Spacecraft and Instrument Development for Planetary Science and Exploration

About the role

The Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Directorate at NASA Johnson Space Center supports NASA’s Solar System exploration and research goals through participation on various spacecraft missions. ARES personnel are actively engaged in missions such as the Mars rovers Opportunity and Curiosity, the DAWN spacecraft to asteroid Ceres, and the OSIRIS REx sample return spacecraft to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu.

I am currently seeking qualified individuals with degrees in Planetary Science or Aerospace Engineering with career interests in areas of, but not limited to, instrument and spacecraft development, modeling and computational analyses, observational and experimental design, and systems engineering.

Responsibilities

• Develop concept designs and feasibility studies of science instruments and engineering experiments to be flown on robotic and human spacecraft missions.
• Support planetary science investigations for the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD).
• Participate in the entire process of concept formulation and further development in areas related to instrument design/fabrication, computational/experimental modeling, and system engineering tests.
• Design hardware at relatively low technology readiness levels that can be upgraded for inclusion into future flight missions.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree in Planetary Science or Aerospace Engineering.
• Career interests in areas of, but not limited to, instrument and spacecraft development, modeling and computational analyses, observational and experimental design, and systems engineering.

Qualifications

• U.S. Citizenship.
• U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR).
• Foreign Nationals eligible for an Exchange Visitor J-1 visa status.
• Applicants for LPR, asylees, or refugees in the U.S. at the time of application with 1) a valid EAD card and 2) I-485 or I-589 forms in pending status.

Skills

• Experience in instrument and spacecraft development.
• Knowledge in modeling and computational analyses.
• Ability to design and fabricate engineering experiments.
• Expertise in observational and experimental design.
• Strong background in systems engineering.

Benefits

• Unique research opportunities within NASA’s mission scope.
• Opportunities to work on cutting-edge projects in planetary science and exploration.
• Intimate involvement in the entire process of concept formulation and further development.
• Hands-on experience in developing and designing hardware at relatively low technology readiness levels.

Pay

The salary range for this position is $70,000 to $100,000 per year, depending on qualifications and experience.

Schedule

The schedule for this position is full-time, with standard working hours.

Contact Information

Email: npp@orau.org