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By NASA
11 Min Read Former Space Communications, Navigation Interns Pioneer NASA’s Future
Interns from the SCaN Internship Project visiting NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. Credits: NASA For over a decade, NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) Internship Project alumni have played important roles in extending the agency’s long-term vision for exploration. For National Intern Day on Thursday, July 25, previous program interns reflect on their journeys to and through NASA and offer advice for current and future interns.
Every summer interns join NASA’s SIP (SCaN Internship Project) program to advance the capabilities of the agency’s Deep and Near Space Networks that enable missions to communicate and navigate.
The SIP intern program develops the future workforce that will imagine, maintain, and operate the next generation of communications and navigation systems. In addition to interns’ main projects, which can range from network engineering and orbital mathematics to mission awareness campaigns and graphic design, SIP interns participate in programming that enhances their professional development and networking skills.
Justin Long
Justin Long was a SIP intern in 2017 while earning his degree in electrical engineering.
Before he applied for an internship, Long was set on working in space communications at NASA and looked out for opportunities to deepen his aerospace experience. Long attributes his work at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ CubeSat lab for his acceptance into the intern program, as well as his university’s unique partnership with NASA.
“On my morning walks, I would pass by several of the Near Space Network ground stations operated by the Alaska Satellite Facility at the University of Alaska Fairbanks,” Long said. “At the time I was working on a ground station for our CubeSat program, so I went to intern.nasa.gov and searched anything space communications-related.”
Long was selected for a project at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia focused on ground station improvements to the agency’s Near Space Network. In addition to looking at hardware upgrades for NASA-owned ground stations, Long also explored opportunities to expand the network by integrating commercial and university assets.
Justin Long, 2017 SCaN Internship Project (SIP) Intern Courtesy of Justin Long Now, Long works as a telecommunications engineer at NASA Goddard, designing antennas and communication systems for spacecraft. His experience with ground stations at NASA Wallops influences his work on spacecraft today.
“Working on communications systems means figuring out what the end-to-end system for a spacecraft looks like, from the radio to the antenna,” Long said. “The internship prepared me to answer questions about how we’re transmitting the data, how fast we can transmit it, and how much data we can receive in one day.”
The major difference between his current role and his intern project is that the hardware he is developing will fly on a spacecraft rather than remain on Earth as part of a ground station antenna. Long will also test his hardware to ensure it functions as expected in orbit. The reward for this rigorous testing is the knowledge that the communications hardware he designed is a critical part of ensuring the spacecraft’s successful operation.
“There is nothing more exciting than working hands-on with a spacecraft,” Long said. “Getting to see the hardware integrated onto the spacecraft — watching the whole thing come together — is my favorite part of the job.”
While Long’s internship allowed him to come into his current position with a broader knowledge base than other engineers at his level of experience, he stresses that the networking opportunities he had with SIP were more important than the intern project itself.
“Even if you have an internship that’s not directly in your field of expertise, the opportunity to network with NASA professionals and meet different groups can have impact on your career,” Long said. “I’m still in contact with people I met as an intern.”
Thomas Montano
Thomas Montano was completing his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering during his SIP internships in 2019 and 2020. In his current role as an electrical engineer in NASA’s Search and Rescue office at Goddard, Montano supports human spaceflight recovery efforts as well as the development of a lunar search and rescue system.
Thomas Montano during Artemis II Underway Recovery Test 10.NASA Montano was initially interested in digital signal processing and communication systems, so he decided to apply for a SCaN internship.
“It wasn’t really a contest between NASA and other internship programs,” Montano said. “I got to work on cool projects. I got to work with cool people. Goddard is just a place that makes you want to do better and learn things.”
Montano’s first internship was rewriting a software tool for running link budgets, a log of signal gains and losses in a radio communications system. In his second internship, Montano developed a virtual model of the physical transmission environment for lunar communications systems that could combine with the link budget tool to create an end-to-end communication channel simulation.
Both tools continue to be used at the agency today, though Montano’s current position has shifted his focus to the special realities of human spaceflight. Now, Montano is helping NASA test location beacons for the Artemis II astronauts. He describes meeting the Artemis crew while practicing capsule recovery on a U.S. Navy ship as an exciting and sobering reminder of the importance of his work.
“Nothing can top putting boots on the ground,” Montano said. “Meeting the crew made the work all the more real. My work isn’t hypothetical or theoretical. These are real people going to the Moon. My system cannot fail. The search and rescue system cannot go down. Failure really is not an option.”
