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By NASA
Rob Gutro has never been one to stay idle. From his start working at a paper factory as a teenager, Rob navigated his way to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center where he serves as the deputy news chief in the Office of Communications until he retires in October 2024.
Rob Gutro serves as deputy news chief at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.Photo courtesy of Rob Gutro In this role, Rob manages all the media products, like news stories and videos, that come out of Goddard. He also edits content, creates detailed reports, and coordinates media requests, leaning on decades of experience in communications to help the Goddard newsroom run smoothly.
But his path to NASA was neither paved nor linear. It took a strong will and unflagging passion to overcome obstacles along the way and rise to his current role.
Weathering the Journey
Rob began working at a young age, first at a paper factory, then a bank, and then a law office. But none of these jobs were ever his end goal.
“I loved music as a teenager and always wanted to work on the radio,” Rob says. So he got a degree in radio and television from Northeast Broadcasting School in Boston. “I went straight into radio broadcasting and continued that part-time for 20 years.”
He started out hosting a weekend radio show, but didn’t intend for it to be a career for financial reasons. So he completed another degree, this time in English and business at Suffolk University in Boston.
“I knew that to do the type of broadcasting I wanted to do, I needed to learn how to write so I could explain things via stories and reporting,” Rob says. “And I was particularly fascinated by the weather, so I wanted to be able to communicate broadly about that.”
He then worked for the USDA as a writer and editor for a year before joining NOAA as a writer in the 1990s. The highlight of his NOAA career was a work detail he did for the National Hurricane Center during hurricane season in 1993. He enjoyed it so much he eventually decided to go back to school again, earning a degree in meteorology from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. “I call it my third degree burn,” he jokes.
During the program, he refined his broadcasting skills and immersed himself in the science behind the weather and forecasting. He was focusing on what he loved, though it wasn’t an easy journey.
“When I went back to school for meteorology I was working two jobs and making minimum wage, living off of ramen noodles and tuna fish every day because that was all I could afford,” Rob says. “But I was determined!”
Upon graduation, he began working for a private weather company doing marketing and writing. Rob balanced multiple jobs, including a part-time radio gig, while continually applying to The Weather Channel. After eight years of applications, he was finally hired as a radio broadcast meteorologist! “I loved being on the air with The Weather Channel and doing radio broadcasts,” Rob says.
“I think the key to everything is persistence and patience,” Rob says. “My advice to everybody is no matter what your goal is, keep pursuing it because eventually it will happen!”
Navigating NASA
Rob’s desire to understand climate change and return to Maryland brought him to NASA. He became an Earth science writer at NASA Goddard in 2000. By 2005, he was the manager of the Earth science news team, and in 2009 he began working with the James Webb Space Telescope team and also obtained his current role of deputy news chief.
Rob and Lynn to the rescue! One of the highlights of Rob’s career at NASA was working with Lynn Jenner for more than 20 years. Together, the duo –– photographed here at a work party –– managed web pages about hurricanes and fires.Courtesy of Rob Gutro “My degrees have served me well at NASA because I work with the media, I write, and I have to understand science,” Rob says.
His favorite NASA project was the now-retired NASA hurricane page, which he wrote content for and kept updated every single day for the 15 years it was active. The media frequently used NASA imagery shared on the hurricane page, and people worldwide used the information to make decisions about their safety during hurricanes.
“I’ll never forget one experience, where a woman in the Philippines asked if she should evacuate her mother from a nursing home on the island of Visayas,” Rob says. “I said yes, because the island was going to be inundated by an eight-foot storm surge.” So she did, and two weeks later she emailed Rob again saying the entire nursing home was flooded to the roof — her mother would have likely drowned if she’d stayed.
On to the Next Chapter
As busy as his work life has been — Rob had three jobs at any given time until he was 40 years old — his off duty hours haven’t been idle either. In January 2025, he’s publishing his twelfth book, and has another six already mostly written.
“I’m retiring from NASA soon and will focus on my books, continuing the fundraising lectures for animal rescues that I’ve done for the last decade, and teaching paranormal courses in night school for two adult education programs,” Rob says. “And my husband and I have three dogs to keep us busy — they are the joy of my life!”
Rob’s three dogs, as pictured on a 2023 Christmas card. Photo courtesy of Rob Gutro Reflecting on his career, Rob singles out blogging as one of the most effective tools he’s used over the years.
“Whether you want to write a book or science articles, one of the easiest ways to begin is by starting a blog and writing about things you like,” he says. That’s one key to his productivity, as he says, “Whatever you write can always be repurposed, and if you’re constantly leaning into things you’re passionate about, you’ll eventually end up exactly where you’re meant to be.”
By Ashley Balzer
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
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By NASA
1 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
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FireSage
San José State University (SJSU) and NASA Ames Research Center are offering the FireSage Program; a premier summer internship opportunity designed to equip students with expertise in fire ecology and remote sensing technologies. This 10-week internship program offers a paid opportunity to work on-site at NASA Ames Earth Science Division and SJSU’s Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center (WIRC) Geofly Lab and FireEcology Lab. Here, interns will be introduced to cutting-edge technologies and methodologies for wildfire research and management and benefit from a comprehensive learning environment including a one-on-one setting with NASA Scientists and SJSU Faculty.
