1 9 6 1 ▁to ▁ 1 9 6 3 ▁he ▁founded ▁and ▁was ▁first ▁chairman ▁of ▁the ▁Instituto ▁Nacional ▁de ▁P es quis as ▁Esp a cias , ▁the ▁Brazil ian ▁equivalent ▁of ▁NASA . ▁Following ▁all ▁these ▁activities , ▁he ▁returned ▁to ▁Stan ford ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 3 , ▁with ▁his ▁family , ▁to ▁obtain ▁a ▁Ph . D . ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 6 0 s , ▁da ▁Rosa ▁was ▁a ▁hel ic opter ▁test ▁pilot ▁for ▁the ▁" Be ija ▁Flor ", ▁a ▁hel ic opter ▁designed ▁by ▁Heinrich ▁F ock e . ▁ ▁Da ▁Rosa ▁retired ▁from ▁the ▁Brazil ian ▁Air ▁Force ▁as ▁Brig ad ier ▁General ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 5 ▁and ▁completed ▁his ▁Stan ford ▁Ph . D . ▁in ▁elect rical ▁engineering ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 6 ▁under ▁Professor ▁( and ▁later ▁astr onaut ) ▁O wen ▁K . ▁Gar ri ott . ▁His ▁research ▁involved ▁the ▁first ▁full - physics ▁model ▁of ▁the ▁electron ▁distribution ▁in ▁the ▁ion os phere ▁including ▁thermal ▁processes ▁to ▁describe ▁the ▁electron ▁and ▁ion ▁temper atures . ▁This ▁model ▁predicted ▁the ▁total ▁electron ▁content ▁( TE C ) ▁of ▁the ▁ion os phere ▁that ▁was ▁first ▁measured ▁at ▁Stan ford ▁University ▁using ▁radio ▁signals ▁from ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union ' s ▁S put nik , ▁a ▁particularly ▁important ▁topic ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁given ▁the ▁developing ▁competition ▁in ▁space ▁between ▁the ▁U . S . ▁and ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union . ▁App oint ed ▁a ▁Research