AST Skill Sets

Aerospace Vehicle Systems

• Flight Dynamics (reentry dynamics; Monte Carlo simulation, six-degree of freedom modeling; stall, including takeoff and landing, for subsonic, supersonic and hypersonic speeds)
• Command and Control (open and closed loop tests; stability analysis and testing)
• Qualification/Acceptance Testing of Vehicle and Ground Systems
• Tracking (translators and transponders for GPS, radar and other systems)
• Link Analyses (antennas, receivers, transmitters, plume attenuation)
• Propulsion (jet, solid, liquid, electric, nuclear, scram jet)
• Communication (voice, telemetry, command and control)
• Frequency Standards/Requirements/ Monitoring
• Attitude Control (cold gas, bi- and mono- propellant)
• Sensors (star, engine, system, horizon, structure)
• Health Monitoring (sensors, processors)
• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Automatic Fail-Over Systems
• Maintenance/Inspections
• Back-up Power Supplies
• Satellite Technology
• Flight Worthiness
• Navigation
• Thermal
• Loads

System Safety/Quality Assurance Engineering

• Hazardous Materials/Explosives (modeling; inspections; radio-nuclear; dispersion modeling; toxic/hazardous materials; quantity/distance standards; solid and liquid propellant safety; ordnance testing, storage, handling, installation and transportation)
• Aerospace Flight Safety (flight dynamics, trajectory dynamics, safety limits analyses, Monte Carlo simulation, hazards and risk analyses, range safety officer functions, range surveillance and notice requirements)
• Ground Processing Safety (security, inspections, hazardous processing standards/requirements, scheduling around hazardous processing conflicts)
• System Safety (statistics; hazard analysis; MEA, fault tree, sneak circuit and functional analysis)
• Human Factors (ergonomics, human error potentials, fatigue and rest standards)
• Reliability Analysis
• Quality Assurance

Structural/Mechanical Engineering

• Thermal Engineering (thermal loads from equipment, launch- and reentry-induced thermal loads, thermal protection systems and capabilities, active and passive thermal control and dissipation)
• Fracture Mechanics and Fatigue
• Electromechanical Devices
• Metals and Composites
• Form, Fit and Function
• NASTRAN Modeling
• Pressure Vessels
• Maintenance
• Inspections
• Hydraulics

Software Engineering

• Artificial Intelligence/Autonomous Systems Operation
• Design, Development, Documentation and Testing
• Independent Verification and Validation
• System Safety
• Simulation

Meteorology

• Space Weather Issues
• Wind Measurements
• Adverse Weather
• Forecasting

Space Transportation Analysis

• Launch Forecasting
• Economic Analysis

Environmental Assessment

If you are a U.S. citizen and have education, training or experience in one or more of the aforementioned areas, consider AST. AST offers:

• ongoing interaction with leading "space" organizations (i.e., Federal agencies, associations, private firms);
• a dual-purpose mission committed to both safety and entrepreneurial development of the industry;
• a start-up work environment that demands listening and adaptation to serve its customers;
• ground-floor participation in an emerging field with new technologies and new players;
• a work environment that requires technical breadth and depth from every employee;
• an overview of what is happening in every enterprise in the industry;
• opportunities for in-service training on the "state-of-the-art";
• a tangible sense of contribution to the agency's goals;
• a competitive compensation package; and
• pay for performance.

All positions are located in metropolitan Washington, D.C. - a national and international seat of power with key policymakers and decision-makers, a cultural center with state-of-the-art knowledge and nationally-ranked public school systems, colleges and universities, accessible public transportation, public parks and a strong sense of neighborhood.

Applications can be submitted to Christina Vernon, Office of Commercial Space Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue, S.W. #331, Washington, DC 20591.