What I Do Ever wonder what happens to spacecraft after they get launched to space? Well, that is where my job as a Mission Operations Engineer comes in. My 7 year career has taken me from operating missions in Pasadena, California at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to Tokyo, Japan at ispace, inc. My job consists of developing, implementing, validating, and operations a mission from beginning to end. This includes: * Designing the plan for reaching mission operations goals for all phases * Developing all the products we use to command and monitor the spacecraft including software such as scripts, tools, alarms, displays, etc. and others such as checklists and documentation * Training and certifying personnel to sit on-console in the Mission Control Center * Performing validation activities on the flight models during assembly, test, and integration phase * Operating the spacecraft Additionally, I serve as a Flight Director, the ultimate authority of on-console operations in the Mission Control Center. It is my job to lead operational activities, especially critical ones such as initial contact after launch, maneuvers, landings and more in the hopes of creating space history.
School Days I went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated with my B.S. in Aerospace Engineering. As a high schooler, unlike many of my classmates, I was unsure of what colleges I wanted to attend, what major I wanted to choose, or what career I ultimately wanted to have. After receiving a pamphlet in the mail from a school called MIT, a school I had previously never heard of, I decided to apply to a summer program they were offering with the encouragement of my mom. After participating in that program I knew that MIT was the right school for me. The weirdly architected buildings, history of hacking, passionate students and boundless opportunities cultivated a feeling of belonging in me that lead me to apply and eventually get accepted to my dream school.
Best Part The most exciting and fulfilling part of being an engineer is that I am able to work on projects that benefit humanity. When people think of the space industry they picture Mars rovers, probes to the sun, and the outer reaches of our solar system. What they may not imagine is the great body of work being done to study our own home — Earth. Working on missions like the Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols, which will measure particulate matter in cities around the globe, will allow us to do epidemiology studies to determine what types of pollutants are causing human health issues. To be able to come to work each day and know that my contributions are helping to protect our planet make me incredibly grateful to have my job. As a member of the SCUBA diving community, there is a natural urge to protect the oceans and ecosystems we are able to explore so peacefully on a dive. I am thankful to have a career that allows me to commit myself to that responsibility.
Proud Moments My proudest moment has been witnessing the end of the Cassini mission to Saturn during the Grand Finale. The Cassini mission to Saturn was my welcome to JPL. Some of the people on the team had been working on the mission for longer than I had been alive, but they still treated me as one of their own. I was given the opportunity to operate the cameras that would capture breathtaking images of the planet, its rings and its moons. And when the Cassini spacecraft had run out of fuel and the Grand Finale began, I quickly learned that it was not just the end of the mission that we were gearing up for, but the end of a team and its legacy. The night we watched with bittersweet longing as its signal faded to nothing as it burned up in Saturn's atmosphere, pointing to Earth one last time, is something that I will always cherish in my memories. And while Cassini will be remembered for its historic contributions to space exploration, what I will remember it for is the team it brought together.
Want to be an Engineer? Do not be afraid to take chances. I always grew up a big fan of fiction. I read the Harry Potter books, played games like Zelda and Pokemon and loved anything fantasy. I realized that a common theme of these stories is that the hero must always make a choice to start their adventure. Harry decided to go to the Wizarding World with Hagrid even though the prospect of getting on a flying motorcycle to learn magic with a giant he had never met before may have terrified him. Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute to protect her little sister despite knowing the uncertainty and danger that awaited. If you don’t pick up the sword in your own story because you are afraid of what may happen next, you risk not having a story at all and instead falling into the background, watching the Harry and Katniss's of the world live their dreams. Applying to your dream college or job can be nerve-wracking. What if you are rejected? What if you are not good enough? We allow potential negative outcomes to drive our decisions when the positives and possibilities could be our inspiration. What if you get in? What if you are good enough? The sky is truly the limit when we believe in ourselves. Do not be the roadblock to your own dreams. Take a chance on you.
Hobbies My hobbies include SCUBA diving, cosplaying, traveling, playing video games, anime, exploring the outdoors, and doing outreach for communities traditionally underrepresented in STEM. I also enjoy traveling Japan.