Nothing can top putting boots on the ground. Meeting the Artemis crew mad the work all the more real.
THomas Montano
Electrical Engineer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Montano advises new interns to explore the center, ask questions, and learn how the agency works. He encourages anyone considering an internship to apply.
“The biggest reason that people don’t get NASA internships is because they don’t apply,” he said. “They count themselves out, and that’s nonsense. If you have good qualifications, go submit your résumé.”
Katrina Lee
Before becoming the engagement coordinator for NASA’s Commercialization, Innovation, and Synergies (CIS) office at Goddard, Katrina Lee was a communications intern with SIP.
For her project, Lee wrote promotional materials highlighting NASA’s then-upcoming LCRD (Laser Communications Relay Demonstration), which launched Dec. 7, 2021. The role required her to research the science behind laser communications and understand the role the technology is playing in advancing communications at NASA. The following summer, Lee applied her experience to writing and producing promotional materials for Integrated LCRD Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (ILLUMA-T) — LCRD’s first in-space user.
When Lee first joined the program in 2021, she was planning to work in national security. Her internship experience shifted her attention to pursuing a degree in marketing and business. She also joined her student newspaper as a contributing writer.
“The project I was covering resonated with me. I learned that I was really interested in writing and communications,” said Lee. “I homed in on my interest in public-facing opportunities to share very technical information in a digestible way.”
Katrina Lee, SCaN Internship Project (SIP) Intern Summer 2021 and 2022.Courtesy of Katrina Lee In her current role, Lee applies the skills she developed as an intern to promote the Near Space Network’s commercialization opportunities. In addition to writing promotional and informational material, Lee manages event logistics, plans and guides center tours for the public and potential partners, attends conferences, and generates ideas for promoting the CIS office.
Lee’s work gives her special insight into the continuing development of the Near Space Network.
“I get to see the future of space exploration in real time,” Lee said. “There’s a greater emphasis on collaboration than we’ve seen in the past, and that collaboration is going to help space communications capabilities go further than ever before.”
When Lee reflects on what aspects of her internship were most important, she returns to the value of her work and her mentor-mentee relationship.
“I felt challenged here,” Lee said. “It was an opportunity to build confidence and learn from your mistakes beside someone who wants you to succeed. It really helped me grow as a professional.”
Lee advises new interns and students considering an internship to remember that mistakes are a valuable part of the experience. “No one at NASA expects you to know everything right away,” Lee said. “They recognize that you’re an intern and you are here to learn. This is a place where you can learn something new every day.”
Unsh Rawal
Unsh Rawal joined SIP in 2022 as a rising high school senior. He came to the program with a passion for robotics and a desire to expand his interests and try new things.
Rawal’s project contributed to the development of an interface that allows students to control robots over local and remote wireless connections. The interface is part of an educational activity for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) exploring telerobotics, or the distant remote control of a robot.
Unsh Rawal, SCaN Internship Project (SIP) Intern Summer 2022.Courtesy of Unsh Rawal Rawal continued to develop his project with ARISS beyond his internship. He spent the past winter porting the activity’s code to a Raspberry Pi, a palm-sized minicomputer, while broadening its functionality. His work is key to ARISS’s efforts to distribute accessible, interactive educational tools.
Rawal hopes to return to the intern program to continue his NASA project alongside his educational pursuits. While Rawal came to the intern program planning to pursue a degree in robotics, his project ignited his passion for a new field. “I learned a lot about networking, gained UI and API experience, learned about sockets,” he said. “I learned I really enjoy computer science.”
When asked to share his advice with interns new to the program, Rawal recommends scheduling regular meetings with your project mentor.
“Having consistent meetings with the people supervising the project helps you stay on track and better understand the project requirements,” Rawal said. “They’re an opportunity to learn new things from someone willing to give you one-on-one guidance.”
Lindsay White
Lindsay White was a SIP intern in 2018 and 2019 before joining NASA’s Pathways program in 2020. She completed her internship while earning her master’s degree in electrical engineering, specifically applied electromagnetics.
During her SIP internship, White programmed software-defined radios, a communication system where computer software is used to replace physical radio hardware like modulators and amplifiers, to create test benches for the development of novel signals. That internship evolved into learning more about Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) in her second summer, a customizable hardware that can be reconfigured into different digital circuits. White then applied her FPGA knowledge to laser communications missions.
