This is the jobs center at space careers. Mars Express Mission Planning Spacecraft Operations Engineer looks like a pretty cool job.
For our activities in ESOC we are currently seeking a Spacecraft Operations Engineer (SOE) to provide support primarily for Mission Planning operations and operational software tools.
Task
The SOE shall perform tasks necessary to Planning Operations in Mars Orbit:
· Contribute to the generation of routine mission planning products;
· Contribute to the process of the medium-term planning cycle in interaction with Flight Dynamics, and with the other Flight Control SOEs for spacecraft preservation.
· Support the interfaces of mission planning within ESOC, with the Science Operations Centre, part of the ESAC Science Ground Segment, and with the scientific community;
· Contribute to the development and/or maintenance of mission planning tools: specification and validation of externally-procured tools; programming for evolution of internal tools;
· Follow up anomalies, test upgrades and new configurations of the Mission Planning tools.
· Contribute to streamlining of the planning and commanding workflow in support to the automation of mission operations.
And you only need a bachelors degree in engineering, science or a related subject and preferably have some experience in spacecraft operations, mission planning or space science.
In addition, candidates should be systems-minded and have a good understanding of general space mission constraints (data, power, attitude, thermal etc). Some experience of spacecraft operations, mission planning or On-Board Control Procedures would be an advantage.
Capability to manage and operate planning processes and tools in a systematic and configuration-controlled manner is mandatory, together with the will to learn in detail all tools and possibilities of a complex planning system.
Candidates should have a good level of computer skills and some experience with UNIX and/or LINUX operating systems. Good knowledge and practical experience of Java would be of significant advantage. The candidates shall have interest to maintain and improve the custom planning tools (Java, but also ML, PERL, UNIX scripts). Proficiency with mathematical packages(eg. MatLab, SciLab) would be a plus.