Background

• Graduated BSc (Hons) Physics with Computing in 2011
  • Carried out 2 internships in 3rd year
     
• Worked with FeedHenry afterwards
  • Put a thing in space* while there
     
• Started MSc in Space Science last year
  • Graduating next week 
     
• Worked with Curtiss-Wright afterwards

Internships

FeedHenry

• Intern in Cloud Operations
• 1 of 3 interns
   
• Paid internship (useful)
• Small company (dynamic)
• Software company (coffee)

Internships

FeedHenry

 Work Performed

• Some app development/testing
  • Mainly testing
• Some automation
  • Monitoring - useful 
• Some development
  • Testing automation

Internships

FeedHenry

 Work Outcomes

• Money
• Ubuntu and Python
  • Hugely popular in science
• Industry contacts
  • References/Later work

Internships

ESTEC (ESA)

• Intern (stagiere) in SRE-OS
• Solar system science operations
   
• Not paid (got a grant)
• ESTEC (interesting space stuff)
• Lived in Holland (nice place)

 Work Performed

• Debugging past code
  • Nasty (IDL)
• Writing code for data analysis
  • Analysing data from a satellite!
• Learning wavelets
  • Used in analysis

Internships

ESTEC (ESA)

 Work Outcomes

• We found something!
• Basis of my thesis in 4th year.
  • This led to visiting ESA again
• Industry contacts
  • References
• Experience working abroad

Internships

ESTEC (ESA)

FeedHenry

After college..

• Worked for 2+ years
• Different titles
  • Cloud operations engineer
  • Product engineer
  • Research and Development
     
• Dynamic and growing workplace
• Some flexibility
• Gained VAST experience

 Work Performed

• Automating systems
• Much more programming
• Researching new tech
• A lot more Ubuntu management
• Frisbee throwing
• Great parties on occasion
   
• Breaking live systems

FeedHenry

After college..

FeedHenry

After college..

 Work Outcomes

• Colleague connections
  • It sounds naff.. I know
• A lot of experience
  • People: people are tricky
  • Work: tech was cutting-edge
• More references!

Glider

To the stratosphere!

• High altitude videos = cool
• Figured glider = better video
• So...
  • I designed that
  • Tested it..
  • Flew it & Lost it (2nd time around)
     
• CV stands out now
• It was hugely satisfying
• Rewarding in a few ways

http://blog.danielvagg.com/blog/?page_id=90

Glider

To the stratosphere!

 How was it done?

• Designed with barely any experience
  • Never used an arduino
  • Never sent anything to space
• A lot of fun/planning/testing
• Help from colleague in FH

Glider

To the stratosphere!

 How did it work?

• Python on android phone
  • GPS + Orientation + GSM
  • Sent command over BT
• Arduino parsed commands
  • Controlled all servos
• Power
  • Battery pack powered most
  • Charged phone using USB
  • Phone had own power

Glider

To the stratosphere!

 Outcomes

• First flight: success!
• A lot of interviews focus on it..
• Got an internship offer from Captec
  • Philae programming

Humble beginnings

Glider body (and box)

Some progress

Basic servo control

Balloon/Glider cable

Some progress

Cable test
Homework

Some progress

Release mechanism!

Glider Power

Some promise

Arduino

Bluetooth module

Parachute

Parachute release

Power regulator

Tape (30% of structure)

Some promise

Now with the brains

My old phone..

Ready to fly

Parachute

HD Camera

MSc Space Science

At UCD

• New Masters degree available
• Physics specialising in space science
• Very interesting!
  • Rocket science
  • Applications of space
  • Kerbal Space Program
     
• Cost money
• 1 calendar year
  • Sem 1/Sem 2/Placement or Thesis
• Very topical

http://www.ucd.ie/physics/spacescience/

MSc Space Science

At UCD

 Studied

• Applications of space science
• Rocket science
• Machine learning
• Plasma physics (Trinity)
• Space mission design (Tenerife)
• Astronomy (Tenerife)
• Space law (well rounded)
• Presentation skills (useful)

MSc Space Science

At UCD

 Outcomes

• 1 of 3 Irish space science graduates
• Lots of topical education
  • Space debris (Gravity)
  • Space environment
  • Orbital mechanics (Armageddon)
  • Mars exploration/colonisation
  • Plasma physics
    (Aurora Borealis & Plasma thrusters)
• Have built a "satellite" ready for launch

MosIAC output

A pretty picture

Solar telescopes in Tenerife

Inside the observatory!

Outside the observatory!

CW A&E

Internship & Contract

• Intern with CW during MSc
• 5 work packages
  • Research in some of them
  • Very self directed..
• Testing equipment for aviation
  
  
   
• Started off as an intern
• Offered a short-term contract after
• More references and such

Curtiss-Wright Space

• Commercial Off-The-Shelf components
  • Cheaper missions (SpaceX)
• Parts made in Dublin used extensively in Space:
  • Every SpaceX flight to date
  • ESAs Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV)
  • Reliable!

"SpX CRS-2 launch - further - cropped" by Tony Gray and Robert Murray - http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=64615. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SpX_CRS-2_launch_-_further_-_cropped.jpg#mediaviewer/File:SpX_CRS-2_launch_-_further_-_cropped.jpg

"Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle". Via Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Intermediate_eXperimental_Vehicle.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Intermediate_eXperimental_Vehicle.jpg

WP#4 Radiation testing