How do you see your role?
It's really interesting and fun, but also important. Everything that we produce is tested rigorously because it's going into space and has to last for years and years. Customers like NASA and ESA need top performing detectors in order to get good quality images. If you see the images that come back from the James Webb Space Telescope, for example, they are only made possible by having the very best detectors installed.
What type of testing are you focused on?
There are a wide range of tests that need to be performed on the detectors, including thermal testing and vibration testing, so that we can make sure that our products are going to survive launching into space. But the performance testing that my team does is program-specific and depends on what the spacecraft is being designed to look for. Usually it involves some testing in the dark so that we can tell how the pixels operate with no light and then we shine light on them to see their response. For example, we investigate if there are any bad pixels by looking at the data taken in the dark and analysing which ones appear to be ‘hot’, or return a signal that excessively diverges from the average. That’s what is so interesting about these detectors, it is not possible to create a perfect array because of the physical properties of the detector material, so there is always something new to investigate. I am always learning new things!
Which missions and programs you have worked on recently?
Our work on missions can last a long time and I have not been at the company too long. So, one of the only ones that I've had a privilege of testing the detectors for is NASA’s NEO Surveyor. NEO stands for Near Earth Object and the spacecraft’s goal is to essentially save the world from what happened in the movie ‘Don’t Look Up’.
Once completed and launched, NEO Surveyor will look for comets and asteroids that could hit Earth. We want to identify them as early as possible so that we can do something about it and protect the world from their impact. It will hopefully launch in Florida in 2027 and I will be very excited to see it. I plan to go and watch the launch in person.
What do you enjoy most about working at Teledyne Space Imaging?
I love the people here. When you have a great team and a manager that is there for you, it makes all the difference in the world.
Did you always want to work in space?
No, I studied physics at Michigan State University, but before that I actually studied graphic design. I originally thought of myself as an artist and assumed I would follow that career path. However, I found myself more and more fascinated by working in space and started over with my studies to a large degree in order to achieve my goals.
It was well worth it and goes to show it’s never too late to think about a career change. What you think you might like to do for the rest of your life when you’re 18 years old doesn’t always stay the same, especially as you learn and experience more of the opportunities that are out there as you get older.
Your interest in the space sector extends outside your day job?
I do have some hobbies and pastimes that are related to space. I enjoy following what NASA is doing, as well as what's going on all over in the space industry. I subscribe to the space.com newsletters and I listen to a few podcasts, such as ‘Planetary Radio’ from the Planetary Society and one that NASA runs called ‘Houston, We Have a Podcast’. I like to stay up to date on how things are going in space policy, especially these days. Things are rapidly changing.
