Supporting Hubble: Profiles

Transcription

Supporting Hubble: Profiles
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Supporting Hubble:
Profiles
Taken from:
Hubble 2010: Science Year in Review
Produced by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
and the Space Telescope Science Institute.
The full contents of this book include Hubble science articles, an overview of
the telescope, and more. The complete volume and its component sections are
available for download online at:
www.hubblesite.org/hubble_discoveries/science_year_in_review
This detailed image of the center of the Lagoon Nebula (Messier 8) reveals the intricate structures formed when powerful radiation from
young stars interacts with the hydrogen cloud from which they formed. In this color-mapped image, light from glowing hydrogen is colored
red; that from glowing ionized nitrogen, green. Background light captured through a yellow filter is colored blue. The blue-white flare at the
upper-left of the image is scattered light from a bright star just outside the field of view.
HUBBLE 2010: SCIENCE YEAR IN REVIEW
Supporting Hubble
HUBBLE 2010: SCIENCE YEAR IN REVIEW
Butler
Administrative Assistant
Jackson and Tull, Inc.
When Veronica Butler was hired by Jackson and Tull in 1992 to work on the Hubble Space Telescope project, she ventured online to see
what Hubble was all about. She was so excited by what she found that she immediately called her family and friends to share her news.
After reading the many amazing things Hubble was discovering, she couldn’t wait to be a part of that history.
A native of Washington, DC., Veronica has served as a secretary/administrative assistant since graduating from high school. She has
worked 37 years in this field, first for the Federal Government in downtown Washington and now in the private sector. Her current duties
include coordinating and organizing office activities, receiving and integrating data into several databases, disseminating information to
employees and clients, and training administrative employees. She is especially known for paying attention to details and employing her
excellent communication skills. Pleasant and cheerful, Veronica helps raise morale in the office and assists with Hubble social events,
such as celebrating each Hubble servicing mission and anniversary, as well as different holidays.
Veronica has enjoyed working with everyone who crosses her path and misses those who are no longer on the project. “You create a family bond when you work so closely to accomplish something as big as Hubble.” She has proudly supported all five servicing missions
to the spacecraft. In 1997, she even had the opportunity to see the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery that commenced Servicing
Mission 2. “Assisting the men and women who worked so hard to make these missions a success has been a pleasure, and one I wouldn’t
trade for the world. Watching the astronauts work so meticulously using the tools to replace the instruments while wearing those big
gloves was amazing. There were moments when we all stopped breathing when a problem occurred, and then the celebration of victory
when they were able to finish the job was rewarding.”
Outside of work, Veronica enjoys spending time with her husband of 28 years, Ronald, and daughter, Teres’a, 21, who is majoring in
family studies and community development at Towson University. “She maintains a fantastic grade point average; we are so proud of
her.” Other favorite pastimes include crocheting, Sudoku puzzles, word search games, and reading. “I like to read all kinds of books—
Christian, romance, autobiography, and mystery, to name a few.”
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Levay
Imaging Group Lead
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.
Zolt Levay has come a long way from Rawalpindi, Pakistan, where he was born. His parents were refugees from Hungary during World
War II who met and married in Austria. Zolt’s father was a physician, and, as part of the UN refugee relocation program, he received a
visa to practice in Pakistan. Zolt came to the United States with his family when he was four. They settled in Towson, Maryland, and Zolt
automatically became a citizen at twelve when his parents took their citizenship oaths.
Growing up during the Space Race, Zolt became interested in science—especially astronomy. “I started reading Science News and Sky
& Telescope when I was in high school. There’s this company called Edmund Scientific, and their catalog inspired me. I’d think: ‘Oh, I
want one of those, and I want one of those…’ So I got material to make a telescope, and I made it. I still have the telescope.” At about
the same time, Zolt became interested in photography. “I had a pretty decent camera when I was in high school and I was taking a lot of
pictures. I took pictures of the Moon and a total solar eclipse. I knew then I wanted to go into astronomy.”
