After obtaining a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, he worked for Convair/General Dynamics in San Diego, where he developed systems to destroy intercontinental missiles during flight.
During his work with NASA's Gemini space program as chief designer of an ion wake experiment, astronaut Neil Armstrong encouraged him to try out for the new Scientist Astronaut program which was to include a planned two-year mission to Mars.
He made the cut of the final twenty candidates, but he was rejected following an extensive dental examination, receiving the word personally from Alan Shepard.
In 1990, he moved to Israel, where he founded Jerusalem Optical Link Technologies which was sold to MRV Communications in 2000.
Jonathan "Jon" Medved, born in San Diego in 1954 or 1955, studied history at the University of California at Berkeley.