Systems Engineering Seminar

The Astro-H Soft X-ray Spectrometer: From re-build and new-build to next-build

Presented by:
Gary Sneiderman, Code 592

Tuesday, October 4, 2016, 1:00 pm
Building 3 Auditorium

Abstract:

The Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) is the scientific powerhouse instrument behind the Astro-H mission. It is a 36-channel high-resolution spectrometer featuring an x-ray micro-calorimeter detector array operating at 50 mK and is the collaborative product of NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center and ISAS/JAXA with contributions from SRON and ESA. After a three-mission history of unfulfilled scientific promise, this incredible instrument is being considered for a final re-build.

Gary Sneiderman will share lessons from his journey as the lead instrument systems engineer for the Astro-E2/XRS re-build and the Astro-H/SXS new-build, and discuss how those lessons map to the next-build of this fascinating instrument.

Biography:

Gary Sneiderman served as the lead Instrument Systems Engineer and engineering authority for the Astro-E2/XRS instrument and then the Astro-H/SXS instrument. His experience on these projects and their international instrument developments spans 15 years and two project life cycles. Gary began his professional career at Goddard Space Flight Center’s Special Payloads Division in 1988 where he supported the rapid development of numerous small satellites and Shuttle attached payloads. He served as the lead mechanical engineer for the Sub-millimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite from selection to launch, and then transitioned to instrument systems engineering with his assignment to Astro-E2 in 2000. Gary holds a MS in Mechanical Engineering from George Washington University, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Tulane University.