LASP Mission Operations Team

• Bill Possel
  
  Bill Possel is LASP's Mission Operations and Data Systems Director. He helps run Kepler's student operations team. Possel said "I am impressed by their dedication. They are willing to put the hours in to make this program successful. It really makes a difference.”  This past summer, students did intensive training to be on the mission operations team for Kepler.
  
  “To be a student in operations is very competitive,” Possel said.  “We went through a selection process and a certification process over the summer.  They had practical and written exams.  Not everybody’s cut out to do that.”
  
  This training enables the students to do the commanding for the Kepler mission with oversight from professionals.  LASP runs many mission operations other than Kepler on this student model.
  
  “It’s a win-win for LASP and for the students. The students get an experience that will help them get jobs on the outside when they graduate.  At the same time, it helps LASP provide low-cost operations.  It’s a big cost savings, and with a cost savings you can do more science. That’s the name of the game.”

• Andrew Berg

  Andrew Berg, 28, is a junior aerospace engineering major working a demanding 20-hour work week at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics for mission operations on Kepler.  He is one of 20 undergraduates working on the mission to find habitable, Earth-like planets. 

  Berg is a Colorado native from Fort Collins.   In his free time, he enjoys fire spinning, playing the drums and bass, and wearing tie-dyed socks.  He received a degree in audio production from Webster University in 2005.  Following graduation, Berg decided to go back to school at the University of Colorado for aerospace and electrical engineering. 
  
  “I tried to think of the sexiest thing I could imagine, and spaceflight immediately came to mind,” Berg said.
  
  He began intensive training for Kepler during the summer of 2008 in hopes of contributing to the future of human spaceflight and exploration.  He has applied to the University of Colorado’s BS/MS program to study bioastronautics.  

  “It’s exciting to think that hundreds of years from now, people might be using data we find this summer to decide where they will live,” Berg said.     

• Joshua Hecht
  
  Josh Hecht always knew that he wanted to work in the space industry.  Since he was a child, he has wanted to be an astronaut.

  Now, Hecht is 20 years old and a part of a group of students at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics preparing for the Kepler launch.

  “It’s amazing to see how many people care about Kepler,” Hecht said.  “I can’t believe how much news buzz we’ve been getting.”

  Hecht is a sophomore aerospace engineering major at the University of Colorado.  He began training to work on the Kepler mission in May 2008, only one year after graduating from high school in Lakewood, Colorado.

  “This is going to be something really cool,” Hecht said.  “I have friends who are trying to get internships where they’re just hoping to push papers along.”

  When he’s not operating spacecraft, Hecht likes to snowboard, run and play video games.  Despite the fact that there is “not much sleep,” he is excited about what the Kepler mission will reveal. 

  “We’re looking for other intelligent life on other planets,” Hecht said.  “I love the fact that we’re able to explore other galaxies and take the next step from getting away from Earth and the Solar System. We’re just a speck in the entire universe and with this mission we finally have a chance to explore outside of that speck and into the unknown.”

• Miranda Rohlfing

  Miranda Rohlfing, 21, is a junior aerospace engineering major who is one of the students commanding the Kepler mission. She began to work on Kepler last summer when the entire missions operations team was trained. 

  “I am excited to work on Kepler because it is new science that will help answer whether the Earth is unique.  It is also a great opportunity for an undergraduate to help in the launch and commissioning of a billion dollar satellite.” 

  Rohlfing grew up in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.  In her limited free time, she likes to play volleyball.

  “It is a dream come true to work this closely with actual NASA satellites and I hope to continue my work in this area after college,” Rohlfing said.