May 2022 – Aug 2025 · 3 yrs 3 mos · Los Angeles, California, United States

Jun 2020 – Mar 2022 · 1 yr 9 mos

• Building software services (Python, Angular/TS, AWS-backed) and infrastructure for Photon satellite operations.

Mar 2019 – Jun 2020 · 1 yr 3 mos

Sep 2016 – Mar 2019 · 2 yrs 6 mos

• Systems engineering and integration testing for the Planet missions team. I develop automated systems and tests to safely and efficiently operate a fleet of over 100 Earth imaging satellites.

Jan 2014 – Sep 2016 · 2 yrs 8 mos

• I started at Planet (then Planet Labs) in 2014. When I joined, the company was still very small and had only one active satellite in orbit. I was the first member of the Spacecraft Operations team.
• Since then, I've led the development of processes and software for automating the operation of a large fleet of Earth-imaging satellites. Planet currently has over 50 active satellites in orbit and an operations team of just a few people.
• I've led the development of software and services that provide:
• Automated scheduling, anomaly response, and routine operations
• Pass planning/downlink optimization
• Automated commissioning and calibration
• At Planet I've worked mostly with:
• Python, C, some Haskell
• Docker, Vagrant
• Jenkins, Ansible
• Linux (Ubuntu, Debian)
• AWS in GovCloud
• https://www.planet.com/

Nov 2011 – Dec 2013 · 2 yrs 1 mo

• I served a variety of roles on the missions operations team throughout the launch, cruise, landing, and surface missions. Most of my responsibility focused on the power subsystem. This included on-console support for launch as well as planning maintenance activities and assessing health during the cruise mission. During the surface mission, power system responsibilities included tactical planning support modeling the power output of the MMRTG and battery capacity.
• I also served as the systems chair during cruise and Mars-approach operations. The systems chair provides support for the flight director and has the responsibility to maintain vehicle safety and monitor overall health, typically filling in for other subsystems as necessary.
• During surface operations, I also served as the tactical engineering lead during planning activities (Engineering Uplink Lead/Tactical Downlink Lead). The Tactical Downlink Lead coordinates the downlink team and pulls together a report on vehicle health each day. It was my responsibility to alert the planning team to any restrictions, issues, or anomalies and report on vehicle health. I also rotated in on the uplink team as Engineering Uplink Lead, providing engineering support sequences and checking the daily plan for safety and correctness.
• I've also led the investigation and resolution of several anomalies (mostly power/pyro related):
• http://mars.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1560

Aug 2008 – Aug 2012 · 4 yrs

• Developed and executed a verification and validation plan for the Mars Science Laboratory pyrotechnic system.
• The Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) used 90 pyrotechnic devices as part of the landing sequence and initial surface deployments. Each of these had to be fired in a specific order with precise timing. Making sure electrical interactions did not affect other systems was also a key requirement.
• I led the development and execution of system-level test activities for the landing sequence focusing on EMI/EMC as well as the validation efforts for timing and phasing.
• I also participated in the verification and validation of the power system. The rover carries a radioisotope power generator (RTG) system that generates electricity from the heat of plutonium's radioactive decay. This power source gives the mission an operating lifespan on Mars' surface of a full martian year (687 Earth days) or more, while also providing significantly greater mobility and operational flexibility, enhanced science payload capability, and exploration of a much larger range of latitudes and altitudes than was possible on previous missions to Mars.