Bridging the Research and Spaceflight Operations Gap - Michael J. Gazarik
By: Jarel Lawrence Bethune-Cookman University
The NASA Project Management Challenge gave me the opportunity to meet engineers that work in different
branches of NASA, network with program and project managers that work on different missions for NASA, and to attend sessions where employees of NASA and other companies served as speakers and addressed different issues about project management.
The session I found most interesting was titled “Bridging the Research and Spaceflight Operations Gap: The EVA IR Camera Experience” by Dr. Michael J. Gazarik. This
presentation explored the performance of a multi-centered team that was highly motivated to design, develop, and
deliver a critical spaceflight inspection tool for the astronaut corps. The presentation also included lessons-learned on how to bridge the gap between NASA’s research centers and NASA’s spaceflight operation centers.
The presentation given by Dr. Gazarik showed how teams come together to solve a problem and enjoy working
together. Dr. Gazarik is the Branch Chief of the Remote Sensing Flight Systems Branch (RSFSB) at the NASA
Langley Research Center (LaRC) in Hampton, Virginia. He is also the Principal Investigator and Development Manager for the Space Shuttle Extravehicular (EVA) Infrared (IR)
Camera Project, also known as the EVA IR.
The EVA IR Camera is the only system available to the Shuttle’s flight crew that can detect subsurface damage in the Orbiter’s wing-leading edge. Dr. Gazarik also serves as the Program Manager and lead Systems Engineer for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) and the Airborne Sounder
Testbed-Interferometer (NAST-I).
It was a treat and great experience to attend the Project Management Challenge and see the different developments that NASA has in store for years to come. It was great to hear speaker’s personal thoughts and feelings on events at NASA. It is an experience that I feel that any engineering student should experience.
.gif){kind=small}