White’s first summer in the internship program confirmed that she wanted to work for NASA. “The environment is so welcoming and supportive,” she said. “People want to answer your questions and help you. I enjoyed the work I was doing and learned a ton.”
White sees a direct relationship between the work she completed as an intern and her current role as a signal analysis engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “The work I do now is an evolution of all the work I did as an intern. I’m applying the skills I gained by working in laser communications to my current work in radio communications.”
Lindsay White, SCaN Internship Project (SIP) Intern in 2018 and 2019.NASA White works on the digital signal processing inside the Mars Sample Return mission’s radio, as well as a research and development project called Universal Space Transponder Lite, a flexible, modular radio with a broad series of potential applications. Sometimes even she is surprised by the importance of her role to NASA’s commitment to space exploration.
“The impact is astonishing,” White said. “My work is essential to a Mars mission. Something I’m touching is going to end up on Mars.”
The impact is astonishing. My work is essential to a Mars mission. Something I'm touching is going to end up on Mars.
Lindsay White
Signal Analysis Engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
White advises incoming interns to use their time in the program to develop their understanding of the agency’s personnel and projects. “SIP provides an opportunity to talk with people you otherwise wouldn’t meet,” said White. “Learning the different things NASA is working on can be even more important than hitting stretch goals on your technical project.”
White’s advice for students considering a SIP internship is straightforward: “Do it! Even if you don’t have a technical background, there’s a spot for you at NASA.”
By Korine Powers
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
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Last Updated Jul 25, 2024 EditorKatherine SchauerContactKatherine Schauerkatherine.s.schauer@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
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By NASA
4 Min Read NASA Celebrates 20 Years of Earth-Observing Aura Satellite
The Aura spacecraft, shown in this artist’s concept, is a NASA atmospheric chemistry mission that monitors Earth’s protective atmosphere. Credits:
NASA Earth (ESD) Earth Home Explore Climate Change Science in Action Multimedia Data For Researchers From monitoring the hole in the ozone above the Antarctic to studying air quality around the entire planet, NASA’s Aura satellite has provided scientists with essential measurements during its two decades in orbit.
“The Aura mission has been nothing short of transformative for scientific research and applied sciences,” said Bryan Duncan, project scientist for NASA’s Aura satellite mission. “The mission’s data have given scientists and applied scientists an unparalleled view of air pollution around the world.”
Aura has revealed the effects of industrialization, environmental regulations, wildfires, the COVID-19 pandemic, and many other aspects of the air we breathe. The satellite paved the way for recent missions to study the atmosphere and its inner workings, including PACE and TEMPO. As the Aura mission team celebrates its launch anniversary of July 15, 2004, here are a few of the many highlights from the last 20 years.
Aura Eyes Ozone Hole over Antarctica
The first publicly released image from the Aura mission (autumn 2004) showed dramatically depleted levels of ozone in the stratosphere over Antarctica.
NASA Study: First Direct Proof of Ozone Hole Recovery Due to Chemicals Ban
In a 2018 study, scientists showed for the first time through direct satellite observations that levels of chlorine in the atmosphere declined, resulting in less ozone depletion. Because of an international ban on chlorine-containing manmade chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons, there was about 20% less ozone depletion during the Antarctic winter in 2016 than there was in 2005.
New NASA Satellite Maps Show Human Fingerprint on Global Air Quality
This global map shows the concentration of nitrogen dioxide in the troposphere as detected by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument aboard the Aura satellite, averaged over 2014. NASA Using high-resolution global maps of air quality indicators made with data from the Aura satellite, NASA scientists tracked air pollution trends between 2005 and 2015 in various regions and 195 cities around the globe. The study found that the United States, Europe, and Japan saw improved air quality due to emission control regulations, while China, India, and the Middle East, with their fast-growing economies and expanding industry, saw more air pollution.
How NASA is Helping the World Breathe More Easily
Many of NASA’s Earth-observing satellites, including Aura, can see what the human eye can’t — including potentially harmful pollutants lingering in the air we breathe. These satellites help us measure and track air pollution as it moves around the globe and have contributed significantly to a decades-long quest for cleaner air. For example, data from Aura’s Ozone Monitoring Instrument helped the EPA and NASA identify a drop in nitrogen dioxide that researchers cited as evidence of the success of the Clean Air Act.