Zolt went to Indiana University in Bloomington and earned a BS in astrophysics. There he met his wife Karen, who also works at the
Space Telescope Science Institute. He completed his MS in astronomy at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, and his first position out
of graduate school was as an attitude analyst at Goddard Space Flight Center. He worked on several Explorer missions before joining
the Hubble team at the Space Telescope Science Institute in 1983. Ten years later—just before the first Hubble servicing mission—he
transitioned to his current position, which involves producing pictures from Hubble data. “The observations are designed for doing
astronomy, but they’re also images. We use the images to accompany the announcement of some science finding, or simply to highlight
the most aesthetically pleasing pictures from Hubble.”
Photography still plays a large part in Zolt’s life. “I think of what we do to produce the pictures from Hubble as photography. What I try
to pursue outside of work is largely the same idea. I like to be outdoors, I like to be in spectacular landscapes, and I like to try to capture
the views that I see—whether it’s a large landscape or an intimate detail.”
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Bruce
Technical Manager for HST Mission Operations and Engineering Contract
NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center
As a boy growing up in Alexandria, Virginia, Barry Bruce could not have foreseen himself working for NASA. “In school, I was fascinated
with the weather.” He carried this passion into college, and, after two years at Madison College—now known as James Madison University—Barry transferred to Penn State University, where he earned a degree in meteorology. He also became interested in what was then
a new field: computer science.
Barry’s first job out of college was at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a meteorologist. After one year, he
entered a NOAA upward mobility program that allowed him to study computer science at George Washington University. “That led to a
position as a computer programmer with NOAA at the Satellite Operations Control Center in Suitland, Maryland, where weather satellites
are controlled. I worked for NOAA in various jobs until 1990. By that time I was developing ground systems for the weather satellites.”
In 1990, Barry had the opportunity to work for NASA on the same weather satellite program. “The weather satellites are a joint venture—
NASA builds and launches them, and then hands them over to NOAA for operations. I worked on ground systems for weather satellites
until 1996 when there was an opening with Hubble.” Barry sometimes likens himself to a “utility infielder” on the Hubble team—able
to play many different positions. “I’ve had many roles since joining Hubble.” At first, Barry served as the liaison manager to the Space
Telescope Science Institute, and then became the Hubble database manager. Since 2003, he’s also supported the James Webb Space
Telescope Project as the database manager. Over the past few years, Barry has been involved with overseeing the HST mission operations
and systems engineering contract.
Outside of work, Barry plays tennis and has been an avid jogger for about 30 years. He also enjoys gardening and landscaping.
“I’ve built decorative retaining walls and stone walkways. My crowning achievement was building a water feature in our backyard.”
He loves to travel and recently returned from a two-week trip to Spain with his wife Kathy. The year before, they cruised the eastern
Mediterranean. In addition to hiking locally at Shenandoah National Park, they’ve trekked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and then
back up to the rim. “Less than one percent of all visitors that come to the park actually venture down there. You feel like you’ve really
accomplished something.”
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Lagerstrom
Chief Librarian
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.
What especially interested Jill Lagerstrom in school and growing up? “Everything! This is the curse of the librarian!” Jill credits her parents for nurturing her many and varied curiosities. “Fortunately, my parents encouraged me to pursue anything I happened to be interested
in. They never got in the way of my learning about whatever I wanted to learn. This is pretty good preparation for becoming a librarian.”
Growing up in Brookfield, Illinois—a suburb of Chicago—afforded Jill many opportunities to pursue her interests. “My mom took me
to classes on Shakespeare and Greek literature at the Newberry Library. We volunteer-ushered a lot to see plays in Chicago—including
Shakespeare, Greek tragedies, Tennessee Williams, Molière, and Beckett. My dad took me to astronomy clubs, and my Uncle Irwin took
me to observing parties for amateur astronomers and meetings of the Naperville Astronomical Association. We were always going to the
theater and playing music together and volunteering at the local prairie restoration project.”
Jill graduated from the University of Chicago with a BA degree in classical studies. “I took an astronomy class as part of my science
requirement. I was excited to be able to revisit my childhood hobby as part of my college education. I’m also grateful for the common
core program at the University of Chicago. Learning about a variety of disciplines doesn’t hurt your chances of being a good librarian.”
