Michael Ciannilli

Michael ("Mike") Ciannilli (B.Sc., Florida Institute of Technology) is an American executive who currently works for NASA. He joined in 2005 and currently manages the Apollo Challenger Columbia Lessons Learned Program (ACCLLP).^[1] In this role, he produces multimedia and storytelling events at Kennedy Space Center, focusing on the emotions behind the accidents.^[2]^[3]

Career

Before assuming his current position, he was a curator of NASA's Columbia Research and Preservation Office. Prior to NASA, he served for eight years as a Test Project Engineer under contract with the United Space Alliance. He spent childhood years in Syracuse, N.Y.^[4]

After the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, Ciannilli participated by helicopter in searching East Texas for wreckage.^[5] What he and others found – over 80,000 pieces - was cataloged and laid out in a room at NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building. Some of the items recovered are included in a memorial to those who lost their lives in the shuttle disasters, "Forever Remembered", located at the Kennedy Space Center.^[6]

One special item in the memorial exhibit, Ciannilli personally retrieved from the silo in which wreckage retrieved from the Challenger disaster is permanently entombed. It is a fifteen-foot section bearing the damaged but recognizable Star-Spangled Banner.

Awards and recognitions

In the course of his work with NASA, Ciannilli has received numerous awards. These include:

NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal
NASA Program Leadership Award
Launch and Landing Leadership Award
Launch Countdown Simulation Contingency Leadership Award
NASA Quest Outreach Award
Columbia Recovery Team Award^[7]

References

^ "Michael Ciannilli | Columbia University School of Professional Studies". sps.columbia.edu.
^ Podcast with Thom Singer, "Lessons Learned at NASA with Mike Ciannilli", July 20, 2020 https://thomsinger.com/podcast/lessons-learned-at-nasa/
^ In an episode of NASA EDGE, "At Home Interview with Mike Ciannilli", aired on Oct 7, 2020, host Blair Allen discusses with him how NASA respects astronauts, learns from its history, works to avoid tragedies, and safeguards future missions.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13233372/?ref_=ttpl_pl_tt
^ "123: NASA Lessons Learned with Mike Ciannilli", Casual Space with Beth Mund https://www.bethmund.com/casual-space-podcast/2021/06/10/123-mike-ciannilli
^ Merryl Azriel,"Living with Columbia: Interview with Mike Cianilli", Space Safety Magazine http://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/space-disasters/columbia-disaster/living-columbia-interview-mike-cianilli/
^ Cook, Kevin, "The Burning Blue: The Untold Story of Christa McAuliffe and NASA's The Challenger Disaster" (New York: Henry Holt and Company, ©2021), pp.244-249
^ "123: NASA Lessons Learned with Mike Ciannilli". Beth Mund.

[1] "Michael Ciannilli | Columbia University School of Professional Studies". sps.columbia.edu.

[2] Podcast with Thom Singer, "Lessons Learned at NASA with Mike Ciannilli", July 20, 2020 https://thomsinger.com/podcast/lessons-learned-at-nasa/

[3] In an episode of NASA EDGE, "At Home Interview with Mike Ciannilli", aired on Oct 7, 2020, host Blair Allen discusses with him how NASA respects astronauts, learns from its history, works to avoid tragedies, and safeguards future missions.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13233372/?ref_=ttpl_pl_tt

[4] "123: NASA Lessons Learned with Mike Ciannilli", Casual Space with Beth Mund https://www.bethmund.com/casual-space-podcast/2021/06/10/123-mike-ciannilli

[5] Merryl Azriel,"Living with Columbia: Interview with Mike Cianilli", Space Safety Magazine http://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/space-disasters/columbia-disaster/living-columbia-interview-mike-cianilli/

[6] Cook, Kevin, "The Burning Blue: The Untold Story of Christa McAuliffe and NASA's The Challenger Disaster" (New York: Henry Holt and Company, ©2021), pp.244-249

[7] "123: NASA Lessons Learned with Mike Ciannilli". Beth Mund.

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