Electrical Engineer (NASA Sounding Rocket Program)

NASA’s Sounding Rocket Operations Contract (NSROC) is a sub-orbital space flight program located at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), a part of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). NSROC provides suborbital launch vehicles, payload development and field operations support to NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. The program enables the collection of Earth, Heliophysics and Astrophysics science.

This position will require an individual to be able to work individually and work in a team environment. Applicant will be in the Launch Vehicle Engineering group for sounding rocket missions. The application will support electrical design and testing of standard launch vehicle systems components. This position will require an individual to be locally located to support efforts on base as well as be able to support required telework. Applicant will work on a variety of projects, typically multiple at any one time.

The Electrical Engineer of Launch Vehicles, is responsible for the design, testing and field operations support related to sounding rocket vehicle systems including flight termination, recovery, and stage ignition/separation. They research, develop, design, and test electrical components, equipment, and systems; applying principles and techniques of electrical engineering. They are responsible for the production and presentation of technical material in support of internal and external customer meetings.

Responsibilities Include:

• Manage inventory of electrical flight hardware used in the NSROC flight termination system including controllers, batteries, receivers, antennas, and electrical harnesses.
• Manage and conduct acceptance testing of flight termination system electrical components.
• Manage sounding rocket vehicle systems including the NSROC flight termination system, payload recovery system, and solid rocket motor ignition system.
• Operate sounding rocket vehicle systems ground support equipment (GSE) during payload integration and testing, launch operations, and throughout suborbital flight.
• Develop technical electrical component test procedures and reports.
• Conduct hazardous testing involving pyrotechnics.
• Production and presentation of technical material in support of internal and external customer meetings.
• Utilize ground support equipment to test system components to include
• Apply programming and computer application skills in the development of software in C, C, C#, Matlab, and Python.
• Contribute to the development of new engineering products or specialty products, and specifications.
• Participate in technical interchange discussions with customers and experimenters.
• Manage the activities required to meet the objectives of assigned design and development projects.
• Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Awareness
• Quality Management System
• Ordnance Awareness
• Supporting the integration of, and transition to new hardware and software systems, and generating related documentation.

Required Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s Degree (BS) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Physics, or other STEM field is required.
• Zero to 2 years of engineering experience.
• Knowledge of test instrumentation including, but not limited to, Power Supplies, DMMs, oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, and network analyzers, etc.
• Experience electrically troubleshooting components, test equipment.

Desired Qualifications:

• BS/MS degree in Electrical Preferred.
• Proficiency in operation of electrical test equipment, as well as microcontrollers.
• Experience with Flight Termination System electronics
• Familiarity with RCC-319 (Flight Termination Systems Commonality Standard)
• Experience with battery analysis
• Experience with performing hazardous operations involving ordnance
• Proficiency with MatLab and Python

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