• Plenary Panel Session: «Outstanding achievements in Space Operations, to inspire Future Operators»
    Organizer : Thierry LEVOIR (CNES)
    Date / Time: Thursday 31, May 2018 -  08:30 – 10:00
    Room: Auditorium
     
    Outlines: This plenary has presented various projects that have accomplished outstanding operations to overcome incredible challenges, and has recognized the role of those teams whose exceptional behavior was instrumental to the success of their space missions. The recent story of operations has multiple examples that are teaching for future generations of operators. Beyond the lessons learned and recommendations for future operators, the panel has also discussed new approaches and techniques that may be beneficial in the context of future atypical missions or of new types of operations.
     
    Moderator  Badri A. Younes
    Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate
    Panelists Dr Earl Maize - «Cassini’s Solstice Mission: Achievements, Challenges, and What Ifs»
    Cassini Project Manager, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

    Mona Witkowski - «GRACE-15 Years of Adapting to Aging Equipment»
    Operations Mission Manager  –  GRACE Project - Flight Director – CloudSat Project - JPL

    Charles (Charlie) Sobeck - «From Kepler to K2 – An in-flight mission transition»
    NASA/Ames Research Center, Kepler/K2 Project Systems Engineer

    Paolo Ferri- «Two Years Orbiting a Comet: The Incredible Experience of Rosetta's Operations»
    Head, ESA Mission Operationsat European Space Operations Centre, Darmstadt, Germany

    Olivier Aventin – «AMC-9 long road to graveyard orbit»
    Chief Engineer, Spacecraft Platforms, SES, Betzford, Luxembourg
     
    Mark Longanbach «Achieving Mission 1: Imaging the Whole World Every Day»
    Director of SkySat Mission Operations – Planet Labs, Inc.

     
    Copyright © CNES/GRIMAULT Emmanuel, 2014
     
  • Moderator

     
     Badri A. Younes
     
    Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN)
     Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, Nasa 

    Mr. Younes is presently the NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN). Mr. Younes’ experience spans over thirty-three years of leadership in microwave and RF systems engineering and technology. He is responsible for NASA’s space communications and navigation infrastructure and services, as well as data standards and spectrum. Mr. Younes manages the SCAN Program Office at NASA Headquarters and oversees all NASA telecommunications and navigation projects and networks, including NASA’s Space Network (SN), Near-earth Network (NEN), and Deep Space Network (DSN). Mr. Younes is also responsible for the development of enabling technologies critical to meeting the Agency’s vision for an integrated SCaN architecture aligned with NASA’s future space exploration needs.
     
  • Panelists

     
     Dr Earl Maize
     Cassini Project Manager, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

    Dr. Earl H. Maize is the manager of the Cassini Project, a mission that recently concluded operations with a spectacular plunge into Saturn’s atmosphere. Dr. Maize has worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California for the past 34 years. He has also worked on the navigation and engineering teams for the Galileo mission to Jupiter and held management positions in the Avionics Division.  A native of northern California, Dr. Maize received his bachelor’s degree from Pomona College and his doctorate in mathematics from the Claremont Graduate University in 1981
     
    Talk Title: Cassini’s Solstice Mission: Achievements, Challenges, and What Ifs
     
    Cassini’s Grand Finale was the culmination of an incredible mission of discovery in the Saturn system. We have briefly discussed some of the entirely new mission constraints and challenges the Cassini team had to manage before completing the mission with a fiery entry into Saturn.
     
     Mona Witkowski
     Operations Mission Manager  –  GRACE Project - Flight Director – CloudSat Project - JPL

    Mona Witkowski is currently the Flight Director for the CloudSat Mission and Operations Mission Manager for the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  She has 34 years of engineering and management experience in spacecraft development and flight operations.  Prior to her current assignment, Mona spent six years as the Program Assurance Manager for the Deep Space Network where she participated in the Deep Space Station 14 hydrostatic bearing replacement.  Previous flight projects include: Cassini/Huygens, Galileo, Magellan, TOPEX/Poseidon and New Millennium Program Deep Space 1 & 2. Mona is the recipient of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal for TOPEX/Poseidon Mission Assurance and a NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal for Deep Space Network Risk Management.
     
    Talk Title: GRACE-15 Years of Adapting to Aging Equipment
     
    This presentation has touched on the innovative techniques that were employed by the GRACE Mission Operations Team to extend mission life.
     
