About Us

Our Mission

Orbital Outfitters is a NewSpace company that provides a range of services to vehicle developers and other companies in the aerospace sector. Our two primary lines of business are the development of space and pressure suits and the fabrication of full scale vehicle mockups for either engineering or PR purposes.

We have assembled a top-level team of experts, craftspeople and manufacturers in the fields of space suit theory, design, manufacture and utilization, including human factors, space medicine and engineering. Supported by a business, legal, policy and marketing group, our team has the breadth and depth to support the growth of a strong new leader in the field of human life support and safety systems for use in space, while also pursuing and creating new markets here on Earth.

We are incrementally developing our products and customer base, beginning with the suborbital human space flight market.

Meet the team

Jeff Feige – Chief Executive Officer

Jeff Feige has worked exclusively for “NewSpace” entrepreneurial space companies as a consultant for both government affairs and government marketing. Prior to his work at OO he worked for Polispace, a consulting firm focused on supporting entrepreneurial spaceflight firms. Before that, he was the Assistant to the Executive Director of the Aerospace States Association, an organization devoted to developing the aviation and space industries through the tools available to state governments. In addition to his work in the NewSpace industry, he also helped found Talon Aerospace, an LED lighting firm that develops internal and external lighting solutions for the commercial air transportation industry. He is an avid sailor, SCUBA diver, and pilot.

Chris Gilman – Chief Designer

Chris Gilman has worked with OO since its founding, is the designer of OO’s current suit prototype, and supported OO in the construction of various types of shoulder joints for NASA. In addition to his work for OO, Chris is the founder of Global Effects Inc., one of the best-known and respected special effects firms in Hollywood. Founded in 1986, the firm is particularly well known for the production of space suit replicas for nearly every space related film in the past 15 years. In the film industry, Chris is also known for his engineering work: he won a technical Academy Award for his “Cool Suit” climate system for actors in heavy costume. Prior to the founding of OO he worked with JSC’s EVA office and the Advanced suit lab designing and building prototypes, training suits and functional hardware.

Dennis Gillam – IS3 Program Manager

Dennis Gilliam has thirty years of experience in the aerospace industry with extensive experience in the area of pressure and space suits. He has been the program manager and the technical lead on several classified programs developing guidance and navigation systems for launch vehicles. In addition he has also worked for other NewSpace companies including Kelly Space & Technology (KST). Prior to the founding of OO, he worked with Chris Gilman on a redesign concept of the shuttle EMU to allow for the accommodation of smaller astronauts. Dennis has both a BS and an MS in Physics from the University of California Riverside. Dennis also has extensive experience in fabricating both soft goods and hardware. He is one of the nation’s top experts on historical space and pressure suits including, but not limited to operation and preservation. For more information please visit www.pressuresuit.com.

Krysta Paradis – Chief Operating Officer

Krysta Paradis is a founder of Orbital Outfitters and has been an executive with the company since its founding. She also works with Dynamic Graphics, a 4D data visualization company, whose primary business is focused on the oil and gas industries as well as environmental and government concerns. Krysta is a former member of the board of directors of the Space Frontier Foundation. She has a dual degree in Astrophysics and International Relations from Mt. Holyoke College in Massachusetts and is pursuing graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University. Krysta is a competition aerobatic pilot, epee fencer, is working on improving her marksmanship, plays polo, SCUBA dives, and likes spending time with her Norwegian Fjord horse, Veslemay.

Will McCarren – Business Development

Will McCarren has recently joined OO as the new head of business development. For the last several years he has been working with OO on the development of its Space Dive Program. Before coming to OO, Will founded several startups, including one to develop a next generation avalanche airbag. Will has worked, volunteered and recreated in the Colorado outdoor industry as a ski instructor, patroller, ultrarunner and avid backcountry skier for decades. He has obtained his BSBA with a Financial Management Emphasis from the University of Colorado at Denver. Will is looking forward to starting a new adventure down in Midland next year.

OO Board

Lee Valentine

Rick Tumlinson

Jeff Feige