Mark G. Benton

Mark G. Benton Sr. is an associate professor of Aerospace Engineering, where he teaches undergraduate courses in spacecraft rocket propulsion, spacecraft systems engineering and preliminary and detailed spacecraft design.

Before joining Embry-Riddle in 2023, Benton spent more than 35 years working on advanced aerospace vehicle and national security space programs across industry and government. His career includes contributions to the U.S. Air Force and NASA X-30 National Aero-Space Plane, NASA X-33 Reusable Launch Vehicle, Space Shuttle Flyback Booster, second-generation Reusable Launch Vehicle, Orbital Space Plane and NASA Constellation Program Altair Lunar Lander initiatives.

Benton held engineering and leadership positions with Rockwell North American Aircraft, Rockwell/Boeing North American Space Systems, Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems, Hughes Space and Communications and Boeing Satellite Systems. His roles included vehicle design integration manager, vehicle design team lead, spacecraft integration and test integrated product team lead, chief engineer and production manager. His work supported commercial, NASA, Department of Defense and classified satellite programs.

From 2017 to 2023, Benton served as a senior engineer and space segment subject matter expert at Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific in San Diego. His work focused on U.S. and adversary intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance space systems, space domain awareness systems and space control programs.

Benton also served more than 31 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring in 2015 at the rank of captain. His active-duty service included assignments as an electronics technician and reactor operator instructor at the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Training Unit and as a reactor operator aboard the ballistic missile submarine USS John Adams (SSBN 620). He later served for more than 25 years as a Navy Reserve Engineering Duty Officer, qualifying as a military satellite communications operations planner and Battle Watch Captain. He also served as national coordinator for U.S. Navy Reserve scientific and technical support to Navy command, control, communications, computers and intelligence and space commands.

An AIAA Associate Fellow, Benton serves as vice chair of the AIAA Space Exploration Integration and Outreach Committee and is a member of the AIAA Space Transportation and Space Settlements technical committees. He is also an INCOSE Expert Systems Engineering Professional.

Benton has authored 27 technical papers addressing advanced aerospace vehicle design and human space exploration. His research and technical work includes airbreathing hypersonic vehicles, reusable launch vehicles, crew transfer vehicles and crew, cargo and rover landers designed for exploration of the moon, Mars, Ceres and major airless moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

In 2026, Benton was inducted as an AIAA Associate Fellow in recognition of his contributions to interplanetary spacecraft and planetary landers for human exploration, reusable launch vehicles and hypersonic vehicles.

Senior Member, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), 1986 to Present

• Member, AIAA Space Exploration Integration Committee, 2012 to Present; Vice Chair, 2026 to Present
• Member, AIAA Space Transportation Technical Committee, 2008 to Present
• Member, AIAA Space Colonization Technical Committee, 2006 to Present

Member, International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), 2017 to Present

• Expert Systems Engineering Professional (ESEP) Certification (No. 04538), 2018 to Present

27. Benton, Sr., M. G., “The Eagle II – Conceptual Design of an Alternative Lunar Lander Vehicle and Lunar Landing Architecture to Return Americans to the Moon,” AIAA-2026-2503, AIAA Science and Technology 2026 International Forum Conference, Orlando, Florida (2026).

26. Benton, Sr., M. G., “Human Exploration of the Saturn System using the Spaceship Discovery NTR Vehicle Architecture,” AIAA-2025-2562, AIAA Science and Technology 2025 International Forum Conference, Orlando, Florida (2025).

25. Benton, Sr., M. G., “A Conceptual Mars Exploration Vehicle Architecture with Chemical Propulsion, Near-Term Technology, and High Modularity to Enable Near-Term Human Missions to Mars,” AIAA-2015-4611, AIAA Space 2015 Conference and Exhibition, Pasadena, CA (2015).

24. Benton, Sr., M. G., “Conceptual Space Vehicle Architecture utilizing Common Modular Elements for Near-Term Human Exploration of Mars,” AIAA-2014-4239, AIAA Space 2014 Conference and Exposition, San Diego, California (2014).

23. Bamford, R., Kellett, B., Bradford. J., Todd, T. N., Benton, Sr., M. G., Stafford-Allen, R., Alves, E. P., Silva., L., Collingwood, C., Crawford, I. A., Bingham, R., “An Exploration of Effectiveness of Artificial Mini-Magnetospheres as a Potential Solar Storm Shelter for Long Term Human Space Missions,” http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2014.10.012 Acta Astronautica (2014).

22. Benton, Sr., M.G., “Conceptual Common Modular Design for Crew and Cargo Landers and Deep Space Vehicles for Human Exploration of the Solar System,” AIAA-2013-5355, AIAA Space 2013 Conference and Exposition, San Diego, California (2013).

21. Benton, Sr., M. G., Kutter, B., Bamford, R. A., Bingham, R., Todd, T. N., Stafford-Allen, R., “Conceptual Space Vehicle Architecture for Human Exploration of Mars, with Artificial Gravity and Mini-Magnetosphere Crew Radiation Shield,” AIAA-2012-5114, AIAA Space 2012 Conference and Exposition, Pasadena, California (2012).

