of Alabama in Huntsville

  31 shared

• Jon Hakkila

  University of Alabama in Huntsville

  30 shared

• G. N. Pendleton

  26 shared

Awards & honors

• NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal
• Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (UK) (2020)