She earned a master’s in library and information science from Rutgers University and moved to the Washington, DC. area with her husband, who had taken a post at the Catholic University of America (CUA). She accepted a position at CUA’s library. “As part of that job, I
was also responsible for physics and astronomy. That led to my applying for a job at Goddard. Then I found myself at the Institute.” Today,
Jill is the chief librarian at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. She is actively involved in the international astronomy
librarian community and recently presented at the conference Library and Information Services in Astronomy VI: From New Ideas to Action, held in Pune, India in February 2010. “I really enjoy traveling to pow wow with other ‘observatory’ librarians.”
In her spare time, Jill plays old-time or clawhammer-style banjo. “I’ve played banjo since I was 14 years old. I play in a lot of local jams
and haunt old-time festivals and gatherings in West Virginia.” Jill still enjoys learning new things, including the challenge of mastering
a new instrument, the fiddle.
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Stearns
Senior Network Analyst
Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Services
As a child growing up in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Dorothy Stearns experienced her father’s keen interest in
space and flight. “My dad was very interested in the space program. He used to build model rocket systems and was interested in flying.
He also built kites—some of which were quite elaborate—and he would take us out to fly them.”
Dorothy’s interests lay more toward the humanities. Her favorite subjects were English literature, writing, and Latin. After graduating
from Pennsylvania State University with a BS in business administration, she journeyed to Panama, where she taught business math
and economics to American high school students in the Canal Zone. After a period of teaching, she took a position in New Jersey as an
executive assistant with Western Union Space Communications Company, which was building the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite
for NASA. “My father was alive when I started supporting NASA, and he was very excited about it!”
While still with Western Union, Dorothy moved into the field of configuration management and quality assurance. In 1981, the company
relocated Dorothy’s group to the Washington, DC. area to be closer to the NASA customer. That year, Dorothy was invited to Goddard
Space Flight Center’s Mission Control building to see the first Shuttle launch. In 1994, she joined McDonnell Douglas as a technical
editor. She then transitioned to the Hubble project, where for 16 years she has managed the Hubble Computer Support desk at Goddard—the last 14 while working for Lockheed Martin. Dorothy’s job is to ensure that the Hubble customers have little computer downtime and are electronically operational. “We strive to keep the customers happy. There’s an art to it. You have to build a rapport with the
customers. A lot of them we know on a very personal basis.” Dedicated and conscientious, Dorothy has supported four of the five Hubble
servicing missions.
Dorothy’s hobbies include volunteer work for the local hospital, sports, and reading. “I’m at the library twice a week, reading murder
mysteries and biographies. I’m currently reading John Adams by David McCullough, and I just picked up Rose Kennedy’s story about
her family and her life.” Dorothy is also a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan and an avid theater enthusiast, enjoying everything from
Shakespeare to Dame Edna. But her favorite times are spent with her children, Ken and Caroline, and the pride and joy of her life: granddaughter Alyssa, age 3.
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Mabrey III
Procurement Specialist
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.
Ernest Mabrey was a scholarship baseball player at the University of the District of Columbia when he was invited to try out for the first
Olympic baseball team in the 1984 games. “Barry Larkin, Mark McGuire, B.J. Surhoff and names like that were on the final team. Just
being invited to try out was such an honor.” Eventually, he made an even more stellar team as part of the Hubble Space Telescope effort.
A native Washingtonian, Ernest grew up with a love of law, mathematics, science, and history—interests that serve him well as a
procurement specialist at the Space Telescope Science Institute. “I don’t think anyone grows up aspiring to be a contracts person or a
buyer, but if one is interested in law and if one is interested somewhat in math—particularly an orderly individual—the funny thing is
that they gravitate toward this kind of field.” As a procurement specialist, Ernest buys goods and services in support of Hubble and the
James Webb Space Telescope. ‘Goods’ can mean anything from pencils to computers and other expensive electronics. ‘Services’ range
from janitorial services to contracted astronomers or scientists. Ernest is even aware of some hardware he procured that became a part of
Hubble. “I bought some lenses and connections for the lenses that ended up on imaging equipment on Hubble. So, something I bought
is out there in space!”
Ernest serves as a part-time Christian minister outside of work, and he is currently a candidate for a bachelor of ministry degree from
Vision International University. He also writes contemporary Christian music and plays piano and keyboards. “I don’t consider myself
so much a musician: I write songs. I have written songs that have been recorded, so I’ve seen my name in small print on the back of
an album.” Ernest is modest about his keyboard skills. “I have no formal training on the keyboard. When I was in high school, I played
baritone sax, tuba, and sousaphone, so I had some musical training. But people don’t play trombones and sousaphones in the house, so
you find yourself moving toward something that’s a little more house-friendly.”
