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PRESS RELEASE
THE PASSING OF DR.
ISAIAH BLANKSON
SENIOR
TECHNOLOGIST
Isaiah M. Blankson '69, MS '70,
PhD '73 has had a NASA career spanning over a quarter
century. Nicknamed the "Speed Demon," he is
internationally known for his expertise in hypersonics/aerodynamics
and propulsion.
At
the Institute
Blankson came to the
United States from Ghana to study at MIT. As an
undergraduate, he earned the Luis de Florez Award for
excellence in engineering. The award was established by
U.S. Navy Admiral Luis de Florez '11, the first director
of technical research at the CIA who was influential in
the development of early flight simulators; Florez was
also a pioneer in the use of 'virtual reality' to
simulate flight and combat situations in World War II.
Blankson earned both his Bachelors (1969) and
Masters (1970) degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics
from MIT. He continued on to his doctorate at the
Institute, earning his PhD (1973) with a thesis on the
near-wake of a Mach 6.3 cone in hypersonic flow using
magnetic model suspension. His work since has
contributed to the development of hypersonic flight
guidance and control systems, and of waverider cruise
missile design.
MIT sophomore Isaiah Blankson
(left) with mentor and young professor of aero
engineering, Larry Bucciarelli, 27 May 1967. Courtesy
MIT Museum
Blankson completed his secondary
school studies at the Mfantsipim School in Ghana. Nobel
Prize winner and former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi
Annan MBA '72 is a fellow alum of Blankson's, both from
Mfantsipim and MIT. Blankson came to the U.S. to study
at MIT under the African Scholarship Program of American
Universities, an international cultural and educational
exchange division of the U.S. Information Agency (USIA).
Established in 1953 during the Cold War, the USIA served
as a “public diplomacy” program until 1999, when its
exchange function was folded into the Department of
State.
At NASA
Blankson began
his career as an Aerospace Scientist at the General
Electric's Engineering Systems Division, where for
nearly a decade he conducted research on advanced
technologies for high-speed flight. Then he took a
position at NASA, launching a quarter-century long
career. His positions have included Assistant Director
at National Aerospace Plane Office, Deputy Director
Hypersonics Research Division, and Program Manager.
Since 1997, Blankson has worked at the NASA Glenn
Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Currently, he is a
Senior Technologist, of which there are only 12 among
more than 1,250 scientists at NASA. As a specialist in
hypersonics/aerodynamics and propulsion, he provides
advice and guidance to NASA Glenn administration NASA
center program managers, and other government agencies.
Areas of focus include
air-breathing hypersonic aerodynamics and propulsion,
plasmas and electromagnetic interactions in gas
dynamics, magnetic levitation systems, and advanced
millimeter-wave imaging technologies for aviation safety
and homeland security.
"Here at NASA, we were
looking for someone to take this proven method [plasma
water purification] and turn it into a product that
produces so many thousands of gallons of pure water a
day...the technology is ripe for implementation and
marketing." Isaiah Blankson, The Plain Dealer, 2017
(Phote) Isaiah Blankson on the cover of Science
Spectrum Magazine (September/October 2005), which
nicknamed him the "Speed Demon" for his work on cruise
missile and aircraft concepts designed to travel four to
eight times the speed of sound.
Blankson
initiated a flight program that led to NASA's X-43
Hypersonic Scramjet-Engine successful flights at Mach 7
and 10. As part of NASA’s Fundamental Aeronautics
Program, he formulated and instituted a research program
in plasma and MHD interactions in aerodynamics and
propulsion. Under the NASA Universities Center of
Excellence Program in Hypersonics, he has been a
technical monitor/management coordinator for the
University of Maryland, University of Texas at
Arlington, Syracuse University, and North Carolina A&T
State.
Blankson has been recognized
for his many contributions with the 2002 NASA
Exceptional Performance Award and the 2014 Presidential
Rank Award of Distinguished Senior Professional, the
highest civil servant award granted annually by the U.S.
Government.
Released by family in Ghana
November 24, 2021
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