Learn More About the FireSage Internship
Fire & Air
Ames Research Center and California State University, Stanislaus (CSUStan) are partnering together to offer the Fire & Air program: a yearlong internship for CSUStan undergraduates, with opportunities to work with both NASA Subject Matter Experts and CSUStan MSI Mentors. The program focuses on two main research areas: atmospheric effects and causes of wildfires, and the study of aerosols in biomass burning.
Learn More About the Fire and Air Internship
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Last Updated Sep 17, 2024 Related Terms
General Earth Science Earth Science Division Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics
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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Back to Fire Science Landing Page FireSense
The FireSense project is focused on delivering NASA’s unique Earth science and technological capabilities to operational agencies, striving to address challenges in US wildland fire management. The project concentrates on four use-cases to support decisions before, during, and after wildland fires. These include the measurement of pre-fire fuels conditions, active fire dynamics, post fire impacts and threats, as well as air quality forecasting, each co-developed with identified wildland fire management agency stakeholders.
Strategic Tac Radio and Tac Overwatch (STRATO)
The Strategic Tac Radio and Tac Overwatch (STRATO) system is designed to provide real-time fire observations and last-mile communications with firefighters from stratospheric platforms. By providing persistent communications to a wildfire response team for a week or longer, STRATO is expected to offer capabilities beyond the currently used tethered balloons, which have a limited range and coverage area. By achieving station-keeping at altitudes up to 70,000 feet above ground level—to be demonstrated in flight testing—the STRATO will be able to provide communications to incident response teams in areas with no cellphone coverage.
Surface Biology and Geology (SBG)
Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE)
Climate change in the Arctic and Boreal region is unfolding faster than anywhere else on Earth, resulting in reduced Arctic sea ice, thawing of permafrost soils, decomposition of long- frozen organic matter, widespread changes to lakes, rivers, coastlines, and alterations of ecosystem structure and function. NASA’s Terrestrial Ecology Program is conducting a major field campaign, the Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE), in Alaska and western Canada, from 2015 – 2025. ABoVE seeks a better understanding of the vulnerability and resilience of ecosystems and society to this changing environment.
Tactical Fire Remote Sensing Advisory Committee (TFRSAC)
Embracing CSDA-Supported Spaceborne SAR Data in NASA FireSense Airborne Campaigns
This project aims to determine the capability of Umbra X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data to characterize rapidly changing fire landscapes during NASA’s FireSense airborne campaigns.
Opti-SAR
Opti-SAR is focused on accurate and timely mapping of forest structure and aboveground biomass (AGB) with integrated space-based optical and radar observations. This project will make a fundamental contribution to an integrated Earth System Observatory by using the mathematical foundation of RADAR-VSPI and VSPI to integrate SAR and optical data to achieve breakthroughs in forest monitoring and assessment.
Tropospheric Regional Atmospheric Composition and Emissions Reanalysis – 1 (TRACER-1)
TRACER-1 is a 20-year atmospheric composition re-analysis product that will enable researchers to answer questions about changes in wildfire emissions and the impact of extreme wildfire events on regional air quality. Active dates: 2005 – 2024
Cultural Burning
The Indigenous People’s Initiative partners with indigenous groups in the US and across the world, many of whom practice a long history of cultural burning.
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Last Updated Sep 17, 2024 Related Terms
General Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics
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By NASA
2 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Credit: NASA NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, invites media to its annual Small Business Industry and Advocate Awards ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 19. The awards recognize small businesses and small business champions from government and industry for their outstanding achievements in fiscal year 2024.
The ceremony will take place during the 38th meeting of Marshall’s Small Business Alliance, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CDT at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Davidson Center for Space Exploration. The event will also highlight new opportunities for small businesses to take part in NASA’s procurement processes. Afterward, attendees will have the open opportunity to network with NASA officials, prime contractors, and other members of Marshall’s small business community. Exhibitors will provide valuable information to support their business.
NASA speakers include:
Dwight Deneal, assistant administrator, Office of Small Business Programs, NASA Headquarters Joseph Pelfrey, center director, NASA Marshall John Cannaday, director, Office of Procurement, NASA Marshall Davey Jones, strategy lead, NASA Marshall David Brock, small business specialist, Office of Small Business Programs, NASA Marshall Media interested in covering the event should contact Molly Porter at molly.a.porter@nasa.gov or 256-424-5158 by 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18.
About the Marshall Small Business Alliance
For 17 years, the Marshall Small Business Alliance has aided small businesses in pursuit of NASA procurement and subcontracting opportunities. Its primary focus is to inform, educate, and advocate on behalf of the small business community. At each half day meeting, businesses will gain valuable insight to guide them in their marketing endeavors.
To learn more about Marshall’s small business initiatives, visit:
https://doingbusiness.msfc.nasa.gov
Molly Porter
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-424-5158
molly.a.porter@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Sep 17, 2024 LocationMarshall Space Flight Center Related Terms
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