Ernest has been married 23 years and is the proud father of six daughters. “The oldest just graduated from the University of Maryland at
College Park; the next two are in junior college, probably with intent to go to the University of Maryland. The younger three are in grade
school, working their way up.”
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Deyarmin
Project Support Manager
NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center
Growing up in Baltimore, Mindy Deyarmin loved art, math, and science. Years later, she would find a way to combine these interests on
Hubble as a project support specialist managing outreach. Mindy attended Salisbury State University before joining the aerospace world
as an administrative assistant with Omitron Corporation, supporting NASA’s Hitchhiker missions.
In 1991, she joined Hubble as a secretary in the time leading up to the historic first servicing mission. Two years later, she transferred
to the Public Affairs Office, but still supported Hubble. She rejoined the project a year and a half later in the Professional Internship
Program. “We learned all the functions of project support—the scheduling, configuration management, logistics, and flight hardware.”
During that time, she was approached by Hubble management and asked to take a position as an outreach specialist, which she accepted.
This role also included the coordination of awards and motivational thank-you items for those on the project.
“I ensured awards were designed and produced, and then orchestrated the awards ceremonies. If I saw there was a particular person that
was going above and beyond and wasn’t being recognized, we made sure to recognize that person.” In this position, Mindy was able
to use her creativity and artistic ability, particularly in designing breathtaking posters, creating Hubble backdrops for interviews, and
developing mementos commemorating the Hubble servicing missions and various other milestones. From acrylic awards containing
flown Hubble insulation, to laser-inscribed cubes, Hubble models, and beautiful matted collages with flown mission patches, Mindy’s
artistic sense made each occasion extra-special. Mindy planned and supported Hubble functions and VIP visits, including those from
Queen Elizabeth II, members of Congress, and astronauts. She also coordinated moves and bookings for the traveling Hubble exhibit,
provided speakers for its opening events, and assisted in its setup and teardown.
In May 2010, after 19 years of supporting Hubble activities, Mindy transitioned to the Joint Polar Satellite System Project at Goddard—
though a part of her will truly remain behind. “To me, Hubble was a family. Everybody was working toward the same goal, and it really
was the nicest place I’ve ever worked.” Mindy’s hard work, creativity, and dedication helped to make it that way for the entire Hubble team.
Outside work, Mindy channels her creativity into jewelry making—designing one-of-a-kind pieces from antique and vintage jewelry. She
also enjoys her grandchildren and is passionate about animals, helping with local animal rescues.
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Fang
Ground System Operation Team Lead
Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc.
When Shin-Tsuen (S-T) Fang attended college in Taiwan, he belonged to a mountain hiking club. “Taiwan is close to the Pacific Rim,
so all of the mountains are very high. The highest is around 12,000 feet. When we went up the mountain on a clear night, I liked to see
the stars. It was really beautiful. Everything seemed right in front of you.” Eventually, he would help bring even clearer, crisper images of
stars to the world as part of the Hubble Space Telescope team.
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, S-T now considers Potomac, Maryland his hometown. After earning his BS in chemical engineering at National
Taiwan University, he decided to go abroad to obtain his advanced degree. He was awarded a merit scholarship from the University of
Rhode Island and earned his MS in chemical engineering there.
After graduation, he took a job writing computer programs to simulate nuclear power plants. In the wake of the Three Mile Island accident, every nuclear power plant in the United States was required to have a simulator to train people not to make the same mistakes.
“We had to go through all the nuclear power plant design documents and schematic diagrams, so that when we’re doing the modeling,
we could have exactly the same design. It was a really exciting job.” During that time, he earned an MS in computer science from the
Johns Hopkins University. After eight years, S-T began work at Goddard Space Flight Center on Spacelab—a reusable laboratory flown
aboard the Space Shuttle.
S-T supported Spacelab for six years and the Data Distribution Facility—which electronically or physically distributes science data to
multiple NASA missions, including Hubble—for two years before joining the Hubble team. He is now responsible for all aspects of Operation Control Center support, including system and database administration, sustaining engineering, and hardware maintenance. “I’ve
been on Hubble since Servicing Mission 2. I’m particularly proud to have contributed to the servicing missions. Hubble helps people to
understand the universe, and I’m thrilled to be a part of that.”
