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Responsibilities: The Amentum Space Exploration Division (ASED) Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) team is a high performing group executing challenging tasks to design and integrate GN&C systems for projects ranging from CubeSats to NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS).
We are searching for highly qualified candidates to remotely support the design and development of a new solar sail spacecraft, a follow-on project to Solar Cruiser, in the Control Systems Design and Analysis branch at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The selected candidate will serve as a Senior Dynamics, Controls, Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis Engineer. This exciting work will serve as a critical step in solar sail technology maturation.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Define requirements for all Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS) hardware to be levied on the prime spacecraft bus contractor.
- Sizing actuators and sensors hardware including defining the number and location of reaction control jets and reaction wheels, developing initial propellant budgets, and determining range of motion for adjustable translators.
- Model rigid body dynamics, flexible body dynamics, sail shape, solar radiation pressure disturbance torque for all phases of the mission.
- Model control system effectors (reactions wheels, reaction control system, adjustable mass translations, reflectivity control devices) and sensors (star tracker, inertial measurement unit, sun sensor, etc.).
- Design, implement, and test attitude control algorithms with solar sails stowed, deploying, and deployed; attitude determination filters, including those using sensor fusion; and guidance algorithms, including sun pointing algorithms.
- Simulate mission critical even sequences including detumbling, sail deployment, and cruise.
- Simulate and analyze spacecraft navigation and control system performance and stability during all mission phases.
- Configure, conduct, and analyze 6-DoF Monte Carlo simulations.
- Iterate with other subdiscipline teams and partner companies to collaborate on latest analysis inputs, including mass properties and sail size/shape.
- Resolve complex problems pertaining to the design, development, analysis, integration, evaluation, testing, and verification of control systems and 6-DoF models and simulations.
- Assist in ensuring the ADCS design meets higher level requirements levied by the program.
- Develop, modify, maintain, and improve software simulations, tools, and scripts.
- Conduct trades studies and/or sensitivity analyses related to spacecraft navigation and control.
- Create, edit, and debug software written in MATLAB and Simulink.
- Participate in internal and cross-discipline meetings and prepare and present technical reports and/or briefings including visualization of results.
- Create and review engineering and software documentation.
QualificationsA degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering or related field is required. A degree from an ABET accredited institution preferred. Typically, educational requirements are the equivalent of a Ph.D. with a minimum 9 years of experience; Masters with at least 13 years of experience, or a BS with at least 15 years of experience.
Required Skills: - Design and development of flight control systems (PID, state space, etc.) and actuator allocation including Thrust Vector Control (TVC), Reaction Control System (RCS)/Phase plane, and/or reaction wheels.
- Proficiency modeling spacecraft controls system effectors including TVC actuators, RCS thrusters, reaction wheels, and/or mass translators.
- Proficiency modeling spacecraft components/subsystems or disturbances including rigid and/or flexible body dynamics, solar sails, slosh, pogo, and/or solar radiation pressure.
- Proficiency defining requirements for and sizing actuators and sensors hardware including defining the number and location of reaction control jets and reaction wheels, developing initial propellant budgets, and determining range of motion for adjustable translators.
- Proficiency simulating and analyzing the 6 DOF performance of launch vehicles and spacecraft.
- Programming in MATLAB, Simulink, Simscape, and C/C++.
- Experience performing trade studies, sensitivity, and/or Monte Carlo simulation and analyses related to the control of launch vehicles and/or spacecraft.
- Experience performing hardware and software development, integration, verification, and validation.
- Must be detail oriented and self-motivated that can work independently taking projects from start to finish without much oversight.
- Must also be able to work collaboratively with other team members both locally and remote at other facilities or vendors.
- Strong written and oral communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills.
Desired skills/experience: - Ability to derive multi-body spacecraft dynamics equations of motion, including both nonlinear equations and linear state equations and integrate subsystem models into larger simulations.
- Analyzing system performance in the time and frequency domain (Nichols, Bode, Nyquist, Root Locus, etc.) using parametric, Monte Carlo, and statistical techniques.
- Modeling of spacecraft navigation/sensor components/subsystems such as star trackers, inertial measurement units (IMUs), and/or sun sensors.
- Programming in other languages such as Python, FORTRAN.
- Familiarity with and an understanding of trajectory and orbital dynamics.
Essential FunctionsWork Environment: Office environment. Requires ability to provide clear, concise, accurate and timely communication, both verbally and in writing (100%). Requires ability to interact professionally with co-workers, management, and client (100%). Requires travel in the domestic USA (10%). Requires ability to work at a computer for long periods of time (100%).
Physical Requirements:Requires sitting for extended periods of time in meetings with peers, management, and with our client at NASA facilities to discuss technical issues (10%). Also, requires sitting for extended periods of time at a desk to write reports and perform engineering tasks (80%). Requires ability to use stairs or elevators for access between floors and multiple buildings at NASA and other facilities (10%).
Equipment and Machines: Requires ability to operate a personal computer, a telephone, fax machine, copier, calculator, and other general office equipment (100%).
Attendance:Normal workday is from 7:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday. Minimal overtime may be required (10%) to meet schedule milestones and to support technical demands of the job. Regular attendance is a necessity and adequate arrangements for delegating duties during absences are required.
Other Essential Functions:The ability to work independently with minimal supervision, and to make rational decisions, and to exercise good judgment is essential (100%). Grooming and dress must be appropriate for the position and must not impose a safety risk/hazard to the employee or others.
Proof of U.S. Citizenship is required.
#ESSCA, #YesWeAreRocketScientists, #ASED
