Human Exploration Flight Control Engineer

Job Summary  

Building on The Aerospace Corporation's reputation as a trusted, impartial advisor with integrity and dedication to mission success, the Civil Systems Group (CSG) combines deep technical expertise with market-leading innovation to help our customers solve complex systems engineering and integration challenges. CSG is organized by core customer-facing lines of business to manage and grow programs within NASA, NOAA, and the NNSA, while extending our capabilities to other civilian federal government agencies fully integrated within Aerospace rules, regulations, processes, values, and behaviors. 

Within the CSG, the Human Exploration and Space Flight (HESF) Division supports our NASA customer in all aspects of human space flight. We are looking for a GNC Flight Control engineer - (Project Engineer/Sr. Project Engineer – Technical Project Management). In this role you will support the NASA Johnson Space Center Engineering Aeroscience and Flight Mechanics Division (AFMD) as a flight control expert supporting the systems engineering and integration activities with a focus on flight operations. The AFMD provides technical leadership in the engineering disciplines of aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics; guidance, navigation, and control flight performance; mission design; and autonomous systems. The division provides engineering design, development, testing, and evaluation for all phases of space flight (ascent, entry, orbit, and interplanetary) and for all types of human spacecraft.  

Work Model 

This is a full-time position based at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Tx, offering a hybrid work model that combines 3-4 regular onsite workdays and remote flexibility as the business and customer needs allow.   

What You’ll Be Doing  

• Support the overall flight control (automation) team on the NASA project 

• Develop requirements and justifications for the GNC Systems 

• Ensure dynamic control models are being developed by NASA standards and show execution of requirements 

• Assist in assessment of flight controller elements 

• Assess the overall vehicle performance model predication and stability margins for the different mission phases 

• Provide feedback on Monte Carlo trajectory analyses using independent 6 degrees-of-freedom simulations. 

• Support overall GNC system as well, representing flight control interests 

• Participate in milestone review during the development phases, assuring compliance of the proposed flight control approach via GNC to requirements.   

• Evaluate the integration of the Flight GNC to the propulsion, control elements, sensors and software to ensure flight control overall architecture is being achieved in the integrated level design 

• Support review of GNC Flight software peer reviews for flight operations 

• Support certification of GN&C system requirements compliance through review of analysis and test reports, including assessment of navigation sensor performance, trajectory dispersions, and other GN&C parameters.  

• Certify fault tolerance safety requirements compliance through review of GN&C-related hazard reports and associated verification evidence, including communicating uncovered issues to a Safety Review Panel. 

• Identify and recommend solutions to GN&C flight performance related issues. 

• Provide engineering inputs to operational products, such as flight rules and on-orbit demonstration plans 

• Perform other duties for the customer as required  

What You Need to be Successful  

Minimum Requirements for the Project Engineer- Technical Project Management 

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering with a focus on GN&C, flight controls, and orbital mechanics. 

• Experience with spacecraft rendezvous, proximity operations, and capture/docking. 

• Familiarity with spacecraft docking systems. 

• Working knowledge of NASA, JSC, and ISS standard practices and requirements, including safety and fault tolerance. 

• Experience with NASA flight operations and procedures. 

• Familiarity with NASA/JSC documentation databases and SharePoint sites. 

• Exceptional interpersonal, presentation, and communications skills, including development of and briefing of decision packages and complex information in a succinct and polished manner   

• Ability to work within a diverse team environment and many engineering disciplines, where the team is distributed across multiple NASA and Aerospace Corporation organizations, projects, and programs  

• Proven expertise in managing multiple concurrent tasks and provide direction on competing priorities  

• Willing to travel occasionally to work location/domestically/internationally approx. 4-6 times a year  

In addition to the above, the minimum requirements for the Senior Project Engineer-Technical Project Management include: 

• At least 10+ years’ experience with NASA or on NASA commercial systems  

How You Can Stand Out  

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these: 

• Advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) in Aerospace Engineering or closely related field desired 

• Expertise in building on NASA Human Spaceflight topics and safety matters 

• A minimum of 5 years' progressive experience in the aerospace industry, with a leadership role focusing on GNC systems as a plus 

• Successful track record in designing, testing, and implementing EDL systems for interplanetary or lunar missions