Is Dax short for something? Wait, let me guess: Dionysius, the Greek god of wine?

You are pretty close! The name comes from a book titled The Adventurers by Harold Robbins. The main character’s name is Diogenes Alejandro Xenos, and his nanny shortened it to Dax in the first chapter. That is the origin of the name, but many people know the name from the German stock market index, the actor Dax Shepard, or, my favorite, the Star Trek character!

I know that you used to work for NASA. What is your official gig right now?

I used to work for Lockheed Martin as a contractor to NASA working on Orion, the next human spaceflight vehicle for the United States. Now, I am working at an aerospace machine learning startup company called Cognitive Space, where our first challenge is to automate Air Force ground systems that manage hundreds of satellites at a time (all unclassified). Right now it takes teams of people to decide when and what satellites to command in order to get reconnaissance information as quickly as possible. We are working to make this significantly easier and faster with a machine learning application. Think SkyNet, just kidding… maybe.

I bet people are always asking you what it’s like to work for NASA. I’m anticipating you saying, “Well, Riki, it’s like working anywhere else,” so I’d like to interrupt your chain of thought with this followup question: Do you have any cool NASA stories you can share with us?

In August 2019, I was able to go to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and monitor a test of the flight software that my team and I wrote being tested on the actual flight vehicle. This was especially cool to me because it is a crucial step to make sure the software correctly commands the vehicle’s thrusters. Before this test, we had done extensive testing with simulations, but it isn’t real until it is tested on the flight vehicle. The test was successful! The coolest part though was being able to use my NASA badge and take my own private tour of KSC. I drove along the coast and could walk right up to the Mercury, Gemini and other old launch pads that are no longer used. I also got as close as I could to the soon-to-be Orion, SpaceX (old Apollo and Shuttle), and other active launch pads, much closer than any tourist is allowed to get.

When I was in middle school -- so around 11 or 12 year old -- I was telling my teachers that I wanted to be a journalist when I grow up. And that’s pretty much what ended up happening, at least for a while. How old were you when you told adults, “When I grow up, I want to create propulsion systems and evaluate the aerodynamic performance of aircrafts and assure all blueprints, prototypes, and products meet required engineering standards, environmental issues, and customer requirements?” 

I grew up with the classic dream as a kid to become an astronaut. I also loved and excelled at math and science all throughout school. At the end of junior year in high school when read through descriptions of college majors, that I realized aerospace engineer combined my interest and skills in math and science with my fascination of spaceflight. I was pretty young when I decided what I wanted to do with my career, and in hindsight, I got pretty lucky that I picked something that I was both good at and interested in. 

What made you decide to leave the corporate office environment for the coworking environment here at Createscape? 

Mostly necessity. I was living in Austin and got a job with a company in Houston. I know from my experiences working from home at other jobs that I am not as productive. So, I knew I wanted to try working at a coworking space. I am so glad I did! Coworking spaces, like Createscape, opened my eyes to how much better the office working space could be compared to the utilitarian offices of old corporate aerospace companies. In fact, during my time at Lockheed Martin, I told management to invest in office work spaces in order to attract new talent.

I know you used to be a member of a coworking office downtown. How was the transition to East Austin? Do you miss the downtown traffic and paying for parking?

Yes, I use to work at the WeWork Downtown at 6th and Congress. The transition was very easy for me. Once I moved further east, I was riding my bike past Createscape everyday for like 6 months and realized I could simplify my life and improve my dog’s life by switching to Createscape! I never paid for parking because I would ride my bike downtown, but it is very convenient to drive to Createscape.

What do you like to do when you’re not doing aerospace engineering? 

I love to Crossfit and compete in Crossfit competitions, although I am not as serious as I was a year ago. It is still fun, and keeps me fit. I also enjoy rock climbing and dancing. I go to Ballet Austin’s beginners hip hop dance class about once a month. I also have two kids, a son (10)  and daughter (9). I see them every other weekend and we adventure around Austin, hiking and swimming mostly.

I should probably state here, publicly, that I’m sorry that my dog bullies your dog. I hope that Locke doesn’t take it personally. Ellie is also extraordinarily lucky that Locke is such a good-natured dog.

Can you tell members a little bit about Locke? What is his origin story? 

I spent a month looking for a dog between the Austin Animal Center and Austin Pets Alive. My requirements were to find a young, large, full-grown, short-haired dog that is good with kids and other dogs. I found Locke at Austin Animal Center. He was microchipped, but the owners refused to take him back, surprisingly. He was clearly trained, and had a good amount of playful energy. As with any rescue dog, it took him some time to get adjusted to his new life. He chewed up many books and ran away once, where I had to chase and tackle him to get him back. After he learned he could trust me, he became a very loyal and friendly dog. I am very fortunate to have found him, he is a great dog. I am also very thankful he is welcomed at Createscape, it has greatly improved his daily routine.

Are you originally from Austin? Or somewhere in Texas? Have you ever lived anywhere else? 

I grew up in the Katy and Cypress suburbs of Houston. I came to Austin in 2004 to attend The University of Texas. Once I graduated, it was back to Houston for work. In 2016, I decided to move back to Austin because of job opportunity at Firefly Space Systems, and have been fortunate enough to stay ever since.

Article by Riki Markowitz