Space Environments Engineer

Intuitive Machines LLC•Houston, TX

About The Position

The JETS Space Environments team is seeking a Space Environments Engineer to join Intuitive Machines, a teammate company to provide multidisciplinary technical analysis/modeling and systems engineering support to NASA JSC across programs like Moon Base, Artemis, HLS, CLDP, and SR-1.

Requirements

Requires a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in engineering and 5- 10 years of related experience.
3 or more years of related work experience or an equivalent combination of technical education and experience (e.g., M.S. or Ph.D.)
Experience using Microsoft Office Suite
Experience in scientific computer programming and software development for analytical and physics-based modeling and simulation
Strong analytical and computational skills
Ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary field
Effective written and verbal communication skills

Nice To Haves

M.S. or Ph.D. in Engineering (Aerospace, Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, Nuclear), Physics or Chemistry
5 or more years of related work experience or an equivalent combination of technical education and experience (e.g., M.S. or Ph.D.)
Experience with NASA programs and projects, for example, Gateway and Artemis
Experience with external contamination/molecular deposition analysis codes and/or tools including CAD, meshing, and visualization software (e.g., Matlab, Python, Creo, NX, FEMAP, Tecplot, ParaView, LS Dyna, etc.)
Experience with materials outgassing, molecular transport, thin film deposition, optical property degradation, molecular gas dynamics, and/or multi-phase flows
Experience with hypergolic and Hall Effect thrusters' operation as well as associated plume characteristics
Experience with NASA and industry standards relating to contamination control and experimental characterization of materials outgassing (e.g., ASTM E1559)
Knowledge of natural and induced space environments and related materials effects, including thermal vacuum stability, radiation (ionizing and UV), plasma charging, atomic oxygen, thermal cycling)
Knowledge of lunar dust characteristics and effects, including for optical property and impact damage assessments, and of the lunar surface environment
Knowledge of GCR, solar wind/ plasma, CMEs/SEPs, and solar irradiance
Experience with plasma charging and ionizing radiation analyses or related tools (NASCAP, SPIS, IRI, AE9/AP9, CREME96, SHIELDOSE, ESP/PHYCHIC, MCNP, HZTRAN, SPENVIS, etc.)
Experience with the Linux operating system.
Proof of U.S. Citizenship or US Permanent Residency may be a requirement for this position.

Responsibilities

Provide support to NASA programs in the definition of natural and induced space environments, including with multidisciplinary analysis and modeling, working in concert with NASA civil servants and designated contractors
Develop and update semi-empirical and theoretical models of processes relevant to spacecraft natural and induced environments
Analyze/model molecular and particulate contamination sources, including lunar dust, and transport from materials outgassing, vacuum venting, and rocket engine and thruster pluming processes onto spacecraft, elements, and payloads
Analyze optical property impacts from molecular and particulate contamination, including lunar dust, and exposure to orbital and lunar surface environments (e.g., to ultraviolet radiation, ionizing radiation, and atomic oxygen)
Analyze/model plasma effects, spacecraft charging, radiation transport and effects on hardware
Assess compatibility of spacecraft hardware with natural and induced space environments
Provide systems engineering support in space environments requirements and verification plan development as well as requirement and verification activities throughout the life of a program
Conduct systems engineering trade studies to identify potential risks and mitigations, evaluate induced environmental hazards between vehicles, and participate in hazard/risk reviews
Participate in programmatic milestone reviews
Perform other duties as required