Get to Know a LASPian is a Q&A profile series that features LASP employees and the work that they do. This third profile in the series highlights Mechanical Engineer Robyn Wing, who has worked at LASP for six years designing, integrating, and testing spacecraft, instruments, and mechanisms. She recently also took on the role of supervising and coordinating the students in the Mechanical Engineering group.
Q: Where did you grow up? As a child, what did you want to do or be when you grew up?
A: I was born in Boulder and grew up in Lafayette. As a kid, I was always crafting and creating art and three-dimensional projects, like vehicles and houses for my toys. I always imagined I’d be an architect, since that’s a job I’d heard of that designed and built beautiful things that I could see myself being interested in.
Q: Who inspired you?
A: I was supported by my parents and inspired especially by my dad and grandpa. My dad brought home a PC back when they were pretty darn new, which got me interested in programming and computers and probably started me on the path towards engineering. He also taught me how to take care of the regular maintenance of my car, and explained how some of the large systems worked. Learning to be so self-reliant was incredibly empowering. I also spent a lot of time with my grandpa growing up. He was a mechanic for the Air Force and went on to service large medical equipment. He was always fixing and improving things and was always there to help me with things I wanted to make work.
Q: Tell us about what you do in your job. E.g. What’s an average day like? What is your favorite part of your job?
A: I’m a mechanical engineer and I am the supervisor of the ME students here at LASP. My job as a mechanical engineer varies from day to day and project to project. There is a lot of documentation that goes along with the design and test processes, but my favorite part of the job is always seeing things come together and work, even if that second part can often be an iterative process. I love working with the students as well and getting to see the cool stuff they are working on. Their enthusiasm is contagious and continuously reminds me of what I love about my own work.
Q: What’s the most interesting, unusual, or extraordinary experience you’ve had so far working for LASP?
A: By far the most extraordinary experience I’ve had working for LASP (and likely for the rest of my career) was being on the launch team for the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) during the beginning months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Launching an interplanetary spacecraft from another continent comes with plenty of hurdles even before adding a global pandemic. After quarantining in Tokyo, I spent the summer of 2020 in Tanegashima, Japan, at the launch site working closely with our small team to prepare EMM for integration with the launch vehicle. I helped fuel the spacecraft and do final MLI (multi-layer insulation) checks inside the fairing on the top of the rocket. I love being close to hardware, and being up close and personal with the launch vehicle and all the cool equipment used at the launch site was really a dream come true. Seeing our little spacecraft leave the planet on the morning it launched will always be a special memory for me. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.
Q: What has been your biggest personal or professional challenge and how did you overcome it?
A: I would say one of my biggest professional challenges was coming back to work after taking time off while my kids were little. I did some part-time contract work during that time, but it was seven years before I came back full time and that was a really hard decision to make. I loved being home with my kids and I wasn’t sure how much of my technical edge I had lost. It turns out that I did come back a different kind of engineer than I was in my earlier career. I’ve found my work to be fulfilling and my family has been supportive and proud of the things I’m doing. And because LASP is a pretty flexible environment, I can be there when my family needs me, but also be challenged and grow professionally here.
Q: What do you do for fun outside of work?
A: I practice and teach yoga, and enjoy arts & crafts and gardening. I also do some regular volunteer work. If I have bigger blocks of time I love to hike, though it’s getting harder to find a quiet trail these days. I’ve always been a big reader, and when things get busy, that’s usually the only hobby that I can always make time for.
