Who Was Michael David Hicks?
Michael David Hicks was a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, where he worked from 1998 until 2022. Over a 24-year career, he published more than 80 peer-reviewed scientific papers and contributed to some of the most significant planetary science missions in NASA's modern history.
Hicks was based in Sunland, California — a small community in the foothills north of Los Angeles, not far from JPL itself. Outside his scientific work, he was known as a painter, a woodblock print artist, a ukulele player, and an avid reader. His obituary described him as someone whose "whimsy and sweetness will be missed."
His Work — What He Knew
Hicks worked on some of JPL's most consequential observational programs, including the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) project — a systematic survey cataloguing near-Earth objects for planetary defence. He contributed to the Deep Space 1 Mission, a landmark 1998 spacecraft that tested 12 experimental propulsion and navigation technologies in a single flight, and successfully flew past comet Borrelly in 2001.
His most publicly known contribution was his work on NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) — the first-ever mission to test whether humanity could deflect a potentially hazardous asteroid by kinetic impact. DART successfully altered the orbit of asteroid Dimorphos in September 2022. Hicks left JPL the same year.
Scientists who work on planetary defence programmes — tracking, characterising, and now redirecting objects in near-Earth space — hold operational knowledge of what advanced sensors are detecting in space at any given time. That knowledge has national security dimensions that are rarely discussed publicly.
The Circumstances of His Death
Hicks died on Sunday, 30 July 2023, at the age of 59. His death was not publicly announced at the time by JPL, NASA, or any official institution. The only public acknowledgement was a private obituary posted online.
No cause of death has been publicly disclosed. The medical examiner's record lists the manner of death as "natural," but the case was still classified as "open" at the time of reporting by major outlets in April 2026. No autopsy has been placed on public record. His obituaries made no mention of prior illness or health decline. Colleagues described him as active and engaged until near the end of his life.
NASA issued no statement. JPL issued no statement. Neither institution responded to press inquiries.
Why His Case Is Being Scrutinised
For nearly three years, the death of Michael David Hicks attracted no national attention. That changed in early 2026, when his name began appearing alongside the other scientists and officials in this series — all connected in some way to NASA, nuclear research, or classified defence programs.
Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker, commenting on the broader pattern for the Daily Mail, said: "You can say these are all suspicious, and these are scientists who have worked in critical technology. China, Russia, even some of our friends — Pakistan, India, Iran, North Korea — they target this type of technology."
In April 2026, Fox News' Peter Doocy raised the cases directly at a White House press briefing. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged the reports and confirmed the administration would investigate. The White House subsequently confirmed it was working with federal agencies and the FBI to review all cases for potential commonalities.