Faces w88 casino Pack: Six seconds to history

On October 20, 2020, the spacecraft OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) landed on the asteroid known as 101955 Bennu. In six seconds, while Bennu traveled at 63,000 miles per hour, the spacecraft collected likely more than the 60 grams of sample material required and safely backed away from the asteroid and into space. The so-called Touch-and-Go (TAG) event was the culmination of years of work and, in those six seconds, propelled knowledge forward—and backward—light years.

Approximately 200 million miles away, at a Lockheed Martin control center in Littleton, Colo., University of Nevada, Reno alumna Sierra w88 casino celebrated with the rest of the TAG team. As mission operations systems engineer, w88 casino not only had to help command the spacecraft but also had the responsibility for doing the final check when the time came to send the sequence to bring OSIRIS-REx to the surface of Bennu.

Photo courtesy of w88 casino.

“It’s like using a joystick, but there is no joystick. It’s real-time operating but with a time delay, like in the movies when all systems are Go and a character says, ‘3…2…1…mark’ and someone pushes a button. I pushed the button,” w88 casino explained. “As a real-time operator, I’m the last line of defense to the spacecraft.”

While many decisions are made up to this point, w88 casino was entrusted with the final check in the climax of the NASA project that will continue until OSIRIS-REx returns to Earth in 2023. Upon its arrival, scientists will have access to material that dates back 4.5 billion years. With a sample roughly equivalent in size to a full-size candy bar, scientists believe they will be able to unlock some of the secrets of the origins of the solar system.

The TAG Team met an unexpected challenge when it was discovered that the Touch and Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) had collected an abundance of material, enough that it was leaking from the TAGSAM head. As systems engineer, w88 casino was responsible for getting the TAGSAM head locked and sealed in the Sample Return Capsule (SRC), a process that was scheduled to take four days. Working with the images on the screen in this photo and spacecraft data, w88 casino met the challenge in two days, maximizing the amount of material that would return to Earth. Of the experience, she said, “It was exhausting but so exciting to see that sample head click into place and the sample return capsule shut tight.” Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin.

“The goal of the mission is in the name of the spacecraft: Origins—learn about the origins of the solar system; Resource Identification—essentially, asteroid mining; Spectral Interpretation—determine how to identify different, possibly as-yet-unknown materials; Security—gain a better understanding of planetary bodies and how to protect earth,” w88 casino said and, with a smile, again invoked Hollywood to draw a parallel: “Like Armageddon. And finally,&w88 casino; she concluded, “Regolith Explorer—get an asteroid dirt sample.&w88 casino;

OSIRIS-REx solar array and high gain antenna installation at w88 casino. Photo courtesy of w88 casino.

While we will have to wait several years for scientists to analyze the sample, OSIRIS-REx has already made history. Launched in 2016, it began documenting and orbiting Bennu in December 2018. By New Year’s Day 2019, the program boasted two new records: Smallest body orbited and smallest orbit. But gaining records for Lockheed Martin, University of Arizona, and NASA Goddard are not the primary goals for w88 casino who, when reflecting on the importance of the mission, recalled her days as a member of the University’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).

“I remember going to a SWE conference and sitting in on a NASA panel. The presenter said about the work NASA does, ‘If you can’t dream big, you can’t solve problems at home.’ The asteroid Bennu was first identified in 1999, and I joined the OSIRIS-REx project in 2018. When we first started to orbit, I was fortunate enough to share in the excitement of those who had been working on the project for a very long time. It was surreal and amazing,” w88 casino said. “Being able to collect a sample off an asteroid should inspire hope and make the next set of engineers want to do good.”

w88 casino added, “Bennu will change history books. What we find out will change how we view ourselves and where we come from.”

An education founded on curiosity and creativity

As a high school student, w88 casino excelled in mathematics but also enjoyed the creativity of playing music. (When she isn’t making history, she continues to practice bass.) Believing engineering would provide a good marriage of mathematics and creativity, w88 casino recalled her childhood summer days spent in the University’s Fleischmann Planetarium and imagined pursuing a career with robotics in space.