20. Benton, Sr., M. G., Kutter, B., Bamford, R. A., Bingham, R., Todd, T. N., Stafford-Allen, R., “Mars Exploration Vehicle (MEV) Architecture for Human Exploration of Mars, with Artificial Gravity and Mini-Magnetosphere Crew Radiation Shield,” GLEX- 2012.08.2.8x12759, IAF/AIAA 2012 Global Space Exploration Conference, Washington, DC (2012).

19. Benton, Sr., M. G., Kutter, B., Bamford, R. A., Bingham, R., Todd, T. N., Stafford-Allen, R., “Modular Space Vehicle Architecture for Human Exploration of Mars using Artificial Gravity and Mini-Magnetosphere Crew Radiation Shield,” AIAA-2012-0633, 50th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exposition, Nashville, Tennessee (2012).

18. Benton, Sr., M. G., Bamford, R. A., Bingham, R., Todd, T. N., Silva, L., Alves, P., “Concept for Human Exploration of NEO Asteroids using MPCV, Deep Space Vehicle, Artificial Gravity Module, and Mini-Magnetosphere Radiation Shield,” AIAA-2011-7138, 44th AIAA Space 2011 Conference and Exposition, Long Beach, California (2011).

17. Benton, Sr., M. G., “Conceptual Design of Crew Exploration Lander for Asteroid Ceres and Saturn Moons Rhea and Iapetus,” AIAA-2010-0795, 48th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exposition, Orlando, Florida (2010).

16. Benton, Sr., M.G., et al., “Configuration Options to Maximize Lunar Surface Reuse of Altair Lander Structure and Systems,” AIAA-2009-6405, AIAA Space 2009 Conference and Exposition, Pasadena, California (2009).

15. Benton, Sr., M. G., “Spaceship Discovery – NTR Vehicle Architecture for Human Exploration of the Solar System,” AIAA-2009-5309, 45th AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference and Exposition, Denver, Colorado (2009).

14. Benton, Sr., M. G., “Crew Exploration Lander for Ganymede, Callisto, and Earth’s Moon - Vehicle System Design,” AIAA-2009-5179, 45th AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference and Exposition, Denver, Colorado (2009).

13. Benton, Sr., M. G., “Conceptual Design of Crew Lander for Exploration of the Moon, Ganymede, and Callisto,” AIAA-2009-0656, 47th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Conference, Orlando, FL (2009).

12. Benton, Sr., M. G., et al., “Boeing Design Trades in Support of the NASA Altair Lunar Lander Concept Definition,” AIAA-2008-7798, AIAA Space 2008 Conference and Exposition, San Diego, California (2008).

11. Benton, Sr., M. G., “Crew and Cargo Landers for Human Exploration of Mars – Vehicle System Design,” AIAA-2008-5156, 44th AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference and Exposition, Hartford, Connecticut (2008).

10. Benton, Sr., M. G., “Spaceship Discovery’s Crew and Cargo Lander Module Designs for Human Exploration of Mars,” in proceedings of the STAIF-2008 Conference, edited by M. El-Genk, American Institute of Physics (AIP) , Melville, NY (2008).

9. Benton, Sr., M. G. “Conceptual Design of Mars Crew and Cargo Exploration Landers for Spaceship Discovery,” AIAA-2007-6239, AIAA Space 2007 Conference and Exposition, Long Beach, California (2007).

8. Benton, Sr., M. G., “Spaceship Discovery – Vehicle Architecture for Human Exploration of Moon, Mars, and Beyond,” AIAA-2006-7445, AIAA Space 2006 Conference and Exposition, San Jose, California (2006).

7. Benton, Sr., M. G., “Spaceship Discovery – Space Vehicle System for Human Interplanetary Exploration,” AIAA-2006-5128, 42nd AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference and Exposition, Sacramento, CA (2006).

6. Benton, Sr., M. G., “Conceptual Design for Interplanetary Spaceship Discovery,” in proceedings of the STAIF-2006 Conference, edited by M. El-Genk, AIP, Melville, NY (2006).

5. Benton, Sr., M. G., and Richardson, S., “Northrop Grumman/Orbital Sciences Orbital Space-Plane (OSP) Program Status,” AIAA Space 2003 Conference & Expo., Long Beach, CA (2003).

4. Benton, Sr., M. G., Berry, J., and Benner, H., “2nd Generation RLV: Overview of Concept Development Process and Results,” AIAA-2003-2848, AIAA/International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS) Air and Space Symposium and Exhibition, Dayton, Ohio (2003).

3. Benton, Sr., M. G., “Rockwell’s Reusable Launch Vehicle Concept – Design for Low Risk & High Operability,” AIAA-1995-3857, AIAA Space Programs and Technologies Conference, Huntsville, Alabama (1995).

2. Benton, Sr., M. G., “Design Synthesis of Shuttle-Class Hypersonic SSTO Vehicle,” AIAA-1990- 0297, AIAA 28th Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exposition, Reno, Nevada (1990).

1. Benton, Sr., M. G., “Reusable, Flyback Liquid Rocket Booster for the Space Shuttle,” AIAA- 26063-242, AIAA Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, Vol. 26, No. 4, July-August 1989.