Experience

MDA

• Canada
• Space Research and Technology
• 700 & Above Employee

• • Nov 2019 - Present

  Leading ongoing design, build and test of optical targets for the SPIDER program. The targets have remained on schedule for delivery even with the numerous technical and logistical challenges. The target design leverages a number of novel optical technologies that are being implemented for use in space for the first time. Some accomplishments so far include:- Continual risk mitigation and management in order to respond to evolving logistical challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic- Developed and implemented a comprehensive verification plan to test the performance of the new optical materials under a variety of conditions. Worked with external vendors on implementation.- Updated MDA's Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD) analysis methodology and provided training to others on its use- Early delivery of Engineering Development units to allow for a comprehensive technical risk reduction program Show less

• • May 2019 - Nov 2019

  Mechanical lead on a small three-phase study for Blue Origin to design a Payload Offloading Mechanism (POM) to deploy payloads on the lunar surface from the top deck of their Blue Moon lander. The study involved generation and down-selection of a number of concepts through the three phases until a final concept selection was made by Blue Origin.Highlights Include:- Worked with Blue Origin to define a preliminary set of system requirements based on discussions with regards to overall mission operations, goals and challenges- Identification of key performance metrics and their impacts on potential concept designs- Lead a small team in the generation of a number of concept designs followed by refinement of these concept through successive stages of analysis- Numerous presentations to Blue Origin outlining program progress as well as presentations of concepts and results after each program phaseBlue Origin was extremely happy with the results of the study and in October 2019 requested a formal proposal for a full flight program using the davit-crane concept selected by them. I was designated the mechanical lead for this proposal and tasked with refining the technical details of the concept. Highlights included:- Completion of a full flight proposal on an extremely tight deadline of 1.5 months- Successful refinement of the davit-crane design to optimize for mass, payload capacity and the ability to operate on sloped terrain while still remaining within the requested cost- Definition and preliminary design of all required breadboard tests to address program risks- The final proposal combined the technical strengths of multiple MDA locations to provide a truly made in Canada design Show less

• • Oct 2017 - May 2019

  Lead a small team in a series of studies working with both Lockheed Martin and Sierra Nevada Corporations to assess the viability of the Deep Space Exploration Robotics (DSXR) design for use on the vendor specific concepts for the Lunar Gateway. This work was in support of the larger company effort to secure what would become the Canadarm3 program for MDA. I provided both overall direction for the team as well as conducting analysis.Highlights include:- Organization and oversight of a small team to ensure that all required analysis objectives were met on time, on budget and in accordance to customer needs- Performed kinematic reach analyses using Envision to determine the viability of DSXR in a variety of different Gateway configurations for both vendors- Numerous discussions with and presentations to representatives from both vendors to provide process updates and to present final study results- Both vendors were extremely happy with the quality of work provided on a very tight budget and schedule and ended up funding additional studies to further explore the concepts, including initial exploration on the potential of Intra-vehicular Robotics (IVR). Show less

• • Sep 2017 - Mar 2018

  Provided systems engineering support in the early stages of the MCR program. Activities included:- Preliminary outlining of all testing required on the program- Identification and definition of system interfaces including all mechanical, electrical and data flows across these interfaces- Coordinated the exchange of interface information between vendors- Arranged and hosted a regular meeting between program vendors to better facilitate the free exchange of interface and hardware technical details to avoid bottlenecks due to incomplete or unavailable information Show less

• • Feb 2015 - Sep 2017

  Tasked with determining Planetary Protection and Contamination Control methods in order to meet program hardware cleanliness requirements. Accomplishments included:- Worked with ESA Materials Engineering to assess MDA's existing cleanroom processes and identify strengths as well as areas for improvement- Researched and developed test methods for measuring particulate and molecular contamination on flight hardware- Executed these tests numerous times to provide program management with constant updates on work area and hardware cleanliness throughout the hardware build at both MDA and subcontractor locations- Worked with external labs to assess particulate and bioburden levels on BEMA flight hardware- Identified an external vendor that could provide precision cleaning services for all flight hardware and then worked with that vendor to refine their cleaning process for BEMA- Developed new cleanroom processes to reduce assembly activity generated contamination- Identified and procured a variety of low contamination cleanroom supplies (wipes, swabs, gloves etc.) to support the flight hardware build. Worked with vendors and the MDA PA department in order facilitate a relationship so they could be added to MDA's list of approved suppliers for future builds - Creation of new Planetary Protection and Contamination Control processes- Trained technicians in the new processes prior to the BEMA flight build Show less

• • Oct 2012 - Feb 2015

  Provided systems engineering support to the MSS program. Duties included:- Part of the MDA realtime flight support team at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) in Montreal. - Investigations into the cause of on-orbit technical issues with the MSS system. Resolutions to these issues were presented to CSA and NASA as required.- In lab testing of MSS hardware to assist with on-orbit problem resolution.

• • Oct 2011 - Oct 2012

  Generated a complete workspace analysis for the IGAR Breast Biopsy System. Workspace was generated using automated scripts in Envision (a 3D visualization tool) and Matlab. Results from this analysis helped to finalize the design of the system.

• • Nov 2006 - Oct 2011

  Provided systems engineering support for a wide variety of tasks on the SRMS program. Highlights include:- Part of the MDA realtime flight support team at Johnson Space Center for STS-119, STS-127, STS-132 and STS-135- Helped create updated berthing procedures and alignment cues for the Inspection Boom Assembly (IBA). Improvements led to an approximately 75% reduction in the time required for IBA berthing.- MRB chairman from 2007-2008. Coordinated engineering activities in solving on-orbit anomolies, served as point of contact between MDA and NASA, chaired technical interchange meetings between MDA, NASA and any other required parties.- Led the creation of a technical users guide for the IBA. The IBA Users Guide was used as a testbed for new technologies that MDA would use for users guides going forward including 3D imagery and dynamic hotlinking of documentation. Show less