Systems Engineering Seminar

MMS: Hardly Your Fathers’ Simple Spinner – Systems Challenges Designing, Building, and Operating Four In-House “Precision” Spinners

Presented by:
Peter Spidaliere, Code 599

Tuesday, May 7, 2013,1:00 p.m.
Building 3 Auditorium

Abstract:

MMS: Hardly Your Fathers’ Simple Spinner – Systems Challenges Designing, Building, and Operating Four In-House “Precision” Spinners

The Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) is a major in-house effort that is currently in the Integration and Test phase. MMS presents a number of significant challenges, not the least of which include: performing precision formation flying while spinning; managing a flight dynamics problem only surpassed by going to the moon with slide-rules; building four large observatories at a Center that specializes in ‘one-offs’; integrating, testing, and commissioning 100 instruments (56 of them high voltage instruments); and managing the conflicting requirements and desirements of 12 types of instruments and 10 spacecraft subsystems. Mr. Spidaliere will briefly describe the mission, the design, and the status of the build. However, he will primarily focus mostly on key system design decisions, how those decisions were made, and what lessons he think he’s learned (so far).

Biography:

Mr. Spidaliere joined GSFC in 1989 as the Systems Engineer for the Flight Telerobotic Servicer. He later became the Systems Engineer for the First Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission and in 1994 became the Spacecraft Systems Engineer for Landsat 7. He then transferred to the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to serve as the Systems Engineering Manager for the International Space Station (ISS). In 1996 he became the Deputy Project Manager for the ISS Interim Control Module at the Naval Research Laboratory. Mr. Spidaliere returned to GSFC in 1997 to serve as the Mission Systems Engineer for the Earth Observing-1 Mission, later returning to JSC in 1999 to join the Space Shuttle Upgrades Program. In 2001 he became the JSC Chief Engineer and Systems Engineering Manager for the Orbital Space Plane Program. After the Shuttle Columbia disaster he volunteered to lead the Shuttle Orbiter Thermal Protection System safety team. During this time he developed an on-orbit infrared sensor technique to detect damage to the Orbiter’s wing leading edge. In 2005 he returned to GSFC one final time to support the Exploration Program at Headquarters. He has been the Mission Systems Engineer for the Magnetospheric MultiScale Project since 2005.