While S-T no longer hikes mountains, he still enjoys hiking the C&O Canal. He can often be found biking, and he has been practicing
tai chi for more than 10 years. S-T and his wife, Iris, will celebrate their 25th anniversary next year. They are extremely proud of their son
Austin, who recently graduated from the Johns Hopkins University, and daughter Angela, who is a student at the University of Maryland.
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Walker
Senior System Administrator
CSC
Tom Walker was 13 when he saved up his money and bought his first telescope. Under the dark skies of Susquehanna County in northeastern Pennsylvania, Tom observed from his family’s farm. “I felt I had really accomplished something when I found the Andromeda
galaxy. I thought, ‘Wow, that’s a whole galaxy! And I was able to find it with my telescope!’”
Two teachers in particular inspired Tom’s career path. One was a high school calculus teacher who was passionate about math. “He liked
doing puzzles, and he enjoyed talking about math. He told math jokes. He was the first one who encouraged me to want to know why
math is more than just memorizing formulas. In college, there was a professor, Stewart Sharpless, who loved astronomy, and he was a
very good teacher. He was humble and made you feel like you didn’t have to be a genius—you could be of average intelligence as long
as you enjoy the work and want to work through the problem.”
Tom graduated from the University of Rochester in New York with a BS in physics and astronomy. His first job was on Mauna Kea in
Hawaii at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. After two and a half years, Tom accepted a position at Goddard Space Flight Center as a
telescope operator for the International Ultraviolet Explorer. “Then I really was driving the telescope. I could send the actual command up
to the telescope that would move it and point it.” As part of that job, he began doing system administration.
He eventually transitioned to the Space Telescope Science Institute as system administrator for the computers that perform some of the
telescope operations. That evolved into more general system administration work, though he still takes care of the computers that handle
planning and scheduling, archiving, and data processing. “We keep the computers working. When I do my job well, when I keep something running, when I notice a problem—if that leads to an observation being successful, a researcher getting his data and being able to
publish something, I feel like I contributed in a very small way to astronomy in general, and it makes me happy.”
Tom is a husband of five years to his wife, Cheryl, and dad to a 16-year-old daughter, Grace. And he still observes occasionally, “especially if there’s something unique happening like a conjunction; I still make a point of going out whenever there’s a lunar eclipse.”
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Kukula
Flight Controller
Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Services
Jade Kukula can’t remember a time when she wasn’t interested in space. A first-generation American born and raised in Brooklyn, New
York, Jade credits her parents, especially her mother, with her love of space and engineering. “My mom is a retired obstetrics nurse and
midwife from the Philippines. She has always loved astronomy and space exploration. We would watch shuttle launches together when
I was a child. My father is a civil engineer from Poland, and he set the foundation for my love of engineering with math and science. My
mom gave me the spark and thirst for knowledge, and my dad set the framework for the way of thought and analysis.”
Jade graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering from Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology in Flushing, New York. She
is currently working on her MS in applied physics and mechanical engineering at the Johns Hopkins University. Jade joined the Hubble
team as a flight controller right out of college. She is responsible for downloading Hubble’s science and engineering data, maintaining
the telescope’s health and safety via real-time operations, and commanding Hubble during any special or anomalous scenarios. “Any
time we have targets of opportunity—special observations to be made by Hubble outside the normal plan—we work with the new
science mission schedule and support all real-time operations. If we have an anomaly, we are the first line of defense.”
Jade uses her engineering skills outside of work, too. “I build things all the time. I studied and experimented with ‘swarm robotics’ for my
bachelor’s degree project, and I have a whole bunch of robots at home. They can communicate with each other and execute coordinated
movements, sometimes with hilarious results.”
Jade has more than a hundred flight hours accumulated with her pilot’s license and loves to fly single-engine aircraft. She spends many
weekends at air shows and is a fan of the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds. She is currently working on her scuba certification and is
involved in amateur, high-power rocketry. She loves writing and dancing, and enjoys participating in team sports and volunteer work. “I
spend some time every year folding paper cranes for the annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial ceremony, and spend a lot of time working at
community outreach centers and local animal shelters. One of my favorite hobbies is to raise Monarch or Painted Lady butterflies every
summer and release them. I love seeing them fly free. It’s that moment of freedom that gives me the most joy.”