     Charles (Charlie) Sobeck
     NASA/Ames Research Center, Kepler/K2 Project Systems Engineer

    A graduate of the University of California with a degree in Electrical Engineering, Mr. Sobeck joined NASA in 1979 as part of the Galileo Probe mission team that delivered an atmospheric entry probe to Jupiter.  He worked on the mission from CDR through the science data return in 1995, serving as instrument engineer, I&T engineer and Project Systems Engineer.  In 2001, Mr. Sobeck joined the Kepler team to help win mission approval and has held several roles on the mission during the years, including Project Manager from 2014 through 2017.  In 2014 Mr. Sobeck was awarded the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for his role in leading the transition from the Kepler mission to the K2 mission after the spacecraft lost a second reaction wheel.  Mr. Sobeck continues to be a senior member of the Ames Programs and Projects Directorate and provides advice for other missions managed at the Center.
     
    Talk Title: From Kepler to K2 – An in-flight mission transition
     
    Following the loss of two reaction wheels four years into its mission, the team was faced with reinventing an operational approach to continue to deliver compelling science using an unanticipated suite of actuators.  Spacecraft thrusters were not designed for accurate pointing control, yet with only two reaction wheels, only two axes could be actively controlled.  With solar pressure as the only disturbing force, and recognizing the innate symmetry of the spacecraft, the K2 mission points the spacecraft in the orbital plane for three months at a time, placing the antennas 90° from the earth. Mapping the solar balance ridge 70 M km from Earth, with limited communications and a reduced staff presented a significant operational challenge.
     
     Olivier Aventin
     Chief
     Engineer, Spacecraft Platforms, SES, Betzford, Luxembourg

    Olivier Aventin studied space and aeronautics at the "Ecole Nationale Superieure de l'Aeronautique et de l'Espace". He started his carrier in TAS in the operational department and then worked for different satellite operators, SES in the United States, Eutelsat in Paris and since 2009 at SES in Luxembourg.
    During his carrier he experienced different challenging situations like re-orbit a satellite in safe mode, put in place specific momentum management after a solar array failure to limit the impact on the life time and recently re-orbit AMC-9 after major anomalies on the satellite.
     
    Talk Title: AMC-9 long road to graveyard orbit
     
    AMC-9 a long road to graveyard orbit has presented all the challenges we have to face after a major anomaly on the satellite in order to first recover telemetry and command capabilities on the satellite then to find a way to safely re-orbit the satellite starting with only few Watts of array power and empty batteries, a spinning satellite and no on-board attitude control, using oxidizer only, with some thrusters leaking, a depressurized fuel tank and many units no longer functional.
     
     Paolo Ferri
     Head, ESA Mission Operationsat European Space Operations Centre, 
     Darmstadt, Germany

    Paolo Ferri studied theoretical physics at the University of Pavia (Italy). He spent his entire professional career at the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, working initially as scientist, then moving to the area of mission operations for various scientific space missions. 
    Between 2006 and 2012 he was Head of the Solar and Planetary Missions Division, leading mission operations execution for Rosetta, Mars and Venus Express, Cluster, and the preparations for BepiColombo, ExoMars TGO and Solar Orbiter. He has worked for 20 years on Rosetta, first as operations manager, then as flight director. 
    Since 2013 he is Head of the Mission Operations Department, responsible for the operations of all unmanned space missions of the European Space Agency.
     
    Talk Title: Two Years Orbiting a Comet: The Incredible Experience of Rosetta's Operations
     
    This presentation has summarized the operational challenges that Rosetta experienced during its two years around a comet’s nucleus: a historical first. From the arrival in proximity of the totally unknown nucleus, the initial characterization phase, the complexity of the modeling of the dynamics forces acting on the spacecraft, the difficulties of accurate navigation, through the three epic days of Philae’s operations on the surface, the fight for survival in the period of high activity around perihelion, to the final high risk operations of the close flybys and the spectacular ending with the landing of the mother spacecraft onto the nucleus. 

     
     Mark Longanbach
     Director of SkySat Mission Operations – Planet Labs, Inc.

    Mark Longanbach is the Director of SkySat Mission Operations, managing Planet’s high resolution space assets, working to integrate and optimize the world’s largest commercial satellite constellation in history.  Mark has experience across the commercial space industry, having managed GEO Satellite Communication and LEO Earth Observation space assets. From 100 person startups to Fortune 500 companies, from concept and design through stable operations, Mark passion is building and scaling mission operations and teams.

    Talk Title: Achieving Mission 1: Imaging the Whole World Every Day.

    Planet has launched more than 200 satellites to space - the largest commercial constellation ever deployed.  Six years ago Mission 1’s vision was set: to image the entire Earth’s landmass every day. Announced complete six months ago, we have reviewed how the mission was achieved, how the world is using Planet’s data, and what’s up next for Mission 2.


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