Spacecraft Passive Thermal Engineer

Evaluate and analyze the Passive Thermal Control System (PTCS) for the Orion crewed vehicle and missions while maintaining interfaces with other vehicles outside the program.

Lead and perform, as necessary, high priority thermal analyses supporting the Orion vehicle through all missions and mission phases, including realtime analysis of telemetered data in test and flight.

Lead and perform, as necessary, high priority and independent assessment of critical aspects of the design or interaction with cross program systems/elements such as the Active Thermal Control System.

Develop/compile a portfolio of models appropriate to support integrated analysis required for SE&I, cross program, and other insight groups.

Identify, as necessary, analyses that are needed to verify or confirm the design for different environments, mission phases, segments, operations, and performance of key components.

Develop, as needed, thermal analysis and data workflows and visualizations to improve the speed and accuracy of key program decisions, including real-time decisions during flight.

Identify and track key thermal specific metrics including temperature and heat rejection margins of the passive thermal control system (PTCS).

Support and monitor key trade decisions and performance characteristics including:

Mass trades, heat rejection and temperature margins, materials/coatings/survivability, effect of dust on heat rejection, heater sizing, insulation layups, etc.

System level, component, and subsystem level requirements

Additional duties may include supporting Systems Engineering & Integration (SE&I) for PTCS:

Advise the ES3 Passive Thermal Teams in development of verification closure plans, requirement management, and risk analysis.

Provide guidance on evaluation of contractor deliverables for SE&I products.

Coordinate with the provider to understand data, analysis, models, and simulation deliverables; verify claims of accuracy, boundary conditions, results, model correlation, and model V&V.

Coordinate between the providers and NASA program management to observe and understand and guide integration and testing goals, plans, constraints, and requirements at all levels of assembly and maturity including development testing through functional and environmental testing.

Review test plans and participate in test coordination milestone reviews and activities.

Assist in the Verification, Validation, & Certification of the passive thermal control systems.

Provide mentorship and guidance to early-career engineers in the PTCS and Thermal SE&I fields, equipping them with the technical knowledge, industry best practices, and problem-solving skills essential for future NASA missions.

B.S. degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering or closely related field with emphasis in heat transfer or thermal sciences OR equivalent experience with a Professional Engineering License

4+ years thermal engineering and/or systems engineering experience

Experience with the design, analysis, manufacturing, testing, and operation of thermal control systems for all relevant modes of heat transfer, both passive and active, and through all phases of program lifecycle

Experience with SINDA/FLUINT and Thermal Desktop software; other applicable software include Creo, SolidWorks, SpaceClaim, CAMEO, and scripting languages such as FORTRAN, python and MATLAB

Experience with thermal vacuum (TVAC), thermal cycle, and other environmental test programs

Demonstrated initiative and excellent leadership skills, with proven ability to manage your own work independently with delivery of expected results

Willing to travel occasionally to contractor facilities approximately 20% time 

This position will require the individual to maintain a security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government.

U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

B.S. degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering or closely related field with emphasis in heat transfer or thermal sciences or equivalent experience with a Professional Engineering License

3 or more years of thermal engineering and/or systems engineering experience

Experience with the design, analysis, manufacturing, testing, and operation of thermal control systems for all relevant modes of heat transfer, both passive and active, and through all phases of program lifecycle

Experience with SINDA/FLUINT and Thermal Desktop software; other applicable software include Creo, SolidWorks, SpaceClaim, CAMEO, and scripting languages such as FORTRAN, python and MATLAB

Willing to travel occasionally to contractor facilities approximately 20% time 

This position will require the individual to maintain a security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government.

U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

6 or more years of thermal engineering and/or systems engineering experience

Experience with thermal vacuum (TVAC), thermal cycle, and other environmental test programs

Demonstrated initiative and excellent leadership skills, with proven ability to build and manage effective engineering teams of 2 or more people with delivery of expected results

M.S. or Ph.D. in mechanical or aerospace engineering or closely related field with emphasis in heat transfer or thermal sciences

10 or more years of direct spacecraft thermal engineering experience with an emphasis on thermal design and analysis AND systems engineering, integration & test (SE&IT)

Deep knowledge of spaceflight-relevant thermal systems engineering techniques and tools.

Deep knowledge of NASA heritage passive thermal control systems.

Proficiency with Finite Element Analysis tools such as Abaqus or ANSYS Mechanical for detailed component thermal modeling

Proficiency with Systems Engineering tools including Microsoft Project, DOORS, FMECA, and MBSE tools

Experience in adjacent engineering disciplines for spaceflight hardware: systems engineering, integration and test, control systems, thermal protection systems, fluid or propulsion systems, power systems, flight software and telemetry systems

Current and active Secret or higher U.S. Government security clearance