Air Quality: A Tale of Three Cities
Air quality in Beijing, Los Angeles, and Atlanta — like air quality across the globe — is dynamic. This video describes how scientists use instruments like Aura’s Ozone Monitoring Instrument to study questions including what causes ozone, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide emissions. It also explores why reductions in volatile organic carbon pollution worked to reduce ground-level ozone in Los Angeles, but not in Atlanta.
Seeing the COVID-19 Pandemic from Space
Economic and social shutdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic led to noticeable changes in Earth’s environment, at least in the short term. NASA researchers used satellite and ground-based observations – including nitrogen dioxide levels from Ozone Monitoring Instrument – to track these impacts on our air, land, water, and climate.
A Satellite’s View of Ship Pollution
With natural-color satellite imagery of the atmosphere over the ocean, scientists have observed “ship tracks” — bright, linear trails amidst the cloud layers that are created by particles and gases from ships. Scientists used Ozone Monitoring Instrument data to detect the almost invisible tracks of nitrogen dioxide along several shipping routes from 2005 to 2012.
First Global Maps of Volcanic Emissions Use NASA Satellite Data
Volcanic sulfur dioxide emissions from Indonesia’s many volcanoes are shown in shades of orange. The data was produced from observations from NASA’s Aura satellite. With the Ozone Monitoring Instrument data, researchers compiled emissions data from 2005 to 2015 create the first global inventory for volcanic sulfur dioxide emissions. The data set helped refine climate and atmospheric chemistry models and provided more insight into human and environmental health risks.
Scientists Show Connection Between Gas Flaring and Arctic Pollution
Flaring of excess natural gas from industrial oil fields in the Northern Hemisphere was found to be a potentially significant source of nitrogen dioxide and black carbon emissions polluting the Arctic, according to a 2016 NASA study that included data from Aura.
2023 Ozone Hole Ranks 16th Largest, NASA and NOAA Researchers Find
Researchers continue to rely on Aura data to monitor the Antarctic ozone hole, two decades after the satellite launched. Each Southern Hemisphere spring, NASA and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) use satellite and balloon-based measurements to measure the maximum size of the ozone hole. The story above notes the 2023 result; stay tuned for what Aura helps us discover in 2024 and beyond.
This map shows the size and shape of the ozone hole over the South Pole on Sept. 21, 2023, the day of its maximum extent that year, as calculated by the NASA Ozone Watch team. Moderate ozone losses (orange) are visible amid widespread areas of more potent ozone losses (red). By Erica McNamee and Kate Ramsayer
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:14:53 In the second episode of this docu series, we take a closer look into what it took to build ESA’s Young Professional Satellite (YPSat). YPSat’s mission objectives are to capture the key moments of Ariane 6’s inaugural flight and take in-orbit pictures of Earth and space. To achieve this, the satellite requires the multiple sub-systems to work in harmony and adhere to a pre-defined mission sequence.
This episode zooms in four of the sub-systems: the Wake-Up System (WUS), Battery, On-Board Computer (OBC) and Telecommunications.
Running at ultra low power, the WUS circuit board was designed, tested and manufactured specifically for YPSat. Created to meet Arianespace’s requirement to be operational on the launchpad for 45 days, its function is to wake up the satellite during the launch to record the fairing separation.
Once the WUS detects the launch, it will signal to the battery to turn on the rest of the satellite. The battery has the challenge to maintain enough charge to power the remainder of the components.
The On-Board Computer (OBC) then takes the lead to orchestrate the rest of the mission. The OBC acts as the brain of the satellites; it sends commands to all the other sub-systems, including sending the commands to record the videos and pictures.
Once these are captured, the Telecommunications team takes over to coordinate with the ground stations to send the data back on Earth so it can be decoded into clear images. The challenge is to ensure enough communication between the satellite and Earth so the data is properly retrieved before the YPSat disintegrates upon re-entry.
One day prior launch, YPSat is now sitting in Ariane 6’s capsule. To get there, the satellite was subject to rigorous tests and certifications to meet the stringent standards of the European Space Agency and Arianespace. Will YPSat accomplish its mission objectives? We'll find out in the next episode.
Credits:
Directed and produced by Chilled Winston: https://chilledwinston.com/ and Emma de Cocker
Powered by ESA - European Space Agency
Music from Epidemic Sound
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