Bob Oberto is a pilot, aerospace engineer, and NASA trained research scuba diver.
Bob Oberto is a pilot, aerospace engineer, and NASA trained research scuba diver.
Bob holds an airline transport pilot rating and has accumulated over 4500 hours in jets, sailplanes, seaplanes, and a variety of other aircraft. He has flown all over the world for pleasure and professionally, including recent trips in Africa, Baja, Hawaii, and Southeast Asia. Bob was a U.S. Navy Commander and Aviator who served in the Gulf War. He was screened for aviation squadron command and performed carrier flight operations in the West Pacific, Central America, Indian Ocean and North Arabian Sea. In addition he was the technical lead for aviation mishap investigations. In the Navy he made 229 carrier landings and flew the A-3, A-4, S-3, C-130, C-12, DC-9, T-2, and T-34.
Bob was a Spacecraft Systems Engineer and Manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He led and managed JPL's Advanced Concept Design Team, known as Team-X, where he developed over 375 space exploration concepts (Time Magazine: Management Tips from the Real Rocket Scientists). He currently works at Aerospace Corporation. Bob was also the Project Manager of the Interferometer Program Experiment II that flew on board the Space Shuttle. He has been involved in all aspects of interplanetary exploration, from mission concept development to interplanetary flight operations. He has a BS in Aerospace Engineering from USC and an MS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
In addition to flying Bob's other interests include scuba, sailing, skiing, backpacking, travel, and beekeeping. Bob has been a certified scuba diver since age 14. His diving experience ranges from the cold waters offshore Vancouver, California, and South Africa to the warm waters of Fiji, Hawaii, Southeast Asia, and Australia. He has captained sailboats in Tahiti and the British Virgin Islands. Bob has been trekking and backpacking in the Himalayas, New Zealand, and throughout the United States. Bob was on the advisory board of the Byrd Aircraft Recovery Expedition, a non-profit organization to recover the first plane to land on the Antarctic continent. As a beekeeper, Bob has taught beekeeping to members of the Alta Pasa 4-H Squad, which had a brief appearance in the movie "Vanishing of the Bees."