JPL's Ed Massey. Image credit: NASA/JPL + Larger image

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Celebrating Black History Month: A Mission Manager
February 07, 2007

Ed Massey has dedicated 20 years of his life working on NASA/JPL missions and projects. He is the manager of NASA's Voyager Interstellar mission and the Ulysses project, a joint mission between NASA and the European Space Agency.

"I've worked at JPL for so long because I enjoy coming to work every day," Massey says. "I can schedule my day but it never works out that way, there is always something exciting to do."

The twin Voyager spacecraft launched almost thirty years ago. Voyager I is now 100 times more distant from the sun than Earth. The Ulysses spacecraft is currently scanning the sun's magnetic field, solar radio noise and cosmic dust between the poles and equator-- giving a more complete perspective of the sun's atmosphere. In 1998, Massey became the manager of both projects. "I really feel like what I'm doing will help make a difference in how we view the solar system."

Prior to joining JPL, Massey had already achieved extensive experience in military space operations. He worked in missile data reduction and analysis, along with satellite operations at a remote tracking station and at the Air Force Satellite Control Facility.

Massey earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Tuskegee University in Alabama, where he joined Omega Psi Phi fraternity. He remains active in the school's alumni chapter and is in charge of the fraternity's Web site. Massey received a master's degree in systems management from the University of Southern California and is a member of the American Geophysical Union, the European Geophysical Society, and the Air Force Association.

When he's not working on his space missions, Massey enjoys traveling the world with his wife of 40 years, Claudette, and spending time with their two daughters.