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Burdick
Mission Operations Software and Engineering Support (MOSES) Systems Manager
Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Services
Wayne Burdick was a seventh grader from San Jose, California, on vacation in Banff, Canada, when astronauts first set foot on the moon.
“In the stores there, they had the lunar landing on the televisions in real time.” He watched with fascination and knew from that day on
that he wanted to work in some facet of the space business.
At San Jose State University, he earned a degree in electrical engineering, with an emphasis in computer architecture. Upon graduation,
he had his pick of employers, and he chose Lockheed. His first job was working on Hubble. “At that time, in 1984, Lockheed was the
integrating contractor for Hubble, and we put Hubble together in Sunnyvale, California. I was responsible for integrating the data management subsystem with the rest of the vehicle.” This included the equipment that manages and stores Hubble’s science and engineering
data. Wayne is one of the few people working on Hubble today who has actually touched it on the ground.
In 1993, NASA requested that some Lockheed engineers with Hubble hardware experience come to Goddard to support the launch of the
historic first Hubble servicing mission. Wayne obliged, and stayed in Maryland after the mission was completed. Over the years he has
worked in varied positions of increasing responsibility on the project, analyzing the performance of the on-orbit hardware and software,
as well as developing ground system computers and software. Currently, he serves in a systems management role. In this capacity, he
manages a process that ensures the operational integrity of the mission as various spacecraft subsystem engineers change or improve
individual components among the Hubble hardware, software, and ground system components.
Wayne’s wife Beverly formerly worked on Hubble, and the couple got married a week after Servicing Mission 3A in 1999. “We had to
move our wedding twice because the servicing mission date moved. She got back from supporting the mission in Houston, we had one
meal here, flew out to California, had rehearsal the next day, and were married the day after that. It’s fortunate she was actually on the
program, and it was easier for both of us to say, ‘Yep, we have to move it.’” Wayne is now the proud grandfather of four. “I went from
being a bachelor with a dog to being a married man with a couple of kids and one grandchild by just saying ‘I do.’” He is also active in
the Methodist church and is a distance runner who ran competitively and coached for 15 years.
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Ginyard
Contamination Control Engineer
NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center
Amani Ginyard credits her grandmother with influencing her choice of careers. “She knew I had a knack for numbers. I would help her
with the shopping and know what the sale prices were and be able to crunch those numbers for her. She worked at General Electric in
upstate New York, and she introduced me to the whole idea of using my math and science and reading skills.”
Born in Albany, New York, Amani considers Montclair, New Jersey her hometown. She graduated from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania with a BS in physics. “In college, I was in a special scholarship program. Langley Research Center was one of my internships,
working with remote sensing imaging. That was my first exposure to NASA.” Amani was immediately drawn to the excitement of working
for an agency known around the world for developing the ‘latest and greatest’ in space technology. “I knew that I wanted to work in a place
where every day was going to be something different, and it was always going to be cutting edge.”
In 1999, Amani began working at Goddard in the thermal coatings engineering group. Eventually, she became the contamination control
lead for Wide Field Camera 3, which was installed on Hubble in 2009. “Contamination control is important because we have sensitive
optics and detectors in our camera. For us to have clear images, we need to make sure that our optics are clean and free from particulates
that could cause scratches or scattering of light. And the detectors must operate properly, so we have to remove any small, metal fibers
or shavings from screws that can cause electrical shorts.” Amani is humbled to be a part of the Hubble story. “Being in integration and
testing, I really was able to see the story come together. It’s a thrill to be able to see the instrument placed in Hubble and know that for
many more years it still lives on.”
Outside of work, Amani enjoys spending time with her two daughters, Milan, 7, and Kayla, 6. She loves sailing, gardening, being outdoors, and listening to music—especially live jazz. She volunteers for youth outreach programs, including with her church and the National Society of Black Engineers. “I have a great passion for trying to get youth—especially youth that don’t normally get a chance—to
actually be at a NASA site. I like to get them thinking about careers in science and math, and realizing that you don’t have to always get
straight A’s in school, but just have a desire to know more.”
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