ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM
Monday, January 29, 2007 / 3:30 PM, Building 3 Auditorium
James Leary
"Messenger"
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771
ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM
Monday, January 29, 2007 / 3:30 PM, Building 3 Auditorium
James Leary
"Messenger"
ABSTRACT -- Only one NASA spacecraft has visited Mercury and that was Mariner 10 in 1974 and 1975. It was programmed to fly by the planet three times to take images of its heavily-cratered surface. But the spacecraft saw essentially the same side of the planet on each pass. What lies on the other side? More craters? Or something totally unexpected? It's not that NASA hasn't wanted to get there sooner. Scientists and engineers have spent nearly two decades developing new techniques and designing a spacecraft with the ability to survive the extreme conditions of Mercury. This talk will discuss the mission and it objectives, the spacecraft design and technology, and its status on the way to the solar system's innermost planet.
SPEAKER -- A Principal Staff member of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), Mr. Leary has worked in the Space Department since 2000 in many roles including as the Mission System Engineer (technical lead) for the MESSENGER mission to Mercury through Integration and Test and the first two years of operation. He currently serves as the Advanced Concepts Manager for the Civilian Space Business Area and as the Section Supervisor for Mission and Space Systems Engineering at APL. Mr. Leary holds a BA in Physics, BS in Aerospace Engineering, MS in Astronautics, and a Professional Degree in Engineering Management and Systems Engineering.