| "I am the mechanical engineer developing the detector mounts and shutter mechanism for the InfraRed Array Camera (IRAC) instrument that will fly on board the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). This telescope, scheduled to launch in 2001, is the fourth in the family of spacecraft containing the Hubble Space Telescope. IRAC is a low background-noise camera that measures energy in the near infrared range and will be looking for protoplanetary objects and brown dwarfs. The SIRTF mission objectives include looking for missing mass in our galaxy in the form of brown dwarfs and superplanets, identifying protoplanetary disks and young stellar objects, and performing deep surveys of the early Universe.
I’m excited by the work environment at Goddard. It’s a casual but challenging environment that fosters original ideas and encourages new thoughts about old ones. New technology is pushing the envelope of space science, and we are faced with the challenge of providing the scientists with the tools they need to collect their data. The people here at Goddard are both knowledgeable and helpful, and I’ve learned a lot since I’ve been here." |
Scott Schwinger
Mechanical Engineer
Goddard Space Flight Center
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University]
Joined NASA as a co-op student in 1991; became a full-time employee in 1995
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