Michael T. Lippert is a research test pilot at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. He is assigned to fly the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft, along with the F-15 and F/A-18 support aircraft, and to support NASA’s advanced air mobility research projects. ExperiencePrior to joining NASA in 2026, Lippert served 20 years in the U.S. Marine Corps before retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2025. The bulk of his career was spent flying the AV-8B Harrier operationally and serving as a test pilot in the F-35 program. Lippert also earned a Master of Science in systems engineering in 2019 from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.