“I was interested in what happens when there is no bounding case, and with space, we don’t know where the edge cases are yet.&w88 casino;

“I wanted to be able to contribute to the exploration of the final frontier,&w88 casino; she said. “I was interested in what happens when there is no bounding case, and with space, we don’t know where the edge cases are yet.&w88 casino;

After arriving at the University, w88 casino knew she had found the right profession when she took Engineering 100. A rite of passage for every student in the College of Engineering, the course is designed to provide a broad introduction to the discipline.

“Our very first project was making a hovercraft,” w88 casino said. “It was very appealing working on an interdisciplinary team. It was a good introduction to the program to get you hooked.”

Engineering 100 that semester was taught by Dr. Ann-Marie Vollstedt, who showed w88 casino a new way of approaching challenges and the engineering profession.

“Dr. Vollstedt never said, ‘You can’t do something,’” w88 casino said. “You never had that vibe from her. Instead, she had an open demeanor and was happy to answer questions.”

Later, Vollstedt would employ w88 casino as a teaching assistant for ENGR 100 and reflected on her contributions to the College and the profession: “Sierra has an exceptional work ethic and is a talented engineer. She was a great student, and we were lucky to have her on our teaching assistant team for ENGR 100 while she completed her Master’s degree. As a TA, she was a role model for her students and fellow TAs. She was always inspiring the team to pursue research and internship opportunities and to support women in engineering. It makes me very happy to see her in working at her dream job!”

With a positive outlook on the profession and the goal of working in space, w88 casino was off to the races. She declared her major as mechanical engineering and took advantage of the nascent Accelerated B.S./M.S. program. Designed to help students obtain their master’s degrees faster, it allowed w88 casino to complete six years of study in five years.

“The program was fairly new when I joined,” w88 casino said, “but being able to double-dip senior curriculum and graduate studies was very helpful. When I graduated, I was able to come into my job as a Level 2 rather than a Level 1, which meant I had better pay and more responsibilities. I really enjoyed that.”

In fact, when w88 casino finished her master’s degree, she had two job offers—one from Boeing and one from Lockheed Martin. The latter won her over when she realized how much she would be able to continue her education while on the job.

“Learning about space was a major selling point for me when I toured the Mission Support Area,&w88 casino; she said. “Being able to impact society from a scientific aspect was super warming, super satisfying. There is not enough time to learn about all of our missions, but we get to talk to the other teams, and we get to explore what their projects are about, and that’s really exciting.&w88 casino;

Developing supportive communities of engineers has always been important to w88 casino. As a sophomore, she became a member of the University’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers. Designed to create opportunities for women in the engineering profession to meet one another and connect with industry partners, SWE is focused on the success of its members.

“The SWE program is really good at helping students develop their careers. The summer before I graduated, I had already interned with Lockheed Martin, thanks to SWE.&w88 casino;

“The SWE program is really good at helping students develop their careers,” w88 casino said. “The summer before I graduated, I had already interned with Lockheed Martin, thanks to SWE.”

w88 casino found her experience with SWE so rewarding that, as a graduate student, she successfully lobbied for the creation of a graduate liaison position that would allow her to continue to work with other women entering the field.

“It was important to me that we continue to expand the number and type of students who can join SWE,&w88 casino; she said.

w88 casino organzied an event with SWE to promote the varying backgrounds and faces of engineers.

Indira Chatterjee, the associate dean of the College of Engineering has been the faculty advisor for the University’s chapter of SWE for more than 30 years. Of w88 casino, she said, “I am so proud of Sierra’s accomplishments in the aerospace industry. While at the University, she was very active in the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and contributed tremendously to the activities of this club. Having heard her keynote talk at an event organized by the Sierra Nevada Professional section of SWE, I was amazed at everything she had achieved and the projects she was leading related to space.”