Donald R. Pettit (Ph.D.) was selected by NASA in 1996. The Silverton, Oregon native holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Oregon State University and a Doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arizona. Prior to becoming an astronaut, he worked as a staff scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico. A veteran of four spaceflights, Pettit first served as NASA science officer for Expedition 6 in 2003. Next, he served as mission specialist and operated the robotic arm for STS-126 in 2008. He returned to International Space Station in 2012 for a long duration mission as a flight engineer for Expedition 30/31, where he lived aboard the ISS for 193 days. Most recently, Pettit launched to the ISS on September 11, 2024, as a flight engineer on the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft. Pettit logged another seven months aboard the station, conducting science experiments and maintaining the space station. He has lived a total of 590 days in space and has 13 spacewalk hours.
Staff scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico from 1984 to 1996. Projects included reduced gravity fluid flow and materials processing experiments onboard the NASA KC-135 airplane, atmospheric spectroscopy on noctilucent clouds seeded from sounding rockets, fumarole gas sampling from volcanoes and problems in detonation physics. He was a member of the Synthesis Group, a presidential commission lead by Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Tom Stafford tasked with assembling the technology to return to the Moon and explore Mars (1990) and the Space Station Freedom Redesign Team (1993).
David Ross is the CEO, and majority owner of Ross Video which creates the technology and services behind many of the world’s most important live video productions.
Under David’s leadership, Ross Video has achieved 34 consecutive years of record growth without external investment, acquired 23 companies worldwide, and grown into a global business with more than 600 employee-owners. The company designs, manufactures, and delivers one of the industry’s broadest portfolios of live production technology, spanning production switchers, graphics, robotics, camera motion systems, infrastructure, media management systems, virtual production, mobile production, and experiential technologies.
Through Ross Production Services, the company also produces hundreds of live events each year for major broadcast networks using its fleet of sports production vehicles and control rooms based in Connecticut.
David holds a degree in Computer Engineering. His contributions to the industry have earned him numerous honours, including Ottawa CEO of the Year, an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa, and an Emmy Award with his name on it. He is a SMPTE Fellow and a Lifetime Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.
David Bermbach, Chief Product Officer, ARRI
David Bermbach is an Electronics Engineer who studied at TU Munich and has spent the past 20 years shaping ARRI's technology and product landscape. He began his career managing post-production and digital products, including the ARRISCAN, before spending two years in Los Angeles as technical sales for ARRI in the US.
As digital cameras rose to prominence, he moved into camera R&D, directing product development on most of ARRI's digital cameras starting with the ALEXA Mini, and later led the camera department's product development efforts. He went on to serve as CTO of the ARRI Rental group, before co-founding ARRI's Solutions business unit, bringing software products, system integration, and virtual production tools to the group.
In early 2025, he became Managing Director overseeing all technical areas of the company, helping lead a company-wide restructuring alongside the senior management team. Today, he serves as Chief Product Officer, responsible for ARRI's full product portfolio.
Outside of work, he is a musician, photographer, and private pilot.