My name is Deanna Temkin, and I'm an engineer in the Space Department at APL. The group I work with is responsible for designing components necessary for powering a spacecraft. We design solar arrays and batteries – which provide power for a spacecraft – and the electronics used to control, distribute, and convert this power into usable forms. For the TIMED mission, I was lead engineer on the power systems electronics unit. It's essentially a set of switches (similar to the light switches inside your house) that can be controlled by commands sent from Earth. I also designed the cards that take the electrical power supplied by the solar arrays and batteries and convert it to useable levels for the spacecraft's computer, receiver and transmitter located inside TIMED's electronics module.

I've always liked math and science. I originally went to college not knowing what I wanted to do. In college, a physics professor recruited me into his engineering program. My original thought was to go into biomedical engineering, but an undergraduate degree in this field was not being offered so I chose electrical engineering. During my first job after college, I began designing power converter cards. I liked this type of work so I never looked back at biomedical engineering. After working for a couple of years, I received a master's degree in microelectronics -- a specialized field in electrical engineering.

Throughout my career in the space industry, I've developed components for lots of NASA spacecraft. Once a spacecraft is launched and operating in space, it's an awesome feeling knowing that the electronics I designed are part of a spacecraft that's helping scientists learn more about our Earth or the universe.

In my job, I work with a lot of other engineers and technicians. We have to work together closely while designing components and testing the completed spacecraft to make sure all the components work together properly. Communication and attention to detail are necessary to ensure that our mission is a success!

An ongoing challenge in the space industry is to continually try to make the electronics smaller, lighter and more efficient. TIMED's power systems electronics unit and electronics module are innovative in that they both replace four separate boxes that would have been required on previous missions. This helps reduce the spacecraft's weight, size and cost. This smaller, lighter and cheaper concept is an ongoing goal for new spacecraft designs.

My work on TIMED is completed, and I'm currently working on the power system electronics for the CONTOUR (Comet Nucleus Tour) mission, which is scheduled for launch in July 2002. A career in engineering might be a good choice for you if you like challenges and being part of a team, and enjoy working in an environment where there are always new things to learn. I think the space industry, in particular, has lots of diverse and challenging jobs to offer.

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